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Martin O’Neill hasn’t just steadied the ship at Celtic, he’s steered it firmly back on course, with Wednesday’s narrow victory over Dundee seeing the Glasgow giants move level on points with Hearts at the Premiership summit – and with a game in hand to boot.

While that recent surge up the table has come amid a mid-season slump for the Jambos, O’Neill could have done little better during his interim stint, recording five successive league wins, while claiming November’s Manager of the Month award.

Parachuted in following Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation, the 73-year-old has brought calm to the chaos, with the Hoops now firmly back on track both domestically and in Europe.

Although the treble-winning coach may not have overseen a vintage display on his final outing in the dugout, Daizen Maeda’s brave first-half header was another to secure all three points, ensuring new man Wilfried Nancy can aim to build on this momentum heading into the weekend’s top-of-the-table clash.

The Frenchman – finally – will take charge at Parkhead, with Wednesday’s win outlining that there is still plenty of work to be done to right the wrongs of Rodgers’ regime.

Nancy's in-tray at Celtic

Perhaps the most notable point of concern for the incoming 48-year-old will be the raft of injuries that have struck Celtic of late, with left-back Marcelo Saracchi the latest to be struck down on Wednesday.

As O’Neill confirmed post-match, the 27-year-old appears to have pulled his hamstring once again, cruelly curtailing his hopes of genuinely challenging Kieran Tierney in that full-back berth.

The summer signing thus joins the likes of Jota, Alistair Johnston, Callum Osmand and Cameron Carter-Vickers on the sidelines, with the latter man having notably been ruled out for the season following a severe Achilles injury.

Away from the treatment table, a key issue for Nancy to solve will be in the attacking unit, with the likes of Sebastian Tounekti, Yang Hyun-jun and the forgotten Michel-Ange Balikwisha all vying for that left-wing berth.

On the opposite flank, O’Neill has utilised Luke McCowan in recent weeks, although the Scotsman looks far more suited to a creative number ten berth, much like Sweden star Benjamin Nygren.

Equally, too, a decision will have to be made on the make-up of the midfield trio, with Reo Hatate having found his feet again under O’Neill, notably playing that stunning sweeping pass in the build-up to Maeda’s header against Dundee.

Perhaps the biggest debate, however, might be how best to cover for that devastating loss of Carter-Vickers in the backline, with questions still to be asked of the Auston Trusty and Liam Scales partnership.

Celtic's "player of the year" could now be replaced

In a department that has seen such turbulence in recent years, with figures like Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki coming and going without so much as leaving a trace, the news of Carter-Vickers’ lengthy absence will have been a bitter blow for those at Celtic Park.

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Unsurprisingly, since then, O’Neill has settled on the experienced duo of Trusty and Scales, although that pairing is not without its problems, as was evident again last night.

Indeed, the Republic of Ireland international was particularly underpar against Steven Pressley’s side, having hardly been his usual dominant self in both boxes.

As per Sofascore, the 27-year-old won just a solitary duel from four attempts, while failing to win a single tackle, having been dribbled past once in that midweek encounter.

One particular moment of concern came late on, with Scales allowing substitute Ashley Hay to burst in behind and in on goal, albeit with the towering left-footer doing well to narrow the angle for the subsequent attempt on goal.

Most Celtic appearances – 25/26

Player

Games

Callum McGregor

24

Liam Scales

24

Benjamin Nygren

24

Arne Engels

23

Kasper Schmeichel

22

Kieran Tierney

21

Reo Hatate

21

Daizen Maeda

21

Luke McCowan

18

via Transfermarkt

Not his usual threat in an attacking sense either, having registered no shots, dribbles or key passes despite Celtic’s possession dominance, it was a bit of an off night for the former Shamrock Rovers man.

Of course, it has largely been a positive season for the Irishman, having been noted as in the running to be the club’s “player of the year” this term by one podcaster, although as Wednesday showcased, he isn’t without his limitations.

Equally, with the sight of two left-footers deployed together at centre-back still looking somewhat unnatural, Nancy may instead prefer to take a punt on young Dane Murray.

Scales, for what it’s worth, has done little wrong of late, but if Nancy truly wants to progress this team, the steady centre-back may have to be a potential casualty.

Related Better than Maeda: Celtic star is going to be undroppable under Nancy

This Celtic star who was even better than Daizen Maeda against Dundee should be Wilfried Nancy’s first undroppable star.

Posts 1 ByDan Emery Dec 4, 2025

Mason Greenwood has credited Roberto De Zerbi for his and Marseille's strong performances in Ligue 1 this season. The former Brighton head coach has been in charge at the club from southern France since the start of last season and is once again showing why he is considered one of the brightest tactical minds in Europe, with Greenwood delighted to be learning from the Italian.

• Marseille chasing Lens and PSG

  Until this weekend, Marseille had looked most likely to upset the Paris Saint-Germain apple cart and were mounting a strong title challenge in the French top flight. Monaco sprung a shock win over the Parisians on Saturday and have opened the title race up for others to take advantage of Luis Enrique’s team’s slip-ups.

  Marseille will be frustrated to have thrown away two points late on against Toulouse at home on Saturday. Igor Paixao and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg had put the visitors ahead in response to Emersonn’s opener for the visitors. However, Santiago Hidalgo shocked the French giants with a 92nd-minute equaliser to steal a point.

  Despite the minor setback, Marseille remain in contention to lift the Ligue 1 title for the first time since 2010. The club have won the division ten times, but with just one trophy in almost 34 years, De Zerbi and his squad will be determined to restore Marseille to the top of French football.

  The Italian’s team are just two points off the summit and are hot on the tails of Lens, in first place, and PSG. Greenwood is currently top scorer in the division with ten goals and believes that his team can win the crown.

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• AFP
  

  De Zerbi praised by Greenwood

  Speaking to , Greenwood said: “I’m in a really good place thanks to the coach and my teammates.

  “I feel good and I hope to improve, to win more awards this season. Roberto De Zerbi? He’s the brains of the team, the architect of our game. He helps me understand football much better, he helps me improve every day.”

• Recruitment pays off for Marseille

  Greenwood added that Marseille's summer recruitment drive has put them in a much better position to fight for silverware. “We’ve signed quite a few players, very, very strong players,” he said. “We’ve improved in certain areas. I feel like we’re a bit more of a team this season; we’re all on the same wavelength, you can see it. We’re [third] and I hope we can keep fighting to be number one.”

  The club have added a whole host of key players, with varying levels of experience. In forward areas, Paixao and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have already earned their side points on their own, with the latter starring for the French side in the Champions League with a brace against Newcastle. The former Arsenal star has shown glimmers of the levels he once possessed back in France after a spell in the Middle East.

  In midfield, Arthur Vermeer, Matt O’Riley and Angel Gomes have bolstered De Zerbi’s creative options in the middle of the park. Meanwhile, Benjamin Pavard, Nayef Aguerd and Facundo Medina have all strengthened the Marseille backline with heaps of experience.

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• AFP
  

  PSG remain favourites for Ligue 1

  PSG are still heavy favourites for the Ligue 1 title and cannot be written off as the likely champions of France. The Parisians have had a mixed start to their domestic season, but possess quality that few others in the division can match and have the squad depth to match.

  Marseille have been performing well under De Zerbi and also have a strong squad, but will need to remain at their absolute best if they are to kick on and truly maintain a title challenge. The next test of such a challenge comes on Friday when they have to travel north to take on Lille, behind them by just three points, in a chance to really demonstrate whether they have the acumen to mount a serious run to become champions.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are looking to make a splash in the January transfer market and could sign a Premier League ace who loves playing against the Old Gold.

Wolves’ defensive and attacking problems Edwards needs to fix

The task facing new Wolves manager Rob Edwards is a big one after his return to Molineux involved club chiefs paying Middlesbrough around £3m in compensation.

Edwards, a former Old Gold defender, will need to shore up the Wolves defence, with no other Premier League side conceding more than Wolves so far after 11 games (25).

Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Edwards’ new side have also struggled to finish chances.

Still without a win and on two points from a possible 33, Wolves have scored just seven league goals, again a division low, and have failed to find the net in six of their 11 top-flight fixtures.

Fosun are looking to back Edwards in the January transfer market, and it appears as if Wolves are eyeing a new goalkeeper to rival both Jose Sa and Sam Johnstone.

Wolves and Edwards keen to sign "aggressive" £90,000-p/w Premier League flop

He’s cost £1m for every appearance made so far.

ByCharlie Smith Nov 14, 2025

A loan-to-buy bid for Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas is thought to be in the pipeline, whereas an offer is also in for Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia.

Wolves eyeing move to sign Everton winger Dwight McNeil

Now, according to reports from Football Insider, Wolves are also looking to sign Everton winger Dwight McNeil when the winter market opens.

It is suggested that both loan and permanent offers will be explored for the Toffees ace, whereas Man City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is another target for Edwards and Wolves chiefs.

McNeil made the move to Everton from Burnley for £20m back in 2022, and during his Premier League career, has enjoyed playing against Wolves for both the Clarets and the Toffees.

Games

12

Wins

5

Draws

4

Losses

3

Goals

1

Assists

6

The left-footed winger has registered multiple assists against the Old Gold, and his ability from set pieces even saw him compared to Arsenal star Declan Rice by pundit Chris Sutton.

However, McNeil has fallen out of favour on Merseyside under David Moyes this season following the arrival of Jack Grealish, playing just 51 minutes of Premier League football in 2025/26.

Therefore, a move to the Midlands could make sense for all involved, and by the looks of things, it will be one to watch over the coming months.

£55m spent & Hackney signs: Dream Wolves XI Edwards can build in January

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has been forced to deal with a plethora of injuries since taking over from Ange Postecoglou, with the club’s bad luck in that regard continuing into this season.

Ex-chairman Daniel Levy got so frustrated with Spurs’ key player absences in 24/25 that he overhauled their medical department for the second year running last summer. Key sports science chiefs Adam Brett and Nick Davies were both shown the door before the start of this season, with Nick Stubbings following Frank from Brentford to join as medical lead.

The Lilywhites were minus Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario for large portions of last campaign, alongside many other key men, which undoubtedly played a role in Spurs’ finishing a lowly 17th in the Premier League table.

This season, they haven’t fared much better.

Soon after Frank was appointed to succeed Postecoglou, Spurs lost playmaker James Maddison to an ACL injury which will keep him out for most of 2025/2026, with the England international on an extensive list of absentees.

The likes of Romero, Wilson Odobert, Randal Kolo Muani and Destiny Udogie were also sidelined for periods recently until making their respective comebacks, so Frank will be desperate for this torrid luck to cease as he attempts to guide Tottenham to major silverware and a top four finish.

Luckily for Spurs, electrifying winger and star summer signing Mohammed Kudus is likely to return against Man United this weekend after the Ghanaian confirmed his knock is getting better.

Tottenham hit by injury blow as "promising" youngster Elijah Upson withdraws from England duty

Speaking to Tottenham News, pundit and academy expert John Wenham, who oversees the Lilywhites Rose account on X, says that Tottenham’s injury woes even stretch down to youth level.

Young defender Elijah Upson, who captains Spurs’ Under-18s, was forced to withdraw from the England Under-17s World Cup squad after suffering his own injury, which comes as a crying shame considering the club could have had five youth players representing them for the Three Lions.

The 17-year-old was recently handed a call-up to Tottenham’s Under-21 squad as well, playing the full 90 minutes and shutting out West Brom in a 1-0 win just over a month ago.

The injury comes as more of a blow to Upson’s personal development, with the versatile centre-back/right-back looking to make Johan Lange – who now oversees the academy as one of his many co-director responsibilities – stand up and take notice.

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