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Celtic’s interim boss John Kennedy has been urged to join Ross County if he leaves Parkhead.

Former County goalkeeper Michael Fraser told The Press and Journal that the 37-year-old would be well-suited to the managerial position at the Global Energy Stadium.

The lowdown

Kennedy took over from Neil Lennon when he resigned at the end of February, with Celtic’s title hopes having unravelled. Predominantly using a 4-4-2 diamond formation, he oversaw four victories, four draws and two defeats in total.

Celtic were 18 points adrift of Rangers when Kennedy took over and ended up 25 points behind their Glasgow rivals at the season’s end. The Gers also knocked them out of the Scottish Cup in the fourth round.

According to the Daily Record, Eddie Howe will be announced as Lennon’s long-term successor this week. He is also poised to bring backroom staff from Bournemouth with him, so it’s unclear whether there’ll be any place for Kennedy under the 43-year-old’s regime.

Ross County finished third from bottom in the Premiership this season. John Hughes kept them in the division but has not been offered a permanent deal.

The latest

If Kennedy is looking to move into management permanently rather than return to a behind-the-scenes role, Fraser says that County would be an ideal destination for him, telling The Press and Journal:

“Personally I think, John Kennedy, should he leave Celtic, would be a really good shout. He is highly thought of and it would be a good job for him to start off with.

“I am pretty sure a guy like John would like this job. He’s just a name that leapt out at me.

“Roy [Macgregor, chairman] might be looking at a more experienced manager, but going left-field John would be a good pick.

“He is highly-rated by ex-players and maybe he will want to come in and get his hands dirty by coaching them to play in the way he wants them to play.

“It’s maybe the best of the smaller clubs to achieve that because you will get support.”

The verdict

Howe may well deem Kennedy surplus to requirements at Celtic, partly as a symbolic ‘out with the old, in with the new’ move.

While Kennedy didn’t do enough in his time at the helm at Parkhead to suggest that he had credentials to be the permanent boss, he faced an unenviable task in trying to salvage the wreckage of the Hoops’ season.

Centre-back Kristoffer Ajer was also full of praise for his ‘fantastic’ coaching methods, and a club further down the Premiership would certainly be wise to give him a chance to prove his worth.

In other news, there’s an update on the future of Oliver Ntcham. 

Former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey believes that Steven Gerrard is a contender to become the next Wolves manager.

The Midlands outfit were set for a fifth season under the guidance of Nuno Espirito Santo until last week’s shock announcement.

Just over 48 hours before Wolves rounded off their third campaign in the Premier League against Manchester United, Santo confirmed that he’ll be leaving after four years in charge at Molineux.

Former Benfica boss Bruno Lage has quickly emerged as the favourite to replace Santo, but Howey believes that Rangers manager Gerrard would consider the vacant position at Wolves.

Gerrard has just led the Glasgow giants to their first Scottish Premiership title for a decade, whilst also reaching 100 points and going the entire league campaign unbeaten – he currently has a 66% win record north of the border.

The 40-year-old will no doubt have one eye on the Liverpool job, although with Jurgen Klopp unlikely to end his five-and-a-half year stay at Anfield any time soon, another Premier League position could appeal to the Reds legend.

Howey told The Transfer Tavern:

“He’s done a magnificent job at Rangers. They’ve gone a full season unbeaten, won the league by a country mile.

“The last game against Celtic they blew them away. It’s a possibility, it’s a nice club, it’s always been a lovely club, nice ground. Would it appeal to him? Possibly.”

Glasgow Rangers recorded a 3-1 victory over Motherwell on Saturday lunchtime, with the win moving the Ibrox outfit to within three points of the current Scottish Premiership leaders.

The Light Blues scored the opener after only 15 minutes, with James Tavernier swinging a cross in that eventually resulted in Motherwell’s Liam Kelly scoring an own goal, harshly denying Scott Wright.

Leon Balogun was sent off for the Gers after half an hour following a poor challenge and this initially swung the momentum to the home side, who equalised shortly after.

However, following the half-time interval, Rangers went up a gear and secured all three points with goals from the impressive Wright and Tavernier sealing the victory at Fir Park.

And, in the absence of both Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos, the real hero for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side was Fashion Sakala, who terrorised the Motherwell defence throughout the tie.

Sakala passed Van Bronckhorst’s test

In possession, the Zambian was a constant threat in the final third, registering one shot, making two key passes, completing all four of his attempted dribbles and creating one big chance for his teammates – proving that he was extremely lively in Rangers’ attempts to secure the win.

However, the biggest moment came when the player Alan Hutton claimed “plays at 100mph” was through on goal and managed to win a penalty for Gers, giving Tavernier the chance to put his side two goals ahead, with the captain duly delivering.

The Zambian international also made two tackles, one clearance, and won eight of his 12 duels – a success rate of 67% – showing that he can get his hands dirty and help the team out defensively, this was vital when Motherwell had all the momentum after Balogun’s sending off.

Overall, Sakala was fantastic – something that was reflected in his 7.6 SofaScore match rating, the best of any Gers player on the day – with his performance undoubtedly pleasing Van Bronckhorst greatly, as the £10k-per-week hitman certainly passed the Dutchman’s big test ahead of the club’s upcoming Europa League semi-final.

AND in other news: Van Bronckhorst can brutally axe “shaky” Rangers dud in deal for “annoyingly brilliant” £0 machine

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte could be without one of his key first-team stars this afternoon…

What’s the latest?

Spurs welcome Newcastle United to north London as both teams return to Premier League action following the international break, and the Italian will be hoping to maintain ground in the race for a top-four finish.

But ahead of kick-off, some worrying news has emerged as Sergio Reguilon could be a surprise absentee after pulling up in training on Thursday, as revealed by football.london reporter Alasdair Gold.

‘football.london understands that Sergio Reguilon pulled up in training on Thursday with a problem and had to leave the session,’ he wrote.

Huge blow

Whilst not in the best of form, the absence of the Spanish wing-back would still be something of a major blow to Conte and the Spurs squad, especially as this game will be too soon for his alternative, Ryan Sessegnon, to return.

“The good news is that [Oliver] Skippy and Sessegnon are very close to being back with the team, to having training sessions with us. They are not yet ready for the game against Newcastle, but they are improving,” the Italian revealed in his pre-game press conference.

The prospect of playing the Magpies without an out-and-out left wing-back is certainly cause for concern, even more so given the fact that Conte’s system relies so heavily on attacking influence in the role.

Reguilon is amongst Spurs’ most creative options, averaging 1.3 key passes per game, a feat only bettered by frontline duo Heung-min Son (two) and Dejan Kulusevski (1.7), as per WhoScored.

Elsewhere, the former Real Madrid dynamo has been a key influence defensively too, where he has registered an average of 1.6 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game; numbers that exceed that of Sessegnon.

If unavailable, it leaves Conte with little options.

Matt Doherty could switch across to the other flank, something he has done only three times across his last 50 competitive appearances in all competitions, whilst there could be a change in formation that sees Ben Davies deployed in his natural left-back role amongst a back four, rather than three.

That’s something the Italian has done just once since being appointed as Nuno Santo’s successor, resulting in a 2-0 defeat to his former club, Chelsea.

Without Reguilon, Conte will be handed a late dilemma over team selection and that will surely leave him absolutely gutted, if not fuming as injuries show no sign of easing up at Hotspur Way.

AND in other news, Forget Davies: Conte must start £27m-rated Spurs “beast” today, it could be game-changing…

The Athletic’s Crystal Palace writer Matt Woosnam believes that club will be looking for around £40million if they are to sell Wilfried Zaha.

Palace’s star man found the back of the net on 11 occasions in the Premier League last season and began life under new manager Patrick Vieira with a goal in a pre-season friendly against Walsall.

The 28-year-old has two years left to run on his current contract at Selhurst Park and has been the subject of much speculation over the years over his Crystal Palace future, with Arsenal heavily linked with him back in 2019.

After injury to Eberechi Eze, you would think Patrick Vieira would be reluctant to let one of his creative players leave the club, but if they did, Woosnam believes Palace would be able to command a decent fee for Zaha.

“I think we’re looking around £40million at least, which is lower than it was a year ago, but he only has two years on his contract, so in two years’ time he will be a free agent,” Woosnam told FFC.

With Palace re-building under Patrick Vieira, already entering the market to bring in Marc Guehi from Chelsea, the Evening Standard reported that the club are hoping their summer business will convince Zaha to stay.

Many West Ham United fans have been delighted on Twitter, following an official club post sharing an image of captain Mark Noble with the caption ‘Mr West Ham’.

Being at the forefront of everything good about the Hammers since 2004, the 34-year-old has registered 121 goal contributions in 526 appearances for his boyhood club; 60 goals and 61 assists [Transfermarkt].

Cultivating a reputation as the heart and soul of the London Stadium outfit, Noble is about to embark on his final campaign in the Irons’ midfield, after recently signing a contract extension until the summer of 2022 [West Ham United FC Official].

And thus it is no surprise to see the anchor man earning loads of adulation from supporters following the club’s recent social media post.

West Ham United FC fans react:

Replying to the West Ham United FC Official Twitter account, here is what some fans had to say about their skipper, with one supporter hailing him as a ‘dying breed’…

“A unique East End Hero. A one club man. His true greatness will only be felt when he hangs up his boots. We will never see his like again. We are beyond rich to have Mark Noble as our Captain and his career woven into the fabric of our club history. What a skipper what a man”

Credit: @ZaynafamilyMary”Mr West Ham was, and always will be Bobby Moore. But Noble is right up there amongst the greats”Credit: @bundy201065″The last great Hammer. A dying breed. A local boy done good, a genuine Working Class Hero. There will never be another.”Credit: @GarryJo59593747″Great photo”Credit: @Jamie_Seagrave”Legend”Credit: @CHtillidie1″The premier leagues loyalest captain.”Credit: @WHULuisIn other news, a journalist has his say on a potential West Ham pursuit this summer.

Former Tottenham Hotspur great Graham Roberts has told The Transfer Tavern that Erik Lamela needs to leave the club this summer as part of an exodus involving players who have been “trouble”.

The Argentine has been linked with a move away from Spurs in recent weeks.

Reports have suggested that he could return to Serie A, having moved to Spurs from Roma back in 2013.

The 29-year-old has spent eight years at the club but has been a sporadic contributor when it comes to goals and assists.

£80,000-a-week man Lamela has made a total of 256 appearances for the club across his lengthy spell in north London but he has scored just 37 goals and provided 47 assists.

It remains to be seen if there will be bidders for Lamela this summer but Roberts believes that Spurs have to start to rebuild, and he believes that the time has come for the former River Plate winger to move on.

Speaking exclusively to TT, he said: “We also need to get the ones that have been trouble this year and not played well, we need to get rid of them. I would (include Lamela in that).

“I’m not saying he didn’t play well but if you’ve been here eight years and you’re not in the team every week, then there’s something wrong. I think he’s a good squad player, I think he does really, really well when he comes on or when he plays; I think he’s better off coming off the bench when he plays but do we need him to sit on the bench?

“We haven’t won anything in years and years and years so it might be good for him and it might be good for us that we get some money for him and we move on.”

A Newcastle United scout was in attendance for FC Porto’s game this weekend, according to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Newcastle only made one first-team signing during the summer transfer window, with Joe Willock’s loan move from Arsenal made permanent for a fee of £26.46million.

But they may feel the need to improve their squad at the mid-point of the campaign, with their poor start raising the prospect of a relegation battle.

Newcastle are winless after seven matches and find themselves 19th in the table.

If Porto players are indeed under consideration, then they’ll have the benefit of seeing how they measure up against Premier League opposition.

Liverpool are in Porto’s Champions League group and after the Reds ran out 5-1 victors in Portugal last week – they’ll meet again in November.

The latest

A Newcastle official apparently took in the Primeira Liga action at the Estadio do Dragao on Sunday. Porto went up against Pacos Ferreira, the team Spurs knocked out of the Europa Conference League.

It’s not clear how many players were being studied.

What we do know is that Porto fell behind early on to a Nuno Santos goal, but were level before the break after Luis Diaz’s sixth goal of the season.

Left-back Wendell then scored what proved to be the winner seven minutes into the second half.

The verdict

It’s tempting to speculate. Who exactly were Newcastle watching? Well, we heard during the transfer window that Steve Bruce was keen to add a centre-back and a defensive midfielder.

Sergio Conceicao selected two veterans at the heart of his defence – 38-year-old Pepe and 34-year-old Ivan Marcano.

The star of the show most weeks for Porto at the moment however is Diaz, who was strongly linked with a Premier League move to Everton this summer, perhaps the Magpies are planning a January hijacking?

In other news, Lee Ryder has offered encouragement to those calling for Bruce’s head.

A journalist has now dropped a big blow to Newcastle United and their hopes of hiring Antonio Conte as their next manager.

The Lowdown: Conte linked

Conte has reportedly been linked with a move to St. James’ Park after the takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium was completed.

With new owners now in the North East, Steve Bruce’s job is under threat, and him and Lee Charnley are expected to be casualties of the new regime.

The Latest: Conte stance

Duncan Wright from The Sun has now given an update on Conte and his link to Tyneside, revealing that he has “no interest” in managing the Magpies at this stage: “Not what NUFC fans may want to hear, but understand Conte has no interest in managerial job at this stage.”

He expands on this in his latest piece for The Sun, claiming that he wants his next job to be one at a team who are already in a position to genuinely challenge for titles.

Conte does not want to join a side with a long-term building programme, and an insider shared that he has “higher expectations” about his managerial career.

The Verdict: Shame

It would certainly be a shame if the Toon were to miss out on the chance to hire Conte as their next manager.

The Italian has a glittering CV, having ended the dominance of Juventus in the Serie A by winning the league title with Inter Milan last season, not to mention also having the added experience of managing in the Premier League before with Chelsea, again where he managed to win the league back in the 2016/17 term (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, the fact that they are even being linked with managers of his calibre just shows the kind of ambition that the new owners seemingly have.

In other news, find out which ‘proven winner’ NUFC are plotting a move for here!

Leeds United could sign their new Pablo Hernandez in West Brom play-maker Matheus Pereira amid a transfer update.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that the Whites are interested in signing the Brazilian this summer, but it appears the Yorkshire club may face some significant competition.

According to ESPN Brazil, fellow Premier League side West Ham are very much in the race to sign the £13.5m-rated star, and that while Pereira is interested in a move to link up with Marcelo Bielsa’s side, he’s also keen on playing European football – something he would get with the Hammers.

Leeds’ new Pablo Hernandez

Hailed as a “genius” who “who has a technical ability that I have never seen before” by former Nurnberg coach Nate Weiss, Pereira enjoyed a superb campaign in the Premier League last season, netting 11 goals and provided a further six assists as he tried to rescue his Baggies side from relegation.

Former Leeds ace Noel Whelan has already raved about the thought of Pereira helping to form a dream attack at Leeds, saying: “It is a mouth-watering prospect. We missed out on certain players last season, and this is a player that excites everybody. I would definitely take him all day long.

“He’s a fantastic player, he’s great on the ball, he can turn people inside out. Pereira’s another option we can use right across that front three and maybe in a number 10 role as well. He’s the right age and he’s the sort of player we should be looking at. Imagine, if you put him alongside Raphinha, Rodrigo, Harrison etc, that’s pretty formidable.”

And, after a superb display against Aston Villa, BBC Sport pundit Jermain Jenas said of the 25-year-old: “He’s just silky. When he’s on it, he’s just got that lovely left-foot, (tucked) his penalty away, the delivery into the box for set-pieces was brilliant, and he wanted to showcase his skills.”

At his best, Hernandez was similarly creative and exciting to watch, with his nimble footwork and eye for goal being a huge part of the Whites’ resurgence in the last couple of years. As per Whoscored, in the 2018/2019 campaign in which he scored 12 and set up another 12, he averaged a whopping three key passes and 2.7 shots per game in the Championship.

In 175 games for the club, the little Spaniard netted 36 goals and provided another 41 assists, a remarkable feat given that Hernandez was well into his 30s when he joined up at Elland Road.

In Pereira, Victor Orta could bring about an instant Hernandez successor to Leeds.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped an exciting Leeds United transfer update…