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      How Arsenal star Declan Rice was on verge of joining Celtic in shock transfer before sliding doors moment

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      BRENDAN RODGERS has revealed Declan Rice came close to signing for Celtic. The England international was subject to heavy transfer interest over the last few years with Chelsea, Manchester United and City all linked.
      Brendan Rodgers revealed Declan Rice came close to signing for CelticCredit: Rex
      Eventually, Arsenal won the race last summer after prising Rice over to North London in a £105million deal.
      But it could have been so different.
      Because Celtic boss Rodgers revealed in his first spell with the club – which ran from 2016-2019 – Rice was set for a move to Scotland.
      He said: “The club will do absolutely everything we can to support what we need and what the team needs.
      READ MORE ON ARSENAL
      “There is lots of work going on in the background, and I’m pretty sure that in this early period of the month, we can have some joy and get one or two in.
      “Ideally you’d want to get them in (early). Deals can be complicated and things that might have been there for three or four months can fall away.
      “That’s always the challenge – it only takes one injury to a player who was lined up to come in.
      “I remember when I was here the first time, we spent about three months looking for Declan Rice to come in.
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      “Declan was all set to come in and then all of a sudden they (West Ham) had an injury, he stayed and got in the team and the rest is history.
      “That’s not the club’s fault – it’s just the way it goes.”
      Rice made his senior West Ham debut in May of 2017 aged just 18.
      The following season, he made 31 appearances and established himself as a regular in the first team squad.
      Rice, 24, would later captain the Hammers and played 245 times, scoring 15 times.
      He led West Ham to the Europa Conference League trophy before bowing out to join Arsenal. More

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      Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou fired Celtic transfer warning: Hands off Matt O’Riley

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      NEIL LENNON has pleaded with Ange Postecoglou to stay away from Celtic’s Matt O’Riley this month.The Spurs boss brought the Dane to Parkhead in January 2022 from MK Dons for £1.5million.
      O’Riley has been a top performer in the SPFL this seasonCredit: Kenny Ramsay
      He was a bargain £1.5m purchase in Postecoglou’s first season at CelticCredit: Reuters
      Neil Lennon is a big fan of the midfielderCredit: Kenneth Ramsay
      Now the playmaker is rated in the £25m bracket but former Hoops boss Lenny hopes he’s not a Tottenham target.
      He told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “I think Ange will want to bring some strength in depth in next month, whether that’s a couple of loans or them spending more money.
      “His recruitment has been brilliant up to this point.
      “The players he’s brought in have been great — Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison, they’re top quality players who have all impressed.

      “He missed a couple of them in that dip, there’s no question about that — but I just want him to stay away from Matt O’Riley for the time being, please and thank you very much!”
      Lennon has been impressed at the Aussie’s transition from the Hoops to Spurs.
      He said: “The job Ange did at Celtic was great.
      “The fans loved his style of play, the all-out attack, the rotations — and you can see that style being implemented at Tottenham as well.
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      “It’s never dull, put it that way! And I think he’s building something there to make Spurs real contenders for the top four on a regular basis.
      “He’s having a fabulous year, and I’m delighted for him because he’s a great guy.
      “I always tune in to watch because you just can’t take your eyes off his team!
      “Being the first Spurs boss in ten years not to have Harry Kane available to him, that’s a huge loss of goals he’s had to account for.
      “But I think he’s recruited well.”
      O’Riley has attracted links to West Ham and Inter Milan – with the Serie A giants said to be keen on a loan and permanent deal in the summer.
      But Lennon has already warned the Hoops they should be staving off interest in January and holding out for £30m in the summer.
      He said: “Under Brendan he’s scoring a lot of goals, and creating so many opportunities for the team.
      The midfielder required treatment for a nose bleed throughout the second half of the Old Firm clashCredit: Willie Vass

      “He’s always a threat, and he’s got a real knack of making those late runs into the box, undetected.
      “He’s a fantastic talent — and he’s been a brilliant bit of business for the club.
      “The priority, for the club, is to keep hold of him. Particularly in January.
      “I’m sure there’ll be a lot of offers coming in for him — but I think the club are in a position to stay strong in the January window.
      “I do think that Brendan will want to trim the squad in other areas. But I’m sure O’Riley will stay to the end of the season.
      “At least that’s what I’m hoping for, anyway!
      “But you can’t stop the progress, so I would imagine selling him will be something that Celtic will look at in the summer.
      “He’s proven himself at the highest level, in the Champions League.
      “He’s been the best player in Scotland this season — so you’re looking at £25-30m for him, at least.”
      He added: “I think he’s a top, top player and I believe he could play at a very high level in the Premier League.
      Read more on The Sun
      “You know, Celtic will get top dollar for him, I’m sure of that.”
      Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      Ex-Celtic star’s wife says Jack Grealish mansion raid brings back break-in hell

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      THE wife of ex-Celtic ace Kris Commons has told how a £1million raid on Jack Grealish’s home triggered terrifying memories of a raid on her pad.Lisa Hague, 38, was a big part of their recovery after thugs forced their way into her three-storey villa in Bearsden, Dunbartonshire.
      Lisa, 38, and ex-Celtic ace hubby Kris Commons, 40, and their three kids were in bed when raiders forced entry to their home and stole their motors
      Lisa says the family felt uneasy until they left Scotland after the break-in
      Commons spent six successful years with Celtic
      She was in bed alongside the former Hoops star and their kids slept on the floor below when the crooks swiped designer handbags, an Audi, Mercedes and Range Rover.
      She said the Man City ace will be left rocked by the theft.
      Lisa told The Scottish Sun on Sunday: “Cars, bags and jewellery can all be replaced.
      “The worst thing about being targeted like this is the way it makes you feel.

      “It’s sickening and leaves you feeling really violated.
      “I kept on running through how much worse it would have been if they had gotten upstairs to the kids.
      “You torture yourself and the feeling stays with you for a long time.
      “It never left us the whole time we were in Glasgow.
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      “Jack should take whatever steps he needs to make sure he feels safe.”
      Midfielder Commons was in the middle of his six-year stint as a Celt when at least four people burst into his house at 4am on a Sunday.
      His three children were aged between one and three and were asleep on the first-floor when the thieves got in then sped off in three luxury motors worth up to £200,000.
      Lisa and Kris’ daughter April was three at the time of break-in, while boys William and Jax were two and almost one.
      Their gloves and winter hats were tossed from the motors’ windows as the gang fled.
      Commons beefed up security at the property, including installing state-of-the-art cameras and alarms.
      Two of the cars were recovered but nobody was ever caught for the break-in in November 2013.
      Lisa added: “It makes me angry nobody was ever caught.
      “We’d be out and people would be staring at Kris because they knew who he was.
      “I would drive myself mad wondering if they were looking because they knew something.
      “It took a long time for that to go away.”
      We told how the £5.6million Cheshire home of England star Grealish, 28, was raided on Wednesday while he was playing for Manchester City at Everton.
      His partner Sasha Attwood, 27, and around ten relatives were at home watching the game when they heard burglars upstairs.
      Read more on The Sun
      They pressed a panic button but the gang got away with around £1million worth of belongings, including jewellery and watches.
      Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      Incredible moment SPFL sub keeper comes on as striker and SCORES 30-yard screamer as fans say ‘he’s better than Dessers’

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      SCOTTISH football, don’t ever change. Just when you thought you had seen it all in the SPFL, up steps Arbroath goalkeeper Ali Adams.
      Arbroath sub goalkeeper Ali Adams bags the screamer
      He lets fly from distance
      Cyriel Dessers endured an uncomfortable afternoon against CelticCredit: Willie Vass
      Playing from 2-0 down against Championship leaders Raith Rovers, with Red Lichties boss Jim McIntyre already having used all three of his named outfield substitutes, he had little choice but to turn to the sub goalkeeper when centre half Aaron Steele went off injured.
      And it proved a masterstroke – because within minutes of coming on, he had lashed in a right-foot screamer from all of 30 yards to give them a lifeline.
      And with Leighton McIntosh following it up with a penalty against a shell-shocked Rovers soon afterwards to earn a point, it is a goal which could have massive ramifications in the title race.
      Dundee Utd made short work of Partick Thistle in the televised match last night.

      Fans couldn’t believe what they were seeing, with a few comparing his efforts favourably to what they had just witnessed from hapless Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers.
      One wrote: “This is a goalie… no subs left so they brought on a goalie and he does this!!!! He’s better than Dessers.”
      A second said: “Arbroath keeper can do this and dessers trips over the ball.”
      A third wrote: “Championship keeper is a better striker than Dessers.”
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      A fourth simply: “Get him signed, Rangers”
      “A fifth said: And if Rangers can’t get Shankland, maybe they should go for Arbroath’s sub keeper who’s just come on against Raith as a striker…”
      One fan, sharing the clip of him celebrating, couldn’t help seeing the funny side, saying: “Milking it a bit, isn’t he?”
      The 31 year-old, who has also played with the likes of Musselburgh Athletic, Linlithgow Rose, Tranent JFC, Musselburgh Athletic, Berwick Rangers, Bonnyrigg Rose, Gretna, Bo’ness United and East Fife, had put that Howitzer of a right-foot to good use in the past.
      The former Junior Scottish Cup winner has a 55 yard fee kick goial on his resume from his time at Tranent Juniors.
      Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      Celtic 2 Rangers 1: Kyogo and Bernardo goals stun Clement as unbeaten run comes to end and Hoops end 2023 on a high

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      NO sooner had the snow settled on Celtic Park had it evaporated.So too did Rangers’ unbeaten record under Philippe Clement.
      Kyogo celebrates scoring Celtic’s second goalCredit: Reuters
      Paulo Bernardo fired home the openerCredit: Kenny Ramsay
      James Tavernier’s late free-kick was a consolation goalCredit: Reuters
      Whether their title challenge stumbles in similar fashion to the way Cyriel Dessers did when clean through on goal remains to be seen.
      But after 16 matches, the Belgian has suffered defeat as Gers boss for the first time as Celtic triumphed 2-1 on Old Firm day.
      The win means that heading into the New Year, Brendan Rodgers’ men sit eight points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership (though Rangers have two games in hand).
      Super strikes from Kyogo and Paulo Bernardo made the difference on the day.

      Leon Balogun was shown a red card by Nick Walsh after fouling Daizen MaedaCredit: PA
      James Tavernier whipped in a stunning free-kick in the 87th minute made it a nervy end for the Hoops faithful but it was too little, too late from the Light Blues skipper.
      With both sides not able to field full-strength teams due to injuries, the likes of Stephen Welsh and Ridvan Yilmaz were handed rare starts.
      It’s hard to remember a Glasgow derby where that hasn’t had a frantic start and this one was no different.
      Moments of genuine quality were few and far between but both teams had openings in the opposing box.
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      It wasn’t just the atmosphere and occasion the players could blame this time given that the Celtic Park pitch looked a bit worse for wear after all the preceding weather drama.
      It wasn’t until 15 minutes had gone that a decent run down the right from Ross McCausland as he skipped past Greg Taylor into the box gave him the chance to cross but he couldn’t find a team mate and a combination of Dessers and Todd Cantwell couldn’t make amends.
      Abdallah Sima then linked up with Cantwell on the edge of the box but fired high and wide.
      At the other end, Celtic had openings through Kyogo from close range and Bernardo from further out, both giving Jack Butland something to think about.
      But there was nothing the Gers goalie could do about the Portuguese midfielder’s 25th-minute opener.
      🗣️ “𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗦!”Paulo Bernardo puts Celtic 1-0 ahead with a great goal 🔽 pic.twitter.com/V0gLg1NhiR— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 30, 2023

      Sima failed to properly clear Luis Palma’s corner and his weak header bounced up perfectly for Bernardo to volley home through a crowd of players and into the back of the net.
      Dessers was presented with a glorious chance to level the tie on the half hour mark as he stole the ball and advanced into the area, bearing down on Joe Hart’s goal.
      But he waited, and waited, and waited until all the recovering Alistair Johnston had to do was nudge
      The away side were upping the ante now as McCausland failed to capitalise on a mishap in the Hoops defence from a crossfield pass immediately before Cantwell fired straight at Hart after James Tavernier recycled the loose ball and found the midfielder with a quick-thinking pass.
      McCausland forced Hart into a better save five minutes before the break as his directness again caused problems in the Celtic box as Rodgers’ men started desperately counting down towards the half-time whistle.
      Rangers also had a penalty shout waved away by Nick Walsh and the VAR team after the ball hit Johnston on the hand as he fended off Sima.
      Welsh also trudged off injured just before the interval.

      Clement likely headed into the dressing room with a clear team talk and a plan for how to get his team back into the game in the second half.
      Within 90 seconds, Kyogo blew it out of the water.
      The striker popped up on the edge of the box and unleashed a left-footed shot that flew into the top right-hand corner past Butland.
      Gers looked shellshocked and Parkhead erupted.

      It reached the hour mark before the away side had another chance as Dessers hit the side netting from a tight angle.
      For the next ten minutes, absolutely nothing of note took place.
      Then Leon Balogun took a terrible touch, Daizen Maeda sprinted onto the loose ball and the cumbersome defender hauled him down and Walsh couldn’t get his red card out quick enough.
      A sloppy pass from Tavernier when Rangers were in good possession gave Celtic the chance to move the ball upfield and it was from there things went from bad to worse as Balogun messed up.
      It was a clear sending off and at that point, it was clear there would only be one winner today.
      At least, until Tavernier stepped up to silence Parkhead with a free-kick that caught Hart out and gave Gers some hope.
      Read more on The Sun
      But that’s all it was and despite eight minutes (and more) of injury time, the Hoops held on.
      Ross McCausland and Callum McGregor bickerCredit: Reuters
      Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      Celtic v Rangers LIVE REACTION: Tavernier pulls one back for ten-man Gers but Hoops extend lead to EIGHT points

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      RANGERS pulled a goal back to set up a frantic finale at Celtic Park but the nervy Hoops held out to seal a crucial victory in the title race.Portuguese midfielder Paulo Bernardo made the first telling contribution in the 25th minute when he rifled home after Rangers failed to clear properly from a corner.
      The Hoops survived a strong penalty appeal before half-time then Kyogo struck two minutes after the restart with an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
      Leon Balogun was then red-carded for hauling down Daizen Maeda as he was clean through on goal.
      It seemed like Celtic would easily run down the clock but James Tavernier struck a sensational free-kick two minutes from time to set up a dramatic final few minutes.
      See how the match unfolded below… More

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      Moment female steward at Celtic v Rangers clash left distraught after being injured in Green Brigade celebration crush

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      A FEMALE steward was left in distress after celebrating Celtic fans caused a digital advertising hoarding to collapse. There were wild scenes in the corner of the ground populated by the Green Brigade when Paulo Bernardo swept in the Hoops’ opener against Rangers after 25 minutes.
      A steward appears to be injured shortly after Celtic open the scoringCredit: Kenny Ramsay
      A female steward appears to be injured shortly after Celtic open the scoringCredit: Kenny Ramsay
      Fans flooded onto the corner of the pitch to celebrateCredit: Kenny Ramsay
      Paulo Bernardo also ended up crushed
      Fans piled into the area
      Fans flooded down towards the pitch as the Portuguese star ran off to celebrate.
      He slid on the ground on his knees – before eventually joining fans in a bear hug – as he earned a booking for the trouble.
      But the female steward appeared to bear the brunt of it all, with images showing her clearly in distress.
      The Hoops ultras ground have been back in the stadium for the last two matches, after signing up to a new code of conduct.

      Celtic and Police Scotland have been asked for comment.
      Earlier, thousands of Rangers supporters gathered on Edmiston Drive to give the players and staff a red-hot send off amidst clouds of smoke, echoes of fireworks and snow blizzards.
      The footage shows the Ibrox faithful gathered around it and chanted loudly, with drums heard and a large amount of pyro set off.
      Several supporters also banged on the side of the bus in a show of encouragement.
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      Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      Inside the Rangers team bus as incredible footage shows coach surrounded by pyro-wielding ultras ahead of Celtic clash

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      THIS is the incredible moment showing the Rangers team bus as it tried to leave Ibrox for Celtic Park whilst surrounded by fervent fans setting off pyro.Thousands of supporters gathered on Edmiston Drive to give the players and staff a red-hot send off amidst clouds of smoke, echoes of fireworks and snow blizzards.
      Fans surrounded the coach as it departed Ibrox this morning
      Supporters chanted, let off flares and banged on the side of the bus
      Rangers head to Glasgow’s east end today to take on Celtic hoping to cut the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership table to just two points.
      It would put the Light Blues in prime position to leapfrog the Hoops come the New Year, given they have two games in hand on their city rivals.
      And as the coach carrying the squad and the coaching staff set off from Govan, one of the backroom team on the bus captured it all on video.
      The footage shows the Ibrox faithful gathered around it and chanted loudly, with drums heard and a large amount of pyro set off.

      Several supporters also banged on the side of the bus in a show of encouragement.
      Philippe Clement’s men will run out onto the field at Celtic Park in front of 60,000 Hoops fans later this afternoon.
      With no away fans present due to the ongoing Old Firm lockout, Gers faithful sought to give their team a passionate send off before the match.
      The Union Bears planned a march to Ibrox as a way of showing support given that they couldn’t be at the game in person.
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      In the hours hours of this morning, the same fans trolled their Glasgow rivals with a cheeky act of vandalism on an overhead motorway crossing just outside of the city.
      The group poured red, white and blue paint on the railway bridge over the M8 at Bargeddie.
      Meanwhile heavy snow has fallen at Celtic Park, leaving the pitch covered in white ahead of kick-off,
      The weather took a turn at around 10am this morning and more snow is forecast in the Dalmarnock area until around 1pm this afternoon (around half an hour into the match).
      Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More