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Birmingham City supporters will be feeling extremely confident about their team’s chances of settling back into the Championship life well next season.

The second tier hasn’t always been the smoothest stomping ground for the Blues, with relegation depressingly coming their way at the end of the turmoil-ridden 2023/24 season, but after accumulating a record 111 points last season on the way to lifting the League One title, Chris Davies’ men will feel ready to take the difficult division by storm now.

A couple of new signings would certainly do the trick in helping Birmingham to manage the step-up with ease, as the likes of Bright Osayi-Samuel and Demarai Gray look set to join the assured St. Andrew’s camp very soon.

Away from all that speculation, however, a new signing was unveiled just yesterday, as ex-Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper James Beadle moves back into the Championship with the Blues on loan, away from parent side Brighton and Hove Albion.

More new signings after Beadle expected

Arguably, Birmingham were well-stocked in the goalkeeper department, but with the 20-year-old just fresh off collecting nine clean sheets for the Owls in the demanding division, it was evidently too tantalising a transfer to refuse.

It will be a case this summer of boosting their personnel all over the pitch ahead of the daunting step-up hitting them in the face, with faces such as Gray potentially joining and adding lots of experience in the division, having lined up 72 times in the Championship across his varied career to date.

Yet, Birmingham have had success when shopping in Europe’s top leagues too – as seen in defensive colossus Christoph Klarer coming in from Germany last summer – and this approach could pay off again in Birmingham landing Alaves star Carlos Vicente.

Indeed, a fresh report from a Spanish outlet indicates that Davies and Co. have put forward an offer of around £8.5m to land the exciting right winger, alongside Greek giants Olympiakos lodging their own bid.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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Birmingham have been before when splashing the big bucks to win a Spanish attacker, with Vicente perhaps going on to be Davies’ very own Jota, after the former £6m winger managed to wreak havoc in the second tier with the Blues.

How Vicente can be Davies' own Jota

Jota would sour his time with Birmingham when he eventually moved on to cross-city nemesis Aston Villa, but the ex-Brentford forward was a joy to behold for Blues fans at the peak of his powers at St. Andrew’s.

In total, the now-retired attacker – who funnily enough bowed out of his playing days on the books of Vicente’s Alaves – would tally up a mightily impressive eight goals and 11 assists for the West Midlands giants, with the £8.5m target now hoping to follow in Jota’s footsteps in making similar waves in the Championship for Davies’ men.

Vicente’s league numbers for Alaves (24/25)

Stat (* = per game)

Vicente

Games played

37

Goals scored

5

Assists

5

Shots*

1.0

Key passes*

1.7

Big chances created

9

Total duels won*

4.8

Stats by Sofascore

In the same fashion as Jota before he became a well-known name in England, Vicente has been starring in Spain for some time now, as seen in his sparkling 24/25 output, leaving him with a sturdy five goals and five assists from 37 La Liga clashes.

Away from just those standout numbers, however, Vicente looks even more ready for the demands of the Championship when glancing at the number of duels he’s won, winning 4.9 duels per game last season in the Spanish top-flight. Even when Jota was performing at his maximum for the Blues during the 18/19 season, he would only average 3.1 on the contrary.

In the here and now, too, if Vicente does go on to be as successful as Jota donning Birmingham blue, Davies and Co. stand a better chance at him staying put, with their ex-number 23 never seeing the top half of the Championship when at St. Andrew’s.

The aim this coming season will be to reach those heights and achieve even more, as signings such as the £8.5m gem entering the building attempt to help make those dreams a reality.

Related Osayi-Samuel 2.0: Birmingham City in contact to sign “high quality" EFL ace

Birmingham City is really flexing its muscles during the hectic summer transfer window.

Posts 1 ByKelan Sarson Jul 1, 2025

Batters Jannillea Glasgow and Chedean Nation, who were with Royals in 2023, have now joined Knight Riders

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2024

Barbados Royals lifted the WCPL title in 2023•CPL via Getty Images

England wicketkeeper-batter Lauren Winfield-Hill has joined Guyana Amazon Warriors for the third edition of Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL).Amazon Warriors have also drafted in former West Indies Under-19 captain Ashmini Munisar, offspinner Sheneta Grimmond, uncapped allrounder Realeanna Grimmond, left-arm spinner Kaysia Schultz and Nyia Latchman along with Jamaican seamer Kate Wilmott.The three WCPL franchises had done most of their recruiting previously through retentions and pre-signings. Last week, Amazon Warriors had announced the signing of allrounders Chloe Tryon from South Africa and Erin Burns from Australia.Meanwhile, defending champions Barbados Royals drafted in wicketkeeper Rashada Williams and batter Trishan Holder from their squad of last year and added seam-bowling allrounder Shabika Gajnabi, seamer Cherry Ann Fraser and batter Djenaba Joseph – who were all with Amazon Warriors last year.Related

Jhulan Goswami joins TKR as mentor for WCPL 2024

Royals add Chamari Athapaththu for Women's CPL 2024

Tryon and Burns join Amazon Warriors for Women's CPL 2024

Jemimah Rodrigues, Shikha Pandey sign up for Women's Caribbean Premier League

Trinbago Knight Riders drafted Kyshona Knight, Anisa Mohammed and young wicketkeeper Shunelle Sawh from their squad of last year. Batters Jannillea Glasgow and Chedean Nation, who were with Royals in WCPL 2023, moved to TKR for the upcoming season.This year’s WCPL will be held in Trinidad from August 21 to 29, with all seven matches to be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.SquadsBarbados Royals: Hayley Matthews, Chamari Athapaththu, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Laura Harris, Georgia Redmayne, Chinelle Henry, Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Qiana Joseph, Rashada Williams (wk), Trishan Holder, Shabika Gajnabi, Cherry Ann Fraser and Djenaba Joseph.Guyana Amazon Warriors: Stafanie Taylor, Shabnim Ismail, Karishma Ramharack, Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Natasha McClean, Shakera Selman, Chloe Tryon and Erin Burns, Ashmini Munisar, Sheneta Grimmond, Realeanna Grimmond, Kaysia Schultz, Nyia Latchmann and Kate Wilmott.Trinbago Knight Riders: Deandra Dottin, Meg Lanning, Jess Jonassen, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shikha Pandey, Kycia Knight (wk), Shamila Connell, Zaida James, Samara Ramnath, Kyshona Knight, Anisa Mohammed, Shunelle Sawh, Jannillea Glasgow, Jahzara Claxton and Chedean Nation.

حذر توماس توخيل مدرب منتخب إنجلترا من أن الأسود الثلاثة سيكونون مستعدين للضغط البدني الذي ستفرضه صربيا يوم الثلاثاء في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

وسيكون لقاء منتخب إنجلترا ضد صربيا هو التحدي الأصعب في طريقها لنهائيات كأس العالم الصيف المقبل، ومن المتوقع أن تكون المواجهة عدائية بين المنتخبين.

وقال توماس توخيل عن لقاء صربيا خلال تصفيات أوروبا لكأس العالم في تصريحات نشرتها “إيفنينج ستاندرد”: “سيكون اختبار جيد ونتطلع له”.

وأضاف: “نشعر أننا مستعدون لمواجهة هذه الأجواء والقوة البدنية وستكون مباراة حماسية ومهمة للغاية في المجموعة وسنكون مستعدين لها”.

اقرأ أيضاً.. جاتوزو: سنحترم مهنتنا أمام الكيان الصهيوني.. ونواجههم بمزيد من الألم

وواصل: “تحدثنا للتو عما نريد بنائه لنكون أكثر وضوحاً في لعبنا وما هي أنماط لعبنا وكنا نعمل على ذلك طوال الأسبوع”.

وتابع: “سنخصص الساعات القادمة لمباراة صربيا، علينا التكيف مع الظروف الصعبة والتغلب عليها، ولنر كيف ستكون أرضية الملعب وكيف ستسير المباراة”.

وأتم تصريحاته: “سنكون مستعدين لكل شيء، سنواجه نفس التشكيلة، كتلة دفاعية 5-4-1 مع جودة فردية في الهجوم ومهاجمين طوال القامة يتمتعون بلياقة بدنية عالية، اختبار كبير قادم يوم الثلاثاء”.

وأكد توخيل أنه كان من المرجح أن يتم إخراج هاري كين من التشكيل الأساسي ضد أندورا ويمنح واتكينز مهاجم أستون فيلا الوقت في الشوط الثاني، ولكنه اضطر لإجراء تبديل لاستبدال جويهي، والذي قال بين الشوطين إنه شعر بألم في فخده، وسيبدأ مهاجم بايرن ميونخ بشكل أساسي ضد صربيا في بلجراد.

Arsenal have been dealt a setback in their pursuit of a top target this summer, with Andrea Berta’s move for the player becoming increasingly complex as the Gunners face missing out on his signature.

Related Arsenal could also terminate 23-year-old's contract after Takehiro Tomiyasu

He’s ready to accept an offer to leave.

Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini Jul 16, 2025

Most recently, Mikel Arteta has welcomed Chelsea winger Noni Madueke to the Emirates Stadium, following the arrivals of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard.

Madueke agreed personal terms with Arsenal at the start of July, and it didn’t take long for the north Londoners to shake hands on yet another club-to-club deal with Chelsea themselves – agreeing a £52 million fee to make the 23-year-old their seventh arrival from Stamford Bridge in six years.

Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta through deals announced (via Sky Sports)

Money on new signings

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

25/26 – summer

£75m

The England international signed his five-year Arsenal contract on Wednesday morning (Fabrizio Romano), and it is only a matter of time before Madueke makes his Gunners debut.

After Madueke, Berta and Arteta are believed to hold a serious interest in Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze, who the club views as a potential central attacking midfield addition to complement captain Martin Odegaard – not a winger (Ben Jacobs).

Arsenal are planning to make an approach to Palace over signing Eze after talks with the 27-year-old’s camp, and talkSPORT reported earlier this week that, despite this, the north Londoners are still very keen on Real Madrid forward Rodrygo.

The Brazilian, who could end up costing £80 million, remains high on Arsenal’s target list, and Rodrygo has given “positive” indications that he’d be willing to join Arteta’s side, according to the BBC’s Sami Mokbel.

However, reports in Spain now suggest that the potential deal is proving a real mountain to climb.

Arsenal unlikely to sign Rodrygo as move hits "standstill"

Cadena SER, citing their “close” Arsenal sources, state the situation between Real’s versatile forward and Arteta’s side has become “very complicated”.

While not impossible, an Arsenal move for Rodrygo is becoming increasingly unlikely, especially as they close in Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres and having just signed Madueke.

Contacts have taken place between Premier League clubs and the 24-year-old’s agents, but as of now, everything is apparently at a “standstill”. Real actually view Rodrygo as one of the top 10 strikers in world football, with the former Santos sensation able to play as a centre-forward as well as on either flank, so they’re refusing to drop his price tag.

Liverpool apparently remain interested in him as an alternative to Alexander Isak or Hugo Ekitiké, but for now, Xabi Alonso’s side are not considering his departure. Los Blancos could now leave any exit discussions for August, with the player’s future set to be a talking point for some time yet.

Rodrygo was scarcely used at the Club World Cup by Alonso, and it remains to be seen how the attacker fits into his plans, despite the obvious quality.

“For me he’s probably the most talented and most gifted player in the squad,” said Jude Bellingham about Rodrygo.

“The things he can do with the football – we’ll be messing around and he’ll flick the ball up somehow, and you’re like, ‘How do you do that?’. I’m trying to do it, twisting up my ankles and everything like that. He’s a pleasure to play with.”

Stand-in skipper says England’s batting on day three responsible for first defeat in six

Andrew Miller09-Sep-20242:03

Ollie Pope won’t blame ‘lack of hunger’ for England’s defeat

Ollie Pope, England’s stand-in captain, admitted his team were frustrated at missing out on a notable slice of history in the final Test of the English summer, but denied that complacency had been to blame for their shock eight-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka at the Kia Oval.Leading 2-0 in this series, and following on from their 3-0 victory over West Indies in July, England had been on course for their first summer’s clean sweep since Michael Vaughan’s team won seven out of seven in 2004 while Ben Duckett and Pope himself, with his seventh Test hundred, were rattling along to 221 for 3 on a truncated first day’s play.But thereafter the wheels came off for England’s batting, with a first-innings collapse of 7 for 64 giving way to a second-innings total of 156 in 34 overs, with only Jamie Smith’s counterattacking half-century offering any meaningful resistance. It meant that a handy first-innings lead of 62 was swallowed up in an eventual victory target of 219, and Pathum Nissanka wasted no time in beating England at their own game, sealing the chase in style with his rollicking innings of 127 not out from 124 balls.”Of course, we want to be a team that wins every game, as everyone does, and it’s been 20 years since we’ve done it,” Pope said at the close. “That was an extra bit of motivation this week, so there’s that slight bit of frustration that we’ve not done that. But at the same time, at the start of the summer, had someone said we’re going to win five out of six Test matches, you probably would have taken it as well.”Related

Bratball summer lays foundation for England's Ashes assault

Classy Nissanka leaves England as the best version of himself

Pope passes character test to dispel captaincy clouds

Ollie Pope is a potential weak link for England at No. 3

Pathum Nissanka, fast bowlers script famous win for Sri Lanka

England had talked about the “refinement” of their aggressive approach in the early Tests of the summer, but the manner of this defeat was a throwback to other avoidable losses in the Bazball era – notably at Wellington and Lord’s in 2023, when on each occasion their failure to close out a dominant position was a big factor in their failure to win each series.England lost each of their first 13 wickets of the match to attacking strokes, including Pope for 7 in his second innings, and were then derailed by a superb display of left-arm swing bowling from Vishwa Fernando, whose consecutive lbws against Joe Root and Harry Brook tore the guts out of England’s middle-order.Brook’s performance came in for scrutiny, particularly in light of Michael Vaughan’s warning on the BBC that he would get his comeuppance if he continued to disrespect the rhythms of Test-match batting, as had appeared to be the case in his sketchy first innings of 19. Vishwa had his number second-time around, but Pope insisted that a “lack of hunger” had not been the cause of his downfall.”With guys like Harry Brook and Joe Root, they will never, ever get bored of batting,” Pope said. “I know, from the outside, it might look like that, but they’re guys that want to go and put together hundreds every game. So I wouldn’t say it’s a lack of an edge, or not really having that desire to go and put together a massive score, but it can just happen in cricket, and it’s been a good gap since we last did that.”Englands batting on day three let Sri Lanka back in•Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

The loss was Pope’s first of his interim captaincy career, and while it did not affect the result of the series, it did leave England with a somewhat awkward scenario at the trophy lift, when their debutant Josh Hull (P1 L1) was summoned to do the honours alongside his captain, much as Ben Stokes had invited Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith to do likewise after their winning contributions to the earlier West Indies series.Perhaps that gesture was intended as an apology to Hull, whose six wicketless overs were picked off at more than a run a ball in the chase, for Pope had no doubts where the blame for England’s defeat lay.”Probably day three,” he said. “Obviously, we were ahead of the game after two days and weren’t able to capitalise on a decent first-innings lead. With the bat we weren’t good enough yesterday, but credit to Sri Lanka. They bowled well, they made some good adjustments in the second innings, and we weren’t up to it, which can happen.”We’ve been fairly solid overall as a batting unit this summer, and unfortunately we weren’t at our best yesterday. It should have been a game that we drove forward, and we were in the commanding seat there. But, obviously, getting bowled out for 140 on a pitch that generally gets better and better as the game goes on was probably the main reason why we weren’t on the right side of the result.”The killer blow to England’s hopes, however, was Root’s dismissal for 12 to an inswinging yorker from Vishwa. Sri Lanka had talked at length about their tactics since the end of the Lord’s Test – in which Root’s twin hundreds had put the series out of reach – and as Sanath Jayasuriya, their interim coach, said afterwards, their plans had come together perfectly.”Some of the things we talked about was to bowl a really good short one against him, and also to bowl great yorkers,” Jayasuriya said. “I think we did both very well in both innings. Yesterday the ball started to swing for Vishwa, and he tried that. Joe Root is the batter who changes the match in that team. The other batters score runs around him. That was a big wicket.”

تأهل فريق نادي بيراميدز إلي مباراة دور ربع النهائي من منافسات بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال، بعد الفوز على أوكلاند سيتي النيوزيلندي اليوم الأحد.

وتواجه بيراميدز مع أوكلاند سيتي، في إطار مواجهات الدور الأول من مباريات بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال، على ملعب استاد الدفاع الجوي.

وانتصر بيراميدز على أوكلاند سيتي، بنتيجة 3-0، ليصعد إلى الدور القادم وللمنافسة على كأس القارات الثلاث أمام الأهلي السعودي بطل دوري أبطال آسيا.

وسجل ثلاثية نادي بيراميدز أمام أوكلاند سيتي، وليد الكرتي ومروان حمدي ومصطفى زيكو.

طالع.. فيديو | بيراميدز يتخطى أوكلاند سيتي بثلاثية ويتأهل لمواجهة الأهلي السعودي بـ كأس إنتركونتيننتال موعد مباراة بيراميدز والأهلي السعودي في كأس إنتركونتيننتال

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي بيراميدز مع الأهلي السعودي المتوج ببطولة دوري أبطال آسيا، في جدة، يوم 23 سبتمبر الجاري.

يذكر، أن المتأهل من الأهلي السعودي وبيراميدز، سيلعب ضد الفائز من ديربي الأمريكتين في دور نصف النهائي، ثم المتأهل يلاقي باريس سان جيرمان في المباراة النهائية.

تحدث آرني سلوت مدرب ليفربول قبل انطلاق مباراة ديربي الميرسيساي ضد إيفرتون على ملعب أنفيلد في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويدخل سلوت لقاء اليوم بتشكيل مكون من: أليسون بيكر، برادلي، فان دايك، إبراهيما كوناتي، ميلوس كيركيز، سوبوسلاي، جرافينبرخ، ماك أليستر، محمد صلاح، إيكتيكي، كودي جاكبو.

وقال سلوت في تصريحات نشرتها “بي بي سي” البريطانية: “مع كل ما نملكه من إمكانيات علينا أن ندرك أن لحظة واحدة تغير مجرى المباراة”.

وأضاف مدرب ليفربول :”إيفرتون يقاتل من أجل تلك اللحظة، إنهم مباشرون للغاية لذا إذا لم يركض أحدنا للخلف أو لم يكن مستعداً للصراع، فهم سريعون جداً أمام مرمانا”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. تشكيل ليفربول أمام إيفرتون في الدوري الإنجليزي .. موقف محمد صلاح

وواصل: “ربما يغيروا أسلوبهم اليوم لكن عادة ما كانوا يعتمدون على إدخال الكرة لمنطقة الجزاء في رميات التماس الطويلة وكل ركلة حرة الموسم الماضي، يدخلونها باستمرار إلى منطقة ال18 ياردة”.

وأتم سلوت في رسالته للاعبي ليفربول: “هذا هو أهم شئ علينا فعله اليوم، أن نكون مستعدين لدخولهم لمنطقة الجزاء، مستعدون للفوز، نعم، لا يهمني متى نسجل طالما نسجل”.

وحول قرار جلوس إيزاك على دكة البدلاء قال: “عادة عندما لا يلعب لاعب، لا أعتقد أن أي لاعب يقول حسناً أفهم قرارك، حسناً ربما يفهمونه لكنهم ربما اتخذوا قرار مختلف، لن أتفاجأ إذا سألته اليوم سيقول إن عدم مشاركته أساسياً هو الخيار الأفضل لكن الأمر يتعلق بلياقة المباريات بالطبع، كان من الجيد رؤيته يلعب لمدة ساعة في منتصف الأسبوع ودعونا نرى كم دقيقة يمكنه أن يلعب اليوم”.

وعن وجود فيرتز على مقاعد البدلاء: “أفكر بنفس طريقة قراري في إجلاس ماك أليستر على مقاعد البدلاء ضد أتلتيكو، كما قلت، ثلاث مباريات في سبعة أيام وليس ثمانية أيام، الأحد والأربعاء والسبت، هذه واحدة من أكثر المباريات التي يتعين علينا خوضها بشكل حماسي “.

وحول سوبوسلاي أكمل سلوت: “اليوم أعتقد أن سوبوسلاي الذي لعب هاتين المباراتين ضد بيرنلي واتلتيكو أيضاً أكثر اعتياداً على حماس الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز أكثر من فيرتز القادم من ألمانيا، الأمر يتعلق بعدد المباريات في وقت محدود، فيرتز سيشارك ولكن ليس من البداية”.

وختم عن التشكيل: “كنا بحاجة للاعبين جاهزين لهذه المباراة يتمتعون بلياقة بدنية كافية لمواجهة شدة المباراة منذ البداية، هذا ما حاولنا القيام به في كل تشكيل لعبنا به ضد بيرنلي وأتلتيكو، لنكون مستعدين لهذه المباراة”.

 

“We can’t make mistakes against him tomorrow,” says Prabath Jayasuriya

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Sep-2024

Rachin Ravindra kept New Zealand’s chase alive with a fighting half-century•AFP/Getty Images

If you’re a batter, your first Test at one of the most trying venues on the planet tends not to go well for you. Rachin Ravindra, though, is proving across formats, that he’s not your run-of-the-mill batter out of New Zealand.His fourth-innings vanguard, which by the end of day four has brought him 91 not out off 158, and pushed New Zealand into a spot where they still have an outside chance of victory, has been full of bravado.Sri Lanka’s offspinners attacked him outside off stump, figuring that as he likes to play shots out there, there will eventually be an edge that comes off his bat. The edge never materialised but plenty of runs did – 40 of his runs coming in the arc between backward point and cover, Ravindra’s shot-making frequent and consistent even when the pitch was spitting towards the end of the day.Related

Southee hopes New Zealand 'learn and move forward' from Sri Lanka loss

Asia specialist Ajaz Patel says limited opportunities have made him hungrier

Ravindra wages lone battle with Sri Lanka two wickets away from victory

Battle of cricket nerds: How Herath helped New Zealand bring Karunaratne down

“I’ll be honest, the pitch isn’t easy – but there were periods there when Rachin made it look very easy,” said Ajaz Patel, who partnered Ravindra through the last few overs of the day.”He’s a phenomenal player. I think he’s world class. With his batting out there today, you saw him sticking to a solid plan for long periods, and trusting his skills. He’s got an amazing future in front of him. I’m grateful he’s on our team. He’s a headache to bowl to in first-class cricket.”When Sri Lanka switched to bowling straighter at him, Ravindra was no less proficient through the legside. He was ruthless when the bowlers erred even slightly on length, preferring the pull to the sweep as his main run-scoring option on the legside.In fact, four of his nine fours, and his one six all came through midwicket, with the six coming off a full toss.Opposition left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya had serious praise for Ravindra too.”I mostly tried to bowl into the rough to him and turn it into him. Sometimes he was very good at latching on to the short balls.”There was some little chances that came off him. But he kept his patience and batted nicely. He hit the loose balls away and kept the good ones out. He played like someone who understood his game, and was sticking to a game plan. Sometimes we tried to take his wicket and bowled aggressively, but he turned those into scoring opportunities.”Sri Lanka now need two more wickets to win, while New Zealand need 68 for victory. Ravindra has to score those runs in the company of No. 10 Patel, and No. 11 Will O’Rourke. If he gets through that challenge, it may be the finest moment of his career to date – in Tests, at least.”We can’t make mistakes against him tomorrow,” Jayasuriya said. “We have to take those two wickets.”

Glasgow Rangers kicked off the Russell Martin era with a big result on Tuesday night in the Champions League at Ibrox, as they beat Panathinaikos 2-0.

Goals from Findlay Curtis and Djedi Gassama in the second half of the match, aided by a red card for the away side, secured the victory for the Light Blues, who now take a two-goal advantage over to Greece next week.

Whilst it was not a perfect performance from the Scottish Premiership giants, as they needed goalkeeper Jack Butland to pull off a number of impressive stops, there cannot be too many complaints about a 2-0 win in a European match.

Especially when you consider that the likes of Gassama, Cyriel Dessers, and Hamza Igamane were resigned to the bench and Thelo Aasgaard was missing through injury.

Due to various fitness issues, Martin opted to go with Brazilian centre-forward Danilo through the middle as the starting number nine against Panathinaikos.

He failed to register a goal or an assist in his 74 minutes on the pitch, but did not have a single ‘big chance’ in front of goal, and there could be more to come from the striker this season.

What Danilo needs to be successful at Rangers

Possibly the biggest hurdle the 26-year-old marksman needs to jump over to be successful at Rangers is avoiding injuries, as he has been absent for far too many matches since his move to the club in 2023.

The Light Blues reportedly paid a fee of up to £6m to sign the attacker from Dutch giants Feyenoord two years ago, but the clash with Panathinaikos was only his 49th appearance in all competitions.

Danilo’s injury history

#1

#2

#3

Type of injury

Broken cheekbone

Knee injury

Knee injury

Date of injury

September 2023

December 2023

September 2024

Return date

October 2023

May 2024

November 2024

Days out

43

171

65

Matches missed

9

32

12

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Danilo has missed 53 games through injury since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, with two knee injuries and one broken cheekbone, which led to him having to wear a protective face mask.

The Rangers number 99 has showcased his quality when he has been available, as rare as that has been, though, with a return of 12 goals and nine assists in his 49 appearances.

Last season, Danilo scored five goals, created eight ‘big chances’, and registered four assists in 23 matches in the Premiership, despite only starting eight of those games.

But the Brazilian attacker did not get any service against Panathinaikos, and that is why the Gers need to sign more creative players to provide the striker with the opportunities he needs to score.

Rangers told to pay record fee for creative star

Rangers may have to pay a club-record transfer fee to land one of the creative stars on their wishlist for the summer transfer window, though, as per a fresh report.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to IbroxNews, the Scottish giants will need to pay a fee of around £15m to sign winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi from Premier League side Crystal Palace.

The report claims that the Eagles would prefer to sell the 22-year-old forward, rather than send him out on loan, and they will want a fee of at least £15m to part ways with him.

Tore Andre Flo’s £12m move from Chelsea in 2000 remains the club’s current record signing to this day, which means that a £15m splurge on Rak-Sakyi would smash that.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein claimed that Rangers have had an offer of a loan with an obligation to sign the forward for around £10m turned down by Palace, and they may now have to break their transfer record to bring the Englishman to Ibrox this summer.

Why Rangers should sign Rak-Sakyi

Splashing out a club-record fee of £15m would be a huge gamble by Rangers because there would then be immense pressure on Rak-Sakyi to be a superstar in Scotland.

The left-footed winger would have to win the club many trophies and or go on to be sold for a healthy profit for the transfer to be viewed as a success, which may be why the Gers may be hesitant to commit such funds to a deal.

However, Rangers could land an excellent right-wing prospect and reignite Danilo’s career at Ibrox if they decide to sign Rak-Sakyi, or if they are able to negotiate a loan deal with Palace.

The 22-year-old starlet, who was likened to a “slalom skier” by former boss Dean Holden, has shown great promise in his loan spells away from Palace so far, shining in League One with Charlton and in the Championship with Sheffield United.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s two full senior seasons

Stats

22/23 League One (Charlton)

24/25 Championship (Sheffield United)

Appearances

43

34

Starts

40

22

Goals

15

7

Minutes per goal

233

248

Big chances created

5

3

Key passes per game

1.3

0.9

Assists

8

2

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Rak-Sakyi has scored 22 goals and provided ten assists in 77 games in the EFL in his career to date, which shows that he has the potential to score and create goals from the right flank.

At the age of 22, he also has the time left ahead of him to continue to grow and develop as a player, which is why he could be an investment that has the potential to grow in value, even if the club smash their club-record to sign him.

The left-footed wizard could also help to reignite Danilo’s Ibrox career by providing the striker with a winger who can score the ‘big chances’ that he creates, whilst also being able to offer creativity from the flank to ensure that the forward has opportunities to score.

Of course, the Brazilian forward also needs to work on his fitness to ensure that he is available for Martin to select week-in-week-out in the 2025/26 campaign, but if he can do that then Rak-Sakyi could be a dream winger for him to play with.

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Whether that means that the Palace youngster is worth £15m is hard to say, as it will depend on how his career at the club ultimately plays out, but he is a quality winger who could thrive alongside Danilo and be a strong addition to the squad, however a deal gets done for him.

Vidwath Kaverappa led the efforts with the ball for India D, who had reduced India A to 93 for 5 at one stage

Shashank Kishore12-Sep-2024

File photo: Shams Mulani finished unbeaten on 88•PTI

Shams Mulani rescued India A from 93 for 5 with an unbeaten 88 that lifted them to 288 for 8 at stumps on the opening day of their second round Duleep Trophy fixture, against India D. Thus, Mulani will have a shot at a maiden first-class ton when play resumes on Friday.He was ably supported by Tanush Kotian, his Mumbai team-mate, who struck 53 in a crucial 91-run stand for the seventh wicket after India A were 144 for 6.India A were put in to bat by India D captain Shreyas Iyer, and were in trouble when seamer Vidwath Kaverappa dismissed Mayank Agarwal and Pratham Singh in a fiery first spell to reduce them to 21 for 2.Kaverappa, part of BCCI’s target pool of fast bowlers, got the ball to rear up awkwardly off a good length, and troubled both batters with late movement. Agarwal was squared up as he nicked off, while Pratham, who replaced Shubman Gill in the XI, miscued a pull to long leg.Riyan Parag counterattacked for India A, and broke the shackles against Kaverappa by lofting him imperiously down the ground for a six. But his innings was cut short when he slashed at an away-going delivery from Arshdeep Singh to the slips. Parag’s 37 came off just 29 balls.Four balls later, it was Tilak Varma’s turn to depart when he was done in by offspinner Saransh Jain, stuck to the crease and beaten by both the length and the turn, as he jabbed at a delivery that turned sharply, with Iyer taking a simple catch at slip.After Shashwat Rawat also fell, Kumar Kushagra briefly kept the fight going to make a defiant 28, until he became Arshdeep’s second victim. This is when the Mumbai pair of Mulani and Kotian stepped up and batted for 27 overs to frustrate the bowlers as conditions got considerably easier to bat on towards the end of a hot day.Kotian was the more enterprising of the two, pouncing on anything lose, and hitting six fours and a six in his 12th first-class half-century. He was dismissed by left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar, who had wheeled away without much success until then.In the last half hour, Harshit Rana struck to dismiss the returning Prasidh Krishna. The Karnataka seamer is making a comeback after seven months in the wilderness due to a quadricep injury. Having made his Test debut in South Africa in late 2023, Prasidh had been on the selectors’ radar for his ability to extract steep bounce before his injury came to light.On Friday, he’ll have an opportunity to prove his bowling fitness against a quality India D line-up that will be looking to push the game forward after being beaten outright in their previous game.