The Rumour Mill: Friday's football news and gossip

Published on Friday 15 April 2011 11:02

In today's Rumour Mill: Aston Villa keeping tabs on Izaguirre; Eremenko offers come-and-get-me call to Old Firm; Watford join race to sign Conway; plus the rest of the day's football news and gossip.

Villa join race for Izaguirre

Aston Villa are the latest English Premier League outfit to declare an interest in Celtic's Player of the Year nominee Emilio Izaguirre. It is understood that Villa boss Gerard Houllier recently had the full-back watched and followed that up by checking him out with some influential contacts in Scotland. With a summer clearout expected at Villa Park, Houllier would be prepared to offer around 8million for the Honduras international. (Daily Express)

Eremenko open to Old Firm offers

Alexei Eremenko would welcome a move to one of the Old Firm clubs after revealing he has no future at Kilmarnock. The playmaker has been a revelation since his arrival at Rugby Park on loan from Ukrainian outfit Metalist Kharkiv and says he is keen to stay in his Glasgow base. "I'll see what happens," the Finn said. "If we are talking about Celtic, they have plenty of players and it would be more difficult there. Rangers, I don't know what's happening at Rangers now. I said to the people who are taking care of my situation that I want everything to be clear before the end of the season." (The Scotsman)

Rangers face competition for Conway

Rangers face a battle if they want to sign Dundee United winger Craig Conway on a free transfer this summer. The Scotland cap has already signalled his intention to leave via the Bosman ruling and the Ibrox club made a last-minute inquiry about the player in the January transfer window. But now Malky Mackay's Watford are understood to be making a serious pitch for the 25-year-old. (Daily Mail)

Think split is unfair? Restucture the league

Scottish Premier League secretary Iain Blair has told clubs that the way to avoid fixture imbalances in future is to vote for league reconstruction. "It is not really a question of the split being scrapped, but it might disappear as a consequence of a different league structure being adopted, as would be the case if the proposed top division of ten clubs was introduced," he said. (The Scotsman)

Goodwillie responds to taunts with goals

Dundee United hitman David Goodwillie believes the goals he has scored in recent months have helped him handle the abuse he has received at the hands of opposition supporters. He said: "If I score against them it's their fault, really. It's karma." (The Scotsman)

Player of the Year nominations announced - but are they right ones?

That players from both sides of the Old Firm are among the nominees for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award is no surprise. But have the right Rangers and Celtic players been selected by their fellow professionals, or, come the end of the season, might others prove to have been more influential in the outcome of the 2010-11 campaign? (The Scotsman)

Kyle could miss start of next season

Jim Jefferies has moved to quell fears that striker Kevin Kyle's long-standing hip complaint threatens the player's career. However, the Hearts manager has accepted that there is a good chance that Kyle, as well as being ruled out for the remainder of this season, will miss the beginning of the next campaign as well. (The Scotsman)

IN BRIEF

• Hampden ground staff have borrowed covers from Motherwell to get the pitch up to scratch for this weekend's Scottish Cup semi-finals.

• Hamilton last night freed Flavio Paixao - just days after twin brother Marco was axed by the relegation-threatened club.

• Hibs are weighing up whether to contest assistant manager Derek Adams' fresh six-game touchline ban.

• Inverness manager Terry Butcher has been told his budget will be frozen at the same level for next season.

• Stirling Albion boss Jocky Scott will meet the club's directors tomorrow to decide if he's staying on next season, after he was unable to save them from the drop to the Second Division.

• Falkirk winger Jack Compton has been dropped from the first-team squad and forced to train with the youths after a breach of discipline in training which angered boss Steven Pressley.

• Dundee United goalkeeper Marc McCallum has signed a two-year contract extension which will tie him to the club until May 2014. The Scotland under-19 international has come through the ranks at Tannadice after joining United at under-12 level.

• Livingston will receive a five-figure windfall when former winger Andrew Halliday makes his next appearance for Middlesbrough.

• Former Hearts captain Michael Stewart could win a long-term deal at Charlton Athletic after making his full League One debut at the weekend.

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