Rangers ‘intensify’ interest, Celtic duo targeted, Hearts deal played down - Scottish transfers
Here are all the latest Scottish football transfer stories and more on Friday morning - including Rangers, Celtic, St Johnstone, and Hearts.
Here are the top Scottish transfer headlines as the re-opening of the January transfer window begins, with the reports from Celtic, Rangers, St Johnstone, Hearts and beyond.
Nancy backed by EPL icon
Celtic head coach Wilfried Nancy has received a sign of support from legendary former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, who worked with the French boss during his time at CF Montreal. The 48-year-old has endured a nightmare start to his Parkhead reign, becoming the first manager in the club’s history to lose his opening four games in charge.
Despite his disastrous start in the east end of Glasgow, supporters have been told to be patient by Henry, who told BBC 5 Live Sport: “I see people calling for him to leave the place. Let him work, let him cook, and judge him maybe at the end of the season. The thing is, it’s tough to come and try to impose your philosophy and your identity at a club, maybe – I don’t know, because I haven’t watched many games – playing another way.
“Right now, it’s too early, and I do think he can turn it around. He is a great guy and has a great mind. It’s not working at the moment, and obviously, it doesn’t look great. But he’s a friend of mine, so I am going to be biased. You don’t want any coach to lose their job that early. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
Hearts deal played down
St Johnstone boss Simo Valakari has revealed that he is ‘confident’ that he can keep star forward Josh McPake at McDiarmid Park until the end of the current campaign, amid mounting interest from Hearts. Out of contract in the summer, the 24-year-old has been strongly linked with a January switch to Tynecastle in recent days, after the Jambos approached over a pre-contract deal.
The former Rangers academy product has already scored 12 goals to help fire the Saints to the top of the Scottish Championship table, and Finnish boss Valakari is hopeful he can continue to produce for his side this season as he addressed rumours of a departure for McPake. “What I know is that Hearts sent us their letter of intent last week,” Valakari exclusively told The Courier.
“Since that, there has been no contact. The talks are between Hearts and Josh now. If this opportunity comes for Josh, I am very happy for him. It tells me that he has done good things for himself and his team. That’s how it should be. I want for every player here that they put their heart and soul into our team and then I know when they move on that they have done good things for our club.
“That’s why it’s important that we don’t feel offended or threatened if there is interest in our players or they choose to go there. We had a talk during our pre-match meal on Friday, three hours before the game. We have a good relationship, and the talks were very open. The rules allow a player to negotiate and sign a pre-contract. Josh has a very good relationship with our fans. I think he wants to walk out as a hero and have this status of a player who is remembered in a positive way.”
Rangers ‘intensify’ interest
Rangers head coach Danny Rohl has ‘intensified’ his interest in talented youngster Jens Hjerto-Dahl ahead of the January transfer window opening in just under two weeks. The German boss is understood to be eyeing midfield reinforcements next month as he looks to reshape his squad for the second half of the campaign, and has identified the imposing Tromso starlet as a key addition to his team.
Compared to Arsenal captain and fellow Norwegian Martin Odegaard, the 20-year-old has also had tentative links with English Premier League sides Brighton and Sunderland following an impressive season in the Eliteserien. However, Rangers are ready to pounce ahead of other interested parties, with an offer of around £4.5million likely to secure a deal for the player. According to reports, the Ibrox recruitment team has become ‘very active’ in the Scandinavian market, with Hjerto-Dahl viewed as one of Norway’s top-rated young talents.
Celtic duo targeted
Brendan Rodgers is plotting a shock transfer move to sign Celtic captain Callum McGregor after being named as the new manager of Saudi Pro League outfit Al Qadsiah. The 52-year-old is back in management just seven weeks after resigning from his role as manager at Parkhead, and reports claim he has placed his former skipper at the top of his transfer wishlist, with the Saudi side ready to hand a megabucks contract to the ex-Scotland international to lure him to the Middle East.
The 32-year-old has two-and-a-half years left to run on his current Celtic contract, and the club is not likely to allow McGregor to go easily. Any move for their long-serving midfielder would require Rodgers to offload at least one of his foreign stars, with Al Qadsiah already reaching their quota of foreign players in their squad. Despite that, The Scottish Sun reports that Rodgers has instructed his CEO, James Bisgrove, to prepare a huge financial package aimed at persuading McGregor to end his 12-year association with the champions.
Meanwhile, Birmingham City and Norwich City are ready to renew their interest in Yang Hyun-jun after failing to secure the Celtic winger’s signature in January. Sky Sports claims the South Korean would cost around £3million.
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