Celtic’s loan move for Benfica midfielder Paulo Bernardo was the highest-profile signing of a relatively quiet transfer deadline day in Scotland.
Celtic have an option to buy the 21-year-old, who follows Honduras winger Luis Palma and on-loan Liverpool defender Nat Phillips in arriving at Parkhead this week.
Midfielder Sead Haksabanovic joined Stoke from Celtic on a season-long loan, just days after expressing frustration over a lack of game time.
“I feel like a new experience and challenge will be good for me at this stage of my career,” the 24-year-old told Stoke’s website.
Ismaila Soro earlier left Celtic for Beitar Jerusalem – 19 months after his final appearance for the club – and another out-of-favour player, Albian Ajeti, was set to seal a move to Turkish football although there was no confirmation of his exit come the deadline.
Rangers manager Michael Beale lowered expectations of fans in the afternoon when he declared himself happy with his squad following nine summer signings.
A quiet evening ensued, although reports later claimed the club had rejected Stoke’s bid for centre-back Ben Davies.
“We don’t have any injuries so the squad is looking healthy, the squad size has come down in size and average age so we are good to go,” Beale said.
“Naturally every manager is going to sit here and say they would like one more but if we don’t then I am happy with the squad we have got moving forward.”
Aberdeen signed versatile 26-year-old right-sided Danish defender Stefan Gartenmann from Midtjylland on a season-long loan to make it 13 incoming transfers this summer. Out-of-favour defender Anthony Stewart rejoined MK Dons on a season-long loan.
Dundee had confirmed the first incoming signing of the cinch Premiership on deadline day by bringing in Burnley winger Marcel Lewis on loan until January. The 21-year-old was previously on Chelsea’s books and has played for Union St Gilloise and Accrington.
St Johnstone signed two players – 28-year-old Austrian midfielder Sven Sprangler following a trial period and 25-year-old Charlton winger Diallang Jaiyesimi on a season-long loan.
Motherwell signed 19-year-old left-back Georgie Gent from Blackburn on loan until the end of the season,
Kilmarnock left it late to seal a season-long loan deal for former Rangers youth striker Andy Dallas from Barnsley.
The 24-year-old only joined Barnsley from Solihull Moors in July and netted on
his debut for the Tykes. Dallas has scored more than 60 career goals with the likes of Stenhousemuir, Cambridge, Weymouth, Solihull and Chesterfield.
St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson warned that none of his players would be sold on the cheap after Aberdeen made an approach for Australia midfielder Keanu Baccus.
“There hasn’t been a formal bid, there have been conversations between the two clubs,” said Robinson, who had finished his business ahead of deadline day.
“We are not in a position where we were last year when we had to take offers for players that were below market value. We have steadied the ship and got our finances right.” .”
Ross County signed Scotland Under-21 international midfielder Scott High on loan from Huddersfield.
Manager Malky Mackay told County’s website: “I am delighted Scott has decided to join Ross County. At 22, he is a great age to join the club, and has experience playing in over 60 English Championship games.”
Chairman Roy MacGregor was no doubt delighted at a deal involving English Championship clubs as Ross Stewart’s move from Sunderland to Southampton earned County a seven-figure sell-on fee.
It was a quiet day in the east although Livingston loaned defender Morgan Boyes to Inverness for the season and Hearts loaned Connor Smith to Scunthorpe and Harry Stone to Queen of the South.
Van Dijk hails Hungary 'strength' for playing on after coach collapse
Virgil van Dijk saluted Hungary for playing on after assistant coach Adam Szalai appeared to suffer a fit during their Nations League clash.
Play was suspended for 13 minutes at the Johan Cruijff ArenA while Szalai was treated pitchside, with staff and substitutes forming a protective barrier around him.
The 36-year-old was taken to Amsterdam Hospital, where he later revealed he was "doing well" on his social media channels.
Although Hungary agreed to play on, the Netherlands ran out comfortable 4-0 winners to book their place in the Nations League quarter-finals.
Wout Weghorst and Cody Gakpo were on target from the penalty spot during the first half, while goals from Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners after the break saw the Oranje secure second place in Group A3.
And Van Dijk paid tribute to his side's opponents.
"That was quite a shock, of course," he told NOS. "You see someone lying down, you see someone shaking. That is quite scary. But thankfully, at a certain point, it became clear that he was stable. I hope he is doing well and that he recovers quickly.
"They had to decide whether they wanted to continue playing. I think it shows a lot of strength that they did carry on. I have a lot of respect for that."
On his side's performance, Van Dijk added: "The pitch was very fast, but that's no excuse. It was sloppy.
"In the end, we won deservedly and that's the most important thing. We go to the quarter-finals, we win, we keep a clean sheet."
Nagelsmann impressed after biggest win of Germany tenure
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann was impressed by his team after they inflicted a heavy 7-0 defeat on Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Nations League.
The thumping win in Freiburg secured top spot for the Germans in Group A3, with Nagelsmann's side now five points clear of second-placed Netherlands with one game to go.
Florian Wirtz and Tim Kleindienst netted two each, while Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane were also on target in the victory that was Germany's biggest win since Nagelsmann took charge in September 2023.
The former Bayern Munich manager, who replaced Hansi Flick, failed to take hosts Germany past the quarter-finals in the summer's Euros, but his side now have a chance of securing their first silverware under the 37-year-old.
"We have no injuries from the game and our counter-pressing was extraordinarily good," Nagelsmann said after the game.
"And then to score seven goals against an opponent sitting so deep is something.
"We wanted to win possession and then quickly play the ball forward, be quick in transition and find those runs, something we did not do often enough at the Euros [in June]. We did it well," he said.
Glenmuir outclass STETHS 5-2 to maintain daCosta Cup dominance; McGrath, Garvey Maceo, Ocho Rios also into semis
Glenmuir High continued their dominant march in the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup with an emphatic 5-2 victory over St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in their final Group A quarterfinal match on Saturday.
In a display of clinical finishing and cohesive play, Glenmuir, through goals from Orel Miller (12th), Conroy Nicely (32nd), Orane Watson (45th and 67th), and Ricardo Binns (90+1), overwhelmed their opponents at home in Santa Cruz to further solidify their status as title favourites. Justin McPherson (80th) and Shemmar Smith (83rd) got STETHS consolation.
The win saw Glenmuir finish atop the group with maximum nine points, five points ahead of McGrath High, who blanked Frome Technical 4-0 to also book a semi-final berth. They finished ahead of STETHS on goal difference after both ended on four points each.
Glenmuir’s Head coach, Andrew Peart, was again pleased with how his team went about business.
“Every game you play, you try not to concede but we can live with it. We were 4-0 up when we conceded so we can work on those. I thought today was one of the displays that you’re really proud of; at the start we weren’t really in control but we managed to settle and play our game and score some goals so again, I am really proud of them,” Peart said in a post-game interview.
Though a bit slow out the blocks, Glenmuir quickly gathered momentum and broke the deadlock inside 15 minutes when Miller capitalized on a perfectly weighted cross from Tajaun Cummings, rising above defenders to power a header into the net.
STETHS had a chance to respond shortly after but Deandre Barnett’s header struck the upright.
That was all STETHS would get at that point as Glenmuir extended their lead two minutes past the half-hour mark with a goal that showcased their set-piece prowess. A weighted corner kick from O’Neil Headly was cleverly flicked on by Dusting Cohen, allowing Nicely to tap in at the far post.
Watson added his name to the scoresheet just before halftime, when he slotted into an empty net after STETHS’ goalkeeper Johnoi Steadman advanced and failed to get a hand on Okeem Saunders’ perfectly measured cross. caused confusion in the STETHS defense, with misjudging the delivery as Glenmuir went 3-0 up at the interval.
Glenmuir maintained their attacking intensity at the restart, with Watson again proving troublesome.
In the 67th, Saunders once again played provider, delivering a precise pass that Watson controlled expertly before unleashing a powerful drive from the edge of the box. With that, his second goal of the game, Watson took his tally to 31 for the season, a testament to his exceptional form.
Despite trailing by four goals, STETHS showed resilience in the final 10 minutes. McPherson pulled one back in the 80th minute, finishing from close range to bring the home crowd to life.
Just three minutes later, McPherson turned provider, delivering a pinpoint cross that Stewart headed home for his fifth goal of the season.
However, Glenmuir had the final say as Binns found himself unmarked in the penalty area and easily headed home a perfectly floated cross from Cohen to complete the rout. It was Binns’ seventh goal of the season and a fitting end to a commanding performance.
STETHS’ Head coach Omar Wedderburn and his troops will now have to look to the Ben Francis Cup for redemption.
“We weren’t focused enough in the first half and three goals scored from the service. We tried to make some adjustments in the second half but it barely bore fruit but that’s how it is; it is a hard one to digest and we just have to do what we have to do,” he noted.
Saturday’s Results
Glenmuir 5, STETHS 2
McGrath 4, Frome Technical 0
Munro College 3, Central High 1
Ocho Rios 2, Garvey Maceo 0
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