Legspinner vows to carry on as wise head, especially now that Moeen Ali has retired

Vithushan Ehantharajah23-Sep-2024Fresh from bringing up 200 ODI wickets at Headingley on Saturday, Adil Rashid says he has the hunger to continue playing international cricket, dismissing talk that retirement may be on the horizon.Rashid broke new ground as the first English spinner to reach the milestone, albeit one brought up in a second consecutive defeat to Australia. It was England’s 10th loss in their last 14 ODIs. Another at Chester-le-Street would consign the hosts to a series defeat with two matches still to play. Poor weather, which forced training indoors on Monday, may end up saving their blushes, even if it does remove a series win from the equation.That this is a transitional squad, shorn of a handful of senior players, including captain Jos Buttler, has already been offered as mitigation for the missteps so far. Nevertheless, a new era – initially under interim coach Marcus Trescothick before Brendon McCullum assumes the limited-overs job in the new year alongside his Test commitments – has had an ignominious start.Yet, even with the onus on refreshing tactics and personnel, Rashid remains an integral part of the future of England’s limited-overs teams. February’s Champions Trophy, the 2026 T20 World Cup and 2027’s 50-over World Cup signpost the next three years, and the 36-year-old, currently in possession of an ECB central contract that takes him through to the end of the 2025 summer, has designs on being around for all of them.”I have not thought about it [retirement] yet,” said Rashid, speaking before Tuesday’s third ODI at Chester-le-Street. “Keep playing, enjoy it, stay fit, bowl well, contribute to wins, hopefully World Cups and Champions Trophies – that is my ultimate aim.”I’m playing each game and each series as it comes and if I’m still enjoying it and performing well, I’ll keep carrying on.”To play for this long and take the wickets I have, I’d never, ever dreamt of that, so hopefully I can carry it on. It’s been an enjoyable ride with ups and downs, and hopefully I can stay on the up for the remainder of my career.”I’ve got no eye yet on retiring or anything like that – that’s not even crossed my mind. It’s about enjoying the game and still giving it everything I’ve got.”Related

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It is a vital statement from Rashid given the lay of the land. Though the likes of Joe Root (rested) and Ben Stokes (undecided) are expected to return to the limited-overs set-up in some capacity – the Champions Trophy works for both given England’s first Test in 2025 comes at the end of May against Zimbabwe at Lord’s – the set-up has lost a lot of experience and knowledge in the last six months.Of those moved on, Moeen Ali is the one Rashid will feel the most. The former vice-captain announced his retirement earlier this month after missing out on both T20 and 50-over assignments against Australia. And as a long-time friend, inseparable at home and aboard, the fear was that Rashid may soon follow suit. Those fears, for now, have been allayed. On Tuesday, the Yorkshireman will earn his 138th ODI cap – the figure Moeen finished on.Of course, the team environment is a little different for Rashid. Not only will he not have his usual confidant for company, but he also now has more responsibility to assume as the go-to wise head in the dressing room, particularly for young spinners as England prepare for life after Rashid. The former will take getting used to, but the latter role is something he is keen to embrace.”He’s a big miss for the team and a big miss for me because we’re really good friends on and off the pitch,” Rashid said. “He’s made that decision and got another chapter of his life with the remainder of his career and I’m sure he’ll do wonders.”With Mo not being there my input will obviously be a little bit more, speaking to the youngsters and them coming to me,” he added.”That’s the ultimate aim. Whatever I’ve got in terms of experience, form, ups and downs, the knowledge I have, I can pass that on. It could be in terms of mindset or technical things. I’m trying to do that now as well, with the youngsters I’m working with.”I’ve worked with Rehan Ahmed, I’ve worked with Jafer (Chohan) at Yorkshire. There’s a few around the circuit, they’re in competition, which is healthy, and they can compete to become that No. 1 spinner.”Easier said than done, of course. Rashid’s evolution into a world-class operator was aligned with a consistency of selection and schedule. Between the 2015 and 2019 50-over World Cups, he played 76 out of a possible 81 ODIs under Eoin Morgan. In turn, England emerged during that period as a ground-breaking white-ball outfit. The demands and opportunities of the modern game mean the next generation does not have the benefit of that level of continuity.As such, England’s route back to the top of the pile after botched defences of the ODI and T20I titles in 2023 and 2024 will require a different path on less certain terrain. But in Rashid, they can still call upon someone who knows, and – crucially – still has, what it takes to push them on.

He will re-unite with Dravid, not long after they lifted the T20 World Cup this year

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2024

Rahul Dravid and Vikram Rathour are back together•BCCI

Vikram Rathour, the former India batting coach, will once again team up with Rahul Dravid as he joins the support staff at Rajasthan Royals in a similar capacity. Dravid was named the RR head coach earlier this month.Rathour’s association comes on the back of a five-year stint with the Indian team, where he worked alongside Ravi Shastri and later Dravid. In June, Rathour’s contract ended soon after India’s triumph at the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.”Having worked closely with Vikram for many years, I can confidently say that his technical expertise, calm demeanor, and deep understanding of Indian conditions make him a perfect fit for the Royals,” Dravid said in a statement.Related

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“Together, we’ve built a strong rapport, guiding India to key successes, and I’m thrilled to reunite with him. His ability to nurture young talent and elevate players’ potential will be invaluable as we aim to further strengthen our squad and continue building a world-class team here at Rajasthan Royals.”This will be Rathour’s second IPL stint, having earlier been part of the coaching set up at Punjab Kings. He has also been the director of cricket at Himachal Pradesh previously.Earlier this month, Rathour was part of New Zealand’s coaching set-up as batting consultant in Greater Noida, as part of their preparation for six Tests they were to play in Asia.”The opportunity to work again with Rahul, and now with a talented group of young cricketers, is hugely exciting,” Rathour said. “I look forward to contributing to the team’s vision and working toward our goal of developing top-class players for the Royals and for India which can help in winning championships.”Back in the day, Rathour was a prolific scorer for Punjab, scoring a majority of his 11,473 first-class runs for them. His international career was very brief; he played six Tests and seven ODIs between 1996 and 1997.

West Ham United have now reached a verbal agreement over a deal to sign a defender, who is set to be available for around £4m this summer, according to journalist Dominik Schneider.

Hammers set out to strengthen defence

West Ham recently secured the signature of Kyle Walker-Peters on a free transfer, but Graham Potter has no plans to stop there, with the manager also keen to bolster his options in the centre of defence.

Speaking to Football Insider, former scout Mick Brown revealed the desire to sign a new centre-back comes amid major doubts over Nayef Aguerd’s future, with Potter looking to sell the Morocco international this summer.

Brown said: “West Ham are aiming to sign a top-class centre-half. Potter wants reliable options in that position because he isn’t happy with what he’s got. It’s something West Ham have been lacking for a while, and it’s going to be a priority before the season starts because the manager is pushing for it.

“Potter isn’t happy with Mavropanos, he’s far too mistake prone and is liable to cost you a game, and he’s looking to move on Nayef Aguerd as well.”

That said, it may be difficult to compete for the signature of an established top-level centre-back, off the back of the Hammers’ very disappointing 2024-25 campaign, and they now look set to take a gamble on a defender from the Swiss league.

West Ham now battling Sunderland to sign "aggressive" Bundesliga winner

The Hammers have had a first-hand look at his quality.

ByTom Cunningham Jul 19, 2025

That is according to Schneider on X, who reveals West Ham have now reached a “verbal agreement” over a deal for Lugano defender Albian Hajdari, and a deal could be on the cheap side.

Hajdari has a €5m (£4.3m) release clause included in his Lugano contract, and while the Hammers are yet to trigger it, the centre-back is “keen to join” this summer, indicating it could be very easy to get a deal over the line.

"Dominant" Hajdari could excel at the London Stadium

While the 22-year-old would not be a big-name signing, there are clear indications that he could be a success at the London Stadium, having performed very well for Lugano over the course of the past year.

The Lugano star’s defensive abilities certainly cannot be called into question, given that he is placed in the top 1% for interceptions per 90, and the top 2% for blocks, when compared to his positional peers.

Not only that, but the one-time Switzerland international has also received high praise from scout Ben Mattinson, who described him as “aerially dominant” and “composed on the ball”, with the latter quality potentially making the Binningen-born defender ideal for Potter.

At just over £4m, Hajdari could be a bargain addition to Potter’s squad, and there are clear signs that he could kick on at the London Stadium.

“It is probably the toughest conditions I have played under in terms of heat and humidity”

Mohammad Isam22-Oct-2024

Kyle Verreynne is all smiles after getting to his second Test century•AFP/Getty Images

Kyle Verreynne believes his 114 against Bangladesh is the best innings of his short career. He said that handling spin in the heat and humidity of Dhaka, particularly with South Africa under pressure when he came to the crease, made it a special occasion.Verreynne spent just over four hours to get his second Test century after South Africa had slipped to 99 for 5 in reply to Bangladesh’s 106 all out. The visitors ended the first day on 140 for 6 before Verreynne added 119 runs with Wiaan Mulder, who made 54. By the time he was dismissed on the second afternoon, South Africa were ahead by 202 runs, a big lead on the Shere Bangla National Stadium wicket.Verreynne said that since his maiden Test century in New Zealand came in conditions he is familiar with, he rated his Dhaka knock slightly higher.”It is definitely the best innings of my Test career,” Verreynne said. “It is probably the toughest conditions I have played under in terms of heat and humidity. Back home we don’t face long periods of spin bowling. Around 90% of that innings was just against spin. Things happen quickly. You don’t have much time to reset from a concentration point of view. This was certainly my most rewarding innings.Related

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“This (century) felt like better just in terms of the context of the game and the conditions. I think New Zealand is a lot similar to our conditions back home. To do in the continent in quite a tough wicket and tough circumstances, it is probably a better innings. The impact will hopefully be bigger than the first (century). I am really happy with it. It has been a long time since the one in NZ, so it is nice to get in another one.”Verreynne was particularly strong on the sweep. According to ESPNcricinfo’s stats, he got 49 runs off the 29 sweep shots he attempted which included the slog sweep. He struck five fours and a six in that region. The Bangladesh spinners, usually very good in Dhaka, didn’t have much of an answer against Verreynne.He said that a discussion on the second morning with batting coach Ashley Prince really helped him get a perspective of what to do for the rest of the day. “Wiaan Mulder and I, and the batters chatted this morning. We spoke to batting coach Ashy P (Ashwell Prince) about how we are going to try to go about things. There was no specific emphasis put on playing the sweep.”It was more just about how we back our options. Make sure we try to score and not go into our shells. We tried to play positively, get into better positions. We spoke to Ashy P about batting with the tail. It gave me a lot of clarity when I was batting with (Dane) Piedt and KG (Kagiso Rabada).”Verreynne said that he usually plays the sweep shot against spin so he just implemented it regularly in this game but other batters have different styles of scoring runs in their side.”I don’t think there’s been any extra emphasis (on the sweep shot). It is something that I have worked on quite a bit against spinners. It is not really a subcontinent specific thing. I would play it back home against spin as much as possible. I faced a lot of spin out there today so it is kind of what I am trying to do.”A lot of guys have different ways of going about playing it. For me, this is something that I worked on. You saw Wiaan (Mulder), (Tony) de Zorzi and Ryan (Rickelton) scored runs through other areas. It is one of my strengths so I want to stick to it.”Verreynne said that the pitch played better in the morning session but expects it to deteriorate further in the game.”I think this morning (the pitch) played better than yesterday morning. I don’t know if it dried out or there wasn’t as much moisture. It seems to be getting tough as the day has gone on, so tomorrow and going further in the Test, (the pitch) will get tougher and tougher.”

حسمت الأندية تأهلها إلى منافسات دور الـ16 من بطولة كأس رابطة الاندية الإنجليزية، موسم 2025/26، حيث انتهت مباريات دور الـ32 من المنافسات مساء الأربعاء.

وانطلقت منافسات دور الـ32 من بطولة كأس الأندية الإنجليزية، كاراباو، قبل أسبوع، وانتهت قبل قليل.

وتأهل برينتفورد بعدما فاز على أستون فيلا بركلات الترجيح، وتأهل كريستال بالاس بنفس الطريقة أمام ميلوول، بينما ودع نوتينجهام فورست على يد سوانزي سيتي.

وحقق ليفربول فوزًا صعبًا على ساوثهامبتون بهدفين لهدف في الجولة نفسها (لمتابعة التفاصيل من هنا)، بينما قلب تشيلسي الطاولة على لينكولن سيتي بهدفين لهدف.

كما حقق مانشستر سيتي فوزًا على هدرسفيلد تاون بهدفين دون رد، وانتصر توتنهام أمام دوكانستر بثلاثية نظيفة، كما تخطى آرسنال نظيره بورت فايل بهدفين دون رد. الفرق المتأهلة إلى دور الـ16 من كأس كاراباو

جريمسبي.

برينتفورد.

كريستال بالاس.

سوانزي سيتي.

ليفربول.

تشيلسي.

برايتون.

كارديف.

ريكسهام.

فولهام.

وايكومب ريندرز.

ولفرهامبتون.

مانشستر سيتي.

توتنهام.

نيوكاسل يونايتد.

آرسنال.

Thomas Tuchel has surprisingly axed Arsenal star Myles Lewis-Skelly from the England squad that will face Serbia on Tuesday. Lewis-Skelly played the full 90 minutes of England's World Cup qualifying clash with Andorra on Saturday as Tuchel's side ground out an unconvincing 2-0 victory.

• Lewis-Skelly omitted from England squad
• Arsenal star won't feature against Serbia
• Played 90 minutes against Andorra

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , Lewis-Skelly will not be a part of the England squad that will face Serbia in their next World Cup qualifier at Belgrade's Rajko Mitic Stadium on Tuesday. Tuchel called up 24 players to the England squad for the qualifying matches, and Lewis-Skelly trained with the rest of the squad on Monday morning, but UEFA rules stipulate that only 23 players can be included in matchday squads, with the Arsenal full-back sacrificed this time around.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Former Liverpool star Jarell Quansah was left out of the Three Lions' win over Andorra on Saturday, but the centre-back has returned to the squad at the expense of Lewis-Skelly. The left-back's omission from the squad now means that Tuchel could hand Tottenham's Djed Spence his England debut, while Newcastle's Tino Livramento is also an option in that role. 

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The report also adds that Marc Guehi, who picked up a groin injury during the Andorra clash, has fully recovered and will feature in Tuchel's starting lineup against Serbia. 

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LEWIS-SKELLY?

  Lewis-Skelly's early departure from the England squad is good news for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta as the youngster will get an extra day off to recover and resume training with the Gunners ahead of their Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Crystal Palace are making contingency plans behind the scenes, in the event they’re forced to sell Eberechi Eze amid ongoing interest from Arsenal.

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Oliver Glasner hasn’t exactly enjoyed the best summer window after guiding Palace to their first ever major trophy at the end of last season.

The south Londoners are currently in a legal battle with UEFA, Nottingham Forest and Lyon after Palace’s spot in the Europa League was unceremoniously, and perhaps unfairly, revoked due to their alleged breach of multi-club ownership rules.

Daniel Munoz

7.11

Eberechi Eze

7.09

Maxence Lacroix

6.88

Marc Guehi

6.81

Jean-Philippe Mateta

6.80

via WhoScored

John Textor was forced to sell his shares in Palace, agreeing a £190 million deal for his 43% stake with New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, with the American tycoon also resigning from his leadership role at Lyon to try and avoid a demotion to the Conference League.

However, UEFA still followed through with their decision, and Palace have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a bid to get their Europa League spot back.

A decision is expected on August 11 after a hearing three days prior, and whilst the Eagles take on UEFA, Glasner’s side also face the looming threat of losing key players.

Marc Guehi is attracting serious interest from Liverpool and other Premier League rivals ahead of deadline day on September 1, while multiple sources suggest that Arsenal are hot on the heels of star playmaker Eze.

The England international had a £60 million release clause in his contract, but that expired at 11:59pm on Friday night, so Arsenal will need to enter negotiations with Palace if they want to strike a deal.

Arsenal were not planning to trigger Eze’s clause anyway, and the 27-year-old remains very keen on a move across London after talks with both Mikel Arteta and Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta, according to reports.

Crystal Palace could sign Lucas Paqueta and Leandro Trossard to replace Eze

Football Transfers have an update on the ex-QPR star’s future, and it’s claimed that Steve Parish could make a “sensational double swoop” to replace Eze if he does leave.

Indeed, West Ham creator Lucas Paqueta and Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard are of interest to Glasner’s side, and FT sources believe that Palace could bring in the two London stars simultaneously if Eze leaves.

The Brazilian is apparently Palace’s “major target”, but they’re also weighing up a move for Trossard, who could be used as a makeweight by Arsenal to sweeten any deal for Eze.

In a statement move, Palace may actually end up signing both Paqueta and Trossard, but for that to happen, Parish could need to milk as much cash for Eze as possible.

The Hammers midfielder commands a price tag of around £60 million, according to GiveMeSport, while Arsenal have placed a £17 million valuation on Trossard as he enters the final 11 months of his contract.

The £77 million duo are proven Premier League players, though, and could be worth their wait in gold for Glasner, who’s looking to build upon Palace’s historic FA Cup triumph at Wembley.

Remember when it felt like very little was happening with Newcastle United in the summer transfer market?

That’s changed. For better or worse, chaos has erupted on Tyneside over the past few weeks, with the £55m signing of Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga the precursor to a flurry of transfer-related activity that has yet to reach an outcome.

Alexander Isak wants to leave the club and sign for Premier League champions Liverpool, who last weekend saw a £110m bid rejected for the Sweden international. However, he has since returned to United’s training facilities, his future uncertain.

Such an offer would have been insulting were it not so blatantly an unsettling tactic, and the gravity of the situation weighs heavily on Eddie Howe, who at least is buddied with Sudarshan Gopaladesikan, United’s new technical director and successor to the contentious Paul Mitchell.

Dealing with the unwanted sale of Isak, arguably the Magpies’ best player, marks a testing start for Gopaladesikan, but he certainly seems to be making the most of a bad situation, pushing full throttle for a fitting replacement.

Newcastle pushing to sign striker

There’s a bleak sense that Isak, 25, will play Premier League football in red for the upcoming season, though his sale to Liverpool, of course, hinges on Newcastle signing a suitable successor at number nine.

And the first-choice target is RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, with a formal offer already lodged. What comes next is unknown; the Slovenian is assessing his options with Manchester United ready to table a bid of their own.

Should Sesko wind up at Old Trafford, it will feel like yet another blow for the Tynesiders, who have faced their share of rejection across the past few months. That said, there’s an alternative forward who might end up being the better pick.

According to Portuguese journalist Eduardo Burgos, Newcastle have revived their interest in Porto striker Samu Aghehowa, and while they have yet to make an offer, Howe’s transfer coterie have been monitoring him across 2025.

The Liga Portugal giants will hold out for €80m (equating to £68m), putting him in the same ballpark as Sesko.

So then, which one to go for?

Why Newcastle should sign Samu Aghehowa

Aghehowa is a 21-year-old centre-forward who left La Liga and joined Porto from Atletico Madrid in a bargain deal worth €15m (about £13m). The Madrid-based side retained a whopping 50% sell-on clause.

Curiously, Chelsea had agreed a £34m deal for the powerful goalscorer, only for the move to collapse and for him to join Porto for a cheaper fee.

He’ll be grateful for that turn of events, no doubt, for the past year has been one of fundamental development for Aghehowa, whose maiden campaign with the Portuguese giants yielded 27 goals and three assists across 45 matches in all competitions.

As per FBref, the 6 foot 3 powerhouse ranked among the top 14% of strikers across Europe last year for goals scored per 90 (0.71), which certainly bodes well for his future success as a goalscorer at the forefront of the global game.

Newcastle might want to consider raising their interest higher still, as Aghehowa could even turn out to be a better signing than Leipzig’s Sesko.

Sesko is unquestionably a talented forward with prowess lying in his athleticism and power. That said, he’s raw, and there’s no telling as to whether his potential will be reached.

A detractor could argue that Samu plies his trade in Portugal, regarded a division of inferior quality to the Bundesliga. Although it’s clear that the Porto talent has an aptitude for scoring goals on any field of green, for he previously did well in La Liga, netting nine times across 35 games in his breakout term, and bagged six times across last year’s Europa League campaign too.

Most Goals + Assists from U21s (Top 10 Leagues – 24/25)

Player

Club / League

Apps

Goals

Samu Aghehowa

Porto / Liga Portugal

30

19

Bradley Barcola

PSG / Ligue 1

34

14

Luca Stassin

St. Etienne / Ligue 1

33

14

Aleksey Batrakov

Loko Moscow / Russian PL

29

14

Emanuel Emegha

Strasbourg / Ligue 1

27

14

Benjamin Sesko

RB Leipzig / Bundesliga

33

13

Data via Transfermarkt

Aghehowa’s league goals alone placed him above all within or beneath his age bracket across Europe’s major leagues, and that includes Sesko, who has since turned 22.

And it’s not as if the former Chelsea target hasn’t made his mark against those competing on English shores. After all, he bagged a brace against Man United on the continental stage last year, winning five aerial duels and covering much ground besides.

Given that Newcastle need a striker who will promise goals with consistency, it might be worth switching focus to Aghehowa, who is shaping into quite the formidable focal frontman, sinewy and tall and clinical in the danger area.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has remarked in the past that the Spaniard is a “monster in the making”, and with similar strengths in physicality and ball-striking, who could truly argue that Sesko has the higher potential, given that he’s yet to truly announce himself as a prolific marksman?

With 27 goals and seven assists across 64 Bundesliga outings, Sesko has a lot to prove, but he’s a big talent, for sure, and Howe has the tactical nous and interpersonal skills to will him toward elite status.

Just imagine what the acclaimed manager could do with Aghehowa leading his Magpies line.

Related Another Elanga: Newcastle to reignite interest in "exceptional" £50m titan

The experienced international could boost morale at Newcastle.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 5, 2025

Are Rangers on course for a return to the Champions League?

Having already dumped out Panathinaikos in the previous round, the Gers demolished Viktoria Plzeň 3-0 in the first leg of their third qualifying round tie on Tuesday night; new hero Djeidi Gassama scored twice, while Cyriel Dessers converted a penalty in first half stoppage time.

Thus, Russell Martin’s side will take a commanding lead to Stadion města Plzně next Tuesday, now likely to face Club Brugge in the play-off round, after the Belgian outfit beat Red Bull Salzburg 1-0 away from home in their first leg on Wednesday.

Even though the Light Blues have both Champions League and Scottish Premiership commitments during a very busy August, they remain active in the transfer market too, so could they sign a “talented” youngster from a Premier League giant?

Rangers continuing to reinforce

So far this summer, Rangers have made nine new signings, most recently bringing in Oliver Antman for a reported fee of £4m on Monday.

24 hours later, the Finnish international was thrown in for his debut against Viktoria Plzeň and certainly impressed, posing a constant threat all night, with European scouting expert Joost van der Leij asserting that they “robbed the living daylights out of Go Ahead Eagles”, getting such a high-quality player at a bargain price.

One position Martin has not yet strengthened is his goalkeepers, failing in attempts to sign Carl Rushworth from Brighton and Aaron Ramsdale from the new manager’s former club Southampton.

Thus, as reported by Dominik Schneider of FußballTransfers, Rangers “have joined the race” to sign Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein, with Sevilla amongst those also interested.

Transfer Focus

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

The 23-year-old finds himself third-choice in North London, behind David Raya and new signing Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Last summer, manager Mikel Arteta stated that the youngster “needs to play games”, adding that he has “big potential and a big future ahead of him”, with Hein subsequently loaned out to Real Valladolid, so another loan move, this time to Govan, could be on the cards.

How Karl Hein would improve Rangers

Hein joined Arsenal from Meistriliiga side Nõmme United back in 2018, but has only featured once for the Gunners at senior level since then, starting a Carabao Cup tie against Brighton in November 2022.

He endured a pretty underwhelming loan spell at Reading earlier that year, appearing just five times for the Royals at EFL Championship level, but took a gigantic leap forward in his development in Spain last season.

During that aforementioned loan spell at Real Valladolid, Hein was their starting goalkeeper, racking up 32 appearances, earning plenty of praise for his performances, even though los Blanquivioletas finished rock-bottom of the table.

Minutes

2,790

13th

Goals conceded

68

1st

Post-shot xG faced

58.8

1st

Saves

96

4th

Crosses stopped

34

5th

High claims

28

6th

Errors leading to a goal

1

19th

Passes attempted

941

6th

As the table outlines, while Hein did concede more goals than anyone else in La Liga last season, he did face the most expected goals too, given that Valladolid were largely hopeless, and other statistics make for more encouraging reading.

He ranked fourth for saves and fifth in terms of crosses stopped, making just one error resulting in an opposition goal.

Also, despite his lack of club experience, Hein does boast plenty at international level, having already accumulated 39 caps for Estonia since his debut five years ago, starting 22 of the Blueshirts’ last 23 competitive fixtures.

Chris Wheatley of the Sporting News labelled him a “talented goalkeeper”, while Josh James of Arsenal.com documents his ‘rapid development’, praising his ‘laser-like focus’ on improving every single day.

Meantime, following Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory over Valladolid last August, President Florentino Pérez praised the opposition’s “very good goalkeeper”, making six saves that afternoon at the Bernabéu.

So, could he become the latest loan star to arrive at Rangers from a Premier League giant and shine?

Well, the most recent player to do this was Ryan Kent, who impressed to such an extent during his loan period from Liverpool in 2018/19 that the Gers paid a reported fee of £7.5m to make the deal permanent, the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history, only surpassed by the £12m splashed to sign Tore André Flo in 2000.

Kent would go on to make 218 appearances for the Light Blues, scoring 33 goals and registering 56 assists, winning the Premiership title and a Scottish Cup, also a pivotal figure in the team that reached the Europa League Final in Seville.

Well, if Hein went on to have even half as successful a career as that in Glasgow, his signature would represent quite the coup.

Imagine him & Gassama: Rangers made approach for "hugely underrated" star

Rangers reportedly made an approach to sign a wing wizard who could be exciting alongside Djeidi Gassama.

ByDan Emery Aug 6, 2025

Glasgow Rangers have been focused on bringing players to Ibrox during the summer transfer window, as they have brought in the likes of Thelo Aasgaard, Emmanuel Fernandez, Djeidi Gassama, and Max Aarons, among others.

However, Russell Martin and Kevin Thelwell also have to be wary of the size of the squad and the reality that some players will have to move on, amid interest in some of the fringe members of the team.

As you can see in the post above from Sacha Tavolieri, there are at least three teams interested in a deal to sign central defender Clinton Nsiala.

Martin has already admitted that the centre-back, who was not included in the squad to face Panathinaikos on Tuesday, could be on his way out of Ibrox this summer, and the former AC Milan man may not be the only one.

Two teams have major interest in Rangers forward

Nsiala is far from the only player on the fringes of the squad ahead of next season, as there will be plenty of people looking at their futures beyond this summer.

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According to the Daily Record, Rangers forward Ross McCausland is attracting interest from a number of clubs ahead of a potential move away from Ibrox.

The report claims that Aris Limassol and two teams in the MLS have a ‘major’ interest in snapping up the Northern Ireland international before the end of the window.

It adds that they are weighing him up as a potential loan signing, whilst there are also unnamed teams from England monitoring his situation.

Why Rangers should allow Ross McCausland to go

The Light Blues should allow McCausland to leave, whether that is on loan or on a permanent basis, this summer because he is as dispensable as Nsiala, who Martin has already admitted could be on his way out.

In the 2024/25 campaign, the French centre-back started ten of his 11 appearances in the Scottish Premiership, but ended the season as an unused substitute in the last two matches.

McCausland, meanwhile, only started four of his 13 appearances in the division for the Scottish giants, who have since signed Aasgaard and Gassama to play in the attacking midfield positions.

Appearances

13

Starts

4

Goals

0

Big chances created

0

Key passes per game

0.6

Assists

1

Red cards

1

As you can see in the table above, the academy graduate offered very little in the final third from a right wing position, with zero goals and zero assists in those 13 games.

He ended the season with more red cards (one) than goal contributions in the league, having been sent off for two bookable offences against Aberdeen in April.

Pundit Tam McManus criticised the “poor” Rangers flop after those mistakes, as McCausland made a rash challenge whilst already on a yellow card to end up being sent off.

The 22-year-old dud is, therefore, just as dispensable as Nsiala is this summer, as both players failed to nail down a place as a regular starter in the league last season, and are now attracting suitors from elsewhere.

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ByDan Emery Jul 17, 2025

If Martin is willing to allow Nsiala to leave, as he has suggested, then the manager should be willing to allow McCausland, who started even fewer games in the league last term, to go as well.