All posts by z3u9t.icu

Will Celtic enjoy a strong end to yet another memorable season?

On Saturday, the Hoops fought back from a goal down to win 3-1 at Parkhead; Nicolas Kühn, Adam Idah and then Reo Hatate the scorers for Celtic.

As a result, Brendan Rodgers’ side could conclude the campaign with as many as 94 points, travelling to Pittodrie on Wednesday, before facing St Mirren on trophy presentation day, which has become a near-annual event, on Saturday.

They’ll then face Aberdeen again the following weekend at Hampden in the Scottish Cup Final, seeking to secure a sixth domestic treble in just nine seasons.

Despite their continued domination of Scottish football, Rodgers is not satisfied and always demands improvement, so could Celtic sign a highly-rated defender in a deal that would be reminiscent of Josip Juranović’s move from the not-too-distant past?

Josip Juranović's impact at Celtic

As part of the major summer rebuild when Ange Postecoglou first arrived at Celtic in the summer of 2021, 14 senior players were signed, including Juranović, joining from Legia Warszawa for a reported fee of £2.5m.

Well, despite actually only making 53 appearances in hoops, the Croatian international certainly proved to be fantastic value for money, describing his 18 months in Glasgow as “the best of his life”.

Juranović quickly established himself as a fans’ favourite, with Total Football Analysis praising his ‘versatility… aerial ability and physicality’ as well as his leadership qualities.

Thus, in January 2023, shortly after helping Croatia reach the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, Juranović joined Union Berlin for a reported £10m, representing a 400% return on investment in just a year-and-a-half.

It’s safe to say that Celtic’s recruitment when it comes to plucking hidden gems has worked well and they could repeat that trick here, luring another defender from the continent to Scottish shores.

Celtic targeting a new defender

As previously reported by Mirko Marković of Maxbet Sport earlier this month, Celtic are ‘very interested’ in signing defender Veljko Milosavljević from Serbian champions Crvena zvezda, adding that the youngster has shown great ‘potential’ this season.

Milosavljević, who is just 17-years-old, made his senior Super liga Srbije debut for Red Star Belgrade against Radnički Niš as recently as December, with the table below outlining his career statistics so far.

Appearances

17

Minutes

1,189

Starts

12

Super liga Srbije apps

13

Super liga Srbije starts

10

Despite his lack of first-team experience, Milosavljević has earned rave reviews.

Aleksandar Radonić of Serbia outlet Kurur labels him ‘one of the most talented’ youngsters to come through Red Star Belgrade’s academy in recent times, adding that the centre-back, who stands at 6 foot 3, was ‘especially impressive’ during a recent eternal derby victory over Partizan, claiming he is now valued at around €4m (£3m).

Transfer Focus

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

Meantime, scout Gianni Bellasi describes him as a “physically imposing” defender who is a “reliable presence”, while Blair Meikle of the National believes the teenager is one of the ‘hottest young prospects’ in European football right now.

So, where would he fit into Celtic’s team?

Well, for four seasons now, Cameron Carter-Vickers has been the club’s undisputed first-choice central defender, racking up 157 appearances since arriving from Tottenham, despite a few injury problems.

This season, fellow-American international Auston Trusty as well as Liam Scales have been vying to be Carter-Vickers’ partner, but that position is certainly up for grabs, and Milosavljević more than appears to have all the attributes and qualities to come in and make that position his own.

Given that, as noted by teammate Kasper Schmeichel, Carter-Vickers’ qualities lie “with the ball at his feet”, Milosavljević’s physical profile suggests he would be a dream centre-back partner.

Thus, if Celtic can secure his services for as little as £4m, that would appear to be a fantastic investment.

Perfect McCowan repeat: Celtic plotting move to sign "brilliant" SPFL star

With the summer transfer window fast approaching, Celtic are considering a move to sign a “brilliant” Scottish Premiership star on a free.

May 7, 2025

After a superb season that has seen Leeds United win 28 matches to date, they will finally be returning to the Premier League in 2025/26 after a two-year absence.

The Whites have been unbelievable under the guidance of Daniel Farke over the last two years, claiming automatic promotion from the Championship after missing out just 12 months ago.

However, when looking at the bigger picture, promotion is just the start for the German, with his biggest test now keeping the club in the top-flight and avoiding an immediate return to the second tier.

It’s something the 48-year-old has been unable to do in his two previous attempts with Norwich City, with the supporters hoping that he can make it third time lucky with the Yorkshire outfit.

If he is to achieve such a feat come the end of the 2025/26 campaign, it’s vital that the hierarchy back the manager in the transfer market to make the changes he desires to his first-team squad.

The latest on Leeds’ pursuit of new additions this summer

With the window still a couple of weeks away from opening, Leeds have wasted no time in identifying potential signings, already going after goalkeeper Finn Danhem from German outfit FC Augsburg.

The 27-year-old has appeared on the club’s radar after keeping nine clean sheets in his 16 Bundesliga appearances this campaign – whilst achieving a staggering save percentage of 85%.

However, he’s not the only player to be touted with a switch to Elland Road this summer, with Wolves’ Sam Johnstone also on their radar, according to Football Insider.

Their report claims that the 32-year-old is wanted by the club and would like to make the switch to Yorkshire after making just seven league appearances after joining the West Midlands side last summer.

No fee has been mentioned, but they do confirm that a move could allow the shot-stopper to become a key player in the side and bolster his chances of returning to the England setup.

Why Leeds’ latest target would be an upgrade on Illan Meslier

It’s safe to say current goalkeeper Illan Meslier has endured a couple of months to forget at Leeds, losing his number one spot to Karl Darlow after a string of errors.

The Frenchman has been the club’s number one since the 2020/21 campaign, with Farke taking action into his own hands to secure promotion for the club in recent weeks.

He’s been on the bench for each of the Whites’ last six matches, with the side only conceding two goals during such a time period, highlighting that the manager did make the correct call.

There have been countless occasions where Meslier has cost the club points in key moments of the campaign, with the title potentially being wrapped up way before the final day if it wasn’t for his blunders.

However, his latest spell on the sidelines is evidence that a new goalkeeper is desperately needed this summer, which could make Johnstone the perfect upgrade between the sticks for Farke.

When comparing their respective stats this season, the Englishman has massively outperformed the 25-year-old in various key areas, showcasing why he would be the right option for the German.

Johnstone, who’s been labelled “sensational” by Gary Lineker, has achieved a higher tally of saves per 90, whilst also registering fewer errors leading to goals – giving the side a more reliable presence between the sticks.

Games played

7

39

Shots-on-target faced

5.6

2.2

Saves made

3.3

1.6

Passes completed per 90

40

34

Crosses stopped

1.2

0.8

Defensive actions outside box

1.6

0.9

Errors leading to goals

0

3

He’s also completed more passes per 90, enabling the side to play out from the back should they want to, but also having the option to go long if under pressure.

Pressure is something that is to be expected in the top-flight, but Johnstone’s tally of 1.2 crosses stopped and 1.6 defensive actions outside the 18-yard box could help see the side out in key moments.

Whilst it’s unclear how much a deal for the Wolves ‘keeper would set the club back this summer, it’s evident from the stats produced that he would be a better option than Meslier for Farke.

The Premier League is an unforgiving division, punishing any side that isn’t up to the level required, further adding to the reasons as to why a deal for the former Man Utd youngster needs to be completed ahead of 2025/26.

Farke could sign Piroe upgrade in Leeds swoop for "electric" £40m "monster"

Leeds could immediately land an upgrade on Joel Piroe by swooping for this £40m star.

ByDan Emery Apr 29, 2025

While Barry Ferguson remains in charge of Rangers for now, he’s highly unlikely to keep the job beyond the summer.

Last time out, the Gers were dumped out of the Europa League, battling to a goalless draw with Athletic Club Bilbao at Ibrox, before being beaten 2-0 at San Mamés last Thursday.

So, to conclude the campaign, the Light Blues have very little to play for, but have all five post-split Premiership fixtures to fulfill, starting with Saturday’s trip to St Mirren, all but mathematically guaranteed to finish second, 15 points adrift champions-elect Celtic and 13 points clear of Hibs.

Thus, attention has already started to turn towards plans for the summer, so could “one of the best managers” in football history be occupying the Ibrox dugout by the time their season commences with a Champions League qualifier in late-July?

The latest on Rangers' 49ers takeover

As reported by Sahil Jaidka of Sky Sports News on Wednesday, Rangers have confirmed they are in “productive conversations” with an American-based consortium who are planning to take over the club, thereby “injecting additional capital”.

Back in March, Lawrie Anne Brown and Sahil Jaidka also reported that Paraag Marathe, who is president of the investment arm of 49ers Enterprises, is the person spearheading this takeover, ‘aiming to acquire’ 51% of the shares at a minimum.

Ewan Paton of the National notes that, after posting losses of £17.2m last year, an unsustainably high figure, investment is badly needed.

Meantime, Michael Grant of The Times believes that the fact Kevin Thelwell has recently been appointed as head of football operations, arriving from Everton, suggests the 49ers have already started making behind-the-scenes decisions.

Speaking on the Scottish Football Show, Rangers supporter Findlay Marks expects the new owners will want to make a ‘statement appointment’ when it comes to the manager, so are they going to go after one of the most successful managers of all-time?

Rangers' first choice managerial target

According to a report from TEAMTalk late last week, José Mourinho is amongst the front-runners to become the new Rangers manager, with the piece claiming he ‘would be interested’ in taking over.

Well, last month, ahead of Fenerbahçe’s Europa League tie at Ibrox, Mourinho more than intimated that he’d be open to managing one of Glasgow’s big two in the future, adding the Premiership “is a league of passion. Passion in football is everything”.

His current club Fenerbahçe were dumped out of the Europa League by Rangers on penalties, and are staring down the barrel of a trophyless season, ousted in the Türkiye Kupası quarter-finals while currently second in the Süper Lig, five points adrift of Galatasaray with only six games remaining.

The Yellow Canaries appointed Mourinho in a desperate attempt to win their first title since 2014, but appear set to fall just short once again, having been runners-up six times in the last decade.

Nevertheless, fair to say, the 62-year-old has a pretty impressive CV, as the table below outlines.

Benfica

11

54.55%

Zero

União de Leiria

23

52.17%

Zero

Porto

127

71.65%

6

Chelsea

185

67.03%

6

Internazionale

108

62.04%

5

Real Madrid

178

71.91%

3

Chelsea

136

58.82%

2

Manchester United

144

58.33%

3

Tottenham Hotspur

86

51.16%

Zero

Roma

138

49.28%

1

Fenerbahçe

50

62%

Zero

The trophies speak for themselves: two Champions Leagues, league titles in four different countries and, after getting his hands on the Conference League in charge of Roma, he got a tattoo to commemorate the fact he’d won all three major UEFA competitions.

While he was at Tottenham, Son Heung-min described him as “one of the best managers in the world”, while Oisín Doherty of Breaking the Lines believes he was the ‘most dominant manager in world football’ for over a decade.

Manager Focus

Of course, as outlined by Barney Ronay of the Guardian, some of Mourinho’s tactics are outdated, meaning he is past his best, but he would certainly represent a major coup for Rangers and would be box office for all of us who love Scottish football.

​​​​​​​

He would represent the perfect upgrade on Ferguson, no doubt about that.

Dream XI Mourinho could build at Rangers: No Tavernier & £8.5m star signs

Mourinho could build a solid starting XI should he take the Rangers job

1 ByRoss Kilvington Apr 22, 2025

Despite Chelsea’s dip in form during the second half of the season, Enzo Maresca has clearly improved the defensive level of his side, implementing a more control-based system with a man-to-man pressing approach.

The Blues were involved in plenty of high-scoring games last campaign, including a 4-4 draw against Manchester City, a 4-3 win against Manchester United and five 2-2 draws.

Whilst they were scoring lots of goals, it was also coming back the other way, giving them their worst defensive record in the last ten years.

Goals Conceded

1.58

1.22

xG Against

1.53

1.33

Shots Against

14.6

10.8

Shots on Target Against

4.79

4.19

Average Shot Distance Against

16.9 (yards)

17.5 (yards)

Under Maresca, these defensive metrics have begun to improve, conceding fewer goals per 90, conceding fewer shots against per 90 and forcing opposition teams into longer-distance shots.

However, we can still expect defensive reinforcement in the summer, as the Blues will likely want to take another step to further improving their defensive record next season.

Chelsea's centre-back conundrum

After Wesley Fofana has continued to struggle with injuries in the 2024/25 campaign, Chelsea are now looking to add a central defender in the summer transfer window, with one of the names highly linked being Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen.

Huijsen only signed for Bournemouth in the 2024/25 summer transfer window, joining from Juventus for a fee of around £12m.

That said, his excellent performances at just 20-years-old is already attracting interest from Europe’s elite, with the Spaniard’s £50m release clause now likely to be activated after just one season in England. The Blues are one of the interested parties with it reported that they and Arne Slot’s Liverpool are at the front of the queue for his signature.

The 20-year-old has made 30 appearances for the Cherries this season, scoring two goals, providing one assist, contributing to seven clean sheets and totalling 2,350 minutes played.

But, as talented as Huijsen is, could Chelsea already have their own young talented defender in the pipeline?

Chelsea's homegrown Huijsen

A certain Josh Acheampong has fully broken into the senior set-up at Chelsea this season, having made his debut under Mauricio Pochettino last term, coming from the bench against Tottenham.

The 18-year-old has made nine senior appearances throughout 2024/25 in what has been a real breakthrough year, contributing to five clean sheets in 511 minutes played.

One of his best traits is the ability to drive the ball out from the back, striding forwards and kick-starting attacks through progressive carries.

Especially against man-to-man pressing schemes (which are becoming far more common in the Premier League), this attribute can become a real game-changer.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Acheampong has already been labelled as a “dominant” defender by scout Jacek Kulig, who referred to the 18-year-old as the “definition of a modern defender”.

The England U19 star is versatile, able play as both a right-back and centre-back, even recently showing his ability to step into midfield, having the composure and elegance beyond his years.

Having been integrated slowly this season under Maresca, who has already stated Acheampong is “the one he fell in love with” after his performance against Legia Warsaw in the UEFA Conference League, next year could be a big season for the young defender, becoming more than just a bit-part piece for the Italian head coach.

A better signing than Huijsen: Chelsea preparing bid for £50m defender

Chelsea are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Premier League defender this summer.

ByDan Emery Apr 14, 2025

Chelsea are able to pile on the misery for Ipswich Town later on in the Premier League with Kieran McKenna’s away side looking nailed on for relegation at this point.

But, the Blues did lose the reserve fixture at Portman Road back in December 2-0, with former Chelsea academy product Omari Hutchinson getting in on the goalscoring act for the Tractor Boys to get one over on his ex-employers.

Still, Enzo Maresca will hope his top-four-chasing side have enough about them to condemn their relegation-doomed opponents to another top-flight loss, with Christopher Nkunku perhaps dropping to the substitutes bench after a frustrating Europa Conference League showing on Thursday night among other drab outings.

Nkunku's season in numbers at Chelsea

Not even a leaky Legia Warsawa outfit in the Conference League would end up gifting the Frenchman a much-needed Blues goal, with Maresca’s men thankfully running out convincing 3-0 victors away from their wasteful number 18’s woes continuing on.

Indeed, the former RB Leipzig attacker would spurn a penalty opportunity away in Poland, with four total chances not finding the back of the net from the low-on-confidence forward.

That means Nkunku is deep in a goalless stretch of form, with his team’s last six games in all competitions seeing the 27-year-old flounder in front of goal.

An alteration up top could be deemed necessary to catch a porous Ipswich side off-guard, therefore, with the visitors to Stamford Bridge later on today giving up a high 65 goals in league action.

Bringing one certain striker back into the first-team fold could really end up causing the lowly opponents all sorts of bother subsequently, leading to an out-of-sorts Nkunku being unsurprisingly axed.

Nkunku's "special" Chelsea replacement

Maresca hasn’t exactly had lady luck on his side this season in the striker department with a whole barrage of injury issues resulting in Nkunku leading the line in lacklustre fashion.

Now, the Italian will feel relieved he has Nicolas Jackson back at his disposal, with the former Villarreal centre-forward in line for a start against Ipswich after battling through his own injury setbacks. That return could come amidst recurring Liam Delap transfer talk, throwing into doubt his place as Chelsea’s first-choice number nine next term.

Games played

25

30

Games started

23

29

Goals scored

9

12

Assists

5

2

Big chances missed

17

10

Big chances created

6

3

Even from his limited game time owing to injuries this season, Jackson has shown obvious spurts of quality when lining up as Maresca’s main marksman, with a mightily impressive 14 goals and assists combined from just 23 league starts.

Nine of those have been strikes hitting the back of the net even as Jackson has missed a whopping 17 big chances, but unlike Nkunku who never seems to drag himself out of the mire, his Senegalese counterpart has managed to ease some of the rampant criticism that has come his way by putting in clinical displays here and there.

Nkunku finds himself on a lower three goals in the demanding top-flight on the contrary, and with his confidence not exactly beaming after his no-show in Poland, bringing Jackson in from the start feels like a no-brainer.

After all, the Blues number 15 has even been heralded as “special” in the past by football journalist Rahman Osman, with Maresca also boldly publically declaring Jackson as the “perfect number nine” in the build-up to the clash with Ipswich, amid that speculation around Delap.

Therefore, Nkunku’s days could be numbered as the leading man, with Jackson potentially helping Chelsea to consolidate a spot in the Premier League top four if he can cause Ipswich defenders havoc today.

Up against the man who could potentially replace him in Delap – a player Maresca even described as “fantastic” ahead of the game – Jackson needs to prove why he should remain as the main centre-forward next season.

David Ornstein "fascinated" as Chelsea consider deal for £80m forward

He could replace Noni Madueke.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 12, 2025

Celtic are back in Scottish Premiership action once again this evening as they prepare to welcome Dundee to Parkhead for Martin O’Neill’s last game in charge.

The 73-year-old manager has confirmed that the match will be his last as the interim boss before Wilfried Nancy is in post ahead of the clash with Hearts at the weekend.

Celtic won 2-1 away at Hibernian in his final away game in the dugout for the Hoops, but the experienced Northern Irishman may want to make some changes to the starting line-up from that win.

Celtic's best performers against Hibernian

Among the players who should keep their place in the XI after that game against Hibs is goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who only gave possession away 11 times from 54 touches and saved all three of the shots against him from open play, per Sofascore.

Celtic’s number one made a couple of impressive close-range saves towards the end of the game and completed all three of his run-outs to clear the ball to preserve all three points, whilst it would be incredibly harsh to criticise him for not saving Martin Boyle’s penalty.

The two goalscorers, Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels, should also retain their positions in the line-up, along with Reo Hatate and Hyun-jun Yang, who set up the goals.

Whilst Yang was not officially credited with an assist for Engels’ goal, the clip above clearly shows that it was his cross that was slightly deflected into the Belgian’s path.

Liam Scales, despite being harshly penalised for a handball, should also keep his place after winning eight of his 12 duels, per Sofascore, and completing 95% of his attempted passes.

Meanwhile, there were a couple of players whose performances may lead to them dropping out of the line-up, including right-sided attacker Luke McCowan, who should be dropped this evening.

Why O'Neill should drop McCowan today

The Scottish central midfielder has been utilised on the right wing in recent weeks, in the absence of any natural options in that position, and he started there against Hibernian on Sunday.

Unfortunately, the left-footed star was unable to deliver a high-quality performance to suggest that he deserves to keep his place in the team heading into O’Neill’s final game against Dundee.

McCowan, who was signed from Dundee in the summer of 2024, played the opening 63 minutes of the clash with Hibernian, before the manager opted to bring Benjamin Nygren on out wide.

Minutes

63

Touches

34

Shots

0

Key passes

1

Big chances created

0

Goals + assists

0

Duels won

1/4

As you can see in the table above, the 27-year-old flop had fewer touches in the game than Schmeichel, a goalkeeper, and failed to make much of an impact at the top end of the pitch.

The experienced midfielder also lost 75% of his physical duels in the win, per Sofascore, which shows that he found the physicality of the game a bit too much to deal with whilst playing on the right wing.

McCowan provided quality on a regular basis in the final third in the 2024/25 campaign, with a return of eight goals and eight assists in 36 league outings for Dundee and Celtic combined, but he has been unable to carry that into the current season.

The Hoops midfielder has not provided an assist in the Premiership since O’Neill’s first game in charge against Falkirk, and his only goal of the league season came against St Mirren on the opening day at the start of August.

This shows that McCowan has not provided much of a threat at the top end of the pitch for the Scottish giants in recent months, which may be why the experiment of playing him on the wing has not been too successful.

It is also why O’Neill should ruthlessly drop him from the starting line-up for tonight’s clash with his former club, opening the door for Nygren to start on the wing instead of in central midfield.

Celtic flop who was "really shaky" v Hibs is the first player Nancy must bin

This Celtic flop is the first player who should be sold by incoming manager Wilfried Nancy in January.

ByDan Emery Nov 30, 2025

The Sweden international has scored seven goals in all competitions for Celtic this season, including five in the Premiership, per Sofascore, and he may carry more of a threat than McCowan did from the start against Hibernian on Sunday.

Will Rangers be busy in the January transfer window?

Well, new manager Danny Röhl will certainly demand that they are, having taken over a complete mess, following Russell Martin’s short but ill-fated tenure.

Well, after spending around £30m on 13 new recruits in the summer, Rangers reported annual losses of £14.8m in their latest accounts on Friday, despite seeing revenue increase to £94.1m, a club record.

Despite this, the club are still expected to be busy in the January transfer window, but sporting director Kevin Thelwell will be tasked with finding gems in the market, so has one already been identified?

Rangers' search for a new attacker

One of Rangers’ many issues this season so far has been a lack of attacking firepower.

Across all competitions, only captain James Tavernier and Djeidi Gassama have scored more than three goals, with youngster Findlay Curtis and Danilo the only players on three.

Thus, according to a report in Kazakhstan, Rangers are attempting to sign winger Galymzhan Kenzhebek.

They note that “negotiations began” between his representatives and the Glasgow-based giants, while Dundee United and Aberdeen as well as clubs in Slovakia, Russia, Greece are also in the race.

Transfer Focus

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

So, could he soon become the first Kazakh player to represent Rangers, with Kazakhstan thereby becoming the 67th different nationality represented at Ibrox?

What Galymzhan Kenzhebek would bring to Rangers

Despite the fact he is only 22 years old, Galymzhan Kenzhebek has had something of a journeyman career to date.

After bouncing around various Kazakh clubs including Kairat Almaty, a name that’ll send a shudder down the spine of any Celtic fan, and then did something few of his compatriots do by venturing abroad, enjoying stints with Akritas Chlorakas​​​​​​​ in Cyprus and Košice in Slovakia.

He did return home in June, joining Yelimay Semey, for whom he was on fire, scoring six goals in his final nine Kazakh Premier League appearances before the season concluded on 26 October, firing his team up to fourth, thereby qualifying for a major UEFA competition for the first time ever.

However, by the time they play that historic Conference League qualifier in August, it seems unlikely that Kenzhebek will still call Semey home.

The Rangers Journal labels him a “very pacy and direct” winger, also praising his “goal-scoring instincts” and outlining that he is a high-volume winger who “loves to just get the ball and commit defenders”.

Meantime, Kai Watson was also impressed, noting that he is a “quality ball carrier” and could add quality to the Rangers squad at a pretty low price.

Well, as well as starring for his club, Kenzhebek has also made the breakthrough at international level this year too.

He scored his first-ever international goal at the Borisov Arena against Belarus in a friendly in June, before netting twice during a 4-0 demolition of Liechtenstein last month, thereby starting each of Kazakhstan’s last six World Cup qualifiers, including Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Belgium, a famous point, a match Nicolas Raskin also started.

So, could Kenzhebek replicate Daizen Maeda’s success from across the city?

Well, when the Japanese international arrived at Celtic from Yokohama F. Marinos on a bargain deal in January 2022, he was a complete unknown, but his skillset sounds very reminiscent​​​​​​​ to that of Kenzhebek, as a pacey forward who typically operates off the left flank.

While an “inconsistent finisher” right now in the view of Watson – much like the at-times erratic Maeda was when he arrived in Glasgow – Rangers will hope their potential new recruit can go on to eventually prove equally as clinical in Glasgow derbies.

Hibernian

15

7

Kilmarnock

13

7

Hearts

12

6

Livingston

7

6

Rangers

22

5

Motherwell

12

5

Aberdeen

11

5

St Johnstone

10

5

Ōita Torinīta

6

5

So, while Kenzhebek is not proven at an elite level, he is seemingly worth the risk and, at a low fee, could prove to be a masterstroke in recruitment?

Thelwell can upgrade on Souttar by signing £8m defender for Rangers

With Danny Röhl in need of defensive reinforcements, could Rangers sign an “aggressive” £8m-valued star better than John Souttar and Nasser Djiga?

Nov 20, 2025

Glasgow Rangers sporting director Kevin Thelwell has been questioned by some supporters for the work that was done during the summer transfer, with signings and the appointment of Russell Martin.

It is hard to describe the former Southampton manager’s tenure at Ibrox as anything other than disastrous after he won five matches in all competitions before being sacked last month.

The ex-Rangers centre-back did not have much joy in the dugout during his second stint at the club, as a manager rather than as a player, with 24 goals conceded in 17 matches.

On top of the clearly poor decision to bring Martin to Ibrox, Thelwell’s signings during the summer transfer window have come under some scrutiny, after the new owners provided him with plenty of money to spend.

The appointment of Martin and the work done in the summer window led to a start of one win in the first eight matches of the Scottish Premiership season for the Light Blues, which has put them on the back foot in the title race.

Danny Rohl has come in and won all four of his Premiership games in charge, to his credit, but there are still several summer signings who are yet to prove their worth.

Picking out the worst summer signings for Rangers

It would be hard to look past the most expensive signing of the summer when talking about the worst signings, as Youssef Chermiti was signed for £8m from Everton. That is the most money Rangers have paid for a player since they paid £12m to sign Tore Andre Flo in 2000.

Since that mega-money move to Ibrox, the Portugal U21 international has scored one goal in 13 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues this season, and that goal came via some rather questionable goalkeeping, as shown in the clip below.

Chermiti is not the only centre-forward signing who has struggled this season, though, as Rangers signed Bojan Miovski for a fee of up to £4.2m and he has delivered two goals in 16 outings in all competitions, per Sofascore.

Further back on the pitch, central midfielder Joe Rothwell has been a disappointment since his permanent move from Bournemouth. The 30-year-old talent was brought in to offer experience and quality in the middle of the park, but he has failed to make a positive impact.

Tackles

7

Bottom 27%

Interceptions

8

Top 29%

Duels won

16

Bottom 26%

Duel success rate

47%

Bottom 39%

Aerial duels won

4

Bottom 25%

Possession won in the final third

1

Bottom 19%

Ball recoveries

22

Bottom 36%

As you can see in the table above, the English flop ranks poorly among his positional peers in the Premiership in a host of key defensive metrics, whilst playing as a number six for the Light Blues.

Thelo Aasgaard, who was signed from Luton Town, is another summer signing who has failed to deliver, with one goal and one assist in 19 appearances in all competitions, per Sofascore, which shows that the attacking midfielder has been ineffective at the top end of the pitch.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Whilst there are understandable question marks over all of the summer signings mentioned so far, there is a player signed by Thelwell who impressed against Livingston, and may be on his way to becoming the new Calvin Bassey at Ibrox.

After signing from Leicester in 2020, the Nigeria international only played eight Premiership games in his first season. In the 2021/22 campaign, the versatile defender featured in just three of the first nine league games under Steven Gerrard, per Transfermarkt.

The left-footed star then became a regular in the side when Giovanni van Bronckhorst took over in October and went on to play 50 games in all competitions before sealing a £19.6m move to Ajax in the summer of 2021.

Now, central defender Emmanuel Fernandez could follow a similar path to success at Ibrox after he produced an impressive display against Livingston on Saturday.

Why Emmanuel Fernandez may be the next Calvin Bassey for Rangers

As was the case with Bassey under Gerrard, the summer signing from Peterborough rarely got an opportunity to showcase what he could do on the pitch during Martin’s time at the club.

Per Transfermarkt, Fernandez featured in one of Martin’s seven league matches in charge of the Light Blues and was an unused substitute in all six of the Champions League qualifiers.

The 24-year-old centre-back only started in a 1-1 draw with St Mirren in the Premiership and a 4-2 win over Alloa Athletic in the League Cup, scoring his first goal for the club in the latter appearance.

Fernandez finally got his first start in the league of the Rohl era against Livingston on Saturday and did not disappoint. On top of scoring the opening goal in the match, making it two goals in three starts for the club, he won eight of his 13 duels and was not dribbled past a single time, per Sofascore.

After the win over Livingston, one Rangers podcaster described him as a “massive” player who “makes a difference” at both ends of the pitch because of his imposing physique.

Tackles made

0.99

Bottom 26%

Duels won

10.44

Top 1%

Duel success rate

72.4%

Top 5%

Aerial duels won

6.96

Top 1%

Aerial duel success rate

87.5%

Top 1%

Interceptions

2.49

Top 5%

Shots blocked

0.99

Top 31%

As you can see in the table above, Fernandez is one of the most dominant and impressive central defenders in the Premiership if you compare his two starts in the league to his positional peers on a per 90 basis.

These statistics suggest that the English defender deserves more chances to start and showcase his quality, which he may well get with John Souttar and Derek Cornelius both missing through injury at the moment.

If he continues to start and produce the level of performance that he has in his first two outings in the division, Fernandez could go on to be a defensive monster for Rohl and anchor the team for the foreseeable future.

Like Bassey, Rangers may look back in the future and wonder why he did not play more regularly earlier in the season, because the towering star looks like he has been a hidden gem at Ibrox.

Fewer touches than Butland: Rohl must bin "missing" Rangers flop after Livi

Rangers did claim another league win over Livingston on Saturday, but one player went “missing” at Ibrox, registering fewer touches than Jack Butland.

Nov 23, 2025

L’Equipe reports that Celtic are in advanced talks with Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy to make him their long-term successor to Brendan Rodgers at Parkhead.

The outlet claims that the French tactician could be in the dugout for the club’s Scottish Premiership clash with St Mirren on Saturday if a £2m compensation agreement can be put in place before the weekend.

Nancy will be looking to build on the success that Rodgers, as shown in the graphic above, had with the Hoops during his second spell in charge of the Scottish giants, and Johny Kenny is one star who he will surely be looking forward to working with.

How Johnny Kenny could fit into Wilfried Nancy's system

Per Transfermarkt, the French boss typically plays with a 3-4-2-1 system but has also utilised a 3-5-2, 3-4-1-2, and a 4-4-2, which means that there is the potential for Kenny to be used as part of a front two.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Ireland international has scored four goals in his last four appearances for the Scottish giants since Kelechi Iheanacho suffered a hamstring injury, with Martin O’Neill placing his trust in the youngster during his spell in interim charge.

Kenny’s best performances so far, arguably, came in the 4-0 win over Falkirk at Parkhead in the Premiership, as the 22-year-old centre-forward scored half of his side’s goals.

His recent goalscoring exploits have put him in a good place ahead of Nancy’s potential arrival, and he could play as part of a front two for Celtic if the manager goes with a two-striker formation.

Celtic’s last striker to score 20 or more goals in a league season was Kyogo Furuhashi, who scored 27 goals in the 2022/23 campaign, but it is not Kenny who could be Nancy’s own version of the Japan international.

The young star who could be Celtic's next Kyogo Furuhashi

Callum Osmand broke onto the scene for Celtic in the League Cup semi-final clash with Rangers earlier this month, as he came off the bench to score his first senior goal.

The Jersey-born star then came off the bench to win a penalty against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, but went down with a hamstring injury shortly after and is set for a spell on the sidelines.

Once he is back and available for selection, though, Nancy could unearth his own version of Kyogo and an upgrade on Kenny by playing him in the centre-forward position, either on his own or alongside the Irishman.

Reporter Mark Hendry described Osmand’s goal against Rangers as Kyogo-esque and said that the forward was “so dangerous” for the Hoops in that semi-final clash.

The former Wales international’s career statistics in comparison to Kenny’s also suggest that he is more likely to develop into a Kyogo-type goalscorer in the Premiership moving forward.

Appearances

149

82

Goals

47

49

Games per goal

3.17

1.67

Assists

11

13

Games per assist

13.55

6.31

As you can see in the table above, Osmand scores and creates goals at a greater rate than the Ireland international, with two more goals in 67 fewer matches in his career at youth and first-team level.

The former Fulham youngster’s exceptional goal return in the statistics above illustrates how exciting he is as a centre-forward prospect, which was evident in his recent cameos for the first-team before his injury.

Osmand’s form at the top end of the pitch for Fulham and Celtic suggests that he has the potential to be an even better number nine option than Kenny, as well as being Nancy’s own version of Kyogo.

Therefore, the potential Celtic manager will be hoping that the 20-year-old talent is back from his hamstring injury sooner rather than later, so he can get to working with him as quickly as possible.

Not just Ralston: Nancy must ditch Celtic dud who "unsettles defences"

Wilfried Nancy should immediately drop this Celtic forward from the starting line-up once he arrives.

ByDan Emery Nov 18, 2025

Rapper Snoop Dogg has opened up about investing in Celtic, also talking up the idea of one manager he wants to see at Parkhead.

The Hoops’ search for their next boss is ongoing, as they look to find the perfect successor to Brendan Rodgers, following a disappointing end to his reign.

Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen has arguably emerged as the front-runner to take charge at Parkhead, with Celtic willing to give him big wages, enticing him to the club in the process.

Hayen is far from the only contender to come in, though, with England Under-21s boss Lee Carsley mentioned as an option, having been praised by Roy Keane in the past: “For England, it’s all positive. The big players performed, young players stepped up. Lee Carsley deserves huge praise. They really looked like they enjoyed it. They didn’t seem to be under that much pressure and played with freedom.”

Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou is currently out of work and has been linked with a return to Celtic, and now a new claim has dropped regarding a potential reunion.

Snoop Dogg wants Postecoglou back at Celtic

In quotes provided by The Daily Record, Snoop Dogg discussed Postecoglou coming back to Celtic, as well as opening up about investing in the club.

Opinion may be split regarding Postecoglou coming back to Celtic, although it does look unlikely, not least because his reputation has been damaged compared to when he left Parkhead last time around.

The Australian may have won the Europa League with Tottenham, but he also finished 17th in the Premier League, which ultimately cost him his job, before lasting no time at all at Nottingham Forest.

For that reason, this could be a sensible time for Celtic to avoid Postecoglou, instead looking at Hayen or someone else, bringing new ideas to the club in the process.

Celtic chiefs line up Lee Carsley approach amid "huge praise" from Roy Keane

Would he be the ideal choice for the Hoops?

ByHenry Jackson Nov 1, 2025

Of course, some would love to see him back with the Hoops, given the success he achieved there, and the football he played, but there would be a risk in rehiring him after a tough few years.

Celtic chiefs readying drastic action in Nicky Hayen pursuit with huge wages on offer