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Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Aston Villa set to sign Feyenoord striker Zepiqueno Redmond, 18, on free transfer
Unai Emery has been chasing a replacement for Jhon Duran Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ASTON VILLA are set to sign young Feyenoord striker Zepiqueno Redmond on a free transfer. With Unai Emery hopeful the 18-year-old Dutch youth international will become as successful as Jhon Duran - the last teenage striker he signed. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Zepiqueno Redmond has enjoyed a breakthrough season at Feyenoord Credit: Getty Duran cost Villa £14.5million when Emery signed him from Chicago Fire in January, 2023. And Villa made a cool £50million profit when they sold him to Saudi giants Al-Nassr two years later. Redmond's contract with Feyenoord expires at the end of June and Villa have beaten off interest from several clubs in the Premier League and across Europe. But the kid who can play as a striker or on the wing is poised to join Villa on a four-year deal. Emery has been looking to add a young forward to Villa's ranks since Duran was sold in January. Redmond has made nine senior appearances for Feyenoord and made his first team debut in November during a 4-1 win over Almere City in the Eredivisie. He went on to feature in the club's next two league matches and scored both of his side's goals in a 2-1 victory over MVV Maastricht in the KNVB Cup on December 17. Two months later, he made his Champions League debut, starting in a league phase clash against AC Milan at the San Siro, which ended in a 1-1 draw. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 2 Jhon Duran left Villa for Al-Nassr in January Credit: Reuters He also featured in the round of 16 second leg against Inter, coming on for the final 15 minutes in Milan. Redmond has played for the Netherlands at Under-16, Under-17 and has been a regular for the Under-19s over the past year.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Aston Villa set to sign Feyenoord striker Zepiqueno Redmond, 18, on free transfer
ASTON VILLA are set to sign young Feyenoord striker Zepiqueno Redmond on a free transfer. With 2 Zepiqueno Redmond has enjoyed a breakthrough season at Feyenoord Credit: Getty Duran cost Villa £14.5million when Emery signed him from Chicago Fire in January, 2023. And Villa made a cool £50million profit when they Redmond's contract with But the kid who can play as a striker or on the wing is poised to join Villa on a four-year deal. READ MORE TRANSFER NEWS Emery has been looking to add a young forward to Villa's ranks since Duran was sold in January. Redmond has made nine senior appearances for Feyenoord and made his first team debut in November during a 4-1 win over Almere City in the Eredivisie. He went on to feature in the club's next two league matches and scored both of his side's goals in a 2-1 victory over MVV Maastricht in the KNVB Cup on December 17. Two months later, he made his Champions League debut, starting in a league phase clash against AC Milan at the San Siro, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 2 Jhon Duran left Villa for Al-Nassr in January Credit: Reuters He also featured in the round of 16 second leg against Inter, coming on for the final 15 minutes in Milan. Redmond has played for the Netherlands at Under-16, Under-17 and has been a regular for the Under-19s over the past year. Aston Villa confirm Jhon Duran's £64million transfer to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr with blunt 58-word statement
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Liverpool report: Arne Slot left shocked by unexpected summer exit
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Arne Slot has been left 'rocked' by the news of a surprise summer exit at Anfield. The Dutchman, installed as Jurgen Klopp's successor last year, helped the Merseysiders to their first Premier League title since 2019/20 and was also pivotal in convincing Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk to renew their contracts. But with a big summer ahead in terms of personnel, Liverpool could be about to lose a key squad member already, with the summer window now just a few days away from opening. With deals for Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz looking likely, the Reds are well situated in terms of their plans for summer incomings. Darwin Nunez and Trent Alexander-Arnold are two other players who also looking to be heading for pastures new, but the latest information suggests another departure isn't one the club was expecting. As relayed by Fabrizio Romano, Slot's assistant and former Everton defender, Jonny Heitinga, has been granted permission by the club to hold talks with Ajax about their ongoing managerial vacancy. Liverpool have already begun the process of looking at replacements if the Heitinga deal goes through, with Romano describing the move at this point as 'likely'. Heitinga boasts a whole host of experience already in the dugout, having previously managed Ajax for six months in the second half of the 2022-23 campaign, where the club finished third in the Eredivisie and lost to PSV in the KNVB Cup final. He then joined David Moyes' coaching staff at West Ham for the 2023-24 season, before departing and joining Slot at Anfield following the former Feyenoord boss' appointment last summer. In FourFourTwo's view, Slot will be saddened to lose a man of Heitinga's experience, especially given how well the pair have worked together during his debut season in England. Dutchman Sipke Hulshoff is Liverpool's first assistant coach and could yet assume the duties, but it remains to be seen who the Reds bring in as a replacement.
Press and Journal
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Mats Knoester: Scottish Cup win with Aberdeen is career highlight
Aberdeen defender Mats Knoester has added a Scottish Cup winner's medal to his collection and the Dutchman insists his latest addition is his most prized of all. Knoester has a KNVB Cup winner's medal with Feyenoord from 2018 and won the Hungarian league title with Ferencvaros in 2023. But the central defender has put his first Scottish medal to the top of the pecking order after playing a starring role in the Dons' penalty shootout win against Celtic at Hampden on Saturday. The 26-year-old said: 'This one is the best by far, even better than winning a league because it means more. 'At Ferencvaros, you have to win every year. Here you can see it's been so long. There are more emotions. 'You should just look around you and take it all in. It's a lot to describe. It means a lot and the man of the match award as well. Doubling up is really good.' Adding to the Aberdeen defender's joy was being able to celebrate his victory in Scotland with his family. He said: 'Everybody was here, my mum and dad as well, my brothers. It means a lot. 'You wouldn't see it on my dad's face, but inside, he would have been very happy, emotional and everything. 'In our family we are calm. You don't see it from the outside, but definitely from the inside, it means a lot.' Knoester, who was a powerhouse at the back alongside young team-mates Jack Milne and Alfie Dorrington, was primed to add another element to his cup final tale during the shootout. The defender was due to take Aberdeen's fifth penalty before goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov saved Alistair Johnston's spot-kick to bring the cup back to Aberdeen for the first time since 1990. The Dutchman joked: 'I was fifth. I was ready and Dimi saved it. I gave him the biggest hug afterwards. 'My penalties in practice were good so I had confidence. But, of course, it's nice if you can finish it early. The earlier, the better.' Jimmy Thelin's side ended a 30-game winless run against the Hoops and ended the league and League Cup winners' hopes of a domestic treble. Victory at Hampden also ended Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers' perfect record, both in the competition and at the National Stadium. Given the one-sided nature of the previous recent encounters, it is understandable why Celtic were such strong favourites. But Knoester and his team-mates' belief was unshakeable. He said: 'We had previous matches with Celtic, of course. They're a good team, they're a really good team. They win a lot of prizes. 'We knew we had to change our tactic and maybe do something different. This was our plan and it worked out well. So I'm very happy with that. 'They scored one goal out of a set-piece, not out of open play, which is frustrating. 'You know, you're defending so well and then you get a set-piece. 'But we said to each other, 'The one thing that can't happen is if they score a goal or we score a goal and we change'. 'That's happened in the past few games. 'So we said, 'Just stick to the game plan'. Then the longer the game went, it was still 1-0 and we got some good transitions. 'Then you start to feel, 'Okay, we only need this one half chance'. Then it goes in and then it actually happens. 'Of course, it has to work out in the end. But we did believe in it, yeah, definitely.' Aberdeen's cup win was one achieved by sheer grit and determination from the men in red. Knoester epitomised the effort by being the only member of the back three to last the full 120 minutes. He said: 'I didn't really feel it. Of course, you feel tired after 120 minutes, but I still felt like I could go on. It's a good sign that I'm fit. 'This was a good team performance. If you put it on paper, you would say Celtic are the better team. 'But then you need to come up with character and a team sticking together. That's what we did. 'For me, personally, it's just about belief in yourself, in your team, in the tactics. And shutting down all the noise around you. 'Then you prove them wrong. So, it's the best feeling.' The icing on the cake of course, was guaranteed European group stage football next season. Knoester said: 'We have it all now, huh? Nobody would say that before. So, I think that's the nicest thing.'
Scotsman
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Aberdeen supporter's ten reasons why they can beat Celtic in Scottish Cup final
Many have written Dons off - but one man still has confidence Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It's an understatement to say that there are not many people tipping Aberdeen to win Saturday's Scottish Cup final against Celtic. But here are ten reasons why Dons supporters should head to Hampden with hope, according to The Scotsman's resident Aberdeen supporter Scott Coull ... 1. Year of the underdog 1990 was the last time Aberdeen lifted the Scottish Cup. It has been 35 long years since Brian Irvine's spot-kick nestled in the net to seal a 9-8 shootout win over Celtic at Hampden. But it seems that 2025 is the year to smash trophy hoodoos. Newcastle United ended 70 years of pain when they won the Carabao Cup in March; Bologna, with ex-Don Lewis Ferguson in midfield, won the Coppa Italia earlier this month for their first piece of silverware in 51 years; Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles (once managed by the late former Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood) won the KNVB Cup in April to break a 93-year trophy drought; last Saturday Crystal Palace's FA Cup triumph was the first time the club had won a major trophy in their 119-year history; and on Wednesday Tottenham's 17-year trophy hiatus was brought to an end with Europa League glory in Bilbao. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Go Ahead Eagles celebrate winning the KNVB Cup last month. | ANP/AFP via Getty Images 2. The Red Army The relationship between Aberdeen's players and supporters suffered an unexpected setback last weekend when one moronic fan decided to hurl a broken seat on to the pitch at Tannadice. Left-back Jack MacKenzie was left seriously injured during the incident and it would be understandable if a rift developed between the squad and the fans. Nevertheless, the backing the Dons have received from the Red Army this season has been exceptional and manager Jimmy Thelin has regularly praised the supporters for inspiring his players to victories or sticking with them during defeats. Crucially, the Scottish FA decided on a 50-50 split of tickets for Saturday's showpiece, which means the teams won't walk out to a sea of green and white. The North Stand will be split fairly down the middle on this occasion and the Aberdeen Ultras' 'All in red' rallying cry will help create a special atmosphere. 3. Captain fantastic Graeme Shinnie, the Aberdeen captain, knows what it takes to win the Scottish Cup. Ten years ago next week he famously skippered Inverness Caledonian Thistle to a 2-1 victory against Falkirk at Hampden and is desperate to get his hands on the trophy again. "I've never shied away from saying it would mean everything," said Shinnie this week about the prospect of doing the cup double as a captain. "It would be massive for me." It will be intriguing to see where the combative 33-year-old starts on Saturday. Thelin has been playing him at left-back in recent weeks but Celtic's pace on the flanks is a worry and may force the Swede to put Shinnie back in midfield. What is almost certain is that he'll start somewhere. Especially with the vocal Sivert Heltne Nilsen sidelined with an eye injury, Aberdeen will look to Shinnie to be the driving force against Celtic... and hope that his previous experience with Caley Thistle is a lucky omen. Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie. | Getty Images 4. Hatate misses out Celtic won't be at full strength for the cup final. Japanese midfielder Reo Hatate suffered a season-ending injury during a league fixture at Pittodrie a couple of weeks ago and it's expected that either Paulo Bernardo or Luke McCowan will take his place. While skipper Callum McGregor is the undoubted heartbeat of the Celtic team and Bernardo or McCowan will be an able deputy, Hatate's absence is a blow for the treble-chasers. "He'll miss the last two games of the season - sadly for him and for us," said manager Brendan Rodgers. Hatate played 55 games this season and scored 11 goals, including in Celtic's 1-0 win at Aberdeen in December. He made the difference in a tight contest that night but won't be able to influence this weekend's fixture. 5. Better Leighton than never It was considered a bit of a coup when Aberdeen signed Leighton Clarkson from Liverpool a couple of summers ago. The midfielder's critics would say he's a bit lightweight and can misplace one too many passes, but there's little doubt he can be the Dons' match-winner at Hampden. Clarkson, 23, has the ability to unlock the Celtic defence with a World Cup pass and his expertise from set pieces was demonstrated in stunning fashion against Rangers last month when his long-range free-kick whistled past Liam Kelly. If Clarkson is on his game then Aberdeen have a chance. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Reo Hatate won't make it for Celtic - but Aberdeen's Leighton Clarkson will. | Getty Images 6. Celtic are not invincible This Celtic team may yet walk away with every domestic trophy on offer but they're not Rodgers' Invincibles side of 2016/17. The 2024/25 edition are beatable and have had more than enough slip-ups this season to give Aberdeen supporters hope. Since the turn of the year alone, the Parkhead side have lost to St Johnstone, Rangers and Hibernian in the Premiership and dropped points against St Mirren and Dundee. Was complacency a factor on those occasions? Celtic are overwhelming favourites to collect another piece of silverware this weekend and, no matter how much Rodgers guards against it, some players may allow overconfidence to creep into their mindset. If that's the case, Aberdeen can capitalise. 7. The 2-2 game Aberdeen's woeful record against Celtic has been well documented. The week before last Rodgers' reserves went to Pittodrie and cruised to a 5-1 win, and the last time the teams met at Hampden, back in November, the Dons were thumped 6-0. But a fortnight before that League Cup semi-final, Thelin's men went toe to toe with Saturday's opponents in a thrilling 2-2 Premiership draw and that match should be the players' reference point - or rather, the second half of that match. They looked down and out when goals from Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi gave Celtic a 2-0 interval lead but a clinical, ambitious and organised approach in the second 45 was rewarded with a point. Ester Sokler and Shinnie scored excellent counter-attacking goals and Aberdeen might have won the game if Slobodan Rubezic's header hadn't been ruled out when VAR spotted a Duk handball. Aberdeen's Slobodan Rubezic, Gavin Molly and Ester Sokler, Jamie McGrath and Duk celebrate the full time whistle during the 2-2 draw at Celtic Park earlier this season. | SNS Group 8. Lightning can strike twice Do you believe in a higher power? The last time Aberdeen and Celtic met in the final of the Scottish Cup, back in 2017, there might have been some divine intervention at play. At the exact moment Tom Rogic fired his 92nd-minute shot beyond Dons goalkeeper Joe Lewis to seal a dramatic 2-1 win there was an eerie bolt of lightning which lit up the Hampden sky. It was as if a spell had been cast to ensure Celtic completed their unbeaten domestic treble. And there was surely some spooky interference from someone somewhere when Jonny Hayes earlier misplaced THAT pass to Kenny McLean! Maybe this time the fates will conspire in Aberdeen's favour rather than against them. Rain is forecast for cup final day so keep an eye out for another flash of lightning... 9. Luck of the draw Sometimes when teams get decent cup draws on so many occasions, you start to wonder if their name is on the trophy. When Hearts famously lifted their first piece of silverware in 36 years by winning the Scottish Cup back in 1998, their run to the final against Rangers was favourable to say the least - Clydebank, Albion Rovers, Ayr United and Falkirk. Aberdeen have had similar good fortune this season, with Elgin City, Dunfermline Athletic and Queen's Park all ties that supporters would have hand-picked themselves. Hearts in the semi-final was trickier, of course, but a tie they eventually negotiated to set up this weekend's shot at glory. Is Aberdeen's name on the trophy? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Aberdeen celebrate beating Hearts in the semi-finals. | SNS Group 10. Dons can finish how they started
