Rangers blow as £1.8m EBT recipient delivers great news for Celtic

Rangers blow as £1.8m EBT recipient delivers great news for Celtic

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

You might remember Christian Nerlinger. He signed for Rangers from Borussia Dortmund in 2001 and stayed at Ibrox for three years, collecting an (ultimately unlawful) EBT payment of £1.8m from Sir(!) David Murray, presumably alongside his side-letter that never was disclosed to the Scottish FA…

David Murray (L). (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

16.09.2003 Photo: imago/Ulmer Stefan Klos and Christian Nerlinger (Glasgow Rangers); Champions League 2003/2004, Glasgow Rangers, Photo Randmotiv Personen

These days Christian Nerlinger is a football agent

These days Christian Nerlinger is a football agent and Celtic star Nicolas Kuhn is one of his prized assets or clients. Nerlinger has been speaking to Daily Record about the player amid speculation linking him with a big money move as one of the European football’s top performers this season, not only domestically but also in the Champions League.

Kuhn’s form has also attracted the attention of the Germany national team manager Julian Nagelsmann who this week admitted that the Celtic winger is very much on his radar.  For Nerlinger any speculation in not an issue and he predicts that in time Celtic will turn their £3m investment in Nicolas Kuhn back in January when he was signed from Rapid Vienna, into a £25m plus fee for the club’s latest hottest asset.

Nicolas Kuhn at Rugby Park. Photo Vagelis Georgariou for The Celtic Star

“We have found a home for Nicolas at Celtic”

“The speculation is not an issue for us. We have found a home for Nicolas at Celtic,” Nicolas Kuhn’s agent Christian Nerlinger said. “We are not, never, walking out on Celtic without being together with the club because this success story was created by Celtic.

“I know from my time at Rangers it was very hard to get something out of the television rights, so, of course, they need to find these success stories – identify a player, buy him for £3million and sell him for £20-£25million – but we will do everything together with the club.

“We are very grateful for how Brendan Rodgers developed the player,” Nerlinger said.

Nicolas Kuhn runs with the ball under pressure from Amadou Haidara of RB Leipzig during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“Nicolas feels the power of this club”

“Nicolas feels the power of this club. I was in the stadium against RB Leipzig and you see the quality of the team. I know that Nicolas has total confidence in Brendan Rodgers in developing him and making him a better player, and for me as a business partner I have total trust in Michael (Nicholson, Celtic CEO) so we will take this step by step.

“Perhaps at some point there will be movement, but we will not pressurise things. It’s a massive season and we are really relaxed. We are just happy that Nicolas is at the right point, at the right time with the right manager who develops him. We are really grateful for that.

Nicolas Kuhn celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25  match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“We are more than happy with him at Celtic”

“It’s a good team. He is enjoying the philosophy of the manager and is enjoying Glasgow. We are enjoying the kind of things that are happening with Celtic and for me he is just at the right point with the right people He feels totally comfortable.

“We are more than happy with him at Celtic but we will always work and cooperate with Celtic about what is the next step. It’s a very exciting time.”

Celtic in the Thirties by Matt Corr, Volumes One & Two, Published by Celtic Star Books, November 2024.

Matt Corr’s wonderful new books, Celtic in the Thirties, Volumes One & Two are both out now on Celtic Star Books and you can order a signed copies by clicking on the links below…

Nicolas Kühn’s agent breaks silence on winger’s future amid Premier League links

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024.

Nicolas Kühn is loving life at Celtic and is not looking to leave any time soon, according to his agent Christian Nerlinger. Fulham and Brentford have recently been touted as being interested with the 24-year-old’s signature as he impresses for Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side.

The ex-Rangers midfielder told Record Sport that Kühn has found a home at Celtic and that he will only depart when it suits both parties.

“The speculation is not an issue for us. We have found a home for Nicolas at Celtic.

Nicolas Kuhn at Rugby Park.  Vagelis Georgariou for The Celtic Star

“We are not, never, walking out on Celtic without being together with the club because this success story was created by Celtic.

“I know from my time at Rangers it was very hard to get something out of the television rights, so of course they need to find these success stories – identify a player, buy him for £3million and sell him for £20-£25million – but we will do everything together with the club.”

After signing from Rapid Vienna back in January, Kühn took some time to adapt but really hit the ground running this season. The German has scored ten goals and assisted on eleven occasions in all competitions, including a brace against RB Leipzig.

Kühn was identified and signed by Celtic as one of Europe’s top creators, fitting the profile as being a youthful attacker with promising room for development.

Kühn was recently name checked by Julian Naglesmann as a potential future call up for the German National Team.

“Kuhn is also a good player with a lot of desire. He’s someone we’re keeping an eye on.

A call up would be astonishing for Kühn and it would be affirming for his efforts so far this season. Moreover, it would reflect that Celtic can attract, develop and retain top talents.

As another SPFL club heads for administration, the SFA continues to allow the Ibrox side to trade whilst insolvent. Imagine if it was Celtic?

Only a few short weeks ago, despite the best efforts of the club’s supporters, Inverness Caledonian Thistle entered into administration.

As a result, many people, including the manager, lost their jobs.

They were also hit with a 15 point deduction.

Which resulted in them plummeting to the bottom of League 1.

Today, they have been replaced at the bottom of League 1 by Dumbarton FC.

Dumbarton is one of Scotland’s oldest clubs, and has been trading continuously since 1872.

This morning, it was announced that they have also entered administration.

Their points deduction has pushed them below ICT as it has completely wiped out their tally for the 2024/25 season to date.

Late yesterday evening, the Record reported that Dumbarton were likely to enter administration.

That was followed by a report in the Sun this afternoon, confirming the news that administration was a certainty.

It’s deeply concerning that two clubs in the SPFL have entered into administration in such a short space of time.

Yet despite what has happened to Dumbarton, nobody bats an eyelid when the Ibrox club reports losses exceeding £17 million.

That’s all fine and dandy.

One rule for them, but the SFA applies the letter of the law to every other club in Scottish football.

Now, in a normal footballing landscape, you would think that a club that has recorded losses in the hundreds of millions would be taken to task by their football association, wouldn’t you?

As clubs elsewhere in the Scottish League pyramid struggle with miniscule debts in comparison, are hit with points deductions, and all the sanctions that go with entering into administration.

But no, it’s fine for the Ibrox operation to trade whilst insolvent.

Because there’s no other description for that kind of reckless behaviour.

Shouldn’t the SFA be asking themselves why clubs like Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Dumbarton are struggling the way that they are?

Are they not concerned that the very existence of one of Scotland’s oldest footballing institutions is under threat?

Remember how massively concerned they were when another club founded in 1872 went to the wall 12 years ago?

Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t save that club either.

The question is, why are clubs like Dumbarton and ICT going to the wall?

Is it down to bad governance at club level?

Or is it down to bad governance at the SFA’s level?

Well, I suppose if you allow a convicted criminal to pass a fit and proper person test to become the chairman of a football club, then that gives you an indication of what goes on in the halls of the SFA.

The simple fact is that two SPFL clubs have gone into administration within weeks of each other.

That’s not a good look for Scottish football.

Nor is it a good look that one club is allowed to post tens of millions in losses.

While all of the rest try to work within the constraints of the rulebook.

How many more clubs are going to go to the wall before someone in the SFA steps up and asks what the hell is going on?

I’ll put it this way, just imagine if Celtic were operating as recklessly as the Ibrox club?

Do you think that we would be allowed to do so without facing any kind of sanctions?

Think again, I’d say.

The SFA would use every rule in the book to make an example of us.

We are blessed to have excellent corporate governance at Celtic Park.

And I know I call out the board more than most when I feel they can do better.

But I cannot flaw the way our club operates in comparison to the basket case across the city.

There is no comparison.

And thankfully, because of that, we’ll never come close to a situation like the one we found ourselves in on a cold and bitter January day in 1994.

It makes you wonder though, how long will it be before the Ibrox club is in that kind of position again?

Will they get their act together?

Or will they go all Gung-ho and bring Steven Gerrard back if Clement leaves for Belgium, as I alluded to in this morning’s article?

We all know that Gerrard is a chequebook manager.

We also know they’re in the kind of financial position they’re in now as a result of his previous spending.

With each passing day, the idea of Gerrard returning to Ibrox grows on me more and more.

They think he’s the answer to all of their problems over there.

When in fact, he could be the one cause of even more.

Oh please, oh please, bring him home.

That said, spare a thought for the supporters of Dumbarton on this dark day.

They definitely deserve our sympathy.

Celtic’s future transfer endeavours have received airtime over the international break and Lennon Miller has cropped up as a name to watch out for.

Continuing his superb form for Motherwell this term, the 18-year-old has registered four goals and three assists in 18 appearances across all competitions.

In light of his rise as one of the most exciting talents in the Scottish Premiership, there is no surprise that Celtic have become a player in the race for Lennon Miller as his deal at Fir Park ticks down.

According to reports last week, Celtic will need to pay £4 million to land Miller as suitors start to circle for his signature. Rangers are admirers, and Liverpool could also enter the picture.

With his future the talk of Scottish football, Mark Guidi has shed some further light on what is an evolving situation.

Mark Guidi shares Lennon Miller latest amid Celtic speculation

Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show, Guidi has shared that he ‘100%’ knows that there will be interest from Germany and Spain in Miller, though he expects the Scotland Under-21 international to end up at Celtic.

He stated: “I’m sure there is interest from Italy because they do their homework; they now scour this market. I know 100% there’s interest from Germany and Spain and obviously down south.

“I’ve no doubt that Celtic and Rangers will have registered an interest, I’ve no doubt about that. I’ve got a feeling he will end up at Celtic; I think he’s definitely going to go in January, and I think he’ll be sold in January because for Motherwell, he’s hot, and he might get hotter, but you need to be careful you don’t run the risk with 18 months on his deal.

“If they’ve got a concrete guaranteed £3 million-£3.5 million with the potential for a couple of million in add-ons here and there, Motherwell have got to take that. They’ve got to; Celtic can afford that kind of fee all day long. For me, longer-term, getting someone like Lennon Miller the way he looks just now, I think £3 million to £3.5 million with add-ons would be a bargain.

“Right now if you’re asking me, I said it on Thursday night, he’s going to have four or five really good options in January, I think he’ll end up at Celtic.”

Lennon Miller would fit Celtic’s long-term vision

In the short-term, it would be hard to envisage Miller getting in front of the likes of Callum McGregor or Reo Hatate at Celtic, but looking to the future has to be an optimal stance for the Bhoys.

The club captain isn’t getting any younger despite his glowing performances this term, while potential transfer movement in the opposite direction could occur at some point further down the line.

Having the next star ready-made and in position to step in has to be the priority for Celtic, and Miller certainly fits that bill with the added carrot of being a homegrown talent.

Speculation surrounding his next move will continue to heat up over the next few months, so his situation is worth keeping an eye on for supporters.

Player admits that he spoke to Celtic this summer – “Was very sad” he couldn’t get transfer

Switzerland goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo has admitted he spoke to Celtic in the summer, before eventually remaining at FC Lorient.

Blick have an interview with the goalkeeper this week in which he discusses the various transfer options which he had on the table this summer, and those options included Celtic.

The 30-year-old found himself in an awkward position with the French side after they were relegated from Ligue 1 at the end of last season.

He made it clear he would like to depart and had offers on the table, with reports putting Celtic firmly in the mix for him.

They were said to have positioned themselves at the beginning of May, with reports after that claiming he had accepted an offer to join Brendan Rodgers’ side.

That was later denied, although interestingly in the same week that Celtic completed the signing of Kasper Schmeichel on a free transfer from RSC Anderlecht.

That removed their need for a new number one and a move for Mvogo, who eventually ended up staying at Lorient for this season.

He’s more than happy to admit there was an offer from Celtic, though, with Blick asking him directly about the Scottish champions, Parma and Augsburg.

“I’ll be honest, I was very sad about how things turned out,” he said.

“It wasn’t an easy time. I wanted to leave Lorient after relegation so that I could continue to compete and prove myself at the highest possible level. I knew it could be problematic if I played in the second division.

“Yes, there were a lot of offers. They all came relatively early. At this point I wanted to take some time with the decision. I had no idea how difficult the market would be during the summer.

“Many clubs then wanted free transfer goalies or those who could be borrowed. But I had a contract with Lorient, so a transfer fee would have been due.”

And that is perhaps why he didn’t end up at Celtic.

Kasper Schmeichel has become an almost instant fan favourite at Celtic after the Denmark international was signed to replace Joe Hart in the summer.

As one of 13 Celtic players currently on international duty, Schmeichel produced a wonder performance last night as the Hoops ‘keeper helped Denmark create history and qualify from the Nations League after a 0-0 draw with Serbia.

But it seems that Schmeichel is not without his critics in his homeland but after the Celtic star’s heroics for Denmark against Serbia, former professional players Mads Junker and David Nielsen have leapt to the defence of the 39-year-old after hearing what has been said about him recently.

Denmark can ‘count on’ Celtic ‘keeper Kasper Schmeichel after heroics vs Serbia in Nations League

Junker was capped for Denmark seven times between 2006-12 and played for Brondby, Vitesse Arnhem and Mechelen.

And when he heard people question whether or not Schmeichel should continue to be Denmark’s number one, Junker dismissed moved quickly to dismiss that opinion of the Celtic goalkeeper.

Junker told Sport TV2, ” I still don’t think there is anything to indicate that Schmeichel should not be our first goalkeeper. He comes into action early when he has an early save on Andrija Živković at the post.

“There is also one from Dusan Vlahović. I think that time and time again he shows the security that is needed down there. We can count on him to take the balls he has to take.

“There are a lot of finishes of them against Serbia that he always takes, so it’s hard to say it’s a dazzling game from Kasper Schmeichel. But he takes what comes.”

Kasper Schmeichel ‘so important’ to Denmark as Celtic hero impresses vs Serbia in Nations League

David Nielsen never managed to earn a full international cap for Denmark despite appearing 50 times from the U16-U21 level.

His playing career stretched from almost 20 years playing in Sweden, England and Denmark coupled with a 13-year career in management and even he wasn’t having any of the ‘ridiculous’ chat about the Celtic goalkeeper.

Nielsen added, “It is too ridiculous that we have to stand and spend time discussing who should be in the goal for Denmark.

“It will be Kasper who will be standing. As long as he is fit, he will be our goalkeeper, and he will be until the World Cup in 2026. Then we don’t have to ask about it anymore. I’ve seen our team stand with a different goalkeeper once, and we didn’t look like ourselves.

“He is so important to have standing down there in relation to communication. The fact that we can change that backline and that they succeed, it’s because there is someone down there and communicating.

“And no one hears or talks about that afterwards. But his communication and the way he is in his body language, it helps these players to play the game, and when you as a back line make a clean sheet, you don’t do that without a good goalkeeper.”

With the Nations League quarter-finals set to take place in March next year, if Schmeichel continues his impressive form for Celtic both domestically and in the Champions League it would be very difficult for anyone in Denmark to deny him the No 1 international jersey

Everyone and anyone seems to have had their say on how serious Aberdeen’s challenge is.

Are they in a title race with Celtic? Or is second all they can realistically achieve? Can they even do that?

There seems to have been a range of opinions between all three of these points as a series of former players and pundits give their take.

For Pittodrie boss Jimmy Thelin not of that matters right now as he tries to ensure his players and staff simply focus on the job at hand.

12 May 1990: Brian Irvine of Aberdeen celebrates after he scores the winning penalty during the Scottish Cup Final against Celtic at Hampden Park …

Aberdeen can compete with Celtic

Brian Irvine knows all about going head to head with the clubs from Glasgow in the red of Aberdeen.

A cup double-winning centre half with the Dons in the early 90s, Irvine scored the winning penalty in a shootout victory over the Hoops to seal the second part of that, the Scottish Cup.

He also finished runner up in the Scottish top flight with the club five times, so knows all about ‘splitting the Old Firm’.

But he insists it is very difficult to predict what will happen with the current squad after their flying unbeaten start to the season. He does think the question over whether they can do what he did and split the Glasgow clubs is already redundant though.

Speaking exclusively to Not the Old Firm, the ex-Pittodrie defender said: “I don’t know what they’ll do. I think the main thing is just to enjoy while the team are doing well.

“Celtic are obviously a good team and they’re not going to suddenly become a bad team. There is competition there with Aberdeen with the two teams right up clear of Rangers. I think the question ‘can we split the Old Firm’… we’ve done that already.

“Rangers have got too big a gap to catch up overnight with us, so we’ve split them. Whether we’ve got enough to win the league time will tell, but just enjoy it while things are going well.”

Aberdeen managed a 2-2 away draw against the champions in the league already this season but the next time they met they were crushed 6-0 at Hampden in a Premier Sports Cup semi-final.

That obviously has no bearing on league prospects but Irvine answered whether it could have a psychological impact.

“The next game against Celtic will be a test,” he said. “It will be at Pittodrie which is a bonus. The team can play well at Pittodrie which is a fortress this season.

“Celtic are a really good team and you can’t take that away from them but you’ve got to compete and without a doubt we can compete.

“The next game being at Pittodrie gives us a really good chance to react to that defeat. Even though it was a heavy defeat there was no difference from a 1-0 defeat, you’re still out the cup.

“So there was no damage to the league position and it was just a cup knockout in the semi-final, which was no disgrace. When it gets to that stage it’s just who does well on the day.

“I know in my experience, I think we lost 5-0 once at Parkhead and in the next game without a doubt it’s in the back of your mind.”

Three key Aberdeen players

Irvine still does some ambassadorial work for Aberdeen and gets along to plenty of the games.

Like all of the Red Army, he has been enjoying watching the team play this season.

But he has picked out three who will be key to their ongoing prospects.

Asked if there were any standouts, he said: “Yeah, the goalkeeper (Dimitar Mitov).

“He’s made crucial penalty saves which…the Ross County one was a three-pointer and then against Dundee was a crucial save. So yeah the goalkeeper has been influential.

“I think the manager has made good signings that have played their part so the recruitment has been fantastic.

“Even Kevin Nisbet, his goals have been important. The £6.8million for Miovski that’s just money in the bank because we haven’t missed him for a minute.

“There’s a whole mix in there – stability, defensive solidness, good activity in the midfield with Shinnie driving on the team. And they’ve got the forwards to score goals.”