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Arsenal supporters are being forced to wait patiently for their first confirmed signing of the summer, despite new sporting director Andrea Berta’s well-documented transfer attempts behind-the-scenes.

The Gunners are reportedly closing in on a few key deals, namely for Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.

Arteta wants Arsenal to sign £204k-p/w forward with crucial meeting this week

The Spaniard is personally very keen to sign him.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 14, 2025

Arrizabalaga looks poised to complete a £5 million move to Arsenal as Mikel Arteta’s new back-up keeper and understudy to David Raya (David Ornstein), while Zubimendi is on course to seal a switch to the Premier League one year after rejecting Liverpool.

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

Zubimendi actually caused quite a stir with his recent comments suggesting that his future was still up in the air, but the likes of Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano have since confirmed that Arsenal are still expected to sign the 26-year-old after agreeing a deal with Sociedad.

After Zubimendi and Kepa, the north Londoners also remain in the market for a new winger and striker.

Arsenal have Real Madrid forward Rodrygo on their long list of wide options, with links still surrounding Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams, so that is certainly a position to keep an eye on. However, the most noise continues to surround Berta’s attempts to bring in a centre-forward.

Groundwork has been laid on deals for both RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, according to the BBC, with Arsenal exploring the conditions of moves for both men before deciding which one to formally pursue.

While Arsenal have already held “concrete” talks over Sesko, Gyokeres remains firmly on the radar.

Portuguese newspaper Record even reported this week that Arsenal made an official £55m opening bid for Gyokeres, with journalist Graeme Bailey sharing an update on the story.

Viktor Gyokeres camp clash with Sporting over rejected Arsenal bid

Speaking to The Boot Room, Bailey reports that the offer has been rejected by Sporting, which isn’t surprising when factoring in that their president, Frederico Varandas, confirmed that an offer below £60m wouldn’t be enough.

Bailey adds that Gyokeres’ camp clashed with Sporting after they snubbed Arsenal’s offer, but Arteta’s side remain in “constant contact” over his signature alongside Man United.

“Speaking to sources, Gyokeres is convinced that he is moving this summer, and he believes he will be in England – not that he has ruled out other countries, it is just where he believes he will be playing,” said the reporter.

“He did make it clear from the start that a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Pro League was not a consideration despite them making an approach this month.

“Arsenal and Man United are in constant contact, the lines of communication with those two clubs has been ongoing for months.

“The player’s representatives are working hard on his future, but there is no deadline here – it could be this month, but likely July, I am told, before something is agreed, but there is no panic. They are calm.”

Varandas’ preferred price tag could be around £68 million, but there are the strikers wages to consider, with Gyokeres reportedly demanding as much as £250,000-per-week.

The hosts recovered from 99 for 5 against South Africa in Bengaluru

Srinidhi Ramanujam16-Jun-2024

Smriti Mandhana hit her sixth ODI century and her first at home•BCCI

Smriti Mandhana’s outstanding century and a clinical bowling performance led by Asha Sobhana headlined India’s massive win as they went 1-0 up against South Africa in the first of the three ODIs in Bengaluru, on Sunday.Mandhana’s 117, her first century at home and sixth in ODIs, rescued the hosts after they opted to bat first but suffered an early collapse. India added 166 runs after the fall of the fifth wicket, the most they have ever done in a women’s ODI, to push their total from 99 for 5 to 265 for 8, which proved too much for South Africa, who had an underwhelming outing with the bat on a surface that offered variable bounce and turn.The chase got off to a shaky start as South Africa lost Laura Wolvaardt, the returning Tazmin Brits and Anneke Bosch for 33 runs. Marizanne Kapp and Sune Luus chipped in briefly but none of the batters could negate the spin threat under lights at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Asha, showing no nerves on her debut, starred with four wickets to skittle the visitors for 122, handing India a 143-run victory.India’s oldest ODI debutant’s two crucial oversA month after making her international debut at 33 in the T20Is against Bangladesh, Asha was handed the ODI cap, becoming India’s oldest debutant in this format as well. She was slotted in ahead of the offspinner Shreyanka Patil. That Asha has the knack of picking up big wickets in pressure situations was well-known after the WPL. On Sunday too, she showcased that control and maturity to tilt the momentum in India’s favour.After India’s pacers and Deepti Sharma strangled South Africa’s top order, South Africa slowly found a way to get back into the contest, thanks to Kapp and Luus’ partnership. The duo had batted for more than ten overs after the fall of the third wicket and India knew a well-set Kapp could be a game-changer.Asha Sobhana picked 4 for 21 on her ODI debut•BCCI

Having bowled two overs for eight runs, Asha came back for her second spell, in the 19th over. The legspinner started by conceding just two runs, getting enough drift and turn to slow down the scoring. After largely sticking to length deliveries in her first few overs, she floated one outside off this time, slow through the air, to deceive Kapp and force her to hit in the air towards cover where Harmanpreet was stationed. An easy catch for one of India’s best fielders gave Asha joy, and her maiden ODI wicket.In her next over, Jemimah Rodrigues dropped Annerie Dercksen at point but a mix-up between her and Luus ended Dercksen’s innings as she was run out at the striker’s end.At 75 for 5, South Africa were all but out of the game.India rejig batting orderD Hemalatha and Rodrigues were back in the XI. Rodrigues was returning from a back niggle after missing out on the Bangladesh T20I series while Hemalatha, on the back of good performances against Bangladesh, made her way to the ODI setup.In India’s last ODI series against Australia in December, head coach Amol Muzumdar had mentioned that Richa Ghosh would be suited for No. 3, with Harmanpreet and Rodrigues coming in after her. This was a deviation from her previous role where she was used as a finisher.However, on Sunday, with Shafali Verma departing early for 7, Hemalatha slotted in at No. 3. She perished after a 16-ball 12. Rodrigues and Harmanpreet were India’s Nos. 4 and 5 and Ghosh back to the lower-middle order at No. 6. She survived four balls but was then caught behind for 3.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Mandhana at home in BengaluruNinety-two for three became 99 for 5 in the 22nd over and India were desperate for a big partnership. An ODI after a gap of six months, players are bound to be rusty. But not Mandhana. She put on a brisk 81-run stand for the sixth wicket with Deepti Sharma to lift the team past 250. Switching to the long format, the India vice-captain curbed her aggressive instinct to play along the ground to play long.South Africa denied easy runs for India’s batters, with the likes of Dercksen and Ayobhanga Khaka targeting a stump-to-stump line. But Mandhana countered well, using the crease whenever the opportunity arose to play her pull and cut shots to manufacture runs. Though she and Deepti kept the scorecard ticking, there were also chances to convert the ones to twos.Mandhana hit 12 fours – seven of them on the leg side – and a six. She was all clarity and calmness. After 32 overs, she batted cramps on her way to hundred. But it also forced her to find a few quick boundaries and forgo the singles.Once Deepti departed for 37, Pooja Vastrakar joined Mandhana and this pair stitched a 58-run stand off 54 deliveries to give India the late push they wanted. South Africa let their guard down in the last ten overs, conceding 74 runs, with the humidity also playing a major factor in their sloppy fielding.Mandhana played for 193 minutes and 42.3 overs overall to make 117. In the end, South Africa could post only five more than her score.

Sheffield United will have to break their playoff hoodoo in the Championship if they want to triumphantly return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Staggeringly, the Blades have lost all eight of the previous playoff campaigns they’ve found themselves in, but if there’s one man who is capable of going against the grain in this regard, it’s Chris Wilder when you look at his two promotions already with his beloved hometown club.

To get over the line, Wilder will need every single one of his Blades players to be firing on all cylinders, including top scorer Tyrese Campbell.

Campbell's goalscoring form for United

The Blades haven’t quite blown teams away with their attacking arsenal this campaign, with the South Yorkshire outfit boasting just 62 strikes next to an already promoted Leeds United side who have amassed a hefty 89.

But, there have still been forward players that have stood out even if the displays haven’t always been the most free-flowing, with Campbell definitely in this conversation.

The former Stoke City man arrived through the door on a free transfer with a lot to prove, considering the end of his time with the Potters was largely injury-hit, but Campbell has managed to let his football do the majority of the talking this season to date with ten Championship strikes tallied up.

Unfortunately, across United’s recent wretched run of four defeats from five league clashes, the goals had dried up for the 25-year-old, but Wilder will still feel his number 23 has lots to offer when the nitty gritty of the playoffs gets officially underway.

Whilst he will back Campbell, Wilder would love to have an ultra-reliable head back among his promotion-chasing group if he could.

Sheffield United legend is now outscoring Campbell

Wilder has had many interesting characters to fall back on as United have challenged for promotions over the years, with the likes of John Fleck picking up a bumper 12 goal contributions the last time the manager successfully guided the Blades up to the top-flight.

In that same memorable group, Billy Sharp loved playing alongside the constantly creative Scotsman, with the explosive veteran going on to bag 23 strikes of his own during the 2018/19 campaign to further seal his team’s progression to the big time.

Sharp hasn’t lost this goalscoring expertise whatsoever playing for current side Doncaster Rovers, with the 39-year-old picking up a glittering sixth career promotion just this weekend when Grant McCann’s men beat Bradford City 2-1.

Of course, the Sheffield-born goal machine – who has previously been hailed as a “legend of the EFL” by BBC 5 Live Sport Presenter Steve Crossman – couldn’t help but get in on the goalscoring action for Donny, with his late winning strike against the Bantams taking him up to an impressive 12 goals for the season despite only starting 19 clashes in the lower reaches of the EFL.

League Two

42

9

1

FA Cup

4

2

0

EFL Trophy

2

0

0

EFL Cup

2

1

0

Amazingly, the 39-year-old’s stellar output so late into his playing days for Doncaster actually betters Campbell’s ten-goal haul back at Bramall Lane, with Wilder not turning his nose up at the hypothetical scenario of Sharp being back in Blades red and white right now to try and secure another promotion success for his team.

It will, of course, be hard for United to get over their near miss of the top two positions, but jinxes such as their ongoing playoff misery are there to be broken, with Campbell hopeful he can immortalise himself in his new club’s hall-of-fame by being a hero across the tense clashes to come.

Sheffield United are brewing their next Jagielka in "outstanding" star

Sheffield United will hope this centre-back sticks it out at Bramall Lane past this season.

ByKelan Sarson Apr 20, 2025

Chelsea have already started to make additions to their squad ahead of next season, with Dario Essugo set to join in the summer from CP Sporting and Geovany Quenda also signed from the Portuguese outfit, set to join the club in 2026.

Estevao and Kendry Paez will also arrive in the summer months having been purchased by Chelsea before they turned 18, meaning they both had to wait to join up with the London club, staying at their respective sides to continue their development.

The Blues will also have a fair few arrivals this summer returning from their respective loans, with a handful of players expected to play a part in Enzo Maresca’s first-team squad next season.

Chelsea's returning loan stars

Andrey Santos is one player currently thriving on loan with Strasbourg, Chelsea’s sister club, who find themselves fourth in Ligue 1.

The 20-year-old Brazilian has made 28 appearances for the French outfit this season, scoring ten goals and providing three assists, In the process, he was described by manager Liam Rosenior as “the best midfielder in the league”.

It’s safe to say he’s ready to come back to the Bridge and make an instant impact, but he’s not the only one.

Djorde Petrovic is another Chelsea star who’s ready to come back and impact an impact.

Like Santos, he is currently on loan with the in-form Strasbourg, with the 25-year-old shot-stopper making 25 appearances this season, conceding 29 goals and keeping nine clean sheets across 2,250 minutes played.

While they should play a big part in any success Maresca’s side has next season, they’re not the only two who will come back and hope to go straight into the first team.

Chelsea's next Carvalho is thriving

Cast your mind back to the days of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea and you’ll remember Didier Drogba thumping in the goals, John Terry monstrously brushing strikers aside and Ricardo Carvalho cooly and classily playing out from the back.

While Drogba and Terry will go down as icons, Carvalho went about his career as a rather underrated figure. Coincidentally, they may now have their next version of the Portuguese centre-back in Renato Veiga.

Chelsea signed Veiga from Basel in the summer transfer window, with the 21-year-old joining for a fee of around £11.8m. Since then, he played a bit-part role in the Chelsea squad, making 18 appearances for the Blues between joining and January.

He then made a surprise loan move to Juventus in the January transfer window where like the aforementioned Petrovic and Santos, he has shone.

Since arriving in Italy, Veiga has started as a central defender, making eight appearances for Juventus, keeping two clean sheets and totaling 611 minutes played. The Portuguese defender saw the opportunity to play as a central defender as more beneficial ahead of the 2026 World Cup having recently broken into the Portugal side as a centre-back.

So, what qualities does he bring? Well, when comparing the underlying metrics of Viega and Levi Colwill this season, you can see how both players thrive as a progressive orchestrator in the back line, looking to progress play with their passing quality and use their defensive qualities to keep things tight.

Veiga vs Levi in 2024/25
Stats (per 90 mins)	Veiga	Colwill
Goals + Assists	0.14	0.06
Progressive Carries	1.36	0.36
Progressive Passes	3.98	3.89
Pass Completion %	87.2%	89.6%
Passes into Final Third	4.20	4.61
Tackles	2.05	1.21
Blocks	1.48	1.07
Interceptions	1.25	1.01
Ball Recoveries	3.75	3.25
Aerial Duels Won	1.82	2.46
Stats taken from FBref

Described as a “Swiss army knife” defender by scout Jacek Kulig due to his ability to play as a centre-back, a left-back, a defensive midfielder and even an attacking midfielder under Maresca at Chelsea, the future looks bright.

While Carvalho wasn’t a versatile player, featuring for his entire career in a central position, the two players in question here do share a key attribute; the ability to progress the ball and remain composed under pressure.

Coincidentally, Chelsea previously had a Portuguese and English centre-back pairing of Carvalho and Terry which was very successful. Could Viega and Colwill provide a similar dynamic in the future, becoming Chelsea’s next legendary defensive duo? Time will tell.

A better signing than Gittens: Chelsea enter race to land £150m winger

Chelsea are looking to improve their attack.

By
Connor Holden

Apr 8, 2025

Manchester United have now moved into pole position in the race for a “sensational” star, and a £30m offer is being prepared.

Ruben Amorim identifies top midfield target

It is becoming increasingly clear that Man United will look to sign a new midfielder in 2026, and Ruben Amorim has now identified Elliot Anderson as his top target, although a deal could be on the expensive side, with a £100m fee being touted.

However, the Red Devils may be forced to move on to alternative, potentially more affordable options, with it recently emerging that the Etihad Stadium is Anderson’s preferred destination.

It would be disappointing to miss out on the Nottingham Forest star, who is now an established England international, having picked up six caps since the start of September.

The 23-year-old is not the only English midfielder of interest to Man United though, according to a report from Spain, which states they are now leading the race for Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher, who has fallen down the pecking order at the Spanish club.

Several Premier League clubs have emerged as potential suitors for Gallagher, but United are the frontrunners, and a £30m opening bid is in the works, with the La Liga side willing to sanction a departure for a fee in that ballpark.

With the Englishman not receiving much game time under Diego Simeone, a January move could make sense for all parties, with Man United certainly in need of additional reinforcements in midfield…

"Sensational" Gallagher could be solid addition for Man Utd

Despite not being the flashiest of signings, the former Crystal Palace man could be a solid addition for the Red Devils, who need to sign at least one new midfielder, amid the uncertainty surrounding Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo’s future.

It has now been revealed that United could be willing to let Mainoo leave this winter, should they manage to find a replacement, while Casemiro’s future is under review, with the Brazilian’s contract due to expire in the summer.

As such, two new midfielders may be required, and Gallagher could be a good squad player, having been lauded as “sensational” by journalist John Cross.

Man Utd could break club-record transfer fee to sign "amazing" £100m midfielder

Man United could shatter their transfer record to sign a top target.

ByDominic Lund Dec 2, 2025

The 25-year-old is very experienced in the Premier League, making 136 appearances in the competition, while he has also tested himself in the Champions League, netting one goal in five appearances this term.

£30m feels like a reasonable fee to pay for the 22-time England international, so it makes sense for Man United to pursue a January move, although Anderson should remain their top target.

Mikel Arteta has got a lot right in the almost six years he has spent in the Arsenal dugout.

He has generally got rid of the right players at the right time, he’s changed the culture for the better and reconnected the club with the fans.

However, he has also overseen his fair share of dud signings, with Raheem Sterling’s loan move last season perhaps being the worst.

Arsenal have made more good signings than bad over the last six years, but it looks like new Sporting Director Andrea Berta may have already made his own Sterling-type addition to Arteta’s side.

Sterling's forgettable Arsenal spell

To describe Arsenal’s transfer dealings in the summer of 2024 as disappointing would be an understatement.

Yes, the club did sign two excellent players in Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori, but they also failed to sign the lights-out attacking star the team were so clearly crying out for.

It might have been this lack of forward signings that led the club to go out at the last minute and bring in Sterling on a season-long loan.

During his announcement, the Chelsea loanee told the Emirates faithful they would “see the best” of him, but that was as far from what actually happened as possible.

The former England international certainly tried to make a mark in North London, but he looked miles off the pace and was limited to minor appearances throughout the campaign.

Sterling’s Arsenal record
Competition	EPL	UCL	FA Cup	EFL Cup
Appearances	17	6	1	4
Minutes	496′	297′	80′	270′
Goals	0	0	0	1
Assists	2	2	0	1
Goal Involvements per Match	0.11	0.33	0.00	0.50
Minutes per Goal Involvement	248′	148.5′	N/A	135′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

In fact, the multiple league winner played just 1134 minutes for the Gunners across 28 appearances, of which only 13 were starts.

The Kingston-born Premier League legend left N5 with a single goal and five assists to his name, and unfortunately, a total, undeniable flop.

Now it looks like Arsenal might have another Sterling situation on their hands with a Berta signing.

Arsenal's new Sterling

Unlike last year, it would be hard to call Arsenal’s summer anything other than a roaring success.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Berta and Co signed the likes of Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie and Viktor Gyokeres.

However, unfortunately, there is one summer addition who could potentially fall into the Sterling category: Christian Nørgaard.

Now, before the pitchforks come out, nobody is saying that the Danish international will be as big a problem for the club as the Englishman was, in terms of wages and blocking a loan slot.

Nor is he likely to be as noticeably off the pace compared to the rest of the team as the Chelsea man was.

However, what is also undeniably true is that at the moment, it’s hard to see where he is going to get any game time at all.

The 31-year-old joined the club in July, and at the time of writing, has made just seven first-team appearances, totalling 302 minutes, of which three have been starts.

Worse still, he has played just 14 minutes of Premier League football this year, with 13 minutes of those coming against Burnley.

It’s a bizarre situation, as the 39-capped international captain of Brentford last season and ended the campaign having made 34 league appearances for them, totalling 2830 minutes.

Now, nobody expected the veteran midfielder to be even a semi-regular starter for the Gunners, but it seems like Arteta has no trust in him whatsoever, refusing to bring him on when Declan Rice came off against his old side.

There may be light at the end of the tunnel in the shape of the FA Cup for the summer signing, but even then, it feels like the manager will turn to someone else.

Ultimately, Nørgaard didn’t cost much, is a consummate professional, isn’t a media focus, and, in that way, isn’t really a problem for Arsenal.

However, it does feel like Arteta doesn’t really fancy him, and, like Sterling last season, his stint in North London will be short-lived.

A Saka & Olise hybrid: Arsenal in contact over signing £70m "superstar"

The incredible talent would be as game-changing for Arsenal as Bukayo Saka has been over the years.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Dec 5, 2025

England international Ivan Toney was led away in handcuffs after allegedly headbutting another reveller in a London nightclub. The 29-year-old striker, who now plays his club football in the Saudi Pro League for Al-Ahli, was looking to enjoy an evening out with friends during a visit to his homeland. He found himself caught up in an unfortunate incident that saw said festivities cut short.

Witness explains what happened with Toney

has obtained footage of Toney being escorted out of a trendy London nightspot by local police forces. Trouble is said to have been sparked when a fan grabbed at the former Brentford frontman in a bid to take a selfie.

A witness told The Sun: “He walked past a table of a group of lads. One of them recognised him and said, ‘Oh, it’s Ivan Toney’ and tried to put his hands around his neck to get a photo with him. And then Toney has said, ‘Get off me, get off me’ and ended up headbutting one of the guys.”

AdvertisementWhen police arrived at the nightclub in question

The alleged victim is said to have been left with “blood leaking from the bridge of his nose”. It is suggested that Toney may have felt “threatened by the group” that approached him for pictures, with the Three Lions forward sporting some expensive accessories.

The onlooker added: “He’s a superstar – he gets half a million a week in Saudi Arabia. He had his jewellery on and he had a real nice watch. He might have thought they were trying to attack him to take his chain or watch off him.”

The Sun’s insider went on to say of police arriving within 30 minutes of the headbutt incident taking place: “We noticed about five officers in uniform walking down the stairs. And then they’ve gone over to Ivan Toney’s table and asked his name. He’s given his name and they said, ‘You’re under arrest for assault’ and then they put his hands behind his back in cuffs and off he went.”

Statements from London Ambulance Service & Met Police

There are said to have been “a ton of police cars rushing up Wardour Street” as they responded to reports of an attack. A local bartender says that police returned to the area the following day to continue their investigation into what went on.

London Ambulance Service confirmed that a vehicle was sent to Soho at 1:57am following reports of an injury being sustained. A spokesperson said: “We assessed three people. We took one patient to a local hospital and discharged the other patients at the scene.”

The alleged victim is said to have been treated for facial injuries, including a broken nose, and damage to his ring finger. The Sun claims to have seen photos that show the bloodied person in question being tended to by paramedics.

In a statement of their own, the Met Police stated: “We were called to Wardour Street at 00:47hrs on Saturday following reports of an assault. The victim was taken to hospital and his injuries are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening. A 29-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of two counts of assault and one count of affray. He has since been released on bail while inquiries continue.”

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(C)Getty ImagesJanuary transfer: Does Toney need move to make World Cup squad?

Toney was back in London during a break in Al-Ahli’s schedule. He met up with England international team-mate Declan Rice after seeing Arsenal beat his former club Brentford in Premier League action at Emirates Stadium.

A return to English football for Toney has been speculated on ahead of the January transfer window. He has been overlooked by Thomas Tuchel in recent Three Lions squads, with it being claimed that a switch may be required in order to earn selection for the 2026 World Cup.

Toney moved to the Middle East in the summer of 2024 and helped Al-Ahli to win the AFC Champions League Elite title during his debut campaign. He has been competing with Portuguese GOAT Cristiano Ronaldo – who is now with Al-Nassr – for Golden Boot honours in Saudi Arabia.

Eight matches into his Rangers tenure, is Danny Röhl any closer to figuring out which players he can trust and who he cannot?

On Thursday night, the Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by ten-man Braga at Ibrox, despite taking the lead through James Tavernier’s spot-kick in first half stoppage time; the fact that only 38,014 spectators were in attendance encapsulates the mood.

So, with just one point on the board after five games, a frankly pitiful effort, unless they somehow manage to beat Ferencváros, Ludogorets Razgrad and then Porto, which seems unlikely if we’re being honest, the Gers’ Europa League adventure will be coming to a premature end in January, having got all the way to last season’s quarter-finals.

This will allow them to concentrate on domestic matters, which may be a good thing, given that they’ve slipped down to fifth in the Premiership table, despite having won all four league matches since Röhl’s arrival in Glasgow.

So, ahead of a visit from Falkirk, who would actually leapfrog their hosts with a shock victory at Ibrox on Sunday, what changes should the German head coach make?

Youssef Chermiti's uninspiring form

Back on Monday, it was announced that both chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell had been sacked, after overseeing a chaotic summer of recruitment, with the £8m, potentially rising to £10m, paid to sign Youssef Chermiti among the more egregious and baffling of their decisions.

So far, he has scored just one goal for the club, on target against Kilmarnock last month, already surpassing his tally of zero goals during two seasons at Everton, also brought to Merseyside by Thelwell for £14m when he was working at Goodison.

Aside from his lack of goals, the striker simply isn’t offering enough, often allowing matches to pass him by and putting in anonymous performances.

Following this week’s draw with Braga, Mark Atkinson of the Scotsman asserted that he is driving supporters ‘demented’, adding that he ‘spurned a couple of presentable’ opportunities and is so far proving to be a mere baffling expensive purchase.

So, ahead of a sequence of three Premiership matches in seven days, facing Falkirk, Dundee United and then Kilmarnock, Chermiti should be stood down and Röhl must instead deploy the “best player in the league” up front.

Rangers' superior Chermiti alternative

Of the 13 players Rangers signed in the summer, many are young and inexperienced, hoping to grow and improve in the coming years, but Bojan Miovski was supposed to be a ready-made starter, brought in to produce right away.

The 26-year-old, returning to Scottish football after a season at Girona, is a proven goalscorer at both club and international level, bagging his ninth goal for North Macedonia against Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium earlier this month.

Meantime, at club level, prior to his season in Catalonia, he had been outstanding during two years at Aberdeen, as the table below documents.

Appearances

98

Goals

44

European goals

4

Goals vs Rangers

4

Goals vs Celtic

3

Shots on target per 90

1.1

Big chances missed

31

Average rating

6.9

As the table makes clear, Miovski was an elite-level finisher during his time at Pittodrie, scoring 32 Premiership goals, while his strike rate in Europe as well as against the two Glasgow giants underlines his quality.

Then-teammate Nicky Devlin asserted that Miovski was “the best player in the league in his position”, firing the Dons to a third place finish in 2022/23, before being sold for £6.8m, the Dons’ record outgoing transfer.

However, we are yet to see very much of that from Miovski in a Rangers jersey, scoring his first goal for the club against Hibs in the League Cup, while his only Premiership goal came at Falkirk Stadium in October, the day Russell Martin was sacked.

Since the appointment of Röhl, the North Macedonian has featured in all eight matches but has started just once, this coming at Dens Park before the international break, substituted at half time with the Light Blues leading Dundee 2-0.

So, for whatever reason, the German head coach appears to favour Chermiti and Danilo, despite the fact that Miovski is a proven goalscorer at both Premiership and European level, something this team desperately needs given that, 26 matches into this campaign, Tavernier and Djeidi Gassama are the only squad members who have four or more goals to their name.

Thus, when Falkirk visit Ibrox this weekend, surely Röhl has to bring Miovski back into his XI, ditching the ineffective Chermiti, with the former looking to net as he did against the Bairns once again, just as he did in Stirlingshire just last month.

Not just Djiga: Thelwell flop who lost ball 17x looks finished at Rangers

Rangers’ wait for a first Europa League victory goes on, held to a 1-1 draw by Braga at Ibrox, and a summer signing was just as bad as Nasser Djiga.

ByBen Gray Nov 28, 2025

After John Souttar was forced to miss Scotland’s dramatic victory over Denmark earlier this week, Rangers have been left to sweat over his availability ahead of their clash against Livingston this weekend.

It was about as dramatic as it gets for Scotland as they booked their place at the 2026 World Cup. What started with an incredible Scott McTominay overhead kick to send them into dreamland soon transcended into a nightmare when the 10 men of Denmark equalised once through Rasmus Hojlund and then a second time through Patrick Dorgu late on.

It looked as though history was about to repeat itself and Scotland were destined to miss out on automatic qualification, until the ball fell the way of Kieran Tierney. Even Rangers fans may have cheered the Celtic hero as he found the back of the net to send Scotland to the World Cup, before Kenny McLean’s halfway-line goal ended an absurd evening.

Celebrations will no doubt go on, but the rivalries will also return with the action in the Scottish Premiership as Rangers aim to continue their turnaround under Danny Rohl.

The Gers are set to play host to Livingston on Saturday afternoon in an attempt to make it four wins from four under Rohl in the Scottish Premiership and continue to close the gap on shock league leaders Hearts.

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The German manager has already picked up more league points than Russell Martin did, which highlights just how disastrous the former manager was at Ibrox, but could yet run into his first problem this weekend.

In amongst the celebrations in Scotland, Souttar was forced to miss out on a starting place after suffering an injury in the warm-up in what should be a concern for Rangers.

Rangers handed fresh John Souttar concern

As confirmed live on Sky Sports News by Gail Davis ahead of Scotland’s victory over Denmark, Souttar picked up an injury in the warm-up and has handed Rangers a fresh injury concern ahead of their return to action this weekend.

Scotland were able to replace Souttar with the experienced Grant Hanley, but the Gers are unlikely to have the same luck. The central defender has started all but one game for Rangers so far this season and remains one of their most important players.

At a time when their fortunes are beginning to turn, the last thing that those at Ibrox need is an injury to such an influential player. Unless they receive some positive news, however, the Gers must find a replacement for Souttar.

Described as “excellent” by former Scotland manager Craig Levein, there’s no doubt that Rangers need the defender to make a return to action as soon as possible.

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India cruised to the highest score of the tournament

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Sep-2025

Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson added the second fifty partnership of the innings•AFP/Getty Images

Abhishek Sharma hit 61 off 31, Tilak Varma struck 49 not out off 34, and India cruised to the highest score of the tournament, posting 202 for 5 without ever looking like they were breaking a serious sweat.Sri Lanka too, made no serious errors. In fact they caught well – Maheesh Theekshana and Dushmantha Chameera taking outstanding catches off their own bowling – while the groundfielding was in good shape. None of their bowlers leaked more than 15 runs in an over, and the frontline bowlers all completed their quota.And yet, India kept finding the boundary, first through Abhishek, before Varma and Sanju Samson set themselves up in the middle overs to hit 66 runs off 42 balls together. Wickets fell too, but such are India’s riches, and so in control were they of this innings, that dismissals did not lead to major hits to the scoring rate.Sri Lanka’s bowlers did pose threats. In fact, five bowlers took wickets. But none took more than one, and not a single bowler of the six used went at less than six an over. Whatever Sri Lanka threw at India, the India batters negotiated with measured aggression.