Celtic

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media as his side prepare to host Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup.

Here are the main points:

• Rodgers says Alex Valle is "no rush to leave" amid speculation around his future in Glasgow but adds he will be "open and honest" with the on-loan Barcelona left-back if the situation changes and he is not getting game-time.

• The manager says work has been going on behind the scenes for a number of months as he looks to get new faces in and he's "confident" of adding "freshness and competition" before the window closes.

• Daizen Maeda is available after injury and will be ready from the start if needed, but James Forrest remains sidelined with a longer-term lay-off.

• On being Scottish Cup holders, Rodgers insists "we're not defending it, we have to win it," as Celtic chase a domestic treble.

• The Celtic boss says his players have "done really well" with managing the hectic schedule and is grateful for the rest following Saturday's cup game before the Champions League visit of Young Boys on Wednesday.

• On criticism his players have received for recent performances, Rodgers says no matter how well a team are playing, "you'll always hit a wall" and suggested Tuesday's draw with Dundee was evidence of that.

• The Northern Irishman says Kilmarnock "will do everything they can" to get a result on Saturday but insists his side will be up to the challenge.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Monday's Dundee derby grabbed the headlines when the Scottish Cup fourth-round draw was made, but there are two other all-Premiership ties before the city rivals do battle for the final spot in the last 16, including holders Celtic hosting Kilmarnock on Saturday.

Brendan Rodgers' side will be hot favourites given the runaway league leaders have not lost in 28 home games - 16 of them this season.

If ninth-placed Kilmarnock are to emulate Hearts' win at Celtic Park in December 2023, they will have to do what they have failed to do in their latest three meetings - all defeats with the loss of 11 goals - and that is score one of their own.

They did draw 1-1 at Celtic Park in the game before that - and won 2-1 at Rugby Park immediately before that too - so Derek McInnes' side know it is possible despite the odds but will have to turn around form that has led to one win and three blank sheets in their latest four outings.

Read Scottish Cup preview in full.

Barcelona have given their approval for left-back Alex Valle to join Como on loan should the 20-year-old be recalled from Celtic in the event of the Scottish champions reaching an agreement with Arsenal for Kieran Tierney. (Marca), external

Celtic are showing an interest in 26-year-old out-of-favour Lille striker Mohamed Bayo along with Angers, Royal Antwerp, Las Palmas, Como, Montpellier and Metz. (Foot Mercato), external

Los Angeles midfielder Mateusz Bogusz, the 23-year-old Pole who was strongly linked with Celtic last summer, is set to seal a £8m transfer to Mexican club Cruz Azul. (The Herald), external

Celtic have added 80-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur manager David Pleat to their English scouting set up. (The Herald), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Luke McCowan is determined to make his mark on the Scottish Cup after being ineligible for Celtic's League Cup success this season.

The 27-year-old, who had played in the competition for Dundee earlier in this term, was cup tied as Brendan Rodgers' side claimed the first domestic honour of the campaign in a dramatic win over rivals Rangers.

The midfielder is therefore still waiting for the first winner's medal of his Celtic career and is eager to take another step towards that target when the holders host Kilmarnock in the fourth round on Saturday.

"I don't need to worry about being cup tied or anything," he said. "It's a positive, I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully I'll feature in it and get to play minutes.

"It makes you hungry to do well in the other cup because I didn't get to play in the last one.

"Again, you just need to go and make sure that your reaction is good [after the 3-3 draw with Dundee]. That'll be a whole team, as a collective, to do that."

McCowan marked his return to Dens Park by heading Celtic's opener in the 3-3 draw on Tuesday night and reacted with a muted celebration.

"I was never going to celebrate if I was going to score," he said.

"You don't think that during the game, it just kind of comes to you as it happens.

"I was at Dundee for four years so I was never going to run away in the corner and celebrate. I wanted to be respectful in that way because they were good to me."

Rennes are very interested in Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi and discussions have been ongoing for some time between the parties over the 29-year-old Japan international. (Ouest-France), external

Reported interest from Rennes in Kyogo Furuhashi opens up the intriguing possibility of a player-plus-cash deal involving Jota, with the former Celtic winger out of favour with the French club. (Daily Record), external

With a deal on for Scotland defender Kieran Tierney to return to Celtic from Arsenal, negotiations have also started between Como and Barcelona over left-back Alex Valle, who could have his loan to the Scottish champions from Barcelona cut short, with the 20-year-old heading Italy. (Fabrizio Romano on X), external

Out-of-favour Celtic winger Luis Palma's transfer to Rayo Vallecano could be back on after the Spanish club had a transfer ban imposed for an unpaid bill lifted. (Scottish Sun), external

Aston Villa are in talks with in-demand Louie Barry and want to tie down the 21-year-old to a new contract as multiple Championship and Scottish Premiership clubs, including Celtic, have registered their interest in signing the forward on loan. (Football Insider), external

Celtic are interested in 22-year-old Real Valladolid winger Raul Moro. (El Norted de Castilla), external

While Celtic are weighing up an offer for Real Valladolid winger Raul Moro, Ajax have made the £8.5m-rated 22-year-old a priority signing but have yet to meet the Spanish club's asking price. (Daily Mail), external

Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United are both keen on signing 18-year-old striker Daniel Cummings, who is out of contract this summer, but Celtic are pushing for him to stay and sign new deal. (Fabrizio Romano on X), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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We asked for your views on Celtic's dramatic 3-3 draw with Dundee. Here's what some of you said...

Patrick: Dundee deserved the points, we were totally outplayed. When the Celtic subs came on I thought that would be the turning point, but no, we still couldn't cope. Adam Idah looks too desperate and can't cope with the pressure of his price tag. Great game, just not so great for Celtic.

Peter: We were somewhat lucky to get a point but it is a point closer to title so that is good. However, central defence was very shaky. As for the centre of attack - what more can be said? We need a centre forward that can put the ball in the net. Time to give young Johnny Kenny a run of games. Idah will never get enough goals. His stats prove that.

Gerry: A poor team performance in midfield and defence, creating mistakes and encouraging an excellent Dundee team to almost win on the night. Lack of conversion by Idah and Paulo Bernado almost cost a loss. Yang Hyun-jun worked hard but couldn't deliver final pass, Auston Trusty had stinker. Thank goodness the league is already won. Only Kyogo Furuhashi played well.

Pablo: Too predictable, side to side with no 'plan B'. Teams now get right in our faces and we can't seem to cope with it. Dundee simply wanted it more and fair play to them.

Paul: Dundee should've won this match, they were by far the better team. A noticeable seismic shift in complacency has slowly crept into this Celtic team recently, leaking too many goals, exemplified by Austin Trusty's defensive errors handing Dundee the initiative. Idah's form has also been alarmingly poor, compared to his heroics from last season.

Ted: Seriously? Idah and Luis Palma should be nowhere near the first team. But well done Dundee, I thought you were brilliant. Tony Docherty deserves a medal. His tactics were spot on - isolate Callum McGregor and Bernardo and run down the two centre-halves.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

He's not had to do it before now in a season of successes so far, but you sense the Celtic manager feels it's time some of his players got a little kick up the backside.

When Brendan Rodgers says his side failed to the do the "basics" at Dens Park and were too "soft", there's method to the criticism.

After an incredibly consistent series of away performances in the Premiership during which not a single point was dropped until just before Christmas, things have done distinctly off the boil.

It's hardly crisis time, but by Celtic's very high standards this season, there's been a bit of a drop-off in level.

Just the one win in their last four league games away from home; two draws in Dundee and, of course, the humbling at the home of Rangers.

That was the last match Liam Scales started. I wonder if the Republic of Ireland centre-back is about to regain his place in the starting 11.

He's been one of the stand-out performers since Rodgers returned to Glasgow's East End, prompting the manager memorably to say few players have surprised and impressed him more in his whole managerial career.

Celtic splashed out around £6m for Auston Trusty, so it's only natural they'd try to get him in the side. No-one is going to oust Cameron Carter-Vickers from the team, rightly so given his steadying influence.

So it was Scales who had to make way for the other towering American. Trusty has failed fully to convince, however, and it was he who bore the brunt of his boss' ire for the concession of the Dundee's third goal.

He was also substituted at half-time in the League Cup final, so poor were Celtic with the ball in that first 45. Scales came on and the side's distribution was instantly better and quicker.

If Celtic (and by direct implication, Trusty) were too soft on Tayside, they'll need to harden up quickly for the visit of Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup this weekend.

Derek McInnes' side is physical and very well-organised. Slip-ups at home have been few and far between on the domestic front for Celtic, but you only get one shot in the cup, so normal service will have to be resumed sharp-ish if Rodgers wants to preserve the chance to go for (yet) another treble.

It's hard for any athlete to maintain full intensity when their race is all but run.

Celtic's lead at the top of the table - whether 16, 15 or 13 points once the midweek business is done - means they know they're pretty much uncatchable.

They're two-thirds of the way towards their ultimate domestic dream. There's no margin for error in the knock-out competitions, though, so if the basics are not being done by certain players, there are others on the bench to whom the manager is likely to turn.

Trusty is not alone in having to worry about his starting place. Adam Idah, while still contributing to the team, needs a goal or two and quickly.

Reo Hatate can either dazzle or disappear. Seemingly in equal measure. Captain Callum McGregor is asked to shoulder a lot of responsibility: too much, at times? Could others share the load better?

Celtic spent about £26m on Arnie Engels, Idah and Trusty in the last transfer window. While that may at one point turn into good value for money, that point is far from being reached.

The manager is likely to recruit one or two more new additions soon, given he'll have to navigate Champions League qualifying in the summer. It's hugely beneficial to bed players in rather than sign them in July and hope they're OK to pitch straight in.

If he's having to tell a few home truths to some of his squad at the moment, there'll be an even more ominous message for some of them round the corner if the desired reinforcements do indeed arrive in the next week or two.

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Celtic have been linked with a move for highly rated Aston Villa forward Louie Barry in the January transfer window. (The Scotsman)

Another of Celtic's transfer targets, Manchester City playmaker James McAtee, looks to be edging closer to a January loan move to German club Mainz. (TalkSport)

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers expects to find out the progress of his January transfer targets this week. (The Herald)

Celtic and Rangers have held talks with the Women's Super League in England about leaving the Scottish Women's Premier League. (The Times)

Neil Lennon says Adam Idah, who has gone 12 games without a goal, "has got to do better" after Celtic's £9m was substituted after an hour against Dundee. (Daily Record)

Aaron Donnelly has been criticised for his muted celebration after his goal for Dundee against Celtic. (Daily Record)

Celtic boss Rodgers lamented his team for turning "a bit soft" in their dramatic draw against Dundee - with Auston Trusty the main target of his frustration. (The Scotsman)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

Were you at Dens Park or following the match elsewhere?

Either way, we want your views on the game - have your say here, external.

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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A difficult one to analyse for Celtic, who are still on course to win the title by a huge margin despite dropping two points.

Perhaps a concern for Brendan Rodgers will be his side's recent away form. They have now won just one of their last four on the road following draws against both Dundee clubs, defeat at Rangers and Saturday's victory at Ross County.

That slight, slight blip away from home will almost certainly not impact their pursuit of another Premiership crown, but Rodgers will be keen to address that, plus their slackness in defence, with big Champions League games on the horizon.

The Celtic boss will also be disappointed by his team's inability to put the game to bed before Dundee grabbed their first equaliser, with Adam Idah's form a worry.

The former Norwich striker, who failed to get on the end of a dangerous Kyogo Furuhashi cross at close range with Celtic one up, is now without a goal in 12 games and was removed on the hour after failing to have a notable impact on the match.

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "It was a disappointing result from our perspective. We had lots of control in the first 40 minutes, then we give away a needless goal from a counter attack.

"We concede and that gives them impetus heading into the second half. We go in front but give away two really disappointing goals that we should deal with.

"I give credit to the players, they kept going. But for our standard, that second half has to be better.

"We were too passive. Too slow. With the ball, just not aggressive enough.

"Tonight was about doing the basics of the game well and we did not do that well enough."

Tino
Fan writer

If Kyogo Furuhashi doesn't want to be at Celtic beyond this January transfer window then he's got a funny way of showing it.

Two goals in Dingwall on Sunday, followed by the obligatory dance in front of the travelling away support after the game rounded off yet another impressive day at the office for our talismanic striker.

The Japan striker turns 30 in under a weeks' time, and whether he sees his future elsewhere or not, there can be no doubting his commitment to the club at this moment in time while he remains Brendan Rodgers' number one striker.

It's a difficult month for managers with the inevitable speculation of who stays and who goes, but with massive Champions League games against Young Boys and Aston Villa on the horizon, there can be no doubt that Rodgers' will once again look to Kyogo to play a key role.

The recruitment team may well have earmarked potential alternatives, and in football you just never know, but as we near the halfway point of the window it would seem a high risk move to replace a player who's fast approaching 100 goals for the club.

The hope, personally, is that Kyogo continues to celebrate his birthday here in his adopted city of Glasgow for at least another year or so.

Elsewhere, fringe players Stephen Welsh and Odin Thiago Holm have already secured loan moves to Belgium and the USA respectively, and other exits – temporary or otherwise – are likely to follow in the coming weeks.

However from a fans point of view, it's the potential of new arrivals that will always generate the most excitement.

Will Rodgers' get the left winger that he seems to crave? Is a No.10 in his plans? And will we see another contender to Greg Taylor's throne arrive at the club?

We'll have those answers in a short couple of weeks, but in the meantime, the team continue to navigate the relentless fixture schedule that January has thrown up.

Tonight's clash with Dundee will be our fifth game of nine this month alone, and once again some smart squad management will be required to keep the players at optimal levels for the challenges that lie ahead.

Following the blip at Ibrox (we've all agreed it's a blip, haven't we?) the side have responded in the best way possible with three league wins on the bounce – scoring nine goals, and conceding just one.

It'd be a bold move to bet against them making it four in a row at Dens Park, where a win would result in an incredible 18-point lead at the top of the table.

Overall, it's a month that'll be judged just as importantly for what happens off the field as on it, and on that note lets hope for good news on all fronts over these next couple of weeks.

Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange, external

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Cameron Carter-Vickers admits "it's nice to know other clubs are taking notes" of his performances, but insists his focus remains with Celtic.

The USA international signed a new deal with the Scottish champions in January of last year, extending his stay at the club until the summer of 2029, but has reportedly been of interest to Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, external in recent weeks.

While previewing Celtic's trip to Dundee on Tuesday night, the defender warned "a lot of stuff you read is not always true," when asked about such speculation.

"And for me, as long as I'm here, I'm prepared to play each game to the best that I can," he said.

"It's always nice to know that people are kind of taking notes of your performances, but again, like I was saying, you never really know how true it is when you just read it in the paper or on a website or anything like that."

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• Dundee are winless in 44 meetings with Celtic in all competitions (D6, L38) since a 2-0 victory in May 2001. The Dark Blues have lost their last 11 games in a row against the league leaders.

• Dundee have kept the fewest clean sheets of any side in the Scottish Premiership this season (1), with Tony Docherty's side conceding in each of their last 14 league games since a 1-0 win over Motherwell in October.

• No side has dropped more points from winning positions at home in the league this season than Dundee (11), who have gone 1-0 up in both of their last two league games at Dens Park but won neither (D1, L1).

• Celtic are unbeaten in their last 35 away games at Dundee in all competitions (W28, D7) since a 1-0 defeat in September 1988.

• Celtic have won each of their last eight league games played on a Tuesday by an aggregate score of 19-2, although the last match they failed to win on this day of the week in the Scottish Premiership was away to Dundee (0-0 in April 2016).

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Twenty-four-year-old Celtic winger Luis Palma's proposed move to Rayo Vallecano has collapsed after the Spanish club were placed under a transfer ban. (Sun), external

United States defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, 27, feels "very settled" at Celtic. (Record), external

Celtic winger Hyun-jun Yang, 22, is urged to be "more efficient" by manager Brendan Rodgers. (Herald - subscription), external

New Aberdeen defender Kristers Tobers, 24, was recommended to Celtic and Rangers in 2017. (Sun), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

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Dundee could hand a debut to new left-back Imari Samuels, while Lyall Cameron and Finlay Robertson have a chance of returning from injury, but Billy Koumetio (ankle), Antonio Portales, Jordan McGhee, Ziyad Larkeche (all hamstring), Joe Shaughnessy (knee) and Scott Fraser (groin) are all set to remain sidelined.

Celtic have Nicolas Kuhn and Luis Palma back in their squad and will give Daizen Maeda every chance of shaking off a strain. James Forrest remains on the sidelines with a foot injury.

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Scottish Premiership game at Dundee (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Nicolas Kuhn is back available for selection having missed the 4-1 win against Ross County, while fellow winger Daizen Maeda - who was also absent last time out - will be assessed on Tuesday before the game.

• Rodgers says he is not concerned by Adam Idah's lack of goals currently, and backed the Republic of Ireland striker to come good in front of goal. Rodgers also pointed out how his teams do not rely on one player to score, and goals are spread throughout his squad.

• Says he is "delighted" for Johnny Kenny, who Rodgers believes has returned from his loan spell at Shamrock Rovers a better player. Says there will be a decision made soon as to whether his development is better served at Celtic or with another loan spell.

• On Dundee, Rodgers expects Tony Docherty's team to be "tight and compact". Says it is about Celtic staying patient and taking chances when they arise.

• Rodgers is determined to bring new players to Parkhead during the January window to provide a "freshness" for the second half of the season, but would not reveal how many signings he has in mind.

• When asked about speculation linking Kyogo with a move away from the club, Rodgers says the Japan striker is "just the same guy" and will be involved against Dundee. Suggested a perceived lack of goal celebration against Ross County may have been down to the amount of goals he scores or the freezing temperatures in Dingwall.

• Rodgers added he will not keep any player at Celtic who doesn't want to be at the club.