Football: Bhoys boost as Baggies reject Prem bids for duo; LENNON SIGNS UP AT CITY GROUND: Old Bhoy joins Col's band of merry men.

Byline: By ROBERT MARTIN 

CELTIC have been given a boost with news that West Brom have turned down bids from Fulham and Birmingham City for transfer targets Jason Koumas and Diomansy Kamara.

Bhoys manager Gordon Strachan has been keeping tabs on the in-demand duo and the race to sign Welsh international midfielder Koumas and Senegal international striker Kamara is now hotting up. Birmingham had a joint bid of pounds 6million for the pair refused, while Fulham made a player-pluscash offer for them which was also rejected.

Baggies chairman Jeremy Peace, who has warned it will take "a blindingly good sum" for him to sell, values the pair at pounds 6m each.

Albion are in a strong position as Koumas and Kamara have two years remaining on their contracts.

They are keen, however, to move to the Premiership after Albion missed out on promotion via the play-offs.

But the prospect of Champions League football at Parkhead would also be appealing, providing Celtic could come up with the cash.

The club's hopes of landing Stephen Appiah, meanwhile, could be wrecked after Fenerbahce opened talks on a new deal.

Strachan was planning a pounds 5m offer for the Ghana midfielder, 26, who was a key part of the Turkish side's successful league championship bid.

German sides Schalke and Bayern Munich and Italian giants Juventus are also keen to snap him up.

But Fenerbahce do not want to lose their star player.

They are desperate for him to sign a new deal, despite his contract not expiring for two years.

Appiah said: "I am aware there are clubs who are in talks with Fenerbahce to sign me.

"I just have to be very sensible about the situation and listen to what Fenerbahce have to say because I am still contracted to them until 2009."

Lisbon Lion Billy McNeill will watch with interest how Strachan attempts to pick two from six central defenders next season.

The Celtic boss has to decide which two centre-halves among Stephen McManus, Steven Pressley, Bobo Balde, Gary Caldwell, John Kennedy and Darren O'Dea will form his defensive partnership, as they seek a third successive league title.

Former Parkhead manager McNeill, who was centre-half and skipper when Celtic became the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967, said Celtic now offers many more defensive options than when he played.

He said: "The centre of defence is an interesting area of the Celtic team and it will be interesting to see how Gordon deploys his players.

"It is unusual in that you don't often have too many centre-halves at a club, normally there are more midfield players and strikers.

"Stephen McManus has become an established first-team player, Steven Pressley has great experience and maturity, while Bobo Balde offers an enormous presence - and the other players are more than useful.

"I think McManus and Pressley have the makings of a good partnership.

"John Clark and I were the recognised pairing in the 1960s and that suited us.

"We had grown up together and we worked hard at the partnership - it didn't just fall into place.

"John Cushley was my replacement and Tommy Gemmell could adapt to centre-half but I didn't miss many games.

"Jock Stein used to keep his defence and midfield settled, it was the forwards he would change around.

"Centre-half is a very important position in any team.

"You don't see successful clubs who don't have a good central defence."

McManus (left), reportedly in talks about a new contract with Celtic, is tipped to take over the captaincy from Neil Lennon, who left at the end of last season.

McNeill believes that wearing the armband will give the 24-year-old an advantage over his defensive rivals.

He said: "I think Stephen has all the attributes to be Celtic's skipper and he will mature as he goes on.

"And if Gordon gives him the captaincy then he should be one of the first names on the team sheet - if not the first one.

"A captain needs good players around him but he also needs to be on top of his guys. You don't go on the park to be friendly with your team-mates.

"If you have to give them a verbal volley then you do it.

"He needs to make sure that they are playing even if he is not playing well himself and I think he can do that."

CAPTION(S):

IN DEMAND: Koumas