Winger Elliott signs 'multi-year' Saracens deal
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Daily Record
a few seconds ago
- Daily Record
Jimmy Thelin on Aberdeen lessons as Ipswich named 'the level we are aiming to'
The Scottish Cup holders rounded off their pre-season with defeat the Championship side Jimmy Thelin has insisted the challenge of Ipswich Town and Fulham will help get his new-look Aberdeen squad ready for the new season. The Scottish Cup holders finished off their pre-season campaign with a 3-1 home defeat to Ipswich and lost to the Cottagers in a closed door friendly. Thelin knows it is still early doors and it is all about peaking for Monday's trip to Tynecastle to face Hearts. The Swede said: 'We are ready for the season to start and looking forward to it. We're fully ready for the first game. 'Our opponents tonight are the level we are aiming to, you want to push yourself and learn as a team. 'Both of the games, Fulham and now Ipswich, were good for us to play. 'We wanted opponents with extra intensity, speed of the game and teams who will punish you. 'Some parts were good, but when these teams break against you with their speed and decision-making you get punished. 'So it was good for us because we will learn from this. We tried to be compact but we still have things to adjust.' You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Celtic page, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Celtic community here.
Daily Mirror
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Ollie Watkins' telling exit comment as Man Utd add Aston Villa star to three-man wishlist
Manchester United have expressed an interest in Ollie Watkins but Aston Villa insist their player isn't for sale, even though the Englishman has made it clear he will not accept a squad role Ollie Watkins has made it clear he will never be one of those players who his "happy to sit on the bench" after Aston Villa rejected an advance from Manchester United to land the striker. The Red Devils are on the lookout for a No 9 and have shortlisted three players with the England international among them. Villa signed Watkins several years ago after he impressed in the Championship and he's since proven himself in the Premier League. Villa, who lost Jhon Duran back in January, have made it known that they have no interest in selling their forward despite interest from those on the red half of Manchester. Watkins will hope to return to the club's first choice striker after a difficult few months to end the season. Ironically it was the loan arrival of Marcus Rashford from United that saw Watkins' playing time suffer as a result. Rashford has since left and joined Barcelona on loan, but it means Watkins will face less competition as things stand. Last term Villa enjoyed a run to the last eight of the Champions League, beating Club Brugge, before running PSG close in the quarter-finals. For that tie Unai Emery opted for Rashford over Watkins - which was not well received. The ex-Brentford striker made it clear that was not a role he wanted. Watkins said last season: "He's the manager at the end of the day and you've got to respect his decision, but I'm not one of those players that's happy to sit on the bench. I was fuming I wasn't playing and I let him know that." Emery also had Marco Asensio as a loanee for the second part of the season, but he and Rashford have since left. Villa are yet to make any major attacking additions this summer and the Spanish manager has rejected the prospect of Watkins leaving with Arsenal keen on him back in January. Emery said: "I don't want (to sell Watkins). It is good news to have offers from other clubs. We want to keep our sporting objective through the players we have in the squad." He also maintained: "Watkins is our striker." United are also thought to have considered moves for PSG's Randal Kolo Muani and Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. Ruben Amorim though has claimed that he would be happy to go on with his squad as it stands, claiming: "If I start the season with this squad I will be happy."
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Ipswich spoil Aberdeen party as Jimmy Thelin's shake up after Scottish Cup glory becomes clear
The Dons slumped to a 3-1 defeat in front of the fans with the new season just days away Ipswich Town came up and spoiled Aberdeen's Scottish Cup homecoming. The Tractor Boys ploughed through Pittodrie, thanks to a double from Jaden Philogene and another from Scotland cap George Hirst. Jimmy Thelin 's cup winners started brilliantly but then the English Championship promotion pushers just had too much for them. Hirst and Sam Szmodic neatly combined to give Philogene a tap-in before the half-hour. They doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Dimitar Mitov pushed out a Szmodic shot and Hirst rammed in the rebound. Philogene netted a third in the second period when he too easily beat Mitov. Sub Peter Ambrose was an unlikely goal hero as he netted a consolation late on for Aberdeen. It leaves Thelin's Euro-bound squad with plenty to ponder before Monday's Premiership opener at Hearts, as he looks to improve on last season's fifth place finish. A new-look for the Scottish Cup winners It was the first Pittodrie outing since the Aberdeen lifted the Scottish Cup. The glow of that win still shines over the city. It was almost just over two months ago since Thelin had taken the trophy back to the Granite City for the first time in 35 years. It was a chance for the Red Army to come out and see their remaining heroes and those who Thelin had added over the course of the summer. The likes of Adil Aouchiche, Kusini Yengi, Nicolas Milanovic, Nick Suman, Alfie Dorrington and Kjartan Kjaransson. Old European foes This game was marked as a re-run of their legendary 1981-82 encounter in the UEFA Cup. The Dons drew 1-1 at Portman and Road then knocked Bobby Robson's side out 3-1 at Pittodrie thanks to a Peter Weir double and another from Gordon Strachan. This time it was nothing more than a glamour friendly. Both sides have very different ambitions away from a Battle of Britain. Ipswich are looking to get back into the English Premier League, while Aberdeen are fighting for third place in Scotland. Would Jimmy Thelin change tack? The Swede when it came to his formation was very one dimensional. It was 4-2-3-1 all season until he finally threw a curve ball in the Scottish Cup final. Would that encourage him to mix things up going into the new season. Yet last night it was back to the old safety blanket of 4-2-3-1, which many teams had learned to counteract last season. Will he show more flexibility or will he stick with what he knows? New faces Thelin has been relatively busy in the transfer window this summer. Kusini Yengi and Adil Aouchiche were the only two new boys who were handed starts. The big striker hardly got any service in this game and this certainly wasn't a game to judge him. On-loan Aouchiche played just behind him. He looked neat and tidy on the ball and could pose a real attacking threat. Winger Milanovic was another big-money buy and he came on for Shayden Morris at the interval. He also looks lively. It took him a few minutes to drive inside the box and fire across the face. He also had a shot blocked on the line that allowed Ambrose to follow up for his goal. Will Aberdeen be ready for Hearts? They and Celtic will be the last in the Premiership to kick a top-flight ball. They have lost their last two outings against Fulham and Ipswich but the argument will be that they are both likely to be better than most sides they will be facing domestically. Thelin is still trying to bed his new players in and it is unlikely they are going to repeat their sizzling start of last season. Traditionally, Aberdeen don't have a great record at Tynecastle. Hearts have also hit their strides under Derek McInnes so the Dons could have asked for much of a tougher challenge in the opening game.
