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Australia demolished New Zealand for the third match in a row to complete a 3-0 series sweep and a 5-0 home Test summer at an overcast SCG, also ensuring that every match – against New Zealand and also Pakistan earlier – finished inside four days.Set 416 for victory, New Zealand were in trouble quickly, losing Tom Blundell, Tom Latham, Jeet Raval and Glenn Phillips in quick succession on a wearing pitch. Nathan Lyon, alternating sharp spin and straighter deliveries with plenty of bounce, completed the job after tea with the help of some ordinary New Zealand batting and one stunning catch from James Pattinson, to claim ten wickets for the match.There was a sense of inevitability about the day, as the Australians benefited from a wide array of confident performers against a visiting side that has been battered on the field but also off it by illness and injury. It also served as a kind of greatest-hits package for the hosts, from David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne with the bat to Mitchell Starc, Lyon and Pat Cummins with the ball.Labuschagne finished the Test summer with no fewer than 896 runs from five matches, with Warner not too far behind him. Lyon, Starc and Cummins all enjoyed dominant displays with the ball, while other contributions from Pattinson, Joe Burns, Travis Head, Steven Smith and captain Tim Paine came whenever they were needed.Under overcast skies, the hosts piled up 132 runs before lunch, with Warner scooting from 23 overnight to a century shortly after lunch. His eight most recent Test innings at the SCG now read 101, 4, 122*, 113, 55, 56, 45 and 111*. Burns and Labuschagne provided ready support, although Warner and Labuschagne were somewhat contentiously penalised five runs for running on the pitch by umpire Aleem Dar late in Australia’s innings. Labuschagne’s dismissal brought Paine’s declaration.They were aided by a New Zealand side that seemed mainly to be waiting for the inevitable declaration and world record fourth-innings chase, although Todd Astle bowled nicely to deceive Burns, and should have dismissed Labuschagne caught and bowled for the second time in the match, only to drop a simpler chance than in the first innings.The Australians showed their intent to score very early on, as Warner worked the ball around and ran with intent in between regular boundaries, while Burns danced down the wicket to loft Will Somerville nonchalantly over the boundary in front of the SCG’s venerable Members Stand.Astle would have more success, beating Burns with a big legbreak from the last ball of his first over for the day and then pinning him lbw with a googly on the front foot with the first delivery of his second – albeit only after Latham’s review of Dar’s not-out verdict.David Warner celebrated his century with a trademark leap•Getty Images

Labuschagne was fortunate to survive the return catch he offered Astle soon after, but he was quickly into stride alongside Warner, as Australia pushed their lead close to 400 by the time of the interval. The rate lifted further on resumption, and Warner was soon toasting his 24th Test century.Labuschagne was warned and then penalised by Dar for running on what the umpire deemed to be the danger area of the pitch shortly afterwards, and the No. 3’s dismissal – with an eye-popping aggregate of 896 runs for the five-Test home season – signaled the end of the innings.Blundell, who has found the going harder after his Melbourne century, was out to a superb diving catch from Lyon at point after he had thrown everything at a wide ball from Starc. Latham was a victim of a somewhat aggressive lbw decision by umpire Marais Erasmus, the ball looking a fair chance of slipping past leg stump and only shown to be barely clipping it on ball-tracking. In this way, it was a near action replay of Kane Williamson’s end on the final day at the MCG.Raval was not convinced, either, that had edged a Lyon off-break through to Paine, though real-time snicko showed a spike to confirm Dar’s decision. Glenn Phillips reviewed when he also edged Lyon into Paine’s gloves, but was quickly on his way when HotSpot showed a clear mark on the bat.Cummins made only one mark on the day but it was, as ever, a major one, squaring up Ross Taylor for the second time in the match, shortly after the No. 4 had passed Stephen Fleming as New Zealand’s all-time highest Test run-maker. Where on day three Taylor had been lbw, here he lost off stump.Colin de Grandhomme and BJ Watling endured for a while, close enough to the scheduled close to suggest New Zealand might drag the contest to day five. However, de Grandhomme followed a sublime cover-driven six off Lyon to pass 50 with a ridiculous loft into a packed leg-side field for Burns to take the catch.From there, the end followed quickly, enough time for Pattinson’s stunner to dismiss Astle and then a trademark yorker from Starc to account for Somerville, leaving Lyon to claim the ninth and final wicket as an injured Matt Henry did not take the field. Australia had been dominant, and by margins that suggested they are almost certain to face India in the 2021 Test Championship final.

سخر مهاجم نادي القادسية السعودي، بيير إيمريك أوباميانج، من اختيارات المرشحين لجائزة أفضل لاعب في إفريقيا عن عام 2024 والتي أعلنها كاف يوم الخميس الماضي.

وشهدت قائمة المرشحين عدم تواجد محمد صلاح، أيوب الكعبي، فيكتور بونيفاس، إبراهيم دياز ومحمد قدوس وهو ما أثار سخرية أوباميانج أيضًا المستبعد.

اقرأ أيضًا | سلوت: ما فعلته في ليفربول أفاد محمد صلاح.. ويجب تقليد مانشستر سيتي

وانتقل أوباميانج في الميركاتو الصيفي الماضي من أولمبيك مارسيليا إلى القادسية السعودي ولكن يبدو أن الجابوني يرى أنه كان يستحق التواجد ضمن قائمة المرشحين.

ورد أوباميانج على تغريدة لحساب شبكة “Actu Foot Africque” على منصة “X” والتي كانت تتحدث عن المستبعدين من قائمة المرشحين للمنافسة على الجائزة التي سيقام حفلها في المغرب.

وكتب أوباميانج كرد على التغريدة: “هل نحن نلعب الإسكواش؟”، ساخرًا من الاختيارات المعلنة من قبل الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم “كاف”.

Peut-être on est des joueurs de squash🤔 — AUBA⚡️ (@Auba) October 24, 2024

قائمة المرشحين لجائزة أفضل لاعب في إفريقيا 2024

1- أمين غويري – ستاد رين – الجزائر

2- إدموند تابسوبا – باير ليفركوزن – بوركينا فاسو

3- سيمون أدينجرا – برايتون – كوت ديفوار

4- شانسيل مبيمبا – أولمبيك مارسيليا – الكونغو

5- شيرو جيوراسي – شتوتجارت وبوروسيا دورتموند – غينيا

6- أشرف حكيمي – باريس سان جيرمان – المغرب

7- سفيان رحيمي – العين الإماراتي – المغرب

8- إديمولا لوكمان – أتالانتا الإيطالي – نيجيريا

9- ويليام تروست إيكونج – الخلود السعودي – نيجيريا

10- رونوين ويليامز – صن داونز – جنوب إفريقيا

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah was being lined up as Egypt’s flag bearer at the Olympic Games opening ceremony, but will be denied that opportunity.

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Reds forward captains his countryWanted as overage player in U23 squadForms part of pre-season plans at AnfieldWHAT HAPPENED?

The 32-year-old forward is a talismanic presence for his country – on and off the football field. He captains the Pharaohs at senior international level and had been included in plans for Olympic events in 2021 and 2024.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Three players over the age of 23 can be selected in Olympic squads. Egypt hoped to have Salah in their plans for a trip to Tokyo, only to see Liverpool refuse to sanction said selection, and history has repeated itself three years on.

WHAT OLYMPIC CHIEF SAID

As a result, with Salah accepting that he will form part of pre-season at Anfield under new Reds boss Arne Slot, Egypt are having to draw up alternative plans when it comes to carrying their flag into Paris. Yasser Idris, head of Egypt's Olympic committee, has told : “The flag bearer shouldn't only be a football player, Salah is an exception due to his popularity in the country and worldwide and that's why we were planning for him to do the honours if he was present. Now it will be Sarah Samir (weightlifter) and Ahmed Gendi (modern pentathlon) because they both have won Olympic medals in the past.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Egypt have found it difficult to fill places in their squad, with their national league ongoing. Clubs are refusing to release stars as a result, with ex-Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny being called upon as one overage player in the absence of Liverpool superstar Salah.

Having set out upon a gruelling twin tour of the UK for the World Cup and the Ashes, he witnessed a pair of strong and successful campaigns without either fully satisfying

Daniel Brettig16-Sep-2019Australia’s coach Justin Langer wore a rueful look on his face as his players lifted the urn at The Oval, having lost to England by some distance in the final Test and so failed to win the series. Having set out upon a gruelling twin tour of the UK for the World Cup and the Ashes, he witnessed a pair of strong and successful campaigns without either fully satisfying.With the benefit of a few moments’ reflection, Langer reckoned that while there had been great improvement in the Australian team over his 16 months in charge so far, there would need to be a greater level of ruthlessness if they are to graduate from World Cup semi-finalists and Ashes retainers to consistent series and tournament winners.”It’s something we’re getting better at, how we back up after a win,” Langer said in reference to how the Edgbaston and Old Trafford victories had been followed by a draw at Lord’s and defeat at The Oval. “That probably comes with the maturity of the group as well. It’s ok to fight back when you are underdogs and it’s one of those Australian things – we love the underdog tag. To fight back from a tough loss is admirable and I said how proud I was with everyone for that.”But also over the last couple of years we haven’t necessarily performed at our best after a win. Really good teams do that. We didn’t do that too well after the first Test at Lord’s. We didn’t do it after this Test. There have been some Test series over the last couple of years where the team hasn’t been able to. I think that’ll be part of the maturity of our side. If you probably think about it, the way we were in this series, we aren’t a great team yet.”We are a good team, we are a maturing team. We have got some great players in it. But we’re aspiring to be a great cricket team. You got to work hard and get consistent results to achieve that. That comes from experience and learning how to win. That comes with players individually getting more experienced and the team working together. Those sort of things evolve I think. I think back to the start of my career, in 1993, we had some senior players but we didn’t necessarily win all the time. And that we learnt to do through Steve Waugh’s era. We learnt to be ruthless but we also had seven or eight great players and a number of very good players and a couple of good ones like me. But that takes time to develop and evolve.”Getty ImagesSomething that Langer will have to balance coming home from England will be how the Test team will have perhaps three spots settled in the batting line-up for the home summer, but also how to pick David Warner back up after he was thoroughly beaten by Stuart Broad across this series. Warner was not alone as a struggling left-hand batsman at the top of the order, but he is the one player in that group who possesses a career record suggesting that it was a temporary problem rather than a defining one.”I think, talking frankly, he let Stuart Broad get into his head and he thought way too much about it,” Langer said. “I’ve seen it before, even with the great players, every now and then they have a series – and I’m talking about the all-time great players – they have a series where…I remember Gilly (Adam Gilchrist) with Andrew Flintoff, I remember seeing Steve Waugh sit on the team bus in South Africa and the guy had been a run machine for so long, he got out just before stumps and I, in a sick sort of way, thought it was the best thing I’d ever seen.”I didn’t think great players had lean runs. I used to have lean runs all the time but even great players have lean runs and I’m sure David – we know he’s a very good player, there’s no question about that – but he had it tough, particularly against Stuart Broad. I used to have it against Murali (Muttiah Muralitharan) and I couldn’t solve the issue and it’s so hard when you try to problem solve and then you’re in the middle of a big series trying to solve the puzzle.”In this instance I don’t think David solved the puzzle, and he’ll be first to admit that, he’ll probably be very relieved he gets on the Qantas flight in a day’s time and doesn’t have to face Stuart Broad for a while I reckon. But he is certainly, there’s plenty of upside still to his batting. I’ve learned over a long period you never write off champion players, it doesn’t matter what sport, you never write off champion players. They tend to come good, don’t they? So he’s had a tough series, no doubt about that, but he’s also a champion player so usually with champion players they get a bit more time to come good.”Langer was gratified by the displays of Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, while also appreciating how Matthew Wade had battled his way through the trials of the series to notch a pair of book-ending centuries. “We cut to the chase, I thought our bowling throughout this series was absolutely world-class. I think we talked throughout about the maturity and healthy group of fast bowlers that we were able to have on the park,” he said. “The bowlers were brilliant. Nathan Lyon as well and the way they all stepped up at different times.Getty Images”But we didn’t bat well enough. I said this at the start of the series that the team that bats well will win the series. I said it consistently enough and we didn’t bat well enough. That’s the truth. I mean Steve Smith was obviously outstanding. What a pleasure to watch. He’s a brilliant young man but what a pleasure to watch him bat. I thought the development of Marnus was exciting. He worked so hard. He’s a bit in the Steve Smith mould of the players that you love to see do well. He worked so hard.”The way Matthew Wade scored two centuries in this series, obviously including today. We talked about him knocking so hard to get an opportunity. He did that and then to back up with two Test centuries in an Ashes series showed great fight and great skill. I loved Matthew Wade’s footwork. But we certainly fell short in other areas and we need to work on that.”In addition to ruthlessness, Langer had a simple goal based on what he had seen in England in 2019 – find a batting line-up that will better capitalise on the current riches in Australia’s bowling stocks. “With this exciting fast bowling group we’ve got, if we start batting well we’ll win a lot of games of cricket,” he said. “We go to Australia to play two pink ball Test matches, against two good sides in Pakistan and New Zealand, two day-night Test matches will be exciting.”There’s a real challenge for young Australian batters, the ones who want to step up and score lots of runs and work hard on their footwork patterns and techniques and ability to score runs it’s a pretty exciting time. That’s a big challenge.”

Josh Hazlewood has declared that Aaron Finch’s recent struggles to convert an aggressive ODI game into Test match runs should raise questions about how well Jason Roy might be able to adapt to a similar role change at the top of the order for England during the Ashes series starting this week in Birmingham.Having dominated as an opener in England’s World Cup-winning campaign, Roy was parachuted into Joe Root’s Test squad for the Ashes, and made 72 in the second innings on debut against Ireland at Lord’s. England selector Ed Smith has called Roy a more complete player than ever, but Hazlewood had little hesitation wondering aloud whether Roy, who is a middle-order batsman for Surrey when he turns out for his county side, was capable of doing the job in Tests.”We’ll see how Roy goes in Test cricket. He’s has only played one Test match and it’s a lot different opening the batting in a Test than a one-day game, that’s for sure,” Hazlewood said. “In England, opening is probably the toughest place to bat, which probably made Alastair Cook’s record all the better. To play attacking cricket in those conditions is tough.”Aaron Finch found it tough last summer against a quality India attack on wickets that didn’t do too much, to be honest. I think he found it a big step up, to be honest. He found the ball swung and seamed around and the wickets were a lot different to a one-day wicket. He’d played a lot of his four-day cricket at five or six and I think Roy is the same at Surrey. It’s hard to bat five at a level below and then open in Test cricket. We’ll see.”Finch’s experience, after a promising start against Pakistan in the UAE, was to be worn down by the diligence and skill of Jasprit Bumrah. Hazlewood was conscious too that the Australians had the opportunity to make early inroads at Edgbaston to build mental hurdles for the hosts that only compound over five matches, much as Moeen Ali was cornered by Nathan Lyon across the 2017-18 series down under.”Absolutely, we’ve had some [experience] I guess, with Nathan Lyon with Moeen in Australia,” Hazlewood said. “If you can really build the pressure on one guy and get him early in the first Test especially, you can sort of create that doubt in that mind and get the upper hand and just keep driving that in as the series goes on. This is the only team we play in a five-Test series so it’s a little bit different than others, but definitely that’s key.”Their top order is under a little bit of pressure probably, with just the fact they haven’t played that much Test cricket. The more we can put them under pressure early and get stuck into that middle order when the ball is nice and hard and new, that’s great.”Josh Hazlewood in his delivery stride•Getty Images

David Saker, the former bowling coach of both Australia and England, noted this week that while he loved working with Hazlewood, it was true that the New South Welshman can tend to pitch too short. The Australians have been thinking for some months, dating back to the time before Saker resigned in late January, that a balance between hitting the stumps and not floating up the swinging ball too gently would be critical to an Ashes win.”I’ve spoken a lot to Sakes over the last few years about bowling in England,” Hazlewood said. “I think the main thing is I think English batsmen play swing bowling really well, they’re used to it. They play it all the time. So he really focused on more the seam aspect and bowling a scrambled seam or whatever it is, how you’re going to get the ball to move off the wicket.”The length is key with that. I think I tended to bowl a bit full last time. Seeing it swing you get quite greedy and might go a touch full and get driven. We’ve spoken a lot about it on the Australia A tour, James Pattinson especially. Just hitting that right length. He said the same thing, he thinks seam is the way to go. It’s great if you can do both and I feel pretty comfortable with where I am at now.”As for how Hazlewood sees his own role, he admitted that a series in which he played three or four Tests would be reasonable, in acknowledgement that a deep and adaptable Australian bowling group could be quite effectively rotated over the course of five tightly packed matches. “I think it would be a very good effort to play all five, especially with my last two years, I’ve missed a few Tests with injury,” he said. “I’d be really happy with four, three or four even. It’s such a tight schedule.”Five would be great if we got away with a couple of cheap innings, bowling 30 (overs) for the Test or something like that, it’d be great. We’ll play it by ear and see how we go. I guess, just with how tight the scheduling is, it’s probably the tightest we’ve seen the five-Test series and a couple of tour games thrown in there as well … I think the guys are happy to play it by ear a little bit, obviously depending on how much we bowl per Test.”You can’t look too far ahead I think. You can map certain things out if things happen but you’ve got to play it by ear I think with Test cricket. You might get away with a Test with 30 overs under your belt which is fine. It’s when it goes up to 45 to 50 that you start to reassess things and look at different options. There’s six quicks here, which is great, so more than happy to rotate or conditions based picking those bowlers, we’ll see how we go.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers have spent around £230m over the last two seasons, with Matheus Cunha being their record signing for a fee of around £43m.

Despite spending rather freely, they rarely miss on a purchase, which makes the club run smoothly.

Matheus Nunes was the latest player to leave for a large fee of £53m, but who could be the next player that Gary O'Neil's side could profit from?

Pedro Neto's start to life at Wolves

Pedro Neto has been at Wolves since the summer of 2019, after he moved to the club for a reported fee of £18m from Italian outfit Lazio, just a month after moving to the club on a permanent deal from Braga.

The 23-year-old's first season in England saw him play 29 Premier League games, often being subbed on around the hour mark when the side needed an injection of creativity and pace. Nonetheless, the winger did end up starting nine matches over the campaign, scoring three goals and providing three assists in the process.

Development and progression continued to occur, with the Portuguese attacker becoming a key player in the following season. The left-footed star started 30 matches in the league, improving his output with five goals and six assists.

However, Neto's next two seasons were a disaster, with a horrific injury making him miss 297 days and 57 matches during the 2021/22 season. After recovering from that knee injury, the following campaign also saw the former Lazio ace pick up an ankle injury in October, which made him unavailable for 27 matches.

Pedro Neto's current value

Unfortunately, Neto also picked up an injury this season in October, but he was only sidelined for nine games.

Prior to the hamstring issue, the Wolves dynamo was on fire, really living up to the status of an "elite talent," as per Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig.

In ten Premier League games, the winger had registered seven assists, a league-high at the time, and scored once. Luckily, the 23-year-old recovered fully quickly, and he has picked up from exactly where he left off, picking up two assists and two goals in just four starts, including a goal contribution in his last three games.

September 2019

£6m

December 2020

£23m

December 2021

£30m

September 2022

£32m

December 2023

£36m

.

These performances have seen numerous Premier League clubs show interest in Neto, with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City favourites to secure his services, which will most likely be in the summer.

As can be seen above, his current market value as per Transfermarkt is £36m, but it is reported that the Wanderers value their 5 foot 8 gem as high as £70m, which would see them net a huge profit on his sale.

Wolves missed out on dream Cunha partner who could be the "next Mbappe"

Wolves missed out on signing a talented Frenchman during the January transfer window

ByRoss Kilvington Feb 8, 2024

It is clear that taking the risk to sign an inexperienced Neto was a masterstroke by Wolves nearly five years ago, and they certainly hit the jackpot with their dangerous forward, who has terrorised defenders all season.

With or without Andre Russell, West Indies seem a batsman short – and they’ll have to find a way to beat Bangladesh to keep their World Cup alive

Jarrod Kimber in Taunton16-Jun-20192:55

Ganga: WI need more specialist players in their side

The big three seem to have already pre-ordered their semi-final berths. And so many see the rest of the round robin as a chance for one more team to slip into fourth. Most believe New Zealand is the most obvious team for that. New Zealand have won three games, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, and their biggest challenge should’ve been India, but that game was abandoned because of rain. This means New Zealand are unbeaten after four games with seven points.West Indies have played four games, accruing three points, but they’ve played Australia and England, had a washout against South Africa, and destroyed Pakistan.Within the camp, West Indies are looking at their final five games as the easier part of the draw. While many may have written them off after a poor show against England, they still really believe they are a chance for that final semi-final spot.When asked about this, Jason Holder diplomatically said, “Interesting you said easy teams. I don’t feel any of the teams are easy, but we may – at this present time with five games left, I think the ball’s in our court, we’ve just got to be consistent. We’ve got to play some consistent cricket going into the back half of this tournament.”There is no doubt when you look at the fixtures for the two teams, New Zealand have had a dream run, and West Indies have been unlucky. They ended up playing England on the tournament’s biggest playing surface – helping their opposition. Then they lost the toss and batted first when it was the only time that bowlers would get any help. Against South Africa, they had them 29 for 2 when the rain came, and on South Africa’s recent form, you’d have expected them to struggle from there. And West Indies bounced out Australia’s top order, before allowing Steven Smith to put on a competitive total, and being Mitchell Starc-ed after a good start in their chase.Andre Russell has always had the heart – but does he have the knees?•Getty ImagesThat West Indies beat England twice at home, and competed with Australia so well in this tournament, it’s clear this is a quality team. But at the moment they find themselves four points behind New Zealand, and equal with their opponents for their next game, Bangladesh.With Bangladesh beating West Indies seven of the last nine meetings, it’s not an ideal must-win match. While it’s not uncommon for teams to have good records against the West Indies of recent times, this will give a confident Bangladesh more belief. They are also use to playing with them in the BPL, so they won’t be star struck by the bigger names, as they’ve been their team mates. Mashrafe Mortaza talked about the recent record of Bangladesh against West Indies, “So we take it positively that, as we said, the matchup, I think our bowling has been fantastic against them last two, three series we played against them. So I think we have to take this positive stuff and the ground and do our best.”

Taunton is a small town, you wonder if there is enough cotton wool to protect Russell’s glass knees. He didn’t train on Sunday, and he trained extensively before the England game – which he played in.

West Indies also have question marks over their most important player, Andre Russell.They still seem wedded to Russell, who they appear to believe is the key to them winning this tournament. But he’s not completed 10 overs in a match and has spent as much time limping from the field as bowling on it. Holder said, “We’re keeping him in cotton wool until tomorrow. I saw him yesterday. Saw him this morning as well, and he’s progressing quite nicely yes, you know. We’ll have a final answer with him tomorrow morning.”But Taunton is a small town, you wonder if there is enough cotton wool to protect Russell’s glass knees. He didn’t train on Sunday, and he trained extensively before the England game – which he played in.With or without Russell, West Indies seem one batsman short. And that means batsman, not hitter. Nicholas Pooran’s been excellent in this World Cup, but he has never made a professional hundred, and he’s batting at four. No other team in this tournament is taking such a risk in their top four. On a green-looking Taunton wicket, the lack of batting smarts that affected them at Southampton might come into play again. The first batsmen in the nets today was Darren Bravo. His experience and skill could be important for this game.And if they don’t beat Bangladesh, their hopes of a semi-final spot are virtually gone.

Rangers are believed to be showing an interest in signing a player dubbed a "human wrecking ball" this month, adding more firepower to their attack in the process.

Rangers transfer news

The Gers will surely want to conduct some important business during the January transfer window, as they can now strengthen their squad with players who Philippe Clement specifically wants to suit his style of play for the very first time.

It would be a surprise if nobody else came in after Fabio Silva, particularly because of the number of stories linking Rangers with reinforcements, with interest in Hearts star man Lawrence Shankland implying the Ibrox outfit would like more end product.

Liverpool youngster Owen Beck is also considered an option, with the left-back expected to head out on loan again after returning to Merseyside from a positive stint at Dundee earlier in the campaign. Nottingham Forest attacker Emmanuel Dennis is another player who has been thrown into the mix, with a move to Ibrox possible if he gets his wish.

Added firepower in the final third is so important in the Scottish Premiership title race, so bringing in someone who can make a difference in that area looks like a primary point of focus at Rangers this month.

Rangers interested in Joe Gelhardt

According to an update from The Daily Mail, Rangers are keen on signing Joe Gelhardt from Leeds United, but they aren't the only Scottish club showing an interest.

"Leeds striker Joe Gelhardt, meanwhile, has been attracting interest from Celtic and Rangers."

Gelhardt is exactly what Rangers should be looking for in the January window, with the young striker someone who has been highly-rated for some time now. Granted, the 21-year-old has struggled for regular playing time at Leeds so far this season, making only six appearances in the Championship, but Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has lauded him in the past, saying:

"He’s like a human wrecking ball. I like him; he’s really exciting. He’s fast; he’s aggressive; he gets on the ball, he takes people on. Once he gets into the box, he loves it; that’s where he can do most of his damage."

Although at his best as an out and out striker, the Leeds youngster is more of a playmaker up front than a prolific number nine, producing some stunning assists during his time in Yorkshire and being praised as a creative focal point by coaches at the club.

Indeed, Gelhardt has already registered 10 goal involvements (three goals and seven assists) in 49 appearances for Leeds, while at Under-21 level for the Whites, he netted an incredible 20 times in just 31 matches, adding another six assists to his name.

England Under-20s

1

2

England Under-18s

6

3

England Under-17s

13

6

England Under-16s

5

2

England Under-15s

4

2

The Englishman could feel that January is a good time to enjoy a fresh challenge, given his lack of minutes at Elland Road, and he has the trickery and eye for goal to make a real impact at Rangers.

The threat of Celtic signing Gelhardt instead should act as a warning, too, and where he ends up could ultimately have a big say on where the Scottish Premiership trophy ends up come the end of the season.

The January transfer window has been open for a week and Leeds United have been linked with a number of players as they look to bolster their squad.

Latest Leeds transfer news

It has been claimed by journalist Darren Witcoop that the Whites are one of a number of Championship clubs interested in a deal to sign Kieffer Moore from Premier League side Bournemouth.

The reporter has stated that the player currently favours a return to his former club Cardiff City, but Leeds, Norwich City, Ipswich Town, Coventry, and Sunderland are also in the running.

Daniel Farke's side are eyeing up a swoop to sign the Wales international this month and the German head coach could land an upgrade on Joel Piroe by winning the race for his signature.

Joel Piroe's season in numbers

The Dutch forward extended his poor run of form in front of goal to one strike in eight matches in all competitions with a blank against Peterborough in the FA Cup on Sunday.

He was brought in from fellow Championship side Swansea in the summer transfer window and has been primarily used in a supporting striker role behind Georginio Rutter.

However, Piroe has struggled at times, particularly recently, and his all-round performances have left plenty to be desired in the second tier.

Starts

Seven

Goals

One

Assists

Zero

Duels lost

24

The 24-year-old whiz has scored nine goals from 10.27 xG (Expected Goals) in 26 league appearances, which shows that he has slightly underperformed in front of goal, and only produced one assist for his teammates.

Piroe has also lost a staggering 71% of his aerial duels throughout the campaign and this indicates that the former Swans star has not provided a reliable physical outlet for Leeds at the top end of the pitch.

The statistics that show why Moore would be an upgrade on Piroe

Journalist Josh Bunting claimed that the "proven" Championship scorer Moore could "cause havoc" up front, in relation to a possible move to Sunderland, and that is exactly what he could do for Farke.

The German head coach could use the £15k-per-week titan as a battering ram for his side in the final third. He has the quality and physicality to lead the line brilliantly, which would allow Rutter to drop into a number ten role where his creativity could flourish in a deeper role with more space to work with.

In his last season in the second tier, Moore racked up nine goals, two assists, and four 'big chances' created in 15 starts for Cardiff and Bournemouth combined during the 2021/22 campaign.

He managed nine goals from 6.91 xG and this means that the towering centre-forward produced as many goals from less xG and provided more assists than Piroe has in ten more starts this season.

Appearances

27

Starts

12

Goals

Four

Aerial duel success rate

54%

Moore also plundered 20 goals in 40 league starts for the Bluebirds during the 2020/21 campaign, which shows that he can perform over the course of a season.

The 31-year-old ace also won 59% of his aerial duels that term and this suggests that the Cherries titan has far more quality in the air than Piroe and could, therefore, offer something different to Farke's team in the final third.

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ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

Moore could provide more quality in terms of his finishing and creativity, whilst also being a better outlet for the side with his physicality, and that is why he could be an upgrade on what Piroe has provided thus far.

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Red Bull Bragantino e Flamengo duelaram neste domingo, em Bragança Paulista, no estádio Nabi Abi Chedid, e o confronto acabou empatado por 1 a 1. Gols de Gabriel para o Rubro-Negro e Ytalo para o Massa Bruta.

Após a partida, o autor do gol do Red Bull Bragantino elogiou nível de jogo apresentado pelas duas equipes e destacou a importância do ponto ganho: “Foi um grande jogo, tanto da nossa parte, quanto da deles. Tivemos várias oportunidades de gol, eles também. O empate saiu de bom tamanho. Em termos de classificação, não foi tão bom. Mas temos que exaltar esse ponto”.

Com o empate, o Massa Bruta foi para 48 pontos e permaneceu na 9ª colocação. A próxima partida do Red Bull Bragantino será contra o Sport, dia 15 de fevereiro, no estádio da Ilha do Retiro.