Glasgow Rangers and manager Michael Beale are believed to be interested in bringing young FC Utrecht striker Tasos Douvikas to Ibrox, and have seemingly made contact over a possible deal.

Do Rangers need attackers this summer?

The Gers have a vital summer ahead of them, with a number of new signings required all over the pitch, in order to find an extra gear next season. There is still a gap in quality between themselves and Celtic currently, as shown by their respective trophy hauls in 2022/23, so the primary aim has to be to narrow it this summer.

Attack is certainly an area where reinforcements will be required, especially with influential duo Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos both expected to move on, having played such a big part in Rangers' success down the years. The duo could leave a void, considering they scored a combined 157 goals for the club, so it is imperative that the right replacements are brought in.

A new transfer update has now emerged regarding Douvikas, who has been linked with a summer move to Ibrox a number of times in the recent past.

Could Rangers snap up Douvikas?

According to Football Insider, Rangers have "expressed an interest" in signing the Utrecht man, who scored 19 goals and reigstered four assists in the Eredivisie this season. It is claimed that the Dutch side are "looking for a fee of around £6.9million in order to part with the 23-year-old", who is described as being a "crucial" player throughout the 2022/23 campaign, sharing the Eredivisie Golden Boot with PSV star Xavi Simons.

Douvikas could be exactly what the Gers are looking for in the summer window, providing the end product that will be so badly needed without Kent and Morelos around. His aforementioned record this season speaks volumes about his productivity in front of goal, but an overall tally of 31 strikes in 73 appearances for Utrecht further highlights it.

The 23-year-old is also a 15-cap Greece international, scoring once his country to date – he also netted eight times in 10 appearances for the Under-19s – and he is someone who could help take Rangers to a different level next season and beyond.

While primarily a centre forward, Douvikas can play on the left-hand side, as he has done once for Utrecht this season, according to WhoScored, so his ability to play across the attack is something that could appeal to Beale, as the Gers look to wrestle the Scottish Premiership title away from Celtic in 2023/24.

Mashrafe Mortaza has said Bangladesh’s upcoming tour of New Zealand offers a tough challenge for the team which has mostly played at home in recent years

Mohammad Isam10-Dec-2016

Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh’s limited-overs captain, has said their upcoming tour of New Zealand offers a tough challenge for his side because they have played mostly at home in the last two years. That better-ranked teams have often struggled in New Zealand, Mashrafe said, meant that Bangladesh were likely to find it hard as well.”In the last couple of years, we played mostly at home and won many of those matches too,” Mashrafe said. “We have been successful, now it’s a different challenge to play outside home. It’s a challenge even for established teams to do well in New Zealand. So from that aspect, it is a bigger challenge for us. The New Zealand weather is different from other areas, but we can take the momentum. We can take good memories, which will give us confidence.”Several players from Bangladesh’s preliminary squad will leave Dhaka on Saturday for Sydney, where they will have a ten-day training camp before heading for their first tour of New Zealand in nearly seven years.Mashrafe said the camp, during which they are scheduled to play T20s against BBL sides, will be helpful, similar to their 15-day stay ahead of the 2015 World Cup, and camps in Chittagong and Khulna before the 2016 Asia Cup and World T20.”It will be good for us to work in Australia. We will live like a family. We will discuss all the problems. This makes it easier to work.”For example, we did a 15-day camp before the 2015 World Cup in Australia, which helped us a lot though we lost the four practice matches,” he said. “Before the World T20s, we trained in Khulna and Chittagong, and that helped us in the first round.”Mehedi Maruf has been added to the preliminary squad. After Maruf had initially done well in the BPL, BCB president Nazmul Hassan had publicly asked the selectors to include him and Shahriar Nafees in the squad.Bangladesh will play three ODIs, three T20s and two Tests in New Zealand from December 26 to January 24.

Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta has ended his 11-year stay at Stamford Bridge, leaving new Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino with a big decision to make

There was another significant juncture in Chelsea's extraordinary period of upheaval last week, as Cesar Azpilicueta bid farewell to the club after 11 trophy-laden years of loyal service. His departure immediately adds to Mauricio Pochettino's in-tray, with the new head coach now facing a big decision over who should take the armband.

Indeed, the Argentine needs to form a new on-field leadership team altogether, as Jorginho's move to Arsenal in January means the club has lost both its captain and vice-captain in the space of six months. Mateo Kovacic, another player to have worn the armband recently, has also moved on.

Chelsea's unprecedented overhaul of the first-team squad this summer means the options to replace Azpilicueta as skipper are limited, but a few names in particular stand out as candidates…

Getty Images6Enzo Fernandez

In his brief time at Chelsea, Enzo Fernandez has demonstrated his leadership credentials in his attempts to dictate play from the middle of the park amid relative chaos around him. Indeed, he aspires to be a leader on the pitch, saying in April: "I always dream to be a leader because when I started, I always wanted to be an example."

His authority was noted by interim manager Frank Lampard, but his thoughts are perhaps an accurate reflection of where the midfielder will sit in Pochettino's thinking: "Enzo is becoming a leader," he said. "But he's 22, I think it's quite difficult for us to talk about that, he'll have to find his way."

The language barrier is also an issue, with Lampard revealing in May that Enzo "doesn't speak English much at all". Consequently, this feels like an opportunity that will come too soon for the club's record signing.

AdvertisementGetty5Ben Chilwell

A name that will likely be mentioned in despatches in discussions over the club's next club captain and leadership team is Ben Chilwell. Despite only signing in 2020, the 26-year-old suddenly finds himself among the club's longest-serving players.

A Premier League and Champions League-winner as well as an England international, he has a wealth of experience at the highest level and knows what it means to represent Chelsea through thick and thin, while his disarming, warm character means he is popular among the squad and the fanbase.

His injury record should be a concern, however, as Pochettino will want his captain to be ever-present. Some will also argue that he is perhaps nice for the job.

Getty4Kepa Arrizabalaga

The notion of Kepa Arrizabalaga even being in contention for the captaincy would have been laughable less than a year ago, but the goalkeeper has battled back to prominence at Stamford Bridge.

Kepa enjoyed a quietly solid campaign after reclaiming his place between the sticks from now ex-Chelsea stopper Edouard Mendy, and Lampard even handed him the armband for the home game against Brighton at the backend of last season – although that ended in another disappointing defeat.

He is an outsider for the role, but it has been reported that Pochettino is willing to stick with the Spaniard as his No.1 next season rather than spend on a replacement. That makes him a contender for the captaincy as a vocal presence at the back and one of the longest-serving first-team regulars, despite his shortcomings.

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Getty Images3Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling still hasn't even been at Chelsea for a year, but his experience and winning mentality mean he will feature prominently in Pochettino's thoughts as he ponders his decision.

Sterling has emerged as a natural-born leader, captaining both Manchester City and England in the past and earning the respect of his peers with his exploits both on and off the pitch. His trophy-laden time at the Etihad Stadium means he is comfortably the most decorated player in the Chelsea squad.

It's a role the player relishes at international level, saying after captaining the Three Lions last year: "It's a great privilege and never in my wildest imagination as a young player coming through did I ever think I would captain England one day, it comes with maturity the manager sees in you, the passion and love I have for the country.

"I always have this thing where I remember me coming through as a young player and it's nice when senior players put their arms around you, it's a new environment and all we can do is make sure the new ones feel as comfortable as possible."

The main thing that will count against Sterling is his brief time at Stamford Bridge to date, but don't be surprised to see him in his manager's new leadership team.

The England management have been left concerned and unimpressed after the security plans for their stay in Chennai were found on a public computer

George Dobell19-Dec-2016The England management have been left concerned and unimpressed after the security plans for their stay in Chennai were found on a public computer.The plans, which included the details of which hotel rooms the players were in and how many staff were on guard on each floor, were found by an England supporter saved on the desktop of a publicly accessible computer in the lobby of a different hotel. It also contained details about the plain-clothes officers on duty and the location of officers on nearby rooftops overseeing the surrounding area.The document, named ‘Bandobust’, was a Chennai Police Operational Order addressed to the Joint Assistant Commissioners of Chennai Police. It was not password protected.An employee at the hotel, informed about the document, suggested local police regularly took advantage of the computer at the hotel.The supporter immediately alerted the England team who took the issue up with the local authorities. It is understood that the England management requested the security plans be reviewed and updated to ensure any leak cannot be exploited.England were full of praise for the arrangements on the first leg of their winter tour to Bangladesh which went ahead amid unprecedented levels of security following terror attacks in the country earlier this year.Hotels were surrounded by armed guards and snipers, roads were closed as the team travelled in convoy to the ground and players and management were rarely permitted to leave the hotel outside of the matches.

Newcastle United are “informed” on the situation of Napoli defender Kim Min-Jae ahead of the summer, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Is Kim Min-Jae leaving Napoli?

Since joining from Fenerbahce last summer, the centre-back has been a regular feature of Luciano Spalletti’s former side, making 45 appearances across all competitions during his debut season at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

In his CaughtOffside Daily Briefing last month, Romano stated that the Magpies had sent scouts to watch the 26-year-old and suggested that Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth could compete with Manchester United in the race to bring him to the Premier League.

Journalist Raimondo De Magistris has since claimed that the Red Devils have offered the South Korean a “huge salary” so the northeast outfit will have to act fast, but with his contract including a £52m release clause that’s set to become active next month, anything can still happen.

Are Newcastle signing Kim?

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Newcastle are keeping close tabs on Kim as they weigh up a potential hijack this summer. He wrote:

“Manchester United have Kim Min-jae on their list since October and remains the main target. Release clause, only valid in July as United are in contact with agents; Newcastle are informed too. Understand Man Utd are also monitoring the French market for plan B options.”

Could Kim be a good addition for Howe?

Newcastle obviously hold a clear interest in Kim to be considering a swoop during the upcoming window, and having been dubbed a real “leader” by former professional Park Ji-Sung, the centre-back putting pen to paper would be a massive coup for PIF.

The Serie A champion averaged 3.5 clearances and 2.6 aerial wins per league game last season, alongside recording a 91% pass success rate, via WhoScored, which was higher than any of the black and white striped players, highlighting his calmness and composure on the ball.

The Nike-sponsored ace is also capable of contributing to his team’s efforts at the opposite end of the pitch having clocked up four league goal contributions (two goals and the same number of assists) in 35 appearances last term.

Finally, Kim has spent the majority of his career playing in the heart of the defence but he also has the versatility to operate out wide at right-back so he would be a great option for Howe to have at his disposal should rotation be needed as a result of an injury crisis, in a similar way to how the gaffer has used Dan Burn this season.

The security risk for foreign players travelling to Pakistan remains “unmanageable” according to independent consultants, the international players’ association FICA has said, after the PCB announced that the 2017 Pakistan Super League final would be held in Lahore.The league stage and the semi-finals of the PSL, the PCB’s T20 tournament along the lines of the IPL and the Big Bash League, is scheduled to be held in the UAE in February and March, with only the finals being played in Pakistan.”The consistent advice we have received from independent security consultants over the last few years is that playing cricket in Pakistan for foreign teams and players constitutes an unacceptably high security risk,” Tony Irish, the FICA chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “Although we are sure that PSL and PCB would do their very best to implement security plans, the advice of our consultants is also that this risk is unmanageable in the current environment.”FICA has a duty to relay that advice to players and, given that players are participating as individuals in PSL and they are not participating as part of a touring foreign team, it will be up to each individual player to decide whether or not to take that advice.”Irish said that FICA would seek an update on the security advice nearer to the tournament. “We understand how much people want to see foreign teams and players playing in Pakistan and therefore sympathise with cricket lovers and fans in the country. We hope that normal cricket will return to Pakistan as soon as it is safe to play there.”Zimbabwe is the only Full Member nation to have toured Pakistan since March 2009, when gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus as the players were travelling to the Gaddafi Stadium during a Test match. However, there was a suicide attack near the Gaddafi Stadium during that tour as well in 2015, but Zimbabwe stayed on to complete the three-match series. Over the last seven years, Pakistan have hosted their home series at neutral venues, predominantly the UAE.Chris Gayle joined Karachi Kings and will be captained by Kumar Sangakkara•AFP

The PSL chairman Najam Sethi had said there was a clause in the PSL player contracts that stated they would need to travel to Lahore if their team made the final. Summarising the nature of the clause, a PSL team official said players would be offered extremely high security and cash incentives if they were willing to go. However, there would also be no repercussions if they did not.Two player agents who manage cricketers from different countries told ESPNcricinfo the clause did not say that travel to Pakistan was mandatory. “There is a clause, but several international players have made their participation subject to security advice at the time and they cannot be compelled to go,” one agent said.Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who were part of the Sri Lankan team that was attacked in Lahore in 2009, are set to play in the PSL, as are England’s Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales, both of whom had pulled out of the ongoing tour of Bangladesh because of security concerns, although they are likely to be on England duty in West Indies when the finals are staged. The Karachi Kings team also announced Sangakkara as captain, and there are several other international players from Australia, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, South Africa, and New Zealand.During the inaugural season of the PSL in February this year, West Indies allrounder Andre Russell was the first international player to hint at a willingness to travel to Pakistan, though he admitted he would be “scared” too.

The BCB intends to extend Thilan Samaraweera’s spell as Bangladesh batting consultant until next year’s Champions Trophy

Mohammad Isam01-Nov-20161:02

Samaraweera to stay on as batting coach

The BCB intends to extend Thilan Samaraweera’s spell as Bangladesh batting consultant until next year’s Champions Trophy. Cricket operations committee chairman Akram Khan said that Samaraweera is prepared to stay on in his role.”We are keeping him,” Akram told BDnews24.com. “Everyone is positive about him. The coach wants him to stay back, and so does everyone else. He also doesn’t have any reservations about it.”Samaraweera joined Bangladesh ahead of the Afghanistan series for a stint that was initially to run until the end of the England series. But now he will be part of the coaching staff for the tours to New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, Ireland and England in the upcoming seven months.Bangladesh’s coaching staff has been revamped after Heath Streak and Ruwan Kalpage quit as bowling and assistant coach respectively earlier this year. Courtney Walsh replaced Streak while Samaraweera also joined as batting coach, though the BCB has said it is still looking for a spin bowling coach. Richard Halsall, previously the fielding coach, has been promoted to the assistant coach’s position.

Matheus Nunes is not the first Premier League player to act out in order to secure a transfer

Matheus Nunes likely did not expect Manchester City to be sniffing around him this summer. However, a series of unfortunate events means that the midfielder could complete a move to the Etihad before the transfer window closes on Friday.

First, Kevin De Bruyne was ruled out for a significant chunk of the season through a hamstring injury. Then, City's pursuit of preferred target Lucas Paqueta ran aground, with the West Ham star reportedly under investigation by the FA due to breaching betting rules.

This has led to Nunes attracting the Cityzens' attention – and he's made it abundantly clear that he's willing to do anything to force the move through. After City saw an initial offer for the player turned down, he effectively went on strike, refusing to train for Wolves.

Manager Gary O'Neil is putting on a brave face publicly, insisting after his side's Carabao Cup victory over Blackpool that he expected Nunes to stay, but if the treble winners increase their offer, he will surely be on his way out of the door.

Of course, this behaviour is nothing new. Down through the years, we've seen several Premier League players employ some questionable tactics in order to secure a transfer.

• Getty
  

  Pierre van Hooijdonk

  Van Hooijdonk helped Nottingham Forest gain promotion to the Premier League with a stunning 1997-98 season that included 34 goals scored.

  He often clashed with manager Dave Bassett, though, and eventually attempted to engineer a move away from the City Ground. The manager refused to let him go, despite Newcastle reportedly offering £7 million ($8.5m).

  When Van Hooijdonk returned from World Cup duty in 1998, he believed the club was not well-positioned to start the new season.

  The striker asked for a transfer and cited an agreement that allowed him to move at the end of the season should he wish. The owners refused, so Van Hooijdonk went on strike.

  The protest lasted till November, when he reluctantly agreed to return. He scored just six goals that season and Forest ended up relegated. He eventually moved to the Netherlands, joining Vitesse for £3.5m ($4.2m).

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• Getty Images
  

  William Gallas

  This is perhaps the craziest story on our list. Gallas left Chelsea to join Arsenal in 2006, but it wasn't an amicable split.

  After the deal had been completed, Blues boss Jose Mourinho backed the release of a club statement that claimed Gallas threatened to score an own goal and get himself sent off if he were forced to play for the club again. It was also suggested that he had refused to play in the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool the previous season.

  Chelsea also stated that despite not wanting to let Gallas leave, they reluctantly agreed in order to help secure the services of Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole.

  Gallas was enraged by Chelsea's claims and issued a statement of his own in which he declared: "I certainly never said I'd try and score an own goal if I ever played for Chelsea again."

  Regardless of whether the most damning accusations were accurate, Gallas did sit out a pre-season tour leading up to his Blues exit.

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  Dimitar Berbatov

  Did Sir Alex Ferguson deliberately unsettle Berbatov in the summer of 2008? Or were quotes attributed to the Scot simply the work of a mischievous media? Whatever the truth, the Tottenham striker clearly had his head turned by the news that Manchester United wanted to sign him.

  Spurs filed a complaint with the Premier League, which Ferguson labelled "embarrassing", insisting that he had not told any newspaper that he expected to have Berbatov on board for the 2008-09 campaign.

  By that stage, though, Berbatov was desperate to move to Old Trafford and he was left out of Tottenham's early-season clashes with Sunderland and Chelsea.

  The Bulgarian was eventually allowed to leave by Spurs' seething chairman, Daniel Levy, but even Ferguson had been emotionally scared by the whole sorry episode, later writing that the transfer saga had been "more painful than my hip operation".

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  Javier Mascherano

  Mascherano was a hugely popular player at Liverpool, adored for the aggression and commitment he displayed each and every time he set foot on the pitch. The fans were bitterly disappointed, then, when he refused to play a game against Manchester City on August 23, 2010.

  The problem was that Barcelona had made a bid for Mascherano and he was desperate to leave. He'd made his intentions known immediately after returning to Merseyside following the World Cup and he was under the impression that the club would let him leave if they received a reasonable offer.

  Liverpool, though, did not want to give up one of the best midfielders in the world at the time, so Mascherano went AWOL for the trip to City.

  He has since apologised to the fans for his actions but still maintains that he had no other choice.

  "I was quite angry that they weren’t keeping their word," he later told . "Refusing to play at City was the way I found to show my annoyance.

  "I’d told the club I wanted to leave for family reasons, so I was very upset to have to act the way I did. There was no other option – otherwise, Liverpool wouldn’t keep their promise."

Glasgow Rangers have made a flying start to their 2023/24 preparations, signing Kieran Dowell and Dujon Sterling ahead of the summer transfer window opening, and there could be much more arrivals in the coming weeks.

Michael Beale looks set to have a busy pre-season and with several players departing the Ibrox side due to their contracts expiring, the supporters will be expecting high quality replacements.

However, in order to fund such signings, Beale may have to move on a few players who are still under contract. The likes of Scott Wright and Jon McLaughlin are obvious names who could make way for fresh faces, while another name should also be sold – Glen Kamara.

Indeed, even the manager thinks he could potentially be on the move, saying: “He is either going to be here for a considerable future or we will probably sell him this summer. When I came in he had an ankle problem he couldn’t get over. We kicked the operation into touch because we had a lot of injuries and Glen played through that for a period, then we gave him a chance to settle. He has not got back in the team because the boys that are playing have played very well.

“For Glen, everything is open really. But I think he needs to look at the competition that’s here in pre-season and decide whether there is going to be enough football for him.”

Will Glen Kamara leave Rangers this summer?

The £21k-per-week midfielder, once on the books at Premier League runners-up Arsenal, has found opportunities hard to come by under Beale since he arrived at the club in November, starting just 11 matches in total, and he has struggled to replicate his form from when Steven Gerrard was the manager.

During the 2021/2022 campaign, Kamara ranked fourth in the squad for passes per game (60.6), eight for key passes per game (1.3) and for interceptions per game (0.7), indicating he was one of the better members of the squad across these metrics, however, last season, he struggled, especially in the Champions League.

The step-up in class during Europe’s premier competition clearly fazed the midfielder as he only managed a Sofascore rating of 5.9/10 across four matches, averaging just 15 touches per game and winning just 25% of his total duels.

He was even dubbed “terrible” by Joshua Barrie in April 2022, and he just hasn’t quite looked himself this term.

Ligue 1 outfit Nice were credited with interest in him during the summer of 2022, however, the £10m fee quoted may have dropped significantly since, and this looks like a missed opportunity by the club.

His time at the Gers appears to be coming to an end and even though he was a key player previously, the Finland international has slipped down the pecking order and may not wear the jersey again.

Heart of Midlothian are keeping tabs on defender Morgan Feeney as they look to strengthen their defence ahead of next season.

What’s the latest on Morgan Feeney to Hearts?

According to the Daily Record, Hearts are eyeing up a move for Feeney, who is set to become available on a free transfer after his current contract at Carlisle expires this summer.

They could face stiff competition from League One teams along with Premiership outfits Hibernian and Aberdeen in order to secure the former Everton youth starlet.

Could Morgan Feeney sign for Hearts?

They will need to beat off competition from their arch-rivals, however, with the club aiming to get their managerial appointment spot on, his signing could very well depend on who becomes permanent manager.

The Tynecastle side had the fourth-best defensive record in the Premiership last season, conceding 57 goals in 38 matches, however, improvement will need to be made if they are to finish higher than fourth next term.

The club are currently thin at the back, with Kye Rowles, Tony Sibbick and Craig Halkett their only senior centre-backs, and Feeney could give them a boost in that area.

Having played over 60 matches for the youth sides at Everton, the 6 foot 3 gem made his senior debut aged just 17 back in 2017, however, he failed to make the grade at Goodison Park, turning out for Tranmere Rovers and Sunderland before finally establishing himself at Carlisle.

Across two seasons with the club, Feeney has featured 76 times, and despite missing the playoff victory that saw them win promotion to League One through injury, he was solid throughout the 2022/2022 campaign.

The 24-year-old averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.96/10 across 31 games in League Two, helping his team keep 13 clean sheets while winning 62% of his total duels, making 2.8 clearances, 1.3 interceptions and 0.6 tackles per game, showcasing his defensive abilities.

Following his season-ending injury in April, the Bootle-born ace was praised by journalist Nathan Ridley, who said: “A real shame if Morgan Feeney's time at Carlisle ends like this. He's more than capable of playing in League One.”

The defensive titan could be an ideal signing for Hearts as they head into pre-season looking at reclaiming third spot next season. They wouldn’t have to spend a penny on the centre-back, and it could represent a solid investment from the club as they look to also improve other areas of the side in what could be a busy summer transfer window.