Alan Pattullo, Mark Atkinson and Matthew Elder discuss deadline day in Scottish football.
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00:00Hello and welcome to the Scotsman football show, where we're approaching midnight on
00:08transfer deadline day. The deadline has passed and squads have been finalised for the remainder
00:15of the season. My name is Matthew Elder and I'm joined by our sports editor Mark Atkinson
00:21and our chief football writer Alan Patillo to go over all the ins and outs in the Scottish
00:26Premiership today. There's probably only one place to start I think and that'll be
00:31at Celtic, the defending champions. They announced at 11pm the arrival of Geoffrey Schlupp on
00:38loan from Crystal Palace, a utility man who will presumably be brought in to provide cover
00:44at left back following Alex Vallee's departure. Going back to Barcelona and then off to Como.
00:52So Mark, what are we making of the arrival of Geoffrey Schlupp at Celtic and the fact
00:56that he's the only arrival?
00:58Yeah, well I think the big talking point is the fact that he is the sole signing on deadline
01:04day. No secret that Brendan Rodgers, the Celtic manager, wanted to bring in a left back and
01:09a striker. He's only got one half of that puzzle. I think Schlupp's not a bad signing
01:15in terms of his versatility. 32-year-old, hugely experienced player, Ghanaian internationalist,
01:22won the league with Leicester in 2016, the Premier League, and then moved to Crystal
01:26Palace where he's been for the past seven campaigns. Quite an athletic player, mainly
01:34a left back but can actually play left winger, centre mid, and he actually also plays a forward
01:39although he's not played in that role for a while. So he looks a decent acquisition
01:44and I think Celtic really needed a left back because Greg Taylor was their only option,
01:48senior option. But of course the number nine void that's been left by Kyoko Furuhashi,
01:53that's not been filled. Adam Ida will be their sole senior option or what I call natural
02:00option in that area. But I think it is worth mentioning that Dyson Mida can play there
02:04as well. We were used to seeing the Japanese as a winger but he can play as a striker.
02:09For Japan he often does play the striker. The arrival of Jota earlier in the window
02:15means that Celtic could probably go with a front three of Niklas Kuhn, Jota and Mida.
02:19It's still looking pretty ferocious in the Scottish sphere. But you wonder, and I'm sure
02:24Alan will talk more about this as well, about just how Celtic fans will feel not getting
02:30a replacement in for Kyoko and also how Brendan Rodgers will feel. He said on Sunday after the
02:37game that the goal is always to come out of a transfer window stronger than when you went into
02:40it. And I'd be very, very fascinated to see if Rodgers does feel that way when he addresses
02:46the press on Tuesday afternoon. Yeah, Alan, you've heard those comments from Rodgers yourself. Are
02:54you surprised then that we are where we are now with the window having shut and Celtic
03:00not having brought in a replacement for Kyoko? Yeah, I am, I have to say. They seem a bit
03:05foolhardy given their ambitions at home and abroad over the next few months.
03:13I think we're all looking forward to the Champions League clash with Bayern Munich
03:19coming up very soon. And I think I'm right in saying Maida is suspended for that.
03:24And if Adam Ida picks up an injury in the next couple of games, then they look very short indeed
03:30going into a game against such a formidable opponent. So, I can well understand Celtic
03:37fans taking to forums tonight. I've read a few comments already. Pretty disillusioned,
03:43which is a strange state for fans of a team in Celtic's position to be in. They really do.
03:50They seem like, obviously, the deal that they got for Kyoko, it seemed a good deal at the time,
03:55Jota coming back. But yeah, a week is a long time in football, just as it is in politics,
04:01isn't it? And here we are, a lot of them calling for various heads in the Celtic hierarchy
04:09for leaving Celtic so short. And yeah, I mean, Adam Ida, good player that he is, but he's gone
04:17from a handy big man to have a round to suddenly absolutely indispensable to Celtic's hopes.
04:26Yep, indeed. I think it would possibly leave only Johnny Kenny as the only number nine in
04:33the first-team squad after his return from Shamrock Rovers. I believe they actually
04:37tried to get him back today, reading reports on that. And obviously, that probably would
04:44have relied on Celtic bringing in another striker, which they haven't done. So, you'd imagine if an
04:49injury to Adam Ida does crop up between now and the Bayern Munich game, it could be Johnny Kenny
04:53being thrust into a Champions League match, who's obviously got Europa Conference League
04:57experience from his time in Ireland. Or, I didn't actually realise this, Mark, but I've read in your
05:04piece on Geoffrey Schlupp, and he's apparently played as a striker before as well. So,
05:08maybe Rodgers can claim that he has signed a striker in this window.
05:11Yeah, I don't think that's the one that he wanted. And it is a valid point, of course,
05:16that Celtic do look light in that area. I think Adam Ida has always been a favourite of Rodgers,
05:22they spent a lot of money on him in the summer, and he's kind of archetypal Rodgers striker.
05:29And he may actually flourish now that Kyoko Furuhashi is no longer there. I did often wonder
05:34if he felt maybe a little bit in the Japanese's shadow. And you often see these kind of guys
05:39to up to the plate. I've always been quite impressed by Adam Ida when he's done press
05:43duties. He seems a very sort of unflustered individual. And I think he will score plenty
05:50of goals between now and the end of the season. It's just that depth issue that Alan alluded to,
05:54and I think that's where Celtic's frustrations for the supporters will lie in particular.
06:00Would they beat Bayern Munich with another number nine? Chances are,
06:04possibly not. They should have enough to do what they need to domestically with the current squad.
06:10But you just are one or two years away from having a bit of a crisis there.
06:16Yeah, I think there were numerous strikers linked. We had Kelechi Iheanacho linked,
06:21a man that Rodgers worked with in the past. Matthijs Kvistgaarden has been linked with
06:27Celtic for a number of windows now, the Bromby 22-year-old. But the understanding is that the
06:32asking price from the Danish side was far too high for a player that's yet to be capped
06:36at an international level. I think they were looking for upwards of 14 million pounds, and
06:39that would represent Celtic's biggest ever transfer fee if they were to go and spend that.
06:43I'm sure Celtic have got their options already in the pipeline for the summer.
06:49They're just going to have to muddle through a little bit now between now and the end of the
06:53season, which is not ideal. It's going to be interesting against Dundee on Wednesday night,
06:57the mass intake of drawing of breath every time Ider goes in for a challenge,
07:03presuming he plays against Dundee. I mean, I don't know if Brendan Rodgers is going to
07:08wrap him in cotton wool for the next few days, certainly. It's going to be absolutely fascinating
07:18to see how he performs and obviously to hear what Brendan Rodgers has to say before and after that
07:25game. You have to feel sorry for Jeffrey Sloop as well. His announcement tweet on the Celtic
07:32ex-account was just full of ire at the lack of a striker signing, but I think we can all agree
07:39that Jeffrey Sloop is a good signing for Celtic regardless. Moving on to Rangers then,
07:47big announcement from them on deadline day was the arrival of Lyle Cameron from Dundee
07:51in the summer on a pre-contract deal. Obviously, no immediate incomings today though.
07:57Just think they were trying to work on a few deals, but nothing immediate in terms of a
08:03deadline day arrival. So, Rangers will pretty much be going with what they've got for the rest of the
08:08season. The signing of Lyle Cameron though, Alan, you obviously see a lot of Dundee. You reckon
08:15that's a good move for Rangers and for Lyle himself? Yeah, I mean, yeah, in terms of furthering
08:22his career, I think, looking at it from Rangers' point of view, I think they've got to, they get so
08:28much criticism for not looking under their own noses, don't they? Not signing Scottish players,
08:33young Scottish players who are doing well in the Scottish game and I think they've obviously
08:41looked at that and thought they might try and, I mean, they don't have the money that Celtic have
08:47to splash around. So, I think they've got to look at this kind of market. Lyle Cameron out of
08:53contract at the end of the season. I'm guessing, looking at the Conor Barron example earlier this
09:01season, they'll probably be looking, they'll probably be ending up having to pay about half
09:04a million pounds from him, I think. So, it represents good value for somebody who, yeah,
09:08as you say, I've watched a lot of and I think he's just a wonderful player. You know, a real
09:14fan's favourite kind of player. I would happily pay money to go and watch and, yeah, I watched him
09:21and I'm thinking, I remember watching his league debut for Dundee. He was thrown into a game against
09:26Dunfermline at East End Park. I remember age 16, 17 by James McPake and had a rough introduction to
09:33Scottish football. He was subbed off at half-time. Dundee were 2-0 down at one of these Friday night
09:38televised games on BBC and I remember thinking, oh, that's, you know, it'll take a lot of metal
09:45for a teenager to come back from that and here he is six years later. Sealed, I guess, what must be
09:53described as a dream move to one of the Scottish, you know, one of the Scottish giant clubs,
10:00although I do find it fascinating what the next few weeks are going to hold in terms of
10:05how Tony Docherty is going to use him now because it's a difficult situation, isn't it, for Dundee?
10:10Obviously, Dundee fans are slightly alarmed and, you know, disappointed that this has come out,
10:17that he's gone to Rangers and, you know, they'll be quick to get on his back. I'm sure if a pass
10:23goes astray and, yeah, I do wonder. I think Rangers announced this deal this afternoon and
10:32Dundee quickly followed with their own announcement. Sometimes these things are best
10:37left unsaid, aren't they, and just sort of drift on to the end of the season and then he leaves.
10:41But I'm sure Rangers wanted to get something out there. The lack of other business, I'm sure they
10:47were very keen to get this bit of news out and here we are. It does leave Lyall in a slightly
10:54interesting, possibly difficult position. But it matches against Rangers, I would suggest.
11:01What's that, Matthew?
11:02Particularly for matches against Rangers, I would suggest.
11:04Yeah, yeah, absolutely. We're starting off on Wednesday night at Celtic Park. I'm sure he'll
11:09get a reception there as well. But, I mean, just to go back to your original question, I really do
11:16think, you know, in terms of the player himself, yeah, a wonderful player. He's been central to
11:21everything Dundee have done in the last couple of years. And people talk about Luke McCown.
11:26I think Lyall has slightly more potential there, and certainly more potential when he's younger.
11:33And I just think he's possibly the better player, actually.
11:39Yep. I was actually going to come to you, Mark, just to say that Luke McCown has shown that
11:44players can be plucked from the likes of Dundee and make an impact at clubs the size of Celtic
11:49and Rangers. Obviously, McCown has went to Celtic this season from Dundee and done particularly
11:55well. He's not started all the matches, but when he has started, he's impressed and is now
11:59in the discussion for Scotland international squads. I'm sure Steve Clarke's of a mind to
12:06have a look at him at some point. And we should probably now be talking about Lyall Cameron in
12:11that same vein, if he goes to Rangers and makes a similar impact.
12:15Yeah, yeah. I'm a big fan of Lyall Cameron as well. I don't see him as much as Alan,
12:19but when I do, I think he's central to pretty much all of Dundee's good work.
12:24He's a driving force. I'm fascinated to see if he can take that to Rangers.
12:29Obviously, there's different things that come when you play for one side of the old firm,
12:35the pressure, the expectation level. But whenever he's done press, whether it's been in the Dundee
12:41capacity or Scotland 21's capacity, he comes across as one of the most mature young players
12:46in Scotland. And that makes me think that he'll probably assimilate just fine into the
12:52heightened surroundings that he's going into. I think you, Alamut, correct me here, but I see
12:59a little bit of Nicholas Raskin in Cameron as well, the way that he gets on the ball and moves
13:03around the pitch. And I wonder how Philippe Clamont will use him going forward next season.
13:09For now, I think Dundee ultimately need Lyall Cameron, because while they've had good results
13:15recently, with the exception of the obvious, the Hearts defeat, they are slipping closer to the
13:20bottom of the table. And they're going to need some good players to get themselves out of that
13:24position. I've always thought Dundee's strength is that midfield blend of Cameron, Cesar Garza and
13:30Mo Silla. So having those three together will definitely help. Tony Daugherty has got a real
13:36man management job on his hands to get the best out of Cameron. But I think Cameron's got that
13:41personality where he'll just be fine. And I think he could be a really good asset for Rangers who,
13:47for a quiet window by all accounts, there wasn't much money to spend. And I think Alan's point is
13:52absolutely right. They wanted to give their fans something to hang on to today
13:55by announcing this deal, because there was nothing else really forthcoming. There were suggestions,
14:01they were looking at a winger, but that never really materialised. Ultimately, Rangers haven't
14:06got much resource to play with in this window. So Cameron was their big announcement of the day.
14:12And we'll see how both he and Rangers and Dundee view the rest of the season.
14:18Just worth mentioning as well, Rangers did sell Zach Lovelace to Millwall today
14:24for an undisclosed fee. The young striker turned down a contract by all accounts,
14:30a new contract offer at Ibrox, so he's off. The Rangers did keep hold of Serial
14:36Decessors amid some interest and also Red Van Jelmas with Besiktas linked there. So
14:43Rangers going with what they've had for the past few months and for the rest of the season.
14:49Over to Edinburgh now and looking at Hearts, it looks like a case of one-in-one out there.
14:54Harry Milne, the left-back arriving from Partick Thistle and Malakai Boateng being sold to Plymouth.
15:02Is that what we're expecting from Hearts today, Mark?
15:06Yeah, Hearts did a lot of good early business. Their best signing, and it will be, in my opinion,
15:13is the best signing at the Trans Window by any club in Scotland, is the arrival of Elton
15:17Kabongu, who has already scored five goals since coming in to Hearts from Union Seles-Udolas.
15:24Really good striker, knows where the goal is at this level. He's a really good striker. He's got
15:29pace, good positional sense, can play wide, can play centrally strong. I think you saw the way
15:36he's transformed that Hearts forward line in that game against Dundee. They just have an
15:39outlet that's quick now. So he's been a revelation already and I think Neil Critchley, the head
15:46coach, in his first Trans Window with Jamestown Analytics will be pretty pleased with what they
15:51have done. They needed to get a new left-back in because James Penrice has played more than
15:5730 games this season, which is a remarkable stat for a guy that had a hip surgery earlier in 2024.
16:04So they needed somebody there to take the burden away from Penrice. And I think, yeah, they look
16:11well equipped to have an assault on the European places, which a few weeks ago seemed fanciful.
16:19Yep, and over the other side of the city, the capital,
16:24Hibs appear to have been all about who stayed today, I think. Elian was was tipped to
16:32head south, he didn't. Hibs rejected offers there and they've also rejected an offer for defender
16:40Rocky Boucherie from Belgium this evening. So two sort of possible departures from Hibs have
16:48been batted aside. Two who have left though, midfielder Luke Amos and striker Harry McCurdy,
16:55who both arrived with reasonable reputations but made almost no impact whatsoever, I think, at
17:01Easter Road, it's fair to say, Alan. So no surprises to see them two moved on, Alan.
17:07But from what you've seen of Hibs, good moves to keep Elian and Rocky Boucherie around. I know
17:13Boucherie is out of contract at the end of the season, so could depart for nothing then, but
17:18I don't think David Gray would have wanted to do without a starting centre-half.
17:25Turnaround in Hibs has been remarkable, turnaround in Rocky Boucherie has been remarkable,
17:30hasn't it, in terms of his status at the club? I thought a few months ago,
17:35being offered money by a club for Rocky Boucherie, they'd be very eager to take that.
17:43But here they are, it seems like rejecting that offer. And yeah, from what I saw of Rocky Boucherie
17:51on Saturday in the win over Hibs, he looks like he's become a bit of a fan's favourite, hasn't he?
17:57Credited with that great equaliser against Aberdeen in November, which seems to have
18:04turned around Hibs, or helped turn around Hibs this season. So yeah, I think David Gray would
18:09be pretty happy. Euan as well, we know all about him, exciting, explosive on his day,
18:15one of the most exciting players in Scotland. So I'm sure David Gray will be happy to have him
18:23around as well. He was asked after the Aberdeen game if any business was likely to happen,
18:27and he was fairly non-committal, saying let's see what the next 48 hours bring.
18:32But yeah, I think he'll be happy to have kept his squad intact for the most part, apart from,
18:37as you say, Amos and the strange case of Harry McCurdy. Just a fascinating tale,
18:43that isn't it, of a player that came with such a good goal-scoring record at Swindon,
18:53good reputation. I was so excited to see him. Obviously, he's had medical difficulties and
19:00he's been out of the game for a while as well. But yeah, real shame, because I think he did
19:05have something when he came on. I saw a couple of cameo appearances. They were certainly lively
19:09when he came on. But yeah, it just hasn't happened for him at all. And I think I'm right in saying
19:13he hasn't scored a goal in Scotland, is that right? No goals and no assists. No goals and
19:19no assists, which is not what he would have wanted when he arrived, obviously. He could write a book
19:25about the last two and a half years, I'm sure. But yeah, I think everybody would wish him well
19:31in his next stage. I think he's got Bromley, I heard, I was going to think. So yeah, I'll
19:38certainly be keeping an eye out for him and hopefully he can get his career back on track.
19:45Mark, fairly quiet on the incoming front at Ips in January, nothing at all
19:49today on deadline day. Hibs fans be slightly put out by that, or given the recent form,
19:55you think that having just one arrival is enough? I think all fans get a bit annoyed when you don't
20:02bring players in on deadline day. It's almost like a kind of unwritten rule. You need to sign somebody
20:07just to appease that portion of your fan base that's desperate for a new face. I don't think
20:13desperate for a new face. I don't think Hibs need many new faces right now. They made one signing
20:20last week in Alessandra Mane, a Gambian midfielder from Odense. He was part of Barcelona's academy,
20:26so comes with a good reputation. Hibs' transfer strategy changed during the window. When they
20:32went into January, they wanted to sign a striker and a goalkeeper. The goalkeeper was the priority,
20:36given that Josef Berslin can be so poor after coming home from Club Rouge. But actually Jordan
20:42Smith, who for many years has been number two in England, has come in and played really well,
20:47really, really well actually, and deserves a lot of credit for the way that he has cemented his
20:51place as Hibs' number one. I think head coach David Gray realised, I don't need a new goalkeeper.
20:56I'll stick with the man that he calls Smudge. That meant that there was less of a need to get
21:03that position filled. It's also worth pointing out that Hibs don't have that much money to spend.
21:09They paid quite a lot of money in the summer for the players they brought in,
21:13and the accounts are due out later this month. Believe me, they will be grim reading for Hibs
21:17fans, really grim reading. I might give a reason why they've been fairly prudent in this window.
21:24They've also got a number of players out of contract in the summer, therefore the major
21:29rebuild will happen then. And Garvin Stewart, the head of recruitment who came in from Bournemouth
21:34in December, I think they want to give him more time to identify the players that they feel can
21:39make a really big difference. Because ultimately, Hibs are in a good place right now, and they
21:45weren't going to bring in players for the sake of it, given where they are financially. So,
21:49if Hibs fans are unhappy, there's reasons why they've been fairly quiet in this window.
21:55And I think keeping Rocky Bushiri, I never thought I'd say this, but keeping Rocky Bushiri is a
21:59really good bit of business. Even though he's out of contract in the summer, he's been really
22:05good for Hibs and has been a kind of symbol of their rise up the table. And I think they should
22:13be happy that the squad largely remains intact.
22:18Indeed, there was various ins and outs across the Premiership today, which you can catch up
22:23with them all on scotsman.com. But I think one more club before we sign off just to speak about
22:28would be Aberdeen, given their complete contrast in almost two seasons within one. The sort of
22:36opening 12, 13 games with the match Celtic, and then the 14 games or so since where they haven't
22:40won at all. It's just, I don't think I've ever seen a season quite like it from any club. But
22:47Jimmy Tilleen is obviously trying to address that in the window. There's been various signings
22:52before today, but two more arrivals on deadline day. Striker Odeh Dabah, Palestinian international,
22:59capped 45 times, arrives on loan from Charleroi. And we have defender Mats Knoster. We'll find out
23:10the pronunciation of that. He's come from Ferencvaros after his contract expired, couldn't
23:17play central defence. So a new central defender, a new striker, they've certainly been leaking goals
23:22and not scoring them. So I can see the logic behind those two arrivals. But Jimmy Tilleen,
23:29you were at Easter Road on Saturday and obviously you mentioned those quite bizarre scenes at
23:36full time where Tilleen sat and stared at the crowd and they stared back for a good few minutes.
23:45You're thinking that they need these new signings to really come in and make a difference, don't they?
23:50Well, yeah, they do. I can't say I know too much about either of them. He's trying hard,
24:00isn't he, Jimmy Tilleen, to try and enact some kind of turnaround in their fortunes. You've
24:05got to do something because you can't obviously continue in the same vein as what's going on
24:10just now. If he wants to have a long and productive stay at Aberdeen. So yeah, interesting.
24:19I certainly think a new striker would help because he looked pretty toothless on Saturday. I think
24:23Mark would agree with me. He had a lot of possession but didn't look like doing anything
24:27with it whatsoever. Hibbs looked very comfortable, even just with the one goal margin of lead,
24:33I thought. So yeah, interesting to see how they shape up and in defence as well. Obviously,
24:41yeah, they've been shipping a lot of goals while not scoring. So we'll see what happens there. But
24:47yeah, interesting couple of games coming up. Obviously, Dunfermline in the Cup,
24:51which, as any Cup competition is, must win for Aberdeen. So fascinating. I think I'm right in
24:57saying Duke has also departed. Finally, quite a pointed statement, I thought, from Aberdeen,
25:06from a comment from Jimmy Tilleen. I think he thanked him for his efforts since September,
25:11which of course is when he came back from that period of going AWOL back home in Portugal,
25:17wasn't he? So yeah, he's left as well. Which I guess, I think Aberdeen fans, he's not done much
25:27in recent weeks, has he? But he always looked like he had, he came on against Hibbs on Saturday,
25:32he kind of thought he might be able to ignite something. He was always an exciting player on
25:38his day, but he's now left for good. So yeah, interesting times ahead at Batogie, interesting
25:45couple of weeks ahead. When Aberdeen recruited Kevin Nisbet in the summer, Mark, I think we
25:50all thought they've got their number nine for the season, you know, and this is the guy who would
25:56score the goals for them. But it's just not happened for Kevin Nisbet at all,
26:00hence going into the market for a striker. No, Kevin Nisbet hasn't ignited. There's been
26:05a couple of flashes. I thought he looked particularly out of form when he came on
26:10against Hibbs on Saturday, and potentially kind of epitomised where Aberdeen are. They just feel
26:16a bit flat right now, 14 games away in the league, morale is low. What I find quite interesting
26:23about what Aberdeen have done today in the transfer window, it's only two foreign players
26:27that have come in. And one of the things I wondered about this Aberdeen team is whether
26:32they would look at trying to bring in some Scottish players, because Deline's obviously
26:36mining markets outside of this country that he knows reasonably well. He's already brought in
26:40a couple of Scandinavian players who he'll have been aware of from his time at Elfsport.
26:45And I sometimes feel that clubs in Scotland can get a little bit hung up on going
26:51too foreign, because you need a nucleus of players that know the league and know how to battle and
26:57earn the right to play. There'll be some people shouting at the screen going how backward to say
27:02that, but that is ultimately Scottish football. There are games where you have to grind it out,
27:05and you have to show a degree of nous and savvy in this division. I think it'll be really
27:11fascinating to see how Canossa, a Dutchman, and Daba, a Palestinian, adapt to the Scottish game.
27:18Deline is only a couple of bad results away from, I think, this becoming a crisis for Aberdeen.
27:24He looked pretty angry at full-time against Ips. There's a lot of expectation on his team.
27:31They played Dunfermline in a cup on Sunday, and then they played Dundee
27:35on a week on Saturday in the league, which is another huge match. This huge match is everywhere
27:40in this division. Pretty much all the teams have got something to play for right now,
27:45which means whatever business they've done is going to be amplified by how they hit the ground
27:50running, because there's a lot of teams that aren't safe and a lot of teams that have got
27:53room to play for.
27:57Interesting times ahead, but it's now well after midnight, so I think we should wrap up there,
28:02guys. Thanks to Mark and Alan for joining me on the Scotsman football show tonight. As I mentioned
28:08earlier, all the full transfer round-up, all the activity you can find on scotsman.com, so be sure
28:13to check out the website and everything, every deal that went through before our print deadline
28:18will be in the paper tomorrow as well. Thanks for watching and we'll see you on the next
28:23Scotsman football show.