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Rangers will be looking to put their Champions League exit behind them tonight when they take on Dunfermline Athletic at Ibrox in the Scottish League Cup, although Steven Gerrard’s side will have to cope without new signing Fashion Sakala.

Gerrard confirmed in his pre-match conference that the 24-year-old had picked up a minor groin injury which will rule him out of the game against the Championship side, which is a blow to Rangers’ hopes of progressing to the next round.

The Zambian striker impressed with his performances in pre-season, scoring the equalising goal in the memorable win against Real Madrid, which led Gerrard to sing his praises as he said: “He’s come in with an incredible attitude. He’s been an absolute role model to everyone.

“He’s come here with energy, he’s been bright, wanting to learn and pick up every bit of information. He’s smiling, he’s enjoying it and he’s grateful to be here.

“He’s been an absolute pleasure to work with, but there’s loads more to come. You can see he’s exciting.”

Is losing Sakala a blow?

Sakala struggled to impress against Livingston on the opening day when starting up front, before missing the defeat against Dundee United through injury and returning briefly against Malmo in midweek.

While they are minor injuries, Rangers fans could well be concerned that he has already missed two different games through separate problems so early in the season and will be hoping that he doesn’t prove to be injury-prone throughout his debut season with the club.

Following the Champions League exit, Rangers may well be forced to cash in on the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent, which suggests that Sakala could have an important part to play as a regular starter in Gerrard’s side.

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Friday’s match against weaker opposition could have been the ideal time for Sakala to get his first competitive goal for the club and build his confidence, so it is undoubtedly a blow for both Rangers and the 24-year-old that he isn’t fit enough to feature tonight.

In other news… Wilson could sign Rangers’ next Ryan Kent with swoop for “top player”

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou would excite fans by securing the signing of Georgios Giakoumakis, according to The Celtic Way reporter Anthony Haggerty.

Following a summer of change, which saw former Australia chief Postecoglou appointed as manager, the Bhoys have welcomed a host of fresh faces to Parkhead.

Celtic have been heavily linked with a move for VVV-Venlo striker Giakoumakis, who finished last season as the Eredivisie’s top goalscorer having found the back of the net 26 times.

However, Giakoumakis’ goals were not enough to stop VVV-Venlo from suffering relegation from the Netherlands’ top flight.

Celtic have seemingly suffered a blow in their pursuit of the 26-year-old Greece international as, according to Bild, Giakoumakis would rather head to the Bundesliga and join Werder Bremen than link up with Celtic. The report suggests the frontman has also drawn interest from Qatar.

However, the development comes after Werder Bremen sporting director Frank Baumann claimed the German side cannot compete with Celtic’s financial muscle.

Haggerty is keen to see the Bhoys fight off stiff competition for Giakoumakis’ services with the transfer deadline looming.

He told Football FanCast: “If you can score 26 goals for a team that gets relegated from the Eredivisie, I think you’ve got ability.

“I think he fits the bill and prototype that Celtic want – a big, bustling centre-forward. I think they’re having serious discussions with Giakoumakis.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Essex have been granted permission to keep the Kent batsman, Neil Dexter, on loan for another month.The 23-year-old Dexter initially moved to Chelmsford in early June, ahead of the Twenty20 Cup. He will now remain at there up to and including the Pro40 match against Surrey on August 5.”Firstly I would like to thank Kent for letting us have Neil for another month,” the first-team coach, Paul Grayson, told essexcricket.org.uk. “We want to have a further look at Neil because we believe he is a talented player. We look forward to him making a good contribution over the next few weeks.”

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Após a polêmica da última semana, onde José Luiz Runco e seu filho criticaram Márcio Tannure, chefe do departamento médico do Flamengo por conta da cirurgia de Diego, o presidente do Flamengo Eduardo Bandeira de Mello fez questão de sair em defesa do doutor e afirmou que não existe crise alguma.

– Nós estamos evoluímos muito nesse ponto das contusões, o trabalho que está sendo feito é trabalho excepcional. Não tem crise. Assim como Zé escala o time, ele escala os médicos – comentou Bandeira.

Por fim, o dirigente rubro-negro fez questão de ressaltar a confiança que todos no clube têm no médico e lembrou do bom trabalho que está sendo feito até o momento na temporada.

‘- Vou reafirmar aqui a confiança que todos nós temos no doutor Márcio Tannure. Ele já tem resultados que todos conhecem.

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A surprising name may be the next to depart Tottenham Hotspur, according to Fabrizio Romano…

What’s the word?

Speaking on his Twitch channel, the renowned Italian transfer guru revealed that left-back Ben Davies could be the latest player to leave the club before this month’s transfer deadline.

Back-up goalkeeper Joe Hart became the most recent departure, swapping North London for Glasgow, signing for Celtic. He followed both Erik Lamela, who has joined Sevilla, and Toby Alderweireld, who has gone to Qatar, out the exit door.

“Ben Davies is one of Tottenham’s players that could leave next,” Romano claimed.

Doesn’t fit the system

The 28-year-old featured in 38 matches across all competitions under Jose Mourinho last season but only 14 of these were starts in the Premier League.

This move could be the first real sign of Nuno Santo stamping down his mark on the club, especially as the Portuguese seems to be awash with plenty of options in the role.

Nuno’s first-choice option is likely to be Sergio Reguilon, who seems the perfect fit for him as he likes to get up and down the flank. Similarly, rarely-seen gem Ryan Sessegnon is in a similar mould, whilst there’s also Dennis Cirkin, who Mourinho was a big fan of too.

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Davies is much more defensively-minded than either of the trio above, which means his place is in a precarious spot right now.

Even then, there have to be question marks over his ability as he struggled at times last season, none more so than a game against Liverpool, where he was described as “appalling” by former Leeds striker Noel Whelan to Football Insider.

Only one other Spurs star (Moussa Sissoko, 6.44) that started more games in the league recorded a worse average WhoScored rating than Davies (6.56), which speaks volumes and would reinforce why Nuno may want to offload him.

The Portuguese coach must be ruthless if he knows that there is no place for the 64-time Welsh international in his side, especially as his exit could help finance some further incomings.

Valued at £14.4m by Transfermarkt, Spurs could also get around £65k-per-week off the wage bill, which will help Fabio Paratici and his transfer plans even more.

With Nuno expected to utilise an attacking left-back next season, it would be wise for Davies to move on. He’s just not the right fit for the new Spurs boss, nor is he good enough anymore.

Daniel Levy and Paratici must sanction his exit, should any bids come forward.

AND in other news, Spurs target to “fly to London” to complete move…

Ange Postecoglou’s open mic training session towards the end of last week provided us with a fascinating insight into the work being done on the training field at Celtic.

It showed a gentle side to the Australian but also a meticulous and outspoken character. The build-up play already looks quicker which combined with new signings, should take the Hoops to the next level.

What’s the word?

One of the Bhoys’ biggest problems heading into the new season is in defence where they need to patch a leaky backline that could be plagued by a mass exodus.

Jonjoe Kenny and Diego Laxalt have already returned to their parent clubs while the fear of Kristoffer Ajer leaving still lingers.

As a consequence, Celtic have targeted their defence as an area that needs bolstering. They’d been working on a deal for Mario Vuskovic but now according to Italian media, they’ve submitted an offer for Aaron Hickey.

Per the print version of il Resto del Carlino (via Celtic writer Joe McHugh), the Hoops have made an offer of €4m (£3.5m) for Hickey’s services.

Reports last month stated that Celtic were plotting a move for the teenager, an idea that has now seemingly come to fruition.

Big upgrade

Not since the days of Kieran Tierney have Celtic had a truly consistent left-back.

Boli Bolingoli’s moment of madness last summer has caused havoc with his future at the club after he visited Spain on an unsanctioned drip during the height of the pandemic.

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His time at Parkhead remains unclear but if Celtic have any sense, they should cut ties now. Laxalt was a defensive liability last term, while Greg Taylor proved a divisive character.

He spent time on the treatment table but did look promising at times, especially from an offensive point of view. Last term, only three Celtic players provided more key passes than the full-back – 1.5 per match.

Hickey, therefore, would be an undoubted upgrade on their current options.

Once of the Celtic academy, that spell was sandwiched between two stints with Hearts. However, the Scottish defender took the brave decision of moving abroad last summer, heading to Bologna in Italy.

His defensive game has improved considerably but it’s in the final third where he really stands out, taking on players and proving tricky to deal with.

Possessing plenty of pace, Hickey uses that to his advantage to track his marker well and then make a recovery. Coincidentally, their tackle rate is identical. Hickey won 1.5 tackles per 90 minutes last season while Taylor prevailed in 1.5 successful challenges per game.

The Bologna full-back’s reading of the play is more impressive, though. He produced 1.43 interceptions per 90 compared to Celtic’s number one option at left-back who made just 0.9 per game.

What makes Hickey such an outstanding candidate is the fact that he can play in a plethora of positions too.

With the ability to feature in midfield, former Hearts man Austin MacPhee once remarked: “He’s so young he could play a lot of positions. He could end up being like Busquets.”

That’s a glowing review for a young player who’s also been compared to Germany legend Philipp Lahm.

At the tender age of just 19, the Scot already plays like a man wise beyond his years. This would be an astute piece of business from Postecoglou.

AND in other news, Forget Soro: Ange can find Celtic’s new Scott Brown by signing “very exciting” £4m gem…

Luke Edwards has cast doubt over when the potential takeover of Newcastle United could be completed by.

The Lowdown: Claims launched

Mike Ashley has launched two separate claims against the Premier League, including the arbitration case that is set to take place this month, over the failed takeover deal between him and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

There is also the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) claim, but the results of the arbitration hearing will likely determine whether the takeover bid can be pushed forward, and at what pace.

The Latest: Edwards claim

Edwards, a football journalist who works for The Daily Telegraph and has been following the latest takeover developments, has claimed that ‘there is no way’ that the potential takeover could be completed before the start of next season or at the close of the summer transfer window.

Earlier reports had suggested the opposite.

This is because if Ashley wins arbitration, then, as per Edwards, ‘all it will do’ is restart the Owners’ and Directors’ Test (ODT), which can be a lengthy process.

The Verdict: Possible but difficult

It is certainly possible that the potential takeover could be completed before the new 2021/22 season starts, although as Edwards suggests, it would be very difficult.

There is not a definitive timescale over how long the arbitration proceedings will take, and even then if Ashley gets a positive result, he will have to go through the ODT all over again.

Full cooperation would be needed with the top flight in order for the process to be sped up, and with the summer transfer window also in the mind at St. James’ Park, the timings would be extremely tight.

In other news, find out the latest Mark Douglas has dropped from those close to the potential takeover here!

MatériaMais Notícias

O volante Wesley, submetido a artroscopia no joelho direito no dia 14 de fevereiro, treinou no gramado do CT da Barra Funda pela primeira vez desde a operação nesta terça-feira. Ele iniciou a transição do Reffis para o campo. Sob os cuidados do fisioterapeuta Ricardo Sasaki, o jogador fez uma série de exercícios físicos para abrir esta nova etapa no seu processo de recuperação. Ele ainda não tem prazo definido para voltar a atuar.

Uma corrida em volta do campo e uma atividade aeróbia – com alternância de velocidade, direção, intensidade e movimentação – foram utilizadas como testes para avaliar se o atleta sentia alguma restrição. Livre das dores, o camisa 11 realizou todos os movimentos e, segundo o São Paulo, mostrou que em breve poderá estar novamente à disposição do técnico Rogério Ceni.

O volante sofreu um trauma durante as atividades do elenco antes da viagem para o Maranhão – onde o Tricolor enfrentou o Moto Club no dia 9 de fevereiro, pela primeira fase da Copa do Brasil. Desde a cirurgia, o jogadore faz tratamento em dois períodos.

Este ano, Wesley participou de dois jogos: River Plate (ARG) e Corinthians, nos Estados Unidos, pela Florida Cup. Contratado em 2015, o jogador acumula 76 partidas pelo Tricolor, sendo 34 em sua primeira temporada e 40 no ano seguinte, além das duas em território norte-americano em 2017. Ele foi um dos atletas agredidos por torcedores organizados na invasão ao CT em agosto do ano passado, mas depois recuperou credibilidade com atuações mais consistentes.

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Birmingham City remain keen on bringing Jordan Graham to St. Andrew’s this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Birmingham Live, who claim that Lee Bowyer has retained his interest in the Gillingham winger and is considering a move for the 26-year-old in the summer transfer window, news that should delight the club’s loyal supporters.

It is reported that the 44-year-old attempted to sign Gramham during his time in charge of Charlton Athletic, and, following a highly impressive season in League One, it would appear as if Bowyer believes the £225k-rated man would make a fine addition to his attacking arsenal at Birmingham City this summer.

Fans will be delighted

With Bowyer guiding the Blues to safety in the Championship last season, this summer is an opportunity for the manager to build a side capable of more than just surviving the drop in their upcoming campaign.

And, considering just how impressive Graham was for Gillingham last term, it is not difficult to see why the 44-year-old believes that the winger could help take his Birmingham side to another level next season.

Indeed, over his 39 League One appearances for Steve Evans side in 2020/21, the former England U17 international scored 12 goals, registered six assists and created a whopping 14 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of one shot and making 1.9 key passes per game.

These returns saw the 26-year-old earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.20, ranking him as the Gills’ second-best performer in the third tier of English football.

Graham also impressed in the cup competitions, scoring one further goal and providing three assists over six appearances in the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup and the EFL Trophy, taking his total haul for the season to 13 goals and nine assists.

As such, should Bowyer indeed go on to finally make his wish come true of landing the £2.1k-per-week forward this summer, whom Evans dubbed a “frightening” player, it would certainly appear to be a step in the right direction for the Blues, as well as being a transfer that would delight fans of the club.

In other news: Get it done: Bowyer must sanction Birmingham City swoop for “explosive” £10k-p/w beast