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The former New England Revolution forward-turned-Apple TV analyst joined Mic'd up to preview Inter Miami, Messi and the MLS season

MLS starts in full on Saturday. Inter Miami are the consensus favorites, Lionel Messi and all. Still, there are other teams who have built – and built smartly – this offseason. Cincinnati, Atlanta, and LAFC will all surely threaten, especially with Miami spread thin across multiple competitions.

And Apple TV analyst Taylor Twellman, inevitably, has a take on what to expect.

"I think Miami naturally will take the headlines – as they should," Twellman says. "You set the record for most points in a regular season, and then you absolutely lay an egg in the playoffs. How do they redeem themselves? How do they deal with the congestion of the Club World Cup and the showcase of all of that, while [Luis] Suarez and Messi and [Sergio] Busquets and [Jordi] Alba are one year older."

And then there are the other teams to contend with. The Galaxy look a much-changed side from the one that rolled to MLS Cup just a few months ago. Meanwhile, the addition of an expansion team in San Diego FC only offers more excitement. Cavan Sullivan, barely 15 and soon bound for Manchester City, might play a role for the Philadelphia Union. His arc will make for great watching, Twellman says.

"At this moment, I like the hunger that I see in him, I like the humility that I see in him, while also being confident in what he wants to do," he says. "There is a fine line between cocky and confident. And I say he's still hungry and confident, and he's trying to prove something."

Twellman is now in his 15th year covering soccer in the U.S.. He has played for the USMNT 30 times, won MLS MVP and taken home the golden boot twice. There is arguably no one in this media landscape that understands American soccer better.

Twellman weighed in on MLS, Messi and Miami and Sullivan in the latest edition of Mic’d Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts, and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.

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  ON WHAT TO EXPECT FOR 2025 MLS SEASON

  GOAL: What are you most looking forward to about MLS this year?

  TWELLMAN: I think Miami naturally will take the headlines, as they should. You set the record for most points in a regular season, and then you absolutely lay an egg in the playoffs. How do they redeem themselves? How do they deal with the congestion of the Club World Cup and the showcase of all of that, while Suarez and Messi and Busquets and Alba are one year older? What does the roster look like? How does [Javier] Mascherano in his first first team professional gig, how does he handle that? So naturally that becomes a huge talking point.

  The fact that the Portland Timbers get rid of their MVP candidate in Evander – and the fact that FC Cincinnati goes out and spends $12 million to go get him. Lucho Acosta moves to Dallas. All of a sudden the dominoes fall on one player being unhappy. All of a sudden it turns, I would argue, three teams into interesting storylines. I think Cincinnati with [Kevin] Denkey and Evander, if they click, and click fairly early, I think you're looking at arguably the best team in MLS. Matt Miazga comes back healthy, Miles Robinson is there. I just think Denkey gives them a completely different animal at forward, a poacher that they've never had.

  Brandon Vasquez was good. Brenner was good. But they're nowhere near Denkey's quality from what I've seen and from what I've gathered from scouts in Europe. So if Evander plays the way he does last year, and Denkey comes in and bangs in 15-plus goals – as long as they stay healthy, which was an issue last year – you're going to be hard pressed to give me a better argument on who's the better team.

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  ON THE FAVORITES TO WIN MLS CUP

  GOAL: Denkey seems a proper player, what do you expect from him?

  TWELLMAN: If you look at the pedigree of the player, he's banged in goals everywhere he's been. It's not like he's had a one-off year and they're trying to monetize it. He bangs in goals for fun. So that becomes an interesting player, someone that's still young, that's hungry, that wants to further their career

  GOAL: Who else are you looking out for?

  TWELLMAN: You look at Atlanta and the way they've spent money – the way they've gone out and spent money throughout their entire history – but they did this in a much more calculated way. Chris Henderson comes over from Miami, and is arguably one of the best technical directors in all of MLS. Look at what he did with the salary and the problems, and the penalties in Miami to still build something out of that. And now he comes to Atlanta, they go out and get [Miguel] Almiron, and they go out and get [Latte] Lath. And now, all of a sudden, you're looking at a team that wants to return to where they are now. I'm so intrigued to see if the balance is right that team. But if it is, that's another one where you're looking at and saying, "Hang on a minute, Atlanta may be back to where Josef Martinez and Miguel Almiron were a couple years ago."

  GOAL: How about out west? Can LA Galaxy repeat?

  TWELLMAN: What happens in MLS with your salary cap and how it works is when you're successful, more often than not, your players have bonuses that roll into the salary cap, and it makes it a little difficult to navigate that. And you've seen some of those moves with [Dejan] Joveljic and [Gaston] Brugman – I think that's going to be interesting… [Joseph] Paintsill's injured now for six to eight weeks. Ricky Puig, more than likely, is out for the season after tearing his ACL in the playoffs.

  I think it's going to be very difficult for the Galaxy to repeat. Saying that, it depends on what happens in the summer, and how they find ways to rebuild that roster. But at the beginning of the year, I think they're going to be hard pressed to have the same kind of success that they had last season… Now, Christian Ramirez gives them a bonafide nine to score goals. But Paintsill being out doesn't help. The first eight to 10 weeks of the year they're missing their attack.

  I think LAFC is going to be a very interesting one. I think the Galaxy winning motivates the hell out of them. I think they also are being very pragmatic in the winter window, understanding that the summertime comes around, that maybe that's their bigger move. Is that Antoine Griezmann? Is that someone else? But LAFC under Steve Cherundalo have shown the propensity to be a winner no matter who's on that roster. And I expect the same. Olivier Giroud's got to be better than what we saw in those 8-10, games last year, so that's obviously an X factor for them.

  Seattle goes out and makes a couple good moves. I still think they're a superstar or two away from being a real contender, but Brian Schmetzer is always going to have that team prepped. He's always going to get the most out of that group. But Jesus Ferreira, Paul Arriola, those are legit MLS players. But are they good enough and strong enough to make that team a title contender? When you look at what Cincinnati's done, what Atlanta's done, I don't know if that's the answer.

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  ON THE EXPECTATIONS FOR CAVAN SULLIVAN

  GOAL: I wanted to ask about a different talent – someone a lot younger. How good is Cavan Sullivan?

  TWELLMAN: Well when Manchester City's scouting department – arguably the best in the world – calls him the best 14-year-old in the world, then he's obviously got to be doing something right. I've seen Cavan Sullivan play at his level, and two or three levels above him. He's got something. I coached him in the All Star game for MLS NEXT last year. My favorite part about coaching him and seeing him up close is he wants to win, he wants to compete. He wants to just do anything and everything he can to help his team. In the moment he's being asked to do a lot of media, and up to this point, it hasn't really gotten to him.

  I think that's a real tip of the cap to his family. I think his small group around him is doing a good job of keeping him hungry. But when Man City moves mountains to get you under their umbrella, for lack of a better word, and allows you to stay home playing MLS and all that? He's special. Now, he's got a long way to go, and I think he would even tell you that. But at this moment, I like the hunger that I see in him, I like the humility that I see in him, while also being confident in what he wants to do. There is a fine line between cocky and confident. And I say he's still hungry and confident, and he's trying to prove something, and I think Philadelphia may want to use him more than they thought they would at the end of last year.

  GOAL: What do you make of his decision then to stick around in Philly? Because he could have ended up in the City academy.

  TWELLMAN: You got to remember, Man City owns New York City. So they know first-hand that it's much more beneficial for him to be playing in MLS first team football, playing with men than going to the academy. He'll have plenty of time to get acclimated to the City way, but he gets to finish his school. He gets to be home. He gets to mature a little bit, but also while playing at a higher level than Manchester City's Academy. Man City knows that. They obviously understood that. I think Cavan pushing hard for that really works. But Man City understand that playing for Philadelphia's first team is going to be more beneficial to him being over in Manchester, being loaned out or playing Academy games.

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  ON COMPETITION IN AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL SOCCER

  GOAL: I wanted to touch on quite a landmark announcement, with USL saying it's going division one. What do you make of it? Is it a threat to MLS? Is it the start of this idea that MLS might absorb it?

  TWELLMAN: I think it's a product of this country and this continent be being very, very excited and proactive about the World Cup coming here, and all of the eyeballs that are going to be on this continent, this country, this summer, with the Club World Cup. But more importantly, with the largest World Cup that's ever going to happen. I saw the same announcement that everybody else saw. I'm as interested as everybody else is. There seem to be a lot of questions still remaining.

  But listen, Major League Soccer is all about the growth of the game. Everything they've done about the growth of the game has come through their academy and developing their youth and whatnot. So I think that's where Major League Soccer stands. That's where I stand. But of course, anyone that loves this country as much as I do, I'm as interested as everyone else on what U.S. Soccer has planned with growing this sport off the heels of the World Cup in '26.

  GOAL: It struck me as interesting timing, with everyone trying to tap into that excitement.

  TWELLMAN: Yeah, absolutely. But on the other hand, the real question is, how many other countries around the world have competing first divisions?

Bukayo Saka appears to be stepping up his injury recovery, with eagle-eye fans spotting the Arsenal star's post-surgery scar.

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• Saka has surgery on hamstring
• Ruled out for big chunk of season
• Steps up recovery as scar on show

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Saka limped off during Arsenal's 5-1 win over Crystal Palace just before Christmas, with the winger having surgery on his right hamstring soon after. Now, however, the 23-year-old is inching closer to a comeback for the final months of the season.

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• WHAT ARSENAL SAID

  The club tweeted four photos of a smiling Saka being put through his paces and wrote: "Stepping up that rehab."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Saka's absence has been keenly felt by Arsenal over the past two months, with Mikel Arteta's men struggling to replicate his goals and assists. Reports suggest he could be ready to return in March as the Gunners try to win the Premier League and Champions League. Having him back would be a huge boost.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Saka is with the Arsenal squad in Dubai and is continuing his rehab there. The fact that he was on crutches less than a month ago shows he is progressing nicely.

LAFC players were spotted enjoying their preseason training in the sun

• LAFC play Chicago Fire in preseason friendly on Feb. 5
• They also face Club America, Orange County SC, and Rapids
• LAFC kick off their 2025 MLS season against Minnesota United

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now

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  WHAT HAPPENED

  LAFC announced their preseason schedule towards the end of January 2025, where the club revealed that they were set to play six games before their first official game of the season. That included three closed-door friendlies against Calgary FC, San Jose Earthquakes, and the Portland Timbers before they faced Phoenix Rising.

  Not only that, the team is set to face Chicago Fire in the 2025 Coachella Valley Invitational, and ahead of their game, players were spotted enjoying training. The likes of Hugo Lloris, Olivier Giroud, Maxime Chanot, and company were seen soaking in the sun while putting in the hard yards before their season officially kicks off.

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• WHAT THE CAMERA SPOTTED

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Los Angeles side had a positive 2024 campaign, winning the U.S. Open Cup while reaching the final of the Leagues Cup as well. However, they fell short in the MLS Cup playoffs, losing in the conference semifinals.

  Preseason can hopefully help Giroud back to his best, after a disappointing first year in Los Angeles.

  LAFC's MLS season kicks off on Feb. 22, but the club plays its first official match of the season a few days earlier. That comes via the CONCACAF Champions Cup as LAFC go on the road on Feb. 18 to face Colorado Rapids in Round 1, with the second leg taking place on Feb. 25.

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  WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR LAFC?

  Having already signed Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris last season, LAFC have added to that by making significant additions to their squad. They've added Jeremy Ebobisse, Mark Delgado, Igor Jesus, Yaw Yeboah, and Nkosi Tafari. All five players will add valuable experience and reinforce a squad that hopes to challenge for the MLS Cup again while retaining the U.S. Open and producing a long run in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Ben Aitchison takes four as Kent lose 7 for 48 during evening session

ECB Reporters' Network12-Sep-2021

England batter Zak Crawley again failed to convert a fifty into a century on the opening day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match against Derbyshire at Derby. Crawley passed 50 for the sixth time in the Championship this season but three figures again eluded him as Derbyshire recovered from a poor start.Jack Leaning scored an unbeaten 82 after Daniel Bell-Drummond made 69 and Crawley 53 but Derbyshire took 7 for 48 after tea to bowl Kent out for 285. Ben Aitchison took 4 for 83 but Derbyshire lost Harry Came to close on 1 for 1.Derbyshire’s decision to put Kent in was undermined by poor bowling in the first session which allowed the visitors to pass 100 by lunch.Two catches also went down, with Crawley the batter on both occasions, and the only success for Derbyshire in the morning was the wicket of Jordan Cox who played on as he tried to leave a ball from Aitchison. But Aitchison and the other seamers offered up to many loose deliveries with Bell-Drummond driving and clipping him for three consecutive fours in the 19th over.Crawley was missed on 41 by wicketkeeper Brooke Guest who failed to cling on to an edge off Anuj Dal as he dived to his right and the opener was dropped six runs later when he drove Matt Critchley to short cover.Bell-Drummond reached his fifty from 60 balls in the last over before lunch and Crawley completed his in the first over of the afternoon session when he swept Critchley for his seventh four. But he added only two more runs before he aimed a cut at Dustin Melton and was caught behind.Bell-Drummond also failed to go on when he prodded Dal to slip but Leaning emerged from a scratchy start to play with increasing assurance. He took three successive fours off Melton and with Sam Billings, added 95 in 27 overs before Derbyshire hit back after tea.Dal clung onto a fierce return catch to remove Billings for 36 before Guest pulled off a smart stumping when Ollie Robinson pushed forward to Critchley. Sam Conners struck immediately with the second new ball when Grant Stewart gloved a lifter and Harry Podmore edged Aitchison to second slip.The last three wickets fell in six balls before Stewart bowled Came in a dramatic end to the day.

Liverpool supporters will know that Arne Slot’s debut season in charge will likely be more of a success than Jurgen Klopp’s was, as their beloved now former boss had a lot on his plate when arriving to Anfield back in 2015.

In his first campaign as manager, the ex-Borussia Dortmund figure would achieve an eighth placed finish – which would be a disastrous position for Slot’s side to finish in by 2024’s standards – before slowly but surely bringing success to the Merseyside giants over a number of campaigns.

Unlike Slot, who has taken on the reins after Klopp’s exit with a strong squad already in place, the now unemployed 57-year-old had to get rid of some deadwood on his arrival, which included giving notable Reds dud Luis Alberto the boot initially on two separate loan deals, before letting him eventually head out the door permanently a year into his post.

Alberto would just never settle at Anfield, costing the Reds a fee of £6.8m in 2013, but is now completely forgotten about 11 years on.

Luis Alberto's time at Liverpool

The Spanish attacking midfielder, who has since carved out a successful career path for himself since his underwhelming stint in England, very much goes down as a dud from yesteryear when recounting his tough time playing for Liverpool.

The now 31-year-old would only ever make 12 appearances for the Reds in total before being sent packing under the early days of the Klopp regime, helping himself to just one assist too when donning his Liverpool colours back in 2013, when then manager Brendan Rodgers masterminded a 5-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

With zero goals under his belt, whilst also playing in the Premier League, Alberto’s time at Liverpool would undoubtably go down as a major flop, with the top-flight titans selling Alberto on for a loss at £4.3m to Lazio to bring his time at the club to an unsurprising end.

Luis Alberto's career since Liverpool

However, Alberto would find a new lease of life away from his subdued playing days at Liverpool out in Italy, with his current form for new employers Al-Duhail SC even bettering Mohamed Salah’s start to the Premier League this campaign.

As can be seen watching the clip above, Alberto looked a different player altogether lining up for Lazio over his quiet beginnings at Anfield, with sumptous strikes like this one versus Sampdoria commonplace throughout his time in Serie A.

The Spaniard would amass a mightily impressive 52 goals and 79 assists from 307 games in total for the Italian giants, before seeking out pastures new in Qatar, where he hasn’t slowed down with his output.

Stat

Luis Alberto

Salah

Games played

5

4

Goals scored

1

3

Assists

6

3

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Looking at the table above, for his new Saudi employers, Alberto actually boasts one more goal contribution than his Egyptian counterpart this season so far, having actually helped himself to an astounding three assists in just one clash when Al-Duhail emphatically beat Al-Rayyan SC 4-0.

Of course, the difference in quality is there as Salah has managed to put together six goal contributions in the hustle and bustle of the Premier League Alberto couldn’t handle, but the 31-year-old has certainly not allowed his poor time with the Reds at the start of his career to negatively impact him moving forward.

Salah didn’t help his own cause by having a rare off-day against Nottingham Forest last time out, as Nuno Espirito Santo’s underdogs walked away from Anfield with a shock three points, but he will know he has plenty more in the tank for Slot’s men as the season goes on.

Alberto will just hope he can keep up his own blistering start, eager to make sure he sees out his playing days in style, after shirking off his label of being a Reds reject.

Liverpool star was worth £1m when Salah joined, now he's worth 5800% more

He might even be Arne Slot’s best player…

1 ByAngus Sinclair Sep 15, 2024

شارك المصري محمد صلاح في مباراة فريقه ليفربول بالديربي أمام إيفرتون، في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، مساء الأربعاء.

والتقى ليفربول وإيفرتون على ملعب “جوديسون بارك” في مباراة مؤجلة من الجولة الخامسة عشر للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”.

وتعادل ليفربول وإيفرتون بهدفين لمثلهما، وصنع صلاح الهدف الأول الذي سجله ماك أليستر، وأحرز المصري الهدف الثاني.

في الدقيقة 14 حصل محمد صلاح على مخالفة لصالح ليفربول في وسط الملعب.

ولعب محمد صلاح كرة عرضية من الجهة اليمنى، وصلت إلى ماك أليستر ليسجل هدف تعادل ليفربول في الدقيقة 16.

اقرأ أيضًا | ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي بعد هدف محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وإيفرتون

ومرر محمد صلاح الكرة إلى لويس دياز في المساحة لكن جاراد برانثويت أغلق تلك المساحة وشتت تسديدة الكولومبي.

في الدقيقة 51، مرر صلاح كرة بينية، لكن دفاع إيفرتون استخلص الكرة قبل وصولها إلى كودي جاكبو.

وشهدت الدقيقة 59 تسللاً على محمد صلاح، ونجح المصري في تسجيل هدف ليفربول الثاني لاحقًا.

وجاء هدف محمد صلاح في الدقيقة 73 من تسديدة بعدما انفرد بالمرمى، وهو الهدف رقم 22 له بالدوري الإنجليزي هذا الموسم.

ولاحت فرصة لمحمد صلاح في الدقيقة 88 وكاد يسجل هدفًا آخر من تسديدة من على حدود منطقة الجزاء، لكن بيكفورد حارس إيفرتون نجح في منعه من ذلك. ملخص لمسات محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وإيفرتون

Leeds United have reportedly agreed personal terms with a £15m midfielder ahead of a potential dramatic late transfer to Elland Road.

Leeds summer signings so far

The Whites have lost a number of star players from Daniel Farke’s squad, bringing in more than £100m in exits for Archie Gray, Glen Kamara, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter. In regards to incomings, Joe Rodon, Joe Rothwell, Alex Cairns and Jayden Bogle all arrived in Yorkshire in good time for the new Championship season.

However, Leeds supporters had to wait a long time for the next arrival, with winger Largie Ramazani signing from Almeria last week. The Belgian will now be joined by another winger in Manor Solomon, who will move to Elland Road on a season-long loan. Solomon isn’t expected to be the final addition of the window, though, however, time is ticking until the Friday evening deadline.

A new midfielder and full-back are also wanted at Elland Road, according to The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth, with Sheffield United’s Gus Hamer emerging as a target to bolster Farke’s midfield options.

Leeds could land “exciting” signing for Joseph in late move for EFL star

The Whites are reportedly interested in signing the attacking midfielder this week.

By
Dan Emery

Aug 26, 2024

Reports from The Star in recent days even claimed that Leeds have made a bid worth £13m for the Blades star, however, that was turned down with Wilder seemingly hitting out at the offer.

“There have been a couple of bids for players; one was pretty close and another was a million miles off. If and when decisions on players get made by the board then I'll get notified and we have to have a plan and be ready. It's a bit of me looking into the future and trying to see who potentially might go.”

Now, there has been a development with Hamer and Leeds.

Hamer agrees personal terms with Leeds

According to reports in the Netherlands, relayed by Sport Witness, Hamer has reached an agreement on personal terms with Leeds, who are negotiating a deal with Sheffield United for his services.

The Blades paid Coventry City £15m for Hamer last year when they were in the Premier League, so you’d expect Leeds will need to significantly improve their opening bid to stand any chance of signing the player.

The report relayed by SW adds that Sheffield United are willing to sanction a move, as long as Leeds put a ‘large sum’ on the table and that all parties involved in the deal are hopeful with the transfer ‘expected to be completed’ before the window shuts.

How accurate these claims from the Netherlands are remains to be seen, but signing Hamer, who can play as a holding, central or attacking midfielder, could be a brilliant piece of business due to his past experience with Coventry where he contributed to 43 goals in 132 appearances.

Leeds have just Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev and Rothwell as their senior central midfield options, showing how much they could benefit by signing someone like Hamer.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot will serve a one-match touchline ban after picking up his third yellow card during the Fulham game.

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Slot to be handed touchline banBooked for raging at referee during Fulham matchWill miss one game after third yellow cardFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Slot did not hold back his frustration at referee Tony Harrington during Liverpool's match against Fulham at Anfield. He was shown a yellow card in the 57th minute for his outburst following a Curtis Jones tackle which the Dutchman thought was excellent, however, the official disagreed, brandishing a card at the midfielder and then the manager and prompting boos from the Merseyside crowd.

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The offence meant Slot was shown his third yellow card of the season, earning him a one-match touchline ban. He had previously been booked in Liverpool's Premier League matches against Chelsea and Arsenal, meaning a suspension is incoming and he will be forced from the touchline and into the stands.

WHAT SLOT SAID

The Liverpool boss spoke about his booking after the game. He told reporters: "There were a few moments when I could have been given a yellow card. It's an emotional game and we were a man down, it's frustrating. It's good to see our performance after so many setbacks. It's difficult to judge for me because I only see it in real-time like the referee. We have to accept what VAR sees. You know how important these decisions can be. We ended up with a draw and I don't think we can blame the referee for that."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR SLOT?

In the aftermath of a crazy game against Fulham, Slot will likely need some time to calm down before planning ahead for Liverpool's next Premier League match against Tottenham. But with Arsenal also drawing on Saturday, he will feel less pressure when setting up his team for the trip to the capital. In the meantime, Liverpool take on Southampton in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup in midweek.

Glasgow Rangers may have put themselves in a solid position heading into the second leg of their Champions League qualifier next week, but the squad still needs major surgery.

Philippe Clement will be hoping to progress into the new group stage of Europe’s premier club competition in order to secure a financial windfall, but new signings will have to be made by then.

The Belgian might also have to sell a couple more first team players prior to the end of the month. Will a Michael Beale signing be the first out of the exit door?

Todd Cantwell’s future at Rangers

Perhaps one of the most surprising transfer stories of the current window is Cantwell’s decision to seek a move away from Ibrox.

The Englishman made 44 appearances last season, scoring eight goals, as he featured on a regular basis under Clement.

During the initial stages of his tenure, Cantwell was deployed on the right flank several times, not his best position by any stretch of the imagination. Things reached a nadir during the 1-1 draw against Aris Limassol back in November when he was subbed off after just 36 minutes.

This act could have destroyed their relationship, but the 50-year-old did play Cantwell in his preferred number ten slot from then on.

After Rangers lost to Birmingham City last month, Clement spoke to the media following the match to discuss Cantwell’s future.

Metric

2022/23

2023/24

Goals

6

7

Assists

4

5

Big chances created

5

7

Key passes per game

1.3

1.7

Successful dribbles per game

1.5

1.2

Shots per game

2.1

2.3

He said: “Todd Cantwell came to my office a while ago. We have a really good relationship and we talked a long time about that. He came a while ago to say he feels ready for another adventure, that he wants another challenge.

“I wanted to give him time also, so that’s why the last couple of weeks I didn’t speak about it. But he came back with the same request.”

A few weeks on, no suitor has been found for the former Norwich City talent as time is running out until the end of the transfer window.

Despite his inconsistency, Cantwell is a wonderful talent, especially when he is 100% fit and firing, meaning Clement must now find a suitable replacement.

Could he turn to the Premier League in order to make this happen?

Rangers eye move for Chelsea sensation

According to Football Scotland, the Light Blues are showing interest in a loan move for Chelsea teenager Leo Castledine this summer.

The Gers are looking to add an option to buy clause into the loan agreement, whereas the Blues would rather the move was strictly on a loan basis with no future transfer.

There is some competition from the English Championship for his signature, but European football and the chance to win trophies at Rangers should be a major incentive.

He isn’t the only attacking midfielder that Clement has been chasing in recent weeks, as Manchester United’s Hannibal Mejbri has also been shortlisted.

A recent update has stated that the Old Trafford side will only allow the Tunisian midfielder to leave should a permanent bid arrive, which could see the Light Blues wane their interest and turn towards another target.

Castledine may not have as much first-team action compared to the United gem, but there is no doubting how much potential he has.

Leo Castledine’s statistics for Chelsea

The young attacking midfielder has shone across several of the Chelsea youth age groups since the 2020/21 campaign.

During this time, he has made 102 appearances combined for the U21s, U18s and the Youth League side, scoring 36 goals and registering 16 assists in the process.

The 18-year-old thoroughly enjoyed himself in the Premier League 2 last season, scoring ten goals in just 19 appearances in the competition.

This meant he scored once every 152 minutes, while he also netted 0.5 goals per game, showcasing his impressive talents for the Blues.

Castledine even shone during his three appearances in the EFL Trophy, when his Chelsea youth side faced off against senior teams.

He may not have added to his goal tally, but the attacking midfielder did average 2.7 shots per game, averaged 1.3 key passes per game, recovered 3.3 balls per game and won an impressive 6.3 total duels each match, proving that he can perform against more difficult opposition.

Upon making his senior bow against Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup semi-final win, John Terry lavished him with praise on X, claiming the midfielder “is like a magnet in the box”, high praise indeed.

Why Leo Castledine would be an upgrade on Hannibal Mejbri

This comparison might be slightly unfair given the disparity between the senior appearances of the two players, but it looks like Castledine could provide a much more dangerous threat going forward in the number ten role.

Indeed, last term, Mejbri made a total of 17 appearances for both Man United and Sevilla (on loan), yet he only managed to score once in the entire season.

Even during his excellent spell at Birmingham during the 2022/23 campaign, the youngster scored just once across 41 games for the club, although he did grab six assists.

The 21-year-old struggled in spells last year, failing to really make an impression at both United and during his loan spell in La Liga, which means he faces an important season ahead in order to restore his reputation.

Does this mean it is too much of a gamble for Clement to take? Castledine, meanwhile, is coming off a senior debut for Chelsea plus a goal-laden season in the Premier League 2.

Playing in Scottish football could give the 18-year-old plenty of opportunities to showcase his prodigious talents, allowing Clement to sign a replacement for Clement in the process.

Much will depend on if the Blues are willing to add on an option to buy clause in the deal, but hopefully this is a move which can be finalised sooner rather than later, especially with what is at stake prior to the window closing at the end of the month.

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Australia need England to level the series 2-2 in Ahmedabad to qualify to play New Zealand

Andrew McGlashan02-Mar-2021

England will have some unusual support in their final Test against India with Australia, perhaps through gritted teeth, hoping their arch rivals can secure victory to give them a place in the World Test Championship final.Australia have needed favours from England throughout the series since their tour of South Africa was postponed due to Covid-19, taking it out of their hands whether they will qualify to play New Zealand in the late-June encounter.There were a variety of series outcomes that would have put Australia through, but the only one left is for England to level the scoreline at 2-2 in Ahmedabad. England’s two-day defeat in the third Test put England themselves out of the running for the final.Related

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“[There’s a] bit of self-interest there for us. We’ll be hoping they can do the job there,” Andrew McDonald, Australia’s assistant coach who is in charge of the team in New Zealand, said.”It’s going to be difficult for them, no doubt, some of the surfaces have been conducive to spin bowling and probably India’s strengths in their ability to play spin as well. We wish them well. See what unfolds, it’s out of our hands but we’ll be watching along with interest.”Think most people have been watching that series with some great interest in terms of the conditions and the short nature of the Tests has been very interesting to watch from afar.”However, David Warner won’t be able to bring himself to support England although would gladly take a spot in the final. “I won’t be barracking for England,” he said. “From a cricket perspective we’d like to see a draw [in the series]. It would be ideal for us to make the World Test Championship final and if that happens it’s a great result for us.”If it had not been for points docked for a slow over-rate against India in Melbourne, Australia would have qualified for the final once their South Africa tour was called off. If they do not sneak through with England’s help it will mean their next Test cricket will not be until late this year with the Ashes or potentially a one-off match against Afghanistan beforehand.For his part, Joe Root, the England captain, said he wouldn’t see beating India as doing Australia a favour.”I would see it as us ending the series as a drawn series and us doing something special here in India,” Root said. “Unfortunately we can’t qualify for that final, but it would be a fantastic achievement for us to have drawn this series and as an England captain that is about as much as I can say.”New Zealand, meanwhile, can watch it all unfold having booked their spot in the final weeks ago, and they weren’t stating a preference of opponent. “It’s out of my hands,” coach Gary Stead said. “I know it’s either going to be India or Australia, we’ve put England to side, but it doesn’t really worry me.”