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Newcastle United’s summer has been nothing short of turbulent so far.

£55m being splashed on ex-Manchester United youngster turned Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga definitely raised a few eyebrows early on in the hectic transfer window, with Aaron Ramsdale also joining the ranks, rubber-stamping the Magpies’ failed pursuit of James Trafford.

The agony of missing out on Trafford to Manchester City will be nothing compared to the expected sorrow of Alexander Isak deserting St James’ Park, as Liverpool continue to sniff around for the potent Premier League marksman.

The Toon surely has a standout replacement up their sleeve for Isak if the clinical Swede does up and leave, leading to even more cash being potentially splashed by Eddie Howe and Co.

Newcastle in talks with £70m striker

At this point, it’s not exactly the best-kept secret that Newcastle are looking at fresh striker options, resigned to the fact that Isak is likely to exit.

Newcastle have been linked to a whole host of attackers, with Chelsea outcast Nicolas Jackson even reportedly on their radar, away from recurring stories suggesting that Yoane Wissa will soon leave Brentford behind for a move to St James’ Park.

However, away from those named, Newcastle United are also in talks with RB Leipzig goal machine Benjamin Sesko to fill the Isak-shaped hole that will soon appear, with Sky Sports’ Keith Downie revealing that a £70m offer is on the table.

However, it is yet to be accepted by the Bundesliga side, and negotiations are now ongoing to reach an agreement as the Magpies to sign the Bundesliga star this summer.

Downie does further state that Sesko would be open to a move to the Toon, alongside also being up for a switch to Manchester United, who are also keeping a close eye on the Slovenian to enhance their personnel up top.

For Newcastle’s sake, they will hope one of these avenues pays off very soon, with Elanga champing at the bit at the prospect of lining up alongside the lethal Sesko, as the pair go about terrorising Premier League defences together.

How Sesko could shine even more alongside Elanga

Throughout his goal-laden Leipzig stay to date, Sesko has been supplied with chances galore from a whole host of exciting attacking teammates.

Last season, Xavi Simons and Lois Openda – who are attempting to leave Germany behind themselves this summer – chipped in with 12 assists between them to help boost Sesko’s goal numbers in Bundesliga action to a hefty 13 strikes from 33 outings.

Games played

64

74

Goals scored

27

11

Assists

7

20

Big chances missed

18

16

Big chances created

6

23

These promising numbers in Germany could be taken to that next level in England if Sesko soon lines up next to an assist-hungry Elanga, as seen in the 23-year-old mustering up a healthy 20 assists across his last two Premier League campaigns at the City Ground.

Often, Elanga will dart forward with pace to burn, before laying it off to a poacher – such as Chris Wood – waiting for him to unlock a defence, with his ex-Forest teammate in Ryan Yates even going as to far to label him as a “dream” to work alongside, owing to his “you give him the ball and he can do the rest” level of ability.

Having such a rapid, but creative teammate by his side will be music to the ears of the lethal Slovenian, with his split-second instinct to fire home a chance, seeing him be dubbed a “monster” by football analyst Ben Mattinson.

Staggeringly, there could be even more to Sesko’s game that has yet to be unearthed, as the £70m attacker tries to follow in the footsteps of Isak with ease.

The 22-year-old striker will be helped along the way, if he does join, by Elanga being next to him, as the 25/26 campaign edges ever closer for a Magpies side leaping into an unknown future.

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ByDan Emery Aug 3, 2025

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.”

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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 day might have ended with covers spreadeagled across the Rawalpindi Stadium as monsoon rains lashed the ground, but Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie has been through a baptism of fire in his new role. With one day to go in a Test Pakistan must win to ward off a first ever series loss against Bangladesh, Gillespie acknowledged the visitors were favourites, calling for more discipline from his bowlers, and application from the batters.”Admittedly, the odds are probably in favour of Bangladesh,” he said at the press conference once play had been suspended. “We don’t shy away from that, but we’ve already lost if we walk out there expecting to lose. We took 6 for 26 in the first innings so we know that we can have an impact with the ball if we bowl really well.”That situation arose a little more than 24 hours earlier, but in the way the Test has gone, might easily have happened a lifetime ago. Since then, Bangladesh dug in with a 165-run seventh-wicket stand to eventually finish at near-parity; the 262 they posted was the highest score in Test history for a side that lost their first six wickets under 50. Gillespie said Pakistan’s bowlers needed to understand how to manage those situations more effectively than was on evidence on Sunday.Related

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On the fourth morning, Bangladesh replicated the success Pakistan had enjoyed the previous day, skittling the hosts out for 172, with all ten wickets falling to the quicks. Under dark clouds, with conditions as helpful to the quicks as Rawalpindi will ever provide, Zakir Hasan flayed Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers, helping the team to 42 without loss in seven overs before bad light suspended play.”We’ve spoken to our bowlers about being ruthless, being disciplined and bowling with intent,” Gillespie said. “And we just went away from our game plan and I’ve challenged the bowlers pretty strongly on that. We need to make sure that we’re on each and every time, because Test cricket can get away from you. The opposition is very good and I’m not going to shy away from saying Bangladesh played well. No question. But I know that our bowlers can do better in that situation than what they showed and we just need to make sure that execution is absolutely bang on each and every time.”On reflection, and I spoke to the bowlers about it this morning, we’ve got to identify those periods where maybe the ball’s got a little bit older and maybe the surface settles down. We’ve just got to really hang in. And not try to search for wickets, because you can fall into that trap. And I think that’s probably what we did a little bit.”The tale of this series, though, has been Pakistan’s off-field decision making, where they can’t seem to do right for doing wrong. In the first Test, the hosts, anticipating a bouncy, seaming surface, went all pace, dropping Abrar Ahmed, a decision whose optics aged poorly when Bangladesh’s slow bowlers took seven wickets on the final day to bundle Pakistan out cheaply and race to a 10-wicket win. This time around, having prepared a pitch so seam-friendly, all of their second innings wickets fell to Bangladesh’s pace bowlers – a first – Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were out omitted from the playing XI, a call that left Pakistan without genuine pace or old-ball threat.Naseem is Pakistan’s most effective bowler at cleaning up the tail, taking a wicket every 16 balls with the opposition seven down. It is a better strike rate than any current Pakistan bowler, or even Yasir Shah, and a quality sorely needed when Bangladesh’s ninth-wicket stand put on 69 runs and batted nearly 25 overs.Gillespie has stuck with a “horses-for-courses” mantra, and struck a similar note this time. “We looked at conditions and surfaces, what we thought the best combination was,” he explained. “We took into account what we saw before the game, reflected on the previous game, and this is where we landed. In the first innings we had Bangladesh in a bit of strife at one point and we bowled quite well. Our lines, our lengths, were excellent.”But on that decision, obviously, there’s a few things we’re hoping [those two] can work on. Shaheen’s obviously had a pretty eventful time in his personal life as well. Naseem’s fine. I think what we’ve got to understand is we’re trying to build a squad mentality and not just rely on a few players here and there. We want to create an environment and a squad where we can look at conditions, look at surfaces, look at what holistically what is coming up and make the best decisions.”Gillespie said he had no issues with the surface or conditions, but also pointed to Mohammad Ali’s absence for the second half of the third day as a factor in Pakistan’s struggles. “That was a bit of a blow. But obviously his health was the most important. He was just struggling out there a little for a while. So we needed to get him off and get him assessed, and thankfully, he’s okay.”And while the odds don’t suggest Pakistan’s bowlers will prevent Bangladesh from securing a clean sweep, Rawalpindi’s weather well might. Steady rain peppered the ground for the best part of three hours after the players walked off the pitch, with plenty more forecast overnight and on the morning of the final day. Failure to get on would still secure Bangladesh their most famous series win, and Gillespie was keen for his side to get an outside shot at preventing that.”I hope we get on tomorrow so we can try and win a Test match,” he said. “We’ve got to have that mindset. Because if we we walk out there expecting to lose, well, I guarantee you will lose. But if we walk out there with the mindset and the belief that we can try and shake this game up, then there’s hope. Sometimes, you need those 50-50 things to go your way but we’ve got to have that attitude and mindset that we’re going to go there to win the Test match for Pakistan.”We need to take our catches, take any opportunity that comes our way and you never know. This game can create all sorts of drama. So I’m hoping that we can create some theatre and put a smile on a few people’s faces here in Pakistan tomorrow.”It would require Pakistan needing to do many things of the final day they haven’t in the first nine, but as Gillespie said, Test cricket can create lots of drama.

Wrexham are currently preparing for a season in the Championship after they finished second in League One to earn promotion up to the second tier.

The Red Dragons are yet to make their first signing since the end of last season, but there will be plenty of work going on behind the scenes to identify targets to improve the team.

Phil Parkinson will have to judge which of his players are ready to make the step up to the Championship after a season in League One, which means that some difficult decisions could have to be made.

Why Thomas O'Connor may be replaced

One player who could be replaced as a regular starter is left-sided central defender Thomas O’Connor, who has been at the club since they were in the National League.

The former Southampton academy graduate has never played above League One level in his career to date, and was a regular starter – starting 25 of his 31 appearances in the 2024/25 campaign – for Wrexham this season.

O’Connor was, however, an unused substitute in five of the last seven matches and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to handle the step up to the Championship, a level that he has never played at before.

Transfer Focus

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

The BBC reported earlier this month that Wrexham, Norwich, Birmingham, and Sheffield United are among the teams interested in a deal to sign Harry Darling on a free transfer from Swansea City.

His contract with the Welsh side is due to expire at the end of this month, and the Red Dragons are one of the sides looking to snap him up for nothing.

Why Darling would be an upgrade on O'Connor

Parkinson must push to convince Darling to make a move across Wales rather than joining Birmingham, Norwich, or Sheffield United, as he would improve the club’s options at the back.

Despite being right-footed, the 25-year-old Englishman often plays on the left-side of a centre-back pairing and this means that he could take O’Connor’s place as the left-sided centre-back in a back three at Wrexham.

Unlike the current Red Dragons defender, Darling is an experienced Championship defender who has made 108 appearances at that level, which means that he would arrive at the Racecourse as a proven second tier star.

He would be a relatively risk-free signing as someone who has been there and done it and could immediately improve Wrexham’s team, particularly when you take his performances this season into account.

24/25 season	O’Connor (League One)	Darling (Championship)
Appearances	31	39
Goals	0	5
Clearances per game	2.9	5.0
Dribbled past per game	0.5x	0.3x
Ground duel success rate	53%	66%
Aerial duel success rate	57%	64%
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Darling’s defensive work in the Championship, in terms of his success rate in duels and how often he was beaten by opposition attackers, was more impressive than O’Connor’s was at a lower level.

This suggests that the Swansea star, who was hailed as “outstanding” by former boss Luke Williams, is a big upgrade on the current Wrexham left centre-back, particularly from a defensive perspective.

Darling also, as shown in the table, scored five goals from centre-back, compared to O’Connor’s barren return in League One, and this suggests that he would offer a much greater goal threat in the 2025/26 campaign.

The English titan, who ranked in the top 31% of centre-backs in the league for progressive passes per 90 (3.70), is a ball-playing defender who has shown that he can mix technical quality and class on the ball with strength and reliable out of possession at Championship level.

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Therefore, he would be the perfect signing, as a proven second tier star, to come in as a big upgrade on their left-sided centre-back position this summer.

Everton have now thrown their hat in the ring to sign a “crazy” rising star from Germany who is also wanted by Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid, according to a new report.

Everton now chasing two Liverpool players

It is not every transfer window you see Everton looking to sign a player from their arch-rivals Liverpool. In fact, in the early stages of this summer transfer window, the Toffees reportedly have their eye on two players from Anfield.

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David Moyes is keen to strengthen his wide options this summer, and at the top of his list of new wingers is Liverpool’s Ben Doak, as Sky Sports revealed this week Everton are one of a number of clubs who want to sign the young international.

The Scotsman has a bright future ahead of him and his time on loan at Middlesbrough during the 2024/25 season has obviously done enough for him to emerge on Moyes’ radar. It is unclear where Liverpool stand when it comes to Doak, as he has the potential to be a player who could become a future star for the Reds, but at this moment in time they cannot guarantee him the football he will want.

As well as showing interest in Doak, the Toffees are also keen on signing defender Joe Gomez, who the Reds are open to selling this summer. Teams such as Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Leeds United are all interested in the Englishman, but Everton may hope the fact that he won’t have to relocate his family should he move to Everton could put them ahead in the race.

Everton join Woltemade chase

According to SportBild, relayed by Sport Witness, Everton are among the teams interested in signing striker Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart.

The report states that the 23-year-old’s performances during the 2024/25 season, where he netted 12 goals in 28 Bundesliga games, have seen him appear on the radar of a number of clubs across Europe. Everton are one side that are keeping a close eye on his situation, but they face competition from Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as giants like Bayern and Atletico.

The German forward, who has been called up to the national team for their Nations League games, is under contract until 2028, and while he doesn’t have a release clause in his contract, it’s been reported that he could leave for as little as €20 million, which is roughly £16 million.

Nick Woltemade’s Bundesliga stats

Apps

69

Goals

14

Assists

3

Stuttgart want to keep Woltemade beyond this summer and have been publicly clear about that. But should Woltemade, who has been dubbed “crazy” for his rise this term, star on the international stage for Germany, it could see more suitors arrive and force his club’s hand.

Stood on the side of the pitch after Arsenal’s 1-0 win on Sunday, Mikel Arteta issued a rallying cry.

Hopefully the people upstairs do their job, he essentially pleaded, urging the Kroenke’s to put their money where their mouth is and give the Gunners the tools to finally win the Premier League again after 20 long years. It was rather telling.

Josh Kroenke, Stan’s son, does at least seem on board, acknowledging in his programme notes for the Newcastle game that “investment” will be made to improve the playing squad.

Time will tell, of course, but there’s a lot to do this summer. That includes signing a striker, a winger, a new back-up goalkeeper and a midfielder too.

Proceedings look set to begin with the arrival of Martin Zubimendi.

Why Arsenal are signing Martin Zubimendi

Back in January reports emerged that Arsenal were working on a deal to bring the Real Sociedad midfielder to the Emirates Stadium.

After signing Mikel Merino from La Real last summer, the relationship between the two is clearly civil and that’s shone through here.

Still, it’s a surprise that the Spaniard has chosen Arsenal as his next destination. After all, it was Premier League title winners, Liverpool, who fought so hard to bring him to England a year ago.

Zubimendi reportedly turned down the Reds’ advances and despite interest from Real Madrid too, the Gunners look set to win the race.

Transfer Focus

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

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So, why are they signing him? Well, there’s two principal reasons; Thomas Partey and Jorginho are out of contract at the end of the season. The second is that Zubimendi is rather good at football and the third involves Declan Rice.

With Partey and Jorginho leaving it means Arsenal need a no.6 and in the Sociedad star, they will be signing one of the best in that position in the world.

In the words of data analyst Ben Mattinson, the Spaniard’s “ball temperament is better” than Partey’s, meaning that a combination of Zubimendi and Rice “could be special.”

The Spain international will never be someone to gallivant forward. He only ranks in the worst 14% of midfielders in LaLiga for shot-creating actions and the worst 44% for goals.

What he does do well is sit, dictate and evade the press. Zubimendi sits inside the top 20% in Spain’s top-flight for progressive passes, the best 9% for dribblers tackled and the best 13% for interceptions, rubber stamping his credentials to play at the base of Arsenal’s midfield.

As a consequence, it would free Rice up to play as an 8 on a more regular basis. As we saw during two Man of the Match displays against Real Madrid where he ran the show, he’s really rather good at that.

Yet, Arsenal did actually already have their own Zubimendi.

Arsenal’s very own Zubimendi is set to leave

This is due to be a summer of change in N5 with a batch of players hopefully set to be welcomed to the Emirates and another crop saying their farewells.

On Sunday, we saw Kieran Tierney given one final run out at Arsenal’s home stadium and it’s also likely to have been Jorginho’s final match in the club’s colours.

Indeed, having been brought on as a very late substitute and handed the captain’s armband, it looked like a goodbye from the Italian who is on the verge of moving to Brazil.

Jorginho’s £110k-per-week contract will soon expire and consequently, he has now “sealed” a deal to join Flamengo in time for the Club World Cup according to Fabrizio Romano.

The former Chelsea midfielder has enjoyed a great time of it at Arsenal. Initially the fanbase couldn’t get their heads around why they were signing him but he quickly proved everyone wrong. He’s one of the most consistent and reliable players we’ve seen at the Emirates during its near two decades of existence.

A tempo setter, few have been better in that regard over the last few years. Indeed, during 2022/23, only Rodri made more passes (2,831) in the Premier League than Jorginho (2,404) when compared to Moises Caicedo, Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes and Declan Rice.

Passes by selected DMs – PL 2022/23

Player

Passes made

1. Rodri

2,831

2. Jorginho

2,404

3. Moises Caicedo

2,130

4. Declan Rice

1,974

5. Bruno Guimaraes

1,578

6. Casemiro

1,353

Stats via Coaches Voice & Wyscout.

At dictating play, Jorginho is one of the best we’ve seen in recent years in the English top-flight.

It’s for that reason that similarities to Zubimendi emerge. Described as an “elite tempo controller” by the aforementioned Mattinson he’s already suggested that the Spain star is a “deep-lying playmaker like Jorginho”.

As a result, there really does feel like there is no one better suited in Europe’s top leagues for replacing the qualities that the Champions League and Euros winner brought so successfully to Arsenal for a couple of years.

It’s reported that Zubimendi will cost around £51m to bring to England but that certainly feels like money well spent. Arsenal need a midfielder and they need someone to give Rice more freedom in attack. This is the signing that allows that to happen.

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Glasgow Rangers gave their supporters a moment to remember last time out in the Scottish Premiership when they beat Dundee 4-3 away from home.

A last-gasp winner from Cyriel Dessers to complete a comeback from 3-1 down to win 4-3 last weekend was a joyous moment for the travelling support, but it was still a game that illustrated the team’s flaws.

The club’s city rivals are inching closer to a fourth successive Premiership title, as they sit 13 points clear of the Light Blues as it stands, and the Gers have to do something to change the tide next season.

Sky Sports reported last month that a takeover including US investors Andrew Cavenagh and San Francisco 49ers Paraag Marathe has been agreed in principle, which suggests that the dawn of a new era at Ibrox is a matter of months away.

This could mean that there is a longer-term replacement for Philippe Clement than Barry Ferguson, but it is not just the management side of the team that should be looked at.

If Rangers want to get back on top in Scottish football then they may need to kickstart their new era by moving on from some of their experienced players who have become used to finishing second, including Jack Butland and James Tavernier.

Why Rangers should move on from Jack Butland and James Tavernier

The Gers captain has been a terrific servant for the club over the years, scoring 130 goals in 504 appearances in all competitions, but he has only won one Premiership title in his career.

Tavernier has also lost a whopping 25 of his 40 appearances against Celtic, winning just ten of those games, and Rangers may need new leadership if they are to progress and move past the Hoops, as he has become used to being behind the club’s rivals on the pitch.

Therefore, it could be time to move on from the 33-year-old veteran, who has lost possession 20.8 times per match in the league this term, to make room for new leaders to step up and lead the team forward.

Butland, meanwhile, has been error-prone in the Premiership this season and it could be time for Rangers to find a new number one to provide more stability between the sticks, after two years of the Englishman at Ibrox.

Appearances

25

Save success rate

69%

Goals prevented

-0.37

Error led to shot

2

Error led to goal

2

Penalties committed

1

As you can see in the table above, the former Stoke City star has underperformed as a shot-stopper and made too many unforced errors to gift shots and goals to the opposition in the league, which is why Rangers should consider moving him on this summer.

The issue for the Light Blues, however, may be finding suitors to buy Tavernier and Butland, as the veteran stars are no longer among the most valuable talents at Ibrox.

The top ten most valuable Rangers players

As per Transfermarkt, both English players are worth £2.5m at this moment in time, and that does not earn either of them a place in the top ten most valuable stars at the club.

Wolfsburg loanee Vaclav Cerny is currently the most valuable player at the club, at a whopping £7.6m, and it remains to be seen whether or not the Gers will be able to keep hold of him beyond the end of his current loan spell.

The Czechia international has provided a regular threat at the top end of the pitch, racking up 17 goals and four assists, in the Premiership and the Europa League to earn his valuation.

Vaclav Cerny

£7.6m

Mohamed Diomande

£5.9m

Nicolas Raskin

£5.5m

John Souttar

£3.8m

Cyriel Dessers

£3.4m

Dujon Sterling

£3.4m

Danilo

£3.4m

Nedim Bajrami

£3.4m

Jefte

£3.4m

Hamza Igamane

£3.4m

As you can see in the table above, Rangers have many players on a market value of £3.4m, which is still £900k more than Tavernier and Butland are currently valued at.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

Some of those players could play key roles moving forward, into the dawn of a new era at Ibrox, and one of those the club have hit the jackpot with in recent years is versatile defender Dujon Sterling.

Dujon Sterling's soaring market value

The Scottish giants swooped to sign the English talent in the summer of 2023 on a free transfer after he had been released by Premier League side Chelsea.

It was an opportunistic signing by the Gers, as they took advantage of his contract situation, because he was valued at £2.4m by Transfermarkt at the time, which shows that the club landed a £2.4m-rated talent for £0.

His first season at Ibrox, in the 2023/24 campaign, was a struggle because Michael Beale and Clement utilised him in a multitude of positions, with his appearances stretched between right-back, left-back, right midfield, defensive midfield, left midfield, and right wing.

This meant that Sterling did not have a chance to build any consistency in his performances because he was constantly being moved around the pitch to fill different holes in the team.

The 25-year-old star has had slightly more clarity in his game this term, however, as the vast majority of his starts have come as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder, which has allowed him to build a rhythm in the middle of the pitch.

Starts

7

Centre-back starts

7

Clearances

37

Blocks

5

Tackles

12

Duels won

31/44 (70% success rate)

As you can see in the table above, Sterling has started at centre-back in seven of his last eight league appearances and provided a dominant presence at the back for the Gers, winning 70% of his duels in those matches.

His overall form for the club and his success in finally nailing down a consistent position on the pitch has led to his market value soaring up to £3.5m, which shows that Rangers hit the jackpot when they signed the defensive ace.

The Light Blues snapped him up for £0 and he has turned out to be an incredibly valuable player, with his quality at centre-back and versatility to play in other roles, as well as being an asset that continues to grow in value.

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He is now among the top ten most valuable players at the club, making him worth even more than the likes of Tavernier and Butland, and the defender could have a big future as a centre-back at Ibrox if he can continue his current, dominant, form.

It’s Saturday two days out for Christmas, and it’s easy to miss the cricket at the Junction Oval

Danyal Rasool23-Dec-2023″So how do we get in?”An avid reader of this website, out on a stroll with his parents on a sleepy Saturday afternoon, appears to recognise the ESPNcricinfo journalist peering through the chain-link fence at the game of cricket going on at the ground.He’s informed that he can’t get in; this two-day tour game put on for Pakistan at the Junction Oval against a Victorian XI cobbled together out of players not part of the Big Bash League was a fairly last-minute arrangement.The family seems thoroughly unimpressed by this answer, which feels thinner every time you say it out loud. It is an explanation I’ll have to repeat several times during the day, with pockets of spectators showing up throughout the afternoon and wondering why they’re being shut out.Related

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The official explanation is the venue hasn’t had enough notice to get sufficient staff in to open up to fans or even media. Cost is also understood to be a factor, and as such, the game – the only real match practice the visiting side will have between the first two Tests – is essentially unconsumable: no entry, no live stream, no highlights. If you want to watch Shaheen Shah Afridi bowl, you show up to St Kilda and peer through the fence.

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It isn’t so much that the Junction Oval creeps up on you, but for a ground that has an international side partaking in an ongoing match, it is fairly easy to miss. It’s a Saturday two days out from Christmas, and the holiday season has fully kicked in now. It’s an idyllic day in Melbourne, warm and sunny with an invigorating sea breeze to freshen up the late morning air. Most people who board one of the trams heading that way are off to St Kilda beach, the pier and the surrounding market street a much bigger tourist draw than a nondescript cricket game. Get off at the right stop, and the signs all tell you how to get to the beach, none pointing you towards the Junction Oval.It feels like a well-to-do, trendy neighbourhood; the hustle of the city centre is all but non-existent. Leafy green spaces abound, with parks and football fields dotted around walking paths and cycling trails. A group of teenage boys kick an AFL ball around; this very much feels more like AFL-country than cricket county. A young girl, wearing a Matildas replica jersey, kicks a football around with her dad. A pair of retrievers struggle to break free from their leashes, and all hell briefly breaks loose when one of them does, galloping happily around the field.And then you stumble upon it, almost by accident. It could easily be just another quaint ground putting on a casual Saturday game. But then you see a tall left-arm fast bowler building up steam, the unmistakable action, the high release point. It’s Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Handshakes all around. Decent day of cricket, shame it wasn't open.
Fair few number of people showed up and expressed annoyance about that. pic.twitter.com/97tI2mgv0H

— Danyal Rasool (@Danny61000) December 23, 2023