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After a mixed start to life as Rangers manager this week, Danny Röhl and his team may now be going into a crucial fortnight with a sense of positivity.

Last Thursday, the Gers were demolished 3-0 by Brann in the Europa League, leaving them bottom of the gigantic league table, but then did manage to beat Kilmarnock 3-1 at Ibrox on Sunday, thanks to second-half goals from Danilo and Youssef Chermiti.

This lifts the Light Blues up to fifth in the Premiership table, with some crucial fixtures ahead.

On Wednesday night, they’ll travel to Edinburgh to take on Hibs, before a League Cup semi-final against Celtic at Hampden next Sunday, followed by a visit from Roma in the Europa League four days later.

So, ahead of three massive tests, which Rangers star made themselves undroppable with their performance against Killie?

Nicolas Raskin's importance to Rangers

Russell Martin made many mistakes as Rangers manager, but his public falling out with last season’s player of the year Nicolas Raskin proved to be one of the most costly.

The Belgian was unceremoniously left on the bench for Champions League qualifiers against Viktoria Plzeň and Club Brugge, before not being included in the matchday squad at all for home matches against Celtic and Hearts.

The latter, a miserable 2-0 defeat, was when the support really started to turn against Martin, with Darrell Currie perplexed as to why any coach would choose to leave their “best player in the stand”.

However, recognising the error of his ways, Raskin was back in the team a week later as Rangers beat Hibs 2-0 in the League Cup quarter-finals, the Belgian heading home the opening goal, albeit this did little to help Martin remain in a job.

Raskin has started both matches since Röhl’s appointment, a trend you can guarantee will continue at Easter Road on Wednesday, but who else has put themselves forward as one of the first names on the team sheet?

Rangers summer signing who starred vs Kilmarnock

Fair to say, plenty of Rangers’ 13 summer signings have not impressed so far; Joe Rothwell, Nasser Djiga, Thelo Aasgaard, Jayden Meghoma and Youssef Chermiti, to name but a few.

Chalkboard

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

However, the last of those signings, namely Derek Cornelius, who arrived on deadline day, could prove to be the best.

The 27-year-old Canadian international is something of a globetrotter, having played in Germany, Serbia, his native Canada, Greece, Sweden and France before moving to Scotland, arriving on a season-long loan from Olympique de Marseille, opening his Rangers account with this header on Sunday.

Overall, the late addition was ultra-impressive, as the numbers outline.

Goals

1

1st

Shots on target

2

1st

Dribble success %

100%

1st

Defensive actions

10

2nd

Clearances

9

2nd

Duels contested

15

1st

Duels won

8

1st

Accurate passes

75

2nd

Passing accuracy %

91%

5th*

Touches

107

2nd

Average rating

8.1

1st

*minimum 15 passes completed.

As the table documents, Cornelius was immense against Kilmarnock.

The defender had the most shots on target of any player on the pitch, while registering the most duels contested and duels won, ranked second only to centre-back partner John Souttar when it came to defensive actions, clearances, accurate passes and touches.

Upon his arrival in Govan, then-manager Martin highlighted Cornelius’ “experience”, while Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell heralded his “defensive and leadership abilities”.

Meantime, after games against the Netherlands and France, the latter a memorable goalless draw in Bordeaux​​​​​​​, Canada head coach Jesse Marsch praised his “incredibly strong performances”, adding that the defender is “smart, he understands a lot of the tactical responsibilities, and he’s played with a lot of confidence and belief in himself”.

Well, very early into his Rangers career, the centre-back is starting to show some of that potential, crucially forming an encouraging partnership alongside Souttar.

Thus, with games against Hibs, Celtic and then Roma next on the agenda, Cornelius has catapulted himself into the undroppable tier of Rangers players, alongside Raskin and Djeidi Gassama, but few others.

​​​​​​​

Holding back Raskin: Röhl must drop the "cooked" Rangers flop vs Kilmarnock

Following a 3-0 defeat to Brann in Danny Röhl’s first match as Rangers manager, he must move on from his flop holding back Nicolas Raskin.

Oct 26, 2025

Rafael Devers has exclusively been a designated hitter this season, despite what he and the teams that employ him have wanted. Devers, a former All-Star third baseman, lost his position in Boston when the team signed Alex Bregman and then traded him to the San Francisco Giants where he has also been reluctant to transition to first base.

On Tuesday, WEEI's Will Flemming revealed that Devers had stood up Giants legend Will Clark when he first arrived in San Francisco. While Devers was taking some reps at first ahead of the team's game on Tuesday night, the origin of Flemming's story surfaced.

Will Clark had told the story of Devers not coming out to practice with him not once, but three times during his first series in San Francisco. Clark told the story on his podcast with Eric Byrnes a week ago and even said he understood why Devers didn't come out to work with him.

"So Matt Williams and Bob Melvin want me to go out there and work with him around first base," said Clark. "No problem. And we weren't gonna like go through anything physical. We're just going to walk through and say hey look if the throw's coming from over there stand this way, if the throw's coming from over there, stand that way. It wasn't gonna be this big thing. And Friday, Saturday, Sunday he did not come early. At all. Period. Not at all. In fact, he didn't even hit on the field, right?"

Clark then explained exactly what he thought had happened that weekend.

"I know what the f— happened," he continued. "I said he didn't want to go out and be at first base and be 20 feet in front of their frickin' dugout with what went on in Boston and now he's working with me at first base. He didn't want to have to go through all that bullsh– through the press and the media. And so I completely understand. But Rafael Devers, next time I'm in San Francisco, your ass will be on the field at first base. Just letting you know that."

Clark went on to say that Devers would be on first even if it meant he had to grab him by the "back of the neck" and drag him out there himself.

Devers went 2-for-12 with a home run as the Giants won two of three games in that series vs. the Red Sox.

Michael Klinger, the former Australia batter and current director of cricket at Washington Freedom in the MLC, has joined Welsh Fire in a senior management role and will also take over as head coach of their Women’s Hundred team.Klinger’s appointment, on a two-year contract, further strengthens ties between Glamorgan County Cricket Club and Washington Freedom, whose owner – Sanjay Govil, the US-based tech entrepreneur – acquired a 49% stake in Welsh Fire during the Hundred equity sale earlier this year.Klinger will retain his role at Washington Freedom, and will work closely with Fire’s general manager Mark Wallace to oversee recruitment for both the men’s and women’s teams.Gareth Breese, who oversaw the women’s squad in this year’s Hundred, will stay on as an Assistant Coach in the restructured team, while Mike Hussey – Klinger’s fellow Australian – retains his role as head coach of the men’s team.In the 2025 Hundred season, Klinger was head coach of Manchester Originals women’s team, and has also served in coaching roles at Gujarat Giants in the Women’s Premier League in India, the Melbourne Renegades Men’s Team in the Big Bash League and the Sydney Thunder Women’s team.”I’m thrilled to be taking on an expanded role with Welsh Fire, leading list management for both the men’s and women’s teams, alongside being Head Coach of the Women’s side,” Klinger said.”I’d like to thank Manchester Originals for the opportunity to work with them last year. It was a fantastic and rewarding experience for which I’m very grateful.”This new role allows me to combine coaching with a broader strategic focus and to continue strengthening my connections with the Washington Freedom organisation, as well as with the current management and coaches at Welsh Fire.”Glamorgan and Welsh Fire CEO, Dan Cherry, added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Michael to the Welsh Fire family. From his career to date, Michael’s experience, pedigree and enthusiasm matches our long-term strategic vision of ambition and success for the franchise.”Michael adds real quality to our recruitment and coaching capabilities, while his arrival allows Mark to focus directly on implementing our wider cricket strategy. We are hopeful that Gareth Breese will stay on to support Michael after leading the team to the final in 2024.”It’s great also to continue our partnership with Mike Hussey. Mike is an outstanding leader who has made great strides with our Men’s team in recent years. We are all excited for this new chapter as we maximise our partnership with Sanjay Govil and his team to take progressive steps forward on and off the field.”

يخوض نادي الزمالك مباراة قوية أمام منافسه زيسكو يونايتد الزامبي، اليوم الأحد، بالمواجهة التي تجمعهما ضمن لقاءات بطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

وتقام المباراة بين الزمالك وزيسكو يونايتد، على أرضية استاد القاهرة، ضمن مواجهات الجولة الأولى من دور المجموعات ببطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

(محدث) تشكيل الزمالك أمام زيسكو يونايتد في الكونفدرالية.. الجزيري وبيزيرا يقودان الهجوم

وكان الزمالك قد تأهل إلى دور المجموعات ببطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية على حساب ديكاداها الصومالي.

ويتواجد الزمالك على رأس المجموعة الرابعة ببطولة كأس الكونفدرالية، والتي تضم معه أندية المصري وكايزر تشيفز الجنوب إفريقي وزيسكو يونايتد الزامبي. تشكيل الزمالك المتوقع أمام زيسكو يونايتد في الكونفدرالية

حارس المرمى: محمد عواد.

خط الدفاع: فتوح – حسام عبد المجيد – الونش- عمر جابر.

خط الوسط: نبيل دونجا – ناصر ماهر – عبد الله السعيد – بيزيرا.

الهجوم: أحمد شريف أو عدي “الدباغ” – سيف الجزيري.

India captain says the team had not been prevented from looking closely at the pitches at any other venue in this series

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jul-20252:40

Gill: Levelling series with a young squad will be a big achievement

India captain Shubman Gill has said it was “absolutely unnecessary” for Lee Fortis, the Surrey head groundsman, to prevent the visitors from having a look at The Oval pitch from close quarters during their training session on Tuesday.Tempers flared when India head coach Gautam Gambhir got into an argument with Fortis, who was concerned by the heavy footfall as well as the presence of training gear on the main square, and reportedly told the Indians that they should view the pitch standing 2.5 metres away from the strip.Gambhir was seen wagging his finger at Fortis and telling him that he was “just a groundsman”.Related

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Gambhir loses temper with Surrey groundsman

“What happened yesterday, I thought was just absolutely unnecessary,” Gill, who was not at the venue during the incident, said on the eve of the fifth Test at The Oval. “It’s not the first time that we were having a look at the wicket, we have been there for almost two months. A coach has every right to be able to go close quarters and have a look at the wicket and I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. I actually don’t know why the curator would not allow us to go have a look at the wicket.”Gill said no curator at the four previous venues in the series – Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord’s and Old Trafford – had imposed restrictions on viewing the pitch or the square.”As long as I remember, we had never got any instructions. As long as you are wearing rubber spikes or [are] barefoot, you can see the wicket from near,” he said. “We have played four matches already in this series, and nobody stopped us from watching the pitch.”All of us have played so much cricket, we have gone to the pitches so many times, including the coaches and captain, I don’t know what the fuss was about.”0:35

Watch – Gambhir’s heated exchange with Surrey groundsman

With India trailing 2-1 in the series heading into the final Test, Gill was asked whether the pressure of a must-win game could have provoked Gambhir’s reaction.”Not really,” Gill said. “If a pitch curator is going to come and ask us to not look at the wicket and look at the wicket from three metres behind, that’s not something that has happened to us before. We’ve been [playing] cricket for such a long time […] That’s the job of the coach and the captain.”Despite there being several heated moments between the teams since the third Test at Lord’s, Gill said relations between England and India remained strong. He said he had “no regrets” at the way he and his team had behaved during the incidents.”The relation is fantastic, but when you are on the field, you are trying to win a game at the end of the day, and both the teams have been very competitive and sometimes when you are competitive in the heat of the moment, you do or say things that you might not do [otherwise],” he said. “But once the match is over, there is mutual respect between both teams.”

SA were cruising on 92 without loss in pursuit of 181, but eventually couldn’t get seven runs in the final over

Firdose Moonda26-Jul-2025

New Zealand won the T20I tri-series undefeated•Zimbabwe Cricket

Matt Henry defended six runs in the last over against South Africa as New Zealand claimed the Harare tri-series trophy, and remained the only side to successfully defend a total at this venue. In a thrilling contest, South Africa were cruising on 92 without loss in the tenth over in pursuit of 181, but lost 4 for 39 after that.That left them needing 50 runs to win off the last 29 balls. A 43-run stand off 25 deliveries between Dewald Brevis and George Linde put South Africa on the doorstep of victory, but both holed out in the final over as the pressure told, and New Zealand held on.Brevis was on 31 off 14 balls as Henry stepped up to bowl the 20th over, and could not get the first ball away. He lashed out at the second one, which was dug in short, and sent it towards Michael Bracewell at deep midwicket. Bracewell caught it just inside the rope, and the catch was deemed clean to send Brevis on his way.Corbin Bosch hit the first ball he faced in the same area, and a misfield from Bracewell allowed two runs before another aerial shot put Linde on strike. Linde sent Henry to long-on, where Daryl Mitchell took a good, low catch, and left it to Senuran Muthusamy to score four off the last ball. Henry took pace off, Muthusamy swung too early and found fresh air, and New Zealand’s 100% record in the series remained intact. Henry finished as the leading wicket-taker with ten in four matches.Lungi Ngidi got two wickets, and was economical•Zimbabwe CricketAfter comprehensive wins in the four games before this, New Zealand were properly tested in the decider, and will know they could have made things trickier for South Africa with a more challenging total. After Tim Seifert and Devon Conway put on 75 for the first wicket and laid a solid foundation for New Zealand, the subsequent partnerships did not kick on as well as they would have liked. South Africa pulled New Zealand back from 68 without loss in eight overs, and conceded only three boundaries in the last three overs. New Zealand’s innings ended with five wickets in hand.While Henry was the standout bowler of the series, Lungi Ngidi was South Africa’s best bowler. His four overs in the final cost just 24 runs, and across South Africa’s attack, there are still some areas to address. South Africa’s seamers sent down eight wides, totalling 13 runs.South Africa’s spectacular catchingNew Zealand were off to a rollicking start courtesy some poor discipline from South Africa’s seamers in particular. They scored 52 runs in the powerplay, 23 in the 2.3 overs that followed, and threw their bats at anything short and wide. Seifert, the series’ leading run-scorer, was on 30 off 27 balls, and there did not seem to be any way of stopping him – especially as he was using his feet well.Seifert advanced on a wide ball from Muthusamy but took his bottom hand off the bat as he tried to slice it over extra cover and did not get the elevation he wanted. Rassie van der Dussen, fielding there, reacted quickly as he dived to his left and pouched the ball between both palms. Seifert had to go.Tim Seifert and Devon Conway had a 75-run opening partnership•Zimbabwe CricketFive overs later, New Zealand lost Conway for 47, caught at short fine-leg off a top edge. But they were still progressing steadily at 127 for 2 in the 14th over. Ngidi took pace off to Mark Chapman, who played too early and dragged the ball down to deep midwicket. Rubin Hermann appeared to have over-ran the chance but then stood still and stretched overhead, where he plucked the ball from the sky as he fell backwards. Chapman was out for 3.Then, in the final over, with New Zealand pushing towards 180, Bracewell flogged Kwena Maphaka into the covers but didn’t see Linde. He got down low to his left to snatch the ball from close to the ground to snaffle a third stunning grab.Ravindra raids the leg sideWhile Seifert and Conway have been in the headlines for providing the big runs for New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra has more than done his bit – and did so with some flair in the final. He used his wrists to perfection, and punished anything on a leg-stump line. Ravindra scored 47 at a strike rate of 174.07, and threatened to take the game completely away from South Africa. The third ball he faced, from Bosch, was pacy, and was sliding down. But instead of powering it over midwicket, Ravindra guided it fine for four.When Nandre Burger erred with the same line, Ravindra was quicker on the ball, and hit over mid-on. But it was his takedown of Muthusamy which was the most impressive. Ravindra shimmied down the pitch to hit him over long-on, and then swept him strongly over deep-backward square leg to collect two sixes in the over. Two more fours came off Ngidi and Burger. before Ravindra toe-ended Burger to Brevis at deep midwicket.Lhuan-dre Pretorius hit his maiden T20I fifty•Zimbabwe CricketRavindra missed out on what would have been his second successive fifty in the series, and a third in T20Is this year. Against South Africa on Saturday, 38 of his 47 runs came on the leg side.Pretorius’ promise pays offAfter managing only 32 runs from his first four T20I innings, and being shifted from opening the batting to No. 5, all eyes were going to be on Lhuan-dre Pretorius when he was installed back at the top for the final. He started off with a piece of exquisite timing when he hit Henry past mid-on to open South Africa’s scoring with a four, but then faced serious challenges from New Zealand’s attack.Henry found Pretorius’ outside edge, Jacob Duffy hit him on the toe with an inswinging yorker, and Zakary Foulkes shaved the inside edge. Pretorius top-edged Duffy over Seifert with an ugly swing, couldn’t get Adam Milne away, and watched while his opening partner Reeza Hendricks collected 18 of his first 20 runs in sixes. After the powerplay, Pretorius showed his intent when he slog-swept Mitchell Santner for his first six. More convincing boundaries followed off Milne before Pretorius hit Bracewell over long-on to bring up fifty off 33 balls.Pretorius couldn’t get away with trying things for too much longer, and was caught behind as he tried to smash Bracewell out of the ground. But his 92-run opening stand with Hendricks put South Africa in a commanding position to push for the win.Jacob Duffy’s first two overs cost just 13 runs•Zimbabwe CricketDuffy shows why he’s No. 1Jacob Duffy, the recently-anointed leading bowler in the ICC’s T20I rankings, opened with a ball that surprised Pretorius. He only conceded a single in his first over to show why he has summited the rankings. Duffy changed up his pace in the second over and Pretorius could not get him away. He then had Pretorius top-edging, and only really erred when he put the last delivery of that over in Hendricks’ slot and was sent over the sightscreen for six.Duffy’s first two overs cost just 13 runs. He returned for the 16th over, just after Milne had van der Dussen caught at long-on, and dismissed Hermann in exactly the same fashion. Hermann simply did not get enough on it, and South Africa were suddenly in some strife. Duffy thought he had Brevis caught behind later in the over but the ball was called wide. He probably should have bowled the 18th, which cost Foulkes 15 runs and swung momentum South Africa’s way.When Duffy returned for the 19th over, his attempted yorkers went awry, and Brevis hit him for two sixes to put South Africa in a position of advantage. But they could not see it through in what may be put down to inexperience against New Zealand’s more seasoned hands.

Nuno Espírito Santo is still waiting for his first win as West Ham manager since taking over from Graham Potter last month, and the January window could represent a lifeline amid their torrid state of affairs.

West Ham fall to another defeat with January looking vital

Last Friday, it was Leeds United’s turn to inflict yet another damaging defeat on West Ham.

Early goals from Brenden Aaronson and former Tottenham defender Joe Rodon piled more misery on Nuno, with a late consolation from summer signing Mateus Fernandes coming as too little, too late for the Portuguese’s side.

Nuno is still tinkering with his West Ham team as he looks to discover the best formula to steer them away from this season’s relegation dogfight.

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West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

After raising eyebrows with his rather questionable team to play Brentford last Monday, Nuno opted to play Lucas Paqueta as a false nine yet again at Elland Road, with Andy Iriving and Tomas Soucek chosen to start in midfield, similar to their defeat a few days prior.

Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman were also called upon once more to play as the starting centre-back pair, but just like their defeat against Brentford, they had no joy as Leeds gave West Ham a mountain to climb early doors.

Nuno apparently doesn’t fancy Callum Wilson or James Ward-Prowse, with the latter excluded from all of his matchday squads so far and a January exit appearing likely for the Englishman.

It is becoming abundantly clear that West Ham may not have a good-enough squad to compete at this level, so reports have begun flooding in that chairman David Sullivan and co are planning to be active when the transfer window reopens.

In a bid to save their season, it is believed that Nuno has urged both Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to sign a new defender, midfielder and forward in January, with Sky Sports also reporting funds will be available for West Ham to spend.

Niclas Fullkrug’s injury problems have been a thorn in West Ham’s side since his transfer from Borussia Dortmund last year, and the need for a reliable goalscorer is evident given Nuno’s reported stance on Wilson.

Callum Marshall is another option to lead the line, but so far, Nuno is still reluctant to hand the Northern Ireland international a chance to prove himself as he reaches for makeshift options like Paqueta.

Taking this into account, West Ham are in the market for a new number nine this winter, and Real Madrid starlet Endrick is believed to be a key target.

The Brazil international, thanks to a combination of fitness issues and competition for places, has struggled to establish himself as a Real regular, despite firing them to a Copa del Rey final last season before Los Blancos eventually lost out to Barcelona.

Endrick was a target for West Ham last January on loan, and their long-term interest has remained.

According to some reports, West Ham have already held talks with Real about signing Endrick on a temporary deal ahead of January, and the Hammers are also fond of his teammate, Gonzalo Garcia.

Endrick preparing to leave Real Madrid after alleged West Ham talks

Now, as per reports from Spain, Endrick is “preparing to leave” Real amid these alleged West Ham talks, but it is no guarantee that the teenager chooses a switch to east London amid a growing clamor for his services.

Endrick, who is still widely regarded as one of Brazil’s brightest upcoming talents, could also make a move to Brentford.

Keith Andrews’ side are named as a “clear” candidate for his signature, while La Liga sides like Real Sociedad and Sevilla are also keen on snapping up the ex-Palmeiras sensation who cost Real £53 million to sign back in 2022.

While West Ham are firmly in the mix, they’ll need to move quickly ahead of what looks likely to be a scramble for Endrick when the January window opens.

However, going by Carlo Ancelotti’s past praise of the striker, it could definitely be worth the effort.

It is fair to say that Celtic’s actions on deadline day at the end of the summer transfer window did not go down very well amongst a large section of the fanbase.

Such was the reaction to the club’s work on deadline day, the Scottish Premiership champions felt they needed to release a statement explaining their processes and why they failed to bring in any strikers before the window slammed shut.

One interesting line to pick out from the statement is the following: “The Club plans our recruitment and player trading strategy responsibly and consistently, ensuring the squad can be strengthened for the short, medium and long term, while also seeking to ensure the development and progression of our Academy players. Our objective is to create Champions League players.”

This is an interesting line to pick out because the Hoops opted to cash in on Adam Idah on deadline day, despite the fact that they had failed to sign a high-calibre number nine to that point.

Celtic then had to dip into the free agent market to sign Kelechi Iheanacho the day after deadline day because they were unable to sign a replacement for Idah before the window closed.

These decisions have left the Hoops in a position where their squad looks much weaker in the short-term than it did at this point last summer, which brings the aforementioned part of the statement into question.

Why Celtic have a problem in the number nine position

Celtic have sold Idah and Kyogo Furuhashi in 2025, raking in up to £17m in the process, but have only spent £1.5m on striker signings in that time.

Shin Yamada was brought in from Kawasaki Frontale for a fee of £1.5m this summer as the only senior striker who was not signed on a free transfer by the club in 2025.

The Japanese centre-forward scored two goals in 21 matches in the J1 League in 2025 before his move to Celtic, which shows that the club did not sign a player who was in form and ready to hit the ground running.

That has proven to be the case. Yamada has failed to score in five appearances for the Scottish giants in all competitions so far this season, per Sofascore.

League football in 2025	Iheanacho	Yamada	Kenny
Appearances	16	23	10
Goals	2	2	2
Big chances missed	2	10	3
Big chances created	0	2	1
Assists	2	1	1
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, all three of Celtic’s natural number nine options have struggled for league goals in 2025, as all of them have failed to score more than two goals and missed more ‘big chances’ than they have scored goals.

These statistics show that the Hoops have a clear problem in the centre-forward position in the short-term, at least, after they allowed Kyogo and Idah to depart without replacing them with ‘Champions League players’.

Kenny, who scored his first goal for the club against Aberdeen, has shown promise with two goals in ten appearances and one start in the Premiership to date, but he was an unused substitute in both games against Kairat, which suggests that Brendan Rodgers does not fully trust him yet.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

Looking back, therefore, Celtic may regret their decision to sell Hyeon-gyu Oh to Genk in the summer of 2024, because his current form suggests that he would have been an upgrade on Idah and could have solved their attacking woes at Parkhead.

Why Celtic should have kept Hyeon-gyu Oh

Rodgers sanctioned a deal to sell the number nine to Genk for a fee of £2.3m in order to facilitate the permanent signing of Idah from Norwich City for £9.5m.

As you can see in the graphic above, the Ireland international was unable to replicate his prolific loan spell during his time as a permanent player at Parkhead, which led to him being sold to Swansea for a deal that could reach £7m.

That immediately suggests that Rodgers and Celtic made the wrong call to sign Idah on a permanent deal, particularly for the finances involved, because they were then willing to take a loss on him after just 12 months.

Oh’s form since moving on from the Hoops last summer only adds further evidence to that case, as he has been a huge success in Belgium with Genk, and caught the eye for his country.

The 24-year-old marksman delivered a goal and an assist for South Korea in a 2-2 draw with Mexico during the international break. That led to Korean football account Fighting Stripes Football claiming that Oh “has the potential to be Korea’s best ever striker” because of his technical qualities and his top-class mentality.

It is now down to the striker to go on and fulfill that potential, but a goal and an assist against a very respectable footballing nation in Mexico is a good way to start.

Oh’s form in Belgium for Genk also shows that the striker has been on fire since his move away from Celtic, and that he could have been an upgrade on Idah if the Hoops had kept him in Glasgow.

24/25 season per 90	Oh (Pro League)	Idah (Premiership)
xG	1.03	0.71
xG on target	1.31	0.86
Goals	1.33	0.68
Shots on target	3.10	1.90
xA	0.18	0.14
Assists	0.30	0.00
Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, the South Korea international delivered more goals, more shots on target, more xA, and more assists per 90 than Idah at league level in the 2024/25 campaign.

Oh scored nine goals from 6.95 xG in 684 minutes of football for Genk in the Pro League, per Sofascore, which shows that he was incredibly clinical in front of goal and more than made the most of the minutes that he got on the pitch.

Such was the impressive nature of his performances for Genk, Stuttgart were reportedly set to clinch a £24m deal for the striker, before they backed out of a move after the medical brought up a red flag over an old ACL injury.

Whilst the move did not go through, the fact that Stuttgart were willing to pay £24m for a player who was let go by Celtic for £2.3m last year shows that the club made a mistake when they cashed in on him in 2024.

Isak thinks he's "fearless": Celtic are now brewing their next Matt O'Riley

Celtic are brewing their next Matt O’Riley with this versatile attacking star at Parkhead.

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Therefore, Celtic messed up by selling Oh last year because he could have offered more to the team than Idah and been the striker that Rodgers is now sorely lacking.