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Glasgow Rangers appear to be closing in on their next head coach as Russell Martin is being heavily touted with a move to Ibrox ahead of next season.

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that the Scottish manager has accepted the project in Glasgow and is ready to join the Light Blues this summer.

Martin, who had a loan spell at Ibrox in the second half of the 2017/18 campaign, has been out of work since he was relieved of his duties by Premier League side Southampton at the end of 2024.

Whilst supporters may be concerned by his sacking in the top-flight in England, the ex-Norwich City centre-back also did a lot of good work in the Championship with the Saints, and has been backed to be a success by a former teammate.

As you can see in the clip above, Steven Naismith believes that Martin would bring a clear style of play to Ibrox that has been lacking with recent managerial appointments.

The style of play Russell Martin could bring to Rangers

If you look at the way his Southampton team played in the Championship, as a team expected to challenge at the top of the table, you can get an idea of how his Rangers team could look in the Scottish Premiership.

He coached a ball-dominant team that constantly wanted to control the game whilst also being progressive and creative in possession, rather than just having possession for the sake of having possession.

Martin wants his side to play with a purpose – to create chances and score goals – and his Southampton team did that effectively in the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign.

Russell Martin’s attacking style of play
23/24 Championship	Southampton	League rank
Pass accuracy	87.7%	1st
Passes into the penalty area	594	1st
Progressive passes	2556	1st
Shot-creating actions	1255	1st
xG	79.8	2nd
Points per game	1.89	4th
Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, the Saints ranked first in the league for progressive passes and passes into the penalty area, which shows how forward-thinking and incisive they were with the ball.

Southampton typically started matches in a 4-3-3 formation in that campaign, often with one winger who can drift infield to form a front two with the striker and one more traditional wide man on the other side.

This means that Rangers, should they go through with appointing Martin, should look to recruit players who would suit his ball-dominant and positionally flexible system in the summer transfer window.

With this in mind, the 49ers could land the Scottish head coach a dream first signing at Ibrox by swooping for a Leeds United star who has been linked with a move to Glasgow.

The Leeds star Rangers have been linked with

Earlier this month, TEAMtalk reported that Rangers have emerged as a potential suitor for Leeds forward Largie Ramazani ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The outlet claimed that the Premiership giants are ‘monitoring’ his situation at Elland Road, a year on from his £10m move from Almeria to England.

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It stated that Ramazani aligns with how the club want to recruit talent in the transfer market, as they are looking for young and dynamic players who can thrive in the Premiership and European competitions.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not the £10m-rated forward will be available for a move this summer because Daniel Farke is yet to make a final decision on his future in West Yorkshire.

The 49ers and sporting director Kevin Thelwell should, though, push hard to agree a deal for the Belgian forward because he would be a dream first signing for Martin at Ibrox, should he be appointed in the coming days or weeks.

Why Largie Ramazani would be a dream signing for Russell Martin

As aforementioned, the Scottish coach’s Southampton team typically had a traditional, direct, winger on the left and more of a central player on the right in the Championship.

Ramazani would be a perfect fit for Rangers on the left in Martin’s system as a natural wide player who likes to take players on and make things happen in the final third, using his dribbling and pace to cause opposition teams problems.

In fact, talent scout Jacek Kulig once described him as a “mini Vinicius”, referring to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, because of his “electric” and “explosive” play style, and the fact that they are both nimble and dynamic right-footed left wingers.

Whilst he may not have racked up 21 goals and 15 assists like Vinicius Jr did for Real in the 2024/25 campaign, Ramazani’s form in limited minutes for Leeds suggests that the potential is there for him to be an exciting addition for the Gers.

24/25 Championship	Largie Ramazani (per 90)	Percentile rank vs att. mids & wingers
Non-penalty xG	0.53	Top 1%
Non-penalty goals	0.68	Top 1%
Assists	0.23	Top 18%
Non-penalty xG + Expected Assisted Goals	0.69	Top 1%
Progressive passes	4.29	Top 18%
Progressive carries	4.63	Top 8%
Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old attacker ranked highly among his positional peers in the league for scoring and creating goals, whilst also progressing the ball consistently through carries and passes.

This suggests that he would be an ideal fit for Martin’s system, which requires players to constantly progress the play, whilst also having the quality in the final third to be a difference-maker in matches.

Ramazani ended the season with six goals and two assists in the division, despite starting just seven of his 29 appearances, which shows that he can be productive in front of goal.

Now, imagine the Belgian winger in a Rangers team managed by Martin that could consistently create chances for him to score, whilst starting week-in-week-out.

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Ramazani would be a dream first signing for both Martin and the 49ers because of the potential he has to be a game-changing addition on the wing, whilst also suiting the potential new manager’s style of play perfectly.

Preparing to spend this time around following a year long frustration courtesy of PSR constraints, Newcastle United are now reportedly ready to launch their move for a top defensive target.

All focus on Brighton for Newcastle

With four games remaining in the Premier League, Newcastle need no reminding about just how important each game will be. They have their fate in their own hands and could yet finish as high as second to cap off an excellent campaign. Whether it’s second or fifth, however, Eddie Howe and the rest of those at St James’ Park will care most about sealing Champions League football.

With the European race only set to heat up, Howe recently told reporters upon his return from suffering Pneumonia: “It will go down to the wire. The important thing today was that we bounced back from last week. We have been very consistent, and now we have four huge games.”

The first of those “four huge games” will see the Magpies travel to The Amex where they will square off against a Brighton & Hove Albion side who have won just once in their last five games. Newcastle will still be well aware of the quality that the Seagulls possess though, given that they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Fabian Hurzeler’s side in March.

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He’s a wanted man…

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Tom Cunningham

May 1, 2025

Fail to slip-up and Champions League football will be well within Newcastle’s reach and it’s then that they may just turn towards the summer transfer window and a long-awaited defensive addition.

Newcastle ready to launch Schlotterbeck move

According to TeamTalk, Newcastle are now ready to launch a summer move to sign Nico Schlotterbeck from Borussia Dortmund after ending a year-long scouting mission. The central defender is currently sidelined with a torn meniscus which will see him miss up to six months of action, but that is yet to deter the Magpies, who will assess his return date before potentially making their move.

When fit and firing this season, Schlotterbeck was one of few standouts in a disappointing campaign for Dortmund and having watched on for as long as a year, Newcastle should feel satisfied that the defender would hand Howe an instant upgrade.

League stats per 90 24/25 (via FBref)	Nico Schlotterbeck	Fabian Schar	Dan Burn
Minutes	1,982	2,575	2,970
Progressive Passes	8.86	3.32	1.70
Tackles Won	1.09	0.66	0.58
Ball Recoveries	7.14	4.30	2.76

What instantly stands out when looking at this season’s numbers is just how well Schlotterbeck progresses play – completing over double the amount of progressive passes that Fabian Schar and Dan Burn have managed per 90.

The 25-year-old’s quality is clear and is something that former Newcastle defender Dietmar Hamann noted when Schlotterbeck came up against the Magpies last season. The German said: “He is a great player, very good in tackling and strong in heading.

“He’s probably one of the best centre-backs in terms of ball-playing skills, not just in Germany, but in all of Europe. I really hope he can finally take the next step now.”

Arsenal are ready to make a “bold” attempt to sign a “dominant” Real Madrid player following approval from Mikel Arteta, which interestingly comes amid the Gunners’ exceptional 3-0 win over Carlo Ancelotti’s men in the Champions League.

Arsenal hammer Real Madrid in statement Champions League win

Tuesday evening was one of Arsenal’s proudest ever nights in Europe, with Declan Rice in particular taking centre stage.

The seven words Saka said to Rice before Arsenal's first goal vs Madrid

Declan Rice defied instructions to score Arsenal’s first goal against Real Madrid.

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The England international scored two sensational free-kicks from long-range, curling it beyond the Los Blancos wall on both occasions and past a helpless Thibaut Courtois, who could feel hard done by considering the former Chelsea goalkeeper made save after save in what was a commendable display from him.

Brentford (home)

April 12th

Ipswich Town (away)

April 20th

Crystal Palace (home)

April 23rd

Bournemouth (home)

May 3rd

Liverpool (away)

May 11th

Arsenal could’ve won by even more if it wasn’t for the Real shot-stopper’s heroics, but Courtois couldn’t do anything about Rice’s exceptional strikes into the top corner, or Mikel Merino’s finish to round off a superb 3-0 win for the home side.

“I was very convinced because I could sense in the preparation that we were really at it, that we had that belief and that trust that we could create Madrid a lot of problems,” said Arteta after Arsenal’s historic Champions League victory over Real.

“But then it was the theme of the game, make it happen, then you have to make it happen. But you have that mindset and that belief that things can happen and we delivered today. It was a hard time, but we are very happy.

“My feeling was that the team was super convinced, and we had the trust that we could do it because we’ve done it for big periods against the best opposition that you can face in football for two years. And if you can do that, you can do it on the day, and especially with our crowds. At that level, I think it elevates the level of the team, and we have managed to beat them.”

Off the field, it is believed new sporting director Andrea Berta could rival Real for Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz, and a new report has now claimed that Arteta’s side may even look to raid the Bernabeu this summer.

Arsenal preparing offer for Real Madrid forward Arda Güler

According to a Spanish media source, Berta and co apparently have their eyes on Turkey international starlet Arda Güler.

The attacking midfielder, who can also slot in on the right wing, has been used sparingly by Ancelotti this season. Guler’s chipped in with three goals and seven assists over 33 appearances in all competitions, but he’s predominantly utilised as an impact player off the bench.

Now, it is believed that Arsenal are preparing a “bold” move to sign Guler, and plan to offer around £26 million to tempt Real into selling him. Arteta personally “doesn’t want to pass up” any opportunity to sign the 20-year-old, as Arsenal’s manager believes that Guler is an ideal fit.

Arteta also thinks that Guler could play a similar role to club captain Martin Odegaard, so this could be an intriguing story to keep tabs on amid the Turk’s struggle for game time in La Liga.

“His IQ is at a high level,” said Montenegro manager Robert Prosinecki.

“He is a very dominant player with the ball. He always thinks about attacking.”

Despite the ambitions of the ECB, tournament remains hostage to market forces

Matt Roller23-Jul-2024There was barely a quarter of an hour between Mohammad Amir’s first ball for Oval Invincibles for the season and his last. Amir signed as a short-term replacement last week and bowled 15 of the first 20 balls of his debut fixture. He returned figures of 2 for 7, then walked off into the south London sunset, with Spencer Johnson primed to replace him on Sunday.The Hundred’s curtain-raiser was relatively low-key: tickets were officially sold out, with an attendance of 23,621 for the men’s game, but they saw two hugely one-sided games. Only 342 balls – or 57 overs, in old money – were bowled across a day which ended before sunset, at 8.40pm, with the Invincibles early leaders in both men’s and women’s tables.The ECB were positively surprised by how quickly fans started to support new teams when the Hundred launched three years ago, with merchandise sales surpassing expectations. But Amir’s walk-on role highlighted one of the many problems that the tournament still has: how can supporters form a meaningful connection with a team in a league which permits one-match contracts?Amir is by no means the only overseas player in the men’s Hundred who has arrived on a contract that will barely last a week. Daniel Hughes (Southern Brave), Josh Little (Welsh Fire) and Chris Green (Trent Rockets) have all been announced as short-term, last-minute replacements, with several players missing the start of the Hundred due to a clash with Major League Cricket.Three years ago, the Hundred’s inaugural season clashed only with the Caribbean Premier League. It has avoided that overlap in 2024 but faces competition from MLC and Canada’s Global T20, where high salaries will deprive the men’s tournament of its biggest names – Rashid Khan, Nicholas Pooran and Haris Rauf – in the first week of the season.Adam Zampa, who took 3 for 11 to win the match award, is a rare exception in choosing the UK over the US and arriving with time to spare before the season. “It’s just the way it happens, unfortunately,” he said of Amir’s one-game deal. “I’ve been that guy before as well and it’s a bit of a weird feeling. I don’t know a way around it – unless people prioritise the Hundred like I have.”Fireworks greet the opening match of the 2024 Hundred•ECB via Getty ImagesIn its current guise, the Hundred is a day – or night – out for fans. “It’s an awesome competition,” Ellyse Perry, the Australian allrounder, said. “The atmosphere at the matches is brilliant, the quality of cricket is outstanding, and it’s such a nice landmark tournament in the middle of the English summer… it’s an all-round package, including the entertainment in between.”But in the long term, the ECB want the nature of support in the Hundred to look more like those that exist in English football. “We can’t rest on our laurels,” Vikram Banerjee, the ECB’s head of business operations, said on Monday when discussing the imminent sale of stakes in the eight Hundred teams to private investors. “We need to move it more into tribalism.”I’m an Aston Villa fan, for my sins, and I travel up to Middlesbrough and down to Bournemouth and wherever else to watch my team. That’s where we want to get the Hundred to: fans of London Spirit travelling around the country, rather than it being a day out. That’s what we’re looking to do.”It is a bold ambition and one that is unashamedly forward-facing. The ECB’s pitch to prospective investors is not built around the next couple seasons of the Hundred, but a long-term play in which a tournament that Banerjee describes as “in its infancy” becomes the second-biggest cricket league in the world, behind only the IPL.The Oval was dotted with fluorescent orange on Tuesday evening – but that of the stewarding team, rather than Birmingham Phoenix’s colours. If there were any travelling fans in the crowd, they were unlikely to make themselves known in any case: between the men’s and women’s teams, the Phoenix managed 194 for 20 in 173 balls.London does not provide an accurate barometer for the Hundred’s success: tickets for just about any format of cricket at an affordable price will sell out in this city in July or August. There was evidence of a family audience from the 10,249 fans who came for the women’s game; by the end of the men’s, the usual boozy crowd had rolled in from work for an evening out.The ECB are using the Hundred as a ‘shop window’ this summer and there were moments through this day that were unlikely to bring anyone to the till. After 11 balls of the women’s game, the match was delayed by 10 minutes while a wet patch at mid-on was covered by groundstaff – hardly the way to sell the sport to any NFL owners learning the rules from a hospitality suite.The opening day was a reminder that the Hundred has a strong base, with past, present and future internationals littered across the two teams, as well as an engaged crowd. But Amir’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo brought with it a reminder that there is a long, long way to go.

“It is unthinkable that a player of his talent was never selected to play international cricket,” says Paul Downton of the club legend

David Hopps12-Aug-2022Time appears to have caught up with Darren Stevens, whose 17 years with Kent will reach its conclusion at the end of the season at the age of 46.But what’s this? Surely not a hint that there might be one final season left in the tank? He has no wish to retire just yet if he can help it, and his farewell message to Kent supporters certainly invited the thought. “I’m looking forward to the next chapter but looking back I am very proud of the one I’ve just completed. Stevo x”.Related

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“I don’t feel like I’m ready to give up,” he told BBC Sport. “I love the game so much. I have that passion for it. That is why I’m still playing now. I still feel like I can do a job with the bat and the ball.”Kent’s director of cricket, Paul Downton, said that it was “unthinkable” that a player blessed with Stevens’ talents – he is famously hard working, too – had never played for England. Stevens’ final seasons in county cricket have taken on quite a turn. Last year, he became the oldest player ever to be named Wisden Cricketer of the Year, appropriate recognition of his 26-year professional career.But there has been indignity, too, as he became an unwilling symbol for the faults of red-ball cricket on England’s professional circuit, all because of his long-established mastery at exposing county batting techniques on green seaming pitches. For a player who respects and loves the game so much, such journalistic shorthand was unfortunate.

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Stevens has been a cult hero at Kent. His cudgelling middle-order batting could change the face of matches that appeared lost, and his medium-pace bowling, which developed in the second phase of his career – and which these days is delivered at around 70mph – could cause havoc if the conditions were favourable.For Kent alone, he has played more than 630 matches across all formats, with more than 28,000 runs and nearly 900 wickets to his name.Rob Key, now ECB’s managing director of England men’s cricket, was Kent captain when he threw the new ball to Stevens and changed his career for ever. All 31 of his five-wicket hauls in first-class cricket came after his 35th birthday, an extraordinary feat.

“His numbers are remarkable in the modern era, which, along with his ability to influence and win matches, make him a true Kent legend. It is unthinkable that a player of his talent was never selected to play international cricket”Paul Downton, Kent’s director of cricket

He had joined the county as a specialist batter and had to wait until he was 43 for his first hat-trick. When it came, it was in the low-key circumstances of a Second XI match between Kent and Somerset in Taunton Vale.Among his 43 centuries, few will live in the memory more than his career-best 237 from 225 deliveries against Yorkshire in 2019. Kent, who were unsure whether to re-engage him, opened contractual negotiations before the sweat on his pads had dried.There was another extraordinary effort against Glamorgan in 2021, when he became the oldest player to hit a Championship hundred for 35 years, and dedicated the innings to his father, who had died from Covid-19. By then, county cricket was benefiting from live streaming, and messages that ‘Stevo’ was at it again flew well beyond Kent into all parts of the country.Against the white-ball, Stevens was also central to Kent Spitfires’ successful T20 sides, lifting the ECB domestic T20 trophy in 2007 and 2021, 14 years apart.”It’s bittersweet that my time at Kent has finally come to an end after such a long run and where I am so proud to have lived out my boyhood dream with such a phenomenal club,” he said. “The memories will stay with me forever.Darren Stevens points up to his late father Bob as Kent seal their Blast title•Getty Images”There are so many people to thank that contributed to my time here, David Fulton and Simon Willis for giving me the opportunity to represent the club back in 2005. Keysie [Rob Key] for giving me the new ball and beginning my bowling career. All my team mates over the years, and the Kent employees that have helped me in all different ways.”Last but by no means least the fans. How you have stuck by me over the years – celebrating my highs and supporting me through my lows, your support has been overwhelming and something I will always be grateful for so thank you.”Downton said, “Over the last 25 years Darren Stevens has been an inspirational cricketer. His ability to time a cricket stroke and his subtle skill with the ball have made him a crowd favourite wherever he has played. His numbers are remarkable in the modern era, which, along with his ability to influence and win matches, make him a true Kent legend.”It is unthinkable that a player of his talent was never selected to play international cricket.”Flatter county pitches this season – instructed by the ECB to more closely resemble Test surfaces – and a succession of injuries have made life hard for Stevens this summer. He has taken just six wickets at an average of 75 in six matches, a striking contrast to the previous five seasons where his wickets cost less than 20 apiece.There might still be a county out there who might take a gamble, perhaps on a pay-to-play contract. Leicestershire, where his career began, would be a nice thought.Kent have already earmarked Joey Evison, signed from Nottinghamshire, as a replacement. Evison is 20 and highly promising. By a quick calculation, he needs only 26 years’ worth of net sessions, solo training, and crowd-pleasing, match-turning feats to rival the qualities of an extraordinary county cricketer.

And what’s the fewest runs conceded in an IPL Super Over?

Bharath Seervi03-Sep-20209 Number of tied IPL matches. The Super Over was used each time to decide the winner. The first Super Over was played between the Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2009, and the most recent one was last year between the Mumbai Indians and the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Five have been won by the team batting first.