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Pundit Kevin Campbell has heaped praise on Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi for his impact at Parkhead, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: With and without Furuhashi

Ange Postecoglou has been able to call upon the 26-year-old prior to the international break, with Furuhashi signing off with a first-half strike against Aberdeen in a 2-1 win.

He also featured against Bayer Leverkusen, but prior to that, had missed five games with a knee injury.

The Hoops lost to Livingston and failed to beat Dundee United without the Japan international, and the £4.86m summer signing has clearly impressed Campbell.

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The Latest: Campbell reacts

Celtic TV shared a ‘unique angle’ on Monday following the win at Aberdeen, which included Furuhashi’s smart finish.

Campbell, who regularly appears on Sky Sports, was asked by Football Insider for his thoughts on the goal, to which he said:

“Wow, what a phenomenal impact he is having on that football club.

“When a player has confidence he can produce goals like that.

“Let’s be honest, he has been the difference for Celtic this season. They are a different team when he plays. They need him fit and available every week.

“He can carry the team and that is what he has done. He has been nothing short of awesome since he has signed. You have to give Postecoglou credit.”

The Verdict: Kyogo key?

Celtic showed signs of promise against Aberdeen, with Furuhashi netting his eighth goal in 11 games for the Hoops.

His versatility has helped Postecoglou already this season by turning out as a left-winger and through the middle, and he appears to be a key figure in Glasgow already.

The Hoops managed just four points from a possible nine in the Scottish Premiership without him recently, and you could argue that if he was fit, it may have been nine from nine.

In other news: Coach with 17-honours may be open to replacing Postecoglou; he’s a Celtic fan. 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang endured a nightmare display as Arsenal were held by Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday evening.

The Gunners still head into the international break unbeaten in five matches across all competitions, also seeing a major improvement defensively, having conceded just one goal in that run.

However, the performance from the skipper was cause for concern as he struggled to have any sort of impact on the game, meaning Mikel Arteta’s side rarely ever threatened the Seagulls.

The 32-year-old striker failed to register a single shot, on or off target, which is way below his average of 2.6 for the 2021/22 campaign.

Aside from the fact that he could not score or even threaten the opposition’s goal, the Gabon international could only muster up 23 touches of the ball – the fewest of any starter – and just six passes at an accuracy rate of 55%, as per SofaScore.

Furthermore, he did not complete a single dribble, was caught offside once by referee Jon Moss and could not create a single key chance, so not only did he struggle personally but he too was equally poor for his teammates.

That’s not what you want from your captain and it’s really no wonder he was hooked for Alexandre Lacazette after 72 minutes.

Aubameyang was weak in his battles, winning just one of six duels (16%), and thus struggling to cope with the physical threat of Graham Potter’s towering back three of Dan Burn, Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk.

It continues a worrying trend for the Gunners talisman as questions could be asked of him considering he’s only scored twice in their opening six league matches.

The £22.5m-rated star was lambasted as “poor” by Arsenal legend Ian Wright on BBC’s Match of the Day (as relayed by the Metro).

Martin Odegaard, who was withdrawn after just an hour, received plenty of flak from the media, with the Evening Standard rating him poorly in their post-match column and commentator Alan Smith echoing such sentiments during the game.

But it was Aubameyang that badly let Arteta and the Gunners down on the south coast this weekend.

AND in other news, Forget Lokonga: Arsenal’s £14.4m-rated “Rolls-Royce” can fill Arteta’s huge Xhaka void…

Former Premier League footballer Carlton Palmer believes Manchester United re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo is a “great bit of business”.

The Red Devils confirmed that they had reached an agreement with Juventus to bring the Portuguese superstar back to Old Trafford subject to agreement of personal terms, visa and medical.

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo returns to Manchester United after spells with Real Madrid and Juventus. In his previous spell at Old Trafford, Ronaldo scored an unbelievable 118 goals in all competitions and provided a further 69 for his teammates.

Throughout his career, Ronaldo has scored 674 goals and provided 229 assists in all competitions and Palmer believes it’s a great bit of business by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to bring him back as the club look to challenge for the Premier League title and in the Champions League.

He told Football FanCast: “Trust me, there is no danger he scores goals in the Premier League, no danger whatsoever so it’s a great bit of business. 

“He can play in the number nine role, you can play him out wide, you can play him off the top, you know, he’s an unbelievable fit player.

“It’s just a magnificent bit of business, a feelgood factor. I went for Man United before the league started, I went for them to win it and I’m still sticking with that, if they can get the Pogba deal done which I’m sure they will do, I think they’ve got a great chance this season.”

Solskjaer’s team have made an unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign heading into the international break. The Red Devils opened up with a 5-1 thrashing of Leeds United at Old Trafford, before drawing 1-1 with Southampton at St Mary’s and then beating Wolves 1-0 at the weekend.

Alongside Ronaldo, Solskjaer has also made three additional signings in Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Tom Heaton this summer, and will be hoping that his side can remain undefeated and challenge for major honours this season.

Ashley Young will replace Emiliano Buendia in Aston Villa’s starting line-up for their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace, The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has predicted.

The lowdown

Villa travel to south London on Saturday looking to make it back-to-back wins at the start of Steven Gerrard’s reign. Young came off the bench to set up an 84-minute Ollie Watkins goal which broke the deadlock in the 2-0 win over Brighton last weekend.

The 36-year-old, who joined from Inter Milan on a free transfer in the summer, has only made one league start since August.

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans wrote earlier this week that Gerrard had been so impressed by Young in training that he strongly considered starting him in the number 10 position against the Seagulls. The new manager said that the £50,000-per-week veteran had been ‘absolutely outstanding since we walked through the door’.

The latest

Off the back of his ‘strong cameo’ against Brighton, Preece reckons that Gerrard will select Young in the line-up. That would mean making the ‘ruthless call’ to drop Buendia to the substitutes’ bench when he’s ‘desperately trying to spark into some kind of form’.

Elsewhere, Preece thinks that Aston Villa will be unchanged. Douglas Luiz is back fit again, but ‘it’d be hard to see’ Marvelous Nakamba, John McGinn or Jacob Ramsey making way.

The verdict

Would it be harsh to drop Buendia? The statistics suggest that he didn’t make a particularly glowing first impression on Gerrard.

He managed only one shot (which was blocked) against Brighton and he didn’t produce any key passes. He won only two of his six ground duels and all of his crosses were inaccurate (via SofaScore).

As ex-Villan Gabriel Agbonlahor has said, perhaps it’s best for the ‘struggling’ Argentine to sit this one out and be given the incentive to ‘win his place back’.

In other news, many Villa fans react to this piece of pre-Palace news.

West Brom are still working on re-signing midfielder Okay Yokuslu this summer, following an impressive spell at the Hawthorns last season.

The Lowdown: Yokuslu shines for West Brom

The Baggies were relegated from the Premier League last season, but Yokuslu was one of the few positives to come out of the campaign.

The 27-year-old joined West Brom on loan in the January transfer window and went on to make 16 league appearances, ranking as the club’s best player during that period (Whoscored).

Yokuslu has returned to permanent club Celta Vigo for the time being, but another move may be on the cards.

The Latest: Baggies working on deal

According to AS, West Brom are trying to make progress in their attempts to bring back the 37-time capped Turkey international.

Watford are also thought to be interested in a move, however, with their Premier League status potentially working in their favour.

The Verdict: Exciting news for supporters

Yokuslu became a popular figure at West Brom last season, so this update is sure to excite some supporters, as Valerien Ismael looks to bolster his squad.

The fact that the Turk shone in the top-flight despite his side’s struggles suggests he could be a real force in the Championship, dominating midfield battles with his tenacity and ability.

Yokuslu enjoyed an average of 2.6 aerial duels, 2.4 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per game in the Premier League last season, showing what a strong defensive presence he is, not to mention averaging 1.2 dribbles per match.

That combination of physicality and quality on the ball could make a huge impact in the heart of the Baggies’ midfield.

In other news, one West Brom player is thought to be a ‘prime target’ for one club. Find out who it is here.

Paul Stewart thinks that now is the perfect time for Erik Lamela to end his eight-year affiliation with Tottenham.

Lamela, who’s contract in north London expired next summer, has joined Sevilla in a permanent deal, with highly-rated young winger Bryan Gil coming the other way to link with Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.

Lamela’s move to La Liga brings down an eight-year reign for the Argentine following his move from Roma in 2013 which was a club-record at the time.

His first campaign was overshadowed by a long-term back problem, which saw him miss the final four months of the season.

That quickly became a reoccurring theme during Lamela’s time at the club. He missed 133 matches in total, including 57 in a row when he spent 13 months on the sidelines with a hip injury.

And whilst his commitment and work-rate won’t be forgotten in in north London, his goal and assist return wasn’t what many were expecting when he came on the back of a scintillating season in the Italian capital.

Stewart exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“Lamela, for me, is too inconsistent. He looks like a world beater sometimes, and you feel like you’re carrying him other times. I genuinely believe that it’s the right time for him to move on.”

When Farhad Moshiri wrapped up a deal to bring Carlo Ancelotti to Everton, it was one of the biggest coups in the club’s history.

They’d brought a Champions League-winning manager to Goodison Park who had achieved magnificent success in four of Europe’s top five leagues.

Finding another manager of his calibre will be a particularly hard task, but they may well lure one in a certain Antonio Conte, who left Inter Milan last month after guiding them to their first Serie A title since 2010.

Conte departed the San Siro after being told he’d have to work with a downsized project following the impacts on the ongoing pandemic. Salary costs were going to be cut by 15-20% and player departures would become an absolute necessity.

A move to Tottenham looked to be on the horizon but talks eventually collapsed after he failed to be convinced by the project, indicating that he’d rather stay at home instead.

“Generally, I like the challenges and I’ve accepted many of them during my career,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Evening Standard).

“Even the top clubs I coached were never the favourites when I arrived. However, if there’s something that doesn’t convince me I prefer not to accept regardless of the money.”

The Telegraph claimed that an informal inquiry has been made by Everton to the Italian’s camp, and if they could secure his services, it would surely be Moshiri’s greatest achievement at Everton to date.

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Not only will they have beaten a Premier League rival to his signature, they will have landed a manager with the qualities and experience to potentially earn them a place in Europe.

If Conte is looking for a challenge, then he’d find few greater than Everton in the Premier League. They have consistently finished mid-table in recent years despite housing ambitions of reaching the Champions League.

He’d also be backed financially in Merseyside as well, something which wasn’t going to happen at Inter. In the last four years alone, Everton have splashed out on more than £446m worth of players. That should be attractive to Conte, who could take the Toffees to the next level if given the right budget.

With that set of circumstances at Goodison Park in mind, everything looks set up for him to thrive. Described as a “tactical master” by Pep Guardiola, the 51-year-old has five league titles to his name, one of which was the 2016/17 Premier League with Chelsea.

With fellow Everton candidate Andrea Pirlo also hailing the Italian as a “genius”, this has the potential to be a mouth-watering appointment by Moshiri and Bill Kenwright.

AND in other news, Forget Benitez: Kenwright could revive Everton by hiring 54 y/o “fantastic motivator”…

Celtic-linked free agent Robbie Brady is set for a surprise move to Turkish side Gaziantep, Lancashire Live report.

The Lowdown: Celtic rumours

Brady was linked with a move to Parkhead back in February when Neil Lennon was still in charge of Celtic.

Rumours of the Republic of Ireland international moving to Scotland re-emerged at the end of May after he left Burnley.

Ange Postecoglou was quizzed specifically on bringing Brady to the club, but as we know, the left-midfielder wasn’t one of 12 Celtic signings.

The Latest: Turkey move

Lancashire Live shared a story on Brady on Wednesday, claiming the winger is close to a move to Gaziantep.

The Super Lig side boasts a number of international footballers in their squad, and it is believed Brady would be viewed as a marquee signing, should a move go through.

The Verdict: Not a major blow for Celtic

Celtic brought in plenty of attacking talent in Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada, Filipe Jota and Georgios Giakoumakis, so missing out on Brady shouldn’t be an issue.

He could’ve brought plenty of experience to the Hoops, however, Postecoglou did just that with Joe Hart and James McCarthy joining.

The 35-goal free agent now looks as if he is heading to Turkey, though, and it’s not as if Celtic haven’t had the chance to act, so we suspect Dominic McKay and Postecoglou decided the aforementioned names are better options.

In other news: Another Celtic summer signing, as well as Urhoghide, isn’t impressing under Ange, says Devlin.

Rangers were heavily linked with Jack Wilshere last year and, after his release from Bournemouth recently, Ross Wilson should seek to bring him to Ibrox to link up with Steven Gerrard’s side ahead of next season.

The Gers were one of several clubs to be linked with the former Arsenal man last year following his release from West Ham but it was Championship side Bournemouth who won the race to sign him in January on a deal until the end of the season.

The 29-year-old was a regular in Jonathan Woodgate’s side until the end of the campaign, making 15 appearances in the Championship, in which he managed one goal and one assist.

Despite this return, the Cherries would not offer the former England international a new deal and released him recently, meaning that he is once again available on a free transfer.

Wilshere was once regarded as one of the most exciting young midfielders in England before injuries unfortunately derailed his career but, after an injury-free spell on the south coast, he could well be worth the risk for Rangers this summer.

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If he was signed on a pay-as-you-play basis, there would be nearly no risk in signing him, and should he stay fit, he could prove to be a superb addition to Gerrard’s squad.

Back in 2018, Gennaro Gattuso spoke very highly of Wilshere due to AC Milan’s interest in signing him, saying: “I think he can play in any league. He may not be super-fast, but he has got great skills and is super-tactical. He has good ball circulation—when he gets the ball he knows exactly where to send it. He knows exactly the right pace and can change the pace of the game. He can play central midfield or a little bit further up.”

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If there is one man who can help Wilshere rediscover his best form, it could be Gerrard; and if the Liverpool legend can whip his former England teammate into shape, then he would surely be worth whatever money Rangers need to pay him in order to bring him to Ibrox this summer, so Wilson should definitely consider signing him.

In other news… Douglas Park could be set for huge Rangers blow with “amazing” gem, Gers fans will surely be fuming

Manchester United have appointed Erik ten Hag as their new manager to join the club this summer, and with a new manager, there will likely be new signings with speculation already mounting on who the Dutch coach will bring in to start his revolution at the Premier League club.

The Red Devils have struggled this season and become the centre of a media frenzy with the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and reported dressing room leaks constantly hitting the headlines amongst poor form in all competitions on the pitch with the side entering their longest trophy drought in 40 years and looking unlikely to secure a top-four finish in the few remaining games.

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With that being said, Ten Hag has clearly been brought into the club to reinstate the identity and to improve the mentality amongst the players, something he can achieve by bringing in new players to begin a new era and a fresh start at Man United.

The midfield is one of the key areas that has been targeted for desperate improvement, and one player who has been linked to the club this week that would drastically improve the centre of the pitch is Frenkie de Jong.

The £164k-per-week ace who was hailed “amazing” and a “genius” by his manager Xavi, would be a huge upgrade in Man United’s midfield next season to replace Scott McTominay when you compare the pair on effectiveness for their respective teams.

For Barcelona, De Jong has scored two more goals and assists, completed over 300 more passes, has a better pass accuracy, completes more take-ons and has a higher ground duel success rate (64.2%) compared to Scott McTominay at United in the Premier League this season, per Squawka.

Manchester United will reportedly (via Sport) give ten Hag £210m to spend this summer, and the 24-year-old has become a prime target for the Ajax boss who will have full involvement in the transfer dealings at Old Trafford during his three-year contract.

Ultimately, the Dutch tactician will have a large workload when it comes to reviving the club from its current state, and along with identifying new signings will also need to make the right decisions when it comes to replacing and moving on players this summer to give Manchester United the best chance next season.

AND in other news: Man Utd plot bid for “special” 52-goal “wizard”, it’s an instant ten Hag masterclass