All posts by h716a5.icu

Wolverhampton Wanderers pulled off a huge feat in confirmed Premier League survival this season after sitting bottom of the table on Christmas Day.

Since his arrival in November, Julen Lopetegui has turned fortunes around at Molineux in less than a year at the club, bringing back silky performances to the squad and a desire to improve.

Despite completing a treacherous task in cementing survival, the former Real Madrid boss faces further challenges, as the club have to save rather than spend after a lucrative period in the transfer market has raised FFP concerns.

With players expected to depart this summer, including Ruben Neves, there is still hope that Lopetegui can make the signings he requires to take this Wolves side forward.

The latest target has emerged in a Bundesliga centre-back, who has mild experience in the Premier League having previously been on the books at Arsenal.

What’s the latest on Konstantinos Mavropanos to Wolves?

As reported by Greek news outlet Sport 24 last week – relayed by Sport Witness – Stuttgart centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos could be on the move to Molineux this summer.

The 25-year-old “believes the time has come” for him to depart, as per the report, with both Fulham and Wolves “checking out” the promising defender’s movements ahead of the transfer window.

The report speculates that it will take a bid higher than €18m (£15.6m) to secure the centre-back’s signature, with a bid in that region being rejected in January and two years remaining on his current contract.

What could Konstantinos Mavropanos bring to Wolves?

Snatched by Arsenal at just 20, Arsene Wenger saw the Greek international’s talent, which has seen him establish himself as a recognised centre-back in Europe.

Despite things not working in north London, Mavropanos has found his feet in Germany and excelled at Stuttgart, ranking as the club's second-highest performer this season with an average match rating of 7.25, as per Sofascore.

Signing Craig Dawson in January has worked for Wolves in terms of his experience in the league, though Lopetegui must seek a long-term replacement for the 33-year-old veteran.

When comparing the two over the past year, the 25-year-old ranks up with the best in his position in Europe and could be a more inquisitive option than the Englishman in the Spaniard’s setup.

Dawson’s game relies solely on the art of defending, which is integral, but in comparison with the best in today’s game, the 33-year-old provides little option in breaking the ball out from defence into attack.

Hailed as a “gladiator” by former Stuttgart manager Pellegrino Matarazzo, the 6 foot 4 ace excels the arguably one-dimension game of Dawson, as relayed by FBref.

The Greek averages a colossal 2.01 tackles per 90, as well as 3.16 aerials and 2.50 interceptions, while the current Wolves centre-back averages 0.80 tackles, 2.02 aerials and 0.76 interceptions per 90, showing the difference in the quality of the two.

A key area that is lauded in the Stuttgart centre-back’s game is his ability to dispatch the ball, and was lauded as being “composed” and a “good passer” by journalist Mattias Karen, supported by his numbers.

As per FBref, the “monster” averages 4.43 progressive passes, as well as making 0.61 successful take-ons per 90, placing him in the top 5% of Europe’s top centre-backs in the process.

Wolves need a spell of invention in their squad, and Lopetegui could secure a bright spark and significant upgrade to his defence in Mavropanos should a deal materialise this summer.

With the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as the new Chelsea manager on the horizon, the Argentine must begin trimming a hideously bloated squad and attempt to repair the damage inflicted by the brazenly uncalculated Todd Boehly.

The new ownership has splashed extortionate funds on various underperforming players and with possible FFP regulations bearing down the west Londoners, they may need to resort to their wealth of academy talent as their saving grace.

One new signing, who has drastically failed to impress the Stamford Bridge faithful is Marc Cucurella, and his £60m transfer fee has emerged as a horrendous piece of business.

Meanwhile, Ian Maatsen, who spent the season on loan at Burnley has enjoyed an incredible year in the Championship and deserves to be integrated into the future first-team plans by the incoming boss.

Who is Ian Maatsen?

The 21-year-old has made 39 appearances in the second tier and has been an integral cog of a side that scored the most goals (87) and conceded the fewest (35) as Vincent Kompany’s side ruthlessly cantered to the league title.

During this run, the left-back registered ten goal contributions, as well as averaging two tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game, to demonstrate himself as an astute all-rounder with imperious attacking and defensive capabilities.

In a previous loan spell at Coventry, his former teammate Simon Moore showered the youngster in praise and said: “It says a lot about how good he is that even a slightly off day stands out as exceptional.

“It is not normal. The kid is bright, he’s hugely talented, he wants to learn, and he never gives up. Maats has got an exciting future ahead of him.”

In the last two years, the Dutchman has ruthlessly exposed himself to be far too good for Championship football – an intoxicating blend of aggression, athleticism, technique, and tireless drive.

In a 2-1 win against Swansea in January, the full-back netted two wondrous screamers to underline his potency and industrious attacking flair.

Mark Robins has said he “exhibits maturity beyond his years” and this plethora of evidence makes a hugely compelling case for his inclusion in Pochettino’s plans.

Meanwhile, Cucurella has been unable to replicate the frightening dynamism and solidity he displayed at Brighton and is yet to make his mark in the capital.

The Spaniard dismally ranks in the bottom 28% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive carries per 90, and his inability to acclimatise to more pressurised surroundings has inhibited all his potential.

The full-back has simply made far too many errors this campaign, notably stepping wildly out of position which ultimately led to Ben Chilwell's red card against Madrid in the Champions League.

Thus, Pochettino walks into the job, he could seal an immediate masterclass by ditching the underperforming defender for a hungry fresh face.

Even though the result of the first Test between New Zealand and Zimbabwe was decided before Sunday, captains Kane Williamson and Graeme Cremer did not expect the match to end without a fight

Firdose Moonda in Bulawayo31-Jul-2016Even though the result of the first Test between New Zealand and Zimbabwe was decided before Sunday, captains Kane Williamson and Graeme Cremer did not expect the match to end without a fight. Williamson already saw signs of it on the first day; Cremer was preparing to be in the thick of it on the fourth.The Zimbabwe captain had already bowled 53 overs, including a marathon spell of 26 on the second day, batted for half an hour to drag the game out a little longer at the end of the third but he knew the fourth day would bring it’s greatest challenge: to ensure that even though Zimbabwe were going to lose, they would lose with some respectability.”We spoke about it after the first innings. We thought we were a little bit soft upfront but being in the field for so long, we realised what Test cricket is about,” Cremer said. “We watched them (New Zealand) bat. They didn’t play any shots out of frustration or anger and we wanted to do the same.”Despite the frustration of being so far behind the game and the anger that his men had not executed themselves as well as they could have, Cremer did not let that bleed into his batting. For five minutes short of three hours, he stoically saw off a New Zealand attack that was pushing for a quick result. He accepted the body blows that included being hit in the ribs, on the shoulder and on the arm he broke just before the World T20, which still has a plate in it. He let his team-mate Sean Williams, who had spent the past two days in the grip of a flu that has spread to more than half the Zimbabwean squad, have his moment in the sun.”I knew batting with Sean, he scored quite freely anyway, so I knew I had to play the supporting role. He was hitting a boundary an over and we didn’t need to score quicker than that. I just needed to stay there,” Cremer said. “He was feeling quite ill but credit to him. He was a little bit loose when he got out to bat and got a bit lucky but there he dominated. The player that he is, he can do that on wickets like this. He has got good hands and good eyes.”Williams’ century, the fastest by a Zimbabwean in Tests and decorated with 21 fours that included cover drives, sweeps and a ramp shot, will overshadow Cremer’s silent resistance at the other end, Craig Ervine’s first fifty, Donald Tiripano’s unbeaten 49 and Prince Masvaure’s impressive 42 on debut, and it should. But collectively, all those performances speak to a Zimbabwean batting line-up that is not as fragile as it looked when twin collapses saw it fall to 72 for 8 in the first innings and a top-order meltdown reduced them to 17 for 4 in the second.As the game progressed, the batsmen’s long-format muscle memory kicked in. At the same time, the New Zealand attack could not sustain the level of aggression that had seen them surge into the advantage earlier. Neil Wagner could not keep banging in the short ball, the hint of movement Tim Southee found was eventually lost and Trent Boult reached a top speed of 132kph but kept his average at 128.2kph. Williamson had expected all of that to happen.”The way we bowled in the first innings was a huge part of how we got ahead. When you are tying to bowl that again, it’s going to be extremely challenging,” he said. “Sometimes, on surfaces like this one, you need to try and be a little bit creative. You want to try and make things hostile and difficult but you also need to be patent and build pressure. It was a very good effort to get 20 wickets. We knew it was going to be tough. We had to fight very hard to pick up the wickets that we did.”Williamson had to use creative field placings, his spinners and a lot of patience while he waited for Wagner to find reverse-swing as the ball reached the end of it’s lifetime. He understood that things would happen slower than they had in the first innings but trusted that they would eventually happen. “Neil has showed us he can be pretty creative with the older ball which is useful on surfaces that are not offering swing,” Williamson said.Ross Taylor was preferred as the Man of the Match over Wagner but it was clear that even Williamson thought his left-armer was the man who changed the game. “That first innings put us ahead of the game. It was extremely important to have some hostile bowling on a surface that didn’t offer much,” he said.In the end, Zimbabwe lost the real fight on the first morning but they will take heart from knowing they picked themselves out to compete in the smaller battles that came later on.

Tottenham Hotspur will be 'absolutely confident' that either Harry Kane stays at the club or his replacement is already in the building, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Harry Kane?

As per Football Insider, it is said that Kane won't sign a contract extension at Spurs until their new manager has been formally announced in north London.

The 29-year-old is seen as 'irreplaceable' by the club; however, his £200k-a-week deal is set to expire in 2024 and Chelsea have been mooted as a potential destination as Mauricio Pochettino would like to reunite with Kane at Stamford Bridge.

Sky Sports report that Manchester United also retain an interest in Kane, though they would need the player to push for an exit in the forthcoming window due to Tottenham's difficult negotiation stance.

Former Spurs and Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov thinks that Kane would ruin his legacy by leaving Tottenham, as per BBC Sport, as the 42-year-old said: "I can understand and can relate to his situation. I feel for him, but at the same time I think he is going to stay at Spurs. "His legacy now is so great that he cannot force himself to tarnish it – when you say Spurs, it is Harry Kane and when you say Harry Kane, it is Spurs.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones is of the opinion that Tottenham could've already earmarked an internal option to replace Kane in the event he does leave, in light of much reported interest in a number nine.

Jones told FFC: "Tottenham have obviously got to deal with that down the line, at the moment, they're not really considering it and I think that it's interesting that there are almost no transfer links to Tottenham signing a proper number nine. If they thought Harry Kane was leaving, then that would be happening by now. It's either they're absolutely confident Kane's staying or they're absolutely confident they've already got the replacement in-house. So, which is it to be?"

Who could replace Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur if he did leave?

Truthfully, no-one could replace Kane and his goalscoring exploits at Tottenham; however, it would be interesting to see what plans were in place if the Englishman was to depart this summer.

In terms of in-house options, things don't look too convincing upon observation. Richarlison would be an obvious candidate due to his experience operating as a striker, though he has only found the net three times compared to Kane's 29 strikes this term, as per Transfermarkt.

On the market, Spurs have been linked with a move for Roma striker Tammy Abraham, according to one report from a Spanish media outlet.

Jeunes Footeux via TEAMtalk have also claimed that Montpellier forward Elye Wahi is on Tottenham's radar, though it is still unclear what direction the north London outfit would turn to if Kane was to leave his boyhood club.

The Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League match between Abahani Limited and Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club has been postponed and any further decision on the game will now be taken by the BCB, said league coordinator Amin Khan

Mohammad Isam13-Jun-2016The Dhaka Premier League match between Abahani Limited and Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club has been postponed and any further decision on the game will now be taken by the BCB, according to league coordinator Amin Khan. The rest of the Dhaka Premier League is to proceed as scheduled.On Sunday, during the match at the BKSP-3 ground, umpires Gazi Sohel and Tanvir Ahmed cited “illness” for walking off the field, after they were abused by Abahani players and supporters angrily protesting a stumping decision during Doleshwar’s innings. The match did not continue on Monday, the reserve day.”We have informed all the [Dhaka Premier League] clubs that the league will continue as it is, with this match being postponed,” Khan said. “The match referee left the decision with us [Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis], and we referred it to the board. We have referred this game to the board, who will now take the decision. They will also decide on the umpires. We informed them that the two teams were ready to play, but the match couldn’t be held due to the umpires’ refusal to officiate.”The match referee wrote in his report that the umpires are sick and not in a position to run the game. He doubted whether they could officiate even today, the reserve day. The match referee wrote that, as a result, the match couldn’t take place.”Several newspapers in Bangladesh showed photos of arguments between umpire Sohel and Abahani captain Tamim Iqbal, while TV channels also showed the Abahani supporters hurling abuse from near the boundary rope.Tamim was apologetic of his outburst, but said he did not expect the umpires to walk out. “It was very crucial if the decision went in favour of my team as they would have been three wickets down,” Tamim told . “I queried the umpire regarding the decision. I should have been more polite to the umpire. But every point in the Super League stage means a lot, and being a captain I can query the umpire.”But one thing is sure, I should have behaved better. It was just an emotional outburst which we all go through in tight games. But at the same time I never thought the umpires would walk away and refuse to continue the game. I feel sorry whatever happened that day.”However, Khan said that the match referee didn’t mention anything about abusive language or threats to the umpires: “I wouldn’t be referring to any incidents that came out in the media. I will only see what’s in the match referee’s report. It didn’t contain anything about any team, player or supporters creating chaos. He only wrote that the umpires were sick.”Prime Doleshwar were 59 for 2 off 17 overs, in pursuit of Abahani’s 191, when the incident occurred.

Reporter Dean Jones has described Sheikh Jassim’s Manchester United transfer plans to target moves for Kylian Mbappe, Kingsley Coman and Eduardo Camavinga as “outrageous”.

What’s Jassim got planned for Man United in the transfer market?

Jassim is still in the running to complete an Old Trafford takeover from the Glazers, however, Sir Jim Ratcliffe appears to be leading the race as things stand. Reports have suggested that the Qatari group, fronted by Jassim, could make an 11th-hour bid for the Red Devils.

Previous speculation from Christian Falk claimed that Jassim wants to look at moves for Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe as well as Bayern Munich winger Coman and Real Madrid midfielder Camavinga, should he take charge in Manchester.

Talking to GiveMeSport regarding those rumours, Jones labelled the “leaks” as “outrageous” but admitted they tend to have an “element of truth”.

“It sounds pretty outrageous and far-fetched. But most leaks do have an element of truth to them.

“Even if this is just a pipe dream, I'm sure this has been mentioned somewhere along the line.”

Hugely expensive…

Jassim first needs to somehow pip Ratcliffe to a deal for United, something which appears to be difficult at this moment in time with the British businessman leading the takeover race at this stage.

However, if he is able to do so with an 11th-hour bid, Jassim seemingly has huge plans for the Red Devils, something which could be music to Erik ten Hag’s ears. Previous reports suggested that Jassim wanted 'things done quickly' so they could help Ten Hag in the transfer market, with Jude Bellingham also mooted as a former target.

Jassim clearly wants the best players on the books at Old Trafford, and signing the French trio could help take United back to the top. Mbappe holds a whopping €180m Transfermarkt valuation, whereas Coman’s stands at €65m and Camavinga a respected €60m.

Moves for the three could therefore be extremely expensive but would surely appeal to the majority of United supporters, especially Mbappe. The forward ‘has the club stature to become the top player in the world’ and could eventually become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, so it would certainly be a statement signing, but as Jones says, they do seem ‘pretty outrageous and far-fetched’.

They could be ones to keep an eye on if Jassim manages to get his way and take control in Manchester, however, they could be drams in the past if it is Ratcliffe who gets the nod from the Glazers.

Arsenal are confident about winning the race for Declan Rice this summer, having put themselves in pole position to secure his signature, according to a report from the Daily Star.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

The Gunners have recently been handed a boost in their pursuit of Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, as it has emerged Juventus could drop out of the race for the Serbian, as they are unwilling to match the €40m (£35.5m) asking price.

Journalist Dean Jones has speculated that Mikel Arteta may need to bring in two new midfielders in the summer window, and a bid is being prepared for Valencia's Yunus Musah, although the report clarifies Rice remains the number one target.

At the end of April, Football Insider reported West Ham are set to demand £100m for their captain, refusing to budge on that asking price, and he could be on his way to the Emirates Stadium.

According to a report from the Daily Star, Arsenal are now confident they can win the race for the England international, having put themselves in pole position, and they are prepared to make him one of their highest paid players.

The Gunners are likely to quadruple the central midfielder's £60k-per-week wages in an attempt to win the race for his signature, and agreeing personal terms should not be an issue.

With the West Ham star repeatedly refusing to sign a new contract, his current club may be forced to cash-in this summer, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea also named as potential suitors.

Is Declan Rice worth £100m?

In order to sign a player coming into their prime, clubs have to be prepared to pay a premium, and while £100m is a huge sum for any player, the Englishman has proven himself as a top Premier League player for a number of years now.

Hailed as "exceptional" by members of the media, the 24-year-old has already amassed 201 appearances in the English top flight, and he has averaged a 7.05 WhoScored match rating this season, inside the top 30 best-performing players, despite playing for a team battling relegation.

Thomas Partey was branded "awful" by journalist Charles Watts after his performance against Man City, and one of the only viable back-up options is Jorginho, who is now 31-years-old.

As such, Arteta will need to bring in at least one new central midfielders this summer, and Rice would be a fantastic signing, even if Arsenal have to break their transfer record to win the race for his signature.

Coach Duleep Mendis has said he is satisfied with Oman’s top-two finish at WCL Division Five in Jersey, but has admitted that his side’s batting struggles are a major concern

Peter Della Penna01-Jun-2016Coach Duleep Mendis has said he is satisfied that Oman were able to secure promotion with a top-two finish at WCL Division Five in Jersey, but has admitted that his side’s batting struggles are a major concern. Speaking prior to the team’s departure from Jersey, back to Oman, Mendis told ESPNcricinfo that he expects several new players to come into the Oman squad for WCL Division Four to be held in the USA later this year.”The bowlers did extremely well right through the tour from the first game onwards, the seam bowlers as well as spin,” Mendis said. “The batsmen didn’t click; other than one or two batsmen, others never got off. That is one of our main concerns when we get back.”Opening batsman Zeeshan Maqsood finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with 350 runs at an average of 70. His opening partner Khawar Ali, however, managed only 68 runs in seven innings, including three scores of 2 against tournament champions Jersey. The rest of the batting order fared little better, with spin-bowling allrounder Aamir Kaleem the only Oman player besides Maqsood to cross 100 runs in the tournament, making 139 at 34.75.”We need to buckle down and get these things organised,” Mendis said. “Batting has to be organised because number two, three, four never gave us any runs. That is a main concern right now.”We tried with the present lot for a long period now and some of them haven’t really come off, so we need to go back and see what we have, and I’m sure there will be some new faces in the batting lineup in LA. They are quite used to playing 50 overs. It is not that they have not experienced it in the past. It is nothing new to them. But I think the present lot have been in the circuit for a long period and it is always good to have fresh blood coming in and even the fielding standard will improve.”Mendis said Oman’s lineup faces obstacles from the ICC’s player-eligibility guidelines regarding non-citizens at Associate tournaments. In any tournament below the WCL Championship, only two players who have lived in a given country for four years but not yet seven years are eligible to play in any starting XI.Oman carried three such players – wicketkeeper Swapnil Khadye, batsman Noorul Riaz and left-arm pacer Bilal Khan – in their squad to Jersey, with Bilal the odd man out in all but two games. Mendis admitted his preference was to have Bilal in his first-choice XI, but problems with the batting necessitated a different approach. Going forward, Mendis said Oman may have to reconsider the selection of four-year players if it poses issues with team balance.”The wicketkeeper Swapnil came off well,” Mendis said. “He started keeping well, [and] his contribution with the bat was good, so I think he has almost established himself. Noorul is a big question mark. He’s a new player who [debuted] for this tour. He did all right. At the same time, there are one or two other seamers as well who could come into the side. They might not be as good as Bilal, but they are somewhere there. But as I said, we will have to go back and see how we can get the best combination going.”The domestic 50-over season in Oman wrapped up just prior to the team’s departure for Jersey and will not begin again until September. Mendis said he is targeting a preparation tour to the UAE around then as part of the team’s build-up to Division Four in Los Angeles. Mendis says he toured there with a Sri Lanka XI as a player and feels the dry conditions in the San Fernando Valley at Woodley Park will suit his side more than those they encountered in Jersey.”The main concern for us when we came was to get in the next Division, Division Four,” Mendis said. “Because of relegation [in 2014], we had to come down to Division Five, but between now and then, the boys gained a lot of experience playing in the world circuit – the WT20 and Asia Cup – and we were confident when we came here that we would get into Division Four.”We are very keen that we do well in WCL Four and go up to Three. That will be our main goal now. Before the WT20, our goal was to make a big impact on the tournament and we did that. When we came here, we wanted to get qualified for [Division] Four and we did that. Now the next target is to get to Three.”

Newcastle United could look to sell winger Allan Saint-Maximin this summer to raise funds for the summer transfer window, according to journalist Alex Crook.

What's the latest news involving Allan Saint-Maximin?

Football Insider have claimed that Saint-Maximin could look to depart St James' Park in the summer due to fears over being a rotational option at the club.

The report states that the 26-year-old is said to be receiving interest from clubs around Europe and they could be 'ready to pounce' if Saint-Maximin appears on the market.

Calciomercato have claimed that AC Milan had contact with Saint-Maximin's agents in the January transfer window and the Italian giants may make another attempt to secure his services in the upcoming off-season.

TEAMtalk revealed that Newcastle United will 'listen to offers' for the Frenchman and have decided that he doesn't warrant a new contract at the club or hold a place as part of the furniture for the long-term in the North East.

Saint-Maximin is reportedly earning around £70,000 per week at the Magpies on a deal that runs until 2026, as per Capology.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Crook thinks the scenario of Saint-Maximin departing St James' Park may have a decent chance of happening.

Crook said: "I think the budget is quite small, sort of £20 million to £25 million, plus whatever they can raise from selling players. Obviously, they’re not going to want to sell people like Bruno Guimaraes, who they'd be able to get a lot of money for.

"So, Allan Saint-Maximin, he's got a contract I think for the next three years, but he's going to have suitors. I think if they can cash in on him and give Eddie Howe a few more quid to spend, I think they would be willing to do that.”

What have Allan Saint Maximin's stats been like this season?

In 2022/23, Saint-Maximin has made 26 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle United, notching one goal and five assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Despite being in and out of Eddie Howe's team this campaign, WhoScored notes that the once-hailed "magician" has completed an average of 2.2 dribbles per match this term, showing his ability to advance beyond his marker regularly and drive into dangerous areas.

FBRef shows that Saint-Maximin has successfully recorded 54 shot-creating actions in the Premier League, demonstrating his capacity to be a handy provider of chances when called into the side.

The 26-year-old is a talented player that has become a fan favourite at St James' Park due to his trickery and inventiveness; nevertheless, it could be the case that both parties shake hands and move on this summer for an agreeable price.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has been handed a significant boost ahead of Sunday's Old Firm tussle at Hampden Park, with the Greek-Aussie confirming that Reo Hatate, Jota and LIel Abada are all set to be in contention to make their return from injury.

In the case of the latter man, the Israeli international has not featured in any of the Parkhead outfit's last four Scottish Premiership games, having previously racked up ten goals and five assists in 29 top-flight appearances so far this term.

Clearly a real "handful" and a "goal threat" – in the words of his manager – the 21-year-old has unsurprisingly attracted significant interest as a result of his standout displays, with recent reports suggesting that the winger could be set for a summer exit, with a fee of around £10m having been mooted.

This comes amid claims that the former Maccabi Petah Tikva ace has turned down a new contract at the club, with that only serving to heighten the belief that the £3.6m addition could be on his way at the end of the season.

Any concern with regard to the prospect of losing the £15k-per-week man could well be eased, however, by the fact that the Hoops could have already identified a dream replacement, with The Scottish Sun reporting that AEK Athens marksman, Levi Garcia, is of interest to the Glasgow giants.

The report suggests that Postecoglou and co are 'keeping tabs' on the Trinidad and Tobago international ahead of the summer window, amid the 'ongoing uncertainty' surrounding Abada's future at Paradise.

What is Levi Garcia's style of play?

While Garcia has typically operated in a centre-forward berth so far this season, the 25-year-old would also represent a fine replacement for Abada due to his ability to feature on the flanks, having been hailed for his "great speed" and "powerful shot" by former US soccer star Earnie Stewart.

Much like the current Celtic wide man, the £3m-rated speedster also possesses a real goal threat having bagged 18 goals and six assists in 33 games across all fronts this term, taking his overall tally for the Greek side to 51 goal involvements in just 107 outings.

The former AZ Alkmaar man – who boasts a haul of eight goals in 37 games for his country to date – has seemingly been a figure to look out for in recent years, having been included in Four Four Two's list of the 100 best teenagers in the world back in 2017 – ranking 37th on the list.

As the publication noted at the time, the then-youngster was said to have been 'tipped for greatness' by Dutch legend Marco van Basten, having also been lauded for his 'sprinter's pace' and 'hypnotic trickery'.

Although Garcia may not have quite hit the heights that may have been expected of him, the 6 foot ace has begun to flourish in his current home, ensuring he could represent a real coup as far as Postecoglou is concerned.

While there may be fears about just how effectively the title-winning coach will be able to replace Abada, the case of Josip Juranovic, for instance, should ease those concerns, with the former Celtic Park star having been swiftly forgotten about due to Alistair Johnston – the latter man proving a "definite upgrade", according to club legend Stiliyan Petrov.

As such, Postecoglou could again showcase his "exceptional" recruitment – as hailed by ex-Bhoys skipper Scott Brown – by showing Abada the door for a profit, before plugging that gap with the addition of the lively Garcia.