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Celtic confirmed on Friday evening that Vakoun Bayo has joined Belgian side Gent on a permanent deal, and a number of Hoops supporters have been giving their thoughts on the transfer on social media.

Bayo was signed by Celtic back in 2019 in a deal worth £2m. The 24-year-old made just 17 appearances in Scotland, scoring on two occasions.

He spent last season on loan at Toulouse and impressed in 2021, scoring 11 of his 13 goals for the campaign following the turn of the year.

The move to Gent is thought to be worth £1.4m, meaning that Celtic have made a £600,000 loss on Bayo, who left Ivory Coast’s Olympic squad to finalise a deal.

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Celtic fans react

Celtic quoted Gent’s transfer tweet and confirmed the move on their official Twitter page, wishing the forward the best of luck for the future.

Here is what these fans had to say in reply, with one describing the club’s decision to sell him at a loss as ‘mental’, perhaps due to his upturn in form since January.

“Another player sold and Celtic yet to buy anyone of note. Must be about the 7th season in a row we’re a mess going into CL qualifiers. Only so long the fans will continue to back the club under this board. Already heard a number of players saying Celtic didn’t come back etc.”

Credit: @MarkFeely6

“today is a sad day.”

Credit: @tmcc67

“Mental we let him go and a team like Gent obviously see something in him.”

Credit: @danjd_

“Bitterly disappointed”

Credit: @ScottMcb7

“sold the wrong striker Celtic”

Credit: @patrykklimala

“What is the plan here? Get papped early from the CL & Europa qualifiers and try and scrape into that Conference thing? What are we doing?”

Credit: @EtienneBojan

In other news: Well-placed source claims ‘outstanding‘ ace is now keen on Celtic move; contact has been made, find out more here. 

Test pacer Darren Powell picked up three wickets as West Indies A recorded a comprehensive victory in their tour match with Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Sean Beynon22-Jul-2002Test pacer Darren Powell picked up three wickets as West Indies A recorded a comprehensive victory in their tour match with Warwickshire at Edgbaston.The Jamaican quick returned figures of 3/55, with Tino Best collecting 2/40 and Ryan Hinds 2/47 in a professional performance. Mark Wagh’s accomplished 86 was the highlight of a disappointing Warwickshire effort.Despite Wagh’s knock, and cavalier efforts from Dominic Ostler and Dougie Brown, Warwickshire were never realistically in the victory hunt. Theyeventually succumbed at 6pm, losing by 120 runs. James Spires and AlexanderAllen battled hard at the death, before Hinds trapped Spires leg before justas time was running out.Set 371 to record an unlikely victory, Warwickshire lost wickets steadilythroughout the day. First to go was skipper Michael Powell, trapped leg-before to an in-ducker from his West Indian namesake. Jim Troughton, a young batsman whose free-flowing game has attracted much attention, hit a couple of pleasing boundaries before he snicked Powell through to keeper Lendl Simmons.Dominic Ostler, clearly thinking the win was a possibility, however remote, set about the bowling with ferocity. He blasted seven fours in 22 balls, Marlon Black proving particularly expensive. On 31, going for one big shot too many, Ostler played around a straight one from Best.Dougie Brown, who hit an expansive 65 in the first innings, batted with similar vigour in the second. With the elegant support of Wagh, Brown saw the innings through to lunch. He hit four boundaries in his 35, only to be grabbed close in by Daren Ganga to give Ryan Hinds a wicket.Graham Wagg had his stumps uprooted by Powell soon after, while Mohamed Sheikh latched onto some loose deliveries to make 16. Best accounted for the all-rounder though, hitting the stumps for a second time.Wagh, having survived hostile spells from Best and Powell, fell victim to Gareth Breese’s off-spin. Wagh, who captained Oxford University in 1997,showed his class throughout his four-hour knock. Shortly after he struck his14th crisp boundary, he was adjudged lbw to Breese.Nick Warren and Alan Richardson went early, leaving too much for the pluckylast wicket pair of Allen and Spires.Earlier, West Indies A had looked for quick runs. Breese, along with Dwayne Bravo, did not disappoint, extending their partnership to 65 before Ganga called his men in. Breese remained unbeaten on 54 (eight fours, one six) while Bravo’s run-a-ball 37 included five boundaries.

Somerset face a massive target in their final if they are to avoid defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers Lancashire at Blackpool, after the home side had set them to get 407 for victory.Resuming on 91 for 5 this morning Somerset wickets soon started to tumble, with Rob Turner being the first to go with the score on 96.Mike Burns had recovered from his knee injury sufficiently to bat and with Keith Dutch took the score onto 134 for 7 before the former Middlesex all rounder was LBW to James Anderson for 35.Burns followed one run later for 18, and shortly afterwards Somerset were all out for 140, with twenty year old Anderson ending with 6 for 41.Batting for a second time Andy Caddick and Richard Johnson each took early wickets and Lancashire had slumped to 83 for 5 before David Byas and Chris Schofield put on 122 for the sixth wicket.By the time that the veteran Byas became another of Caddick’s victims he had scored 81 and Lancashire had reached 205 for 6. Schofield stayed a little longer but he was eventually dismissed for 77.Lancashire were all out for 256 in the early evening and from the nine overs that they faced in their second innings Somerset had made 21 for the loss of Jamie Cox who was LBW to Peter Martin.At the end of the day Kevin Shine told me: "It been very hard day for us today, and tomorrow we are going to be really up against it."He continued: "It’s going to need an exceptional batting performance from us tomorrow, but the boys will fight their hearts out for us, just like they have all of the season."

A fresh twist has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur’s managerial saga once again and this one is sure to leave many excited…

What’s the word?

According to talkSPORT, the Lilywhites’ hierarchy is still believed to favour a move for former coach Mauricio Pochettino after the blows suffered to Paulo Fonseca and then Gennaro Gattuso.

It’s thought that their new director of football Fabio Paratici is now targeting ex-Wolves boss Nuno Santo but the rest of the club’s leading figures would rather tempt the Argentine back from Paris Saint-Germain, some 18 months after he was originally sacked by Daniel Levy.

The Athletic revealed last month that the two parties had held talks over a sensational return but it proved difficult due to PSG’s stance of keeping hold of their manager, leading to them triggering an extension in his contract to all but end Spurs’ advances.

Now, though, it seems it could well be back on.

Another twist

This is merely just another twist in the tale and whilst many in North London will be growing concerned and probably frustrated by the arduous process, the prospects of Pochettino still being in the running will delight many supporters.

Some were left underwhelmed by Fonseca coming in and plenty were firmly opposed to the arrival of Gattuso, so much so that a social media campaign against him was trending and that clearly caught the eye of Spurs’ big wigs, who quickly ended their pursuit.

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Over the eight weeks since Jose Mourinho has been sacked, some six or more names have been in the running. It all started with Julian Nagelsmann, who opted to join Bayern Munich from RB Leipzig instead.

Brendan Rodgers was then considered but he quickly ruled himself out of the running, understandable considering his trophy-winning project at Leicester City.

One name Spurs appeared to be close to was ex-Chelsea boss Antonio Conte before talks between the two sides broke down. And then, of course, there are the recent blows to Fonseca and the controversial former AC Milan midfielder.

It’s so crucial, more so now than ever, that Levy gets this appointment spot on. Many have already protested about his decisions in recent months and right now, it seems Spurs are in freefall after their worst Premier League finish since 2009.

Pochettino solves plenty of the worries, though, and is evidently amongst the favourites with the fanbase, as seen by reaction to the initial links a month ago.

This is yet another twist in the tale but at least it’s an exciting one after several setbacks. It should leave lots of fans buzzing in N17.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Son: Paratici could seal “bargain buy” with Spurs swoop for £36m monster…

Arsenal have reportedly been in contact with Jonathan Ikone’s representatives over a potential transfer this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to an exclusive report by Anfield Central, who claim that the Gunners have held talks with the 23-year-old LOSC Lille attacker and his agents amid claims that Liverpool have pulled out of a deal due to unreasonable financial demands.

It’s thought that the Ligue 1 champions will let Ikone depart for a fee in the region of £40m, whilst the 5 foot 9 frontman is asking for £150k-per-week wages, with a substantial signing on bonus too.

That’s why talks are said to have broken down with the Merseyside giants.

Part-attacker, part-creator

If Mikel Arteta wants a versatile presence in attack, then the France U21 international is a very worthy candidate. In this campaign alone, he’s played anywhere along the front three as well as in the hole behind the striker.

As per Transfermarkt, Ikone provided seven goals and seven assists in all competitions, helping Lille pip his former club, Paris Saint-Germain, to the title.

He built on his 11 direct goal contributions from the 2019/20 campaign, and his three goals and 11 assists a season earlier, where he played alongside current Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe.

Interestingly, it’s another link to North London that makes Ikone even more appealing, as the 23-year-old has modelled his game on Mesut Ozil.

“I was mostly attracted to dribbling growing up, but having been put into the No.10 position I’ve become more interested in those who can unlock a game, like Ozil,” he claimed, via Ligue 1’s official website. “Today, I dribble less, I’ve tried to simplify my game and become better and providing beautiful passes, the final pass before a goal.”

The young French starlet has also been lauded as a “midfielder with a great future” by PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and a “very talented young player” with “great potential” by Lille’s deputy CEO Marc Ingla, both via the same source.

Also likened to Angel Di Maria, Ikone has been described as an “offensive all-rounder,” meaning he’s an intriguing candidate to not only potentially replace Alexandre Lacazette or Eddie Nketiah but also provide cover on either flank and potentially fill the void left behind by Ozil, whom he aspires to be like.

AND in other news, Edu could land Arsenal their next Ramsey in “devastating” £27m-rated “special talent”…

Former Leeds midfielder David Norris believes that Frenchman IlIan Meslier could be Hugo Lloris’ replacement at Tottenham, but he wouldn’t necessarily expect him to want the move.

Lloris has 12 months remaining on his contract but is expected to see out that deal despite strong reports linking him with a return to France and reunion with former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

The 34-year-old, who’ll be hoping to add a European Championships medal to his World Cup this summer, was ever-present last term for the first time in his nine seasons in north London and was one of Tottenham’s few consistent performers.

However, should Lloris not extend his contract, the north London outfit are going to need to replace him for the first time since he joined from Lyon nine years ago.

English goalkeepers Sam Johnstone and Aaron Ramsdale have previously been mentioned, but Norris reckons that his international colleague Meslier could be the man, with Alex McLeish tipping him as a potential replacement last month.

Meslier only turned 21 in March but performed above his years during his debut Premier League season, keeping an impressive 11 clean sheets in 35 appearances.

“Is he better than Lloris at the minute? Probably not yet, but that’s down to experience,” Norris exclusively told The Transfer Tavern.

“What you want as a goalkeeper is to go under the radar and be a steady Eddie, and that’s what Meslier has done. He would be a good signing, but he could be looking at Kane going, Bale going, so would he want that move? So as a replacement long-term? Definitely. Would it happen? I’m not sure.”

Liverpool have been handed a potentially huge boost in their pursuit of Leeds United winger Raphinha as the upcoming transfer window approaches.

What’s the story?

According to The Mirror (as reported by SportsMole), Jurgen Klopp’s charges have moved ahead of their rivals in the race for the Brazilian winger, as Leeds are eager to sign Harry Wilson.

The Wales international has impressed throughout a series of loan spells away from Anfield and could be used as a makeweight to bring Raphinha to Merseyside.

Klopp must axe Wilson

After the Euros, Wilson wil return to his parent club following an impressive stint with Cardiff City, scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists in 37 Championship appearances.

However, the £60,000-per-week starlet is not thought to be in Klopp’s first-team plans for the future and as such, he will be allowed to depart his boyhood club this summer.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have been linked with a move for Leeds’ Raphinha after his magnificent maiden Premier League campaign.

The 24-year-old received many plaudits following his arrival from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes 12 months ago, scoring and assisting a combined 15 goals in 30 top-flight matches.

Klopp is hoping to add extra firepower to his attacking options due to the underwhelming performance of several of his forward players throughout last season.

Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino had uncharacteristically poor campaigns, while Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi once again failed to step up to the mark.

Their lack of punch in the final third contributed to Liverpool’s rather disappointing third-place finish, and Klopp is attempting to ensure those issues don’t plague his side once again.

While Wilson has shone in England’s second-tier, he has shown nothing to suggest that he possesses the required quality to guide the Reds back to the summit of English and European football.

Raphinha, on the other hand, may have exactly that. The South American star went from strength to strength in 2020/21 as he slowly adapted to the demands of the Premier League.

At Anfield, he would be surrounded by a calibre far higher than he is currently playing alongside, meaning a natural jump in his output is likely to occur.

Klopp has shown admirable loyalty throughout his managerial career, but the German tactician must brutally axe Wilson over the coming months in order to secure what could be a crucial addition to his stuttering Liverpool side.

And, in other news…Liverpool dealt blow over “exceptional” £51k-p/w beast, any move is probably off 

Slow scoring, slow over rates, slow progress

John Polack25-Mar-2001Slow scoring, slow over rates, slow progress. Painful, in fact. Yet far from a slow death. As a contest, the Pura Cup Final between Victoria and Queensland somehowroared back into life on a laboured third day here at the ‘Gabba ground in Brisbane.It was Victorian opener Matthew Elliott (88*) who lay at the core of the day’s events. In a display laced with character and unstinting application, he batted throughthe entirety of the proceedings to lead his side into a genuinely competitive position at stumps. By the close, the Bushrangers had crawled their way to a second inningsscore of 4/172, and an overall lead of 106 runs, with two days still remaining in the 2000-01 season decider.On another hot day in Brisbane, some of the headlines were also stolen by Matthew Mott (19), whose 141-ball stay at the wicket seemed not only to provokefrustration throughout a crowd of 4708 but also caused tempers to boil among some of the Bulls in the field.Changes to the playing conditions under which domestic first-class finals in Australia are conducted have been mooted regularly over recent seasons. Neutral venues,the inclusion of the competing states’ international representatives, greater haste in over rates, and amendments to the rule that ensures that one side can draw thematch and still win the title, have all been raised as topics for discussion. Maybe after this match, there might be a move to abandon the first two sessions of each dayaltogether.Through close to six-and-a-half hours, just 170 runs were accumulated and only four wickets fell. Save for the generous contribution of thirty-seven runs that wasoffered to the Bushrangers from seven overs of innocuous spin bowling from rival captain Stuart Law, the day was devoid of an uplifting tempo.In a stadium already holding only around one-eighth of its capacity, it did nothing to impress the audience. Between slow handclaps, ironical cheering for runs andserial chants of ‘boring’, they found little by which to be impressed. It was only during the last two hours of the day – against the backdrop of the comparatively giddyclatter of three wickets and the addition of a monstrous seventy-nine runs – that they had motive to awake from their slumber.Potentially, this had all the makings of one of the most exciting days of domestic cricket in a long time. Instead, it turned into one of the most defensive.With time on their side, the Victorians assiduously built a foundation from which they can mount a concerted push for victory; requiring only so much as a draw toretain its title, Queensland sought to spoil and frustrate their ambitions.In some ways, the opening two sessions of the day’s play almost defied description. For there was virtually no action. The Bulls set defensive fields, stationing at leastsix men on the off side for the vast majority of those four hours and their bowlers then maintained a consistent line outside off stump. Law infamously drew the ire ofTasmania in Queensland’s first home game of the first-class season when he used similar tactics; now much the same strategy was applied in the last.Under a baking Brisbane sun, and at the end of a long and dry Australian summer, the home team’s suffocating hold over the run rate resembled Chinese water torture.”It was another tough day, wasn’t it?” mused Bushrangers’ captain, Paul Reiffel.”This is hard cricket. This is ‘finals cricket’. We’re just fighting our way back into this game after the first day. We’ve still got some work to do tomorrow but we’veslowly crawled our way back into it.”The visiting skipper certainly wasn’t overstating the case about the speed of his team’s advance toward its position of near-parity. Mott, in particular, was the modelof eternal vigilance.Yet, as they meandered toward a half-century partnership in the small matter of 160 minutes, an uncharacteristically grafting Elliott was not far behind his partner in a contestwhich could never have been described as a race.Former Test batsman Elliott is a player of vast experience, of sound temperament, and of classical strokes. But he could hardly at any time in his career have played aninnings as determined or as responsible as this one – one that has already spanned 372 minutes and soaked up 273 deliveries of lionhearted Queensland bowling.He weathered a serious blow on the point of the right cheekbone from a Joe Dawes (1/35) beam ball early in the morning, and was not allowed to feel completelyimmune as Adam Dale (2/43) and Andy Bichel (1/20) sought to offer verbal advice to a number of his partners much later in the day. In the end, though, he meted outfar more punishment than he received.Alongside a watchful Jonathan Moss (5*), the left hander’s durability was especially crucial late in the day once Mott had played around the line of a superb seamingdelivery from an emotionally unrestrained Dale; Brad Hodge (3) had fallen to a magnificent catch at a wide third slip from Clinton Perren as he drove uppishly atBichel; and Michael Klinger (9) had padded up to a delivery from Dawes that cut sharply back in at him.By this stage, the pitch was no longer proving quite as dormant as it had done previously; indeed, for the first time in the match, fleeting signs of variable bounce weregradually appearing. It was a development which must have added to the Victorians’ sense of satisfaction by the end of the day. Painstaking though their progress hasbeen, the visitors are now firmly back in this contest.

Watford are considering a move to bring Jens Petter Hauge to Vicarage Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Italian journalist Daniele Longo (via Sempre Milan), who claimed that AC Milan are open to offers for the 21-year-old left-winger this summer – and that the Hornets are strongly considering placing a bid for the Norway international.

The Rossoneri are also said to be open to a loan deal for the £9m-rated youngster, something that could also open the door to a temporary move to Vicarage Road for the former FK Bodo/Glimt star.

Giaretta must move

While Hauge has not enjoyed the best of times since making a £4.5m move to Milan last October – with the 21-year-old scoring two goals over his 18 Serie A appearances for Stefano Pioli’s side so far this season, as well as averaging a disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.62 – there is still plenty of promise waiting to be tapped in the winger.

This is evident from his performances prior to his switch to Italy, as, over his 18 Eliteserien fixtures for FK Bodo/Glimt in 2020, Hauge had scored a whopping 14 goals, registered nine assists and had created seven big chances, in addition to averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.81.

So, while there are obvious differences in standard between the Norwegian first tier and Serie A – not to mention the Premier League – there is clearly an exceptional talent hidden inside Hauge that Pioli has not managed to uncover during the winger’s time at Milan.

Indeed, with Carlo Pellegatti stating his belief that Hauge is similar in style to none less than Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min, as well as claiming that the 21-year-old is a player who possesses “ancient flavour”, it would appear highly advisable for Cristiano Giaretta to make a move for the Milan youngster this summer.

If the gamble does pay off, and Xisco Munoz can help the winger refind his form, the benefits for Watford could well be massive – both in terms of goals, creativity and, one day, financially.

In other news: Giaretta confirms huge Watford transfer news that will surely have Xisco buzzing – opinion

Impressive batting contributions from in-form pair Adrian Dale and MikePowell put Glamorgan in a satisfactory position on the second day of their CricInfo Championship match against Somerset

Richard Thomas of the South Wales Evening Post26-Apr-2001Impressive batting contributions from in-form pair Adrian Dale and MikePowell put Glamorgan in a satisfactory position on the second day of their CricInfo Championship match against Somerset.Despite being put in to bat by Jamie Cox, after the first day was a wash-out, Glamorgan finished on 330-7 with Adrian Shaw unbeaten on62.Both Powell and stand-in skipper Dale had hit the ground running last week at Northamptonshire scoring the first century and double hundred of the championship season respectively.And after a slow start – it took him 36 balls and 42 minutes to get off the mark – Powell drove well to claim his second half-century of the season.In front of England selectors Geoff Miller and David Graveney, Powell impressed before being bowled off his pads by Richard Johnson.Dale, fresh from 204 at Northampton, took over the onslaught and also passed 50 off 96 balls and included seven fours. Like Powell, Dale was bowled for 64.At the start of the day opening pair Jimmy Maher and Alun Evans built a useful platform of 65 runs before the Australia became one of four lbw victims.Evans looked well set at lunch on 41, but perished off the first ball of the afternoon when he was adjudged lbw to Steffan Jones. It heralded three more wickets in the middle session.Matthew Maynard seemed in determined mood but the ball after hookingJohnson to the long leg boundary he was trapped lbw.After Powell went, Newell fell lbw to Keith Dutch, who claimed the prized wicket of Dale after tea. But Shaw and Robert Croft added 81 before the England off-spinner was bowled by Johnson from the last ball of the day.