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On Thursday evening in the San Siro, there were minimal expectations for Celtic.

This was a team taking on one of Europe’s elite sides while on a run of just two wins in their last ten outings.

It was a shock, therefore, when the Hoops took a remarkable 2-0 lead against AC Milan.

Tom Rogic continued his resurgence before Odsonne Edouard caught the eye to double things for Neil Lennon’s side.

Yet, in rather typical circumstances, they let their lead slip and thanks to some truly horrendous defending, they eventually lost 4-2.

It was a defeat, despite the attacking performance, that will have heaped even more pressure upon their frustrated manager.

Whatever he does at the moment, it doesn’t seem to pay off. Just a week on from when Scott Bain let his team down against Sparta Prague, stand-in ‘keeper Vasilis Barkas was also having a shocker.

That being said, the defence in front of him didn’t offer much help – particularly Diego Laxalt.

The Uruguayan has been impressive since signing, so much so that the Bhoys could make his temporary switch permanent. Though, against his parent club on Thursday, he was absolutely shocking at left-back.

He was brutally dominated by Samu Castillejo and Hakan Calhanoglu, being dribbled past on no fewer than three occasions.

Laxalt had a habit of mistiming his passes and on the way to completing just 69%, he lost possession a mighty 20 times.

It was an abysmal performance from a player with plenty of experience at the top level. In a game like this, you’d think the 27-year-old would have something to prove.

That seemed far from the case as he lost 58% of his duels – winning just six of his 17 battles on the ground.

It was an alarming performance from Laxalt who until now has been a relative shoo-in for Lennon on the left-hand side of defence.

This display, however, will surely have raised questions. Of course, it is better to judge his outings in the league but if Celtic want to dig themselves out of their current hole, he will have to improve.

To put it bluntly, this was not good enough.

In other news, check out how Celtic can solve their Scott Brown problem quickly…

Many Liverpool fans are reacting to the latest update on Georginio Wijnaldum and his contract, following a tweet from Fabrizio Romano.

The Dutch midfielder was involved in the 4-0 thrashing of Wolves on Sunday night, and also scored a sensational goal in the match.

As reported by the Italian journalist, the Netherlands superstar spoke after the win about his contract negotiations, and he said: “I already said it in my previous interviews, I don’t speak about my contract situation, I speak about the games. The club should speak about my contract.”

These comments have seen a lot of Liverpool fans begging for the Reds to give him a new deal. He is clearly highly-rated by the manager, who recently spoke about him and said: “Gini is one of the best people I have ever met and he is one of the best players I’ve ever trained and he is an outstanding person so there is no issue, no issue at all.”

Hopefully an extension for the 30 year-old can be sorted sooner rather than later. With his contract expiring in the summer, he is allowed to open discussions with other sides from the January transfer window. He has been a key part of Liverpool’s recent Champions and Premier League title wins, so it is easy to see why many want him to stay.

Wijnaldum’s durability and fitness levels have also been crucial for Klopp during the Reds’ ongoing injury crisis, so it is no surprise to see fans flocking to Romano’s tweet to beg for a new deal.

Liverpool fans react to Wijnaldum contract update:

In other news, Liverpool fans react to a big injury update, find out more here.

This has been a chaotic year for Celtic, one that was perfectly summed up last Sunday.

16 points behind SPFL leaders Rangers, Neil Lennon has come under considerable fire. Supporters have gathered outside of Parkhead in protest but there was at least some comfort last weekend.

Lennon’s side managed to defeat Hearts in the Scottish Cup final, ensuring a historic quadruple was sealed.

That being said, the circumstances in which it came about were far from ideal. The Hoops were cruising at 2-0 heading into half-time. Goals from Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard put them ahead before their opposition came back.

Once again, the defending was questionable. Shane Duffy and Christopher Jullien were at sixes and sevens before Conor Hazard was left wanting in goal.

After the game finished 3-3 following extra-time, it was Hazard who eventually became the hero in the shoot-out.

Lennon will have a dilemma over whether to play the young stopper given his mistakes in normal time, but he’ll also have a headache to resolve in midfield.

That’s one involving skipper Scott Brown. The Scot hasn’t exactly had his best season and has looked considerably off the pace, particularly in Europe where he’s struggled to have any positive influence.

The very fact that Celtic won back to back matches against Lille and Kilmarnock with Ismaila Soro playing ahead of Brown is unsurprising. The fact they also kept their first clean sheet since the beginning of November against Killie provides plenty of evidence as to why the Ivorian needs to play instead.

It’s hard to work out just how long Brown’s shelf life is, but Lennon can start to engineer Celtic’s revival by axing him against Ross County on Wednesday evening.

The 35-year-old has been sloppy this season and has lost possession of the ball a colossal 91 times across all competitions. For a holding midfield player needing to offer a protective screen, that isn’t ideal.

What typified his season was the way he tailed off in the Scottish Cup final. Writing after the game, Daily Record reporter Gordon Parkes said that his “influence faded alarmingly after the break.”

Unfortunately, that just about sums up how his campaign is playing out – Brown’s quality has worryingly dropped off and Celtic now need to look towards the future.

That begins by playing Soro on a regular basis.

AND in other news, Hammond can find Ntcham 2.0 if Celtic swoop for £2m-rated “powerhouse”…

Glenn Middleton is set for a loan exit away from Rangers in the January transfer window, according to the Daily Record.

As per the news outlet, there are teams from the Netherlands that are reportedly interested in signing him up on a short-term deal for the rest of the 2020/21 term, with Dutch teams Breda and Den Haag being named as two of his possible destinations.

The publication understands that Steven Gerrard rates the player highly and that he is keen for him to go out on loan abroad in order to develop ahead of the next season.

Middleton needs more experience

Middleton should be looking to take the opportunity to leave on loan in order to gain some more first-team experience with the overall aim of breaking into Gerrard’s side for the foreseeable future.

The 20-year-old has only played in one senior game in all competitions for the Ibrox faithful so far in this campaign and has yet to play a single match in the Scottish Premiership (Transfermarkt).

There is no doubting the potential that Middleton has, with his ability to play in a wide number of roles, and he has performed for the Gers before, with five goals and five assists in 29 appearances in total in all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, a loan move away to Holland next month would not do the Scotland U21 international any harm whatsoever as he continues to develop as a young footballer.

In other news, find out which RFC ace has been tipped to stay amid transfer talk here!

Celtic must fend off transfer interest for Ryan Christie amid reports Arsenal are interested in signing him in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Recent reports have suggested that the 16-cap Scotland international is a wanted man, with Premier League new boys Leeds United eyeing him up.

Now, 90min claim that Arsenal have joined the race to lure him away from Celtic Park, and that with the attacking midfielder set to enter the final year of his contract next season, “that has put a number of major players in the transfer market on notice”.

The report adds that Christie is considering his options, and would think about a move away if Celtic were to accept an offer for him.

Celtic have to keep him

Whilst Christie might have gone off the boil over the past couple of months – he hasn’t scored in the Scottish Premiership since Aberdeen back in late October – there’s no questioning he’s a player who consistently gets a tonne of goals and assists each season.

He’s already got 15 goals contributions this term, whilst his previous two campaigns with Celtic have also seen him break double figures for both goals and assists each.

Dubbed a “manager’s dream” by Chris Sutton, he’s been one of the first names on the team-sheet this season for Lennon, missing just two games in all competitions, and both of them were for enforced reasons too.

His former teammate at Celtic, and fellow Scotland midfielder Stuart Armstrong, said: “Especially in these last couple of seasons, he’s taken it to another level with Celtic and has been fantastic.

“Even in the European games, he excels. He has so much energy. His technique is spot-on, especially his first touch at speed – that’s incredible. He just poses that attacking threat that every player likes to have.”

It would be a major howler from the Hoops to let him go right now, especially when you consider he’s just 25 and has got the peak years of his career still to come.

When Jordan Hugill walked through the doors of the London Stadium for the first time, he excitedly chimed that he couldn’t wait to walk out “with all the bubbles.”

The trouble is, the striker experienced that famous atmosphere just twice in West Ham colours. Signed for £10m from Preston in 2018, Hugill made just three appearances for the Irons – two of which were at home – and he played only 22 minutes in the Premier League.

The 28-year-old’s stay in east London was far from profitable, eventually departing for Norwich last year after loan spells with Middlesbrough and QPR.

He is a striker capable of lighting up the Championship, firing in 20 goals for Preston in one and a half seasons before completing his switch to West Ham.

Hugill continued that form at QPR where he netted 13 last term but like many before him, he didn’t have what it takes to stake a claim for himself in the top-flight.

Unfortunately, the Hammers could be on the verge of repeating this mistake in the January window.

That’s because they’ve been linked with Blackburn forward Adam Armstrong. He is one of a number of names on David Moyes’ shortlist but like Hugill, he hasn’t proven himself in the Premier League.

Similarly to their ex-striker, Armstrong has a habit of scoring goals in the second tier. He has beaten the goalkeeper on 16 occasions this term for Rovers but he failed to ever make the grade at Newcastle.

The 23-year-old has made 15 Premier League appearances throughout his career but is yet to score at that level – just as Hugill failed to do so when he moved to West Ham.

Now, Armstrong may be in good form this campaign but so was Hugill in the Championship before he came to London.

With Sebastien Haller being sold to Ajax, the Irons desperately need to bring in some added firepower up top. Of course, the effervescent Michail Antonio made a name for himself in the Championship before joining, but his hard work and energy knows no bounds.

Armstrong, who has “explosive pace” according to Tony Mowbray, may well hit the ground running in double-quick time. However, Moyes and David Sullivan must learn from the last time they spent a sizeable fee on a Championship striker.

This might be a move they want to avoid. After all, they have plenty of other targets to pursue.

AND in other news, “Another Antonio” – Exclusive: Harewood backs potential West Ham move for £13.3m beast…

Arsenal could sign their perfect successor to Alexandre Lacazette in Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard.

What’s the story?

Reports over the course of the summer transfer window suggested that the Gunners were interested in signing the French striker who has been in prolific form once again this season – he’s bagged 12 goals in 24 games in all competitions.

Now, The Daily Record claim that both Arsenal and Premier League rivals Tottenham have both had the 23-year-old on their long-term watch lists, with Edouard now in the 18 months of his contract at Celtic.

Lacazette’s perfect successor

Described as being “talismanic” by his boss at Celtic, Neil Lennon, Edouard offers a similar style of play to what Lacazette currently brings to the table.

Both aren’t just your typical number nines who do their best work inside the box, instead being comfortable linking up the play with the players behind them, and having the creativity to pick passes too – you only have to look at Lacazette’s superb vision and weight of pass to Bukayo Saka in the Gunners’ 3-1 win against Southampton at the weekend to see that.

Lacazette has averaged one key pass per game in the Premier League this season, while Edouard has managed 1.3 in the Scottish Premiership. The French duo also possess a similar hunger to work for the team, with Arsenal’s man winning four total duels per match, and Celtic’s hotshot coming out on top in 3.8.

If Edu is looking for someone to come in and replace Lacazette, then he could find the perfect successor to the former Lyon man in the £13.5m-rated Edouard.

Meanwhile, Arsenal could sign another Kieran Tierney in this starlet…

Leeds United will be looking to bounce back from their narrow loss to Everton last time out in the Premier League. An early goal from Gylfi Sigurdsson set the tone for the match, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin doubling the Blues’s lead just before half-time.

The Whites responded, but couldn’t deploy enough firepower in order to ensure they would come away with the win. It will have been a frustrating day at the office for Marcelo Bielsa, but focus now shifts to Crystal Palace this evening.

Football FanCast has predicted how Leeds will lineup against Roy Hodgson’s men at Elland Road…

With Robin Koch and Diego Llorente still out with injuries, Bielsa has been forced to rely on natural midfielder Pascal Struijk at centre-back. He has pulled away from using Luke Ayling centrally, instead deploying him at right-back.

On the opposite flank however, Ezgjan Alioski wasn’t entirely convincing at left-back against Everton. According to Sofascore, the £3.6million-rated full-back failed to put in a single block, interception or clearance and managed just the one tackle. He also committed four fouls, which is more than any other Leeds defender who stepped onto the pitch that game.

Not wanting to lose another match, Bielsa may push Stuart Dallas back into defence to maximise their chances of keeping a clean sheet against the plucky Eagles.

In midfield, a bold move to switch out Mateusz Klich could be a move that Palace don’t see coming. He had an unusually quiet match against the Toffees, failing to register a single dribble, key pass or cross, as per Sofascore.

Despite the fact that Pablo Hernandez hasn’t featured many times this season, he has been lauded by the likes of Phil Hay, who labelled him a “demon” for his performances in the Leeds engine room just last summer.

Similarly, Jamie Shackleton could be given the green light to make his first Premier League start of the new calendar year. Changing up his midfield options could hugely benefit Patrick Bamford, who is often left to carry the bulk of the goalscoring, and freshen things up for a Whites side reeling from their latest defeat.

And, with Raphinha and Jack Harrison both in fine form, they could bring out the best in a lesser seen midfield two, catching Palace flat-footed and hopefully finding the back of the net with ease.

In other news, Leeds must look to cut their losses on Helder Costa…

When you look at the right-hand side of Leeds’ defence, there aren’t really too many issues.

Luke Ayling has become one of the most reliable figures in the squad and nothing summed that up more than his virtuoso display against Leicester at the weekend.

When he’s injured or has to cover in the middle of defence, it’s Stuart Dallas who fills in. Again, he is a picture of consistency, winning their Player’s Player of the Year in 2019/20 for his displays at full-back.

With that in mind, it might be difficult to get into the team if you’re an outsider looking in. Certainly, that’s what young full-back Cody Drameh might be thinking.

The 19-year-old has been making waves at academy level this term but his performances should bring huge belief. Some of his outstanding displays for Mark Jackson’s U23s have been eye-catching to say the least.

Not since a young Sam Byram have we seen a young defender make such an impact at Elland Road. The right-back became a key part of the Championship side as a youngster before he was sold to West Ham in January 2016.

Byram was someone who was adept defensively but also loved to get forward. He had pace, energy and was confident.

Coincidentally, those are similar qualities that Drameh possesses. The teenager signed from Fulham in the summer but despite failing to work his way into Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team plans, a call-up surely won’t be too far away.

During the club’s 2-0 win over Sunderland U23s on Monday, Drameh was one of the best players on the park.

Leeds commentator Tom Hill called the youngster a “box of tricks” during the coverage of the match and it’s hard to argue with that statement. He constantly got down the right-hand channel and failed to lose much energy.

Writing at full-time, Leeds Live reporter Joe Donnohue said: “Down the right flank combining with Helder Costa, Drameh’s flicks, tricks and backheels were a welcome addition to his game. His constant running in behind meant Sunderland were pinned back on that side of the pitch, which contributed to Leeds’ complete dominance.”

Donnohue continued: “Drameh’s defensive game was called upon more often in the second half, but it was of a similar calibre to his first-half attacking.”

Byram may have kept things simpler than flicks and tricks but he still had an unrelenting ability to get forward. The two players are also similarly adept defensively.

For context, the former Leeds man won 2.4 tackles per game last season. Drameh, on the other hand, has won 2.5 in the EFL Trophy for the Whites.

Improving all the time, it will surely only be a matter of time before he’s involved in senior team life more often. He is a radiant ball of attacking fun and defensive nous. What’s not to like?

AND in other news, Never mind Alioski: Leeds gem who lost possession 19x let Bielsa down on Wednesday…

Many Liverpool fans reacted to reports in Italy that the Reds were taking a strong interest in Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul.

The 26-year-old was linked with a move to Anfield last month but those whispers have re-emerged in the Italian press, with Tutto Udinese revealing that the Reds are considering a serious approach for the Serie A skipper.

De Paul has scored five goals and provided one assist in 21 starts during the 2020/21 campaign, with his team having won just six out of 22 matches.

The Argentina international has received huge praise in Southern Europe in recent months for his performances – particularly from Watford director Cristiano Giareta who described him as a “leader” and “among the strongest players in the world.”

Of course, this will all depend on what happens regarding Georginio Wijnaldum’s contract conundrum, with his existing deal due to expire in the summer. Nevertheless, this did not stop the fans below from getting carried away with the news.

De Paul links excited these fans

“Like this player! I can tell Liverpool fans he’s the Argentinian Jack Grealish”

Credit: @Shush_ya_clown

“This kid is a baller”

Credit: @JoeeBach

“I’d take him. From what I’ve heard he’s class. The only reason Udinese aren’t in a relegation battle.”

Credit: @kilevile

“This is exactly what we need.”

Credit: @theKloppEnd2

“Get it done”

Credit: @LFCX19X6

“Exactly what’s needed in the midfield”

Credit: @kop6_

In other news, Jurgen Klopp joins four-horse race for ‘unplayable’ 139-goal star in blockbuster deal – report.