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Forty-one miles, and a world away, from the World Cup, the battle for promotion proceeds at a leisurely pace

Paul Edwards at Arundel14-Jun-2019
Chris Jordan runs in from the Castle End and bowls to Benny Howell. The good-length ball is on off stump and Howell plays it safely to cover where Harry Finch trots in to field. Gentle applause comes from the supporters gathered on the bank by the sightscreen. This game against Gloucestershire will be drawn but the start of every day at Arundel deserves its own gentle accolade. Two swallows harry each other above the sycamores and elms.Forty-one miles away at the Rose Bowl, the fall of West Indian wickets is greeted with roars of acclaim but roaring has never been Arundel’s style. On the second Friday in June England accommodates both the heaving stadia of the World Cup and the pastoral glory of West Sussex.There is a sudden shower at ten to twelve and for a few moments this peerless ground is gauzed by rain. Before midday, though, sunlight is sweeping back over the outfield and the players have returned. At half-past twelve Howell is leg before to what looked like Will Beer’s top-spinner and on the stroke of lunch Ollie Robinson scatters Jack Taylor’s off and middle stumps with the new ball. These are not negligible successes. Sussex and Gloucestershire are both pressing for bonus points in a Second Division the shape of which few predicted in April.For example, it does not matter only to Swansea’s Balconeers when play gets under way 211 miles away in the match between Glamorgan and Derbyshire at St Helen’s. And from the top of that hill-top pavilion spectators see Benny Godleman eventually fall lbw to Lukas Carey for 227. But fourth-placed Derbyshire bat on in the hope of embarrassing second-placed GlamorganAt the Rose Bowl, Jofra Archer is on a hat-trick. At Arundel, Archer’s county colleagues try to prevent Gareth Roderick reaching his first century of the season but the Gloucestershire batsman drives Abi Sakande sweetly through mid-off and gives a little skip of delight. It is his first hundred since he made 102 against Essex at Cheltenham in 2016. He receives a warm round of applause from spectators who have spent their winters waiting for afternoons like this. The ground relaxes into the fresh sunlight of watercolour; it is the best weather of this cloud-benighted week.In Swansea, Derbyshire call a halt on 598 for 5 but Glamorgan’s batsmen stand firm.Their Gloucestershire counterparts are more ambitious and score 162 runs in the afternoon session on a very flat pitch. “Too benign” the Sussex coach, Jason Gillespie, will call Arundel’s wicket and there is great justice in his remark. Roderick makes 158 before he does well to reach one from Robinson and is caught behind by Ben Brown. At the other end Ryan Higgins clumps Beer and Luke Wells over midwicket for sixes. All these strokes are duly applauded and some Gloucestershire supporters wonder if their side might be one of the three to win promotion this year. Leaders Lancashire are probably stronger favourites to win the title than they were a couple of months ago but when this day’s play began the next eight sides were covered by 23 points.The cricket after tea is played for duty and in a light-hearted atmosphere rarely possible in the English season. Spectators remain in faithful attendance on the bank. They care that England are beating West Indies but this is the cricket they prefer to watch. Gloucestershire’s 400 comes up and Higgins reaches his second century of the season with a cover drive off Laurie Evans. By the end of the game he will have made a career-best 119 not out. Robinson bowls off-spin and Wells bowls seam up. With all possible points decided and the result of the game certain, the players gently mock each other’s efforts. Danny Briggs keeps to the very occasional slow left-arm of Brown. No one mentions spin.At Swansea Glamorgan lose only a couple of wickets and Derbyshire use eight bowlers, two fewer than Sussex employ at Arundel. England complete victory over West Indies but people say some of the gloss may have been taken off the win by a couple of injuries. Sussex and Gloucestershire’s players shake hands at 4.50pm, which is the earliest time the draw can be agreed. All but one of the Championship matches this week have ended in rain-wrecked draws and there is therefore some irony in the bright sunlight which blesses this Friday evening at Arundel. Some spectators are reluctant to leave and sit near the famous gap in the trees, taking in the Arun valley or the Cathedral. The Norfolk flag flutters in the brisk wind.

Whilst Everton's focus may well be on the potential punishment awaiting them for breaking the Premier League's Financial Fair Play rules for a second time, reports suggest that they could still strengthen through the addition of a top-flight champion.

Everton break FFP rules for a second time

Having been handed a 10-point deduction earlier in the season, before fighting back to remain outside of the relegation zone, the last thing Everton needed was to face another punishment. Fighting back after losing 10 points was defiant. Climbing back after another deduction may prove to be an impossible task. Yet, here they are, in breach of the rules again.

The Premier League released a statement confirming the news that Everton and Nottingham Forest had breached their profit and sustainability rules, which read via BBC Sport:

"This is as a result of sustaining losses above the permitted thresholds for the assessment period ending season 2022-23. In accordance with Premier League rules, both cases have now been referred to the chair of the judicial panel, who will appoint separate commissions to determine the appropriate sanction."

Everton, in turn, issued a response, posting a club statement on X:

It remains to be seen just what Everton's punishment could be if they are indeed hit with another one. Currently one point above the dropzone, any deductions could prove to be fatal to their survival chances this season.

Everton make first move to sign Phillips

Even amid the aforementioned chaos away from the pitch, the Toffees could still sign Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City this month. According to Ben Jacobs, Everton have made contact over a deal for Phillips, with Atletico Madrid and West Ham United doing the same. Jacobs posted the news on X:

Given Phillips' lack of game-time, it's more clear than ever that he desperately needs a move away from the Etihad this month if he is to stand any chance of earning a place in Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 team this summer. And what better way to impress the England boss than by helping to keep Everton afloat in England's top flight?

If Sean Dyche can secure the defensive midfielder's signature and get him back to the type of form that initially earned the interest of Manchester City, then he could discover the key to survival even amid further FFP punishment. The fact that Jordan Pickford's agent is the same as Phillips' could also go a long way in helping the potential move.

At his best, Phillips has earned high praise, including from Southgate. The Three Lions boss previously said: “He’s been excellent. The way he has taken to international football, it hasn’t surprised us because what we’d seen with Leeds, even in the Championship, we felt could convert into our team. We felt he could play an important role with us."

Erik ten Hag is growing frustrated as uncertainty continues to hang over his future with Manchester United.

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Ten Hag frustrated with uncertaintyFears that the delay would affect transfer activitiesINEOS group reviewing manager's performanceWHAT HAPPENED?

The Dutch manager went for a holiday after helping the Red Devils clinch the FA Cup title by beating rivals Manchester City in the final last month. Ten Hag, however, is slowly growing frustrated as he is yet to find out if United are planning to continue with him in the 2024/25 season, according to .

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The report further claims that the former Ajax coach is worried that the delay in deciding on his future will affect the club's transfer activities in the summer window which in turn will hamper their prospect in the upcoming season.

DID YOU KNOW?

There have been speculation over the manager's future at Old Trafford in the past few months. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group have been carrying out a review of the club's 2023/24 campaign under Ten Hag. They have reportedly spoken to other coaches, although they are far from finalising on a new candidate.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

The Premier League giants had eyed moves for Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, however, Tuchel has decided to take a break from coaching after leaving Bayern Munich while the former Chelsea manager is unlikely to take charge at Old Trafford. They have also been linked with a move for England's Gareth Southgate but the 53-year-old is unlikely to take a call on his future until at least the end of the European Championship.

Leeds United’s moves for two late January targets have now collapsed, in what is surely a blow to Daniel Farke's plans for the rest of the season.

Leeds transfer news

The Whites are yet to make a January signing for Farke despite seeing his options at the back shortened. The club decided to cut Djed Spence’s loan spell short at the beginning of the year, whereas Luke Ayling joined Middlesbrough for the remainder of the campaign.

Another defender in Leo Hjelde sealed a permanent exit to Sunderland, leaving Farke with just Archie Gray, Sam Byram, Jamie Shackleton and Junior Firpo as his full-back options.

That could soon be about to change, though, with Burnley’s Connor Roberts closing in on a temporary move to Elland Road to join Wales teammates Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Dan James.

However, a centre-back addition is also seemingly wanted by Leeds before the 11pm deadline, with Fabrizio Romano saying:

“Of course, a centre-back is needed at Leeds. They are looking for an opportunity there. The name is still unclear, but Leeds are still trying and looking for a chance there.”

Bournemouth’s Chris Mepham, Nottingham Forest’s Joe Worrall, Leicester City’s Harry Souttar and Everton’s Ben Godfrey have all been heavily linked to rival Rodon, Pascal Struijk, Liam Cooper and Charlie Cresswell at the back, but it looks as if a move for one is now off the cards completely.

Godfrey and Souttar deals both collapse

According to Football Insider reporter Pete O’Rourke, Leeds’ move for Godfrey has now collapsed, with the defender happy to remain at Goodison Park.

“Ben Godfrey will be staying at Everton past the transfer deadline despite interest and offers from Leeds United and other clubs, sources have told Football Insider. It is believed Godfrey, 26, is happy to stay at Goodison Park after being restored to the side against Fulham on Tuesday and receiving assurances from manager Sean Dyche.

“Leeds United were one of the sides interested in taking the versatile defender away from Everton in the mid-season window – but that deal has now collapsed following extensive talks with the England international set to remain a Toffees player.”

That news has unfortunately been followed just a couple of hours later by reports that a potential deal for Souttar also has no chance, with the Yorkshire Evening Post's Joe Donnohue revealing as much on X: "Leeds' move for Leicester centre-back Harry Souttar appears to be off. The Foxes are unwilling to strengthen a promotion rival."

At one stage, Leeds were planning a second offer for Godfrey, who can play all across the backline, so this isn't ideal news for Farke, who clearly really wanted the Everton man in particular. The German managed Godfrey at Norwich City, with the defender helping the Canaries to two separate Championship title wins. He’s played more games under Farke than any other manager in his career, so a move could have made sense for all involved. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case, so it’ll be interesting to see if Leeds look at another centre-back alongside their swoop for Roberts.

Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade and Mitchell Marsh have been added to the squad for Sunday’s four-day game at Canterbury

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2019Australia have wasted little time in turning their thoughts to next month’s Ashes series after yesterday’s semi-final defeat against England, adding three players from their World Cup party to the squad to play the Lions at Canterbury on Sunday.Peter Handscomb, who was bowled by Chris Woakes for 4 yesterday in his only appearance of the tournament, is joined by Matthew Wade and Mitchell Marsh – who had joined the squad as injury cover for Marcus Stoinis – in the 15-man squad that will now play as ‘Australia XI’ rather than ‘Australia A’.Handscomb struggled throughout his brief stay at the crease against England, and former Australia bowling coach Craig McDermott questioned his selection ahead of Wade on Twitter.ODI captain Aaron Finch played down the impact that Thursday’s defeat would have on the Ashes.”There’ll be a high turnover of players I imagine,” he said. “I don’t think the guys carry too much baggage when [they are] going between formats. If we rolled up and played a one-dayer tomorrow, there might be a few scars, but in terms of the Tests, I don’t think so.”Pat Cummins said that while Australia did not need much extra fuel, the defeat “gives us a little bit more”.”We’re back here in two or three weeks,” he said. “I feel like I’ve played here now, know what to expect from the crowd.”The tourists’ squad for the game includes 12 players with 196 Test caps between them. The only members without experience at that level – Michael Neser, Will Pucovski, and Chris Tremain – have all previously been named in Test squads.The squad includes Joe Burns and Marcus Harris, who are in direct competition to partner David Warner at the top of the order in the first Test at Edgbaston on August 1. Both men hit hundreds in a 10-wicket win against Sussex this week.Tim Paine, who will captain the side, said he expects the tourists to increase their focus in Sunday’s game. “It’s not that we weren’t at 100 percent intensity,” he told cricket.com.au, “but next week’s game is against an English team and we expect to be right in the contest.”Potentially, there’s going to be guys in [the Lions’] team that play in the first Test, so any opportunity we get to put some doubts in their mind we’ve got to take.”Following their game against the Lions, Australia play an intra-squad first-class game at the Ageas Bowl on July 23.James Pattinson and Josh Hazlewood are both expected to be rested for the game at Canterbury, with both likely to be named in the Ashes squad.England Lions, meanwhile, go into the game with only three players with Test caps – Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, and Sam Curran, who received a late call-up to the squad after Saqib Mahmood withdrew due to injury.They will be captained by Lewis Gregory, the Somerset allrounder, and also include Dom Sibley, the leading run-scorer in Division One of the County Championship this summer.Australia XI squad: Tim Paine (captain), Jackson Bird, Joe Burns, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Kurtis Patterson, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Chris Tremain, Matthew WadeEngland Lions squad: Lewis Gregory (captain), James Bracey, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes, Sam Hain, Jack Leach, Sam Northeast, Jamie Porter, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley

Anderson and Broad reunited as paceman continues recovery from side strain

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2019Jofra Archer’s hotly anticipated Test debut will be deferred at least until the second Test at Lord’s, after he was omitted from the first Test against Australia at Edgbaston on Thursday to continue his rehabilitation from a side strain.Though Archer was named in the 14-man squad for Edgbaston, he was always a long shot for selection, after admitting he had played through “excruciating” pain in helping England to win the World Cup with a haul of 20 wickets at 23.05, before sending down the decisive Super Over in the final against New Zealand at Lord’s.”Jofra is coming back from quite a serious injury,” said England’s captain, Joe Root. “We looked at conditions and made a decision on what we thought would best take 20 wickets here. It also gives him time to get absolutely ready and fit to make sure he has his workloads up and ready to go for later in the series if he needs to make an impact. [His fitness] will be monitored throughout the week. It’s important that he’s ready to go to offer something different.”Archer made his playing comeback in a T20 for Sussex last week, having had a brief break in his native Barbados to recover from the rigours of the World Cup. And to judge by England’s struggles in their Test against Ireland, several of his team-mates might have benefitted from similar down-time.Root, however, was adamant that an Ashes campaign was every bit as important as the tournament already gone.”I think if you speak to anyone who has captained England and is on the verge of an Ashes series, to say it doesn’t mean as much as anyother event, I don’t think any of them would agree,” he said. “It’s huge. It’s a great opportunity. Cricket in this country is probably at an all-timehigh, it’s got interest it probably hasn’t had for a long time and we’ve got an opportunity as a team to make this summer a very memorable one. That’s exciting, to be involved and have that carrot in front of us is a great motivator for the whole squad.”In Archer’s absence, England’s attack will be spearheaded by the old guard of Stuart Broad and James Anderson, whose record-breaking partnership was broken up briefly for last week’s Ireland Test. Though Broad starred with four second-innings wickets as Ireland were bowled out for 38, Anderson missed the match to continue his recovery from a calf injury.And, even though Anderson turned 37 on Tuesday, Root remains in no doubt about his enduring value to England’s Test team, as he looks to build on his record tally of 575 wickets in what will be his eighth Ashes series.”He’s still someone that genuinely continues to improve,” he said. “You just have to look at his numbers these last few years. Conditions have suited him but he’s absolutely made the most of it. He probably had his best tour of Australia in the recent past, he continues to find ways of taking wickets and building pressure on any given surface, he continues to be a great leader of our attack. At 37, to keep improving is a great trait to have, great for English cricket.”Root confirmed England’s XI for the Edgbaston Test on the eve of the match, but insisted that Archer would have a part to play in the series.”I wouldn’t have named it if I wasn’t confident. We are very excited as a group,” Root said. “We have a good record here as a team. It’s very important that we are very focused and very clear on how we want to approach this series and that first day in particular. We feel confident this group of players is more than capable of winning this Test match.

Arsenal have now been Premier League title challengers for the last two seasons thanks to the management of Mikel Arteta. The Gunners have been in stellar form and seem to have found the correct tactical style that works for them.

Granted, this is largely due to the north London clubs persistence with Arteta following a couple of finishes outside of the top four during his tenure where many thought that the Spaniard would be relieved of his duties.

Despite this, Stan Kroenke decided to stick it out with the Arsenal playing legend and, thus far, it has seemingly worked out. However, Arteta has yet to pip either Manchester City or Liverpool to the title.

The 2022/23 season was where they came closest to doing so, but they narrowly missed out on winning the title by just five points. This season has been no different as the Gunners are still challenging for the title.

#1 Liverpool

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#2 Man City

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#3 Arsenal

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#4 Tottenham

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#5 Aston Villa

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They currently find themselves in third place, just two points off of the top spot. Their performances this season have been something of a mixed bag, with the side losing to the likes of Fulham but then prevailing over fellow title rivals, Liverpool.

The signing of Declan Rice has been inspired, with the former Hammer scoring and assisting twice against his former employers in that 6-0 romp on Sunday.

It was a particularly happy day for everyone associated with Arsenal, particularly their fringe players who got a rare chance to show what they were capable of. Chief in question were Mohamed Elneny and Cedric.

How Cedric played against West Ham

The defender came on in the 77th minute and had a cameo appearance which lasted a total of 13 minutes, as per Sofascore.

During that time, it was the right-back's chance to show Arteta what he had been missing out on all season and gave him his first chance of game time all season in league. Which, for a player who is reportedly on £75k-per-week, is not what you want to hear.

However, with the time he had, Cedric did little to nothing as the game petered out. As per Sofascore, the Portugal international made zero clearances, interceptions, tackles or blocked any shots throughout the entirety of his appearance. That's hardly a surprise when you consider what the Irons had to offer though.

In fact, the only positive from his performance was that 89% of the nine passes he attempted were accurate. This cameo will have been far from how Cedric would've wished it to have panned out, but, what's done is done, and he has just shown Arteta that he has been right to exclude him from making any further first-team appearances.

Why Cedric could never play for Arsenal again

The Gunners are currently on an unbeaten run of five games and are showing no signs of slowing down. In their most recent clash against West Ham, the London-based club managed to slot six past the Hammers in what was one of their best showings of the season.

Since arriving at the club, the Portugal international in Cedric has played a total of 62 games in all competitions, but only seven of those have come in the last two seasons.

Although these numbers make it seem like he's been something of a regular fixture in the squad, his involvement over the last couple of seasons has been minimal to say the least.

So much so that last season the 32-year-old was shipped out to Fulham on loan and, even then, he only played a total of eight times for the Cottagers.

As per Transfermarkt, the right-back's contract is set to expire at the end of the season and, with his distinct lack of game time this season – featuring for just 13 minutes in the league – it would be a surprise if firstly, we saw him again this season, and secondly we didn't see the defender pulling on the shirt of another club during the 2024/25 campaign.

Serbia manager Dragan Stojkovic believes Real Madrid ace Jude Bellingham will "definitely" win the Ballon d'Or one day ahead of their Euro 2024 clash.

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Bellingham starred for Real MadridBacked to win Ballon d'Or one dayEngland ace to face Serbia at EurosWHAT HAPPENED?

Ahead of England taking on Serbia on Sunday, Stojkovic waxed lyrical about the 20-year-old and that his performances belie his age. However, he suggested they have a plan to combat the former Borussia Dortmund star.

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He said: “He is a great guy. He will definitely win the Ballon d'Or in the future. He plays impressively, although he is young, he is strong, he has quality, he showed all of that at Real Madrid. It's really impressive how he plays. He's a very, very young guy… It's really amazing the performances he puts in every game. He's great for England, bad for us. But we will do everything possible to have control. You don't have to give him a lot of space, he is a very important player for the English team. We'll see on Sunday. In defense, of course, we have to be careful and show everything we did during our training."

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Bellingham has been a revelation for Madrid this season. The former Birmingham City midfielder scored 23 goals and bagged 12 assists in all competitions. He also played a huge role in leading Los Blancos to Champions League and LaLiga glory. So, stopping the England man will be a big task for Serbia this weekend.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Bellingham, who won the 2024 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award and La Liga Player of the Year accolade, will line up for England against Serbia on Sunday before taking on Denmark and Slovenia in their following group stage games.

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly ready to break the bank to sign Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal this summer.

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PSG set to offer record transfer fee for YamalBarcelona unlikely to sell their star playerCurrently in action for Spain at Euro 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

The Ligue 1 champions remain long-term admirers of the Barcelona wonderkid and they had reportedly offered to pay a staggering €200m (£172m/$214m) for his signature earlier this year. The Catalan giants, however, rejected their bid as they were unwilling to part ways with their star attacker.

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Now according to , PSG have reportedly increased their earlier offer by €50m as they are now offering a record-breaking sum of €250m (£211m/$232m) to sign the teenager this summer. The Blaugrana, however, are firm on their stance and are unlikely to sell the Spain international.

DID YOU KNOW?

Since Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe's departure at the end of the 2023/24 season, Les Parisiens are in search of his successor. They consider Yamal to be a future superstar and the one who could fill the void left by the France captain. After a successful campaign with the Catalan club, the 16-year-old is now performing consistently for the Spanish national team at Euro 2024.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LAMINE YAMAL?

The Barcelona sensation will be next seen in action for La Roja on Sunday night as they take on Georgia in their Euro 2024 round of 16 clash.

Rangers are reportedly willing to sell an "excellent" player at the end of the season, with the individual in question out of contract in the summer of 2025.

Rangers transfer news

The Gers will be looking for new signings regardless of whether they win the Scottish Premiership title this season, and it's fair to say plenty of potential targets have emerged in recent times.

One player who has been backed to seal a permanent move to Rangers is Oscar Cortes, assuming he impresses on loan from Lens between now and the end of the campaign.

Sheffield United striker Oli McBurnie will be out of contract at Bramall Lane in the summer, being available as a free agent, and he is also considered an option for Philippe Clement's side.

There is also a chance that current players could move on at the end of the season, with Cyriel Dessers one individual who has been linked with a switch away, as a shock claim this week revealed the Gers may look to part ways with a player who has thrived under Clement due to a desire to make the squad younger.

Now, it looks as though another Ibrox ace could be joining him out of the exit door, following a fresh claim regarding the Gers' summer clearout.

Rangers to put second big name up for sale

According to an update from Football Insider, Rangers "plan to accept offers" for Tom Lawrence to leave the club during the summer transfer window, seeing him as an expendable figure.

"Rangers could sanction the departure of Tom Lawrence next summer, sources have told Football Insider. Speaking to the new edition of Football Insider’s Insider Track Podcast, transfer correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed the 30-year-old could be sold with Philippe Clement keen to shape the squad in his image.

"Well-placed sources have told Football Insider that the manager is eager to lower the age of his squad and recruit young high-potential assets in future windows."

In truth, there is some definite sense in allowing Lawrence to enjoy a fresh challenge in the current window, considering he hasn't exactly been a regular under Clement so far this season. Only seven starts have come his way in the Scottish Premiership, with a further six appearances coming from the substitutes' bench, and he hasn't registered a single goal contribution.

The fact that the 30-year-old is out of contract next year also means that this summer could be the last chance to receive good money for his signature, rather than losing him on a free in 2025.

Should Lawrence stay on, it certainly wouldn't be a bad thing, however, with David McCallum praising his influence around Rangers' B team back in August, saying: "Tom was excellent around the group, sharing his experience, and we spoke before the game about that. That’s what some of these games are going to be about, when we get the odd occasion where a player, or two, drops down from the first-team squad to get important minutes."

Wow: Rangers could now sell "outrageous" Clement favourite in huge clearout

Would this come as a shock to supporters?

ByHenry Jackson Feb 17, 2024