St Mirren

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Calvin Ramsay comes into contention after signing for St Mirren on loan from Liverpool. Liam Donnelly had a scan on an abductor injury which will probably keep him out until the international break, while Malik Dijksteel (hamstring) had a setback. On-loan Rangers midfielder Paul Nsio returns after missing the defeat at Ibrox.

Motherwell have Eythor Bjorgolfsson, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Dylan Williams and Tom Sparrow back which leaves Paul McGinn, Callum Hendry (both knee) and Jordan McGhee (hamstring) on the injury list.

• St Mirren are winless in eight Scottish Premiership games against Motherwell (losing four of them) since a 1-0 victory in September 2023.

• Motherwell have won their past two league meetings with St Mirren, last winning three in a row against the Buddies in April 2015.

• St Mirren have won both of their two Premiership games in 2026-27 but have not won three in a row at any stage in the division since December 2024.

• Motherwell have won their past two away league outings, including their first this season 2-1 against Hibernian. The Steelmen last won three in a row on the road in April 2024.

• Midfielder Killian Phillips has scored in three successive Premiership appearances (four goals), including three goals in two games so far this season. The last St Mirren player to score in four consecutive top-flight appearances was Andy Dorman in April 2009.

Nottingham Forest are set to bid for 16-year-old St Mirren forward Luke Douglas. (Daily Record, external)

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Craig McLeish has confirmed St Mirren are closing in on a deal to bring Manchester United youngster Louis Jackson to the club.

The 20-year-old centre-back came through the youth ranks at Old Trafford and has played for Scotland Under-19s.

A three-year deal is on the table for Jackson, who spent last season on loan at National League side Solihull Moors.

"Louis is a player that we really like and we're in discussions with him," said manager McLeish.

"We're probably at the final stages of working out things because he is still contracted at Manchester United, he is working how that looks to end his contract with Manchester United and then finalise one with ourselves.

"Hopefully I'll get an update today but he's one that we are in discussions with and we would like to add.

"He's a Scotland Under-19 international, he should be in and around the Scotland Under-21 conversations as well.

"It follows our model of bringing in a younger-profile player and young Scottish players that we can develop for the national team as well.

"And it's a long-term option for us at centre-back and one that if we can get it done, we'd be delighted with, but it's not quite there yet.

"It would be permanent move. I think it's a three-year contract that's on the table for him which is the reason why we would do it.

"We are hoping to [add further] but it might depend on people going out to make room for that."

The Buddies also secured the loan signing of former Aberdeen defender Calvin Ramsay from Liverpool on Tuesday.

McLeish said: "Yeah, delighted. He's a player that's normally well out of our reach.

"It's a matter of circumstance that we can get him here. He's coming into the last year of his contract at Liverpool, he needs a place to play and a platform to showcase what got him into Liverpool in the first place."

St Mirren have banked a healthy sum after former defender Miguel Freckleton reached the Champions League with LASK. (Daily Record, external)

Read the rest of Friday's Scottish gossip.

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Scotland midfielder John McGinn says his grounding at St Mirren has enormously helped him as Aston Villa captain.

McGinn came through the academy in Paisley before breaking into the first team, where he won the League Cup in the 2012-13 season and made almost 100 appearances.

Three years at Hibs followed before a move to Villa in 2018, establishing himself as a crucial player in the Premier League.

McGinn, 31, became Villa captain in 2022 and led the club to Europa League success last season.

"It was a great place to learn," he said, speaking on The Overlap podcast., external

"I learned a lot of things that help me now as a captain - it's a really grounded club, disciplined.

"We were probably the last of the real apprenticeships. I would play and then have to litter pick after the game. Looking back now, it was the best thing that ever happened because it kept your feet on the ground.

"Tommy Craig gave me a chance when probably not many managers would have believed in me."

Reflecting on the start to his professional career, McGinn said: "A few injuries happened and I managed to break through.

"I remember playing against [Celtic's Victor Wanyama], my fifth start, at Hampden, absolutely bricking it. That was when I realised I was ready to play against these players."

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Manchester United youngsters James Overy and Louis Jackson are on the brink of leaving the club.

Overy is close to returning to Australia with A League outfit Sydney FC, while Jackson is in talks with Scottish Premiership side St Mirren.

Eighteen-year-old Overy was born in Perth, played for Australia at last season's Under-20 World Cup and received his first senior international call-up in November.

He joined United in 2024 and featured at Under-21 level last term. He was also part of the FA Youth Cup final squad beaten by Manchester City in May.

However, Overy was a notable absentee when United opened their Premier League 2 campaign with a 5-0 victory against Ipswich at Leigh on 24 August.

Jackson will have a medical with St Mirren on Thursday before completing his move.

The 20-year-old Oldham-born defender is a Scottish youth international and was part of United's 2022 FA Youth Cup-winning side.

He spent part of last season on loan with National League side Solihull Moors.

It is understood both deals will include sell-on and buy-back clauses.

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

With a week or so to go in the summer transfer window, Craig McLeish and new head of recruitment Gavin Miller still appear to have some shopping to do.

Right-back Calvin Ramsay, announced on Tuesday morning, gets us moving.

In Eseosa Sule and Ryan Carr, Miller has already shown a willingness to delve into a pool of talent where most game-time has come in development football - and Ramsay, once so promising when starring at Pittodrie, moving to Anfield and earning a full Scotland cap, has a point to prove.

Where does this leave the Saints squad; their need list, want list and wantaway list?

Needs are few. A left-sided centre-half with something approaching the pace and composure of Miguel Freckleton feels like a non-negotiable. Further depth up front to lessen the heavy burden on Sule, likewise.

Wants will always be a long list for some, thirsty for transfer gossip and scarf-raising gratification. The Saints, setting up as they have, could probably do with some more quality in wide areas.

Should Killian Phillips move on, a replacement in his advanced box-crashing role would be prudent - though this space might well be intended for Samuel Ramos, leaving another gap further back (or out wide) to be filled.

Is Ryan Mullen fit again and expected to be back-up? Will this responsibility continue to fall on future testimonial recipient Peter Urminsky, or are there other plans to support Jacob Chapman?

In order for these things to happen, we have likely arrived at a point where space must first be made - bringing us to wantaways.

Roland Idowu has departed for Romanian football, following Dan Nlundulu's path away from Paisley.

Idowu, the mercurial Irishman with talent that never quite cemented the star status he seemed capable of, leaves with some real moments of quality and historical importance to cherish - but also the question of what else could have been?

Jake Young, though praised for his effort and improvement under a manager that didn't sign him and has rarely selected him, still feels close to the exit door.

Malik Dijksteel and Jalmaro Calvin, both purchased as opposed to merely being signed, have had limited opportunities to capture the attention of both Stephen Robinson and Craig McLeish - and neither look to have forced their way into regular contention.

Richard King, at times undroppable, at times unpickable, is a player of obvious quality who just seems to be missing a required piece that would have him as first name on the teamsheet.

For a man with 40 Jamaica caps before his 25th birthday, you'd assume he'll too be seeking first-team football elsewhere before long.

In any case, this week and into next will surely be busy for gossip writers, half-canned podcasters and the demanding social media masses. After all, isn't that what it's really all about?

Mark Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external

Aberdeen have moved onto different midfield targets after being priced out of a deal for St Mirren's Killian Phillips. (Press and Journal), external

Belgian club Kortrijk have also made contact with the Buddies over their Republic of Ireland international. (Press and Journal), external

Read the rest of Wednesday's Scottish gossip.

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Scotland cap Calvin Ramsay is eager to "rebuild myself" at St Mirren after joining on a season-long loan from Liverpool.

The 23-year-old right-back moved to Liverpool from Aberdeen for £4.1m four years ago but has played just four first-team matches for the Anfield side.

Loan spells at Preston, Bolton, Wigan and Kilmarnock have brought a further 26 appearances.

"I know the league and I wanted to come back up here and try and show what I can do and rebuild myself again," said Ramsay.

"I feel like it's a good place to come. I want to try and perform, work as hard as I can and see where that takes me.

"It's probably a different St Mirren compared to the last few years. That'll suit me. I'm comfortable on the ball, I'm composed, I like to get on it and try and create things and make things happen."

The "exceptional" full-back, whose solitary Scotland cap came in 2022, adds a "different dynamic" to the St Mirren squad, says manager Craig McLeish.

"It's a really important year for Calvin where he needs to find regular football to help kick on his career and we're happy to give him that platform because we get an exceptional young player to add to our group," he said.

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St Mirren have sold Roland Idowu to Romanian top-flight club Botosani for an undisclosed fee in a deal that includes a sell-on clause.

The Irish midfielder, 24, departs after 80 appearances and eight goals for the Paisley club.

Idowu initially spent a season on loan at St Mirren from Shrewsbury before making the move permanent on a two-year deal last summer.

"We sincerely thank Roland for his contributions during his time at the club and wish him the best of luck for the future," said St Mirren.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Manchester United youngster Jacob Devaney is in talks with Hibernian over a loan move back to the Scottish Premiership.

Devaney was captain of United's Premier League 2 side for the first half of last season, before moving to St Mirren for his first extended stint in senior football.

The 19-year-old impressed in his time at the club, making 18 appearances, including 16 starts.

Devaney returned to United for pre-season and featured in the first two matches, against Wrexham and Norwegian side Rosenborg, scoring in the latter, despite appearing in central defence rather than his preferred midfield role.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international said this summer his main aim was to play first-team football for United, but accepted he may have to spend the season on loan to gain further experience.

It is understood there has been huge interest in Devaney. Talks with Hibs have reached an advanced stage, although the deal is not done.

Hibs drew 0-0 with Belgian side Gent in the away leg of their Conference League play-off last night. The Edinburgh club are bidding to reach the league phase of a European competition for the first time.

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St Mirren have agreed to sign Liverpool's Scottish right-back Calvin Ramsay, 23 on a season-long loan. (Sun, external)

Thursday's Scottish gossip

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

December to August; not quite the length of that we were hoping for as League Cup champions, but better to have reigned and lost than never to have reigned at all.

Sunday's visit to Govan posed a real test for Craig McLeish and his developing side. The dramatic shift from pragmatic nuisances to free-flowing ball players has navigated lower-league opposition, a slightly bruised Falkirk and newly-promoted St Johnstone thus far - and looked mostly effective while doing so.

Do you double down on this approach against a toiling Rangers side? Or, as in times gone by, do you bow to more cautious instincts in front of 50,000 and their richly-assembled charges?

At the weekend, this Trojan panda filled with an equal share of possession and playing out from the back was rolled up to the Ibrox gates and left for the Premiership's good-honest-fitba-in-chief Derek McInnes to drag inside. Ninety dramatic minutes and five conceded goals later, the Saints were out and Ibrox remained unsacked.

To try to paint this performance as even partially positive is futile. Accusations of naivety or more drastic criticism, however, are a little short-sighted.

Plenty of five at the back, clear your lines, low block, put your foot through it St Mirren sides have rocked up in Glasgow and taken similar scoreline pastings. Not many have had a Rangers side with World Cup stars and seven-figure prospects on the run, repeatedly, and the hosts were lucky to finish with all 11 men on the park.

Jayden Richardson's failure to get the ball out of danger before Ryan Naderi's bundled opener, and Vanja Dragojevic channelling his inner Van Persie from 25 yards, are not symptoms of naive tactics and neither was Chris Mochrie's stunner at the other end.

Weaker defending in the second half is harder to explain away and lessons will need to be learned.

On another day, Rangers might have scored 10 or conceded five. This St Mirren side, welded to their open and attacking verve as they are, will likely feature in several of the season's more dramatic scorelines.

Hopefully, in time, this outing can be reflected on as an early stumble in the development of a Saints side that can marry seat-of-your-pants excitement with a bit more defensive stability and resilience.

Postponement of what would have been a rapid return to Rangers on league duty means McLeish and his squad have a couple of weeks now to lick their wounds and prepare to host fellow cup casualties Motherwell.

Two weeks on the turf at Ralston and a couple of further additions to a squad still in transition could make a real difference.

Mark Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external

St Mirren fans, we asked for your views after Sunday's heavy Premier Sports Cup defeat by Rangers.

Here's what some of you said:

Simon: Felt like a bit of a wake up. We played some nice football and made chances too, but we were frequently caught on the counter with very little cover behind the ball.

Jim: St Mirren lacking pace at the back really let them down. Going forward they look like a real threat to any defence but the gaps in midfield and at the back will cost them dearly. The substitutions well into the second half gave some hope of improving the season.

Paul: Disappointing, I thought the game would be a lot closer than 5-1. Some individuals were stand out for the wrong reasons. Need at least one CB, a RB and some muscle up front wouldn't hurt.

William: The scoreline flattered Rangers. Yes, the best team won but two debatable offsides, a retaken penalty (for an unclear reason) and the offending player not receiving a second yellow for a horrible tackle sums up Rangers' good fortune.

John: Tactically brave but naive. You just don't give one of the Old Firm that amount of time and space on their territory. We desperately need a decent striker, some grit in the middle of the park to battle in the trenches, and a proper centre-back to play alongside Alex Gogic. Given Marcus Fraser was (allegedly) on the bench due to a slight injury, why was he thrown in to replace Liam Donnelly who injured himself in the warm up?

Craig McLeish revealed there will be more business done by St Mirren before the transfer window closes, with Roland Idowu on his way out and Killian Phillips' future still up in the air. (Daily Record), external

Read Monday's Scottish football gossip

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St Mirren boss Craig McLeish tells Premier Sports: "I think it's just disappointing from our part because we spoke about defending this.

"We showed some good things in moments but when you come away to Rangers moments aren't enough to get through. We were on the receiving end of Rangers being ruthless.

"I didn't quite understand why [Emmanuel] Fernandez wouldn't be booked in that situation, he felt like there was maybe a covering defender. That could change the game as well. Killian is unfortunate that he had to retake the penalty.

"We are bitterly disappointed about going out in the manner that we did."

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James Penrice scored and assisted on his debut as Derek McInnes' Rangers alleviated concerns about an early-season crisis by dispatching holders St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup last 16.

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St Mirren have signed winger Ismeal Kabia on a season-long loan from English Premier League champions Arsenal.

The 20-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Shrewsbury Town becomes the Buddies' ninth summer signing.

Kabia was included in Arsenal's matchday squad for the first time back in 2024 against Tottenham but didn't feature.

His one and only first team appearance came in Arsenal's 5-1 win over Bolton in the League Cup.

"We're delighted to have Ismeal with us," manager Craig McLeish said.

"We've put a lot of work into it over the last few weeks. Arsenal had to give the go-ahead for when he could be released to come up because he's been involved with their first team throughout pre-season and played in some of their games.

"Mikel Arteta gave the clearance after their friendly the other night that he was happy with their squad.

"He'll bring real excitement. He's a one-v-one type winger with real pace and directness.

"He had 43 appearances with Shrewsbury last season in League Two. He played a lot of football last season and now he's looking for his next step in his development. We're getting a really good, hungry young player.

"We've had to fight off a lot of interest in him as well. He had lots of different options up here and down south and in Europe. It's a really good one for us and we're really excited to show him off."

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Midfielder Ryan Carr insists St Mirren will do everything in their power to retain their League Cup trophy as they travel to Rangers in Sunday's last 16 tie.

The Buddies, led by Stephen Robinson, beat Wilfried Nancy's Celtic 3-1 at Hampden last December to lift the domestic cup for the first time in 12 years.

Craig McLeish's side emerged from the group stage to set up a knock out tie against Rangers and Carr insists the Buddies are up to the challenge.

"The gaffer has touched on it quite a bit," the 21-year-old said. "Just drilling it into us that it is ours to lose and we're not going to give it up easy.

"I've spoken to the lads about it and they said that that final was one to remember. Hopefully we can do the same.

"I've never played at Ibrox so really looking forward to it. I've watched on the television, it's an unbelievable atmosphere so hopefully we can we can get a result.

"As a player, you want to win trophies and I think we've got a chance and it's a good chance.

"We've started well in the cup and took it into the league form and we are on a bit of a high at the minute so hopefully we carry it on."

St Mirren have agreed a deal with Arsenal to take 20-year-old winger Ismeal Kabiaon on loan. (Sun, external)

Saturday's Scottish gossip

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Premier Sports Cup holders St Mirren go to Ibrox with confidence, but not because they are anticipating vulnerability from Rangers, insists head coach Craig McLeish.

The Paisley side have started the season with two Premiership victories after topping their cup group, while the hosts are yet to pick up a win in four games under Derek McInnes.

However, McLeish is not reading too much into early form as he prepares for the last 16 tie.

"Taking away Rangers' situation, we have to go into any game confident that we can win it and that's what we're going to do," he said. "There's no good time to play Rangers or Celtic away from home.

"People will talk or there'll be noise about what they're doing at the moment, but they're still a very good team, a very good outfit, well-coached, well-drilled and have some real top quality players that can hurt you any moment.

"You can't go into it thinking that they're vulnerable or whatever. They're a very good team.

"But at the same time we've brought a group of boys together here who don't go anywhere with any sort of fear and you have to find the balance of it and not leave yourself exposed."

In three league meetings with Rangers last term, St Mirren suffered two narrow defeats after an August draw at home.

McLeish was at Ibrox on Thursday to watch McInnes's team exit Europa League qualifying after a 1-1 draw with Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok, with home supporters in a furious mood.

"That stuff's always there," he said of the booing at full-time. "I experienced that here as well, any time you lose a game or moments aren't going well for you. All it takes is one goal, one result and everyone's back feeling good.

"Rangers have such a strong group of players and they'll continue to add to it throughout this window.

"There's never a time where you go and they are there for the taking. You have to prepare for them as best you can and not take your eye off the ball."