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As they continue to fight for their place in the Championship, Stoke City have reportedly sent scouts to watch a young striker in action ahead of a potential summer swoop.

Stoke transfer news

The Potters are walking a fine line in England’s second tier, sitting just six points clear of the dropzone albeit with one game in hand on the bottom three. Recent form does at least make for positive reading, however, with a 3-1 victory over fellow strugglers Swansea City last time out giving them some much-needed breathing room.

Up against Norwich City this weekend in what was once a Premier League fixture, Mark Robins will be desperate to see his side once again pick up all three points and take another key step towards safety.

Meanwhile, those at the Bet365 Stadium have also seemingly commenced their search for summer reinforcements. In what will be their first full season with Robins in charge, they’ll hope to see the former Coventry City boss take Stoke back into the top half and may even hand him a future star in pursuit of that.

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, Stoke have now sent scouts to watch Charlie Warren and are among a handful of EFL clubs now plotting a move to sign the Felixtowe & Walton forward.

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Still just 20 years old, Warren has been one of the standout players in the Isthmian League North Division so far this season – scoring 27 goals in all competitions and taking his side top of the league on goal difference.

Now, thanks to his form, he could swap the fourth step of non-league football for the chance to play in the Championship if Stoke come calling.

"Great" Warren could make sensational leap

We’ve seen the likes of Ollie Tanner make the jump from non-league football to the Championship in recent years to great success, swapping Lewes for Cardiff City last summer. Now, Warren could become the latest to make a sensational, but deserved leap into the EFL.

When asked about the interest in his forward, Felixtowe & Walton manager Stuart Boardley was full of praise for Warren – telling reporters: “Charlie’s had a lot of interest from various EFL clubs. He’s under contract with us, but we won’t stand in the way of him fulfilling his potential.

He’s really good technically and physically very able. He’s turned into a man over the past couple of years and this season has been his big break out. He’s been incredible for us, is a great lad and, even though we’ve not received any concrete offers yet, we’re resigned to losing him.

“I’ve got no doubt he’ll go on to have a good professional career. My only surprise is that none of the local clubs – Ipswich, Colchester, Norwich, Cambridge – haven’t had a look.”

Whether it’s at Stoke or elsewhere, Warren looks destined to complete quite the step from non-league all the way to the EFL this summer.

تحدث جاريث بايلي، السفير البريطاني في مصر، عن النجم المصري محمد صلاح، لاعب فريق ليفربول، خلال حواره مع قناة “أون تايم سبورتس” الفضائية المصرية.

وتوج محمد صلاح، مساء يوم الأحد، بجائزتي هداف وصانع ألعاب موسم 2024/25 من الدوري الإنجليزي.

وتصدر محمد صلاح قائمة هدافي الموسم من الدوري الإنجليزي برصيد 29 هدفًا، في حين صنع 18 هدفًا.

وقال جاريث بايلي، في تصريحاته: “أنا مُعجب بـ محمد صلاح لأنه ايقونة ونموذج للشباب، كل الشباب البريطانيين يحبونه، أنا أحبه وفي انتظاره هنا في مصر”.

وأضاف: “هناك سفير مصري في لندن، وهو شريف كامل، وأنا سفير إنجلترا في مصر، ولكن محمد صلاح سفير أعلى منّا، مثل الكوبري بين الشعبين، هو نموذج”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. إيان راش: أردت محمد صلاح زميلاً لي في ليفربول.. وقد يُحطم رقمي القياسي

وواصل: “فاز بجائزة افضل لاعب (في إنجلترا من جانب رابطة الكتاب) لأنه عبقري ومتواضع ونادر من نوعه، نحبه ونحترمه، نحن ممتنون جدًا له، كما قلت، إنه كوبري للتواصل بين الشعبين”.

وأردف: “الشخصية المصرية بشكل عام عندها الانتماء، ولذلك لم يكن عندي شك في أن محمد صلاح سيترك ليفربول، بالتأكيد كان يمتلك عروضًا ولكنه عنده مشروع وأظن إنه يرى نفسه مع ليفربول كجزء لا يتجزأ من العائلة، المتابعون يعرفون أنه ليس عاديًا، إنه عبقري”.

واستكمل: “اسم مو صلاح على لسان كل الشباب في بريطانيا، إذا سألت أي شخص مصري وقلت له ماذا تعرف في إنجلترا سيقول ليفربول ومحمد صلاح، والعكس في إنجلترا، كثيرًا من المشجعين في المدرجات في ليفربول يرفعون علم مصر، لأنهم يعرفون أن صلاح ابن مصر”.

واختتم: “للأسف لم أقابل محمد صلاح، العلاقة عبر الواتساب فقط ويرد، لأنه رجل محترم جدًا رغم مئات من الناس الذين يرسلون له”.

Anil Kumble’s stint as head coach at Punjab Kings has come to an end after the franchise decided not to renew his contract.The decision to let Kumble go was taken by a board comprising multiple owners, including Bollywood actor Preity Zinta, industrialists Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia and Karan Paul and Kings’ chief executive officer Satish Menon. It is learnt that they are on the lookout for a new coach, who will be announced soon.Kumble joined Kings in 2020. In all three of the seasons that he was in charge of the team, they finished in the lower half of the IPL points table: sixth in both 2020 and 2021 when the league comprised eight teams, and sixth in 2022 when it expanded to a ten-team tournament.At the time, Kumble was the fifth coach Kings had appointed in five seasons after Sanjay Bangar (2014-16), Virender Sehwag (2017), Brad Hodge (2018) and Mike Hesson (2019).ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In 2020, Kumble was the only Indian head coach in IPL. Kings were the third IPL team he had worked with after his playing days, having earlier served as mentor for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. This was before he took the job of India head coach for a year in 2016.However, being at the helm of the Kings franchise whether as a captain or a coach, has never been an easy experience. Kumble, for example, was in charge of 42 matches. Kings won 19 and lost 23 under him. That is the second worst win-loss ratio for any team in IPL since 2020, only behind Sunrirsers Hyderabad.One of the original eight teams in the IPL, Kings – erstwhile called Kings XI Punjab – have made the play-offs only twice, including an appearance in the final in 2014.Constant chopping and changing of captains and coaches has hurt the franchise despite assembling a well-rounded squad at the 2022 auction. The big buys included the England pair of Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow, South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, senior India batter Shikar Dhawan, and West Indies bowling allrounder Odean Smith.Ahead of the auction, Kings had retained the Indian pair of Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh.While Arshdeep’s skills and consistency made headlines during the tournament, and earned him a place in the national side, Agarwal struggled badly. Appointed as Kings’ captain last season, he managed only 196 runs at an average of 16.33 and a strike rate of 122.5. This performance was in complete contrast to the way he played in three previous IPLs. In 2019, Agarwal scored 332 runs at a strike rate of 141.88; in 2020, he got 424 runs at 156.45 and in 2021, he made 441 runs at 140.44.ESPNcricinfo experts Ravi Shastri and Daniel Vettori believed the question of whether or not to retain Agarwal as captain would be on top of the review list for Kings ahead of the 2023 season. Shastri felt that the added responsibility had an adverse effect on Agarwal’s output as a batter, which in turn resulted in his missing out on being selected to the Indian team for a T20I series against South Africa in June immediately after the IPL.Kings have refuted media reports quoting unnamed franchise officials speculating about Agarwal’s future as captain. It has been learnt that a final call on the matter will be taken by the new head coach.

Sunderland fans couldn’t believe their eyes when travelling to Burnley last time out as Wilson Isidor amazingly missed two penalties to keep the game at a 0-0 stalemate.

The unfortunate Frenchman would have wanted the ground to swallow him up at full-time, with James Trafford’s expert second denial coming right at the death resigning the Black Cats to an unsatisfactory share of the points.

It’s been no well-kept secret that the Wearside outfit have been looking at attacking reinforcements this January to try and take the pressure off of Isidor’s shoulders, but it looks as if Tom Cannon – who has been linked with the Stadium of Light – will be joining another team near the top of the Championship over Regis Le Bris’ men.

Sunderland's pursuit of Tom Cannon

It now looks likely that the ex-Stoke City loanee will be calling Sheffield United home over relocating to the Stadium of Light, with Chris Wilder confirming recently that the Blades remain in talks to bring the potent 22-year-old in before the transfer window slams shut.

With the South Yorkshire side also welcoming Ben Brereton Diaz back through the door recently, it’s clear that Sunderland’s rivals are bolstering their attacking ranks to try and gain an advantage in the heated promotion race.

But, with Isidor usually firing on all cylinders away from his notable off-day in Lancashire, the Black Cats do have an attacker already at the club that can be relied upon when games become tougher, with this academy starlet perhaps edging closer to some senior action soon to give the 24-year-old some healthy competition.

The Sunderland starlet who could be their own Cannon

Away from his horror show against the Clarets, Isidor is up to eight strikes for his promotion-chasing side in league action, with two strikes on the spin coming his way in the Championship before his damaging evening at Burnley.

But, he doesn’t really have any other strikers breathing down his neck trying to take his first-team spot off him, with Sunderland youngster Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi perhaps the fresh talent that Le Bris could look to up top when opposition defences are visibly tiring.

After all, Cannon first began to make a name for himself as a deadly goal machine playing in the Everton youth structure before going on to score nine times this season for the Potters, with a devastating 51 strikes managed for the Toffees at both U18 and U21 level.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

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Samuel-Ogunsuyi is starting to garner a similar reputation for being a sharpshooter in the Sunderland academy, with football talent scout Antonio Mango even labelling the teenage sensation as a “super talent” off the back of his goalscoring exploits.

Samuel-Ogunsuyi’s numbers at youth level vs Cannon

Stat

Samuel-Ogunsuyi

Cannon

Games

43

97

Goals scored

18

51

Assists

2

14

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Whilst his numbers do pale in comparison to Cannon’s at a youth level so far, there is plenty to be encouraged by when looking at the 18-year-old’s golden streak of form this season alone, with the exciting Belgian helping himself to a mightily impressive nine strikes from nine games for 2024/25/

He has won himself a spot on the substitutes bench by Le Bris many a time this season in the Championship subsequently, alongside also reportedly being looked at by Liverpool.

The ex-Lorient manager could, therefore, be willing to give him more minutes to truly impress knowing that fellow academy product Tom Watson has been a revelation in the men’s team when selected.

Watson had two goals next to his name from six Championship starts when fit, with Samuel-Ogunsuyi potentially the next off the conveyer belt to star in the main set-up.

After all, if he was to a rip-roaring success, Sunderland would save a lot of cash with the Blades preparing to splash out £10m to land Cannon. Whilst, with Samuel-Ogunsuyi, they would be smug that another homegrown ace had been unearthed.

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Posts ByStephan Georgiou Feb 3, 2025

Northamptonshire seamers keep it tight at start of Warwickshire reply

ECB Reporters Network27-Jun-2022

Oliver Hannon-Dalby finished with a four-wicket haul•Getty Images

Oliver Hannon-Dalby celebrated 250 career first-class wickets as he ran through Northamptonshire’s lower order on day two of this LV= Insurance County Championship game at Northampton.In a miserly four-over spell, Hannon-Dalby claimed four victims for just five runs as Northamptonshire added 31 runs to their overnight total to close on 451 all out. The 33-year-old-seamer is now the second leading wicket-taker in Division One with 29 scalps, just behind Keith Barker’s 32.But despite his efforts Warwickshire still face a tough task in this game after some highly disciplined Northamptonshire bowling restricted scoring to just 1.8 an over with only two boundaries coming in the first 25 overs of the visitors’ reply.Alex Davies looked to regain the initiative with some lusty blows but Jack White soon ended the resistance when he trapped him leg before for 31. Dom Sibley was still there at the close unbeaten on 30 as Warwickshire ended the day on 71 for 1, still a mammoth 380 behind.Play did not start until 3.10pm after heavy rain but Hannon-Dalby struck immediately with the second ball of the day. Tom Taylor became his 250th victim when he was caught behind playing an expansive shot.In his next over Hannon-Dalby picked up Lewis McManus in similar fashion, to give Warwickshire keeper Michael Burgess his 100th career dismissal.Ben Sanderson was greeted with some short stuff from Nathan McAndrew but responded by hooking him twice to the boundary and then punching him through the covers for four more before he edged Hannon-Dalby to Sibley at first slip.Simon Kerrigan, who was struck on the helmet trying to take evasive action to a short ball from McAndrew, hit the same bowler through midwicket and cover to take Northamptonshire past 450. But Hannon-Dalby ended proceedings soon afterwards by knocking White’s stumps out of the ground.Northamptonshire’s seamers Sanderson, White, Taylor and Luke Procter found plenty of movement on offer to beat the bat and keep openers Davies and Sibley contained. There were few signs of aggression and any attempts to find the boundary were hampered by some ill-timed shots. Just two balls crossed the ropes in the first 25 overs with Northamptonshire turning the screw further with four consecutive maidens.Davies had a reprieve when he offered a sharp return catch but Taylor could not quite hold on in his follow-through. Davies started to find his groove against Procter, dispatching him for three boundaries in two overs including an imperious drive down the ground, before White trapped him lbw for 31 with Warwickshire on 53 for 1 in the 28th over.Chris Benjamin nicked his first ball from White but the ball bounced just in front of first slip. He remained 8 not out with Sibley as the day ended in bright sunshine.

A £200,000-a-week Chelsea player is now certain to leave the club during the January transfer window, according to a report.

Chelsea expecting a quiet January

The Blues are not expected to be particularly busy this month, having spent big in almost every other transfer window under Todd Boehly, but there could be a couple of departures to raise funds for their summer business.

One player who could be shown the exit door is Carney Chukwuemeka, with the midfielder failing to force his way into Enzo Maresca’s plans, and he has now been identified as a potential target by former club Aston Villa.

There is a £40m release clause in Chukwuemeka’s contract, which Chelsea are referring to, although Villa are currently unwilling to match that figure.

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The 21-year-old is not the only midfielder who could depart this winter, with Cesare Casadei also potentially on his way out, having been picked out as a target for a number of clubs in the Serie A.

As many as five Blues players could be set to leave the club this winter, and Sky Sports have now dropped an update on the future of Ben Chilwell, who has found it extremely difficult to force his way into the team this season.

Sky Sports report that Chilwell is certain to leave the club this month, having been frozen out of the squad, failing to even make the bench for all of Chelsea’s Premier League games.

The left-back has received just 45 minutes of game time in all competitions, with that coming in an EFL Cup tie against Barrow way back in September, and his time at the club is now coming to an end.

Correct decision for all parties

Chilwell was a regular starter for the Blues at one point in time, but they have clearly been unaffected by his absence from the squad so far this season, given that they are in a strong position to return to the Champions League.

That does not mean the Englishman is a bad player, and he could flourish at another Premier League club, having once been lauded by Frank Lampard for his impressive performances in a Chelsea shirt:

However, the 28-year-old is now at a stage of his career where he needs to be playing regular first-team football, and that is clearly not going to be the case at Stamford Bridge, given that Marc Cucurella has made the left-back spot his own this season.

Chilwell is one of the highest earners in the squad, raking in £200k-per-week, and selling him this January will free up funds for Maresca to strengthen other areas of his squad.

Despite not losing a game for over a month, Arsenal are enduring something of a slump at the moment.

Mikel Arteta’s side have drawn their last two Premier League encounters and now sit six points behind leaders Liverpool.

While there have been a myriad of issues and setbacks for the Gunners this season, it would be fair to say that their underwhelming attack has been the most significant concern.

Games

16

6

2

Wins

8

4

2

Draw

6

1

0

Losses

2

1

0

Goals Scored

29

11

8

Goals Conceded

15

2

1

Points

30

13

N/A

Position

3rd

3rd

N/A

Specifically, Gabriel Martinelli has continued his poor form off the left from last season, so recent reports linking the club with a sensational upgrade should leave fans excited.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are one of several teams interested in signing Barcelona star Raphinha.

In fact, the report has revealed that the Gunners have already ‘expressed a formal interest in the Brazilian’ while fellow Premier League sides Liverpool and Manchester City consider the winger to be ‘an ideal option to enrich their offensive schemes.’

Interestingly, while the Catalan club do not wish to sell the 28-year-old, the report claims financial constraints and the need to register Dani Olmo could represent an opportunity for interested parties, and while no price is mentioned in the story, reports from last month claimed an offer in the region of €90m – £74m – would tempt Barça into selling.

It would be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Raphinha’s incredible ability, it’s worth pursuing, especially as he’d be a dream upgrade on Martinelli.

How Raphinha compares to Martinelli

So, if Arsenal can get ahead of the competition and offer Barcelona enough money to secure Raphinha’s services next year, it seems unfathomable that he’d join the club and sit on the bench.

Therefore, he’d be in direct competition with Martinelli for a starting place off the left – where he’s primarily played this season – but how do the pair stack up against one another?

Well, from an output perspective, there is no competition at all, as the Barça ace has scored a staggering 17 goals and provided ten assists in just 24 appearances thus far, which lends credence to journalist Dougie Critchley’s claim that he’s “been Europe’s best player in 24/25.

In contrast, the Arsenal ace has scored just four goals and provided two assists in 22 games, meaning he’s averaging 0.27 goal involvements per match while his compatriot is averaging 1.12 goal involvements per game.

Okay, what about their underlying numbers then? Is the comparison just as one-sided when we look under the hood?

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

1.12

0.50

Actual Non-Penalty G+As

1.10

0.38

Progressive Carries

3.52

5.20

Progressive Passes

5.11

1.87

Shots

3.52

1.76

Shots on Target

1.37

0.88

Key Passes

3.52

1.73

Passes into the Penalty Area

2.10

1.40

Shot-Creating Actions

6.08

2.67

Goal-Creating Actions

0.91

0.13

Successful Take-Ons

1.60

1.60

Indeed, it is, as in practically every relevant metric, the former Leeds United ace comes out on top, metrics including but not limited to non-penalty expected and actual goals plus assists, shot and shots on target, key and progressive passes and shot and goal-creating actions, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Martinelli is still capable of brilliance here and there, Raphinha is clearly on another level entirely, and if he was able to reproduce even half of his output for Arsenal, they’d undoubtedly catch Liverpool in the Premier League.

Therefore, while it will cost them an arm and a leg, the Gunners must do all they can to sign the Barça star as soon as possible.

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Craig Overton, Josh Davey, Lewis Gregory claim two each against floundering Warwickshire

Paul Edwards29-Apr-2022
No county’s home is woven more lovingly into its immediate environment than the County Ground. Even those of us who already knew this so well are surprised by the intimacy of the place and the gentle intensity with which the game is followed here. The Wickets remains the best café on the circuit and this morning Em and Barbs were providing their customers with bowls of porridge or massive bacon barms while still finding time to ask why Peter Siddle isn’t playing. The regulars joked with them and agreed that it had been a good first day for Somerset although wasn’t it about time an’ all. On the walls, signed shirts evoked Somerset’s past, present and perhaps its future, too: Marcus Trescothick, Jack Brooks, Tom Abell.So imagine the conversations tomorrow morning when the locals reflect on a second day that Somerset dominated, first by making 458, in their own eccentric style, of course, and then by reducing Warwickshire to 197 for 9 with Craig Overton’s dismissal of Nathan McAndrew for 47 a few overs before the close topping things off very happily. The follow-on looms for Warwickshire and Somerset’s first victory of the season late on Saturday would be something to celebrate, a triumph to be shared with cricketers that the people of Taunton know, much as they know their butcher, their grocer or their children’s teacher. How many county clubs can claim a comparable affinity?Somerset’s players, you see, are more than names on shirts and have always been so. Before a match or on a training day you might see them strolling into town on an errand. The club’s business connections are more likely to be made with local companies than multi-national airlines. Even the ground sponsors, Cooper Associates, are based just across the way in James Street.On the excellent live stream this morning they mentioned the 85th birthday of Terry Barwell, who played 44 first-class matches for the county, almost all of them in the sixties, when a team featuring Bill Alley, Mervyn Kitchen and other solid citizens more than held its own in an age that suddenly seems almost medieval in its remoteness. In those summers Somerset’s players had to take care not to get splinters in their feet from the old pavilion’s wooden floor.Which is not to say that Somerset’s current cricket is in want of eccentricity. They still take the long route to most winning posts, something in evidence this morning when they lost four wickets lickety-split. Andrew Caddick, a player from a later generation than Barwell and Kitchen but whose strike rate was often impressive on this ground, arrived in the press box and watched three wickets fall in four balls, all of them bowled.Related

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Craig Miles jagged a couple in, one to Tom Banton, who didn’t attempt a stroke, and another to Overton, who jabbed forward but left a gate open. Next over, Lewis Gregory’s loose drive gave Oliver Hannon-Dalby his fourth wicket and Somerset were eight down. Immediately, the gloom-junkies wondered whether 373 was anything like enough, but Josh Davey and Jack Leach showed good sense in adding 44 for the ninth wicket and Brooks showed a good eye in clouting 32, thereby delaying lunch.Someday, a statistician, probably Andrew Samson, will work out the impact of last-wicket stands on openers. Somerset’s eighth wicket fell at 11.40, at which time Alex Davies and Dominic Sibley probably began their mental preparations for beginning Warwickshire’s innings. But it was another hour before the ninth wicket fell and a further 30 minutes before Brooks’ cheery assault was ended. Then we had lunch and so it was not until 1.50 that Davies and Sibley marched out with their pads on.Too much can be made of such relatively simple analyses. “Post hoc ergo propter hoc,” some of you may be saying, and wisely, too. Warwickshire’s loss of four wickets inside the first 20 overs of their innings owed more to the bravery and excellence of Somerset’s bowlers than the top order’s mental fragility. Brooks tested Davies with a couple of short ones and was hooked; he pitched it up and had his man caught at slip by Overton. Four overs later Davey replaced Brooks and had Sibley leg before in his first over, although the batter perhaps thought the ball was tailing down leg. Rob Yates followed ten minutes later when he inside-edged Davey onto his pad and Overton swooped from third slip.This was turning into one of those unexpectedly glorious afternoons for Somerset supporters and their delight was deepened when Will Rhodes’ ugly and barely describable aborted pull off Gregory shovelled a catch to Lammonby to mid-on. All the dismissed batsmen had hit boundaries but Abell posted at least two slips all afternoon and Matt Lamb nicked a catch to the second of them, Matt Renshaw. Michael Burgess replaced him and someone noted that the Warwickshire keeper had made 348 runs in his two innings this season. Another fair point but a bowler’s target is his opponent in pads rather than his statistics or his reputation. Burgess nicked Overton to Steve Davies and Warwickshire took tea on 92 for 6.The evening session could barely have gone any worse than the afternoon for the champions but it still began badly when Danny Briggs was leg before wicket to Jack Leach’s fourth ball of the day. That brought McAndrew out to join Sam Hain, who had been exhibiting the self-denial which Jonathan Trott, his mentor and current coach, probably admires. The pair added 76 and the balance of the day was shifting a little when Abell brought himself on at the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End and had the Warwickshire batsman caught behind for 54. Abell leapt high with delight and if they had been capable of such athletic larks, one or two spectators would have joined him. As it was, they joined him in spirit and Abell, who is much-loved down here, probably felt their pleasure. It is the Somerset way.

Glasgow Rangers have a two-week break in the last international window of the year to reflect on the season so far and how they can improve in the months to come.

Philippe Clement will surely have mixed feelings about how his side have performed throughout the 2024/25 campaign, as the Light Blues have been miles off the pace in the Scottish Premiership.

The Gers have already lost three games and dropped points in four of their ten games, which has left them in third place and nine points behind Aberdeen and Celtic in the table.

They also failed to qualify for the Champions League, losing to Dynamo Kyiv, and are currently competing in the league phase of the Europa League.

The Scottish giants have had success in the League Cup, however, as they secured their place in the final with a 2-1 win over Motherwell in the semi-finals at Hampden Park.

Clement and head of recruitment Nils Koppen have less than two months to prepare for the upcoming January transfer window, and could use it to bolster the squad and improve the team’s chances of having a successful second half of the season.

Rangers eyeing wing wizard

In fact, the Ibrox chiefs are already reportedly looking at new players who could come in to add to the manager’s options across the pitch in January.

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Rangers are interested in Peterborough’s Kwame Poku and are one of a number of clubs in the race to land his signature.

The report claims that the Scottish giants have sent scouts to watch the Ghana international in action in League One in England this season, but they are far from the only team to have done so.

It states that Premier League duo Southampton and Ipswich Town, who are both battling relegation this season, and Championship side Burnley have also been keeping tabs on the forward ahead of a potential swoop for his services in the January window.

The Boot Room adds that the 23-year-old winger is also out of contract at the end of the season, which means that Peterborough are in a difficult position where they cannot demand a huge sum of money for his signature, as he could leave for nothing next summer.

Rangers also have an advantage over Southampton, Ipswich, and Burnley as – due to being a team outside of England – they can agree a pre-contract agreement with Poku from January onwards, whereas the English sides have to wait until the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

Transfer Focus

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

Clement and Koppen must, now, take advantage of this and strike a deal for the young whiz, whether that is in January or next summer, as he could arrive at Ibrox as an upgrade on current right-sided flanker Vaclav Cerny.

Vaclav Cerny's form this season

The Light Blues swooped to sign the Czechia international on a season-long loan from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg during the summer transfer window.

Cerny has enjoyed a relatively strong start to life at Ibrox, despite reacting emotionally to supporter frustration against Hibernian earlier this term, and has contributed with six goals and five assists in 18 appearances across all competitions.

His form in the league phase of the Europa League has been particularly impressive. The left-footed winger has produced two goals and two assists in four starts in the competition, including two goals and an assist in the 4-0 win over FCSB.

Cerny has, however, had mixed success with his performances in the Premiership for the Light Blues, with struggles out of possession and moments of quality on the ball.

Appearances

9

Goals

4

Big chances created

2

Assists

1

Tackles + interceptions per game

0.8

Duel success rate

28%

As you can see in the table above, the 27-year-old ace has contributed with five direct goal involvements in nine appearances, which is more than one every other game on average.

This shows that, even though he has not been an outstanding creative threat, the Wolfsburg loanee has made a big impact at the top end of the pitch.

However, his duel success rate of 28% and his failure to average even one tackle and interception combined per game shows that the winger has struggled badly out of possession, as he has not offered much defensively and has been dominated by opposition players in physical battles.

Why Kwame Poku would be an upgrade on Vaclav Cerny

The Light Blues must now swoop to sign Poku from Peterborough as the 23-year-old star has the potential to offer more in and out of possession in comparison to Cerny.

Journalist Josh Bunting once hailed his work rate as “immense” and that is backed up by his 1.7 tackles and interceptions per game in League One this season, more than twice as many as Cerny’s per match.

The Ghana international has also won 47% of his duels, winning 5.7 duels per game, which shows that he fares far better than the Rangers man in physical contests, and these statistics suggest that the youngster would be a significant upgrade on the wing from a physical and defensive perspective.

Poku’s attacking displays for Peterborough in the 2024/25 campaign also suggest that the potential is there for him to be an upgrade on Cerny in the final third for the Scottish giants.

Appearances

15

9

Goals

10

4

Big chances missed

1

1

Big chances created

5

2

Assists

5

1

Dribbles completed per game

2.0

1.2

As you can see in the table above, the current Rangers forward would need to score six goals and provide four assists in his next six Premiership games to equal Poku’s return for the Posh.

The Peterborough star, who scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in the 2023/24 campaign, has also produced two assists in two games in the FA Cup and EFL Trophy combined, taking his tally to ten goals and seven assists in 17 games.

If he can carry that kind of form over to Scotland then Clement could have a ready-made upgrade on Cerny to take over from the loanee when he returns to Wolfsburg at the end of the season.

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A club are struggling to tie down their star player who has been called the “perfect” forward for Arsenal, and it is believed the Gunners are among the sides who could look to take advantage of this situation in 2025.

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Their hopes of a first Premier League title in 21 years have faded quite dramatically in the last month, with Arsenal failing to win a single league game since their 3-1 victory over Southampton in early October.

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This disappointing run of form has left them nine points behind league leaders Liverpool, and despite it still being quite early in the campaign, that is a huge gap to overcome against a Reds side who look near-unbeatable right now.

Nottingham Forest (home)

November 23

West Ham United (away)

November 30

Man United (home)

December 4

Fulham (away)

December 8

Everton (home)

December 14

Arsenal were widely tipped to clinch the title after two successive seasons falling short behind long-reigning English dominators Man City, but it appears Arne Slot’s Liverpool are in pole position to upset the apple-cart and loosen Pep Guardiola’s stranglehold on the trophy.

Amidst their concerning on-field run of form, Arteta must also contend with the loss of influential sporting director Edu Gaspar, who left his post last Monday. Edu was responsible for overseeing the club’s rebuild, leading the charge for a host of key signings, and now interim director Jason Ayto must lead Arsenal’s pursuit of a new forward for the time being.

Indeed, after missing out on a striker in the summer, there is a belief that Arsenal are keen to sign a centre-forward who can relieve the pressure off Kai Havertz’s shoulders.

Gabriel Jesus hasn’t exactly been firing on all cylinders this season, and there are growing concerns over the £265,000-per-week Brazilian’s suitability to lead Arsenal’s forward line.

This has resulted in speculation that Arsenal have made contact over Victor Osimhen, a player they’ve long been linked with, while another high-profile striker in Viktor Gyokeres is said to be on Arteta’s radar as well.

Newcastle struggling to seal new Isak deal as Arsenal eye move

Meanwhile, Newcastle United star Alexander Isak has been sporadically linked throughout 2024 as well. The Sweden international has just hit a rich vein of form, scoring in each of Newcastle’s last four games in all competitions, but Eddie Howe’s side are encountering “hurdles” in talks over a new deal.

That is according to The Boot Room, who also state that Isak’s camp have been left “shocked” over Newcastle’s stance on a new contract for the 25-year-old. They also write that Arsenal remain interested in Isak as Newcastle struggle to agree an extension, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City among his other prestigious suitors.

Isak’s Premier League pedigree and proven top level goalscoring is a real temptation for Arsenal to spend what needs to be big money on the former Real Sociedad star, with journalist Charles Watts also calling him the “perfect” striker for Arteta.