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Glasgow Rangers have held positive Ibrox talks with a leading Gers manager target to replace Russell Martin.

Managers who could replace Martin at Rangers

Sunday’s 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw with Falkirk proved to be the last straw for Martin at Rangers, who was dismissed that evening.

Gers chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chairman Paraag Marathe have since written an open letter to Ibrox supporters, telling fans that a ‘rigorous, thoughtful recruitment process is already underway’ to find a new manager, with the pair ‘treating it with the urgency it deserves’ and are ‘deeply involved’.

A number of targets have already been linked with a move to Glasgow, including former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl who is “appreciated by senior figures” at Ibrox.

Another candidate currently out of work is Sean Dyche. The former Everton and Burnley boss has been without a job since leaving Goodison Park, and he is thought to be very keen on moving to Glasgow.

In Europe, there have also been more names mentioned to come in and replace Martin. Dutch head coach Mark van Bommel is another “interested” in replacing Martin, whereas Spanish manager Quique Setien is also on the Gers’ radar after leaving Beijing Guoan.

Martin upgrade who's "similar to Postecoglou" in running for Rangers job

The Ibrox hierarchy are on the hunt to find an upgrade on Russell Martin at Rangers.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 7, 2025

A ‘fan favourite’ and one of Rangers’ top targets, though, is former Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard, and there has now been a positive development over a return to Glasgow for the former title winner.

Rangers hold positive talks with Steven Gerrard

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Rangers have now had ‘positive progress in talks with Gerrard’ over a reunion at Ibrox.

It was stated on Monday that discussions were set to continue and that negotiations are complex, however, the ball appears to be rolling in regards to a move back to Glasgow for the 45-year-old.

Gerrard, who plays an attacking 4-3-3 system, averaged 2.15 points per game during his 192 matches in charge of Rangers between 2018-2021, winning the Scottish Premiership in 2020.

His assistant from his time at Ibrox, Gary McAllister, was even asked about a return to Rangers with Gerrard on Monday, to which he said:

“We had a wonderful time there. We really enjoyed our time there. Steven did an amazing job to get that 55th title.

“He’s always going to be linked with Glasgow Rangers, he loved his time up there. You never know what can happen.”

Rangers look set to take their time when appointing their fourth manager of 2025 due to the current international break, but by the looks of things, a return to Ibrox for Gerrard is a real possibility.

No-one quite knew what workout Jude Bellingham was doing. He was sort of maybe jumping. There was a kettlebell in his hands. But he was also wearing football boots, and had resistance bands worked into the mix. It looked like three drills at once, a strange combination of activities. Still, whatever it was, it's working.

Bellingham has been in a tricky spot of late. There is growing noise in England that Morgan Rogers – not him – should be Thomas Tuchel's go-to attacking midfielder going forward. Madrid also didn't seem to particularly miss him as he recovered from shoulder surgery. Xabi Alonso, for the most part, has Los Blancos humming early on. 

But this is Jude Bellingham, a truly excellent footballer who can, quite clearly, be a difference-maker for any side at any level. It has been an odd few months for him. His form dropped drastically at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, and Madrid went trophyless. A much-delayed shoulder surgery stopped any sort of early season revival before it could even start. And now, he finds himself in between. 

There have been some promising signs. He scored in his first Champions League start of the season, and has found a rhythm in Alonso's midfield. But El Clasico, on Sunday, seems to be something of an inflection point; is this the game where we will see the Bellingham of old? Or is this where worries begin to mount as the season wears on?

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  A tricky end to 2025

  It is no secret that madrid were struggling in the final days of Carlo Ancelotti's reign. The great Italian tactician had, basically, run out of ideas as to how to get his side to tick. It was looking increasingly like Kylian Mbappe was a high-wages mistake, and with Vinicius Jr also misfiring, Ancelotti basically resorted to a 4-4-2, asking two speedy forwards to play up front with Bellingham just tucked in behind.

  And whether it be due to individual effort or poor setups, Bellingham could never quite make it work. He still scored and assisted here and there, but his general play was lacking. He missed tackles, was loose in his passing, and sometimes simply gave up on plays. One particularly poor moment in the Clasico – in which Bellingham was dispossessed, complained to the referee, and watched his man saunter to the other end of the field and smack the ball home – summed things up. Bellingham was frustrated, emotional and far from his best.

  To be clear, he is not to blame for Madrid's woes. It was a combination of factors, but Bellingham felt them the hardest. The criticism was perhaps a tad unfair. But Bellingham had been a Ballon d'Or candidate in his first season in Madrid. Make no mistake, this was a significant drop-off.

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• IMAGO / NurPhoto
  

  Club World Cup and surgery

  Part of the problem was that Bellingham was playing hurt – and had been for over a year. He dislocated his shoulder twice during his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu, and played with heavy strapping for months. He couldn't get surgery in the summer of 2024 because he had a Euros to lose. After that, it seemed, Madrid had a perfect window. But they were, once again, reluctant to let their main man in midfield go under the knife.

  So, he continued to play through it. May 2025 would have seemed an optimal window, too. But in an effort to try to win the Club World Cup, Madrid further delayed it, asking the midfielder to play through a hot American summer with a shoulder that was still giving him discomfort. 

  To put it simply, Bellingham looked exhausted at the Club World Cup. He never really found any form, and as Alonso tinkered with his XI, Bellingham never quite settled. There was a lethargy to his play – and Madrid's in general. They were ultimately battered by Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final, and there was perhaps an unspoken relief to it all: one less game to play, and a chance for Bellingham to reset.

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  Guler and coping without Jude

  And that should have set things up rather nicely. It became clear that the Englishman would miss pre-season and a couple months of the new campaign. But even that might only have highlighted just how important he was to Alonso's project. Presumably, Madrid would soon learn how much they needed him.

  Except they didn't.

  Alonso made Arda Guler the centrepiece of his side at the Club World Cup, and hailed the young Turk as a potential cornerstone going forward. He suggested that Guler could play pretty much anywhere – right wing, No.10, even as a deep-lying playmaker. And he was rewarded with a string of fine performances from the 'Turkish Messi', who has undisputedly been one of the best players in La Liga this season.

  "He gives great meaning to the game. When he's involved, we have a better team dynamic…I'm very happy with his progress, but we want more. He really enjoys playing football. He wants to find the pass, take the free-kick…[Florian] Wirtz was like that at Leverkusen. He's young, but he's a great player," Alonso said earlier this week.

  Guler has backed it up with production, too, tallying 11 goal contributions to date. 

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  Recent returns

  There were some fair questions to be asked, then, as to whether Guler and Bellingham could play together. Alonso has been tactically flexible in his early days, but neither Bellingham nor Guler is a true No.8. One of them had to suffer, in some way. However, Alonso rubbished that notion, and insisted that he would be able fit both of them into the side. 

  "We have to see how we position the other pieces. We need a balance, where we need to connect in those areas as best as possible. For me, how to get to Bellingham is always very important, how to get to the No.10 position. Arda Guler has been able to play No.10 and a little deeper, maybe not so much in the league now, but he can do it. They have to find their feet; they have to flow and feel comfortable. They can do it. I've seen them do it together, and I'm sure they'll do it again," he said in early October.

  And so it has proved. Bellingham and Guler aren't exactly humming, but they have worked in some ways. They started together against Juventus, and were effective in an attacking sense. Bellingham scored the only goal, and Guler created seven chances. The flip side, of course, was that Madrid were vulnerable defensively, with neither player filling the necessary holes in the middle – and leaving Los Blancos exposed on the break. Better sides would have punished them.

Glasgow Rangers central midfielder Nicolas Raskin dominated the headlines for the right reason last weekend when he scored in the League Cup win at Ibrox.

The Belgium international had been left out of the last two matchday squads in the Scottish Premiership, but returned to score the opening goal in front of the home supporters on Saturday.

Raskin met James Tavernier’s corner brilliantly to head the ball into the back of the net for the first of what will, hopefully, be many goals this season.

Why Nicolas Raskin is a key player for Rangers

Russell Martin needed to get the central midfielder back into the squad as quickly as possible after the manager claimed that a breakdown in trust led to the player being left out of the clashes with Celtic and Hearts.

The Belgian star is a terrific operator in the middle of the park because he can deliver quality at both ends of the pitch, having scored five goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions last season, per Sofascore.

As you can see in the table above, Raskin was particularly impressive when it came to the defensive side of the game in the 2024/25 campaign, with his ability to disrupt attacks and win possession back for his side.

Despite the Belgium international’s quality in the middle of the park, it is Djeidi Gassama who has the potential to be the club’s best player this season.

Why Gassama could be the best player for Rangers this season

The Light Blues signed the electric winger from Sheffield Wednesday for a fee of £2.2m in the summer transfer window, and he has already shown plenty of promise on the pitch.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Gassama has delivered four goals and one assist in 12 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, per Transfermarkt, showing that he can provide a big threat in the final third.

The clip above shows that Rangers signed a player who they knew was capable of “glorious” goals from the left flank, cutting in to create something out of nothing.

Gassama has already shown that he can score glorious goals for Rangers, as his first strike for the club against Panathinaikos was very similar to that goal for the Owls.

The 22-year-old magician has the quality to simply create something out of nothing when the Light Blues need a moment of magic, which is an incredibly valuable trait to have.

Gassama has yet to score in five matches in the Scottish Premiership, unfortunately, but he has been in a side that has struggled to progress the ball. As much as he can provide quality out of very little, the winger still needs to get the ball to his feet out wide to isolate his man.

If Martin can get the system and the starting XI right, the former Sheffield Wednesday winger could deliver consistent quality out wide with his impressive dribbling ability and ball striking.

That could make him a real difference-maker, as he was in the Champions League qualifiers with four goals in six games, for the Gers moving forward this season.

Rangers must rue losing their own homegrown Bukayo Saka for £0

Rangers lost a talented young player this summer and he is already being compared to Bukayo Saka.

By
Dan Emery

Sep 23, 2025

Therefore, Gassama could be the club’s best player because of his ability to win games on his own with his goalscoring and creating potential, but it is down to the manager to put him in a position to exceed and shine brighter than the likes of Raskin and Bojan Miovski.

There’s very few things better than Sunday’s during baseball season, as fans and bettors get a day full of action before it all culminates with a marquee matchup on Sunday Night Baseball.

That marquee matchup happens to be between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers on June 9, and I have a player prop that I’m looking to bet in that matchup. The Yanks and Dodgers are two of the best teams in baseball, but L.A. has a chance to pull off the sweep on Sunday.

When it comes to betting MLB props, I usually love to focus on starting pitchers, and there are two that could combine for a quick start to a game on Sunday afternoon. 

Let’s break down the prop plays for Sunday’s action, featuring AL Rookie of the Year candidate Luis Gil.  

Best MLB Prop Bets for Sunday, June 9

• Luis Gil UNDER 4.5 Hits Allowed (-150)
• Seattle Mariners-Kansas City Royals No Run First Inning (-150)

Luis Gil UNDER 4.5 Hits Allowed (-150)

Let’s start with the Sunday Night Baseball bet!

Gil has been money for the New York Yankees this season, posting a 1.82 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and an 8-1 record (New York is 10-2 in his 12 starts). 

The hard-throwing righty has been extremely hard to get hits off of with an opponent batting average of .175 – in the 97th percentile amongst all pitchers in 2024. 

That leads me to the UNDER on his hits allowed prop, even against tough Los Angeles offense. Gil has allowed over 4.5 hits in just two of his 12 starts, giving up four total hits over his last three outings (20.1 innings pitched). 

This number is an absolute gift for the rising star in the Yankees rotation. 

Seattle Mariners-Kansas City Royals No Run First Inning (-150)

Kansas City Royals starter Cole Ragans is off to a great start in 2024, and he has an intriguing pitching matchup against Seattle Mariners righty George Kirby on Sunday.

Both of these starters have low Fielding Independent Pitching numbers – Ragans sits at 2.26 while Kirby is a 3.12 – and they’ve been great early on in games this season. 

The NRFI is 10-3 in the 13 starts for both starters this season, and it’s hit in Kirby’s last three outings. 

Given Seattle’s offensive struggles (24th in OPS) this season, I don’t mind trusting these two pitchers to record six outs before we see a number on the scoreboard on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother, Dolores Aveiro, took to social media to congratulate her grandson on receiving his first call-up to the Portugal Under-16 national team. Portugal faced Turkey on Thursday in their opening game of the Federations Cup, and Ronaldo Jr came off the bench to make his debut for the Selecao U-16 side.

• Ronaldo Jr gets big call up to Portugal youth team

  Ronaldo Jr, affectionately known as Cristianinho in Portugal, was called up to the U16s squad for the first time ahead of the Federations Cup, which started in Turkey on Thursday and runs until November 4. Ronaldo Jr, aiming to follow in his father’s footsteps having already been part of the youth setups at Juventus, Manchester United and Al-Nassr, came off the bench in the dying stages of the tournament opener as Portugal ran out 2-0 winners.

  “He’s very competitive, like me when I was young, and he doesn’t like to lose,” Cristiano Ronaldo Sr said about his son.

  However, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has also been careful not to place too much pressure on his eldest child, stressing the importance of letting him grow and learn on his own. “I don’t make big pressure; I make a little. He already has pressure being the son of Cristiano. Let him make his own mistakes, but I hope that in the future he can become a professional player.”

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• Good wishes from grandma

  Ahead of the game, Aveiro posted a photo of her grandson Ronaldo Jr with the caption: “Go PORTUGAL under-16s”.

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  Junior looking to follow in iconic father's footsteps

  Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal’s Under-15 team in 2001 at just 15 years old. After progressing through the youth ranks, his rapid rise at United in the Premier League earned him a senior call-up from then Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Ronaldo impressed in the European Championship qualifiers and friendlies, eventually earning a place in Portugal’s Euro 2004 squad, where the team reached the final before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Greece.

  Ronaldo has gone on to become Portugal’s all-time top scorer, netting 143 goals in 225 appearances. His crowning moment came in 2016 when he captained Portugal to their first major international trophy, winning Euro 2016 after defeating France 1-0 in the final. He later added another title in 2019, leading Portugal to victory in the inaugural UEFA Nations League, where he also finished as the tournament’s top scorer. Despite Portugal’s exit in Euro 2020, Ronaldo again demonstrated his consistency by winning the tournament’s Golden Boot.

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  What comes next?

  Ronaldo Sr will hope that Ronaldo Jr can handle the pressure and expectations as he prepares to build on his debut for the national youth team. The match could mark an important step towards fulfilling both his and his father’s shared dream of seeing Ronaldo Jr become a professional footballer.

Heading into their showdown with Manchester United at Old Trafford at the weekend, Sunderland might well be judged as the favourites to pick up another early Premier League win over their hosts, despite the stature of their opponents.

Whilst it has been well documented in recent years, the drastic slide at the Theatre of Dreams, the Black Cats will still feel amazed that they’re four points ahead of Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils when making the trip down to Manchester, with just one defeat from their opening five league clashes lifting them all the way up to fifth in the early standings.

Regis Le Bris has managed to turn the one-time promotion nearly-men into a well-oiled unit in the daunting top-flight, with the defence – in particular – gaining many a plaudit, even so soon into the 38-game marathon.

Sunderland's incredible defence

Glancing at the Premier League table briefly, only two teams in the entire rest of the division have a sterner defensive record than Le Bris’ men, with Arsenal and Manchester City only leaking three goals so far this season.

Despite their newly promoted status having the potential to work against them, the Wearsiders have only given up four goals themselves, with both Omar Alderete and Robin Roefs sticking out as two standout aspects of this water-tight defence.

Alderete’s tough approach to proceedings – which has seen him average a commanding 4.3 duels won per league clash away from powering home this header against Nottingham Forest – has already resulted in Sunderland-based journalist Andy Tomlinson heralding him as an “unbelievable” signing, with the Paraguayan making his transition to the testing English game look effortless so far.

He has undoubtedly been backed by Roefs, constantly putting in game-changing displays, with the Dutchman coming up trumps with six huge saves last time out to deny Forest a goal in a 1-0 away win.

Slight rumours are swirling in the air that Mukiele, who is yet another sterling defensive signing, could be ruled out of the Black Cats’ upcoming trip to Old Trafford, with injury concerns being spoken of.

Yet, even if this gossip is proved to be true, Le Bris will know he does have some substantial depth to call upon, in the form of another particularly valuable defensive titan…

The "stunning" star worth more than Alderete & Roefs

With Luke O’Nien returning back to the squad at the City Ground after injury, it does feel as if Sunderland have strong reinforcements all across their backline, in case the newly formed unit does have to be unfortunately broken up.

Daniel Ballard also coming back into the first team fold only heightens the depth at Le Bris’ disposal, with the Northern Ireland international not looking out of place whatsoever this season when thrown into Premier League action as one of the more long-standing servants at the Stadium of Light.

Before Alderete and Roefs could properly settle into their new environment, Ballard was already leaving his mark on the intense division with this bullet header finding the back of the net on the opening day.

Amazingly, this commanding effort was the 26-year-old’s seventh goal for the club, with the ex-Arsenal man pulling on Sunderland red and white now a colossal 93 times, having been hailed as “stunning” by journalist Josh Bunting.

Purchased for just £2m back in 2022 as Sunderland regularly settled for mediocrity in the Championship, it’s staggering to see the journey the authoritative number five has gone on with the club, with his value now far exceeding his modest initial price tag.

Even with the centre-back’s injury setbacks seeing him miss a whopping 71 games over his four seasons to date on Wearside, Ballard’s value – as per Football Transfers – currently sits at a healthy £9.4m.

To further add to the intrigue, both Alderete and Roefs, despite taking to English shores like a knife through butter, have worths that come in slightly under Ballard’s bumped-up valuation, with the South American just shy of his defensive counterpart at £9.3m, while Roefs sits at £6.6m as a shrewd pick-up.

Therefore, while all the new defensive purchases continue to steal the limelight, Le Bris will have full faith in Ballard remaining resolute at the back throughout the challenging season to come when thrown into action.

Not Isidor: Sunderland "monster" is becoming the club's modern day Phillips

Regis Le Bris could now have his very own Kevin Phillips at Sunderland in this monster.

By
Kelan Sarson

Sep 30, 2025

FIFA is rolling out a brand new VAR challenge initiative that gives managers the power to use purple and blue cards during matches to request a decision review from the referee, but it threatens to lead to even more frustrating delays. The cards are currently being tested at the 2025 Under-20 World Cup in Chile and in other smaller-scale tournaments and leagues.

• 'Cost-effective and stable' new FIFA system

  As per the , pilot runs of the new system, called Football Video Support (FVS) – described as "cost-effective and stable" by FIFA – have been introduced by competitions that do not have the financial means to use full VAR technology. Serie C and the Primera Federacion (the third tier of men's football in Italy and Spain, respectively), and the Liga F (Spain's top-flight division for women) became the first competitions to start using FVS on a full-time basis in August. Trials have also taken place in the Italy women's Serie A, and in Brazil's Copa Paulista and Copa do Brasil Feminina.

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• How do purple and blue cards work?

  Each opposing manager is given a card at the start of a match – one purple and one blue to differentiate teams – which can only be used by them or an appointed senior team official in their absence. Managers can make two review requests, and just like in tennis and cricket, one is lost if a challenge is unsuccessful, and the two will remain intact should a challenge be upheld.

  Players can also ask their managers to issue a challenge, but all review requests must be made immediately after an incident has occurred. Managers are required to twirl a finger in the air and hand their card to the fourth official to lodge an official review request.

  The most recent use of FVS came in Morocco's semi-final clash with France at the U20 World Cup on Wednesday. Morocco boss Mohamed Ouahbi waved a purple card after his team's appeals for a penalty were waved away, and the referee subsequently reviewed the video evidence on a pitch-side monitor. The referee's original decision was upheld, much to Ouahbi's disappointment, but Morocco still went on to win the tie on penalties.

  Unfortunately, the review system still caused a lengthy delay to the match, and some fans have suggested managers could use it as a tool to disrupt their opponents' rhythm. X user @krasmanalderey sarcastically said, "This is definitely not gonna get abused to time waste…", with @pincigoat adding, "Teams that are losing towards the end of the game appeal just for the sake of it and ref has to go to the monitor to check random plays".

  Meanwhile, @Valkyrie1336786, dragged Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta into the debate, saying, "Don't let Arteta see this!!! We might never leave the pitch!"

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  What's being said about it?

  FIFA has stated that the FVS system "is used only in the event of a possible clear and obvious error, or serious missed incident in relation to the following scenarios, such as goal/no goal, penalty/no penalty or direct red cards (not second cautions)". Legendary former referee Pierluigi Collina, who is now the chairman of FIFA Referees Committee, has confirmed that they have been "encouraged" by initial test results, though FVS is not being lined up to replace the current VAR format.

  "FVS is a tool to support referees in competitions with fewer resources and cameras. It should not be seen as VAR or as a modified version of it, as it does not include video match officials monitoring every incident," Collina added.

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  What comes next?

  The next use of purple and blue cards could come on Sunday, when Morocco take on Argentina in the U20 World Cup final. FVS will also be trialled at the 2025 men's and women's U17 World Cups in Qatar and Morocco, respectively, while several FIFA Member Associations are set to participate in trials later this year or in early 2026.

  FIFA intends to continue using FVS in competitions where matches are covered by up to four cameras, instead of the multi-camera systems used across the biggest divisions in world football.

After yet another dismal result on Saturday, the pressure has only intensified further on Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin.

At the weekend, the Gers suffered their first Premiership defeat of the season, beaten 2-0 by Heart of Midlothian; the Jambos’ securing a first victory at Ibrox since 2014.

However, having drawn their previous four league matches, this is the Light Blues’ worst start to a season since 1978, sat tenth in the table, not forgetting the fact that they were embarrassingly hammered 9-1 on aggregate by Club Brugge in the Champions League play-offs too.

Speaking on Sky Sports News shortly after full-time, Rangers legend Kris Boyd labelled it “terrible” and “embarrassing”, noting that Hearts supporters started signing “you’re getting sacked in the morning”, only for Rangers supporters to join in.

The Gers’ next fixture is Saturday evening’s League Cup quarter-final against in-form Hibernian so, for Martin to save his job, he simply must reintegrate the club’s “best player” ahead of that huge tie.

That, however, might involved dropping Thelo Aasgaard.

What Thelo Aasgaard should bring to Rangers

Few enjoyed a more productive international break than Aasgaard who, after coming off the bench in the 64th minute on Tuesday, scored four times as Norway crushed Moldova 11-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Oslo.

This means the Merseyside-born Norwegian has now netted five goals in just three international caps, opening his account on debut in the reverse fixture in Chișinău earlier this year.

Over the summer, the 23-year-old joined Rangers for £3.5m from Luton Town, following their relegation to EFL League One, just six months after moving to the Hatters from Wigan for around £3m.

At the time of his arrival in Glasgow, Kai Watson was certainly excited, noting that his “stock has massively risen” in recent months, labelling him a “technical dribbler”, believing he can play as an attacking midfielder or out-wide.

Well, Rangers supporters are yet to see very much of that so far, yet to register either a goal or an assist in six appearances for the club.

Against Hearts on Saturday, Aasgaard touched the ball 67 times, only defenders James Tavernier (106) and John Souttar (103) accumulated more, but he did very little with it, completing just 77% of his passes, losing possession on 16 occasions, the second most of any Rangers player.

After the match, he was confronted by angry supporters in the car park, repeatedly saying “I understand, I understand”, but should Aasgaard be the man taken out of the team against Hibs, because it would allow Rangers’ “best player” to return?

Rangers' "best player" can save Martin

Last season, during a generally miserable campaign, Nicolas Raskin was a rare shining light, thereby named the club’s player of the year and players’ player of the year at the end of the season awards.

The table below emphasises his importance.

As the table documents, Raskin ranked in the top five for pretty much every metric we could find last season, ranging from goals, assists and chances created, as well as passing, touches and defensive statistics, including tackles and ball recoveries.

Thus, one would assume a new manager would want to make the Belgian international a central pillar of their team, but Martin has had other ideas.

Across Rangers’ 12 matches this season, Raskin has started six, come off the bench in three and not even been among the substitutes for the other three, including the Old Firm as well as Saturday’s defeat to Hearts.

It has been widely reported that the midfielder and the manager have had a falling out, with Martin claiming this has been “resolved”, but this didn’t appear to be the case as Raskin watched on bereft from the director’s box at the weekend, with presenter Darrell Currie mystified as to how they can leave “their best player in the stand”.

Instead, Martin started Mohamed Diomandé, Connor Barron and the aforementioned Aasgaard as his midfield three, but fair to say they were ineffective.

A week ago, Raskin was on target during Belgium’s 6-0 demolition of Kazakhstan in a World Cup qualifier at Stade Constant Vanden Stock, completing a midfield trio alongside Youri Tielemans and Kevin De Bruyne, which isn’t bad, is it?

This has only made Rangers supporters even more irate, exclaiming if he’s good enough to start for Belgium, surely he should be starting for his club, so if Martin harbours any hopes of turning things around, he simply must reintegrate his star man ahead of Aasgaard.

Martin must not play 6/10 Rangers duo together for Miovski's sake

Russell Martin must not play these two Rangers players together for Bojan Miovski’s sake.

By
Dan Emery

Sep 13, 2025

Kylian Mbappe limped off the pitch late on during France’s clash with Azerbaijan and will now miss Les Bleus’ World Cup qualifier with Iceland after he was sent back to Real Madrid to recover. Mbappe scored a stunner at the Parc des Princes, but scenes towards the end left fans of Real Madrid and France waiting anxiously for test result updates on the injured ankle.

• Ankle injury to blame for exit

  Mbappe’s participation in Friday evening’s clash with Azerbaijan had been hanging in the balance due to an ankle injury sustained in the previous match for Real Madrid against Villarreal. He suffered another ankle knock in the World Cup qualifier and was substituted in the 83rd minute. 

  A statement from the French Football Federation read: "Upon the French delegation's return to Clairefontaine, the French team captain spoke with Didier Deschamps. The national coach has confirmed his absence. Kylian Mbappe has been released to his club and will not be replaced."

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• AFP
  

  Mbappe’s remarkable scoring run

  Mbappe is currently enjoying a remarkable scoring run, having scored in his last 10 consecutive matches for both club and country. His recent scoring streak includes goals against Ukraine, Real Sociedad, Kairat, and Espanyol, with Mbappe hitting the net in multiple competitions. 

  He broke the deadlock in France's 3-0 World Cup qualifying win against Azerbaijan on Friday night with his 17th goal in 13 appearances for club and country this season, which also marked his 53rd international goal for France, meaning he is now only four goals away from Olivier Giroud's record as Les Bleus' all-time top scorer. But Mbappe has some way to go to match the record of consecutive goals in LaLiga matches, a title which is held by the legendary Lionel Messi, who bagged in an incredible 21 matches in a row, scoring 33 goals in the process during the 2012-13 season. 

• Initial test results look positive

  Following news of his return to the Spanish capital, there was a positive update from renowned football journalist Fabrizio Romano. Romano said: "Kylian Mbappe completed tests this morning and his ankle injury’s not seen as serious/worrying. Real Madrid staff expect Mbappe to be available for the upcoming week."

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  Free-wheeler with world at his (fast) feet

  France coach Deschamps spoke at length about Mbappe’s impact and lauded his contributions during the press conference before their clash against Azerbaijan and Iceland. "He's a central striker. The range of abilities depends on the system. With us, he has freedom, like most strikers. In the centre, there are fewer constraints, especially defensively. He has legs of fire, he's confident, and his head is also fine. He exudes a lot of power and speed, and that's where he makes even more of a difference. He's totally committed to us, he fully assumes his role as captain and his responsibility towards the group. We can always do better. He's a central striker who likes to have freedom and participate in the game."

  France are sitting pretty at the top of their World Cup qualification group, and should still be able to see off Iceland on Monday, despite the mountain of injuries. And Mbappe is expected to be fit for Real’s next match, an away trip to Getafe on Sunday the 19th.

  Real have enjoyed a strong start to the season and currently sit top of La Liga, with seven wins and just one defeat from their first eight games; they sit two points clear of Barcelona. They have also won their two opening Champions League fixtures as they continue to pursue European glory. They have not won the Champions League since 2024. 

Celtic turn their attention away from the Scottish Premiership this weekend as they prepare to take on St. Johnstone in the semi-finals of the SFA Cup on Sunday.

The Hoops are hoping to win the SFA Cup in order to complete a domestic treble for the second time in the last three seasons, after Ange Postecoglou did so in the 2022/23 campaign, as they have already won the League Cup.

Brendan Rodgers is aiming for a perfect domestic campaign despite losing Matt O’Riley to Brighton & Hove Albion last summer and Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes in January.

The Scottish giants sold their Japanese forward to the French side for a reported fee of £10m earlier this year, but they also managed to bring Jota back to Parkhead in return.

Celtic reportedly paid a fee of £8m to sign the Portuguese winger, 18 months on from selling him to Al Ittihad for £25m, which essentially meant that the club received Jota and £2m from Rennes, in a roundabout way, for Kyogo.

There may not be too many complaints about the way that things turned out for the Hoops in that window, because the forward has hit the ground running in his second spell at Parkhead.

Why Jota has been a good signing for Celtic

The former Benfica whiz had big expectations on his shoulders upon his arrival in Glasgow in the January transfer window, due to what he had produced in his two seasons under Ange Postecoglou.

As you can see in the graphic above, Jota delivered consistent quality at the top end of the pitch in those two Premiership seasons under the Australian head coach, with 21 goals and 21 assists.

This meant that it was a reasonable expectation for Jota to come in and immediately bolster the squad with instant performances on the pitch when he arrived in January, and the forward has met those expectations.

As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese starlet has already contributed with seven goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in six Premiership starts this year.

This shows that he has provided the instant impact that was expected of him, and rightly so, given his proven quality at that level, which is why he has been an excellent signing for the Hoops.

It was a terrific opportunity for all parties involved to bring Jota back to a club where he knows he can be a star player, and the forward will hopefully continue to impress in the final third in the months and years to come in Glasgow.

Despite all of this, Celtic are now being linked with an interest in a young talent who could go on to become even better than the Portuguese sensation at Parkhead.

The latest on Celtic's interest in Premier League starlet

According to Football Insider, the Scottish giants are one of a number of clubs chasing a deal to sign Crystal Palace youngster Jesse Derry in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The report claims that both Celtic and Rangers are interested in a swoop for the 17-year-old attacker, and that teams across Europe have also made contact with the player about a possible move this summer.

It states that teams have become aware of his potential availability after the England youth international turned down a professional contract to remain at Selhurst Park.

Football Insider adds that PSG, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Atletico Madrid have all sent scouts to watch him in action, whilst there are also Premier League teams looking at the teen sensation.

Transfer Focus

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The outlet reveals that Derry would be open to moving abroad, whether that is to one of those European sides or to Scotland, but it remains to be seen where he will end up next season.

There looks set to be plenty of competition for the 17-year-old talent’s signature this summer, and Celtic must push to win the race for his services, because he could become even better than Jota.

Why Jesse Derry could become even better than Jota

The current Hoops forward came up through the Benfica academy with a return of nine goals and eight assists in 47 matches for the B team, and four goals and eight assists in 17 games in the Youth League.

This shows that the Portuguese dynamo enjoyed an impressive, but not completely outstanding, career at youth level before coming to Scotland to shine under Postecoglou with roughly ten goals and ten assists per season in the Premiership.

Derry, son of former Palace and QPR defender Shaun, has shown incredible promise at youth level for Palace in recent years, to the point where he looks like an even better prospect than Jota did at Benfica.

Per Football Insider, the teenage ace has scored 20 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions for the Eagles at youth level in the current campaign, including nine goals in eight U18 Premier League matches.

As you can see in the clip of one of those 20 goals above, Derry is similar in style to Jota as a left-winger who likes to cut in on his right foot to find the far corner.

The Palace youngster, who U23 scout Antonio Mango claimed has been “tearing things up” at youth level, also scored 11 goals and provided four assists in 17 matches in the 2023/24 campaign.

This means that the England U19 international has scored 31 goals in 44 games for Palace since the start of last season, which is a far superior youth record in comparison to what Jota did with Benfica’s academy before his move to Celtic, whilst playing in the same position.

This, therefore, suggests that the potential is there for Derry, who is reportedly being looked at by some of Europe’s biggest clubs, to become even better than Jota on the left wing by providing an incredible goalscoring threat by cutting in on his right foot.

Celtic must rue losing "exciting" gem who's now playing like a £100m star

Celtic lost the talented young attacker for a fee of just £230k and now he’s being compared to a £100m talent.

By
Dan Emery

Apr 15, 2025

That is why Celtic must push to sign the teenage starlet in the summer because he could be an exceptional long-term addition to the squad, as a winger with the qualities to emerge as a first-team star in the future if he can translate his academy form over to senior football to be even better than Jota.