Scottish Gossip: Rangers, Celtic, Hibs, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Man Utd, Burnley, West Ham, Kilmarnock, Ayr, Edinburgh
FOOTBALL GOSSIP
Rangers are working on plans to sign Scottish-born Canada midfielder Scott Arfield. the 29-year-old whose contract with Premier League Burnley ends this summer and who is also interesting West Ham United, but wages of £20,000 per week remain a stumbling block for the Ibrox club. (Daily Mail)
Sweden youth defender Thomas Isherwood is being linked with Celtic as the 20-year-old, who currently plays with Bayern Munich’s reserve team, approaches the end of his current contract. (The Scotsman)
RB Leipzig and Celtic have targeted 16-year-old England under-17s keeper Arthur Okonkwo, who has yet to be offered a new contract by Arsenal despite wishing to remain with the English Premier League club. (Daily Record)
Rivaldo Coetzee, whose move to Celtic fell through in August because he failed a medical, might be forced to retire at the age of 21 after Ajax Cape revealed that doctors have failed to solve his rare foot injury. (Scottish Sun)
Moussa Dembele is poised to return for Celtic’s first team as they look to secure their seventh league title against Rangers on Sunday after missing out in Saturday’s defeat by Hibernian through injury. (Daily Record)
Rangers manager Graeme Murty says Sunday’s 2-1 win over Hearts on Sunday proves the dressing-room is united despite unrest reported after their Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Celtic. (The Herald)
Costa Rica coach Oscar Ramirez will make a personal visit to Brendan Rodgers this week to plead with the Celtic manager to give Cristian Gamboa game time to keep his World Cup dream alive, with the right-back only playing once since October and even being pictured on holiday in Marbella last week during the build-up to the Scottish Cup semi-final. (Daily Record)
Celtic captain Scott Brown has swept the board at the club’s annual awards, the midfielder being named player of the year and player’s player of the year, as well as a special recognition award. (Daily Record)
Scotland striker Leigh Griffiths cheekily nominated Pedro Caixinha, the Rangers manager sacked in October, for Celtic’s player of the year. (Scottish Sun)
Kilmarnock winger Jordan Jones has continued his Twitter spat with Ian McCall, calling the Ayr United manager “Uncle Ian” as he noted Alloa Athletic’s 2-1 win on Sunday that leaves the Somerset Park side a point behind Raith Rovers with a game to go in the Scottish League One title race. McCall had said on BBC Radio Scotland that the Northern Ireland winger was not worth half of the £350,000 Rangers offered for him in January. (Scottish Sun)
Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay, who was not part of Manchester United’s match-day squad for their FA Cup semi-final win over Tottenham Hotspur, has received praise from the club’s fans on social media for the way he comforted exhausted captain Antonio Valencia in the Wembley tunnel. (Daily Record)
Scotland left-back Barry Douglas says that becoming a father this summer will even top the celebrations on Saturday as Wolverhampton Wanderers clinched the English Championship title with a 4-0 win over Bolton Wanderers. (Daily Mirror, print edition)
Hibernian head coach Neil Lennon would rate a Premiership runners-up spot for the Edinburgh side as highly as the three consecutive league titles he achieved as Celtic manager. (Scottish Sun)
Head coach Neil Lennon is delighted at Hibernian’s progress but has warned that investment is needed to keep it going. (Daily Record)
Former Kilmarnock defender Dylan Kerr has led Kenyan club Gor Mahia into the group stages of Africa’s version of the Europa League for the first time in 30 years. (Scottish Sun, print edition)
Doctor Michael Hall, aged 32, was Edinburgh City’s mascot on Saturday, donning a shirt bearing the name “Snugglemonster,” the nickname given to him by fiancée Katy, after becoming the victim of a stag weekend prank. (The Scotsman)
OTHER GOSSIP
Stephen Maguire believes he is “finished at the top” after squandering a 6-3 to lose his first-round tie against Ronnie O’Sullivan at the World Snooker Championship. (The Herald, print edition)
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