Celtic starlet leaves due to ‘desire for first team football' as European club snap him up on cut-price transfer fee
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
IT's hard enough to break into the first team of any Scottish Premiership side - let alone Celtic and Rangers.
More evidence of that has played out this week, with the Parkhead club set to lose a highly-rated youngster for a cut-price fee due to the player wanting regular football, reports claim.
Sign up for the Celtic newsletter
Sign up
1
Matthew Anderson in action for Scotland Under-21s
Credit: Willie Vass
Matthew Anderson joined the Celtic academy setup from Motherwell at the age of 13 and signed his first professional contract with the club in 2020 at the age of 16.
But now 21, Anderson is yet to make his mark on the senior squad and has had to spend time out on loan to gain minutes on the pitch.
However, on his return he would have been hoping to push for a place in Brendan Rodgers' thoughts.
But it seems he isn't int he manager's plans and now, according to the Glasgow Times, he will sign for Belgian second division outfit KV Kortrijk.
Two years ago, Anderson was loaned out to one of Celtic's feeder clubs, Admira Wacker of Austria.
He's remained there since and racked up a healthy number of minutes in the second tier of Austrian football.
He made 21 appearances in 2023/24, playing at left-back or left-midfield.
And the Hoops kid played 22 league games this past season as the team challenged for promotion, more often than not playing wide on the left of midfield.
He had originally came through the ranks as a defender and was given shirt number 63, the same digits worn by Kieran Tierney.
But it's said the Scotland youth international has a desire for that first team football to continue and doesn't think he'll get that at Celtic, hence the decision to move on.
The diggers move in as Celtic Park pitch is dug up
It's reported that Anderson has signed a three-year deal with the ambitious Belgians, who are owned by Cardiff City chief Vincent Tan and are targeting a quick return to the top flight after being relegated last season.
Stephen McManus, Anderson's coach when he was with the B team, previously predicted a bright future in football for the youngster.
McManus, who is now a first team coach with the Hoops, said earlier this month in an interview with the Daily Record: "He's got a massive future in the game, absolutely massive.
"He's a terrific boy with a brilliant family, and again, you can only stay with us, with the B team, for a couple of seasons.
"Matthew outgrew the B team two years ago. That's why he's not played for the B team.
"That's why the next stage of his development was to go out and loan."
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
38 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Rangers owners 49ers get their chequebooks out for £22m bill as mega cost of World Cup hosting duties revealed
The 49ers Enterprises investment group have taken control of Rangers - but the American football giants will also have to fork out for the 2026 World Cup Rangers fans are dreaming of a glorious future under the banner of the 49ers Enterprises investment group – but the Ibrox club aren't all they're spending their money on. New Ibrox chairman Andrew Cavenagh has pledged to immediately inject £20million into the football department to help Russell Martin shape his squad ahead of the new season. Lyall Cameron has joined Gers from Dundee while full back Max Aarons has completed a loan switch from Bournemouth. And more are expected to follow with Leicester City defender Conor Coady in talks over a move north of the border while the likes of Dor Turgeman and Matija Frigan have been heavily linked. After years of turmoil, the Light Blues now look to be in good hands on the financial side of things, with health tycoon Cavenagh and vice chairman Paraag Marathe now working alongside CEO Patrick Stewart. 49ers Enterprises - who are the investment arm of the famed American Football (NFL) team San Francisco 49ers - also own Leeds United, and are set to splash the cash even further this summer to ensure the Yorkshire team enjoy a successful season back in the Premier League. But reports across the pond also now claim that 49ers chiefs could spent up to $30million (£21.9million) to host six matches at next year's FIFA World Cup. The 49ers will open their doors for six matches at the Levi's Stadium in Santa, Clara, California as the biggest show in town hits North America. Yardbarker state that hosting those games will cost the city $50million (£36.4million) and that 49ers will not be able to use taxpayer money to pay the bill. They add that in turn, FIFA will contribute $13million (£9.4million) of the overall figure and with the state of California coughing up $7- 8.5 million (£5-6million), the 49ers will have to front the rest of the bill, a total of around $30m (£22m). On top of that, the mega franchise are also in the midst of renovating Levi's Stadium ahead of the finals at reported cost of $200 million (£145.7million). As well as the World Cup, the Calafornia team will also host the Superbowl on February 8, 2026. It is the first time the Levi's Stadium has hosted the world famous event since 2015 and only the third time the sporting landmark has ever been held in the San Francisco Bay Area. Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
My last five years at Rangers with Walter Smith were more satisfying than nine in a row, says Sir David Murray
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SIR DAVID MURRAY insists his final five years at Ibrox were even MORE satisfying than capturing the coveted Nine in a Row. The former Rangers owner was in charge for 23 years as the club reached a European final and came within 90 minutes of the first-ever Champions League final. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 2 Walter Smith and David Weir lift the Scottish Premiership trophy Credit: Keith Campbell - The Sun Glasgow 2 Rangers chairman David Murray on the day Walter Smith was re-appointed in 2007 Credit: Reuters They also gathered nine straight league titles for the only time in the club's history — completing a clean sweep between 1989 and 1997 under Walter Smith. But Sir David — speaking exclusively to SunSport — rates Smith's return in early 2007 and the next five years as the highlight. He said: 'Taking all factors into consideration, I think the last five years were remarkable. 'Previously, we had money to spend but it was tight when Walter came back. 'Paul Le Guen hadn't worked out. 'When Walter came back, he wanted to sign David Weir and Christian Dailly. It was unbelievable but he knew how to do it. 'Having Alistair McCoist and Kenny McDowall with him, they were a unit full of motivation. 'We won eight trophies in five years. When I left, it was on the brink of Three in a Row.' Murray appointed just four men as manager over 23 years — Smith (twice), Le Guen, Dick Advocaat and Alex McLeish. And he recalls with great fondness the run to the 2008 UEFA Cup final in Manchester — despite ultimately falling to Advocaat's Zenit St Petersburg. Sir Sean Connery's secret £1 MILLION investment in Rangers revealed He added: 'If you look at the UEFA Cup run in 2008, the penalty shoot-out against Fiorentina stands out. 'Christian Vieri, who cost millions, missed and Nacho Novo — a free from Dundee — slotted it away. 'What we had at that time was a tightness and a bond. 'People on the outside thought they knew things but there was no leakage. The David Murray files Ex-Rangers owner Sir David Murray APOLOGISES to fans for selling club to Craig Whyte 14 years after deal led to collapse My dad took the fall for 'disastrous' deal & was jailed for FRAUD, reveals ex-Rangers owner Sir David Murray Inside 007 legend Sean Connery's secret £1m Rangers investment as bombshell details revealed for first time Former Rangers supremo Sir David Murray admits his decision to sell to Craig Whyte 'tarnished' his Ibrox legacy 'I still have shards in my leg', says ex-Rangers supremo Sir David Murray as he breaks 50-year silence on car crash hell "I can't do this" - Sir David Murray reveals that he almost sold Rangers for £40million in 2005 Ex-Rangers owner Murray recalls chilling phone call after fatal private jet crash which Scots F1 hero walked away from 'We fought together and won games that, on paper, we probably shouldn't have won. 'We beat Werder Bremen with a great save from Allan McGregor and you remember it all. 'We ran out of steam in the final after Dick went and bought a Russian player for millions! Football's scoop of the century By Roger Hannah IT'S The Sun Wot Broke It. But Sir David Murray didn't mind that his historic swoop for Maurice Johnston was first revealed on the front page of this newspaper in 1989. He was just relieved he'd managed to help Graeme Souness pull off a transfer swoop which rocked Scottish football. Even now, 36 years on, landing the Scotland striker from Celtic's grasp — and making him the first high- profile Catholic to play for Gers — is regarded as the most audacious swoop of all time. And Murray recalls: 'All the talk was of Johnston joining Celtic. But Graeme came to me and said, 'Apparently he's not signed, the paperwork's not done, we can get him'. 'I asked for a day to think about it, phoned him and said, 'Yes, I think we should do it for numerous reasons — for football reasons and to remove an area where we can be criticised for not signing Catholic players. And why not make it the best one, who can come in and contribute?' 'Even though at that time Mark Hateley and Ally McCoist were the strikers and had an excellent partnership. 'Finally, just 24 hours before we were due to unveil the player, we took a call from a young journalist at The Sun in Scotland ahead of a story being published. 'On July 10, 1989, The Sun ran half of its front page with the simple headline MO JOINS GERS. 'It certainly didn't spoil the unveiling. If anything, it ramped up the tension!' Johnston, who had played with Celts before a spell at Nantes in France, was pictured with Hoops boss Billy McNeill in 1989 but hadn't signed his contract to return. Gers boss Souness, who had played with Johnston for Scotland, realised the move hadn't been concluded and kickstarted the monumental move. 'That was an amazing achievement considering where we'd been 18 months before.' In his new autobiography, Murray details his relationship with all four men he appointed — and close pal Graeme Souness, who he inherited as boss when he bought the club in 1988. - Mettle: Tragedy, Courage & Titles by Sir David Murray, is on sale Thursday July 3 from Amazon and all good bookshops. Preorder on Amazon here. Sir David is donating his royalties to Erskine Hospital. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Robin Propper features for Rangers in pre-season friendly amid exit talks as Gers struggle in behind closed doors clash
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RANGERS officially kick off their new campaign under Russell Martin in less than a month's time. The Light Blues face Panathinaikos in a blockbuster Champions League showdown at Ibrox on July 22, with the return leg pencilled in for the following week on July 30. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 2 Russell Martin has already overseen one game as Rangers boss Credit: PA 2 The result go Gers' way Credit: Willie Vass Gers boss Martin, 39, is working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring new signings to the club before that first leg against the Greek giants. He's already signed Max Aarons on loan from Bournemouth, while Lyall Cameron has also joined the club after penning a pre-contract earlier this year. In the meantime Martin is weighing up the futures of several players already within the club who could leave during this current window. One of those players is Dutch outcast Robin Propper as Rangers are still in talks with FC Twente over a potential return to Enschede just 12 months on from his move to Glasgow. Martin had the chance to see him in action today as he was involved in a pre-season friendly which was held behind closed doors. Rangers faced Welsh champions The New Saints in a game believed to be held at their training ground at Auchenhowie. And SunSport understands the result didn't go in Rangers' favour as TNS came out on top to win 1-0. It's unclear which players were involved exactly but SunSport understands Propper played along with skipper James Tavernier and goalkeeper Liam Kelly. The match took place just 24 hours after TNS were held to a 1-1 draw by Scott Brown's Ayr United at East Kilbride's home ground K Park. It might not have been the result Martin would've hoped for but TNS are further ahead in their pre-season preparation as they returned for training much earlier given their campaign gets underway in less than two weeks. Ex-Rangers supremo David Murray on the club's new owners and why Gio shouldn't have been sacked The Welsh outfit also have Champions League qualifiers to attend to but they enter the competition in the first round qualfier, while Gers take on Panathinaikos in the second. As aforementioned, the first leg will take place at Ibrox but it won't be the first game fans can attend at the Govan stadium this month. That's because the Light Blues host Club Brugge next week on Sunday, July 6. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
