It’s that time of year again.
Everyone you talk to has a source and is ‘in the know’. This guy was spotted checking into the Park Hotel; that guy liked Killie’s Instagram page.
So, let’s see what the latest rumours around Rugby Park are and try to split the fact from the fiction.
Greg Taylor in Polish Offer
The Daily Record are reporting that Polish Ekstraklasa minnows Piast Gliwice have offered a measly £120,000 for the services of Greg Taylor.
Despite the paper referring to Killie as “cash-strapped” *yawn* it seems like a pretty easy offer to turn down for a guy with two years left on his deal.
Piast Gliwice finished the Polish season in 10th place, and are managed by former Celtic player Dariusz Wdowczyk.
Souleymane Coulibaly
It has been widely reported that everyone’s favourite Ivorian has left Egyptian side Al-Ahly, after alleged breaches of human rights. Having sold Coulibaly for £700,000 (plus add-ons we’re now unlikely to see) last January, Lee McCulloch has said he’ll speak to Souleymane about a possible return.
The player himself wasted no time by taking to social media to claim he’d love to return to Killie.
However, as mentioned on the latest One Team in Ayrshire podcast episode this case is likely to rumble on for a while yet, and may even end up in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Whether FIFA or UEFA would be willing to grant special dispensation for the player to continue his career until the outcome of any trial is concluded is up for debate, but what isn’t is the opinion he’d be a welcome addition back at Rugby Park.
A Rangers Raid
The ex-Rangers pair of Lee Hodson and Clint Hill are available on free transfers, and both have been linked to Killie.
Given our managers ties to the Ibrox club, and the part he and Peter Leven played in bringing Hodson here the first time round, these aren’t the most outlandish rumours you’re likely to hear.
Both would be welcome additions to a defence that needs patched up following the departure of Ajer and Hendrie, and would bring experience to a youthful Killie squad.
Whether Killie could match Hill’s wage demands remains to be seen, however a player/coach role has been mooted, which might help sweeten the deal as the ex-QPR defender prepares for life off the pitch.
A Second Chance for Faded Starlets
The football world is littered with ghosts of the ‘next big thing’. Those players talked up to high heaven, before failing at a club and seemingly vanishing off the face of the earth. Two of those players have been linked with moves to East Ayrshire this summer.
Firstly, we have Charlie Telfer. Poached from Rangers by Dundee United, Telfer ended up costing the Tannadice club £200,000 at a tribunal, but was released this summer after making 71 appearances. A neat and tidy midfielder, Arabs spoke of him vanishing in games and not turning up for weeks on end.
Hopefully a move away from the pressure of that tribunal might rekindle the career of a talented player who is still young enough at 21 to turn things around.
Secondly, Killie have been linked with Jack Grimmer. A right-back, he joined Fulham from Aberdeen in 2012 for £200,000 but made only 13 first-team appearances for the Cottagers.
Loaned out to Shrewsbury and Port Vale, he’s exactly the type of player we should be looking to attract. Dogged, aggressive and good on the ball, Grimmer should fit seamlessly into the spot left by Luke Hendrie.
Let us know what you think by Tweeting us @OneTeamAyrshire or by commenting on our Facebook page.
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