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When you think of the great Celtic wingers, a few spring to mind. The likes of Jimmy Johnstone, James Forrest and Paolo Di Canio are all there front and centre.

However, another is undoubtedly Aiden McGeady. The Irishman is now in the twilight of his career at Sunderland, but he was a rampant force during his stay at Parkhead.

McGeady scored 37 times for the Bhoys, playing 252 games in a seven-year association. He won the SPFL title on four occasions and won the fans Player of the Season in 2007/08.

The dazzling winger won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year for the same campaign, a period of time where the recorded 14 assists, more than anyone in the league.

Capable of beating a defender with pace, ingenuity and trickery, he is like very few players we’ve seen in Scotland. At his peak, he was described as “unstoppable” by a certain Gordon Strachan.

Celtic have had players like Forrest and Scott Sinclair take his place on the left since, but they’re now being linked with someone that could usurp them both; Aaron Boupendza.

It’s thought that both Celtic and Rangers are chasing the winger, but they face competition from plenty of clubs in England for the Hatayspor attacker’s signature.

A winger by trade, Boupendza is currently playing in Turkey where he’s very quickly become a goal-scoring sensation.

The 24-year-old has racked up a phenomenal 18 strikes this term, a campaign where he’s shown all the wily characteristics that McGeady brought to Paradise.

One of Boupendza’s strongest traits is his dribbling ability, something McGeady has made a living from down the years.

For context, during his stay at Spartak Moscow, the 34-year-old racked up 2.3 dribbles per game. Celtic’s target, meanwhile, has managed a mighty 2.7 during the current campaign.

To further contextualise how good he is at beating a defender, he has attempted no fewer than 109 dribbles this term.

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That record is remarkable and shows he could be a force if he moves to Glasgow, just as McGeady was all those years ago.

The 15-cap Gabon international would clearly be a valuable addition. Nick Hammond and co must stomach up the funds to bring him to Parkhead.

AND in other news, Forget Laxalt: Celtic must unleash never-seen 19 y/o next term, he’s “very talented”…

Lee Ryder has named Frank Lampard and Roberto Martinez as two managers who he claims would listen to a job offer from Newcastle United.

As per a Q&A session with The Chronicle, the football journalist has claimed that both coaches would have ‘fewer demands’ given that they have already lost jobs in the Premier League before, and also added that they would listen to any job offers from the St. James’ Park faithful, if Steve Bruce were to leave of course.

Lampard and Martinez could be good choices

Both Lampard and Martinez have experience of managing in the top flight as well as in the Championship, with Lampard winning the former as a player on three separate occasions.

Should the North East club find themselves relegated at the end of the 2020/21 term, either man could be open to a short spell in the second tier given their previous success there.

Lampard also has the knack for bringing young players through, having done so at Chelsea after a transfer embargo which also saw them lose their best player in Eden Hazard, which could help the likes of the Longstaff brothers and Elliot Anderson.

Martinez has a lot of footballing pedigree, having guided Wigan Athletic to a very FA Cup triumph and getting Belgium to the number one spot in the FIFA World Rankings.

Nonetheless, the two managers could no doubt turn out to be good choices for the Tyneside club if Bruce were to leave the Magpies in the near future.

 In other news, find out what ‘problem’ may harm NUFC’s takeover chances here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who appeared 332 times for Newcastle United, believes the best option the Magpies have going forward is to get more crosses into the box.

Newcastle’s last two goals have both come from Jamaal Lascelles getting on the end of a cross and with players like Ryan Fraser and Jacob Murphy on the wings, there should be no shortage of balls being fired into the area.

Lee was impressed with Murphy’s cameo against Aston Villa as he set up his captain for a last-second equaliser, however, he’s never been impressed by the former Norwich City winger when he has started a game for Newcastle.

Speaking on whether or not Murphy should start for Newcastle, Lee told FFC exclusively:

“Jacob Murphy seems to have all the ability in the world, he’s quick and can get crosses into the box. However, it seems that whenever he starts he doesn’t play well from what I’ve seen of him.

“I think the one thing Newcastle have got to do is get crosses in. You saw at the end against Villa we were desperate, but we were getting crosses into the box and then Lascelles got on the end of one and scored, so that’s what I think we have to do.”

Newcastle have attempted just 305 crosses in the Premier League which is the fifth-lowest, however with their previous two goals coming from balls whipped into the box it could be an avenue Steve Bruce wishes to exploit more.

Murphy once again had to settle for coming on as a substitute in the defeat to Brighton on Friday, but will be hopeful of a start when they host Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park after the international break.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who made 18 appearances for West Ham, believes it is just David Moyes’ agent who will be putting his name in the hat for the Celtic to try and get him a better contract at the London Stadium.

Moyes has taken West Ham from relegation candidates last season to top four contenders this season as they currently sit fifth, just two points behind Chelsea in fourth.

However, it has been reported by GIVEMESPORT that Celtic are considering Moyes to be a strong candidate to take the job from the start of next season, and the longer his contract situation rumbles on at West Ham the stronger those rumours will grow as Celtic look to bounce back against Rangers next season.

Speaking on where the links have come from regarding the 57-year-old and what mistake the West Ham owners made last time around, Lee told FFC:

“No chance he’ll take the Celtic job. It’s probably just David Moyes’ agent trying to get a better contract for him at West Ham.

“Why would he leave West Ham? David Moyes has really done a good job of organising this team and he’s always been a good organiser of every team he’s managed and now he’s got players in the side that can score goals.”

Celtic’s interest in Moyes always looked a little farfetched given his success in London this term, but with no new contract agreed with the Irons the rumours may linger on for a while yet.

Leeds starlet Alfie McCalmont is making a name for himself whilst on loan at League One side Oldham this season, and Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be very impressed.

Speaking after he saw the 21-year-old put pen to paper on a new long-term deal to stay at Elland Road, former Leeds man Noel Whelan raved about the midfielder.

He said: “A very good player, great on the ball and a good football mind. He is one that is learning his trade from watching Kalvin and being in and around that first-team setup.

“It is important that these young lads are integrated. It is vital for their progression and to give them confidence to step in when needed because there will be injuries and suspensions. Use them – that is why you have an academy and youth policy.”

And since joining the Latics, McCalmont has been in great form, netting six times and providing a further two assists in 27 league games, including bagging three in the club’s last four.

Whelan also recently lauded the youngster for his impressive start to life on loan at Oldham, saying: “He is a player that is immensely talented and he will do very well for Oldham. The way he plays the game is very intelligent.

“This is not a loan with a view to a permanent move from Leeds, this is a learning process. You have to be mentally tough to go out on loan, especially in League Two because it is more direct and robust compared to what you would get in the Premier League and Championship. He will be learning a lot about his game.”

As Whelan suggests, the whole point of Leeds sending McCalmont to Oldham is to ensure he learns about the game by playing first-team football week-in and week-out, something that would have been hard to come by at Elland Road given the club’s now Premier League status.

But a season away, sharpening his skills and getting attuned to the mental toughness that will surely be gained from playing in League One, will stand the 21-year-old in good stead and will give Bielsa another option in the middle of the park.

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Given how he’s making waves at Oldham, McCalmont will be someone who Bielsa and Leeds will be keeping a close eye on the starlet ahead of the following campaign.

Meanwhile, Leeds must keep this man at all costs this summer…

Jose Mourinho is becoming increasingly under pressure at Tottenham Hotspur and his latest escapades have done himself no favours at all.

According to the Telegraph’s Matt Law, the current crop of Spurs stars are now losing patience with the Portuguese boss over his scathing criticism and the insinuation that they cannot contend for the top four.

During their rough patch in February, the same reporter implied that Mourinho was fighting for his future, so this will not have helped things in the long run.

And amid both columns, there is a suggestion that Daniel Levy’s top target to replace the one-time ‘Special One’ is RB Leipzig supremo Julian Nagelsmann.

The north Londoners have dropped a whopping 15 points from winning positions this season, are facing an impossible task of qualifying for the Champions League and are out of both the FA Cup and Europa League in embarrassing fashion.

It could all boil down to their Carabao Cup final with runaway Premier League leaders Man City, though with the form they’re in, don’t hold your breath.

But what would Nagelsmann’s Spurs look like? This current squad needs a vast shake-up and the young, progressive gem could be the man to do exactly that – if backed in the transfer market…

Firstly, the 33-year-old’s preferred system appears to be a 3-4-3 of sorts with attack-minded wing-backs the source of creativity through the flanks, whilst the striker has the support of two inside-forwards up top.

A lot of Spurs’ current options would fit right in here.

We’d be very likely to see Sergio Reguilon thrive on the left, in a similar manner to that of ex-City flop Angelino, who has provided eight goals and seven assists in all competitions this term.

On the right, however, it’s clear to see that neither Serge Aurier nor Matt Doherty are cut out for the long term, so Levy could make a free-agent swoop for Lucas Vazquez, who is set to leave Madrid for nothing this summer.

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He has thrived in a new wing-back role under Zidane and won’t cost Spurs a penny in terms of a transfer fee. That’s right up the chairman’s alley.

In the middle, ex-midfielder Eric Dier’s ball-playing ability should have him in ahead of Toby Aldweireld, who could return to his home country in the summer, and Davinson Sanchez, who is far too calamitous to trust.

Joe Rodon could also feature as he has a big part to play in Spurs’ future. And they may well be joined by one of Spurs’ top central defensive targets in Milan Skriniar.

Alasdair Gold claims they are chasing a new leader for their backline and Skriniar fits the bill greatly.

There are also doubts over the future of current skipper Hugo Lloris, and even though England shot-stopper Nick Pope has been linked, Levy could find a cheaper alternative in Wolfsburg colossus Koen Casteels, who Nagelsmann would’ve seen in action first hand in the Bundesliga over the past few seasons.

Similarly, Spurs’ chances of signing mooted no.1 target Marcel Sabitzer would increase tenfold should his current boss make the switch. He’d be the perfect compliment to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the middle as the fourth new arrival to the starting XI.

If the north Londoners can keep hold of Harry Kane, then we could see Heung-min Son and forgotten 24-year-old gem Dele Alli just in behind him in a mouthwatering front three.

Attacking midfield duo Dani Olmo and Emil Forsberg play this role to great effect.

AND in other news, £31.5m-rated “real liability” must get the Eric Dier treatment after latest blunder

Mark Douglas has shared a quite promising claim involving Mike Ashley after the latest round of rumours on the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

Co-writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the Toon journalist has shared that the PA news agency understands that Ashley believes that the sale of the St. James’ Park faithful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group has been ‘agreed’ and that it ‘simply needs to be rubber stamped by the governing body’, ten words sure to be music to the ears of Newcastle fans.

Douglas adds that the current chief executive of Sports Direct ‘remains focused’ on selling the North East club to the KSA consortium and is currently pursuing legal routes into trying to do this after entering into an arbitration process.

Newcastle takeover hope?

While Ashley clearly remains committed to the original deal and wants to sell the Tyneside club, there is no guarantee that this will happen with the KSA group, given that a pathway is not yet cleared for the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to return to the table.

A lot may come down to whether the Magpies are successful in their pending arbitration case against the Premier League, which could provide a stepping stone for the bid to be approved.

Nonetheless, it will no doubt be interesting to see what the results of the hearing will be and thus the affect that it may have on the potential takeover of the Toon.

In other news, find out what promising claim on the potential takeover Douglas has dropped after comments from James Pallotta emerged here!

Allan Saint-Maximin inspired a stunning Newcastle United comeback on Saturday afternoon to hand a boost to Steve Bruce’s hopes of staying in the Premier League this season, but another name arguably stole the show at Turf Moor.

The Magpies were heading for a frustrating result until the Frenchman’s 57th-minute introduction as he came off the bench to score and assist two goals in quick succession.

He first found Jacob Murphy before a superb solo effort was rifled home, both within eight minutes of coming onto the pitch.

And whilst he deserves plenty of plaudits, Newcastle’s opening goalscorer deserves just as much, having made a considerable impact throughout the 90 minutes.

Indeed, Murphy was amongst Bruce’s highest-rated starters (7.4), as per SofaScore ratings and this was something echoed by ChronicleLive’s Lee Ryder, who claimed the wing-back bounced back from an indifferent opening half to form a brilliant partnership with Saint-Maximin.

The 26-year-old was one of the Magpies’ most influential players as he recorded 66 touches, a feat only bettered by Jonjo Shelvey – understandably as he’s supposed to dictate play from the engine room.

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But that merely showed how Newcastle relied on Murphy down that right flank, he only got better when Bruce replaced the struggling forward duo of Joelinton and Dwight Gayle.

The 5 foot 9 dynamo also managed to provide two accurate crosses and pulled off one successful dribble but he too contributed defensively to great effect.

As per SofaScore, Murphy made two tackles, which was only bettered by one player on the pitch – Erik Pieters (six), who the Magpies star often went to battle with.

By comparison, central defensive duo Ciaran Clark and Federico Fernandez combined for the same number of tackles. Murphy also chipped in with one interception and one block too.

The £25k-per-week dynamo earned the glowing praise of Alan Shearer on Twitter as he couldn’t contain his excitement at the victory, so whilst Saint-Maximin will be the main name spoken about, you cannot ignore the industrious contribution of the former Norwich City graduate.

He’s still set to be out of contract in the summer, so the Magpies hierarchy will need to act on Bruce’s wishes sooner rather than later after that display.

AND in other news, “There’s rumours” – Exclusive: Marcus Bent drops big claim on ex-player returning to Newcastle…

It appears that Crystal Palace are on the new manager hunt this summer.

Current Eagles’ boss Roy Hodgson continues to see his contract run down at Selhurst Park and he could well depart in the summer.

AS Roma boss Paulo Fonseca has already been linked with a switch to the club as a replacement. However, the most recent linked name is current Barnsley boss Valerien Ismael. According to The Telegraph, he is a candidate to take over from Hodgson at Palace.

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Having already spent time at Selhurst Park as a player, the Frenchman would certainly be the perfect candidate for the hotseat at the club and should definitely be considered by Steve Parish.

Whilst not quite having enjoyed a glittering managerial career thus far, Ismael has certainly impressed in recent years.

Time in the German lower leagues led to his appointment at Austrian outfit LASK in 2019 and he led the club to the top of the Bundesliga but his side just failed to lift the title having finished fourth in the Championship stage.

He also masterminded a run to the UEFA Europa League round of 16, beating the likes of Sporting Clube de Portugal, PSV and AZ Alkmaar during that run, before eventually falling to Manchester United.

Ismael, who won two Bundesliga titles in his time as a player with Bayern Munich, has also had a hugely impressive spell in England with Barnsley. He has turned the club from relegation candidates to a team that could genuinely challenge for promotion to the Premier League, with the Tykes currently sitting in the playoff places.

When compared to Hodgson, it’s clear the Frenchman certainly knows how to win. Ismael has managed to accumulate a highly impressive 62% win percentage so far at Oakwell, whilst the current Eagles’ boss is considerably behind at 33%.

Whilst Hodgson has racked up that in the Premier League with Ismael having been in the second-tier, there is no reason why the latter could not adapt to the top-flight and become Palace’s next manager. He is the man Parish should be looking at hiring this summer.

AND in more news, the Eagles have been handed a huge blow in their pursuit of a Serie A champion…

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has slammed the emergence of the European Super League.

Hasenhuttl slams European Super League

The football world was rocked on Sunday as 12 clubs from around the continent revealed their intentions to start up a breakaway division called the European Super League.

Speaking after Southampton’s exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Leicester City at Wembley on Sunday evening, Hasenhuttl lamented the plans. He said (via Daily Echo):

“It does absolutely worry me. But I must say that the message from the Premier League was a very clear one and I 100 per cent agree with what they say about this. 

“This is for me absolutely unacceptable what is going on behind the scenes and I think nobody wants it. Not even the fans of the clubs who want to go there want it, so hopefully we will find the right steps to not let it happen.”

Disgrace

It is hard to find the words to describe the terrible betrayal of these 12 football clubs. This act shows a pure disdain for the fans they represent and the competitions in which they have happily competed up until this point.

As Jonathan Liew of The Guardian wrote upon the announcement of the news, the people behind these plans must truly hate the sport we call The Beautiful Game. The reasons behind it are clear – each club will receive £310m to partake in the competition (The Times) – and it is just another example of greed in football.

Even if these plans fail, it will be hard for supporters to forgive the clubs they have followed all of their lives. Unfortunately, a little bit of football died on Sunday night – Hasenhuttl is 100% right to share his anger and disappointment.

In other news, many Southampton fans slated this man’s performance against Leicester.