On September 3rd, 2022, Liverpool left Goodison Park rueing missed opportunities in a goalless draw against Everton in a disjointed, discordant effort once again, sixth in the Premier League and six points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.

The Reds had two wins from six matches, and while the 2022/23 Premier League season was in its early stage, something was not right with Jurgen Klopp's side, who had just months before taken Manchester City to the wire in an enthralling title race, lost the Champions League final against Real Madrid and won the domestic cup double, defeating Chelsea on penalties both times.

Perhaps it was that psychological blow of misfortune, halting an agonisingly close bid for a historic quadruple, that derailed Liverpool, who have risen to the fore under their German manager's illustrious management.

This season, at the same point as last year's Toffees draw, the Anfield side have blitzed into early title contention, boasting five wins and a draw from six matches, behind only perfect Manchester City and looking akin to the dominant force that the club was under Klopp's reign before the recent seasonal setback.

The club might ply their trade in the Europa League this time around, but Liverpool look good for ensuring it is but a sojourn into the second tier of European competition, with Klopp hailing "Liverpool 2.0", having crafted a much-changed midfield the high-powered engine for a devastating attack once again.

In the most recent match, a 3-1 home victory over West Ham United, Liverpool extended their winning run in the top flight to five matches after starting the term with a draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

There is a long road ahead, but the resurgent Reds look set for a far more successful season after falling by the wayside last time out.

How did Liverpool perform against West Ham?

While Liverpool defeated the Hammers and bagged their fourth 3-1 win of the season, across all competitions, there is an undeniable feeling that more work needs to be done.

This is only natural, of course; last term, the Merseyside outfit finished the league campaign with 47 goals conceded – only the joint-seventh-best record in the division.

It's early days, but only Manchester City have shipped fewer than the Reds' five in the Premier League thus far, and that is promising, but slow starts continue to threaten disruption, with West Ham looking the better of the competing teams on Sunday afternoon until Mohamed Salah's opening strike.

After Jarrod Bowen's headed equaliser before the break, The Athletic's ever-optimistic James Pearce stated that it was "too slow and predictable", though he was right in stating that the away team were deservedly level.

The second-half onslaught came with conviction, however, with Darwin Nunez's delightful volley from an equally delicious looping through ball from Alexis Mac Allister reclaiming the lead in the 60th minute, before substitute Diogo Jota added to the lead with a close-range effort following Virgil van Dijk's knockdown.

While Liverpool's offensive guile and fluidity was on full display, one of the standout performers plied his trade within the backline. Joe Gomez, rebuked so often last season, looks to be enjoying a second coming this year.

How good was Joe Gomez last season?

Candidly, not very.

Gomez was at the epicentre of a shoddy defence embroiled in a loss of identity and confidence, and he only started 15 times in the league after losing the trust of his boss, unused for nine of the final ten matches of the term before languishing in the final match, a 4-4 draw against Southampton that prompted podcaster Graeme Kelly to brand him as "finished".

The £85k-per-week defender's future was looking more and more certain to lie away from Anfield, with comments from those such as Alan Shearer, who said he "makes too many mistakes", compounding his struggles on the pitch, making errors leading to shots and goals last season, also giving away a penalty in the Premier League.

It was a far cry from the dynamic defender who played an instrumental role in the conquering of the Premier League and Champions League under Klopp's stewardship, having made 179 appearances for the club since signing from Charlton Athletic for an initial fee of £3m as an 18-year-old in 2015.

How did Joe Gomez perform vs West Ham?

The England international – who, albeit, has not featured for his country since 2020 – was not at his best last season and came under heavy criticism for his role in Liverpool's woes last season.

But against the Hammers, he looked as good as he's been for some time, continuing a "brilliant" start to the season – as was said by reporter Neil Jones – and serving across central and wide defensive positions.

As per Sofascore, the 26-year-old was steadfast in his role at right-back, covering the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold once again, earning a match score of 7.5, taking 88 touches, completing 87% of his passes, succeeding with two of his three dribbles, making one key pass, forging three tackles, two interceptions and incredibly winning eight of his nine contested duels – which constitutes an 89% success rate.

Writer Joel Rabinowitz acknowledged the “renaissance” and said that he was "outstanding once again".

Nunez too looks a revitalised force after flattering to deceive in large parts following his £85m transfer from Benfica last summer, scoring 15 times across all competitions but criticised for missing “too many chances” by the likes of talkSPORT’s Tony Cascarino.

This season, the 24-year-old has already plundered four strikes and two assists across all competitions, despite only starting three times.

That said, given his role last term, Gomez's return to form has been even more impressive. Starting the last three Premier League matches for Klopp's side, it is wonderful that the defender is returning to the vigour that left him in such good standing in the past, and ending the woes of last year.

Liverpool's defence has performed so far this year but there are undeniable signs that it is not at its fluid, rock-solid best yet, but with the likes of Gomez contributing so effectively to the efforts there is every possibility that silver-laden success can be found once again at Anfield.

Mark Wood’s return from IPL was rewarded with a career-best six wickets in front of England selector Mick Newell as Durham made Derbyshire sweat

ECB Reporters Network14-May-20181:43

County round-up: Vince makes England case with double century

ScorecardA career-best performance by England fast bowler Mark Wood was not enough to give Durham victory as Derbyshire held out for a draw in the Division Two match at Derby.Wood, who left the IPL only a week ago, showed he is ready for next week’s First Test against Pakistan by taking 6 for 46 in 23 overs but determined batting from Derbyshire’s lower order kept Durham at bay.After wicketkeeper Daryn Smit batted 80 minutes for 34, Tony Palladino and Ravi Rampaul dug in for nine overs to take Derbyshire to 279 for 9, a lead of 186 when the players shook hands at 5.05pm.England selector Mick Newell watched Wood for a second time in the match and he would have been impressed by his rhythm and pace during two pre-lunch spells.Paul Collingwood, Durham’s captain, said of Wood;s comeback: “We needed something special and Woody provides that with his international class. We got the ball reversing and as soon as it starts reversing, he wants that ball in his hand and he was exceptional.”Wood was always likely to be the biggest threat to Derbyshire’s chances of batting out for a draw and he made the first breakthrough when Luis Reece chopped onto his stumps in the 12th over of the day.Ben Slater and Wayne Madsen added 55 but Wood switched to the Racecourse End to remove them both in consecutive overs.Madsen was unable to avoid a lifting delivery and was caught behind for 32 and Slater was smartly snared at short leg for 42 with Derbyshire only four runs in front.A good morning for Durham got even better in the last over before lunch when Alex Hughes tried to leave a ball from Cameron Steel and was caught behind to leave Derbyshire only 21 ahead at the interval.Durham were frustrated after lunch as Billy Godleman and Matt Critchley added 63 in 17 overs until Steel had Critchley caught behind for 40 and James Weighell moved one away in the next over to have Godleman taken at first slip.Hardus Viljoen dispatched Steel over wide long on for six but when Wood was recalled, he edged a drive to second slip and the fast bowler celebrated his fifth wicket after tea when Smit pushed at one and was well caught by Stuart Poynter.Duanne Olivier was caught behind for his fourth duck in five innings but with Wood visibly tiring, Palladino and Rampaul added 37 runs to dash Durham’s hopes.

Leeds United are in the market to make further additions to their first-team squad to bolster their options across the park ahead of their Premier League campaign.

The Whites made their first signing of the off-season earlier this month when they completed a free transfer for Germany international Lukas Nmecha, who will officially join when his contract with Wolfsburg expires at the end of this month.

Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, the 26-year-old centre-forward has scored five goals in 24 appearances for Wolfsburg in all competitions, including three goals in 19 Bundesliga games this season.

The new Whites striker could be competing with Joel Piroe, Patrick Bamford, and Mateo Joseph for a place in the starting XI, along with any other number nines the club opt to bring in.

Nmecha is not going to be the only player signed by the Championship champions before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.

Leeds have been linked with plenty of different attacking players, from the domestic market and abroad, and Brighton & Hove Albion playmaker Facundo Buonanotte is one name that has been mentioned as a target.

Why Leeds may want to sign Buonanotte

It was reported earlier this month that Leeds were confident of closing a £30m deal to sign the attacking midfielder, but there has not been an update on that situation since the initial report.

Buonanotte spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Leicester City in the Premier League and caught the eye with some promising performances, despite their relegation back down to the Championship.

Premier League

Buonanotte (24/25)

Aaronson (22/23)

Appearances

31

36

Starts

14

28

xG

3.93

3.86

Goals

5

1

Big chances created

7

5

Assists

2

3

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, he was more impressive than Brenden Aaronson was in his season in the Premier League with Leeds, which suggests that he could provide an upgrade on what Daniel Farke currently has in the number ten position.

That came after the left-footed magician scored three goals and provided one assist in 27 appearances in the division in the previous season, which shows that he improved during his time at the King Power Stadium.

Leeds may, therefore, want to sign the 20-year-old starlet because he has already showcased his qualities, as both a scorer and a creator in the Premier League, and could improve Farke’s options in the middle of the park.

However, the Whites are now reportedly eyeing up another couple of attacking midfield options, and one of them, in particular, could be even better than Buonanotte.

Leeds weighing up moves for attacking midfielders

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Leeds are keen on signing one of Sheffield United’s Gustavo Hamer and Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendia in the summer transfer window.

Speaking to Leeds United News, Bailey said: “What we’re seeing in the no.10 role is that Leeds are able to be picky. There’s no need to jump in with both feet on a Hamer or a Buendia.

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“They are weighing up options but I firmly believe Leeds will sign a no.10 and I also believe the front-runners are those two. It will be one of those and we know Farke likes both of them.”

The Whites are weighing up whether to go for Buendia or Hamer to bolster their options in the attacking midfield position, and CaughtOffside recently reported that the former is valued at £20m by Aston Villa.

With all of this information in mind, Farke should push for the West Yorkshire outfit to snap up the Villans outcast because he would be an even better option than Buonanotte.

Why Leeds should sign Emiliano Buendia

Buendia is a proven Premier League performer who is experienced but also has plenty of years left ahead of him to give the Whites many years of quality performances.

The 28-year-old playmaker has produced ten goals and 15 assists, and created 25 ‘big chances’, in 121 appearances in the English top-flight for Norwich City and Aston Villa combined, which shows that he knows how to provide goals and assists at that level.

He has also played 121 times for Farke during their time together at Norwich, playing every game for the Canaries with him in charge, and delivered 24 goals and 41 assists.

His best season in a Yellows shirt came in the 2020/21 Championship campaign under the German head coach, as he racked up 15 goals and 16 assists, along with 18 ‘big chances’ created in the second tier.

The Argentina international, who was once lauded as “magical” by analyst Liam Henshaw, knows how to play in Farke’s system, with his style of play, and has shown that he can be incredibly effective at the top end of the pitch.

20/21 Championship

Emi Buendia per 90

Percentile rank vs wingers

Non-penalty goals

0.38

Top 7%

Assists

0.41

Top 2%

xAG

0.36

Top 1%

npxG + xAG

0.65

Top 1%

Shot-creating actions

6.46

Top 1%

Progressive passes

7.82

Top 1%

Passes into the final third

5.81

Top 1%

Passes into the penalty area

2.17

Top 1%

Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, Buendia was hugely influential in possession in virtually every way possible, in scoring goals, creating chances, assisting goals, progressing play with passes, getting the ball into the final third, and getting the ball into the penalty area.

This suggests that he could be a far more effective option for Leeds in the final third than Buonanotte, who has failed to deliver more than six goals or three assists in a single season in his career to date.

Buendia, who scored two goals and created two ‘big chances’ in 11 Bundesliga appearances on loan at Bayer Leverkusen this season, could hit the ground running as an attacking midfielder who knows the Premier League and Farke.

Whereas, Buonanotte has not worked with the Leeds head coach in the past and could need time to adapt to the system and way of working, which is why the Villa attacker could be a much better option for the Whites as they look to start strong in their bid to avoid relegation.

Related A better signing than Muniz: Leeds prepare move for "clinical" £17m star

Leeds United appear to making moves for other strikers other than Rodrigo Muniz.

Posts ByEthan Lamb Jun 20, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur's 2017/18 season was seen as very hit-and-miss.

In what was another trophyless season, the Lilywhites finished third in the Premier League securing European football.

In the UEFA Champions League, the north London side was overturned by Juventus, which resulted in Giorgio Chiellini producing his famous ‘It’s the history of Tottenham’ line which is still quoted today.

Spurs’ biggest win of the season may have been offloading a £70k-per-week dud for a whopping £18m, one who made just 15 Premier League appearances for the eight-time FA Cup winners, as he now finds himself playing in Slovakia.

Who joined Tottenham in the 2015/16 season?

The year of 2016 was something to forget for Tottenham fans. Spurs were neck and neck with Leicester City for the Premier League title which they ultimately missed out on and to make the situation even worse, city rivals Arsenal pipped them to second place.

The only silver lining to the 2015/16 season was that the north London side landed some very good additions to their squad.

Name	Club	Age	Position	Price
Heung-min Son	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	23	LW	£22m
Toby Alderweireld	Atletico de Madrid	26	CB	£11.5m
Clinton Njié	Olympique Lyon	22	RW/LW	£12m
Kevin Wimmer	FC Köln	22	CB	£4m
Kieran Trippier	Burnley	24	RB	£3.5m

Like the majority of his time at Tottenham, former manager Mauricio Pochettino went for a youth-focused transfer strategy bringing in players just before their prime and for relatively little money.

The transfer window was an overall success as the signings of Trippier, Son and Alderweireld laid down the foundations for a squad that began to qualify for the Champions League for a succession of seasons.

Son lit up the Bundesliga the season prior to his move to Spurs, with the winger scoring 11 and assisting 3 goals in his 30 appearances, helping Leverkusen to a solid fourth-place finish.

Son, now 31, has racked up over 150 goal contributions for the Lilywhites and the South Korean took home the Premier League Golden Boot in 2022 (23 goals) showing his signing was the highlight of the window.

However, the then 22-year-old Wimmer was a surprise signing with English spectators knowing very little about the 6ft2 centre-back.

Why did Tottenham buy Kevin Wimmer?

Wimmer looked like the perfect singing for Pochettino, Spurs would get a young and ‘established’ defender for just £4m while the Austrian would get his 'dream move' to White Hart Lane, it seemed like a win-win for both parties.

During his time at Koln, the Austrian powerhouse had averaged 1.1 tackles per game and was dribbled just 0.2 times per game which would be key if he was to survive in a more physical league where attackers will try to take you on more consistently.

To put this into context, the Tottenham centre-back Jan Vertonghen was dribbled past on average 0.7 times per Premier League game in the 2014/15 season.

Wimmer also averaged 0.5 dribbles per game while averaging 5.4 long balls per game showing he was capable of being a modern ball-playing centre-back that could help start attacks not just end the oppositions.

One of the key factors as to why Spurs purchased the Austrian was to improve squad depth and Tottenham lacked defenders and desperately needed reinforcements.

The 2015/16 season saw the departures of a few defenders for the north London club. Fazio moved to Sevilla on loan in January while Vlad Chiriches and Younes Kaboul had moved permanently from White Hart Lane to Napoli and Sunderland respectively.

Tottenham were left with just three centre-back options in the form of Alderweireld, Vertonghen and Wimmer.

How did Kevin Wimmer play at Spurs?

The Austrian’s time in north London was relatively short and rather unsuccessful.

During his two years at Tottenham, Wimmer made 31 appearances in total with only 15 being in the Premier League.

In his first season in the white and navy shirt, Wimmer played 10 times in the Premier League with only one of those coming from the bench. The left-footed defender averaged two interceptions per game which started to show why the Spurs recruitment team showed faith in him.

Wimmer also started in six UEFA Europa League games and finished the competition with a Sofascore rating of 7.03 as Spurs topped a group that contained Qarabağ, Anderlecht and Monaco.

The following season was the beginning of the Austrian’s downfall in a Spurs shirt. In the 2016/17 season, Wimmer played just six times in the Premier League as struggled to outperform Alderweireld and Vertonghen. His performances and the pitch were not up to the standard of a club gunning for Champions League qualification where he was later sold to Stoke City for £18m.

Daniel Levy stuck gold as he managed to extract £18m for the 6 foot 2 defender which meant the Tottenham chairman left the negotiating table with £14m profit – over quadruple what Spurs paid for the 6ft2 centre-back.

Speaking on the signing of Wimmer, then-Stoke manager Mark Hughes, said:

"We are really pleased with what we have done this summer, especially in the defensive positions.

"Bringing Kevin here is a real coup in my view because he is a hugely talented young player who will undoubtedly add further quality to the group.

“As soon as the possibility of bringing Kevin here presented itself to us, we moved quickly on it, and have managed to get the deal done, so we are understandably delighted to have brought him in."

Wimmer ultimately continued to struggle in the Premier League and was later dubbed a "flop" by journalist John Percy, leaving the Bet365 Stadium on a free in 2021 after making just 17 Premier League appearances for the Potters.

Where is Kevin Wimmer now?

After a brief spell in his native Austria with Rapid Wien, Wimmer now finds himself contracted to Slovakian giants Slovan Bratislava.

The former UEFA Cup Winners' Cup champions have previously had players such as Marek Hamšík and Watford’s Giorgi Chakvetadze on their books.

The £400k-valued man joined SK Slovan Bratislava in the summer on a free transfer and has so far made seven appearances in all competitions.

Wimmer may have had the last laugh as the Slovakian runners-up will be playing European football this season in the Europa Conference League, whilst Stoke remain stuck in the Championship and Spurs find themselves bored on midweek nights.

MatériaMais Notícias

Em tese, a argumentação do presidente do Palmeiras Maurício Galiotte, de que é preciso definir antes de um nome um conceito, um estilo de jogo para o Palmeiras, até faz sentido. Ainda que de poucos clubes no mundo se possa dizer que tenham um DNA, um jeito de jogar que vá além do treinador que comanda o time, esse pode ser um objetivo a ser perseguido. Mas, consideremos que o Palmeiras possa se tornar um desses. Cabe então uma pergunta: quem vai definir esse estilo de jogo. O presidente, a toda-poderosa patrocinadora, os conselheiros, a turma do amendoim?

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Ora, isso não se impõe. Não é uma canetada ou uma conversa de gabinete que vai decidir o jeito do Palmeiras jogar. Só há uma maneira de chegar-se a isso, de criar um DNA palestrino: é a continuidade de trabalho, a persistência independentemente dos resultados imediatistas, é o investimento em uma base que tenha como objetivo formar talentos, que jogue como o time principal e não para ganhar títulos e pagar bônus a treinadores mal remunerados.
Será que isso tudo faz parte do script proposto por Galiotte? É muito pouco provável. Boa parte dele, aliás, é uma mera repetição do que justificou, tão pouco tempo atrás, a própria contratação de Luxemburgo.

Durante a gestão do atual presidente, em menos de quatro anos, o Palmeiras teve oito treinadores. Gente de estilos e personalidades diferentes, nomes consagrados como Cuca, Mano Menezes, Felipão e Vanderlei Luxemburgo, a elite da velha guarda do futebol tupiniquim. Contratou à baciadas, boa parte das vezes sem nenhum critério técnico, sem nenhum equilíbrio na montagem do elenco, movido tão somente pela visão mercantilistas de Alexandre Mattos. Só nesse último ano, com a corda apertando o pescoço e o bolso, o Palmeiras de Galiotte partiu para aproveitar os meninos da base, e descobriu, sim, gratas surpresas como Gabriel Menino e Patrick de Paula.

Terá o presidente de fato aprendido com seus erros? Ou apenas derrama uma falastrice politicamente correta, porém vazia e inconsequente como sempre?

No futebol brasileiro, desde sempre, treinadores chegam e buscam impor suas crenças, seus métodos a elencos que muitas vezes foram montados pelo antecessor ou pelo antecessor do antecessor para jogar de um jeito bem diferente. Quase nunca têm tempo sequer de treinar, de tentar passar para o time uma nova filosofia de trabalho e de jogo. E, quando perdem duas ou três partidas, às vezes um único jogo contra o principal rival, acabam descartados, formando mais um elo nesse círculo vicioso.

É assim que a banda toca por aqui.

O Palmeiras não precisa ir muito longe para ter um exemplo do quanto custa mudar essa cultura. O Flamengo de Jorge Jesus, ofensivo, com movimentação intensa, alta pressão durante os 90 minutos de jogo ganhou tudo o que tinha para ganhar no ano passado. O português voltou para a terrinha. E o espanhol que chegou com suas ideias bem diferentes, um jogo posicional, de transição mais lenta e marcação mais recuada, vive se equilibrando na corda bamba da má vontade dos críticos, de boa parte da torcida e do apetite das hienas que tentam derrubá-lo antes mesmo que mostre a que veio.

Este não é o jeito do Flamengo jogar, reclamam. Ora, mas qual o é o jeito do Flamengo jogar? O do ano passado era de Jorge Jesus, não do Flamengo. E, se quisessem continuar assim, instituir de fato um estilo, um DNA rubro-negro, que contratassem um treinador como o português, não alguém que, notoriamente, sabia-se que reza por uma cartilha diferente. Mas uma vez o que pesou foi o nome e não o conceito. Como se fosse possível espremer uma laranja e beber uma limonada.

Celtic are a unique club, holding a special place in the hearts of both Scottish and Irish fans. They’re a symbol of national pride while also simply being one of the most successful clubs to come out of British football.

55 league titles and, importantly, one European Cup certainly lay the foundation for an enormous fanbase. That fanbase includes many famous names, almost always with either Scottish or Irish backgrounds.

We at Football Fancast thought we’d pick through 10 of the biggest names – but this is far from an exhaustive list. Celtic, after all, are massive.

10 Jay Baruchel

Let’s start with an unusual one. Canadian actor Jay Baruchel has been a Celtic fan for some time now – and not in that way of simply wearing a shirt once or claiming to be a big fan while promoting a film.

Baruchel has Irish ancestry, something he’s evidently very proud of. It eventually led him to supporting Celtic in the early 2000s and he even produced a documentary on the club called ‘Celtic soul’.

“What’s not to love? For me it’s a few things,” he told the Glasgow Times. “I watched Henrik Larsson on TV and it’s had not to fall in love with him and that team.

“I was a big fan of Aiden McGeady and I followed him for years. I have a real sense of my heritage – my mum’s family are predominantly Irish and Catholic. I have a deep connection to those communities”.

9 Finn Bálor

Not too much to go on here but it does add up. WWE star Finn Bálor (no, not his real name) is an Irish wrestler who was pictured at a pub in Glasgow wearing a Celtic shirt back in 2019.

Bálor now works on a TV show watched by millions every week, but did work in Scotland before he made it big. An Irishman in Scotland, it does add up that he’d have some love for Celtic.

8 Frankie Boyle

Frankie Boyle is very openly a Celtic fan, having frequently talked about the team on Twitter – be it celebrating success or bemoaning the failures.

“On the train listening to the game on the radio,” he said during an Old Firm game in 2022. “Rangers scored when I was listening. Put if aff. Celtic scored. Now can’t put it back on in case I’m a jinx”.

Boyle comes from Glasgow, of course, and still lives there.

7 Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor is about as polarising as it gets in the world of sport. The former dual UFC champion basks in his Irish roots, though, and it shouldn’t really surprise anyone that he has affection for Celtic as a result.

He raved about the fans in 2017, while also paying tribute to John Hartson just last year when the former Celtic striker turned up at his pub. And as the Daily Record points out, McGregor has quite frequently talked up the club over the years.

6 Gerard Butler

Hollywood actor Gerard Butler has been in his fair share of blockbusters but he said back in 2011 that the real highlight of his career was playing in a charity legends game for Celtic.

He grew up a fan and was able to be a part of the squad to face a Manchester United legends side.

“I’ve had some amazing things happen to me – but that was the best,” Butler told the Daily Record at the time.

“I had the biggest, silliest smile. It made all that hard work worth it to be standing there and then kicking off with Henrik Larsson”.

Butler has been to Parkhead on occasion since, though he’s also admitted that living in America makes it very difficult to follow the club as much as he wants.

5 Kevin Bridges

Kevin Bridges has talked in the past about not wanting to include football in his stand-up shows so as to not alienate anyone. He is, however, very openly a Celtic fan and has celebrated their success on his social media channels.

Most interestingly, though, a photo recently emerged of a young Celtic fan at a game back in 2004, holding up a scarf that insulted Rangers. That fan is quite unmistakably a young Kevin Bridges. He certainly didn’t worry about alienating people in the past, then.

4 James McAvoy

McAvoy is another from Glasgow who, like Butler, has represented Celtic in a charity legends game. The actor is clearly a massive fan and has even given content to the club’s social channels, be it quiz questions or an interview.

McAvoy has also told a story about shouting praise at Neil Lennon across the street while the former midfielder was Celtic boss.

“Neil was walking down the street with his family," he said, per the Scotsman. “Just before I opened my mouth I thought, he doesn’t want to be bothered, so I shouted ‘Neil! Love what you’re doing mate’ and then got back in the car and drove away. “I thought he must get it all the time and I didn’t want to bother him".

3 Lewis Capaldi

Lewis Capaldi, yet another massive name from Glasgow, is again openly a Celtic fan – even if he’s previously tried not to highlight that fact at gigs.

But he’s also been seen wearing a Celtic shirt fairly regularly, while he also very recently talked about the club on Hot Ones. Capaldi discussed his favourite Celtic song.

“There is a really beautiful song called Grace,” he said.

“It’s an old Irish song but Celtic fans sing it because of the connection with Ireland. It’s a beautiful tune.”

2 Billy Connolly

It was only fairly recently that Billy Connolly stopped frequenting Celtic games, but the legendary comedian has been watching the club since the 1950s.

Connolly actually gave a pretty hefty interview on Celtic and Scottish football in general back in 2020 for the Daily Mail that is worth a read. Above all, he highlights how much it means to be a patron of the Celtic foundation.

“There is more to the club than just the team,” said Connolly. “The Celtic FC Foundation is the charity wing of the club and I am fortunate to be Patron of the Foundation.

“There is more to the club than just the players. There are a host of great people who work there behind the scenes. Ultimately, the work they do reflects on the overall image of the club. I consider myself lucky to be a tiny part of that. Their work in the wider community is to be admired, especially at Christmas when they help many needy families, and especially in the East End of Glasgow.”

1 Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart is known by everyone to be a Celtic fan but he’s not actually from Glasgow. Or Scotland. His Dad was – but he wasn’t from Glasgow, nor was he a Celtic fan.

So how, exactly, did Stewart end up as one? He explained it in an interview with talkSport a few years ago about how he didn’t actually make the decision to support the club until he was 28.

“I met Jock Stein in 1973, Kenny Dalglish, Jimmy Johnstone and Harry Hood, all knocked on my door. We just did a show with The Faces in Glasgow, and they all came to wake me and Ronnie [Wood] up to get us to go training. Ronnie didn’t get out of bed, but I went and I met Jock Stein.

“He looked at me and he laughed at my shoes. And since that day, I’ve become a Celtic supporter.

"I was so enamoured by him, you know, this huge guy was just brilliant.”

50 years later, he’s dished out the Scottish League Cup to Celtic in 2015 and is famously a fan. It’s one of the more unique ways to find your support, of course, and certainly stands out on this list.

Wolverhampton Wanderers would have feared a relegation battle in the Premier League this campaign and those fears are coming to fruition having recorded four losses from their first six matches.

The latest of those poor results came at Kenilworth Road on Saturday afternoon as the Old Gold stumbled to a 1-1 draw against Luton Town, although after spending the whole second half with ten men, Gary O'Neil would have seen that result as one point gained rather than two dropped.

On Tuesday evening, the Old Gold can put their disastrous league form to the side and focus on their trip to take on Championship high-flyers Ipswich Town in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

The Tractor Boys have announced their return to the second tier in exceptional style, winning seven of their opening eight matches with their only defeat coming against Leeds United.

A distraction this competition may be – but it isn't any easy one at that for Wolves – and they'll have to be on the ball against a side brimming with confidence who will sense an upset could be in the offing.

What is the latest Wolves team news?

With the chance to utilise the full depth of his squad, O'Neil is expected to make several changes against Ipswich but at least one of those will be enforced.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Wolves' outstanding performer from their 3-1 defeat against Liverpool, followed that terrific display up with a shocking one against Luton as the midfielder was sent off for making an inexcusable challenge on defender Tom Lockyer.

On a much brighter note, midfielder Joe Hodge, who caught the eye in their 5-0 thrashing of Blackpool in the previous round, is working his way back from a muscular problem – which he sustained in the last round – and has a slim chance of returning for this tie.

Elsewhere, Matt Doherty, Boubacar Traore, Toti Gomes, Fabio Silva and Sasa Kalajdzic should all get their chances to impress O'Neil from the off, as could on-loan Manchester City midfielder Tommy Doyle, who has featured twice off the bench in the Premier League so far.

Should Tommy Doyle start vs Ipswich?

After joining on loan with an option to buy for £4.3m, Doyle's opportunities in the Wolves team have been limited thus far, however, with a suspension to Bellegarde and Mario Lemina likely to be rested, the Englishman could get his chance to shine.

The 21-year-old starred in the Sheffield United side that was promoted to the Premier League last season, scoring four goals and registering seven assists, as he impressed at Bramall Lane in a Paul Heckingbottom system that allowed his technical attributes to flourish, operating in a dynamic midfield three with James McAtee and Sander Berge.

Possessing the technique and superb passing range to dictate the tempo of matches – as taught at Man City – the midfield metronome looked a cut above at Championship level when compared to his positional peers, ranking in the top 5% for expected assists, top 12% for shot creating actions, top 13% for passes into the final third and top 15% for progressive passes, as per FBref.

At times this campaign, Wolves have struggled in the absence of the technically astute Ruben Neves and although Doyle is unable to replicate the impact of the Portuguese, he can offer O'Neil a calmness on the ball in midfield and that could be key tonight with Ipswich likely to start fast out of the blocks.

The 5 foot 8 "set-piece specialist" – as lauded by England under-21 teammate Charlie Cresswell – can provide Wolves with quality from dead-ball situations too, which is also something they've missed in the absence of Neves.

Doyle was one of the stand-out players in the Championship last term and earned his move to a Premier League side on the back of his consistent displays. Now, the stage is set for him to show O'Neil what he can offer the Old Gold in future matches.

اعترف جيانلويجي دوناروما، حارس مرمى منتخب إيطاليا، أنهم ارتكبوا الكثير من الأخطاء خلال مواجهة إسبانيا مساء أمس، موضحًا أنهم يشعرون بحالة من الغضب.

جاءت تصريحات دوناروما بعدما خسرت إيطاليا أمام إسبانيا، بهدف دون رد، في الجولة الثانية من دور مجموعات يورو 2024.

وقال دوناروما، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “فوتبول إيطاليا” بعد المباراة: “لقد ارتكبنا أخطاءً في الكثير من التمريرات السهلة ولم نظهر الجودة الكافية، لذا إذا ارتكبت العديد من الأخطاء، فسوف تُعاقب”.

وأضاف: “نحن غاضبون، لكن علينا استغلال هذا العزم في المباراة الأخيرة (ضد كرواتيا يوم الإثنين المقبل)”.

وواصل: “مصيرنا لا يزال في أيدينا، ويجب ألا ننظر إلى هذا باعتباره كارثة كاملة، أمامنا الكثير لنفعله ضد كرواتيا، لكنني مقتنع بأننا قادرون على القيام بذلك”.

وأردف: “لقد عملنا بجد، ربما لم نعمل بشكل جيد، ولكن كان عملنا جادًا، نعلم أنه يجب علينا أن نفعل ما هو أفضل، كنا عدوانيين، لكن أكبر الأخطاء التي ارتكبناها كانت عندما استحوذنا على الكرة، حيث فقدناها بسهولة مرة أخرى”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سباليتي بعد هزيمة إيطاليا أمام إسبانيا: لم نكن أذكياء مثلهم.. ولا أشعر بخيبة أمل

واستمر: في آخر 10 أو 15 دقيقة قدمنا ​​أداءً أفضل وجعلناهم يركضون، لكن كان ينبغي علينا أن نفعل ذلك في وقت مبكر عن ذلك، إذا تركت أسبانيا تأخذ زمام المبادرة طوال المباراة، فسوف يلعبون بجموح أكثر”.

وأوضح: “أعتقد أننا كنا متسرعين جدًا في محاولة المضي قدمًا وضغطوا جيدًا أيضًا، لذلك لم نتمكن من الاحتفاظ بالكرة أو تخفيف الضغط، إسبانيا فريق عظيم، ونعلم جميعًا أنه إذا سمحت لهم بتمرير الكرة، فسوف تتعرض للأذى من جانبهم”.

The Bangladesh Premier League will go back to having a maximum of four overseas players in a playing XI for the 2018 edition, down from the five in 2017. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has also ratified the BPL governing council’s decision that each franchise can retain up to four (overseas and/or local) players from their 2017 roster.Having a maximum of four overseas players per playing XI was the rule in the 2015 and 2016 editions, while the 2012, 2013 and 2017 BPL allowed five. Questions were raised about it last year, with some franchises not supporting the governing council’s decision.”We decided that any franchise can retain four players, be it local or foreign,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan said. “Basically, it can be any combination of local or foreign players, but a maximum of four. We have also decided that only four foreign players can play at a time in a match in the next edition.”The decision around player retention is also a hot topic among franchise owners and officials, although the BCB clarifying it five months ahead of the tournament may make squad-building easier for them. However, Hassan didn’t clarify whether the rest of the squads will be picked from an auction or a draft, or if the franchises have a free reign to contract the players outside of those processes.Meanwhile, the 2018 BPL is likely to begin from either October 1 or 5, and the final is slated for mid-November so that the tournament doesn’t clash with general elections in the country.

Former Leeds United sporting director Victor Orta went through the highs and the lows in the transfer market throughout his six seasons at Elland Road.

The Spanish chief, who moved to Sevilla earlier this year after being relieved of his duties in Yorkshire, unearthed some gems and signed some duds during his spell with the Whites.

One of his transfer success stories, that some supporters may not even be aware of, was the sale of academy graduate Bailey Peacock-Farrell, who has struggled since his exit from the club.

How much did Leeds sell Peacock-Farrell for?

TEAMtalk reported that Burnley agreed a £3.5m deal to sign the Northern Ireland international from Leeds during the summer transfer window in 2019.

His move to the Premier League side came after a disappointing 2018/19 campaign, in which he lost his place in the starting XI to Spanish shot-stopper Kiko Casilla.

The young titan started 28 Championship games for Marcelo Bielsa and only saved 65% of the efforts on his goal, to go along with two errors that directly led to a goal or a penalty for the opposition, as per Sofascore.

That came after he had made 11 league appearances for the Whites during the previous season and saved 67% of the shots against him, along with one error that directly led to a goal.

In total, the young prospect featured in 41 first-team matches for the club and conceded 53 goals as he failed to nail down the number one position on a regular basis.

What happened to Peacock-Farrell?

Despite being signed for £3.5m, Peacock-Farrell has only played 24 games for Burnley over the last four seasons as he has been unable to emerge as the club's first-choice option between the sticks.

Appearances

121

Goals conceded

144

Clean sheets

43

The English-born giant only made four Premier League appearances over his first two years at Turf Moor and conceded a staggering 14 goals in those matches.

That led to a loan move to Sheffield Wednesday for the 2021/22 campaign and the shot-stopper enjoyed a respectable campaign, with 15 clean sheets in 43 League One outings.

However, that was not enough to convince Vincent Kompany or Burnley that he was ready to be their number one and Peacock-Farrell made just eight league appearances for the Clarets last season.

His side were promoted to the Premier League and decided that the former Leeds man would not be needed. This led to a loan move to Aarhus GF in Denmark, where the 26-year-old stopper has struggled of late.

Peacock-Farrell, who was recently described as "shaky" by journalist Josh Bunting, had a nightmare last month as he gave away a penalty and was sent off in a 3-0 defeat to Brondby, which earned him a Sofascore rating of 4.3/10.

The ex-Whites colossus returned from suspension for AGF's clash with Kobenhavn last weekend but was an unused substitute for their 1-1 draw.

Therefore, Orta played a blinder with his sale of the £3.5m liability, who is currently valued at €1m (£860k) by Transfermarkt, as his performances have been poor since moving on from Elland Road and his market value has dipped significantly below the fee that the club received for his services.