Celtic have ‘plans in place’ for January transfer window, Rangers ‘lay groundwork’ for new head coach search

There may still be two months before the January transfer window opens but there are only a handful of fixtures for Celtic and Rangers to play between now and then.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side face St Johnstone, Hearts and St Mirren before the winter break for the FIFA World Cup while the Hoops have Dundee United, Motherwell and Ross County. The Scottish Premiership then returns in the middle of December where a number of fixtures will be squeezed in over the festive period before clubs can once again start to buy and sell players from January 1. Here are the latest transfer news headlines for Celtic and Rangers on Thursday, November 3:

Celtic have ‘plans in place’ for January transfer window

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has spoken about the club’s early plans for the January transfer window. The Australian head coach says they have a ‘strategy’ in place for the window to ‘make sure’ they are looking to improve their squad.

Postecoglou said: “We have gone early on the January market haven’t we? It’s just into November. We have a strategy in terms of making sure we are always looking to improve our squad and improve the way we do things. Every window gives you that opportunity. We’ve had some plans in place for January for a while now. Hopefully over the next few weeks we will be able to conclude some of that.”

Rangers ‘lay groundwork’ for new manager appointment

Per Football Insider, Rangers are putting out early feelers as they lay the groundwork for potentially appointing a new manager. The article claims that ‘pressure is growing’ on the Rangers hierarchy from supporters to sack the Dutchman on the back of their humiliating UEFA Champions League campaign.

FI writes: “It is believed that Rangers are paving the way behind the scenes for a potential manager change by doing background checks and compiling a shortlist of potential replacements. They are set to make contact with some of those amid a growing sense that Van Bronckhorst will not be in charge after the World Cup when the Scottish Premiership returns on 15 December. In turn, the Dutchman is believed to have told friends he is wary of being sacked following the latest Champions League embarrassment.”