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Rio Ferdinand has tipped his former England team-mate Steven Gerrard to return for a second stint as Rangers manager.

The former Liverpool captain has swiftly emerged as the odds-on bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Russell Martin at Ibrox, who was sacked on Sunday evening.

Gerrard remains a hero to many Rangers supporters after leading them to the Scottish Premiership title in 2020-21, which remains the only time they have won the league since their financial implosion in 2012.

Gerrard and Rangers a "perfect match"

In an interview with the ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ podcast, released on Tuesday but conducted before Martin’s dismissal, the 45-year-old former Aston Villa boss revealed he had “a bit of unfinished business” in management and wanted “to be at a team that’s going to compete to win because I think that suits me better”.

Gerrard said he and Rangers had been “the perfect match” during his spell of just over three years in charge between 2018 and 2021 and Ferdinand senses the former England captain would be open to an Ibrox return almost four years after he left for Villa.

“I have to say when I interviewed him, he left me in no uncertain terms that he wants to be a manager and he’s got full confidence in doing that,” the ex-Manchester United defender told talkSPORT.

“He’s itching to get back in now. He never said this to me, but I personally think just the energy that I felt in that room, that if Rangers came calling he’d go or at least have that conversation.

“What I felt, if I was an owner of a football club and Steven Gerrard was sat in front of me and I felt that energy in the room when I was interviewing him, he’s getting the job.

“Forget what’s gone on before, but also his time before at Rangers, he did great there. I’ve never had so many Rangers fans flood the comments of my social media or the podcast.

Rangers: Positive Ibrox talks held with 4-3-3 manager to replace Martin

The Gers have had positive discussions.

ByCharlie Smith Oct 7, 2025

“They’re all desperate for him to go up and at least have the conversation, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Steven Gerrard is managing again very soon and Rangers would be probably one of my big bets.”

Other names touted as potential successors to Martin over the past couple of days include Hearts boss Derek McInnes, former Rangers player Kevin Muscat and ex-Everton boss Sean Dyche.

United States-based chairman Andrew Cavenagh, who on Monday admitted culpability in appointing Martin, is reportedly flying to the UK this week to hold talks with other senior figures, including vice-chairman Paraag Marathe, about the next boss.

Bairstow, Stokes among players who opted out due to workload in 2022

Matt Roller19-Jan-2023

The ECB will make additional funds available to incentivise England’s leading all-format cricketers to take part in the Hundred in 2023, as part of a revamped recruitment system for centrally-contracted men’s players.The Hundred has an exclusive four-week window in England’s men’s international schedule for the first time in 2023, running from August 1-27. It starts immediately after the fifth Ashes Test and ends three days before the first of eleven limited-overs internationals against New Zealand and Ireland, which will serve as preparation for England’s 50-over World Cup defence.While there is an expectation that those involved in the fifth Ashes Test will not immediately return to play in the Hundred, the ECB hope to ensure that all-format players are available for a significant proportion of the competition. Several multi-format players including Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes pulled out of the Hundred altogether in 2022 in order to rest before England’s Test series against South Africa, and the standard suffered as a result.ESPNcricinfo understands that players on all-format central contracts were paid around £50,000 to play three games in 2022, with an additional £5,000 for any further games. In 2023, they will be paid £125,000 to play the full season, or the same fee on a pro rata basis if they make themselves unavailable for a portion of the season.The ECB’s increased investment in the biggest English names mirrors Cricket Australia’s renewed attempts to involve its leading men’s players in the Big Bash League. David Warner made his first appearance for Sydney Thunder since 2013 earlier this month after signing a lucrative deal, the majority of which fell outside of the BBL’s salary cap.The revamped regulations dictate that each team will sign a single ‘all-format’ centrally-contracted player, assuming player and team reach an agreement. The eight players who have that status and the teams who have the option to retain them are: Jofra Archer (Southern Brave), Bairstow (Welsh Fire), Jos Buttler (Manchester Originals), Sam Curran (Oval Invincibles), Joe Root (Trent Rockets), Stokes (Northern Superchargers), Chris Woakes (Birmingham Phoenix) and Mark Wood (London Spirit).Related

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In the unlikely event that two or more teams decide not to retain – or do not reach an agreement with – those players, a mini-draft will be held to determine which player joins which team. England’s other centrally-contracted players, including Moeen Ali, Zak Crawley, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope and Adil Rashid, will be part of the main draft mechanism, and can be retained by their teams if they reach an agreement on a salary for 2023.Intriguingly, Buttler remains on an all-format central contract despite the fact he has not played Test cricket since the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney. Ben Foakes signed his first central contract in October and has impressed in the last year and England are not lacking for attacking middle-order batters, but Buttler’s contract status suggests that his Test career might not be over yet.The Men’s Hundred’s retention window officially opened on January 13 and will close at 11.59pm on February 14. Teams can retain up to 10 players who held a contract with them in 2022, plus a centrally-contracted player.The ECB have also doubled the number of ‘wildcard’ signings from one per team to two, meaning each team will sign two players for £30,000 based on performances in the group stage of the T20 Blast. Overall squad sizes remain unchanged.ESPNcricinfo revealed in November that the ‘overseas wildcard’ spot has been scrapped, meaning teams will have three overseas players in their squad at any one time, rather than four. All three will be available to feature in any given playing XI.Women’s teams have been discussing their ‘marquee’ retentions with players over the last two months, ahead of the inaugural women’s draft in March.

Victory by 89 runs sees Brave make it five from five, as Sophie Devine stars again

ECB Media18-Aug-2025Southern Brave 161 for 6 (Wolvaardt 36, Bouchier 34, Franklin 2-28) beat Oval Invincibles 72 (Villiers 3-17) by 89 runs Southern Brave produced a devastating all-round performance to inflict a record-breaking 89-run defeat on Oval Invincibles at Utilita Bowl to maintain their 100 per cent record and move top of the table.Set 162 for victory, the Invincibles could only muster 72, never recovering from a two-wicket burst by Sophie Devine (2 for 15) in her opening set, the Kiwi castling Meg Lanning with a peach before sending Lauren Winfield-Hill on her way three balls later.When Lauren Bell (2 for 11) struck with consecutive deliveries, utilising the short ball to great effect to induce edges from Alice Capsey and Paige Scholfield, the visitors slumped to 28 for 4 and they were eventually skittled in 83 balls, Mady Villiers picking up 3 for 17 with her off-breaks.Earlier, England duo Maia Bouchier and Danni Wyatt-Hodge put on an opening stand of 59 after Brave were asked to bat, Bouchier the main aggressor in her innings of 34 from 23 before picking out Scholfield at deep mid-wicket to give Tash Farrant the breakthrough.ESPNcricinfo LtdWyatt-Hodge (26 from 24) was clean bowled by a Phoebe Franklin slower delivery but Laura Wolvaardt kept up the momentum, the South African cruising to a 19-ball 36 including a slog-swept six off Amanda-Jade Wellington but the Aussie leg-spinner had her revenge next ball when Lanning held on to a catch at extra-cover.Freya Kemp was involved in a mix-up which saw Devine run out for 19 but the England starlet made amends with a sparky cameo, smashing two sixes in her 11-ball 24 to post a target which was well beyond the Invincibles’ reach and set up a fifth straight victory for the 2023 champions.Meerkat Match Hero Sophie Devine, who picked up the award for a third game straight at Utilita Bowl, said: “I feel a bit embarrassed because today was a great team performance and there were so many people who should be standing here instead of me. Today was exceptional from this group and I’m really proud of everyone.”The great thing about this group is we’ve spoken at length about different plans and having the ability to be able to execute that is something I’ve found incredibly impressive. That should stand us in good stead come the important part of this tournament.”For us there’s a great focus on each and every game. We’ve got some tough games coming up but we’ll celebrate our success here today. It was a comprehensive win but we certainly know we’ve got a big job to finish off this competition strongly.”

There was no place for Yashasvi Jaiswal or Shreyas Iyer in the 15-member squad

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-20252:39

Chopra: ‘Gill selection has written Samson’s destiny’

Shubman Gill has made a comeback to India’s T20I squad for the Asia Cup, replacing Axar Patel as vice-captain.The 15-member squad, picked by the selection committee on Tuesday, will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, and includes Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as the two other opening candidates. With Gill as vice-captain, however, he is the frontrunner for one of the slots at the top of the order.”We obviously see some leadership qualities in him, and his form in England was what we were hoping for. [He] exceeded all our expectations, which is a great sign when there’s so much pressure as captain,” chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said in Mumbai.Related

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The middle and lower-order batting options are Suryakumar, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, who could be the first-choice wicketkeeper if India decide to open with Gill and Abhishek. There are also three allrounders in Axar, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. The specialist bowling options are Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana, who provides some extra batting depth too.There was no place for Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was instead among the five reserve players, along with Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel. Shreyas Iyer, who scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 in IPL 2025 and led Punjab Kings to the final, also did not find a place in the 15.”With regard to Yashasvi, it’s just unfortunate again,” Agarkar said. “There’s Abhishek Sharma: what he’s done over the last year or so – plus he can bowl a little bit – he gives us that option if required. One of these guys was going to miss out. Yashasvi just has to wait for his chance.”With regard to Shreyas, who can he replace? No fault of his, nor is it ours. At the moment, you can just pick 15. So he will have to wait for his chance.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Gill was vice-captain in the previous T20I series he had played – in Sri Lanka in July 2024 – but he had not been picked in any of the subsequent series as India prioritised his appearances in the Test and ODI formats. Axar was then appointed vice-captain for the home T20Is against England in January. Gill’s return to the T20I format comes on the back of his contributions to India’s Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year and his record-breaking run as batter in the five-Test series in England, where he led India to a 2-2 draw in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He also scored 650 runs for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025 at a strike rate of 155.87.”Last time when he [Gill] played T20 for India, post T20 World Cup when we went to Sri Lanka – not Zimbabwe – when I was leading, he was the vice-captain,” Suryakumar said after the selection meeting in Mumbai. “So that’s where we started a new cycle. After that, he got busy with all the Test series, and he didn’t get an opportunity to play T20s because he was busy playing Test cricket and Champions Trophy. So he’s there in the squad, and we’re happy to have him.”The Asia Cup is India’s first T20I assignment since the bilateral series against England at home in January. India are in Group A, along with Pakistan, Oman and UAE. Their first game is against UAE in Dubai on September 10, after which they play Pakistan in Dubai on September 14, and Oman in Abu Dhabi on September 19.”This is the first big tournament we are playing since the [2024] T20 World Cup,” Suryakumar said. “We have played three-four bilateral series. It’s a good tournament to test ourselves. After this, there are a lot of T20s – close to 20-22 T20s in total – before we play our first game in the [2026] World Cup, so I think the journey starts from the Asia Cup.”India’s squad for the Asia Cup1 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 2 Shubman Gill (vc), 3 Hardik Pandya, 4 Arshdeep Singh, 5 Abhishek Sharma, 6 Tilak Varma, 7 Shivam Dube , 8 Axar Patel, 9 Jitesh Sharma, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Varun Chakravarthy , 12 Kuldeep Yadav, 13 Harshit Rana, 14 Rinku Singh, 15 Sanju SamsonReserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal

It’s been a pretty good start to the season for Arsenal so far this year.

Mikel Arteta’s side may have lost to Liverpool before the international break, but they did so due to a freak free-kick.

Moreover, they’ve won their other three Premier League games without conceding a goal and came out 2-0 winners from their Champions League opener last night.

Moreover, the team was seriously strengthened over the summer, with stars like Eberechi Eze coming in, although he ended up costing more than three other stars of the squad did combined.

Eze's start to life at Arsenal

While his £67.5m price tag means he is still some distance away from being Arsenal’s most expensive signing, there was still an expectation that Eze would be able to make a quick impact at the club this season.

After all, he’s Premier League proven and racked up a brilliant tally of 14 goals and 11 assists in 43 games for Crystal Palace last season.

Unfortunately, although he did a couple of good things on his debut away to Liverpool, he was only given 20 minutes of action; therefore, it’s hard to take anything from that game.

However, he was handed his first start on the weekend, and considering he received an 8/10 match rating from Sam Tabuteau, it would be fair to say he made quite the impression.

His standout contribution came when he provided a brilliant assist for Viktor Gyokeres in the first minute of the second half, but he did so much more than that.

For example, he completed three dribbles, was accurate in 100% of his long balls, won two fouls and was generally a threat and positive outlet whenever he had the ball at his feet.

He wasn’t quite able to replicate this in Bilbao, though, as even though he didn’t put in a bad performance, he did struggle to have as much of an impact on the game.

In fact, in his 71 minutes of action, the Greenwich-born ace amassed a paltry combined expected goals and assist figure of 0.14, didn’t take a single shot on target and failed to create a big chance.

In short, we’ve seen what Eze can do at his best in the game against Forest, but we’ve also seen how starting out wide can sometimes cause him to fade out of games.

Arteta will be hoping to see more of the former for the price the Englishman cost, although the price of players doesn’t always reflect their ability, as a trio of Arsenal stars somehow cost the club less than Eze combined.

The Arsenal trio who cost less than Eze

Arsenal have made more than their fair share of bargain signings over the years, from Gabriel Martinelli to David Raya and even arguably Jurrien Timber.

Chalkboard

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

However, in this instance, we are talking about the defensive trio of William Saliba, who cost around £27m, Gabriel Maghalese, who cost £23m and Cristhian Mosquera, who cost just £13m.

In other words, the Gunners formed one of the best centre-back pairings in world football and signed an incredibly exciting prospect for a combined price of just £63m.

Let’s start with Saliba and Gabriel, as even though the North Londoners team is full of important players, an argument could be made that they are the most important.

They’ve now played 118 games together, winning 77 of them, drawing 18, losing 23 and averaging 2.11 points per game.

Appearances

118

Minutes

9819′

Wins

77

Draws

18

Losses

23

Points per Game

2.11

Goals Conceded

113

Moreover, the outrageously impressive pairing has only conceded 113 goals in that time, and it feels like they could let in even fewer this season.

Moving on to the young Spaniard, and while it is early, he’s already shown enough to convince some fans that he is going to be a superstar.

For example, in the game against Bilbao, the defensive “monster,” as dubbed by one analyst, made six clearances, took 93 touches, made one tackle and was accurate in 75 of 79 passes.

Moreover, FBref already rank him in the top 7% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for ball recoveries, meaning he can be relied upon to put out fires.

Ultimately, Arsenal have managed to sign two of the best defenders in the world and one of the most exciting up-and-coming defenders for less than Eze’s transfer fee, which is business that should be applauded.

Fewer touches than Raya: Arteta must drop 4/10 Arsenal star after Bilbao

Arsenal came through a tough clash with Athletic Club in the Champions League.

6 ByMatt Dawson Sep 17, 2025

Glasgow Rangers kicked off the Russell Martin era with a big result on Tuesday night in the Champions League at Ibrox, as they beat Panathinaikos 2-0.

Goals from Findlay Curtis and Djedi Gassama in the second half of the match, aided by a red card for the away side, secured the victory for the Light Blues, who now take a two-goal advantage over to Greece next week.

Whilst it was not a perfect performance from the Scottish Premiership giants, as they needed goalkeeper Jack Butland to pull off a number of impressive stops, there cannot be too many complaints about a 2-0 win in a European match.

Especially when you consider that the likes of Gassama, Cyriel Dessers, and Hamza Igamane were resigned to the bench and Thelo Aasgaard was missing through injury.

Due to various fitness issues, Martin opted to go with Brazilian centre-forward Danilo through the middle as the starting number nine against Panathinaikos.

He failed to register a goal or an assist in his 74 minutes on the pitch, but did not have a single ‘big chance’ in front of goal, and there could be more to come from the striker this season.

What Danilo needs to be successful at Rangers

Possibly the biggest hurdle the 26-year-old marksman needs to jump over to be successful at Rangers is avoiding injuries, as he has been absent for far too many matches since his move to the club in 2023.

The Light Blues reportedly paid a fee of up to £6m to sign the attacker from Dutch giants Feyenoord two years ago, but the clash with Panathinaikos was only his 49th appearance in all competitions.

As you can see in the table above, Danilo has missed 53 games through injury since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, with two knee injuries and one broken cheekbone, which led to him having to wear a protective face mask.

The Rangers number 99 has showcased his quality when he has been available, as rare as that has been, though, with a return of 12 goals and nine assists in his 49 appearances.

Last season, Danilo scored five goals, created eight ‘big chances’, and registered four assists in 23 matches in the Premiership, despite only starting eight of those games.

But the Brazilian attacker did not get any service against Panathinaikos, and that is why the Gers need to sign more creative players to provide the striker with the opportunities he needs to score.

Rangers told to pay record fee for creative star

Rangers may have to pay a club-record transfer fee to land one of the creative stars on their wishlist for the summer transfer window, though, as per a fresh report.

Transfer Focus

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

According to IbroxNews, the Scottish giants will need to pay a fee of around £15m to sign winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi from Premier League side Crystal Palace.

The report claims that the Eagles would prefer to sell the 22-year-old forward, rather than send him out on loan, and they will want a fee of at least £15m to part ways with him.

Tore Andre Flo’s £12m move from Chelsea in 2000 remains the club’s current record signing to this day, which means that a £15m splurge on Rak-Sakyi would smash that.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein claimed that Rangers have had an offer of a loan with an obligation to sign the forward for around £10m turned down by Palace, and they may now have to break their transfer record to bring the Englishman to Ibrox this summer.

Why Rangers should sign Rak-Sakyi

Splashing out a club-record fee of £15m would be a huge gamble by Rangers because there would then be immense pressure on Rak-Sakyi to be a superstar in Scotland.

The left-footed winger would have to win the club many trophies and or go on to be sold for a healthy profit for the transfer to be viewed as a success, which may be why the Gers may be hesitant to commit such funds to a deal.

However, Rangers could land an excellent right-wing prospect and reignite Danilo’s career at Ibrox if they decide to sign Rak-Sakyi, or if they are able to negotiate a loan deal with Palace.

The 22-year-old starlet, who was likened to a “slalom skier” by former boss Dean Holden, has shown great promise in his loan spells away from Palace so far, shining in League One with Charlton and in the Championship with Sheffield United.

As you can see in the table above, Rak-Sakyi has scored 22 goals and provided ten assists in 77 games in the EFL in his career to date, which shows that he has the potential to score and create goals from the right flank.

At the age of 22, he also has the time left ahead of him to continue to grow and develop as a player, which is why he could be an investment that has the potential to grow in value, even if the club smash their club-record to sign him.

The left-footed wizard could also help to reignite Danilo’s Ibrox career by providing the striker with a winger who can score the ‘big chances’ that he creates, whilst also being able to offer creativity from the flank to ensure that the forward has opportunities to score.

Of course, the Brazilian forward also needs to work on his fitness to ensure that he is available for Martin to select week-in-week-out in the 2025/26 campaign, but if he can do that then Rak-Sakyi could be a dream winger for him to play with.

Worth more than Gassama: Rangers hit gold on Ibrox star who Chelsea wanted

Rangers have hit the jackpot on this star who is now worth even more than Djeidi Gassama.

By
Dan Emery

Jul 24, 2025

Whether that means that the Palace youngster is worth £15m is hard to say, as it will depend on how his career at the club ultimately plays out, but he is a quality winger who could thrive alongside Danilo and be a strong addition to the squad, however a deal gets done for him.

Aston Villa kicked off the brand new Premier League season with a 0-0 stalemate against Newcastle United.

While that, of course, isn’t exactly the most exhilarating introduction back to top-flight life, Unai Emery’s Villans would come away from the opening day contest the happier of the two sides with the drab final result, having been reduced to ten men for the final 24 minutes after Ezri Konsa was dismissed.

Still, even despite that result, the Villans must kick on in the weeks to come in order to turn results like this one into a win.

Aston Villa make enquiry to sign £25m star

Villa haven’t been the flashiest side in the chaotic window to date, with just three incomings through the door.

New goalkeeper recruit Marco Bizot was handed his Villans debut against the Magpies and rose to the occasion with a clean sheet. At the same time, the West Midlands outfit’s most luxurious purchase of the summer – who joined for a hefty £30m – so far in Evan Guessand remained rooted to the bench throughout.

Transfer Focus

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

The cash could soon be splashed in a similarly lavish manner if reports are to be believed, with Caught Offside revealing that Emery and Co. have now enquired over signing Manchester City defender Rico Lewis.

It will be difficult for Villa to get a move over the line, however, with Nottingham Forest allegedly also in talks with the exciting 20-year-old, with the Tricky Trees bidding in the region of £30m recently for the City number 82.

Moreover, further interest in Lewis’ services comes from Premier League rivals Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur, with those named also lodging their own enquiries.

How Lewis can be Emery's next Rogers

Villa will keep their fingers crossed that they can race to the front of this ever-extending queue in the hope that they will be able to land a Morgan Rogers repeat if the two-time Premier League winner swaps the Etihad for Villa Park.

Before Rogers established himself as a top-flight “machine” donning claret and blue – as he was dubbed by The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell – the England international did find himself in the same boat as Lewis in Manchester.

Unfortunately for the £100m-rated star, he would never go on to make the first-team breakthrough on the books of the Citizens, with countless loan spells greeting him, before he was officially let go of by Pep Guardiola’s men in 2023.

This must surely be a regret on the end of the early table-toppers, though, with Rogers going on to flex his muscles in some style in the West Midlands, as 17 goals and 17 assists have come his way from 79 appearances and counting.

Lewis would love for this same first-team spotlight to come down on him if he were to embark on a new challenge at Villa Park, having only started 40 of his 59 Premier League games to date at his boyhood employers, despite largely impressing when thrust into the senior mix.

He certainly stood out against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out as City brushed off any off-season cobwebs to trounce the Old Gold 4-0 at Molineux, with Lewis getting in on the act himself when teeing up Erling Haaland for the crucial opening strike.

Minutes played

66 mins

Goals scored

0

Assists

1

Touches

66

Accurate passes

45/49 (92%)

Sprints

4

Distance covered

7.9km

Total duels won

3/3

The lively 20-year-old was lauded as “magical” by City journalist Amos Murphy during the game, with his blistering ability to bomb forward and create openings, further putting him on the same pedestal as Rogers.

With experience of the Champions League also under his belt, Emery would be very confident in gifting Lewis plenty of first-team opportunities on his arrival, much like the Spaniard showed no hesitancy in immediately handing Rogers the senior reins last year.

This will be a testing deal to seal, but if Villa want to make more waves this summer, they should go all out to land Lewis, who has also been labelled as “exceptional” by Guardiola for his standout, bit-part offerings at his hometown side.

Emery's new Asensio: Aston Villa hold talks over signing £18m "wizard"

Aston Villa are looking to sign another attacker this summer

ByJoe Nuttall Aug 14, 2025

Nottingham Forest are now on the verge of signing a £10m defender, having submitted an offer for his services, a report has revealed.

Forest's busy summer transfer window continues

With Forest preparing for a Europa League campaign next season, they have set out to deepen their squad, while Nuno Espirito Santo was also tasked with bringing in a replacement for Anthony Elanga, following the Sweden international’s departure to Newcastle United.

Dan Ndoye has since arrived at the City Ground, joining alongside Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha, and there should be plenty of space for even more arrivals, given that the Tricky Trees have generated considerable funds from sales this summer.

Player

New club

Transfer fee

Anthony Elanga

Newcastle United

£53m

Danilo

Botafogo

£20m

Ramon Sosa

Palmeiras

£11m

Andrew Omobamidele

Strasbourg

£9m

Matt Turner

Lyon

£7m

Lewis O’Brien

Wrexham

£3m

Following Turner’s departure, there is a real need to get a new goalkeeper through the door, and Fabrizio Romano has recently revealed that Angus Gunn is set to make a move to the City Ground.

However, Gunn is not the only player who could be linking up with Nuno’s side in the very near future, with a report from Italy (via Sport Witness) revealing Nottingham Forest are now very close to sealing a deal for Hellas Verona’s Jackson Tchatchoua.

Forest have made an offer of €12m (£10m) plus bonuses, which appears to be acceptable for the Italian club, with the transfer now edging closer to completion, and Tchatchoua is set to receive a four-year contract.

The full-back would be a versatile option for Nuno, given that he is able to play on both sides of the defence, and right-wing back.

Nottingham Forest negotiating fee for £139k-a-week star with personal terms agreed

The Tricky Trees could beat competition from elsewhere.

BySean Markus Clifford Aug 4, 2025 Tchatchoua could be solid addition to Nuno's squad

Nuno already has a dependable option at right-back in the form of Ola Aina, with the London-born defender making 35 Premier League appearances in the 2024-25 campaign, however, the Verona defender may be a necessary addition.

With the Tricky Trees set to embark on a European campaign, Nuno needs to improve his squad depth, and the 23-year-old’s versatility could make him a solid option, while he is also a threat on the front foot.

The Cameroon international picked up two goals and three assists in the Serie A last season, scoring the opening goal in his side’s 2-0 victory against Genoa last September.

That said, it will be difficult for Tchatchoua to displace Aina in the starting XI, given that the 28-year-old received very high praise for his performances last season, with journalist Zach Lowy describing him as “one of the best” full-backs in Europe.

England batter will take over from Jos Buttler across both T20I and ODI formats

Andrew Miller07-Apr-2025Harry Brook has been confirmed as England’s new white-ball captain, across both T20I and ODI formats, after Jos Buttler’s decision to stand down following his team’s early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy in March.Brook, 26, has been England’s vice-captain in white-ball cricket for the past year, and led the side in Buttler’s absence for five ODIs against Australia last September. His first outing as the official captain will come in three home T20Is and three ODIs against West Indies at the end of May.”It’s a real honour to be named England’s white-ball captain,” Brook said. “Ever since I was a kid playing cricket at Burley in Wharfedale, I dreamed of representing Yorkshire, playing for England, and maybe one day leading the team. To now be given that chance means a great deal to me.”Brook had been the outstanding candidate for the role after emerging as a key player across formats since his debut in 2022, including Test cricket, for which he is currently ranked as the No.2 batter behind his England team-mate Joe Root, having made a career-best 317 against Pakistan in Multan last year.Speculation had mounted about Brook’s impending appointment when, on the eve of this year’s IPL, he pulled out of his deal with Delhi Capitals for the second year running, citing the need for England to remain his “priority and focus” ahead of a busy 12 months across formats, including key Test series against India and Australia, and the next T20 World Cup in February 2026.”I want to thank my family and coaches who’ve supported me every step of the way,” Brook said. “Their belief in me has made all the difference and I wouldn’t be in this position without them.Related

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“There’s so much talent in this country, and I’m looking forward to getting started, moving us forward, and working towards winning series, World Cups and major events. I’m excited to get going and give it everything I’ve got.”Though still relatively inexperienced as a leader, Brook impressed with his tactical nous in the 3-2 series loss to Australia in September, having also led the Under-19 team at the 2018 World Cup. He has also captained Northern Superchargers in the Men’s Hundred, when available.Though there were no realistic alternatives to Brook as T20I captain, there had been some thought as to whether Ben Stokes should take on the role in ODI cricket, given his existing relationship with Brendon McCullum, and the extent to which the 50-over and Test squads have overlapped in recent months.Speaking in March, Rob Key, England men’s managing director, acknowledged it would be “stupid” not to consider Stokes’ credentials. However, with Stokes still recuperating from hamstring surgery, and given that he had previously retired from the format in 2022 citing his workload, this option was not pursued.Key said: “I’m delighted that Harry Brook has accepted the role as England’s white-ball captain across both formats. He’s been part of our succession planning for some time, albeit this opportunity has come slightly earlier than expected.”Harry is not only an outstanding cricketer, but also has an excellent cricketing brain and a clear vision for both teams that will help drive us towards winning more series, World Cups and major global tournaments.”To date, Brook has played 26 ODIs for England, scoring 816 runs at 34.00, including a match-winning century as captain against Australia last summer. In T20Is, he has played 44 games, averaging 28.50 with a top score of 81 not out, and was part of the team that won the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.

Brazil will face Chile and Bolivia in the final South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, assured of its place in tournament

• Neymar sidelined due to injury
• Vinícius Jr, Rodrygo out as Ancelotti “already knows them well”
• Brazil sits third in the CONMEBOL table

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Carlo Ancelotti announced his 23-man Brazil squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia, with three big names missing: Neymar, Vinícius Jr. and Rodrygo.

  Brazil will first host Chile at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro on Sept. 4, before traveling five days later to the high-altitude city of El Alto (4,100 meters) to face Bolivia. Currently, the Seleção sit third in CONMEBOL qualifying with 25 points, level with Ecuador and just behind leaders Argentina on goal difference.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Italian coach explained his decision by saying he wanted to “get a closer look at players I don’t know as well on a personal level.”

  While Neymar was omitted because of a recent leg issue, the Real Madrid duo was left out simply because Ancelotti feels he already has a strong understanding of what they bring to the team.

  Vinícius Jr.’s absence is also tied to a one-match suspension for yellow-card accumulation, meaning he would only have been available for the trip to Bolivia. Neymar, meanwhile, has not featured for Brazil since October 2023 due to recurring injuries and is still working his way back.

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  Brazil squad

  Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Bento (Al Nassr), Hugo Souza (Corinthians).

  Defenders: Alexandro Ribeiro (Lille), Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Caio Henrique (Monaco), Douglas Santos (Zenit), Fabrício Bruno (Cruzeiro), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Marquinhos (PSG), Vanderson (Monaco), Wesley (Roma).

  Midfielders: André Santos (Chelsea), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Casemiro (Manchester United), Joelinton (Newcastle), Lucas Paquetá (West Ham).

  Forwards: Estêvão (Chelsea), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), João Pedro (Chelsea), Kaio Jorge (Cruzeiro), Luiz Henrique (Zenit), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Raphinha (Barcelona), Richarlison (Tottenham).

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Among the notable inclusions is Lucas Paquetá, who returns to the national team after more than a year away. The West Ham midfielder had been left out of previous squads while under investigation for alleged links to a betting scandal.