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Bojan Miovski made his debut for Glasgow Rangers on Sunday in a 0-0 draw in the first Old Firm clash of the Scottish Premiership season at Ibrox.

The Macedonia international, who recently signed on a permanent deal from Girona, made some intelligent runs and used his body well to win a few crucial fouls to relieve pressure for his side.

Russell Martin’s next task is to build a team that can consistently create chances for the left-footed attacker, who did not get a ‘big chance’ in front of goal against Celtic.

Rangers make offer for Premier League forward

The Ibrox giants are looking to bolster their options out wide to provide the former Aberdeen marksman with more support before the end of the window.

Transfer Focus

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

According to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph, Glasgow Rangers have made an official offer to sign Crystal Palace forward Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.

The journalist claims that the Light Blues and Celtic have both made last-gasp attempts to bring the English youngster up to Scotland on loan for the season.

Joseph adds that Leicester City and Lyon are also keen on signing the left-footed attacker, but it remains to be seen what Palace’s plans for him are on deadline day.

Why Rangers should sign Jesurun Rak-Sakyi

The Gers must push as hard as possible to seal a last-minute loan deal for Rak-Sakyi ahead of their rivals because he could be a huge threat at the top end of the pitch alongside Miovski.

Rangers have already found their new prolific scorer, hopefully, by signing the Macedonian star who scored 32 goals in two Premiership seasons during his time with Aberdeen, per Transfermarkt.

In Rak-Sakyi, the Gers could have a winger with the potential to provide a huge goal threat alongside Miovski, potentially taking some of the attention away from the centre-forward because the opposition defence will have to be wary of the threat that he poses.

The 22-year-old can score and create goals by cutting in on his left foot from the right flank, which could attract centre-backs to step out to close down his possible shot.

That could create space for Miovski, who showed glimpses of his intelligent runs on Sunday, to slip in behind off the last line if Rak-Sakyi is able to pick him out.

As you can see in the table above, the English dynamo can score and create goals at a decent rate, with 22 goals and ten assists in his last two full seasons in England.

These statistics show that Rak-Sakyi, who was described as “devastating” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, could cause plenty of problems for opposition defenders with his goal threat and his creativity.

This is why he could form an exciting partnership with Miovski at the top end of the pitch, because Rangers could have two players who have the quality to consistently be a threat in the final third, particularly with their goalscoring attributes.

With Djeidi Gassama, who has already scored four goals this season, on the left wing, Martin could have a prolific front three on his hands if they all gel and perform to their potential.

Martin cost Rangers the win by playing star who was worse than Aasgaard

Russell Martin may look back on this tactical decision with regret after his underwhelming display.

By
Dan Emery

Aug 31, 2025

During England’s second warm-up match against India A on March 20 in Mumbai, Shrubsole fell awkwardly on her right shoulder while taking a catch and sustained a minor sprain

Annesha Ghosh in Mumbai22-Mar-2018England have been jolted by a shoulder injury to their frontline pace bowler Anya Shrubsole, who will sit out their tri-series opener against Australia on Friday. During England’s second warm-up match against India A on March 20, Shrubsole fell awkwardly on her right shoulder while taking a catch and sustained a minor sprain.On Thursday afternoon, Shrubsole was spotted sporting a sling during the team’s training. For much of the length of the nets session, she kept coach Mark Robinson company as the duo oversaw the proceedings at the Brabourne Stadium.Captain Heather Knight, however, was hopeful Shrubsole would recover in time to feature in their next game, against India on Sunday.”She’s not going to be available tomorrow,” Knight said on Thursday. “But the scans show there’s no serious damage so hopefully she makes it for the next game.”Shrubsole’s absence in England’s opening game would mean the team’s pace attack will now be without two of their leading quicks. Earlier, a back injury sustained during the Women’s Big Bash League, had ruled Katherine Brunt out of the tour.Another high-profile exclusion from the side is that of Sarah Taylor, who was left out as a preventive measure to ensure she suffered no recurrence of the anxiety issues that caused her to take time away from the game in 2016.The depletion of experience in the squad, however, was not lost on Knight. She exuded confidence in the way the team went about in the two warm-ups – posting totals in excess of 175 and 200 – and was particularly pleased with the way the uncapped trio in the side adapted to subcontinental conditions.”We’ve got an inexperienced side and with that can come some inconsistency but I’m also really excited to see how we’ll go,” she said. “The new girls have been brilliant, they’ve really put their names forward for selections and that’s what we want. There’s some exciting cricketers there, Kate George is a left-arm quick, Bryony Smith at the top of the order hits the ball hard and Alice Davidson-Richards in middle order gives it a whack and is handy with the ball.”Since England last played in India, during the 2016 World T20, and their previous T20 assignment, the multi-format Ashes, the team has gone through a transition, crowned by the glory of winning the 50-over World Cup.Weighing in on the significance of the tri-series in the run-up to the World T20 in November, Knight said facing teams like India and Australia will provide her side an appropriate platform to measure up the strengths and weaknesses of the core as well as the younger lot coming through.”That semi-finals in Delhi [in the World T20], that’s two years now. [It] was the making of this team, I think. We have talked about it a lot now. The changes that we’ve made following that made us the team, the team that won the World Cup. We have come a long way since that T20 series, and now we will get to see how far we have come in similar conditions,” Knight said.”But looking forward to the [World] T20 in November, we want to take our T20 cricket to the next level. We were very successful in one-day cricket recently, but in T20 cricket, not so much. We haven’t played a lot of it in recent times, internationally. So for us, it [the tri-series] is about finding our best XI for us to be successful at the World Cup in November.”

The India captain has been strongly linked with Surrey in recent months with the BCCI keen that key players have the chance to get used to conditions in England

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2018Virat Kohli remains eager for a spell in county cricket ahead of India’s tour of England later this year after it was confirmed last month that the BCCI had granted permission for him to seek a deal.Test success in England remains the one major missing piece to Kohli’s stellar career after he endured a torrid series in 2014 where he made 134 runs in five Tests at 13.40.He was strongly linked with Surrey recently but a deal has not been confirmed. The county are in need of overseas cover, however, having lost Mitchell Marsh to injury. They have signed Dean Elgar for the first two months of the season but a window in June which fits with Kohli’s schedule after the IPL remains a possibility, although that would mean Kohli missing the one-off Test against Afghanistan.”Playing county cricket will help me improve my game,” Kohli told NDTV. “I think it makes things more challenging and more competitive and there are no guarantees whether you are going to do well even if you go in advance.”It’s just about giving yourself more opportunity to get used to the conditions that you are not used to.”Two of India’s senior Test players, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma, are already playing county cricket for Yorkshire and Sussex respectively. Pujara’s first outing, against Essex, was abandoned without a ball bowled at Headingley but Ishant impressed with five wickets against Warwickshire.The BCCI is keen to learn from the experience in South Africa earlier this year when India arrived with barely any preparation. “This time we have been pro-active because post the South Africa experience we felt that exposure was essential for the team,” Vinod Rai, the chairman of the committee of administrators, the body governing the BCCI said.India have one four-day warm-up match, against Essex at Chelmsford, ahead of the five-match Test series which begins on August 1. In 2014 they were 1-0 up after two matches, following victory at Lord’s, but ended up losing the series 3-1.

Arsenal have been riding the crest of a wave under Mikel Arteta’s tutelage, but this is the season that needs to see silverware returned to the Emirates Stadium.

Not since 2020, when Arteta took the loose reins after Unai Emery’s dismissal, have the Gunners lifted a trophy, and for all the incredible improvements that have been made since this new era began, the cabinet could do with a fresh adornment – perhaps the Premier League title?

Sporting director Andrea Berta has dovetailed into Arteta’s project this year and strengthened the Gunners with some talented additions. However, a few stragglers have emerged in north London, and they may need to be shipped on next year to continue the development of this elite outfit.

The Arsenal players Arteta needs to move on

Arsenal’s diligence is reflected by their contractual situations: no first-team player will find their deal is up at the end of the season. However, there are several who need to be shipped on regardless in 2026.

Gabriel Jesus, for example, impressed on his return from injury in midweek, coming off the bench against Club Brugge. Into the penultimate year of his contract, the 28-year-old has recently attracted interest from AC Milan.

Though Arsenal have undergone an incredible defensive transformation in recent years, the frontline still leaves something to be desired. Viktor Gyokeres, who arrived last summer for £64m, was picked as the solution, but he’s yet to bring it all together.

Arteta, for what it’s worth, remains steadfast in his belief that Gyokeres, a signing fuelled by Berta’s vision, will hit his prolific stride in the Premier League, but as the Gunners continue to go from strength to strength and challenge for the biggest prizes.

However, there’s another prominent face in the squad who may be enduring more vocal criticism for his performances, and it’s a situation that offers shades of former midfielder Granit Xhaka’s departure from the Emirates.

Arsenal's new Granit Xhaka

Xhaka has been a revelation in Sunderland’s midfield this season. When Arsenal sold the Swiss international to Bayer Leverkusen in 2023, few expected to see his face in the Premier League again, but he has been described as a “genius” buy for the Black Cats by Sky Sports’ Don Goodman.

The 33-year-old left Arsenal on a high, but his time in north London wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, having been stripped of the captaincy by Emery in 2019.

His perceived lack of discipline often led to him being scapegoated, and in a different scenario with a few similarities, the same could now be said of Martin Odegaard, who is Arteta’s proud £30m skipper but has come under fire for his performances.

Odegaard has been unlucky in recent years, missing chunks of the past few seasons, and some suggest he could be more positive on the ball, though statistics do rank favourably for the 26-year-old in that regard.

As per FBref, the Norwegian “wizard”, as dubbed by footballer Babayele Sodade, ranks among the top 5% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goal involvements, the top 3% for progressive passes, the top 2% for progressive carries, the top 2% for shot-creating actions and the top 1% for through balls per 90.

However, he’s not exempt from criticism. Former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere said “it will be tough to choose between” Odegaard and Eberechi Eze going forward, with the skipper not guaranteed a spot just because he wears the armband.

The former Crystal Palace talisman is growing into his skin since his summer move to the club, and should the £240k-per-week Odegaard begin to make trips to the bench, criticism is not going to disappear.

Bigger problem than Gyokeres: Arteta must bin Arsenal's new Aubameyang

Arsenal could have another Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang situation developing this season…

By
Robbie Walls

2 days ago

The Major Associations set to contract 16 players each overall, one more than last season

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-2018Former New Zealand opener Jesse Ryder has found no takers among the six Major Associations in round one of contract distribution.The associations announced their first list of contracted players for the 2018-19 season on Friday, part of a two-step contracting process in domestic cricket. They will contract 16 players each overall, one up from last season.As per the rules, the associations are allowed to contract between ten and 15 players in round one, and will fill up their quota of 16 on June 30. Whether 33-year-old Ryder finds a new cricketing home then remains to be seen. For now, it seems like his team from the last three seasons, Central Districts, has moved on. quoted Central Districts chief executive Pete De Wet as saying: “Jesse began his professional career for us way back in 2002-03, when he was a promising youngster himself at just 18. Later, after nine seasons representing the Wellington Firebirds and two seasons with the Otago Volts, we were delighted when his career came full circle in 2015-16 when we welcomed Jesse back.”It was a very difficult decision not to offer Jesse a new contract, as we have appreciated his contribution to the team for the past three summers. However, ultimately, we have considered the balance of our squad and have elected to take a long-range view.”Ryder was one of only six batsmen to score over 600 runs last season in the first-class Plunket Shield. In seven matches for Central Districts, the eventual champions, Ryder scored 640 at 71.11 with two hundreds and three fifties. The highlight of his season was twin centuries from No. 5 in Nelson, to set up a 256-run drubbing of Auckland.Here is the full list of players handed contracts in round one.Auckland: Jamie Brown, Craig Cachopa, Mark Chapman, Danru Ferns, Michael Guptill-Bunce, Ben Horne, Ben Lister, Matt McEwan, Robbie O’Donnell, Glenn Phillips, Sean Solia, Will SomervilleCanterbury: Chad Bowes, Blake Coburn, Leo Carter, Andrew Ellis, Cameron Fletcher, Andrew Hazeldine, Kyle Jamieson, Ken McClure, Cole McConchie, Stephen Murdoch, Ed Nuttall, Henry Shipley, Will Williams, Theo van WoerkomCentral Districts: Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Greg Hay, Christian Leopard, Willem Ludick, Ryan McCone, Ajaz Patel, Seth Rance, Bevan Small, Ben Smith, Blair Tickner, Ben Wheeler, Will YoungNorthern Districts: James Baker, Peter Bocock, Dean Brownlie, Henry Cooper, Anton Devcich, Daniel Flynn, Zak Gibson, Brett Hampton, Nick Kelly, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Bharat Popli, Brett Randell, Tim Seifert, Joe WalkerOtago: Matt Bacon, Warren Barnes, Neil Broom, Mark Craig, Jacob Duffy, Josh Finnie, Shawn Hicks, Anaru Kitchen, Michael Rae, Mitch Renwick, Michael Rippon, Hamish Rutherford, Nathan Smith, Brad WilsonWellington: Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lauchie Johns, Iain McPeake, James Neesham, Ollie Newton, Malcolm Nofal, Jeetan Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Logan van Beek, Luke Woodcock, Peter Younghusband

Georgina Rodriguez paid a visit to Disneyland after appearing at Paris Fashion Week in Man Utd-inspired 'Ronaldo 7' signed dress.

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• Georgina visited Disneyland Paris
• Appeared in Paris Fashion Week earlier
• Ronaldo will be in action in AFC Champions League on Monday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Portuguese superstar's long-time girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez shared a series of photographs on Instagram from her trip to Disneyland in Paris which she visited with her children. Her caption for the post read, "In a magical world."

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  THE GOSSIP

  A few days back, Rodriguez had appeared on the ramp of Vetements' Paris Fashion Week show where she was spotted wearing a Manchester United-inspired 'Ronaldo 7' signed dress. At the event, she also appeared to have dropped a hint about when Ronaldo could hang up his boots.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star had to sit out of Al-Nassr's Saudi Pro League clash against Al-Hazm on February 29 after being sanctioned by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) for performing a crude gesture during the club's 3-2 victory over Al-Shabab – as he reacted to more “Messi” taunts from the stands.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO

  The 39-year-old will be next seen in action on Monday as Al-Nassr take on UAE Pro League side Al Ain in the first leg of their AFC Champions League quarter-final clash.

Wade brought up his 10th first-class century and struck up two crucial partnerships to propel Tasmania to 5 for 327 on the first day

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2018ScorecardAn outstanding rearguard century from Matthew Wade has wrestled the momentum in Tasmania’s favour on day one against Western Australian in Hobart.The Warriors threatened to run through the Tigers’ lower order having reduced them to 5 for 159 after winning the toss. Andrew Holder had done the early damage removing Beau Webster and Alex Doolan with swing and seam movement. When George Bailey fell lbw to Simon Mackin, the Tigers were 3 for 51.But Wade started the rebuild. First, he combined with Jake Doran in an 82-run stand to steady the ship. Later, he was joined by Simon Milenko and the pair feasted on an inexperienced Warriors attack.Wade marched to his 10th first-class hundred. Milenko scored an unbeaten 66 in the 168-run partnership that can grow even further on day two.

Seekkuge Prasanna made good use of his early arrival in England for the Vitality Blast as he bowled Northants to a second successive Championship win

ECB Reporters Network28-Jun-2018
ScorecardNorthants took the final six Glamorgan wickets for 69 runs on the fourth morning to complete a comprehensive 233-run victory and record their second successive Championship win of the season.They also moved away from bottom place in Division Two, after outplaying a Glamorgan team who, after winning their opening game, have lost four of their last five championship games, and won only one of their eight Royal London 50 over matches.They were again let down by their batting, with only Usman Khawaja scoring over fifty in both innings, while there seven half centuries for Northants, whose batsmen showed far more application on a pitch of irregular bounce.Northants’ decision to bring their Sri Lankan legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna over a week early, ahead of the Vitality Blast, played dividends as he finished with four wickets in the second innings.Glamorgan resumed on 121 for 4 in their second innings, and soon lost their nightwatchman Timm van der Gugten, who fatally played back to Prasanna and was leg before on the back foot.Kiran Carlson meanwhile was fortunate to survive against the Sri Lankan leg spinner, twice edging deliveries wide of the slip cordon. He was joined by Chris Cooke who appeared more comfortable against Prasanna, twice striking him through extra cover for four.The fifth wicket pair had added 48 before Carlson, aiming to drive expansively at a wide ball, edged one in Brett Hutton’s opening over of the morning, to wicketkeeper Adam Rossington after scoring 32.Cooke was the next to go when he was bowled by Hutton; undone by a ball that kept very low, Cooke almost ended up on his knees as he tried unsuccessfully to get his bat down in time.The procession continued as Nathan Buck came on for his first over of the day, and with his first ball, trapped Ruaidhri Smith leg before with his opening. When Prem Sisodiya was caught at silly mid off to give Prasanna his fourth wicket, the players shook hands as Glamorgan captain Michael Hogan was absent and unable to bat.Glamorgan’s head coach, Robert Croft, sounded relieved that T20 cricket was around the corner: “This defeat had a common thread that we need to improve on,” he said. “We are not capitalising on the starts we are having, whether it’s a lack of concentration or inexperience. We are developing a young team that I’m sure will improve, but possibly we might have to bring in a senior player into the team for the next game or two.”

With the Test series against Australia starting five days after the third and final T20I, South Africa have chosen to rest a number of players including Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla and the frontline Test-match fast bowlers

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2018Christiaan Jonker, Junior Dala and Heinrich Klaasen are the three new faces in South Africa’s squad for the three-match T20I series against India, which begins in Johannesburg on February 18. JP Duminy will lead the side in the absence of Faf du Plessis, who continues his recovery from a finger fracture that has kept him out since the first ODI on February 1.With the Test series against Australia starting five days after the third and final T20I, South Africa have chosen to rest a number of players including Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla and the frontline Test-match fast bowlers. Imran Tahir, South Africa’s first-choice white-ball legspinner, has also been rested, with CSA selection panel convener Linda Zondi saying the selectors wanted to give Tabraiz Shamsi and Aaron Phangiso more of an opportunity to test their squad options.Warriors batsman Jonker and Titans fast bowler Dala are yet to play for South Africa. Wicketkeeper-batsman Klaasen is yet to play T20Is, but made his international debut during the ongoing ODI series against India.The selectors have also named a South Africa A squad that will take on the touring Australians in a three-day warm-up match from February 22 to 24, and have named Khaya Zondo captain. Test caps Theunis de Bruyn, who scored 190 in the most recent round of first-class matches, and Duanne Olivier remain in the national frame and are also part of the side for the warm-up game.South Africa T20I squad: JP Duminy (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Junior Dala, AB de Villiers, Reeza Hendricks, Christiaan Jonker, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Chris Morris, Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Jon-Jon Smuts.South Africa A squad for tour match against Australia: Khaya Zondo (capt), Theunis de Bruyn, Zubayr Hamza, Beuran Hendricks, Pieter Malan, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Duanne Olivier, Rudi Second, Malusi Siboto, Shaun von Berg.

Barcelona will reportedly ditch Hansi Flick as they have made Roberto De Zerbi their top candidate to succeed Xavi after giving up on Mikel Arteta.

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• Barca losing interest in Flick
• Have set sights on De Zerbi
• Accepted they won't get Arteta

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  As the Catalan giants navigate the turbulent waters of coaching transitions, they find themselves amidst a pivotal decision-making process. Luis Enrique and Mikel Arteta are contract-bound to Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal until 2025.

  While Enrique shoulders the responsibility of reshaping PSG's sporting structure after Kylian Mbappe's departure, Arteta has steered Arsenal to notable successes in the Premier League since Arsene Wenger's exit and the north London club will hold on to him at all costs, putting both out of Barca's reach.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Amidst the coaching conundrum, Pini Zahavi, the agent representing Hansi Flick, made an intriguing appearance during Barcelona's match against Getafe. Despite Flick's illustrious accomplishments, including a sextuple triumph with Bayern Munich, subsequent ventures with the German national team and elsewhere have been less fruitful, raising doubts about his suitability for the Camp Nou hot seat. Hence, Barcelona President Joan Laporta has discarded him from the shortlist, according to a report in

• DE ZERBI EMERGES AS FRONTUNNER

  Enter De Zerbi, the 44-year-old strategist whose name resonates strongly within Barcelona circles. Despite lacking firsthand experience in La Liga and the nuances of the club's culture, De Zerbi's hunger, tactical acumen, and footballing philosophy align closely with Barcelona's traditional ethos. His successful stints at Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk, characterised by expansive and aesthetically pleasing football, coupled with his current achievements at Brighton, underscore his credentials as a promising managerial prospect.

  His representatives, Edmundo Babchi and Edoardo Crnjar, recently engaged in a discussion with with Deco, Barcelona's sporting director, which signifies the seriousness with which the club view De Zerbi's potential appointment.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  However, Barca might need to pay a transfer fee to land De Zerbi. The manager has a contract with the Seagulls until 2028 but has an exit clause set at €10 million (£9m/$11m). It now remains to be seen if the cash-strapped Catalans will agree to finance the deal to get their preferred successor to Xavi.