Scottish Football &#8211; CaughtOffside

27-year-old signed by Bielsa could be set to leave Leeds United

Liverpool put eye-watering price tag on Mo Salah amid renewed Saudi interest

“Beautiful left foot… ” – Eddie Howe excited by ‘real high potential’ Newcastle star

Toure only played one season at Celtic, making 17 appearances and winning the double of the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish League Cup.

Throughout his entire career, Toure made 520 appearances, scoring 19 goals and providing 18 assists from defence.

He played the majority of his games for Arsenal with 326 appearances for the Gunners, but he also enjoyed stints with Manchester City, Liverpool and ASEC Mimosas.

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22-year-old specialist wants to leave after being linked with Leeds United

Darren Looney — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 18:09:40 +0000

Celtic’s Matt O’Riley has claimed he now feels ready to take the next step in his career amid transfer speculation surrounding the 22-year-old ahead of the January transfer window.

TeamTalk reports that Premier League clubs such as Tottenham and Brighton are among those keen on the Celtic star, while Leeds are once again interested in the midfielder after an attempted summer move.

The Yorkshire club were keen on signing O’Riley during the summer transfer window and according to Sky Sports, even made an offer of £10m, which was swiftly rejected by Celtic.

The 22-year-old has signed a new deal with the Scottish giants since and has made a fine start to the season, scoring six goals and providing five assists in 12 league matches.

Speaking in an interview with Tipsbladet ahead of representing Denmark, O’Riley has admitted that he is now ready to take the next step in his career, despite only signing a new deal six weeks ago.

The Celtic star said: “I have played in the Champions League against many good teams, and I feel I am ready (to take the next step), but I am already playing for a good team. It’s hard to say what is going to happen.”

Where he goes remains unknown but the favourites would have to be Tottenham given the presence of Ange Postecoglou at the club, who worked with O’Riley at Celtic before moving to North London.

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European teams including Man City queuing up for talented French defender

Jake Staniland — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 09:09:51 +0000

Celtic are now in a competitive pursuit with Manchester City and West Ham United for Nantes left-back Quentin Merlin.

According to a report from 90Min, Celtic, Manchester City, and West Ham United have expressed interest in acquiring the talents of Merlin as the January transfer window approaches.

Clubs are actively scouting potential signings and City may seek another left-back option, while the Hammers could view the Frenchman as a long-term solution in that position.

The competition for the promising player’s signature is not limited to these clubs; Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, and Napoli have shown keen interest in the player. Furthermore, Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon have also shown admiration for his abilities, highlighting his high demand in the transfer market.

As of now, Pep Guardiola doesn’t necessarily play with a conventional left-back, but Merlin has the ability to play more advanced as he’s been deployed as a left-winger in some competitive matches in the past.

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The 21-year-old has started 11 Ligue 1 games this campaign, helping Nantes to a tally of 14 points, leaving the French club just one point off the final European place which Brest currently occupy.

Merlin is under contract with Nantes until 2026, which gives the club the leverage to command a substantial transfer fee.

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Video: Celtic legend tips Ange Postecoglou for Man United job

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 09:08:33 +0000

Currently sat 11 points behind leaders Tottenham with five losses in their first 10 games, Man United manager, Erik ten Hag, finds himself under incredible pressure at present.

Compare and contrast his position with that of Ange Postecoglou, who has taken over the reins at Spurs and turned them into one of the best teams in the division.

Coming from Celtic, it’s not unfair to suggest that not much was expected of the Australian in his first season in the Premier League, so just how well Tottenham are playing has probably shut a few mouths.

Another former Celtic employee, Chris Sutton, speaking on the All Kicking Off podcast, was unequivocal when asked who should replace ten Hag should the Dutchman be sacked by the Red Devils.

“Big Ange,” was the immediate response, before he went on to discuss why.

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Exclusive: Stan Collymore on the complete meltdown at Man City if Everton are charged

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 12:15:32 +0000

The news that Everton could be docked 12 points by the Premier League for one instance of financial irregularity could have massive consequences for Man City according to Stan Collymore.

The pundit, who is never short of a strong opinion or two, even suggested the the club will go into complete meltdown at the thought of being bounced to the bottom of the English league football pyramid.

‘The Premier League are quite prevalent at briefing journalists and if they’re throwing a 12 point deduction at Everton, which is a significant sanction against one club, for the 114/115 charges that are facing Man City, they’re effectively saying ‘we’re ready, our lawyers are across all of this now, and as an organisation we will not accept it,” Collymore wrote in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.

‘Manchester City’s lawyers have tried to kick things into the long grass for quite a number of years now and these aren’t fresh charges. The Premier League are almost prepping the footballing public as to the severity.’

It’s certainly a strange situation when Man City’s historic and significant charges are still not dealt with but Everton, with just a single charge levied against them, appear to be getting hauled before the authorities in double-quick time.

‘Most people would look at Everton and say they feel a little bit for them. They’ve had a shaky time and they’ve never offended anybody, and they come from a great footballing city,’ Collymore continued.

‘If the Premier League can go straight away bang 12 points that might relegate them for the first time in I think 70 years, they would have no qualms whatsoever in throwing the book at Man City.

‘Even if just a quarter of those charges were proven, there is a situation where Manchester City will not only be bounced out of the Premier League, but thrown towards the bottom of the pyramid.’

Given the immense financial backing that Man City’s owners have, it’s a given that they will be able to call upon the services of the best legal teams in the world.

If the Premier League are going to press ahead as Collymore believes, then having taken their time before making their move is likely to serve the EPL better than if it had already gone all guns blazing to try and ensure City were punished.

‘The stakes are so great now it could mean an absolute meltdown for Man City, to the kind of proportions that Rangers suffered in Scotland when they fell foul of paying players via elaborate schemes,’ Collymore added.

‘The Premier League only have the remit to be able to kick them out of the Premier League of course, but the Football Association and the Football League won’t want them in the top divisions of their competition either. City will go to the very bottom of the pile.’

There’s still no timescale on whether any charges will ultimately be brought, and whether the proposed sanctions will be authorised and actioned.

Until there is complete clarity, both Everton and Man City are likely to be waiting on tenterhooks.

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Collymore’s column: Bellingham could be world class, ESL isn’t the way forward, Everton charge a pre-cursor to Man City, Man United’s poor transfer business and more!

Stan Collymore — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 11:25:54 +0000

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including how Jude Bellingham can become world class, what Sir Jim Ratcliffe is likely to do at Man United if results don’t improve, how Everton’s potential 12-point deduction spells trouble for Man City, plus much more.

—

European Super League isn’t the way forward

No, I don’t think a European Super League is the way forward. UEFA particularly have bent over backwards, with concessions, more games, more money. If you have a European Super League what’s it going to be predicated on?

It’s gonna be very, very difficult for clubs such as Villa and Forest, who have won European Cups in the past, Celtic too, to get into if it’s invite only. That will have a massive impact.

I could certainly see an example of clubs already owned by oil states or oligarchs or hedge funds, that are now spending €400m on players and are mopping up their domestic league, will just give a cursory nod to the league that they come from whilst going on and playing in the Super League.

Any attempt to start to be able to get momentum, however, should see supporters put their clubs under the greatest pressure to say their clubs must not, under any circumstances, enter a European Super League.

I think that particularly with the English clubs, if they were to say no again, we will never join the ESL because the whole idea would be dead in the water. There would be no European Super League that would be worthy of the name.

Saudi Arabia, big American banks… the groundwork has already been laid in some respects. The pre-season International Champions Cup in America is their attempt at giving English and European clubs an insight into what potentially is possible.

Come to America and play in front of 100,000 at the University of Michigan and we can make you richer than than you ever imagined. I could see a situation whereby the Saudis and the Americans, maybe even countries like India or China may want a little foothold.

Several entities will be needed to make it possible but just imagine if Manchester United are offered a billion pounds a season to play in any competition. The odds are that their owners are going to go absolutely yes because they then wouldn’t have to worry about whatever money comes into their club.

It’s a very persuasive argument.

If you’re trying to recruit players like Mo Salah for £30/40m and somebody all of a sudden says we will give you a billion pounds, or half a billion pounds a season to play in this league…

The Premier League and the FA, instead of having the boll**ks to say we’re kicking you out and you’re never coming back will look at it and say the clubs can have their cake and eat it.

Do I want ESL to happen now? Absolutely not.

But ultimately, countries like Saudi Arabia and some of the big banks and hedge funds in America could offer the kind of money at the moment that even the Premier League can only dream of, so one will more than likely make it happen in some form or another at some point in the next decade.

Man United’s recruitment has been abysmal

Antony, Jadon Sancho, Casemiro… there hasn’t been one Manchester United player that you would say has been a consistent eight out of 10 over the past couple of seasons.

In terms of a comparison with Liverpool or in particular Manchester City, United’s recruitment has been abysmal. You’ve always got to have an 80% strike rate with the players that you bring into your football club.

They have to be an eight out of 10 to be able to push you forward. Look at Manchester City; Haaland comes in and does the job, Grealish comes in but the Doku arrives and takes his place and all of a sudden it’s ‘now you’ve got to be a nine out of 10, Jack…’

I don’t see anybody at Manchester United that’s anywhere near that level, and their transfers haven’t been above a five out of 10.

That means Erik ten Hag is under major pressure, no doubt. I don’t think at the moment he’s got the kind of credibility he needs, having come from Ajax, to be able to survive a full season of mediocrity.

He got out of jail winning the Carabao Cup last season, but if Jim Ratcliffe comes in, and is ruthless as he has been in his business dealings, then you’re looking at who potentially could replace ten Hag.

The obvious answer will be somebody like Roberto De Zerbi who has done very well at Sassuolo and Brighton. He plays an aggressive attacking style of football that Manchester United fans would like, and he’s taken a team up to Old Trafford twice and played them off the park.

Ten Hag’s demeanour and personality isn’t exactly endearing either and he comes across as a little bit of an automaton, a bit of a robot.

For me, Jim Ratcliffe would probably look at it and go ‘I’ll give him to the end of the season and see what he does.’

Everton charge would be a pre-cursor to complete meltdown at Man City

I think it’s really simple. The Premier League are quite prevalent at briefing journalists and if they’re throwing a 12 point deduction at Everton, which is a significant sanction against one club, for the 114/115 charges that are facing Man City, they’re effectively saying ‘we’re ready, our lawyers are across all of this now, and as an organisation we will not accept it.’

Manchester City’s lawyers have tried to kick things into the long grass for quite a number of years now and these aren’t fresh charges.

The Premier League are almost prepping the footballing public as to the severity. Most people would look at Everton and say they feel a little bit for them. They’ve had a shaky time and they’ve never offended anybody, and they come from a great footballing city.

If the Premier League can go straight away bang 12 points that might relegate them for the first time in I think 70 years, they would have no qualms whatsoever in throwing the book at Man City. Even if just a quarter of those charges were proven, there is a situation where Manchester City will not only be bounced out of the Premier League, but thrown towards the bottom of the pyramid.

The stakes are so great now it could mean an absolute meltdown for Man City, to the kind of proportions that Rangers suffered in Scotland when they fell foul of paying players via elaborate schemes.

The Premier League only have the remit to be able to kick them out of the Premier League of course, but the Football Association and the Football League won’t want them in the top divisions of their competition either. City will go to the very bottom of the pile.

Messi is a worthy Ballon d’Or winner… but so are Haaland and Alvarez

I’m not a big fan of individual awards because they’re so subjective and almost pointless. What’s the criteria? Goals scored? Assists given? Influence over your team or any other metric you ascribe to?

Then you get people like Pep Guardiola coming out and saying Messi should have his own award, and that will have weighed heavily on the minds of journalists and the people that vote for things like that.

If you’re looking for the fairy tale and the guy that’s come in and almost single-handedly won a World Cup then Messi is a worthy winner.

However, if you’re looking in terms of numbers, Erling Haaland comes in and breaks the Premier League record – which is very difficult to do – in his first season, then he has a valid shout.

What about Julian Alvarez, who won the World Cup and scored goals, and provided assists for Haaland and his team-mates?

Brand Messi and brand Ronaldo have been very, very strong for a long time, but in years to come I would like to see some kind of criteria attached to the award in the same way that you would judge the Golden Gloves or similar.

Bellingham could edge further to world-class status with El Clasico winner

El Clasico, because of the political relevance; Real Madrid still very much seen as the club of the Spanish state and Barcelona, the standard bearers for their semi autonomous region, is still the biggest club game in the world.

There’s political elements that perhaps only the Celtic v Rangers games can compare with. If they had the kind of money and the kind of exposure that La Liga has, I think that would be the biggest game because it would be effectively split because of the religious rivalry. It’s very nasty and they very much don’t like each other.

If you are looking at the historical relevance, Europe’s most successful team are Real Madrid, and Barcelona bring a huge amount of relevance to modern football fans and youngsters because ever since the Ronaldo’s and Messi’s, the Ronaldinho’s and the rest, they are still a huge club in most people’s eyes.

There’s no reason why Bellingham couldn’t dominate Saturday’s match because this isn’t a good Barcelona side by any means.

As a defensive midfielder that has the ability to be able to get forward and who has already scored 12 goals I think… to be in that position before the clocks go back, I think most people would say he’s on his way to becoming world class.

I think with 20+ goals this season, 10+ assists and a great Euros where he perhaps comes up with an iconic Bryan Robson type goal, there will be no arguments.

The jack of all trades will be the master of all of them.

The post Collymore’s column: Bellingham could be world class, ESL isn’t the way forward, Everton charge a pre-cursor to Man City, Man United’s poor transfer business and more! appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Rangers team news vs Sparta Prague

Connor Holden — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 17:27:31 +0000

Sparta Prague (1st in Europa League Group C) take on Rangers (3rd in Europa League Group C) on Thursday, 26th of October, at the Generali Arena, at 17:45 PM (BST).

The last time these sides faced, Rangers won 2-0 at the Ibrox Stadium back in 2021. A brace from Alfredo Morelos on the day to secure the win for Rangers.

Sparta Prague lost their last Champions League game, losing 2-1 to Real Betis. Goals from Assane Diao and Isco for Real Betis, and a goal from Veljko Birmancevic for Sparta Prague.

Rangers also lost their last Champions League game, losing 2-1 to Aris Limassol. Goals from Alex Moucketou-Moussounda and Shavy Babicka for Aris Limassol, and a goal from Abdallah Sima for Rangers.

How to watch Sparta Prague vs Rangers

Date: Thursday, October 26th, 2023
Kickoff: 17:45 PM (BST)
TV Network: TNT Sports
Venue: Generali Arena

Team News:

Rangers will be without Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo and Kieran Dowell through injury, however they will be boosted with the return of Todd Cantwell and Danilo.

Predicted XI:

Sparta Prague: Vindahl-Jensen, Sorensen, Panak, Vitik, Rynes, Kairinen, Sadilek, Wiesner, Pesek, Kuchta, Karabec.

Rangers: Butland, Barisic, Souttar, Goldson, Tavernier, Lundstrum, Raskin, Sima, Wright, Lammers, Dessers.

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Scottish footballer fighting for life after being mown down

Joe Dempsey — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 11:35:38 +0000

In harrowing news overnight, it’s been reported that a young Scottish footballer is fighting for his life after being mown down in the early hours.

According to The Sun, 24-year-old Dean Watson was critically injured when he was struck by a Mitsubishi pickup.

It’s believed that he was walking down a country road which was near Ecclefechan.

Watson, a midfielder with South of Scotland side Dalbeattie Star, was originally taken to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary with head injuries, before he was moved to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

It is thought that the player – a midfielder with South of Scotland side Dalbeattie Star – suffered head injuries.

The report note that his current condition is described as critical but stable, and police are appealing for information following the incident.

Everyone at Dalbeattie Star would like to pass our best wishes to current player, Dean Watson, who was involved in a serious traffic incident near Ecclefechan in the early hours of this morning.

Keep fighting Deano ???? pic.twitter.com/y5FVpGRw4F

— Dalbeattie Star Football Club (@dalbeattiestar) October 22, 2023

The player’s club posted a touching tribute on their official X (formerly Twitter) account.

‘Everyone at Dalbeattie Star would like to pass our best wishes to current player, Dean Watson, who was involved in a serious traffic incident near Ecclefechan in the early hours of this morning,’ it read. ‘Keep fighting Deano.’

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Exclusive: Stan Collymore questions if the Premier League’s dominance is good for European football

Darren Looney — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:12:56 +0000

The Premier League is currently at the peak of its powers and clubs competing in the competition have grown to become very strong.

It is not just the big six, clubs such as Brighton, Aston Villa, Newcastle and West Ham are on par with some of the biggest teams in other European leagues, as evident in the Magpies’ recent hammering of PSG.

The gap in funds available to the English teams and their European counterparts is huge and that leaves them in a position to compete for all the European trophies available.

Pundit Stan Collymore believes this is not a good thing for the sport and that a healthy UEFA ecosystem means clubs in Eastern Europe, Portuguese clubs and others being competitive in European competitions.

Man City are the current holders of the Champions League

Speaking about the topic to CaughtOffside, Collymore said: “We’re in a very, very strong footballing zone, without a doubt, and I don’t think many people will be surprised that the Premier League with its riches would have the strongest teams.

“The Premier League undoubtedly is entering an era where its money has and will continue to make, a difference in terms of getting the best players from around the world, and I wouldn’t be surprised that unless there’s some sort of real attempt from UEFA to implement some sort of financial fair play that allows teams in Holland, Belgium and Portugal, never mind in France, Spain, Italy, and Germany, to compete on a level playing field, then I don’t think it will be all English clubs that win the major European trophies.”

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