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Glasgow Rangers return to Premiership action tonight, three weeks following their last game in the top flight due to the winter break.

They travel to Easter Road to face Hibernian, and they were the opposition for Philippe Clement’s first game in charge of the Ibrox side back in October, which they went on to win 4-0.

A repeat of that scoreline tonight would be a perfect way for the club to resume their domestic campaign and really push Celtic over the coming months.

While the fixtures will be coming thick and fast, Clement still has eight days left to bring in another player or two to bolster his squad and this will be at the forefront of his mind.

Rangers are close to signing Mohamed Diomande

The Ibrox side secured a loan deal for Fabio Silva at the end of December and this move filled the supporters with plenty of anticipation that several more players would arrive in Glasgow.

The previous few weeks have been barren with regard to signings, yet the Gers made a breakthrough at the beginning of this week, and it now looks as though midfielder Mohamed Diomande is close to joining.

Rangers reach agreement to sign "aggressive" partner for Raskin

Rangers have reached an agreement to sign a talented young midfielder

By
Ross Kilvington

Jan 22, 2024

According to Rangers Review journalist Chris Jack, the FC Nordsjaelland gem is expected to arrive in Scotland today in order to finalise his £4.5m move from the Danish club and this is a big statement of intent by Clement, especially in January.

The manager has stated that he would not be “content or confident” for the second half of the campaign if he does not add to his squad before next Thursday. Could this suggest more signings are close?

Rangers’ search for a new left-back

One area that desperately needs to be addressed is the left side of defence, especially with Ridvan Yilmaz being linked with a move away and Borna Barisic’s contract expiring in the summer.

This suggests Clement will be looking to bring in another left-back before the window slams shut next week, and it looks as though he may have made a breakthrough.

According to Dutch outlet Voetbal International, the Gers have made an approach to sign FC Twente defender Gijs Smal this month.

The Dutchman, like Barisic, has entered into the final few months of his current deal and, according to the report from the Netherlands, it does not look like he is about to sign an extension to stay at the club.

This may tempt Clement into luring Smal to Glasgow for a knockdown fee this month as he continues to build his squad for the challenges ahead, and it could turn out to be a solid signing, especially with his impressive performances for the Eredivisie clubs.

Not only that, but he could link up well with Rabbi Matondo down the left flank during the second half of the season and this could benefit Clement greatly.

Gijs Smal could link up with Rabbi Matondo

Normally, Abdallah Sima would be the first-choice left-winger, yet the on-loan Brighton and Hove Albion gem returned from the Africa Cup of Nations with an injury and is expected to be out for the foreseeable future.

This means Matondo will be called upon more often by Clement, and he has finally settled into life at Rangers following a difficult debut season.

Across 17 matches in all competitions, the Welsh winger has scored twice and registered three assists. Considering he has started just seven matches, this is a more than decent return and if given regular game time now due to Sima’s injury, he could thrive.

Smal has displayed his attacking qualities throughout his professional career, registering 47 goal contributions – 13 goals and 34 assists – in just 177 senior matches.

This works out as a goal involvement once every 3.7 matches, which is a wonderful ratio for a left-back.

During the 2022/23 campaign, Smal excelled from an attacking perspective, averaging 1.6 key passes per game while creating 16 big chances, and it certainly indicates that he is a major threat on the left flank.

His bursting runs into the attacking third could benefit Matondo and the duo would create a formidable partnership that would surely cause chaos to defences all over the country.

The stats that show why Gijs Smal would be a good signing for Rangers

These performances last season proved that he is an attack-minded full-back who is no stranger to bombing up and down the left flank and this could fit in well with Clement’s philosophy.

The 6 foot gem has missed 12 games due to a calf injury this term, but when he has played, the 26-year-old has been impressive.

Indeed, he currently ranks fifth among the squad for successful dribbles per game (0.7) along with ranking seventh for key passes per game (1.2), and while these stats are not as impressive as those from the 2022/23 season, it is clear his injury has disrupted any momentum.

Having started the previous nine league matches for Twente, it looks as though he is back fit and healthy and this will be good news for Clement.

Rangers Journal founder Kai Watson has praised the defender amid his recent links to the Glasgow side, paying particular attention to his qualities going forward.

He said: “Smal would provide quality deliveries from the left hand side while also being willing to actually run to the by line. He’s 5 years younger than Barisic and offers a bit more pace and aggression on that side.”

It looks as though the Dutchman is capable of replacing Barisic from an attacking perspective and this is certainly what Clement is after in his fullbacks.

A move for Smal makes perfect sense, especially being able to potentially bring him to the club for a minimal fee this month, giving him plenty of time to adapt.

Adding another signing or two alongside that of Diomande could give the Light Blues a big boost in their chances of securing another trophy or two during the second half of the season.

Will it be enough to see them reel in Celtic and be crowned champions? Only time will tell.

A Special Investigation Team has been instituted within Karnataka Police’s Central Crime Branch to probe the allegations of match- and spot-fixing in the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2019The 2020 edition of the Karnataka Premier League (KPL), including its player auctions, will not be held until the police completes its investigation of alleged match- and spot-fixing.”We will definitely not conduct the KPL tournament matches till the investigation is completed and the final report from the police comes out,” Vinay Mruthyunjaya, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) treasurer, told IANS.”The entire activity regarding the KPL will only start after the investigation is completed,” Mruthyunjaya said. “The next edition of the tournament is around nine months away and hopefully, the investigation should be completed by then.”ALSO READ: KPL – Karnataka cricket’s problem child?Karnataka Police’s Central Crime Branch (CCB) has, meanwhile, set up a Special Investigation Team to investigate the case, in which former Karnataka Ranji players CM Gautam and Abrar Kazi were arrested on November 7. The police are also looking at the possibility of the players being honeytrapped into breaking the law.”Today there are many non-playing cricketers involved [other] than those playing on the field, and it has become a business for them as they travel to Dubai, West Indies and other foreign countries and stay at five-star hotels,” Bhaskar Rao, the Bengaluru Police commissioner, said. “They have also indulged in blackmailing of players through honeytraps. The game has become insignificant and the activities of these betters have only increased.”The Bengaluru Police has also served a notice to the KSCA, seeking extensive information on the various aspects of day-to-day running of the league and the background of players participating in it.ALSO READ: CM Gautam, Abrar Kazi arrested on spot-fixing charges“The police asked for a lot of information pertaining to KPL tournament, teams, scorecards, video footage of all the matches, details of all the players, phone numbers,” Mruthyunjaya said. “We will check up, we did not have any formidable information in this regard. Let me discuss with our officers also.”According to Mruthyunjaya, the KSCA is not privy to the recruitment procedure of cheerleaders, who are suspected to be involved in honey-trapping some of the players.”We would not know; [the] police would be knowing. KSCA never employs cheer girls, the teams employ them,” Mruthyunjaya said.The 2019 edition of the KPL, the first state-run adaptation of the IPL format that began in 2009, was held from August 16-31. The tournament is hosted in the second half of the year, and typically lasts just over two weeks, but has been pushed to three weeks on occasion.

Major League Soccer announced its top 10 player jersey sales for 2025, with Lionel Messi leading the rankings for a third straight year. Newcomers Son Heung-min, Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, and Marco Reus joined MLS veterans such as Jordan Morris and Darlington Nagbe among the top sellers – a blend of global stars and established domestic names.

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  Messi maintains dominance, Son makes immediate impact

  While Messi continues to cement his status as the league's most marketable star since joining Inter Miami in 2023, Son finishing second overall proves his impact as he's played just 10 league games since joining MLS in August. 

  Son's merchandise sales were unprecedented – he became the top-selling athlete across the Fanatics Network for jersey sales within just 72 hours of his signing announcement.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  The top ten MLS jerseys of the 2025 season

  Rank	Player	Club
  1	Lionel Messi	Inter Miami CF
  2	Son Heung-min	LAFC
  3	Hirving “Chucky” Lozano	San Diego FC
  4	Luis Suárez	Inter Miami CF
  5	Miguel Almirón	Atlanta United
  6	Jordan Morris	Seattle Sounders FC
  7	Rodrigo De Paul	Inter Miami CF
  8	Darlington Nagbe	Columbus Crew
  9	Wilfried Zaha	Charlotte FC
  10	Marco Reus	LA Galaxy

• IMAGN
  

  Rounding out the top 10

  San Diego FC’s Lozano ranked third, marking a strong debut season for the expansion club. Inter Miami had two additional players in the top 10, with Luis Suarez at fourth and new signing Rodrigo De Paul in seventh. Atlanta United’s Miguel Almirón finished fifth after returning to MLS this year, and Seattle's Morris represents the sole North American-born player in the top 10, coming in at sixth. 

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  Global reach

  The diversity of nationalities represented – including players from Argentina, South Korea, Mexico, Uruguay, Paraguay, the United States, and Germany – highlighted MLS's global reach. 

Crystal Palace are desperately in search of a long-term number nine this January.

The Eagles have struggled in the final third this season, with only the bottom two teams scoring fewer goals.

Eddie Nketiah is one name floating around concerning a move to Selhurst Park, but Roy Hodgson's message is clear: he wants a goal-scorer.

Crystal Palace's number nine target

According to a report earlier in the week from talkSPORT, Palace are interested in signing Che Adams this month, with the striker on their radar.

Southampton will accept a fee of around £6m for his services this winter, although the Eagles will face competition from Everton and Wolves for the player's signature.

The Scotland forward will be out of contract at the club in the summer, so the Saints will look to recoup some funds on their number ten or risk losing for absolutely nothing in a few months.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.

By
Luke Randall

Feb 1, 2024

The stats that show Adams would improve Eze

Eberechi Eze is by far the most important contributor to the function of Palace's system, and he's proving that once again this term.

The 25-year-old has scored three times and assisted once in 12 Premier League starts this campaign, and he's averaging 2.1 key passes per game – behind only teammate Michael Olise (2.2).

Last season, Eze scored ten goals, and the introduction of a true number nine, like Adams, could allow him to reach those levels once again.

Under Russell Martin this season, Adams has fallen second fiddle to Adam Armstrong, who has netted 14 goals for the Saints in the Championship, but the Scotland international is having a quietly impressive season himself, scoring eight goals and providing two assists in just 12 starts.

The table below shows a handful of Adams’ statistics from this season and how he compares to his positional peers in the Championship.

Palace are in desperate need of a striker who can reliably score goals, as Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Phillipe Mateta have only scored eight between them in the Premier League this season. As you can see by his goals-per-game ratio and goals per shot, Adams would serve as a solution to that problem and provide that as a minimum.

With Eze’s creativity, the signing of Adams would give him a target to hit in the box or look for in deeper areas, in turn improving the Eagles' attacking patterns and the number ten’s output.

Football analyst Statman Dave has labelled Adams a “technical striker,” and based on his passing statistics, it is difficult to disagree. Eze was Palace’s biggest goal threat last campaign, and the ability to link up with Adams in and around the box with quick combinations would allow him to be much more direct, therefore increasing his number of chances to score.

In short, Adams is a bargain for £6m, and Palace would be extremely lucky to find someone of his quality for that little anywhere else. Not only would the Saints attacker fix their lack of goals, but he would also make those around him better, which makes this transfer a no-brainer.

The tournament has already undergone revamps in its first three years, and there are more changes afoot

Barny Read22-Nov-2019In just its third edition of its existence, it is fair to say the Abu Dhabi T10 is still a work in progress. As a result, there are still tweaks to be made, issues to be ironed out and a lot of trials to be carried out.From being a four-day, round-robin format played out between six franchises in its inaugural edition, the tournament went from 13 matches to 29 the following season as it welcomed two new teams into the fold. That second season stretched the competition to 12 days and while the same structure was retained this year, it has found a ten-day slot in its new home in the UAE capital.The Super League stage has remained in place, but with every team playing each other bar their opposite number in the other group (for example, Deccan Gladiators and Maratha Arabians avoided each other in the Super League stage having topped Group A and B respectively and so on), there is little jeopardy as the tournament moves into its second stage.And this existing league structure is something Abu Dhabi T10 owner-cum-chairman Shaji ul Mulk says he and his team plan to address after Sunday’s final.”It’s possible [that the tournament format changes],” Shaji told ESPNcricinfo. “Because we have eight teams, we could be doing seven games a team so that we have a full round-robin. That would probably need us to increase the duration by another two days.”Delhi Bulls captain Eoin Morgan, who has been involved with the tournament since its inception, also sees the potential for adjustments. “There are a couple of things but I don’t have a solution for them yet,” Morgan said. “We’re only in our third year, things will continue to evolve, maybe even more teams still in a shorter space of time.”The group stage has also become a topic for conversation over its lack of tie-breakers, such as a Super Over, to ensure results in every match. They are in place for the knockout matches that begin on Saturday but after two ties this year, their absence has been notable.When you throw in Wednesday’s rain that produced one farce and two no results, the difference between shared points and full points is something that cannot be ignored. And while the rain cannot be helped, other things can be.”We’ve seen two ties already and I think all coaches agree we need to see a result, whatever form that’s in whether it’s a Super Over or how that’s determined,” Team Abu Dhabi coach Trevor Bayliss, whose side was hit by both abandonment and T10’s first-ever tie, told ESPNcricinfo. “A result in every match would be good for everyone involved, not just the players but obviously the fans and the viewers at home as well.”Morgan, like Bayliss, knows the finality of a Super Over more than most after this year’s ODI World Cup final and he would rather a ten-over game had a conclusion. “If we played in a tied game and we ended up a point short the argument is: would you rather have a result than one point each and I’d always err on the side of having a result,” Morgan said.Shaji puts the fast turnaround of games as a reason behind the lack of Super Overs until the qualifiers and final, his argument based on the fact that one of T10’s greatest USP is its 90-minute game-time. When you factor in slots on TV schedules and advertising space, it is no easy thing to balance.”We will be looking at it from next season onwards,” Shaji said. “Now that we’ve had two ties, we will probably consider changing those playing conditions. We want something innovative like two bowlers, three balls each.”One thing the Abu Dhabi T10 will be hoping to sustain is the strong crowds that have turned out so far. The UAE is a notoriously difficult place to pull in supporters despite a cricket-mad diaspora. To combat it this year, organisers invested in buses from across the emirates to provide transport for people that otherwise would have found it difficult to source.The result has been remarkable as evidenced by Friday’s enormous crowd-swell, and Morgan hopes that, in future, the showpiece events are scheduled to tie-in with what is a non-working day for the majority of the country.”You look at the crowd today given that it’s the weekend here and that’s fantastic to see. Probably one of the things would be having the final on a weekend [Friday or Saturday] as opposed to [Sunday]. But it’s still great to see crowds like that today.”

Arsenal are reportedly prepared to cut their losses on a forgotten star, with a €20 million move on the cards.

• Use these three bullet points, five to eight words each
• To summarise the entire story
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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira joined Hamburg on transfer deadline day on a season-long loan, linking up with old team-mate Sambi Lokonga, who signed for the German side permanently hours earlier. Now, Bild claims there is an option to buy the Portuguese for €20m (£17.3m) next year.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  There was a great deal of excitement when Arsenal signed the then 22-year-old in the summer of 2022 for a fee worth up to £34.2m ($46.3m). But he has struggled to make an impact, spent last season on loan at his former team, FC Porto, and now may be sold at a loss by the Gunners.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The report adds that Vieira has joined for an initial loan fee of €400,000 but that can be reduced if he becomes a regular starter for Hamburg. If they kept him long term, the 25-year-old would become the most expensive signing in the club's history.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  There is said to be no pressure on Hamburg to activate this buy option as it runs until mid-May, when the Bundesliga season ends. If recruited, Vieira would sign a four-year deal and Arsenal will retain a sell-on clause between 10-20 per cent.

Matt Rawnsley had only re-joined the club in March 2018

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2019Worcestershire have announced that chief executive Matt Rawnsley has left the club with immediate effect.In a terse statement, the club offered its thanks to Rawnsley and said that the board “wish him every success in the future”.Club chairman Fanos Hira will handle club matters while the position is vacant, while the club’s ‘cricket steering group’ will continue to take control of cricketing affairs.The circumstances of Rawnsley’s departure are unclear, though the club said that further comments would be made “in due course”.Since Rawnsley re-joined the club in March 2018, Worcestershire had won their maiden T20 Blast title in 2018, and again reached the final this season where they suffered a last-ball defeat to Essex.But they only finished eighth in the Championship in 2019 having been tipped by most for a promotion challenge, which represented their worst finish since the introduction of two divisions in 2000.Rawnsley also sat on the board of Birmingham Phoenix – the Edgbaston-based side in the Hundred – and was an advocate of the new competition. It is expected that his successor will replace him in that role too.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have yet to make a signing during the January transfer window, but Gary O’Neil will be desperate to add to his attacking options in the coming weeks.

Sasa Kalajdzic and Fabio Silva have moved elsewhere on loan until the end of the season, whereas Hwang Hee-Chan is representing South Korea at the Asian Cup.

Several names have been linked with a move to Molineux recently, with the latest name is a player who could certainly excite the supporters due to his performances in the Championship – Jack Clarke.

Wolves transfer news – Jack Clarke

According to the Northern Echo, Wolves are interested in signing Clarke this month, although they could face intense competition with up to five other Premier League sides.

Latest Wolves transfer news: £60m Neto claim, exciting replacement eyed

What’s going on at Wolves now the window is finished? Catch the latest news and rumours here…

By
Brogan Clasper

Feb 11, 2024

West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Burnley, Everton and AFC Bournemouth are also monitoring the winger following an impressive few months and O’Neil will have to act swiftly in order to bring him to the Midlands.

These six clubs appear to value him at around £15m, yet prior to Tony Mowbray departing the Black Cats, he said the club "wouldn't even consider" any bids under £20m and this could be the fee Wolves may have to stump up.

The youngster is certainly worth that amount, and he could be ideal for Hwang should he sign for the Old Gold.

Jack Clarke’s season in numbers

The 23-year-old enjoyed a solid season last year, registering 21 goal contributions across 45 Championship matches as Sunderland narrowly missed out on promotion to the big time, and it looks as though he is attempting to atone for this during 2023/24.

So far, Clarke – who was hailed as "unplayable" back in November by pundit Adrian Clarke – has scored 12 goals and grabbed two assists in 26 second-tier matches and this tally ranks him joint fourth in the division.

The “effortless” wizard – as so dubbed by former professional Noel Whelan – also ranks first among the Sunderland squad for goals and assists (14) and big chances created (eight), along with leading the way for key passes per game (2.4) and successful dribbles per game (3.7), suggesting that he would be a wonderful addition to the Wolves side.

Indeed, he would be able to generate plenty of chances for Hwang, who is enjoying one of his most productive spells in the Midlands, scoring 11 times and chipping in with three assists, and the duo would be devastating together.

Clarke tends to operate on either wing, and he could supply Hwang on a regular basis with the chances he craves and, judging by his clinical nature this term, the former RB Leipzig gem will likely tuck them away with ease.

£20m may sound like a lot for a player plying his trade in the second tier, but the numbers don’t lie and Clarke is in outstanding form just now.

A move to the Premier League could elevate these displays to the next level and the chance to play alongside the likes of Hwang and Matheus Cunha will only help him further.

O’Neil has the opportunity to lead the club to a top-half finish and making a move for Clarke would certainly help him in this objective.

Australian batsman re-signs with club he captained in 2019, and several of his compatriots could follow suit with county deals of their own

Matt Roller23-Sep-2019Cameron Bancroft will return to Durham as the club’s overseas player for the 2020 season.Bancroft captained Durham in the County Championship and the Royal London Cup this year, which represented a controversial appointment in the wake of his involvement in Australia’s ball-tampering scandal.But director of cricket Marcus North repeatedly defended the decision, and Bancroft ended up leading the club’s averages in both first-class and List A cricket.He made 726 runs at an average of 45.37 in nine Championship matches, and a further 377 runs at an average of 94.25 in the Royal London Cup.Bancroft will be available for all three formats, though the club is yet to confirm whether or not he will continue as captain.”We are delighted to welcome Cameron back to Emirates Riverside for our 2020 season,” said North.”He has had a huge impact on the field with his leadership and undoubted quality through his performances. Cameron has also had an impact off the field as an ambassador for the club with a number of community projects.”It is expected that several other members of Australia’s Test squad will sign county deals for 2020. Peter Siddle is already on a two-year deal at Essex, while several clubs have enquired about the availability of Nathan Lyon.Australia are not scheduled to play a Test between February and November next year, and many of their internationals are expected to enter into the draft for The Hundred, which starts immediately after their white-ball series in England.

After enjoying an unbeaten run to start Philippe Clement's tenure in fine fashion, Rangers saw all of their progress come to a crashing halt in the Old Firm derby, as Celtic secured all three points to regain the advantage in the Scottish Premiership title race. The Gers must now use the January transfer window to close the gap on their rivals, given that they sit eight points behind with two games in hand.

With that said, reports suggest that Rangers have returned to the Premier League in an attempt to land another addition for Clement. This would follow the arrival of Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Fabio Silva at the start of the month.

Rangers transfer news

It remains to be seen whether Silva will discover his goalscoring touch at Ibrox, but if he does then Rangers will have themselves one of the smartest deals of the January window. The forward may not be their only reinforcement arriving from England's top flight, either, with the Scottish giants reportedly dipping back into the Premier League to potentially sign Liverpool's Owen Beck.

Clement could finally replace Kent in Rangers swoop for £2.5m wizard

The Gers are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the talented winger this month.

By
Dan Emery

Jan 3, 2024

According to Simon Jones of The Daily Mail, via Ibrox News, Rangers have made an approach to sign Liverpool youngster Beck this month. Liverpool have reportedly already turned down any attempt to land the left-back from Ibrox chiefs, however, as they aim to use Beck as cover for the injured Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas.

The full-back has just been recalled from Scottish Premiership side Dundee but looks unlikely to make a return to the league through a move to Ibrox this month. With Borna Barisic out of contract in the summer and Ridvan Yilmaz struggling to make the left-back spot his own, Rangers must now seek a reinforcement from elsewhere, having reportedly been turned down by Liverpool.

"Popular" Beck would be perfect for Clement

After making 17 appearances in the Scottish Premiership for Dundee this season, Beck would have had no trouble slotting straight into the current Rangers side, making Liverpool's reported rejection all the more frustrating. At 21-years-old, the full-back is only likely to improve too, which would have given Clement a permanent solution to his left-back woes. Now, however, the former AS Monaco boss must continue his search before the end of the transfer window.

It's no real surprise that Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have decided to keep hold of Beck, given the praise he earned whilst out on loan at Dundee. Among those with plenty of positives to say has been Tony Docherty, who said back in October via The Courier: “Owen is doing exceptionally well and with international recognition as well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if people are talking about him. But he’s such a grounded boy and is very popular here.

"I think he enjoys playing here – the football side of it and the camaraderie in the dressing-room as well. We’ll just keep his feet on the ground and he’ll, hopefully, keep performing the way he’s performing. That level of consistency will attract attention.”