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Glasgow Rangers have agreed a fee with a club over the signing of an “aggressive” player this summer, according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri.

McCoist gives Martin his backing at Rangers

It’s fair to say that Russell Martin has experienced a testing start to life in charge of the Gers, calling out his players after the opening Scottish Premiership game of the season, and drawing their opening two matches in the competition.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Rangers legend Ally McCoist has shown his support for Martin, though, amid early pressure on the Englishman’s shoulders.

“They’ve got to give him that time. Of that there’s no doubt. He’s got to get his new players in. The first thing you’ve got to say is recruitment. When I say recently, I don’t mean under Russell Martin’s tenure because it’s far too early to judge. But recruitment’s not been good enough. Recruitment’s been shocking, effectively.

“What’s highlighted that is the fact that recruitment across the city has been very, very good. Recruitment at Celtic, particularly under Big Ange, you’ve got a couple of the Japanese lads in. They’ve been excellent. Terrific. So, with a combination of Celtic’s recruitment being very good and Rangers’ being very poor. You’re right up against it. You must give Russell Martin time.”

New signings will only help Martin in his quest to turn things around at Rangers, and a new update claims that some key business is closer to being done than ever.

Rangers agree fee with club over "aggressive" ace

Taking to X, Tavolieri claimed that Rangers and Real Betis have agreed a fee for the signing of Nobel Mendy, with the 20-year-old set to move to Ibrox in a £2.5m deal. In new information, Tavolieri said on Tuesday that Mendy is expected in Scotland on Wednesday to have a medical and that there is also a 20% sell-on clause.

“Betis Sevilla & Rangers FC agreed on a €3M for Nobel Mendy! Understand there will an extra 20% on the added value on the case of a future sale for Betis. Mendy now waiting for documents and expected tomorrow in Scotland to have medical & complete move.”

This will be music to Martin’s ears, with Mendy a young centre-back who can add so much quality and depth to the 39-year-old’s back-line.

Their next Arteta: Rangers target now has his heart set on moving to Ibrox

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly closing in on a move for a star who could be a Mikel Arteta repeat.

By
Dan Emery

Aug 12, 2025

The Senegalese has been linked with a move to Rangers for some time now, standing out as a primary target, and it is encouraging to see them close to striking a deal for him.

At 20, Mendy isn’t going to necessarily be a key starter every week, with some inconsistency likely to still be a part of his game, but he has been hailed for his “aggressive” style by The Rangers Journal, and his versatility allows him to thrive at left-back, too.

Hugo Ekitike has become the latest big-money Liverpool signing this summer, as Arne Slot prepares his Reds side for a Premier League title defence.

Joining from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal worth £79m, £69m guaranteed and £10m in add-ons, Ekitike was the subject of interest from Manchester United and Newcastle United but chose to head to Anfield.

The Frenchman, formerly of Paris Saint-Germain, enjoyed his best season in front of goal in 2024/25, netting 22 times in all competitions for his former employers.

Games

64

Goals

26

Assists

14

Minutes played

4,416

Liverpool are also getting a striker who has also been compared to Kylian Mbappe and Neymar by former Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder.

Grok, the AI tool on X, has now predicted how Ekitike will perform in his first Premier League season for Liverpool.

AI predicts how many goals Hugo Ekitike will score for Liverpool in 2025/26

Some may be wondering how Ekitike will fit in under Slot and his style of play. Well, Grok states that ‘Ekitike is a versatile, modern No. 9 who can drop deep like Roberto Firmino, run channels like Alexander Isak, or play in a strike partnership’.

It is added that Ekitike’s ‘ability to create and lead pressing suits Slot’s system, which balances possession and counter-attacking transitions’. In front of goal, Ekitike has been backed to record a similar amount of league goals for the Reds as he did for Frankfurt.

Grok feels the forward will score ’14 goals in the 2025/26 Premier League season for Liverpool, which accounts for his high shot volume, Liverpool’s chance creation, and an expected improvement under Slot’s guidance’.

There is the ‘potential for up to 20 goals if he adapts quickly and improves his conversion rate’, which would surely be seen as a big success if he manages to hit that feat.

Two £100m+ signings start: AI predicts Liverpool's line-up for next season

Mohamed Salah would get plenty of service in this side…

4 ByBen Goodwin Jun 18, 2025

It is not only goals that Ekitike will bring. Last season, the forward registered eight assists for Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. Grok says that Ekitike is projected to register 10 assists for his Reds teammates, ‘enhancing his overall impact’ on Merseyside.

Goals

14

Assists

10

After Australia were restricted to 134 for 5, Bosch smashed her career-best 74 not out off 48 balls to seal the win

S Sudarshanan17-Oct-2024

South Africa showed ’em all how it is done – with the papare band blaring at the Dubai International Stadium in front of a sparse crowd.A collective bowling effort was followed by a strong batting show, led by a 96-run partnership between captain Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch. They registered an eight-wicket win in the first semi-final to send Australia packing from Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, thereby ending their run of seven successive finals in the competition.Australia’s first ICC competition after Meg Lanning’s retirement ended in the knockout stages, with the six-time champions also missing Alyssa Healy who suffered a foot injury against Pakistan.South Africa first restricted Australia to 134 for 5 despite a late surge, and then romped home by eight wickets with 16 balls to spare to make a massive statement and enter their second consecutive T20 World Cup final.Powerplay strangle ft. Kapp and KhakaThe clarity in South Africa’s thinking was evident at the toss, when they inserted Australia in a crunch game. Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka got enough swing with the new ball. In fact, Khaka did not even have to find out about the purchase to pick up a wicket. Her first ball in the game was a length ball that shaped away a touch and Grace Harris slashed into the hands of backward point.Nonkululeko Mlaba and Co celebrate Tahlia McGrath’s wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Kapp had extracted enough movement both ways in the opening over. In her second, she saw a free hit being dispatched through square leg by Georgia Wareham. But she used the outswing to undo the batter, the DRS coming to South Africa’s aid. Kapp bowled one on good length around the fifth stump and Wareham couldn’t resist the slash. The on-field umpire missed the edge but Kapp and wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta knew.Kapp was getting so much assistance that Wolvaardt gave her a third straight over inside the powerplay. Australia managed only 35 for 2 in the first six overs, their lowest in the phase in this T20 World Cup, and ended up facing 19 dots.A semblance of recovery courtesy Mooney, McGrathBeth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath are called “McMooney” by fans for their numerous rescue acts with the bat. They joined forces when Australia were 18 for 2 after three overs. McGrath ended the powerplay with two fours off Nonkululeko Mlaba’s over, but it felt the ball was not coming onto the bat. Wolvaardt exploited that by bringing spin on from both ends and McGrath’s next boundary was only in the 11th over. She fell a couple of overs later, hitting Mlaba straight to cover to end her 50-run stand with Mooney.At that stage, it seemed Australia had the perfect base for take-off. Mooney, on 37 off 38 then, swiped one through square leg in the 16th over to end another boundary-less phase of 29 balls. In the process, she became the ninth woman – third from Australia – to 3000 T20I runs. But in a bid to steal a non-existent run – coupled with a Kapp brilliance – she was run out for 44 off 42 balls.Despite that, Australia managed to get a strong finish, scoring 31 off the last three overs, thanks to Ellyse Perry and Phoebe Litchfield. But given what followed, it was not strong enough.Laura Wolvaardt got off to a solid start•Getty Images

Wolvaardt and Bosch knock out AustraliaLike Australia, South Africa also faced 19 dot balls in the first six overs. But they hit five fours and a six in that phase to finish on 43 for 1, the highest by any team against Australia in this T20 World Cup. But while Australia scored 21 in their nine attacking shots in the powerplay, South Africa managed 32 off ten. It began with Tazmin Brits unafraid of using her feet against Ashleigh Gardner and then against Megan Schutt, too. Brits hit Gardner for a six, clearing the leaping Annabel Sutherland at the rope.Sutherland, though, struck with her first ball, getting a length delivery to skid and rattle Brits’ off stump. The time was ripe for Australia to apply the squeeze, but Wolvaardt and Bosch had other ideas. The former first clubbed Sutherland over midwicket before Bosch hit back-to-back boundaries off Sophie Molineux in the sixth over. Wolvaardt also swung her Adelaide Strikers team-mate Darcie Brown over long-on for a massive six.Intent was writ large throughout South Africa’s chase with Bosch attempting a couple of reverse hits and being nimble on her feet against spin. South Africa had hit a four in every over from the third to the eighth. It was followed by three boundary-less over but Bosch broke the shackles by hitting Wareham for a four and six off back-to-back deliveries. She then went 4, 2, 4 against Gardner in the next over to bring up her fifty.Wolvaardt fell – holing out to mid-off – with South Africa only 14 away. Bosch duly finished it off to remain unbeaten on 74, her best T20I score.Only earlier this year, South Africa had defeated Australia for the first time in T20Is. Who knew that would be a precursor to something massive like this, and put them a step closer to their maiden world title?

Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr have their eyes on an Arsenal star this summer, and could offer the Gunners a record-breaking amount of cash for his signature.

Arsenal enter "decisive" talks for "elite" young player, personal terms agreed

Mikel Arteta’s side are chasing their next signing.

2

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 5, 2025

Much has been made of Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta bringing in elite-level players to follow the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard to N5, but Arsenal may soon find themselves needing to balance their books.

Kepa (£5m), Zubimendi (£56m) and Norgaard (£15m) have already set the north Londoners back around £76 million, if certain add-ons are met for the latter, with Arsenal also believed to be in talks with Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, who has a £68.5 million release clause.

Arteta’s side wish to sign a left-winger too, with Real Madrid’s Rodrygo and Chelsea’s Noni Madueke among their targets for that position. Alongside their ongoing pursuit of a new striker, which looks reportedly likely to be Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, business could get very expensive.

One of Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli would need to be sold if Arsenal do sign another left-winger, or potentially before. This is backed up by multiple reliable media sources as well, so supporters may have to wait a little longer for Berta to secure a star wide player.

"They've always wanted to strengthen on the left wing, but they've got Gabriel Martinelli, a very fine player, there already,” said journalist David Ornstein on The Athletic FC podcast.
"If he were to leave, then you can see them bringing in a top left-sided winger. If he's not to leave, then I don't think so. We've talked and reported on Rodrygo and Anthony Gordon. I think that's if Martinelli leaves. I don't necessarily think that's if he were to stay."
Luckily for the Premier League title hopefuls, Ronaldo's Al-Nassr may now assist them in that regard.

Al-Nassr plot £73 million bid for Gabriel Martinelli

According to talkSPORT and journalist Ben Jacobs, Al-Nassr are considering a mammoth £73 million bid for Martinelli – which would more than double their record £35 million sale of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool in 2017.

While Arsenal are not exactly clamoring to sell the Brazilian, and have yet to receive contact from the Saudis, an offer like this could be too good to ignore. It could also help them fund a move for the likes of Rodrygo, who’s been described as a “dream” target for Arteta, even if the Spaniard has praised Martinelli as a “leader” in his squad.

“When you look at the consistency shown over the last few years, the amount of goals he has scored at his age and the contribution to a big club like Arsenal, it’s not easy at all,” said Arteta about Martinelli in April.

“So I think he’s on the right path. He’s a fantastic player to work with. His work ethic, his understanding, his desire to play every minute of every competition. That’s the kind of characters and leaders that we want in the team. And I’m very, very happy with him.”

TalkSPORT state that Arteta wants to freshen up his squad, and Al-Nassr’s potential offer would be impossible not to at least consider, especially given the amount of cash that Arsenal are already poised to spend this summer, with PSR requiring consideration too.

Manchester United have plenty of decisions to make this summer and Andre Onana’s future at Old Trafford may now have taken another twist, according to a report.

Andre Onana's Manchester United future uncertain

On the face of it, Onana is a name that divides opinion across the Red Devils’ support and his inconsistent performances last campaign won’t have won any favour among the undecided.

The Cameroon international conceded 65 times in 50 appearances across all competitions, and a string of high-profile errors have led Manchester United to look at the likes of Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez as a potential replacement.

Shedding light on the rumours, ex-Premier League scout Mick Brown stated: “Man United have made it clear they would like to sign Martinez. They’ll take whatever they can get for Onana, and then they’ll make contact with Aston Villa and see if they can get a deal over the line.

“He’s seen as a huge upgrade on Onana so they’re prepared to take a hit to get things moving. If Man United could swap Onana for Martinez tomorrow, they’d jump at it. Martinez is in his 30s now, but he’s a very capable goalkeeper and they’re not concerned about that.“

Intriguingly, Manchester United have also been given the green light to pursue Porto stopper Diogo Costa, lending credence to the notion that they could be set for a change between the sticks this summer.

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Posts ByEthan Lamb Jun 28, 2025

Plenty of names may enter the hat to replace Onana if he is moved on, though it remains to be seen how events develop over the next few weeks.

That said, the Red Devils could now have their house in order on that front as Ruben Amorim tries to sort out his goalkeeping situation.

Man Utd could loan out Onana with John Victor lined up

According to The Sun, Manchester United could loan out Andre Onana this summer and sign Botafogo’s John Victor as a replacement for as little as £6 million.

In the case of Onana, Monaco are said to have asked the question over a temporary move, but his £120,000 per week wages have proved to be a stumbling block. The Red Devils would prefer to conduct a deal with a European club over a Premier League rival.

Andre Onana vs John Victor – who is a better fit for Manchester United?

Andre Onana – Premier League

Save percentage

67.2%

Goals conceded

44

Clean sheets

9

Pass accuracy

69.8%

Penalties faced/saved

1/4

John Victor – Brazilian Serie A

Save percentage

81.1%

Goals conceded

7

Clean sheets

6

Pass accuracy

79.4%

Penalties faced/saved

0/0

Victor may have a smaller sample size than Onana, but purely for demonstrative purposes, his statistics do stand up to scrutiny when evaluating the consistency levels needed for a Manchester United goalkeeper to succeed at Old Trafford.

Keeping ten clean sheets in 29 appearances across all competitions this season, he could be the man to succeed the Cameroon international, even if there will be difficulties to overcome in sanctioning his exit.

Arsenal have many items on the agenda this summer as new sporting director Andrea Berta looks to back Mikel Arteta with new signings, and one of their key aims is to bring in multiple attacking players.

Arsenal targeting new winger and striker this summer

The transfer window is officially open for business, at least until June 10, with a short break then following before it reopens on June 16 right the way through till September 1.

Arsenal U-turn over signing "powerful" player who "was on the verge" of joining

They’ve now pulled out of the deal.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jun 3, 2025

This current mini-window was introduced to allow sides competing in the Club World Cup to register new players before the tournament kicks off, but it applies to all Premier League sides, including Arsenal.

Arsenal are expected to complete a move for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi with a medical scheduled for the Spain international (BBC), so there is every chance that they could officially sign him before June 10, considering how advanced that deal is.

After Zubimendi, much has been made of the Gunners’ pursuit of a top striker, with Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko both top of Arsenal’s list of striker targets.

Supporters are especially keen for Berta to acquire a prolific goalscorer – which has long been viewed as the missing piece of Arteta’s jigsaw – following a campaign where they struggled to score many compared to their previous standards.

However, a number nine isn’t the sole focus going forward.

Bukayo Saka’s injury lay-off midway through 2024/2025 brought attention to Arsenal’s need for an alternative on the right-hand side, while there are some questions about the long-term future of Leandro Trossard, who’s about to enter the final 12 months of his contract.

Interestingly, Berta could turn to one of Arteta’s former stars at Man City – £242,000-per-week Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane.

Arsenal are reliably believed to hold a genuine interest in Sane with his Bayern contract just weeks away from expiring as things stand. The German also recently employed super-agent Pini Zahavi to assist in new contract talks, or find him a new club if needs be.

Arsenal open talks with Leroy Sane's camp over joining

Now, as per Bayern Munich insider Christian Falk, it is believed Arsenal have “started talks” with Zahavi over signing Sane.

The 29-year-old, who bagged 13 goals and six assists in total for Vincent Kompany last season, playing more of a key role towards the back end of 2024/2025, is tempted by the prospect of a move to London.

His family reside in the English capital, so a permanent switch there is appealing to him, with Falk adding that Tottenham are likely to battle with Arsenal for Sane’s services as well.

Sane’s top-level experience, and the fact he could be obtained for no transfer fee, make him a very enticing potential signing for Arsenal.

However, Sane wants a £192,000-per-week base salary, on top of £2.5 million in bonuses and a signing-on fee (Sky and Sport Bild). These were his most recently rumoured demands to stay in Bavaria, so he’ll likely request similar numbers to join Arsenal.

After 133 years of being Everton’s distinguished home, the Toffees waved goodbye to their historic Goodison Park stadium on Sunday when Southampton travelled to the blue half of Merseyside.

It was an emotionally charged afternoon with Goodison packed to the rafters for one last time in the Premier League and – thankfully – most of the Everton players on the pitch didn’t contribute a drab ending as they comfortably got the better of an already relegated Saints side 2-0.

Iliman Ndiaye, in particular, stood out with the ex-Sheffield United attacker now donning the label of being Goodison’s last ever goalscorer.

Everton's final Goodison Park heroes

The obvious place to start is with Ndiaye who ensured the atmosphere remained electric throughout by breaking the deadlock early on.

The skilful number ten had failed to find the back of the net in Premier League action this month, leading up to the finale at Goodison, but he more than made up for any blanks being fired when curling home a fantastic solo effort after just five minutes.

He would then make sure of the three points when collecting his brace late into the second half, but there were plenty of other positive performers away from just the standout number 10.

Dwight McNeil would chip in with an assist down Ndiaye’s opposing right flank, whilst both Idrissa Gueye and Vitaly Mykolenko would see out their Goodison careers with plenty of fight on show by winning a combined 19 duels. Impressive work indeed.

Whilst all those mentioned could go on to star at Everton’s soon-to-be new home at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, others might well have played their final home games donning Toffees blue, with an underperformer now likely to be let go of.

Everton star just played his last home game

Ashley Young is a firm definite for this category, with the former Manchester United man already confirmed to be leaving at the expiry of his contract before being given 70 minutes in place of an injury-stricken Seamus Coleman.

Whilst it hasn’t been outright confirmed just yet, it does look nailed on that Abdoulaye Doucoure will soon follow Young out the door this summer, considering the 32-year-old midfielder was seemingly waving an emotional goodbye to the crowd when substituted off against the Saints.

With 165 appearances under his belt on Merseyside, it’s fair to say Doucoure has been a loyal servant to Everton through some testing times.

But, even with an impressive total of 21 goals and 14 assists being tallied up along the way, the veteran’s swansong showing at Goodison left a lot to be desired and showed why contract talks have allegedly stalled.

Minutes played

65

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

43

Accurate passes

29/31 (94%)

Shots

2

Big chances missed

1

Successful dribbles

0/1

Total duels won

3/10

Doucoure struggled in an attacking midfield capacity throughout, with the number 16 squandering one big chance to make Everton’s lead on the moving day even stronger, alongside failing to complete a single successful dribble.

But, it was also a poor day at the office for Doucoure when attempting to battle away from performing just his attacking duties, with the former Watford man winning only 30% of his duels.

It would be a sorrowful ending for the Senegalese midfielder at Everton, but much like the case is with Young, the removal of some experienced heads for some fresher talent could do David Moyes’ men a lot of good ahead of their major relocation.

While we say adios to Goodison, we must also say farewell to Young and Doucoure.

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David Moyes will look to bring in one or two exciting names to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

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Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has been handed a boost in his pursuit of a 52-year-old’s appointment in N17, with the high-ranking board chief said to be seriously attempting to bring him to north London.

Ange Postecoglou makes comment on Tottenham future

Following an alleged Ange Postecoglou row with Spurs supporters in their 1-0 London derby defeat at Chelsea, where he was seen goading the away end over Pape Matar Sarr’s introduction, the Australian has received serious backlash.

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Postecoglou brought on the Senegalese in place of Lucas Bergvall, which prompted boos from the Lilywhites fanbase, with Sarr then equalising with an excellently taken, albeit brief, strike from long-range.

Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures

Date

Southampton (home)

April 6th

Wolves (away)

April 13th

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 21st

Liverpool (away)

April 27th

West Ham (away)

May 3rd

In response, the Tottenham boss cupped his ear to those who jeered his decision to bring Sarr on. This incident hasn’t gone down well with supporters and critics alike, but Postecoglou has since insisted that he was merely celebrating the goal, which was eventually ruled out for a foul in the build-up.

Postecoglou is now facing more pressure than ever before, especially following Tottenham’s sixteenth defeat in the Premier League alone this season, with Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola reportedly Levy’s top managerial target to succeed the tactician.

Celtic’s former boss was candid when asked about his long-term future this week, suggesting that Spurs need to think more long-term.

“I’ve almost lasted two years, it’s pretty good for Tottenham,” said Postecoglou on his job.

“At some point, I think the club needs to stick to something. If I say it now it sounds self-serving and defeats the purpose, so maybe not now. But I think that if you want to change the course of your events, you need to change materially a lot of things in terms of the way your outlook as a club.

“Last year was a good year, I don’t care what anybody says. We lost Harry (Kane). I know everyone talks about our start (but) we lost Harry, we finished fifth, we changed the way we played.

“It seems like, you have one good year, you have one poor year and then that’s it, ‘let’s move on to the next’, but that’s what I accepted so I can’t sit here and say, ‘ah, woe is me’. That’s the challenge I accepted.”

Daniel Levy handed Tottenham boost over appointing Fabio Paratici

As well as a new head coach, the north Londoners have been tipped to re-hire ex-managing director Fabio Paratici, who would play a key role in the managerial recruitment process.

Reports suggest that Levy has held talks with Paratici over re-joining Tottenham, and the chairman has apparently been “working hard” on his possible return (Graeme Bailey), but Milan are major foils in this move.

The Rossoneri are chasing their own sporting director, with Paratici’s worldwide football ban set to end on 30th June this year. However, according to Calciomercato, Tottenham have been handed a boost in their pursuit of the 52-year-old.

It is believed that Milan’s talks with Paratici have collapsed over various clauses they couldn’t agree upon, handing Levy a clear run at bringing back a former employee who enjoyed a productive stint at the club.

The Italian played a major role in Spurs’ appointment of Antonio Conte, whilst also orchestrating deals for Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Destiny Udogie and Pape Sarr.

Alan Gardner is joined by Andrew McGlashan and Matt Roller to review the T20I series between England and Australia, as well as look forward to five ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2024The T20I decider between England and Australia in Manchester was washed out, meaning attention swiftly turned to the start of the five-match ODI series between the teams. On this week’s podcast, Alan Gardner was joined by Andrew McGlashan and Matt Roller to discuss impressive performances from Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell and Matt Short, as well as look forward to Harry Brook’s England captaincy debut, and wonder whether 19-year-old Mahli Beardman could make a surprise debut.