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Glasgow Rangers are heading for their worst domestic season in years. Knocked out of the Scottish Cup under Philippe Clement by Championship side Queen’s Park came just a couple of months after losing the League Cup final.

In the Premiership, the Ibrox side trail rivals Celtic by 13 points, having lost six and drawn five of their 30 league games so far this season.

Despite this underwhelming campaign, Barry Ferguson delivered two of the club’s finest moments just three days apart.

Firstly, he led the Gers to a penalty shootout victory over Fenerbahçe, leading the club to the quarter-finals of the Europa League for the first time since 2022.

Secondly, he ended their five-year Parkhead hoodoo on Sunday afternoon, with the Light Blues triumphing in the third Old Firm clash of the season, winning 3-2 courtesy of a late winner by Hamza Igamane.

When his effort hit the back of the net, it was a moment of pure inspiration, with the vast majority of the supporters forgetting all about the dismal season at that point.

The key thing now is for the players to carry this sort of form into the remaining few games, proving that the result isn’t a flash in the pan.

Several players proved their worth against Celtic, none more so than Nico Raskin.

Why Nico Raskin is captain material for Rangers

Raskin has stepped up to the plate for Rangers since making his return to the first-team squad back in September after missing the first few weeks of the season due to injury.

It looked as though Raskin would have to force his way back into the starting XI, especially as Connor Barron and Mohamed Diomande were beginning to form a solid partnership in the heart of the midfield.

Since returning to full fitness, however, the Belgian has arguably been the club’s best player. Across 26 Premiership matches, Raskin has an 87% pass success rate, while also creating six big chances, making three tackles per game and winning 6.5 total duels per match – a success rate of 59% – in the league.

Against Celtic on Sunday, Raskin made sure the Gers wouldn’t return to Ibrox empty-handed. After testing Kasper Schmeichel with a fizzing shot early on, he subsequently scored from the resulting corner.

Throughout the clash, the 24-year-old dictated the game, working well with Diomande at the heart of the midfield, giving Celtic no time to create anything in the first half.

The Belgian even assisted his midfield partner for the second Rangers goal and this duo could be one to star for the Light Blues over the next few years, that’s for sure.

Raskin certainly exudes plenty of qualities that would make him a fine captain for the club, especially when James Tavernier finally leaves the club.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

It is Diomande, however, who perhaps has the attributes to be the most important player for the Ibrox side next season and beyond.

Why Diomande is worth more than Raskin

Over the past few months, both midfielders have seen their market valuations soar due to some impressive displays.

According to Transfermarkt, Raskin is now worth €6.5m (£5.5m), which is a massive rise from what the club paid to sign him in January 2023.

Diomande – who cost the Gers £4.5m last January – is now worth slightly more than his partner in midfield, with the Ivorian star now worth €7m (£6m), which is marginally more than Raskin.

Whoever takes over Rangers in the summer ahead of 2025/26 must utilise these two players in their best positions. If so, then the next term could be a lot different to the current one.

Diomande may have been a Jekyll and Hyde-like figure among the Ibrox faithful, with some not convinced of his talents, but his display against Celtic has certainly proved the doubters wrong.

Operating behind Cyriel Dessers in Ferguson’s 3-4-2-1 system, Diomande was given free rein to work alongside Vaclav Cerny in using his running power to have a go at the Celtic defence.

Assists

5

5

Key passes per game

1.1

0.9

Total duels won per game

4

6.5

Tackles per game

1.1

3

Shots per game

1.4

1

Pass success rate per game

86%

87%

Indeed, the midfielder starlet succeeded with 100% of his dribbles, made one key pass, won four of his six ground duels contested and made two tackles, contributing whether or not his side had the ball.

He scored the second goal for Rangers with a well-taken effort, proving that he can be a key threat in the opposition penalty area.

Overall, it was a sublime performance by the 23-year-old, who has a bright future in the game. That’s a certainty.

Analyst John Walker hailed the midfielder last week, saying: “Scanning is an absolute basic in football but the regularity in which you do it is what can stop a player going beyond SPFL level.

“This basic skill-set, often overlooked, is exactly what can leave you with a 96% pass completion in a massive European tie. Add to that, calm & composed on the ball with the aggression to work off the ball and you have a pretty complete midfielder.”

When compared to his positional peers in the Europa League this season, Diomande ranks in the top 6% for pass completion percentage (82.6%) along with ranking in the top 6% for passes into the final third (4.21) and in the top 14% for tackles won (1.53) per 90.

These statistics showcase his ability to shine in European competition, which will naturally see the player attract interest from elsewhere.

This summer, a new manager will be appointed at Rangers. There are plenty of things to focus on ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, but the most important aspect will be to retain his key players.

This includes Raskin and Diomande. Another season at the club could see their market valuations continue to soar, while also allowing the Gers the perfect chance of securing significant profit on the duo.

83% duels won: Rangers star has just made himself as undroppable as Raskin

The Rangers star put in a fantastic shift against Celtic, as well as Nicolas Raskin.

ByDan Emery Mar 16, 2025

Mikel Arteta opted to play what was effectively a b side for Arsenal’s Champions League second-leg game against PSV Eindhoven and got the sort of result and performance you’d expect from such a decision.

The Gunners were already 7-1 up on aggregate going into the match and all but through the quarter-finals, so it would be hard to describe the display as all that surprising.

The 2-2 scoreline was probably just about a fair enough reflection of the encounter, as both sides had chances to claim victory.

Moreover, while some squad players made a good account of themselves, like Raheem Sterling, others probably played themselves out of the lineup for Sunday.

Sterling's performance vs PSV

It’s no secret that this season has been something of a disaster for Sterling, and so going into last night, it was potentially the last chance he’d had to show Arteta that he still has something about him, and while the circumstances made it a bit of a nothing match, that’s what he did.

For what felt like the first time in months, if not the entire campaign, the Chelsea loanee looked full of life, and even though it didn’t pay off every time, he was trying to make things happen whenever he got the ball.

The Kingston-born star provided the assists for both goals and could have scored two of his own thanks to a well-timed run in the first half that left him one-on-one with the keeper and then a determined drive late in the second half that saw his close-range effort saved by the keeper once again.

The 30-year-old left an impression on GOAL’s Sean Walsh, who awarded him an 8/10 at full-time, writing that he worked ‘extremely hard’ for his two assists.

On top of the praise from the press, the experienced dynamo’s statistics also make for great reading, as in 94 minutes of action he amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of 0.80, provided two assists, took two shots on target, played three key passes, created one big chance, took 47 touches and made one interception.

Minutes

94′

Expected Goals

0.57

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.23

Assists

2

Shots on Target

2

Touches

47

Key Passes

3

Big Chances Created

1

Interceptions

1

Overall, while Sterling almost certainly won’t feature in the lineup at the weekend, that won’t be because of his display last night, which might not be the case for one of his teammates.

The Arsenal starter who's played themselves out the team

Unfortunately, while the game wasn’t all that bad, and the result was ultimately meaningless, a few starters likely played themselves out of contention to start on the weekend.

One of those players was Jorginho, who had an uncharacteristically poor night in the middle of the park for the hosts.

The Italian ace was entirely ineffective in attack and utterly hopeless when it came to the more important defensive side of his game, switching off and losing his runner for Ivan Perišić’s goal and then losing the ball entirely for Couhaib Driouech’s impressive lob.

Unsurprisingly, Sean Walsh was equally unimpressed with the former Chelsea man, awarding him just a 3/10 on the night, a rating more than validated by his statistics.

In 94 minutes of football, the 33-year-old amassed an expected assists figure of just 0.04, completed just 86% of his passes, made no key passes, failed to take a single shot, failed 100% of his dribbles, lost 100% of his ground duels, lost the ball 11 times, committed one foul and made one mistake that led directly to a goal.

Minutes

94′

Expected Goals

0.00

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.04

Assists

0

Shots

0

Passing Accuracy

48/56 (86%)

Key Passes

0

Dribbles (Successful)

1 (0)

Ground Duels (Won)

2 (0)

Lost Possession

11

Fouls

1

Errors Leading to a Goal

1

Ultimately, while Sterling put in arguably his best performance in an Arsenal shirt last night, Jorginho put in one of his worst in some time, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t start a game again for a while.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 12, 2025

At least domestically, the rest of this campaign for Tottenham Hotspur has to be focused on getting the team to the best place possible for the start of next season.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have been blindsided by an enormous number of injuries this year, and while that has had a serious impact on their results, there is at least one positive.

The lack of options has seen the manager turn to the club’s tremendously exciting youngsters far more than fans would have predicted in the summer.

Moreover, they haven’t just made up the numbers but have helped improve the side, with one prospect doing so well that his valuation has more than doubled.

Spurs' most exciting youngsters

So, when it comes to the club’s young talent this season, there is one player who has probably received the most attention: Archie Gray.

The former Leeds United gem joined the club in the summer for around £30m, so there were some hefty expectations placed upon him, but so far, it would be fair to say he’s more than met them.

For example, even though he is still 18 years old and primarily a central midfielder, the Durham-born dynamo has had to deputise across the backline this term, excelling at full-back and centre-back.

So far, the tremendously promising phenom has made 18 appearances at centre-back, seven at right-back, five at left-back, and two in defensive midfield, and it looks like he could eventually fulfil analyst Ben Mattinson’s claim that he’s a “future £100m” star.

Centre-Back

18

Right-Back

7

Left-Back

5

Defensive Midfield

2

Amazingly, there is an even younger player who has caught the eye for the North Londoners this season: Mikey Moore.

The academy product has been limited to just 16 first-team appearances this term, but he’s already scored one goal, picked up two assists and left a serious impression on his senior teammates.

For example, following his eye-catching display against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League, James Maddison described the 17-year-old as “fearless” and like “Neymar on the left wing” – high praise indeed.

There is another teenage sensation within the first team, though, someone who is already worth more than double what he cost the club a year ago.

The Spurs youngster whose value has soared

While arguments could be made about including the likes of Wilson Odobert and Pape Matar Sarr in discussions about the club’s youngsters, we are talking specifically about those who aren’t even 20 yet, like Lucas Bergvall.

The 19-year-old Swede signed for Tottenham for around £8.5m last winter but did not officially join the squad until the summer.

However, while he’s still incredibly new to English football, the former Djurgårdens ace has taken to it like a duck to water and is already a key member of the first team.

In fact, the “uber-complete” talent, as dubbed by Mattinson, has been so impressive for the Lilywhites that, according to Football Transfers, he is now worth up to €21.7m, which comes out to about £18m.

That means the Stockholm-born dynamo is already worth 111% more than Daniel Levy and Co paid for him, which, based on his growing importance to the club, seems about right.

Appearances

34

Starts

17

Minutes

1611′

Goals

1

Assists

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.11

Minutes per Goal Involvement

402.75′

For example, he has already made 34 appearances under Postecoglou this season, scoring one goal and providing three assists.

On top of that, FBref have placed him in the top 3% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for tackles in the attacking third, the top 6% for long pass completion and successful take-ons and the top 8% for tackles and interceptions, all per 90.

Ultimately, in Bergvall, Spurs have struck gold, as he is way ahead of where you’d expect a 19-year-old midfielder to be, and his skyrocketing valuation is just more confirmation of his incredible talent.

Spurs wasted £36m on "special" Poch signing who earned more than Spence

The promising prospect failed to live up to the hype at Spurs.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 4, 2025

Paris Saint-Germain have now tabled a £112m offer for a “world-class” Arsenal player, according to a report.

Gunners' title hopes take hit

The Gunners’ hopes of winning the Premier League title took a significant hit on Saturday afternoon, succumbing to a surprise 1-0 defeat at home against West Ham United, their third league loss of the season.

After being unable to score against a struggling side, the decision not to bring in a new striker in January is beginning to look even more questionable, with Mikel Arteta saying his team lacked precision and quality.

The manager also added: “It’s my responsibility for the team to play much better than it did today. We have to play much better, with much more quality, much more interaction. It’s not good enough, that’s on me.”

Striker is a problem position for Arteta, but one area which has looked solid this season is midfield, with Thomas Partey and Declan Rice among the most consistent performers in the Premier League.

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As such, one of Europe’s top clubs are believed to have taken an interest in Rice, with a report from Spain claiming PSG have now submitted a €135m (£112m) offer for the midfielder.

However, the Gunners are unwilling to sanction the Englishman’s departure for less than €160m (£133m), given his importance to the team, playing a key role ever since arriving at the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta has no desire to let the 26-year-old leave, and he is believed to be happy in north London, so it does not seem like a move will be on the cards anytime soon.

Rice departure seems very unlikely

In truth, the idea that PSG have submitted an offer seems highly questionable, but if there is any concrete interest in the central midfielder, the Gunners should rebuff it.

Lauded as “world-class” by members of the media, the former West Ham man has been a mainstay in the Arsenal starting XI since his switch to north London, and he is among their best-performing players this season.

The best may still be yet to come, too, with the midfielder of the belief that he has been improving as the season has gone on.

Saturday’s performance was not the England international’s best, being withdrawn early in the second half with the Gunners chasing the game, but the whole team underperformed, with the lack of an out-and-out striker proving to be a major issue.

The report suggests Arsenal could be willing to sanction a departure for a fee of around £133m, but even in the scenario of receiving a bid in that ballpark, the offer should be rejected, as Rice would be almost impossible to replace.

Newcastle United extended their unbeaten run to three games after a 2-1 victory over Premier League strugglers Burnley at St James’ Park.

Eddie Howe’s side were able to bounce back from their disappointing draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the week to pick up all three points on this occasion.

It took Eddie Howe’s side until just past the half-hour mark before they managed to open the scoring. Their goal was scored in magnificent fashion, too. Captain Bruno Guimaraes pulled off the lesser-spotted stunt of an Olympico, scoring directly from a corner.

Then, deep into first-half stoppage time, the Magpies had their second goal. Burnley midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu gave away a penalty for handball, and Anthony Gordon obliged, stepping up from 12 yards to double Newcastle’s lead.

It was not all plain sailing, though. Burnley, who had ten men after Lucas Pires was sent off in the first half, managed to pull a goal back.

They were also awarded a penalty for handball, this time from Jacob Ramsey, with Zion Flemming firing home. It was too little, too late, though, for the Clarets, and Newcastle held on to win the game.

The two goal scorers were Newcastle’s standout players on the day.

Guimaraes and Gordon’s key stats compared

It has been quite the week in front of goal for Guimaraes and Gordon. Not only did they score on Saturday afternoon, but they also bagged both of the Magpies’ goals against Spurs in the week.

Guimaraes’ strike against the Clarets was surely better. Scoring directly from a corner is no mean feat, and it took a superb curling effort to nestle into the back of the net.

Aside from the goal, the Magpies skipper won six from eight duels and made six recoveries, as per Sofascore.

As for Gordon, he shone in key moments. Of course, the England winger bagged his second goal from the spot in a matter of days, but he also played Anthony Elanga through on goal, which led to the Burnley red card.

One person he impressed was Lee Ryder, the chief Newcastle writer at Chronicle Live. He gave the former Everton winger a rating of 8/10, praising him for remaining a ‘threat throughout’ against a depleted Burnley defence.

It has been a good week individually for two of Newcastle’s biggest stars, but another of their marquee players struggled against Scott Parker’s side.

Newcastle’s worst player vs. Burnley

It was an afternoon to forget for Newcastle’s big summer signing, Nick Woltemade. The German striker was not very involved against the Lancastrian outfit and was described as “sloppy” by journalist Craig Hope.

His stats from the clash at St James’ Park reflect what was an underwhelming evening. He only managed 17 touches, fewer even than Magpies goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

The Newcastle number 27 could only manage one shot and win a single duel, too.

Touches

17

Passes completed

11/12

Shots

1

Duels won

1

Key passes

0

His poor performance was reflected in the post-match rating Ryder gave. The journalist said Woltemade a 6/10 and prefaced that by saying ‘he did not get a great deal of service’ against the Clarets.

That display was also significant for Newcastle because Yoane Wissa made his long-awaited debut for the club. He replaced Woltemade with 15 minutes to go, and received a warm welcome from his new home fans.

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With the striker’s return to full fitness, it will be fascinating to see whether or not Howe keeps the German in the side or brings Wissa into the fold instead.

After a performance like that from the former Stuttgart attacker, where he was so isolated, it would not be hard to blame the Magpies boss for rotating him out.

It is also worth considering the number of games the North East side have coming up. They have Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup games before the year is up, plus the FA Cup at the start of January.

Howe will surely want to manage the minutes of his squad, so they can be at their very best in a testing few weeks. It would be no surprise if Woltemade drops out of the side next time out.

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