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A major development has emerged on the future of Rangers head coach Steven Gerrard…

What’s the talk?

According to Birmingham Live reporter Ashley Preece, the Gers boss is set to join Premier League side Aston Villa before the end of the week.

The English outfit dismissed Dean Smith earlier this week and have now moved swiftly to swoop in on Gerrard, with Preece expecting it to be confirmed within the next two days.

He wrote: “Steven Gerrard to Aston Villa all but done as he finalises his backroom staff. I’m expecting an announcement within the next 24 to 48 hours if not sooner. Christian Purslow set to get his man.”

Gutted

This update from Preece will surely leave Rangers fans feeling gutted. Unless there is a sudden late twist to the tale, Gers supporters are set to see their main man in the dugout depart for the Premier League 13 games into the Scottish Premiership season.

Rangers are on course to record a second successive title after winning the division in style last term under Gerrard’s management, ending Celtic’s domestic dominance of Scottish football. The Gers did not lose a single league match in the 2020/21 campaign and are currently on nine wins, three draws and one defeat after 13 games this term.

In that respect, Gerrard is leaving the club in a terrific position. He is not departing a side struggling at the bottom of the table or underperforming their expectations, but instead in a place where another manager has a great opportunity to come in and continue what he has started at Ibrox as they look to continue winning trophies ahead of their rivals.

However, that appears unlikely to dampen the sadness that will come with Gerrard leaving to join Villa. He has built strong foundations with supporters by winning the Premiership title last season and they will be gutted that he will not finish what he started and lift a second title – in front of a packed-out Ibrox this time around. That is why this update on his future will be devastating for Gers fans reading it.

If this report proves to be correct and Gerrard does join the Premier League side, it will be down to Rangers, particularly Ross Wilson, to alleviate the negative feelings in the fanbase by appointing a great replacement as quickly as possible.

AND in other news, Forget Tavernier: Rangers wizard with eight key passes was Gerrard’s real hero in Oct…

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered an update on Leeds United’s plans heading into the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

During a Q&A for The Athletic, Hay addressed claims the Whites could target a move for a new central midfielder, and how Victor Orta sees the January window in general.

He said: “Central midfielders. What else is there to talk about? At least one other person took this further by asking whether a new centre-mid will be a priority next summer, to which the answer has to be ‘yes’.

“But January? I’m not convinced the club will do much in January unless the league position is causing acute concern.

“Victor Orta has long seen the mid-season window as offering poor value for money and the club are less and less convinced that January arrivals work for Marcelo Bielsa (see Jean-Kevin Augustin, who we’ll come to later).

“From my perspective, if the season is in hand at the turn of the year, then I’d hold off and gear up for a major midfield addition when the season ends. I think we can all see that it has to be done.”

Fans will be worried

Given the injury problems that Leeds have already suffered this season, including in that problem position of central midfield, it leaves a worrying taste to hear that Hay believes the club will not do much in the January transfer window.

The Whites missed out on the signing of a new midfielder in the summer, and that has already come back to bite them, with Adam Forshaw suffering a setback in his return from a long-term injury and Kalvin Phillips also picking up a knock too.

The fact Hay thinks the Whites won’t do much business unless their league position warrants it, speaks of the club looking to be more reactive than proactive.

Having some genuine strength in depth in the middle of the park and not having to play players out of position or relying on academy talents to step up in pressure-filled games is so important in the modern Premier League.

Hay’s suggestion may leave fans

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this record-breaker…

With Mark Warburton’s Queens Park Rangers side heading into Tuesday night’s Championship clash on a run of three straight defeats in the league, the 59-year-old Rs manager would have undoubtedly been hoping for a much-improved display against Birmingham City at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

And, with two goals from Ilias Chair either side of half-time securing all three points in a 2-0 win for the west London side, it would certainly appear this is exactly what Warburton’s side managed to achieve against the Blues.

As is to be expected after such a result, a number of the QPR players turned in impressive performances over the course of the 90 minutes, with Robert Dickie, Yoann Barbet and Christopher Willock all receiving a SofaScore match rating of 7.5 or above, however, it was undeniably the double goalscorer who stole the show against Lee Bowyer’s side.

Two key passes

Having already been one of QPR’s more impressive players prior to the Birmingham fixture, Chair only furthered his reputation as one of the Championship’s most exciting starlets with yet another dominant performance on Tuesday night.

Indeed, the £3.6m-rated attacking midfielder scored two goals, took a total of five shots, made two key passes and created one big chance for his teammates against the Blues.

The player Warburton dubbed a “bright” talent also completed three long balls, 29 passes, won three duels and drew one foul over the course of his time on the pitch.

These returns saw the 23-year-old receive a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 9.1, with no player, from either side, earning a higher score than the Morocco international.

As such, while QPR’s promotion credentials have been slightly reinforced in the win over Birmingham – as the result takes the Rs up to eighth place in the league, one point behind Blackburn Rovers in sixth – should Warburton’s side have any chance of securing a top-six finish this season, Chair will undoubtedly have to keep this level of performance up going forwards.

In other news: Huge blow: Warburton confirms double QPR injury setback which will leave fans gutted

Celtic were ‘desperate’ to sign Manchester City defender Ko Itakura this summer, according to Schalke 04 sporting director Rouven Schroeder.

The Lowdown: Celtic’s defensive additions

The Hoops were extremely busy over the summer in the transfer market and managed to bring in 12 players. Four of those were centre-backs in Carl Starfelt, Camron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales and Osaze Urhoghide.

They were also seemingly keen on Itakura, who shares the same agency as Mikey Johnston, but the Japanese defender moved to Germany instead.

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The Latest: Schroeder’s comments

Schalke secured Itakura’s services on loan and have the option to make a move permanent next summer for £3.4m.

Their sporting director Schroeder was talking to the media about the 6 foot 1 defender, as relayed by The Scottish Sun, and he said that the Hoops were ‘desperate’ to land the Japan international, revealing:

“It took a lot of patience to sign him from Manchester City.

“For example, Celtic had tracked him for a year and were desperate to sign him, but we managed to beat them to it.”

The Verdict: Ange wants more

Celtic may have missed a trick by missing out on Itakura, who appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high £3.15m Transfermarkt valuation.

Although Ange Postecoglou added four centre-backs to his ranks, it is believed that he wants more options in that department – not surprising given the defensive horror show against Real Betis last week.

That could have been Itakura, described as ‘incredibly fast’, if they had gotten their way, but the Hoops will now need to look elsewhere for centre-back reinforcements ahead of the winter transfer window.

In other news: Front runners: Celtic leading the way to land ‘brilliant’ free agent who Ange has spoken about. 

West Ham United summer signing Nikola Vlasic will be a ‘great signing’ according to BBC Radio pundit Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Quiet debut for Vlasic

Following his late transfer window move to the London Stadium, the 23-year-old has made three appearances for the club and has started their previous two games against Dinamo Zagreb and Manchester United.

However, the Croatian only touched the ball 30 times in an hour of action against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, five fewer than goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and the lowest of anyone to start for David Moyes’ side on Sunday.

He was eventually replaced by Andriy Yarmolenko with the scores level at 1-1, with former Hammers loan star Jesse Lingard netting a late winner for the Red Devils.

The Latest: Whelan optimistic on Vlasic

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan has claimed that Vlasic will prove to be ‘a great signing’ for West Ham despite his peripheral involvement on Sunday.

The former Leeds United striker said: “Vlasic needs time. He had one opportunity and nearly got a goal out of it. He is a top-class player, we know that.

“It is important to take into account that he’s playing against a quality Manchester United side. It was never going to be easy. To come straight into a game against United is a tough ask.”

Whelan continued: “Vlasic has shown he is a quality player. West Ham wouldn’t have spent that kind of money on him otherwise. Give him time and he will prove to be a great signing.”

The Verdict: Time will tell

Only time will tell whether Whelan and West Ham are right regarding Vlasic. His disappointing short stint at Everton might not inspire confidence, but his performances for CSKA Moscow in particular show that there is a quality player in there.

He is only three games into his time at the London Stadium and Moyes may well be excited about the prospect of Vlasic and Michail Antonio playing together in the coming weeks after the Jamaica international missed Sunday’s game due to suspension.

The Croatian’s record in Russia, where he scored 33 goals and supplied 21 assists in 108 appearances, puts him in good stead to take his game to the next level under Moyes in east London. Whelan is right – give him time and he could come good.

In other news, a new deal could be agreed for a vital member of the West Ham squad. Find out more here.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Daniel Vettori believe a major part of the upcoming tour will come down to the conditions, alien to most of the travelling Indian team

Sidharth Monga in Christchurch24-Feb-2009
Daniel Vettori reckons India’s opening pair will be a huge threat © AFP
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Daniel Vettori believe a major part of the upcoming tour will come down to the conditions, which is alien to most of the Indian team. Vettori said that though the pitches had improved a lot, the weather could play a part in deciding many of the games.”India have come with a formidable reputation, and they’ve earned it over the last couple of years with the way they’ve played cricket,” Vettori said. “But I suppose we enjoy playing at home, we feel a lot more comfortable here and we’ve got a pretty good record. Hopefully those things play in our favour, but we also understand this is one of our biggest challenges.”I think it comes back to our conditions, and hopefully we know those and we can perform in them. I think the wickets are going to be very good, the weather may play a small part in it, but the ability to contain the Indian top order, with the likes of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in it, is probably going to be crucial to our success.”India have been trying to make the best of whatever time they have got to train here in their first week in New Zealand. “Usually we practise for two to two-and-half hours. Since we had four days here we wanted to make the most out of it,” Dhoni said. “Especially when we are practising outdoors, maybe the next day it may rain and we won’t get the same facilities so we were practising for three-and-a-half to four hours.”Dhoni said while New Zealand were a young side, their team work meantthey could never be written off. “New Zealand is known for the kind ofcricket they play as a team. They don’t really depend on one individual.That’s what is good about us too. We have the kind of players who canreally make you win games on their own, but we are always looking for thewhole team to perform.”Vettori was happy to play with a young side which hasjust started winning. “There are a lot of guys who have played under 10games, but a lot of those were won,” Vettori said. “So when you have thatfeeling within the team coupled with some experienced players, it makesfor confidence about their performances. We’re hoping to continue on that,the likes of Martin Guptills and Neil Brooms being fantastic in the shorttime they’ve been there. We’re hoping they can capitalise on what they’vedone in a short period of time.”But the youngsters are pitted against a star-studded Indian line-up andVettori is particularly worried about Sehwag and Gambhir, his DelhiDaredevil team-mates. “A lot of our emphasis is on Sehwag, and probablyGambhir, with their opening partnership,” Vettori said. “If we can put somepressure on India early then maybe it gives us a chance, but when theseguys get away, it’s always hard to pull back in.”We are not underestimating how good a player and how destructive he[Yuvraj Singh] can be. We’re just hoping we get to him early by ourplans for Gambhir and Sehwag because if we can do that, hopefully he’smore vulnerable than when he comes in with a bit of platform.”

Leeds United could reignite their interest in Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien in the January transfer window, according to Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell.

The Lowdown: Endless O’Brien links

The Whites were linked with a number of players in the summer, but few individuals cropped up more than O’Brien.

The 22-year-old was constantly tipped to move to Elland Road, having shone for Huddersfield in recent years, making 86 appearances and winning the club’s Player of the Year award in 2019/20.

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The Latest: Pundit makes January prediction

Speaking to Football Insider, former Arsenal and Everton striker Campbell said Leeds could go back in for O’Brien in January, claiming the funds are available to bring him in:

“The money is there. Sometimes these transfers are to fatten your squad up. The player might not go into the starting 11 straight away.

“£8million to fatten the squad when Leeds actually have players who can do a job, maybe it wasn’t the priority.

“Maybe they will bide their time and return for him in January.”

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The Verdict: Shrewd mid-season addition

While O’Brien may not necessarily have been a must-need signing in the summer, he could be a shrewd acquisition midway through the campaign.

At that point, a gruelling season could be starting to take its toll physically and the midfielder could be a welcome addition, in terms of squad depth and options at Marcelo Bielsa’s disposal.

Not only that, but O’Brien’s age means he would come in as a long-term signing, rather than a short-term quick fix, suggesting Leeds are continuing to build towards the future.

In other news, Leeds have faced a potential blow regarding one transfer target. Find out who it is here.

A round-up of the second day’s play of the second round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Cricinfo staff03-Jan-2009Group A
Danish Kaneria picked up 3 for 19 as Pakistan International Airlines were bowled out for 87 in their first innings © AFP
Nineteen wickets fell on the second day in Karachi as Habib Bank Limited, buoyed by a fighting 86 by Kamran Hussain, and a rewarding spell by their spinners, were well and truly on top after bowling out Pakistan Customs for 87, securing a first-innings lead of 227. They reduced Customs to 61 for 5 after making them follow on, with their fast bowlers doing the damage this time, and 166 runs were still needed to clear the deficit. In the first innings, Customs lost three wickets for one run, with Kamran and fellow seamer Fahad Masood doing the early damage. The spinners then took over, with Shahid Afridi taking 2 for 32, and Danish Kaneria mopping up the tail with 3 for 19. Zahoor Elahi top scored with an unbeaten 35. In the follow-on, Customs fell to 2 for 3, and then lost a couple more wickets, as Kamran finished with 3 for 19. Zahoor, yet again, was the lone resister, unbeaten of 38.An unbeaten 151-run stand between Wajid Ali and captain Saeed Bin Nasir helped Sui Southern Gas Corporation gain control against Karachi Whites at the Quaid-e-Azam Park. Karachi Whites, who were eight wickets down overnight, could only add 20 more to their score of 258. SSGC lost Mohtashim Ali early, but Wajid played a patient innings, providing good support to Bin Nasir, who was unbeaten on 94, to take his team to 53 short of Karachi Whites’ first-innings total and help set the stage for a significant lead with eight wickets still in hand.There was no play possible on the second day of the match between Khan Research Laboratories and Water and Power Development Authority in Rawalpindi. The match was evenly balanced, with WPDA finishing day one on 217 for 5.Lahore Shalimar consolidated their strong position against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in Lahore, finishing a truncated second day on 215 for 2, with Junaid Malik and Suleman Khan extending their unbeaten partnership to 130. Junaid struck eight fours in his 84, and while Suleman struck none in his 64.Mohammad Aamer took 6 for 48 to lead National Bank of Pakistan’s fightback, helping his team bowl out Pakistan International Airlines in Karachi for 215 and gain a lead of 2 runs. He was well supported by fellow fast bowlers Wasim Khan and Uzair-ul-Haq who took two wickets each, as the PIA batsmen failed to support their opener Khurram Manzoor, who remained unbeaten 86. NBP batted well the second time round, after being bowled out for 213 in the first innings, with opener Nasir Jamshed remaining unbeaten on 54 and adding 69 for the third wicket with Naumanullah.Group BNoor-ul-Amin took 4 for 71 to help Abbottabad wrap up the Rawalpindi innings for 325 in Islamabad after Rashid Latif, who top scored with 82, and Jamal Anwar, added 148 for the eighth wicket to take their team from 171 for 7 to past 300. Noor-ul-Amin dismissed Jamal Anwar and Haseeb Azam in quick succession to bring a reasonably quick end to Rawalpindi’s resistance. A score of 325 was more than what the batting team would have bargained for, however, after losing more than half their side for not too many.Faisalabad strengthened their dominant position against Hyderabad at the Iqbal Stadium, progressing to 209 for 1 after the first-wicket pair of Imran Ali, who scored 103, and Zeeshan Asif added 190, surpassing Hyderabad’s score of 179, and setting the foundation for a massive first-innings lead. Sajjad Ali dismissed the centurion, but only after the openers had scored at a healthy rate, with Imran, in particular, going great guns at a strike rate of 80.46 – a marked contrast to his partner Zeeshan, whose strike-rate is 38.83.Fast bowler Babar Rehman took 5 for 73 to help Karachi Blues bowl out Sialkot for 238, and limiting their lead to just 12, in an evenly contested match at the National Stadium. Sialkot lost quick wickets early on the second day, being reduced to 76 for 4 before top scorer Haris Sohail, who made an unbeaten 74, and captain Mohammad Ayub began the recovery. Following the loss of two more wickets, Sohail was involved in another fighting stand with Nayyer Abbas, adding 61 for the seventh wicket to take his team close to 200. Babar then came back to finish off the tail but not before Sialkot had surpassed the Karachi Blues score. The Sialkot bowlers then responded well, dismissing opener Shadab Kabir for a duck. His partner, Shahzaib Hasan, though, was in good nick, racing to 46 off 43 balls to take the score past fifty. However, Karachi Blues lost the No. 3 batsman Mohammad Faheem late in the day to finish at 52 for 2 at stumps and with the contest still wide open.Only 13 overs were possible at the Marghzar Cricket Ground as Islamabad were 47 for 2 against Peshwar, after fast bowler Waqar Ahmed had taken both the wickets. Umair Khan and Fayyaz Ahmed were the two unbeaten batsmen.Multan kept Quetta under control, limiting them to 144 for 4 on a shortened day in Multan. Their fast bowler Abdur Rauf took two wickets as Quetta were struggling at 50 for 3 at one stage. But captain Nasim Khan made a quick 54 to ease the nerves, and added 80 with Taimur Ali (29 not out) before being bowled by Mohammad Irshad.

An update has emerged on Rangers’ quest to sign Juninho Bacuna this summer, with journalist Alan Nixon providing details of a potential deal to bring the versatile midfielder to Ibrox.

The Lowdown: Rangers eye up Bacuna move

Steven Gerrard is on the lookout for some late-summer transfer business at Ibrox, as he aims to bolster his squad after a slow start to the campaign.

One player who has been linked with a move to Rangers is Bacuna, with the Huddersfield Town man making 43 Championship appearances last season.

The 24-year-old has also won 10 caps for Curacao, scoring twice in that time, having initially played for the Netherlands’ Under-18s, Under-20s and Under-21s.

According to Transfermarkt, he has played as many as ten different positions in his career, from right-back to left-wing and all the way through midfield.

The Latest: Journalist provides update

The reliable Nixon has now given an update on the matter, taking to Twitter to confirm that a ‘full time deal’ to bring Bacuna to Ibrox is ‘advanced’, with add-ons included in a low-cost signing:

“Low with add ons on games.”

The Verdict: Great addition for Gers

Bacuna could be exactly what Gerrard is looking for in the middle of the park, bringing both quality and bite to the team.

He has scored 11 times and registered nine assists in the league in the last two seasons, highlighting his quality in the final third, and also averaged 1.15 tackles per game in that time.

That all-round skill set combined with his versatility could make him a real asset for the manager, providing depth in several positions at once.

In other news, one club have played down claims regarding one Rangers player. Read more here.

After a delightful opening day win over Fleetwood in League One last weekend, Portsmouth failed to carry on their momentum as they were sent crashing out of the League Cup by Millwall on Tuesday night.

Despite taking the lead through Reeco Hackett-Fairchild in the fourth minute, Portsmouth were unable to progress through to the next round as the Championship side ultimately showed their class. Goals from Scott Malone and George Saville, within the space of six minutes in the first half, turned the game on its head and that’s the way it stayed.

One player, in particular, who struggled was summer signing Gassan Ahadme. The Norwich loanee scored a stunning eight goals in four pre-season outings for Pompey, which helped build an air of excitement over what he could do for the club when the real stuff kicked off.

Unfortunately, he has been unable to translate his form into the competitive matches as of yet. He lined up behind John Marquis against Millwall and failed to grasp his opportunity to impress, with a nightmare performance on his second appearance for the club. SofaScore handed him a rating of 6.3, which was the second-lowest in the Pompey team – only behind Callum Johnson who was sent off.

In fact, Ahadme was so poor that he was hooked off soon after Johnson’s red card as Pompey had a re-shuffle.

Danny Cowley will be fuming with the loanee’s display, as he noticeably looked off the pace throughout his time on the pitch. To this point, Hampshire Live reporter Jonty Colman gave Ahadme a score of 5/10 after the game in his player ratings piece. He wrote: 

“A tough night for the Moroccan, whose only sniff of goal came on the end of an early cross where he failed to get a shot off. Tried to do too much and was often smothered on the ball in possession. Sacrificed early in the second half when Johnson departed.”

Ahadme gave the ball away nine times despite only having 24 touches, which shows that he was not reliable with the ball at his feet. He also only won four of his 13 ground and aerial duels during the match, highlighting how he off the pace with the opposition beating him to the punch in challenges both on the ground and in the air.

You could possibly forgive all of these lapses in concentration and losses of possession if he produced a moment of magic to score or create a goal, but he did not create a single chance for his teammates.

He also had two efforts on goal and both of them were off target, which further goes to show why Cowley will be frustrated with the forward’s nightmare showing.