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Injury expert Ben Dinnery says Leeds United may well have misled supporters by suggesting there is nothing to worry about in regards to a knock picked up by Raphinha against Wolves.

The Lowdown: Raphinha injured

Raphinha started for the Elland Road outfit against Wolves last weekend in the Premier League.

However, he was forced off with an injury shortly after half-time, although the club and the player himself said the problem was “nothing serious”.

The Latest: Dinnery doesn’t agree

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery said Raphinha could be out until mid-to-late November. He said:

“We don’t really know what this update means entirely.

“When I hear players and managers talk about injuries as ‘nothing serious’, I always take it with a pinch of salt. It can be kind of misleading.

“I have to admit, when I first saw that injury it didn’t look pretty. This was a forced external rotation of the ankle.

“There was a strong indication that there was a high sprain. There was some suggestion that there could even be a fracture involved.

“So when I saw that update from Raphinha, I took that to mean the bones are intact. That leads me to believe it is indeed a high ankle sprain.”

The Verdict: Calm the situation

Raphinha is one the club’s most important players, scoring three of their eight goals in the Premier League so far this campaign (Transfermarkt), with him now having found the back of the net 54 times in total in his career.

Even with him in the side, they have struggled, winning just one of their opening nine league matches (Sky Sports) – without him, they would surely look even worse.

It looks as though the club may have looked to calm down supporters with this news. If he does not appear this coming weekend versus Norwich City, the fans will know they had the wool pulled over their eyes. It remains to be seen whether Dinnery or Leeds are right.

In other news, this man has been suggested as a potential Bielsa replacement.

When Celtic spent £7m on Christopher Jullien back in the summer of 2019, hopes for the centre-back were extremely high at Parkhead.

Indeed, upon the then-26-year-old’s signing, Neil Lennon said of the Frenchman: “We are delighted to bring Christopher to Celtic. He is a quality player with great attributes.”

And, the Northern Irishman’s belief that the £4.95m-rated defender was a talented player proved to be correct over his secure the Premiership title, the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup, as well as reaching the knockout stages of the Europa League.

The £23.5k-per-week man continued his impressive form over his nine Premiership outings last season, in which he helped his side keep five clean sheets, scored one goal and registered one assist, in addition to making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 3.6 clearances and winning 6.9 duels per game – with these returns seeing the 29-year-old average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.43.

However, since sustaining a serious knee injury in a 3-0 victory over Dundee United in December 2020 – a setback that was initially predicted to keep the former French youth international sidelined for around four months – Jullien has played just 16 minutes of football for Celtic, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 4-0 SFA Cup win over Raith Rovers in February.

Indeed, over the Bhoys’ last monster” – in his matchday squad, something which has left many to question whether the centre-back has a future under the Greek-Australian coach.

And, with just 12 months of his current contract remaining this summer, in addition to having already set Celtic back around £3.5m in wages over his 142 weeks in Glasgow – 60 of which were spent on the treatment table – it would indeed appear a wise for Postecoglou cut his losses on the defender at the end of the current campaign, as Jullien is quickly becoming a rather expensive burden at Parkhead.

AND in other news: Celtic handed huge Old Firm boost as fresh update emerges, Postecoglou will be buzzing

Trying to replace a club icon is particularly difficult, and at Celtic that is no different.

As a dismal 2020/21 campaign came to a conclusion for the Hoops, they witnessed their no-nonsense club captain walk away from Parkhead. That man, of course, is a certain Scott Brown.

He headed to Aberdeen to take up a player-coach role and the individual to succeed his captaincy duties is Callum McGregor.

The Scot has had an excellent start to the season and had one of the best outings of his career in his nation’s colours this week when they took on Austria.

However, there is a sense that one of the many players that Ange Postecoglou brought to the club this summer could eventually become the true heir to Brown’s coveted place in the team.

Although yet to play, James McCarthy will be a big presence in the middle of the park once he’s fit enough. Liam Shaw, their signing from Sheffield Wednesday, could eventually star in that role, while Bosun Lawal has looked promising since arriving in Glasgow.

However, it is two players who were signed before Postecoglou walked in that appeared to stand the best chance before the summer’s arrivals.

Ismaila Soro is candidate number one. At various times last season, he looked like the most natural heir. He was composed on the ball and tough in the tackle, making ten successful challenges in one European outing against Lille.

However, the longer his stay at Paradise has continued, the more his form has deteriorated. Soro’s opening matches of the campaign left a lot to be desired as he lost a whopping ten of 14 duels against Midtjylland.

He was also rash in the challenge when he appeared from the bench against Rangers in the Old Firm before the international break.

With that in mind, Postecoglou should consider finally utilising Luca Connell in the first team.

The Irishman was signed from Bolton back in 2019 but he has never made a first-team outing for the Bhoys. He already had EFL experience with the Trotters when he arrived so it’s puzzling to see him make such a minimal impact in Scotland.

Left out of the club’s Europa League squad list, opportunities look as though they’ll be hard to come by for him.

Once again, this feels like a strange move. Connell was in excellent form during a loan spell at Queen’s Park last season, guiding them to promotion. In the process, the defensive midfielder scored three times and registered five assists.

The 20-year-old was a breath of fresh air to the Queen’s Park side and one goal encapsulated him perfectly. After he galloped forward and then found the net against Edinburgh towards the end of last term, the commentator said that he had a “wand of a left foot.”

With defensive nous and offensive abilities in his locker, Connell surely has everything needed to thrive in Postecoglou’s system. That’s precisely why he should be unleashed.

AND in other news, 100% duels won: Ange surely drooling after new Celtic signing’s international display…

West Ham manager David Moyes pulled the plug on the club’s pursuit of Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic, reporter Jack Rosser has told Football FanCast.

Milenkovic became a target for West Ham after the east London outfit initially faced difficulties in trying to sign Kurt Zouma from Chelsea.

However, after agreeing a £29.8m fee with their London rivals, West Ham eventually managed to land Zouma on a four-year deal.

And Rosser has revealed that the Hammers turned back to the Frenchman after also encountering problems in their attempts to sign Milenkovic, who has since signed a new contract at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.

“When it comes to transfers, the money’s there. The board have given him [Moyes] the money,” the Evening Standard journalist said. “They’ve also given him the final say, so by the sounds of it, Milenkovic was an option they went to after Zouma.

“They tried with Zouma but it didn’t come off initially, went to Milenkovic and that sort of stalled and dallied a bit, had some problems with agents and Moyes then sort of had a change of heart. He decided to pull the plug and focus everything back on Zouma, which paid off.”

As he discussed Zouma in his pre-match press confrence ahead of West Ham’s recent 2-2- draw with Crystal Palace, Moyes stressed the need to add a fourth centre-back to the squad, so he will undoubtedly be delighted with the addition of the France international.

The Hammers’ new signing arrives with plenty of top-flight experience and an impressive honours list having won both the Premier League and Champions League during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left buzzing after a transfer development as they target Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette.

Amid new head of recruitment Rob Newman’s search for a back-up option to Michail Antonio, there have been no shortage of names linked.

One of the more recent ones is Lacazette, who could even leave for free in 2022 with his Gunners contract expiring at the end of the season, prompting West Ham to take notice.

90min first lifted the lid on their interest in the Frenchman who scored 17 goals in all competitions last season, with Jeunesfooteux.com now claiming that contact has already been made.

Indeed, they also claim West Ham have ‘already positioned themselves’ to sign Lacazette – who has been described as a ‘big’ player by managar Mikel Arteta.

Flocking to his news, many Irons fans are certainly eager to see their club sign him and end their year-long search for a centre-forward signing.

Find all of their best Twitter verdicts on the development down below.

West Ham fans erupt as contact made for Lacazette…

“This would be crackin’ for the right price”

Credit: @EllYouSeeAyeEss

“what”

Credit: @whujoe

“Happily take that”

Credit: @whuNotorious

“Been saying for months he’d be ideal in January”

Credit: @Rob__75

“Yes please”

Credit: @Hstikkyt0kky

“No brainer for me”

Credit: @DOWHU_1995

“Goalscorer, works hard, I’m all in on Laca”

Credit: @connorahumpage

“Yes yes yes”

Credit: @leebrown22

In other news: West Ham favourites to sign 6 ft 3 powerhouse who already has a foot and a half out the exit door, find out more here.

Aston Villa must sign Emi Buendia’s former Norwich City teammate Todd Cantwell this summer amid David Norris’ transfer claim.

What’s the story?

Reports from The Telegraph last summer suggested that Dean Smith’s side were weighing up a potential move for the Canaries midfielder, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the window.

Recent weeks saw Football Insider claim that Villa are actually in advanced talks with Norwich over finally luring Cantwell to Villa Park, with growing confidence that a deal can be done.

In response to the links and the possible price tag, Norris admitted the winger could go for a ton of money considering Ben White’s departure to Arsenal.

He told Football FanCast: “Yeah I think you’ll see that quite a bit, the money’s gone crazy. The Brighton centre-half going for big dough, and I think with younger players, and what’s happened traditionally in the past especially if their British, the price seems to be even higher.”

Imagine him and Buendia

Described as someone with a “God-given” talent by his former youth team coach Gary Cockaday, Cantwell was a team-mate of Buendia for the Canaries, and they could rekindle that partnership at Villa Park.

Former Norwich striker Dean Ashton raved about the 23-year-old, saying: “When I first saw him I said to Darren Huckerby, ‘how is that lad not training with the first-team?’. He was incredible. The way he was drifting past players. His speed of thought and his awareness. He’s just a wonderful player.”

Last season saw Cantwell average an impressive 1.6 dribbles per game which ranked him joint-top among the rest of Norwich’s squad (Buendia being the other).

The attacking midfielder also featured in the top three for Norwich for both key passes and shots per game in the Championship too, another indication of just how influential he is whenever he gets on the ball.

The £19.8m-rated Cantwell has the ability to unlock defences with a bit of skill or trickery, and given his previous relationship with Buendia, he would surely fancy his chances of striking up that same partnership in a new team too.

Smith could recreate a magic duo at Villa by signing Cantwell this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa must land this “phenomenal” Euro 2020 star…

Crystal Palace have enjoyed a comfortable campaign so far after appointing Patrick Vieira in the summer.

The manager has made a number of new additions to the side that have made a great impact on their good form in the first half of the season, resulting in Palace currently sitting 11th in the Premier League table after finishing 14th for the last two seasons.

The London club have taken points from 13 of the 20 games they have played, with eight draws and five wins in the league, and we expect Vieira will be hoping to continue to climb the table in his first full season in charge of the Eagles, to secure the side’s first top-half finish since 2015 when they finished 10th.

One player who has stolen the show at Palace and has been drawing attention to himself through his outstanding performances is loan player, Conor Gallagher.

The 21-year-old has been fantastic this season after he joined Palace on a season-long loan from Chelsea in the summer, scoring six goals and bagging three assists.

He has found the net against Manchester City and Wolves, as well as scoring a brace against West Ham and Everton in the Premier League so far from his midfield position.

Eagles manager, Vieira, praised and reflected on the incredible progress of the young midfielder at Palace so far speaking after the 3-1 win over Everton where he scored a brace.

‘He wants to improve, he is really humble, is working hard and the challenge for him is to maintain that level to fulfil his expectation.

‘Today he was fantastic and I think when the team play at that level as well, it allows him and some of the players in the team to express themselves.”

Now, the French manager could have a problem on his hands as the January transfer window has opened and Gallagher’s position in the team may be compromised by a recall from Chelsea, due to ongoing issues with the attacking line at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are struggling to keep themselves in contention for the Premier League title this season, with Manchester City now ten points clear of Thomas Tuchel’s side.

The downfall in Chelsea’s title chase has come from four draws from their last five games, compared to Manchester City’s five wins from five, and some of the attacking players in the side have come under fire after failing to hit the ground running.

Last week, an interview with Romelu Lukaku surfaced where the £100m record-breaking Chelsea signing claimed he was “not happy” with the system Tuchel had deployed, but has since apologised.

With the issues at Chelsea mounting due to their disappointing results as of late, virus outbreaks, injuries and desperation to get back on track to continue to compete for the title this season, there is reason to believe they could look to their thriving loan player at Crystal Palace to save their campaign with his proven attacking threat in the second half of the season.

However, if the Blues take the frightening decision to bring him back to the Bridge this month, it could derail Palace’s own season. After all, he is their top scorer this term and joint-chief creator too.

Gallagher has not featured in the last two games for Vieira’s side, but assistant manager, Osian Roberts, has claimed that he is simply missing through an attempt to “keep the squad as fresh as possible”, Palace will take on Millwall away in the FA Cup third round on Saturday and it will be interesting to see if the youngster features.

In other news: Vieira could sign McArthur 2.0 in Kerr Smith

Newcastle United have been handed a fresh injury lift over Miguel Almiron…

What’s the latest?

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has revealed that the midfielder has recovered from his ailment and will be back in the squad against Wolves for their Premier League clash tonight.

The 28-year-old was absent from the matchday squad for the 5-1 defeat to Tottenham last weekend but will now be available for selection against Bruno Lage’s side.

On Thursday, Lee Ryder tweeted: “Eddie Howe says he is ‘delighted’ to welcome back Miguel Almiron from illness #nufc.”

Buzzing

The 44-year-old will be buzzing with this news, as it means that he will have a solid option to bring off the bench if required.

It will be a big boost to his squad as Almiron offers plenty of endeavour and work rate when he comes off the bench for Newcastle. He works his socks off for the team and that is a valuable trait to have in a player coming on as a substitute.

Whilst he may not have the attacking quality required to make an impact in the final third, from the start or off the bench, he is the perfect player to bring in to help see out a game by adding a steeliness to the forwards on the pitch.

For example, if Newcastle are winning 2-1 in the 70th minute and Allan Saint-Maximin is starting to look fatigued, Howe can put Almiron on and let him run himself into the ground to help the team. The Paraguayan has averaged 2.1 tackles and interceptions per game this season, which shows that he puts in a shift out of possession to try and win the ball back for his side.

Meanwhile, Saint-Maximin has only averaged 0.8 tackles and interceptions per game, the same as Ryan Fraser. This suggests that neither of them offers the defensive protection that the Paraguay international does when he is on the pitch, as they do not win the ball back as often as him.

Therefore, Almiron is a useful option for Howe to have, and that is why the manager will be buzzing to have the 28-year-old available for selection. The head coach will surely want as many options as possible on the bench to use in a multitude of scenarios, with the Magpies attempting to put their three-match losing streak to an end against Wolves tonight.

AND in other news, Signed for free, now worth £9m: Ashley sealed his final NUFC gift in £35k-p/w “dream”…

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has established himself as a fan favourite at Everton, and the star striker has spoken out on his highly anticipated return after injury.

The England international took a heavy injury blow in the opening month of the Premier League season, with a quadriceps issue and broken toe, that has left the Toffees without arguably one of their best players for the majority of their 2021/22 campaign so far.

Everton originally predicted a short term side-lining of the star, but after a ‘setback’ in rehabilitation, the club was forced to announce further time out for Calvert Lewin.

In a club statement, they said: “Dominic Calvert-Lewin has suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from a quadriceps injury and will remain out for a number of weeks.

“Calvert-Lewin will continue to receive specialist treatment and an update on the England international’s fitness will be provided in due course.”

The 24-year-old has been keeping busy off the pitch though, with appearances on Sky Sport’s Monday Night Football and featuring in a much talked about feature for fashion magazine Homme+. He also attended a gala this weekend for Football For Change, a charity that ‘brings together football stars and business leaders with a collective goal to change the lives of young people in some of the most deprived communities in the UK.’

Speaking on a panel, alongside Jamie Carragher, Rod Stewart and Russell Howard, Calvert Lewin made an admission on his current injury.

According to Liverpool Echo journalist, Tony Scott, the target man confirmed ‘he’ll be back in a few weeks’ and when asked about the Everton vs Liverpool clash at Goodison Park on December 1st he said;

“We’ll see for the Merseyside Derby.”

The Sheffield born striker has featured in 12 clashes with Everton’s Merseyside rivals, Liverpool, scoring once and assisting twice.

Calvert Lewin played a huge part in the most recent 2-0 win at Anfield for the Toffees, by winning a penalty after coming off the bench, so fans will definitely be buzzing to see their star striker return, and thus, play a key role in the upcoming fixture in the next few weeks.

The forward has played a huge part for the Toffees in recent seasons, scoring as many as 21 this term, and opening the current campaign with three in three. As a result, it’ll be a huge boost for the team and supporters alike to have him back in the team.

Everton face Man City when the Premier League returns this week and will be keen to grab some much-needed points and climb the table, with a boost from the likes of Richarlison and Yerry Mina returning from injury.

In other news: Rafa Benitez could solve key Everton issue with Anthony Gordon…

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side face a break from their Premiership campaign on Saturday afternoon, when the Bhoys make the trip to Alloa Athletic in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

And, with the Hoops’ opponents currently struggling towards the bottom of the Scottish League One table, the fixture presents the 56-year-old Celtic manager with a perfect opportunity to rest a number of his regular starters, as well as handing minutes to some of his peripheral squad members – in addition to those returning from injury.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/?post_type=web-story&p=664142″ title=”Check out the latest Celtic news!”]

One player who falls into the latter category is none other than Christopher Jullien, the 28-year-old centre-back who last featured for the Bhoys all the way back in December 2020, with a recurring knee injury seeing the former France U21 international miss over a year of first-team football.

However, following the defender’s recent post on Twitter – in which Jullien shared a photo of himself in training at Lennoxtown alongside the caption “green light” – it would appear as if the Frenchman is now ready to make his long-awaited return to the pitch.

And, with the fixture against Alloa not likely to be the most strenuous game of the season for the Celtic backline, Barry Ferguson’s side could well be the perfect opponent for Jullien to ease himself back into the rigours of first-team football.

Game-changer

While the expression like a new signing is perhaps overused when describing a player returning from injury, should Jullien be able to refind the level of form he was in prior to his injury, the 28-year-old’s availability will undoubtedly be game-changing for Celtic’s title hopes this season.

Indeed, over his nine Premiership fixtures in the Bhoys’ 2020/21 campaign, the £4.95m-rated centre-back helped his side to keep five clean sheets, scored one goal and registered one assist, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 3.6 clearances and winning 6.9 duels per game.

These returns saw the £20k-per-week defender average a rather astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.43, ranking him as the Hoops’ second-best performer in the league last season.

As such, in order to help get the Frenchman back up to speed as quickly as possible, Postecoglou simply must unleash Jullien on Saturday afternoon, as the return of the player who Noel Whelan dubbed a “leader” could well turn the tide in Celtic’s favour regarding the Premiership race over the coming months.

In other news: “Excellent” 23 y/o may have played his final game for Celtic as January deal is agreed