Celtic

One of the best trainers I have come accross: Barry Ferguson say £1M Celtic star simply hasn’t changed

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11 months ago

January 21, 2024

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One of the best trainers I have come accross: Barry Ferguson say £1M Celtic star simply hasn’t changed.

Barry Ferguson explains why Celtic’s Joe Hart is ‘one of the best trainers’ amid talk of his future

You would expect by the summer that Celtic will bring in another goalkeeper to either replace or challenge Joe Hart.

More than likely, with the 36-year-old’s Celtic contract expiring in the summer, he will leave and Brendan Rodgers will bring in a new face to become the outright number one.

During Joe Hart’s early years, he played alongside Barry Ferguson at Birmingham City and he stated that he was ‘one of the best trainers’, as he told Go Radio.

Barry Ferguson doesn’t think the 75-cap England international has changed over the years as he labelled him a ‘top keeper’.

There have been some iffy moments from Joe Hart this season, including in the Champions League and during the horror period in December.

But that shouldn’t overshadow the great service he has provided to Celtic following his £1 million transfer from Tottenham in 2021.

Not many can stand up and claim to be Treble winners with the Bhoys, but Joe Hart proudly has that tag, with Barry Ferguson speaking highly of the player.

Joe Hart at Celtic
“I am sure that’s an area of the pitch Celtic will look to strengthen,” said Ferguson about the goalkeeping situation at Parkhead.

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“He is having a great season. He is a really important player for Kilmarnock, who is playing in a really good team, at this moment. With Celtic, it’s a big jump.

“Would signings such as your Armstrong’s or Shankland’s, guys that are actually doing it in the league, are they less of a risk? I think they are. But teams like Celtic and Rangers seem to overlook teams that are performing within our league.

“But you are right. Armstrong has had a brilliant season. There is no doubt that he is performing so consistently, probably more consistent than the Celtic wingers, at this moment in time.”

Celtic FC v Livingston FC – Cinch Scottish Premiership

Danny Armstrong isn’t needed at Celtic
That’s not the type of player the club now needs or would push for. As mentioned above, if Celtic are looking inside this league to sign a player, then it’s probably someone like Shankland or Aberdeen’s Bojan Miovski.

And even then, those two divide opinion with the fanbase.

When it comes to dominating on the domestic stage, the team have done it down to a tee for years and years now and it’s a case of carrying that on.

Where the club wants and needs to take the next step is in Europe. And that’s where the question needs to be asked is, if the above players would do that and the simple answer is, no.

AND ALSO

Rodgers could supercharge Palma as Celtic eye swoop for £2.8k-p/w whiz

The Scottish giants are reportedly interested in a deal to snap up the young defender.

palma-celtic-champions-league-rodgers-johnston
Celtic officially completed their first piece of incoming business during the January transfer window on Tuesday as they announced the signing of Nicolas Kuhn.

The 24-year-old forward has been signed from Austrian side Rapid Wien on a five-and-a-half-year deal for a reported to be within the region of £3m.

23/24 Bundesliga

Nicolas Kuhn (via Sofascore)

Appearances

Goals

Two

Assists

Five

Big chances created

Sofascore rating

7.22

There are still around two weeks left to go before the window slams shut and the Hoops are reportedly in the market to make further additions to their squad.

Football Insider recently reported that Brendan Rodgers would like to bring in three signings on top of the deal to snap Kuhn up from Austria.

The former Leicester City boss has identified three other positions that need to be addressed; goalkeeper, left-back, and centre-forward ahead of the second half of the campaign.

Celtic’s search for a left-back
According to FootballScotland, the Hoops are interested in a swoop to sign impressive young full-back Owen Beck from Premier League side Liverpool.

The report claims that the talented youngster, who spent the first half of the season on loan with Dundee, has been on the club’s radar since October.

It states that the Bhoys remain keen on a deal for the Reds academy graduate but look set to be made to wait as Jurgen Klopp weighs up the best way to go about dealing with his left-back situation.

jürgen-klopp-liverpool
Kostas Tsimikas and Andrew Robertson are currently out injured and this has left the German head coach with a dearth of options in that position, which has forced Joe Gomez to be deployed there in recent weeks.

Liverpool recalled Beck from his loan spell from Dundee to provide much-needed cover for their first-team. However, FootballScotland add that the Europa League side could send him back out on loan if Robertson or Tsimikas return before the end of the month.

This suggests that Celtic could have an opportunity to snap up the Welsh dynamo to bolster their left-hand side before the transfer window slams shut, if they remain patient.

A potential issue with that is that the Hoops could wait until near deadline day and then be left scrambling around to sign an alternative if Liverpool ultimately decide that they would rather keep Beck at Anfield until the end of the season.

The report also claims that fellow Scottish side Glasgow Rangers are also eyeing up the 21-year-old prospect, which means that there could be competition to land his signature if he does become available for a loan or permanent transfer.

If Rodgers and Celtic are able to snap up Beck to add to their left-back options before the window slams shut, the Liverpool whiz could supercharge current Hoops forward Luis Palma.

Luis Palma’s outstanding start to life in Scotland
The Honduras international has made 21 of his 22 Celtic appearances on the left flank and this means that he would line up ahead of the Reds youngster in the team.

Palma joined from Aris ahead of the 2023/24 campaign after an impressive season with the Greek side as a scorer of goals from the flank.

oriley-Celtic-premiership-champions-league-rodgers-atletico
He produced 11 goals and four assists in 20 league appearances for the club and that convinced the Hoops to swoop to secure his services last summer.

Since his move to Parkhead, the 24-year-old whiz has been electric on the wing for the Scottish giants with his ability to score and create goals at an excellent rate.

Only three players – David Turnbull (seven), Kyogo Furuhashi (eight), and Matt O’Riley (ten) – have scored more Scottish Premiership goals than Palma (five) for Celtic this season.

Meanwhile, no Hoops player has provided more assists than the impressive forward (nine) as he has been Rodgers’ biggest creative threat at the top end of the pitch.

The former Aris star has racked up nine assists, 11 ‘big chances’ created, and 3.4 key passes per game across 17 appearances and 14 starts in the top-flight so far.

Palma is capable of the spectacular and has been a consistent contributor in the final third. However, Rodgers could supercharge his star forward by signing Beck to bolster the attacking quality down the left flank.

Why Beck could help to supercharge Palma
The 21-year-old whiz is already a proven Premiership performer, thanks to his loan spell with Dundee, and could hit the ground running at Parkhead as he already knows the division and has performed to a high level in it.

Beck caught the eye with his marauding displays down the left wing for the Scottish outfit as he showcased his quality in and out of possession.

beck-liverpool-rangers-transfer-clement-yilmaz
Defensively, the £2.8k-per-week talent produced consistently solid performances with 2.9 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per match. No current Celtic full-back has averaged more than 2.1 tackles or 0.4 interceptions per game in the Premiership this season.

This suggests that the Liverpool prodigy could cut out more opposition attacks to win possession back for his side in comparison to the likes of Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor, which could create more counter-attacking opportunities for Palma to stretch his legs and cause havoc in transition with his creative brilliance.

Beck, who was once hailed as “spectacular” by scout Jacek Kulig, could also provide quality in possession and help the winger by offering a threat at the top end of the pitch that could attract more attention from opposition defenders and open up more space for the right-footed left forward to cut inside.

23/24 Premiership

Owen Beck

Greg Taylor

Touches per game

55.5

99.5

Key passes per game

2.0

1.9

Crossing accuracy

31%

15%

Dribbles completed per game

1.4

0.6

As you can see in the table above, the former Dundee star created more chances, completed more dribbles, and was far more effective as a crosser despite almost having half as many touches of the ball per match as Taylor.

Imagine what Beck could do if he had 44 more touches per game for Celtic than he had during the first half of the season in the Premiership.

His attacking output could be staggering and that is another reason why the Hoops target could supercharge Palma as the left-back could create a high volume of chances for the winger to add to his goal tally and climb the ranks within the squad, ahead of the likes of Turnbull, Kyogo, and O’Riley.

Daniel is an experienced football writer and editor, having worked in the football media industry for almost a decade.

After initially writing for Fresh Press as a volunteer for two years in 2015, helping to build and establish the Read brand, Daniel started a part-time job with Fresh Press that later turned into a full-time writing and editing role.

Daniel then spent just shy of a year writing and editing for Anfield Watch, which included conducting and/or transcribing interviews with Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, former Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa, and journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Since the summer of 2021, Daniel has worked for Snack Media and been a contributor to Football FanCast, on a freelance and full-time basis along the way, as a writer and editor.

Daniel is also a big Norwich City fan and season ticket holder. He has been heard on BBC Norfolk and helped DAZN with research for their commentary due to his knowledge of the club, along with being featured in several local papers across the country, including the Coventry Telegraph and the Liverpool Echo, for Norwich-related content.

‘Even better in scotland’: What those inside Rapid Vienna have said about Nicolas Kuhn joining Celtic

What those inside Rapid Vienna have said about Nicolas Kuhn joining Celtic

Celtic have got Nicolas Kuhn through the doors after he was announced as the club’s first January signing on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old adds to the strong and bulked-up wide positions Brendan Rodgers can pick from at Celtic, with the manager expressing his thoughts on the deal.

Celtic return, Hamish says goodbye and the future of 67 Hail Hail
It has been suggested that the Scottish Premiership champions are paying Rapid Vienna ‘£3 million’ for the services of their ‘dynamic’ player.

The club itself spoke very highly of Nicolas Kuhn upon departure, as they posted on their club website, describing him as a ‘valuable’ player.

Rapid’s Managing Director Markus Katzer added how he hopes their departed player can ‘demonstrate his undoubtedly huge potential even better in Scotland than here’.

After previously being at Ajax and Bayern Munich, Nicolas Kuhn played 51 matches in total for the Austrian side scoring seven goals and supplying ten assists.

And now he will be hoping to win some much-needed trophies, with Markus Katzer adding that the player ‘really wanted to take this next step in his career’.

From Rapid Vienna to Celtic
“With Nicolas Kühn we are leaving a valuable player who I personally and on behalf of our club would like to wish only the best for the future,” said Katzer

Brendan Rodgers now delivers message to the younger players in his Celtic squad

Fed up Danny Murphy explains why he can’t watch Celtic vs Rangers anymore
Fed up Danny Murphy explains why he can’t watch Celtic vs Rangers anymore

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‘He can’: Brendan Rodgers reacts to Nicolas Kuhn signing, hints at how Celtic will use him

“I hope he can demonstrate his undoubtedly huge potential even better in Scotland than here.

“Nic really wanted to take this next step in his career. Since the conditions were ultimately right for us, we complied with his request for a change.”

Fiorentina v SK Rapid Wien – Conference League: Play-Off

Nicolas Kuhn fitting in at Celtic
The squad are now getting back together after the winter break and it’s a Scottish Cup tie against Buckie Thistle straight up.

This will be Kuhn’s chance to make an early impression, although, fans won’t get to see his true value until a few more outings.

With Daizen Maeda away on national duty, the likes of James Forrest and Mikey Johnston simply not good enough to start.

If Kuhn can impress pretty much straight away, then it won’t be too long before he is named in the starting XI.

Celtic and Rangers ‘enter race’ with three Premier League clubs to sign Scotland under-21 international

The Bristol City forward continues to enhance his growing reputation south of the border

Lewis Anderson
Celtic and Rangers have entered the race along with three Premier League clubs in the battle to land Bristol City striker Tommy Conway, according to reports.

Football Insider claim the two Glasgow clubs are ‘tracking’ the Scotland under-21 international following his breakthrough season with the EFL Championship outfit last term.

Conway has emerged on the radar of several top clubs including English top-flight trio Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Brentford this month after netting eight goals so far this campaign despite missing over two months of action through injury.

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The 21-year-old, who is eyeing a place in Steve Clarke’s Euro 2024 Scotland squad, scored the match-winner for the Robins as they knocked West Ham out of the FA Cup following a third-round replay at Ashton Gate last night.

Conway has 18 months remaining on his current deal at Bristol City, where he has spent his entire career to date having joined their academy system at the age of seven. He previously had two separate loan spells at non-league sides Yate Town and Bath City.

Since making his senior debut in 2021, the Scotsman has found the net 21 times and contributed five assists in 71 appearances across all competitions. He has captained Scotland’s under-21s on two occasions in international friendlies.

Celtic transfer state of play on Beck, Carter Vickers and Kelleher as van Hooijdonk edges closer to Bologna exit

The Hoops could be busy in the second half of the January transfer window with many names linked to them.

Dundee’s Owen Beck (L) and Celtic’s Daizen Maeda in action
Dundee’s Owen Beck (L) and Celtic’s Daizen Maeda in action

Brendan Rodgers will need to play the waiting game if he wants Liverpool duo Owen Beck and Caoimhin Kelleher.

The Irishman is keen to bolster his Parkhead ranks after securing winger Nicolas Kuhn from Rapid Vienna. A left-back looks likely to be on the agenda and Beck has been linked after starring on loan at Dundee in the first half of this term. He has been recalled by the Reds amid injury problems at Anfield but with stars like Andy Robertson returning, Rodgers could pounce on Beck being made available again.

Jurgen Klopp’s side “won’t make any final decision on Beck’s immediate future until nearer the end of the month.” according to Football Scotland. And there is set to be disappointment in pursuit of Kelleher, as goalkeeper comes into the light with Joe Hart’s future as Celtic number one up for debate. Kelleher has been told though, According to the Liverpool Echo, he won’t be leaving mid-season.

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6 left backs linked to Celtic as Brendan Rodgers eyes ticking off the next transfer priority.

That said, Rodgers “may renew” his interest in the summer. Sydney van Hooijdonk is another linked with making a move to Celtic and the son of Hoops hero Pierre is being edged closer to Bologna’s exit door.

According to Tuttomercato, Santiago Castro is close to a Serie A move that would put the Dutchman behind him and Joshua Zirkzee in the pecking order. He has ‘admirers’ in Serie B and the Eredivisie.

One man Rodgers dare not sell is Cameron Carter-Vickers. The USA international is believed to be attracting the interest of Premier League sides including West Ham, and David Moyes has issued a Hammer transfer update amid the centre-back rumours.

He said: “We’ll try and do some business. There’s undoubtedly a desire from the club to try and do something, from me and everybody there. The next part is can we get the right players to fall in and get ones who can come in and help just now.”

Brendan Rodgers refuses to write off Celtic summer transfers as 2 emerging stars name checked

The Hoops boss believes his summer additions can still come good

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers has refused to write off any of his summer signings and insists players always require time to adapt.

Celtic splurged more than £20million during the close season but have yet to see a return for their money. Luis Palma is the only arrival who has established himself as a regular, while Paulo Bernardo has only recently forced his way into the fold. But the likes of Gustaf Lagerbielke, Yang, Kwon, Odin Thiago Holm and Marco Tilio have struggled to impress, forcing Rodgers to seek further reinforcements in January.

The Hoops boss has made it clear that he’s craving “quality” this month and used the term to describe the £2.8m addition of Rapid Vienna winger Nicolas Kuhn. A new left-back and striker are also on his wishlist, but Rodgers believes his summer captures can still come good, citing the example of Liam Scales who has emerged from the shadows this season.

Celtic vs Rangers ‘unwatchable’ with no away fans as English pundit slams lack of needlefootballscotland
Watch as stunned Nicolas Kuhn blown away by Celtic Park as new signing walks out for first timefootballscotland
Asked where the Premiership leaders can improve in the second-half of the season, Rodgers told Celtic TV: “Well, I think the consistency is the main one.

I’ve been absolutely delighted to work with the players, good guys. We lost some important players and obviously a lot of younger players that had come in and will take a wee bit of time to adapt.

“Some of those have begun to emerge, the likes of Liam Scales. He’s not a young player, of course, but he came into the team and has done great. Paulo Bernardo, this last period, has settled in very well. But that’s how long it can sometimes take for a young player coming from a different country, different culture and different expectations.

“It’s been great to see the likes of them coming through. For me, it’s just that consistency and mentality and that will hopefully spread into that performance level. We’ve seen that in the last four games, we’ve been much more like what we’ve been.

“We’ve had other really good performances, Atletico Madrid at home, we were very clinical against Aberdeen. In the second half of the season, we can continue to grow and development the mindset of the players and team and look to have a really exciting second part to the season.”

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Danny Murphy brutally snubs Celtic triumph over Rangers as he claims iconic fixture is now UNWATCHABLE

The former Liverpool star turned pundit could barely hide his disdain for the fixture in its current guise in a radio admission.

Unimpressed Danny Murphy has claimed he has been turned off by Celtic facing Rangers due to away fans being in absentia from Scottish football’s marquee fixture.

The former Liverpool star turned pundit could barely hide his disdain for the fixture in its current guise where away supporters have been locked out amid ongoing acrimony from both which started in 2018 and has festered ever since. Murphy’s ire came amid renewed hope over the potential return of travelling supporters to one of the world’s most heralded derbies. But Record Sport understands the lockout could remain place for the final two Premiership derbies unless compromises are made during these fresh discussions.

And a downbeat Murphy – speaking on talkSPORT – refused to sugar-coat his viewing experience of a fixture he once adored : “I’ll give you a quick example. The last game they had, I put in for…15, 20 minutes? I can probably be honest enough to say the reason I turned it over was because of the lack of fan involvement from each other. It just felt unwatchable, it was weird. I think that’s it (the needle missing).”

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Celtic and Rangers both used to serve up around 7,500 travelling tickets to away fans with those of a green and white persuasion insistent their dominance at Ibrox forced their rivals into retreat.

Rangers claim added fan buzz over Steven Gerrard’s arrival led to a change of tact with both, at best, taking a smattering of away fans before the acrimony escalated and visiting fans were on the outside looking in.

Celtic transfer ‘collapses’ as club ‘turn attentions’ to Liverpool player

The Hoops goalkeeper’s proposed move to Austrian side Sturm Graz has fallen through

Celtic goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist looks set to stay at Parkhead for the time being after a proposed loan move to Sturm Graz collapsed following their decision to turn attentions elsewhere.

The Hoops’ third-choice stopper has made just two competitive appearances for the Scottish champions since joining the club from Dundee United in the summer of 2022 under Ange Postecoglou, featuring in last season’s League Cup campaign.

31-year-old Siegrist was reportedly close to joining the Austrian side in search of more regular game time but the Daily Record claim that club officials “are now considering Liverpool goalkeeper Vitezlav Jaros as an alternative”.

It was suggested that Sturm Graz has been working on a deal for the Swiss keeper for almost a month but have now decided to pursue other targets.

Siegirst finds himself behind current No.1 Joe Hart and understudy Scott Bain in the pecking order, with Bain featuring earlier this season when Hart was ruled out through suspension. He was expected to depart the club last summer but a managerial change prevented him from cutting short his frustrating spell at Parkhead.

However, Brendan Rodgers now looks ready to move some fringe players on and free up some funds to invest in new arrivals. Siegrist was brought in to challenge for the number one jersey after impressing during his time at Tannadice, but his decision to join Celtic over a number of other transfer options hasn’t worked out.

Celtic confirm their first January deal

Celtic have announced the transfer of Yosuke Ideguchi to Vissel Kobe, the club that supplied the hoops with Kyogo Furuhashi and Yuki Kobayashi.

Two years ago the midfielder joined Celtic alongside Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda but a nasty injury on his debut away to Alloa Athletic in the Scottish Cup effectively grounded his Celtic career before it had started. Matt O’Riley made his debut in the next fixture, away to Hearts.

Billed as a holding midfielder with a previous stint in Europe at Leeds United, Ideguchi found that position barely existed at Celtic where they enjoy 70% possession in many domestic matches. James McCarthy and Oliver Abildgaard suffered similar fates.

It appears that Celtic have received a 1m euros fee for the midfielder, the same fee that they paid to Gamba Osaka two years ago. With exchange rate fluctuations there may be a small profit or loss.

Yosuke Ideguchi has today joined J.League Champions, @visselkobe on a permanent transfer.

Best of luck, Yosuke! ? pic.twitter.com/GyISkx307T

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 9, 2024

Ideguchi made five substitute appearances in his ‘debut’ season and spent the 2023 J-League season on loan at Avispa Fukuoka where he was short listed for the Player of the Year Award.

Further departures are expected from Celtic but it has been a slow start, incoming and outgoing, start to the January window.

Shaun Maloney sends clear Celtic message live on ITV during FA Cup coverage

Celtic favourite Shaun Maloney is now trying his hand at doing his talking from the dugout as manager of Wigan Athletic.

The League One side were in FA Cup action on Monday night when they had the difficult task of trying to pile more misery on Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United, but ultimately, it ended in a 2-0 defeat.

When Shaun Maloney was a player, fans witnessed his magic on the ball, especially during his two spells at Celtic.

But you could understand if ‘the happiest’ moment of his career came when he did the unthinkable and won the FA Cup with Wigan in 2012 when they beat Manchester City in the final at Wembley.

Prior to the Man United game, the former winger was keen to express the difference in ‘relentless’ pressure when you are at Celtic compared to other clubs he played for.

Shaun Maloney stated that the pressure isn’t to win trophies when he is at Wigan, but it’s ‘different’ when you are at Celtic, as he told ITV Sport.

Five league titles, and other honours, speak for themselves because he was successful during his time at Parkhead and now he is hoping to continue that success as a manager.

Celtic pressure

“It’s probably the happiest I have been on the pitch,” said Maloney about winning the FA Cup with Wigan.

“I think when you join Wigan. Normally, trophies aren’t the first thing that come to mind, especially when you are in the Premier League. But it’s probably the happiest I have ever been. It’s just pure joy.

“When you are with Celtic, it’s different. The pressure is relentless. This was just utter joy.”

Celtic dominating Scotland

Undoubtedly, the tide has been going one way and one way only for over a decade now.

Brendan Rodgers has played a huge part in that and hopes to go down the same road again this season.

Even though there have been ups and downs, the team are sitting top of the tree and the talking has been done in the big games, as was proven during the 2-1 win over Rangers.

This mini break was probably much-needed given the heavy schedule the team has had to face this season and you would expect the best form of the season to now come to the fore during the second half of the campaign.

Celtic transfer reported to Fifa, Rangers offered £10m for striker, Hibs prepare for new signing…

The latest January transfer news involving Scottish Premiership clubs

Rangers have been linked with Nottingham Forest striker Emmanuel Dennis. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Rangers blow in winger pursuit

Rangers may have to wait until the summer to land Vitesse Arnhem winger Million Manhoef amid reports that the Eredivisie club are not prepared to let him leave before the end of the season. The highly-rated Dutch Under-21 international has been linked with a move to Ibrox this January in a £2.5million deal. However, according to reports in Der Gerlander, Vitesse are prepared to “veto” any move for their player as they feel it would consign them to relegation. The article also claims club bosses reckon the 22-year-old could earn them a larger transfer fee in the summer with his contract not expiring until 2025.

Celtic transfer reported to Fifa

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The deal that brought Luis Palma to Celtic from Greek side Aris Saloniki has been reported to Fifa by his previous club Vida over unpaid fees. The Honduran winger has been a big hit at the Scottish champions with seven goals and nine assists in 22 appearances since making the £3.5 move in the summer. Aris signed Palma in 2019 in a deal reported to be worth €200,000 with a 35 per cent sell-on clause. Vida insist they are still owed money from the original transfer, as well as the move to Celtic, and have taken the dispute to Fifa. Club president Luis Cruz said: “The first transfer for Luis Palma was for €200,000 and we built in a 35 per sell-on fee. But we did not receive any payment after his transfer to Celtic. Celtic bought Luis for €4.8 m £4.1m), we know that. I told Luis when he was leaving us not to go to the club in Greece and I had arranged a transfer to a club in Portugal instead, but his agent insisted he go to Aris. They haven’t paid us the full amount from the first transfer either and the sell-on fee which has hurt us financially a great deal. In total, they owe us around £50,000 from the original transfer and the sell-on. We have been left with no alternative but to take the matter to FIFA. We are happy that Luis has been a big success at Celtic, but for this club to survive, we need this money. To keep a club afloat, we have to do this. I had to delay payments and reduce salaries because of this.”

Josh Doig set for Torino move

Josh Doig’s touted move to Rangers appears dead in the water with reports in Italy claiming the left-back is close to joining Torino. The former Hibs defender looks set to depart Hellas Verona in the January window and, according to Calciomercato, he is poised to remain in Serie A after reaching a verbal agreement over a move to Turin. Doig played just over 70 minutes in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Inter Milan at the San Siro amid transfer speculation linking the Scotland Under-21 international with a £5.2m departure. Verona could move for Rangrs left-back Ridvan Yilmaz as a replacement for Doig with the Turkish international said to be a target for the Italians. Rangers remain in the market for a left-back and have been linked with Kai Wagner (Philadelphia Union), Gijs Smal (FC Twente), and Fredrik Oppegard (PSV Eindhoven).

Rangers offered £10m striker

Rangers are weighing up a proposal to sign Nottingham Forest striker Emmanuel Dennis. The 26-year-old is currently on loan with Turkish Super Lig side Basaksehir FK but the move has not worked out with Dennis failing to find the net in eight appearances. Forest are prepared to recall the Nigerian international if they can negotiate a move elsewhere. According to transfer journalist Sacha Tavolieri, he has been offered to Rangers but, as things stand, no official approach has been made. Dennis, who cost Forest a reported £10m when he joined from Watford in 2022, is no stranger to current Rangers boss Philippe Clement. He scored 10 goals in 46 games playing under the Belgian during his time at Club Brugge prior to earning a move to the English Premier League. Dennis is said to be ‘interested’ in the potential Ibrox reunion.

Hibs ‘primed’ for new arrival

Hibs are said to be closing on first signing of the January transfer window in the shape of Leeds United defender Kris Moore. The 20-year old, who can play at both right-back and centre-back, has yet to make the senior breakthrough at Elland Road but has been impressing for the club’s Under-21 side. According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Moore is ‘primed’ to complete his move to Easter Road on a loan deal until the end of the season. With Chris Cadden out injured and Lewis Miller away at the Asian Cup with Australia, Hibs manager Nick Montgomery is keen to bolster his options at right-back.

Rangers and Celtic linked with ‘next Paulo Maldini’ as £6m left-back available for cut-price transfer

Reports in Italy have linked with Old Firm with the impressive left-back

Gijs Smal has been linked with Celtic and Ranger

Rangers have been linked with a move for Ca Dutch left-back who has been compared to Paolo Maldini – weeks after he was first mooted with a switch to Celtic.

Once in every while, Celtic and Rangers manage to snag a cheap player who goes on to achieve huge things in football; Gennaro Gattuso, Henrik Larsson, Virgil van Dijk, the list goes on. And, whilst there haven’t been many of those in the past couple of years, the standing and reputation of the two Glaswegian giants always allows for top talents to be linked with a move to the second city as a result of their footballing exploits.

With defensive reinforcements needed for both clubs if they are to increase their standing in European football, the European market is something that both clubs generally tap into to find potential bargains and increase their value on the domestic scene.

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And according to reports in the Netherlands, Ibrox has emerged as a possible destination for FC Twente left-back Gijs Smal, with the defender being dubbed ‘the new Maldini’.

Smal is out of contract in the summer, though with Borna Barisic not getting any younger and the jury still out on Ridvan Yilmaz, there could well be a vacancy in the left-back rank which Smal has been tipped to take over, alongside Josh Doig of Verona who has been touted for a ‘swap deal’ for Yilmaz.

‘Smaldini’, which he has been coined with due to his similarities to AC Milan legend Paolo, signed for Twente aged 23, and racked up an outstanding 10 assists last season for the former Eredivisie champions.

He was valued at £6million last season but will leave in the summer on a free transfer, though if a club stumps up a fee this month they will be able to land him early to avoid competition for his signing – which Twente transfer chief Arnold Bruggink opened up over.

He said: “Of course we would very much like it if Gijs signed a new deal with us. But both parties have to want that. And we have to be realistic about that part of his future sadly.”

Celtic were linked with a move last month given Bernabei’s poor start to life in the green and white shirt, though he would have to contend for game time with Greg Taylor.

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Celtic Loan Bhoy Dumped Out of FA Cup

Celtic loanee Haksabanovic and his Stoke side faced a stern test against Premier League outfit Brighton in the FA Cup on Saturday, a challenge that ultimately saw them knocked out following a 4-2 defeat.

For the 24-year-old winger, the game was a chance to showcase his talents on a larger stage. Starting in the line-up, Haksabanovic was in the thick of the action for 58 minutes until he was pulled off with Stoke trailing 2-1.

Despite the loss, the outing was another opportunity for him to gain valuable match fitness and experience, adding to his 12 appearances this season. It’s worth noting, however, that his journey this term hasn’t been all smooth, with an earlier injury sidelining him and disrupting his rhythm.

Signed by Ange Postecoglou, Haksabanovic arrived at Celtic with a promising aura but never quite managed to cement his place in the team. Brendan Rodgers made the decision to send Sead out on loan, a move that spoke volumes about his immediate future with the Bhoys.

Now, half way through the season and next summer looming, his return to Celtic Park is on the horizon.

What lies ahead for Haksabanovic in the green and white?

His time away, marked by a mix of individual growth and collective disappointment, doesn’t paint the clearest picture. As things stand, Haksa’s Celtic career feels like it’s on its final leg. Rodgers has spoke about shaping the team in his image and Sead clearly isn’t in his plans.

Celtic transfer bulletin as Paulo Bernardo permanent deal ‘dangled’ and Tiago Araujo progress update

Bernardo has been one of Celtic’s key men recently but is he at Parkhead to stay?

Goal hero Paulo Bernardo

Paulo Bernardo has a permanent Celtic move dangling in front of him – and has been challenged to reach out and grab it.

The on-loan Benfica midfielder has grown into a prominent starting role under Brendan Rodgers after a peripheral start to life at Parkhead. Dubbed as the man to step into Jota’s shoes as the new superstar from Portugal in Glasgow’s east end, he started just two of the first 18 league games. But after forcing his way into the team against Livingston, he started the final four before the winter break, scoring twice and picking up a brace of assists against St Mirren for good measure.

He’ll be a key man in the second part of the season and there is already clamour from fans to see him signed up permanently with Celtic holding an option to purchase him as part of the loan agreement. And that’s something Paul Lambert would like to see them trigger…if he can keep his form up.

Lambert told The Celtic Way: “The carrot being dangled in front of Bernardo now is that the next five months will determine whether he wins a permanent contract at Celtic or not. If he does well and both parties agree then he will sign the deal. If he doesn’t then Brendan will need to decide on what he wants to do with him.

“In the last few games, Bernardo has started to get going a bit but he has to sustain those levels from now until May.

“Whether you are a young player at Celtic coming through the ranks, or just a young player or an experienced player, the one thing that this club teaches you is that you have to win. You have to win at every level. If you don’t have that feeling of winning, you crave it. It is like a drug. You always need it. It gives you a great grounding.

“If you do happen to move on from Celtic to pastures new then players quickly find out that there are not many clubs like it. The demands that are placed on Celtic players are incredible. That feeling of having to win games is ever-present at Celtic. The fan base demands that you win football matches. The lessons you learn at Celtic stand you in good stead whenever you do leave the club.

Michael Beale fires Rangers and Celtic potshot as Sunderland boss swipes at derbies that ‘don’t let the fans in’

Beale reckons derbies with both sets of fans are what ‘keeps football going’ as he aimed a veiled dig at Rangers and Celtic.

Michael Beale was on the losing end of a derby defeat to Newcastle

Michael Beale took a veiled dig at Rangers and Celtic over the ongoing away allocation deadlock – with a pop at derbies that ‘don’t let the fans in.’

Beale bounced back from his sacking at Ibrox to swiftly land the Sunderland job and it’s been a rocky start for him at the Stadium of Light.

He was in the dugout for Saturday’s heavily anticipated Tyne-Wear derby with Newcastle in the FA Cup, with the Magpies running out comfortable 3-0 winners.

The atmosphere was electric as 6,000 Geordies sat in the away section and made their voices head in the 49,000 sellout crowd. And it was something Beale was keen to celebrate despite his side’s disappointing defeat. Beale was in the dugout for six Old Firm derbies during his time in Glasgow but only two of them, at Hampden, had a significant number of both sets of fans in attendance.

That’s because of the ongoing feud between Rangers and Celtic with neither club currently allowing away supporters in at Ibrox or Parkhead.

And that wasn’t lost on Beale as he told beIN Sports after the game: “The noise in the stadium today was absolutely fantastic. Some derbies, we don’t allow the fans in, and I’ve had that both in Brazil and Scotland. So to have the derby with some opponents’ fans in and the fans working off each other, that’s what keeps football going.”

Video: Celtic loanee scores cracker for Dunfermline at Hampden

Celtic winger Ben Summers scored a cracking goal for Dunfermline last night. The 19-year-old joined the Fife side on a season-long loan to get first team football under James McPake and if he keeps scoring goals like this, he’ll get on Brendan’s radar.

Queen’s Park 2-1 Dunfermline

🗣️ “It’s a cracker, an absolute beauty, from Ben Summers.”

⚽️ Out of nothing Dunfermline are back in the match.

📺 Watch on the BBC Scotlang channel pic.twitter.com/fpyg0LTKuD

— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) January 5, 2024

Since moving to East End Park, Summers has made 11 appearances, scoring twice and assisting twice. The Championship is a betterer route for young players as opposed to the B Team in the Lowland League.

Born just as Celtic were stopping the Ten, Lubo98 follows Celtic home and away and helps run his local Celtic Supporters Club. He goes to all the games and is a Law Graduate. Has a particular fondness for Tom Rogic among the current Celts and both Lubo and Henrik form his earliest Celtic memories.

‘Fantastic’ Liverpool player has turned down the chance to join Celtic in January

Brendan Rodgers’s Celtic are interested in signing Owen Beck from Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the January transfer window.

That is according to The Athletic, which has suggested Beck’s stance on a potential move to Celtic Park.

So, what has been reported about Celtic, Liverpool and Owen Beck? Let’s take a look.

Celtic linked with Liverpool left-back Owen Beck

Well, according to The Athletic, Celtic are among the clubs who are interested in signing Owen Beck from Liverpool in the January transfer window.

The report has claimed that Celtic, who won the Scottish Premiership title last season and are managed by former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, have been keen on a permanent deal for Beck.

The 21-year-old left-back spent the first half of the season on loan at Dundee from Liverpool. He is now back at his parent club.

The Athletic has noted that Celtic want(ed) to sign the youngster to “upgrade their competition at left-back”, but Beck “would have faced a fight to play so they were ruled out”.

MORE CELTICSC STORIES

Liverpool FC recall Beck
Dundee Football Club can confirm that Liverpool have recalled Owen Beck and his loan with Dundee has ended.
Owen signed on loan for Dundee in the summer and quickly became an important player for The Dee putting in fantastic performances.
His great… pic.twitter.com/xU7pEYzchH

— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) January 1, 2024

View Tweet

Beck did well during his spell at Dundee, who have described his performances as “fantastic” and admitted that he “will be greatly missed”.

The Athletic has reported that Rangers manager Philippe Clement personally want(ed) to sign the left-back in the January transfer window.

Coventry City, Stoke City, Millwall and Hull City all have made enquires about a loan deal for Beck, but Liverpool have decided that he will be part of manager Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad due to injuries to Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson. He is rated highly by Klopp.

My View: Future bright for Owen Beck

In my opinion, the future of Owen Beck is bright. That he is going to play for the Liverpool first team in the second half of the season shows how good he is.

Beck did well during his loan spell at Dundee. The left-back made 17 appearances in the Scottish Premiership. He scored two goals and gave two assists in those games.

Celtic and Rangers are massive clubs and interest from them in Beck underlines how highly he is rated in the footballing community.

Sky Sport update; Celtic and Rangers transfer news as Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt wanted now

Celtic and Rangers transfer news as Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt now wanted

Leeds United ace Joe Gelhardt has been attracting interest from Scottish giants Rangers and Celtic in the January transfer window, according to the Daily Mail.

The newspaper reported via their website on 8 January that the Leeds man is wanted by both Old Firm clubs amid speculation that he could quit Elland Road this month.

Gelhardt has found game time difficult to come by so far this season, having made just six Championship appearances under Daniel Farke, but both Scottish clubs are in need of reinforcements up front in January.

Loan or permanent

It is not disclosed in the report whether the interest in Gelhardt would be on a loan or permanent move, but a report from The Athletic [21 December] shared that the striker would be open to a loan exit from Elland Road in January if the right deal presented itself.

Leeds, however, may be looking for a permanent solution to his playing issue, to offload the striker and bring in some money as well as get his wages off the books in a bid for greater financial security following last season’s relegation.

That same report from The Athletic shared the news that Gelhardt has been told by Leeds that he will remain at the club through the January transfer window, but the right offer from either Rangers or Celtic could prove tempting.

Gelhardt could be made the main man in Glasgow, with both sides in need of attacking reinforcements to strengthen their title bid, which could tempt him to push through the move to Scotland in the next month if Leeds prove unwilling to let him leave.

Ange Postecoglou flies into unusual rage at Tottenham as he is held in the dugout

Ange Postecoglou loses cool in uncharacteristic Tottenham fury as he’s held back in dugout

The Austalian was usually placid on the dugout at Celtic Park but showed his angry side

Ange Postecoglou was fuming with the Bournemouth bench

Ange Postecoglou cuts a routinely cool figure in the dugout as Tottenham just as he did at Celtic Park.

But earlier this afternoon, during his side’s 3-1 victory over Bournemouth in the Premier League, the Australian lost that cool in a touchline bust-up with the Cherries staff. Postecoglou was livid at the visitors in London after Alejo Véliz picked up a knock during the game. The striker remained on the deck and Bournemouth’s players seemingly played on, perhaps by advice from their coaches, and that left the 58-year-old raging and he made his feelings known.

Ange had to be held back by players on his own side as well as his coaching staff as he made a beeline towards Andoni Iraola’s dugout.

The former Hoops boss was pointing fingers as he raged but was eventually urged to calm down.

Spurs secured the victory to stay fifth in the division thanks to goals from Pape Sarr, Son Hueng-Min and Richarlison. Alex Scott netted a consolation.

Todd Cantwell is Rangers pantomime villain and my painful Celtic reminder proves need for calm – Barry Ferguson

The former Ibrox captain and Record Sport columnist is licking his lips ahead of a mouthwatering showdown at Parkhead.

Rangers’ Todd Cantwell celebrates with James Tavernier (Image: SNS Group)

Todd Cantwell appears to have developed into the pantomime villain of Scottish football with fans of every team apart from Rangers lining up to give him abuse.

And there’s no doubt he’ll get it tight from 60,000 Celtic supporters at lunchtime on Saturday. It’s going to take real mental strength for the Rangers playmaker to block it out and concentrate on doing what he does best, which is bringing energy and creativity to a team that is thriving under Philippe Clement.

Look, I know it’s not easy and there have been times I’ve been unable to practice what I’m preaching. August 2000, Parkhead. 6-2 to Celtic and I’m up the tunnel early for two bookings, the second coming after a bit of daft handbags with Jonathan Gould. Let me tell you, that walk off the pitch and into the dressing room should take 10 seconds but it felt like 10 minutes. Then there’s the wait on your own inside for the final whistle. There’s no lonelier place in football.

And yet, I used that experience as fuel after I served my ban. The next time we played Celtic, we beat them 5-1 at our place. That’s the rollercoaster ride that comes with being at the Old Firm and Cantwell seems to thrive on the experience. Yes, he can get involved in the odd bit of silliness that makes him a target, but he can play and right now he is the creative spark that is vital to this run Rangers take into the Old Firm clash.

They’ll also go into it fresher than they would have been if the Ross County game had been played on Wednesday. But that’s a double-edged sword. Yes, the likes of Connor Goldson, who came off against Motherwell late on, will have had more recovery time, but from a player’s perspective, I always wanted to play when the team is going well. So, I’d rather have played the Ross County game and kept the momentum going, because that’s certainly what Rangers have got at the moment.

When you’re winning games, you want to play as many as you can. Right now, Rangers are flying and the manner in which they coped with the conditions at Fir Park on Christmas Eve told me everything about the mentality Clement has instilled in his men very quickly.

Celtic’s transfer links with Wolves’ Fabio Silva

“He was on Celtic’s radar a number of years ago,” said Walker. “I remember doing a game down south and he was playing for Wolves. They were all talking about the interest from Celtic.

Approach made: Celtic ask about move to sign “highly talented” £15M striker, they’ ve had a reply

The Scottish Premiership side are looking to bolster their attacking ranks in January.

Celtic have made an approach to ask about a deal to bring one of their long-term targets to the Scottish Premiership, according to a fresh report that has emerged.

Hoops eyeing Kvistgaarden

Ahead of January, Brendan Rodgers will be assessing his options in the market to see if there are any players he could strengthen his squad with. One recently identified is Brondby forward Mathias Kvistgaarden if claims are to be believed.

The Bhoys are reportedly preparing an improved offer for the striker having seen their opening bid turned down over the summer, but should a deal for him fail to come to fruition for whatever reason, the hierarchy appear to have alternative centre-forward targets.

Sturm Graz’s Szymon Wlodarczyk only put pen to paper at his club during the previous window from Gornik Zabrze where he’s so far made 28 appearances to date (Transfermarkt – Wlodarczyk statistics), but he was on the board’s radar long before his most recent move.

Back in January, Mark Hendry first claimed that Poland’s youth international was of interest to the green and white stripes, though a switch hasn’t yet taken place, hence why he moved elsewhere, and it still sounds like the 20-year-old won’t be making the trip to Glasgow anytime soon despite new efforts.

Celtic submit enquiry for Wlodarczyk

According to Football Scotland, Celtic have asked about signing Wlodarczyk again next month, but after learning his price tag in a response from Sturm Graz, have decided that they couldn’t afford to complete a deal in January.

“Football Scotland can also reveal Celtic reached out to Sturm Graz in an effort to revisit another former transfer target, Szymon Wlodarczyk, but were told his valuation has sky-rocketed to around £15m which would financially be out of their reach in January.”

Wlodarczyk is a “highly talented” striker

Since joining Sturm Graz, Wlodarczyk has racked up 11 contributions (nine goals and two assists) from 28 appearances, displaying how prolific he can be in the final third, and he’s able to pose a constant threat to the opposition’s defence in the attacking areas of the pitch.

Sponsored by Adidas, Walbrzych’s native has recorded 32 shots over the course of the current campaign which is more than any other of his fellow teammates, highlighting what a standout performer he is in front of the net compared to his peers (FBRef – Sturm Graz statistics).

Standing at 6 foot 2, Rodgers’ target is also able to provide a real physical presence up top with his height, with his ability to win aerial duels making him a real handful for any backline to deal with, alongside how dangerous he can be with the ball at his feet.

Described by football scout Jacek Kulig, Wlodarczyk is a “highly talented” player with an extremely bright future ahead of him, but with Celtic not set to splash the cash to get their long-term target in the coming weeks, it could prove to be a blow considering the positive impact that he may have been able to make.

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Chloe is an experienced football journalist and podcaster having worked in the sports media industry for the past three years.

Combining her love of the beautiful game with a passion for writing, Chloe started out creating and editing articles for Our MFC before going on to cover the Euro 2020 tournament with Overtime Sports Online.

In March 2022, Chloe was selected to join the academy team at Snack Media and later secured the role of freelance writer for The Transfer Tavern before moving over to the company’s flagship site, Football FanCast.

Chloe is also a huge Stoke City supporter having been a season ticket holder at the Bet365 Stadium for over a decade.