
Celtic co-operation agreement plans change amid Queens Park problems
Previously spending a staggering £5.7million in the Championship Scotland's oldest senior club need to slash expenditure to around £1million a year.
With Queen's unable to commit to a long term tie up, Premiership champions Celtic have now held discussions with Ayr, managed by former Parkhead captain Brown, with midfielder Jude Bonnar expected to be first to move to Somerset Park.
The SFA have given clubs the green light to team up to boost the number of first team opportunities for young Scottish players between the ages of 16 and 21.
Recent figures from CIES Observatory show that St Mirren offered just 0.8% of their available first team minutes to players aged 21 or under last season. Dundee had the highest figure in the SPFL Premiership with 24.8%.
Under the new rules, up to three players can be placed on a co-operation list and allowed to move freely to move between the co-op club and parent club in order to increase their first team experience.
Aberdeen have confirmed agreements with League Two Elgin City and Kelty Hearts of League One.
Read more from Stephen McGowan:
Defenders Dylan Ross and Jamie Mercer have joined City with Lewis Carrol, Joseph Teasdale and Cooper Masson heading to Fife.
Director of Football Steven Gunn claims the agreements: 'create a clear pathway for promising young players to gain valuable senior football experience, learn from good professionals and be better prepared for the demands of first team football at Aberdeen.'
St Mirren will team up Dumbarton of League Two and Lowland League team Clydebank.
Carrick McEvoy, Thomas Falconer and Theo McCormick have already joined Dumbarton while Billy Hutchison has moved to Clydebank.
St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson said: "I firmly believe in the loan system to develop our young players and something that hindered that previously was not being able to bring them back at certain stages or leaving yourselves short in numbers.
"With the cooperation agreement we are able to get them into men's football and develop under other coaches. Hopefully we can also help the coaches and the clubs they are going to. It will be a great benefit for both parties.
"All in all, I believe it's a brilliant way to develop young players in Scotland and doesn't compromise any young players coming back into the first-team."
Newly promoted League Two side East Kilbride have also agreed a deal with Hibernian. Goalkeeper Freddie Owens and forward Dean Cleland have already moved to K Park.
Rangers are expected to confirm a co-operation agreement with Championship side Raith Rovers.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Record
9 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Living near this Scottish landmark can add thousands to your house value
But staying within a mile of another iconic spot could send your home's value plummeting. New research has revealed that living close to some of the UK's most iconic landmarks can significantly impact the value of your property, for better or worse. And one of Scotland's most famous attractions has made it into the top ten. The study, carried out by buy to let insurance experts at the Alan Boswell Group, analysed house prices within a one-mile radius of 30 of Britain's top landmarks. These prices were then compared to average values in the surrounding areas to determine how much of an effect each landmark has on local property prices. Edinburgh Castle was ranked ninth in the study, with homes located within one mile of the historic capital fortress selling for an average of £427,250. That figure is £89,328 higher than the wider area average of £337,922, a rise of 26.4 per cent. The results suggest that having such a renowned attraction on your doorstep could add a sizeable premium to your home's value. However, not all Scottish landmarks offer the same benefit. In fact, some can have the opposite effect. Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire was among the worst performing in the study, with a sharp 41 per cent drop in property value for homes located within a one-mile radius. Average house prices near Balmoral are significantly lower than in the nearby town of Ballater, suggesting the Royal connection doesn't always translate to financial gain. Stirling Castle also featured on the list with a smaller but still negative impact on local house prices. The average price in the wider Stirling area is £244,398, but within a mile of the castle, it drops to £223,280, an 8.6 percent decline. Elsewhere in the UK, London landmarks dominated the top of the table. Buckingham Palace claimed the number one spot, with properties located within one mile seeing a staggering 92 per cent increase in value. The average house price in the surrounding City of Westminster stands at £941,900, but this jumps to £1,807,145 near the royal residence. A spokesperson from the Alan Boswell Group explained: 'The buy to let insurance experts at Alan Boswell Group can reveal that being neighbours with the royals can pay off majorly, with Buckingham Palace claiming first place. "The tourist hotspot, with 30 per cent of Brits considering it the best UK landmark, can increase your house value by a whopping 92 per cent if you live within one mile of the attraction.' Royal Albert Hall came second on the list with a 76 per cent increase in nearby house prices. The average property in London's most expensive borough, Kensington, costs £1,130,400, but this figure rises to £1,990,172 for homes located within one mile of the iconic concert venue. Despite the potential for noise from major events, Royal Albert Hall's past issues with complaints - including the loss of its licence to host boxing and wrestling events for 13 years starting in 1999 - appear to have had no impact on local property values. Third place went to the British Museum, where living within a one-mile radius can boost your home's value by 59 per cent. The average house price in Camden stands at £766,100, but climbs to £1,218,395 for those nearer the museum. Not all landmarks bring financial benefits, though. Other UK locations that saw negative effects on house prices include Blackpool Tower (down 28%), Old Trafford in Manchester (down 27%), and Coventry Cathedral (down 21%). Rank Landmark Location Average price in the wider area Average house price within 1 mile of the landmark Price increase % increase 1 Buckingham Palace London £941,900 £1,807,145 £865,245 91.9% 2 Royal Albert Hall London £1,130,400 £1,990,172 £859,772 76.1% 3 The British Museum London £766,100 £1,218,395 £452,295 59.0% 4 Durham Cathedral Durham £215,883 £338,434 £122,551 56.8% 5 Hampton Court Palace Molesey £654,889 £912,002 £257,113 39.3% 6 Tower of London London £479,500 £667,157 £187,657 39.1% 7 Tate Modern London £515,500 £710,532 £195,032 37.8% 8 The Shard London £515,500 £665,806 £150,306 29.2% 9 Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh £337,922 £427,250 £89,328 26.4% 10 Westminster Abbey London £941,900 £1,121,895 £179,995 19.1%


Scottish Sun
9 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Celtic star ‘set to leave Parkhead for transfer to Hoops' Premiership rivals'
BRENDAN RODGERS is reportedly set to let one of his players join one of Celtic's Premiership rivals on loan for the season. It's been a busy window for the Scottish champions so far with plenty of ins and outs already at Parkhead. 2 Brendan Rodgers has made a decision on several of his out-of-favour stars already Credit: Getty 2 David Martindale is looking to sign one of the Rodgers' Hoops players Credit: Kenny Ramsay Six players have left the club since the beginning of the window, including Nicolas Kuhn who completed his stunning £17million move to Como this month. A few more Celtic players are expected to join him out the exit door in the coming weeks. And it could be SEVEN Hoops stars in the near future as the Daily Record claim one player is closing in on a loan move to Livingston. It's suggested that left-back Adam Montgomery is set to join David Martindale's side for the upcoming campaign. Montgomery, 23, is out of the picture at Parkhead despite being handed minutes in various friendlies in pre-season this summer. The full-back has made 20 appearances for the Hoops since his debut back in 2021, but hasn't managed to tie down a regular spot in the first team. Most of those outings came in the 2021/22 campaign under Ange Postecoglou in his first season in charge. But since then he's fallen down the pecking order and has enjoyed loan spells at Aberdeen, St Johnstone, Motherwell, Fleetwood Town and Queen's Park. He spent last season in the Championship with the Spiders, but looks set for Premiership action this coming season with the Lions. Livi boss Martindale is needing another left-back after Robbie Fraser returned to Rangers following his loan stint last term. Inside ex-Celtic and Scotland star's £3m property empire as free agent spends almost £1m on two properties in St Andrews He joined the club in January for the remainder of the campaign and impressed in the second tier, helping the Lions return to the top flight. Now Martindale has turned his attention to another Old Firm left-back to take his place. It's stated that Montgomery is set to be announced as Livi's latest summer recruit. It's believed the club are closing in on the signing of Aidan Denholm on loan from Hearts as well, while former Willem II striker Jeremy Bokila is also set to join. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page


Daily Mirror
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Wrexham's next signing slammed club legend he's 'miles better than' as clip resurfaces
A new player is set to join Wrexham in the coming days, but he may need to apologise to one of his team-mates after some brutal comments came back to haunt him Wrexham's next recruit could be in for an uncomfortable introduction after a clip of him criticising one of his soon-to-be team-mates resurfaced online. Josh Windass is tipped to sign for the Red Dragons on a free transfer this week following his departure from Sheffield Wednesday by mutual consent. The forward left Hillsborough last week amid issues with the club not paying players' wages promptly for May and June. The son of Hull City icon Dean, Windass is believed to have completed a medical on Monday having already agreed personal terms with Wrexham. Last season, the 31-year-old made waves in the Championship with Wednesday, bagging 13 goals and setting up five more. His imminent move is set to delight manager Phil Parkinson as he aims to bolster the squad after their promotion to the second tier in April. However, Windass may have amends to make upon meeting his new mates after the reappearance of a video showing him criticising Wrexham striker Ollie Palmer on social media. During a February 2024 episode of the Pitch Side podcast, Windass claimed he was "miles better" than Palmer, who has scored 44 times in 155 games for the club. Windass's brash remarks were in response to Palmer's assertion that he could net 20 goals a season in the Premier League if he played for Manchester City. He didn't hold back his thoughts, saying: "Ollie Palmer said he'd get 20 goals for City, didn't he? It's absolutely delusional at the highest level. No offence to Ollie Palmer." When asked if he could notch a few goals in the top flight himself, Windass responded: "But I'm miles better than Ollie Palmer. If I was getting 20 goals for Man City every year, I'd be playing for Man City. He [Palmer] doesn't even get 15 [for Wrexham]." Palmer has become a fan favourite at Wrexham since his transfer from Wimbledon in January 2022 for a record-breaking £300,000. His 17 goals were pivotal in Wrexham's ascent from the National League in 2023, where they clinched the title with an impressive 111 points. But Palmer's goal-scoring prowess waned last season, managing just three goals in 27 outings. Manager Parkinson left him out of the team in the latter half of the season following new attacking signings in January. The decision to sideline Palmer led to public criticism from his father. Andy Palmer, who previously served as a protection officer for the Royal Family, took to social media to challenge Parkinson to "swallow his pride" and give his son more game time. Meanwhile, Windass is set to become the club's fifth summer signing following the acquisitions of striker Ryan Hardie from Plymouth, goalkeeper Danny Ward from Leicester, left-back Liberato Cacace from Empoli and midfielder George Thomason from Bolton. Sign up to our newsletter! Wrexham is the Game is great new way to get top-class coverage Wrexham AFC is the arguably the fastest-growing club in the world at the moment thanks to a certain Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The Dragons have achieved two consecutive promotions and are cheered on by crowds from not only North Wales but also from all over the globe, thanks to the success of the Disney+ documentary 'Welcome to Wrexham'. But does it have a dedicated, quality source of information piped through to your inbox each week, free of ads but packed with informed opinion, analysis and even a little bit of fun each week? That's where Wrexham is the Game steps in... Available every Wednesday, it provides all the insights you need to be a top red. And for a limited time, a subscription to 'Wrexham is the Game' will cost fans just £15 for the first year.