Rumour Mill: Celtic| Rangers| St Mirren| Hearts

Celtic in Issam el Adoua bid

Celtic are eyeing up a £1m move for Moroccan ace Issam el Adoua, in the hope of replacing Victor Wanyama.

It has been speculated that Celtic may cash in on the Kenyan midfielder this summer after some superb performances have attracted a lot of attention.

El Adoua has enjoyed a great season in the Portuguese league with Vitoria, and several Premiership clubs are thought to be circling him. (Daily Record)

• Neil Lennon has called for Celtic to raise their standards after a run of disappointing results.

The loss to Ross County at the weekend has caused Lennon to have words with his players after he criticised them openly in the press for dropping a two-goal lead against County.

“I was right to be critical of the players,” Lennon said. “They had thrown away a two-goal-lead, the second and third goals from our point of view, were poor and I did not like the way we played defensively.”

Lennon has also held talks with some players he suspected of wanting to move on from Celtic.

“I have had it out with a couple of them. I have put my point across and they have certainly said I have nothing to worry about on that score. I expect to see a vast improvement over the next few games.” (Herald)

Goram backs Rangers fans’ boycott

Rangers legend Andy Goram has said he would back any boycott by Rangers fans next season, adding: “And I’m willing to wager Ally McCoist would too.”

It was revealed yesterday that a Rangers fans’ chief was considering a boycott on all away fixtures if the SFL revamp results in a 12-12-18 structure. Goram wrote in The Sun today: “Good on the Gers fans for taking such a hardline stance. Clearly they feel enough is enough. In my opinion the only ones losing out on this ‘deal’ are Rangers.”

Goodwin puts team first

St Mirren captain Jim Goodwin is showing his true grit after saying he is putting the team before himself as his injury threatens to rule him out of the League Cup final against Hearts on Sunday.

Goodwin has been training cautiously after injuring his calf, but he says if he isn’t ready then he doesn’t expect to play in the final.

Everyone would want to declare themselves fit for the big game because it is such a huge occasion. But I spoke to the manager at the start of the week and said the last thing I wanted was to play the final half-fit and be the cause of the team losing.” (Telegraph)

Dalglish backs Hearts’ Ngoo

Kenny Dalglish says this weekend’s cup final is the perfect place for Hearts’ rising star Michael Ngoo to show the world just what he can do.

The striker, on loan from Liverpool, has been making a serious impact for the Tynecastle club, and Dalglish was full of praise for him.

“It was fantastic for him to play in a semi-final in his first game and score against Inverness. He then went on and scored in the shootout as well. That was just a day after he came up to Hearts, so that was a great start fro him. Now he is looking towards a final at Hampden as well. It has been a great experience for Michael and it can only stand him in good stead. (The Sun)