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Venkatesh Prasad reiterates his commitment to bringing big-ticket cricket back to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru

Shashank Kishore08-Dec-2025Venkatesh Prasad, the former India seamer, has been elected president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). Sujith Somasunder, who played two ODIs in 1996 and was until recently head of education at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, is the vice-president.Prasad, who received unanimous backing from former colleagues Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath among others, defeated his rival KN Shanth Kumar by a 749-558 margin. Flanked by his team members, Prasad reiterated his commitment to work with the state government to restore “Chinnaswamy’s lost glory”.”First and foremost, this is a victory for the sport of cricket,” Prasad said. “Secondly, this is a victory for all the members who wanted a change, all the people who wanted international cricket to come back to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.”Related

Probe panel deems Chinnaswamy 'unsafe' for large-scale events

The venue hasn’t hosted a big-ticket game since a stampede outside the premises claimed 11 lives during a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL victory party on June 4. Since then, the KSCA has been a no-go for cricket in Bengaluru, with the BCCI preferring to host the Duleep Trophy and ‘A’ series between India and South Africa at the Centre of Excellence.The M Chinnaswamy Stadium was scheduled to host five women’s ODI World Cup games, including the final. But they had to be moved out after the previous KSCA dispensation, which was operating without a treasurer and secretary, who had resigned on moral grounds after the stampede, failed to obtain the necessary clearances from the state government.KSCA subsequently ran into trouble with the state’s electricity suppliers over fire-safety compliances, which led to power supply to the venue being cut-off. Power has since been restored after a fire-safety audit that said KSCA was in compliance with regulations.Prasad has now instructed his team to study the other possible changes they can implement by studying the findings of the Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission, appointed by the Karnataka government in the aftermath of the stampede.DK Shivakumar casts his vote at the KSCA elections•PTI In its report in July, the commission had stated that the stadium’s “design and structure” were inherently “unsuitable and unsafe” for mass gatherings. It warned that continuing to hold high-attendance events at the venue would pose “unacceptable risks to public safety, urban mobility, and emergency preparedness”.On Sunday, Karnataka’s deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, a KSCA life-member and among the early voters, vowed to bring the IPL back to the Chinnaswamy.”I’m a cricket lover,” he said. We will ensure that the accident in Karnataka does not happen again and hold cricket events at Chinnaswamy Stadium in a manner that upholds the honour of Bengaluru. We will not shift the IPL elsewhere and will continue to hold it here at Chinnaswamy Stadium. This is the pride of Bengaluru and Karnataka, which we will retain.”Prasad joins a small group of former India players currently in cricket administration. Recently, Mithun Mahnas, the former Delhi captain and a cricket administrator in Jammu & Kashmir, was elected BCCI president, while Sourav Ganguly, Prasad’s former India colleague and captain, was unanimously elected as president of Cricket Association of Bengal. Saurabh Tiwary and Shahbaz Nadeem, who also had brief India careers along with a strong body of work in domestic cricket, have entered cricket administration in Jharkhand in positions of authority.

India batter KL Rahul will captain the side in the three ODIs against South Africa starting on November 30. Rahul steps in with regular captain Shubman Gill still recovering from the neck injury he suffered during the first Test in Kolkata earlier this month.Rishabh Pant was back in ODI mix as the second wicketkeeper, having last played the format in August 2024. Jasprit Bumrah was rested having featured in all four home Tests this season, the T20 Asia Cup as well as the ODIs in Australia over the past two months. Shreyas Iyer too wasn’t in the squad as he continues to recover from a lacerated spleen.With Shreyas unavailable, a middle-order spot opened up for Tilak Varma, the left-hand batter, who featured in a recent one-day series against South Africa A in Rajkot.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Tilak has so far played four ODIs with modest returns, but has established himself as a regular in the T20I set-up. He could compete with Pant for a spot in the middle order that also has Virat Kohli, Rahul as well as Ravindra Jadeja, who was rested for the Australia ODIs. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar are the other allrounders in the mix. There was no spot for Axar Patel.In Gill’s absence, Yashasvi Jaiswal is expected to open the batting with Rohit Sharma. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was in sparkling form for India A during the one-dayers against South Africa A is the reserve opener. Gaikwad, who last played in an ODI two years ago, made scores of 117, 68* and 25 during India A’s 2-1 series win.Mohammed Siraj has been rested, presumably to manage his workloads after he featured in each of the four home Tests, with Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana as the frontline pace bowlers. The squad also comprises Dhruv Jurel as the back-up middle order batter.Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, is undergoing the final phase of his rehab for a quadriceps injury at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He has been named in Baroda’s squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s that start on November 26, and could play the first three rounds of matches before the selectors take a call on him for the T20I series against South Africa. Hardik, who was part of the Champions Trophy wining squad in March, missed India’s previous ODI assignment due to the injury he picked up during September’s Asia Cup.The three ODIs against South Africa will be played on November 30 in Ranchi, December 3 in Raipur and on December 6 in Visakhapatnam.

India’s ODI squad for South Africa series

Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (capt & wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel

MatériaMais Notícias

A nova comissão técnica do São Paulo, liderada pelo treinador argentino Luis Zubeldía, custará R$ 1 milhão por mês ao Tricolor. A quantia é o dobro em relação ao recebia Thiago Carpini e a sua equipe, mas ainda é inferior ao que Dorival Júnior e os seus auxiliares ganhavam: R$ 1,2 milhão mensais. O comandante do título da Copa do Brasil na temporada passada deixou o clube do Morumbi no início deste ano para assumir a Seleção Brasileira.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSão PauloConheça Luis Zubeldía, o novo técnico do São PauloSão Paulo19/04/2024São PauloSão Paulo fecha contratação do técnico argentino Luis ZubeldíaSão Paulo19/04/2024Fora de CampoEx-São Paulo critica demissão de Carpini e aponta culpados: ‘Cultura do Brasil não vai mudar’Fora de Campo18/04/2024

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Zubeldia é aguardado no Brasil neste sábado (20) e a tendência é que ele chegue acompanhado de um trio de auxiliares: Carlos Gruezo, Lucas Vivas e Maximiliano Cuebras. Os três profissionais estiveram com Luis no último trabalho do treinador, dirigindo a LDU. Na equipe equatoriana, a comissão foi campeã nacional e da Conmebol Sul-Americana em 2023, mas não chegou a um acordo pela permanência nesta temporada.

O intuito de Luis Zubeldía era se transferir para o mercado europeu em 2024, mas o estafe do técnico recebeu apenas contatos de clubes do Oriente Médio, que não agradaram o profissional, que voltou a priorizar ofertas de times sul-americanos. Assim, fechando com o São Paulo em contato feito nesta quinta-feira (18).

continua após a publicidade

O treinador argentino tem acordo firmado com a diretoria do Tricolor. O planejamento é que ele assine o contrato definitivo e seja anunciado assim que chegar em territóriobrasileiro.

Tudo sobre

Luis ZubeldíaSão Paulo

If Leeds United are to collect a much-needed win on their travels next up in the Premier League away at Nottingham Forest, they will need to make sure they have packed their shooting boots.

Indeed, away from scoring three at Molineux back in September, Daniel Farke’s goal-shy Whites have regularly fired blanks on the road this season, with the 3-0 defeat handed to him last time out away at Brighton and Hove Albion only seeing the West Yorkshire outfit register a weak two shots on target.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has definitely frustrated a large volume of his new supporters, already, by regularly spurning opportunities, with five big chances missed in the Premier League this season coming courtesy of the wasteful ex-Everton marksman.

With both Lukas Nmecha and Joel Piroe not exactly banging the door down to take Calvert-Lewin’s starting spot off him, either, Farke could soon be tempted to throw Harry Gray into the senior mix more regularly, as the teenage sensation continues to frighten Premier League 2 defences in West Yorkshire.

Why Harry Gray should be in the first team

Despite only being 17 years of age, Gray has already received some first-team chances here and there, to begin to live up to his well-known family name, which has also seen Archie Gray go on to be a £40m sale to Tottenham Hotspur.

Leeds will hope they can hold on to the blistering number 45 for far longer than they managed with his Premier League-bound brother, though, with Gray perhaps the long-term fix to all their goalscoring woes.

From only 25 games lining up for both the U18s and U21s, Gray has a ridiculous 15 goals next to his name, leading to the England U17 international already being dubbed as “one of England’s best young prospects” by analyst Ben Mattinson.

Of course, he does still have a very long way to go before he’s smashing goals home in the senior picture, with only one senior match under his belt to date.

But, do not be surprised if he’s handed more first-team chances very soon, having also recently penned a new long-term deal to stay put at his boyhood club, particularly if Calvert-Lewin continues to fluff his lines.

Amazingly, Gray isn’t the only goal machine being worked on at Thorp Arch at the moment, as another raw version of the 17-year-old is being brewed behind the scenes to excite Farke.

18-year-old Leeds star can rival Harry Gray

Leeds always seem to have a future talent ready on their conveyor belt, with the likes of Kalvin Phillips also homegrown, before he moved on to Manchester City.

The next starlet set for a big break at Elland Road could well be Lewis Pirie, with the 18-year-old situated in West Yorkshire ever since leaving former boyhood employers Aberdeen behind in 2023 for £200k, which is a wild fee to fork out for a rising star, especially one that was just 16 years of age at the time.

But, much like Gray, Pirie has been turning heads since a very tender age with his unbelievable goalscoring prowess to demand such an investment, with an insane 51 goals managed for club and country during the 2022/23 season, even seeing journalist James Marshment label the Scotsman as “one of the most in-demand young strikers around” when a move was clinched.

He has since slotted into the Leeds academy scene well, too, with his goalscoring promise for the U18s backing up his previous manager Jim Goodwin’s comments that he is a very “exciting” prospect.

Pirie’s Leeds record
Stat	Pirie
Games played	33
Goals scored	7
Assists	1
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Already, the five-time Scotland U17 international has fired home seven goals on the youth pitches in West Yorkshire, with three of those seven efforts coming during his first five breakneck outings for the U18s.

He is yet to get off the mark for the U21s, from just four appearances, but his continued rise up the ranks does bear similarities to Gray’s goal-laden ascent.

All this fresh blood excelling in attack away from the senior set-up will surely worry Calvert-Lewin when it comes to his long-term security, as the 28-year-old prays a purple patch comes his way soon, starting with a decisive strike against Forest on Saturday.

"Highly-rated" Leeds gem could now leave "on a free transfer in January"

Leeds United’s rising young goalkeeper could depart the club within the coming months.

By
James O'Reilly

Nov 5, 2025

Celtic forward Daizen Maeda could be on the move in the January transfer window after it was claimed that he is open to leaving the Scottish giants.

Journalist Graeme Bailey reported earlier this week that the Japan international is “ready to leave” the club, which comes after the Hoops blocked a potential transfer away from Parkhead in the summer.

It remains to be seen how much money the Scottish Premiership champions could rake in for him in January, but he is currently the most valuable member of the squad.

The most valuable players in the Celtic squad

Per Transfermarkt, Maeda is valued at £13m at this moment in time. That is at least £1m more than any other member of the squad, which speaks to how valuable he is to the team.

The Japanese forward scored 33 goals and provided 12 assists in 51 matches in all competitions (Transfermarkt) last term, hence why he is so highly valued and why losing him in January would be a big blow.

Daizen Maeda

£13m

Cameron Carter-Vickers

£12m

Reo Hatate

£11m

Arne Engels

£8.5m

Alistair Johnston

£8m

As you can see in the table above, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, Arne Engels, and Alistair Johnston make up the rest of the top five most valuable players at the club.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

Celtic’s top goalscorer in all competitions, Benjamin Nygren, does not feature within the top five most valuable players, but he could break into that list if he keeps up his current form, as the Hoops already appear to have hit the jackpot with him.

Celtic have hit the jackpot with Benjamin Nygren

The Scottish giants signed the central midfielder from Nordsjaelland for a reported fee of £1.3m in the summer transfer window to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ options out wide and in midfield.

Celtic were able to agree a cut-price deal for the Sweden international because his contract with the Danish club was due to expire at the end of 2025, which means that they were able to take advantage of the situation to land a bargain.

The left-footed star, who was described as “fearless” by international teammate Alexander Isak, has produced quality performances on the pitch in the Premiership that prove that the Hoops hit the jackpot with this signing.

xG

2.82

Top 1%

xG on target

4.37

Top 1%

Goals

4

Top 1%

Shots on target

9

Top 1%

xA

2.36

Top 4%

Chances created

18

Top 1%

Assists

1

Top 33%

As you can see in the table above, Nygren has been one of the best midfielders in the division, if not the best, at scoring and creating goals this season.

The 24-year-old star, who is the club’s top scorer in all competitions with four goals (Transfermarkt), has scored four goals and created 2.6 chances per game across seven outings in the Premiership, per Sofascore.

Whilst these statistics show that Celtic have hit the jackpot on Nygren because of his outstanding performances on the pitch, the club have also struck gold with his market valuation.

Transfermarkt currently values the Sweden international at £5.2m. This is 300% more than the £1.3m fee that the Hoops reportedly paid for him in the summer, which suggests that they could make a significant profit on him if they decided to cash in.

Forget Tounekti: Celtic's "exciting" star could become their new Kuhn

Celtic may be brewing their next version of Nicolas Kuhn in this winger, and it is not Sebastian Tounekti.

ByDan Emery Oct 7, 2025

Therefore, Celtic have hit the jackpot with this signing because it has already worked out on the pitch, and the finances behind it make it all the more impressive.

MatériaMais Notícias

Em resultado surpreendente, o Brasil empatou em 1 a 1 com a Venezuela, jogando em Cuiabá-MT, pelas Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo de 2026. Apesar de ser um placar incomum, ele não é o único da Seleção atuando em casa neste século. Além do famoso 7 a 1, no Mineirão, em 2014, a Canarinho decepcionou contra seleções inferiores da América do Sul nesses últimos 22 anos.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Contra os próprios venezuelanos, por exemplo, não foi a primeira que isso aconteceu nos últimos tempos. Em 2019, na Fonte Nova, pela Copa América, o Brasil não saiu do 0 a 0 sob o comando do técnico Tite.

Dez anos antes, em 2009, pelas Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo de 2010, a Seleção recebeu a Venezuela em Campo Grande-MS e também não tirou 0 a 0 do placar. Naquela época, a direção técnica era do tetracampeão Dunga, mas já estava com a vaga para o Mundial da África do Sul garantida – a partida foi na última rodada.

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Cerca de um ano antes desse empate diante dos venezuelanos, foi a vez de o Brasil de Dunga decepcionar contra da Bolívia, pelas mesmas Eliminatórias: 0 a 0 no Nilton Santos, com direito a muita vaia do torcedor e pedidos pela demissão do treinador.

Já pelas Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo de 2002, quando a Seleção oscilou demais, o empate em casa vexaminoso foi diante do Peru, no Morumbi, sob o comando de Emerson Leão. Depois de sair na frente com Romário, a igualdade veio com Pajuelo: 1 a 1.

+ Com golaço de bicicleta, Brasil leva empate no fim diante da Venezuela nas Eliminatórias

Por fim, não podemos deixar de citar o maior vexame da Seleção em todos os tempos, que foi o 7 a 1 para a Alemanha na semifinal da Copa do Mundo de 2014, no Mineirão. A equipe do técnico Felipão foi atropelada pelos alemães, ficou fora da final e ainda foi amassada por 3 a 0 pela Holanda na disputa do terceiro lugar.

The trophies haven’t always followed, but West Ham United have had some truly sensational players represent them over the years.

You’ve got the historical greats, like Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, and Geoff Hurst, as well as some more modern ones.

Declan Rice, for example, or Dimitri Payet before him, and going back a little further, the livewire that was Paolo Di Canio.

All three made an enormous impact on the club during their time in East London, and Nuno Espírito Santo has someone in his squad today who should be spoken about in the same way.

Di Canio, Payet and Rice's West Ham careers

Starting in chronological order then, Di Canio joined West Ham in January 1999, and while there were some questions over the move for his rash behaviour, and the fact he had just been banned for 11 games for pushing a referee, Harry Redknaap justified the move by simply stating that the Italian could “do things with the ball that people can only dream of.”

Over the next four and a half years, the Roma-born icon would rack up an impressive tally of 50 goals and 19 assists in 139 games for the club, with his strike against Wimbledon in March 2000 later being named the league’s goal of the decade.

While he left to join Charlton Athletic following the Irons’ relegation in 2003, Di Canio made a lasting impression in East London and continues to call the fan base his second family.

Another maverick star who the East End fell head over heels for during his time in the capital was Payet.

The French magician joined the club from Marseille in the summer of 2015, and it didn’t take long for him to announce himself, providing the assist for Cheikhou Kouyaté from a well-taken free kick on his debut against Arsenal.

He ended that season with an outrageous tally of 12 goals and 15 assists in 38 games, which was enough for him to be named the Premier League Player of the Year at the 2016 London Football Awards, shortlisted for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and named West Ham United Player of the Year.

However, things would sour the following season, when, in the new year, he refused to play after making it clear that he wanted to return to Marseille, which he eventually did for around £25m.

Finally, the only academy product of the three, Rice was well and truly one of West Ham’s own.

He made his senior debut for the club in a Premier League game against Burnley in the 16/17 season, and over the next six years would go on to amass 244 more for the club, as well as becoming the captain in the summer of 2022.

His crowning achievement in claret and blue came the following summer, when he led the club to their first European title, beating Fiorentina in the Conference League final.

Unfortunately, he then left to join Arsenal a couple of months later, but he did at least bring in around £105m in the process.

In all, it’s impossible to deny that Di Canio, Payet and Rice are three of the very best players to have represented West Ham in the modern era, although another name might have to be added to that list.

The West Ham star emulating Di Canio, Payet and Rice

Now, while neither the results nor performances have been all that great this season, West Ham still have several incredibly talented players in their squad.

Chalkboard

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

However, when it comes down to someone who could emulate and be looked at in the same way as the three icons mentioned above, only one player comes to mind: Jarrod Bowen.

The 28-year-old joined the Hammers from Hull City in January 2020, and while there was some excitement around his transfer, it didn’t feel like it would be such a seismic one at the time.

After all, while his first six months at the club certainly weren’t bad, they also weren’t anything special, as in 13 appearances, he scored a single goal and provided four assists.

Things improved slightly the following year, as he recorded 14 goal involvements in 40 appearances, but it was the season after that, the 2021/22 campaign, when it became clear just how special a player he is.

Appearances

245

Starts

220

Minutes

19521′

Goals

77

Assists

52

Goal Involvements per Match

0.52

Minutes per Goal Involvement

151.32′

Points per Game

1.46

For example, in 51 appearances, the “unplayable” winger, as dubbed by Thomas Frank, scored 18 goals and provided 13 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.64 games, which was also enough to see him earn his first senior England cap.

However, it was the year after that in which his defining moment as a West Ham player came, as in the 90th minute of the Conference League final, he made a perfectly timed run, and under all the pressure in the world, scored the winning goal to send East London into delirium.

Since then, the firm fan favourite has continued to improve, and since being given the captain’s armband last year, it’s hard to think og what else he needs to do to cement himself as a West Ham legend.

Ultimately, while he might not get the same recognition outside the fan base, it would be fair to say that Bowen is well on his way to becoming one of the Hammers’ greatest ever – if he isn’t there already.

West Ham are brewing homegrown Diouf in exciting 18-year-old at Rush Green

The incredibly exciting youngster could be a future star for West Ham.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 7, 2025

Olivier Giroud has revealed his plans to emulate iconic striker Cristiano Ronaldo. Giroud returned to France over the summer following a year in America with MLS side LAFC. The experienced striker has made a solid start to life back in his homeland with Lille having scored two goals in his opening six Ligue 1 appearances and has no plans to stop playing anytime soon.

• AFP
  

  Giroud's flying start to Lille

  Giroud joined Lille on a one-year deal as a replacement for Jonathan David, who left the club on a free over the summer for Serie A powerhouse Juventus. And the experienced striker made an immediate impact for as he scored on his second Ligue 1 debut in a 3-3 draw at Brest in August.

  The former Arsenal and Chelsea man followed that up with the decisive strike in Lille's 1-0 home win over Monaco, while he came off the bench to net a late winner against Brann in the Europa League last month.

  And the former France forward has revealed he has no plans to call time on his career anytime soon and wants to emulate Ronaldo by playing until he turns 40.

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• '40 is a number that I am aware of'

  Giroud, who turned 39 last month, has admitted he is open to the possibility of extending his career beyond the end of the current season and continuing once he turns 40. Ronaldo, who celebrated his 40th birthday in February, signed a two-year contract with Al-Nassr earlier this year.

  "It could be one year plus another, but it could just be one, too," Giroud said. "You can’t have regrets. You have to live in the moment and be ready to stop it all at some point. But 40 is a number that I am aware of.

  "But it will be a group decision, with my wife and my family. It is about being reasonable. If I think that I can bring something and if the club are also satisfied with me, we will sit around a table and we’ll see."

  Giroud also felt a move to Lille was 'perfect', adding: "Lille, for me who is very close to London and I want to live there after my career, it was perfect."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'My best goals aren’t too bad'

  Giroud also revealed the best goal he has ever scored. The Frenchman has scored a number of memorable goals across spans in France, England, Italy and America, but believes his strike against Crystal Palace in 2017 is the one that sticks out.

  "My best goals aren’t too bad,” he told L’Equipe via the Mirror. "The best, that’s still the scorpion kick with Arsenal. With all modesty, we’ll never see that move again.

  "A showman? Not like the geniuses, the magicians, the dribblers like Neymar, the guys who get the crowd on their feet with their moves, but in another way, yes, I am."

  Giroud is currently France's record scorer with 57 goals to his name, but is backing captain Kylian Mbappe, who has scored 53 times for , to smash that record, and believes  the Real Madrid hitman will hit closer to 100.

  "He will be 27 (in December) so he still has five to six years, 10-12 matches a season, he can get to not far off 100, and I hope he does," Giroud added.

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• Giroud opens door to spectacular France return

  Giroud has also opened the door over a potential return to the France national team. The Lille forward retired from international football after Euro 2024 but would be open to an emergency recall if required.

  "You can never say never. If there is a need, and if I am competitive and available, I will be there," he added.

  "But it is really very unlikely. You have to be serious."

  The French frontman also reserved praise for Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who recently scored on his full France debut against Iceland, stating: "It’s great for Jean-Philippe Mateta that he’s been called up. It’s also a great example that he can taste all that at 28. And he seems to me to be a great person."

Glasgow Rangers have struggled to score goals in the Scottish Premiership under Russell Martin so far this season, with three goals scored in five matches.

Only Aberdeen, who have failed to score any goals in their four outings in the division, have scored fewer goals than the Light Blues, which speaks to how impotent they have been in the final third in the opening weeks of the campaign.

It is not good enough, hence why the Gers have not picked up a single win yet, and Martin must find a way to get his strikers firing in front of goal if he wants to turn his fortunes around at Ibrox.

How the strikers have performed for Rangers this season

None of the club’s centre-forward options have got off the mark in the Premiership so far this season for the Light Blues, which is a cause for concern.

Bojan Miovski

0.55

0

Danilo

0.5

0

Cyriel Dessers

0.0

0

Youssef Chermiti

0.0

0

As you can see in the table above, only Bojan Miovski and Danilo have accrued any xG, as Dessers did not before his exit, and Chermiti has only had a cameo against Hearts so far.

This suggests that Rangers need to create more for their strikers, or that the strikers need to start making better runs, because they do not have a reliable goalscorer at the moment.

Given their lack of potency up front, Rangers may still regret the fact that Michael Beale and the club allowed Alfredo Morelos to move on from Ibrox on a free transfer.

Rangers fumbled their own Harry Kane

Back in 2019, former Light Blues striker Jermaine Defoe compared the Colombia international to his former teammate Harry Kane, who went on to become Tottenham Hotspur and England’s all-time top scorer, with 280 goals for Spurs and 74 for England, per Transfermarkt.

Defoe told the Daily Record: “I remember at Tottenham, when we had Harry Kane as a youngster, he went out on loan to different clubs. I remember saying to one of the players that I believed he should play more and that, at some point, he would go on to score a lot of goals for this football club.

“What he has done is unbelievable and Alfredo’s got that. He’s a goalscorer. When you’re a goalscorer, you score goals at any level in any league.”

Morelos certainly was a goalscorer. The prolific forward scored 30 goals in 48 matches in the 2018/19 campaign, per Transfermarkt, which led to that comparison to Kane from Defoe, and rightly so after that incredible return.

He went on to score 124 goals and provide 67 assists in 269 appearances in all competitions for Rangers, per Transfermarkt. This shows that he was consistently reliable in front of goal for the Scottish giants.

Morelos, whose physicality was hailed by former boss Steven Gerrard, recorded 12 goals and seven assists in all competitions during the 2022/23 campaign, which turned out to be his final season at the club.

The Colombian number nine’s contract at Ibrox expired in the summer 2023 and Beale, who was the manager at the time, did not offer him a new contract at the club.

Beale decided to go in a different direction with the striker department at the club, signing Sam Lammers, Danilo, and Dessers after releasing Morelos, who was the club’s own version of Kane.

Two years on, Lammers and Dessers have been sold by Rangers and Danilo currently finds himself behind Miovski and Chermiti in the pecking order to be the first-choice number nine at Ibrox.

This suggests that Beale had a howler by deciding not to attempt to convince Morelos to stay at Ibrox because he was a proven goalscorer who had shown that he could score goals at an impressive rate for the Gers in Scotland.

Instead, the manager released a pure goalscorer, who was like Kane, and went with a clutch of strikers who failed to bring success, with no league titles won, back to Ibrox in the last two years.

Once worth £30m, Rangers flop now looks like he's worth less than Tavernier

This Glasgow Rangers flop who was once valued at £30m now looks worth even less than James Tavernier.

ByDan Emery Sep 17, 2025

In spite of all the drama that has plagued Newcastle United throughout the summer transfer window, there’s a sense that Eddie Howe will be rather pleased with the lion’s share of his club’s business.

Newcastle rebounded from a frustrating start to the 2024/25 campaign and qualified for the Champions League, finishing fifth in the Premier League, having also defeated Liverpool at Wembley to lift the Carabao Cup.

But the feel-good factor faded out after the curtains draped on a successful season, with a slew of failed bids for top targets dampening the mood and then some.

This has been a transfer window of attrition, but one that Newcastle have weathered and now appears to be emerging from victoriously, having strengthened across the park.

And while the pursuit of a new striker has been an interminable and fruitless thing up until this stage, Newcastle have finally made headway, welcoming Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart for a club-record fee.

Why Newcastle signed Woltemade

While this remains conjecture at this stage, all the pointers suggest that Woltemade has been welcomed to Newcastle as Alexander Isak’s replacement.

Newcastle’s free-scoring talisman has made a menace of himself on Tyneside for three years now, but has essayed to secure a move to Premier League champions Liverpool for over a month, and appears set to get his wish.

A blow, no doubt about it. To Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, Isak was “the best striker in the Premier League” last season, after all. He scored 27 goals across all competitions, and replacing him was understandably viewed as a steep task.

But Woltemade, 23, has all the tools to thrive as the Sweden star’s successor. Across all competitions last year, the 6 foot 6 centre-forward scored 17 goals and supplied three assists, with talent scout Jacek Kulig hailing his “unstoppable” form in front of goal.

A fantastic signing, of course, but there’s little evidence at this stage that Woltemade will hit the ground running, especially since Newcastle plan to further bolster their frontline with the signing of a Prem-proven number nine, Brentford’s Yoane Wissa at the top of the list.

Landing the German was fine business, but Newcastle aren’t done there. Indeed, Howe and United’s transfer officials have their sights set on a centre-midfielder to complete the set.

Newcastle in last-gasp race for midfielder

As per Caught Offside, Newcastle have joined a late transfer tussle for Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher, who is anticipated to be on the move ahead of Monday’s deadline.

Valued at £45m by the Spanish giants, Gallagher only swapped the Premier League for La Liga one year ago, and though he showed plenty of promise under Diego Simeone’s wing last year, he is open to making a dramatic return to his homeland.

Tottenham Hotspur are understood to be leading the race at this stage, but Newcastle are ready to pounce if the chance presents itself, with Crystal Palace and Manchester United also interested.

Transfer Focus

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What Gallagher will bring to Newcastle

Now that Woltemade has arrived, Newcastle are in a far better position to tackle the campaign ahead. However, his signing comes with the caveat that Isak will leave, and however you brush it up, that is a big blow.

But Gallagher would only reinforce a deep and dynamic midfield cohort, and having been described as being “like a machine” in midfield by former Chelsea teammate Moises Caicedo, it’s clear he has the backing of those billed as superstars in the Premier League.

And, moreover, he has a tried-and-tested method of success in England’s top flight, having showcased technical skill, intensity and energy throughout his years at Stamford Bridge and his loan spells with West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace, routinely covering the most distance in a match while at Selhurst Park.

Newcastle lost Sandro Tonali and Joelinton to injury after Monday night’s agonising defeat against Liverpool, and Gallagher’s presence would have gone a long way toward injecting that extra bit of quality and drive against the Reds, who withered and were pressed against the ropes on

Gallagher in the PL
Stats (* per game)	22/23	23/24
Matches (starts)	35 (18)	37 (37)
Goals	3	5
Assists	1	7
Pass completion	85%	92%
Big chances created	5	11
Key passes*	0.6	1.4
Dribbles*	0.7 (50%)	1.0 (68%)
Ball recoveries*	5.1	6.3
Tackles*	1.3	2.3
Duels (won)*	3.5 (45%)	5.7 (50%)
Stats via Sofascore

Across the past year at Atletico, Gallagher has played an important role, featuring 52 times and contributing to ten goal contributions. His prowess translated to life in Spain, and his ability to operate across a range of midfield roles in England speaks for itself.

Woltemade, for all his promise and potential, scored 12 times in the Bundesliga last season, and that doesn’t issue a fail-safe promise of prolificacy in the Premier League, considered by many to be the toughest division across the continent.

But how can Gallagher’s skill on English soil be contested? He has performed with aplomb for three different clubs, all of differing levels, and demonstrated his range while doing so.

There’s no doubt that Woltemade will alight on Tyneside with a weight of expectation, and that he has big boots to step into, but Gallagher would merely add to a midfield circle that already operates so fluidly and aggressively, and his skill set suggests he would dovetail right in.

And with someone like Wissa, who scored 19 times in the Premier League last season, there’s actually every chance that Woltemade could spend the campaign jockeying for a place at the front of the ship and taking a seat on the bench for a multitude of matches.

This shouldn’t be a negative thing for the Toon, however; even with the potential sale of Isak, Newcastle have recruited shrewdly, and have a wealth of options ready to raise Howe’s system up another gear.

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