Big departures met with big signings: Hibs’ January window reviewed
After a quiet start to the mid-season window, Hibernian finished the window with six signings in the closing few days, although, there was some major departures from Easter Road. Hibs’ first signing arrived on January 29th, when they secured the signature of highly rated youngster Owen Elding from Sligo Rovers. Elding went onto have a promising debut on Sunday against Rangers. The Irishman’s signature may be interpreted as a like-for-like replacement for Kieron Bowie. The Scotland international departed for Hellas Verona in Serie A, joining a long list of Scots in Italy. The rumoured fee for Bowie is around €6 million, with add-ons up to €7 million. Although he will undoubtedly be a big loss for David Gray’s men, a tenfold profit after 18 months in Leith can only be seen as outstanding business from Hibs. Tottenham youngster Dane Scarlett was also added to the strike-force on a loan deal until the end of the season. In the midfield, Hibs secured Coventry midfielder Kai Andrews on loan to support an injury ridden midfield. Despite not making any signings for the opening four weeks, Hibs seemed to move quickly once stories did break around potential signings. Except for Felix Passlack. The German was eventually signed on deadline day after a lengthy saga where VfL Bochum were reluctant to let the ex-Dortmund right-back leave without finding a suitable replacement. It seems Hibs transfer executives were working overtime on deadline day, Croatian forward Ante Suto arrived on a two-and-a-half year deal with Copenhagen defender Munashe Garananga signing a loan deal until the end of the season. Hibs were not devoid of departures throughout the window. Zach Mitchell had his loan cut short with Nathan Jones deeming the defender wasn’t receiving enough game time, which may have forced Hibs’ hand to recruit Garananga. Midfielders Dylan Levitt and Junior Hoilett also departed in pursuit of more game time. Levitt has moved to League 1 side Leyton Orient whilst Junior Hoilett has signed for Swindon amid his Canada side hosting the World Cup this summer. Perhaps Hibs’ the biggest story of deadline day was record signing Thibault Klidje joining Danish side Randers on loan for the remainder of the season. Klidje has failed to hit the ground running since arriving in Edinburgh, thus David Gray has opted to loan out the £1 million man with Martin Boyle, Elie Youan, Dane Scarlett, Owen Elding and Ante Suto all now competing for two spots in the forward line. All-in-all, Hibs slow start to the window did raise a few eyebrows, but the sprint over the finish line does offer some redemption. On paper, the signings do seem to be strong ones, adding two players with Champions League experience to the ranks. Lesser used players were moved on, freeing up money in a bloated squad, especially amongst the midfielders. Of course, loaning out your record signing after a poor opening six months does raise eyebrows, but David Gray and Malky MacKay have maintained that he will return to the club next season, where Hibs fans will be hoping that game time in Denmark will translate to goals upon his return. As the end of the season approaches, Hibs will hope these midseason reinforcements will be able to improve Hibs as they aim to build on an inconsistent start to the season, even with European football still an achievable target in Leith. Ins: Owen Elding, Kai Andrews (loan), Dane Scarlett (loan), Felix Passlack, Ante Suto, Munashe Garananga (loan) Outs: Zach Mitchell (re-called), Kieron Bowie, Dylan Levitt, Junior Hoilett, Thibault Klidje (loan)
Aberdeen vs Celtic – Match Preview
Aberdeen host the holders, Celtic in the Scottish Premiership tomorrow evening as Celtic hope to ramp up their title hopes as Aberdeen look to return to winning ways. Celtic have had the better of the meetings between the sides except from that Scottish Cup Final last campaign where Aberdeen took home the cup for the first time in 35 years making history at Hampden. In terms of league action, it hasn’t been quite the same as last time the two sides met was just before Christmas as Celtic defeated Aberdeen 3-1 at Parkhead marking Nancy’s first win in the Celtic dugout. Last meeting at Pittodrie came in game week two as Nygren and Hatate wrapped a 2-0 win in the Granite City. The last win for the Dons at Pittodrie against Celtic came back in 2016 as Jonny Hayes and Simon Church were on target for Aberdeen with Griffiths striking late as the Dons won 2-1. It’s been a pretty poor season for the Dons, sitting 7th with defeat possibly making Aberdeen drop to 8th should Dundee United defeat Hibernian. Aberdeen have only won twice in their last 10 which came against Raith Rovers and Livingston. Aberdeen are coming off of the back of a disappointing 3-0 defeat at Kilmarnock earning Neil McCann his first victory as Killie boss. Aberdeen are in severe need of something tomorrow as Aberdeen sit 5 points behind 6th place Falkirk with a tough round of fixtures to come. Celtic haven’t had a great campaign themselves despite sitting second in the table. Celtic sit six points behind league leaders Hearts and are joint second with rivals Rangers making it even more important to pick up all three points in the North-East. Since Martin O’Neill returned for his second stint this season, Celtic are now unbeaten in their last seven outings with a most recent 2-0 win over Falkirk at Celtic Park. Celtic have been through three managers this season with Rodgers departing early on with O’Neill taking interim charge as Wilfried Nancy took over which went horribly wrong which as Martin O’Neill return until the end of the season. Celtic’s last defeat came back one month ago as Danny Rohl secured derby delight in a 3-1 win at Celtic. Aberdeen this window have added seven additions with loan signs of Lyall Cameron, Liam Morrison, Toyosi Olusanya who have already featured for Aberdeen as well as Per Kristian Bratveit, Afeez Aremu, Dennis Geiger and Tom McIntyre all hoping to make their debuts tomorrow. Celtic have added five players while spending £0. Julian Araujo came in a month ago with Cvancara joining on loan who has scored two in two already as well as loan signings Chukwubuike Adamu, Joel Mvuka and Benjamin Arthur with the trio looking for their Celtic debuts at Pittodrie. Aberdeen have netted seven in their last five with six of the goals coming in their 6-2 win 10 days ago. Topi Keskinen has had the most shots (0.8) per game for the Dons while Mitov is ranked 3rd for saves per game (3.3) despite his struggles this season. Lazetic is the top goal scorer for Peter Leven’s men with 4 goals after top goal scorer Jesper Karlsson’s loan spell ended. Celtic have netted 12 times in their last five and are ranked the third best on their travels this campaign while winning their last two matches against Aberdeen while Nygren who loves a goal against the Dons sits as the top goal scorer for the hoops netting 12 times this season.
Transitions, Sporting Directors, and Premier League Loans: SPFL Breakdown Round 25
An intriguing midweek slate of Scottish Premiership football awaits. Here is what to watch out for across the next two days. Game of the Round – Aberdeen v Celtic The Scottish Champions travel to Pittodrie on Wednesday knowing there is little margin for error in an increasingly tense title race. Martin O’Neill’s second interim spell of the season has brought stability, with his side unbeaten in seven matches and securing a place in the Europa League knockout stage after a dominant win over Dutch side Utrecht. Bolstered by deadline‑day additions, striker Junior Adamu, winger Joel Mvuka, and centre‑back Benjamin Arthur, O’Neill will hope he has the tools to deliver a fifth consecutive league title. Aberdeen await, in far less convincing form. Saturday’s 3–0 defeat at Rugby Park has only deepened the uncertainty surrounding the club. Nearly a month has passed since Jimmy Thelin’s dismissal, yet the managerial search, led by sporting director Lutz Pfattinstiel, has still not produced a successor. Sitting five points adrift of the top six, time is running out for the Dons to salvage their season. With both teams navigating transitional periods, this Scottish Cup final rematch promises to be a fascinating encounter. Manager Spotlight – Marvin Bartley The former Queen of the South manager has taken over Davie Martindale’s long-term position at the Livingston helm, and faces the almighty task of halting a 24-match winless run. Sitting six points adrift at the foot of the table, points will be precious for the Lions, and Wednesday’s encounter against Falkirk may offer the best chance of ending the rut. Livingston’s sole victory this season was a 3-1 home win against the Bairns. The two sides produced a gripping championship title battle last season. Bartley will hope that his side can continue their nine-match unbeaten run against John McGlynn’s side, potentially springing them back into contention for survival. Player to Watch – Kai Andrews Hibs steadied a difficult two‑week run with a strong home performance against Rangers. Martin Boyle and Elie Youan both passed up golden opportunities, and David Gray will feel his side merited more than a single point. One of the standout performers on Sunday was Coventry loanee Kai Andrews. The midfielder, who previously featured for Motherwell, delivered an assured display after being introduced in the 10th minute for the injured Miguel Chaiwa. At just 19, he showed maturity beyond his years, going toe‑to‑toe with the likes of Nicolas Raskin and Thelo Aasgaard. Speaking at full‑time, Andrews expressed hope that a positive spell at Easter Road can strengthen his international prospects with Wales and potentially earn him a Premier League opportunity with high‑flying Coventry. Gray remains without midfield maestro Josh Mulligan, and with Dundee United visiting Easter Road, the manager may again turn to Andrews following his impressive debut outing. Hibs’ season hangs in the balance; they will need to chase down 4th-place Motherwell to have any chance of achieving back-to-back European campaigns. Could Andrews be the catalyst for the Hibees this season?
“They Knew in That Dressing Room What They’d Done” – Kenny Dalglish Exclusive on Parkhead Return
Celtic hero Kenny Dalglish lifted the lid on what went wrong upon his return to Celtic Park as Director of Football in 1999, speaking exclusively on The Warm-Up, presented by William Hill. The Parkhead legend’s comeback overseen the ill-fated tenure of John Barnes as manager, with Dalglish quick to remember that his fellow Liverpool icon enjoyed a successful start to life in Glasgow. However, the 74-year-old revealed that he was apprehensive in showing Barnes support to avoid undermining him. Speaking to The Warm-Up, Dalglish said: “They asked me to make recommendations, and that [appointing Barnes] was one I made. “He had the second best start of any Celtic manager, at that time. They went to Aberdeen first game of the season and won 5-0. “Really, I didn’t know when to help him. I could maybe have helped him, and maybe I should’ve helped him, then I’m saying I don’t want to show up in front of the boys. I didn’t want to try and feel like I was trying to do that [undermining] because I never. “So I suppose that was my mistake.” Dalglish would step in as interim manager until the end of the season following Barnes dismissal after an infamous home 3-1 defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and pulled no punches on how he felt about the players he inherited. “They were disgraceful. Well there’s an example, the last game of the season, there was eight or nine boys making their debut. “I didn’t regret going back. I regretted not helping maybe more than I could have, but I was trying to do it in John’s best interests. “When he left, I think they knew in that dressing room what they’d done. And if they never they got told anyway.” ‘King’ Kenny’s first role in management came as player/manager at Liverpool in 1985. Replacing Joe Fagan after the Heysel Stadium disaster, Dalglish took the reins at Anfield despite having three years left of a four-year playing deal, to the disbelief of himself and his wife Marina. “They [chairman and chief executive] said “we want to offer you the manager’s job” and I put the phone down. “And I said to Marina, they’ve just been on the phone there, they want to offer me the manager’s job. “She went ‘why?’. I says I don’t know, I was doing alright as well in the games! “I still don’t know why [they offered him the job]. I said yes, but if I’m garbage I’m going back to being a player, that was the first thing I said to them.” His first season ended with the club’s first double, pipping city rivals Everton to the league title by two points, in a season which seen Dalglish select himself and score the winner on the final day, before making the Toffees runners-up again in the F.A Cup final. As a player, he is revered at club and international level, amassing 102 caps and scoring 30 goals for Scotland, both of which are still national records. With current Scottish captain Andrew Robertson hot on the heels of his record with 90 current caps, Dalglish has some friendly advice for another Liverpool legend. “I think he should retire from international football! “It would be nice if we would [break the caps record], wouldn’t it? “I’ll let him have it!” Dalglish talks on the above and much more on the full episode of The Warm-Up, brought to you by William Hill, including breaking through after the Lisbon Lions at Celtic under Jock Stein, as well as a hilarious story with host Chris Sutton fancying himself at centre-half during Dalglish’s time as Blackburn Rovers boss. Kenny Dalglish features on The Warm-Up, the William Hill SPFL’s weekly preview show. Check out the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/@WilliamHillSPFL
Rangers Finally Get Their Man Naderi
As the clock ticked down to the final seconds of the transfer window, Rangers finally announced the signing of German striker Ryan Naderi from 3.Liga club Hansa Rostock. The 22-year-old striker has 12 goal involvements in the 18 games he’s played in Germany’s third tier this season. Danny Röhl would have been desperate to get a striker in as goals from open play have been scarce for Rangers, with a big reason for that being a lack goals from strikers. With Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski unable to be that focal point in the Rangers attack, Röhl will be hoping Naderi can bring his good form to Ibrox. With a reported fee of €5.5million, much higher than originally expected, it’s believed the extra money is to make sure Rangers get their man now instead of the summer. Hansa Rostock were adamant that the striker stayed with them until the summer, as they are currently in a fight to get promoted to Bundesliga 2 in Germany. However, Rangers in their hunt for the Scottish Premiership title, Andrew Cavanagh and the 49ers Enterprises have put their hands in their pockets to get their man in this window. This is the most expensive transfer out of the third tier of German football ever, and Naderi will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders. However, with Danny Röhl’s knowledge of German football, it’s obvious the Rangers boss has faith in his new acquisition.
