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A loan move may be ‘the next step’ for Celtic defender Dane Murray, according to The Daily Record’s Mark Pirie. 

The lowdown

Murray came on at half time in the first leg of Celtic’s Champions League qualifier against FC Midtjylland in July after Nir Bitton was sent off, and he kept his place for the second leg.

Celtic were ultimately knocked out after extra time, and Murray hasn’t featured for Ange Postecoglou’s senior side since. His only action has come at reserve level.

Team-mate Stephen Welsh had been impressed with the 18-year-old against the Danes, hailing him as ‘fantastic, both on the ball and defensively’.

Murray could now join fellow Hoops youngsters Luca Connell, Jonathan Afolabi, Kerry McInroy and Ross Doohan out on loan.

The latest

Pirie writes that Murray will be ‘desperate’ for a first-team recall, but his chances look slim, with Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers seemingly the ‘current first-choice defensive pairing’.

‘A loan stint away from Glasgow’s east end’ may be the logical next move, he adds.

The verdict

While Murray wasn’t entirely convincing in the second leg against Midtjylland, it is a little surprising that he’s not even featured in the matchday squad for a league game.

He might be finding it a little dispiriting after a debut which seemed to herald a breakthrough season.

Still, a loan move that will allow to build his experience of top-flight football seems smart, particularly as Christopher Jullien’s return will only push him further down the pecking order.

In other news, Celtic tried to sign this left-back last summer. 

Eberechi Eze has been pictured behind the camera at Crystal Palace’s training ground.

Eze has yet to play for Palace this season, having suffered an Achilles tendon injury at the back end of the 2020/21 campaign.

Injury expert Ben Dinnery told Football Insider this week that Eze will now be ‘in and around those training pitches and moving to the next phase’ of his rehabilitation.

He ‘should be able to go out on the grass and undertake some light jogging’, he adds.

The 23-year-old is predicted to be back in action at some point next month.

Just how big will Eze’s return be?

Based on his performances in his first season at Selhurst Park, it will be a significant boost for Patrick Vieira.

Eze led the Palace squad for assists (six), key passes (1.3 per 90) and dribbles (1.9 per 90) last season (via WhoScored).

Palace fans will be keen to see how he links up with new signings like Conor Gallagher and Odsonne Edouard.

Here’s how supporters reacted as the official club Twitter account posted ‘Ebs content to bless the timeline’.

Palace fans enjoy Eze tweet

“On god he’s the happiest looking guy, makes me smile, he’s funny too, the FIFA card vid is gas”

Credit: @eaglism

“Never been so buzzing for a player to come back from injury”

Credit: @palacejoe_

“He’s always so happy”

Credit: @kimberley_e_

“Gods be praised”

Credit: @EvilSashPioneer

“Gotta be the happiest man on earth he is literally always smiling”

Credit: @C_sharp29

“The most anticipated comeback of all time, honestly can’t wait for it!”

Credit: @J_CPFC

In other news, Eagles scouts have been spotted at this fixture. 

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou is closing in on signing Legia Warsaw’s Josip Juranovic, according to The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Juranovic’s 2021/22 season

Juranovic has already made eight appearances this season, six of which have come as a starter.

In all six games, the Croatia international has started, he has played as a right midfielder.

The 25-year-old, on £317,200-a-year with Legia Warsaw, is thought to be keen on a move to Parkhead, and it seems as if a Scotland switch is edging closer.

The Latest: Daily Record report

The Daily Record shared a Celtic-related story on Wednesday evening regarding Juranovic and Thomas Henry.

They claimed that Postecoglou is closing in on signing Juranovic in a deal worth £3m.

Postecoglou has reportedly turned his attention to Juranovic after struggling in attempts to sign Aurelio Buta and George Baldock.

The Verdict: Shrewd move

Juranovic has started this season as a right-midfielder, but you’d expect he’ll rival Anthony Ralston to be first-choice right-back, should a move to Celtic get over the line as expected by The Daily Record.

Postecoglou only has Ralston and Lee O’Connor as right-back options at this moment in time, so a £3m deal for Juranovic appears to be a smart move at first glance as he has made over 100 appearances in that area.

It’s good to see that Juranovic will be capable of playing further forward if required, as he has shown in recent weeks, and it appears as if he’ll become Celtic’s eighth summer signing.

In other news: ‘Celtic have started official talks’ for versatile £10,000-p/w ace; he’s ‘incredibly fast’. 

Tottenham Hotspur take a break from domestic action as they look to get back on track in the Europa Conference League with a trip to Slovenia to face NS Mura.

The north London outfit currently occupy second place in Group G, three points behind Stade Rennes, so they have work to do to qualify into the knockout stages but they do now face a side yet to win in the competition.

Antonio Conte’s very first game in charge of Spurs was three weeks ago when his side defeated Vitesse 3-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and since then, they are yet to lose under his stewardship.

He will be left with plenty of decisions to make after implementing rigorous training and fitness regime in amongst an international break and settling in at Hotspur Way.

We saw a glimpse of Davinson Sanchez on Sunday as he put in a reassuring and commanding cameo from the bench in the 2-1 win over Leeds United and he is surely in line to start against the PrvaLiga champions.

‘Replaced [Japhet] Tanganga with just over 20 minutes to go and he won some big headers and made some crunching tackles. Won everything that came his way,’ wrote football.london’s Alasdair Gold in his post-match ratings.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Indeed, the young academy gem struggled to combat Marcelo Bielsa’s side, with the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick describing him as a ‘little clumsy’ and that he ‘did not look comfortable.’

As such, Sanchez deserves the nod over in Slovenia – in just 20 minutes of action, he won 100% of his four aerial duels, made three interceptions and two tackles, per SofaScore.

The £18m-rated Colombian international, who once cost a club-record £42m in 2017, has often been lambasted as a “liability” to the side but in moments like Sunday, he has shown his true potential.

Ex-manager Mauricio Pochettino has previously described him as a “beast”, so he should have no trouble in playing against a side of NS Mura’s quality, with all due respect, they are a team that Spurs should whitewash with very little trouble at the other end of the pitch.

But Sanchez has started only four times in the Premier League and will be in need of minutes, he could well become the ideal replacement for the seriously injured Cristian Romero.

If he plays like he did in the short time he did at the weekend, then he could terrify Mura’s frontline.

AND in other news, Spurs eye “explosive” £34m-rated gem likened to Lampard, he’s way better than Lo Celso…

A prediction has been made by Noel Whelan regarding when he thinks the Newcastle United takeover process may be concluded.

The Lowdown: Arbitration adjourned

As shared by the official website of the St. James’ Park faithful, the arbitration hearing between themselves and the Premier League has now been adjourned until early 2022 because of issues with the disclosure of evidence.

The hearing was expected to take place this month, but now further delays have been implemented, leaving things in limbo for the foreseeable future.

The Latest: Whelan on takeover process

Whelan, a pundit who played as a striker for the likes of Leeds United and Coventry City, has since given his thoughts on the takeover process to Football Insider, claiming that he cannot see it being concluded even next year, leaving a question over just how long it will take:

“I think it’s been a farce ever since it first started, to be quite honest with you.

“This doesn’t surprise me that they don’t want to disclose any kind of findings. They’re going to drag it on as much as they possibly can.

“It’s not good for Newcastle because they want this takeover done. They want the takeover done because it’s going to improve and bring more money into the football club.

“It’ll strengthen their squad and position in the Premier League.

“You can never see this one settling very quickly because there’s two strong personalities at either end of this: Mike Ashley and the Premier League.

“The Premier League will need to make sure they’ve got all their documents in order, as will Mike Ashley.

“The process is going to drag on. I probably can’t see it getting concluded in 2022 either.”

The Verdict: Worrying

These are certainly worrying times for the Toon Army, as they go into yet another season with uncertainty surrounding the North East club.

Even though the arbitration hearing is now set to take place next year, there is a chance that it could be delayed even further as it has done already.

If Whelan’s prediction that the process may not even be concluded before 2022 is right, then a serious question has to be asked over how long the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium will be willing to wait and ultimately, whether a takeover on Tyneside will ever be completed.

In other news, find out which £50,000-per-week target is attracted to a Magpies move here!

Liverpool must swoop for Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer after being linked with a move for the 6 ft 3 gem.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Il Messaggero, Jurgen Klopp’s charges view the 26-year-old as the ideal replacement for Gini Wijnaldum following the Dutch international’s departure.

The report states, however, that it would take a “monstrous” offer to prize Milinkovic-Savic away from the Stadio Olimpico as he still has three years remaining on his current contract.

Edwards masterstroke

After a hugely underwhelming 2020/21 campaign, Liverpool have already started rebuilding their first-team squad ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

Ibrahima Konate has arrived via a £34 million move from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig, and the next addition through the Anfield doors could arrive imminently.

A new central midfielder is thought to be high up on Klopp’s wish list following Wijnaldum’s exit, with the likes of Saul Niguez, Nicolo Barella and Florian Neuhaus previously being linked.

But a new transfer target has now emerged in the shape of Milinkovic-Savic, and his arrival could have the biggest instant impact of them all.

The Serbia international looks a perfect fit for the Premier League. His size and stature would ensure the physical demands of the English top-flight would pose no problems for him, while his quality speaks for itself.

Although he was unable to fire Lazio into the Champions League qualification spots, Milinkovic-Savic still managed a highly impressive eight goals and 10 assists in 32 Serie A appearances last season.

He was central to everything that the capital club did, as his underlying numbers clearly show.

The £63m-rated powerhouse recorded 1.3 key passes per league game in 2020/21, made 54.1 passes on average per league game, and had two shots on average per league game as well, meaning he placed in the top three amongst his teammates for all three metrics.

Once described as a “complete midfielder” by Sky Sports journalist Anton Toloui, Milinkovic-Savic could be the perfect addition to the Liverpool engine room.

Acquiring his signature would represent a genuine masterstroke from director of football Michael Edwards, and his presence alongside Thiago and Fabinho in the centre of the pitch could see Liverpool regain their Premier League crown next term.

And, in other news…Edwards must act to sign “unplayable” £154m gem for Liverpool as competition lessens 

Celtic could actually pocket up to £20m in the deal that took Odsonne Edouard to Crystal Palace on deadline day, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Sky Sports claim

Edouard finally sealed a Parkhead exit he has been working on since April with hours remaining of the window, signing a four-year deal at Selhurst Park.

The Hoops brought in a striker of their own in Georgios Giakoumakis from VVV-Venlo.

Sky Sports claimed that a transfer for Edouard cost Patrick Vieira’s side an initial £14m that could rise to £18.5m. However, it seems as if it could be more than that, which is good news for Dominic McKay and Ange Postecoglou.

The Latest: Source shares Wednesday update

Football Insider shared a story on Wednesday after being informed by a Celtic source.

They suggested that a move for Edouard has actually cost Palace £15m which could end up totalling £20m with various add-ons.

The report adds that Celtic will now have to hand Paris Saint-Germain 30% of profits made on Edouard.

The Verdict: A good window

Celtic have brought in 12 summer signings and have come out with a profit, as per Transfermarkt.

The site suggests that the Hoops have forked out just over £20m on incomings and have received £31.59m in departures over recent months.

It seems as if that figure could well rise in the future with add-ons for Edouard, so overall, it appears to have been a productive window for McKay and co, rebuilding a squad in desperate need of a freshen-up with money to spare.

In other news: Deadline day activity away from Celtic means two of McKay’s signings cost effectively nothing.

Robin Koch has been ruled out of Leeds United’s Premier League clash with Burnley this weekend, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds face Burnley meeting

The Whites have made an up-and-down start to their 2021/22 season, with a heavy defeat away to Manchester United followed up by an exciting 2-2 draw at home to Everton.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side then dispatched of Crewe Alexandra in the EFL Cup in midweek, prior to Sunday’s trip to Burnley in the league.

Leeds will be hoping for a repeat of last season’s 4-0 win at Turf Moor, in which Rodrigo scored a brace for the visitors.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Koch out of clash

One player who won’t be available for the game because of injury is Koch, however, with The Athletic‘s Hay delivering a 10-word verdict on Twitter on Friday:

“No Robin Koch again this weekend, still recovering from injury.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-14/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Manageable

In truth, Koch has struggled to find his best form so far this season, so his absence may not be considered the end of the world for Leeds.

The 25-year-old was off the pace in midfield in the aforementioned 5-1 drubbing at the hands of the Red Devils and he may not have been included in Sunday’s starting lineup anyway.

The hope is that Koch returns refreshed when he overcomes his injury, though, with the German undoubtedly a key squad member with his absence a hit to Bielsa’s squad depth.

In other news, Leeds have been tipped to sign one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that Chris Wilder would win his old side promotion.

Wilder is said to be one of the leading candidates for the West Brom job as the Midlands club look to replace Sam Allardyce ahead of their return to the Championship.

Wilder has been out of work since departing Sheffield United back in March, who he could face next season from the Hawthorns dugout following their own relegation to English football’s second tier.

It would make for interesting viewing in a potential battle for promotion, and Palmer really fancies West Brom’s chances if they do go on to hire Wilder.

“I think he’s a really, really good manager,” the ex-West Brom player exclusively told FFC.

“The simple fact is Chris Wilder has done his apprenticeship. He is a top, top manager. If he’s ready to get back into the game, for me, West Brom shouldn’t even hesitate. Give him the resources and he’ll get them promoted.”

While Wilder and United had their struggles this season, the all-round job the 53-year-old did was impressive.

Though they did have their disputes this term, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp called Wilder incredible before coming up against him for the first time.

Manchester United appear to be leading the likes of Tottenham in the race to sign Benfica forward Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Man Utd interest in Nunez

Described as an ‘absolute beast’ earlier this month during a podcast discussing his display against Liverpool, the Uruguayan appears to be a man in demand this summer following his starring campaign in Portugal.

The 22-year-old has scored a whopping 33 goals in 39 games, impressing as a centre-forward, second striker and left winger.

The Uruguay international was linked with a big-money move to Manchester last week, and a fresh update has now emerged in their pursuit of a possible club-record deal.

The Latest: United leading the way for Nunez

Sport Witness relayed an update from Spanish outlet AS regarding Nunez on Tuesday. They claimed that 22-year-old could link up with super-agent Jorge Mendes, who is set to meet with ‘several English clubs’ regarding the Benfica forward.

United are thought to be ‘in the lead’ following an ‘express request’ from new manager Erik ten Hag.

The Verdict: Huge

Cristiano Ronaldo looks likely to be the only senior centre-forward available to Ten Hag when he arrives, with Edinson Cavani set to depart Old Trafford over the coming months.

Therefore, bringing in an exciting young attacker who has been prolific this season in numerous positions seems to be a smart move going forward.

Benfica want €130m for Nunez, which equates to around £109m and would make him the most expensive United signing of all time ahead of Paul Pogba, but it could prove to be the perfect one for Ten Hag in what the Red Devils are hoping will be a new era for the club.

In other news: Ten Hag now wants Man Utd chiefs to sign ‘superstar’ attacker for free