Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili, with the Valencia goalkeeper arriving in 2025.
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Glasgow Rangers have won every single match they have played in so far during 2024, scoring 24 goals and conceding just four times in all competitions as they look to add to their League Cup triumph in December.
There will no doubt be a bump in the road along the way, but Philippe Clement has totally rejuvenated the Light Blues from a side who were trailing Celtic by eight points after seven matches in the Premiership to a club who hold the momentum in the title race.
Much of the Gers early season woes were due to the performances of some of his summer signings. Cyriel Dessers looked dismal in front of goal, while fellow striker Danilo was barely given a chance under Michael Beale.
Dessers has since netted 14 goals and grabbed seven assists, despite his performances remaining inconsistent, while the Brazilian has been struck down with a couple of injuries, indicating his lack of progress.
The duo still have a chance of enjoying some success between now and May, whereas Beale’s other attacking signing from last summer, Sam Lammers, proved to be one of the poorest additions to the squad in numerous years.
After ending the 2022/23 season trophyless, Beale splurged money on various summer signings which he hoped would end Celtic’s recent hegemony of the Scottish game.
Indeed, Dessers and Danilo were brought in from Cremonese and Feyenoord, while Lammers was one of his earliest signings, costing around £3m from Italian side Atalanta.
With the Gers losing the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent and Antonio Colak during the off-season, Beale needed to add some extra firepower to the squad, yet Lammers looked like a strange signing.
The forward had scored a grand total of four games throughout the previous two full seasons, yet he failed to deliver and netted just twice in 31 matches for the club.
Towards the end of the year, his former PSV Eindhoven youth coach Kevin Hofland did praise the forward despite his recent struggles, while comparisons to a former Dutch icon were also prevalent during his earlier career.
"I worked with Sam all three seasons he was with PSV,” said Hofland. “He scored a lot of goals, he could score easily, with both feet and his head.
"In terms of technical ability I never saw anyone like him. There was no one at PSV who had any doubts that he would have a professional career. In the Netherlands, newspapers compared him to Ruud van Nistelrooy. But at the club we didn't put him under that pressure.”
His spell at Eredivisie side Heerenveen – coincidently where Van Nistelrooy played during the early stages of his career – saw him perhaps channel the qualities which made the former Manchester United striker such a force of nature, as he scored 19 goals in 35 matches across all competitions.
Since leaving Heerenveen, however, Lammers has failed to enjoy these sorts of goal returns and, despite Beale playing the Dutchman slightly deeper in an attacking midfield role, the consensus was that he could be an ideal signing.
Just six months later, he secured a loan move to FC Utrecht amid a terrible opening half to the season for the Glasgow side.
If scoring just two goals in 17 matches wasn’t good enough for the club, his constant anonymous displays began to cost the club points, especially under Beale.
He started just ten Premiership matches and, among his teammates, the former Atalanta player ranked seventh for goals and assists (three) in the top flight, while also ranking fourth for shots on target per game (0.9), 17th for big chances created (one) and 26th for key passes per game (0.3), proving that he was not only wasteful with his shots, but also failed to create anywhere near the volume of chances his transfer fee indicated.
Whole matches largely passed him by and under Clement, Lammers managed to score just one goal and grab one assist, while starting a grand total of eight matches, yet this was arguably due to the Belgian manager dealing with an injury crisis in his midfield.
After signing Fabio Silva on loan, Lammers was soon sent back to his homeland on a temporary deal until the end of the season, and he has already registered more goal contributions in just six games for his new club, as he did in 31 for Rangers.
Indeed, the 26-year-old has scored once and chipped in with three assists, including setting up a goal against league leaders PSV.
Lammers has already created five big chances, averaged two key passes per game and taken more shots on target per game (1.3) than he did during the first half of the season at the Light Blues and perhaps playing at this level suits him better.
Despite this improved level of performance, Clement looks like he is already working on a summer exit for the player.
He could well be in line for a move to fellow Eredivisie club FC Twente following his displays since moving back to his homeland next month and a fee of £2.5m is being touted for his potential exit.
This would see the Light Blues recoup nearly all the £3m fee they shelled out to sign him last year, and it could prove to be an excellent piece of transfer business.
|
Sam Lammers' domestic statistics this season |
FC Utrecht |
Rangers |
|---|---|---|
|
Goals |
1 |
2 |
|
Assists |
3 |
1 |
|
Key passes per game |
2 |
0.3 |
|
Big chances created |
5 |
1 |
|
Shots on target per game |
1.3 |
0.9 |
|
Via Sofascore |
||
There is no doubting that Lammers is a wonderful player, but playing in Scotland simply did not suit his style whatsoever.
He has clearly expressed his creative talents in the Dutch top flight and securing a fee for the forward could allow Clement to make a few signings of his own ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
First Impressions
What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.
From being compared to Van Nistelrooy to netting just twice for Rangers proves that the £18k-per-week Dutchman did not quite have the same impact as many predicted when he joined under Beale.
Hopefully Clement does not make the same mistakes as his predecessor did in the transfer window, but judging by his first three signings, the Ibrox side could look forward to an exciting summer.
Sam Harper’s half-century goes in vain as defending champions overcome Australia’s fight
Sreshth Shah in Potchefstroom28-Jan-2020In their chase of 234, Australia received a punch to the gut right at the start, when their in-form opener Jake Fraser-McGurk was run-out for a diamond duck. After that India’s right-arm quick Kartik Tyagi delivered three blows in his first two overs to put Australia down for the count which they couldn’t ever recover from, eventually losing to the defending champions by 74 runs at the first quarter-final in Potchefstroom. India’s win sets them up for a semi-final clash against the winners of the quarter-final between Afghanistan and Pakistan, while Australia can now, at best, finish fifth in the tournament.Tyagi, consistently clocking speeds in upwards of 135kph, was given the responsibility of beginning India’s defense. His first delivery was driven by Sam Fanning to mid-off, but he took off for a single while Fraser-McGurk was watching the ball and as a result was run-out without facing a ball. By the end of the over, Australia’s misery had compounded thrice over, with their captain Mackenzie Harvey lbw to a full delivery – although it pitched outside leg stump – and Lachlan Hearne bowled for a first-ball duck to Tyagi’s yorker.Tyagi’s second over was equally menacing albeit only half as rewarding, with the Australia batsmen playing and missing before No. 5 Oliver Davies edged a drive into the hands of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the slips. From 14 for 4, it was going to be a mammoth effort for Australia to win the game, especially after Tyagi struck again in his second spell, dismissing Patrick Rowe in the 21st over as his fourth scalp, to reduce the batting side to 68 for 5.But Australia were not willing to give up just yet. Fanning and No. 7 Liam Scott – who wasn’t in the XI but was batting as a concussion substitute following Corey Kelly’s injury while fielding – put on 81 for the sixth wicket. The partnership made India nervous, with India captain Priyam Garg shouting “body language, guys” to keep his team-mates zoned into the game. Fanning held up one end while Scott played more freely, but soon after the latter hit a six over midwicket, he was out caught-behind by legspinner Ravi Bishnoi in the 41st over. The score of 149 for 6, however, soon became 155 for 9 following a team hat-trick.Sam Fanning cuts•ICC via Getty
In the 42th over, Fanning was dismissed by an Akash Singh short ball for 75. The next ball Australia were eight down as Tanveer Sangha’s attempted jab-and-run didn’t pay off. Wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel picked the stray ball and aimed at the stumps with an underarm throw, effecting his fourth dismissal of the day, running Connor Sully out. Singh then cranked up the pace to No. 10 Todd Murphy to bowl him for a duck. It wasn’t long before Australia folded for 159, igniting celebrations from the handful of India fans who were present at the ground.In the first innings, India – asked to bat – had begun steadily but lost three wickets in the space of 21 runs to be reduced from 35 for 0 to 54 for 3 inside 16 overs. Seamers Kelly and Sully dismissed opener Divyaansh Saxena and Garg cheaply, while offspinner Murphy removed the No. 3 Tilak Verma.A brief recovery from India followed. Opener Jaiswal, scoring his third fifty in four World Cup games, combined in a 48-run fourth-wicket with Siddhesh Veer, but he was bowled by Sangha’s legspin just after the team crossed 100 in the 26th over. Murphy then deceived wicketkeeper-batsman Jurel with a loopy delivery that took his outside edge to take his second wicket, and when Veer’s attempted pull was top-edged to third man, India were at 144 for 6 with 12 overs to go.At that stage, it looked like India wouldn’t last the full 50 overs with Australia’s bowlers having exposed the lower order, but allrounder Atharva Ankolekar got together with Bishnoi to drag India past 200. Bishnoi, who made 30 in 31 balls, was eventually run-out in the 48th over with India searching for quick runs, but Ankolekar provided a flourishing finish for India, reaching his half-century with a six in the last over.Ankolekar and Bishnoi ran their twos hard and found the occasional boundaries. Their 61-run stand for the seventh wicket came in 59 deliveries and raised India’s run-rate significantly. In their last two overs, Ankolekar and the last two batsmen scored 24 runs and India finished on 233 for 9. India had wrested the momentum from Australia by the end of the innings and after Tyagi’s three wickets in the first two overs of the chase, they always remained ahead in the game.
Lionel Messi has been left out of Argentina's squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Chile.
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Chelsea are one of the most interesting teams in the Premier League at the moment, as their strategy is markedly different from that of their rivals in the traditional 'big six.'
The decision to spend enormous sums of money on highly-rated but relatively unproven youngsters is an incredibly high-risk move, and while it might still come good in the long term, it's not led to pleasant viewing for the fans this season.
The likes of Enzo Fernández, Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk and Moises Caicedo all arrived at the club with hefty price tags, and aside from Palmer, it would be hard to argue that any of them have lived up to their potential as of yet.
This situation is made all the more puzzling by the club's decision to sell so many of their talented youngsters in the past, such as Fikayo Tomori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Marc Guehi.
However, there is one player the club released as a youngster that currently stands out as the worst decision of them all, especially as he's outperforming Caicedo this season and is now worth more.
Unsurprisingly, the player in question is former West Ham United captain and current Arsenal star Declan Rice.
The England international started his footballing journey with the west Londoners as a young boy, but at age 14, he was surprised with the news that his services were no longer wanted by the Blues, which Rice described as "extremely tough" to deal with as a youngster.
However, he was soon a part of West Ham's academy, and after working his way through the youth sides, he made his Premier League debut at 18 years old on 21 May 2017, against Burnley.
Just over three years later, with Mark Noble injured, David Moyes gave Rice the captain's armband in a league game for the first time, and he would wear it in 21 games the following season.
The Kingston upon Thames-born "controller", as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, became the leading figure for the Irons as time went on, and by the time he finally left, he had made 245 appearances for the first team and helped them lift the Europa Conference League, leaving as a bonafide legend – even if some fans weren't best pleased with his choice of destination.
When a player moves for as much money as Rice did in the summer – £105m – there is always a chance that they'll fail to live up to the expectations placed upon them, or worse still, flop altogether.
However, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who would describe the 24-year-old's move to the Gunners as anything other than a success, as in his 33 appearances so far this season, he has been immense in his defensive duties, and he has chipped in with four goals and five assists to boot.
In comparison, Caicedo, who cost around £115m, has been anonymous in attack as he has failed to score a single goal and has provided just a single assist in his 30 appearances for the Blues.
However, with neither player being signed for their attacking output, how do their underlying numbers compare this season? Does the Ecuadorian international come out on top regarding passing or defending?
Well, unfortunately for Mauricio Pochettino, his record-breaking signing comes out on top in just one metric, passing accuracy, and even then, it's by just 0.9%, which is likely due to his tendency to make fewer passes per game.
|
Declan Rice vs Moises Caicedo |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats per 90 |
Rice |
Caicedo |
|
Progressive Passes |
8.91 |
5.16 |
|
Progressive Carries |
1.97 |
0.48 |
|
Passing Accuracy |
90.4% |
91.3% |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
2.36 |
1.89 |
|
Interceptions |
1.48 |
0.91 |
|
Tackles + Interceptions |
3.71 |
3.28 |
|
Clearances |
1.70 |
1.24 |
|
Miscontrols |
0.79 |
1.29 |
|
Dispossessed |
0.61 |
0.75 |
|
Aerial Duels Won |
1.14 |
1.08 |
|
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Premier League Season |
||
In contrast, Arsenal's "dominator", as Kulig described him, comes out on top in every other relevant metric, including progressive passes and carries, shot-creating actions, interceptions + tackles, clearances and aerial duels and he is less likely to miscontrol the ball or be dispossessed as well.
Rice's superior underlying numbers are also represented in his valuation, as CIES Football Observatory values the Englishman at €100m, or about £86m. In comparison, they value Caicedo at just €60m, which is about £51m – or about £64m less than what he cost the club.
Chelsea must regret selling £58m flop who's now outscoring Cole Palmer
The experienced forward has been on fire this season.
By
Jack Salveson Holmes
Feb 15, 2024
Ultimately, the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace may still come good for the Blues, but as things stand, it's hard to disagree with former Blues star Frank Lebouef, who described the club's decision to release the Englishman all those years ago as a "huge, huge mistake."
Barcelona may turn to Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman after being left frustrated in their pursuit of Nico Williams.
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Pakistan progressed at a run rate of 3.76 through the 90 overs they faced on Saturday, taking firm control of the Karachi Test
Andrew Fidel Fernando in Karachi21-Dec-2019Sri Lanka’s bowlers didn’t bowl tight enough. Aside from Lahiru Kumara, they also failed to build pressure and bowl in partnerships. This was the verdict of assistant coach Rumesh Ratnayake at stumps on the third day, in which Sri Lanka conceded 338 runs and claimed only two wickets.Pakistan progressed at a run rate of 3.76 through the 90 overs they faced on Saturday. In the morning session their run rate had been as high as 4.54. Ratnayake said that although his team expected the surface to become better for batting, they had hoped to keep the rate of scoring in better check.”Each session we had a target – we wanted to keep them to 70 to 80 runs,” he said. “But we couldn’t do that. Some of the plans were very simple – keeping it tight in line with the stumps. Also, keeping it on the right length. Those were not hard plans to adhere to. Some of the guys did it, but some didn’t. Those partnerships didn’t happen when bowling, which I felt was a big miss.”Lahiru Kumara celebrates a wicket•AFP
Kumara, the 22-year-old quick, was the only one to claim wickets on day three, bowling quicker than 145kph at times. In fact, for large portions of the day, no other bowler appeared capable of breaking through. He had also taken four wickets in the first innings, along with left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya, who went wicketless on Saturday.”Apart from Lahiru Kumara, no one else stuck to a plan well enough. They didn’t create those partnerships with him. Our target tomorrow would be to restrict them as much as possible. It’s up to the bowlers – not only Kumara and Embuldeniya – to come into the game and bowl tightly.”Ratnayake did state that the Karachi surface had become substantially flatter than it had been earlier. Both teams had extracted seam movement through the course of the first innings. But lateral movement was not seen on day three, nor was the bounce and carry that had contributed to the bowlers’ effectiveness on days one and two.”There might have been a little bit of moisture. But as time went by it started drying out and the heavy roller was used by Pakistan, because of which it became a placid wicket. Saying that there was a little bit of turn at the end of the day. The fourth day will be interesting.”
West Ham United are now thought to be eyeing a late January move for one club's £25 million player, alongside the heavily linked Al-Ittihaf forward Jota and FC Norsjaelland winger Ibrahim Osman.
Despite having been in talks over signing the latter player for quite a while, and soon after they put pen to paper on a loan deal for Man City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, so far a move to east London has failed to materialise for Osman.
West Ham eyeing late January move for "bargain" striker likened to Toney
He’s been labelled “similar” to the Brentford man.
By
Emilio Galantini
Jan 27, 2024
There are discrepancies over why that is, with some reliable sources suggesting that Nordsjaelland's demands are the issue (Fabrizio Romano). Others, like B.T football correspondent Farzam Abolhosseini, who actually broke West Ham's interest in Osman, are saying they issues surround his representation.
However, despite this roadblock in negotiations, it is believed a potential deal for the Ghanaian talent is still on. An Osman move to West Ham has stalled but not totally off, according to widespread reports, but it is also believed they're weighing up Jota as an alternative.
|
West Ham's rumoured winger targets for January |
Latest key update |
|---|---|
|
Jota |
28/01/2024 |
|
Ibrahim Osman |
29/01/2024 |
|
Steven Bergwijn |
27/01/2024 |
|
Jack Clarke |
29/01/2024 |
|
Valentin Carboni |
26/01/2024 |
The Portuguese has been heavily linked with a move to east London as he seeks an exit from Saudi Arabia, with Al-Ittihad not even registering him as a member of their domestic squad.
However, there are real tax issues which could make this agreement a difficult one, as Jota would stand to lose a major chunk of his salary if he were to make a Premier League switch. The complicated matter is explained best by West Ham Way writer Joe Davis on X.
In any case, both Jota and Osman remain firmly on David Moyes' radar as we fast approach January deadline day. Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, though, says another player is attracting late West Ham interest as well.
Indeed, Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah remains out of Mauricio Pochettino's plans, and this is said to have turned a few heads at the London Stadium.
Sheth, taking to X with a January update, says West Ham are eyeing a late move to sign Chalobah, coming after reports that they're willing to sign a centre-back if Nayef Aguerd seals a late transfer away.
The 24-year-old can play at centre-back, in the full-back areas and even in midfield – which would make him a useful asset for Moyes. Chalobah's reported price tag of around £25 million is also realistic from a West Ham perspective, with former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard calling him a "delight" behind-the-scenes.
Of course, the Englishman's injury problems will also be a concern for Moyes, so it will be interesting to see if they advance.
The opener was on 82 after the seventh over but faced only four more balls and finished unbeaten on 91
Barny Read18-Nov-20191:23
Not retaining Chris Lynn ‘a bad call’ by KKR – Yuvraj Singh
Chris Lynn came painfully close to becoming the first player to score an Abu Dhabi T10 century on Monday night, and said afterwards that there is ample opportunity to go nine runs better over the tournament’s remaining six days.The 29-year-old struck a blistering unbeaten 91 from a mere 30 balls, containing a total of nine fours and seven sixes, at a strike rate of 303.33 for Maratha Arabians. Lynn broke Alex Hales’ record of 87 not out in the ten-over tournament – also made while playing for the Arabians in 2018.He could have had the century had it not for being relatively starved of the strike towards the end of the Arabians innings. After smashing Harry Gurney for three fours and two sixes in the seventh over, Lynn was well placed with 82 from 26 balls.ALSO READ: Decoding T10 cricket with Amla, Sammy, Fleming and othersBut the opener faced only four of the last 18 balls of the innings because of a combination of Adam Lyth (30 off 18) demolishing Marchant de Lange in the eighth over and being unable to get Lynn back on strike quickly in the penultimate over.Lynn started the final over on 87 as the non-striker, unable to get down the other end until the final ball of the innings, which he hit for four.”Obviously when you get a bit closer, you want to get [to a hundred],” Lynn said. “But the guy at the other end [Lyth] was hitting boundaries as well. So to get 138 on that wicket was a really good job.”It would have been nice to get the first hundred of the T10 but that’s the way it goes and there are plenty more games in this tournament to try and get another opportunity to do that. We’ll just see what happens.”ALSO READ: How the toss is swaying fortunes in T10 cricketLynn’s team-mate Yuvraj Singh hailed the knock as outstanding. “It’s a sign of how the game has evolved that guys are getting close to scoring a hundred in a T10 game,” Yuvraj said. “It’s amazing how the game has changed over the years.”He [Lynn] is someone I have seen in the IPL. He has given some great starts to KKR [Kolkata Knight Riders]. I really don’t understand how they didn’t retain him. I think that’s a bad call, must send SRK (Shah Rukh Khan, the franchise owner) a message on that.”It has been a discussion often broached over the course of the T10 format’s emergence as to whether an individual century is possible, prompted by league owner Shaji ul Mulk offering up an apartment to the first centurion at the start of the inaugural season in 2017. Luke Ronchi top-scored with 70 that year, with the idea gaining real momentum in 2018.Chris Lynn came painfully close to becoming the first player to score an Abu Dhabi T10 century•Abu Dhabi T10
First, Sherfane Rutherford struck a hundred in a warm-up match that season before Mohammad Shahzad’s 74 not out from just 16 balls – an innings only brought to a premature end as the Rajputs chased down 95 in four overs – suggested it would be a matter of time before someone scored a T10 hundred.Hales, Jonny Bairstow (84*) and Rovman Powell (80*) went on to break the 80-run barrier in the second season as players inched closer to scoring a century.Will Jacks – a team-mate of Rutherford for Delhi Bulls this year – further greased the wheels by hitting a hundred in a ten-over contest for Surrey against their County Championship counterparts Lancashire at the ICC Academy in Dubai back in March. But the tournament’s move to Abu Dhabi seemed to imply that batsmen would struggle to get near that mark in 2019 due to slow, tacky pitches as well as the long square boundaries.Lynn, however, had other ideas, hitting relentlessly to all parts of the ground on a fresh pitch described as “amazing” by Abu Dhabi’s captain Moeen Ali and one that proved not to be as two-paced as the others used across the first three days.Lynn’s innings showed that as the tournament enters its second group stage, the race to become Abu Dhabi T10’s first centurion is well and truly back on.”We know there are players in the competition who can [hit a century],” Moeen, the man trying to counter Lynn’s onslaught, said. “I’m sure it’s going to happen very soon. There’s a great chance [of it happening] if somebody gets in.”
Rangers have enquired over the loan signing of a "special" attacking player in the January transfer window, according to an update from journalist Dean Jones.
Philippe Clement has another couple of weeks to conduct some important business in various areas of the pitch, assuming he wants to bring in new faces to aid his side's Scottish Premiership title push.
While left-back looks like a main area of focus, due to Ridvan Yilmaz and Borna Barisic's Rangers futures being in doubt, it looks as though attackers are also being targeted.
Leeds United youngster Joe Gelhardt is one player who has previously emerged as a possible option for the Gers, with the Englishman struggling for regular minutes this season, while Hearts star Lawrence Shankland has also been linked with a move to Ibrox.
Nottingham Forest attacker Emmanuel Dennis is another who has been backed to complete a move to Ibrox in the January window, but supporters seem to be more behind the idea of signing Shankland instead, perhaps due to his good form this season, as he leads the way in the scoring charts in the league.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones claimed that Rangers have enquired over the loan signing of Joe Gelhardt this month, but Celtic are also in the mix to snap him up.
"I guess it'd be a loan move. Gelhardt would be a nice profile player because he seems ready to perform on the right platform. He's got excellent traits that probably need a bit of development now. I'm not surprised that enquiries are being made on both fronts from Rangers or Celtic at this moment in time.
"For a player like Gelhardt, it's probably confidence-boosting to have those conversations happening around you right now. Whether they can come to fruition and turn into a transfer is different, but I don't think it's harming anybody to look at that situation."
Gelhardt appears to be an exciting talent that he could be a star at Rangers, potentially thriving with a new challenge and taking to the Scottish game like a duck to water. The 21-year-old has incredible natural talent, whether it be weaving past tackles or finishing in classy fashion, and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher once heaped praise on him after scoring a huge goal for Leeds against Norwich City, saying:
"He’s a special, special talent. He’ll be remembered now for this big goal, but I can assure you, he is a lad we will be talking about a lot in a few years’ time, he really is."
Leeds seemingly don't see Gelhardt as a key starter in the Championship promotion push this season, so a loan move to Rangers could make sense for all parties, although it looks as though Celtic will be providing strong competition.
Rangers now keen to sign in-demand forward for Philippe Clement
The Gers are still searching for attacking reinforcements…
By
Tom Cunningham
Jan 18, 2024
This is someone who once scored 18 goals in just 27 appearances in Premier League 2 at youth team level, an overall tally of 20 in 31 for the Whites' Under-21s, outlining the quality he could bring to Rangers in the second half of the season.