Celtic

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers claimed the sky is the limit for Dane Murray after the centre-back celebrated his new contract with a maiden goal in first-team football.

The 22-year-old headed home Celtic's third goal from an Arne Engels corner as the Rodgers' side beat Falkirk 4-1 at Parkhead to reach the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals.

The central defender made his first appearances for Celtic in the Champions League play-offs against Midtjylland in 2021 but subsequently suffered two separate cruciate ligament injuries and did not play another first-team game for three years.

He was recalled from a loan spell at Queen's Park midway through last season but injury ended his campaign prematurely after he returned to the Celtic team.

However, he was one of six players drafted in by Rodgers on Friday and took his chance with a header from close range.

Rodgers said: "It's great for him because he's a great boy. He's got a lot of potential. And I think over the next 12 to 18 months, he's going to really grow.

"His ceiling is so high. There are areas of the game he needs to clearly work on. But he's 6ft 4in, he's quick, he can take the ball.

"He has a comfort with the ball which aligns with top players. Just, concentration is something that's key for defenders.

"But I really, really like him and that's the reason we've tied him down [to a new contract] - and I think he's got a great future."

Plymouth Argyle have improved their offer, with an option to buy, but are still waiting for Celtic to decide on whether centre-back Stephen Welsh, 25, can join them on loan as the Scottish champions can only have six players out on international loans. (Anthony Joseph), external

Sources around Manchester United's Tyrell Malacia are surprised by reports of a possible transfer to Celtic as the 25-year-old left-back has not yet heard anything from the Scottish champions and the only offer has come from Saudi Arabia. (Joost Blaauwhof), external

Celtic missed out on Liverpool's Ben Doak, having explored the possibility of re-signing the 19-year-old this summer as a replacement should Japan international Daizen Maeda, 27, be sold. (Football Insider), external

David Strelec's father claims that Celtic have revived their interest in the 24-year-old Slovan Bratislava striker. (Sport 24 via Daily Record), external

Celtic had expressed an interest in Jack Grealish before the England midfielder joined Everton on loan from Manchester City, but the 29-year-old never seriously considered a move to Scotland. (The Athletic - subscription required), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

Holders Celtic scored three goals in 10 second-half minutes to ease into the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals, as Falkirk were given another insight into how tough life will be against top-flight teams.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say here.

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for his side as they progressed to the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals by beating Falkirk.

"I thought the performance was very, very good from the first whistle," he said. "You've seen the hunger in the team and the intensity in the team.

"The first half we were good with the ball but not so good without it. It gave Falkirk a couple of wee opportunities to break through.

"We weren't aggressive enough and tight enough. When we corrected that at half-time, we really dominated the second half.

"The goals were excellent and I thought we played really, really well.

"Overall really pleased. A lot of the players who hadn't played came in and gave great value to the team. We had good variety in attack tonight. We were precise around the box when we needed to be."

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Brendan Rodgers says there is "much more to come" from Dane Murray after the defender signed a contract extension to stay at Celtic until summer 2028.

Murray, 22, has struggled with injuries since making his debut in a Champions League qualifier against Midtjylland four years ago.

After a spell on loan at Queen's Park last season, Murray is now eyeing a first-team impact at Celtic and he starts tonight's Premier Sports Cup tie against Falkirk.

"Dane is a young player I have really enjoyed working with and is someone who has really developed well across the past few seasons," said Rodgers

"I know there is so much more to come from him and I believe he can have a really successful future with us.

"He has a brilliant attitude to the game and is great team-mate within our squad. He is very deserving of this new contract and I am delighted for him."

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Luke McCowan wants Celtic to deliver a statement performance when they begin their Premier Sports Cup defence at home to Falkirk in the last 16 tonight.

The Bairns gave Celtic a scare in last season's quarter-final as they led 2-1 after 70 minutes before the hosts hit back for a 5-2 victory.

John McGlynn's side are now a Premiership side, having secured back-to-back promotions, and midfielder McCowan insists Celtic must keep standards high to make it three wins from three this season.

"It's another competition you want to go and do well in it like every other year, and it's ours to defend," he said.

"You want to go and put a good performance in, especially at home, the boys know the importance of this.

"It's about going and defending the competitions that you hold and putting on good performances that lead to getting further in the competition.

"We know the importance of this game early on in the cup, but you want to keep pushing and working hard and especially at home, you want to give your fans a good game.

"You need to be at the highest standard possible and that's what we credit ourselves on. You need to be at it, and these games are no different.

"Falkirk have got a coach that's been here and everybody speaks so highly of, he coaches the team really well and demands a lot from them.

"They come to Celtic Park with no difference and with high standards of their own."

Free agent Jamie Vardy, 38, is urged to join Celtic by former England goalkeeper Nigel Martyn. (Record), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

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Manager Brendan Rodgers is "fairly confident" Daizen Maeda will be a Celtic player come the end of the summer transfer window.

Large sections of the Parkhead side's support have become disgruntled at their club's transfer activity, with some fearing interest in the Japan striker.

The 27-year-old was Celtic's standout player last term, scoring 33 goals and providing 12 assists in 51 games.

When asked if he is confident Maeda will remain at the club, Rodgers replied: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, fairly confident of that, as can be."

Maeda has two years remaining on his contract and Rodgers says talks are ongoing regarding a new deal, but the manager is unaware of any progress.

"There have been discussions going on in the background," the Celtic boss added. "I don't have any updates on it. I don't know of any developments."

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Manager Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media prior to Celtic's Premier Sports Cup last-16 tie against Falkirk.

Here are the key lines:

• On a trip to Kazakhstan to face Kairat Almaty in their Champions League play-off: "If we're honest, everyone would've preferred the closer team. It is what it is, we've been there before. It's such a huge game. When it comes, we'll be ready for it."

• On whether his squad will be strengthened by then, Rodgers adds: "Hopefully would be the answer to that. We have right up until the day before the game to change our squad. Hopefully that can be the case. I don't want to dwell too much on it, it's been constant. We hope we can improve it and hopefully by then we will do."

• When asked if a lack of transfer business is starting to cause frustration, the Celtic boss replies: "I'm philosophical about it. The club has always notoriously done business towards the end of the window. All managers and coaches want players in as soon as we can. You want to be as prepared as you can possibly be.

• "What's gone unnoticed is we've made a really good start," Rodgers adds. "Two really good wins, played well, and I know we'll get better. I can't knock the performances over the two games to get the results. Sometimes that's been clouded by the negativity about transfers."

• On getting Kieran Tierney up to speed: "His mentality is unbelievable. I'm so pleased with how he's come in and settled. He's working his fitness up. He's so committed, he's so full on, you can see his maturity now. He's inherently a guy who gives everything. We want to try and increase his level of strength, there are parts of that we feel we can help with his robustness."

• On Daizen Maeda's contract situation: "He has a couple of years left [on his deal]. There have been discussions going on in the background, I don't have any updates on it. I don't know of any developments.

• When asked if he is confident the Japan striker will be at the club come the end of the window, Rodgers says: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, fairly confident of that, as can be."

• Rodgers laughed off suggestions he was "sending messages" by not wearing a tie in Sunday's win at Aberdeen.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

It's been clear for a while now Celtic are reverting to a previous model when it comes to sanctioning a big transfer spend.

In the recent past, when they've not been guaranteed Champions League football, they've opted to see whether the existing squad is good enough to navigate the qualifiers before spending.

In other words, make the group phase, Brendan, and then we'll loosen the purse strings accordingly.

The manager has been asking for quality signings for quite a while. He still doesn't have them in the forward areas and while deals are there in the background waiting to be done, Celtic won't give the green light until they know what kind of revenue is coming in. Champions League level or Europa League?

Which means it all boils down to Kazakhstan and a trip to face Kairat Almaty a week on Tuesday. Before then, of course, the Scottish champions will hope to have bagged a few goals in the home leg to give themselves some comfort and insurance.

The stakes could not be higher. It's quite the gamble to wait until the last few days of the transfer window to make your moves.

It can be done, of course, but prices tend to inflate at that late stage. Witness the £26m outlay roughly this time last year for Adam Idah, Arne Engels and Auston Trusty. Two of whom were on the bench for Celtic's first two league matches while striker Idah is yet to get off the mark this campaign.

The board is either trusting – or gambling – that the current crop of players, minus the departed Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn and Greg Taylor plus the injured Jota, are good enough to get the job done against the Kazakh champions.

The extra nous Brendan Rodgers and his men learned through last season's league phase campaign should stand them in good stead.

This is not, however, the same team, either in personnel or form. The levels reached away to Bayern Munich were a peak from which the side has had a natural drop-off.

The manager has pretty much admitted the only way to get back to those levels is to spend money on a striker and a winger at the bare minimum. The kind of money available to him will be determined by the outcome of this play-off. Over to you then, Brendan.

Celtic-linked forward Giuseppe Ambrosino, 21, could stay and fight for his future at Napoli. (Record), external

Ambrosino may yet stay at Napoli following interest from Cremonese. (Il Mio Napoli - in Italian), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

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Callum McGregor is urging Celtic to "maximise" home advantage in the first leg of their Champions League play-off with Kairat Almaty.

The Kazakh champions overcame Slovan Bratislava on penalties on Tuesday night after a 1-1 draw on aggregate to set up a meeting with the Scottish champions.

Celtic host Kairat next Wednesday before embarking on an epic 3,500-mile trip to Kazakhstan the following week.

"It's going to be a tough tie," captain McGregor told Celtic TV, external.

"Obviously the travel and everything else comes into that and the preparation.

"We've got the home game first and we want to try and maximise that, as we would against any opponent, but it could be even more important now that we try and do the absolute maximum to get a good result at home, and then negotiate the travel.

"It's a tough team and we know it will be a tough tie. It's a good tie for us but one that we'll have to be at our best to get through."

Manager Brendan Rodgers insists Celtic will be doing everything possible to make it into the Champions League proper for the fourth season in a row.

"Of course, everyone would have preferred a shorter travelling distance, but they got through, they won the tie, so we'll play the first game of our two legs and our objective is to get through," he said.

"We can really analyse them now and be prepared for the first leg next week.

"We'll do everything we can to make sure we get into the league phase."

Tino
Fan writer

Following last night's dramatic penalty shootout between Slovan Bratislava and Kairat Almaty, Celtic now face what can only be described as a nightmare trip to Kazakhstan as we aim to secure Champions League football for a fourth consecutive season.

Historically, this is far from a comfort zone for us.

Despite recent successes against teams from this region, Celtic have never won on Kazakh soil. Our record reads like a cautionary tale: a loss to Shakhter Karagandy in 2013, a draw with Astana in 2016, and defeat to the same club in 2017. So yes, the warning signs are there.

However, despite the logistical hurdles of traveling to Kazakhstan - long flights, time zone changes and unfamiliar conditions - this is very much a tie Celtic should be winning.

Champions League qualification is not just about the prestige, it's a financial gamechanger for a club like Celtic - a £40m jackpot that could bolster finances and squad depth alike.

The real question is whether our current set-up is capable of seizing this opportunity.

Concerns linger. The lack of key signings suggests we may be heading east with a squad not fully equipped for the challenge.

Uefa's deadline to register new players is midnight on Thursday (two extra players can be added up to 24 hours before the first leg) yet, based on recent transfer activity - or more accurately, inactivity - it's hard to imagine any new faces being added in time.

This approach raises eyebrows. The club appears to be taking a gamble: chasing Champions League revenue without adequately investing in the squad that could secure it.

In essence, Celtic are waiting to qualify for Europe's elite competition before strengthening the team, rather than building a squad that could make qualification more likely.

It's a classic chicken-and-egg scenario - and one that feels unnecessarily risky, especially given the vast cash reserves the club currently holds.

Still, football is rarely predictable. A spirited performance in Kazakhstan could (and should) help Celtic take our place at Europe's top table once again.

But as history - and logistics - warn us, this is far from a guaranteed triumph.

The fans, players, and club itself now face a high-stakes test - one that demands focus, determination and perhaps a little luck along the way.

Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange, external

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Amid a transfer window of mild distress within the Celtic fanbase, Kieran Tierney's display at Pittodrie on Sunday reminded supporters that their team has already recruited some serious talent this summer.

When the Scotland left-back re-signed from Arsenal, nobody doubted the calibre of player the club were bringing back. There were, however, concerns about the defender's fitness and match sharpness following injury-hit spells.

But after just 132 minutes of football back in his beloved green and white, Tierney looks every bit the player Celtic sold for £25m six years ago.

At Aberdeen on Sunday, the 28-year-old was at his explosive best to turn and burst to the byeline before providing fellow summer signing Benjamin Nygren to finish the opener.

That goal was one of three chances Tierney has created from left-back in just two Scottish Premiership appearances this term. He has also completed 30 passes in the final third.

Defensively, he has been part of the only backline in the league that is yet to concede a goal, while winning possession back for his team on nine occasions.

In terms of his numbers for this season, we are clearly dealing with a small sample size, but the early indications show Celtic have brought back the "elite player" Rodgers promised.

West Ham have rejected an opening bid from Celtic for Andy Irving, with the London club demanding £3.5m for the 25-year-old Scot. (Hammers News), external

Celtic will bring in up to four new signings before the end of the window if they qualify for the Champions League group phase. (Football Insider), external

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Celtic's Benjamin Nygren wasn't for waiting in the wings to make his debut.

The summer signing from Nordsjaelland was fast-tracked into the side for their trip to face Aberdeen on Sunday and scored his first goal for Brendan Rodgers' side on the end of Kieran Tierney's cross.

The 24-year-old hit the bar on his debut against St Mirren the previous weekend after being preferred to the likes of club record signing Arne Engels, Luke McCowan and Paulo Bernardo in Brendan Rodgers' starting line-up.

"I didn't come here to not play," Nygren said. "So of course I came here to try to come in fast and also show my abilities in training and training games. So of course I came here to help the team win games."

Nygren knows there is a demand to contribute when he gets game time for Celtic, given the strength in depth in Rodgers' midfield.

"It's part of football, that's how it is in big clubs," the former IFK Gothenburg player said.

"It would be weird if there were only 11 good players in such a big team as Celtic. I think we have, I don't know how many, 25-30 good players in Celtic, but only 11 can start the game.

"It's a very long season and now we've only played our two first games, so we will need a lot of players and a lot of good quality players. I think we have that."

"That's also why I scored many goals last season, because I can run a lot.

"I always come a little bit from behind."

Nygren started in the middle of the park but finished up out wide, and he's happy to show his versatility to the manager.

"I think it's preferably like I started the game, but I'm a player that has played a lot of positions, so for me I don't think too much of the positions, it's football," he said.

"You need football intelligence. It's all football."

We asked for your views on Celtic's 2-0 victory over Aberdeen.

Here's what you said:

Tony: Adam Idah should be dropped and transferred. He's the blunt edge of the attack. James Forrest, Daizen Maeda and Benjamin Nygren should start, with Callum Osmand in reserve. Jahmai Simpson-Pusey should start in defence beside Cameron Carter-Vickers. Brendan Rodgers shouldn't overlook or waste existing talent at the club.

Stuart: Celtic are four points clear already of the only other team to win the title in over 40 years. This season is already over.

Dillon: Great strike by Reo Hatate! Early contender for goal of the season perhaps? Looking forward to seeing us grow more as a team as the season goes on.

Tommy: I think one thing learned from this game is that Adam Idah should never be first-choice striker. This board should hang their heads for not replacing Kyogo, every penny is a prisoner with them. Their arrogance will be their downfall.

Gordon: Absolutely just what I expected.

Peter: Job well done. Some players need to polish up their passing, too many are going astray, and you cannot do that in European competition. Just get that sorted and get a centre forward in, and we should be OK.

Moz: Still need to sign a striker! Good win three points in, though.

John: Very accomplished team performance in a typical Rodgers-esque control. If we win our next two games, we go 10 points clear.

Jackie: Well played Celtic keep it up. Not an easy stadium to go to but another three points. We still need to sign quality players, though.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Reo Hatate: Class personified at times. His goal at Pittodrie a perfect example of his quality.

Highlights of Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

Celtic have joined Anderlecht and Besiktas in the race to sign 23-year-old Le Havre centre-half Etienne Youte at a price of £4.3m. (Paris Normandie via Daily Record), external

Manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted Celtic will look to do transfer business ahead of this week's Champions League deadline. (The National), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full.