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Celtic are not narrow focused in their recruitment strategy during transfer windows, as they look at big and small market leagues to source new talent.

This summer, for example, they have signed players from Japan, Norway, Scotland, and England, which shows that they are open to looking all over the globe.

One of the markets they have had success in is Premier League youngsters, with Jeremie Frimpong one of their most notable success stories, as they have snapped up young talent from down south.

Celtic signed the full-back from Manchester City in the summer of 2020 and went on to sell him to Bayer Leverkusen for a reported fee of £11.5m just 18 months later, as he hit the ground running in Scotland.

Celtic make approach to sign Man City starlet

The Scottish Premiership champions are now reportedly eyeing up a move for a star who could come in as a Frimpong repeat for the Hoops next season.

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 CeltsAreHere, Celtic have made an approach to Manchester City to sign teenage defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey on a season-long loan deal.

The report claims that the 19-year-old centre-back, who is valued at £4m by Transfermarkt, believes that he needs to test himself at first-team level next season, and the Hoops are interested in giving him the opportunity to do exactly that.

It adds that there is also competition from clubs in the English Championship, but Celtic have European football to offer the defender and that could sway his mind.

Contact has already been made with the Premier League giants over a potential deal, and it is now down to the club to reach an agreement with the Cityzens and with Simpson-Pusey to get a move over the line.

Why Simpson-Pusey could be the next Frimpong for Celtic

Celtic reaped the benefits of plucking a young talent from Manchester City’s academy when they signed Frimpong five years ago, and they could do so again with this centre-back.

Whilst it would be a different deal, given that this would be a loan rather than a permanent one, it is still a move that could benefit the Hoops as it would provide them with a talented left-footed centre-back option to call upon.

Simpson-Pusey, who was dubbed “impressive” by analyst Ben Mattinson, won the Premier League 2 Player of the Season award in the 2024/25 campaign for his superb performances at U21 level, and is reportedly regarded as one of the biggest prospects in the U21 set-up in England.

The teenage starlet earned six first-team appearances for City in the 2024/25 campaign, which is six more than Frimpong ever made for the club, and he made his full Champions League debut in a 4-1 defeat to Sporting, as Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick.

Minutes played

90

Clearances

2

Interceptions

1

Blocks

1

Duels won

4/5

Dribbled past

0x

Pass accuracy

95%

As you can see in the table above, Simpson-Pusey’s individual performance in and out of possession was more than respectable, despite the scoreline, which looked worse than it was for the defender because his teammates gave away two penalties.

The English youngster is yet to prove himself at first-team level on a regular basis, just as Frimpong hadn’t when he moved to Parkhead, but his development to date suggests that he has big potential, given his emergence in the senior side under Pep Guardiola and his U21 achievements.

Therefore, this could be a high-risk and high-reward signing for the Hoops, as they would be bringing him in without really knowing how he will adapt to playing senior football on a regular basis.

Rodgers can finally replace Jota in Celtic swoop for "underrated" £7m star

Celtic may find their replacement for Jota by swooping to sign this £7m-rated star.

ByDan Emery Jul 28, 2025

The club once took that risk with Frimpong, when they signed him from Manchester City’s U21 side, and they could hit gold with the Cityzens academy once again by sealing this deal to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ defensive options.

He may not go on to make the club millions in profit, as the Dutch international did, but Simpson-Pusey could be another City youngster to hit their stride at Parkhead.

Colin Ackermann’s recovering 96 plus ex-New Zealand fast bowler Neil Wagner’s impressive all-round contribution in his first game post-Test retirement earlier this year maintained Durham’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup hopes as they beat Hampshire by 144 runs at Gosforth.Ackermann led the fightback from 183 for 7 to 257 all out, hitting five sixes in 98 balls, while debutant overseas signing Wagner added 33 before taking 2 for 18 from six overs with the new ball as Hampshire slumped to 113 all out.Hampshire started the day second in Group A with four wins from five games but suffered a second defeat, while Durham won for the third time in six to maintain their hopes of a top-three finish for knockout qualification. Seamer Paul Coughlin also struck three times.Wagner, 38-years-old, has signed a short-term deal with Durham for the remainder of the season. This was his first appearance of any kind since his 64th and final Test, at home against South Africa, in February.While Hampshire started well with the ball and in the field, Durham finished strongly with the bat to give themselves a workable total on a competitive pitch at South Northumberland Cricket Club.England Under 19s quick Dom Kelly – 3 for 48 from 10 overs – removed both Durham openers. Michael Jones was caught behind and Ben McKinney sharply caught at cover by captain Nick Gubbins, who had elected to bowl first.Durham skipper Alex Lees was also caught behind off a top-edged sweep at Felix Organ’s off-spin, and the hosts were 56 for 3 in the 16th over.Hampshire’s fielding also contributed to a strong start. The Gubbins catch was followed by the run out of Scott Borthwick at the striker’s end from square-leg, Kyle Abbott with the throw, as the former England man stuttered going for a single.Further departures of Bas de Leede, Hayden Mustard – bowled by Abbott and Kelly – and Coughlin strengthened Hampshire’s hand at 183 for seven in the 42nd over.But Durham’s fightback was equally impressive on a bright but blustery day. Ackermann and Wagner shared an eighth-wicket 62 inside eight overs. The left-handed Wagner struck the ball nicely in a vital 27-ball knock and supported Ackermann, whose innings was well paced.Ackermann reached 50 in as many balls. Of his five sixes, three were hoisted handsomely down the ground off seam late in an innings which ended with him narrowly missing out on a deserved century. Abbott’s figures indicated Durham’s revival. The former South African seamer conceded only 11 runs in his first eight overs but 23 in his final two.In reply, the early signs were good for Hampshire as openers Gubbins and Fletcha Middleton shared 40 inside eight overs. But Wagner battled back, as he has so often done through a stellar career.After Coughlin had Gubbins caught behind, Wagner got Middleton caught at slip and Tom Prest caught behind – both driving – as the visitors slipped to 45 for 3 in the 11th.Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t recover as Coughlin caused further problems. He had Toby Albert caught behind and Felix Organ caught at slip, while Ben Brown drilled de Leede to mid-off in between as Hampshire crumbled to 69 for six in the 17th.From there, their task was forlorn. Off-spinner George Drissell then claimed two of the last four wickets to fall, while Joseph Eckland was brilliantly caught at backward point by a diving McKinney off Daniel Hogg’s seam.De Leede claimed the winning wicket when he bowled Brad Wheal in the 27th over.

While Arsenal have plenty of talented players in their squad, there is one star who most fans would now class as their best: Bukayo Saka.

The Hale End icon has become a lean, mean output machine in recent seasons, as even though he missed over three months of action this year, he ended the campaign with a sensational haul of 12 goals and 14 assists in 37 games.

Unfortunately, Mikel Arteta’s options for off the left have not been nearly as effective, with Gabriel Martinelli chalking up 16 goal involvements in 51 games and Leandro Trossard doing marginally better with 20 in 56 games.

So, with that in mind, it’s hardly been a surprise to see the club linked with a host of brilliant left-wingers in recent weeks, with one of the most notable links being to Rodrygo – although recent reports have now touted a player compared to the Brazilian and Saka for a move to Arsenal this summer.

Arsenal transfer news

As mentioned, the last few weeks and months have seen Arsenal linked with many talented left-wing options, from the versatile Xavi Simons at RB Leipzig to the soon-to-be free agent of Leroy Sané.

Transfer Focus

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

Yet, one of the names that has caused the most excitement among the fans, and understandably so, has been Rodrygo.

The 24-year-old has won all there is to win in the club game with Real Madrid, and according to most reports from the last month or so, could be available for around £85m unless something changes with new boss Xabi Alonso.

However, with the required fee being so high, it’s unsurprising to see the club continue to be linked with other options, and now someone who has been compared to Saka and the Brazilian has reentered the frame in a big way.

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal have retained their intense interest in Nico Williams.

In fact, the report has now revealed that the Gunners are ‘very close to signing’ the Athletic Bilbao star, despite the La Liga side’s desire to keep him for another season.

The report has revealed that for the North Londoners to get their man, whom Arteta has made ‘a priority,’ they’ll have to pay his release clause, which, according to stories from earlier this week, stands at about £50m.

While it would be a lot of money to spend on a 22-year-old, it would be more than worth it thanks to his ability and the comparisons to Saka and Rodrygo.

How Williams compares to Saka & Rodrygo

So before addressing the other reasons why Arsenal might want to sign Williams this summer, it’s important to examine these comparisons to Saka and Rodrygo and where they come from.

In both cases, they stem from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, and then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each.

In this instance, it was concluded that the Brazilian was the most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Spaniard across the last 365 days, while the Englishman was the tenth most similar.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.35

0.32

Non-Penalty G+As

0.45

0.51

Progressive Carries

5.32

5.28

Shots

2.43

2.52

Shots on Target

0.86

0.93

Expected Assists

0.19

0.20

Passes into the Penalty Area

1.31

1.21

Shot-Creating Actions

5.05

4.95

Blocks

0.90

0.84

The best way to understand how these conclusions were reached is by looking at the underlying numbers in which the players rank closely, which, in the case of the Real Madrid star, include metrics like non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, passes into the penalty area and more, all per 90.

For the Gunners’ gem, the metrics in which he’s incredibly similar to the Bilbao star include things like tackles won, clearances, carries into the penalty area and non-penalty goals per 90, suggesting he can do some of the defensive work the Englishman so often carries out for the Gunners.

Non-Penalty Goals

0.23

0.26

Tackles Won

0.81

0.78

Clearances

0.41

0.42

Carries

31.4

32.7

Carries into the Penalty Area

2.61

2.66

Aerial Duels Won

0.50

0.52

On top of these flattering and incredibly encouraging comparisons to two of the best wingers around, Arteta and Co should also be going all out to sign the 22-year-old “level-raiser,” as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, because he’s a reliable source of goals and assists.

For example, since the start of last season, the Pamplona-born dynamo has scored 19 goals and provided 25 assists in 82 appearances, which comes out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 1.86 games.

Ultimately, while some fans may prefer the bigger name in Rodrygo, it looks like Arsenal are on track to sign one of the most exciting wingers in the game in Williams, and given his age, there is plenty of scope for him to get even better.

Their answer to Cherki: Arsenal close in on first summer signing for £38m

The incredible prospect could be sensational at Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 5, 2025

New Rangers manager Russell Martin is willing to sell a “brilliant” player in the summer transfer window, according to a new transfer update.

Martin eyeing first signings as Rangers boss

The Martin era at Ibrox is officially underway, with the former Southampton boss hoping to bring plenty of success back to the club, having had to watch rivals Celtic dominate the Scottish Premiership over the past decade or so.

The 39-year-old is clearly extremely excited to get started, admitting as much soon after his confirmation as Rangers’ next manager: “It’s an incredible feeling. I’m really grateful to the board, to Patrick (Stewart), to Kevin (Thelwell), for their faith in me. It’s been a tough and rigorous process and it’s taken some time, but that’s what you expect when you want to be manager of a club of this stature, size and expectation. I’m desperate to get started and I’m excited about what’s to come.”

It’s now a case of Martin being backed in the transfer market, with the Englishman signing players who he sees as ideal for him, and Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes could reportedly be his first addition. He knows the player well from his spell in charge of Saints, and he could add quality in possession, having completed 90.8% of his passes in the Premier League in 2024/25.

That said, some current Gers players could depart before next season gets underway, and a key update has dropped regarding one individual.

Martin could sell McCauslandAccording toThe Daily Record,Ross McCausland's Rangers future is up in the airbecause Martin is considering listening to offers for him.It is stated that Championship side Cardiff City are the latest club to show an interest in signing him this summer, with the 22-year-old preferring to stay put at Ibrox.

It’s ruthless from Martin, should he dispatch of McCausland in the summer window, considering the Northern Irishman is a talented young player who has been lauded by Lee McCulloch in the past.

“McCausland was absolutely brilliant. Bubbly, has pace, technical first touch. Tremendous. Playing in this cauldron, given the magnitude of this game, he looked full of confidence. I think the fans really took to him. He really gave the stadium a lift.”

However, McCausland was limited to only four starts in the Scottish Premiership last season, suggesting he isn’t seen as a key man moving forward, so the club do have a big decision to make this summer.

The new Lundstram: Martin wants to make £18m star his first Rangers signing

As Russell Martin starts his overhaul of Rangers’ squad, could he sign a “class” midfielder in a deal reminiscent of John Lundstram’s move to Ibrox?

ByBen Gray Jun 8, 2025

He only has two years remaining on his current deal, so time is running out before his price tag starts to drop, and if Martin feels like he is an expendable figure, moving him on now makes the most sense.

Manchester City’s mass-squad overhaul continues.

In January, the Sky Blues spent around £180m, which was more than the other 19 Premier League clubs combined, recruiting Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico González, Vitor Reis and Juma Bah.

Nevertheless, Pep Guardiola’s spending spree is not forecast to stop there, with the Sky Blues seemingly planning to splash the cash this summer too.

With Man City stalwarts Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne, possibly alongside others too, on their way out, do they have their eye on a “ridiculously talented” forward?

Man City's potential new attacker

According to a report by Foot Mercato, Gabriel Sara is one of Manchester City’s ‘top targets’ this summer, claiming that initial contact has already been made between the club and the player’s entourage.

Born in Brazil, Sara began his career at São Paulo, before spending two seasons with Norwich City in the EFL Championship, making 96 appearances for the Canaries, scoring 21 goals and registering 17 assists, leading analyst Ben Mattinson to describe him as “ridiculously talented”.

Thus, he earned a big-money move to Galatasaray last summer, the Turkish giants paying a reported £15.3m to secure his services, the highlight of his time in İstanbul being his goal during the Intercontinental Derby victory over Fenerbahçe at Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in September, with Okan Buruk’s team currently on course to a domestic double.

So, would Sara be a good signing for Man City, and how would he fit into Guardiola’s team?

Why Man City could be targeting the new Bernardo Silva

As referenced earlier, Walker and De Bruyne are already confirmed departures from the Etihad this summer, but there could be more, with Bernardo Silva a prime candidate.

Since arriving from Monaco for a reported fee of £43.6m eight years ago, Silva has made 399 appearances for the Citizens, set to become only the 12th player in club history to reach 400 against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday night.

Ben Littlemore of Transfermarkt labels Silva an ‘unsung hero’, adding that he was absolutely pivotal to Man City’s success under Guardiola. However, this season, the Portuguese international has endured a sharp decline, with Adam Drury of Goal believing his time is up at the highest level.

Thus, he could leave the club this summer, but would Sara be a good replacement? Well, let’s compare the duo to find out.

Appearances

41

44

Minutes

3,196

3,454

Goals

2

4

Assists

8

4

Shots

72

43

Take-on success %

64.7%

42.5%

Progressive carries

23

125

Progressive passes

66

157

Pass completion %

82%

87.1%

Big chances created

12

8

Ball recoveries

53

109

Average Sofascore Rating

7.19

7.18

As the table outlines, Sara and Silva are stylistically very similar, on top of the fact that they’re both diminutive and left-footed.

Of course, Sara has a long way to go to be as good as Silva, lagging behind in terms of progressive carries, progressive passes, pass completion percentage and ball recoveries, although the Brazilian has created more chances and been successful with a higher proportion of his take-ons this season.

It’s also worth considering the respective level at which the duo are currently playing at: Global Football Rankings believe the Premier League to be the strongest division in the world, with the Süper Lig down in 18th place.

Nevertheless, Sara is still only 25 years old, and appears as though he would slot into a Guardiola team nicely.

Best signing since Haaland: Man City consider move for £85m "genius"

Man City are looking to make a move for a teenager who is one of the best in Europe

ByRoss Kilvington Apr 25, 2025

Everton are close to embarking on their new era at Bramley Moore Dock and David Moyes has now told the club that he has a new top target in his sights this summer, per reports.

Everton look to make a summer window statement

The Friedkin Group’s arrival coupled with Goodison Park’s upcoming emotional farewell has created a mixture of excitement and reflection among Everton supporters heading into next season.

Above all, their loyal fanbase feel a sense of relief that their club is finally on the up after years in the doldrums on and off the pitch. Financial struggles and relegation battles have threatened their Premier League safety, but there is hope those circumstances could now be a thing of the past.

David Moyes has decisions to make while rebuilding his squad and won’t have an infinite sum of money to plough into reinforcements, though it is expected that a healthy chunk will be available to invest in fresh blood.

Taking matters into his own hands, Everton have positioned themselves to sign Albert Gudmundsson once his loan spell at Fiorentina comes to an end and the Iceland international may be available for £20 million.

Related Everton emerge as shock contenders to sign £30,000-a-week Liverpool ace

This would steal plenty of headlines…

Posts ByTom Cunningham Apr 16, 2025

Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis is another candidate to strengthen the Toffees’ forward line, albeit he may cost a pretty penny due to retaining an £80 million release clause.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin looks sure to exit the club this summer and it would be a surprise if Armando Broja were to be retained, leaving a void for one or two prolific marksmen to enter the fold during the beginning of a new era.

Now, Moyes has identified his preferred choice to lead the line and is plotting a potential double swoop that will have supporters on the edge of their seat.

Everton want "superstar" to join Liam Delap under Moyes

According to reports, Everton want Evan Ferguson and Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap to come in as a two-part solution to bolster their slim options in attack, with the gaffer personally demanding the signings from the club’s board.

Referencing the former, Moyes has put Ferguson to the club as his top target and there is scope that he could be available for significantly less than his reported £45 million valuation.

Evan Ferguson vs Liam Delap – Premier League 2024/25 statistics

Evan Ferguson

Goals

1

Assists

0

Shots on target

3

Chances created

5

Aerial duels won

9

Liam Delap

Goals

12

Assists

2

Shots on target

30

Chances created

24

Aerial duels won

53

Evidently, both have endured contrasting fortunes this campaign, but Ferguson’s early promise has saw him net 17 goals in 80 appearances for Brighton & Hove Albion, bursting onto the scene with some exemplary performances.

Labelled a “superstar” by Micah Richards, his spell on loan at West Ham United hasn’t worked out, but Moyes clearly holds optimism that he can get the Irishman back firing after his struggles with form and injury.

Everton want Ferguson in addition to Delap, which would be a mouthwatering prospect for supporters as the club move towards a new era.

India have the batting to get into strong positions at Edgbaston, and their bowling is not much behind England in terms of quality and experience

Sidharth Monga26-Jun-20259:44

Batters, bowlers or fielders: Who cost India the Leeds Test?

Headingley was a weird Test. India dominated large chunks of it with bat and ball, but still lost. Despite the somewhat-deserved flak the Indian bowlers are getting, they consistently created more chances than England’s bowlers did. India lost ten wickets to just 108 false shots in the first innings and 92 in the second; England lost ten and five wickets in 137 and 113 false shots.Often such losses can be attributed to luck, but India weren’t unlucky either. At least not unlucky in the way their false shots went to hand at an inordinate rate as it did during the 36 all out in Adelaide.Headingley wasn’t a typical Bazball Test. The Bazball philosophy is to play more shots against good balls, trusting a combination of their batters’ attacking qualities and the new flat pitches in England that don’t deteriorate. The surfaces at Headingley just keep getting better for batting. Other teams bat conventionally and play fewer shots to good balls. England’s taller bowlers have tended to bash the good lengths and draw more out of the pitches than the opposition.Related

• With India trailing, will Jasprit Bumrah play at Edgbaston?

• Stats – India first team to lose a Test despite five centurions

• Gill rues missed chances: 'We were looking at a target of around 435'

• Gill must lay down the law after India lose the unlosable Test

During the Bazball era, England’s batting average and strike rate on false shots have usually been better than their opponents in that match. That wasn’t the case at Headingley, where India averaged more and scored quicker on false shots in the first innings. The difference would have been bigger if India had held even half of their catches.This is not to decry dropped catches, but to suggest India had England. They dragged England out of familiar territory largely because their attack lacked pace and experience. England’s bowlers were unable to, in Stuart Broad’s succinct words, hold length or bowl in disconcerting areas. In the first innings, their fast bowlers bowled just 197 balls in the 6-8m band in 86 overs; India put 203 balls there in 77.4 overs. India drew more average seam from good length than England, although at around 0.6 degrees it didn’t consistently trouble the batters.The England seamers did have better average and strike rate from these good-length balls, but it is not attributable to them getting more out of the pitch from there. The numbers are also influenced by the lopsided dropping of catches, which is not likely to repeat itself.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}}))}();