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With Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side heading into Wednesday evening’s Scottish Premiership clash on a run of four straight victories in all competitions, the 56-year-old manager would have undoubtedly been hoping for yet another positive result from the Bhoys’ trip to Easter Road in order to continue this rich vein of form.

And, three strikes in the opening 30 minutes of the fixture from Anthony Ralston, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kyogo Furuhashi ensured that Celtic would indeed take all three points in an extremely dominant display against Hibernian, with the result lifting the Hoops up to second in the Premiership standings – just two points behind the league leaders.

However, while all three of Celtic’s goalscorers turned in fantastic performances on Wednesday, with Ralston, Carter-Vickers and Kyogo receiving SofaScore match ratings of 7.9, 7.9 and 7.1 respectively, it was undoubtedly central midfielder David Turnbull’s display that stole the show for the Bhoys.

Creative influence

Having formed what looks to be an extremely solid and dependable trio alongside Tom Rogic and Callum McGregor in the middle of the park in recent fixtures, Turnbull’s performance against Hibs was undoubtedly one of the 22-year-old’s most impressive of the current campaign.

Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £4.5m-rated man set up two of his side’s three goals, created two big chances and completed a whopping five key passes – statistics which demonstrate just how much of a creative influence the midfielder was for Postecoglou’s side.

Furthermore, the former Motherwell man also completed four of his seven attempted crosses, one dribble and took a total of seven shots at the opposition goal.

The midfielder also impressed in the more gritty side of the match, making three interceptions, one tackle, one clearance and winning six of his eight duels, as well as drawing three fouls for his side.

These returns saw the player who Alan Hutton dubbed a “phenomenal” talent receive a SofaScore match rating of 9.1, the highest rating earned by any player to feature in the clash.

As such, with things really starting to have clicked for the Bhoys in recent weeks, Turnbull’s top-drawer performance on Wednesday night is yet another positive for Postecoglou, who will now surely be starting to believe his side are capable of reclaiming their Scottish Premiership crown come the end of the season.

Forget Ralston, it was Turnbull who stole the show at Easter Road.

In other news: Ange confirms Nicholson negotiations with “huge” talent, Celtic fans will be buzzing

According to Italian media outlet Sportmediaset, Tottenham are set to offer an 18-month contract to Antonio Conte worth €15m (£12.7m) per season.

The Lowdown: Spurs need new manager

Spurs parted with manager Nuno Espirito Santo on Monday after just four months in charge after the Lilywhites had lost five of their last seven Premier League games (Sky Sports).

As such, the hunt is on for a new manager, and it seems that the Italian is a front-runner for the role.

The Latest: Conte contract revealed

According to Sportmediaset, it appears that an 18-month contract has been offered by Spurs to Conte, who has been out of work since leaving Inter Milan at the end of last season.

The deal is said to be worth €15m (£12.7m) per season which, for a season-and-a-half, would be worth about €22.5m (£19m).

The Verdict: Worth it?

There is no doubting Conte’s pedigree. The 52-year-old is a five-time league title winner, having won Serie A with both Inter Milan and Juventus and the Premier League with Chelsea. He also led Italy to a Euro 2016 quarter-finals – quite frankly, he is a winner.

However, he does not always have the best relationship with those above him. He left Inter in the summer as the club sold top players such as Achraf Hakimi and Romelu Lukaku, while he fell out with the hierarchy at Chelsea as well (via The London Evening Standard).

Daniel Levy is known as a tough negotiator – Conte may get results on the pitch, but it might come to the detriment of the club spirit. At what could come out at more than £287,000 per game – there are 28 top-flight matches left this season and 38 next term – that could be an expensive risk.

In other news, Tottenham want to sign this up-and-coming centre-half

Newcastle United are weighing up whether to challenge Burnley in the race for Lyon’s Maxwel Cornet, according to 90Min. 

The lowdown

Burnley’s interest in Cornet has progressed to the bidding stage, with a £15million offer now on the table.

Lyon, as the report notes, have already recruited a replacement in the form of Italian international and former Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri.

Cornet spent the majority of last season in the left-back role but he can also play in more advanced positions down that flank.

The £10.8million-rated Ivorian made 39 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and providing six assists (via Transfermarkt).

Cornet has already made an impression on an English audience, having scored three times across two meetings with Manchester City in the Champions League. After he netted both goals in a 2-2 draw in November 2018, Guardiola admitted to being ‘very impressed’.

The latest

Burnley could face ‘late competition’ with Newcastle, West Ham United and Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin all named as rival suitors.

The player notably resisted Burnley’s advances initially but the Clarets are clearly determined to land him, submitting a club-record bid and offering to make him their highest-paid player.

The verdict

If Steve Bruce is stick with his 5-3-2 formation, Cornet could prove to be well-suited to the left-wingback role, though Matt Ritchie already provides an attacking threat from that position.

Moving for Cornet would also be a blow to 2020 signing Jamal Lewis, and you sense there’s a player there who can be truly unlocked with the right coaching.

For those reasons, there would be legitimate questions asked of Newcastle if they entered the fray, given how desperate they are for signings in other positions.

In other news, this player was left seething against Villa.

Tottenham Hotspur have been told that it would be ‘massive’ to tie down skipper Hugo Lloris to a new contract. 

Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan was discussing the goalkeeper’s future with Football Insider.

The lowdown

Lloris’ Tottenham contract is due to expire at the end of the current season, but the publication have reported that talks are now underway over an extension.

The 34-year-old wants to pen a new multi-year agreement, and Spurs are keen to keep him. The Frenchman’s present deal sees him take home £100,000 per week, making him one of the six highest earners at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

His contract may be the club’s immediate priority, with every other senior star committed until at least 2023 aside from initial loan signings Cristian Romero and Pierluigi Gollini.

The latest

Whelan confessed himself surprised at the news from a Spurs source that talks were underway, having been under the impression that Spurs were looking for a replacement. However, he feels that it’s the right move, given that Lloris is still ‘one of the best goalkeepers in the world’ in his view.

The BBC pundit told Football Insider: “I think it’d be a huge plus, it really would be. For the past year and a half, we’ve been thinking that he’s going to go on a free, is he going to go to another club? Are they looking for successors to take his place?

“Wherever you mention Hugo Lloris’ name, he stands out as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. To tie him down would be a massive signing. Good goalkeepers like that are very hard to come by, they really are.”

Whelan also feels that agreeing a new deal with Lloris would send a message to the club’s other star players. He said: “The fact that he loves the club, has been there such a long time. It would just be a sign to the other players that they’ll do anything to keep the best players at the club.

“There’s no doubt about it. He’s a leader, he’s been the captain for Tottenham Hotspur as well. That to me is crucial.

“If they can manage to do that, that would show massive progress and an indication that they mean business.”

The verdict

Whelan may have seen a report from The Telegraph last month suggesting that Spurs were lining up an heir to Lloris in the form of Everton’s Jordan Pickford.

Could that be considered a downgrade? The Frenchman is comfortably out-performing his English peer in the shot-stopping metrics this season, having ‘prevented’ 0.8 expected goals while Pickford has conceded three more than he ‘should’ have (via FBRef).

What’s more, the Toffees netminder has an averaged one error leading to an opposition goal every 12.6 games in his Premier League career, compared to every 16.5 games for Lloris.

Perhaps Spurs have recognised that, as long as Lloris continues to deliver, it’s wise to stick by him. It’s little wonder that Whelan has talked him up so enthusiastically.

In other news, Kevin Campbell was thrilled by this transfer claim involving Conte

Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for West Ham United centre-back Issa Diop as new manager Patrick Vieira looks to continue his overhaul of the first-team squad.

What’s the story?

According to French outlet FootMercato, the Eagles are one of three Premier League clubs keen on acquiring the 24-year-old’s services this summer, with Wolves and Southampton also credited with an interest.

The Hammers are thought to be closing in on the signature of Fiorentina centre-back Nikola Milenkovic, so David Moyes could be prepared to let Diop depart the London Stadium over the coming weeks.

With Palace now reportedly pulling out of the race to sign Ozan Kabak, everything could be lined up for the former France under-21 international to make the short switch from east to south London.

Heir to Gary Cahill

Following his move from boyhood club Toulouse in a £22m deal three years ago, Diop settled into life on English shores well, quickly establishing himself in the Irons’ starting XI. The £16.2m-rated gem made 33 Premier League appearances in his debut season, and his domineering displays earned several admirers, including former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.

“Their centre-backs had a fantastic match,” said the then-Red Devils boss following the Hammers’ 3-1 victory over United back in 2018. “Congratulations to the scout who found Diop, a monster who dictated everything.”

However, the 24-year-old has struggled to live up to his early promise over the last couple of campaigns. Craig Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna established a formidable partnership in the heart of West Ham’s defence last term, limiting Diop to just 15 top-flight starts.

As a result, the Frenchman has been linked with an imminent exit from the London Stadium, and Palace could be an ideal destination. With Mamadou Sakho, Scott Dann and Gary Cahill all being released on free transfers this summer, Vieira has already been forced to add several reinforcements to his backline.

The arrivals of Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi have strengthened the Eagles’ options in central defence, but their attempts to re-sign Cahill ultimately proved unsuccessful.

Indeed, like the Irons defender, the 35-year-old is renowned for his aerial prowess, having won 3.5 headers per game in each of the last two Premier League seasons. The Frenchman won 2.5 aerial duels per match in the 2019/20 campaign, also illustrating his ability in the air.

Therefore, Diop could prove to be the perfect heir to the former Chelsea ace. A fresh challenge and new surroundings may be the ideal combinations for the player to rediscover his best form, adding another valuable asset to Palace’s new era.

In other news… Ed Aarons drops big Crystal Palace transfer update, Vieira will be gutted 

Tottenham Hotspur’s rumoured pursuit of Brighton manager Graham Potter has hit a potential stumbling block, with The Daily Star reporting that there would be a £20m compensation package involved in any potential agreement. 

THE LOWDOWN: POTTER TARGETED AS MOURINHO’S REPLACEMENT

Spurs were previously said to be interested in appointing Potter as their new manager, although it remained to be seen as to whether he was their first-choice target to replace Jose Mourinho this summer.

The 46-year-old’s style of football was labelled as ‘exceptional’ by former Aston Villa and Birmingham manager Alex McLeish in a previous interview with Football Insider.

He led Brighton to a 16th-place finish in the Premier League last term, and Spurs were believed to be keen on landing his signature over the summer as they put together their preparations for the 2021/22 season.

THE LATEST: STUMBLING BLOCK EMERGES

The Daily Star have recently claimed that any potential agreement between Potter and Tottenham Hotspur this summer would include a £20m compensation package for Brighton. That has seemingly cooled Spurs’ interest in appointing him as their new manager, with Daniel Levy likely to pursue other options instead after hearing of this update.

With the new Premier League season set to get underway in mid-August, the north London club will be looking to have a permanent manager in place well before then, with Ryan Mason still in interim charge more than two months on from Mourinho’s sacking.

THE VERDICT: SPURS NEED TO ACT SWIFTLY IN FINDING AN ALTERNATIVE

It’s understandable that Spurs have cooled their interest in appointing Potter as their new manager if Brighton are demanding a £20m compensation package, especially with the north Londoners set to have a limited transfer budget this summer.

You would imagine that Levy will be looking to have a new boss in place long before their season opener against Manchester City, in what is certain to be a tricky test for any manager against the Premier League champions.

Spurs have been linked with a number of managers already this summer and they seem to be panicking at this moment when it comes to finding Jose Mourinho’s replacement.

It’s vital that they get this next appointment right, otherwise it could turn out to be another frustrating league campaign for the N17 faithful. This latest update suggests that it’s time to forget about Potter and try their luck elsewhere.

In other news, Paul Robinson is excited by the prospect of this Premier League defender signing for Spurs.

Manchester United have reportedly become the favourites to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to add further reinforcements to his first-team squad.

What’s the story?

According to The Sun, United have stolen a march of their rivals in the pursuit of the highly-rated 18-year-old’s signature.

The report states that: “A source said: ‘United may have lost out last year when he moved to Germany, but the groundwork they put in has made a lasting impression on Jude and his family.

“They were really impressed with the effort United made and the respect they were shown by everyone at the club. Meeting Sir Alex Ferguson was the icing on the cake.

“Ultimately, as Jude has made clear since, he decided to move to the club where he could see he would play games straight away and gain top-level experience week in, week out.

“United couldn’t offer that, but his memories from that day and the interactions he had with the club are extremely fond ones. United did everything right so maybe in the future that will work in their favour.'”

Solskjaer would love him

Bellingham was first linked with a move to Old Trafford last summer, but he eventually decided to snub the advances of the 20-time English champions, instead choosing to join Dortmund in a £25m move.

His impressive performances at the Signal Iduna Park earned him a call up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad despite his tender years and he clearly impressed the national team manager.

“Jude is phenomenal. Just in training in the last couple of days, to have a 17-year-old, who wants to compete with senior players, not only has the technique but the competitiveness and maturity… he’s a hugely exciting player,” said Southgate.

After playing a limited role in the Three Lions’ run to the final of the European Championships, Bellingham has hit the ground running for his club this season, bagging two goals and providing four assists in just eight appearances.

It was widely reported that Solskjaer was keen to bring another midfielder to Old Trafford over the summer as Eduardo Camavinga and Saul Niguez were heavily linked, but the pair moved to Real Madrid and Chelsea, respectively.

With Paul Pogba entering the final year of his contract with the Red Devils, potentially seeing him depart on a free transfer in 12 months’ time, it’s easy to understand why the Norwegian tactician is determined to bring in extra options, which is why John Murtough must do all he can to get a deal done.

The arrival of Bellingham would significantly soften the blow of the World Cup winner’s potential exit, allowing Solskjaer to continue his progress in the red half of Manchester.

And, in other news…Forget Lingard: Man Utd gem who won 100% of his duels was Ole’s real star against WHU 

Crystal Palace are reported to be interested in Millwall winger Jed Wallace, with his contract due to expire next summer, according to Football League World.

Starting off 2021/22 in commendable fashion, the versatile attacker has registered five goal contributions in seven appearances, with three goals and two assists for the Lions [Transfermarkt].

He could be set for a move further south in London in the near future, according to recent reports.

The 27-year-old is reportedly attracting interest from Crystal Palace, as well as the likes of Burnley, Newcastle United, Celtic and Rangers, as reported by Football League World. He is out of contract at the Den at the end of the current season.

In light of the prospect of Wallace swapping Millwall for the Eagles, plenty of Crystal Palace fans took to Twitter to share their opinions on the links with the Lions maestro.

Crystal Palace FC fans react:

Replying to popular Crystal Palace fan outlet CPFC Transfers HQ on Twitter, here is what some fans had to say about the rumours, which were largely well received:

“I’d have this all day long just to see the reaction from Millwall fans”

Credit: @cjbearcpfc

“Haha they won’t like this one down the Den”

Credit: @danofthesouth_”There’s probably nothing in this but he’s pretty good”Credit: @liamb0117″Surely that’s a wind up”Credit: @Wheddsta”I doubt it’s true but he’s a decent player not gonna lie”Credit: @DrizzyCPFC”He’s actually not a bad player, and statically he’s very good, I wouldn’t be upset with him, good to have more depth”Credit: @CTuckey99In other news, the timeline for the prospective return of a Palace star from injury has been revealed. Find out more here.

Queens Park Rangers have been dealt a huge blow to their hopes of bringing Ryan Porteous to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Scottish Sun, who claim that Turkish giants Galatasaray have now entered the race for the Hibernian centre-back, with the Super Lig side believed to be preparing an offer for the 22-year-old in the coming weeks.

Porteous had previously been linked with a move to QPR, with it being reported that the Rs’ director of football Les Ferdinand had been personally scouting the £630k-rated man over the course of last season.

However, with the potential of playing Champions League football for Galatasaray next season, should the Turkish side indeed go on to make an offer for the youngster, they would very much appear to be in the driving seat for his signature.

Warburton will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Porteous was for Hibernian last year, news of Galatasaray’s interest in the defender will undoubtedly come as a gutting blow for Mark Warburton, who will be hoping to build a side capable of mounting a push for the play-offs next term over the summer.

Indeed, over his 34 Scottish Premiership appearances last season, the 22-year-old helped Hibs keep 11 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.5 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and winning 6.9 duels per game.

These metrics saw the £2.7k-per-week centre-back earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as Jack Ross’ seventh-best performer in a Hibernian side that finished in third place in the Scottish top flight.

As such, the addition of Porteous to Warburton’s options in the centre of defence ahead of next season would have provided the 58-year-old with very impressive depth in the position, with the 22-year-old’s potential signing coming after QPR’s capture of Jordy de Wijs from Hull City.

Although, the reports would appear to suggest that Galatasaray have not firmed up their interest with a concrete offer just yet, meaning that, at present, there still remains a slither of hope regarding a deal for the man Darren McGregor dubbed a “top player.”

As of now however, Porteous may not be on his way to QPR, and Warburton will be desperately disappointed.

In other news: Warburton heading for grave mistake that could see QPR miss out on “incredible” target

Alasdair Gold has dropped an update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte.

What’s the talk?

In a recent video posted on YouTube, the football.london journalist revealed that, despite recent reports claiming that Conte would be interested in taking over from Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain this summer, people close to the 52-year-old have claimed that there is nothing to these rumours.

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Regarding the Italian’s future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gold said: “We should also talk about Conte and PSG. Reports coming out from one French outlet say that Conte dreams of managing PSG. Look, I’ve spoken to a few people around Conte, and they say it’s not true… his people claim there is nothing to it.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering the extremely impressive job Conte has done since taking over from Nuno Espirito Santo in the Tottenham dugout back in November, the news that the 52-year-old is not currently planning on leaving the club for PSG this summer is sure to have left the Spurs faithful buzzing.

Indeed, while there have been a number of Premier League fixtures against Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in February – it is undeniable that Conte has improved Spurs’ performances on the pitch.

Indeed, having won 13, drawn four and lost six of his eighth in the top flight standings to fifth – just two points behind Arsenal, who currently occupy the last Champions League spot in fourth.

And, with Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy having already committed the best part of £60m on the signings of Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur in the January transfer window – both of whom are very much Conte-type players – it would appear likely that the former Inter Milan boss will receive the backing of the Spurs hierarchy once again this summer.

As such, it is clear to see that Gold’s suggestion the club can plan for 2022/23 with the Italian overseeing operations is undoubtedly fantastic news for all involved with Tottenham, as the prospect of Conte having a summer transfer window and a full pre-season to work with his Spurs side would appear to bode extremely well for the club’s chances of success next time out.

AND in other news: Paratici can seal Conte’s dream signing as Spurs plot bid for “stunning” £60m “baller”