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Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers side have been touted as a potential destination for a top-flight central midfielder at the end of the season.

The Chronicle have namedropped the Gers and Celtic as clubs who could land Newcastle United gem Sean Longstaff on a pre-contract deal in January, although it is unclear whether this is pure speculation or based around interest from the two Scottish giants.

Get it done

If this is a deal the club are lining up, van Bronckhorst must sanction the move and ensure that Ross Wilson is able to get it over the line in the coming weeks heading into January. His contract situation at St. James’ Park provides them with the perfect opportunity to pick up a bargain and it could be a shrewd deal for Rangers.

He is out of contract next summer and the Gers could land a pre-contract agreement with him in January, which would then allow him to join without the club paying a single penny in transfer fees at the end of the campaign.

Transfermarkt value him at £13.5m, suggesting that Rangers could save a huge amount of cash by signing him on a free. Therefore, it could be a fantastic swoop for the Scottish outfit from a financial viewpoint and could free up funds for Wilson to invest in other areas of the club.

In terms of his ability on the pitch, he has earned some high praise. Former Manchester United and England midfielder Michael Carrick previously lauded his attributes. The current Old Trafford coach said:

“Sean is a fantastic ­talent and doing well at the ­moment. He hasn’t played a awful lot of games yet, but the ­future is bright for him.

“I don’t like ­comparing his playing style to mine. It is not fair on Sean. He is ­carving his own career out. He has his own traits and strengths. I ­always enjoy seeing young ­players getting a chance.”

The £23k-per-week gem has made 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game in the Premier League this season, scoring once in 11 matches. This shows that he has the tenacity and strength to win the ball back consistently in the English top-flight, which is a quality he could bring to Ibrox.

At the age of 24, he also has plenty of room left to grow and develop as a player over the years. Therefore, he could be a superb signing for the here and now and the future, which is why the Rangers boss must sanction a deal for the Newcastle midfielder in January ahead of him arriving next summer.

AND in other news, Meeting expected: Report delivers Rangers transfer update that could leave fans gutted…

As per reliable reporter Mark Palmer of The Sunday Times, an exciting transfer claim has now dropped involving star J-League striker Daizen Maeda and Celtic.

The Lowdown: Ange eyes move…

Speaking ahead of their clash with St Johnstone in the SPFL today, Ange Postecoglou was forthright on the subject of fresh faces at Parkhead in January.

Indeed, the Hoops head coach revealed that the process of identifying transfer targets mid-season has already started and hints Celtic ‘will’ make signings ( via Sky Sports).

Now, an exciting claim has dropped on who could be making his way to Glasgow.

The Latest: Hoops ‘step up’ Maeda chase…

As per Palmer of The Times, sharing his article on Twitter, Celtic now ‘step up efforts’ to sign ‘another’ J-League star in the January window.

After snapping up Kyogo Furuhashi in the summer, well placed sources in Japan have told The Times and Palmer they expect a move to be completed for clinical Asian forward Maeda.

Scoring 18 goals and assisting three others over this current campaign so far, Celtic are apparently confident they can sign the 24-year-old for Ange.

The Verdict: Get it done…

His ruthless goalscoring record is just one reason why Ange simply must make a move for Maeda.

The Japan international has also been labelled a ‘stone cold killer’ by members of the press in his country (via Celts Are Here) and he could be exactly the kind of player to inject even more quality at Celtic.

If they are to re-gain their SPFL dominance back from arch rivals Rangers, signing Maeda would certainly be a step in the right direction.

Some Manchester City fans are far from happy after Pep Guardiola said the match against Club Brugge was more important than the Premier League clash with Manchester United this weekend.

The Citizens face Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday as they aim to move closer to a place in the next round of the Champions League. This weekend, they will travel to Old Trafford to play the Red Devils in a local derby that means a lot to the supporters.

Guardiola spoke to the press on Tuesday prior to the Brugge clash, and he was asked about which game was more important ahead between the next two matches. He said that, given the Premier League season has a lot more games to play, the match versus Brugge is more important (via Yahoo).

The comments were shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Guardiola comments below

“There you have it folks. Pep Guardiola conceding the PL title once more”

Credit: @MCFCfanboy

“No it’s not”

Credit: @MCFCAJ10

“Bit disrespectful i won’t lie”

Credit: @MCFCGeorge1

“This should never be the mentality. Every game is important especially when it’s a Derby”

Credit: @Shanologymcfc

“sorry what”

Credit: @jessmcfcx

“Maybe for you but not for the fans”

Credit: @etranzei

In other news, City fans want to sign this Bundesliga midfielder.

Alviro Petersen, Ryan McLaren and Friedel de Wet are the new faces in an expanded 15-man squad for the first Test

Cricinfo staff02-Dec-2009Alviro Petersen, Ryan McLaren and Friedel de Wet are the new faces in an expanded 15-man squad for the first Test against England in Centurion starting on December 16. South Africa’s selectors dropped the opening batsman Imraan Khan and allrounder Albie Morkel, who featured in South Africa’s starting line-up from their last Test in March, with Graeme Smith and Morne Morkel returning.Petersen, the Lions batsman, has been South Africa’s leading run-scorer during the one-day series, scoring three half-centuries in three innings. McLaren, the Eagles allrounder, has similarly been impressing during the limited-overs leg of England’s tour. de Wet, the Lions fast bowler, has yet to represent his country but is one marked out for the future. Wayne Parnell, who was in a 12-man pool for that last Test against Australia this year, has been retained.”We have chosen an enlarged squad to cover all our options,” said selection convener Mike Procter. “Alviro Petersen deserves his call-up both for the impressive way he has returned to international cricket and the weight of runs he has made in domestic cricket. He is able to cover all of the top six batting positions.”Ryan McLaren provides us with an allrounder if we want to go down that route and we want both Wayne Parnell and Friedel de Wet to work in the national squad set-up.”The first Test will be Makhaya Ntini’s 100th, making him the fifth player to reach the landmark. Jacques Kallis (130), Mark Boucher (125), Shaun Pollock (108) and Gary Kirsten (101).The South African squad will gather on December 11 for a pre-Test series camp at Potchefstroom’s Senwes Park.South Africa squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, Friedel de Wet, JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Ryan McLaren, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Ashwell Prince, Dale Steyn.

The match, scheduled for June 19, will be England’s second visit in three seasons, following the inaugural game held in Edinburgh last year

Cricinfo staff24-Sep-2009England will play Scotland in an ODI at Edinburgh next year, the two boards confirmed today. The match, scheduled for June 19, will be England’s second visit in three seasons, following the inaugural game in Edinburgh last year.In recent years, Australia (2005 and 2009), Pakistan (2006), Pakistan and India (both 2007), New Zealand and England (both 2008) have played international cricket in Scotland. And even though Scotland’s fixture list for 2010 is yet to be confirmed, England’s trip will be one of the highlights of the home international season.Roddy Smith, Cricket Scotland’s chief executive, said: “This is great news, and we are delighted that England will visit Scotland again next year for the second official ODI between the two sides.”The all-round support we receive from the ECB is fantastic, not only with the visit of their national side but also their assistance with our national development programmes. With the game taking place on a Saturday in June, I am sure that we will get a bumper crowd to support the Scotland side.”

A round-up from the latest action in the County Championship

Cricinfo staff13-Aug-2009Ashes watchRavi Bopara – Watched Matt Walker score 150

Alastair Cook – Ditto to Bopara. Took a neat catch off Danish Kaneria

Ian Bell – Finds form at last with 92 against Nottinghamshire

Jonathan Trott – Registers another hundred to push his claims for a Test debut

Ryan Sidebottom – Finds wickets harder to come by in the second innings as Warwickshire fight hard in the follow-on

Graham Onions – Little to do as Durham bat most of the third day at Old TraffordDivision OneChris Nash struck the fourth hundred of his career to help guide Sussex to an eight-wicket and relegation-easing victory over Worcestershire, their first win at Hove since 2007. Sussex were set 212 to win, a slightly higher total than they had earlier anticipated having reduced Worcestershire to 110 for 7 in their second innings. However, Matt Mason – yesterday’s standout performer with the ball – cracked a chancy 28 while Imran Arif blazed 35, extending Worcestershire’s total to 235. Mason then made an early breakthrough to remove Mike Yardy for 6, but Nash and Ed Joyce made amends to put their side on target, stroking 109 for the second wicket. Joyce fell for 53, but Murray Goodwin remained solid with Nash who remained unbeaten on an even hundred, his second of the season.Adil Rashid underlined his batting ability with an unbeaten career-best century to put Yorkshire on course for victory against Hampshire at Basingstoke. He and Ajmal Shahzad (78) added 192 for the seventh wicket with Shahzad making his maiden half century as Hampshire paid for four dropped catches. Shahzad was missed twice before 30 and Rashid also given two lives in the slips. Rashid went to his hundred from 169 balls as the lead swelled to over 200. Yorkshire then made early inroads with the new ball as Tim Bresnan Jimmy Adams and Michael Lumb in consecutive overs to leave Hampshire 10 for 2. Michael Carberry and James Vince – put down at third slip by Bresnan – saw out the day, but there is a battle ahead for the home sideClick here for John Ward’s report from Old Trafford on the second day between Lancashire and Durham.Division TwoKent took hold of their match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road, with three of their top four reaching half-centuries to build a lead of 246. The hosts were rolled for 218 earlier in the day, largely due to James Tredwell who picked up four of the remaining five wickets. In picking up 5 for 68, he also passed 50 wickets for the season, though it was a concern to Kent that Tredwell was forced into the attack so early, so toothless were their pace bowlers. The focus was on Rob Key, an outside contender for a place against Australia next week, but he was the one Kentish batsman to fail, spooning a simple catch to point much to his bat-swishing anger. Joe Denly then added 85 with Geraint Jones, though his confidence got the better of him on 59 when he holed out off Nicky Boje to mid-on. Martin van Jaarsveld continued in the same vain, however, smacking 16 off one David Lucas over while Jones’s fifty came up off 119 balls. The pair brought up their hundred partnership shortly before stumps, putting Kent firmly in control.Derbyshire made good their hard work yesterday to move into a very strong position against Leicestershire, who at stumps were 154 for 2 at Grace Road, still trailing by 147 runs. Chris Rogers finished on 163 while Greg Smith, not-out on 74 overnight, fell five short of a hundred. Derbyshire’s tail wagged impressively, leading to a declaration on 478 for 8. Steffan Jones then made the breakthrough with the second delivery of Leicestershire’s second innings to remove Greg Smith for a duck, but Matthew Boyce ended unbeaten on a gruelling 72 to guide the home side to a more comfortable 154 for 2 at stumps.Click here for Andrew McGlashan’s report from Middlesex against Essex at Lord’s.

Not only did the side slip to the brink of an innings defeat against Warwickshire, but Worcestershire have also been hit by the shattering news that Kabir Ali has asked for permission to talk to other counties

George Dobell at Edgbaston04-Sep-2009
ScorecardWorcestershire have endured many a grim day this season, but when they reflect on their 2009 campaign, the third day at Edgbaston might be considered a new low. Not only did the side slip to the brink of an innings defeat against their keenest rivals, but Worcestershire have also been hit by the shattering news that Kabir Ali, their star bowler, has asked for permission to talk to other counties. The 28-year-old swing bowler still has a year on his current contract.The Worcestershire board will meet on Monday night to consider Ali’s request. Bearing in mind that the club have previously stated that they did not want to keep anyone who didn’t want to play for them, it appears likely that Kabir will be a free agent by next week. He will surely have no shortage of suitors. No-one in English cricket (with more than 100 first-class dismissals) has a better strike-rate than Ali and, when fully fit, he is arguably the best new ball bowler in county cricket. Worcestershire’s reliance on him is illustrated by the fact they have not won a championship game without him since 2006.Some will speculate that money is the motivation for the request. The fact that Kabir is due a benefit season suggests that is not the case, however. Instead he appears to have simply lost faith in a club that seems to lack ambition or direction.To compound matters, the club’s fitness coach has also resigned and they have pulled out of their attempt to sign Yorkshire’s Ajmal Shahzad for financial reasons. With Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, forced to reduce his cricket budget by £300,000 ahead of next season and admitting they are unlikely to be able to afford an overseas player, it’s hard to avoid the impression that the club is close to meltdown.Gareth Batty and Steve Davies have already announced their departure from New Road and it is far from certain that Ali will be the last of those looking to leave. Several players have recently expressed their concern at the quality of facilities at the club – Worcestershire is the only first-class county without its own indoor centre – and the club’s ground redevelopment has been delayed as they are unable to fund the building.There was no consolation on the pitch at Edgbaston. A fine spell of swing bowling by Warwickshire’s 20-year-old allrounder, Chris Woakes, forced the visitors to follow-on and it will take a miracle for Worcestershire not suffer their first ‘double’ loss to Warwickshire – home and away in the same season – since 1933.Preying on the frailty of Worcestershire’s middle-order, Woakes claimed five wickets for 19 runs in a 40-ball spell as the visitors fell 289-runs short of the hosts’ first-innings total. Though Woakes’ primary weapon is an outswinger, his ability to move the ball back in creates uncertainty in the minds of batsmen and on this pitch – the stuff of swing bowler’s dreams – he was close to unplayable at times. It was the fifth five-wicket haul of his fledgling career, but his first of the season. He was awarded a well-earned county cap during the tea interval.After Moore was run-out, both men ending up at the bowler’s end after Mitchell declined Moore’s call for a single, Mitchell and Solanki appeared relatively untroubled against the probing Naqaash Tahir and the largely innocuous Sreesanth.The introduction of Woakes sparked a collapse, however, with Mitchell wafting at the bowler’s fifth delivery. Smith, who looks a shadow of the player he was, was bowled by one that pitched middle and hit off, before Moeen Ali and Steve Davies both pushed loosely at deliveries angled across them. Solanki was beaten by the one that nipped back before Gareth Andrew top-edged a wild cut and Richard Jones’s forward prod was beaten by late swing. Alexei Kervezee resisted impressively for a while, but with only timid tail-enders for company, he was caught at mid-off looking to hit over the top.Worcestershire fared a little better in the second innings. Moore, cutting and pulling with such power that the bowler, Sreesanth, felt the need to applaud him, led the way as Worcestershire compiled their second-highest opening stand of the season in first-class cricket.Yet when Mitchell fell, prodding at one he could have left, it hastened another sharp decline with the visitors losing three wickets in eight balls.Bell, at third man, did not have to move as Moore obligingly upper-cut Rankin into his hands, before Smith fell first ball, very well caught by Troughton at point. Moeen Ali survived the hat-trick ball before rain and bad light came to Worcestershire’s aid. Still requiring 166 to make Warwickshire bat again, they’ll need plenty more of it if they are to survive on the final day.Meanwhile Warwickshire have offered a contract to Maurice Holmes, a young off-spinner from Kent.

Phil Hay has dropped an update on Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, regarding his injury status heading into the international break.

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic’s Leeds correspondent, Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips has withdrawn from the England squad with a minor knock.

However, despite that blow, the reporter confirmed a big boost for Leeds in the process.

Hay claims that Phillips has a ‘good chance’ of being fit enough to face Southampton after the international break, with his injury not set to rule him out for a prolonged period of time.

Big boost

This news will leave fans feeling delighted as it is a big boost for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Losing Phillips for the clash against Southampton, and possibly beyond that, would have been a sizeable blow to the squad and would have left the Argentine coach needing to tinker with his XI to compensate for Phillips’ absence.

The defensive midfielder has been a crucial figure in the Leeds team under Bielsa, with 34 Premier League starts to his name since the beginning of last season. He averaged a sublime WhoScored rating of 7.01 as he bossed the midfield in the top-flight, earning himself recognition for his country in doing so.

England manager Gareth Southgate admitted that he had faith that Phillips would be able to become an important member of his squad at international level. He said.

“He’s been excellent. The way he has taken to international football, it hasn’t surprised us because what we’d seen with Leeds, even in the Championship, we felt could convert into our team.

“We felt he could play an important role with us. To play in the enormity of the matches he did in the summer and play as well as he did is massive credit to him.”

This played out in the summer as the Leeds man played seven times in the European Championships as England lost the final on penalties to Italy.

Whilst this illustrates his quality and shows why his fitness will come as a big boost to Bielsa and leave fans delighted, there is also a lack of depth in his position. Phillips was absent on the opening day of the season against Manchester United and Robin Koch was forced to operate in the holding midfield role, with Leeds losing 5-1 at Old Trafford.

The Whites do not have a natural holding midfielder to cover for Phillips when he is not on the pitch and that is another reason why this injury only being a minor one will delight supporters.

This could also be an area for Victor Orta to look at in the January window as signing a back-up in his position could ease any fears over his availability in the future.

AND in other news, Leeds must sanction swoop for £8.5m gem with “crazy technique”, he’s Raphinha 2.0…

Leeds United centre-back Robin Koch has reportedly undergone successful surgery on a hip injury and is hopeful of returning to action ‘soon’.

The Lowdown: Koch missing for a while

The 25-year-old has been missing since the 5-1 defeat at Manchester United on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Koch limped out of proceedings with a hip problem, and given the severity of the issue, surgery was required in the United States.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Positive update emerges

According to Bild [via Sport Witness], the surgery has been a success and the German is now focusing on being back in the Leeds fold as soon as possible.

Koch will return to the club next week and it is claimed that he could be back on the pitch in the ‘coming weeks’.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-20/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Much-needed boost

There isn’t much positive injury news to report for the Whites currently – the likes of Luke Ayling, Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford are all out, among others – so this is a welcome boost.

Granted, Koch may not necessarily be a guaranteed starter when fit, but he provides competition for places and is capable of thriving in both defence and midfield, being hailed as ‘magnificent’ by Noel Whelan in the past.

Indeed, with Bielsa’s squad ravaged by absences at the moment, any positive update on the injury front is a most welcome one, not least in defence.

In other news, Leeds could sign a summer transfer target in January, according to a fresh update. Read more here.

Football Insider pundit Alan Hutton has been reacting to injury news on Celtic defender Greg Taylor.

The Lowdown: Taylor’s post

Taylor took to Instagram on Monday to share with supporters that he underwent ’successful’ shoulder surgery.

The 23-year-old went off injured at half-time against Ross County earlier in the month and has missed defeats to Real Betis and Livingston.

The Daily Record believe the left-back could be out of action for as long as two months, which could see him miss up to 12 fixtures.

The Latest: Hutton reacts

Hutton was asked by Football Insider for his opinion on Taylor’s absence.

This is what the 36-year-old had to say in reply, believing Ange Postecoglou is now ‘quite short’ when it comes to left-back options.

“I think they’re quite short when it comes to left-back in terms of strength of depth.

“With Greg Taylor, you know what you’re getting week in, week out. I don’t think he’s ever going to give you a ten out of ten. However, he’s never going to be a five.

“He’s always going to be a seven or an eight. Managers like those type of players. Juranovic has slotted in there before, with Ralston at right-back. Whether that’s a thing going forward.

“Maybe the manager thought that (game v Livingston) was a chance to have a real good look at Bolingoli. I think we’ll find out more in the next Premiership game if he starts again.

“If not, then maybe the manager wasn’t having him. We will know a lot more in the upcoming weeks.”

The Verdict: Not the case

Taylor was a regular under Postecoglou prior to his injury, so losing him for a long period of time isn’t ideal.

However, the Celtic manager has the resources to cope without the Scot over the coming months.

Boli Bolingoli made his first Hoops appearance on the weekend since returning from his Istanbul Basaksehir loan spell, while youngster Adam Montgomery is also an option.

Summer signings Josip Juranovic and Liam Scales can also turn out at left-back if required, so the Hoops do have strength in depth when it comes to their left-back ranks.

In other news: Celtic now working on ‘top’ transfer without McKay; 48 y/o says he ‘would shine’ in Glasgow.