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According to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, Wolverhampton Wanderers are ‘not close’ to agreeing a fee for Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic, despite reports in recent days claiming the opposite.

The Lowdown: Wolves open negotiations

Bruno Lage is in the market for attacking reinforcements after news emerged that Premier League rivals Arsenal are seeking a move for Pedro Neto, and the boss has seemingly identified the 25-year-old as his prime target.

The Austrian has been on the receiving end of interest from the likes of Manchester United, Everton and Brighton this summer, though it’s the Midlands outfit who have made the first move.

Recent sources have claimed that the Molineux side have opened negotiations to sign the forward, but while some have even claimed a deal is close, Crook’s update is not the news supporters are hoping to hear.

The Latest: Wolves dealt Kalajdzic setback

Taking to Twitter, Crook revealed that whilst Wolves are indeed in talks for Kalajdzic, the two parties are still miles apart in price. He wrote:

“Re Sasa Kalajdzic: Wolves are in talks with Stuttgart as reported but told the two clubs are not close in terms of the valuation of the striker.”

The Verdict: Splash the cash

Wolves have already spent over £100m this window following the arrival of Matheus Nunes, but Kalajdzic is a player worth splashing the cash on, even if the club don’t agree with his asking price.

The 15-cap international made eight goal contributions in just 15 Bundesliga appearances for Stuttgart last season, and has already provided three assists in the same number of games this term, highlighting the instant impact he can make.

Standing at 6 foot 7, Kalajdzic would add a different dimension to Lage’s squad in the final third, and while his injury record may be a concern, rotating his minutes with Raul Jimenez could keep both players fit and firing.

Nottingham Forest kicked off their first Premier League campaign in over two decades yesterday but were unable to take any points from their visit to St James’ Park losing 2-0 to Newcastle United.

Steve Cooper spoke out following the defeat in his post-match interview to detail where Forest got it wrong:

“We fell short in our performance today, but we live and learn. We were not right today in possession, and there were not enough passes when we could get them off, and that ultimately cost us the two goals.”

The Garibaldi have had an exciting summer transfer window with 12 new signings secured at The City Ground, and six of those made their debuts for Forest on Saturday, but could there be an opportunity to strengthen the team even further?

One player who has been linked with a move to the newly-promoted club in the last few days is Atalanta midfielder Remo Freuler, a player who could certainly improve the problems with possession that Cooper referenced in his comments after the Newcastle game.

Over last season, the 30-year-old scored one goal, delivered three assists and created three big chances, tallying up a pass completion rate of 92% in his own half while taking 73.2 touches per game, proving he is certainly comfortably with the ball at his feet.

Freuler has been the recipient of high praise for his consistent and reliable performances in midfield for Atalanta, with Tuttosport journalist Giordano Signorelli hailing the £8.5m talent in an interview with BBC Sport:

“Gasperini likes players who listen and apply themselves, and Freuler is a true professional. He has become fundamental in midfield, alongside Marten de Roon. He has a great spirit of sacrifice, is strong physically, but also sound technically and possesses a good shot.”

Cooper could even land his very own N’Golo Kante by completing the signing of the Switzerland international this summer, as the Chelsea star is the fourth most comparable player to Freuler over the 365 days according to FBref.

In terms of similarities, the pair of midfielders came close on pass completion rate with Kante just tallying up a better percentage by 1.3% at 85.8 to 87.1.

The pair were also almost level pegging on their shot-creating actions with Freuler making 60 and Kante 61. The Atalanta star did, however, outperform the Frenchman in tackles won (43 vs 34). They did make exactly the same number of tackles (22) in the defensive third, demonstrating how similar they are when it comes to winning the ball back.

With that being said, the signing of Freuler would be a major addition for Nottingham Forest and could potentially resolve some of the issues Cooper is aware of in the team.

Indeed, signing a Kante-like midfielder would definitely bring a wealth of attributes to the side.

Glasgow Rangers will pay around £4.5m for Ridvan Yilmaz, according to Ibrox insiders The 4th Official. 

The lowdown

Besiktas have confirmed that they are in negotiations with the Light Blues over a potential deal for the left-back.

A £4.5m deal would take Rangers’ summer spending past £13m, with deals for the likes of Ben Davies, Rabbi Matondo and Antonio Colak already sealed.

However, they remain comfortably in the black for the summer transfer window after selling Calvin Bassey, Joe Aribo and Cedric Itten to Ajax, Southampton and Young Boys respectively for a combined £28.73m.

The latest

The 4th Official tweeted: “Rangers are in a very good negotiating spot with Ridvan Yilmaz. Rangers are still in the market for other signings as we could potentially see a creative attacking player joining next.”

In a snippet from their Patreon page, they add: “I have been told that the deal will probably be concluded for somewhere in the range of £4.5m…”

The verdict

This looks like a good deal for Rangers.

First and foremost, Yilmaz is out of contract in 12 months’ time, so he may be available for a reduced fee. He’s only 21 years old too, so he still has virtually his whole career ahead of him.

Although he’s young, he also has some valuable experience under his belt, making two appearances in last season’s Champions League group stage and racking up six caps for his country.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig noted that the Turk was having a ‘fantastic time’ of things for the Super Lig outfit last season.

It has been a very busy couple of weeks at Ibrox, with Davies, Malik Thilmann and Matondo all joining, and Bassey sealing a club-record departure to Ajax.

Journalist Andrew Dickson noted that there had been ‘so much activity’ in short space of time, and that was even before the Yilmaz move. There may be more to come too, so it’s an exciting time for the Ibrox faithful.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has been lamenting the departure of Joe Aribo from Glasgow Rangers.

The Lowdown: Aribo leaves Ibrox

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team confirmed the sale of the Nigeria international to Premier League club Southampton on Saturday evening for a fee believed to be an initial £6m, rising to £10m in add-ons (BBC Sport).

The 25-year-old only had one year left on his contract, so the Gers could have sold him for more if he had more time remaining on his deal at Ibrox.

The Latest: ‘Big blow’ for Rangers

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, O’Rourke has claimed that losing Aribo is a ‘big blow’ for Rangers, even going as far as to claim that he was the Light Blue’s ‘best performer’ for a long period of last season.

The reporter stated: “It’s a big blow to lose Aribo. I think Aribo for a long period last season was maybe Rangers’ best performer, so to lose him is obviously going to come as a blow.

“But I think Rangers have decided to cash in on him this summer, rather than risk allowing him to run down his contract.

“He was into the final year, and it seems like he wasn’t near to agreeing a new deal at Ibrox.”

The Verdict: Hard to replace

Indeed, Aribo was one of Rangers’ best players last term, ranking as their third-best performer on WhoScored and boasting the team’s second-highest dribbling average (1.4) per game in the Premiership.

The Nigeria international played a whopping 70 times in total for club and country, with a tally of nine goals and 10 assists for the Teddy Bears, including a goal in the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, replacing his energy and quality will be very difficult, and Gers supporters will be hoping that new signing Tom Lawrence can hit the ground running and perform as well as Aribo had done during his time at Ibrox.

Liverpool have been heavily linked with Raphinha for a while, and a new update has now emerged on Leeds United’s latest stance on the prospective sale of the player this summer.

What’s the latest?

According to Spanish news outlet Sport, the Whites would now be willing to accept a transfer fee of €50m (£42.8m) for the Brazilian winger, and that could be revised down even further.

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As per the report, Raphinha has made clear his desire to leave his current club, with Barcelona being his first choice option for this summer, although both Liverpool and Arsenal have also approached with interest.

Klopp’s next Jota

Liverpool don’t always sign their star players from within the Premier League, but when they have done during Jurgen Klopp’s tenure they have struck gold, with Sadio Mane, Virgil Van Dijk and Diogo Jota all having a massive impact at Anfield after leaving their former English top-flight clubs.

Jota in particular has had a fantastic impact competing for a place in Liverpool’s formidable front three since joining from Wolves in 2020 for a similar fee (£41m) as Raphinha’s reported asking price.

The Portuguese maestro has scored 34 goals and delivered nine assists in 85 appearances for Liverpool, with a goal contribution every 124 minutes for the Reds, proving that he has been a worthwhile signing.

Darwin’s a Red! Get your special edition Darwin Nunez tee here.

Raphinha could now follow in the footsteps of Jota by joining the Merseyside giants to compete for a place in their team and potentially becoming a key component in the club’s pursuit for more trophies.

Following Sadio Mane’s imminent departure, Divock Origi’s contract expiry and the expected sale of Takumi Minamino this summer, there will definitely be an opportunity for the Brazilian to apply his talents and strengths in the team despite the signing of another striker in Darwin Nunez.

The Leeds winger, who was dubbed a “proper talent” by Joe Cole, has scored 17 goals and contributed 12 assists since joining the Whites in 2020. He has been a consistent threat for the West Yorkshire club, duly cementing his status as a fan favourite with his heroics against Brentford a month ago to keep Jesse Marsch’s side in the top flight.

FSG should not give up on their pursuit of the Brazilian, as Raphinha could be a great asset to replace the depth lost in the forward line at Anfield this summer, especially now that Leeds are seemingly resigned to selling him for much less than originally intended.

AND in other news: Major Liverpool transfer twist emerges; Jurgen Klopp will be frustrated

New Liverpool signing Fabio Carvalho will be used in the front three during the Reds’ pre-season, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Carvalho signs for Liverpool

The youngster joined the Premier League giants from Fulham earlier in the summer, having shone for the west London club during their promotion-winning 2021/22 season.

Carvalho scored 10 goals and registered eight assists in the Championship last term, which clearly caught the attention of Jurgen Klopp and the recruitment team at Anfield.

The 19-year-old can play in midfield or in a more attacking role, and an interesting update has emerged regarding Liverpool’s proposed use of him.

The Latest: Jones makes Carvalho claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that Carvalho would be trialled in the front three by Klopp during Liverpool’s pre-season.

The reporter suggested:

“They’re going to test out Fabio Carvalho in that frontline in pre-season, just to see whether he’s actually ready for it and it might be that he gets more of a role next season in that frontline than we might envisage.”

Darwin’s a Red! Get your special edition Darwin Nunez tee here. The Verdict: Great option to have

Versatility is always a bonus in any player and Carvalho possesses that in abundance, which only adds to his potential brilliance as a signing.

The former Fulham man can excel in a number 10 role, which has been his main position, but it will be interesting to see him in attack, likely cutting in from the left-hand side in a similar vein to Luis Diaz.

While Carvalho is unlikely to be a regular starter straight away next season, a strong pre-season for Liverpool in attack could show that he is more than ready to be a mere impact substitute.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly ready to sign a Premier League star. Find out who it is here.

Rangers’ failure to win the UEFA Europa League could actually lead to a boost from matchday income, claims football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

The Lowdown: Rangers’ Europa League campaign

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side came agonisingly close to winning their first European Cup since 1972 after going the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw against German side Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final.

Painstakingly, the Gers lost out on penalties as Aaron Ramsey was denied moments before Rafael Borre crashed in the decisive spot kick.

The Glasgow outfit would have automatically qualified for the Champions League group stages if they had beaten Frankfurt. Instead, they must now navigate two play-off rounds before qualifying.

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The Latest: Maguire’s claim

Despite this, Maguire believes that Rangers may be better off with two extra matches in the long run.

Speaking with Football Insider, he claimed:

“They’ve missed out on £3.9m in prize money.

“But you also qualify for the European Super Cup. It would be a very high-profile tie against either Real Madrid or Liverpool that they have missed out on.

“Then there is also automatic qualification in next year’s Champions League. They finished runners-up in the Scottish Premiership so they could still go through the preliminary stages.

“So if they do make it to the group stages of the Champions League, they will actually lose very little.

“In fact, you could argue they would be even better off because you can sell out Ibrox a few more times in those preliminary rounds.”

The Verdict: Great season for Rangers

Despite the painful loss in the Europa League final, the 2021/22 campaign can be labelled a big success for Rangers under new boss van Bronckhorst.

Just days after leaving Seville with runners-up medals, the Gers faced off against Hearts in the final of the Scottish Cup. Two goals in extra time ensured victory and another trophy being added to the club’s illustrious cabinet.

Therefore, with everything considered, Rangers fans should consider this season a success, thus providing them with hope for the title race in the Scottish Premiership next year.

In other news: Rangers: Jonny McFarlane stunned by Cinch news

Tottenham Hotspur have set their sights on a dream signing in Bayern Munich star Serge Gnabry this summer, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Conte pushing for move…

The sensational Bundesliga forward, out of contract in 2023, has been at the centre of exit reports recently as his club still fail to agree terms over an extension.

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Bayern, as a result, are currently under some pressure and face the possibility of having to sell him for a profit in the next transfer window while they still can.

Gnabry has no shortage of Premier League suitors, including Spurs, with manager Antonio Conte personally holding a serious interest in the former Arsenal ace.

According to a report by The Daily Star, Conte is ‘pushing’ transfer chief Fabio Paratici and the north Londoners to ‘table a cut-price deal’ for Bayern’s star given his contract status.

The Star believe that Tottenham, as a result, are ‘plotting an ambitious swoop’ to appease the Italian with an update now emerging from Spain.

The Latest: Gnabry ‘most dreamed of’ at Spurs…

Indeed, according to Spanish sources, Gnabry is now the ‘most dreamed of’ signing for Spurs this summer amid reports Conte seriously wants it done.

However, despite his contractual situation, it is believed the Lilywhites ‘would still have to pay a large amount’ for the 26-year-old.

As Paratici and co eye a number of reinforcements in other key areas, this report claims a formal bid is fairly unlikely despite Conte’s affection for the player.

The Verdict: Perfect but uphill battle…

The serious competition for Gnabry’s signature could certainly drive up his price tag with interest also coming from European heavyweights Real Madrid, Liverpool and Juventus.

Regardless of the £63 million-rated Germany ace entering the final year of his deal, it may still be an uphill battle to seal and agreement at Spurs.

If Conte does get his alleged wish, though, and Spurs do attempt a cut-price move, there is little arguing he would be a serious upgrade.

Former Spurs keeper Paul Robinson has recently urged the Lilywhites to get a deal done, calling Gnabry a ‘world class’ player, and the fact he has hit double figures for goals in every single one of his Bundesliga seasons is real evidence of this (Transfermarkt).

While unlikely, it is little wonder the former West Brom winger is seen as a dream signing.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano says ‘monster’ Spurs player is now ‘expected to leave’ this summer! Find out more here.

It turns out he always had the outswinger, but wasn’t going to bowl until he was confident with it

Sidharth Monga26-Aug-2019While Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari piled on the agony for West Indies on a sleepy Antigua morning, their team-mates, it appeared, were looking at scores updates from the Ashes. The intensity, the quality, the attention, the hype even, has been on another level in the Ashes.The second of the Ashes Tests introduced to the world a bowler you could swear was Jasprit Bumrah’s twin: both were fast-tracked after limited-overs performances, you wondered if they could bear the load of Test-match bowling, and both quickly allayed those fears. Both derive pace from short run-ups, both seem faster than the speed gun tells you, and both have shown they have instincts of veterans.If anything, Jofra Archer received more hype than Bumrah probably because he made an impact sooner than Bumrah did. With the Ashes reaching the crescendo it did on Sunday, and with the Antigua Test turning into a sleepwalk for India, it would need something ridiculously sensational to even be talked about. Enter Bumrah.ALSO READ: Jasprit Bumrah completes a unique set of five-wicket haulsYou must remember the ball Bumrah bowled to get Keaton Jennings out lbw in Southampton in 2018. It was a landmark delivery in a way. Everything about Bumrah’s run-up and his action tells you he will bring the ball back into the right-hand batsmen. Until then, he used to bowl the legcutter or get some seam movement or sometimes do the job with the ball just holding its line. Against Jennings, he unleashed the outswinger, which swung back into the left-hand batsman.Forget Jennings’ shock at the ball now swinging the other way, this is a ball that should be nigh unplayable because of the bowling mechanics of Bumrah. It turns out he always had the outswinger, but wasn’t going to bowl it until he was confident with it. With the Dukes balls in the nets in England, he found that confidence to use it in a match. He has possibly spent the break between the World Cup and this series perfecting it.In the second innings of this Test, Bumrah unleashed the absolute fury of the outswinger. The numbers were staggering. To right-hand batsmen, according to broadcasters , Bumrah bowled seven outswingers every ten balls. The results were lethal. Shai Hope and Jason Holder were forced to play the angle and defend their middle stump before the ball swung away late to hit their off stumps. He also bowled the left-hand batsmen John Campbell and Darren Bravo through the gate with late swing. Kraigg Brathwaite was the only one who played an apparently poor shot, defending an outswinger wide enough to be left alone, but then again it is the Bumrah angle that makes you commit to playing the ball.Jasprit Bumrah sends Darren Bravo’s off stump cartwheeling•Getty ImagesThe outswinger didn’t make a random appearance. After trying to get seam movement on a flat track in the first innings – bowling with a slightly stiff back and hence low on pace – Bumrah saw the ball swinging in the breeze. Ishant Sharma bowled from the end that aided his inswing. Bumrah felt this was the perfect time to go with the outswinger. So out it came with the same freak whiplash of an action, now back to the same pace, with the same venom, but now moving it away against that angle.If India’s facile domination of West Indies didn’t have your attention till now, you had better watch Bumrah’s spell. West Indies were simply blown away by this magical mix of pace, skill and precision: four of his five victims were bowled. Just like that, with a spell of 8-4-7-5, Bumrah now has five-fors in all four places he has toured for Test cricket: South Africa, England, Australia and the West Indies. No Asian bowler has ever managed five-fors in all these countries. The great Pakistan quicks, Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath, Kapil Dev and Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble, none of them managed it. And Bumrah has done this on his first trips to these countries.One of the things that has added to the legend of Archer, who will likely be Bumrah’s rival – and what a great rivalry it will be – in the years to come, are the random tweets in the past that have taken a life of their own with those events nearly repeating themselves in different contests and contexts. Bumrah might just have entered himself in that race. On August 18, the last day of Archer’s debut Test, Bumrah quote-tweeted a photo and a caption with a bulls-eye emoji.This is what the caption said: “This speed race wanted to know the fastest: the dogs or the cheetah. The cheetah did not move a finger and sat in place. People asked the co-ordinator what had happened. He responded: ‘Sometimes trying to prove that you are the best is an insult.'”Make of it what you will.

In 2017 alone, Root has been dismissed four times between scores 50 and 59. On the other hand, Lyon has had a dream year with 51 wickets so far

Gaurav Sundararaman26-Nov-2017Root’s conversion problemsJoe Root currently has 33 fifties and 13 centuries. He was dismissed lbw by Josh Hazlewood for 51 in the second innings. Since his debut in 2012 until the end of 2014, Root scored five hundreds and seven fifties. However, since then Root has 26 fifties but only eight centuries. Root scores a half-century once every 2.4 innings and a century only once every 8.6 innings. If you look at his peers, Root has the best innings-per-fifty ratio but in terms of converting them to bigger scores Root is the worst.Steven Smith scores a century once every five innings while Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and David Warner make a century once every six innings. Root, on the other hand, takes nine innings per century which is three more than the best. In 2017 alone, he has been dismissed four times between scores 50 and 59 which is a cause of a concern. Interestingly, since his debut, Root has 29 scores between 51 and 90 – the most for any batsmen in this period. The next on the list is David Warner with 21 such scores. Interestingly, when it comes to the second innings the poor conversion rate is even more evident. Root has just one century and 12 half-centuries in the second innings but has 12 hundreds and 17 fifties in the first innings.

ESPNcricinfo LtdDream year for LyonNathan Lyon has had his best year in Test cricket. He now has 51 wickets for the year – third-highest for a bowler this year. He also became the first spinner from Australia since 2005 to take 50 or more wickets in a calendar year. Shane Warne took 96 in 2005. Lyon is also the first offspinner from Australia to take 50 or more wickets in a calendar year since Hugh Trumble took 53 in 1902. In 2017, Lyon has 24 wickets and averages 17.20 against left-handed batsmen and 27 wickets at an average of 28.59 against right-anded batsmen.Aggressive MoeenMoeen Ali played a key role in increasing the lead for England with some quick runs. Before he walked out to bat, England were scoring at a run rate of 2.19 runs per over. They had scored 74 runs from 202 balls with seven fours. When Moeen was batting, England scored 81 runs from 117 deliveries at a rate of 4.15 with 12 fours. Moeen added 39 runs with Root and 42 with Jonny Bairstow, taking England from 74 to 155 in under 20 overs.Australia’s targetAustralia were set 170 to win against England. Historically, when they have been set a target between 170 and 200 against England, they have won thrice, lost twice and drawn twice. However, earlier this year, Australia failed to chase 188 against India in Bengaluru but those conditions were much harder for the batsmen.