Turkish giants ‘line up’ loan move for Rangers defender and former Celtic scout ‘targets’ David Moyes reunion

The latest Celtic and Rangers news and rumours on Monday.
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Celtic and Rangers both recorded victories in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend to ensure the two-point gap at the top of the table remains the same.

The Hoops edged out St Johnstone 2-1 at McDiarmid Park courtesy of Giorgos Giakoumakis’ sensational 95th minute winner, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side eased aside St Mirren 4-0 at Ibrox, with striker Antonio Colak hitting another brace.

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Here is a look at the latest news regarding both clubs today...

Turkish giants ‘lining up’ Yilmaz loan swoop

Galatasaray have reportedly added Rangers full-back Ridvan Yilmaz to a wishlist of potential January recruits and could move to take him back to his homeland on loan.

Ridvan Yilmaz has made just three appearanes for Rangers since making a £5m summer move from Besiktas. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)Ridvan Yilmaz has made just three appearanes for Rangers since making a £5m summer move from Besiktas. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)
Ridvan Yilmaz has made just three appearanes for Rangers since making a £5m summer move from Besiktas. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

The £5m summer signing from Besiktas has struggled to make an impact during his first three months at Ibrox after failing to dislodge Borna Barisic from the starting XI.

Yilmaz has been limited to just four appearances in all competitions and the 21-year-old will be eager to sample some much-needed game time.

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According to Turkish media outlet Takvim, Galatasaray are considering a loan swoop with the report also stating that the player has “no intention” of leaving Rangers.

Manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst recently hinted there would be more opportunities in the pipeline for Yilmaz and several other new recruits.

He said: “For Ridvan this is a new club and country, he’s settling in really well. The beginning was bit hard for him to get settled but I see improvement in his training, he feels more settled with the players.

“It’s always good to see that. We have to see in the coming weeks that he will feature more in the team. Of course, depending on what we need in games.”

Ex-Gers winger ready for dugout return

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Former Rangers winger Peter Lovenkrands admits he is ready for a return to management following a turbulent first stint at Danish side Fremad Amager.

Peter Lovenkrands.Peter Lovenkrands.
Peter Lovenkrands.

Lovenkrands was faced with a multitude of issues on and off the pitch, including an intrusive owner and failed takeover bid during his first year in the dug-out but managed to somehow keep the club in Denmark second-tier.

The 42-year-old previously worked as a B-team coach within the Gers academy set-up and reckons the challenging scenarios he faced could be the making of him as a manager.

He told MailSport: “Given everything that happened, for the team to even be in contention to stay up was a miracle. At times last season, it was so difficult to stay positive while working in that environment.

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“Only the people who are closest to me know what I went through. I’ve probably fitted 10 years worth of problems into my first year as a manager. Maybe not now but at some point I’ll look back and thing it was good for me, in terms of what I’ve had to deal with.

“On my pro licence, managers like (David) Moyes told us about worst case scenarios, and you think: ‘No way, that could’t have happened’. But they didn’t come close to what I experienced.”

Ex-Hoops scout in line for Moyes reunion

Former Celtic scout Mick Doherty could be reunited with old friend David Moyes at Premier League side West Ham United after leaving Parkhead in the summer.

Doherty spent five years at Parkhead, working briefly under Brendan Rodgers before forming a close relationship with Neil Lennon and current boss Ange Postecoglou.

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He helped to identify a host of potential signings before departing amid a revamp of the club’ scouting department.

The Scottish Sun claim Moyes is continuing his rebuild behind the scenes at the London Stadium and wants Doherty to fill a senior scouring role having worked together previously to great effect at Everton and Sunderland.

Doherty helped to unearth talents such as England internationalists Ross Barkley and Jordan Pickford.

Forgotten keeper tastes title glory in Finland

Frozen out Celtic goalkeeper Conor Hazard has helped Finnish top-flight side HJK Helsinki to the Veikkausliiga title for a third year running.

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The Northern Ireland international was shipped out on loan in January after finding himself at the bottom of the pecking order between the sticks under Ange Postecoglou.

Hazard, whose Parkhead contract expires next summer, played his part in helping the Scottish champions win a historic quadruple treble during Neil Lennon’s tenure.

He has since starred for Helsinki, making 20 appearances for Toni Koskela’s side as they clinched the top-flight crown with a game to spare.

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