
Celtic target's boss addresses transfer speculation
With Greg Taylor on the brink of joining Greek outfit PAOK, Brendan Rodgers needs back-up for the returning Kieran Tierney, and Kosugi could be a potential option.
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He plies his trade with Swedish top-flight side Djurgarden. Their manager, Honkavaara, recently addressed the transfer interest in his left back: "There have been rumours all along," he said of Kosugi [Sportbladet via RecordSport].
"When we had a good season in Europe, there was a lot of interest.
"He's a good player, and if we lose him, we have to find a replacement.
"We've sold for quite a lot of money. I hope we can spend some money too. We'll see how it goes. It's been good money, but now maybe it's time to build something."
Kosugi helped Djurgarden reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League last season, where they were ultimately defeated by Chelsea, who went on to win the competition.
The 19-year-old only moved to Sweden just over a year ago, but has established himself as a regular with Djurgarden. His team currently sit ninth in the Allsvenskan, 12 games into the 2025 campaign.
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Daily Record
35 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Plucky Greek journo's Rangers question to Russell Martin shows Panathinaikos devastation - and Ibrox fans must get real
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Yet in the aftermath of Rangers' victory, judging by some of the reaction, Martin and his players should somehow feel guilty about their Champions League progression. Seriously, the criticism of him and his team's performance has been ridiculously over the top. Even Record Sport's own Keith Jackson, was scathing in his assessment. On the way home from Greece, Rangers fans at the airport seemed deflated, rather than elated. Football's changed eh? Remember the days when it was all about winning? Now, if your team's display is not aesthetically pleasing, for some the result is almost irrelevant. It's madness. Martin has worked with this group of players for a matter of weeks. A hotchpotch squad of some guys riddled by failure for years, others who want out, some who aren't good enough - and a few prized assets the manager will hope to build upon. He's then added a raft of new signings to the mix, a couple of whom aren't even fully fit yet. 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There WERE glimpses of what he wants from this team and how he expects it to look. But he's still well short of quality in the final third of the pitch. I've read accusations of Rangers being 'wide open'. So what does that make Panathinaikos, who shipped three goals in the tie? The key thing about Wednesday night - which is a really important sign of what the players think of their new gaffer - is the shift they put in for him in testing conditions. They didn't wilt. Instead, they grafted their a***s off for Martin and his staff. That tells me they've bought into him, which is vital. When Ange Postecoglou arrived at Celtic in the summer of 2022, he also vowed to transform the Hoops' playing style. Early on, just like Martin, he was thrown into a tricky European qualifier against FC Midtjylland - and came a cropper. Celtic were beaten by the competent Danes but excuses were made for their new Aussie gaffer. That's despite the fact he deployed a multi-million pound forward line in the two games, consisting of Liel Abada, Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie. All of whom are considerably better than Martin's attacking trio - Kieran Dowell, Danilo and Findlay Curtis - against the Greeks. Postecoglou also lost his opening league game at Tynecastle against Hearts when, while trying to get his team playing out from the back, the likes of new Swedish defender Carl Starfelt was all over the place. Again, it was seen as a work in progress. There were signs it was coming together but defeats to Rangers at Ibrox and Livingston in West Lothian suggested his style wouldn't work away from home. Their Old Firm rivals were apparently certs for the title. We all know what happened next. Before too long, Postecoglou's side were sweeping aside all before them and hoovering up trophies. Martin has a long way to go - with a mountain of work ahead of him - to get to that stage. But he knows that. And he knows it'll take time, as well as more quality players. If he gets found out at Fir Park on Saturday and loses his Premiership opener to Motherwell? Or if there are early slip-ups in the league that leave them trailing Celtic? There will be a queue of people lining up to have a pop - and I'll be in it. Because unlike in Europe, domestically Martin HAS to get results even amidst a period of transition. If it goes haywire on that score, of course he'll deserve flak. But after an emphatic Champions League victory over Panathinaikos this early in his Ibrox reign? That's grossly unfair.


Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
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Rhyl Journal
6 hours ago
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