Scottish Gossip: Celtic eye St Pauli striker, Rangers to keep Zelalem

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Celtic are keeping tabs on German striker Lennart Thy, the Scottish champions having watched the St Pauli 23-year-old, who is out of contract next summer and available for a nominal fee in January, score all the goals in a 4-0 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf in Bundesliga II. (Sunday Express, print edition)

Celtic manager Ronny Deila believes his side can lift themselves off the bottom of Europa League qualifying Group A by beating Ajax and Fenerbahce in their final two games. (Scotland On Sunday)

Captain Scott Brown says Celtic's players are to blame for the side's poor results in Europe this season, not manager Ronny Deila. (Sun On Sunday, print edition)

Celtic captain Scott Brown says they owe manager Ronny Deila a big performance to atone for the back-to-back defeats by Molde in Europa League Group A. (Scotland On Sunday)

St Pauli striker Lennart Thy (right) scored all four goals against Fortuna Dusseldorf

The Edinburgh Sick Children's Hospital and Cancer Research will benefit from the sale of Celtic captain Scott Brown's book, 'Scott Brown: My Celtic Story', written by Celtic View journalist Mark Henderson, two charities that reveal their own chapters in his story.(Sunday Herald)

Minister For Sport Jamie Hepburn has promised to help Gordon Strachan improve Scotland's football. the Scottish Government man revealing that the Scottish FA has asked for talks about the national team manager's blueprint for future success. (Sunday Mail, print edition)

Aberdeen, helped by a deal to wipe out their debt, made a profit of more than £500,000 last season as they posted a record turnover of £13.1m.(Sunday Mail)

Midfielder Grant Gillespie says a team-bonding session of go-karting has benefitted the Hamilton Academical squad ahead of Sunday's Scottish Premiership visit by Aberdeen. (Sunday Herald)

James Tavernier has put any thoughts of leaving Rangers to the back of his mind and the in-form English defender will not contemplate a return to his homeland until he has seen action in European football with the Ibrox club.(Sunday Post)

Manager Mark Warburton is confident that 18-year-old midfielder Gedion Zelalem will agree to extend his loan deal at Rangers from Arsenal until the end of the season after talking things through with his family. (Sunday Herald)

Rangers are close to extending the loan deal for Arsenal midfielder Gedion Zelalem, the USA Under-23 player originally signed until January, but 36-year-old midfielder John Eustace will not be signing for the Scottish Championship club despite training with them since his summer departure from Derby County.(Sunday Post)

In-form St Johnstone forward Michael O'Halloran heads away from club training every day and visits a park near his home with his younger brother, Dominic, to practise his skills further. (Scotland On Sunday)

West Bromwich Albion are lining up a fresh £7m bid for Queens Park Rangers' Scotland winger, Matt Phillips, after a summer deal for the 24-year-old fell through.(Sunday Mirror)

Paul Dalglish, the 38-year-old former Newcastle United, Norwich City, Blackpool, Livingston, Hibernian and Kilmarnock striker, has been appointed manager of Canadian club Ottawa Fury, who play in the North American Soccer League. (CBC News)

OTHER GOSSIP

Former Great Britain Davis Cup captain David Lloyd says present national number one Andy Murray does not give enough back to the sport and that the Lawn Tennis Association has frittered away hundreds of millions of pounds without producing a single world-class talent.(Mail On Sunday)

Fears are growing that the Davis Cup final in Ghent will be postponed as the British team, including Andy and Jamie Murray, prepare to travel 24 hours after Belgian authorities raised the terror alert in nearly Brussels to the maximum level. (Sun On Sunday, print edition)

Captain Leon Smith reckons the camaraderie that has carried Great Britain's squad through the Davis Cup divisions will be tested to the full when he informs some of his players that they will play no part in one of the biggest days in the nation's sporting history, with Andy Murray potentially set to play all three days and Jamie Murray a shoe-in for the doubles in the final against Belgium.(Sunday Herald)

Two points in the final five minutes meant Ireland pipped Scotland 16-14 in the second Test of the Shinty/Hurling International at Croke Park, meaning the 2015 Internationals ended as one win for each nation. (Sunday Herald)