Celtic plan to sign on-loan star Paulo Bernardo permanently this summer, sources have told Football Insider.

Well-placed sources told Football Insider (30 March) that the Hoops want to develop Bernardo, 22, with a view to selling him for a “huge” profit in the future.

Celtic remained top of the league after their win against the Lions on Sunday afternoon.

They are next set to face arch-rivals Rangers in a huge Old Firm showdown at Ibrox on Sunday (7 April).

Big Celtic and Rangers title race prediction by Artur Boruc

It’s a brave person to be calling the outcome of the Scottish Premiership title race between Celtic and Rangers at this stage of proceedings.

There are still eight games to go until the end of the campaign, including two big derbies at Ibrox and Celtic Park.

With just a couple of points separating the fierce rivals, it’s honestly hard to confidently say which way the silverware will be heading this year.

There’s a few more twists and turns left in this one and the evidence suggests Celtic will be pushed all the way, perhaps even to the final matchday.

Artur Boruc has never been one to shy away from an opinion, however, and he has firmly determined that Celtic will once again be champions this season.

Artur Boruc believes Celtic will beat Rangers to the title

The iconic goalkeeper has been speaking to The Sunday Post this weekend and declared: “The main objective of every season is to win the title and Celtic know it is in their own hands.

“I know it is very close and there is little between Celtic and Rangers in terms of points. But, overall, I think the better squad is at Celtic. They also have a number of players there who’ve won the Scottish Premiership title.

“Brendan Rodgers has also delivered lots of success in the past and I think he will do it again. I’m confident Celtic will be champions in May to make it three in a row. I’ll be happy for everyone inside Celtic Park and all of the supporters for that to happen.”

Celtic have certainly had the better of the meetings between the two sides this season so in a head-to-head battle we know the Bhoys can come out on top. The two remaining derbies could well provide a knockout blow if either side is defeated.

After the top six split, Brendan Rodgers’ side have three games at home and two away, in contrast to Rangers’ three away and two at home.

But we also know that the Bhoys have to go on a winning run that has been rare this season. Consistency is key but if Celtic do find that then there’s logic to the belief they will defend their crown.

South Korea Make Yang U-turn; Key Celtic Decision Lies Ahead

Despite admitting he will have to make contingency plans regarding winger Yang, the boss of South Korea’s under-23s has included the wide-man in his squad for the upcoming Olympics qualifiers (RecordSport).

Hwang Sun-hong recently announced his team. He said: [RecordSport] “The Olympic qualifying tournament will be a difficult one. We’ll have to be prepared for that. If we don’t get our European-based players, we will have to come up with a Plan B.”

Such a move comes as a surprise, and it throws a spanner into Celtic’s works. Indeed, the club has no right to let the winger go and play for his nation next month because the international window is not in FIFA’s official schedule.

Yang, though, has been named in a 23-man South Korean squad that will face the United Arab Emirates, China, and Japan in their hopes of qualifying for the Summer Olympics in Paris.

Inevitably, the upcoming matches clash with a few Celtic ones. Yang could miss St. Mirren at home on the 13th of April, Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup semi-finals a week later, and some post-split games if he jets off.

Celtic, though, has no obligation to let him go and must make the key decision of whether to sanction his brief absence or ensure Yang stays in Glasgow for what is a crucial run-in.

Brendan Rodgers breaks Celtic silence over SFA ban as he doubles down on one key claim

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers insists he has no regrets over his post-match rant against Hearts that landed him in hot water with the SFA.

Rodgers was hit with a one-game ban with one suspended for a breach of SFA Disciplinary Rule 72 following the defeat at Tynecastle as he called out referee Don Robertson and John Beaton in the VAR room for the controversial decisions to send off Yang and award a penalty to the Jambos following a handball from Tomoki Iwata. He will not be in the dugout for Sunday’s showdown with Livingston – but is clear to return to the touchline for the showdown with Rangers.

Speaking on the punishment dished out by the Hampden beaks for the first time, the Celtic boss: “We are obviously disappointed, but we respect the decision. My thanks go to the club for their unwavering support but we respect our punishment and we move on.”

It is already shaping up to be a pretty substantial summer for reigning Scottish Premiership champions Celtic. 

Brendan Rodgers will need a new goalkeeper with Joe Hart’s retirement imminent. The departure of Alexandro Bernabei leaves the club short on natural left-sided full-backs too. There is also a decision to make about Adam Idah, the Norwich City loanee impressing on loan but a permanent deal uncertain at this stage.

Celtic may also find themselves dipping into the market for another central midfielder as well. Particularly if Paulo Bernardo returns to Benfica, and The Hoops receive an offer they simply cannot refuse for the much-admired Matt O’Riley.

Ardon Jashari will not be around to step into those shoes should O’Riley leave, however. A midfielder who has been linked on and off with Celtic for over 12 months now appears to have got a move sewn up already, with two months of the season still remaining.

Celtic target on the verge of £4 million-plus transfer

Jashari, according to Het Nieuwsblad and Het Laaste Nieuws, will make the transition from FC Luzern in his native Switzerland to Belgian giants Club Brugge.

Brugge, who are keen to hire Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy as their new head coach, are reportedly paying a fee in excess of £4 million for the Luzern captain. Jashari is expected to have his official unveiling at the Jan Breydel Stadium sooner rather than later.

This, then, brings an end to any suggestion that Jashari, who featured for Switzerland at the Qatar World Cup and has been likened to Jude Bellingham due to his box-to-box capabilities, could once again find himself under consideration by a Celtic side who’s recruitment department has come in for some heavy criticism since Rodgers’ return.

Jashari, still only 21, has also been linked with Arsenal and Leeds United in recent transfer windows.

Big summer looming for Brendan Rodgers

“Jashari has a personality that qualifies him as a leader. You rarely see that at this age,” explains scout Oliver Zesiger, drawing comparisons between the youngster and Bayer Leverkusen’s former Arsenal skipper Granit Xhaka.

“Physically, Granit is stronger. (But) both players can move the ball in progression. In addition, the two are good at reading a game and winning the ball back. If things continue, then he’ll definitely end up at a club in one of the top five leagues (in Europe).”

A spell at Club Brugge could be the first step on that journey.

HITC, meanwhile, understands that Celtic’s number one goalkeeper target is Liverpool’s Coaimhin Kelleher. The Glasgow giants have also watched Trabzonspor captain Ugurcan Cakir.

Liel Abada praises Celtic as “amazing” in a recent interview.

Those outside Celtic who have been hoping Liel Abada will speak ill of the club and his time there will be disappointed again this morning.

The former Celtic winger who left in a big-money move to Charlotte FC has been glowing in his praise of the club. His farewell message to fans was very emotional and poignant. He also admitted leaving Celtic was never the plan.

CeltsAreHere is aware that there was nobody at the club who wanted to push Liel out and actively supported him during a tough time. The crux of the issue came from Celtic supporters’ vocal and visible support of Palestine. From what we can gather, Liel was heavily pushed to leave Celtic because of that by those back in Israel.

It was a burden a young, talented footballer should never have had on his shoulders. However, the pressure was there and Liel took the best decision he could for himself.

As he gets ready to take on the new challenge at Charlotte he was caught for a quick interview at the airport by an Israeli broadcaster who again tried to bring up his Celtic exit.

Liel spoke about the homesickness at times, but over and above that, he branded his time at Celtic as amazing.

He told Sport 1: “It was really not easy being far away, but I had time with my family and friends now to see everyone. I had an amazing time at Celtic and now my head is on a new journey.

“I hope I can represent the country with respect. I had some time now with family and friends and now I’m embarking on a new journey.”

On life at Charlotte, Abada added: “The feelings are very good. I’m waiting to get there and meet everyone and start my journey.”

Liel came in under Ange Postecoglou and has written his little piece of Celtic history by playing his part in what is now the infamous February night Glasgow derby under the lights, where a new Celtic emerged from the rubble of the previous season.

We wish Liel nothing but the best for the future.

Officials named for Celtic’s trip to Livingston, referee in place amid recent VAR debacle

Celtic travel to Livingston this Sunday and will be keen to maintain their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.

Brendan Rodgers’ men sit one point ahead of Rangers at the summit and could put themselves in pole position ahead of the Glasgow Derby by claiming three points against David Martindale’s outfit.

In our three meetings with the Lions this term, Celtic have prevailed. Nevertheless, there were some uncomfortable moments in our 4-2 victory a couple of weeks ago, where late goals from Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi sealed our passage to the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.

Livingston come into this one without a win in five matches, though Rodgers and company will be all too aware of the threat they pose on their much-maligned artificial surface.

Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Liam Scales could all return to contention for the tie, which fans without tickets can take in live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with pre-match build-up commenting from 11 am [Sky Sports].

Kick-off is at 12 noon, setting the scene for a day where Celtic have little margin for error in their battle for the title.

 

Don Robertson appointed referee for Livingston vs Celtic

The headline to emerge ahead of Livingston vs Celtic is the news that Don Robertson has been appointed to referee the affair despite his involvement in our controversial 2-0 defeat away to Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle earlier this month [Scottish FA official website].

Hyunjun Yang received a red card for a high challenge on Alex Cochrane, though only after Robertson upgraded the decision to a straight dismissal in the wake of an intervention from VAR.

Tomoki Iwata was also penalised for a handball offence in bizarre circumstances that allowed Hearts to open the scoring, which the 37-year-old awarded after consultation with John Beaton, not to go over old ground too much.

Graeme Stewart and Andy Milne will run either line; meanwhile, Euan Anderson is the fourth official on this occasion. VAR is set to be controlled by Alan Muir and Graeme Leslie in case any incidents require further observation.

In a week where Celtic manager Rodgers finds himself in the dock for an SFA charge amid his comments on the officiating in the capital, let’s hope the football will be the main talking point at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

Rangers vs Celtic lands Super Sunday top billing as it leads Man Utd showpiece

Rangers’ crunch title derby against Celtic next month will top the Sky Sports billing on Super Sunday.

The Ibrox outfit take on their fierce rivals knowing the winners of that game will be in a strong position to lift the trophy at the end of the season with not all that long to go by way of fixtures remaining. Philippe Clement’s troops are in fine form albeit one point behind Brendan Rodgers’ with a game in hand after their Dundee clash was postponed until three days after the derby.

The battle is scheduled for midday on April 7 with no match scheduled in Sky’s traditional 1.30pm slot. That means it’s the Premiership blockbuster that will lead football fans into the 3.30pm game at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Liverpool.

The usual EPL double header won’t be in place and that should mean more eyes on Scotland’s big one.

Chris Sutton delivers exciting Celtic assessment

Celtic’s injury problems this season have been extensive.

Although there has been valid criticism of transfer activity, player performance and the job Brendan Rodgers has done since returning to the club – it is undeniable that the injuries and fitness have played a big part in how the season has turned out.

Now though, the skies are clearing on that front and former striker Chris Sutton reckons Rodgers is closing in on getting his best eleven on the pitch – just in time for the league and cup double push.

The Bhoys have a maximum of ten games left in the season. That’s eight Scottish Premiership fixtures plus a semi-final and a potential final in the Scottish Cup.

Despite all the chatter and issues this term, Celtic can still go on and complete the double. Can the returning players fire them to glory?

Chris Sutton on Celtic returns

Sutton thinks it’s a possibility, writing in the Daily Record [23/03 print edition]: “Keep Kyogo on form, keep Cameron Carter-Vickers fit and add that midfield trio [of Hatate, McGregor and O’Riley] and Rodgers could go into the final two months with as powerful a selection hand as he’s held all term.

“Potentially, if Celtic can get through the Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen, there are 10 games left in their season. Every single one of them promises to be massive and it is going to take big game players.

“Having them all his disposal through until the end of May would be perfect timing for him. The equation is pretty simple for Celtic. Win all 10 of those remaining games starting at Livingston next weekend and the Premiership and Scottish Cup double is theirs.

“It’s a big period and it calls for stars who can make it happen. Hatate and McGregor are two who can shine more than any in the country.”

Hatate ramped up his recovery from injury by featuring for a half in a recent bounce game at Lennoxtown which bodes well for his involvement after the international break.

He could get minutes away to Livingston before being included in some capacity against Rangers at Ibrox.

McGregor is also expected to be back shortly after the current break, though his return date is a little more nebulous at this point.

If Celtic can truly put these injury issues behind them at this critical stage of the season, going on a ten-game winning-streak isn’t out of the equation. And that’s something to be excited about.

Reo Hatate times Celtic return for title run in as bounce game tester tees him up for Rangers tussle

Reo Hatate has stepped up his Celtic return for the title race run in with 45 minutes in a bounce game.

The Japanese hasn’t played featured since the winter break after suffering a double calf injury while away on Asian Cup duty with Japan. In his absence, the champions saw their lead at the top of the Premiership table evaporate as Rangers overtook them, but have since regained top spot after beating St Johnstone at the weekend while Gers trip to Dundee was a washout and will be played next month.

And Hatate could be back in business by then after playing 45 minutes in a scratch game against St Mirren at the Hoops’ Lennoxtown training base on Wednesday. Assuming he suffers no adverse reaction to playing in the 2-2 draw with the Buddies, then he could well be in Brendan Rodgers’ squad for their return to domestic action away to Livingston a week on Sunday.

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Imagine if that was a Celtic handball yesterday

Brendan Rodgers now has the perfect evidence to present at his SFA hearing…

Yesterday’s game at Celtic Park against St Johnstone was filled with yet more VAR controversy. Despite us winning the game in a comfortable fashion we still had a few legitimate complaints when it came to the much maligned technology.

None more so than the incident in the first half with the game still goalless when a St Johnstone player seemed to block a shot on the goal line with his elbow. Yes the elbow is part of the arm as far as I know, and despite it going to a VAR review it was deemed legitimate! “No handball” was their verdict.

It doesn’t matter that he didn’t know anything about it as it was going in the net, yes the player stopped a net bound shot with a part of his arm. Surely within the rules of the game that is a penalty kick?

Remember last season when we conceded two spot kicks at home to Dundee United and Ross County? Case one was for the ball hitting Alexandro Bernabei on the back of the arm when he didn’t know anything about it.

In the second instance it was Matt O’Riley being penalised for the ball bouncing off his arm just inside the box. Both incidents were sent to VAR and adjudged to be penalties. You can see our frustration.

Our biggest gripe though is the Tomoki Iwata incident at Tynecastle just a fortnight ago. The ball accidentally hits his arm after he was nudged by his own teammate just inside the penalty area. Nowhere near the goal I may add, and yet the VAR team adjudged it to be worthy of a spot kick. He was facing the other way. His eyes were closed. He was barged in the bag as three players jumped for the ball.  He had zero knowledge that the penalty was give for his hand-ball offence and only found out in the dressing room at half time.

This is where it gets interesting. Brendan Rodgers is up in front of the SFA on a charge of making remarks about the officials, namely John Beaton. Brendan’s only ‘crime’ was calling Beaton ‘incompetent’ well that’s mild to what most of us have called him, but Brendan has now got evidence of his own now to put before the beaks.

Exhibit A your honour. “Incompetence has many meanings and one of them is that you aren’t doing your job efficiently or correctly. Before me I have footage of an incident at our last game, an incident similar to the one I have been accused of calling for clarity on.

“The footage shows said incident much more punishable according to the laws of the game, yet it was judged by the officials after having a quick look to be a ‘legal’ act.

“The incident that caused me to be up before you was in a similar if not lesser instance, yet I have been charged for making that point. Yes I called the official in question incompetent, but judging by this footage and the rules of the game doesn’t that make said official incompetent as he clearly went against the rules of the game?

“Either that or the officials on Saturday are guilty of incompetence and went against the rules of the game. So which is it to be your honour? Case closed.”

Another point, had that been a Celtic player, say the unfortunate Tomoki Iwata, standing on the Celtic goal-line with the ball hitting him in exactly the same spot…it goes to VAR for a review, their decision and the outcome would have been one of two alternatives:

1. No penalty, no handball as was the outcome yesterday
2. Penalty to St Johnstone and a red card for the Celtic player, with a one match ban. Celtic’s subsequent failed appeal would see that double to a two match ban.

Which option do you think VAR would have reached yesterday had it been a ball to arm situation on the Celtic goal-line preventing a St Johnstone goal?

Just an Ordinary Bhoy