Scotland will be out for revenge against Italy
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Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Jamie Vardy handed Celtic transfer pitch as two deals reach endgame
Brendan Rodgers has openly admitted that he wants to add more firepower this summer Free agent Jamie Vardy has been urged to reunite with Brendan Rodgers at Celtic. The Leicester City hero is still searching for his next club after leaving the King Power Stadium to a close at the end of last season. The 38-year-old has been touted with a move to Italy while reports also suggest that Crystal Palace are set to offer the veteran a short-term deal this summer. But former England international Nigel Martyn reckons that there is "nothing better" than a link up with former Foxes' boss Rodgers for Vardy at this stage of the window. Speaking via Parimatch, Martyn said: " Jamie Vardy has been an unbelievable striker for Leicester City, hasn't he? I mean, his goals have been tremendous. "His game was initially based around his pace, but he's clever. There have been plenty of strikers who can boast unbelievable pace, but not as many who use their brain and time their runs as good as well as Vardy does. You don't see him caught offside very often at all. "He's been an incredible player for Leicester City. He'll want to keep going as long as he can. He comes across as the sort of player who looks like he loves doing what he's doing. "If you can find a former manager who enjoys working with you, like Brendan Rodgers in this case, then there's nothing better for a player. "It helps you feel secure. You're able to have the honest conversations around how much match time you'll be actually getting and that type of thing. "I have no doubt that Jamie Vardy will be a threat to anyone up in Scotland if he joins Celtic. He can start games one week and play up to 60 minutes, and the next week he could come off the bench and make an impact. "As a centre-half, the last thing you want to see after playing 70 minutes is somebody like Jamie Vardy and his pace come on to the pitch." Giuseppe Ambrosino has also been touted with a move to Celtic on loan from Napoli - but the Italian Under-21 youth international looks set to remain with the Scudetto winners. Amid interest from the Hoops and Serie A rivals Cremonese, boss Antonio Conte has opened up on the future of the 23-year-old striker. He said: "Ambrosino has joined us now, he has good prospects, we need to understand what's best for him, where to play or have him stay with us and grow humbly behind Lukaku and Lucca, also because I want to talk to the players about these decisions. They need to be convinced." Norwegian winger Sondre Orjasaeter had been on Celtic 's radar - but has now completed a move to FC Twente from Sarpsborg. Celtic previously saw a £4.4million offer turfed out for the 21-year-old with the Eredivise side sealing a deal for £5million which could rise to £7million with add-ons. After sealing the move, Orjasaeter said: "It feels really good to be here. I have already had many good impressions of FC Twente. "I had heard a lot about the club and the supporters beforehand, and I am looking forward to playing in this fantastic stadium in front of so many fans."
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Celtic-linked striker could make 'U-turn' over future
The Parkhead club were said to be interested in a move for the centre-forward earlier this summer. Ambrosino spent last season on loan at Frosinone from Napoli, scoring five goals in 37 games. It was previously reported that he could be on the move this window, although local Italian newspaper Corriere del Mezzogiorno (via claims that 'there could be a U-turn'. It is said that Ambrosino is 'valuable' for the Napoli squad, and that he could stay, despite interest from fellow Serie A outfit Cremonese, who are trying to sign him on loan with an option to buy. Read more: The 21-year-old is training separately at Napoli's training ground as he awaits confirmation over his future. Celtic's pursuit of Ambrosino has gone dormant in recent weeks. Brendan Rodgers remains on the hunt for attacking reinforcements, although he had no updates on potential incomings after his side's 2-0 win over Aberdeen at the weekend. He said [Sky Sports]: "Look, I think that I've got no news now at this very moment on where we're at. "Our job between now and the end of the window is to make Celtic the very best that we possibly can. In the meantime, we'll continue to develop the players that are here and improve them. "Of course, I want Celtic to live in the very best possible place that it can be. And for me, that'll be us signing more players at the top end of the pitch. But I can't magic them in there, and if they're not there, then we'll work with the players that are there and make them the very best that they can be. "We know what we need to strengthen. We know where we want to live and be the best that we can be - we have to."
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Hibs fans backed to top Partizan passion on Easter Road European night
Belgrade atmosphere louder than Celtic Park, more hostile than Tynecastle - so how will Hibees respond at home? Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Blown away in Belgrade, genuinely stunned by the passion of the Partizan crowd, David Gray is confident that Easter Road will live up to all expectations with something to suit the occasion tonight. With so much at stake, he knows, Hibs supporters are guaranteed to bring the noise. Gray's men hold a 2-0 lead over their Serbian opponents courtesy of Martin Boyle's double at the Partizan Stadion. In front of 25,000 home fans who revel in the name of The Gravediggers, the Scots put their hosts in a pretty deep hole ahead of tonight's second leg of their UEFA Conference League third qualifying round tie. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Hibs boss, a former club captain who has been through more than his share of intense experiences in hostile environs, was astonished that the home punters carried on supporting their side even at 2-0 down. That kind of loyalty means a lot to anyone raised in the fickle business of football. Special night in Serbian capital So, as his thoughts turn to how a sold-out home crowd might be harnessed tonight, Gray instinctively reaches for last week's example. And reveals that his players were just as taken aback but what they'd seen and heard on a special night in the Serbian capital. 'You have to try and start the game as well as you can and get on the front foot knowing that Partizan are going to have to come out, they're going to have to come after us,' said Gray, the gaffer adding: 'What does that do? Does that leave opportunities? 'But also trying to get the crowd right behind you as well. That's something that we said the exact opposite going over there. Can you quiet the crowd? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Well, we tried! We did really well. Went two goals up. But the crowd was still very, very loud for 90 odd minutes. 'The atmosphere and everything that came with that made it a special night, to the point where you were speaking to some of the players on the plane on the way home and they came and said to me: 'Did you ever play an atmosphere like that?' I said it's the best one I've played in. 'We've been to Celtic Park and lot of them will have been to Tynecastle when you are getting booed and you're getting quite hostile atmospheres there. But they just couldn't believe the noise for as long as it was, considering they were two-nil down; they didn't turn on their team at all you know - it was something that they really enjoy playing in. 'So that's something coming to Easter Road, can you get crowd right behind you and stay with you for 90-odd minutes? Which they will because as long as you're doing the things on the pitch, give 100 per cent effort, you give absolutely everything, then the fans always respond to that. I think that's got to be the mindset and the message to the players.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'No better feeling' than home crowd support - David Gray A lot is made of home advantage in sport. Does it really have an actual impact on how players perform? 'I think it's about being disciplined in both aspects to be honest,' said Gray. 'I think every player will be different as well. 'Some players will really relish and enjoy being, you know, the villain and other players maybe don't quite enjoy that. There's not one way it suits everybody definitely. 'But there's no better feeling than being spurred on by your crowd - having 20,000 right behind you willing you to do the exact same thing could only be a good thing. So it definitely gives you that extra bit of momentum, that extra spring in your step. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'That could be the difference between making the tackle, making an effort, whatever it might be. Which is why it's so important. Don't ever underestimate the value of what the fans can do in a real positive way all the time.' Set-piece specialist McGrath hoping to contribute Ultimately, tonight's contest will still be about the football. Although Hibs don't need a goal, provided they keep Partizan from doing any damage at the other end, hitting the net would certainly ease any tension among the home crowd. Set-piece deliveries have already been important this season, with dead-ball specialist Jamie McGrath contributing a goal and an assist so far. His free-kick strike against Midtjylland in Herning was stunning, his ferocious cross for Rocky Bushiri's opener against Kilmarnock on Sunday very nearly an act of violence. Bushiri 'blacked out' after scoring 'I know, I literally just put one across the box and Rocky got his nose on it, so lucky enough he didn't do any damage to it,' said McGrath, the Irishman revealing: 'We were laughing, he didn't even see the ball go in the net. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'He just blacked out and the ball was in the net. Hopefully we can, for the rest of the season, keep that one going. 'It's a very important part of the game. Like I said, it's always something we're working on and trying to come up with new ways to score goals 'I've just been practising kind of since I've been young. Yeah, you're never ever going to get every one of them right, but you have to give yourself the best chance to do it, you know. 'It's hard work, it's practise on the training pitch. As a team, we do a lot of set plays and it's something that we pride ourselves on. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We want to be the best in the league if we're not conceding and we want to be at the top of our scoring goals, so it's a very important part of the game. As you've seen this early on in the season, we've scored a lot of goals from set plays so far 'It makes the job easier when you have lads like Rocky and Warren O'Hora and Jack Iredale in the box, Kieron Bowie, guys who are dying to get on the end of every ball.' Explaining how it's decided who takes what free-kick or corner, with the likes of Jordan Obita, Nicky Cadden and Junior Hoilett hardly considered slouches when it comes to striking a dead ball, McGrath said: 'It just depends who's on the pitch or what we've worked on in training that week. I might be able to do a block job where someone else might not be. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'At the end of the day, there's always going to be: 'I want this one now, you can have the next one.' We have a good lot of options. Obviously, Nicky coming back as well. He's got one of the best left-foots I've seen. It's great to have options in the set play.' Scottish clubs in Europe Hibs are just one of four – hopefully five, come the next round – Scottish clubs flying the Saltire in Europe at the moment. With Dundee United also in action tonight, this could be a pretty big day for the SPFL. Former St Mirren and Aberdeen star McGrath says European progress would only reflect rising quality across the Scottish Premiership, explaining: 'I think since I even came here in 2020, I think the standard has gone right up. I see a lot more foreign players coming to the league as well. 'I think it's great for Dundee United, for Scottish football, for as many teams as possible to get into the group stages because I've seen some stuff about the coefficients. So it's very important that as many teams as possible can try to get into the group stages because at the end of the day, it's good for Scottish football. Two big games tomorrow night - and hopefully both of us can get through.'
