Crusaders snap up former Glentoran midfielder: ‘It's a club with a winning mentality'
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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Crystal Palace make £40million-rated Liverpool star Harvey Elliott top transfer target – with swap deal still on cards
CRYSTAL PALACE are planning to raid Liverpool before the end of the transfer window - in a bid to secure Harvey Elliott. The Eagles have made the Reds' and England star a prime target as they look to boost their squad ahead of the new Premier League season kicking off. 4 Liverpool's Harvey Elliott is being eyed in a £40m deal by Crystal Palace Credit: Getty 4 Liverpool are under no pressure to sell but know he is desperate for minutes Credit: Getty Elliott is being lined up as a potential replacement for Eberechi Eze, who is being heavily linked with a move to Tottenham. Spurs are understood to be preparing a significant bid for the attacking midfielder, whose performances last season have made him one of the hottest properties in English football. Arsenal are also keen on the midfielder but would need to sell first. Liverpool are expected to demand around £40million for Elliott, who missed a penalty against Palace in the Charity Shield at Wembley. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL DEAL WITH THE DEVILS Man Utd 'hand Antony ultimatum to accept transfer or sit in stands' New Liverpool manager Arne Slot is under no pressure to sell the versatile midfielder-forward, but he knows the player is desperate for regular first-team football. Elliott made 53 appearances in all competitions last season, yet often found himself starting from the bench in crucial fixtures. Slot is believed to respect the youngster's ambition and won't stand in his way if a suitable offer lands on the table. Palace are understood to have made their admiration for Elliott clear during initial talks with Liverpool. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The conversations have been complicated by ongoing negotiations between the two clubs over Marc Guehi, who is wanted in a £35m move by the Merseysiders. The situation sets up a fascinating late-window standoff: Palace want Elliott to fill the creativity gap that could be left by Eze's departure, while Liverpool are keen on Guehi to strengthen their back line. The two sides to Isak's STRIKE story | Transfers Exposed The possibility of a player-plus-cash arrangement has not been ruled out. Palace captain Guehi has a year left on his contract, but chairman Steve Parish said earlier this week he could be sold to avoid him moving on a free transfer in 12 months' time. 4 Liverpool are also trying to sign 18-year-old Parma centre-back Giovanni Leoni. The Italy Under-19 international is not seen as a potential rival for Guehi but more as one for the future. He began his career at Padova and had a short spell at Sampdoria before joining Parma last summer. 4 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Champions League riches within touch for Rangers - so why the concern?
Their directors, too, will raise a large glass of their favourite tipple if they manage to overcome Club Brugge of Belgium over two legs as the achievement will improve their financial predicament considerably. It would be worth tens of millions to them regardless of how they fare. For a new regime which has only been in situ for a matter of months, it would be a significant fillip. Read more: Would Rangers supporters, though, trade more European success for elusive domestic glory? Would they forego the chance to see their side in action against top English, French, German, Italian and Spanish opposition in the coming months if they knew they would be toasting a Scottish title triumph come May? Would they give it up to get the better of Celtic in the Premiership? The likelihood is, after four years of abject failure on the home front, many of them, as much as they have enjoyed seeing James Tavernier and his team mates defy expectations in the Europa League in recent seasons, would prefer top flight dominance this term. The Govan outfit, who took to the field in the Doosan Arena protecting a comfortable three goal lead following a resounding victory last week, were not quite at their best last night. They rode their luck a little against mediocre rivals before allowing, after a calamitous slip by left-back Jefte, Rafiu Duosinmi to put the hosts ahead four minutes before half-time. Rangers still threatened going forward on occasion and drew level on the hour mark when Lyall Cameron, who has impressed onlookers greatly every time he has donned a light blue jersey, opened his account for the club he joined from Dundee in the summer following a slick attacking move. Svetozar Markovic restored the Viktoria lead with seven minutes of regulation time remaining. But it ultimately proved to be too little too late. (Image: Getty Images) There remains considerable room for improvement. Defensively, they were unconvincing. Their goalkeeper Jack Butland once again came to their rescue on more than one occasion. But nobody could begrudge the visitors the 4-2 aggregate result. Job done, onwards and upwards. Still, the accomplishment begged a question? Why can't they make such light work of lesser opponents in their own country? Their repeated inability to see off domestic adversaries who they should defeat comfortably continues to frustrate and baffle their fans. Rangers have, despite not winning the Premiership since back in 2021, done pretty well against Celtic of late. They probably had the better of their encounters during the 2024/25 campaign. But against the likes of Aberdeen, Dundee, Dundee United, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Ross County and St Mirren, they have repeatedly been found wanting. This season they have beaten Panathinaikos of Greece and Viktoria Plzen of Czechia in the Champions League and been held to draws by Motherwell away at Fir Park and Dundee – who had lost to Airdrie and Alloa in the Premier Sports Cup group stages – at home at Ibrox in the Premiership. They are already four points behind the defending champions and it is still only August. So what is the reason for their repeated failings? It is pretty simple really. They have to learn how to break down teams which sit back, defend in numbers and seek to score on the counter. They fare far better against sides which like to get on the front foot and come at them. But that is a major issue in their ain midden. Read more: Martin, the former MK Dons, Swansea City and Southampton manager, was considered particularly adept at dealing with a low block during his time down south. The one-time centre-half hasn't shown much evidence of that since returning to his adopted homeland in June. He will have to start exhibiting that he possesses a tactical nous soon or he will suffer the same fate as his predecessors Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale and Philippe Clement. (Image: Getty Images) No fewer than 10 new players have arrived in another close season of frantic transfer activity. The summer recruits will take time to settle into their new surroundings. The manager must also be given games to implement his ideas. But he will find that patience is a quality which is in short supply if more draws and defeats are suffered. His players will have to raise their games considerably to see off a formidable Brugge side. Much is being made of the opening Old Firm game of the season at Ibrox on August 31. If Rangers lose it then they will be playing catch-up and then some. But their forthcoming fixtures against Alloa at home and St Mirren away might well be even more important for them than that derby encounter.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Footy fans reveal the stadiums they want to visit the most with Real Madrid BEATEN to top spot by rivals, survey shows
One UK stadium made it in the top five FAN VIEW Footy fans reveal the stadiums they want to visit the most with Real Madrid BEATEN to top spot by rivals, survey shows Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FOOTBALL fans have revealed the top 20 stadiums they want to visit, with Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu taken over by a rival. Barcelona's Camp Nou has topped the list of stadiums footy fans most want to visit, pipping their great rivals Real Madrid to yet another title. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Camp Nou is the home stadium of famous FC Barcelona with a seating capacity of 99,354 - the largest in Spain and Europe 4 Santiago Bernabeu has undergone renovation and has the second largest seating capacity at 83,186 Credit: Getty 4 Liverpool's Anfield Stadium made the top five list with its capacity of 61,000 Credit: Getty A poll of 2,000 lovers of the beautiful game crowned Barca's ground with an approximate capacity of over 99,000 the most sought-after venue outside the UK to watch a match, while the Bernabéu came second. The San Siro ranked third, reigning supreme in Italy, as the Milan clubs beat out rivals Juventus — whose 41,000+ seater stadium came 16th in the top 20 list. It also emerged 35 per cent of footy fans have a bucket list of grounds they dream of visiting, with 18 per cent of these having as many as five earmarked to tick off one day. Domestically, Liverpool fans had something else to cheer after winning the Premier League this season, with Anfield ranking fourth — the highest of all English venues. The research was commissioned by OLBG ahead of the new football seasons kicking off across Europe, which also plotted the top 10 grounds into an interactive map for fans. Jake Ashton, football editor for the brand, said: 'Football stadiums are becoming more impressive, and across the globe they offer very different experiences. 'It's great to see the two Spanish giants go head-to-head again, with Barcelona this time pipping Real Madrid to the top spot. 'The variety and pull for fans to travel and see the beautiful game played out in different grounds looks as strong as ever, based on the number of pitches on people's bucket lists. 'With Anfield making the top four, it also shows the UK isn't being left behind when it comes to iconic stadiums in world football.' It's not just Liverpool's home the fans want to visit domestically — Wembley came in sixth, Manchester United's Old Trafford ranked seventh, and their City rivals just six miles away at the Etihad finished ninth. Buffalo Bills' new stadium revealed Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, which opened in 2006 and holds approximately 60,000 supporters, rounded off the top 10. Away from Europe, the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro — home to both CR Flamengo and Fluminense FC and considered a national landmark in Brazil — came in 12th. Staying in South America, La Bombonera — home of the iconic yellow and blue of Boca Juniors in Argentina, and the last club Diego Maradona played for before retirement — came 20th in the table. When asked about the most important factors in creating the world's best footie stadiums, excellent views of the pitch (52 per cent) and comfortable seating (50 per cent) topped the list. Another 46 per cent said it was all about atmosphere and crowd noise. When fans were asked to rank grounds purely on their understanding of matchday atmosphere, Anfield came out on top, followed by the Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabéu. Half of those respondents attributed the buzz in these arenas to the passion of the home fans, while others cited the quality of football (47 per cent) and near-capacity crowds (45 per cent) as key contributors. More than a third (38 per cent) of supporters polled, via OnePoll, also admitted to backing a team outside the UK, with 85 per cent of those saying it's a dream to one day watch a game at their chosen ground. Jake Ashton from OLBG added: 'When it comes to football stadiums, the design, location and the team playing there are all key to their popularity. 'But a ground is nothing, it seems, without the fans who flock there week in, week out. 'At stadiums like Anfield here in the UK, and others across Europe and South America, that passion is plain to see — even for those who haven't experienced it first-hand.' TOP 20 FOOTBALL STADIUMS FANS WOULD LOVE TO VISIT: 1. Camp Nou – FC Barcelona 2. Santiago Bernabéu – Real Madrid 3. San Siro – AC Milan, Inter Milan 4. Anfield – Liverpool 5. Allianz Arena – Bayern Munich 6. Wembley Stadium – England National Team 7. Old Trafford – Manchester United 8. Parc des Princes – Paris Saint-Germain 9. The Etihad Stadium – Manchester City 10. The Emirates Stadium - Arsenal 11. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Tottenham Hotspur 12. Maracanã – Flamengo, Fluminense, Brazil National Team 13. Signal Iduna Park – Borussia Dortmund 14. St James' Park – Newcastle United 15. Stade de France – France National Team 16. Allianz Stadium – Juventus 17. Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta United (USA) 18. Wanda Metropolitano – Atlético Madrid 19. Lusail Stadium – Qatar 20. La Bombonera – Boca Juniors
