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Scottish Sun
15-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Historic SPFL club sign up 11 players and let seven leave as they prepare to rebuild after year of financial turmoil
They are hoping for a better season next year MONEY TALKS Historic SPFL club sign up 11 players and let seven leave as they prepare to rebuild after year of financial turmoil Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TO say it's been a year of ups and downs for Inverness Caledonian Thistle would be an understatement to say the least. But after surviving the drop against all odds and now preparing to exit administration, the club is looking to rebuild for the future. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 It's been a season of turmoil for Inverness Caley but it's ending on high Credit: Kenny Ramsay - Commissioned by The Sun 2 Alan Savage is behind a deal to get the club out of administration Credit: Ken Macpherson - Commissioned by The Sun Glasgow Scott Kellacher - who recently featured on our One-on-One series - was appointed manager in October after previous boss Duncan Ferguson left the club as they were unable to pay him and his players. At that point it looked as though Caley Thistle were doomed. They had been slapped with a 15-point deduction for entering administration and the financial outlook was grim, with club chiefs having knocked back a £1.2m bid to save them. As recent as March the club was at serious risk of going under as there were no serious offers to take them out of the doldrums. The economic issues meant they faced losing up to three-quarters of their playing squad. But last month a deal was agreed that would see them EXIT administration and a few weeks later they officially beat the drop thanks to a 3-0 win over eventual League One champions Arbroath. Inverness aren't completely out of the mire yet but the future looks much brighter now - and they have started planning for next season. Kellacher will aim to build on this season's seventh-placed finish and 11 players have been handed new contracts ahead of the upcoming campaign. Four stars remain locked in talks over extending their deals and a further three youth players have signed their first pro contracts. One player has been released and six loanees have returned to their parent clubs. Scott Kellacher on saving Inverness Caley Thistle from the brink, his Celtic days & meeting Al Pacino A statement from the club read: "Inverness Caledonian Thistle can now give the following squad update following the end of season 2024/25. "The club are pleased to confirm 11 players in total have agreed new contracts and three players from the ICTFC Academy have agreed their first professional contracts. "A full statement regarding the Academy players who have agreed their first professional contracts with the club will be released in due course. "The club can also confirm that striker Ethan Cairns will be released upon expiry of his current contract. Ethan had been with the club since he was 9 years-old and signed for the club full-time in 2021. In total Ethan made 22 appearances for ICTFC and scored once. Everyone at ICTFC would like to thank Ethan for his contributions while at the club and wish him the very best in the future. "Six loan players have returned to their parent clubs: Alfie Bavidge, Ben Brannan, Keith Bray, Connall Ewan, James Nolan and Alfie Stewart. We'd like to thank all the players for their contributions at Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC and we wish them the very best in the future. "The club would also like to place on record our thanks to Aberdeen FC, Dunfermline Athletic FC, Kilmarnock FC, Manchester United FC and Ross County FC for their assistance with loan players in 2024/25." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Press and Journal
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Caley Thistle agree new deals with 11 players - including record scorer Billy Mckay
Caley Thistle have confirmed three key players – and eight youngsters – have agreed new deals with the League One club. Assistant boss and record scorer Billy Mckay signed a new contract for next season while captain Danny Devine, and winger Luis Longstaff have agreed two-year deals. The club are also in discussions over new deals with goalkeeper Musa Dibaga, defender Remi Savage, and midfielders Paul Allan and Charlie Gilmour. Eight players aged 21 or under have agreed contracts for at least next season as the club seeks to exit administration next Thursday. Signing one-year contracts are: goalkeeper Szymon Rebilas, 17, defenders Matthew Strachan, 19, Jack Walker, 19, Sam Nixon, 18, midfielders Robbie Thompson, 21, Shae Keogh, 18, and striker Sam Reid, 16. Midfielder Calum MacLeod, 18, has agreed a two-year deal. Midfielder Adam Mackinnon, 22, is also under contract for 2025-26. Mckay, who has scored 117 goals for ICT, has been assistant to Kellacher since Duncan Ferguson was sacked as boss amid administration kicking in last October. Three goals in the last three games last term helped keep Caley Thistle in League One and he is set to continue to combine coaching and playing roles. Mckay was relieved to have been part of a side which beat the drop from League One, despite the restrictions of administration and a 15-point deduction with ICT finishing in seventh position. Including loan stints, Mckay, 36, has played for ICT for eight years and will relish the chance to help the club target promotion back to the Championship in 2026. Skipper Devine, 32, who has served the club for almost nine years over two periods, signalled his intention to extend his stay towards the end of the season. Former Liverpool under-21 winger Longstaff, who has loan experience with Queen's Park and Cove Rangers, is the third senior player to pledge his future to the Highland side for another term. Hamstring and groin injuries hampered the 24-year-old to 31 appearances last season, but he was a key target for Kellacher to have on board beyond this summer. In an extensive squad update, ICT confirmed under-18 players James Clark, Ben Gardiner and Sam Thompson have all signed their first professional contracts with the club. The club also confirmed that 20-year-old striker Ethan Cairns will be released upon expiry of his current contract. Cairns has been with the club since he was nine years-old and signed for the club full-time in 2021. In total, Cairns made 22 appearances for ICTFC and scored once, but was limited by injuries last term. A club statement said: 'Everyone at ICTFC would like to thank Ethan for his contributions while at the club and wish him the very best in the future.' The same message was extended to the following loan players, who have returned to the parent clubs: Alfie Stewart and Alfie Bavidge (Aberdeen), Ben Brannan (Kilmarnock), Connall Ewan (Ross County), James Nolan (Manchester United) and Keith Bray (Dunfermline Athletic). Caley Thistle will be permitted to make offers to external players once the club is out of administration. Former chairman Alan Savage is confident his request for all shareholders to transfer their shares to him in order for his £800,000 offer for the club will be agreed before next Thursday's company voluntary arrangement (CVA) meeting of creditors. Savage this week told The Press and Journal that 95% of shareholders have do so and he's confident the 'last few' will follow suit.
