There are just three more days till Edinburgh’s derby day. In the first Edinburgh derby of the 2023–24 season, Hearts will once more welcome Hibs to Tynecastle. As both teams struggle to establish consistency, the game is expected to be a crucial test in the race to finish in the top half of the standings.
The first Edinburgh derby for Nick Montgomery will take place this weekend, and if he is anything like his predecessor, Gorgie fans are in for a wild ride this Saturday. Even though the May game finished in a 0-0 draw, the mayhem continued off the field, and just before the final whistle, both teams, under the leadership of their managers, came dangerously close to fighting.
What will happen at Tynecastle this Saturday is still uncertain, but in the meantime, here is the most recent Scottish Premiership news as the teams get ready for their first capital matchup of the year.
Spurs keeping an eye on a former Celtic fan
Tottenham is keeping an eye on the position of Portuguese winger Jota, who joined Saudi side Al Ittihad from Celtic in the summer but is still not officially registered there (90 minutes). Jota is 24 years old.
Due to the eight-man foreign player rules, Jota made the £25 million move but has since been left out of the team. However, sources have stated that he might be reunited with his old Parkhead manager Ange Postecoglou, while negotiations with his current club are still ongoing.
90 minutes also revealed that Spurs debated pursuing Jota toward the end of the summer transfer window but ultimately decided to buy Brennan Johnson from Nottingham Forest.
No problem with compensation fees at Ibrox
Although a compensation amount to end his Killies contract would be within the club’s means, this is not a problem for the Ibrox side, who have looked into luring Derek McInnes away from Kilmarnock (Ibrox News).
According to the web source, the current Killies manager is still highly regarded at Rangers, but after Graham Potter, the former Chelsea manager, disqualified himself, the Gers are also considering Pascal Jansen, the head coach of AZ Alkmaar, and Kevin Muscat, the manager of Yokohama F Marinos, another former Ibrox player.
While McInnes was more of a squad player for Rangers during his playing career, his five-year stay at Ibrox demonstrates that he is accustomed to the expectations of the fan base and the stress that goes along with it.
His Kilmarnock team has had a difficult start to the league; their lone victory came against Rangers on the first day of the year. He does, however, have the necessary skills to defeat Celtic, as seen by his Killies’ League Cup victory over the Hoops.
