
Luton boss on 'bittersweet' Thelo Aasgaard Rangers move
The Hatters boss admits it's tough to be losing a top talent so soon after bringing him to the club. However, it is also a proud moment to have helped him along the way to such a big move.
Read more:
Speaking after their friendly victory against Boreham Wood today, he said: "I think it's a bit bittersweet for us. We are obviously disappointed to see Thelo go, of course we are.
"But it's also a proud moment as a football club to take a boy from League One in January and within six months he has made his international debut where he scored and he has now got a transfer to an incredible football club who will be playing in the Champions League qualifiers.
"We are obviously proud of what he has gone onto achieve in the short time he was with us but we are disappointed he has left.
"I think ultimately it was inevitable it was going to happen with the amount of interest in him and his international manager's desire for him to move on as well.
"It certainly didn't help but we understand the situation and have to focus on our future now."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


North Wales Chronicle
11 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Marc Cucurella relishing Thiago Silva reunion at Club World Cup
Evergreen defender Thiago, who left Chelsea last summer, is still producing impressive performances at the age of 40 for current club Fluminense. The two clubs meet in the semi-finals of this summer's global tournament in New York on Tuesday. Fellow defender Cucurella said: 'We've watched some of their games. They have very good players, they are very determined and they have Thiago Silva. 'He's a legend of football, a top player. He's only played for big clubs and texted me before the (quarter-final) game saying, 'Let's go, hopefully we can see you in a couple of days'. I texted him saying, 'Let's go!' 'We have the opportunity to play against him again and hopefully we can do good things and win this game and play in the final which is what we want to do.' Thiago is one of the great Brazilian defenders of his era and enjoyed an accomplished four-year spell with Chelsea in what was thought to be the twilight of his career after being released by Paris St Germain in 2020. His successes included Champions League glory in 2021 – a victory which earned Chelsea their place in the Club World Cup – and he remains a popular figure at Stamford Bridge. After returning to Brazil, he helped Fluminense avoid relegation last season and their unexpected run to the last four of this competition raised eyebrows. Thiago has started four of their five games and they have conceded just three times. Cucurella said: 'They have a very high level. They have shown in this tournament why they are going right until the final (stages). 'We've played against two Brazilian teams so far and now we will face a third. They fight until the end. 'We're happy to be in the next round and to have this experience of playing against the South American teams, which isn't very common. Overall, we're enjoying this tournament.' Chelsea booked their trip to New York with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Palmeiras in Philadelphia on Friday. They previously faced Brazilian opposition in the group stage when they were beaten by Flamengo. The Blues are reaching the end of a draining season which began last August and in which they won the Europa Conference League and qualified for the Champions League. Cucurella said: 'At this point, I think it is a good moment. We are in a good position. If we win one more game we can play a final. For all of us, it is very important. 'At this moment, we do not think about the fatigue. If we are tired, we want to enjoy this moment. It is a good opportunity to make something important, to be proud of our work and to play for Chelsea.' Meanwhile, English winger Jamie Gittens has described Chelsea as the 'perfect fit' after completing his reported £55million move from Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Get to know Jamie Gittens! ℹ️ — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 6, 2025 Gittens' arrival comes after the headline captures of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro in what is proving a busy summer at the club. The 20-year-old said in an interview with club media: 'The coach, Enzo Maresca, he was obviously showing me the way that Chelsea play and the way he likes to play with wingers. 'The system is built for wingers to attack their full-backs and create stuff and I thought doing it with Enzo in this system is a perfect fit for me.'


Daily Record
32 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Russell Martin reveals reason for Igamane and Dessers absences as he directly addresses burning Vardy question
The Ibrox boss saw his side come back from two goals down to draw in his first friendly as boss Russell Martin insists no-one has come close to offering the cash Rangers are demanding for Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane. But the Ibrox boss admits it's still to early for him to plan on having the front pair to lead his Champions League assault. Last season's top scorer Dessers has been linked with a move to Greek outfit AEK Athens all summer, with the Nigerian reportedly keen on the move. Talks, however, have stalled after Gers turfed out a £4.5million bid for the 30-year-old. Igamane, meanwhile, has reportedly agreed personal terms on a move to French giants Lille - but Martin insists the Ligue 1 outfit are yet to make any kid of offer for the £15million-rated Moroccan ace. Both players sat out Martin's first Ibrox workout as Gers kicked off their pre-season preparations with a 2-2 draw against Club Brugge. And Martin explained: 'Cyriel, he's just been injured his ankle. 'So, he's here today. We turned down a bid a while ago for him that was nowhere near the valuation for the football club. 'But he's been great. He's been desperate to train. We're had to give him some treatment this week on his ankle since he's been back. 'But I'm looking forward to working with him. "So, that [deal is] nowhere near happening. He'll get on the training ground this week and start enjoying it. 'But he's not kicked up one bit of fuss. He seems to be a really good professional. And from what everyone tells him, he really is. 'And Hamza's (absence) has just been a bit of a red tape. He was due back this week with the other international players. 'He was at the airport and they just didn't have the right visa. I don't think it's anyone's fault. Things have changed since he last got his visa. So, we had to wait for him to get a new one, which he should have tomorrow and he will be with us this week. 'I haven't heard of any [bid], not that I know of.' But asked if he was now preparing to have both men in his team for this month's crucial Champions League opener with Panathinaikos, the new gaffer confessed: 'Mate, that's two weeks away so I can't plan for anything in football.' But Martin is planning on having more new faces to the five who have already checked in so far this summer. Max Aarons and Manny Fernandez featured in the Brugge bounce game, while Joe Rothwell, Thelo Aasgaards and Lyle Cameron were presented at half-time. Gers continue to be linked with a host of other targets, but when quizzed if former England frontman Jamie Vardy was one of them, Martin said: 'I've been asked about so many players. 'Some miles away, some on the money. So, basically, I'm not going to give you an answer. 'But I guess you'll find out who's real and who's not in the next few weeks. 'I do expect the team to look different again in a week's time. 'But in a couple of weeks, so much can happen in football, so I don't know. 'I think we definitely want to do more, for sure. And also, probably some players need to move on as well at some point as the squad's going to start looking very big and very heavy.' Clinton Nsiala is set to be one of those moving on. But Martin is looking forward to welcoming John Souttar back from hernia surgery ahead of the multi-million-pound clash with Panathinaikos on July 22. He said: 'The big man's good. He's trained the last few days. By the end of the session, he looked absolutely exhausted, which is what we want. But he's reacting really well to his operation and wants to go out and train. 'So he'll be back in properly this week and he'll play next weekend [in a bounce game at St George's Park]. 'Ben Davies is injured, though. He has picked up a small injury. 'As for Clinton, well we signed Emmanuel and I think Clinton's at a point in his age where he needs to play all the time, every week. 'So we've had a really good, honest conversation to let him know the situation really. The best thing is to find the best opportunity to play football.' You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here. Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.

The National
32 minutes ago
- The National
Jamie Vardy to Rangers transfer addressed by Russell Martin
The head coach was asked about the former Leicester City and England striker following Rangers' 2-2 draw against Club Brugge at Ibrox this afternoon. Speculation has intensified in recent days linking the Scottish Premiership giants with the 38-year-old. Vardy has been without a club since the expiry of his Leicester contract at the beginning of the month. Reports in Italy this morning suggested that he'd knocked back a move to Genoa in favour of joining Martin's men. However, when asked directly about the experienced frontman, the Gers manager understandably remained coy on the subject. He responded: "I think like I've been asked about so many players. Some miles away, some on the money. "I'm not going to give you an answer on that. "But I guess you'll, you'll find out who is real and who's not in the next few weeks." With just over two weeks to go until the first leg of the Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos, Martin did admit he expects his first team squad to look rather different by that point in proceedings, although, refused to answer just how many additions could be made. Read more: "I expect the team to look different again, the squad to look different in a week's time, but in a couple of weeks, so much can happen in football, so I don't know," the 39-year-old said. "So, I think we are, we're definitely want to do more, for sure. ] "And also probably some players need to to move on as well at some point because the squad's going to start looking very big and very heavy. "I don't know is the answer, but it will definitely look different in a week's time."