Arsene Wenger worked with some of the best players to ever grace the English game. The iconic manager transformed Arsenal into Invincibles and took the Premier League into a new era entirely with the football that he had his side playing. And, in truth, it is the England team who should have benefitted the most.
Whilst Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp – just to name a few – all starred under Wenger, it’s worth remembering that the Frenchman also handed the likes of Ashley Cole, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, Ian Wright and David Seaman the keys to unlock their potential at Highbury.
At the heart of Arsenal history, Wenger worked with a core of England legends and some of the best players in the club’s history, who have not forgotten his impact.
However, as much as Wright and others thrived under Wenger and handed him deserved praise as a result, the former Arsenal boss only decided to name one former England player in his list of favourite Gunners.
Wenger names Wilshere among his best ever Arsenal players
Snubbing Wright, Campbell, Seaman, Cole and others, Wenger named just one England player when asked about his favourite ever Arsenal players and that was, perhaps in surprising fashion, Jack Wilshere.
The former midfielder broke into Wenger’s side as a young prospect full of potential and whilst injuries eventually took control of his career, the ex-Arsenal boss has not forgotten the ability that Wilshere always had in abundance. Naming the Hale End graduate alongside Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Cesc Fabregas and Aaron Ramsey, Wilshere won’t receive much higher praise.
Appearances
197
Goals
14
Assists
28
Ultimately, Wilshere’s career went down as a ‘what could have been’ rather than what was, but no one can take away 197 Arsenal appearances and the two FA Cup wins that came alongside that.
Following his retirement, the former England ace received quite the tribute from Wenger, who said: “Well for me it’s a sad moment because Jack is an exceptional football player.
“He was brave, he was talented, he wasn’t scared of anybody. Which is why we thought he could start at a very young age. Straight away he showed he had the ability to be a main player.”
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and asked Rajasthan Royals to bat first on a dry surface in Guwahati. KKR were forced to make one change, with Moeen Ali replacing an unwell Sunil Narine. KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo handed Moeen his first KKR cap. Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson kept his place in the XI ahead of Anrich Nortje.Nortje, though, was part of KKR’s Impact subs bench along with Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who is likely to slot in as the Impact Player when KKR chase.As for RR, they handed a franchise debut to Wanindu Hasaranga and listed him at No.7. As the only allrounder in the XII, Hasaranga could lend some balance, which they had missed in their season-opener against SRH. Hasaranga replaced Afghanistan left-arm swing bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi and reunited with his Sri Lanka team-mate Maheesh Theekshana, the mystery spinner. RR kept faith in Jofra Archer, though he had bowled the most expensive spell in the IPL (4-0-76-0) against SRH on Sunday. Former Mumbai Indians fast bowlerAkash Madhwal might come in as RR’s Impact Player later tonight.KKR’s bowling first XI 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 4, Rinku Singh, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Ramandeep Singh, 8 Spencer Johnson, 9 Vaibhav Arora, 10 Harshit Rana, 11 Varun Chakravarthy. Impact Subs: Anrich Nortje, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Anukul Roy, Luvith SisodiaRR’s batting first XI: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Sanju Samson, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Thushar Deshpande, 11 Sandeep Sharma. Impact Subs: Kunal Singh Rathore, Shubham Dubey, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kwena Maphaka
Promotion at the Kia Oval comes after cutting captaincy teeth in IPL and ILT20
ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2025
Sam Curran will lead Surrey in this year’s Vitality Blast•Getty Images
Sam Curran’s credentials as a potential England white-ball captain have received a boost with his promotion to lead Surrey’s men in this year’s Vitality Blast.Curran, who has represented Surrey since U15s and first captained a Surrey side at U17s, was England’s player of the match and tournament when they won the T20 World Cup in 2022, but has been out of favour since the 2023 World Cup. He was not selected for Brendon McCullum’s initial white-ball squads this year, including the recent Champions Trophy in which Jos Buttler’s tenure as England captain ended.He captained Surrey for three Blast fixtures in 2023, standing in for Chris Jordan, whom he is now succeeding full-time. He has led Punjab Kings on a total of 11 occasions in the Indian Premier League in 2023 and 2024. This year he also captained Desert Vipers to the final of the recent ILT20.Curran has scored over 4,000 T20 runs and made his first T20 century in last year’s Vitality Blast against Hampshire at the Kia Oval. With the ball, he has over 250 T20 wickets with his left-arm seam and swing.He was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2019, and has represented England more than 120 times across all formats since making his debut in 2018.”I am deeply honoured and proud to have been appointed Surrey’s T20 captain,” Curran said. “It is a privilege to lead such a great group of players and to continue representing this iconic club.”I look forward to leading our team and will do everything I can to live up to the standards and expectations that Surrey prides itself on.”I am very determined to deliver trophies and try to replicate what has been achieved in the County Championship the last few years to make the Members and fans proud.”Surrey’s High Performance Cricket Advisor, Alec Stewart said: “I’d like to thank Chris Jordan for his three years as captain of the T20 side. He led the team to consecutive appearances at Finals Day and will remain a key part of the side on and off the field. CJ is one of the most senior players in the team and is greatly respected by everyone at the Club.”This is the right time for Sam to take over as the captain with where he’s at in his career. It’s a great opportunity for him to put his mark on the team and help to take us that one step further to deliver silverware. Sam has shown his leadership qualities already both at Surrey and in the IPL and he will bring a huge amount to the role.”Surrey’s first Vitality Blast fixture at the Kia Oval this year is on Thursday, June 5 when they take on Hampshire in a double-header matchday.
Crystal Palace are now weighing up whether to make a bid for an “incredible” forward instead of pursuing Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss, according to a journalist.
Palace narrow down list of Eze replacements
In a remarkable twist on Wednesday night, it was revealed that Arsenal made a late move to hijack Tottenham Hotspur’s move for Eberechi Eze, and Fabrizio Romano has since confirmed the Gunners have won the race.
Romano has also revealed that Eze is set to undergo a medical on Friday, following tonight’s UEFA Conference League play-off first leg against Fredrikdstad, which will give the England international the opportunity to say goodbye to the fans.
With the 27-year-old now set to leave, Oliver Glasner is faced with the difficult task of bringing in a replacement, and the Eagles are in a strong position to win the race for El Khannouss, having held club-to-club talks with Leicester City.
In a new update on X from Ben Jacobs, it has been revealed that Crystal Palace are close to reaching an agreement for the Moroccan, with a £30m package “broadly in place”, but they are still not 100% committed to signing the midfielder.
Crystal Palace eyeing marquee signing of "incredible" £40m Eze replacement
The Eagles have now set their sights on a new target, who could replace Eberechi Eze.
ByDominic Lund Aug 20, 2025
Palace are currently deciding whether to proceed with the move for El Khannouss or bid for Southampton’s Tyler Dibling instead, while Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis is also of interest, although the Belgian club are reluctant to sanction a departure.
Should the Eagles decide to make a move for Dibling, a deal is likely to be on the expensive side, with a £45m price tag being touted, and there could be competition for the forward’s signature from Everton.
Sensational Dibling could excel at Selhurst Park
The Southampton starlet is able to play at both right-wing and attacking midfield, indicating he could be brought in as a direct replacement for Eze, and the youngster certainly caught the eye in the Premier League last season.
Journalist Alfie House described the 19-year-old as an “incredible” footballer last November, while Fabrizio Romano singled the attacker out for praise after a very impressive performance at Old Trafford.
The Saints were relegated without putting up much of a fight last season, however, which meant the young Englishman was only able to chip in with three goal contributions in the league, despite managing to impress in other ways.
That said, Dibling clearly has the talent to thrive in a better side, and given his age, he could be a fantastic long-term replacement for Eze.
“Didn’t realise India were going to come that hard, but we managed to get the breakthroughs when we needed,” says Tom Latham
ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2024″I have to mention Mitch Santner…” Tom Latham broke off to say while talking about New Zealand’s historic first Test series win in India. It took its time coming, but once Latham did mention Santner, he went on for a while. Santner had, after all, just finished with 13 wickets for the Test in Pune, and played a bigger role in creating history than any of his team-mates.”Felt a bit harder this time,” Santner said when it was his turn to speak, after he had collected the Player-of-the-Match award. “Credit to India the way they came out. We knew they were going to fire some shots; that was probably the best play on that wicket. [Yashasvi] Jaiswal played extremely well. But we were just trying to hang in there and hopefully one had their name on it. Great feeling in the end.”For context, New Zealand started Saturday’s third day 301 runs in front with five second-innings wickets in hand. They added 57 more before being bowled out. The pitch was treacherous enough that even India’s biggest fans wouldn’t have backed their team to win, but Jaiswal sped away to a quick half-century. After Rohit Sharma fell cheaply for a second time in the Test, Shubman Gill was as positive as Jaiswal. For a while, India were going at over a run a ball.Related
Rangana Herath on New Zealand's spin triumph in India: 'It was all about accuracy'
Latham 'lost for words' as New Zealand scale new heights
'I don't want to do too much of a post-mortem' – Rohit after loss in Pune
Santner takes 13 to hand India their first home Test series defeat since 2012
'Flatline' Mitchell Santner peaks with Kohli's wicket
“We knew they were going to come out pretty hard; didn’t realise they were going to come that hard,” Latham said. “But we obviously managed to get the breakthroughs when we needed.”That, again, was thanks to Santner. He got the first three wickets, of Rohit, Gill and Jaiswal, and later added three more.”In the first innings, he [Santner] was absolutely fantastic. He’s been around the group for a long time and to finally hit a break and bowl the way he has, not only in the first innings but in the second innings, he bowled fantastically well. The credit has to go to him,” Latham said.When you bowl as well as Santner did, you bowl a lot of overs, which is a bit rare for someone who is primarily a short-format bowler. Before this Test, Santner’s match best in a Test was 6 for 93 and first-class best was 8 for 153. He had only one five-for in first-class cricket. Here, he ended up having to bowl 48.3 overs across the two India innings. That while feeling soreness in his side.”It’s a bit strange for me [to bowl that many overs],” he admitted. “My side’s a little sore. Must be the spike in my workloads – 20-odd overs out there,” he said, only half-joking. “I felt it a little bit early on in my spell, but I guess in that kind of situation you just want to keep going. Every time I got a wicket, it felt a little better.”I guess every time you take wickets, you get a little bit of confidence. A few wickets under your belt is always nice. The belief… kind of land the ball on the same spot for a long time, the odd change of pace, and yeah, that’s all we’re trying to do as a spin unit.”1:45
What made Santner so effective?
New Zealand’s series win, with one Test to go, must count as a bit of an upset. India hadn’t lost a Test series at home since 2012, to England, and New Zealand had never won a Test series in India. They did this time after being counted out before the series, having just lost 2-0 in Sri Lanka and being without their best batter, Kane Williamson, so far in India.”I don’t think we played that badly in Sri Lanka,” Latham said. “I guess you look at the result, 2-0 down… I thought we did a lot of good things. Then coming here, I guess it was about trying to stick to our basics and doing as best as we can and I guess trying to play the long game here. We talk about firing a shot and I think we have done that over the last two games. Both surfaces have been completely different. We’ve needed to adapt and I think we’ve adapted pretty well.”[It was about] trying to be positive as best as we can. I think the method that we played with last night and I guess putting ourselves on the front foot, was outstanding. Runs were the most important thing out there, not necessarily time.”The last Test of the series will be played at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium from November 1.
كُشف النقاب منذ قليل عن هوية الفائز بجائزة جيرد مولر لأفضل هداف في العالم لعام 2025، التابعة لجوائز مجلة “فرانس فوتبول” الشهيرة، حسبما أُعلن مساء يوم الإثنين.
وتُقام مساء يوم الإثنين مراسم حفل توزيع جوائز الأفضل في العالم، المُقدمة من مجلة “فرانس فوتبول” الشهيرة، وعلى رأسها الكرة الذهبية (لمتابعة البث المباشر من هنا).
وتضم جوائز اليوم العديد من الفئات، بخلاف الكرة الذهبية لأفضل لاعب في العالم للرجال والسيدات، حيث هناك جائزة كوبا لأفضل لاعب شاب، وجائزة ياشين لأفضل حارس مرمى، جائزة كرويف لأفضل مدرب، إلى جانب جائزة أفضل نادِ للرجال والسيدات.
بخلاف ذلك، هناك جائزة جيرد مولر التي تُمنح لهداف العام، وحسبما أُعلن، فاز فيكتور جيوكيريس نجم سبورتينج لشبونة السابق وآرسنال الحالي بها كونه اللاعب الأكثر تهديفًا في الدوريات الخمس الكبرى في عام 2025.
وتمكن جيوكيريس من تسجيل 39 هدفًا في موسم الدوري البرتغالي الموسم الماضي، وهو أكثر من سجل أهدافًا على صعيد الدوريات الخمس الكبرى، ولكنه لم يفز بجائزة الحذاء الذهبي الأوروبي آنذاك والتي ذهبت إلى كيليان مبابي لاعب ريال مدريد الإسباني الذي سجل 31 هدفًا بسبب فارق النقاط الذي يختلف من دوري لآخر.
Leicestershire still in chasing pack after eighth draw in 10 Championship matches
ECB Reporters Network25-Aug-2024Peter Handscomb’s rock-sold half-century against his former club foiled a spirited last-day effort by Gloucestershire’s bowlers and earned Leicestershire a comfortable draw from their County Championship Division Two game at Bristol.The experienced Australian made 63 not out as the visitors reached 304 for 5 in their second innings from an overnight 41 without loss, a lead of 162, by the time bad light ended play with a possible 27 overs left. Rishi Patel hit 75 and Ian Holland 56.In the end the only winner was a typically placid Bristol pitch, which made it hard work for seamers and spinners alike over the course of four bat-dominated days. Gloucestershire took 16 points from the game and Leicestershire 13.It said much about the pitch that with the new ball only ten overs old at the start of play, Gloucestershire chose offspinner Ollie Price to open their attack from the Ashley Down Road End. He gained precious little more assistance than the seamers as Patel and Holland set about building on their opening partnership.There was a sense of inevitability as Patel progressed serenely to a half-century off 79 balls, with eight fours, making good use of the sweep against Price, who he lofted over long-on for six in the 33rd over.Two overs later Patel perished attempting a repeat of that shot, this time failing to clear Dom Goodman on the boundary. But the stand of 142 in 34.2 overs with first-innings centurion Holland had wiped out Gloucestershire’s sizeable lead.With 21 added, Marchant de Lange was rewarded for bending his back from the Pavilion End when Lewis Hill, on 11, could only fend a lifting a delivery to Chris Dent at short leg. By lunch, Leicestershire had reached 169 for 2, with Holland one short of his fifty.Gloucestershire hopes were briefly raised when Zaman Akhter took a brilliant catch at backward square, holding onto a pull shot from Ajinkya Rahane off de Lange. Akhter then induced an inside edge onto his stumps from Holland, who had reached a painstaking half-century off 127 balls.At 180 for 4, Leicestershire were just 38 runs in front. But Handscomb and Rehan Ahmed calmed any nerves in the visiting dressing room with a stand of 63 in 13.3 overs, ended when Rehan edged a delivery from Price through to wicketkeeper James Bracey and departed for 23.Handscomb went to an untroubled half-century off 73 balls, with seven fours, and was unbeaten at tea, with Louis Kimber 29 not out in a Leicestershire total of 286 for 5. The lead was 144 and barring a collapse, the Foxes were safe.The curtailed final session offered more of the same with Handscomb and Kimber having few alarms, despite Price getting some slow turn. At soon after 4.15pm, with the floodlights shining brightly, the umpires decided the light was too poor.Only six wickets had fallen in two days and the draw, which had long seemed the only likely outcome, was confirmed at 4.30pm with rain falling. Kimber was unbeaten on 38 at stumps.
When Liverpool last won the league, their transfer window was hardly filled with much inspiration. The most notable of arrivals saw Diogo Jota join from Wolves.
This time around, things are vastly different. The Reds are attacking things hard and have already made a seismic statement.
Liverpool summer transfer window in 2020
In 2025, Liverpool have already spent more than that aforementioned window, firstly bringing in Jeremie Frimpong to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold and then signing £116m man Florian Wirtz.
There’s more to come in the form of Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez, while Alexander Isak continues to be linked with a move to Anfield. Just imagine that.
Once the Kerkez move is completed, the Reds could turn their attention towards another Premier League defender.
Liverpool seeking to bolster their defence
Frimpong has arrived to strengthen the right-hand side and before too long, Kerkez will come in to bolster the left.
The latest on that move is that Liverpool have now agreed a £40m deal to bring the Hungarian full-back to Merseyside.
AFC Bournemouth's MilosKerkez
Reports suggest that the player has already undergone his medical with the club and has been spotted at the training ground.
So, with that move wrapped up, Liverpool could now look at getting a move over the line for Crystal Palace defender, Marc Guehi.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
A few days ago now it was reported that Richard Hughes and Co were preparing an offer to sign the England centre-back and a deal is now said to be moving in the right direction on the player side.
According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool are now ‘very close’ to reaching an agreement with the player on personal terms.
Crystal Palace's MarcGuehi
It’s widely thought that Guehi will be allowed to leave Selhurst Park this summer with only one year remaining on his current deal. The Eagles value him at £70m but due to his contract situation, they may be forced to sell for around £45m.
Liverpool face plenty of competition for the defender’s signature, notably from Newcastle United.
How Guehi could emulate Mac Allister at Anfield
Liverpool have had great success at signing players from fellow Premier League clubs. The aforementioned Jota, despite his injury history, has done a sterling job, scoring 65 goals in 182 matches.
In recent years, Alexis Mac Allister stands proud as one of their finest investments.
In the summer of 2023, the Reds needed to strengthen in the middle of the park following the exits of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho. They did so by bringing in Mac Allister, a World Cup winner, from Brighton in a deal worth £35m.
That fee has turned out to be a bargain. The Argentine is not just one of the most consistent players in the Liverpool team but he’s also one of the most consistent figures in the entire Premier League.
His peers think so as well, with the midfielder nominated for the PFA’s Player of the Season award alongside Mohammed Salah.
That is a fine reward for the South American who enjoyed a fabulous campaign in the engine room. A natural leader, he certainly led by example with his performances, scoring seven goals and registering six assists in 49 matches across all competitions.
Vitally, Mac Allister didn’t need much time to adapt to Liverpool, largely because he’d already had great success in England with Brighton.
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister
Guehi is a similar situation. Of course, he’s English, which will certainly help the adaptation period, but the fact he’s already starred in the Premier League will no doubt make this a truly risk-free signing for Slot and Co.
It’s in the last year that the Eagles star has really started to make a statement with his performances.
Crystal Palace's MarcGuehireacts after the match
Since coming through at Chelsea, many have tipped the defender for big things and he could realise that by making a move to Anfield this summer. He’s deserving of a move, notably heralded as “England’s best centre-back” by one content creator following his displays at last summer’s European Championships.
Since then, he’s only gone from strength to strength. Guehi, the current captain at Palace, was one of the main factors behind their recent FA Cup success, famously beating Manchester City in the final.
Key passes
Top 11%
Progressive passes
Top 31%
Through balls
Top 9%
Tackles
Top 22%
Blocks
Top 20%
Ball recoveries
Top 29%
In doing so, he kept a clean sheet, showing his ability to perform in the big games. Like Mac Allister, he’s incredibly consistent. He didn’t make a single error leading to a goal all season in the Premier League and only made two errors leading to a shot.
In fact, since he signed for Palace, he’s only made two errors leading to a goal and four errors leading to a shot in the league. In the words of football writer Stuart James, he is an “incredible” defender.
For added context, Ibrahima Konate made one error leading to a goal last season and two leading to a shot. Since moving to Liverpool, he’s made five errors leading to a goal in the top-flight. On that evidence, Guehi is a little smarter, certainly more consistent.
Like Mac Allister, he could be the risk-free bargain signing that would make Liverpool even better. If a deal can be done for £45m, it’s a no-brainer.
He could surpass Salah: Liverpool now prepared to sign another £100m star
Liverpool are in the market for a centre-forward this summer.
Leeds United are ramping up their transfer activity as the new Premier League season edges ever closer.
Former Manchester City youth starlet Lucas Nmecha has now joined the ranks from Wolfsburg to enhance the Whites’ attacking options. It’s surely only a matter of time before Jaka Bijol is announced too, after he has allegedly undergone a medical at Elland Road.
Jaka Bijol in action for Udinese.
The next logical step would be to add some reinforcements in the middle of the park, therefore, and Leeds’ wish could be granted if they were to land a former Premier League ace.
Leeds interested in deal for £25m star
Strengthening the midfield ranks is evidently a key priority for Leeds this summer with moves for the likes of Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki reportedly lined up.
Diarra seems to be a more concrete target at the moment with fresh claims suggesting that they made a bid worth £21m.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Slow progress is being made on that deal, so the Whites are seeking alternatives. Well, according to a new report from Italian outlet Tuttosport, via Sport Witness, Leeds are in the picture to land former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz this summer.
The report states that Luiz will be allowed to leave Juventus this off-season after a mediocre stint in Turin, but Leeds could well be put off by the Serie A giants and their asking price, with Igor Tudor’s men having purchased the Brazilian for a bumper £42m fee.
The move could still have legs on a loan-to-buy basis, however, with the report clarifying that such a deal would only cost Daniel Farke’s men £25m down the line. That marks a sharp decrease from Luiz’s staggering £100m valuation back in 2023.
Thus, that £25m fee feels like a reasonable fee to pay for the South American, with his reputation needing to be repaired, and that could occur back in England, where he once starred for Unai Emery’s men regularly.
Why Luiz could become Leeds' new Raphinha-like star
Luiz could come in and seriously improve Farke’s midfield options, with this deal having a similar feel to when Leeds purchased another Brazilian from Europe in the form of Raphinha for a bargain £16m, with the rest now history on the end of the Barcelona superstar.
Obviously, Raphinha didn’t have the backdrop of flopping at Rennes before he relocated to West Yorkshire, but it would have been seen as a savvy deal at the time, with Leeds only having to fork out a modest fee to win the slick winger.
The 34-time Brazil international would go on to cement himself in Leeds hearts everywhere with his skilful performances throughout his short stay, leading to the now Barca number 11 collecting 17 goals and 12 assists from 67 appearances, with his efforts as the Whites’ top goalscorer during his swansong season at Elland Road helping Leeds to just about beat the drop.
Luiz might well follow in Raphinha’s footsteps and be the energetic presence Leeds need to secure their Premier League status this coming season, with the Rio De Janeiro-born midfielder a proven top-flight performer.
Farke would love to call upon Luiz as an additional central body, therefore, with the vibrant Brazilian capable of getting stuck in when needed. Like Raphinha, who’s now a firm Ballon d’Or contender, he’s got fine pedigree, notably hailed as “one of the best 6s in the Premier League” and “one of the best [midfielders] in the world” by Sky Italia.
That’s showcased perfectly by his numbers for the Villans, where he ranked within the top 7% of midfielders in the Premier League in 2023/24 for goals, demonstrating his attacking flair to go alongside his defensive qualities.
Games played
36
33
34
37
35
Goals scored
3
0
2
6
9
Assists
2
2
3
6
5
Touches*
46.1
55.6
56.9
60.6
70.1
Accurate passes*
27.7 (83%)
36.8 (86%)
37.1 (87%)
39.6 (86%)
50.4 (89%)
Big chances created
3
4
2
7
10
Tackles*
1.3
1.5
1.7
2.0
1.7
Clearances*
1.3
1.2
0.6
0.6
0.5
Total duels won*
4.1
4.9
4.4
4.4
4.2
Luiz only got better and better the more his Premier League journey at Villa Park went on, culminating in him firing home a ridiculous nine Premier League strikes during his final season in the West Midlands.
He would even be labelled as “world-class” during his celebrated stay with the Villans by teammate John McGinn, with Raphinha once also talked about in the same glowing manner in West Yorkshire when heralded as “special” by Marcelo Bielsa.
Everything is pointing in the direction of this being a superb deal, with Luiz potentially going on to be their new Premier League saviour, just as Raphinha was once upon a time.
He's better than Diarra: Leeds now looking at deal to sign £26m "threat"
Leeds United are eyeing up a midfield star who could be even better than Habib Diarra.
Glasgow Rangers will need a new manager in the dugout at Ibrox when the 2025/26 campaign gets underway later this year, having relieved Philippe Clement of his duties in February.
Barry Ferguson came in to replace the Belgian head coach as an interim manager until the end of the season, and his side did beat Aberdeen 4-0 last time out in the league.
However, the former Rangers central midfielder has only won five of his 13 matches in charge of the club in all competitions, losing four of those games.
Ferguson’s most recent managerial experience before his current stint at Ibrox came at Alloa Athletic in the 2021/22 campaign, when he lost 17 of his 33 games at the helm.
These statistics do not suggest that the former Scotland international is the right man to lead the Light Blues back to glory in the Scottish Premiership moving forward, which is why he should not be a contender for the job.
It does appear as though Rangers are set to look externally for their new head coach this summer, as they have been linked with a move for Davide Ancelotti.
Why Davide Ancelotti could be exciting for Rangers
It was recently reported that the son of Carlo Ancelotti, who is currently part of his father’s coaching staff at Real Madrid, is closing in on the Rangers job.
The Light Blues were reported to be pushing to bring him to Ibrox to convince him to take his first role as a senior head coach, rather than going to join his dad when he becomes the Brazil manager later this year.
The Rangers-linked coach has worked with his father at Real Madrid, Everton, and Bayern Munich, and has been described as an influential figure behind the scenes.
Former Bayern midfielder Javi Martinez, as quoted by the BBC, hailed Davide’s influence on Carlo: “The evolution process never stops and it is more difficult to adapt for older coaches. Davide completes Carlo and helps him understand the evolution of football. Davide is incredible: prepared, serious, a great person, like his father.”
As you can see in the graphic above, he has learned from one of the best managers around, given the incredible number of trophies his father has won, and that illustrates why him being an influential figure on his coaching staff is a big positive ahead of a possible move to Rangers.
This is why, despite his lack of outright managerial experience, Ancelotti could be an exciting appointment for the Gers and a chance to get behind a new era at Ibrox, which could be kickstarted with an excellent signing.
Rangers make contact to sign English forward
According to The Herald, Rangers have made contact with Blackburn Rovers forward Tyrhys Dolan to remain informed on his situation ahead of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Gers want to keep tabs on the English attacker, who could become a free agent this summer if he does not extend his contract with the Championship side.
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It reveals that Blackburn would value Dolan between £5m and £10m but they could lose him for a nominal compensation fee if he runs down his contract to sign for the Light Blues.
The report, however, adds that Premiership rivals Celtic are also monitoring the winger ahead of a possible swoop for his services in the summer window, which shows that there will be competition for the 23-year-old dynamo’s services.
Tyrhys Dolan in action for Blackburn Rovers.
This means that Rangers may have to act fast once it becomes clear that Dolan will be available to sign when his contract at Ewood Park expires at the end of June, as they will have to beat other teams to his signature.
The board should push to get a deal over the line for the Blackburn star because he could be an excellent signing to kick the Ancelotti era off with a bang, should a move to appoint the Real Madrid coach go through.
Why Rangers should sign Tyrhys Dolan
The Light Blues could kickstart the Ancelotti era in exciting fashion by signing Dolan because he is a promising young talent with the potential to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch in Scottish football.
At the age of 23, the Blackburn star would arrive with plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve as a player, which means that he could be a long-term addition to the side as well as having the quality to make an instant impact.
As you can see in the clip above, Dolan is also a player who has showcased his quality in the final third in the Championship for the English side this season.
The incredibly versatile attacker, who can play on the left, on the right, as an attacking midfielder, or as a striker, has shown that he has the potential to deliver goals and assists on a regular basis if put in the right environment.
Dolan has only averaged 38.1 touches per game in a Blackburn team that ranked 16th in the league for xG, with 51.6 xG in 46 matches, which shows that he was not getting loads of touches in a well-coached attacking side.
Vaclav Cerny, meanwhile, has delivered 12 goals and three assists with 50.7 touches per game for Rangers on the right flank in the Premiership this season.
Appearances
31
44
Touches per game
50.7
38.1
Shots
90
51
Goals
12
7
Conversion rate
13%
14%
Big chances created
6
7
Assists
3
6
As you can see in the table above, Dolan enjoyed a better conversion rate of shots to goals than Cerny has managed so far this season in the Premiership, and created more ‘big chances’ for his side with roughly 12 fewer touches per game on average.
These statistics suggest that the English star’s output at the top end of the pitch could soar if he was put in a Rangers team that gives him plenty of touches in the final third, with more chances to take shots and create chances as an exciting wide player.
Dolan, once hailed as “outstanding” by former boss John Eustace, would also provide an exciting celebration for supporters when he scores, as shown in the clip above.
In all seriousness, though, he could be the perfect first signing of the Ancelotti era as a superb young talent who has the quality and the potential to be a star at Ibrox, with the chance to be more influential in the final third as part of a more dominant and attacking team than he has been at Blackburn.
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