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Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin has now directly held talks over an Ibrox deal for a “fearless” forward, according to a report.

Rangers vying to sign forward to boost title push

Barry Ferguson believes the Gers will be real Scottish Premiership title contenders next season, although they may still have to make a number of additions to the squad if they are to close the gap on Celtic.

When the former manager was asked who he thinks will win the league, he said: “I have to go with Rangers. At some stage, it has got to change. Russell coming in as the new manager. Got a certain type of way that he wants to play.

“I still think he is going to add another three or four players. There is no doubt in my mind about that. I think one or two of them will certainly be the experienced ones. We keep looking back at the one he brought in, Rothwell, who I think is going to be a brilliant signing. You can tell that he is a proper football player.”

Rangers: "Fearless" gem wants to move to Ibrox with Gers in negotiations

The Gers have been handed a major boost.

ByTom Cunningham Jul 28, 2025

With Vaclav Cerny not returning to Ibrox, it may be particularly important for Martin to bring in a new forward, and the manager is now directly involved in the Light Blues’ pursuit of a Premier League forward.

According to a report from The Boot Room, the Rangers boss has now personally held talks with Tottenham Hotspur over Mikey Moore, in order to convince them to let the 17-year-old move to Ibrox this summer.

Moore has attracted widespread interest from the Championship, but the Scottish Premiership is now looking like his most likely destination, with a loan move to the Gers very much on the cards.

The youngster is said to be open to a move to the 55-time Scottish champions, and Tottenham have liked what they have heard from Rangers, meaning a move is looking increasingly likely.

"Fearless" Moore could kick on at Ibrox

The £5k-a-week forward is yet to establish himself as a first-team regular at Spurs, given his age, but there are plenty of signs that he could be capable of making a real impact at Ibrox.

Tottenham’s James Maddison has singled the starlet out for high praise in the past, saying: “[He has] that young, fearless mentality and you never want to take that away from him. He’s a young kid, a brilliant lad, a lovely boy. He takes in information, and he’s got bags of ability.”

Not only that, but the young forward has been prolific at youth level, amassing 32 goal contributions in 24 games for Spurs U18s, which led to former manager Ange Postecoglou giving him a run in the first team.

As such, Moore may now be ready to be a consistent starter at Rangers, so it is exciting news they are in the driving seat for his signature.

The batting came unstuck in the T20 World Cup final, but du Preez says the team will continue playing the same way and “become more used to it”

Firdose Moonda22-Oct-2024South Africa’s interim coach, Dillon du Preez, who oversaw the team’s run to the women’s T20 World Cup final, is unsure if he will continue in the role because he feels “the team needs a little bit more”.Du Preez has been in the job since May, when long-serving coach Hilton Moreeng chose to step away. Moreeng has since been appointed the coach of USA women’s senior and Under-19 teams. The timing of Moreeng’s departure – five months before the World Cup and with only one scheduled series (South Africa later added a short tour to Pakistan) – meant CSA promoted his assistant, du Preez, instead of looking to hire someone new. Though du Preez had been working with Moreeng since September 2020, he was hesitant about stepping into his shoes.”That was quite a stressful month or two,” du Preez told ESPNcricinfo in Dubai before the World Cup final, where New Zealand beat South Africa by 32 runs. “We just found out that CSA were looking to extend us and then I heard Hilton had moved on. The DOC [director of cricket Enoch Nkwe] asked me to take the team to India. It was nerve-wracking because it’s the build-up to a World Cup and I didn’t want to be the guy that throws the cart off the mountain or whatever.”Related

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the South African sky

Pain of expectation weighs heavy as South Africa fall short again

Du Preez approached the task by discussing the situation as transparently as possible with the players and was helped with the addition of extra resources. CSA appointed a full-time batting coach for the team, Baakier Abrahams, and sent their new spin lead, Paul Adams, in the touring party so du Preez could focus on bowling. “We’ve been working on the team culture and the most important thing for me is that the buy-in is there. When Enoch said we’re going to the World Cup and he wants me to still run the show, I got really nervous. And then he said he would send Paul Adams with and it’s been magical.”The one promise we made to the team was because we don’t have a head coach, we will make it work. They understand me. They understand my limitations as well. So we just told them that, listen, we will make this work, don’t panic, don’t worry, just focus on the game.”The team has done better than just that. Despite only winning one of seven series before the tournament – it happened to be one of the two du Preez was in charge for – South Africa reached the final in a second successive T20 World Cup. Their coup de grace was beating defending (and six-time) champions Australia in the semi-final by chasing 135 inside 17 overs.In that match, they played a brand of brave cricket that they were unable to repeat in the final, as their batting faded away. But it is the way they aim to play going forward, according to du Preez. “We always knew it’s a bit more high-risk and it might be that in the beginning, we’ll pull off maybe two of five wins. But eventually, with the way we prep and the way we think – the blueprint – we’ll become more used to it.”But I already think you can see the results. There’s no fear of failure. You’re either on the bus or you stay behind. That’s the way to play the game.”It was a second successive T20 World Cup final for South Africa, and a second successive runners-up finish•ICC/Getty ImagesAfter the final, du Preez was asked again whether he had any clarity on his future and he maintained that it was a conversation he would have with Nkwe on his return home. Given the schedule, it is likely he will stay on until the end of the year. South Africa host England in November-December for an all-format tour, which includes their first home Test in 22 years.Du Preez’s hesitation comes from limited experience of high-level coaching. After a 14-year provincial cricket career, which included an IPL stint with RCB, du Preez coached at the University of the Free State. When posts for the academy and women’s team in Bloemfontein came up, he and fellow bowler Quinton Friend put their hands up and agreed that Friend would go to the academy and du Preez would “move into the women’s space”. He describes it as an “opportunity that came up at the right time”.While Friend went on to spend several years as Imraan Khan’s assistant and has since taken over the Dolphins head job, du Preez’s path has been slightly different, which might explain his reluctance to continue at a high level immediately. He is, however, developing a coaching style of his own, based on a combination of experience and knowledge. “I’m more on the technical side of things. I think what’s helping me at the moment is the fact that I have been playing cricket, obviously not at a massively high level, so there are some things in matches which the team goes through which I understand.”

Nottingham Forest now hold a strong interest in signing a “superb” defender, who is also a target for Premier League rivals Manchester United, according to a report.

Nottingham Forest's ambition underlined by Gibbs-White renewal

Evangelos Marinakis has made no secret of the fact that he has big aspirations for Forest, and Morgan Gibbs-White made it clear that the owners’ ambition was one of the main reasons he decided to extend his contract, despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur.

With the Tricky Trees set to take part in the Europa League next season, it is important they have tied Gibbs-White down to a new contract, and one of the key tasks to follow will be bringing in a replacement for Anthony Elanga.

Bologna’s Dan Ndoye has emerged as the main target, and the deal is now edging closer to completion, with Fabrizio Romano giving his trademark ‘here we go’ on Monday afternoon.

As such, Nuno Espirito Santo can perhaps now turn his attention towards strengthening other areas of his squad, and the Europa League side have now joined the race for a defender.

That is according to a report from Italy (via Sport Witness), which reveals Nottingham Forest now hold a strong interest in signing Fiorentina’s Pietro Comuzzo, who is also being targeted by Man United and Sunderland.

Given Comuzzo’s impressive performances last season, he is attracting strong interest from the Tricky Trees, although none of the interested Premier League clubs have submitted an offer as things stand.

Should Forest decide to formalise their interest, it could take a big offer to prise the centre-back away from Fiorentina, as the Italian club value him at £38m.

"Superb" Comuzzo could be ready for Premier League move

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig described the 20-year-old as “superb” last season, while also praising his composure and consistency, and for good reason, given that the youngster managed to hold down a regular spot in the Fiorentina starting XI.

Nottingham Forest now "join the race" to sign £50m+ Premier League forward

The Tricky Trees are now in the race for the signature of a forward, journalist Sebastien Vidal has revealed.

1 ByDominic Lund Jul 27, 2025

The Italian made 44 appearances in all competitions, which is no mean feat at such a young age, and he scored a remarkable goal in Fiorentina’s 3-2 victory against Udinese back in May.

Comuzzo is showing very promising signs at Fiorentina, and he could be ready to make the step-up to the Premier League, but a £38m asking price is a little on the pricey side, given that the starlet is yet to prove himself at the highest level.

Leeds United have their eyes on a £50,000-a-week striker as an alternative to Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz, according to journalist Graham Bailey.

Leeds keen on new striker with Muniz a top target

The Whites have been relatively busy so far during the summer transfer window, with seven new senior faces arriving at Elland Road.

Lukas Nmecha

Wolfsburg

Free

Jaka Bijol

Udinese

£15m

Gabriel Gudmundsson

Lille

£10m

Sebastiaan Bornauw

Wolfsburg

£5m

Sean Longstaff

Newcastle

£12m

Anton Stach

Hoffenheim

£17.4m

Lucas Perri

Lyon

£13.9m

Daniel Farke and the 49ers Enterprises are still hoping to add more, with a new winger and forward now seemingly at the top of the to-do list for sporting director Adam Underwood.

Leeds recently missed out on an ambitious move for Igor Paixao, who chose Marseille over a move to Yorkshire. In regards to a new striker, Fulham’s Muniz has been a firm target in recent weeks, however, there is yet to be progress on any potential transfer.

Talking to Leeds United News, Bailey said that those at Craven Cottage are in talks over a new deal for the Brazilian.

“It’s not news that intermediaries are doing the work. Fulham remain in talks over a new deal, however.

“They still want to keep him, but until they get the new deal signed, it’s not going to stop other people offering him elsewhere. He’s a good Premier League striker with a high ceiling. He’s still quite young, so he’s going to get linked around.”

Leeds meet £24.5m star's agents and now ready to trigger his release clause

The Whites could have an advantage in their race to sign a talented playmaker.

BySean Markus Clifford Aug 1, 2025

Leeds may soon have to move on from Muniz, and the journalist answered a question on the Whites’ alternative centre-forward targets.

Leeds still eyeing move for Everton’s Beto

Bailey added that Everton striker Beto, who was linked with Leeds at the beginning of the window, is still on the Elland Road radar as Farke and Underwood search for a new striker.

Beto, a Guinea international, is on £50,000-a-week with the Toffees and is into the final two years of his Everton contract.

However, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin leaving Merseyside this summer, Everton currently have a shortage of senior strikers, despite signing Thierno Barry, so any Leeds move for Beto could be tricky, as they have found in their attempts to sign Muniz.

Non-penalty goals

72nd percentile

Aerials won

97th percentile

Shots on target

87th percentile

Successful take-ons

90th percentile

Time is ticking, though, with Beto and Everton due to travel to Leeds on August 18 for a Premier League opener.

Sri Lanka’s spinners picked up nine wickets as West Indies bundled out for 89 in chase of 163

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2024Sri Lanka’s spinners ripped through the West Indies batters on a turning Dambulla surface to level the series at one apiece, as they won the second T20I by 73 runs.Debutant Dunith Wellalage – belatedly making his T20I bow – was the pick of the bowlers, ending with figures of 3 for 9, while Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga and Charith Asalanka grabbed two each. Matheesha Pathirana was the sole seamer to pick up a wicket in the innings.With the bat, Pathum Nissanka’s 54 off 49 had helped set the platform as Sri Lanka did well to keep a steady run rate throughout their innings, having won the toss and elected to bat first. There were also runs for Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis, but this game was all about Sri Lanka’s spinners who showed total dominance in the West Indian chase.Sri Lanka spinners flex their skillsHasaranga, Sri Lanka’s premier spinner, bowled his first delivery of the game in the 11th over of the chase. And the fact that he picked up a wicket with that delivery was perhaps the least remarkable aspect about it.What was more astounding was that he was the sixth bowler used by Sri Lanka, and West Indies had still managed to collapse to 39 for 6. But who needs Hasaranga when you have the world-renowned offspin stylings of, um, Charith Asalanka. Yes, with two left-hand batters at the crease, the Sri Lanka captain opted to introduce himself and a right-arm variant of Kamindu Mendis ahead of Hasaranga.Maheesh Theekshana chipped in with two wickets•Associated PressAnd it worked too. Asalanka’s two overs brought two wickets for just six runs – and those weren’t even the best figures at that stage of the game. No, that honour belonged to Wellalage – though he is by no means new to the international stage – who had grabbed three for himself.In the lead-up to the game, Asalanka had stated how he had expected more for the spinners in the first T20I, and his wish was granted and then some in the second. Gudakesh Motie turning the ball square in the first innings would have set off West Indies’ alarm bells, but not even that could have prepared them for a 100kph sharp-turning offbreak from Theekshana.WI need to go back to drawing boardThe first T20I had seen the West Indies batters execute their plans to perfection and put Sri Lanka’s bowlers to the sword. Stepping out, moving around in the crease, using the depth, everything came off, with the last over-finish in reality nowhere close as it looked.Sri Lanka, though, took their learnings and came back stronger – mainly in that they were prepared for what this surface was set to offer, replacing pace-bowling allrounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe with Wellalage.West Indies, however, seemed to have missed the memo, and had only two spinners in their line-up. And those two – Motie and Roston Chase – did their part, going for just 37 off their collective eight overs. It will not be a surprise if Fabian Allen gets a go in the final game.West Indies’ batters then seemed at a loss on how to deal with Sri Lanka’s array of spin threats, expertly utilising the conditions along with clever variations in pace, line and length. West Indies will need to come up with plans soon if they are to pose a threat in Thursday’s decider.Nissanka shines in hindsightOn the face of it, Nissanka’s innings seemed to be more detrimental than anything else – and by the standards of modern T20 cricket, it was not too difficult to understand why. This was an innings that saw 42 runs come in boundaries (9 fours and a six) but also included 27 dot balls.Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis added 77 for the first wicket•Associated PressIn fact, it was a microcosm of Sri Lanka’s innings as a whole; they played out 58 dots. It meant that in five of the first ten overs less than five runs were scored, and roughly half of their powerplay total of 52 was plundered in one Shamar Joseph over, where a combination of luck and belligerence saw Nissanka plunder 25 runs.But if that over was meant to signal the start of Sri Lanka’s onslaught, Nissanka and Co seemed to have other ideas. That over ensured that the first three overs, in which Sri Lanka scrounged together eight runs, were quickly in the rearview; by the end of the powerplay Sri Lanka’s run rate was at a healthy 8.66 – but that was the highest it would reach at any point across their innings.The rest of Nissanka’s time at the crease was spent punctuating periods of dot deliveries and the odd single with an odd boundary. But the time he spent at the crease ensured he was able to do this consistently – and with it keep Sri Lanka’s scoring rate ticking above seven an over.Anchors are largely considered obsolete in T20s, but on a wicket such as this Nissanka – who was named Player of the Match – proved to be invaluable (even if it did not seem so at the time), as he allowed the likes of Perera to take early risks. And then with wickets in hand for the death overs, the middle and lower order hit out freely. As a result, Sri Lanka struck 85 runs in the last ten overs – just four short of West Indies’ final total.

Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has seen his latest attempt to overturn European Union sanctions on him fall flat. The Russian-Israeli oligarch failed in his bid at the bloc’s highest court to lift restrictions first slapped on him in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Abramovich loses EU sanctions challengeCourt rules restrictions “necessary and appropriate”Chelsea sale proceeds still under disputeFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The General Court of the European Union delivered its verdict on Wednesday, ruling that sanctions against Abramovich remain both “necessary and appropriate.” It means the travel bans and asset freezes that have shackled him for more than three years will continue indefinitely.

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Abramovich has long denied having close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin, but EU lawyers insist the oligarch’s empire was built on Kremlin influence. Judges pointed to his major role in Evraz, the steel and mining giant accused of generating vast revenues that prop up the Russian state. For Brussels, the evidence was clear enough: Abramovich’s fortunes and Putin’s Russia are inseparably linked. And in the eyes of the court, that makes him fair game for sanctions aimed at squeezing Moscow’s elite.

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Abramovich argued that the measures unfairly targeted him because of his profile and global recognition. He sought not just the lifting of restrictions but also damages for what he called reputational harm. His lawyers painted him as a scapegoat chosen for his fame in the west, particularly through his long reign at Chelsea. But the judges were unmoved. The court dismissed Abramovich’s pleas in full, reinforcing the EU’s stance that his wealth and influence could not be divorced from Russia’s political machine.

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Abramovich’s downfall in the football world remains one of the most dramatic episodes of the conflict’s ripple effect. Just weeks after Russia launched its invasion, the oligarch was forced to sell Chelsea. The sale was agreed at £2.5 billion ($3.2bn), but Abramovich never saw a penny.