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A matter of days after Kevin Thelwell was relieved of his duties as Rangers’ sporting director, a former Premier League winger has revealed exactly why he rejected a move to Ibrox.

Cavenagh reveals reasoning behind Thelwell's Rangers exit

Thelwell’s exit looked on the cards as soon as he appointed Russell Martin. The sporting director instantly failed to win the fans over after a disastrous summer of decisions and has now paid the price alongside chief executive Patrick Stewart.

Revealing the news, chairman Andrew Cavenagh said: “Paraag and I have analysed the club’s needs, and as we reflect on what the club needs today, and where Kevin and Patrick are, we think we need something different.

“Our focus the first part of this season, the first part of our ownership period, has been on the sporting side and that’s where all of our attention went to for obvious reasons.

“With Danny coming in, he has started to improve the on-pitch performance, and that has created the space to allow Paraag and I to look at other parts of the club with new eyes and assess what we need going forward.”

Rangers dud is rivalling Chermiti for being one of Thelwell's worst signings

This Glasgow Rangers flop has been as bad of a signing as Youssef Chermiti was by Kevin Thelwell.

ByDan Emery Nov 25, 2025

It’s a major decision from the 49ers, who have seen Rangers get back on track on the pitch since Danny Rohl’s arrival. The German has won all four of his Scottish Premiership games, but his side still sit nine points behind shock leaders Hearts to highlight the damage done by Martin’s time at the club.

Thelwell’s downfall can be pinpointed to his decision to hire Martin, but also his transfer decisions, including times when he missed out on top targets like Carlos Forbs.

Carlos Forbs reveals "one conversation" before Rangers rejection

Speaking to Belgian newspaper Het Belang van Limburg, Forbs revealed why he rejected Rangers and Thelwell in favour of a move to Club Brugge in the summer.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee had quite the decision to make in the summer and Thelwell just couldn’t lure him to Rangers in what was a sign of things to come.

Since then, the now-former sporting director failed to get deals over the line to hire the likes of Steven Gerrard, before finally turning to Rohl. From appointing Martin, to missing out on Forbs and then Gerrard, the clock was always ticking on Thelwell’s time in Scotland.

"Rotten" Thelwell signing is Rangers' biggest waste of time since Dowell

England fast bowler delivers knockout blow in final spell for thrilling 20-run win

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-Sep-2025

Josh Tongue bowled with heart and stamina for five wickets•PA Photos/Getty Images

Josh Tongue, bowling with great pace and huge stamina to take five for 100, bowled Nottinghamshire to a highly dramatic 20-run victory against Surrey at the Kia Oval – the win that could bring Notts their first championship title since 2010.Surrey, needing 315 in the fourth innings of a great contest, were bowled out for 294 after a final day of continually fluctuating fortunes and packed with incident, and it was Tongue who grabbed the last three wickets to haul his side over the line despite a defiant 33 at the end by Tom Lawes.Lawes, with just last man Dan Worrall for company, managed a few boundaries but then – attempting to beat a spread field again – holed out to Ben Slater on the deep extra cover rope to kick-start joyful Notts celebrations.Dan Lawrence made 50, and featured in a brave 51-run stand with Tom Curran that rocked Notts back on their heels as the runs needed came down to 75, but it was the visitors who held their nerve.Liam Patterson-White, the slow left-arrmer brought on for what became the game’s sole over of spin, had Curran stumped with his fourth ball for a 33-ball 33 and then Dillon Pennington removed Lawrence to leave the stage to Tongue.The big England Test fast bowler ended a bright eighth-wicket stand between Lawes and Gus Atkinson by having the latter caught at first slip for 11. And then, four balls later, sheer pace forced Matt Fisher to chop down into his own stumps to go for a duck. Even then, however, with 34 more runs required, Lawes and Worrall chipped away until Tongue delivered the coup de grace.It was compelling viewing, a great advert for Rothesay County Championship cricket. With their win, Notts moved 15 points ahead of Surrey at the top of Division One, although a subsequent one-point deduction for a slow over-rate by the match referee has increased their requirement in next week’s final round of matches.Dillon Pennington claimed the wicket of Dan Lawrence lbw•PA Photos/Getty Images

Next week Notts will need a maximum of 11 points, but possibly less, to make sure of the title when they host Warwickshire at Trent Bridge. Surrey, still aiming for a fourth successive championship but now very much depending on Warwickshire to do them a favour, visit Hampshire.Notts had seemed favourites when Surrey resumed on 66 for no wicket, chasing a distant victory target in a match dominated by two high-class pace attacks.Ollie Pope, riding his luck early on, gave Surrey renewed hope with 41 after the early loss of both openers and there were only another 122 runs required when they lost their fifth wicket six overs after lunch.The Lawrence-Curran stand then made Surrey favourites themselves at 240 for five, but both falling in the space of six balls proved crucial.Surrey had scored 97 runs in the morning session, for the loss of four wickets, leaving the match still tantalisingly poised at lunch – although the dismissals of Ben Foakes and Pope in quick succession did seem to have tilted matters in Notts’ favour again.Rory Burns, on 41 overnight, fell in the fourth over for 45 as he attempted to whip a straight ball from Tongue – bowling from around the wicket – wide of mid-on and was palpably leg-before when he missed it.Dom Sibley began the day on 18 but added just seven runs before getting in a tangle against a ball from Brett Hutton that he clearly thought might nip back into him, and edged to second slip.Pope had by then already endured a fraught start to his innings. On two he threw his bat at a widish outswinger from Hutton and was lucky not to edge it, and then Tongue flashed a vicious delivery that bounced and left him past his defences.On four, Pope nicked Tongue through a vacant third slip for a streaky boundary but soon England’s vice-captain was also producing some quality strokes – including a beautiful on-driven four off Tongue and then an extra cover drive against Hutton which brought up Surrey’s 100.Pope then had to dive full-length into the crease at the bowler’s end to avoid being run out by Haseeb Hameed’s direct hit from mid on, before being beaten on 26 by a corker from James.Yet he and Foakes, with a series of sharp singles and the odd boundary, put on 42 in good time to give Surrey some forward momentum as the morning session moved into its second hour.Back came Notts, though, as Tongue had Foakes (18) well-held as he fell forward by Patterson-White at first slip and then, in the next over, James picked up Pope’s prized scalp thanks to a fine catch diving to his right by Freddie McCann at second slip.Ryan Patel, badly dropped by keeper Kyle Verreynne off Tongue on one, failed to cash in and miscued horribly to mid on to go for six when trying to pull James to wide midwicket.That left Surrey 193 for five but in strode Curran to help Lawrence launch their thrilling counter-attack. Tongue, striving for another breakthough, still beat the bat on occasions but also proved expensive.Pennington, too, felt the force of the Surrey sixth-wicket pair’s strokeplay with 17 being plundered from the 54th over of the innings as Curran hit two legside fours and Lawrence another before finishing the over with a flowing drive for three to extra cover.Their half-century partnership arrived in just eight overs but Curran’s sparkling cameo ended one run later when he yorked himself giving Patterson-White the charge and Verreynne completed the stumping.Lawrence then departed in the next over, leg-before to Pennington as he shuffled across his stumps, and at 246 for seven it was Notts again who looked as if they had the upper hand. They did, but only just.

Arne Slot reportedly pulled out of receiving an award in Manchester following Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. The Dutchman was supposed to accept the Football Writers’ Association Northern manager of the year accolade on Sunday after guiding the Reds to the Premier League title in the 2024-25 season. But a sixth loss in seven games may have put off Slot from attending the event.

• Liverpool's woes continue

  Liverpool's thumping at the hands of Forest on Saturday saw them drop to 11th in the Premier League as their hopes of retaining their title all but ended. Despite this latest setback, former Feyenoord boss Slot struck a defiant tone, saying that his side will turn their results around. 

  When asked if his players are low on confidence, he said: "I don't feel this, or I don't see this. After we go 1-0, we struggled. I tried to pump them up and give them the information to start the second half well. Immediately, they go 2-0 up. The players kept trying, I can't blame them for that. They blocked every shot we had. The solution is not that far away. We created chances in every and it's not as if we give away 10 chances. That will not go on forever but we have to look at ourselves and what we can do better when we concede a goal. Two games in a row, we haven't scored."

  He did add, however, that his charges were in low spirits following another defeat. 

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  Slot misses awards show

  According to The Athletic, Slot had been due to collect the award in person but pulled out on the morning of the awards' dinner. Instead, Liverpool sent club ambassador and former player Gary McAllister to collect the prize on the 47-year-old's behalf. The Scot reportedly apologised for Slot's absence and said the Dutchman was "extremely proud" to have won this award.

  Incidentally, Slot appears to be shouldering the blame for Liverpool's wretched run of results. 

  He told reporters on Saturday: "It is my responsibility, whether we win or lose. But what I also see is a team keeping on trying until the end and the fans as well by the way, who stayed to the end to support the players. Lately, it’s almost constantly that we miss our chances and the ones we concede go in. That will not continue throughout the whole season. But we need that moment of energy of scoring a goal when playing well and going 1-0 up. The opposite thing happened as Forest got a big energy boost from scoring. I see a lot of things where in a normal situation the result would have been different but we’re now in a difficult situation."

• Van Dijk defends Slot amid criticism

  While there is a growing section of Liverpool fans pointing the finger of blame at Slot, especially after spending more than £400 million on transfers this summer, captain Virgil van Dijk believes his team-mates are "letting the manager and ourselves down". The "angry" centre-back has now called on his side to get themselves out of this "mess".

  "You should be angry and the main thing for me is that everyone has to take responsibility," he said. "It’s not easy during difficult times but we have to do it if we want to get out of this. We’re definitely letting the manager down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. At the moment it is a mess – that’s just a fact. As the champions we can’t be in the situation we are in right now. What are we going to do about it? We’re going to try to turn it around and that’s the mentality everyone should have."

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  What comes next for Liverpool?

  Liverpool have a chance to bounce back from this drubbing when they entertain PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday. They then host lowly West Ham on Sunday in the Premier League, before taking on promoted sides Sunderland and Leeds United in early December.

Meman, fondly remembered in Zimbabwe cricket as Babu, played one ODI for his country, during the 1987 World Cup against India

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2025Mohammed Ahmed Meman, the former Zimbabwe offspiner and team manager, has died at the age of 73, after a period of ill health.Meman, fondly remembered in Zimbabwe cricket as Babu, played one ODI for his country, during the 1987 World Cup against India, where he scored 19 runs.He also represented Shropshire in England’s Minor Counties Championship between 1977 and 1980. During his stint with the county, Meman made 888 runs – including two centuries – and took 55 wickets in 32 matches.Meman served as Zimbabwe’s national team manager between 1992 and 2006, guiding the side through its early years as a Test-playing nation. He later contributed as a selector.”ZC is deeply grateful for Babu’s enduring contributions to cricket in our country, both on and off the field,” Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) said in a press release.”His passion, humility and dedication will always be remembered by those who had the privilege of working with him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his beloved wife, Aisha, and children – Iqbal, Fazila and Sadiya – as well as to his extended family, friends and all who knew and loved him.”

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Fortaleza e Grêmio empataram em 1 a 1 na tarde deste sábado (30), no Castelão, pela 25ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Em um jogo com oportunidades para os dois lados, Thiago Galhardo converteu cobrança de pênalti para os donos da casa aos 42 minutos do primeiro tempo, mas Luis Suárez deixou tudo igual no placar aos 34′ da etapa final.

FICHA TÉCNICA
FORTALEZA 1 X 1 GRÊMIO
25ª RODADA DO BRASILEIRÃO

Data e hora:30 de setembro de 2023, às 16h (de Brasília)
Estádio:Castelão, Fortaleza (CE)
Árbitro:Raphael Claus (Fifa/SP)
Assistentes:Alex Ang Ribeiro (Fifa/SP) e Daniel Luis Marques (SP)
VAR:Daiane Muniz (Fifa/SP)
Cartões amarelos:Nathan e Lucas Besozzi (Grêmio), Benevenuto (Fortaleza)
Gols:Thiago Galhardo (1-0, aos 42′ do 1ºT), Luis Suárez (1-1, aos 34′ do 1ºT)

FORTALEZA:Fernando Miguel; Dudu (Tinga, aos 44′ do 2ºT), Benevenuto, Tobias Figueiredo e Gonzalo Escobar;Pedro Augusto,Lucas Sasha e Lucas Crispim (Pochettino, aos 36′ do 2ºT); Machuca (Romarinho, aos 29′ do 2ºT), Pikachu (Calebe, aos 28′ do 2ºT) e Galhardo (Silvio Romero, aos 44′ do 2ºT).Técnico:Juan Pablo Vojvoda.

GRÊMIO:Gabriel Grando; João Pedro, Geromel, Kannemann e Reinaldo; Carballo (Lucas Besozzi, aos 13′ do 2ºT), Pepê e Nathan (Ronald, aos 13′ do 2ºT); Cristaldo (Everton Galdino, após o intervalo), João Pedro Galvão (Ferreira*, aos 33′ do 1ºT) – (Fábio*, aos 44′ do 2ºT) e Suárez.Técnico:Renato Gaúcho.

Celtic have endured a frustrating few weeks on the pitch, which has included four goalless draws in all competitions for Brendan Rodgers and his players.

They were held to 0-0 draws in regulation time of both legs of their Champions League qualifying clash with Kairat, to a 0-0 draw in the Old Firm match, and a 0-0 draw in the most recent game against Hibernian.

As shown in the highlights above, Celtic missed a host of huge chances to open the scoring in front of their own fans at Parkhead, with Kelechi Iheanacho, in particular, wasteful in front of goal.

Scoring goals is not the only issue that the Hoops have had this season, though, because they have also failed to find a suitable alternative to captain Callum McGregor.

The 32-year-old defensive midfielder has started ten of his 11 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish Premiership champions, per Transfermarkt, and played 931 minutes.

This shows that Rodgers has not found an alternative to the skipper who can step in and allow the veteran midfielder to rest and recharge ahead of important matches.

Why Celtic need an alternative to Callum McGregor

The Hoops need to find a player who can be a viable option in the number six position because the wear and tear on McGregor’s legs was evident in the recent 1-1 draw with Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League.

Celtic’s captain had played almost an hour against a lower league outfit in the League Cup in the game before the trip to Serbia, having played 300 minutes in the three matches before that, per Sofascore.

Minutes

90

Pass accuracy

98%

Defensive ground duels won

2/6

Aerial duels won

0/1

Tackles won

1

Dribbled past

1x

Fouls committed

2

The result, as you can see in the table above, was that McGregor looked a little bit off the pace against the Serbian giants, losing five of his seven defensive duels on the ground and in the air.

His passing, as usual, was almost immaculate, completing 98% of his attempted passes, but he lacked the mobility and energy to win the majority of his physical duels, which is a cause for concern heading into the rest of the league phase in Europe.

The former Scotland international is a crucial player for the Hoops and keeping him fresh and ready to give his all in the Europa League matches could improve his performances and increase the team’s chances of picking up more points on the European stage.

Johnny Hayes described the left-footed maestro as a “priceless” and “irreplaceable” player earlier this season, but the Hoops are now looking at a star who could solve the McGregor conundrum.

Celtic eyeing surprise move for free agent

According to journalist Mark Hendry’s Substack report, Celtic are considering a surprise move to sign free agent central midfielder Pierre Ekwah, despite not being linked with any midfield signings since the window slammed shut.

The outlet claims that the Hoops have been offered the chance to sign the French midfield maestro after his contract with Saint-Etienne was ripped up at the end of the summer transfer window.

Transfer Focus

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

Celtic already took advantage of a similar situation when they signed Kelechi Iheanacho the day after the transfer window slammed shut, thanks to Sevilla ripping his deal up on deadline day.

Ekwah, like Iheanacho was before his move to Parkhead, is now free and available to sign for a new club. Mark Hendry’s report states that he has been offered to both Celtic and Rangers as an option.

The Scottish Premiership champions are now considering whether or not to take up the option to bring the left-footed star to Parkhead on a freebie, but they should push to get a deal done because he could be a dream alternative to McGregor.

Why Celtic should sign Pierre Ekwah

Celtic should be bringing Ekwah in on a free transfer because it is a low-risk move that could pay off big time in the long run, given that he is a player who has already proven himself in a major European league.

The 23-year-old star impressed in Ligue 1 with Saint-Etienne in the 2024/25 campaign on loan from Sunderland, but decided to move on from the French club after they were relegated to Ligue 2 and activated their obligation to sign him permanently.

Ekwah seemingly was not keen on playing in the second division in France, hence his exit at the start of September, and that is not a surprise when you consider how well he performed last season in spite of his club’s relegation.

Appearances

29

Pass accuracy

88%

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.6

Error led to goal

0

Duel success rate

57%

Duels won per game

5.0

Aerial duel success rate

71%

As you can see in the table above, the former West Ham United youngster won the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air, whilst remaining reliable and composed in possession with a pass accuracy of 88%.

Ekwah ranked within the top 11% of midfielders in Ligue 1 for duels won (145), the top 17% for tackles won (57), the top 3% for interceptions (47), and the top 8% for ball recoveries (157), per FotMob.

These statistics show that the left-footed star is a mobile defensive enforcer in the number six role. He can get around the pitch to dominate opposition players in duels, whilst being reliable with the ball at his feet on top of that.

The free agent midfielder, who was described as a “powerful” player by journalist and Sunderland fan Josh Bunting, could be the perfect alternative to McGregor to provide the skipper with some time off in domestic matches ahead of European ties.

Rodgers could play Ekwah from the start in league or cup matches before Europa League games, which Ekwah would be ineligible for, to make sure that McGregor is fully fit and raring to go in the big European matches.

At the age of 23, the French star is also nine years younger than the captain and could be the long-term successor to his place in the team, which is another reason why this free agent move could be a shrewd piece of business by the club.

Not Kenny: Celtic's "lightning quick" teen could replace Iheanacho

Celtic have a potential replacement for Kelechi Iheanacho in their academy, and it is not Johnny Kenny.

1 ByDan Emery Sep 30, 2025

Overall, Celtic must move quickly to beat Rangers to Ekwah’s signature because his arrival at Parkhead could solve the McGregor conundrum at the base of the midfield.

Harry Kane created England history during Tuesday's 5-0 win over Latvia, as the Bayern Munich striker scored more than one goal for the 13th time in his Three Lions career. His brace in Riga beat Nat Lofthouse's record of 12 times achieving the feat, and took the 32-year-old to 76 England goals in 110 appearances. The Three Lions' record goalscorer looks set also to become record appearance maker before too long.

• Kane double seals another spot in the history books

  Kane’s latest record was reported following victory in Latvia. He continues his impeccable record for England, which has only become better under Tuchel. He has struck seven goals in seven games under the German, linking up well with his former Bayern manager to continue his record-breaking form in front of goal.

  Kane has at times been criticised for England in recent major tournaments, though, particularly in Euro 2024 when his off-ball work was seen as a hindrance to the team. The Three Lions reached the final and Kane was joint Golden Boot winner with three goals, but there were still some fans who called for a new face in attack.

  Just over 12 months on, Kane is in as good a run of form as he has ever been. He has begun the new season for the German champions in scintillating fashion, scoring 18 goals and laying on another three assists in just 10 matches.

  He won the European Golden Shoe after scoring 36 Bundesliga goals in his debut campaign in 2023-24, and currently looks set to be in a tense battle with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland for this season’s award. Kane truly is on top of his game.

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  England captain speaks after thumping Latvia victory

  Kane said after the game, in which England secured World Cup qualification with two matches to go: "Another tournament! I said it before, we make it look easy but these games can be tough.

  "These groups can be tough and we have to be fully focused in every game we play and I thought today we were at a very high level. We talk about no matter who we play, setting a high standard to keep the momentum we've built and I think that showed this week.

  "Qualifying with two games to go is a great achievement. Zero goals conceded and we're playing some great football. We can only take care of the opposition in front of us and we've done that very well so far.

  "I'd say [I’m feeling good], the numbers are, obviously. The way I'm feeling on the pitch seeing the passes and the runs, physically I'm in a good place and hopefully I can keep it going."

• Competition for places and away support also hot topics

  "You want competition in every place, every position and I think we have that," Kane continued. "We've still got some fantastic players who aren't here who will be itching to get back in the squad in November and we're going to need them as well.

  "As we know, going up to major tournaments, there's going to be chop and change, we've got some fantastic players who aren't quite fit and should be fit next month. That's the competition, keep pushing each other and see where it takes us.

  "I don't think you can question away support ever, the way they were tonight was fantastic. We've qualified for another major tournament, and we know the England fans enjoy going out. America's going to be a special place to play in and we've got something to look forward to now, so credit to them for travelling out here and showing the noise they did."

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  Kane and England prepare for North American summer

  Kane and England will now look forward to November’s international break, knowing their qualification is now secured and Tuchel will have the chance to try out new faces and truly get to grips with all the talented players he has at his disposal. With the likes of Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer still to return to the set-up and young stars such as Adam Wharton waiting for their chance to make an impression, it is an exciting time for the Three Lions.

  As for Kane, he has undoubtedly silenced his critics with his recent form for both club and country. With the former Tottenham Hotspur hero still on the top of his game, the Three Lions have a much better chance of going all the way next summer. If Tuchel’s side are to make the World Cup a special one, captain Kane looks set to be right at the centre of it all.

The Lewis family have been tipped to pump more money into Tottenham, following the shock departure of ex-chairman Daniel Levy last week, and these funds could be put towards their recruitment plans.

That is according to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol, who shared news on a live broadcast that ENIC are planning a cash injection.

Levy helped to transform the Lilywhites into one of world football’s highest-revenue generating clubs over his 24-year tenure running the club, with Tottenham also moving to their state-of-the-art new stadium to seriously bolster their commercial appeal off the field.

World Football’s highest revenue-generating clubs — 2025

Value

Real Madrid

£1.2 billion

Man City

£727 million

PSG

£700 million

Man United

£668 million

Bayern Munich

£664 million

FC Barcelona

£659.5 million

Arsenal

£621.5 million

Liverpool

£620 million

Tottenham Hotspur

£533 million

Chelsea

£474 million

However, Levy attracted criticism for a perceived lack of transfer spending compared to Spurs’ Premier League rivals, and this was undoubtedly a factor in them winning just two major trophies since 2001.

Thomas Frank could now be backed by the ENIC and the Lewis family as CEO Vinai Vinkatesham, who is set for a more hands-on role after Levy’s departure, aims to deliver more success.

Tottenham signed an array of star players during the last window under Levy, with Mohammed Kudus, Joao Palhinha, Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani chief among them.

The latter two are poised to make their Premier League debuts against West Ham in a crunch London derby clash this weekend, and according to ex-Levy employee Bryan King, ex-Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher could be a target to watch out for in this post-Levy era.

Tottenham tipped to sign Conor Gallagher in £45 million deal

They’ll have to wait until January, but King believes that Tottenham signing Gallagher from Atlético Madrid is a very realistic proposition.

As uncertainty continues to surround Yves Bissouma’s future, Gallagher could come as an excellent replacement for the Mali international who has fallen out of favour with Frank.

The England international can play as an attacking midfielder when required, known for his excellent ball-winning ability, energy and tenacity in the middle of the park, and would help to fill Tottenham’s ‘locally trained’ quota for European competitions.

The only caveat is whether Gallagher, given his Chelsea roots, would want to swap Diego Simeone’s side for an ex-rival.

If he decides that is worth the move back to London, Frank would undoubtedly be securing a real asset, and one who Moises Caicedo has called a “machine”.

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O Fluminense está próximo de contratar por empréstimo o meia uruguaio Leo Fernández, do Toluca, do México. Segundo o “ge”, o jogador desembarca nesta semana no Rio de Janeiro para realizar exames médicos. Se aprovado, ele será emprestado por uma temporada, com opção de compra.

Leo Fernández é um meia de 24 anos, baixinho e canhoto, considerado uma promessa do futebol uruguaio. Ele é da mesma geração de Federico Valverde, do Real Madrid, e atuou ao lado de Darwin Nuñez, atualmente no Liverpool, no sub-22 da seleção. Revelado no Fênix (URU), o jogador se transferiu para o Tigres, do México, em 2019, por 600 mil dólares (R$ 2,3 milhões na época). Por lá, ganhou a Concachampions, em 2020, e depois foi negociado com o Toluca.

+ Veja a tabela da Libertadores

Conhecido por ser um finalizador, Leo foi um dos destaques nas últimas temporadas. Em 2022, marcou 13 gols e deu 13 assistências na liga nacional e consolidou uma idolatria no clube. Porém, recebeu muitas críticas sem a bola e perdeu espaço com o treinador Nacho Ambriz, tornando-se reserva neste ano. Com contrato até 2026, ele e o clube entenderam que uma mudança de ares pode ser positiva para ambas as partes.

Birmingham City aren’t going to be accused of being dull anytime soon.

Chris Davies and Co. have stormed back into the Championship as big spenders, with £10m solely splashed out on the services of ex-Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi, among signing off on another eight summer buys in total.

However, they aren’t having much luck when it comes to securing the signing of Chuba Akpom, with a potential loan-to-buy deal for the ex-Arsenal striker to move to the Blues now up in the air, owing to a last-gasp advance from Ipswich Town.

It’s even being stated that Akpom prefers a switch to Suffolk over relocating to St. Andrew’s, leaving the Blues back at square one when trying to add in another top-quality striker to the camp.

Birmingham ready to relaunch move for striker

Akpom would be an ideal addition to the newly promoted side’s ranks, considering he can boast an impressive 36 strikes in the Championship, with most of those goals finding the back of the net when he was donning Middlesbrough red.

However, Birmingham’s opening day opponents might well be gifted with that wealth of experience, instead. Yet, it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom in Davies’ camp.

An exclusive report by Football League World has revealed that the ambitious second-tier side is now ready to reignite a move for past target Marvin Ducksch to soften this Akpom blow, with a deal falling flat in the first place owing to the German’s injury difficulties.

Transfer Focus

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

With Ducksch on the mend, the potent Werder Bremen marksman is now being viewed as a high-priority target again on Birmingham’s shortlist, with the 31-year-old perhaps going down as an even better signing than the former Boro attacker if everything slots into place smoothly.

Why Ducksch could be a better signing than Akpom

After all, while Akpom is the talk of the town at the moment as the main, swirling rumour, he hasn’t always been a deadly striker across his varied career to date.

Indeed, even Akpom’s highest peak at the Riverside Stadium – where he bagged 28 goals in one season during the 2022/23 campaign – had some lows along the way, too, with only five more strikes coming his way for the Teesside club, before then departing for Ajax.

Aside from those flashes of goal-scoring excellence at Boro, Akpom has regularly struggled to be a clinical goal machine, as seen in him only firing home three goals last season for the Dutch giants in Eredivisie action. Across his 41 games in the Dutch top-flight, too, the 29-year-old has squandered a costly 16 big chances.

On the contrary, Ducksch has continued to age like a fine wine in his comfortable surroundings at Bremen, with double digits hammered home by the lethal number seven across his last five seasons in Germany, before just coming unstuck last campaign with nine goals tallied up.

Games played

459

451

Goals scored

220

140

Assists

110

34

Career hat-tricks scored

2

3

Top goalscorer accolades

2x

1x

Looking at the table above really does reinforce why Birmingham could be winning themselves a steal by bagging Ducksch for just £1.7m – as other reports suggest – with the lofty Dortmund-born star way out in front with his career goals as well, as seen in his stacked haul of 220 strikes from 459 games. Akpom lags behind on a weak 140, on the contrary.

Moreover, the “extraordinary” 31-year-old – as he’s dubbed by Bremen teammate Mitchell Weiser – would be able to link up with the likes of Jay Stansfield and Demarai Gray to devastating effect, with Ducksch sticking out as a creative machine, when amassing a ridiculous 110 assists, as much as he steals the limelight when finishing off his own chances with ease.

No doubt, Birmingham’s confidence in the transfer market had been slightly dented by the whole Akpom saga.

But, if they were able to pick up Ducksch instead, it would be the perfect way to swiftly brush all this unwanted talk under the carpet.

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