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Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is prepared to sell an “important” player who “goes under the radar”, with the Gunners looking to recuperate much-needed funds after a summer of serious spending.

Mikel Arteta’s side are widely expected to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title with Liverpool after splashing north of £250 million on eight key arrivals in Kepa, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and Piero Hincapie.

Kepa Arrizabalaga

£5m

Martin Zubimendi

£60m

Christian Norgaard

£15m

Noni Madueke

£52m

Cristhian Mosquera

£13m

Viktor Gyokeres

£55m

Eberechi Eze

£67.5m

Piero Hincapie

Loan

There’s been promising signs from a few of them already, perhaps most notably Madueke, who has showcased real improvement since joining Arsenal at both club and international level.

The former Chelsea star has already been tipped to end Gabriel Martinelli’s career in north London, amid uncertainty over the Brazilian’s long-term future.

Martinelli is attracting interest from AC Milan and a move in January is very much possible, according to reports, but the Gunners value him at around £60 million and suitors were only willing to go up to £40 million in the summer (CaughtOffside).

Arsenal could be set for major changes in the wide area following the arrival of Madueke and Eberechi Eze, who’s primarily viewed as a central playmaker but can operate on the wing.

Alongside Martinelli, Belgian winger Leandro Trossard has been linked with a move elsewhere, even after he put pen to paper on a non-extended new contract with improved salary terms.

The 30-year-old is a wonderful impact player on his day, but Arsenal are running out of time to make any money back off the winger’s sale as his deal expires in 2027, and reports last week even suggested that Besiktas held out-of-window talks to sign Trossard in a potential £19 million move.

While this ultimately didn’t go anywhere, ex-Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown says that Trossard’s exit is still likely in January or next summer.

Arsenal prepared to sell Leandro Trossard as replacement mooted

Speaking to Football Insider, Brown states he’s “heard” that Arsenal are prepared to sell Trossard if the right offer comes in — despite him being an “important” member of the squad.

During his time in N5, Trossard has scored some big goals at crucial times, and fired home an impressive 16 in all competitions across 2023/2024 in what was his best season at the Emirates to date — including four in the Champions League.

Trossard also racked up eight goals and eight assists in the Premier League alone last term, so while he’s not one of the mainstays on Arteta’s team sheet, the attacker could still have a significant role to play before Berta finally decides they have to sell.

When Manchester City and Manchester United completed a stunning deadline day deal that saw Jess Park and Grace Clinton swap clubs, there were big questions to be asked of things on the red side of the city. Given United were in need of much greater depth in their squad, it didn't make total sense for them to engage in a one-in, one-out deal, particularly as it saw them bid farewell to one of their biggest stars.

However, while the situation surrounding Park's arrival at Carrington might have been criticised, none of that was related to the England star herself. In the 23-year-old, United were getting a fantastic talent, one who has proven her incredible technical quality and footballing intelligence since joining Man City as a teenager and debuting for the Lionesses three years ago.

And still, Park's new coach, Marc Skinner, was confident that he could take her to even higher levels in his team. "I think we can get even more out of her than she's shown at City," he said bullishly, the day after the transfer was confirmed. Through the first few weeks of the season, he's set his side up to fulfil that promise in a way that has not only made Park a stand-out performer to this point, but also fellow England star Ella Toone in United's unbeaten start.

Getty ImagesTrying to make things work

There were questions about how Park and Toone would fit into this team together, too. After all, Park joined United as a player who was versatile, yes, but largely recognised to be a No.10. That's the position that Toone holds down in the Red Devils' XI, something which made it hard for Skinner to properly get the best out of her and Clinton in the same team, given it was also the best position of the latter.

Skinner tried to make it work, playing both Toone and Clinton in various roles, be it in the box-to-box midfield position, the No.10 and out wide, with there even instances where it was simply a case of one starting and one on the bench. However, it just didn't quite come together. Would it be different with Park?

AdvertisementGetty ImagesFaring better

It certainly has been, as Park's entirely different profile to Clinton has better suited her to playing out wide while Toone operates in the No.10. It's a position Park has played before, both for club and country, but not quite in the way she is right now. Rather than being an out-and-out winger who hugs the touchline and looks to deliver crosses, the 23-year-old is driving inside, creating overloads in midfield and linking up nicely with Toone in a way that suits her.

It's required a real change of mentality for Park, who is playing in a totally different system and style to that she has experienced for the majority of her senior career on the blue side of Manchester. "She's still in that structure mindset," Skinner said recently. "Once she starts realising where the space is, no team will be able to deal with her."

Getty ImagesIn fine form

Park is starting to do that, too. Her recent displays for United have been increasingly impressive, with Chelsea so wary of her threat coming in from the right in their Women's Super League meeting last week that, in Skinner's opinion, they changed things up in midfield to counter as much. "They put two controllers in there to make sure that they killed Jess' spaces, I think," he said after the 1-1 draw. "But she still found them."

No player has completed more dribbles in the WSL this term than Park, while Toone is the only United player to have delivered more key passes. "She looks incredible," Skinner noted. "She just adds a different dimension to us."

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Getty ImagesDynamic duo

It's not just Park who is benefitting, either. The link-up that she and Toone have showcased through these first few weeks has been eye-catching, with Skinner even going as far to say that "her and Tooney have brought each other to life a little bit more".

"I know what she is like," Toone said of Park last month, speaking to . "I've played with her a lot for England." That's certainly showing as they get acquainted as club-mates. The way the pair are linking up both in those central areas but also when Park stays a little wider is helping increase the attacking potency of this United side, while their ability to drift into different spaces adds unpredictability. 

"She is someone you want on the ball," Toone added of Park. "That will be really good for us. We want to keep the ball a lot and play exciting football and she can help us to do that." It's panning out that way thus far, with United unbeaten through five WSL games and off to a winning start in the Champions League, having made their debut in the formal portion of the competition in midweek with a 1-0 victory over Valerenga.

“Once we realised that the surface wasn’t what we had anticipated, then we needed to build towards that 180 score,” says SRH head coach Daniel Vettori

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-20252:14

Knight: At the moment, SRH are all or nothing

Not for the first time in IPL 2025, the “where’s plan B” question has been asked of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batting.”At the moment, it’s all or nothing,” Nick Knight said after SRH’s latest loss, to Mumbai Indians (MI) at home. The margin was seven wickets with 26 balls in hand, but the outcome was evident by the ninth over of the match when SRH, asked to bat first, were 35 for 5. Despite the situation, plan B came later when Heinrich Klaasen and Abhinav Manohar added 99 runs for the sixth wicket.”If you see the way some batters have batted, they are just following the same pattern,” Varun Aaron said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show. “Yes, you can hit a few shots along the ground, you don’t have to hit everything in the air; a four is a good shot, but if you’re going to hit everything in the air, you’re going to get out more often than not. Especially when the wickets are like this, when they are slowing down towards the back end.”But that’s the formula that worked for SRH the previous season, when they broke existing IPL batting records and went all the way to the final, where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).Related

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Knight: 'Klaasen is batting far too low. Six overs or a tick over, get him out there'

Knight attempted to provide that perspective. “These discussions have got to be a little bit careful. It’s not like you can put [a] one-size-fits-all [answer] here. You can’t say Gujarat Titans [GT] are the best, they are doing it this way and everyone’s got to follow,” Knight said. “What Gujarat Titans are doing best is that they are using their resources the best. Their type of players play like that. It suits their style. When you look at Abhishek [Sharma] and Travis Head, I don’t want to see them hitting [along] the ground. I am more than happy to see them hitting aerially. Because that’s what they do, that’s what they do well.”What I am slightly concerned with about SRH is when that doesn’t work and you find yourself two-down quickly, that’s when you’ve got to move it back for a little while. That’s when you’ve got to reassess it a little bit, you’ve got to say, ‘okay, that’s perhaps not working, we will try plan B for a bit and then go back to plan A’. It’s got to be a bit [balanced]. At the moment, it’s all or nothing. There are times when you have to rejig your attitude, the approach a little bit, and then get back on it.”Daniel Vettori, the SRH coach, acknowledged that, and also said that plan B was exactly what SRH had attempted to turn to once the early wicket fell.”We wanted to bowl first,” he said at the press conference after the game, but, after losing two wickets inside three overs, “the assessment was that it was not the 250-260 wicket it has been the last couple of games”. “Once we realised that the surface wasn’t what we had anticipated, then we needed to build towards that 180 score. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to do when you’re 24 for 4 after the powerplay.”0:42

Knight: Klaasen batting far too low for SRH

Knight agreed. “If you’re four down for 13, it’s game over. I wonder if when you’re two down, whether you can just hold it back a little bit, have a partnership there with Klaasen or someone, then you don’t need Abhinav [Manohar] as your Impact Sub, then you can use an extra bowler, then you might be able to get an earlier partnership. Those sorts of little things can play out in important moments in your game.”As things stand, SRH are down at No. 9, only above Chennai Super Kings (CSK), with six games left to play in the league stage. They aren’t out of contention yet, but it’s not looking bright.”There’s been a lot of teams that find themselves in this situation, and there’s been a few teams that were able to resurrect their seasons [in the past],” Vettori said, holding out hope. “You look back to RCB last year after a difficult start. So if we can take inspiration from a team like them, and Mumbai’s done it on a few occasions, but ultimately, it’s just going to take one performance, and we haven’t been able to put a collective performance bar the two games we’ve won. We’ve got to improve dramatically in all three facets.”The next opportunity to do that will come on Friday night, when they play the only team that’s worse off than them, CSK, in Chennai.

Glasgow Rangers had one of their better afternoons of the 2025/26 campaign on Saturday when they beat Hibernian 2-0 to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup.

Goals from Nicolas Raskin and Bojan Miovski secured the win for Russell Martin’s side, after Martin Boyle had a goal disallowed at 0-0 in the first half.

It has been a frustrating season for the Light Blues, with no wins in the Scottish Premiership to date, and there have been issues all over the pitch under the new head coach, particularly in the left-back position.

Why Rangers have struggled at left-back this season

It was evident that Martin was not happy with Jefte and Ridvan Yilmaz as his options at left-back at the start of the season, because right-footed right-back Max Aarons started the campaign in that position.

Once it was clear that having a player out of position at left-back was not working, Jefte came into the side for a few games before the club decided to sell him to Palmeiras, shortly followed out of the door by Yilmaz, who returned to Besiktas.

Having sold their only two natural full-backs, Rangers brought Jayden Meghoma in on loan from Brentford. A young player who had only started 11 league games in the 2024/25 campaign, all on loan at Preston in the Championship.

The English defender has lost 56% of his duels and failed to register an assist in three appearances for Rangers in the Premiership to date, per Sofascore, and the club may rue that they let go of a star who was once compared to Lionel Messi.

Rangers fumbled their own Lionel Messi

Back in 2019, Croatian coach Davor Rupnik compared Borna Barisic, who was at Ibrox at the time, to Barcelona and Argentina’s legendary attacker.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

Rupnik said: “Many people don’t know he is a superb free kick and set piece taker. He has a left foot like Lionel Messi. He has improved massively and he is also an exceptionally hard worker. He used to ask for extra gym work in the evening after training.”

Of course, this does not mean that Barisic was dribbling past four or five players and scoring two or three goals every week, like the World Cup-winning icon, but he did have a left foot that consistently delivered quality at the top end of the pitch.

23/24

17

3

22/23

29

10

21/22

19

3

20/21

30

7

19/20

22

8

18/19

15

3

Total

132

34

As you can see in the table above, the Croatia international provided a big threat in the final third as a creative force from left-back throughout his Premiership career.

The left-footed star created 12 or more ‘big chances’ in all competitions in three of his last five seasons at Ibrox, which shows that he was still at the top of his game from a creative perspective up to the point that he was released at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Looking back, given what has happened in the left-back position up to this point, Rangers may regret alowing Barisic to move on because he was a proven Premiership performer who made a big impact at the top end of the pitch.

Unfortunately, for the defender, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury for Leganes in LaLiga in January and is currently without a club, having been released by Trabzonspor whilst dealing with that horrendous injury in the summer.

Rangers must regret losing the Harry Kane of Scottish football for nothing

Rangers had their own version of Harry Kane and Michael Beale watched him walk away for nothing.

ByDan Emery Sep 18, 2025

Ultimately, though, Rangers lost a star who was “like Lionel Messi” on a free transfer, and their current left-back situation shows that they are still looking for his replacement over a year on from his departure.

The PSL playoffs begin on Wednesday, and Lahore Qalandars will play the Eliminator on Thursday

Mohammad Isam19-May-2025Lahore Qalandars have signed up Bangladesh allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz for the playoffs stage of PSL 2025. The BCB has granted Mehidy the required no-objection certificate, and he is expected to fly to Lahore by Tuesday.The PSL playoffs begin on Wednesday, and Qalandars will play the Eliminator on Thursday – their opponents have not been identified yet.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Mehidy said that he was looking forward to the stint even though it could be for as few as one match.Related

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“Of course it is exciting for me to join Lahore Qalandars,” Mehidy said. “It is technically the second time I have got a call-up to a franchise league. Nonetheless, it is a good opportunity for me to compete at a very high level. PSL is one of the top tournaments going around. I have done well in the past in the BPL, so I am confident that I can give my best.”Mehidy said that he wanted to use the opportunity to find a way back into Bangladesh’s T20I setup. He wasn’t included in the squad that is currently involved in a T20I series against UAE in Sharjah or the one for the forthcoming five-match series in Pakistan.”I can get myself up to the mark in T20s, so that I am prepared for the selection opportunities ahead,” Mehidy said. “Definitely I want to get back into the Bangladesh [T20I] team, and this is one of the ways I can improve myself in the format.”At Qalandars, Mehidy will link up with his long-time team-mate Shakib Al Hasan.After the PSL resumed following the pause because of the border tensions between Pakistan and India, Qalandars managed to bring Sikandar Raza back, but he was available for only one game before he joins the Zimbabwe squad for the one-off four-day Test against England at Trent Bridge. David Wiese and Sam Billings haven’t returned to Pakistan, which led to Shakib being called up – along with Bhanuka Rajapaksa – for the business end of the tournament.Shakib made his first appearance on Sunday, falling for a first-ball duck against Peshawar Zalmi and going for 18 runs in two wicketless overs.Before Shakib and Mehidy, Rishad Hossain was in the Qalandars’ side, while Nahid Rana was with Karachi Kings. Litton Das was also with Kings this season, before he picked up an injury at training and had to leave.

In what would hand their promotion hopes a major boost, Southampton are now plotting a January move to sign a Premier League star who’s been told to leave his current club.

Will Still "delighted" after much-needed Sheffield United win

Prior to their 2-1 victory over a struggling Sheffield United side, Southampton had gone as many as six Championship games without a win. It’s a run that included frustrating draws against Watford and Portsmouth and one that could have quite easily led to several questions about Will Still’s position. But, at long last, it is now a run that has come to an end courtesy of Sheffield United.

In the end, it was Ross Stewart who was the hero of the hour as his brace secured the Saints’ 2-1 victory against Chris Wilder’s side in what Still described as the “ultimate Championship game”.

Asked if Southampton deserved all three points, the manager told reporters: “Overall, yes. I think we’ve been in control of large parts of it. We probably conceded another one of those annoying goals.

“You then miss a penalty and think, ‘Jesus, it’s going to happen again’, but we’ve not done that at all. We’ve made a few tweaks. We bought a bit of energy on the pitch and managed to turn it around. Getting back into the game is always tough when you’re away here.

“Then we’ve just kept at it and not felt sorry for ourselves. We’ve dug deep and got a brilliant win from Roscoe. It was the ultimate Championship game.”

Even after getting back to winning ways, however, there’s still work to be done at St Mary’s and the January transfer window will present Southampton with the perfect opportunity to welcome one particular upgrade.

Southampton plotting Ward-Prowse return

As reported by GiveMeSport, Southampton are now plotting a move to sign James Ward-Prowse in the January transfer window. The West Ham United midfielder has been told that he’s not in new manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans and could now return to the Saints less than three years on from sealing a £30m exit.

It would be a sensational return for the Southampton academy graduate, who could certainly do with a return to where it all started. Already dropped by Nuno, Ward-Prowse arguably needs the Saints just as much as they need him.

Whilst it’s been a frustrating couple of years, Ward-Prowse is still capable of taking Southampton to promotion if he completes his return in January. The 30-year-old could instantly partner Shea Charles at the heart of Still’s midfield and suddenly take the Saints from play-off hopefuls into automatic promotion contenders.

There will, of course, be question marks over their ability to afford such a player but West Ham could yet set a cut-price amid Nuno’s desire to show the midfielder the door. If that proves to be the case, then Southampton should take full advantage.

Switzerland and Como Women’s star Alisha Lehmann has been having some fun on the training ground with Johan Djourou while on international duty. The former Arsenal defender is currently working as the assistant coach of the Swiss women’s team and was taking part in some drills when a simple error saw Lehmann jokingly request some assistance from VAR.

Lehmann back with Switzerland team

Lehmann is back with the Swiss national team for October's international friendlies against Canada and Scotland. The Como star has been showing off her skills on the training ground but hit a problem after a pass to Djourou seemingly went astray. Lehmann was convinced that Djourou could have headed the ball and kept possession, but the assistant coach refused to accept the blame and revealed that "heading is not allowed." The footage was posted on social media, with Lehmann then asking fans to take on the role of the VAR and decide who was in the right and who was in the wrong.

AdvertisementWatch the clipLehmann wins the vote

Lehmann appears to have been given the benefit of the doubt, with a quick poll on social media going in the former Juventus and Aston Villa star's favour. The Swiss star boasts over 16 million followers on Instagram, making the decision no real surprise, and leaving Djorou feeling a little hard done by. 

"But honest people, what is this?" he said. Lehmann then asked Djourou what he'd learned from the experience and was told: "I learned that people love you, because it's you. And I have no chance. I have no chance!"

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Getty Images SportLehmann feeling Swiss 'passion' after Euro 2025

Lehmann has spoken about her passion for the Swiss national team recently and feels there is room for growth for the Euro 2025 hosts. She told : "The Euros were unforgettable. It was emotional seeing how many people came out to support us. I really believe it changed how people see women’s football in Switzerland and beyond. The passion is there, the audience is real. Now it’s about turning that momentum into long-term growth.”

Visitors win basement battle despite all-round efforts of Amanda-Jade Wellington

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay15-Jun-2025Bess Heath demonstrated maturity aplenty to carry Durham to a four-wicket victory over Somerset in the Vitality Blast women’s competition at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.Chasing 139 to win, the visitors were indebted to the 23-year-old middle order batter, who scored 38 not out from 25 balls under pressure to help the visitors reach their target with 11 deliveries to spare. Suzie Bates top-scored with 49, while Somerset seamer Mollie Robbins returned figures of 3 for 22 in a losing cause.Put into bat, Somerset were in good shape at 75 for 2, thanks to knocks of 36 and 31 from Bex Odgers and Niamh Holland respectively. But Sophia Turner and Mady Villiers claimed two wickets apiece as Somerset lost their way during the middle overs, and it required a breezy 31 from Amanda-Jade Wellington to haul the cider county to a modest 138 for 7.Durham have now won two of their six games in the short format, but Somerset remain without a victory and continue to prop up the table.Eager to make amends with the bat following a series of modest scores, Somerset made a disappointing start, Amelie Munday chasing a wide delivery from Grace Thompson and finding backward point in the opening over. Doing her best to redress the balance, Odgers pulled Lauren Filer for six, while Holland twice drove Thompson to the boundary as the powerplay gathered momentum.Katie Levick’s legspin proved expensive as Durham struggled to stem the flow of runs in the face of aggressive batting from Somerset’s second-wicket pair, Holland ramping Filer for another six as the partnership realised 50. The stand was worth 58 when Holland, having contributed a progressive 31 from 20 balls, attempted to drive Villiers over the top and found long-on with the score 63 for 2 in the eighth.Odgers advanced her score to 36 from 33 balls and had a half-century in her sights, only to then dance down the pitch to Sophia Turner and be comprehensively stumped by Mia Rogers as Somerset slipped to 75 for 3 at the halfway stage.Sensing an opportunity to apply pressure, the experienced Bates and Levick successfully restricted the scoring and Sophie Luff and Fran Wilson, tied down and unable to find the boundary, both succumbed to frustration as the home side slipped to 91 for 5. Charlie Dean came and went quickly, removed by Levick, as Durham continued to turn the screw and Somerset were 102 for 6 when Wellington joined Alex Griffiths in the middle.Again cast in the role of saviours, the seventh-wicket pair dug their team out of a hole, adding 36 from 22 balls to disrupt the opposition bowlers and carry Somerset to their highest short-format total of the season so far. Adept at working the field, Australia international Wellington scored 31 off 17 balls and accrued five fours, while Griffiths finished unbeaten on 11.Somerset needed early wickets and Robbins removed Leah Dobson for 11 in the fifth, but the indefatigable Bates proved an altogether different proposition. The New Zealand international dominated the reply, contributing four boundaries in a powerplay that yielded 49 and staging an opening stand of 38 with Dobson to afford the chase solid foundations.Villiers took on Wellington’s legspin, harvesting a brace of fours before falling to the Australian with the score 49 for 2, but Hollie Armitage proved obdurate in contributing 14 at a run a ball in an alliance of 38 for the third wicket with Bates. Griffiths bowled Armitage to give the home side renewed hope and, when Robbins had Bates caught at mid-on in the 13th, Durham were 87 for 4, needing a further 52 at 6.5 an over with two new batters at the crease.Robbins was enjoying herself and she induced Rogers to hole out to Griffiths in the deep to further reduce the visitors to 93 for 5, at which point the contest was back in the balance. Katherine Fraser was run out by Griffiths for 10 to set-up a potentially interesting finish, but Heath demonstrated sound temperament in an unbroken stand of 20 with Thompson to settle the outcome.

The search for Rangers’ next manager is heating up and, as such, a new name has reportedly emerged as the “favourite” to take the vacant role at Ibrox.

Rangers manager update

Some may still be in shock at Rangers that it’s not set to be Steven Gerrard in the dugout when domestic football returns. The Liverpool legend looked destined to return to Ibrox, before dealing the 49ers their latest blow. Forced back to the drawing board after their top candidate cited bad timing for rejecting the job, the new owners have quite the task on their hands.

Given that the Gers already sit as many as nine points behind Celtic and 11 behind unexpected leaders Hearts in the Scottish Premiership, to say that they can’t afford to get things wrong with their next appointment would be an understatement.

So far, similar names to the summer as well as some new faces have emerged as candidates. Danny Rohl, for example, has reportedly been discussed once again, whilst the likes of Graham Potter and Raphael Wicky have been mentioned for the first time.

It’s a case of choosing experience or youthful exuberance for those at Ibrox. Rohl would be an exciting choice, but not the safest option in current circumstances amid his inexperience. Potter, meanwhile, has the experience but would also be coming in off the back of failing at both West Ham United and Chelsea.

Other options include Hearts boss Derek McInnes. For Rangers, if they can’t match the league leaders, then hiring their manager may be their next best option. Former Ibrox star Kris Boyd believes the ship has sailed on that front, however.

It may also be none of those aforementioned options, with fresh reports now indicating that another name has emerged as the “favourite” to take the Rangers job.

Kevin Muscat now "favourite" for Rangers job

As reported by talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Kevin Muscat is now emerging as the “favourite” for the Rangers job, overtaking Rohl in the process. The 52-year-old is currently in charge of Shanghai Port, but may yet be on his way to Scotland.

Whether the Gers wait until the Chinese Super League season concludes on November 22 or target the manager right away is the big question. After such a poor start to the campaign, the Gers could certainly do with an immediate boost, but the ball may be in Muscat’s court on that front.

It’s also not the first time that Muscat has been linked with a move to Rangers. In previous years, the likes of Philippe Clement have beaten him to the job, but this time could finally be different.

Having won the Australian league twice and the Australian cup with Melbourne Victory, the Japanese league and Japanese Super Cup with Yokohama Marinos, and the Chinese league and cup with Shanghai Port, Muscat has won everywhere he has been. Now, Rangers could be next.

Ibrox should love him: Rangers hold talks to hire "insanely talented boss"

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ByDan Emery Oct 14, 2025

The favourite for the job has also worked as Ange Postecoglou’s assistant with Australia in the past and may yet hand the Gers similar success that his compatriot gave the Bhoys.

Manchester United have been backed for a shock Premier League title tilt as a former Red Devils coach feels that 'positive power' is finally building under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford. With their latest win at Anfield over reigning champions Liverpool, United have finally registered back-to-back victories in the Premier League for the first time since the Portuguese coach took charge of the club.

'Positivity building' under Amorim

Amorim's journey at Old Trafford has been far from plain sailing as in his maiden season, United finished 15th in the Premier League and failed to secure a slot in any of the European competitions. The head coach naturally made full use of the summer transfer window as he splashed big money to secure transfers for stars like Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in a bid to bolster his squad.

The Red Devils' miseries, though, continued in the 2025-26 campaign despite the heavy spending, as after six Premier League matches they had registered just two wins and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup second round by fourth-tier club Grimsby Town. However, things may have started to change for good at United, because after securing a routine win over Sunderland they next beat Liverpool at Anfield, a feat they achieved for the first time in nine years.

AdvertisementAFPMan Utd backed for Premier League title run

After the win over the Reds, United only climbed to ninth position in the Premier League table, although they are only two points behind third-placed Liverpool. Arsenal are currently top, enjoying a three-point cushion to second-placed Manchester City. While many believe that the title race will involve those three teams, former United coach Rene Meulensteen sensationally claimed that it is far too early to write off the Manchester club from the title race.

Speaking to , Meulensteen said: "There will be little twists and turns around the corner. If Arsenal lose maybe one or two players and maybe they lose one or two games, everything changes. That could easily happen in a run-in. So I still think Arsenal, Man City, and Liverpool are going to be fighting for the Premier League and we can’t rule out Man Utd if they go on this run we are hoping for. It could be three wins in a row and suddenly the whole momentum shifts into a positive power. Then suddenly it could be wide open because they’re only two points off Liverpool despite how the season has started."

Ex-United coach hails Liverpool

Meulensteen also spoke about his compatriot Arne Slot and Liverpool's sudden dip in form after losing three successive matches in the Premier League to Crystal Palace, Chelsea and United. The Dutch coach said: "I have high respect for Arne Slot because I’ve known him for so long. He won’t change. He’ll be the same, very measured and very honest in his opinion and observations. He doesn’t make things worse than they really are because he knows they are playing some really good football and creating chances, they just don’t put them in the back of the net.

"Last year, sometimes you catch a wave, you catch a flow, and everything that you hit goes in. Now they’re hitting a wave that goes against them. You have to ride the wave, turn around, and jump back on it. But that can only be done by not changing anything."

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Getty Images SportAmorim has his players' backing

After the win over the champions last weekend, club captain Bruno Fernandes had shown support towards the United boss and he claimed that the players believe in his system, amid fierce criticism over his tactics in the past months.

Fernandes told reporters: "Our shape always gives teams issues. It is a little bit ungrateful to talk about shape when we lose games and in the same way I am grateful to talk about it when we win. We always believe in the system, whether we win or lose, but it's about doing the right things in the right moments. We had moments we had to suffer and we did that in the game and the main thing is to do the same thing and believe what we prepare is what is going to give us the win."