The latest news from both Rangers and Celtic after an eventful weekend
Following the weekend’s results, Russell Martin’s job at Rangers is hanging by a thread after the Hearts defeat whilst Celtic were bailed out at Rugby Park through a late penalty.
Rangers suffered their first defeat of the season at home to Hearts in what was a poor display from the Govan side. A Lawrence Shankland brace was enough to secure all three points for The Jambos, who hadn’t won a league match at Ibrox in over a decade before Saturday. Cries of Nico Raskin’s name as well as some deafening ‘boos’ at full time showed Martin that he’s lost the support of the Ibrox faithful.
For Celtic, they just about escaped Ayrshire with three points after beating Kilmarnock 2-1. Despite rumours he wants to leave the club, Daizen Maeda put the visitors in front before Killie equalised through a David Watson header. On his debut, Kelechi Iheanacho then scored from the spot in the last minute after a controversial penalty decision as The Hoops stay top of the SPFL Premiership table.
Here’s the latest news to come out of Ibrox and Celtic Park:
Former Liverpool and Arsenal star linked with Ibrox move
Rangers have joined the race to sign former Besiktas midfielder, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after he was released by the Turkish side. Leeds United and Birmingham City are also in the running for the Champions League winner. According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, the former Liverpool man’s creativity could be useful for The Gers.
Speaking on The Inside Track podcast, he said: “He’s now left Besiktas on a free, and with Rangers trying to strengthen in that midfield area, Oxlade-Chamberlain would tick a lot of boxes. His versatility would be an attractive thing to Rangers, because he can play centrally but also play out wide if needed and the fact he’s available for free makes him a very attractive option.”
Following the Hearts defeat, the pressure is mounting on Russell Martin, who desperately needs to turn things around at Ibrox. At the age of 32, with Oxlade-Chamberlain’s wealth of experience, both in the English Premier League and European stage, he could be the answer to the Rangers boss’ prayers.
Rodgers focuses on keeping Parkhead star at the club
After a horrendous transfer window, Daizen Maeda wasn’t allowed to leave Celtic in the summer despite the Japanese star handing in a transfer request. As The Hoops weren’t able to replace the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah, the 27-year old was told he couldn’t leave Celtic Park.
According to O’Rourke: “Rodgers will be doing everything he can to ensure that Maeda is back and settled after that transfer speculation, now the window is closed. There’s obviously going to be a lot of uncertainty at Celtic (going forwards).”
Maeda scored Celtic’s opener at the weekend against Kilmarnock, showing he is still giving everything for his team despite the outside noise. The Japan International’s Hoops contract runs out in 2027.
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