Rumour Mill: Old Firm eye Falkirk ace | Barnsley & QPR keen on Cummings | Collymore's Celtic dream
Quartet set to battle it out for Sibbald
Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen and Nottingham Forest are all keeping tabs on Falkirk midfielder Craig Sibbald, according to reports.
The 21-year-old, who came through the ranks at Falkirk, has made over 150 appearances for the Bairns, and is attracting attention for his performances.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdForest are keen on Sibbald as a replacement for Henri Lansbury, who looks set to leave, but they could face competition from the Old Firm and the Dons. (Various)
Barnsley and QPR eye Cummings
Hibernian striker Jason Cummings has caught the eye after his return to form, with Barnsley and QPR tracking the Scotland Under-21 striker.
Cummings has scored four goals in his last four matches, including a brace against Dundee United, and now has 12 goals so far this season.
Hibs knocked back a bid in the region of £1.7 million for Cummings last summer and will be keen to hold onto the striker. (Daily Record)
Collymore reveals Celtic dream
Stan Collymore has admitted he tried to engineer a move to Celtic in the year 2000 - to keep playing under Martin O’Neill.
Writing for the Mirror newspaper, Collymore revealed he joined Leicester because of O’Neill’s influence, and wanted to follow his former manager to Glasgow, where he also thought he could win titles.
But Collymore never did sign for Celtic, joining Bradford City on a free transfer before being sold to Real Oviedo. He retired at the relatively young age of 30, having never won a title. (Mirror)
Dons to hold talks with out-of-contract players
Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes will sit down with his out-of-contract stars in a bid to keep them at Pittodrie.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdRyan Jack, Ash Taylor and Peter Pawlett are all out of contract in the summer, with Andy Considine linked with Rangers and Niall McGinn offered a deal by Hearts while a number of unnamed English clubs are also keeping tabs on him.
But McInnes is hopeful of holding on to his players, adding: “Dubai is a chance to sit down with all the players. I think there will be some good news to announce when we come back with one or two re-signing.” (Evening Express)
Rangers need to go into debt to catch Celtic
Walter Smith says Rangers may need to take a gamble and risk going into debt if they are to catch up with Celtic and get access to the lucrative Champions League prize pot.
The former Ibrox manager says the club must find a way to close the gap with their Glasgow rivals which he believes is bigger now than when he was winning nine-in-a-row in the 1990s. (Daily Record)
Celtic manager keen on African market
Brendan Rodgers believes Africa is an untapped market which can provide players for Celtic and Scottish football in general who have a desire to succeed.
Rodgers was speaking as his club were putting the finishing touches on a deal to sign Ivorian teenager Kouassi Eboue from Russian side Krasnodar. (Various)
Rodgers knew he wanted Eboue after ten seconds
Rodgers says he knew within ten seconds of watching Eboue that he had the talent to succeed. The Celtic manager says that when he saw him play he had the same feeling he had experienced while watching Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho. (Various)
Brown urged to keep on playing for Scotland
Kevin Thomson has urged Celtic captain Scott Brown to prolong his international career and Thomson believes Gordon Strachan can persuade his former Hibs team-mate to keep on playing for Scotland. (The Scotsman)
Howe sold me on Rangers move - Hyndman
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdNew Rangers loan signing Emerson Hyndman has revealed that Eddie Howe recommended Mark Warburton as a good manager to work under when the USA international was weighing up leaving Bournemouth for Ibrox.
Hyndman also believes that working in training every day alongside Jack Wilshere has helped him learn a lot. Wilshere is on loan at Bournemouth from Arsenal. (Various)
Armstrong keen to extend Celtic stay
Stuart Armstrong is to speak to Celtic about a contract extension following his fine recent form.
The midfielder, who has been named player of the month for December, has 18 months left on his current deal. (Daily Mail)
Killie bring in Magpies trio
Kilmarnock have signed three Newcastle United youngsters, and are keeping tabs on a fourth.
Striker Cal Roberts, midfielder Sean Longstaff and highly-rated England U21 goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, all 19, have joined on loan deals until the end of the season.
The Rugby Park side are also hopeful of bringing in 21-year-old right back Jamie Sterry, who recently completed a stint at Coventry City. (Various)
NEWS IN BRIEF
• Gordon Strachan will arrange a friendly for Scotland to play in March ahead of the next World Cup qualifer. The Scots are due to face Slovenia at Hampden in Group F on 26 March
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad• Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has no qualms about Aaron Hughes succeeding at Hearts after watching him deal with Mario Gotze and Gareth Bale at international level
• Gordon Strachan left Cristiano Ronaldo out when he voted for his top three players in the world at the Fifa gala. Strachan opted instead for Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero
• Raith goalkeeper Aaron Lennox underwent surgery last night to reset a fractured jaw after a collision during a bounce game. The Australian ‘keeper also broke two bones in his hand