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This hasn’t exactly been a mind-blowing transfer window for Rangers but when the Gers are undoubtedly the best side in Scottish football right now, what exactly can Gio van Bronckhorst add to Ibrox that the club doesn’t already have?

Of course, Nathan Patterson has left while there is still the threat of Alfredo Morelos leaving Glasgow behind but they have done some business, adding James Sands has been added to their ranks.

Further arrivals seem unlikely in the grand scheme of things but one player at van Bronckhorst simply has to lure to Ibrox is Andreas Skov Olsen.

The Danish winger has electrifying qualities and it’s thought the club are interested in a deal to bring him to Scotland this month.

However, they could be beaten to the 22-year-old signature by Club Brugge who are understood to be closing on a £5m deal for the attacker.

This is disappointing news for the Gers but if Ross Wilson and the club’s manager can still convince him to join then he’d be a terrific signing.

In fact, not only would it be an eye-catching signing for the Glasgow giants but the league as a whole.

Journalist Josh Bunting told his Twitter followers: “If because I don’t know the details and if it’s true Rangers sign Andreas Skov Olsen then wow, that’s actually groundbreaking for Scottish football. Shows that players really respect that league, beautiful footballer, would fit the side and the way that they want to play so well.”

Indeed, it’s incredibly hard to argue with those sentiments. The Dane may have failed to score in Serie A this term but you can’t ignore the rate at which he scored goals for Nordsjaelland, finding the net on 27 occasions in 51 outings.

Blessed with a lethal left foot, it’s easy to see why he’s modelled his play style on Netherlands great Arjen Robben.

Yet, under van Bronckhorst, it’s another Dutchman that he could replicate, that of Robin van Persie.

The former Arsenal and Manchester United striker played under the current Rangers boss at Feyenoord, where he was a revelation, bagging 25 times in 45 matches.

Therefore, with Skov Olsen possessing a similarly dangerous left foot and the ability to score goals on a regular basis, the club’s head coach could well find his next van Persie this winter.

The Scottish champions may already have the likes of Ryan Kent and Morelos in their ranks but Skov Olsen could take their attack to the next level. Rangers must complete a deal if one is still there to be done.

AND in other news, Rangers can finally replace Gilmour by signing “phenomenal” 18y/o who “has everything”…

Celtic have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Hannes Wolf to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Turkish media outlet Fotomac (via the Daily Record), who claim that, despite previous reports suggesting that Celtic and Rapid Vienna were the only serious contenders for the Borussia Monchengladbach attacking midfielder this month, both Trabzonspor and Istanbul Basaksehir have now joined the race from the 22-year-old.

The report goes on to state that the Bundesliga side have made moving the Austria international on one of their main priorities in the January transfer window, while it has also been claimed that Gladbach would be willing to part with Wolf on a temporary basis this month.

Postecoglou will be fuming

While it is true that Wolf has not enjoyed his finest form since making an £8.55m move to Borussia Monchengladbach this summer, the forward nevertheless proved during his time at Red Bull Salzburg that he is a player with a considerable amount of both potential and talent.

Indeed, over his 22 Austrian Bundesliga appearances back in 2018/19, the £12.5m-rated attacking midfielder scored eight goals, provided seven assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £27k-per-week forward who Ralf Rangnick dubbed a “prominent” talent earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, playing a starring role in his side’s title-winning campaign that season.

Furthermore, with Wolf also being capable of playing further back in central midfield, as well on the left-wing and up front, the 22-year-old’s positional versatility would also appear to be another big plus point in Ange Postecoglou’s books.

However, with the recent news that Trabzonspor and Istanbul Basaksehir have now joined the race for the youngster, both of whom have a considerably bigger wage budget than the Bhoys, Celtic’s chances of securing a deal for the Gladbach forward appear to have been shortened somewhat – something that will undoubtedly leave Postecoglou fuming.

In other news: “Opened talks”: Joseph drops major transfer update that’ll have Celtic fans buzzing

Transfers expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed the latest information regarding Wolverhampton Wanderers’ pursuit of signing young Portuguese forward Chiquinho.

What’s the story?

According to Romano, Wolves are close to making the 21-year-old winger their second signing of the January transfer window.

The transfers expert tweeted: “Wolves are closing on Chiquinho deal with Estoril, final details to be completed next week. Portuguese striker’s set to join on a permanent move for €3.5m fee plus €1.5m add ons.”

Valued at £900k by Transfermarkt, is set to depart Primeira Liga side Estoril, who are flying in the Portuguese top-flight this campaign as they currently sit sixth, and join up with his fellow countryman Bruno Lage at Molineux.

The Portuguese youngster has scored four goals and provided six assists in 18 appearances across all competitions in what has been his breakthrough campaign in top-flight football after Estoril were promoted last season.

According to The Athletic, the 21-year-old is set to be part of Wolves’ first-team group. Moreover, the West Midlands club have done business with Estoril before, signing defender Toti Gomes from the Portuguese outfit in September 2020 who was handed a shock debut on Saturday in the 3-1 win over Southampton.

Wolves fans will be buzzing

Although not a household name, Chiquinho offers a great deal of potential and, for a small fee in today’s market, the deal appears low risk, something that will no doubt delight supporters.

Wolves have become a hub for Portuguese talent with the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Jose Sa and Nelson Semedo some of the names who hail from Portugal that have been lured to Molineux in recent years as well as former manager Nuno Espirito Santo and current boss Bruno Lage.

The 21-year-old mainly operates as a left-winger but is flexible and can also play on the right-hand side of a front-three, ideal for Wolves who tend to operate with a 3-4-3 setup.

Compared to the other wingers in Lage’s squad, Chiquinho would boast the most league goals so far this season, although the Premier League is a significant step up from the Portuguese top-flight. Currently, Adama Traore is the only wide man to have netted in the league this campaign.

There have been murmurs of the Spaniard departing Molineux in the near future and therefore the Portugal U21 international could prove to be a long-term replacement.

Moreover, Lage is yet to welcome back the injured Pedro Neto, who has been out since April with a serious knee injury.

He may be an unknown name, however, the stats back up the suggestion that Chiquinho could be an exciting prospect for Wolves. Seeing a Portuguese talent excel at Molineux isn’t unheard of.

In other news – £33k-p/w Wolves gem, who created two big chances, stars in victory over Southampton

The Athletic’s Celtic correspondent Kieran Devlin believes that Hoops youngster Karamoko Dembele may have actually broken a bone in his ankle over the summer.

The Lowdown: Dembele’s Celtic career

Labelled as ‘special’ by former Bhoys manager Neil Lennon, the teenager has struggled to make a major impact at Parkhead since penning professional terms at Parkhead back in 2018.

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Now 18 years of age, the winger has turned out just eight times for the Hoops’ first team and is yet to make a competitive appearance under Ange Postecoglou.

He injured his ankle in the club’s pre-season tour of Wales and underwent surgery back in October following complications. However, Devlin believes that the youngster may have broken a bone in his ankle despite reports suggesting that it was a fracture.

The Latest: Devlin claim

Devlin ran a Q&A on The Athletic prior to Celtic’s meeting with Motherwell on Sunday afternoon.

He was quizzed on Dembele’s situation, replying with an interesting admission:

“He’s also injured, *think* it turned out to be a break in the end but conflicting information on that.”

The Verdict: Summer departure?

Dembele has had his struggles in Glasgow and is out of contract in the summer, so there’s every possibility that he’ll pursue a new challenge next year, should his situation remain the same over the coming months.

You’d expect that he wouldn’t be short of suitors either despite his injury issues, with the likes of Lille, Nantes and Danish side FC Nordsjaelland all linked with the teenager earlier this year.

Hopefully he’ll be back in the New Year and will get a chance under Postecoglou, but getting fit will be his main priority for the time being.

In other news: ‘Game-changer’ – BBC Radio 5 Live man ‘surprised’ as Celtic get closer to biggest signing of the Postecoglou era

England have announced they intend to lodge an official complaint following Graeme Smith’s controversial reprieve by the third umpire, Daryl Harper, during the second day of the fourth and final Test at Johannesburg

Cricinfo staff15-Jan-2010England have announced they intend to lodge an official complaint following Graeme Smith’s controversial reprieve by the third umpire, Daryl Harper, during the second day of the fourth and final Test at Johannesburg.Smith, who top-scored for South Africa with 105, his 20th Test century, appeared to be given a let-off on 15 when he attempted a cut against Ryan Sidebottom and appeared to feather a nick through to the keeper, Matt Prior.Although the onfield umpire, Tony Hill, initially turned down England’s appeals, the captain, Andrew Strauss, immediately used one of his team’s two reviews, and the TV replays seemed to indicate an audible snick as the ball passed the bat.However, Harper upheld the onfield decision, claiming that he could not hear any noise on the replay that he was being shown in the third umpire’s booth. An angry England coach, Andy Flower, claimed that this was because he had the volume too low on his television set, and confirmed that an official complaint was being made to the match referee, Roshan Mahanama.”He has obviously hit it because you can hear the nick on the replays,” said Flower. “I don’t blame him for standing but certainly with the technology available and everyone can hear the nick on referral, I find it very surprising that he hasn’t been given out.”Umpire Harper was at the centre of a previous review controversy involving England on their tour of the Caribbean in the spring, and Flower did not seek to mince his words. “I am not surprised he didn’t hear it because he didn’t turn the volume up on his speaker,” he said. “I find it strange if you are listening for a nick you don’t turn the volume up on your speaker.”The initial belief, among confused commentators, was that the SABC feed used by the third umpire must have come from a different source to those used by Sky and Supersport, on which the noise was clearly audible. However, after seeking clarification from Mahanama, Flower discovered that this was not the case.”We found out that wasn’t correct and one audio feed is used for everyone, and the second time [Mahanama] said that Daryl Harper had not switched up the volume on his mike and that is why we have heard the nick but the third umpire hasn’t. If it wasn’t such a serious match for us I would have found it amusing, I think it’s very disappointing.”They said they did not deem it necessary to turn up the volume. But in the pre-series match referees meeting both Dave Richardson from the ICC and Mahanama explained on caught-behind referrals the volume would be turned up.”For cost reasons, neither Snickometer nor HotSpot are being used in this series despite their successful application in other parts of the world, a state of affairs that Flower described as “illogical”. “We were assured that, because we don’t have that technology available, they would turn up the volume to listen for nicks,” he added. “They didn’t do that today and I find that hard to understand.”Smith, for his part, did not deny there had been a noise, but maintained that he had stood his ground with good reason. “There definitely was a noise but I didn’t feel I’d touched the ball,” he said. “Even talking to Ashwell [Prince] as the review was going on I didn’t feel the ball hit the bat. That can happen, maybe it did, maybe it didn’t.”I thought it was my thumb on the bat handle, and I still don’t feel like I hit it.”

بدأ نادي ليفربول خطواته من أجل التحرك لحسم صفقة مهمة من أجل تدعيم خط الوسط في الموسم المقبل من خلال التعاقد مع لاعب منتخب إنجلترا، جود بيلينجهام.

يعد بيلينجهام أحد أبرز المواهب في الكرة الإنجليزية في الوقت الحالي ويلعب في صفوف بوروسيا دورتموند، ورغم أنه يبلغ من العمر 19 عامًا فقط إلا أن سعره يزيد عن 100 مليون جنيه إسترليني.

اقرأ أيضًا | حارس النمسا السابق يتحدث لـ بطولات عن أسلوب كولر في الملعب.. واللاعب الذي لن يحبه في الأهلي

وبحسب صحيفة “Sunday World” البريطانية أن وكلاء بيلينجهام على علم باهتمام ليفربول، لأن كانت هناك مفاوضات مبدئية بين الطرفين.

الصفقة لن تكون سهلة على ليفربول لأنهم يعلمون أن اللاعب سيكون لديه اهتمام من أندية أخرى مثل ريال مدريد، الذي يرى بيلينجهام أحد الصفقات التي يجب التدعيم بها للمستقبل.

الجدير بالذكر أن بيلينجهام كان قد انتقل إلى بوروسيا دورتموند في صيف عام 2020، قادمًا من صفوف بيرمنجهام بمقابل 25 مليون جنيه إسترليني.

In the remote North-East Frontier Railway Stadium in Guwahati, Amol Muzumdar became the highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy, going past another domestic giant Amarjit Kaypee’s mark of 7623 runs

Cricinfo staff06-Nov-2009

In the remote North-East Frontier Railway Stadium in Guwahati, Amol Muzumdar became the highest run-getter in the Ranji Trophy, going past another domestic giant Amarjit Kaypee’s mark of 7623 runs.At the start of the 2009-10 season, Muzumdar needed 31 runs to break the record, but once Mumbai, his home side, didn’t pick him for the preparatory tournaments, he moved to Assam. Muzumdar made 22 in the first innings against Rajasthan, and crossed the record in the second effort of 25, a knock that couldn’t help Assam avoid a 95-run defeat.In his previous season for Mumbai, Muzumdar scored 359 runs in nine matches at an average of 27.61. In the semi-final last year, he was sent in to open the innings after Mumbai had ensured they would go through to the finals. Presumably given the opportunity to get the record, he managed 2 off 13 and 9 off 32. In what was a sign of things to come, he was not played in the final, which Mumbai won.The recent happenings, though, should not take away from a career, which could have easily gone down the bitter road. Muzumdar was one of the many middle-order batsmen born in the wrong era, that of Mohammad Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly. He began his first-class career with an unbeaten 260 against Haryana in the 1994-95 Ranji pre-quarterfinal, and kept putting up the runs for Mumbai season after season. He went on to win seven Ranji titles with Mumbai, the one in 2006-07 as captain, after the side came from nowhere and stunned everybody in the last few matches.

Leeds United have been boosted in their attempts to sign Cagliari midfielder Nahitan Nandez, with a January exit potentially on the cards.

The Lowdown: Nandez constantly linked with Leeds

Few players were linked with a move to Leeds in the summer more often than Nandez, who was constantly tipped to head to Elland Road, with Victor Orta even jetting to Sardinia to try and complete a move.

Instead, the 25-year-old ended up staying at Cagliari, for the time being at least, where he has registered two Serie A assists this season.

It appears as though Nandez could still move on in the near future, however, with Leeds receiving a fresh boost this week, in that respect.

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The Latest: January exit could happen

According to CalcioNapoli24 [via Sport Witness], Nandez ‘can leave in January’, with the midfielder on the cusp of winning his 50th cap for Uruguay.

West Ham are mentioned as coming ‘very close’ to signing him in the summer, perhaps suggesting that the Hammers could also make a move in January alongside the Whites.

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The Verdict: Snap him up, Orta

As reports continue to link Kalvin Phillips with a move away from Leeds, it could be that Marcelo Bielsa and Orta have to find a tailor-made replacement for him.

In Nandez, the Whites could have exactly that, with the Uruguayan a force both in and out of possession, as is the case with Phillips.

The Cagliari man is averaging 1.1 key passes per game in the league this season, which is almost double what the Leeds hero has managed (0.6), as well as making the same number of clearances (1.0).

A tenacious midfielder, tough in the tackle and composed on the ball, Orta and co couldn’t ask for a much better Phillips replacement if one is needed.

In other news, Liverpool have again been linked with a move for a Premier League player. Find out who it is here.

HD Ackerman has decided to end his county career with Leicestershire, making way for the club’s younger players.Ackerman, the 36-year-old South African, was left out of the current Championship side playing Gloucestershire, allowing Josh Cobb, 19, to take his place.”He has been an outstanding batsman and role model to our younger players,” David Smith, Leicestershire’s chief executive told the . “He will leave a strong legacy when he returns to South Africa and we would like to take this opportunity to wish both HD and his wife Kerryn every success in the future.”Ackerman moved to Grace Road in 2005, and since then has been Leicestershire’s leading batsman, accumulating over 5,000 first-class runs. His top score was 309 not out against Glamorgan in 2006.

MatériaMais Notícias

Se o Avaí tivesse dado o pontapé inicial no Campeonato Brasileiro como deu no returno, com certeza estaria intimidando ainda mais seus adversários. Invicto há cinco jogos, o time tem 83,3% de aproveitamento nesta fase do torneio e já abandonou a zona de rebaixamento rumo à classificação para disputar a Copa Sul-Americana.

Ocupando a 14ª colocação, o Leão tem sua campanha do returno comparada a do Corinthians, que arrancou logo nas primeiras rodadas, e pretende subir ainda mais na tabela. De acordo com o lateral-esquerdo João Paulo, a principal meta é se afastar ainda mais do Z4.

– Vamos continuar nesta batida até o fim do campeonato, trabalhando firme e procurando fazer grandes jogos. Estamos no caminho certo. Nossa equipe está muito motivada, crescendo de produção e ganhando confiança a cada jogo. Agora é manter o foco para garantir o Avaí na Série A o quanto antes – declarou.

O time segue se preparando para enfrentar o Atlético-MG às 11h do próximo domingo, pela 24ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Em casa, a equipe azurra conta com o apoio da torcida para desbancar o adversário, que tem apenas dois pontos a mais. De acordo com João Paulo, não vai faltar força para garantir um bom resultado na Ressacada.

– Vamos ter o Atlético pela frente na próxima rodada e temos que estar preparados. Estaremos em casa, diante do nosso torcedor, e não podemos vacilar. É vencer ou vencer para continuar melhorando nossa posição na tabela de classificação – finalizou.