Category Uncategorized

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl continued his impressive start to life in the dugout at Ibrox with a 2-0 win over Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership on Tuesday night.

Set-piece goals from Emmanuel Fernandez and Nicolas Raskin were enough to seal all three points for the Gers in front of their home fans, to take the team up to second in the league table.

The former Sheffield Wednesday boss will have been pleased with Raskin’s performance in the middle of the park, as the Belgian got on the scoresheet and won 11 of his 15 duels, per Sofascore.

However, there is always room to improve the squad and there could yet be more competition for the central midfielder to come through the door in the next few weeks.

Rangers are in talks to sign new midfielder

The German head coach is looking to add to his options across the pitch before the end of the month, and is reportedly looking at a star who could be even better than Raskin in midfield.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse

According to Bold, Glasgow Rangers are currently leading the race to sign Hacken central midfielder Silas Andersen before the end of the January transfer window with the player ‘high on their wish list’.

The report claims that the Gers have made contact with the Swedish club to enquire about a potential deal for the 21-year-old starlet, as they look to bolster their squad.

It adds that the Light Blues are now in talks with Hacken to discuss a transfer fee for the Danish youngster, but the report does not reveal how much money they want for his services.

Bold also reveals that Celtic are also one of a number of other clubs in the race to sign the Allsvenskan talent in the coming weeks, which means that Rangers do face competition for his signature.

Why Andersen could be even better than Raskin for Rangers

The Gers could bring in an even better option than Raskin in the number six position by swooping to sign Andersen ahead of Celtic and any other interested parties this month.

Like the Belgian star, the Hacken central midfielder is typically deployed at the base of the midfield, tasked with breaking up play and playing passes to kickstart attacks for his side.

In the 2025 Allsvenskan campaign, Andersen showed that he could provide quality in and out of possession with his performances in the middle of the park, as he contributed with goals, assists, tackles, and interceptions at an impressive rate.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig, as shown in the post above, described him as a “superb” holding midfielder. U23 scout Antonio Mango, meanwhile, hailed his “impressive” performances and his “relentless” nature.

This highlights how much he has caught the eye with his displays for Hacken, which is further backed up by the reported talks between Rangers and the Swedish side, as they have been impressed enough with his performances to enter talks to sign him.

25/26

Raskin (SPL)

Andersen (Allsvenskan)

Appearances

19

26

Goals

2

2

Interceptions per game

0.6

1.7

Tackles per game

2.2

3.2

Clearances per game

1.9

3.3

Duels won per game

6.7

7.4

Ground duel success rate

56%

60%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Andersen could be an even better option than Raskin in midfield for Rangers as a number six, based on their respective defensive output, as he can produce more defensive interventions whilst winning a higher percentage of his duels.

Subscribe for deeper Rangers transfer and midfield insight Interested in transfer and tactical insight? Subscribe to the newsletter for expert analysis—scout-style player comparisons, midfield fit breakdowns and what potential signings like Andersen mean for Rangers’ squad and playing shape.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

These statistics suggest that the Danish youngster could offer even more to the team out of possession than the Belgium international, breaking up more attacks and creating more possessions for the Gers to build attacks from, if he can carry his form over to Scottish football.

This could then open the door for Rohl to play Raskin further up the pitch, possibly in the number ten position or in more of a free role ahead of Andersen and Connor Barron, which would allow him to showcase more of his attacking quality.

The Belgian star has scored two goals and provided four assists in the Premiership so far this season, per Sofascore, and produced five goals and 11 assists in all competitions last season.

Related Rangers "in talks" to sell Ibrox dud who's been a worse signing than Dowell

Rangers are reportedly looking to move on from a flop who has been an even worse signing than Kieran Dowell.

Posts ByDan Emery

Therefore, Andersen could be a brilliant signing for Rangers because he has the potential to be even better than Raskin in the holding midfield position, whilst also giving the manager the freedom to unleash his current star in a new role.

To say it’s been a wild start to 2026 for Chelsea would be something of an understatement.

New Year’s Day brought news that Enzo Maresca had left the club, and on Sunday, interim manager Calum McFarlane oversaw a spirited 1-1 draw away to Manchester City.

Then, just a few hours after that, reports emerged of Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior being in the capital to complete his move to become the new manager.

As if that wasn’t enough, the club now look set to make the most of the transfer window, and are eyeing a record-breaking move for someone who could send Pedro Neto packing.

Chelsea target Neto upgrade

In no small part due to the managerial situation and their general form, Chelsea went into Sunday’s game as massive underdogs.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse

However, while they were certainly second-best in the first half, the Blues looked just as good, if not better than City, in the second 45 and were more than deserving of their point.

However, while the likes of Reece James, Enzo Fernández and even Liam Delap all took the game to the hosts, there were a few starters who underwhelmed, with Neto perhaps being the worst of the lot.

After all, the Portuguese international failed to register a shot on target, missed one big chance, lost the ball 12 times, failed in 50% of his dribbles and registered an expected assists figure of just 0.02.

In other words, it was a disaster class in a huge game, and therefore, it makes sense that the club would be looking to sign an upgrade on the former Wolverhampton Wanderers star.

At least that is what they appear intent on doing, according to a report from Spain, which claims Chelsea are interested in Vinícius Júnior.

In fact, the report goes further than that, revealing that the Blues are now preparing an offer worth a whopping €150m for the Brazilian international, which is approximately £130m, which would be a new British record.

In good news for the West Londoners, Real Madrid have yet to come to an agreement with the winger on a new deal, and there is a belief that the player himself is open to the move.

With that said, it would still be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line for Chelsea, but one well worth pursuing, especially as Vini Jr would be a monster upgrade on Neto.

How Vinícius Júnior compares to Neto

The first reason Neto should be worried about Chelsea potentially signing Vini Jr this year is the fact that he can and has played on both flanks before.

Sure, the Brazilian certainly favours the left, and is at his most potent there, but on top of playing numerous other positions on the pitch, he’s also made more than a few appearances off the right, for club and country.

However, the far more pressing concern for the Portuguese international is that his potential new teammate is simply more dangerous than he is.

For example, since the start of last season, the former Wolves star has scored 15 goals and provided 12 assists in 78 games, totalling 5298 minutes.

That comes out to a reasonable enough average of a goal involvement every 2.88 games, or every 196.22 minutes.

In stark contrast, the “world-class” Real Madrid star, as dubbed by Owen Hargreaves, has scored 27 goals and provided 27 assists in 83 appearances, totalling 6488 minutes.

Subscribe to the newsletter for smarter Chelsea transfer analysis Want deeper transfer insight? Subscribe to the newsletter to get data-driven breakdowns of targets like Vinícius Jr vs Neto, tactical fit analysis, and clear explanations of how signings could reshape Chelsea’s options.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

That comes out to a far more impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.53 games, or every 120.14 minutes.

Finally, the former Santos gem also comes out miles ahead of the Blues star when comparing their underlying numbers.

For example, he does better across most metrics, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots on target, key passes, shot- and goal-creating actions, tackles won, and more, all per 90.

Vini Jr vs Neto

Statistics per 90

Vini Jr

Neto

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.54

0.43

Shots on Target

1.28

0.64

Passing Accuracy

79.3%

74.2%

Key Passes

2.18

1.86

Passes into the Final Third

1.79

1.22

Shot-Creating Actions

5.72

3.49

Goal-Creating Actions

0.77

0.35

Tackles Won

0.71

0.35

Successful Take-Ons

3.08

1.57

All Stats via FBref for the 25/26 League Season

Ultimately, Neto could still be a useful player for soon-to-be manager Rosenior, but if Chelsea really want to give him the best chance of success, they’d go out and sign Vini Jr to replace the former Wolves man.

Related Imagine him & Caicedo: Chelsea plot move for "one of the best CMs in Europe"

This PL ace could perfectly balance Chelsea’s midfield

Posts ByJoe Nuttall

	Ricky Ponting and most of his team-mates batted poorly against Sri Lanka on Friday, but Michael Hussey is not worried about it hampering Australia in the first final © Getty Images

Michael Hussey wants Australia to ignore Friday’s disturbing hit-and-miss performance and recall the strong batting memories from last week at the SCG for the first final. Hussey was one of the many failures as Australia fell from 0 for 107 to 208 all out against Sri Lanka in Melbourne, but he does not believe the display will affect the home team when it faces India in the most crucial one-day match of the season so far.As a spiteful summer draws to a close, Hussey has urged his team to shut out the various distractions, which have ranged from on- and off-field verbals to the shadow of the Indian Premier League, as they attempt to win the last Australian tri-series. “I’d prefer to bury everything and focus on final,” he said. “Both teams and the Australian and Indian public have had enough of the controversy.”Hussey encouraged his team-mates to take the emotion out of the encounter to achieve their peak performance. “It’s important we don’t let the distractions play any part on our minds,” he said. “If we play on emotions sometimes those distractions can have a detrimental part on your performance. If we take emotion out of it, I think we can play our best and go 1-0 up in the series.”A key ingredient to any Australian success is a well-rounded batting performance, which is something that has been missing for much of the series – they have played eight games and only twice passed 250. Despite the stuttering, Hussey expects the more batsman-friendly surface at the SCG to help the side forget the low of Friday night.”There have been difficult conditions in Melbourne during the year and all teams have struggled,” he said. “We don’t want to look too much into [the MCG performance]. We’re looking to our last performance in Sydney, when all the batsmen played particularly well.”Ricky Ponting broke free from his run drought with 124 in that game and all of the top six made useful contributions in the total of 7 for 317, which led to an 18-run victory. “We know we’re playing well,” Hussey said, “and we know we can put on a good performance.”

Brian Lara will leave the international field for the final time on Saturday © Getty Images

You could never accuse of Brian Lara of lacking in timing. And if his retirement announcement was made without customary flourish, it didn’t lack drama. It was the most delectable of late cuts: perfectly conceived and deftly executed, it left those in its presence breathless.There was no gasp, because it took time to register. He dropped it in casually, just after he had finished answering his last question and when notebooks were being put away. He leaned forward, almost as if he was preparing to leave, and whispered these words into the microphone: “I gave extensive consideration to this. I want everybody to know that on Saturday I’ll be playing my last international match.”Journalists turned around and looked enquiringly at each other. Did I hear it right? Did he say merely international or was there a one-day before it. Some rushed to the dais to confirm it with Imran Khan, the West Indies media manager, who nodded his head. Some shoved miniature bats and notebooks to be autographed. But Lara had made it clear that there would be no further questions, and none were asked.The very first question had been about his future and Lara had cut the questioner off. “This is about today’s match,” he had said firmly, and had repeated the refrain whenever the subject had veered towards it. However, he had fielded other broader questions, about West Indies cricket, about Ramnaresh Sarwan – the leading contender for the captaincy – and one about how he would like to be remembered. Given what transpired, the question now seems prescient though, to be honest, it was asked in the context of his one-day career.Lara’s answer was typical of him. He didn’t bother mouthing platitudes about service to the country and the game. “I would like to be remembered as someone who came out there and tried to entertain.” That was the truth about Lara. It was his essence. Over a 17-year career, lots of his relationships – with the board, with selectors, with the media and even his own team-mates – were stretched and tested. But one bond remained unshakable, that between a conjurer and his spellbound audience. You fell for him instantly, and were hooked for life.With hindsight, it is obvious now that the press conference had so many touches of a farewell. “I am also proud,” Lara said. “I have been knocked down so many times, as a player and as a person, and I have had the strength, I suppose that has come from my parents, to be able to pick myself each and every single time and go out there in the face of adversity and try my best and perform. I didn’t read it up in a book. It’s deep down and it’s part of my family trait.”Time and again during the press conference, Lara was provoked to bring his dispute with the administrators in the open. He refused the bait. But what he left unsaid, said a lot. “Whoever is the new captain must receive the support he deserves.” When asked if he received the support he needed, he merely said it was no time to cry over spilt milk. Success in the international arena, he said, depended on much more than the 11 players on the field but, when pressed further, he insisted that “this was not the forum to discuss this”.There will be another press conference in a couple of days, and Lara will surely be there. This time though, his inquisitors will be much better prepared.

Just as there is settlement of one damaging dispute at regional level, another arises in Barbados to further heighten public disenchantment with a sport once revered as a religion on this island.Increasingly in this antagonistic age, the courts have been called upon to rule on disagreements between sporting organisations and members.Whatever the opposing arguments in the latest court challenge – Bristol’s objection to the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) decision to promote the UWI and another combined youth team, and not them, to the top division this season – it is staggering that it could halt the start of an entire annual tournament that has survived and grown for over 100 years and produced some of the game’s greatest players.Heaven knows how much longer the delay will last. If not soon, by the time the first ball is bowled keen, talented young men who were all primed for action yesterday might well have found other sporting ways to pass their time on a weekend.It is no wonder our cricket is in such a mess.

Bangladeshis 309 for 7 dec (Rahim 115*, Rafique 54) drew with Northamptonshire 230 for 6 dec (Shafayat 76, Afzaal 47*, Hossain 4-113)
ScorecardMushfiqur Rahim gave the Bangladeshis a much-needed boost ahead of the first Test, with an unbeaten century on the third and final day of their rain-affected match against Northamptonshire. The match petered out into a predictable draw, but Rahim’s innings enlivened proceedings and gave Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh’s coach, some unexpected selection dilemmas.Rahim, who is only 16, was originally picked on the tour as understudy to Khaled Masud, the established wicketkeeper, but he has shown the best form of all the batsmen in the last two warm-up matches. Following his gutsy 63 against Sussex he struck 15 fours and a six here, adding 91 with Masud and 87 with Mohammad Rafique, who made a quickfire 54 from 52 balls.Rahim has put his name in the frame for Lord’s as a specialist batsman, after the Bangladesh top order suffered another slump. The Northants attack did not feature any first-team players, but still caused plenty of problems. Charl Pietersen disposed of Javed Omar (6 for 1), while Matthew Friedlander removed Mohammad Ashraful, Rajin Saleh and Mashud as the Bangladeshis slumped to 105 for 5.Northants had earlier taken their first-innings total from 149 for 5 to 230 for 6. Usman Afzaal made a run-a-ball 47 and Andrew White struck an unbeaten 30. Anwar Hossain Monir picked up his fourth wicket, but conceded nearly six an over throughout his 20 overs. He is unlikely to feature at Lord’s and, although Rahim’s innings is a boost for the Bangladeshis, the XI who take the field on Thursday know that that will be the true test.

The New Zealand and South Africa cricket teams, in the midst of a one-day series, have donated bats and shirts for auction to raise money for victims of the recent storms and floods that lashed the southern and central North Island and the northern areas of the South Island.Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, hoped the contribution would make a difference.”We often see the devastation caused by storms and floods from afar,” Smith said, “but being so close to the worst affected areas makes us realize just how quickly lives can be seriously disrupted and we hope that in making this donation we can make a difference to those people whose lives have been severely affected.”New Zealand Cricket announced that ticket prices for the third one-day at Wellington would be slashed, and a certain amount donated for every adult ticket sold.

South Africa has been given a lifeline after the West Indies match was washed out in Benoni as a no-result. With West Indies only securing two points from the match, South Africa has been given a further option of squeezing their way into the Super Six stage.South Africa has to win all their remaining games with a further loss sure to see them exit the tournament in round one. The scenario is also based on no further games being washed out by rain. By winning the remaining games South Africa will end on 16 points. Any loss will see 15 players and a nation into further rain dances.New Zealand, who have completed their matches against the "stronger" teams in the group are going to lose four points for their decision not to go to Kenya and should, on present form, also end on 16 points.West Indies, by winning all their remaining games will end on 18 points, which makes the game against Sri Lanka vital for them to progress to the second round. A loss against Sri Lanka will see them end on 14 points.Sri Lanka holds the key to the group. By beating West Indies and South Africa they will top the group unbeaten on 24 points. Losses to both the teams will see them also finish on 16 points. Net run-rate will then decide the two teams to progress to the second round with West Indies.The following points position are possible accepting that New Zealand will win all their remaining games.Sri Lanka wins all their games the points will be:
Sri Lanka 24, New Zealand 16, West Indies 14, South Africa 12.Sri Lanka beats West Indies, loses to South Africa:
Sri Lanka 20, New Zealand 16, South Africa 16, West Indies 14.Sri Lanka beats South Africa, loses to West Indies:
Sri Lanka 20, West Indies 18, New Zealand 16, South Africa 12.Sri Lanka loses to South Africa and West Indies:
West Indies 18, Sri Lanka 16, New Zealand 16, South Africa 16.
With two of the three teams on equal points qualifying on net run-rates.For South Africa then it is imperative that they win all their remaining games well (to up their net run-rate) and that Sri Lanka beats West Indies on the 28th February at Newlands.

Makoni’s cricketers have had mixed fortunes in recent weeks in the Lilthurbridge Cup. A month ago they travelled to Enterprise Country Club (30 minutes north-east of Harare) where they comprehensively outplayed these six-time champions. Set a modest 185 (Ant Mitchell 59, Roger Staunton 38), Makoni cruised home with 186/4 (Kenyon Ziehl 66, Kevin Curran 47*).The following week they handed out another six-wicket hiding, this time to former Country Districts powerhouses Hwedza. Winning the toss and fielding, Makoni restricted the visitors to 163/7. Richard Seager was luckily dropped four times during his 59 otherwise the game would have been over sooner. Zeihl(41), Hough (37), Frans Briers (34) and Curran (32*) knocked off the runs with ten overs to spare.Makoni – who always field first to get the worst part of the day over with – included former Zimbabwe B opening bowler Dave Timms. Now resident in the USA, ‘Gonzo’ was unfortunately unable to re-enact former glories. A huge man who occasionally played lock for Manicaland in the eighties, he once carried the drinks for Zimbabwe – dutifully wearing blazer and black shoes, believing his team mates’ assurances that this was protocol. A notable absentee from Hwedza’s ranks after 30-odd seasons was Mike Seager, now playing for Enterprise after a spat with the selectors.These results propelled Makoni as group winners into the play-offs. Early-season favourites for the title, they came unstuck at the first hurdle. Travelling to Chegutu (formerly Hartley), they were beaten by 89 runs by a young side bristling with Academy players. Batting first, Chegutu made 198/8 (Barney Rogers 44, D. Waterfall 32), with only Bokkie Moolman (2/45) enjoying limited success with the ball. Stunned by Academy bowler Van Rensburg (5/33 – all ducks) and De Vries (3/36), Makoni slumped to 109 all out, with only Kevin Curran managing 57. The Makoni veterans took exception to the tone adopted by these youthful townies who sledged and abused their way to an unpleasant victory.Last weekend with only nine players they drove 400 kilometres to receive a hiding from Karoi. Sent in, they made 194 (Nigel Hough 75, Kenyon Ziehl 35), which Karoi overhauled with 13 overs and seven wickets to spare. Robin Brown felt obliged to retire on 70 such was the disarray of these would-be cup bowlers. Simon Ballance had done an Achilles, Hough’s back had gone and Ziehl had pulled thigh, hamstring and armpit muscles. With only one game to go they are now unable to progress to the semi-finals.Last weekend saw all the provincial chairmen meeting for discussions in Bulawayo during the one-day internationals at Queens Sports Club. Plenty of fire was breathed on the state of the game and the direction its leaders were taking. There was a consensus that development needed huge financial support, most importantly in the form of full-time paid provincial administrators. With the game’s expansion and thrust, the amateur part-timers currently doing the job feel increasingly overwhelmed. All clubs are struggling financially and there are feelings that the ZCU should emulate other Test nations in equitable income distribution.

India’s cricket officials refused to reschedule the one-day series against the West Indies despite crowd trouble in all the three matches played so far.”There is no threat to the series, it will be completed as scheduled,” said Karunakaran Nair, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).While the first two matches in Jamshedpur and Nagpur were briefly interrupted by missile-throwing fans, Tuesday’s game in Rajkot was forced to be abandoned after West Indian fielders were hit by plastic water bottles.Two of the remaining four matches will be played in Ahmedabad and Baroda, which like Rajkot are situated in the sensitive western state of Gujarat where thousands were killed in communal violence earlier this year.BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said he had spoken to state administration officials to ensure the untoward incidents of the first three matches were not repeated.”We are happy the Gujarat government has agreed to our suggestions to increase security in Ahmedabad and Baroda,” Dalmiya said.”We have also issued necessary instructions to the staging associations to install close-circuit cameras as strategic points in the stadiums, so that mischief-mongers can be identified.”Ahmedabad will host a day-night match on Friday, followed by day games in Baroda (November 18), Jodhpur (Nov 21) and Vijayawada (Nov 24).The West Indies lead the series 2-1 after winning the first two matches. The third at Rajkot was awarded to India by a margin of 81 runs after the home side was ahead on run-rate when the match was abandoned.Nair said the problem was not lack of security, but hooliganism by a small section of spectators.”We can control 99 per cent of the crowd. But if the remaining one per cent decides to create nuisance, we are rendered helpless,” he said.”We can only appeal to the sporting public of India who are great fans of cricket to desist from such behaviour as it is bringing a bad name to the country.”The International Cricket Council (ICC), worried at the incidents in India, said it was looking at expanding its powers to remove international status from unruly venues.ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said while it did not at present have the authority to remove the international status of a venue, its Safety and Security Committee would consider it “imminently”.”We have asked this committee to consider appropriate penalties for venues which consistently fail to meet their obligations in meeting minimum standards of security,” Speed said in a statement.”This is likely to include the ultimate sanction of withdrawing international status from a ground, combined with a heavy financial penalty.”