Hearts and Hibs' Premiership rivals snubbed by ex-Newcastle captain as Celtic turn down late bid

The latest news from Hibs and Hearts' Scottish Premiership rivals.

Football fans are bracing themselves for a busy week of Premiership action in the capital.

Third place Hearts will hope to build on their 100 percent record in 2024 as they make the trip to McDiarmid Park to take on strugglers St Johnstone.  Meanwhile, Hibs will look to bounce from their demoralising defeat to St Mirren when they play host to league leaders Celtic in a crucial clash at Easter Road.

In the meantime there are also plenty of talking points throughout the Scottish Premiership including a new managerial appointment for Aberdeen and a rejected bid for one of Celtic’s squad players.

Former Newcastle and Fulham hero turned down Aberdeen role before Neil Warnock appointment

Aberdeen have confirmed the appointment of Neil Warnock as their new interim manager until the end of the season. The veteran replaces Barry Robson, who was sacked last week after a year in charge with the Dons struggling in eighth position in the Premiership.

The 75-year-old has previously managed the likes of Sheffield United, QPR, Cardiff City and most recently Huddersfield Town. His move to Pittodrie Stadium marks his 20th role in management and his first in Scottish football.

Warnock has vast experience in English football and fans will hope his appointment can galvanise the team until the end of the season. 

However, despite Warnock’s arrival it is thought that Aberdeen are still on the search for a long term successor to lead them into the 2024/25 season.

One name that was high on the list was thought to be ex-Newcastle and Chelsea midfielder Scott Parker, according to the Daily Record. The 43-year-old has twice tasted promotion as a manager with Fulham and Bournemouth, but has been out of work since his departure from Club Brugge in March 2023.

However, the Daily Mail understands that Parker has declined the chance to manage Aberdeen, due to concerns over the number of managerial changes that have taken place at the club in recent years.

Celtic rejected late January bid for out of favour defender 

Celtic centre back Stephen Walsh was the subject of late January interest from an unnamed German team, according to reports from Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph.

Walsh has played just four league games for Celtic this season, despite signing a new four-year deal with the club in August. His lack of first team football has led to speculation about his future along with another out of favour centre back Gustaf Lagerbielke. 

Joseph explained on The Celtic Exchange Podcast: “Stephen Welsh, I understand Celtic very quickly knocked back a loan with an option to buy bid from a team in Germany.

“There’s something that the European leagues in Italy, France and Germany like about Stephen Welsh and there’s a lot that Celtic like about him as well.

“So they’ve kept them, they've signed him up on a new deal and they’re in a strong position. But I think we could see more interest in Welsh in the summer.”