VIDEO: That Barcelona link-up! Lionel Messi & Jordi Alba combine as left-back scores absolute rocket for Inter Miami in victory over Atlanta

Jordi Alba scored the winner for Inter Miami with a stunning finish after receiving a perfect pass from Lionel Messi.

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Messi and Alba linked up to score Inter Miami's winnerLeft-back scored a long-range stunnerInter Miami edge out Atlanta United 2-1Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The former Barcelona duo combined brilliantly for Inter Miami's second goal in the 60th minute as they clinched a narrow win over Atlanta United in the first match of their MLS 2024 play-offs Round One encounter. Around the hour mark, Messi set up a perfect ball for Alba who then took a touch and found the back of the net with a stunning shot from more than 25 yards away from the goal.

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The 37-year-old Argentina skipper has been in a fiery form of late. He scored five times and provided one assist in October and played an important role in the Herons winning their first-ever MLS Supporters' Shield by breaking the points record. The triumph in the regular season also enabled the David Beckham co-owned club to make it to the inaugural edition of the Club World Cup.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

Gerardo Martino's side will be back in action against Atlanta United in the second match of the three-game contest in Atlanta on November 2.

West Brom targeting "sensational" Phillips replacement

Carlos Corberan will be aiming to finally win promotion up to the Premier League as a manager with West Bromwich Albion next season, having experienced the sour taste of play-off agony twice now with both the Baggies and at former employers Huddersfield Town.

West Brom getting knocked out in the semi-final stages last season definitely still stung for the Spaniard, but he has also experienced the deep sorrow of a defeat at Wembley in a Championship play-off final, losing 1-0 to Steve Cooper's Nottingham Forest back in 2022 to deny the Terriers top-flight football.

One member of that despondent Huddersfield group could even link back up with Corberan if everything goes to plan.

West Brom interested in move for £1m rated star

According to football journalist Alan Nixon, the Baggies could reunite their manager with one of his ex-Terriers stars in the form of Sorba Thomas this summer, with the Welsh winger itching for a move away from the John Smith's Stadium after his side's relegation down to League One.

Yet, even as Michael Duff's men now stare third-tier football in the face, they will not be easily intimidated into getting rid of Thomas for a low price, with Nixon further stating that a £1m price-tag has put above the 25-year-old's head which West Brom might view as too steep.

This could allow for FC Nantes to race to the front of the queue and land Sorba's services instead, with West Brom only paying one fee for an incoming so far this transfer window, as the Baggies continue to operate as wheeler dealers in the market.

What Thomas would offer West Brom

With no Matt Phillips now at Corberan's disposal, West Brom need more reinforcements down the right wing to keep the likes of Tom Fellows and Grady Diangana on their toes.

Therefore, West Brom might just have to break the bank slightly in order to land Thomas at the expense of their French competitors, with the Welshman champing at the bit to link back up with Corberan again.

The 25-year-old attacker was even purchased by the Spaniard from non-league Boreham Wood when the Baggies boss was still occupying the dug-out in West Yorkshire, with the best patch of form of his career to date coming under his watchful eye.

Described as "sensational" by pundit Ali Maxwell, Thomas would amass three goals and 16 assists during the 21/22 season for Huddersfield in all competitions, which ended in the ultimate disappointment of play-off heartbreak, before struggling the season after Corberan's departure, with just six assists managed and zero goals scored.

Thomas' regular season numbers for Huddersfield (21/22)

Stat (* = per 90 mins)

Thomas

Games played

43

Goals scored

3

Assists

12

Touches*

43.6

Big chances created

19

Stats by Sofascore

Shining for the Terriers as an assist king from many a set-piece, with a staggering 19 big chances created across that same campaign, the likes of Kyle Bartley and Brandon Thomas-Asante will love accompanying Thomas onto the Hawthorns turf knowing that he will be able to put chances on a plate for them to power home.

He will also fill a gap left behind the aforementioned Phillips departing, who was also known to deliver a killer ball into the danger area across his long-standing Baggies career, with 31 assists tallied up from 255 West Brom clashes.

Also capable of scoring a vital strike like Phillips managed with this late effort against Watford in 2016, with four goals bagged last season for Huddersfield even as his relationship became strained with the West Yorkshire outfit, this could be a deal that suits all parties well if a move gets over the line.

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ByKelan Sarson Jul 11, 2024

Avishka Fernando's 92* trumps Shahid Afridi blitz to give Jaffna Stallions winning start

Stallions’ star local batsman overcomes slow start to fire side to victory

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Nov-2020

Avishka Fernando hits out•LPL

How the game played outOutside of Shahid Afridi’s furious 23-ball 58, Jaffna Stallions were almost totally in control. They slowed Galle Gladiators down after the Gladiators got a decent start with the bat, made breakthroughs through the middle overs, thanks partly to an outstanding spell from Wanindu Hasaranga, and prevented Afridi from turning a good score into an imposing one.With the bat, the Stallions were measured but insistent, never allowing the required rate to get very high, even when Avishka Fernando – their star local batsman – was struggling early on. Part of the refusal to panic, was perhaps grounded on the knowledge that 176 was gettable on a fast outfield that was increasingly being slicked by dew.The rest was just trust in their skills and experience. Avishka recovered from a score of 10 off 20 at the end of the seventh over, to hit seven sixes and finish on 92 not out off 63. At the other end, Shoaib Malik – the most experienced T20 players in the most experienced player in the tournament – just kept turning the strike over to Avishka, and let him track the target down virtually on his own. Avishka hit 74 off 40 balls in Malik company, and Stallions waltzed home with three balls remaining.What was most impressive about the Stallions’ win, was that they didn’t need to use their depth. Dhananjaya de Silva was not required with bat or ball, and Thisara Perera’s batting went unused as well. Even Malik, who did actually bat, never saw it necessary to move out of third gear.Stars of the match (aside from Avishka)Hasaranga’s 2 for 12 off four overs headlined a solid Stallions bowling effort, for the team which – at least on paper – seems to have the best attack in the competition. One of their overseas bowlers – Kyle Abbott – had an expensive start to the tournament, but Hasaranga’s control allowed Stallions the leeway to have a few bad overs. He also took the wickets of Azam Khan, and the dangerous Danushka Gunathilaka.On the fast-bowling front, meanwhile, Duanne Olivier – the quickest on show in this match – took 4 for 44 from his four overs.The Gladiators would barely have been competitive if not for Afridi. He came to the crease with the Gladiators struggling at 92 for four after 13.1 overs, and bashed six sixes – four of them off a single Olivier over – to complete a 20-ball fifty, and propel the Gladiators to a decent score.The big missHasaranga did make a major mistake in this game, which perhaps turned what might have been a cakewalk for the Stallions into a slightly more competitive game. When Afridi was on 18, he mishit a ball to deep midwicket, where Chaturanga de Silva was lining up the catch beautifully. Hasaranga, though, ran across from deep square leg and attempted to steal the catch, and in the course of all this, dropped it. Afridi would go on to hit 40 off the next 11 balls.Thankfully for Hasaranga, he’d done enough with the ball, and the Stallions had enough talent at the top of their order to see them through.

بيراميدز يُعلن غياب رباعي الفريق أمام الترجي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

أعلن نادي بيراميدز، عن غياب 4 لاعبين من صفوف الفريق عن مباراة الترجي التونسي، التي تقام غدًا الأحد، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويلتقي بيراميدز مع الترجي، في الجولة الرابعة من عمر مباريات دور المجموعات لبطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويتواجد بيراميدز في المجموعة الرابعة من دوري أبطال إفريقيا، بجانب الترجي التونسي وساجرادا الأنجولي ودجوليبا المالي.

وأوضح مصطفى المنيري رئيس الجهاز الطبي بنادي بيراميدز، عبر المركز الإعلامي للنادي: “الدولي المغربي محمد الشيبي يغيب عن مباراة الترجي التونسي، بسبب الإصابة”.

طالع | أحمد الشناوي: نسعى لإثبات أن بيراميدز فريق كبير.. وجاهزون لـ الترجي

وأضاف: “الشيبي تعرض للإصابة في مباراة الجونة الأخيرة بالدوري وبعد الفحص الطبي والآشعة، جاءت النتيجة إصابته بشد في العضلة الخلفية من الدرجة الثانية، ويغيب عن الملاعب لمدة أسبوعين”.

وتابع: “كما يتواصل غياب المدافع أحمد سامي الذي يؤدي آخر مراحل برنامجه التأهيلي قبل العودة”.

وواصل: “كذلك يواصل مهند لاشين برنامجه ونفس الأمر لمحمود دونجا الذي يعاني من إصابة في الركبة”.

ويحتل بيراميدز المركز الثاني في ترتيب المجموعة، برصيد 4 نقاط، بينما الترجي يتصدر الترتيب برصيد 7 نقاط

Raphinha admits considering Barcelona exit 'several' times as Brazilian opens up on 'self doubt' before exploding for La Liga giants

Raphinha has admitted he considered leaving Barcelona "several" times, while opening up on his "self doubt" before hitting form for the La Liga team.

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  • Raphinha joined Barcelona in 2022
  • Nearly left on "several" occasions
  • Admits to "self doubt" at Barca
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    The Brazil international swapped Leeds United for Barcelona in 2022 for an initial fee of £50 million ($59m) and since then he has gone onto skipper the Catalan outfit. However, the winger has repeatedly been linked with an exit from the Blaugrana, but now he is very content with Hansi Flick's team.

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    WHAT RAPHINHA SAID

    He told : "Man, there were several moments, not just one [when I considered leaving Barça]. My first six months here, the period from the summer transfer window until the World Cup, was a season in which I didn't have the best of starts, so it crossed my mind to leave the club. There was a lot of self doubt. I have a nasty habit of criticising myself heavily, so to speak, so that pressure made me think about leaving. Then, obviously, after the World Cup I had a huge turnaround, managing to put up great numbers in six months. Last season, after the injuries I had, the sending off [against Getafe in the first game of the campaign], and also at the end of the season, seeing a lot of things that the club wanted to sell me, that the fans wanted me to leave, it also ends up crossing your mind to leave, to go somewhere where there's no pressure."

  • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    The 27-year-old has become a vital player at Barcelona, particularly this season where he has scored nine goals and created eight assists in just 13 games in all competitions, including a Champions League hat-trick against Bayern Munich in midweek. The links with a transfer exit may fade away off the back of his stellar form for Barca.

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    WHAT NEXT?

    Raphinha is likely to feature for Barcelona in their Clasico clash away at bitter rivals on Saturday night in a top-of-the-table La Liga encounter. Barca are three points ahead of Los Blancos heading into this crunch game.

Kraigg Brathwaite backs batsmen against spin-heavy attack

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite believes improving from their 2018 Test series loss in Bangladesh is their biggest motivation going into the two-Test series starting Wednesday in Chattogram.Back then, West Indies couldn’t go past three days in either of the two Tests, losing the first by 64 runs and the second by an innings and 184 runs, the biggest win in Bangladesh’s Test history.Bangladesh’s four-pronged spin attack took all forty West Indies wickets, with offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz snapping up 15 of those, at an average of 14.06. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam took ten wickets, Shakib nine and offspinner Nayeem Hasan took six wickets in his maiden Test series. Shakib especially has had the wood over the West Indies since 2009, with his 46 wickets and seven half-centuries.Brathwaite, who is leading the team in Jason Holder’s absence believes positivity is key against bowlers who’ve had the wood over them in the past.”We lost the series here last time, which is the motivation for us,” Brathwaite said. “I played against these (bowlers) before but some of the guys haven’t (played them). We have seen footage and from a batsman’s point of view, we have our plans in place. We have to be positive, by rotating the strike, looking to be aggressive.”They are quality bowlers, but I think we have the skills to come out on top and get big runs. I am backing the batters. The guys have put in some work, and we all look forward to the challenge. Our bowlers have been doing a good job in the last year and a half, or two years. It is crucial for us to put runs on the board, I think that’ll be key for this West Indies team.”Brathwaite, who is the most experienced cricketer in this squad, said that his opening stand with John Campbell has to lay the foundation for big scores. He said that he will continue to bat in his own way, and try to take away much of the pressure early on.”I think it is key for openers to put on a good partnership, especially here in Bangladesh,” he said. “Big opening partnerships can basically make it easier for guys to come. It would put us in a good position. John is batting well. I really enjoying batting with him. Nothing ever changes for me as an opening batsman. Every time I go to bat, I obviously look to do well. I won’t say that it is added pressure. I try to soak up a lot of the pressure as an opener.”Brathwaite said that he is also relying on the likes of Jermaine Blackwood and Rakheem Cornwall to give him important contributions with bat and ball respectively. “I am 100 per cent confident of each and every guy who plays,” he said. “We have the experience of Jermaine Blackwood who has the experience of 30-odd games. But I look forward to seeing all the top-order batsmen to do well.”Rakheem (Cornwall) did a very good job in the practice game. He created a lot of pressure by bowling dot balls. I think he will do well in this series. He is a quality offspinner. We have to support him in the field, but that’s for every bowler not only Rakheem.”Despite so much talk about spin being the most important factor on the pitches in Chattogram and Dhaka, West Indies could still play three fast bowlers. Brathwaite said that if the fast bowlers can bowl on the stumps, the low bounce could help them.”I still think they will have the role as before. We have some guys with extra pace so I think with the low bounce and correct fields, the pacers have to apply pressure as well. The ball may spin looking at the surface, but I still think pacers can be the attacking option with the ball possibly keeping low.”

موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة برشلونة وريال بيتيس اليوم في كأس ملك إسبانيا.. والمعلق

يستعد فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي برشلونة، بقيادة المدرب هانز فليك، لخوض مباراة جديدة في بطولة كأس ملك إسبانيا، مساء اليوم الأربعاء.

ويستضيف ملعب “مونتجويك الأولمبي” مباراة برشلونة ضد خصمه ريال بيتيس، والتي تأتي في إطار منافسات دور الـ16 من كأس ملك إسبانيا.

اقرأ ايضاً.. فليك: الفوز بالسوبر يمنحنا الثقة أمام ريال بيتيس.. ويوضح موقف فاتي وأراوخو

وتأهل برشلونة إلى منافسات دور الـ16، بعد أن فاز على بارباسترو برباعية نظيفة في مباريات دور الـ32 من كأس ملك إسبانيا.

بينما تأهل ريال بيتيس إلى الدور ذاته وذلك بعد أن فاز في مباريات دور الـ32 على نظيره ويسكا بهدف نظيف.

مباشر بالفيديو.. مباراة برشلونة وريال بيتيس في كأس ملك إسبانيا موعد مباراة برشلونة وريال بيتيس اليوم في كأس ملك إسبانيا

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، الحادية عشر بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة برشلونة وريال بيتيس اليوم في كأس ملك إسبانيا

تُذاع المباراة عبر قناة SSC SPORTS 1. معلق مباراة برشلونة وريال بيتيس اليوم في كأس ملك إسبانيا

سيعلق خالد المديفر، على أحداث مباراة الليلة.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا.

Sky Sports: West Ham hold talks to sign £130k-p/w top target for Lopetegui

With the Julen Lopetegui era at West Ham United beginning this summer, the Hammers' new boss is set to race a fellow Premier League side to sign a new defender.

Hammers make moves for new defensive players

One of Lopetegui's first pieces of business as West Ham boss saw him reunite with Max Kilman. The Spaniard had made Kilman captain during his time with Wolverhampton Wanderers and a £40million deal saw the central defender make the move to the London Stadium this summer.

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Clearly not content with the arrival of Kilman, the Hammers remain linked with a number of other defensive players. Recent rumours have linked the East London outfit with a move for former Chelsea centre-back Fikayo Tomori who now plays his football in Italy with AC Milan.

Another name doing the rounds in West Ham circles is that of Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The right-back is set to be shown the door at Manchester United this summer and the Hammers have been quick to enquire about a deal for the player. It is claimed that the Red Devils are willing to listen to offers for the 26-year-old meaning it could be a good opportunity for the Hammers to strike a deal.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka for Manchester United

With more defensive reinforcements high on the Hammers' list of priorities, it appears that the club are now interested in a highly-rated full-back from Europe.

West Ham explore deal for Bayern Munich defender

As first reported on the X account of Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, West Ham are interested in a deal for Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui. The report claims that the first "concrete talks" have taken place between the two parties with Manchester United also working on a deal for the Moroccan.

Plettenberg states that Mazraoui is at the top of the Hammers' list of targets for this summer and that a fee in the region of €15million to €20million (£12.5million to £16.8million) could be required to tempt the defender away from Bavaria.

With Mazraoui currently commanding a weekly wage of £130,000-a-week, it may be in Bayern's best interest to get the right back off their books so that they can fund new signings this summer.

Since arriving from Ajax in 2022, the 26-year-old has struggled for consistent minutes with Bayern, making just 19 Bundesliga appearances last season. Despite this, Mazraoui still stood out as a consistent defender with a useful attacking edge.

Noussair Mazraoui Bundesliga stats 2023/24

Total per 90

Rank vs fullbacks in comparable competitions

Assists

0.23

85th percentile

Pass completion %

88.3%

97th percentile

Progressive passes

7.74

98th percentile

Interceptions

1.50

91st percentile

Aerials won

1.43

83rd percentile

With Ben Johnson already departing the club at the expiration of his contract, the Hammers could be looking a little light on right backs going into next season. Additionally, current starter Vladimir Coufal is attracting interest from abroad meaning that Lopetegui could soon be left without a senior player in this position.

Regardless of their need to replace outgoing right-backs, Mazraoui could be an excellent addition to West Ham's side going into next season.

Arsenal hit gold on "world-class" ace who’s worth way more than Calafiori

The transfer window is heating up after a few weeks of relative quiet.

On the back of another Premier League campaign in which they almost dethroned Manchester City, Arsenal have already announced their first signing, 18-year-old Lucas Nygaard, and have been linked to practically every striker under the sun as it's one of the obvious areas in the team that could be improved.

However, one of the most recent players touted for a move to N5 has been Italy and Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori.

The 22-year-old looks to be one of the most exciting young centre-backs around at the moment, and while he'd likely be a brilliant addition to the Gunners' backline, they already have someone playing there who is worth considerably more.

William Saliba's Arsenal career

The star in question is the one and only William Saliba, who has established himself as one of the leading centre-backs in the Premier League in just two seasons of first-team football. However, his future didn't always seem so inevitable.

Just over five years ago, Arsenal paid Saint-Étienne a fee of around £27m for the then highly sought-after 18-year-old centre-back, and opted to send him back to the French outfit for the 2019/20 campaign to further develop.

The following summer saw the Bondy-born gem return to England, but after being left out of the competitive squads, he was sent back to France to join Nice on loan in January, leading to speculation over his future in North London.

This speculation only increased the following season when he was sent back to his home country for a third campaign on the bounce to join Ligue 1 giants Marseille, where he thrived.

In all, he made 52 appearances for Les Phocéens, won the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Season Award, and looked, for all intents and purposes, like he would stay on the French Riviera permanently at one point.

William Saliba's senior career

Club

Saint-Étienne

Nice

Marseille

Arsenal

Appearances

36

22

52

83

Goals

0

1

0

5

Assists

0

0

0

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.00

0.04

0.00

0.08

All Stats via Transfermarkt

However, once the season ended, and he returned to England, he was finally given a chance to prove his worth in red and white.

His competitive debut for the Gunners came in the opening game of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, a game away to Crystal Palace, and, thanks to a stellar performance, he won the Player of the Match award.

From that point onward, the 6 foot 4 titan went from strength to strength and became arguably the most important player on the team, so much so that it was his injury against Sporting CP that signalled the end of Arsenal's surprise title challenge. To reflect his massive contribution, he was awarded a new contract last summer.

It was more of the same last season. With no injury concerns, the French international started 100% of league games and played 100% of league minutes for Arteta as the team once again came agonizingly close to ending the club's two-decade title drought.

Saliba's impressive rise to the top and his brilliant performances at the Euros have seen his valuation soar in recent years. His potential impact on the team is immense, and while Calafiori would be an exciting addition to the defence, his valuation is nowhere near that of the Arsenal star.

Saliba's valuation in 2024

If Arsenal want to secure Calafiori's signature ahead of the chasing pack this summer, it will cost them around £40m to do so, and while that is undoubtedly a significant sum of money, it is still significantly less than the price tag on Saliba's head.

According to Transfermarkt, the "world-class" centre-back, as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, is worth around €80m, which converts to about £68m, or a cool £28m more than the Italian's potential transfer fee.

Now, considering the importance of the Frenchman to Arsenal's success and the willingness of clubs to spend exorbitant fees on players, you could argue that Transfermarkt have been quite conservative with their valuation there.

Moreover, with reports that Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and even Real Madrid are all interested in luring the 23-year-old away from North London, it seems unlikely that the Gunners would accept any offers of around £68m, especially when there are still three years remaining on his £190k-per-week contract.

Ultimately, Calafiori would be an exciting signing, but Arsenal are already incredibly fortunate to have one of the Premier League's best centre-backs in Saliba.

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Once worth £40m: Rangers could cash in on Ibrox ace worth 4x more than Hagi

Glasgow Rangers begin their Scottish Premiership season next Saturday as the Ibrox side travel to Edinburgh.

Hearts will be the opponents and given how impressive a finish they had to the 2023/24 campaign, Philippe Clement will be wary of how big a threat they could pose to his Rangers side.

The supporters still haven’t gotten over how poor a start to the season the Gers suffered last year, losing to Kilmarnock, Celtic and Aberdeen in their first seven matches. A similar run like this could derail their title challenge before it even begins.

Despite the need to overhaul the playing squad, it looks like several players who started the final game of the season could be about to play a part next week.

Might one recent signing be in the first-team squad, however? An update has emerged on a player who was brought to the Light Blues by Michael Beale…

Rangers could sell former Premier League midfielder

According to Heart and Hand’s David Edgar, who was speaking on the daily update show, Rangers could soon be losing more than just James Tavernier and Connor Goldson this summer if all goes to plan.

“One player who could be heading out the door is Todd Cantwell,” stated Edgar. “Reports coming from papers in England that Rangers are prepared to listen to offers for him. Saudi Arabia interest with, apparently, James Bisgrove’s club Al Qadsiah interested in taking Todd Cantwell over there.”

Todd Cantwell

Could this update suggest Clement is going to cash in on a player who looked like he fitted in at the Light Blues perfectly during his first six months at the club?

If the Belgian can receive a solid transfer fee, then it might be one way of bringing some much-needed funds.

Todd Cantwell’s season in numbers

Between February and May 2023, Cantwell settled into life in Glasgow extraordinarily well, scoring six goals while registering five assists in just 20 matches.

Goals

6

7

Assists

4

5

Big chances created

5

7

Key passes per game

1.3

1.7

Successful dribbles per game

1.5

1.2

Shots per game

2.1

2.3

Total duels won per game

5.6

4.1

It looked as though Beale had hit the jackpot with a player who was valued at around £40m by his former club less than two years previously.

Despite this initial goal-laden spell, Cantwell took time to really get going last term. He suffered an injury against Celtic in September, while his first goal didn’t arrive until November. Even then, Clement was often playing him out of position on the right wing.

Despite this, Cantwell was one of the club’s finest performers in the league last term. Among his teammates, the 26-year-old ranked fourth for goals and assists (12), third for big chances created (seven), fourth for key passes per game (1.7) and fifth for successful dribbles per game (1.2), demonstrating his class over a range of performance metrics.

Just when he was coming into form, Cantwell suffered a hamstring injury which meant he missed several games during the title run-in.

While Clement needs to sell in order to make new signings, is moving on one of the better players at the club a wise move?

Todd Cantwell’s market value at Rangers

The Light Blues paid just £1.5m to bring Cantwell north of the border 18 months ago and there is no doubt they stand to make a significant profit on that figure should he leave.

Rangers midfielder Todd Cantwell.

At the time of writing, the Englishman is currently valued at €8.5m (£7m) according to Transfermarkt, a figure which could rise should he start the campaign off well.

This is the highest in the current squad at the minute, showing just how impressive he has been during his time with the Ibrox side, and he is even worth four times more than another number ten who has been linked with an exit…

Ianis Hagi could be leaving Rangers

The Romanian dynamo spent the entire 2023/24 campaign on loan at Spanish side Alaves in a bid to secure regular first-team football after his recovery from a serious knee injury.

Despite a fresh start, Hagi scored just twice in all competitions for the La Liga outfit, starting only eight matches in the top flight.

Rangers midfielder Ianis Hagi.

He did impress at Euro 2024, grabbing an assist against Slovakia which secured Romania’s progress into the last 16, but it looks as though Clement is ready to cash in on the playmaker.

According to reports from his homeland, Hagi has seemingly agreed terms with Italian side Fiorentina as he bids to depart Ibrox. Although it appears as though personal terms have been agreed, the Serie A club still have to match the £3m valuation which the Gers have placed on the player.

If Clement can sell him for this fee, it would represent a decent piece of business, especially considering his current market valuation is slightly lower…

Ianis Hagi’s market valuation at Rangers

According to Transfermarkt, the Romania international is worth €2m (£1.7m), which is a rapid decrease from his previous high in December 2022 of €7m (£5.8m), showing the impact that injuries have had on the midfielder during his spell at Ibrox.

This value is four times less than Cantwell's. If Clement can sell both attacking midfielders this summer, he could be in line to record a wonderful profit on the pair, although he will be short in this area of the pitch.

Is it worth it? Considering how many new signings the club needs in order to challenge Celtic for domestic prizes next season, it is certainly a gamble the Belgian seems keen on taking.

Not only do the Light Blues need another striker, but signing a centre-back and another winger is also high on the priority list.

Glasgow Rangers midfielder Ianis Hagi.

Sacrificing two players for the greater good of the team could be the strategy that Clement takes in the coming weeks, especially with the Champions League qualifiers looming.

Cantwell and Hagi have both enjoyed some success since arriving at Rangers, but with money required to strengthen, the duo could be the first two to be sold this summer.

Cantwell 2.0: Clement ready to reignite Rangers move for EFL star

Philippe Clement could sign a free agent in the next few weeks….

ByRoss Kilvington Jul 19, 2024

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