Celtic

Celtic began their Scottish Premiership season with a victory, but were far from convincing as they struggled to break down a resilient St Mirren.

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "Naturally, we wanted more goals, but I think we played their system very well.

"Stephen Robinson's teams are so well-organised and they're strong and make it difficult for you.

"But I think the goalkeeper has maybe kept the scoreline down and, whilst we didn't score, we didn't get disappointed and played some fantastic football.

"It is a tough game and an emotional day - flag day - and I thought it was an excellent win.

"We had a number of opportunities to score and we were unfortunate. They are a very well organised team. We just had to stay persistent and we were able to do that. Maybe a few times we arrived into the final third and came back when we could really have gone one v one. For the first game of the season, I'm really pleased.

"Kieran Tierney's still building his fitness. He hasn't played a lot of football in the last few years so we have to manage him. I thought he was excellent. I thought Liam Scales and Cameron Carter-Vickers were brilliant, Alistair Johnston as well. Kieran looked very, very good. Once he understands a wee bit more how we play he'll be able to get into positions that fraction quicker but overall it was fantastic to see him back on at Celtic Park.

"I learned that the mentality of the team is very strong. We worked very hard over pre-season and at this stage I think it's very clear no one is going to be 100% fit. What's important so that the squad makes the impact. The important thing is we got the goal.

"I'm fed up talking about transfers. We've got until the end of the window. We concentrate on what's here, a lot of work going on behind the scenes to improve the squad."

Celtic are plotting a move to sign former Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill on a free transfer following his departure from Turf Moor. (Football Insider), external

And Brendan Rodgers' side are still targeting Antwerp winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha, although any move could be dictated by Champions League qualification. (Sacha Tavolieri on X), external

Former Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard is close to completing a move to Spanish side Girona from Crystal Palace, ending speculation over a return to Glasgow. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is again targeting domestic domination with style as the champions prepare to begin their title defence against St Mirren.

Rodgers was a penalty shoot-out defeat against Aberdeen away from completing his third treble as Celtic boss last season after finishing 17 points clear of Rangers.

A new challenge awaits in terms of a Rangers side under new ownership and new leadership in the form of head coach Russell Martin.

However, Rodgers said: "The aim as a Celtic manager is always to dominate every competition.

"We obviously have qualification for the Champions League that we want to arrive into, and we want to be really competitive in that competition if we arrive there.

"That was our idea last year. Nothing changes. You add that to the pressures here at Celtic, it's always about not just winning, but winning in a style of football.

"That's always the pursuit of the teams here, to play attacking, aggressive football."

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Celtic winger Jota is a long-term absentee while Manchester City defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey will not feature even if his loan move is finalised.

St Mirren could include new signing Malik Dijksteel while Evan Mooney has recovered from an ankle injury.

Atalanta, Celtic and Fulham are interested in signing Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa on loan, with the 27-year-old knowing he cannot be guaranteed regular football at Anfield this season. (Sports Boom), external

Rangers are ready to end the experiment of using Max Aarons at left-back and have contacted Kassoum Ouattara's camp about a transfer from Monaco, but the 20-year-old is also on the radar of Celtic, Augsburg, Toulouse, PSV Eindhoven and Metz. (Sebastien Vidal on X), external

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers remains undecided on signing a new left-back as he believes Japanese 23-year-old Hayato Inamura has done well despite initially being slated for a loan move after being acquired from Albirex Niigata for a modest £250,000 last month. (Glasgow Times), external

Manchester City centre-back Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has arrived in Glasgow as the 19-year-old finalises a season-long loan to Celtic. (Sky Sports), external

Rapid Vienna are putting pressure on Celtic to green-light the transfer of 23-year-old Marco Tilio before they move on to other targets, with the Scottish champions stalling on the switch until they sign a winger replacement after the clubs agreed a £350,000 loan deal, with an obligation to buy for £1.3m. (Sky Sports), external

AC Milan striker Marko Lazetic is keen on a move to Aberdeen, with personal terms not expected to be an issue, but negotiations continue between the clubs over the 21-year-old. (Sky Sports), external

Celtic right-back Ben McPherson, 21, is on the verge of joining Partick Thistle on loan. (Daily Record), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Brendan Rodgers says he is "not doing that job as well as I can" as he attempts to "convince" the Celtic board of the need to sign more attackers.

Forwards Benjamin Nygren and Shin Yamada have arrived this summer, but Rodgers has stressed the need for more firepower, particularly in light of Nicolas Kuhn's departure and Jota's long-term injury.

"The squad will hopefully look again different come the end of the window," manager Rodgers said.

"I think it's very clear. We need to improve in the front end of the pitch. The attacking department has always, and always will be, the strengths of my teams.

"We've lost important players in that area, and we need to replace players in that area."

Rodgers appeared to send a warning shot to the board when discussing the lack of attacking arrivals.

"There's no doubt I would have liked to have had players in now, but it's not the case," he said.

"I'm not going to kill my own joy and overthink. I focus on what's here. We know the work that we need to do and it's my responsibility to convince the club that we really need them.

"Clearly, I'm not doing that job as well as maybe what I can, but I will continue to pursue that because it's something that's really important for us."

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media as his side prepare to face St Mirren in Sunday's Premiership opener.

Here are the main points:

• Rodgers, who is in the final year of his deal, says there's been no formal contract offer from the club but there has been "conversations" with majority shareholder Dermot Desmond and chief executive Michael Nicholson.

• Rodgers is "very happy" at Parkhead and hinted he'll see out his contract but admits there are "conditions" to his long-term future in Glasgow: "If there's just something to maintain, I'm not the manager for Celtic, it will be someone else."

• He adds: "But to build and grow and develop and push, then of course I love being at Celtic. I'm not the one that's going to sit here and just maintain levels. My commitment here to Celtic is this is a really fast-moving club and you have to keep moving, move quickly."

• After losing "important players", Rodgers stresses the "need to improve in the front end of the pitch" and is hopeful the squad will look slightly different by the end of the window.

• He would "like to have players in now" but is fully focused on the current squad at the moment.

• On Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Rodgers is hopeful his season-long loan from Man City will be confirmed today, adding the defender's profile "fits" with what Celtic want from their centre-halves.

• Rodgers also admits Simpson-Pusey will likely be Celtic's "last central defender" signed in this window.

• While Celtic's aims for the season are to be successful, the boss adds "it's not just about winning, it's about how we win".

• When the Celtic boss heard Paul McStay would be at Parkhead to unfurl the title flag, Rodgers says he "went back into boy mode" and can't wait to see him at the weekend - "what an amazing icon of the club he is".

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Celtic have entered into a cooperation agreement with Ayr United that will allow more playing opportunities for the Parkhead club's emerging talent.

Jude Bonnar and Kyle Ure, both 19, have already moved on loan from the champions to the Championship side.

Ayr, who are managed by former Parkhead skipper Scott Brown, say a third Celtic player "will be joining soon".

Under new player partnership agreements, which came into effect this summer, up to three young players can move more freely between the parent and lower-league club, with the aim of aiding the development of young Scottish talent.

"We think this new arrangement with Ayr will prove to be very useful to both clubs and of course to the young players who we are looking to support and develop," said Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.

"I know Scott and his staff will provide our young players with a fantastic environment over the next period and this will be crucial in their development and their transition to our first team."

We asked for your views on how Celtic are shaping up for the new season, which gets under way this weekend.

Here's what some of you said:

George: I still think we are a striker and left-back and midfielder short, especially if we get to the Champions League.

Robert: Two good signings in Benjamin Nygren and marquee arrival Kieran Tierney, the others are projects and not first-team ready or may be just making up the numbers. I don't feel Brendan Rodgers has had the backing that he was expecting, might be his last season in Scotland because of this, will be interesting to see how the first Old Firm derby will shape the first half of the season.

Liam: Celtic are in a strange setting going into Rodgers' third season. Lack of depth up front and in central defence, we seem almost vulnerable going into what should be an exciting season, however the mood among the fanbase is anything but. Animosity towards the men in the boardroom, record bank balance and fans demanding it be seen on the pitch prior to the deadline. Risky business ahead of a tricky start with trips to Pittodrie and Ibrox and a Champions League qualifier. Come 1 September, I have a bad feeling Celtic Park is going to be a very, very toxic atmosphere.

Tim: No way should Adam Idah be allowed to leave Celtic. It's complete nonsense to suggest Brendan Rodgers wasted £10m signing him, as Norwich were about to give him a free transfer. Anyone can see Rodgers is a genius - and so is Idah! They've both got "Celtic blood"! Keep the faith.

Celtic had top scout Paul Tisdale checking out Swedish centre half Viktor Eriksson in action for Hammarby on Thursday. (Scottish Sun), external

Celtic and Rangers are among the clubs being linked with 20-year-old Monaco left-back Kassoum Ouattara. (Foot Mercato - in French), external

Celtic have been told that Slovan Bratislava may look to cash in on striker David Strelec if they don't reach the group stage of the Champions League. (Sport24 via Daily Record), external

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Celtic great Paul McStay will unfurl the title flag at Parkhead on Sunday as Brendan Rodgers' side kick off their league season against St Mirren.

Former Scotland midfielder McStay won eight honours over the course of 16 years at Celtic, making almost 700 appearances for the club.

Manager Rodgers is expecting the 60-year-old to get "an incredible reception" when the champions' flag is raised at Celtic Park for a fourth straight season.

"Paul was a great player. He always gave you hope watching Celtic," Rodgers told Celtic's club website.

"You always felt that, in those tough times when Celtic maybe suffered a bit, he could produce that moment of magic.

"He was a brilliant player, a really humble guy. He will get an incredible reception and it will be amazing to see him again."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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What could Celtic fans expect from Manchester City centre-half Jahmai Simpson-Pusey?

The teenage defender is close to completing a loan move to the Scottish champions after captaining City's Under-21 side to a record fourth Premier League 2 title.

At the age of just 19, the youngster has already played six times in Pep Guardiola's first team, with starts in the Premier League and Champions League.

An injury crisis last term was a key reason why the centre-back was thrown into the senior set-up, but his involvement highlights the trust Guardiola has in the defender.

The England youth international made his Premier League debut last November, starting away to Brighton.

Despite the match ending in defeat, former Barcelona boss Guardiola heaped praise on Simpson-Pusey's display with City missing several high-profile players at the time.

"It's not easy for him," said the Spaniard. "Normally the young lads, they must come in with support from the team, with Rodri in front of them, right? With the best Kyle [Walker], and defenders, and now we support him.

"Now he's playing in a position that is difficult for him, but he performed unbelievable. We have a central defender to help us for the future.

"I'm really pleased. Always there is good news when a situation goes bad, and this is one of them."

Simpson-Pusey played another five times last term in a difficult spell for City, including a 4-1 Champions League defeat at Sporting.

He tasted victory just once, coming on in an 8-0 win over Salford City in the FA Cup.

The defender was not involved in the first team from January and ended the campaign leading City to a Premier League 2 play-off final victory over Southampton.

After that success at youth level, and getting a taste of senior football, he feels he has served his time in the academy.

Speaking to BBC Sport in May, he said: "I feel like I've done what I've needed to do with the Under-21s. I just want to play first-team football.

Asked if it would be at another club, Simpson-Pusey replied: "I guess we'll see [what happens]. That's not on my mind yet. I'm definitely ready.

"I've not spoken to anyone about it. I'm sure some people will feel the same, especially after winning the league."

Claire Thomson
BBC Sport Scotland

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Right-back Alistair Johnston says Celtic want another fast start to the season as the champions strive to retain the Premiership title.

Brendan Rodgers' side kicked off last term with seven successive league wins and only dropped four points in their opening 16 games as they charged clear at the top.

Celtic kick off the new campaign at home to St Mirren on Sunday and will find out their Champions League play-off opponents the following day.

"Three points count now as much as they do at the end of the season," Canada international Johnston told Celtic TV.

"When we look back at last season, we had a good start and that made a difference come the end of the season.

"If you do your work early you can take a lot of pressure off, especially when the season gets really busy in the winter.

"We know how important it is to come out of the blocks strong, and this year we have Champions League qualifiers as well, so it's a big month for us from the get-go."

Johnston says unfurling the league flag this weekend will give Celtic's new signings "an understanding of what the minimum requirements are at this club".

He added: "It's also motivation from day one because we want to do that again. You're expected to win trophies and that's what it's all about."

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• This fixture is a repeat of Celtic and St Mirren's final league game of last season, a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park. Celtic have won both previous occasions that they have faced the Buddies on matchday one of a league season, winning 5-1 in 1916-17 and 1-0 in 2008-09.

• St Mirren have lost 11 of their past 13 meetings with Celtic in all competitions (D2), while away from home the Buddies have lost 33 of their past 38 visits to the Hoops (W1 D4).

• Celtic have won their opening game in 16 of the past 17 league seasons, the only exception being 2021-22 when they lost 2-1 to Hearts under Ange Postecoglou. When playing at home on matchday one, Celtic have won 22 of their past 23 openers, the other being a 0-0 draw with Kilmarnock in 2007-08.

• St Mirren have won their season opener in both of the past two Scottish Premiership campaigns after only winning on matchday one in two of their previous 13 top-fight participations beforehand (D4 L7).

• Celtic's Brendan Rodgers is unbeaten in 12 league openers as a manager across spells with Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester City (W10 D2) since a 3-0 defeat with Liverpool against West Brom in 2012-13.

Celtic 24-year-old Adam Idah is among the names Udinese are pursuing to strengthen their attack following Lorenzo Lucca's departure to Napoli. (Tutto Udinese), external

Adam Idah is going nowhere amid suggested interest from Udinese as Celtic and the Irish striker both see a big season ahead for him with the Scottish champions. (Mark Hendry on X), external

Plymouth Argyle have made a loan offer for 25-year-old Celtic centre-back Stephen Welsh, who spent last season with Mechelen, with the Belgian club having been unable to reach an agreement with the Scottish champions to make the move permanent this summer. (Sky Sports), external

Norwich City have bowed out of discussions to sign 23-year-old Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun and the Championship club have moved on to other targets. (Mark Hendry on X), external

Go Ahead Eagles have made it clear that they will not sell Celtic target Jakob Breum for anything less than £5m this summer, with the Dutch club having to pay 25% of a sell-on to the 21-year-old winger's former club, Odense. (Daily Record), external

Basel have agreed a deal to sign Andrej Bacanin for a £2m fee plus £600,000 add-ons from Cukaricki, who previously reported interest from Celtic and Rangers in the 18-year-old midfielder. (Fabrizio Romano on X), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Tino
Fan writer

As the new season kicks off this Sunday, it's hard not to feel a mix of both frustration and optimism.

The lack of meaningful first-team signings so far has been disappointing, especially with clear areas still needing strengthened.

As fans we expected more urgency in the transfer market, and - Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren aside - the silence has only added to the tension.

That said, there's still a strong sense of belief in the core squad and our ability to once again have a successful campaign domestically.

Europe, however, may be a different matter.

In Brendan Rodgers we have a manager who we trust to get results where it matters most, but the lack of backing (so far!) leaves us wondering what the man himself must be thinking.

A strong start on Sunday against St Mirren would help settle some nerves, but some quality reinforcements wouldn't go amiss either.

In the meantime, here are our big predictions for the 2025-26 season:

Where will you finish in the league and why?

Celtic will once again finish top of the pile, making it 14 titles from the last 15 available. Put simply, Rodgers doesn't know how NOT to win this league and will ensure we do so once again - whether he's here next season or not.

Who is the best signing or has he not signed yet and who should it be?

It simply has to be Tierney. For us to secure the signing of a player who has spent his past six years with Arsenal and is still just 28 years of age is outrageous. Celtic have no right to sign a player of KT's calibre and it's clear his passion for the club has been the deciding factor here. To see him walking out this weekend on flag day will be a massive moment for all.

What do you want from your manager this season?

Domestic success, progress in Europe, and his signature on a contract extension running beyond the end of this season.

Who will be the breakout star in your squad?

From a homegrown point of view, there are high hopes for young Dane Murray at centre-half, but that aside this could (and will!) be a massive season for Arne Engels. Time for Celtic's £11m man to shine.

What is your one major concern?

That the longer it goes unresolved, the uncertainty around Rodgers' long-term future may cause unrest among both fans and players alike. He is vital to everything Celtic do and the sooner this one is resolved the better.

Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange, external