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Celtic have not been particularly reluctant when it comes to spending money in the transfer market to bring new players to Parkhead in recent years.

And, one player that the club splashed out a fee of £1.7m on back in the 2014 January transfer window was Stefan Johansen.

During his time at Celtic Park, the midfielder scored 19 goals and provided 22 assists in 114 appearances across all competitions.

In the 2016 summer transfer window, Celtic then sold the Norwegian to Fulham in a deal worth around £2m.

With 81 appearances in the Championship across the 2016/17 and 2017/18 campaigns, the midfielder managed to score 19 goals and register 16 assists.

After that, the 31-year-old found himself on the move again, this time for a loan spell with West Bromwich Albion where he made 14 appearances before returning to Fulham in May 2019.

The 2019/20 season saw the former Hoops star play in 36 games but fail to find the back of the net.

Last summer saw Johansen bring an end to his time with Fulham by joining fellow London club Queens Park Rangers on a permanent deal worth just £630k after he had spent some time there on loan.

This season has seen the Norway international pick up more yellow cards (7) than goal contributions, despite making 34 appearances in the Championship.

To further highlight how unimpressive the midfielder has been going forward, only eight of the 23 shots at goal he’s had in the league have been on target.

His overall performances haven’t been much to shout about either, with WhoScored giving him a rather underwhelming season rating of 6.61.

Described as a player that had a reputation of having a “bad attitude” by former Celtic manager Ronny Deila, Johansen has gradually seen his transfer value and yearly goal contributions go down since his early Fulham days.

Taking all of this into account, it seems as though not only did the Parkhead club get a lot out of the player on the pitch, but they also pulled a financial blinder by selling him when they did.

With the way Celtic have shot to the top of the SPFL table this season under Ange Postecoglou, it’s hard to imagine that many supporters will have been wishing their club had kept hold of the £11k-per-week midfield man.

AND in other news: Huge blow: Celtic suffer major injury setback, it’s terrible news for Postecoglou

Many Liverpool fans have flocked to Twitter to react to the news that academy product Isaac Mabaya has signed his first professional contract at Anfield, as confirmed by the club’s official website and Twitter channel.

The 17-year-old has been at the Reds since the age of six and broke into the Reds’ under-18s last season as a wide midfielder before a mid-season switch saw him move to full-back. So far this season, the Preston native has played at right-back for Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s team.

Mabaya has played 21 times for Liverpool’s under-18s, scoring four goals and setting up another five, and he has represented England at under-15 and under-16 level.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold and Neco Williams following the same path from the academy and featuring for Jurgen Klopp’s first team, the teenager will have eyes on emulating the two senior right-backs and has been rewarded for his performances and potential with a new contract from the club.

Fellow teenage right-back Conor Bradley made his Liverpool first team debut last week in the Carabao Cup victory over Norwich City and Mabaya could be next in line to be handed a chance by Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool fans flock to contract news

These Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react to the news of Mabaya’s first professional contract at the club.

“Future first teamer”

Credit: @F9Txrres

“Congratulations Isaac! Richly deserved for all the hard work and dedication you’ve put in over the years. Upwards & onwards, sky’s the limit for you. Well done mate”

Credit: @SimonHindley

“Amazing news for Isaac and his family – he has quality in his football and also a great personality. Well deserved for all the hard work you put in Isaac. This is the start of a lot more hard work, but you will smash it.”

Credit: @slingerpete1

“Congratulations homeboy”

Credit: @fariemuk

“Serious player”

Credit: @KonateEra

“This fella looks very promising”

Credit: @paulDix11248352

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to James Pearce’s update on this certain player. Find out more here.

An update has emerged regarding Crystal Palace’s transfer plans for Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah.

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, the Eagles backed away from a potential deal to sign the 22-year-old due to his £20m valuation.

The report claims that Palace were prepared to pay a maximum fee of £10m, even after Arsenal suggested that they could be willing to lower their demands by 25% to £15m. The Eagles are now reportedly on the verge of signing Odsonne Edouard from Celtic to solve their striker situation.

Bullet dodged

This is excellent news for Palace and means that Steve Parish has dodged a bullet on deadline day. Bringing Nketiah to the club for £15m, or more so the initial £20m fee, would have been a disaster for the club, as Edouard appears to be a better option on paper.

Palace have reportedly agreed a fee between £15m and £20m for the Celtic marksman, which suggests that they are paying a similar price to what they would have needed to land Nketiah. This means that it could be fair to compare their respective qualities and assess who the better player could be.

Nketiah has been on the fringes at Arsenal for a number of years now and has struggled to break into the starting XI under Unai Emery or Mikel Arteta. He also spent a spell on loan with Leeds in the Championship, but only two of his 17 appearances came from the start as Marcelo Bielsa viewed him as an option from the bench.

In 70 career appearances in the Championship, Premier League and Europa League, he has scored 11 goals and set up just one. Across those games, he has averaged a lowly WhoScored rating of 6.39. This suggests that he does not have the quality to consistently perform in the top flight at this stage in his career, which means that he may have struggled at Palace this season.

Meanwhile, Edouard has been playing regularly for Celtic domestically and in Europe and has been thriving on the pitch. Over the last three campaigns, the Frenchman scored seven goals in 15 Europa League starts for the Hoops, showing that he can score at a decent level of football. He also scored 16 goals in 23 Scottish Premiership games last season and has begun the current campaign with two goals in three starts.

This shows that Palace are bringing in a player who is in his rhythm and used to scoring goals at a consistent rate, rather than one warming the bench at Arsenal. The 23-year-old could therefore have a better chance of hitting the ground running and impressing in the Premier League, although there are no guarantees that he will be able to translate his form over from Scotland.

Edouard’s advantage over Nketiah on paper is why Parish is dodging a bullet by avoiding a big-money deal for the Gunners forward today.

In other news: Parish must complete CPFC deal to sign £22m “monster” on loan, Vieira would love him

When new Celtic signing Giorgos Giakoumakis hobbled out of the warm-up ahead of Celtic’s League Cup tie last week, Ange Postecoglou was absolutely seething.

The Australian has endured some rotten injury luck since being handed the role of Hoops manager and he has already been quite to make that point.

“I don’t know what it is mate, I have definitely walked under a ladder,” he said following their victory over Raith Rovers.

He will have been cursing his luck yet again this weekend as during their 1-1 draw with Dundee United, Josip Juranovic sustained his own injury problem.

What makes this even more typical is that the Croatian was playing out of position at left-back.

Fortunately, the issue doesn’t look quite as bad as first feared according to the manager.

Postecoglou is also hopeful for Giakoumakis. He sustained a calf strain last week after initially struggling for fitness upon his arrival in Glasgow.

However, he could be back for their clash with Aberdeen next weekend. The boss commented: “If Giakoumakis gets a full week of training we’re quite hopeful for next weekend.

“We’ve just got to get through to the next international break.”

With Kyogo Furuhashi still out, having Giakoumakis back next week will be a huge boost to their chances of reviving their season.

The Hoops started brightly under the new head coach but things have fallen apart in the last few weeks with Celtic enduring their worst start to a campaign for 23 years.

Kyogo’s injury hasn’t helped and neither has the form of Albian Ajeti.

He scored three times in two matches after the Japanese striker’s injury but has now put in a number of laboured performances, making just six passes against Dundee United on Sunday.

Thus, the return of the powerful Greek striker should do wonders for their attacking prowess.

After all, he found the net on 29 occasions in all competitions last term, finishing the season with a career-best tally.

If Giakoumakis can replicate that sort of form at Parkhead, he will become an instant fan favourite. Right now, however, it feels as though anyone would be better than Ajeti. Consequently, the manager should be buzzing with the medical team’s latest update.

AND in other news, Forget McCarthy: Celtic gem who lost possession 20x cost Postecoglou this afternoon…

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester City supporters have erupted over news shared by reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano concerning fan favourite Phil Foden.

The England international has been a revelation since manager Pep Guardiola began to play him more regularly in 2020, so much so he was even nominated for the 2021 senior men’s Ballon d’Or.

He also played a major role in City’s run to the Champions League final last season, scoring the winner in both quarter-final legs against German giants Borussia Dortmund.

Foden has continued in that vain so far after coming back from injury, most recently putting on a dazzling display away to Club Brugge as City ran out 5-1 victors.

Now, amid reports surrounding a possible new deal, Romano has some big news for Sky Blues out of Eastlands.

The reliable journalist says City are now ‘set to reach a verbal agreement’ with the 21-year-old over a new deal until June 2027, which includes a bumper salary increase (Twitter).

Flocking to this big update, it’s little wonder many fans have gone wild on Twitter – find all of their best reactions down below.

Man City fans go wild for Foden news…

“Tears in my eyes. Look at my son”

Credit: @Relly_95

“Just what I want to hear”

Credit: @KaineOduah

“huge”

Credit: @akgr21

“Great news…”

Credit: @ChrisFo07634557

“The best youngster in the Premier League”

Credit: @RiyadMahrezSZN

“Foden is a City fan first than a City player. You can see in his face he plays with pride. So happy he is getting pay rise, totally deserve”

Credit: @realxames

“Letsss goooo”

Credit: @MCFCnish

“We are here to stay”

Credit: @mcfc_joshua

In other news: ‘Incredible’, ‘About time’, ‘This is so amazing’…Man City fans flock to ‘exciting’ Haaland update, find out more here.

Former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley does not expect Ethan Horvath to be used as the second-choice stopper by the club following his summer arrival.

The club sealed a deal to sign the United States stopper in the summer, bringing him in on a free transfer.

Horvath has previously played for both Molde and Club Brugge, and he has won a total of seven caps for his country.

The 26-year-old made his debut in the EFL Cup against Bradford City, playing the 90 minutes as Forest won 2-1.

That has been their only victory of the season thus far, as they have lost to Coventry City, Bournemouth, and Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.

And Crossley insists that those at the club believe that Horvath could soon become the No.1 if he is given the chance to play regularly by manager Chris Hughton in the coming weeks and months.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast this week, Crossley said: “It’ll be interesting to see how he does.

“He’s definitely not being brought in as a number two. The word from the City Ground, and I still speak to people there, is that if he gets his chance, he’ll be in and he’ll take some moving.

“So it’s up to Samba to stay in the team.”

Leeds United and Newcastle United are keen on a move for Sampdoria defender Omar Colley, who has now changed agency, according to Clubdoria46.

The Lowdown: Colley profiled

Colley is a 6 foot 3 centre-back who is 29 years of age and has been on the books with Sampdoria since 2018. [Transfermarkt]

The Gambia international signed a new deal with the Serie A side 12 months ago and has made over 100 appearances for the club – 19 of which have come in 2021/22.

He once denied Cristiano Ronaldo a hat-trick in a previous encounter, with then-Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri praising the defender for his efforts in halting the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

The Latest: Leeds keen

Clubdoria46 claim that Colley is keen on a move to the Premier League this month, with the Whites, Everton and Newcastle all interested.

He has recently switched agents to try and finalise a move to England, with Colley now busy preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Verdict: Avoid

Leeds don’t have a shortage of centre-backs at Elland Road, with Marcelo Bielsa even able to call upon right-back Luke Ayling and midfielder Kalvin Phillips to fill in if required.

As we know, Phillips is out of action until March, leaving Bielsa with a limited number of options in midfield, with Victor Orta eyeing a defensive and attacking midfielder this month.

On that basis, the Whites’ priority should be to bolster the middle of the pitch before looking at any further defensive additions, so allowing Everton and Newcastle to battle it out for Colley over the coming weeks wouldn’t be a disaster.

In other news: Sky Sports drop live-on-air Leeds transfer update regarding midfielder pursuit. 

Celtic are reportedly edging closer to signing defender Cameron Carter-Vickers on a permanent deal this summer.

The Lowdown: Carter-Vickers impressing on loan

The American traded Spurs for the Hoops last summer, having failed to force his way into Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans in north London after several loan spells.

Carter-Vickers’ signing has been a masterstroke by Celtic, with the 24-year-old proving to be a dominant performer at the heart of the defence, averaging 4.3 aerial duel wins per game in the Scottish Premiership and ranking as the club’s fifth-best player.

While his move is only temporary currently, recent reports have claimed that it could become permanent ahead of the summer transfer window, with an extremely exciting update emerging late last night.

The Latest: Permanent deal close

According to The Daily Record, sharing an update late on Monday evening, Carter-Vickers looks increasingly like sealing a move to Parkhead, fending off interest from Burnley, Wolves and Leicester City in the process.

A £6million option to sign the USA international is set to be triggered for the defender, as Ange Postecoglou looks to seal a significant piece of business, with the report claiming the player’s camp feel Glasgow is the best place for his permanent development.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/key-latest-celtic-updates/” title=”Key latest Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Huge signing for Hoops

Carter-Vickers has shown all season why he could be a great long-term capture by Celtic – he has been hailed as ‘outstanding’ by Greg Taylor – so this update is hugely positive in that respect.

At 24, the Spurs man is at an age where he is already experienced but has another decade or so at the top level, meaning he could be a fixture in the team well into the Hoops’ future.

Carter-Vickers has already forged a strong understanding with Carl Starfelt at centre-back – both were exceptional against Rangers last weekend, making 20 clearances and six interceptions between them – and that is a partnership that could be the bedrock for more success for Postecoglou’s side.

In other news, Kieran Devlin has hailed one aspect of Celtic’s win over Rangers. Read more here.

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been going wild over news involving Giovanni van Bronckhorst amid their continuing manager search.

It has been reported that the Dutchman is a ‘strong contender’ to replace the departed Steven Gerrard at Ibrox.

As shared by Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth on his official Twitter page, the representative of Van Bronckhorst has now claimed that ‘positive talks’ have been held with the Light Blues over the vacant managerial role, with footage shown of the 46-year-old himself leaving London.

He would most certainly be a popular choice among a lot of Gers supporters, given that he is a two-time Premiership winner as a player with the club. He also did very well as a manager at Feyenoord, who he guided to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years back in the 2016/17 season (BBC), in addition to winning four other major trophies with the Rotterdam club.

Rangers fans on Van Bronckhorst manager news

These Rangers fans went wild as the news was shared on Twitter:

“Looks good to me”

Credit: @NickyTay55

“That is all”

Credit: @alanrankin77

“Ahhhhhhhhh it’s happening”

Credit: @JamieRFC14

“SIUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @__1872Scott

“Here we go, time for Gio.”

Credit: @jmc_1872

“Love to see it”

Credit: @cameron56689617

In other news, find out what international news has left these Gers fans buzzing

In the space of just two Premier League games, newly-appointed Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard seems to have already turned things around at Villa Park by winning his two opening league matches after the Villans’ poor run of form which saw Dean Smith get the sack.

With this in mind, it seems as though the former Rangers boss could be looking to make some changes to his squad during the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the latest?

In a recent interview with Villa TV, the club’s CEO Christian Purslow said that he thinks it’s “perfectly possible in the coming weeks, when Steven and Johan [Lange] are working together, that Steven will want to make one or two adjustments and that might lead to one or two out and maybe one or two in.”

While it may still be slightly early in Gerrard’s reign at Villa Park and a bit early to be talking about January transfers, it should be exciting for Villa fans to hear that some deals could be done during the upcoming window as the 41-year-old looks to put his stamp on the squad.

Given how busy Villa were in the previous summer window in terms of bringing in new players after selling Jack Grealish to Manchester City in a £100m deal, including the likes of Emi Buendia, Danny Ings and Leon Bailey, it’s safe to say that the Midlands club are not shy in splashing the cash when they feel it is needed.

Now that Gerrard has come in and had a perfect start in terms of results in the league, it seems likely that he could be rewarded in January and allowed to make some signings of his own to help strengthen the squad even further.

With two wins under his belt at Villa, it would be safe to presume that the mood around the club is positive at the moment, and that fans will be happy with Gerrard’s impact so far and would be delighted to see the manager bring some new players into the squad in January.

Moving forward, with Villa set to take on Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea in the league before the start of the next transfer window, these games in particular will be a good opportunity for Gerrard and the owners at Villa Park to see what areas of the pitch they may need to strengthen if they end up struggling to compete against that trio.

In other news: Gerrard could be heading for his first AVFC disaster over £31.5m-rated “absolute joy”