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Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was spotted close to a trophy-laden manager recently, and the tactician is now reportedly open to talks over replacing Ange Postecoglou at the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest consider Ange Postecoglou replacements after poor start

Postecoglou’s tenure at Forest has been nothing short of a nightmare so far, putting the Australian’s future at the club under intense scrutiny.

Appointed with the aim of instilling a vibrant, attacking style, Postecoglou instead finds himself navigating a storm of poor results, mounting criticism, and growing fan unrest just weeks into his reign.

Since taking charge, Postecoglou has become the first permanent Forest manager in over a century to go six games without a win. His side have struggled to translate his high-intensity, possession-based philosophy into results, often appearing disjointed and lacking cohesion on the pitch.

Arsenal 3-0 Forest

Premier League

Swansea 3-2 Forest

Carabao Cup

Burnley 1-1 Forest

Premier League

Real Betis 2-2 Forest

Europa League

Forest 0-1 Sunderland

Premier League

Forest 2-3 FC Midtjylland

Europa League

Newcastle 2-0 Forest

Premier League

Defensive frailties have been brutally exposed, and the team has conceded goals at an alarming rate, compounding the pressure on a manager desperate to turn things around.

Fans openly chanted for his dismissal when Forest fell to a shock 3-2 defeat at home to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, with many questioning the club’s decision to appoint him.

Postecoglou, if he is sacked inside the next 10 days, could become the shortest-reigning manager in Premier League history — breaking former Charlton Athletic boss Les Reed’s record — who was shown his P45 after just 41 days in the 2006/2007 season.

It may not be during this international break after all, according to reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano, but Sky Sports have reported that Marinakis isn’t afraid to be ruthless and pull the trigger if Postecoglou doesn’t turn things around quickly.

Should the club decide to part ways with Postecoglou, a shortlist of replacement candidates is already emerging in the media.

Leading the pack among rumored successors is Fulham’s Marco Silva. The Portuguese is respected for his experience navigating the Premier League with limited resources, and Silva also boasts a good relationship with Marinakis following their successful period at Olympiacos together.

Silva is a long-term target for Forest, so this is apparently one to keep an eye on, while Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is also a “prime candidate” to replace Postecoglou, according to TEAMtalk.

There is another option too — former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez.

Rafael Benitez open to Nottingham Forest managerial talks

The Spaniard, who guided Liverpool to a Champions League title in 2005, also won La Liga twice at Valencia and led Chelsea to a Europa League triumph 12 years ago.

Benitez also boasts a Coppa Italia, Italian Super Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Cup, Club World Cup, Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup on his illustrious CV, with the 65-year-old’s last job in management coming at Celta Vigo in 2024.

He hasn’t coached in England since leaving his lacklustre spell at Everton in 2022, but the tactician’s undoubted experience could be appealing to the Tricky Trees.

Benitez was spotted in “close proximity” to Marinakis during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League last week, and a report from GiveMeSport has now shared an update on the prospect of his potential move to Forest.

Clubs

Tenure

Matches in charge

Titles/achievements

Real Valladolid

1995-96

25

Osasuna

1996

9

Extremadura

1997-99

92

Segunda promotion

Tenerife

2000-01

46

Segunda promotion

Valencia

2001-04

162

La Liga X2

UEFA Cup

Liverpool

2004-12

350

Champions League

FA Cup

UEFA Super Cup

Internazionale

2010

25

FIFA Club World Cup

Supercoppa Italiana

Chelsea

2012-13

48

Europa League

Napoli

2013-15

112

Coppa Italia

Supercoppa Italiana

Real Madrid

2015-16

25

Newcastle United

2016-19

146

EFL Championship

Dalian Professional

2019-21

38

Everton

2021-22

22

Celta de Vigo

2023-24

33

GMS report that Benitez would entertain an approach to manage Forest, as he’s keen to manage in the Premier League again, and the former Newcastle boss is under genuine consideration as an option.

Known for his tactical discipline and ability to organize teams defensively, Benitez could help to stabilize a struggling Forest side. His proven track record of guiding teams through relegation battles and achieving promotion — like he did during his spell at Newcastle — shows that he can thrive under pressure.

However, his inactivity lately is perhaps a cause for concern, especially given the increasing demands and pressure on managers to succeed.

“No matter how big or small the players are, definitely they all are in the team to win every game we play”

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-20253:43

How can RR get their team balance right?

Just when Rajasthan Royals (RR) were gaining some momentum with two wins over the past week in IPL 2025, their 58-run defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans (GT) exposed some frailties in their line-up. The squad wears a younger look than occasions in the past, especially among the batters, but captain Sanju Samson believes there is enough experience to do the job for the franchise.”I feel, yes, this time we have a much younger side but there are lots of positives about it,” Samson said. “I think they look very young on the age front, but if you look at their match experience, I think most of them have played a lot of international cricket and they have played reasonable amount of IPL also. I don’t think they are young in cricketing aspect.”Despite backing the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag and Shubham Dubey to come into their own in the remaining games, Samson said the new-look XII needs him to play a different role this season, unlike his game for the India T20I side. He also said Rahul Dravid was the perfect head coach for the youngsters to work with.Related

RCB look to continue super away run as RR finally find their way home

Team combination continues to be a problem for Royals

Samson: 'We just went off the plan in the death overs'

“My role definitely has changed,” Samson said. “It definitely changes in every team you play. When I play for the India team, we are batting deep and we are expected to go hard from ball one. But here our team combination is such where we need to actually play a different kind of role.”I think I am experienced enough to do that as well. And I think I am also experienced enough to take care of a young unit. I think we are definitely in the right hands with Rahul sir being there.”Samson did not rule out making tough calls like changing the make-up of his team, if needed. He said the bench players were good enough to play if the team’s balance or others’ poor form forced his hand.”We have taken them to give them a chance,” Samson said. “Eventually, the franchise owner wants to build a team which can win the trophy. They want you eventually to be the champion. Whether you play juniors, inexperienced players, experienced players. So definitely we play to win. No matter how big or small the players are, definitely they all are in the team to win every game we play. And that’s what we want to do.”I think we have gone past the starting stage of the tournament. Now I think it’s the business end. And we need to actually win most number of games. And that will happen if we keep believing in ourselves and keep doing what we are known to do.”Samson confirmed that wristspinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who had gone home for personal reasons last week, has joined the squad and would be available against his former team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday. He also agreed the team needed to complete their quota of overs quicker to avoid being pulled up for a slow over-rate a third time.”We played four fast bowlers in the last match. It’s a bit challenging for us, but we will bowl as fast as we can.

Eight-week exclusivity period extended until end of April as contract negotiations continue

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2025The exclusivity period for the eight prospective buyers of stakes in the Hundred has been extended until the end of April, after concerns were raised about the terms of the agreement, in particular those relating to future broadcasting rights.The ECB’s landmark equity sale concluded in mid-February and is expected to result in a cash injection of approximately £520 million into English cricket, following the sales of at least 49% stakes in each of the eight existing teams.However, as reported by the Daily Telegraph, the ECB has received pushback on the terms of the agreement from four of the interested parties, including the investors in both London Spirit and Oval Invincibles, the two London-based teams that received the highest valuations in the sales process.Reliance Industries, owned by India’s Ambani family, is set to pay £60 million for its 49% stake in Oval Invincibles, while Cricket Investor Holdings, the American tech consortium in negotiations with MCC, valued its own 49% stake in London Spirit at £145 million.Related

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ECB consider 'de-coupling' Women's Hundred in bid for standalone sell-outs

Lancashire CEO: Give BCCI Hundred stake to unlock Indian players

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Moeen Ali set to skip Hundred as part of English domestic retirement

The Indian owners of Manchester Originals and Northern Superchargers are also understood to have reservations about the ECB’s participation agreement, a key legal document which will determine how the tournament’s television rights are sold in the future.The Hundred is currently part of the ECB’s exclusive domestic rights deal with Sky Sports, which also covers international cricket and is up for renewal for the 2028 to 2032 cycle. The new owners are understood to have queried this model, arguing that the competition ought to be available as a separate entity to the highest bidder.None of the eight franchises are planning to sign their agreements until all of the new owners are satisfied with the arrangements. ESPNcricinfo understands that an extension to the eight-week exclusivity period had always been likely given the complexity of the negotiations.No major changes are anticipated for the 2025 edition of the tournament, which commences on August 5, when London Spirit host Oval Invincibles at Lord’s.

MatériaMais Notícias

O novo treinador do Botafogo está no Rio de Janeiro. Bruno Lage desembarcou no Aeroporto Internacional do Galeão aproximadamente às 5h20 da manhã desta quarta-feira (12). O português foi recepcionado por torcedores alvinegros que estavam à espera do novo comandante. Lage ainda parou para tirar fotos com os presentes.

+ Conheça as semelhanças e diferenças entre os estilos de jogo de Luís Castro e Bruno Lage

A apresentação oficial acontecerá logo mais, às 10h30, no Estádio Nilton Santos. Acionista principal da SAF alvinegra, John Textor estará no evento. Junto ao comandante, a comissão técnica também está em solo carioca. Vieram junto ao natural de Setúbal os auxiliares Luis Nascimento e Carlos Cachada, o preparador físico Alexandre Silva e os analistas de desempenho Jhony Conceição e Diogo Camacho.

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O treinador de 47 anos foi o escolhido pelo empresário americano para substituir Luís Castro, que seguiu para o Al Nassr, da Arábia Saudita. Campeão da Liga de Portugal 2018/2019 pelo Benfica e com passagem pelo Wolverhampton, da Inglaterra, Bruno Lage aceitou a proposta para comandar o Alvinegro inicialmente até o fim deste ano.

Lage deve acompanhar a partida desta quarta-feira entre Botafogo e Patronato-ARG, pela Sul-Americana, mas ainda sem estar à beira do gramado. A expectativa é de que a estreia do português no comando da equipe aconteça contra o Bragantino, no próximo sábado, no Nilton Santos, pelo Brasileirão

+ Entenda como deve ficar a situação de Cláudio Caçapa após Bruno Lage desembarcar no Botafogo

Confira no vídeo abaixo como foi o desembarque do português no Brasil:

NA ÁREA! Técnico Bruno Lage desembarca no Rio de Janeiro. Seja bem-vindo, Professor! ???????????????? #VamosBOTAFOGO pic.twitter.com/gKsMJfoNGE

— Botafogo F.R. (@Botafogo) July 12, 2023

Celtic’s lack of top-end attacking talent was made abundantly clear in their biggest game of the season.

On Wednesday night, the Hoops were held to a dire goalless draw by Kairat at Parkhead in the first leg of their Champions League play-off, having just three shots on target all night and mustering a solitary big chance.

Thus, next Tuesday evening, Brendan Rodgers’ side must win in Kazakhstan, something the Celts have never previously achieved in three attempts, losing two of them, to book their place in the Champions League league phase.

Raucous chants of ‘sack the board’ could be heard throughout the second half of Wednesday’s, potentially disastrous, draw, with supporters frustrated by the club’s lack of spending, but could that be about to change?

Celtic's lack of attacking options

For the crucial mid-week tie against Kairat, Rodgers deployed a front three of Daizen Maeda, Adam Idah, and James Forrest.

After a less-than-productive first half, Idah was hooked at the interval, with Maeda deployed down the middle, and Yang Hyun-Jun was introduced.

Within seconds of the restart, Yang found Forrest, who forced Aleksandr Zarutskiy into a very smart save down to his left, but this was followed by little else, with unproven summer signing Shin Yamada thrown on towards the end, but this merely underlined Rodgers’ lack of proven options in forward areas.

As they seek to address this, according to Dutch outlet Voetbal International, as relayed by Daily Record, Celtic have been told the fee they’ll need to pay to secure the signature of Calvin Stengs.

They claim that Feyenoord are ‘willing to cooperate in a sale’ for a player whom they value at £5.1m, but it remains to be seen whether or not the Premiership champions are willing to pay the asking price at this moment in time.

55 years ago, Celtic and Feyenoord met in the European Cup Final at San Siro, but just six men have represented both clubs, namely Colin Kazim-Richards, Regi Blinker, John Guidetti, Glenn Loovens, Pierre van Hooijdonk and, of course, the king of kings himself Henrik Larsson, so could Stengs add his name to that list?

What Calvin Stengs would bring to Celtic

Stengs joined AZ Alkmaar as an 11-year-old, and his senior breakthrough came while representing the Cheese Farmers, scoring 24 goals and registering 22 assists in 113 appearances for AZ, with five of these goals coming in Europe.

This earned him an £8.6m move to Nice in the summer of 2021, but he made almost no impact on the French Riviera, scoring just a solitary goal during his one season with the Ligue 1 outfit.

After a decent campaign on loan at Royal Antwerp, scoring three goals but racking up nine assists in Belgium, he returned to the Netherlands by joining Feyenoord, thereby reuniting with Arne Slot, who’d previously been his manager in Alkmaar.

As the table below outlines, Stengs certainly produced impressive statistics during his first Eredivisie season in Rotterdam.

Calvin Stengs Eredivisie statistics 2023/24

Statistics

Stengs

Eredivisie rank

Minutes

2,095

113th

Goals

6

40th

Assists

12

3rd

Expected assists

8.6

3rd

Shots

44

47th

Key passes

71

2nd

Shot-creating actions

129

6th

Goal-creating actions

17

6th

Big chances created

13

6th

Accurate final 3rd passes

397

14th

Average SofaScore rating

7.51

7th

Statistics courtesy of FBref.com and SofaScore

As the table documents, despite somewhat limited minutes, Stengs was one of the chief creators in the Eredivisie, ending up third for assists, while also ranking highly for expected assists, key passes, shot-creating actions, and big chances created.

The highlight of his Feyenoord career actually came against Celtic, marking his Champions League debut by scoring this long-range free kick at De Kuip, one that Joe Hart believes he should’ve kept out.

Last season, however, things did not go to plan for Stengs, seeing a miserly 797 minutes of action due to knee, hamstring and ankle issues, starting just eight matches across all competitions.

To commence the new campaign, the 26-year-old has been an unused substitute for all four of Feyenoord’s fixtures, including both legs of their Champions League qualifying exit at the hands of Fenerbahçe, as manager Robin van Persie seemingly prepares for the winger’s departure.

Nevertheless, he is still a highly-rated talent.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labels him a “flamboyant winger”, praising his pace, dribbling ability, and creativity, while Nils Mackay of Opta adds that he is a “serious talent”.

Stengs is certainly a versatile player, predominantly deployed as an attacking midfielder during his time with Feyenoord, having made a name for himself as a right-winger at AZ, earning all eight of his senior Netherlands caps in that position out wide too, most recently bagging a hat-trick against Gibraltar at Estádio Algarve.

Following the sale of Nicolas Kühn, the aforementioned Forrest is currently Celtic’s starter wide-right but, at 34 years old, having scored just one goal last season, the club legend is no longer the elite-level difference-maker he once was.

Thus, there is a clear spot up for grabs, one that Stengs could come in and make his own, and all available evidence suggests he would be an excellent addition, which would result in Forrest dropping down to the bench after he started the last two games in the Premiership and the Champions League on the right flank.

Related Idah upgrade: Rodgers would love Celtic to sign "world class" star for free

As Adam Idah continues to find Celtic goals hard to come by, Brendan Rodgers would love to sign a “world class” striker available on a free transfer.

Posts ByBen Gray Aug 19, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Além de recuperar alguns medalhões e reverter a desvantagem contra o Remo na Copa do Brasil, uma das missões de Cuca no Corinthians é fazer a equipe melhorar o aproveitamento como visitante.

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+ Fernando Lázaro tem noite desastrosa e leva a pior nota em derrota do Corinthians

Desde o ano passado o Timão vem tendo grandes dificuldades para conquistar pontos longe da Neo Química Arena, e o padrão se manteve com Fernando Lázaro. Ao todo, o clube alvinegro teve três derrotas, três empates e duas vitórias longe de casa com o ex-técnico, somando apenas 37% de aproveitamento.

+ Todos os jogos do Brasileirão você encontra no Prime Video. Assine já e acompanhe o Timão!

Para isso, Cuca tem pela frente o Goiás, que ainda não foi derrotado em casa na temporada, e o treinador de 59 anos não acumula bons números em estreias. De 2010 até agora, ele comandou dez trabalhos diferentes, com quatro derrotas, três vitórias, e três empates em estreias.

Não obstante, Cuca miraquebrar uma sequências de três derrotas nas últimas três estreias de técnicos no Corinthians. O último treinador que conseguiu vencer em sua primeira partida pelo Timão foi Vagner Mancini, contra o Athletico-PR, em 2020.

+ Veja tabela e a situação do Timão no Brasileirão

Depois disso, Sylvinho, Vítor Pereira e Fernando Lázaro, respectivamente, perderam todos pelo mesmo placar (1 a 0) em suas estreias.

continua após a publicidade

It would be fair to say that, overall, last season did not go entirely to plan for Arsenal.

Partly due to injuries and partly due to a lack of form, Mikel Arteta’s side failed to secure the Premier League title.

However, there were still some positives to come from the campaign, notably in the shape of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri.

The two Hale End talents burst onto the scene around the winter period, and while the former ended up with more of a permanent role in the team, both look to be sensational prospects.

For example, Nwaneri was able to rack up 11 goal involvements in just 1,378 minutes, and so fans should be seriously excited about links to someone who could be Arteta’s next version of the 18-year-old.

Nwaneri’s 24/25
Appearances	37
Starts	16
Minutes	1378′
Goals	9
Assists	2
Goal Involvements per Match	0.29
Minutes per Goal Involvement	125.27′
Points per Game	1.95
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Arsenal close in on the next Nwaneri

While most headlines and fan attention have focused on the new additions Arsenal have made to the team this summer, such as Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, and now Viktor Gyokeres, the contract renewals have arguably been just as important.

Transfer Focus

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

First, it was man-mountain and fan favourite Gabriel Magalhães who put pen to paper on a new four-year deal, then a few weeks later it was Lewis-Skelly’s turn to do the same with a five-year deal, and most recently, it was Nwaneri who committed the next five years of his career to the project.

The contract for the dynamic teenager came as something of a relief for many fans, as just a couple of weeks ago, there were murmurings that talks were not progressing as well as some at the club would have liked, and that game time was supposedly an issue.

Fortunately, none of those rumours appear to have been accurate, and now, in even more good news, the North Londoners look to have secured another highly-rated youngster who could be the next Nwaneri.

At least that’s according to a recent report from The Athletic, which has confirmed Arsenal’s interest in Salford City youngster Will Wright.

In fact, the report goes even further, revealing that the Gunners have already agreed on a fee with the League Two side, although personal terms still need to be finalised.

While the report makes no mention of how much the teenager is going to cost, stories from earlier this month claimed that the fee is around £200k, which is £100k more than Liverpool supposedly offered.

It might sound like a lot of money for a 17-year-old, but given the ability he has already shown and the potential he has, it could prove to be a bargain years from now, especially as he could be the next Nwaneri.

Why Wright could be the next Nwaneri

Now, comparing a youth product from a League Two side to one of the most exciting youngsters in the Premier League last season might sound like a lot, and that’s because it is.

However, with what Wright has already achieved in Salford’s youth sides and the way those in the know have been speaking about him, we see no reason why he too couldn’t develop into one of the most exciting prospects at Arsenal in the coming years.

Let’s take a look at their numbers for their club’s respective youth sides.

For example, in 52 appearances for the Gunners’ junior teams, Nwaneri managed to rack up a massively impressive tally of 27 goals and ten assists.

In contrast, the Salford gem scored over 40 goals in the academy last season, which is undeniably impressive, and strongly suggests he could be something seriously special.

On top of that, those with a good understanding of junior football are very excited about what the “technically gifted” gem, as dubbed by analyst Bence Bocsak, could develop into.

For example, Total Football Analysis, who take a look at some of the best wonderkids in world football every season, claim he has ‘many of the characteristics to be a top-level centre-forward’ and that, on top of being a prolific goalscorer, he’s also someone who ‘has the ability to connect play.’

Finally, despite being just 17 years old, the sought-after gem is already 6 foot 2, which means he can already physically dominate many of his opponents, and may grow to be even more imposing in the coming years.

Ultimately, it’s notoriously difficult to predict the future careers of young players, but as things stand, Wright appears to be on track to become a future star and potentially emulate Nwaneri’s breakthrough in the coming years.

Medical soon: Arsenal due to sign their new Ian Wright "within 24 hours"

The supremely dangerous attacker could break records at Arsenal.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

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In a summer full of frustration for Newcastle United, things could be about to get even worse with reports now suggesting that PIF could yet help deal them a major blow.

Howe delivers verdict on "difficult" summer

Those at St James’ Park have had plenty of ambition without reward so far this summer. Whilst they deserve praise for the signing of Anthony Elanga, other targets have come and gone elsewhere in what has become the frustrating trend of their transfer window.

The latest to do so looks set to be Hugo Ekitike. Although reports suggested that Newcastle had already submitted an opening bid for the Frenchman with a second on the way, Liverpool soon swooped in to steal a march on the Magpies. With concerns that the Reds would instead turn towards Alexander Isak if they missed out on the Frankfurt star, Newcastle dropped out of the race for his signature.

Eddie Howe, like all involved at St James’ Park, will be incredibly disappointed by how the summer transfer window has gone so far. He told reporters when asked about Newcastle’s business: “It was a difficult summer (to switch off) with everything going on behind the scenes.

“Obviously losing Paul (Mitchell) and all of the dynamics changing within (the club). The Sporting Director role is such a pivotal role at the club, so there was a lot (of work) to pick up.

“There has been a lot of work, transfer-wise, for very little incoming action, although we are delighted to get Anthony Elanga in, who has done very well in training so far. But a lot more work (is needed) behind the scenes in preparation for the new season.”

More clinical than Ekitike: Howe plotting Newcastle move to sign £75m+ star

Losing out on Ekitike could prove to be a blessing in disguise.

2 ByTom Cunningham Jul 19, 2025

After calling for more work to be done, Howe may not exactly get his wish, however. In fact, reports are now suggesting that PIF could even play a part in dealing Newcastle their biggest blow yet.

Saudi giants plotting shock Isak move

According to Sky’s Gianluca Di Marzio, Al-Hilal are now plotting a shock move to sign Isak from Newcastle this summer in what would see PIF work on a deal between two of their majority owned clubs. Led by Simone Inzaghi, the Saudi market is said to be “heating up” with Al-Hilal “considering a massive offer to convince both the club and the player.”

It’s an unexpected twist, to say the least, but the Magpies could now reportedly lose out to the rich owners that they entrusted with keeping the Swede in the first place.

Despite the fact that PIF own a majority stake in both clubs, there would reportedly be no issue regarding the regulations if Al-Hilal did sign Isak this summer. Having lost out on Ekitike to fend off any interest from Liverpool in Isak, it would now be the summer’s most shocking turn if the forward moved to the Saudi Pro League courtesy of PIF.

There’s no doubt that the Magpies would be losing one of, if not the, best striker in the Premier League or perhaps world football, who earned plenty of praise from Gary Neville last season.

The Manchester United legend and Sky Sports pundit said after Newcastle defeated the Red Devils: “You could really see the quality of his play and his movement tonight.

“He’s absolutely fantastic and he’s improving all the time. We know he can score goals, we know he can run, but also his hold-up play and his link with others has got better and better since he’s been at Newcastle.”

Scotland international’s 17-ball 39 set Worcestershire an insurmountable target of 191

ECB Reporters Network05-Jul-2024

Jones struck four sixes in his innings•Getty Images

A brutal cameo from Michael Jones helped Durham to a 22-run win against the Worcestershire Rapids in the Vitality Blast.Jones smashed 39 from 17 balls at the Seat Unique Riverside to help Durham to a big total of 190 for 5, with the Scottish international capitalising on a good platform set by Ollie Robinson who made 41.The visitors’ chase was led by an impressive 45 from Kashif Ali, but a good Durham bowling performance spearheaded by Ben Raine meant that the Rapids fell short.Durham are now in a good position to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time since 2018, but the Rapids face an uphill challenge to qualify having lost their last six in the competition.Having won the toss, the hosts chose to bat and Graham Clark got the innings off to the perfect start as he carved one through the covers for four. Skipper Alex Lees then got the first six of the night when he smashed a Josh Cobb ball over the long-on boundary.The Rapids then fought back after a tough start with Lees and Clark departing for 22 and 24 respectively.Robinson and Colin Ackermann used the large dimensions at Chester-le-Street to their advantage, as the Rapids restricted the boundary count in the middle overs.Ackermann felt the run-scoring squeeze and Brett D’Oliveira was the beneficiary as the Durham man mistimed a slog sweep and was caught on the boundary for 19.Robinson started to tick and smashed a D’Oliveira ball for six as Durham passed 100, however the Rapids captain struck back as he bowled Ashton Turner for 20.Robinson then struck two sixes from a Brookes over but he went for one too many as he skied one to long-on for 41.That didn’t stop the hosts’ barrage as Jones smashed one out the ground and he then hit 24 from the final over to finish unbeaten on 39 and the hosts finished on 190 for 5.The visitors had a tough task to chase 191 and they struggled to get going initially, as they picked up just 10 runs from the first two overs.D’Oliveira then departed at the hands of Bas de Leede, who coaxed an edge from the Rapids skipper and Robinson was on hand to take the catch behind the stumps.Ali, who led his side to an impressive win at this ground in the County Championship earlier this week, looked to get his side going alongside Cobb and they started to make a dent into the target.Ali then smashed a Sowter ball down the ground for six and followed that with one into the stands.However, Raine picked up the key wicket of Ali for 45, with Durham’s top wicket taker bowling the impressive opener.Then the hosts got the dangerous Adam Hose for just seven, after he was brilliantly caught on the boundary by Ackermann off the bowling of Sowter.The experienced Cobb was then dropped on 25 by Sowter as the Rapids continued to live dangerously but the leg-spinner bounced back from the drop as he picked up the wicket of Brookes.Cobb then departed for 39 as he was bowled by Ben Dwarshuis, but Gareth Roderick hit a six over the legside boundary to give his side a chance however he fell to Raine for 18 to leave the visitors staring down the barrel of defeat.Late wickets from Dwarshuis, de Leede and Raine saw the hosts home comfortably, winning by 22 runs.

Russell Martin’s mass-squad overhaul at Rangers is in full swing.

So far this summer, the Ibrox side have signed Lyall Cameron and Max Aarons, but plenty more arrivals are forecast in the coming weeks and days, with the start of Champions League qualifying just over three weeks away.

Now, centre-forward has to be a priority position for the Light Blues, so have they identified their dream target?

Rangers targeting a new striker

Rangers’ selection of centre-forwards could look rather different come the start of next season.

Transfer Focus

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As has been widely reported for weeks, AEK Athens are attempting to sign Cyriel Dessers, with the Greek side having bid £5m for the Nigerian international, while Rangers are holding out for £6m.

Meantime, Hamza Igamane appears poised to depart too, with Lille leading the race to sign him, but Foot Mercato claim that fellow Ligue 1 clubs Strasbourg and Rennes are ‘still in the running’ to secure the Moroccan’s signature.

Thus, potentially in the market for two new strikers, Israeli outlet 5 Sport claim that Rangers are ‘willing to pay’ Maccabi Tel Aviv’s £5m asking price for Dor Turgeman.

They add that a deal will not be finalised until either Dessers or Igamane are sold, but that Turgeman ‘has expressed a desire’ to join the Glasgow giants.

Blair Meikle of the Glasgow Times also notes that the Israeli Premier League champions have already signed Ion Nicolaescu from Heerenveen this summer, further evidence that they’re preparing for life after Turgeman, but what would he bring to Rangers?

Why Dor Turgeman could be Rangers' next Alfredo Morelos

It’s pretty impossible to dispute the fact that, since Rangers won promotion back to the Premiership nine years ago, Alfredo Morelos is the best striker they have had.

After joining from HJK Helsinki for a reported fee of £1m in June 2017, the Colombian international scored 124 goals in 269 appearances for the Gers, becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer in Europe, breaking Ally McCoist’s long-standing record.

So, let’s take a look at how el Bufalo compares to the club’s other strikers from the past decade.

Selected Rangers strikers (2016-present)

Players

Tenure

Appearances

Goals

European goals

Cyriel Dessers

2023-present

109

51

6

Hamza Igamane

2024-present

46

16

4

Danilo

2023-present

48

12

1

Alfredo Morelos

2017-22

269

124

29

Jermain Defoe

2018-22

74

32

3

Kemar Roofe

2020-24

102

38

5

Antonio Čolak

2022-23

39

18

3

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

As the table outlines, none of Rangers’ other centre-forwards come close to Morelos when it comes to longevity, as well as his sheer volume of goals in UEFA competitions; only Henrik Larsson, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar have ever scored more than his 32 goals in the Europa League, when qualifiers are included.

So, could Turgeman replicate his success?

Well, writer Kai Watson labels the Israeli “quality”, adding he has “room to improve”, while adding elsewhere that he is “lethal inside the box” and an excellent ball carrier.

So, let’s assess Turgeman’s recent career statistics.

Dor Turgeman’s season-by-season statistics

Statistics

Appearances

Goals

Assists

2024/25

44

20

6

2023/24

49

11

2

Turgeman’s international career

Israel U21

7

2

0

Israel senior team

10

1

1

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

As the table underlines, Turgeman took his goalscoring exploits to new heights last season, finishing as the third-highest scorer in Ligat ha’Al.

He has also earned international recognition, a key figure in the Israel team that reached the semi-finals of the U21 Euros two years ago, scoring against Germany during that tournament, before opening his senior account against Norway back in March.

Pertinently, with regards to the Morelos comparison, the 21-year-old does have five goals in UEFA competitions to his name so far, netting against Panevėžys, TSC Bačka Topola, Celje and, most notably, Real Sociedad in either the Conference League or Europa League across the last two seasons.

Nene Afadzinu of Football Talent Scout outlines how Turgeman operates best as a ‘focal point’, while praising his ‘excellent first touch’, hold-up play and pressing.

Thus, the Israeli has already shown plenty of quality at a young age, meaning he appears to have all the attributes to be a success at Ibrox and prove to be the perfect Igamane replacement.

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Posts ByRoss Kilvington Jun 27, 2025