Aberdeen are reportedly “furious” over the leak of a tribunal verdict concerning Rangers’ signing of Connor Barron, according to The Sun.
In the newspaper’s print edition (page 48) on 2 January, it was revealed that the Dons were displeased with misinformation regarding the fee Rangers are required to pay for the 22-year-old.
Chris Jack previously reported on Rangers Review (31 December) that the Light Blues would need to pay £600,000 after failing to agree on a fee with Aberdeen when Barron moved to Ibrox in the summer. However, The Sun claims Aberdeen insists the Scottish FA set the fee at £639,920, plus add-ons.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement has faced numerous off-field issues during his tenure, but with the tribunal decision finalized, the club can now shift focus to on-field matters, including narrowing the 14-point gap to rivals Celtic at the top of the league.
Despite the controversy, Rangers appear to have secured a quality player for a price they likely view as a bargain.
However, Daily Record notes that this ruling has left other Scottish Premiership clubs concerned about how low the fee was.
Since joining Rangers, Barron has made 16 Premiership appearances under Clement, amassing 1,205 league minutes.
However, the Belgian manager’s future at Ibrox is uncertain, with recent poor results widening the gap with Celtic.
A defeat to the Hoops on Thursday (2 January) could spell the end for Clement, potentially prompting Rangers to begin their search for a new manager.
Roy Keane asks Celtic transfer question about Dermot Desmond as Ian Wright left gasping over Rangers thrashing
Roy Keane has been sharing his thoughts on Celtic and Dermot Desmond during a recent podcast appearance, leaving Ian Wright astonished by a famous Celtic victory over Rangers.
Celtic legend Martin O’Neill joined the Stick to Football podcast, hosted by Manchester United icon Gary Neville alongside regular pundits Jill Scott, Ian Wright, and Roy Keane. O’Neill, who managed Celtic from 2000 to 2005, led the club to the UEFA Cup final and secured seven major trophies during his tenure.
One of O’Neill’s standout early signings was Chris Sutton, who became a Celtic legend over his six years at the club. Signed after a challenging spell at Chelsea and a stint with Blackburn Rovers, Sutton proved instrumental in O’Neill’s success.
Fans are now eager to see whether Celtic’s majority shareholder, Dermot Desmond, will open the club’s finances for current manager Brendan Rodgers to strengthen the squad in the January transfer window. However, O’Neill revealed that Desmond can be a tough negotiator.
The ex-gaffer said: “He had a bad time at Chelsea, Chris. So, when we were trying to sign him, I think Dermot Desmond the major shareholder, he wasn’t sure about signing Chris. Eventually Chris became his favourite player, but he wasn’t sure about him.
“He said because he’s not played well at Chelsea. I said, no, he’s had a nightmare at Chelsea but he was a good player at Blackburn. I said that he and Alan Shearer had scored 50 goals. And I didn’t tell Dermot that Shearer had scored 49 of them!”
Ex-Man Utd man Keane – who played for Celtic at the end of his career – then asked of Desmond: “That was an important marker to put down, Martin? When you’ve just gone in the door, you’re having a little battle already to get a player in the door, yeah?
O’Neill responded: “It was absolutely just to just to begin with, you know, the first thing. And I mean, I won that particular the battle. And we won the first couple of games, which was great. Then we beat Rangers in a big, big game. 6-2 in my first game at Celtic Park. And we were 3-0 up in 11 minutes.”
