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Glasgow Rangers transfer business has been a major cause for concern since the summer of 2021.

Plenty of managers have come and gone during that time, but not one has been able to say they enjoyed success in the transfer market.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst spent big on the likes of Ben Davies, Rabbi Matondo, and Ridvan Yilmaz, but they have hardly set the world on fire at Ibrox.

Michael Beale also had money to spend, but like his predecessor, it was wasted on flops such as Sam Lammers and Jose Cifuentes, who are now playing elsewhere.

Last summer, Robin Propper and Nedim Bajrami arrived in Glasgow under Philippe Clement, but they also failed to live up to the hype generated upon their move to Scotland.

Of course, not every signing has been poor. Nico Raskin has emerged as one of the club’s best players this season, winning the club’s Player of the Year. Todd Cantwell was solid in spells, while Hamza Igamane could generate a profit for the Light Blues following a stunning debut campaign.

Perhaps the player who could become one of the most important for the club is Mohamed Diomande, who has gone about his business without much fanfare since joining in January 2024, initially on loan.

Mohamed Diomande has been a great signing for Rangers

The Ivorian midfielder joined the Gers on a six-month loan deal in the 2024 winter window, which would become permanent that summer for a fee in the region of £4.3m.

It was a gamble, especially with the money involved, but the move turned out to be a success.

He showed glimpses of his ability during the loan spell, scoring twice in 19 games, grabbing an assist too, and it looked as though he could become a key figure in Clement’s midfield.

Able to operate either as a number ten or in a slightly deeper role, Diomande’s ability to run with the ball and glide past opponents ensures he is a success in either of these roles.

With the likes of Ianis Hagi and Tom Lawrence likely to leave this summer, a space for someone like Diomande to play higher up the pitch could be available regularly. This season, the 23-year-old has scored six and registered nine assists in all competitions for the Light Blues.

His game is well-suited to a more advanced role. When compared to his positional peers across the Europa League this season, the midfielder ranks in the top 6% for assists (0.23) and in the top 11% for successful take-ons (1.14) per 90.

He has still to reach his peak years as a player, and if Rangers can keep hold of Diomande under the new manager, he could become the new fulcrum of the team.

Whoever does take charge of the Glasgow giants on a permanent basis will be keen on making their own signings. It appears as though the 49ers Enterprises have earmarked a Brazilian midfielder as one of the first of a new era this summer.

Rangers need a new midfielder

Several names have already been linked with a move to Rangers ahead of the summer transfer window opening in a few weeks.

The 49ers will be aiming to build a side that can challenge Celtic for domestic dominance, hoping that the club will return to the summit of Scottish football once again.

According to the Scottish Sun last week, the Light Blues have earmarked Basel loanee Metinho as a top target this summer.

He is currently valued a £4m, which is a significant outlay for the club. A potential move could depend on whether the new manager can raise funds by selling some deadwood.

He will return to his parent club, Troyes, when the season finishes, but with Championship clubs showing interest, acting swiftly will be key.

With Raskin being touted for a move to England this summer, the 49ers will need to replace the Belgian international sufficiently.

If Metinho arrives in Scotland, he could fill the gap left by Raskin, which, in turn, would allow him to thrive with Diomande in the midfield.

Why Rangers must sign Metinho

Metinho came through the Fluminense academy and was one of the best prospects of his generation.

Indeed, in 2021, he was lauded by SelecaoTalk, who said: “Brazil’s best from his generation. He’s called ‘Little Pogba’.”

“He’s got everything, so complete. Very similar to Gerson who also came through the Fluminense academy.”

Moving to Europe later that year, the Brazilians struggled to make much of an impact. An 18-month loan spell at Sparta Rotterdam saw him demonstrate glimpses of his talent.

Metric (per 90)

Raskin

Metinho

Tackles

2.9

3

Interceptions

0.7

1.1

Possession lost

10.1

6.2

Total duels won

6.6

4.7

Balls recovered

5.7

4.5

Accurate passes

46.7

29.3

It wasn’t until moving to Basel earlier this year, however, that the 22-year-old finally matured enough to perform consistently well.

Operating at the heart of the midfield, Metinho has played a solid role in the club winning their first league title since 2017.

Across ten matches, he averages three tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game domestically, while also recovering 4.5 balls per game for the Swiss side.

Furthermore, his ability to retain possession is excellent, losing the ball just 6.2 times per game. The midfielder even wins an impressive 4.7 total duels per game – a success rate of 66% – for Basel.

These statistics would not only make a solid replacement for Raskin, but also someone who could work well deployed behind Diomande at the base of the midfield.

As evidenced, the Ivorian star looks better when playing in a more advanced role. Having someone like Metinho mopping up everything behind him would certainly give Diomande plenty of freedom to attack.

Much will depend on the finances available to the new manager this summer. If the Brazilian is still available for around £4m by the time he arrives at Ibrox, it is a move which could be worth pursuing.

He could be a player who may generate a magnificent profit in the years to come for the Glasgow side.

Rangers could sign the next Ryan Kent with move for "outstanding" star

As the 49ers look to rebuild Rangers’ squad during the summer, could they secure an “outstanding” winger on a free, who could be the next Ryan Kent?

ByBen Gray May 16, 2025

Celtic will look to tie up loose ends from a domestic standpoint ahead of next season before looking to strike while the iron is hot on the transfer market.

Celtic in hunt for domestic treble to reflect progress under Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers has led Celtic to within touching distance of another treble and will hope his side can push a fourth successive Scottish Premiership title over the line this weekend should permutations fall their way.

The Bhoys need to defeat Kilmarnock on Saturday to move within a point of the league crown, which could be handed to them the following day if Rangers lose out at Aberdeen.

Despite the promise of a fantastic end to the campaign, Rodgers has warned against Celtic complacency following a surprise 1-0 defeat for his side against St Johnstone last Sunday.

He stated: “It’s happened too many times. I’ve seen a trend now with us, and it will be interesting between now and the end of the season in terms of mentality.”

Losing three of his last seven Scottish Premiership encounters, the Irishman has possibly been given food for thought as the summer window approaches.

Rodgers must finally get rid of Celtic dud who earns more than Maeda

Celtic must move on from the forward who earns even more than Daizen Maeda.

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Reports have suggested Celtic want to sign Augsburg midfielder Elvis Rexhbecaj to shore up their options in the engine room, which may go some way to indicating where he sees the most pressing need for reinforcements.

Delivering domestic trophies is deemed as the bread and butter in Scotland, but there is an ever-blooming expectation that the Hoops’ rude financial health should translate to regular impressive showings in Europe, with recent claims suggesting Rodgers has demanded a summer warchest to stay at Celtic.

Tapping into that theme, the manager could now be granted several new arrivals at Parkhead to help his cause, according to former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness.

Wyness: Celtic boss Rodgers could line up five summer signings

Speaking to Football Insider, Wyness claimed Celtic could make up to five summer signings in what is set to be an “aggressive” window for all involved at Parkhead, citing their desire to grow in the Champions League as a critical factor.

He stated: “Brendan will definitely want to be aggressive this summer, every manager wants that. I’ve never had a manager work for me who isn’t two players short of what he wants. No matter what you give them, they always want at least two more.

Where are Celtic most likely to strengthen this summer?

Left-back – almost certain to happen

Greg Taylor likely to leave for free, cover needed for Kieran Tierney

Defensive midfield – possible but not at top of priority list

Callum McGregor is 32 in June and may need his minutes managed

Central midfield – if departures occur

Reo Hatate may be at the end of his cycle, so another body is likely

On the flanks – high likelihood

Daizen Maeda’s move to central striking role has created a void

Striker – almost certain to happen

Maeda and Adam Idah could use competition through the middle

“Brendan will, in this case, want another three, four, or even five – given the Champions League and the levels they want to be at. So it will be that usual battle.”

Although there is unlikely to be a sea change at Celtic this summer, a squad refresh may be needed to instill the hunger needed to claim a fifth Scottish Premiership title in a row alongside staking a claim in the Champions League.

Now, the onus remains on Parkhead recruitment chiefs to ensure the Bhoys are prepared by the time qualifiers come around, which won’t be an easy test so early into the new campaign.

He has proved himself a clear-headed captain, able to manage the many personalities in the country’s cricket, but he’s currently staring down the biggest test of his captaincy

Mohammad Isam29-May-2024Delhi, November 6, 2023. Sri Lanka are 135 for 4 against Bangladesh when Angelo Mathews saunters in looking at his helmet strap. Najmul Hossain Shanto notices something that will change cricketing relations between the two sides forever. He tells his captain, Shakib Al Hasan, that if he were to appeal, Mathews could be dismissed timed-out. Shakib does a double take but then goes to umpire Marais Erasmus. The rest is history.It takes courage to stand up in the hierarchical inner world of Bangladesh cricket, and it was perhaps a sign of Shanto’s burgeoning confidence and his leadership qualities that Shakib was open to taking inputs from him. Shanto improved significantly in 2023, emerging from a five-year slump in which he was barely hanging on to his place in the team. He also grew in stature in the side, first by becoming a reliable No. 3, and by the time the Delhi game came around, ascendinging to the vice-captaincy.In 2023 he scored 1650 runs at an average of 42.30, a stark jump in his stocks, compared to the 1603 runs at 22.90 he made between 2017 and the end of 2022.Related

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• Mushfiqur lauds Shanto's leadership qualities: 'It was a one-man show tonight'

Impressed by his form last year, the BCB made him captain shortly after Bangladesh’s disastrous 2023 World Cup. Shanto’s comeback from the doldrums of five years had impressed some in the board, but the BCB also wanted to take the pulse of the Bangladesh dressing room by placing a new captain in charge and seeing how the senior cricketers, especially, responded.Appointing a captain outside of Bangladesh’s big five – Shakib, Tamim, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim – has been problematic over the years. Mominul Haque led them to the miraculous Mt Maunganui Test win against New Zealand but within six months he was out, unable to handle the pressure. Litton Das captained Bangladesh to the ODI series win against India in 2022, but he then admitted to the BCB that he was not looking forward to leading long-term.Shanto’s stopgap captaincy in the Tests and white-ball matches against New Zealand last year even impressed their taskmaster coach Chandika Hathurusinghe. Subsequently the BCB appointed Shanto full-time captain in all formats earlier this year.Mischief managed: Shanto’s shrewd eye for detail caused Angelo Mathews’ timed-out dismissal in the 2023 ODI World Cup•Associated PressHis leadership credentials were tested hard just a week before the T20 World Cup, when Bangladesh played USA for the first time and lost the T20I series 2-1. Shanto’s batting form had taken a dip, and coupled with the loss, the pressure is well and truly on him to turn things around, and fast, for the team.

****

We meet on a relatively mild morning in Dhaka, the day after Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe in the fourth T20I in Mirpur earlier this month. I mention to Shanto his save on the boundary in the 19th over that ultimately made the difference for his side. He couldn’t hold on to Blessing Muzarabani’s lofted shot towards wide long-off, but his boundary-line juggling saved at least four runs. Bangladesh won by five.Shanto doesn’t quite agree with me and quickly changes the topic, a subtle reinforcement of his “team first” mantra.”The team culture is better now,” he says when I ask how his team-mates have reacted to his captaincy. “I think it is important for everyone to know that when we lose a match these days, we don’t go down emotionally. In the same way, when we win these days, we don’t jump high into the sky. We try to evaluate how we can play better even after we win the game. We also try to pick the positives when we lose.”This is how we are trying to grow the team culture in the last six or seven months. I think every player tries to help each other. For example, you will always see Taskin [Ahmed] helping the other bowlers. Even someone as young as Rishad [Hossain] tries to help the senior team-mates in the field.”Shanto looks up to Shakib and MS Dhoni, two very different captains, as his leadership role models.”I like Shakib ‘s captaincy. He is very attacking, taking brave decisions. I think it has helped me as a captain so far. I have been successful emulating him in many ways.Shanto has the confidence of famously hard-to-please coach Chandika Hathurusinghe•AFP/Getty Images”I also admire MS Dhoni’s captaincy. From what I could see on TV, he is very calm in tough moments. I don’t know what goes on inside him. He makes clear decisions. They could be right or wrong, but he makes them calmly.”Shanto learned the value of having a calm head on one’s shoulders in the World Cup last year. Apart from leading the side for a couple of games due to an injury to Shakib, Shanto’s form took a hit as the team management shuffled him and everyone else around in the batting order in a madcap strategy.”I think a captain has to remain calm at these big events. People will have huge expectations, so without focusing on those things, I want to focus on motivating my team. I also have to look to contribute as a batter. It will take the team to a better position if I can execute the plans without thinking too much,” he says.He is also trying to keep his batting and captaincy separate, which is easier said than done, especially in a high-pressure environment like Bangladesh cricket.”When I am batting out there, I think like a batter. I don’t think that I have to score all the runs just because I am the captain. I feel like a captain when I am fielding: who to bowl at what time. I also have to handle a lot of things off the field. I am enjoying those responsibilities,” he says.Challenges came early in Shanto’s life. Khaled Mashud, the former Bangladesh captain, first saw Shanto as a 12-year-old in the nets at his cricket academy in Rajshahi.”He had a tough time travelling every day,” Mashud says. “He lived far away. He used to cycle for two or three kilometres from his home to reach the main road, where he left the cycle in a shop. From there he would take the bus to come to Rajshahi city. And then he needed an auto-rickshaw ride to get to the academy.”He never missed a day of practice, come rain or shine. He was very hardworking and talented from a very young age.”I have loved watching Shanto grow into such a good cricketer. He has made lots of sacrifices. He has given his all to come to this stage. I want to see him become a top-level performer who has a long career. I think he has it in him. He is aware of the arithmetic of scoring runs.”Shanto seems to have successfully navigated the challenges of captaining a team of big-name players•AFP/Getty ImagesAfter his time under Mashud’s tutelage, Shanto spent the last eight years working with Khaled Mahmud, another former Bangladesh captain and the coach of Abahani Limited, for whom Shanto has been playing in the Dhaka Premier League since 2016.Mahmud thinks Shanto is a once-in-a-generation cricketer in the mould of Michael Hussey.”I call him a full-time cricketer,” he says. “He doesn’t think about anything other than cricket. He always wants to improve. He is a calm, sensible person. He keeps things under control. He is captaincy material.”Shanto spends hours in the nets under the watchful eyes of Mahmud at the Shere Bangla National Stadium and listens to his advice keenly. During his lean years from 2018 to 2021, Mahmud championed him to the BCB and to Bangladesh’s team management.”He has to work much harder to express himself fully. Captaining Bangladesh is not easy. I always tell him that he has to make his own decisions,” Mahmud says. “The coach will only play a supporting role. At the end of the day, it will be your decision that counts. If you make a wrong decision, you can reconcile it with yourself. If the coach or someone else is heavily involved, you won’t be able to.”He is a confident guy, but consistency is becoming a hurdle for him. I spoke to him recently. I told him that it looks like you are in a lot of hurry in the middle. It is not written anywhere that you have to hit a six every ball in T20s.”When Shanto’s form dipped between 2018 and 2022, Mahmud was impressed by how he kept hitting the nets and sharpening his fielding.”It was such a tough time for him, the way he was trolled on social media. I used to tell him that you have to prove it in the middle. He vowed to come back strongly. He trained hard on his skills and fitness. He is a gun fielder and a fast mover on the ground. I think those tough times really made him the cricketer he is today,” says Mahmud.Shanto knows exactly when the tide turned for him – at the 2022 T20 World Cup, where he struck two fifties. No one else saw it as a major achievement at the time, but for Shanto it meant the world. His training methods were finally yielding results.Shanto made 71 against Zimbabwe and 54 against Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup, which he sees as a turning point in his career after a years-long batting slump•ICC via Getty”I wasn’t that confident before the T20 World Cup. I worked very hard on my skills and they improved a lot. Once I realised that, it gave me confidence. I changed my thought process, which helped me do well in that tournament.”When I was playing in the World Cup, I got positive results. If it hadn’t been that way, it would have been difficult. The most important thing is to keep improving my skills. It gives a better mentality. I can believe in myself,” he says.Shanto’s opposite number during the Zimbabwe series, Sikandar Raza, a keen observer of Bangladesh cricket, says Shanto needs support to build himself into his captaincy. Interestingly the Bangladesh captain is the player Raza has bowled to the most in T20Is.”Every captain has their ideology and philosophy,” says Raza “If I have the wellbeing of everyone in my team at heart, then my captaincy will become easier. If I am only thinking about myself, captaincy is hard.”I hope Bangladesh give him time. Allow him to make mistakes. He has won some series, he has lost some series. That’s how a captain is formed. His personal performance will play a huge role in him making the right decisions.”Mashud, who led Bangladesh during some of their worst times, famously the 2003 World Cup, believes Shanto will be best served if he enjoys the upcoming challenge of the T20 World Cup.”Bangladesh captaincy, or captaincy in any team for that matter, is tough when you don’t have the right soldiers,” Mashud says. “It is not like Shanto is leading a team like India. He has to lead like he has nothing to lose but also enjoy his time in the middle. The likes of [Towhid] Hridoy, Tanzid [Hasan] and Rishad can suddenly become match-winners. Shanto should look to best utilise them. He shouldn’t worry too much about what people are saying or what’s happening outside.”Ahead of his biggest assignment, Shanto reflects on his early days in Rajshahi. He believes that getting out of his neighbourhood to become a cricketer was an achievement in itself, but as he rose rapidly through the age-group ranks and into the world of international cricket, his goals got bigger.”I wouldn’t have reached where I have without Allah’s blessings. Where I grew up, nobody had any idea that cricket could be taken up as a profession. You have to love the game and then you have to do hard work with honesty. I faced a lot of noise from people around me in my early days. They didn’t trust me, or believe in me. I had to practise correctly and work hard every day. I believed in myself strongly. If a cricketer does these things, they can do even better than me,” he says.

Backing his adventurous approach on perhaps the bounciest pitch he has played on, he left all his team-mates in the shade

Sidharth Monga30-Oct-20222:23

Faf du Plessis: ‘Suryakumar Yadav’s composure stands out, never seen him frantic’

Going into this World Cup, there was a bit of scepticism around Suryakumar Yadav. Yes, he had played quite a few unbelievable innings both in the IPL and in T20Is, but the doubt – from pundits who are better equipped to look at technique and so forth – was around how he would handle the bouncy conditions in Australia, where he had never played before. A bit of an in-joke: he had even done a lovely interview with ESPNcricinfo leading into the tournament, an event that is believed by certain fans to have magical jinxing powers. Three matches in, that scepticism should be dissipating.Related

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In Sydney Suryakumar made a mockery of the need for a set batter in the last 10 overs, which have been far more productive than the front 10 in this World Cup. In Perth he played a truly special knock on probably the fastest and bounciest track he might have played on. It was definitely the fastest and bounciest of this World Cup, what with first slip standing at almost the edge of the 30-yard ring when South Africa bowled. Suryakumar’s innings came against a quick four-man pace attack. From a dire situation. Which is why he finished top of our Impact ratings with 128.55 points, well clear of the Player of the Match Lungi Ngidi, who scored 105.82.In a match where runs came at 6.75 an over, Suryakumar went at over 10. He scored more than half of India’s runs in exactly one-third the balls. Nobody on either side scored more. Nobody scored quicker. He made the pace and the bounce his friend, jumping inside the line and helping balls along behind square. His best shot perhaps was the flat-bat slap back over Kagiso Rabada’s head for four. Perhaps not quite Virat Kohli vs Haris Rauf levels, but this was still a shot to be marvelled at: off the back foot, against a genuine fast bowler on the bounciest track of the tournament, and back down the ground for four.Most importantly Suryakumar batted his way. A more traditional approach when in crisis in this tournament has been for batters to soak up balls, get themselves “set” and then look to make up for it in the end. It puts a lot of pressure on you and the batters to follow. Suryakumar was more Marcus Stoinis than Virat Kohli.Suryakumar Yadav finds a way to attack any kind of length•ICC via Getty ImagesSuryakumar went after just the fourth ball he faced, one ball after Deepak Hooda’s wicket had left India 42 for 4 in the eighth over. It would soon become for 49 for 5 in the ninth, but Suryakumar hit Anrich Nortje for a six in the next over. It wasn’t as though he wasn’t clinical: he targeted Keshav Maharaj, taking 25 off 12 balls from him. Overall, though, he played what is a percentage game in T20: either score quickly yourself or give others a chance to do so.South Africa will perhaps feel they went searching for wickets a little bit against Suryakumar: their fast bowlers bowled 12 short or short-of-good-length balls at him as against 13 on a length or fuller. The others got 38 on the shorter side and 33 on a length or fuller. Had one of the top five made it into the second half of the innings along with him, India may perhaps have been in a better situation to make use of the spinners’ overs. It just didn’t happen because when you don’t have a target in front of you, you have to take more risks, which didn’t pay off for India’s batters.Unlike Suryakumar, Aiden Markram and David Miller could afford to play out the difficult period and then really go after R Ashwin because they knew their target wasn’t huge. Eventually, South Africa scored eight more runs in boundaries than India did, which was roughly the difference between the two teams.India are still favourites to make it out of this group because their next two matches are against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and the weather in Adelaide and Melbourne, the venues for these matches on Wednesday and Sunday, looks fine at least at the moment. They need three points from these two games to be assured of qualification so this defeat doesn’t do their chances as much damage as it would have done South Africa had they lost. In the process India have found out they can run South Africa close in conditions that are loaded in South Africa’s favour. And that at No. 4 they have an all-conditions T20 great in the making.

Pace bowler wins both his contests with England’s second-Test centurions

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Jul-2020Brilliant spells of fast bowling make Test cricket richer. Spells that usually set up a contest. Invariably the tussle is between the best fast bowler and the best batsman in the opposition. As a fan, you are always anticipating something about to happen.Part of a good or a great spell of fast bowling is the set-up. The bowler sells the dummy. The batsman gets drawn, at times willingly, most times without being privy to the strategy, and suddenly you start seeing the trap.Kemar Roach v Ben Stokes on Friday afternoon in Manchester was one such enticing contest.Stokes had just faced just four deliveries from Roach in the first half-hour after lunch. Roach was now in his fourth over in the second session. The first ball was short of length and Stokes dabbed it without any struggle. But Roach had spotted Stokes standing way out of his crease. The Barbadian’s ego would have surely been challenged, but he did not show it.ALSO READ: Brathwaite defends Holder’s decision to bowl first againRoach ran back in, banged down a perfect bouncer that rattled Stokes’ helmet. The sharp knock might have echoed through the empty ground. It was now the turn of Stokes’ ego being dented a bit as he had to undergo the regulation concussion protocol.Next ball Roach repeated the same short-ball treatment. Stokes this time played the hook spontaneously. It went for a four. Was Roach disappointed? Nope. He had spotted Stokes had stepped back closer to the crease after the knock on the head.Roach maintained a fourth stump or wider line for the next two deliveries. The penultimate ball of the over, Roach went closer to the stumps, something he does not so often anymore. Stokes was back in his crease. The ball pitched on length, seamed in. There was no forward press. Stokes was not expecting the ball to come straight and move in at speed. It burst through his defence. Timber! England’s best batsman just kept looking in disbelief at spot where the ball had pitched.Roach did not say a word. Just ran past Stokes with a confident stride, with glaring eyes that conveyed the message: “I beat you. I set you up.”Two overs later Roach would hit Ollie Pope on his helmet with a scrambled seam delivery as the right-hander went for a hook and was beaten by the pace. Roach would finish the spell, with a spectacular outswinger, delivered from close to stumps, pitching on length, drawing Rory Burns forward, exposing his outside edge with the away movement.It was as spell to remember. A spell built on toil, discipline and determination. According to ESPNcricinfo ball-by-ball data, of the 36 deliveries in that first spell of the second session, Roach fired 15 on the stumps, with an equal number outside off, in the channel. There were 21 deliveries on length, which is something bowlers have long utilised to dominate batsmen. But for Stokes he mixed them up well, pitching half-a-dozen short, eight fuller, and just one short-of-length.Roach did not waste his deliveries. He invested them in setting up the batsmen.Ben Stokes was bowled by Kemar Roach•AFPIn the morning there was another set-up.The first three balls of the match to Dom Sibley were all pitched well outside off stump. Sibley had amassed one of the slowest Test centuries at the same ground in the previous Test by leaving such balls alone.Roach pushed the square leg fielder slightly behind square. Sibley might not have bought into the plan, but where Roach surprised him was by pitching straighter in line with the stumps. With his slightly awkward half-open stance, Sibley attempted to play the ball across the line. The bat face was closed when the ball hit his front pad.”I told you. I told you.” Roach celebrated his first wicket of the morning ecstatically.Two set-ups. Two wickets. Both the centurions in the second Test.Wicketless and hungry in Southampton. Disciplined and determined in the second Test at Old Trafford, yet still left three short of the landmark of becoming only the ninth fast bowler from West Indies to bag 200 Test wickets.Roach nearly had his 200th Test wicket in the first two overs with the second new ball late in the afternoon, Jos Buttler’s outside edge flying through the empty fourth slip. Pope got lucky, too, as John Campbell failed to be proactive at short extra cover. Roach nearly screamed in delight.He was made to wait once again. The smile, though, did not vanish.As Ian Bishop said on TV during the tea break – Kemar Roach in full flow is a joy to watch.

It hurts to be a Pirates fan these days.

Long removed from its glory days in the 1960s and '70s, Pittsburgh's franchise is currently stuck in what fans believe to be an owner-imposed purgatory, one in which even one of the best players in baseball isn't enough to turn the middling franchise around. Indeed, Chairman Bob Nutting is frequently maligned by fans during games at PNC Park and around Pittsburgh, where diehards have resorted to chants and even billboards urging the executive to sell the team if he won't spend money to make it better.

But it would seem Nutting will not budge until his hand is forced—that is, there will be no management changes on his end until movement is required by the league. That isn't an inspiring notion for fans, who would of course prefer to enjoy the Paul Skenes era while it lasts and are tired of the disappointment.

On Monday, MLB commissioner Robert Manfred at the very least sounded aware of Pittsburgh's macro-level problem—and even made clear that the league needs to fix it.

During the commissioner's appearance on , McAfee, a Pittsburgh native, divulged that he did not grow up as a big baseball fan because the Pirates were not a competitive team. He then suggested that it would be good for MLB to fix that issue around the league—not just with the Pirates, but other franchises, too—to make the sport better as a whole.

"The fact of the matter is Pittsburgh's a great sports town," Manfred said in reply, after making clear he agreed with McAfee's point. "There are tons and tons of really passionate Pirates fans who remember when the Pirates were a great, great team year in and year out. And they just want to look at the system and say, 'We got a fair chance to win' when you're sitting around in February looking at Spring Training and what the year's gonna be like. And we need to deal with that issue."

Listen to that below:

He added: "It is undeniable … that we have fans in markets who believe they don't have a fair opportunity to compete. You can blame the owner, or whatever—it is the system that produces that. And at the end of the day, what we sell is competition. So anything that undermines competition … sooner or later, we're going to have to come to grips with that issue, 100%."

So, no clear promises made, but it might feel at least somewhat nice to hear Manfred say there's a problem with teams like the Pirates that needs fixing.

And as salary cap (and possible salary floor) discussions continue, hopefully, the team's fortunes are eventually reversed, with or without Bob Nutting.

Tottenham are already making some progress on their transfer plans heading into 2026, with ‘very advanced’ discussions being held on the player side.

Tottenham make plans to sign new attacker

Spurs are believed to be ramping up their pursuit of attacking reinforcements ahead of the January transfer window, with Thomas Frank desperate to address the creative issues plaguing his side right now.

The Lilywhites were once again unconvincing against Newcastle on Tuesday, despite nicking a 2-2 draw courtesy of captain Cristian Romero’s brace.

Romero’s diving header and overhead kick in added time were Spurs’ only shots on target the entire game, so it remains clear that the north Londoners could do with that extra injection of quality going forward.

FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa has reportedly emerged as one of the club’s primary targets, with Spurs ‘intent’ on signing the 21-year-old, according to some reports.

The Spain international has impressed again this season with six goals and one assist in 11 league games for Porto, while his overall record stands at 37 goals in 62 appearances since joining the Portuguese giants from Atlético Madrid last year.

Dominic Solanke has been plagued by ankle problems since the start of 2025/2026, undergoing surgery in early October and remaining sidelined, with Mathys Tel, Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani arguably failing to set the world alight.

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He’s on the verge of leaving his current club.

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Kolo Muani’s also suffered injury issues which have limited his availability, but the Frenchman did put in a stunning shift against parent club PSG in the Champions League last week.

He bagged a brace and an assist during the 5-3 defeat as Spurs’ shining light, though he needs more support with Richarlison proving inconsistent and Mathys Tel still pretty raw.

That being said, with Solanke nearing a return, Tottenham are reportedly more likely to sign a wide forward than a central striker in January.

Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye are both rumoured targets to bolster Tottenham’s attack, with the former’s contract containing a £65 million release clause which will be active in early January.

However, Man City are just as keen on Semenyo as Spurs, meaning Frank’s side could face an uphill battle against the Premier League title contenders.

A potential alternative to Semenyo, according to Sky Sports Switzerland’s Sacha Tavolieri, comes in the form of RB Leipzig sensation Yan Diomande.

Tottenham in 'very advanced' discussions with Diomande's camp

As per the reporter, Tottenham are in ‘very advanced’ discussions with Diomande’s representatives — positioning themselves alongside Liverpool as frontrunners in the race for his signature.

Spurs have monitored the Ivorian for months, and Tavolieri says that both the north Londoners and Arne Slot’s side are pressing in negotiations with the 19-year-old’s camp, though no club has yet made formal contact with Leipzig.

Diomande joined Leipzig for £17.5 million from Spanish side Leganes last summer and has quickly impressed, with the Bundesliga side now slapping a reported £88 million price tag on his head to ward off suitors.

The left-winger has scored four goals and racked up four assists in 14 appearances across all competitions this season, establishing himself as a star regular in Ole Werner’s attacking setup.

The promising talent only made his first senior club appearance in March and has enjoyed a meteoric rise since then, with Leipzig now poised to demand a fee which could eclipse their record sale of Josko Gvardiol to City for £79 million.

Barcelona have also expressed rumoured interest but haven’t opened negotiations with his agents, putting Liverpool and Tottenham in the driving seat.

Both Premier League clubs are even considering a January move, according to some reports (Foot Africa), though Leipzig are fully aware of the growing interest and haven’t yet held talks with any club.

For Frank, the signing of Diomande could be a risky one, as he’s only burst on the scene very recently and may cost serious money.

The Baltimore Orioles are hosting the Minnesota Twins in an afternoon game on Wednesday and while Ramón Laureano started the game in left field, he'll be watching the final few innings from the clubhouse after being ejected for throwing a tantrum after a called third strike.

With two outs and a runner on first in the bottom of the sixth inning, Laureano let a very close pitch on a 3-2 count go by without swinging. Home plate umpire James Hoye called it a strike to end the inning, which prompted Laureano to freak out. First he slammed his bat to the ground and then he had an all-time spike of his helmet that led to his immediate ejection.

Here's how that played out, starting with a pitch that he should have been swinging at, and his childish actions after being called out:

The announcer nailed it with this line: "The bat throw and then helmet spike is going to get run pretty much every time."

That might be the easiest ejection of the MLB season.

MatériaMais Notícias

O atacante Thiago Galhardo recebeu a equipe do Lance! no seu primeiro dia de férias, e a apresentadora Ana Goebel mostrou todos os detalhes da mala do jogador. Desde os looks importados até uma “cueca da sorte” que o camisa 91 usou em todos os jogos da temporada.

“Sou supersticioso, uso a mesma em todos os jogos do ano. Ano que vem compro uma nova” – risos.

Confira a entrevista completa no link abaixo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m3HIvF48yc

CEO Todd Greenberg stressed Australia’s traditional Boxing Day Test and New Year’s Test would remain untouched

Alex Malcolm06-Aug-2025Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg says an investigation into allowing private investment into the BBL is “unashamedly” with a view to making it the second best T20 league in the world behind the IPL, but stressed it would not go ahead if it came at the cost of Australia’s traditional New Year’s Test at the SCG.CA released a statement last week regarding the next evolution of the BBL after Boston Consulting Group (BCG) had been commissioned by the CA Board earlier this year to assess the current model and future structure of the BBL, with a series of recommendations presented to the board earlier last week.A “recommendation of alternative forms of investment and ownership to realise the potential for growth, including consideration of private investment” was one of the key points presented by BCG.Related

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CA said in the statement that BCG’s report “will now be subject to a thorough exploratory process before any decisions are made about the potential implementation of recommendations, and any associated timelines.”Speaking on on Wednesday in Melbourne, Greenberg said that BCG’s entire report would not be published due to it containing sensitive commercial information but reiterated that CA were merely investigating the possibility of private investment into the BBL and what it would mean for cricket as a whole in Australia.He did admit that part of the vision CA had for the league was for it to be second only to the IPL in terms of it’s global standing.”Well that’s certainly the vision of everyone in cricket here in this country is to make sure that we run a league and we run a T20 tournament that is sitting just beside or behind or adjacent to the IPL,” Greenberg said. “It’s going to be very hard to chase the IPL, given the scale of cricket in India, but unashamedly, we want to run a league that comes second. And to do that we’re going to need to make sure that player availability and player salaries are commensurate with everything else that goes on around the world, and there’s one thing you need for that, you need money, you need investment. We’d be naive if we weren’t asking ourselves these questions and making sure we’ve got an eye on what’s next.BBL clubs are currently fully owned by CA and operated by the state associations•Getty Images”Nothing has been decided at this point in time. The report does tell us that the BBL is in a very healthy position, but one thing we’re sure of is we don’t want to take that for granted. So it’s incumbent on us, as leaders of the sport, to look at what the future might hold for us.”Private investment has been a discussion point around the BBL ever since it’s creation as a rebrand of the state-based Big Bash in 2011. But CA has long resisted the idea to maintain 100 per cent control of the tournament and the clubs in order to create a summer schedule for broadcasters where it sits underneath the key Test matches in Melbourne on Boxing Day and in Sydney at the start of each New Year.Another recommendation from BCG was the the BBL started later than it’s current start date of mid-December. News Limited reported that the New Year’s Test in Sydney may be under threat as a result as private investors, if they were to hold majority stakes in BBL clubs, would demand Australia’s Test players be fully available for the tournament as is the case in the IPL and now the Hundred in England.But Greenberg was firm in his belief that the Sydney Test would not be moved to a different date in the calendar.”I hail from Sydney so I’d like to return back there at one point in time,” Greenberg said. “So, no, it’s certainly not on the agenda.”CA has kept a very close eye on how the ECB has handled the sale of the Hundred franchises in England and is continuing to watch closely as the competition enters a transition year with three teams set to be renamed and rebranded next season by the new private owners.

“We’re looking at ways to put money into cricket so that all parts of cricket can continue to flourish. So for me, this is much less about selling something. It’s more about what the future looks like and trying to ensure that we can continue to put money and resources into grassroots and performance pathways.”Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg

Greenberg rejected a notion which has been raised in some quarters in Australia that allowing private investment into the BBL would be akin to “selling the farm” to the highest bidder.”It couldn’t be anything further from the truth,” Greenberg said. “We’re looking at ways to put money into cricket so that all parts of cricket can continue to flourish. So for me, this is much less about selling something. It’s more about what the future looks like and trying to ensure that we can continue to put money and resources into grassroots and performance pathways, and so we can be secure, and we can be the sport of choice, and we can continue to be the country’s national sport. None of that will happen if we sit still on our hands and think that everything tomorrow will be like yesterday. We’re living in a world that’s moving at speed.”What this report’s looking at is certainly not looking at putting any private capital into the league. It’s rather the clubs themselves. So that’s the first point. So retaining control of Australian cricket, I think, is fundamental.”Greenberg said he had already received emails from private investors that he “hadn’t heard of” who were interested in having a conversation about either investing in or owning BBL clubs. But he reiterated that CA were a long way from reaching a point where the conversations with investors could actually take place.He admitted there was apprehension from a large number of current stakeholders in Australian cricket following last week’s release but wanted to allay any fears.”The Chairman (Mike Baird) and I are at pains to point out that this process, this project will only work if it benefits everyone, and when I say everyone, I mean the total circumference of Australian cricket,” Greenberg said. “I mean players. I mean all of our states and territories, and I mean grassroots and the future of cricket too. If there’s opportunities for everyone to thrive and grow from a project like this, then I think it will solve the problems itself. But if clearly we can’t answer that question, then I think the project fails. So we will be very collaborative, as we have been from the start.”