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Celtic are closing in on MK Dons midfielder Matt O’Riley, according to reliable reporters Stuart James and Peter Rutzler of The Athletic.

The Lowdown: O’Riley profiled

O’Riley is 21 years of age and is primarily a central midfielder who can also play in defensive and attacking roles.

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He joined the League One side 12 months ago and has made 54 appearances for the club, 30 of which have come this season.

O’Riley has contributed to 12 goals in the third tier and even began the campaign as captain, and it appears as if the former Fulham man is now heading to Scotland to join Ange Postecoglou’s side.

The Latest: £1.5m deal

The Athletic’s James and Rutzler shared a story on Wednesday lunchtime, with the latter describing the midfielder as a ‘standout’ player.

They claimed that Celtic are close to signing O’Riley in a deal worth £1.5m in the next couple of days.

He had been attracting interest from Blackburn Rovers, Swansea City and sides across Europe, but it seems as if Celtic Park will be his next destination.

West Ham youngster Conor Coventry has joined MK Dons on loan this week, perhaps suggesting they are prepared for O’Riley’s departure already.

The Verdict: Hopefully not another McGree

Michael Nicholson and the Celtic board have had a fairly smooth time of things in the January transfer window, with four players already through the door at Parkhead. O’Riley looks set to be the most expensive of 2022 at £1.5m – surpassing the £1.38m fee the club paid for Reo Hatate.

However, the Hoops did suffer a blow in their pursuit of Riley McGree, with a transfer falling through due to personal terms after agreeing on a fee.

Hopefully, that doesn’t happen again with O’Riley. He was without a club for six months during the pandemic, but fast forward 18 months and he’s now on the verge of joining one of the biggest clubs in the United Kingdom, so you’d like to think personal terms won’t be an issue for a player seemingly on the rise.

In other news: ‘Wolves are…’ – Journalist makes big claim with Celtic gem now wanted at Molineux. 

As per Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), West Ham United, and by extension head of recruitment Rob Newman, have their sights on a new transfer target for David Moyes.

The Lowdown: Newman scrutinised…

Coming from Manchester City with a good reputation, even credited in playing a role over their signing of Aymeric Laporte (The Athletic), the West Ham chief has since faced criticism inside his new club.

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Following a questionable January window, doubts have come to light surrounding Newman and whether he is truly qualified enough to spearhead West Ham’s chase for new signings (Claret & Hugh).

In what could be a crucial summer window for the ex-Sky Blues head scout, news has now emerged on a first pre-summer move as he allegedly eyes Svanberg from Bologna.

The Latest: Newman opens pre-summer West Ham dialogue…

According to CDS (via SW), West Ham and Newman have opened pre-summer dialogue to sign the box-to-box Serie A ace – making their first move in the form of an enquiry.

This comes as Svanberg’s club could now say goodbye to their 23-year-old sensation given Bologna need to raise funds for their own summer transfer activity.

However, West Ham may need to invest significantly, with Corriere also claiming the Italian minnows will demand a ‘high’ price.

The Verdict: Take it further?

As Newman looks to redeem his regrettable transfer window, he could do worse than signing Svanberg, who has been described by an iNews source as ‘probably one of the top four’ No 8’s in Europe.

Amassing 18 international caps for Sweden already at such a young age, Svanberg’s potential seems limitless, leaving no wonder West Ham are thinking about backing Moyes with his capture.

Much could depend on his eventual price tag, though, and how much he could cost to bring to east London.

In other news: ‘Deal is there to be done’ – West Ham insider makes exciting striker claim as price falls by £20m! Find out more here.

Aston Villa have seen numerous players make their way through the youth system at the Midlands club and go on to have substantial careers in the Premier League and elsewhere.

In terms of Villa’s current squad, one player that has worked his way through the ranks to make it into the first team is midfielder Jacob Ramsey.

With 65 combined appearances for Villa’s U18 and U23 sides under his belt, the Englishman racked up 24 goals and 11 assists.

He also had a loan spell with Doncaster Rovers back in 2020 where he found the back of the net three times in seven appearances.

The Englishman made his senior debut for the club back in February 2019 in a Championship defeat against West Bromwich Albion under former Villa manager Dean Smith.

Overall, the 20-year-old has now played in 58 senior games for his club and is now a fully-fledged member of Steven Gerrard’s squad. With 29 league appearances made this season, the youngster has scored six goals and provided two assists for his teammates.

As well as this, no other player at the club has made more attempts to put an opponent under pressure (461) on the pitch than Ramsey.

This highlights not only what a useful player he can be for his team in terms of winning the ball back, but also the desire and work ethic he has in him, something that Gerrard surely wants to see from his players.

Additionally, only Tyrone Mings has racked up a higher distance in yards for a player to have moved the ball while controlling it with their feet in any direction.

Once again, this shows what a tricky player Ramsey can be when he’s on the ball, as well as being a hard opponent to play against when he’s not in possession. As well as providing goals, it’s evident just how much he offers in the finer parts of the game.

All of this has seen the player’s transfer value rise considerably. Back in December 2020, Transfermarkt rated the midfielder’s market value at £1.35m, whereas it now stands at a massive £19.8m after a seriously impressive year.

Presumably based on his efforts on the pitch for Villa,

Labelled as a player that “demands attention” by Joe Cole, this highlights just how far the £15k-per-week youth graduate has come in his career.

Ramsey has certainly been a massive positive for the club as a whole and provides a great example for other youth prospects aiming to break into first-team football.

In other news: Source: AVFC’s “difficult” dud could now leave Villa Park, it’s great news for Gerrard

Aston Villa have made contact with Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma ahead of a possible summer move, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: January links

Steven Gerrard was busy during his first window as Villa boss, making four senior signings. It could have been five, however, as Brighton rejected an official offer from Villa for Bissouma.

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Labelled as a player with ‘bundles of ability’ by former teammate Dale Stephens, Bissouma will be entering the final 12 months of his contract with the Seagulls in the summer, and it looks as if Villa are already making a head start on a possible deal.

The Latest: Source drops update

Football Insider dropped an update on Villa and Bissouma on Thursday morning after being informed by a recruitment source.

They claim that Villa have made contact with the player’s representatives and have asked to be kept up to date with his situation. Brighton are braced for bids, with Villa willing to spend over £150m on new signings ahead of Gerrard’s first full season in charge.

The Verdict: Midfielders needed

Villa have just six midfielders on the books at this moment in time, two of which are youngsters Jacob Ramsey and Carney Chukwuemeka.

Morgan Sanson is also reportedly set to be let go, so Villa could be short of options if they don’t add to their midfield ranks.

Gerrard has found success in a 4-3-1-2 system in recent months, making central midfield reinforcements crucial, so going after Bissouma in a possible cut-price deal could be a strong starting point in what could be a busy summer.

In other news: ‘I understand…’ – Insider now drops Villa update as Lange makes enquiry to Europa League club. 

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Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter to react after The Chronicle revealed that talks are underway over the signing of Benfica defensive midfielder Andreas Samaris, who would join the club on loan if a deal were to materialise.

The 29-year-old is a player of some pedigree, having played for the Greek national team for many years now, and would be a welcome addition to a squad in desperate need of fresh faces to give them a boost in their battle for survival. Samaris is an excellent passer of the ball and poses a threat from set pieces.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The Tynesiders have until 11pm on Thursday to wrap up some deals that they desperately need, as well as ones that would ensure that their Spanish boss remains at the club having grown tired at Mike Ashley’s reluctance to back him in the market, as per The Daily Mail.

Let’s see how the club’s fans reacted to the news on Twitter…

Dele Alli and Anwar El Ghazi may not be Everton players next season, if fresh reports are to be believed. 

The lowdown

The Toffees signed Dele from Tottenham on January’s transfer deadline day, while El Ghazi made a loan switch from Aston Villa midway through the month.

Under the terms of the agreement they reached with Spurs, Everton will only have to pay the north Londoners a £10m fee once Dele has made 20 appearances in blue. The fee could rise as high as £40m according to Sky Sports, depending on whether various performance-related add-ons are triggered.

As for El Ghazi, the Toffees negotiated a €10m (£8.4m) purchase option with Villa.

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The latest

Sports journalist Pete O’Rourke has told GiveMeSport that Dele could leave Goodison Park in the summer, stating: “It’s a possibility, if Everton have got that clause in his contract, that they could let him go without having to pay Spurs anything. It would, obviously, save Everton some money if that were to happen.”

Meanwhile, Football Insider reported that the Blues aren’t interested in a permanent deal for El Ghazi, who has ‘struggled to make an impression’ on Frank Lampard and his coaching staff since he joined the Merseyside outfit.

The verdict

This news shouldn’t come as too big a surprise regarding either player.

Dele has yet to start a single game since he arrived at Everton and, if anything, he is falling further down the pecking order. Having come on from the bench in seven straight league matches, he has now been an unused substitute in the last two games.

El Ghazi, who was signed while Rafael Benitez was still in charge at Goodison Park, has barely had a look-in under Lampard. He has played a mere 11 minutes of Premier League football in a blue shirt and may already be considering his next move.

Everton signed five players in January as they looked to turn their season around, but so far it has made little difference – they remain just three points above the relegation zone with 10 matches to play.

In other news, Jonathan Woodgate accuses one Everton star of throwing his toys ‘out the pram’.

After securing the signing of Luke Plange in January, Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira is reportedly keen on another Derby County transfer swoop, this time for Rams winger Malcolm Ebiowei.

Vieira sees Ebiowei as a long-term prospect and according to reports from The Sun, has reportedly made a decisive move to land the 18-year-old who will be a free agent in the summer.

The next Zaha

Former Arsenal and Rangers academy product Malcolm Ebiowei has enjoyed a breakout year in Wayne Rooney’s Derby side, with the financial issues at the club paving the way for regular minutes.

His performances in the U18 Premier League saw him score seven goals in seven appearances and clearly attracted the attention of the English coach. Ebiowei has continued in that vein, having seized his opportunity under Rooney this season.

The 18-year-old winger has started in 53% of Derby’s Championship games this season. And whilst he has just one assist to show for his 14 appearances in England’s second division, his underlying numbers are promising.

So promising in fact, that considering his position and versatility in attack, he is reminiscent of Palace’s talisman Wilfried Zaha.

Comparing their numbers, Malcolm Ebiowei completes an average of three dribbles per game and makes around one key pass per game. Zaha, on the other hand, has completed an average of two dribbles per game and around one key pass per game during the Premier League season.

Ebiowei’s average of one shot per game is not too far off Zaha’s average of two, whilst the teenager edges Zaha’s offensive participation as he is dispossessed on an average of just once per game, whilst the Ivorian international is dispossessed around four times per 90.

In fairness to Zaha, his 11 goals and one assist in England’s top-flight demonstrate the current difference in end product, though with Ebiowei’s similar numbers for offensive participation, Vieira would be right to take a chance on a player that Rooney claimed has “enormous ability.”

In other news: Forget Gallagher: £53k-p/w Palace ace who lost 71% duels let Vieira down vs Leeds…