After yet another Glasgow Rangers defeat, former Scotland and Gers striker Steven Thompson revealed what he noticed about under-pressure Ibrox manager Russell Martin.

Martin "disappointed" by Genk defeat

Last weekend’s Scottish League Cup victory over Hibernian was billed by some as the beginning of a stunning turnaround for Martin, whilst many others assumed it was simply a glimmer of hope. Now, having watched on as his side suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Genk in the Europa League, the pressure is once again increasing on the Rangers manager.

The 1-0 defeat means that the Gers have won just four of the 14 games that they’ve played during Martin’s tenure in a record that many around the Ibrox faithful of course deem unacceptable.

It will now be all eyes on Rangers’ trip to Livingston this weekend. Lose that, and they could move as many as 12 points adrift of leaders Celtic and may even move level on points with bottom side Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership. That would surely be that for Martin.

From Loch Lomond trips to endless defeats, there’s been a lot to forget about the manager’s time at Ibrox so far and former Scotland striker Thompson has already noticed one thing from last night’s game.

What Thompson noticed about Martin in Rangers' defeat

Watching on as the manager explained to the press why his side came up short yet again, this time against Genk, Thompson claimed “there was an acceptance” to Martin as the pressure continues to grow. He told BBC Sport:

Whilst he has previously stated that he still has the full backing of the 49ers, even Martin may know that the defeats are piling too high now. The big question now centres around his potential replacement if the owners decide to pull the trigger in the coming weeks.

Names such as Steven Gerrard have found themselves in the headlines as a result, and he’s now free to return to management following previous contractual issues with Al-Ettifaq.

Fewer touches than Butland: Rangers man was just as bad as Diomande vs Genk

Rangers began their Europa League campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Genk, but the sent off Mohamed Diomandé as not the only man to blame for this defeat.

Sep 26, 2025

If the Gers are looking for a manager who knows how to put a winning side together at Ibrox, then welcoming their last Scottish Premiership winner back to Ibrox wouldn’t exactly be a bad idea.

Chelsea are one of the world’s most active clubs in the transfer market, and they could now be set to beat Liverpool and PSG to the signing of a proven Premier League star.

Chelsea left with problems to juggle amid hectic fixture schedule

Winning the Club World Cup was a momentous moment in recent Chelsea history, and particularly for the club’s finances.

BlueCo took home over £80 million worth of prize money after reigning victorious in the States, and this helped them end last summer’s window as one of England’s biggest spenders.

However, if recent developments are anything to go by, the physical output expended by players over what was a very long 2024/2025 season, with the CWC to blame for this, may have created some frustrating consequences for Enzo Maresca.

Cole Palmer is out for six weeks due to a groin problem, meaning the England international now joins Benoit Badiashile, Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Levi Colwill as long-term absentees from the line-up.

Offering his honest opinion, former Blues star Pat Nevin believes Chelsea’s pre-season has something to do with the recent absences they are experiencing.

Either way, there will be opportunities for other Chelsea players to stake their claim in light of Palmer’s absence, including Blues loanee Facundo Buonanotte.

Nevertheless, January will be very important, given it offers a chance for Chelsea to strengthen their lighter areas by recruiting top talent.

Chelsea now frontrunners to sign Morgan Rogers

According to CaughtOffside, Chelsea are now the frontrunners to sign Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers, and could beat rivals Liverpool to capture the England international.

Starting off this term with two assists in his opening ten appearances across all competitions, the 23-year-old is valued at around £80 million, and he is also being closely tracked by Paris Saint-Germain.

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ByWill Miller Oct 17, 2025

Amid a return of 30 goal contributions in 2024/25, Chelsea have identified Rogers as a “key target” moving forward, and they believe internally that he is ‘well-suited to both the intensity of the Premier League and the competitive demands of European football’ present at Stamford Bridge.

Fotmob shows that the Halesowen-born playmaker, previously labelled “excellent” by Thomas Tuchel, has created seven chances and completed seven dribbles in the Premier League this campaign. He is beginning to motor after a slow start to life following a difficult summer where speculation over his future was rife.

Looking to steal a march on their rivals, Chelsea could now be set to tap into his long-term potential by offering a package that reflects his scope to develop into a world-class star.

Over the last couple of years, Manchester United have been a side who have splashed the cash in the transfer market to try and take them back to their former glory days.

In the last three years alone, the Red Devils have spent upwards of £800m on new additions, but the vast majority of which have failed to deliver and catapult them up the league table.

The club finished 15th in the Premier League last time around, with pressure piling on manager Ruben Amorim as a result of his lack of impact at Old Trafford.

Despite financial difficulties voiced by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, he handed the 40-year-old funds in the region of £200m to help improve his first-team squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

However, one player already at the Theatre of Dreams has struggled as of late, with a potential exit on the cards from the club in the months ahead, given his lack of impact.

The latest on Zirkzee’s future at Man Utd

Over the last couple of days, it’s been reported that United forward Joshua Zirkzee has been hugely linked with an exit just over a year after his arrival.

Last summer, the Red Devils paid a fee in the region of £36m for the signature of the Dutchman, joining the club from Serie A side Bologna with real expectations to improve the frontline.

However, the 24-year-old only netted three league goals last season and was unable to get himself off the mark in the opening weeks of the new season after staying put.

The big-money spent by the board over the summer has seen the player fall further down Amorim’s pecking order, subsequently failing to make a single start to date.

He’s only registered 74 minutes of league action in 2025/26, undoubtedly leading to his desire to leave the club and pursue a new challenge in the near future.

Current CEO Omar Berrada has previously stated that players who failed to make any impact in two years must be sold to avoid losing huge money – with Zirkzee certainly in that category.

However, he’s not alone in that department, with another current first-team member also on borrowed time given his lack of impact at Old Trafford in recent times.

The United star who’s on borrowed time alongside Zirkzee

United’s lack of success in the transfer market has undoubtedly contributed to their demise in the Premier League, which has increased pressure onto the shoulders of Amorim.

Some of the players already on the books before his arrival struggled to make an impact after his arrival, with Brazilian winger Antony just one player who ultimately failed to hit the ground running during his tenure.

He joined the club in a £86m deal from Ajax back in the summer of 2022, subsequently following Erik ten Hag to the club after his appointment during the same period.

However, the club decided to sell the 25-year-old this summer, with the forward moving to Real Betis for just £21m, seeing the hierarchy take a £65m loss on their investment.

Another example of their failure in the transfer market is highlighted in their move to sign Manuel Ugarte last summer, with the Uruguayan costing a fee in the region of £42m from PSG.

His arrival was seen as the perfect opportunity to improve the options in the middle of the park, but a little over 12 months after his transfer, he’s failed to nail down a place in the starting eleven.

Ugarte, who’s been dubbed a “wet blanket” by former Chelsea star Craig Burley, has only started two games this campaign, along with 22 in the previous season.

Games played

6

Matches started

2

Minutes played

242

Passes completed

40

Chances created

0.3

Fouls committed

3.4

Dribbled past

0.9

Interceptions

0.6

The Uruguayan’s underlying stats from the recent campaign highlight his inability to impress, which could ultimately spell the end of his time at Old Trafford in the near future.

He’s only completed an average of 40 passes per 90 this season, whilst only creating 0.3 chances per 90, subsequently showcasing his

inability to progress the play into attacking areas.

The 24-year-old has also committed 3.4 fouls per 90 to date, whilst also ranking in the 73rd percentile for being dribbled past – highlighting he often resorts to taking out an opponent if he’s struggling to dispossess them.

As a result, he’s often been selected behind the likes of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in such a role, with his move to England undoubtedly failing to reach the heights many anticipated.

After such a disappointing first year in the Premier League, it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone to see him depart in the near future, subsequently raising funds for another talent to arrive in the process.

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ByBen Gray Oct 7, 2025

Owen Hargreaves has admitted he already 'loves' a player Manchester United signed over the summer. United invested heavily in their attack in the off-season to bring in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko. The Premier League powerhouse also brought in a new goalkeeper as Senne Lammens arrived from Royal Antwerp. And Hargreaves has lavished praise upon a new attacking arrival.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  United extend winning run

  United claimed a third successive Premier League win on Saturday evening as goals from Matheus Cunha, Casemiro and Bryan Mbeumo brace wrapped up a 4-2 win over Brighton. Danny Welbeck and Charalampos Kostoulas each netted late on to set up a nervy finish but United held out to claim a huge three points.

  Wins over Sunderland and Liverpool has eased pressure on head coach Ruben Amorim and helped move United up towards the top of the table. The Portuguese boss has been linked with an early Old Trafford exit as his first year anniversary at the club nears.

  However, three consecutive Premier League victories has gone some way to silencing Amorim's doubters. And Hargreaves has praised Cunha, whose opening strike midway through the first half against Brighton was his first in a United shirt.

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• 'I just love the way he talks and plays'

  Speaking after United's win over Brighton on Saturday, Hargreaves told Premier League Productions via The Metro: "I don’t think the performances have been amazing but the results speak for themselves. If you think back to the first game of the season against Arsenal, that was a good performance but they somehow lost the game. The results are the most important thing.

  "When you have players like Matheus Cunha who have a real personality… I just love the way he talks and plays. Cunha and Mbeumo along with Bruno Fernandes are guys that you can rely on and trust.

  "Manchester United are scoring goals and look dangerous, I would say they’re conceding more than they would like, 14 is a lot after nine games. But I like the look of the team and the direction they’re going in. The goalkeeper [Senne Lammens] has made a difference as well."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Amorim reacts to Brighton win

  Amorim stated that he was pleased with United's win over Brighton, and added that Cunha would prove to be a 'massive' player for the club. The Brazilian cost £62.5m to sign from Wolves over the summer and has shown glimpses of his talent in the opening weeks of his time at Old Trafford.

  On the win over Seagulls, Amorim said: "It is a good feeling. To listen to the crowd, the joy, it is important. We need to enjoy that today but then prepare for the next one. Everything can change really quickly, but if you have that feeling and still feel confident to work, we are going to be a better team."

  And on Cunha, the United boss added: "He was struggling [previously]. He can hide that, but I understood that. It is not a surprise the way he responded at Anfield or played today with and without the ball, and that is going to be massive for us. He needs to score goals; he suffers when he doesn’t score, but he is a top player who decides games."

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• Trip to Forest up next for United

  Manchester United will look to make it four wins on the spin when they take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground next weekend. Forest won their first match under Sean Dyche last week as they beat FC Porto in the Europa League on home turf.

  And United then travel to the capital to take on Tottenham before the November international break as they look to maintain their winning run. Frank Ilett is hoping that United can continue their fine form as he looks to finally have a first haircut in over a year.

  Ilett pledged to not cut his hair until United won five games in a row last October and has gone over a year now without a trim. "It's been an absolutely crazy journey – I never expected my hair, or my following, to be as big as it has become," the United fan told the BBC last month.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras conseguiu solucionar uma das pendência que vivia fora de campo nos últimos dias. Isso porque o Al Sadd, do Qatar, pagou a primeira parcela da compra de Giovani, que estava atrasada. Assim, o Verdão recebeu cinco milhões de euros (R$ 26,3 milhões) à vista. A informação foi publicada pelo Nosso Palestra e confirmada pelo Lance!.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

A transferência do Cria da Academia foi fechada no mês de junho, por nove milhões de euros (R$ 47 milhões na cotação da época) por 50% dos direitos. O contrato previa que esse pagamento à vista ocorresse no início de setembro, o que não havia ocorrido até agora.

+ Condição especial para matrícula no curso Gestor de Futebol, aprovado por Dante, Petković, Léo Moura e outros craques. Saiba mais!

Ou seja, o clube catari ainda tem quatro milhões de euros (R$ 21 milhões) a pagar nos próximos meses.

A diretoria palmeirense cogitou entrar na Fifa para forçar que o acordo fosse cumprido, mas bastou uma notificação direta ao Al Sadd para que a pendência fosse resolvida sem passar pela entidade.

continua após a publicidade

+ Palmeiras recebe calote por venda de joia da base e pode ir à Fifa

Giovani fez pouquíssimos jogos pelo seu novo clube por causa de uma gravíssima lesão no joelho que fez a Cria da Academia perder praticamente toda a temporada.

Tudo sobre

Palmeiras

كشف مصدر داخل نادي الزمالك، موقف أحمد فتوح الظهير الأيسر للفريق، من خوض بطولة السوبر المصري بعد إصابته أمام طلائع الجيش في الدوري الممتاز. 

وكان أحمد فتوح قد خرج مصابًا في الدقيقة 86 من مباراة الزمالك وطلائع الجيش، محمولًا على نقالة بعد ارتطام الكرة في رأسه. 

طالع.. خاص | الزمالك يكشف سبب عدم استبدال أحمد فتوح رغم إصابته أمام طلائع الجيش

وتمكن فريق الزمالك من تحقيق الفوز على فريق طلائع الجيش بثلاثية مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين، ضمن منافسات الجولة الـ13 من الدوري الممتاز. 

الفوز رفع رصيد فريق الزمالك إلى 22 نقطة في المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب الدوري الممتاز، بينما تجمد رصيد طلائع الجيش عند 10 نقاط في المركز الـ18 في جدول الترتيب. 

وقال المصدر في تصريحات خاصة لـ بطولات: “أحمد فتوح أجرى آشعة على الرأس وأثبتت إصابته بكدمة بسيطة”. 

وأضاف المصدر: “أحمد فتوح سيكون جاهزًا للمشاركه مع الزمالك في بطولة السوبر المصري، والذي سينطلق في الفترة من 6 إلى 9 نوفمبر الشهر الجاري”.

ومن المقرر أن يلعب الزمالك ضد بيراميدز، يوم الخميس 6 نوفمبر، في دور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس السوبر المصري، المقام في الإمارات.

A devastating new-ball burst from seamers Esmae MacGregor and Kate Coppack helped Essex snap a four-game losing streak in the Vitality Blast as they eased past Durham by six wickets at the Banks Homes Riverside.MacGregor and Coppack claimed two wickets apiece as Durham, inserted, slipped to 17 for 4 in four overs, only able to recover to an under-par 101 for 8 total.Essex then reeled that in with comfort – with three overs remaining – to secure their first win in five and their third win in eight overall. Former England wicketkeeper-opener Lauren Winfield-Hill top-scored with 29 off 22 balls.Essex jumped up to fifth in the table with this four-point success, while Durham have now lost six in eight. Essex still have plenty of work to do to secure a top-three finish for Finals Day qualification, though second-bottom Durham require a miracle.Twenty-year-old MacGregor is the leading wicket-taker in this season’s Blast with 18, and she put the squeeze on the home top order with 2 for 16 from four testing overs.She struck first with the sixth ball of the match as she bowled an attacking Leah Dobson before getting New Zealand’s Suzie Bates caught at mid-off following a miscue in her next over, leaving the score at 10 for 2.Coppack, who finished with a campaign-best 2 for 16 in three overs, then had England fringe duo Mady Villiers and Bess Heath caught at point on the cut and caught behind driving respectively, leaving the hosts in deep trouble in the North East sunshine.Captain Hollie Armitage tried her best to rescue things with an unbeaten 47 off 50 balls, but she just couldn’t get the required support.Wicketkeeper-batter Mia Rogers was run out coming back for two to the non-striker’s end, courtesy of a wonderful pick up and throw from Sophia Smale at long-on, before the fielder turned wicket-taker to bowl Katherine Fraser with her left-arm spin – 71 for 6 in the 16th over.In the scramble for late runs, Eva Gray’s seam bowled Phoebe Turner before Grace Thompson was run out.England A captain Armitage hit only three boundaries and was never able to break free.The early loss of Grace Scrivens in the Essex reply, stumped off Villiers’ off-spin, failed to break their stride even if on-loan opener Winfield-Hill struggled in hers. She went down with suspected cramp at the end of the fourth over, with Essex 20 for 1.Batting on, she instantly took the aggressive route and hit Grace Thompson’s seam for back-to-back boundaries through cover and aerially through midwicket.Impressive Villiers bowled Jo Gardner in the sixth over and then took a brilliant diving catch on the run at long-on to help seamer Sophia Turner remove Winfield-Hill. But by that time, it was 53 for 3 after eight overs and Durham still had a mountain to climb.Katie Levick claimed a consolatory wicket, but unbeaten Australian Maddie Penna saw the visitors home with 23.

Zia-ul-Haq, Nandre Burger and Noor Ahmad picked up three wickets apiece on a pitch with variable bounce to hand Orcas their second successive loss

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2025Texas Super Kings 153 for 6 (Mukkamalla 30, Harmeet 2-24, Jasdeep 2-34) beat Seattle Orcas 60 (Jones 17, Burger 3-10, Zia 3-16, Noor 3-18) by 93 runsTexas Super Kings romped to their third successive victory while Seattle Orcas suffered their second loss in a row in MLC 2025 as TSK bundled Orcas for just 60 on a pitch that had variable bounce in Oakland. Orcas were chasing a modest target of 154 but never looked like getting even close to it after they were reduced to 21 for 5 in five overs by the TSK quicks and were eventually bowled out in 13.5 overs for a 93-run thrashing.Orcas openers couldn’t replicate their strong opening stand from their opening game and fell within the space of seven balls. Kyle Mayers spooned an easy catch to cover point off Nandre Burger and David Warner was sent back by an excellent diving catch from Faf du Plessis towards cover off left-arm quick Zia-ul-Haq. Steven Taylor also miscued Burger but it was Zia who dented the chase with a massive double blow in the fifth over when he yorked captain Heinrich Klaasen for a duck and had the experienced Sikandar Raza feather behind a short delivery to leave Orcas five down.Left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad – Chennai Super Kings’ highest wicket-taker in the recent IPL – handed Orcas another double blow and was on a hat-trick after trapping left-hand batters Sujit Nayak and Harmeet Singh lbw. He missed the hat-trick by sending down a full toss to Jasdeep Singh but it hardly had an effect on the result as Aaron Jones, the top scorer with 17, soon handed a catch to Noor, who finished with 3 for 18. Burger wrapped up the game to end with 3 for 10 and Zia had picked up 3 for 16 from his three overs in the powerplay.TSK had earlier opted to bat and saw a slow opening stand of 22 between du Plessis and Devon Conway. Du Plessis’s struggles were ended when an Obed McCoy delivery roared off the pitch to take his glove and Conway was trapped lbw three balls later. USA top-order batter Saiteja Mukkamalla took the run rate over six an over with a few boundaries. Marcus Stoinis’ 28 off 12, studded with four sixes, took them past 100 and the run rate over seven an over. Orcas, however, pulled things back again with the wickets of Stoinis, Daryl Mitchell and Calvin Savage to make it 122 for 6 before Milind Kumar and Shubham Ranjane powered the side past 150 with an unbroken stand of 31 from 15 balls.

Elly De La Cruz is having a great season. He has improved in every statistical category from his rookie year, collecting more hits, doubles, triples and home runs than he did in 2023. He has also improved his batting average, on-base and slugging percentages in a larger sample size thanks to more than 200 more plate appearances than he had as a rookie.

Of course, it's his speed that truly sets him apart as one of the most electric athletes in the sport. With a week-and-a-half remaining in the season, he leads baseball with 64 stolen bases. He's just the sixth person to steal more than 60 bases in a season in the last decade.

But that's not what makes this season truly historic.

De La Cruz also leads baseball with 203 strikeouts and counting. With 11 games remaining on the Reds schedule, he has 15 more strikeouts than the next most K'd batter in baseball, Ezequiel Tovar.

It's not the best historical achievement, but when you do something that has never been done in the entirety of a sports existence, it's pretty amazing. Especially when that sport has existed for over a century. And they've been keeping incredibly detailed records of stuff like this since the 1880's.

Newly-appointed West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo has the almighty task of coming away from Premier League title chasers Arsenal with a result this afternoon, but he is already making his mark at Rush Green.

Nuno looking to build upon solid West Ham record vs Arsenal

The last time these two sides met at the Emirates Stadium, Graham Potter was just one month into his own West Ham tenure, and a goal from star winger Jarrod Bowen gifted the Hammers all three points in a 1-0 win.

Before that, David Moyes’ Irons sealed a surprise 2-0 victory at the Emirates in December 2023 — courtesy of strikes from Tomas Soucek and Konstantinos Mavropanos — so Nuno could actually seal a hat-trick of consecutive West Ham away wins against Arsenal today.

Arsenal are the Premier League’s widely regarded set-piece specialists, while seven of West Ham’s 14 conceded league goals have come directly from corners.

Everton’s opening goal against the East Londoners on Monday was also the result of a corner, although not directly, so it’s clear what Nuno’s first, second, third and fourth priority should be against Arsenal — defend the dreaded dead balls.

In the build up to their trip to North London, Nuno has already been stamping his authority on the squad — most notably axing midfielder James Ward-Prowse from his first ever matchday squad against Everton.

The 30-year-old was an ever-present under Potter, but reports now claim that Ward-Prowse is resigned to leaving in January after being told he has no long-term role in Nuno’s plans.

Nuno decision to axe Ward-Prowse raised eyebrows at West Ham

Journalist Pete O’Rourke, speaking to Football Insider, says that Nuno’s decision to omit the Englishman “raised a few eyebrows” at West Ham, and backs other reports that the ex-Southampton star is a top candidate for the exit door.

Since being dropped, it has been reported that Ward-Prowse could re-join Southampton, but whether Sport Republic can afford his £115,000-per-week wages in the Championship is another matter entirely.

The 11-cap England international was excellent in his debut season under Moyes, scoring seven goals and assisting 12 others in 52 appearances, and is still just one free kick goal away from David Beckham’s all-time Premier League record of 18.

However, Julen Lopetegui didn’t fancy him — shipping the player off to Nottingham Forest on loan in 2024/2025 only for Nuno to send him back midway through the campaign.

Despite being called “world-class” for his dead ball specialism by pundits like Alan Shearer, Nuno has made his feelings on Ward-Prowse crystal clear.