Rangers learn Europa League opponent if they suffer UCL exit
The draw for the third round of UCL qualifying took place this morning and the winner of the Ibrox side's tie with the Greeks would then take on either Servette or Viktoria Plzen.
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Metro
12 minutes ago
- Metro
Ruben Amroim warns Chelsea over Alejandro Garnacho transfer
Ruben Amroim has told Alejandro Garnacho that he will remain at Old Trafford if Chelsea do not meet Manchester United's asking price this summer. Amorim made it clear to Garnacho that he has no future at United after he was left out of the squad for their final Premier League game last season and benched for the Europa League final against Spurs in May. Garnacho hit out at Amorim after he was dropped for the Europa League final defeat to Spurs in Bilbao and indicated that his future at United is in doubt. The Argentina international had attracted interest from both Chelsea and Napoli in the January transfer window but were unwilling to meet United's £70 million asking price. Chelsea have retained their interest this summer and reports this week have claimed that United have now dropped Garnacho's valuation to £40m. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. Garnacho, who is keen to remain in the Premier League and join a Champions League club, has been omitted from United's pre-season tour squad this month. However, Amorim is adamant that Garnacho will be reintegrated back into United's first team if he fails to secure a move away before the end of the summer transfer window. Asked if United are concerned by the possibility of reducing the value of their unwanted players such as Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony by leaving them out of their pre-season tour of the United States, Amorim said on Friday: 'I think that is not the case. 'There are different reasons for the players. Some players have to find a new place to have more space in the team, other players clearly show that they want a new challenge and they want new teams. 'So we are just allowing these players time to think and to decide. 'If they reach a point where they have to join the team they will join the team because they are our players. More Trending 'I know for a fact Omar [Berrada] and Jason [Wilcox] and the club have a number for these players. If they don't reach that they will be Manchester United players, no doubts about that. 'I understand the club are maybe waiting for the last minute but they can have a surprise and I am ready, I am ready to receive the players. 'They have more competition, if they want to play in the World Cup they need to play so I'm really happy with that because I will have more options. 'If they have to fight each other to play for me that is perfect.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Cole Palmer tipped for sensational transfer to Man Utd from Chelsea by former coach MORE: Chelsea agree deal for Crystal Palace star after beating eight clubs in transfer race MORE: Bayern Munich make approach sign Man Utd star as Luis Diaz alternative
Scottish Sun
13 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Celtic transfer latest as Brendan Rodgers calls for board ambition, new striker necessity and interest in Maeda grows
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IF there wasn't a sense of restlessness amongst Celtic fans in this transfer window before Thursday's heavy defeat to Ajax, then there definitely is now. And seemingly, it's not just the supporters who are beginning to feel anxious with a huge Champions League qualifier looming, it's now manager Brendan Rodgers too. 6 Maeda competes for the ball in friendly with Ajax Credit: Getty 6 Celtic captain Callum McGregor Credit: Getty 6 Ajax put five past Kasper Schmeichel Credit: Alamy His comments after the Dutch humbling in Lake Como were telling in his desire to get more quality players into the team. Rodgers said: "It depends what your ambition is. 'If your ambition is to really progress and push forward, then we need to improve the squad." Yes, it's only the Como Cup, but after the departure of almost a dozen players and prized asset Nicolas Kuhn among them, there's a feeling amongst some Celtic fans that the board are gambling with their Champions League fortunes if they don't strengthen soon. In the latest Go Ballistic Celtic Transfer Special, we dissect those comments and the message to the board Rodgers' sent, with SunSport's Craig Turnbull and David Friel. We also caught up with chief football writer Robert Grieve who is out in Lake Como following the Hoops in their pre-season warm-up games. And we started off by getting his reaction to Rodgers' comments about winger Yang after the game. 6 Yang takes the plaudits for his goal against Ajax Credit: Getty The message to the board RG: I was actually really interested in the comments that Brendan Rodgers made on Thursday about Yang. Yang started the game and did okay. We asked about him post match after there was a story circulating on social media, linking Yang with Norwich. There was a fake picture doing the rounds with Yang in a Norwich jersey. Shock scenes as Celtic and Ajax fans clash during Como Cup friendly tournament in Italy There is interest in Yang from Norwich and other clubs, but I found it very interesting that Brendan Rodgers was talking about Yang being a vital squad player as things stand. For me, it was almost a message he was sending out saying listen, 'if I don't get another winger in here, Yang is the guy who plays or who is going to get a lot of minutes'. Champions League gamble DF: If you look at the options on the wing compared to Jota (won't return until after the new year) and Kuhn, Celtic are weaker. I think everyone would admit that. It would be a huge gamble for Celtic to go into these play-offs with no reinforcements in that area. I would be amazed if that happened but as Brendan Rodgers said you need to show ambition. There's probably a view that Celtic overspent last summer right at the end, but they did get the deals done. Celtic will know they need to reinforce in that area, there has to be at least one winger that comes in before that play-off, potentially even two, because i just feel it's going to be a really tricky play-off. 6 Is the jury still out on Celtic striker Adam Idah? Credit: Alamy Idah isn't the man to lead Celtic next season RG: There still has to be some serious business done by Celtic. They absolutely need a new striker. I think that is key for them right now. That has to be key for Brendan Rodgers. I've watched the games in Portugal, the Newcastle game and in Lake Como and for all Adam Idah is a hard-working big player, has got a physicality and a presence that some other players don't have, for me, he's not going to be the player that starts the majority of games for Celtic next season, despite 20 goals last year. Celtic are going to be signing a striker who comes in and is going to be the main man and it remains to be seen who that is going to be. 6 A number of clubs are looking at Maeda Credit: Getty Interest in Maeda RG: Daizen Maeda was impressive and lively especially first half against Ajax. I've still got an inkling that he is maybe what some clubs are looking at and it will be very interesting to see how that develops over the coming weeks. I think Celtic fans will be outraged at the idea of selling Maeda when arguably they are weaker now than they were at the end of last season. There are clubs looking at Maeda. The key will be what happens in that Champions League play-off and what Celtic do between now and then. It wouldn't surprise me if Celtic try and get a couple of wingers in with the idea that there will be interest in Maeda. Celtic transfer business this summer Celtic transfer business IN: LB: Kieran Tierney (Arsenal), GK: Ross Doohan (Aberdeen), AMC: Benjamin Nygren (Nordsjaelland), ST: Callum Osmand (Fulham), CB: Hayato Inamura (Albirex Niigata), ST: Shin Yamada (Kawasaki Frontale) OUT: GK Scott Bain (Falkirk), LB: Greg Taylor (PAOK), Matthew Anderson (Kortjik), CB: Gustaf Lagerbielke (Braga), AMR: Nicolas Kuhn (Como), Lenny Agbaire (Rotherham), ST: Daniel Cummings (West Ham), Kwon (Nantes) Loans: CB: Maik Nawrocki (Hannover), AMR: Luis Palma (Lech Poznan), Adam Montgomery (Livingston) Celtic in limbo DF: Celtic have targets who right now might not want to fully commit until they know Celtic are 100 per cent in the Champions League. And that leads to a stand-off position because you might be able to get number two or number three on your list, who're happy to come just now if it means Celtic are Champions League or Europa League, but not your top targets. What are you better doing, taking the lesser player or gambling? It's a tricky situation. I have sympathy for any club in the situation where you might have to wait a little bit of time for your top targets but you have this huge tie coming up. But Celtic fans won't want to hear that excuse they'll be saying get the deal done if it means paying that player - who can get you to the Champions League - that little bit extra. I don't think it's as simple as that. I don't think there's an unwillingness from Celtic to spend big money, we saw that last summer with Celtic saying they broke their transfer record twice. But I think the fear is among Celtic fans - and maybe even Brendan Rodgers - is that it comes too late for the Champions League, which is such a huge priority for Celtic. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Edinburgh Reporter
16 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Three Reasons We Love the Hearts' Chances to Contend in 2025-26
With the season just one month away, Hearts fans have high hopes for the club. A new boss and increased financial backing, many league experts believe they will contend for a top spot in the Scottish Premiership in the 2025-26 season. However, will these changes help them compete with league giants Celtic and Rangers? We believe the Hearts of Midlothian are capable of pushing the two top clubs and could end up taking one of the Scottish Premiership's top two spots on the table this season. We'll share the three top reasons for our confidence below, giving you everything you need to prepare for a thrilling Hears season! Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash Hearts Go All in With Derek McInnes The biggest reason we believe the Hearts are set for a spectacular season is the appointment of new manager Derek McInnes. The Paisley-born boss enjoyed a fantastic playing career and has carried that success into managing. The hiring of McInnes was a massive victory for the club. After taking chances on unproven managers for years, they have decided to bring in a proven winner in McInnes. Although his Kilmarnock club struggled last season, he led them to an impressive fourth-place finish in the 2023-24 season. With more resources and better support from the Hearts, we expect his winning ways to return quickly. McInnes made a name for himself as a manager during his eight-year stint with Aberdeen. He led them to a Scottish League Cup title and reached the finals two other times. He also helped Aberdeen reach the finals of the Scottish Cup during the 2016-17 season. In his time with Aberdeen, he led the club to a second-place finish in the Scottish Premiership in four consecutive seasons. They were unable to close the gap on Celtic, but managed to consistently beat out Rangers (and a good Hearts squad) for the second spot. Sportsbook Odds Show Confidence There is no shortage of Scottish Premiership analysts and experts, but they often have conflicting views. This is why we like to check sportsbook odds to get a sense of how operators believe the season will unfold. With large sums of money on the line, bookmakers are more incentivized to set odds based on in-depth research. Most popular sportsbooks have Celtic as the favorites, followed by Rangers. Hearts can be found in a distant third, but light years ahead of the rest of the field, including the Hibs. This shows that bookmakers like what they've seen from Hearts, who finished outside of the top six last season. While their odds remain behind the two leaders, a hot start from the Tynecastle Club could quickly change that. Sportsbooks taking an interest in Hearts is good news for fans who want to bet on their matches. They can expect to see Hearts-related betting offers, allowing them to back their squad while receiving better odds, bet credits, and more. Tony Bloom's Financial Backing While we are hopeful about the Hearts future over the next few seasons, that optimism took a hit when Heart of Midlothian's chairperson Ann Budge announced she will be stepping down. The 77-year-old has been a godsend for the club, helping to bring in the financial backing needed to compete in Scotland's top football league. Budge leaving will likely hurt over the years, but she provided the club with one final gift before she leaves. That came in the form of a €10 million investment from Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom. He is receiving a 29% ownership stake, but will not receive voting rights, leaving the Foundation of Hearts in control. Bloom's investment was met with celebration from fans and club leadership. It represents another step forward for a club that was almost brought to the brink of collapse by former owner Vladimir Romanov. Time will tell how the club will replace Budge, but Bloom's investment gives them a head start. It sends a message to the league and international players that the club is determined to compete and has the financial backing to do so. That, combined with Bloom's connections to English football, could lead to talented stars taking a second look at Hearts. Like this: Like Related
