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Glasgow Rangers have moved to strengthen the quality of their squad in the summer transfer window with a host of new signings.

Ross Wilson has been hard at work to improve Gio van Bronckhorst’s options and has brought in John Souttar, Malik Tillman, Ben Davies, Ridvan Yilmaz, Antonio Colak, Rabbi Matondo and Tom Lawrence.

Tillman has been one of the standout arrivals since he joined on loan from German giants Bayern Munich. The USA international has taken to Glasgow like a duck to water and is fast becoming one of the manager’s key players.

He has scored two goals in his last three matches – including a crucial header to send Rangers through in a Champions League qualifier against Union Saint-Gilloise – and has also caught the eye in the Premiership.

In the Scottish top flight, the American gem has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.37 (fifth-best in the squad) as he has scored one goal in three games and produced nine dribbles and five key passes.

The 20-year-old is a multi-level threat as he has shown that he can score goals, create chances and progress the play by dribbling past opponents.

Wilson could now bring in a player to form an exciting partnership with Tillman in the middle of the park by swooping for Charleroi talent Adem Zorgane.

Rangers reportedly had a bid rejected for the central midfielder, but they must now reignite their interest in the gem, as he could be an excellent addition to the squad.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig previously lauded the 22-year-old’s talents,tweeting: “Adem Zorgane is an extremely strong and versatile player with some very good technical skills. He can play almost anywhere in midfield – as a deep-lying orchestrator, box-to-box midfielder and even advanced playmaker if needed. One of the most talented players in Algeria.”

His high praise of the maestro is backed up by Zorgane’s statistics in the Jupiler Pro League. Last season, he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.11 and racked up eight assists – also creating eight ‘big chances’ – in 33 starts. He has followed that up by registering two assists and creating one ‘big chance’ in three starts this season.

Meanwhile, no current Rangers central midfielder averaged a score higher than 7.01 or created more than three ‘big chances’ in the 2021/22 Premiership campaign.

This suggests that, if he can adapt to Scottish football, Zorgane could add a level of creativity in that position alongside Tillman that Van Bronckhorst currently lacks.

Therefore, the Algerian gem could form an exciting partnership with the American as they both have the potential to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch. At the ages of 22 and 20 respectively, they could also be a long-term pairing for the club, making the former’s prospective signing an investment for the future as well as for the here-and-now.

Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be out injured for a number of months with a hamstring problem, journalist James Pearce has confirmed before Saturday’s clash against Manchester City.

The Lowdown: Another injury blow for Ox

The Englishman has suffered an injury-plagued career, picking up a serious knee injury back in 2018 and struggling to shake off other issues ever since.

Unfortunately, Oxlade-Chamberlain limped out of a pre-season clash with Crystal Palace with a hamstring injury, with Jurgen Klopp somewhat aloof when asked about it after the match.

The severity of the issue has now been revealed, in what is an undeniable setback for both the player and Liverpool as a team.

The Latest: Pearce confirms severity

Writing on Twitter on Saturday, The Athletic‘s Pearce confirmed that Oxlade-Chamberlain will be out until the autumn:

“Devastating setback for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Sidelined for two to three months. Could be October before he’s back playing.”

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The Verdict: Cruel setback for midfielder

Oxlade-Chamberlain is such a likeable, down-to-earth individual and this is a cruel blow for him just as a new season is about to get underway.

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Granted, he wasn’t necessarily seen as a key starter moving forward but his eye for goal can be priceless off the substitutes’ bench, with 17 goals and 15 assists coming his way in a Liverpool shirt.

The more that Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injuries continue, however, the more it feels like a natural parting of ways will happen when his contract expires next summer.

Aston Villa have been handed a major boost in their pursuit to sign Burnley winger Dwight McNeil this summer.

What’s the story?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT regarding West Ham’s reported interest in the player, journalist Paul Brown said: “I think there are agents putting his name out there with various clubs. I think he’s probably an option for West Ham, but I don’t think they’re pushing particularly hard for him at the moment.”

With Villa recently linked to the Burnley man, this will be welcome news and could give them an advantage if they are more determined than others to do the deal.

McNeil is keen on remaining a Premier League player and with Burnley having been relegated his only option now is to depart Turf Moor.

He could be available for as little as £15m, but with at least two years remaining on his contract, the Clarets are in a strong negotiating position.

Supporters will love the news

Supporters of Villa will be delighted to hear the news that West Ham aren’t pushing hard to sign McNeil and will be hoping that their club makes a move for the player as soon as possible.

At just 22 years old, it seems a no-brainer to sign a player of his quality for a potentially small fee. Despite still being young, the Englishman isn’t short of experience in the top flight having played 134 games over five seasons as a senior player at Burnley.

It will be an emotional goodbye for the player who joined the club’s youth setup after being released from Manchester United at age 14, but it’s one that’s needed for him to continue his remarkable development.

His record last season wasn’t the best, but in a side that was in a constant relegation battle, it’s hard for a forward player to shine. However, he did create six big chances and boasted an average pass accuracy of 78%.

Moving to Villa Park and being part of a forward line which includes the likes of Ollie Watkins and Philippe Coutinho will surely be attractive to McNeil.

It will also allow him to properly express himself in a side that plays more attractive football than what we’ve seen over the years at Turf Moor.

AND in other news: Gerrard could land his very own Jude Bellingham in Villa swoop for £50m”joy to watch”

Reliable journalist Joseph Chapman has revealed Steve Bruce’s transfer plans at West Brom ahead of the start of the new season.

The Lowdown: Duo check-in at the Hawthorns

After a disappointing end to the 2021/22 Championship campaign, the 61-year-old will now be looking to bolster his ranks with plenty of fresh faces over the next few weeks as he aims to guide his team to promotion next year.

The Baggies have already brought in star free agent duo John Swift from Reading and Jed Wallace from Millwall, but it’s likely that they won’t be the only new arrivals walking through the doors at the Hawthorns this summer after a fresh update from Chapman.

The Latest: Bruce’s summer plans

In an article written for Birmingham Live, Chapman claimed that Bruce wants to add ‘at least three’ new signings to his squad before the deadline, which comes at the start of September.

Speaking back in May, as quoted by the website, the Albion boss himself revealed the business that he is hoping to complete this summer. He said: “Five or six – we need half a team and hopefully, we will get a few of those in before the start of pre-season.”

The Verdict: No messing around

West Brom already have way too many players on their books that are committed to the club on a longer-term basis, so any transfer activity will be based on if they are able to move individuals on to balance their numbers.

With money still tight, the Baggies are only really able to target free agents and the loan market, but after the success of fending off strong competition to capture Wallace and Swift, they should hold the belief that they are more than capable of attracting potential Bosman signings without having to spend.

The Midlands outfit are now out in Portugal as part of their pre-season plans, but there’s no doubt that there will be some new additions on the horizon upon their return in time for when the new term kicks off at the end of July.

Manchester United are growing in confidence regarding a move for Christian Eriksen, according to journalist Alex Crook.

The Lowdown: Eriksen offer

The Denmark international is set to officially become a free agent in a matter of days when his contract at Brentford expires. The Red Devils have been heavily linked with a move for the 30-year-old, with David Ornstein revealing earlier this month that an offer was made to Eriksen from Old Trafford.

Hailed as ‘out of this world’ by Gary Neville for his passing ability, the Scandinavian star has been taking his time over deciding upon his next move, but it looks as if United could well come out on top.

The Latest: Crook’s claim on Eriksen

Crook made a claim live on talkSPORT regarding United and Eriksen which was shared on Twitter on Saturday afternoon.

He was told that ‘confidence is growing Eriksen will choose Man United’ as his next club.

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The Verdict: Like London buses

The saying ‘you wait for ages for a London bus and then two come along together’ could well apply to Manchester United right now.

It looks as if they may land Eriksen for nothing and they also appear to be making progress when it comes to priority target Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona.

Should deals for both midfielders get over the line, a lot of tension may well be lifted from the United faithful and those inside Old Trafford ahead of Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge at the club.

More incomings would be needed over the coming months to get United back challenging for the big trophies, but Eriksen and De Jong would be a solid starting point in an area where the club are short on numbers following a spate of off-season departures.

Leeds United star Raphinha will likely join Barcelona if they submit an offer of between £50m and £60m for him, sports journalist Pete O’Rourke has told GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

Sky Sports reported last week that the La Liga giants hold an interest in the 25-year-old and are expected to formalise that with an offer. A source told the outlet that the Brazilian ‘would like to join’ Barcelona as he looks to fulfil his ambitions of playing at the ‘highest level’.

Had Leeds been relegated, interested parties would then have been able to pounce on a release clause in the region of £30m in the player’s contract.

However, Raphinha scored from the penalty spot on the final day of the season as Leeds beat Brentford to secure Premier League survival.

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The latest

O’Rourke is confident that Raphinha will move to the Nou Camp, but only if Leeds receive what would be a club-record fee for an outgoing transfer.

For now, Rio Ferdinand’s £41.4m departure to Manchester United in 2002 remains the most lucrative sale in the Yorkshire club’s history.

Speaking about the Brazilian potentially swapping Elland Road for Catalunya, O’Rourke told GiveMeSport: “I think this one could happen, especially if Barcelona do meet Leeds’ asking price. If they get close to £50million or £60million, I would fully expect this deal to happen.”

The verdict

Raphinha joined Leeds in October 2020 for a fee of £17m, meaning they could be about to turn a £43m profit after just two years.

The £63,000-per-week winger has made a key contribution since he moved to Yorkshire, scoring 17 goals and providing 12 assists in 67 appearances (11 and three last season).

According to Transfermarkt, he has reached exactly 100 goals and assists in his career, netting 62 times and setting up 38 goals.

It would be a blow in a footballing sense for Leeds to lose a talent like Raphinha – who has been likened to a “storm” by team-mate Illan Meslier, who also called him “amazing” – but you could also argue that it would be good business from a financial point of view.

In other news, Leeds are ready to trigger this midfielder’s release clause

Crystal Palace have taken up the option to extend Jordan Ayew’s contract by 12 months, in what is Patrick Vieira’s first ‘big’ call of the summer. 

The lowdown

Vieira is already shaping his squad for his second season at the helm after steering Palace to a 12th-place finish in his first campaign.

He selected Ayew in 23 starting line-ups over the course of 21/22 and brought him on from the bench a further eight times.

The forward can now look ahead to a fifth season at Palace, having joined in a £2.5million permanent deal in 2019 after a successful season-long loan.

The three-year agreement that he signed on his arrival at Selhurst Park had been due to expire in the summer.

The latest

London World journalist Rahman Osman tweeted that ‘Palace have triggered Jordan Ayew’s one-year extension at the club’.

It is the first ‘big’ move Vieira is making ahead of the off-season, but there are plenty more to come in a ‘big summer’.

They’re ‘still working’ on new deals for Cheikhou Kouyate, James McCarthur ‘and a few others’.

Between them, Kouyate and McArthur have made 390 appearances for Palace, pitching in with 22 goals and 28 assists.

The verdict

When it comes to end product, Ayew’s record is underwhelming. The £5.4million-rated ace finished the season with just six direct goal involvements (3G, 3A). And across his Palace career as a whole, he’s only managed to net 15 times in 133 appearances.

But Vieira recognises the other ways in which Ayew contributes.

His work off the ball is outstanding, with the 31-year-old ranking in the 96th percentile among positional peers for tackles per 90 minutes, the 93rd for tackles and the 82nd for interceptions (via FBRef).

The manager has dubbed his application ‘fantastic’, while team-mate Christian Benteke has described him as ‘aggressive’.

In other news, Palace are ready to move for this Europa League finalist. 

Celtic will be ‘slightly concerned’ but feel they will be able to retain the services of manager Ange Postecoglou, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Uncertain future

The Australian’s future in the Scottish Premiership has been up in the air lately after he was named as a strong contender to take over at Brighton following the departure of Graham Potter.

Recent reports suggested, however, that the 57-year-old currently has no plans to leave Parkhead and is happy with what he’s built in Glasgow, despite the Hoops’ hierarchy failing to agree an extended deal with the 57 year-old as of now.

The Latest: O’Rourke reacts

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, O’Rourke claimed that whilst Celtic will be ‘concerned’, Postecoglou is likely to stay and continue his project.

“I’m sure they’ll be slightly concerned but they are still pretty confident that they will be able to keep hold of Ange Postecoglou.

“It’s just a reward of what Postecoglou is doing right now at Celtic that other Premier League clubs are being linked with his services.

“He’s transformed the club, winning the league last year and getting off to a good start so far this season as well.”

The Verdict: Tie him down

Celtic won’t be surprised that Postecoglou is receiving attention, but it’s vital that they do everything they can to keep hold of him.

The boss has more than excelled during his debut season in charge, leading his side to both the Scottish Premiership and League Cup titles, and has just got his first point on the board in the Champions League following a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk.

Being offered fresh terms would be nothing less than Ange deserves, and the Hoops must act fast to tie him down if they don’t want to risk losing him in the weeks ahead.

Sarfraz Ahmed says team must forget their wins at Malahide and Lord’s and start again from scratch at Headingley

Osman Samiuddin at Headingley31-May-2018For artists of all shades, it is an eternal question: how do you follow up a masterpiece? Do you give up resigned in the knowledge that most of humanity has the capacity to produce one truly great piece of work in a life? Do you strive to replicate it, knowing that merely reproducing it might be enough to get by? Or do you struggle on, weighed down by the probability that you can’t better it but floating on the possibility that you might?Professional sport is so relentless and unforgiving that the question itself is a sign of weakness, let alone for there to exist the possibility of answers. The whole point is to be better than your last game, to win a 17th Test in a row, to follow a hundred with a double, to accept that nothing is perfect but to still reach for it.Can Pakistan be better than they were at Lord’s? Putting aside that they don’t need to be if England are even worse than they were, Lord’s was as comprehensive an away performance as Pakistan have had in a generation. They were dominant at The Oval in 2016 too, but batting conditions especially weren’t as tough as Lord’s. And the Lord’s win was built on more collective contributions.Almost all their batsmen and all the bowlers played a part. The fielding was strong throughout and there was just one flat – not poor – session.The complicated thing about asking whether and how Pakistan can be better is that not only is this a new side – there were four changes in the XI from their last Test in Dubai – it is a new of side. And because it is a new type, able to field a five-man attack with little compromise to batting depth, the question becomes one of potential. Are there areas where they can improve on Lord’s in Leeds? And the longer-term one – how much better can this side get?Go big

Conditions at Lord’s, even on the second day, were tough for batsmen. The ball continued to swing in the air and find something in the surface. Yet Pakistan’s batsmen mixed just the right amount of discipline with intent. Four of them got fifties, two of them got into the high 30s and even Mohammad Amir chipped in with an unbeaten 24.It was an excellent display, the only complaint to which can be that one of them didn’t go on (Babar Azam, potentially, could’ve). “As well as we played at Lord’s, we can still play better than that,” said their captain, Sarfraz Ahmed. “If you look at our batting, we made four fifties at Lord’s and if one of them had gone on to the big hundred that would’ve been even better.”Don’t revert to type

Pakistan’s fielding at Lord’s has rightly been lauded. And it has been, more or less, on an upward curve (though more in the shorter formats). Cricviz figures show Pakistan to have caught 80% of their Test catches since Mickey Arthur took over, behind only South Africa and New Zealand.The ground fielding too, with Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf and even Imam-ul-Haq, is quicker, more athletic. But nobody should be getting carried away just yet that this is the new permanent. Malahide, where they dropped catches and were outfielded by Ireland, was only two Tests ago. They wilted in the final session on the third day at Lord’s as well.To become a truly top fielding side, they will have to replicate Lord’s day in, day out, and will have to ensure that whoever comes into the team – Usman Salahuddin on Friday for instance – is as intense.Shadab to choke

Shadab has had two good Tests back-to-back. There’s good news about his batting and even though he has six wickets in those two games, he is still clearly a developing prospect.Despite two important wickets at Lord’s, he wasn’t able to apply the kind of pressure on England that Pakistan would have wanted. It’s not fair to expect him to just yet, but imagine if his Test bowling develops to the standards that people around him think it can. Yasir Shah and Shadab together offer Pakistan unimaginable options.The surface at Headingley looks dry and it does help spin towards the back-end of games, but more than the wickets, if Shadab can keep runs in check – he went at nearly four an over at Lord’s – that would be a start.Forget Lord’s

It’s been four days since Lord’s and, given the context, it would be easy to still be swirling around in the jubilation. They cannot, as Sarfraz was at pains to insist.”We’re trying to take it match by match with this team,” he said in Leeds. “We won the first match against Ireland, then we forgot it and moved on. If we want to move ahead as a team we have to forget our wins. We did well, we enjoyed it for two days but now we’re here. And if we are to move up in the rankings we need to forget our wins and keep moving on.”

Plays of the Day from the first ODI between England and Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl

Alan Gardner at the Ageas Bowl24-Aug-2016The comeback
It has been a while since Mark Wood took that distinctive sprint-relay starting position at the top of his mark in international cricket. Fit again to play for England after a 10-month absence, his first delivery was clocked at 90.5mph and thudded into Sharjeel Khan’s pads as he hung back on the crease; the next drew him forwards and zipped past the outside edge. Sharjeel would not be cowed, rifling a pull for four and picking up another boundary inside-edged past his stumps; but Wood’s gears were now oiled, his speed pushing 93mph, and he struck in his third over, a feathered edge on another attempted pull. Wood had his first England wicket since Mohammad Hafeez nicked to slip in the Dubai Test last October.The spinner
There had been some talk of England playing Liam Dawson, the local boy, as their third spinner at the Ageas Bowl but in the end they settled for three quicks alongside Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali. But it was neither of the established slow bowlers that Eoin Morgan turned to after the Powerplay, with Joe Root thrown the ball instead. Root had bowled only three overs in his previous 13 ODIs but settled into a four-over spell that included the wicket of Hafeez, carelessly sweeping to deep backward square – Root’s first since the World Cup game against Scotland in Christchurch last year.The failed review I
The hot technology topic in this series is the decision by the ICC to trial front-foot no-balls being called by the third umpire – but the wait goes on for that slice of history. Instead, the early stages of Pakistan’s innings were marked by gambles with the DRS. Sharjeel seemed to think he had not hit the ball but Snickometer detected a faint edge; that burned review then came back to singe Babar Azam, when a clear inside edge was not detected by Simon Fry, who gave him out lbw off Rashid. With no reviews left, Azam had to lump it.The failed review II
England also lost their one recourse to the DRS when reviewing a not-out lbw decision against Hafeez in the 10th over. Liam Plunkett’s delivery was judged to be only clipping leg stump, although it might have been overturned under the forthcoming change to the guidelines for umpire’s call and lbws, which will increase the area in which half the ball must be deemed to be hitting the stumps from October 1.The dismissal
Mohammad Amir quickly marked out Alex Hales as something of a red-ball rabbit during the Test series, removing him in four innings out of eight and constantly making demands on the opener’s judgement outside off stump. An early slash for four through the covers against the less frolicsome white ball suggested Hales was more at home back in this format – he has three ODI hundreds in the last year – but the very next ball, Amir found the outside edge of Hales’ bat, only for it to fall short of second slip. Three overs later, Hales steered Umar Gul to slip as if offering catching practice and the search for some form continued.The salvo
Gul made his ODI comeback after more than a year out of the side in Dublin last week, picking up 3 for 23 in a gentle workout, and it was quickly apparent that Jason Roy was keen to make his acquaintance. Gul’s second ball was only slightly leg-side but that was enough for Roy to whip it wristily away in front of square; the fourth was again too straight and again squired though midwicket; the fifth even more respectable but creamed off the back foot with fast hands and a straight bat through cover point, only a couple of yards to the left of the fielder but giving him no chance. Welcome to West End.The drop
Roy suffered a dizzy spell a few overs into the chase but, after being attended to by the physio, he decided to carry on. Shortly after, he top-edged a hurried pull high towards square leg off Amir and looked set to be given a break to collect his thoughts. However, despite Gul being perfectly placed to take the catch, Sarfraz Ahmed raced enthusiastically to his left, cap flying off his head as he gazed skywards and made clear it was all his. But the ball swirled a little, Sarfraz only got fingertips to a diving effort and Amir had suffered to latest drop of a luckless summer, in which at least seven chances had gone down off his bowling. The dizziness was catching.The captain’s call
England were costing along at 158 for 2 in the 28th over, with Root adding a measured half-century to follow Roy’s pyrotechnics, when Eoin Morgan decided to liven things up. A dab into the covers off Amir was met with an immediate call of a single, only for Azhar to race in, collect the ball on the bounce and throw down the stumps with Root well short of his ground. The captain’s call had met with a captain’s response.