Nottinghamshire new-ball pair share nine as visitors skittled for 85 on final day

ECB Reporters Network28-Jul-2023

Dane Paterson’s five-wicket haul set up victory•Getty Images

Five wickets for Dane Paterson and four for Brett Hutton consigned Kent to a rapid and damaging defeat in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Trent Bridge, where they were bowled out for 85 to drop into the bottom two in Division One with only three matches to play.Paterson finished with 5 for 41 in 10 overs, while Hutton’s 4 for 44 allowed him to celebrate a 50-wicket season for the first time in his first-class career, giving him 52 so far. Kent skipper Jack Leaning’s 21 was a paltry top score as Kent, theoretically chasing 407 to win from 72 overs, were dismissed in just 21.3 overs.Earlier, Will Young and Ben Slater had both made 87 and Joe Clarke 73 before Nottinghamshire declared their second innings on 372 some 40 minutes or so before lunch.The result gives Nottinghamshire 22 points, which is probably enough to ensure they remain in Division One for another season after being promoted in 2022.Slater, his eyes on a second hundred in the match, fell to the fifth ball of the day, unable to add to his overnight score, but otherwise Nottinghamshire’s plans on how to set up a run chase could not have gone better.If anything, they went too well, the scoreboard turning so rapidly that skipper Steven Mullaney might well have had to think again about when to declare given the overs left in the match. When he did decide the moment was right, some 196 runs had been added in just 78 minutes following Nottinghamshire’s resumption on 176 for 1.Of those, 114 came off just 77 balls in a blistering third-wicket stand between New Zealand’s Young, who made 87 in the last innings of his brief attachment to the county, and Clarke, whose 73 from 40 balls would have felt like the perfect preparation for his upcoming stint with Welsh Fire in the Hundred.Clarke hit three sixes, matching Young’s tally of maximums in half the number of balls, and there were a couple each for Mullaney and Lyndon James, who hammered 42 in 18 balls for the sixth wicket before Mullaney’s dismissal, bowled aiming to inflict more damage in an Arafat Bhuiyan over that had already gone for 20, prompted the declaration.Eventually caught at deep midwicket, Clarke should have gone for 26 but Arshdeep Singh, in his final outing for Kent, dropped a regulation catch at mid-off. Joey Evison, the disappointed bowler and Clarke’s former Trent Bridge team-mate, was only too aware of how costly that mistake might be.Like Clarke, Young and Tom Moores were caught in the deep going for big returns as Nottinghamshire ultimately pushed the Kent target beyond 400, which was never likely to be a realistic ask of a side lacking so many front-line batters through injuries and international calls.Yet draw still looked within their capabilities and the rapid unravelling of that possibility came as a surprise.In the eight overs before lunch, their top three all departed. Toby Albert copped a beauty from Hutton to fall for a fourth-ball duck, Ben Geddes fell victim to a fine, rapid-reaction catch by Slater at short leg off Paterson and Ben Compton was leg before to a swinging ball as the South African celebrated his second success.Lunch did nothing to stiffen Kent’s resolve, with Harry Finch soon leg before as Hutton claimed his 50th of the season, before Leaning was caught behind off a bottom edge to make it 59 for 5.Paterson had Evison caught low down at third slip and Matt Quinn on the boundary as a merrily brief innings ended with a top-edged pull. Alex Blake knew his fate immediately as he saw Mullaney readying himself for the catch as he heaved Hutton over midwicket and Arshdeep, having launched Paterson for six over the leg side, perished next ball, well caught by a diving Hutton at deep backward square attempting a repeat.The two pacemen each took a breather after 10 overs, but Kent’s demise was quickly completed as Bhuiyan gave Haseeb Hameed’s legbreaks a maiden first-class wicket.

Matt Henry, Craig Overton take six wickets each with hosts fighting to avoid another innings defeat

ECB Reporters Network20-Jul-2023Northamptonshire 180 (Vasconcelos 78, Overton 4-50, Henry 3-36) and 151 for 6 (Procter 37*, Henry 3-36, Overton 2-39) f/o trail Somerset 351 (Dickson 70, Bartlett 55, White 5-77) by 20 runsSomerset’s seamers were in ruthless mood as they bulldozed Northamptonshire’s fragile batting line-up and enforced the follow-on to move within sight of victory at Wantage Road.Matt Henry’s shrewd seam bowling, coupled with Craig Overton’s brutal pace and bounce, proved a potent combination as 16 wickets fell on the second day, with the duo picking up six apiece overall.Northamptonshire were dismissed for 180 in their first innings and inserted again despite Ricardo Vasconcelos hitting a season’s best 78, with Henry taking 3 for 36 and Overton 4 for 50.The home side stumbled to 151 for 6 second time around before bad light brought play to a halt, still needing 20 more to prevent what would be their fifth innings defeat this season.Henry was a handful straight away when Northamptonshire began their response to the visitors’ first-innings total of 351, making the ball move both ways and persuading Emilio Gay to nibble the fifth delivery of the morning into James Rew’s gloves.Despite registering successive boundaries off Henry, Justin Broad soon followed – forced to play at one that left him and edging to first slip to leave the home side in difficulty at 17 for 2.There was also a near escape for Vasconcelos, his thick edge off Overton whistling through the slips for Northamptonshire’s first scoring shot in 31 balls but, despite plenty of playing and missing at Henry, he weathered the storm.The left-hander looked far more comfortable against Somerset’s change bowlers, drilling a series of crisp boundaries through the off side – and the 10th of those, sweetly struck off Overton, brought up his half-century from 76 balls.By then he had lost Sam Whiteman, playing on to Lewis Gregory and Henry returned for a pre-lunch spell to keep Somerset in the ascendancy by prising out Luke Procter, taken low at first slip.Vasconcelos continued in similar vein after the interval, looking on course for a first century of the season until he was undone by a ball from Gregory that veered away to hit off stump – triggering a further surge of wickets.Overton was the chief architect of Northamptonshire’s collapse during a fearsome second spell, having Rob Keogh caught in the slips and ripping out the off stump of Lewis McManus before Ben Sanderson feathered one behind.Running out of partners, Saif Zaib did his best to propel the home side past the follow-on target with a lively knock of 38, including two colossal sixes off Kasey Aldridge, but fell short when he skied Overton and was taken by Shoaib Bashir, running back on the leg side.Somerset had no hesitation in putting the hosts back in and Vasconcelos was soon on his way for the second time in the session, caught behind off Henry – who also trapped Gay lbw shuffling across.With Broad also departing leg before to Gregory, Northamptonshire sank to 29 for 3, but Procter and Zaib – back at the crease barely half an hour after his dismissal – displayed some grit to slow the Somerset charge.However, neither Zaib nor Rob Keogh, another leg before victim for Henry, managed to build on promising starts and it was left to the skipper to tough it out with an undefeated 37 while Taylor went for his shots.The all-rounder clubbed Overton for successive boundaries to reach a brisk 24 not out from 17 balls before darkening skies prompted the umpires to halt proceedings with 8.4 overs still remaining.

Manchester City have reportedly made contact to sign a £50m star who has been compared to both Phil Foden and Ilkay Gundogan.

Man City latest as Pep suffers Haaland injury blow

Those behind the scenes at the Etihad appear to have one eye on the summer transfer window, however, Pep Guardiola’s side are looking to salvage their season by winning the FA Cup.

City came from behind to beat Bournemouth on Sunday to set up a semi-final with Nottingham Forest after goals from Omar Marmoush and Erling Haaland.

However, Man City were dealt an injury setback regarding Haaland, who is now set to be out for seven weeks with an ankle problem.

Talking on Haaland’s injury, Guardiola said: “Sometimes there are years that these things happen – it’s happened all season. It could have been different if it was the end of the season [before the Club World Cup]. With all the injuries we have this season, I’m sorry for them and for Erling as well. Hopefully the recovery is as speedy as possible and he can come back.

“We don’t have another player with his skills or specific qualities, but we have to adapt. For many years, we played with different ways up front. It depends on the quality of the players. We are going to try and find a solution.”

Viana's a fan: Man City battling to sign "unbeatable" 6'8 star worth £17m

He could replace Ederson.

ByTom Cunningham Apr 1, 2025

Ahead of the summer, midfield could be where Guardiola and co conduct an overhaul, with the likes for Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne and Gundogan could be on the move. Now, it looks as if the club have made their first moves for a key target.

Man City make contact for £50m AC Milan star Tijjani Reijnders

According to TEAMtalk, Man City have made an enquiry to sign Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan. The Sky Blues have made contact ‘to understand the conditions of a potential deal’, with reports prior claiming the AC Milan midfielder is valued at £50m and is City’s top target.

The 26-year-old has been starring for AC Milan this season, scoring 13 goals and registering four assists in more than 40 games.

Martin Odegaard

Arsenal

Phil Foden

Man City

Julian Brandt

Borussia Dortmund

Ilkay Gundogan

Man City

James Maddison

Tottenham

As can be seen, he has been compared to Foden, and Gundogan among others and can play as a defensive central or attacking midfielder.

Iconic midfielder, Frank Rijkaard has also been impressed with what he’s seen from Reijnders, saying: “I hope that Reijnders becomes one of the best midfielders in the world, but I sincerely believe he’s already on the right path. I really like his style of play.

“As time goes on, he’s becoming increasingly important for Milan. He can cover all roles in the midfield and shows his generosity: he never holds back from a run for the team and always gives his best.

“With the quality he has, he’s excellent at creating dangerous chances for his teammates and setting up the play well.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Reconhecido como o maior evento da América Latina, o Brasil Expo Futebol começou nesta segunda-feira trazendo novos temas na indústria do futebol. Um deles foi o debate sobre as novas tecnologias em arenas esportivas, que contou com representantes de clubes considerados modelos nesta gestão, casos de Internacional, Athletico-PR, Atlético Mineiro, Cruzeiro e Sport Recife.

Victor Grunberg, vice-presidente de administração e patrimônio do clube, falou sobre a importância do evento.

– É muito importante para o Internacional estar aqui. O espaço proporciona uma troca de experiências com times de toda a América do Sul. Destaco a imersão e debate sobre assuntos que envolvem o meio do futebol. Tenho certeza de que a comitiva do clube levará referências para debatermos em reuniões internas – disse o dirigente.

O dirigente colorado contou um pouco sobre os serviços oferecidos no Beira Rio e como isso tem contribuído para a gestão interna.

– Apresentamos toda a parte de operação, tecnologia e segurança do Beira-Rio, que já é referência para vários clubes brasileiros. Além disso, mostramos que será implementada nos próximos meses as novas estruturas que o Internacional investiu. Isso tudo colocando nossos esforços para melhorar a operação para nossos sócios, torcedores e clientes, trazendo tranquilidade e segurança para os operadores do estádio – declarou.

RelacionadasAmérica MineiroAmérica-MG: pelo segundo ano seguido, sonho da Libertadores é mais real que risco de rebaixamentoAmérica Mineiro05/09/2022BotafogoBotafogo x América-MG: 7 mil ingressos são adquiridos nas primeiras horas de vendaBotafogo05/09/2022Fora de CampoGlobo provoca SBT em anúncio de retorno da Libertadores à emissoraFora de Campo05/09/2022

حسم فريق باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي، تأهله لنهائي بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2025، المقامة بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

والتقى باريس سان جيرمان وريال مدريد مساء الأربعاء في نصف نهائي بطولة كأس العالم للأندية على ملعب “ميتلايف”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ديمبلي يحقق رقمًا مميزًا بعد هدفه في مباراة باريس سان جيرمان وريال مدريد

وتمكن باريس سان جيرمان من تحقيق الفوز على ريال مدريد بأربعة أهداف دون رد ليقطع تذكرة التأهل للنهائي.

وسيلتقي باريس سان جيرمان مع تشيلسي الإنجليزي، في نهائي كأس العالم للأندية 2025.

وكان تشيلسي قد حقق الفوز على فلومينينسي البرازيلي مساء الثلاثاء بهدفين دون مقابل، في دور نصف النهائي ليتأهل للمباراة النهائية. موعد مباراة باريس سان جيرمان وتشيلسي في نهائي مونديال الأندية

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، يوم الأحد المقبل الموافق 13 يوليو الجاري.

وكان باريس سان جيرمان تغلب على أتلتيكو مدريد برباعية نظيفة في بداية مشواره، ثم تعرض لهزيمة بهدف دون رد أمام بوتافوجو، وفاز على سياتل ساوندرز بهدفين دون رد في دور المجموعات.

وفي دور الـ16 حقق باريس الفوز برباعية نظيفة على إنتر ميامي الأمريكي، وتغلب بربع النهائي على بايرن ميونخ بهدفين دون رد.

أما تشيلسي فتغلب على لوس أنلجوس الأمريكي بهدفين دون رد، ثم تلقى هزيمة من فلامينجو البرازيلي بثلاثية لهدف، وعقب ذلك هزم الترجي التونسي بثلاثية نظيفة.

وفي دور الـ16 تواجه تشيلسي وبنفيكا البرتغالي، وفاز الفريق الإنجليزي برباعية لهدف، وفي ربع النهائي تمكن تشيلسي من تحقيق الفوز على حساب بالميراس البرازيلي بهدفين دون رد.

Chelsea haven’t been in the same high-flying form they started this Premier League campaign with, losing four of their last eight games in all competitions, including a 1-0 loss against Arsenal, a 2-1 loss against Aston Villa and back-to-back losses against Brighton.

However, despite their poor run of form, Enzo Maresca’s side still find themselves fourth in the Premier League table with nine games left to play as they enter the final stretch for UEFA Champions League qualification.

Chelsea are the Premier League’s joint-fourth top scorers, netting 53 times in 29 games so far, but whilst their defensive numbers have improved this season, Maresca will still be keen to refine this area of the pitch next season, looking to add personnel that fits his tactical ideas both on and off the ball.

Chelsea want to sign Premier League defender

Having kept a clean sheet in three of their last six games in all competitions, signing a new defender may not top Maresca’s bucket list this summer but they are on the lookout for a new centre-back, nonetheless.

Transfer Focus

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

The Blues have been linked with a move to bring Marc Guehi back to Stamford Bridge from Crystal Palace but he’s not the only Premier League star on the club’s radar.

Indeed, according to reports from Spain, via SportWitness, Chelsea are in the race for Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen, and will challenge the likes of Real Madrid for the 19-year-old defender’s signature in the summer transfer window.

The report mentions that Maresca will be a key figure in this deal, with the Italian reportedly being in “direct contact” with the defender’s entourage for “years” after playing for Malaga in Spain, the same academy Huijsen was with from 2015-2021.

Fabrizio Romano has also revealed that the Spanish defender has a £50m release clause, which will become active in the summer, valid for all clubs with no limitations around the deal. Romano also stated, ‘movements around the defender have already started.’

How Dean Huijsen compares to Fofana & Colwill

Bournemouth made the signing of Huijsen for a fee of around just £12.6m, with add-ons potentially taking the deal to a total of £15.2m.

That has proven to be a bargain with the 19-year-old making 27 appearances for the Cherries this season, scoring twice and contributing to six clean sheets in his 2,093 minutes played.

The number of minutes he’s played is particularly important here. That’s because no other teenager in the top-flight this term has played more often than him.

So, what could he offer to Maresca’s set-up and how would he improve the make-up of this Chelsea backline?

Well, when comparing Huijsen to both Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana, you can see the Bournemouth defender is a combination of the two.

Huijsen vs Wesley Fofana & Colwill in 24/25
Stats (per 90 mins)	Huijsen	Fofana	Colwill
Goals + Assists	0.12	0.00	0.07
Progressive Carries	1.38	1.46	0.37
Progressive Passes	4.20	2.46	4.04
Pass Completion %	83.5%	90.2%	89.6%
Passes into Final Third	5.80	4.15	4.70
Tackles	1.49	1.00	1.26
Blocks	1.70	1.08	1.07
Interceptions	1.92	1.08	1.04
Aerial Duels Won	2.55	2.08	2.52
Stats taken from FBref

Indeed, Huijsen provides the aggressive duel qualities to win aerial and ground battles, make tackles and blocks, but also has the on-ball silk to pick passes, making 5.80 passes into the final third per 90 minutes.

Notable scout Jacek Kulig has labeled the 19-year-old as a “phenomenal” young centre-back who has “maturity far beyond his years” and it is clear to see why he has such a long list of suitors with these qualities.

The Spain international has the ability to partner either one of Colwill or Fofana next season, possessing both the on-ball qualities needed in Maresca’s back line – usually acquired by Colwill’s inclusion – and also having the defensive capability to step up, defend high and win his duels.

Having these three as centre-back options next season could give Chelsea and Maresca a much better chance of taking that next step and eventually challenging for a title.

Maresca can forget Neto & Nkunku by starting Chelsea "genius" in new role

Enzo Maresca could have a solution to his current Chelsea centre-forward issue.

By
Ethan Lamb

Mar 27, 2025

New Zealand suffer their first loss in 39 outings against non-Test-playing nations across formats

Ashish Pant19-Aug-2023

Aayan Afzal Khan is all smiles after picking up career-best figures•Emirates Cricket Board

A first T20I win in Dubai in their eighth attempt. A first win in any format over New Zealand in their third attempt. It was a day of historic firsts for UAE as they put on a stellar show to ease past New Zealand in the second T20I by seven wickets and level the three-match series 1-1. For New Zealand, it was their first loss in 39 matches against non-Test-playing nations across formats.The win was set up by 17-year-old left-arm spinner Aayan Afzal Khan, who returned career-best figures of 3 for 20 to help UAE restrict New Zealand to 142 for 8. That the visitors reached there was down to Mark Chapman’s 46-ball 63 as only two other New Zealand batters got into the double-digits.Muhammad Waseem then made sure UAE did not repeat the mistakes from the first T20I as he got the side off to a flyer, smoking a 29-ball 55. Asif Khan and Basil Hameed then kept their head to take UAE over the line with 26 balls to spare.Aayan’s best leaves New Zealand in troubleThe second T20I was being played on the same surface as the first, which meant spinners were expected to make their presence felt. And sure enough, Waseem got Aayan into the game in the second over itself. He was pumped for a six by Seifert but returned strongly to claim back-to-back wickets. He first cleaned up Mitchell Santner, whose promotion to No. 3 didn’t quite go as per the plan. The very next ball, he sent back Dane Cleaver with a straighter one that kept low.Aayan then brought his guile into play to account for Chad Bowes for a run-a-ball 21. With Bowes shaping up for a reverse sweep early, the spinner slowed it down and bowled outside off. The batter failed to connect, lost his balance and was stumped. That left New Zealand stumbling at 38 for 4 in the seventh over.Mark Chapman raises his bat after a counter-punching fifty•Emirates Cricket Board

Chapman brings out his subcontinent experienceChapman began his career playing for Hong Kong and has been brought up on a diet of white-ball cricket, playing spinners in subcontinent conditions. On a surface where the rest of the New Zealand batters struggled to get going, Chapman immediately found himself at home. He played a lot of his shots off the front foot than back, reaching to the pitch of the ball and accounting for the turn, something which the others failed to do.He was watchful at the start, dealing in singles before targeting newbie Mohammed Faraazuddin, smacking him for two fours and a six across two overs. With momentum on his side, Chapman opened his shoulders a bit more. He pumped Zahoor Khan for back-to-back sixes to bring up his sixth T20I fifty before eventually falling in the final over.Waseem props up UAE’s chase amid reprievesNew Zealand started their defence of 142 in a stunning fashion with James Neesham pulling off a screamer flinging himself to his right at first slip to remove Aryansh Sharma for a third-ball duck. The wicket also took Tim Southee level with Shakib Al Hasan for the most wickets in T20Is. However, Waseem, who fell for a first-ball duck in the opening T20I, ensured his team was ahead of the asking rate at most times.Waseem Khan guided UAE to a historic win•Emirates Cricket Board

He got a reprieve on 5 and then again on 41, and made New Zealand pay. He first added 40 off 32 balls with Vriitya Aravind and then 56 off 31 with Asif. It was never blind slogging by Waseem. He targeted specific bowlers and struck four fours and three sixes during his innings. By the time he fell, UAE needed just 47 from nine overs.Asif, Hameed shut out the noiseThe difference between the first and second T20I was the composure with which the UAE batters went about their job. There were no panic stations when Waseem fell. Hameed came in and made sure to rotate the strike at every chance, while Asif also curbed his aggressive style of play to take UAE closer. Only when the required runs were in the 20s did Asif go about his shot-making.He first clubbed Neesham for two fours in the 15th over before hacking Southee over long-on for a six. Fittingly, it was Asif who finished the game with two successive fours, leading to celebrations in the UAE camp.

Andre Onana is reportedly a target for AS Monaco, but the Manchester United shot-stopper wants to stay at Old Trafford.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Onana wants to fight for his place
• Amid interest from Pogba-linked Monaco
• Goalkeeper has come under criticism

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , Onana has been approached by the Ligue 1 side after interest was previously reported. He knocked back an advance, though communication between the French club and Onana's representatives is expected to continue. The 29-year-old has come under scrutiny throughout his two seasons in Manchester, but is expected to fight on in an attempt to keep the trust of Ruben Amorim. If he were to move to Monaco, he may get the chance to play alongside former United midfielder Paul Pogba, who has also been linked with a move.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Onana's time as United's number one looked to have come to an untimely end when he was dropped by Amorim in April, after the Cameroon international was at fault for both of Lyon's goals in a 2-2 draw in their Europa League quarter-final first leg. But second-choice Altay Bayindir failed to impress the following weekend and so Onana was given another chance, which he took to remain in the side. Following his move from Inter in 2023, though, United fans have not always been impressed with his consistency and have at times heaped criticism on the former Ajax man. When recently asked while on holiday if he may leave the club, Onana admitted he "did not know".

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Onana is the fourth-most expensive goalkeeper of all time, just behind superstar names such as Gianluigi Buffon, Alisson Becker, and… Kepa Arrizabalaga. If United were to sell, he could cost potential suitors £40 million ($54m).

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR ONANA?

  Onana will hope to get the chance to stay at Old Trafford, and must find more consistency in his game next campaign if he is to avoid similar rumours next summer. If the Cameroon international were to depart this window, United may target Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez as a replacement.

With at least ten games to go this season, potentially more, there’s still plenty for Rangers to play for.

Prior to the international break, supporters certainly had a good week, didn’t they?

First, the Gers dumped out Fenerbahçe on penalties in the Europa League round of 16, before goals from Nicolas Raskin, Mohamed Diomandé and then Hamza Igamane, the latter coming right at the death, saw them beat fierce rivals Celtic 3-2 in an Old Firm derby at Parkhead.

Despite this victory, the 13-point gap at the top of the Premiership means Rangers are not going to reclaim the title, but they still have European aspirations, and their interim manager will be looking to stake a claim to land the job more permanently.

How Barry Ferguson could become Rangers' permanent manager

Last month, following a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of St Mirren, Philippe Clement was sacked as Rangers manager after 86 matches in charge.

The following day, club-legend Barry Ferguson, who made 412 appearances for Rangers as a player, was appointed interim head coach until the end of the season, assisted by fellow ex-players Neil McCann, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor.

As noted by Graham Ruthven of Total Soccer Show, many questioned this appointment, considering Ferguson’s, at best, mixed managerial career so far, having previously been in charge of Blackpool, Clyde, Kelty Hearts and Alloa Athletic, winning only nine of 33 matches during an ill-fated spell with the Wasps.

Nevertheless, so far, the rookie manager has exceeded all expectations, notably becoming the first Rangers boss to win their first Glasgow derby at Celtic Park since the legendary Walter Smith back in 1991.

He has also guided them through to the Europa League quarter-finals, thanks largely to a famous 3-1 victory in İstanbul, now set to take on Athletic Club Bilbao for a place in the semis next month.

These victories have led to speculation that Ferguson could land the job permanently, with Paul Gascoigne believing this should be the case, stating “he is Rangers through and through… he’s got the potential to be a great manager”.

However, with Paraag Marathe, President of 49ers Enterprises, poised to complete a takeover of Rangers before the summer, Harry Brent of the Daily Record reports the new owners ‘are expected to look elsewhere’, so could their dream candidate currently be shinning in France?

Rangers' dream new manager

Recent claims have suggested that Liam Rosenior could be one of the leading candidates in the frame to be the next Rangers manager.

The 40-year-old Englishman was appointed as manager of Ligue 1 side Strasbourg last summer, a decision that ‘divided the fanbase’, but he is now earning rave reviews for his performance in France’s Alsace region.

Les Bleu et Blanc, who are owned by Chelsea majority shareholder Todd Boehly, are currently seventh in Ligue 1, thereby on course for European qualification, having only featured in UEFA competition once since 2005/06.

Jack Roberts of Breaking the Lines praises Rosenior’s ‘exceptional ability to work with young players’, while he said himself he wants to “dominate possession, press the ball and be intense in the way we play”.

Meantime, when he was appointed by previous club Hull City, former Crystal Palace and Republic of Ireland striker Clinton Morrison, speaking on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday, described Rosenior as “a top manager”, adding he could well be “one of the best coaches ever”.

Rangers supporter Findlay Marks of the Scottish Football Show expects the new owners will want to make a ‘statement appointment’, doubtful Ferguson fits that brief, but does Rosenior?

Let’s examine his managerial career so far.

Liam Rosenior’s managerial career in numbers
Clubs	Dates	Matches	Win %
Derby County	July-Sep ’22	12	58.33%
Hull City	Nov ’22-May ’24	78	34.62%
RC Strasbourg	July ’24- present	29	44.83%
All statistics and information courtesy of Transfermarkt

As the table underlines, Rosenior may not yet be the big-name appointment the 49ers are looking for but, as noted by Senior Editor Aidan McCartney, he is ‘one of the best young managers’ in Europe right now.

Thus, this would certainly be a shrewd hire, representing a clear upgrade on Ferguson.

49ers now want to use Red Bull links to hire shock UCL manager for Rangers

They’re not messing around…

By
Tom Cunningham

Mar 28, 2025

Chelsea are beginning to lay groundwork over signing a “dream” target for manager Enzo Maresca, with new contact made ahead of the summer window.

Chelsea making transfer plans ahead of Club World Cup

This summer, the Premier League has announced that there will be two separate transfer windows.

Chelsea could offer Chalobah or Mudryk in part-exchange bid for £50m defender

The west Londoners are prepared to make an offer.

ByEmilio Galantini Mar 28, 2025

To allow both Chelsea and Man City to sign players before the Club World Cup, the first of these transfer windows will open from June 1st and will remain active until June 10th, with Maresca’s side expected to bring in fresh faces during that time.

Tottenham (home)

April 3rd

Brentford (away)

April 6th

Ipswich Town (home)

April 13th

Fulham (away)

April 20th

Everton (home)

April 26th

Journalist Simon Phillips previously reported that Chelsea have actively worked on a deal for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, who they could hope to sign before the CWC takes place, but the Englishman isn’t their only forward target in that regard.

The Blues are also rumoured to be after a new winger, and their supposed “dream” target is Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams.

The Spain international, who racked up 19 assists in all competitions at Bilbao last season, also played a major role in his country’s Euro 2024 triumph, and he currently stands out as one of Europe’s most exciting young stars.

Williams’ contract contains a £49 million release clause, meaning he is very much obtainable. However, the player is on good wages at Bilbao, rumoured to be around £200,000 per week, and the main obstacle will lie in convincing the player.

“Nico Williams is the dream wing target for top clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, Bayern and let’s see what happens with Barcelona,” said Fabrizio Romano to GiveMeSport recently.

“More than 1 year ago, Chelsea wanted Nico Williams. For sure, they will add one more winger in the summer window. You have to convince Nico, that’s the main factor for these clubs.”

Chelsea make "fresh contact" to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea haven’t given up hope of landing the 22-year-old, and it is believed they’ve made an approach ahead of the first transfer window in early June.

Chelsea have apparently held “fresh contact” over signing Williams, and are considering a “blockbuster” move for the highly-rated gem, even if they face stiff competition from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham.

Their race for Champions League qualification will be crucial in the race for Williams, as the forward has set his sights on playing in Europe’s biggest competitions. He is considered a top target on their agenda, as Romano previously reported, but there is still work to do for them to convince him to swap Bilbao for England.

This season, Williams boasts nine goals and seven assists from 37 appearances in all competitions, as well as being one of La Liga’s most lethal dribblers when it comes to successful take-ons per 90 (WhoScored).

He’d be a truly excellent replacement for Mykhailo Mudryk, who’s serving a ban due to his failed drugs test, or Noni Madueke, who’s attracting interest from Aston Villa.