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Glasgow Rangers have moved to confirm that their partnership with Castore does not include any other party after rumours had emerged that Sports Direct were still involved in some way.

On Wednesday, the company, owned by businessman and former Gers stakeholder Mike Ashley, shared an Instagram post saying they would sell the new Gers home shirt, which was released on the same day and made by Castore, “exclusively” from August 1st.

However, the Ibrox outfit’s hierarchy have quickly quashed any of those claims, releasing a statement saying:

“Following today’s unveiling of the 2020/21 home jersey, Rangers continues to look forward to their long term exclusive partnership with Castore, which, for the avoidance of doubt, is a direct agreement between those two companies with no other persons party to the deal.”

This should be fantastic news for the Glasgow Rangers supporters, with whom Ashley is not exactly the most popular figure for the part he has played in their commercial dealings in the past. The deal with Castore was meant to be a fresh start for the club – this statement appears to re-confirm that. The confusion is that Sports Direct will still be able to buy shirts directly from the club themselves and sell them on, just like any other such sports shop.

The club also revealed that the Ibrox Retail Store will receive a £250,000 renovation and will open on August 1st.

“The Ibrox Retail Store will undergo a £250,000 renovation and become a key venue for all Rangers supporters and on matchdays will be supported with further pop up stores within the Stadium.”

Following the announcement that 40,000 season tickets have been sold, it looks like a promising time to be a Gers fan.

Let us know what you think below!

Key Information about Easter Road

Easter Road is the home of Scottish Premiership club Hibernian. The 20,000+ capacity all-seater stadium is the fifth-largest stadium in Scotland and it is known by Hibs fans as “The Hold Ground”. Located just thirty minutes from Edinburgh Airport, the stadium is situated on the northeast side of the City of Edinburgh and is on the east side of Easter Road. The stadium is split into four sections’ the Famous Five (North) Stand, and the East, West, and South Stands and was opened 1893.

A history of Easter Road

Hibernian originally moved to the Easter Road area in 1880 after playing their first matches on the Meadows since late 1875. The initial stadium they moved to in the area was Hibernian Park and they remained there for over ten years until the club was reformed in 1892 and a lease on a piece of land called Drum Park was secured.

Just one year after, construction on Easter Road had finished and Hibs finally made their move to their new stadium, and they are still playing at this historic stadium today. The first match at Easter Road was played on 4 February 1893, and this was a friendly against Clyde.

At the time of Hibs’ arrival to the Scottish League in 1893, they were only renting the ground, which Edinburgh city planners had designated for future developments which meant the club had to look for alternatives as they could not afford to develop the stadium. After a long battle with the city, in 1922, the stadium was finally secured on a 25-year lease, and two years later the main stand which seated 4,480 people was built.

In 1999, the club was granted planning permission to replace the East Stand of Easter Road, and this was renewed in 2005. With this permission, Hibs went ahead with its redevelopment of the stadium and supporters were consulted before any upgrades. After consulting fans, the outcome was that a single-tier stand would be most popular, and in 2009, club director Rod Petrie announced that the club would enter negotiations to establish the cost of rebuilding the stand and develop the stadium.

The club announced in February 2010 that work would immediately begin on a new East Stand which saw an increase of capacity to 20,421, and the demolition of the old stand began in early March with the new East Stand opening in August 2010.

Tickets to Watch Hibernian at Easter Road

Current adult season ticket prices for Easter Road range between £365-420, and children can purchase a season ticket from between £50-105, with seniors, students and youths prices around £200. Single matchday tickets can be purchased either online, on the phone or through the clubs ticket office. Typical Scottish Premiership games are priced at £23 for adults, £14 for over-65s/students/youths, and £8-12 for children. Games are easily accessible, though it is advised to purchase tickets ahead of games to avoid disappointment.

Related Links

http://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/ – Official website of Hibernian FC

https://www.eticketing.co.uk/hibernianfc/ – Hibernian FC Ticket Office

Tottenham Hotspur have announced that eight players have left the club at the end of the 2019/20 Premier League season. 

Spurs officially confirmed the departures of Jan Vertonghen and Michel Vorm on Monday following the conclusion of the campaign.

Tottenham have also released academy players Rayan Clarke, Jonathan Dinzeyi, Tariq Hinds, Phoenix Patterson, Maxwell Statham and Maximus Tainio at the end of their development contracts.

The senior players have bid farewell to the Lilywhites after serving a combined total of 14 years in north London. Daniel Levy presented Vertonghen and Vorm with expensive watches as parting gifts on behalf of the club, while Hugo Lloris handed his old comrade a framed picture signed by the rest of the squad.

Recent reports suggested that Pep Guardiola is interested in recruiting Vertonghen for Manchester City. His exit paves the way for him to move to the Etihad Stadium instead.

Man City have set aside a considerable amount of money (reportedly in the region of £200m) to spend in the summer after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in their favour in their legal challenge to overturn their European ban, although Vertonghen will not cost them a penny as he is now a free agent.

The 33-year-old signed a short-term extension to stay at Spurs beyond the expiry of his original contract. However, this has now elapsed and he is looking at options elsewhere, amid interest from the Citizens.

The Belgian served the north London club with distinction for the past eight seasons, making 315 appearances in all competitions and scoring 14 goals in total.

He was a firm favourite of former manager Mauricio Pochettino, although he was relegated to the role of a fringe player by his successor Jose Mourinho and was an unused substitute during the 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

While there is little (if any) guarantee that Vertonghen will become a first-choice starter for City in the foreseeable future, Guardiola believes he could be the perfect quick fix for his problems in defence. City conceded more goals than Premier League champions Liverpool this season, losing their title in the process, and the Spaniard will want to make amends.

Vertonghen, a versatile defender, is an experienced veteran who could suit the Spaniard’s playing style. However, he has also attracted attention from overseas, and it remains to be seen where he will end up next. He could follow in the footsteps of Tottenham legend Ledley King and learn the ropes as a member of the Spurs backroom staff in the future.

Tottenham fans, do you think Levy will have made a mistake if Vertonghen joins Man City? Let us know your views in the comments section below!

It’s been a week since we heard Kalvin Phillips was approached by the Jamaica national team.

The Reggae Boyz were apparently keen to build their 2022 World Cup bid around the Leeds midfielder, and it seems as though this isn’t their only ambitious bid to make talented players in England switch their allegiances.

Reports have emerged this week that the Jamaican national team are also looking towards headhunting  Mason Holgate, while Mason Greenwood and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are also eligible, add that into the fact Michael Hector and Bobby Decordova-Reid already play for the Caribbean outfit and the Jamaicans could soon line up with six Premier League players in their XI, alongside Kemar Roofe who has just signed for Rangers.

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If they can convince these men to sign up they may well be contenders to qualify for the World Cup.

North America isn’t exactly a continent filled with talent, with minnows such as Panama and Honduras managing to emerge through the World Cup qualification stages in the past decade, and these players need to ponder whether or not their international chances are greater with England or Jamaica.

It’s quite clear that England are more likely to win a World Cup than Theodore Whitmore’s side, sitting 44 places above them in the FIFA World Rankings, but Phillips needs to weigh up how likely he is to be selected for a major tournament by the Three Lions considering he’s currently uncapped just a few months away from his 25th birthday.

It’s better to go to a major tournament with a team that don’t have the best chances than to sit at home and watch a team that didn’t select you go on a deep run.

Playing at a World Cup is a dream for any player, and Phillips’ best course of action may be to declare himself for Jamaica if he wants to achieve that dream.

Tottenham Hotspur have been told how much they’ll have to pay for one of their summer transfer targets this week and it could prove to be a masterstroke from Daniel Levy if they go through with a bid…

What’s the word?

According to Marca, Real Madrid are set to demand between €20m (£18m) and €25m (£22.5m) for their out-of-favour defender Sergio Reguilon, who played a key role in Sevilla’s Europa League triumph this season.

It’s claimed that Julian Lopetegui would like to keep him at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium following his successful loan spell and now with Chelsea out of the market for a new left-back, it may have opened to door for other interested parties.

Spurs are said to have closely followed the 23-year-old whilst Man Utd, Juventus and Inter Milan are also keen.

Star in the making

There should be no doubt about it, Levy simply must swoop for the young Spaniard as it’ll undoubtedly be an upgrade to Jose Mourinho’s backline and specifically to Ben Davies.

Reguilon has just won the Europa League where he was named in the Squad of the Season, which is hardly a surprise given just how well he performed in the competition.

Across all competitions this term, the Madrid man provided three goals and five assists whilst averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.5 dribbles, 1.3 key passes, and 1.2 interceptions per appearances, via WhoScored.

Meanwhile, Davies hasn’t been a scratch on these numbers in the Premier League, particularly in an attacking sense where he’s managed just 0.5 key passes and dribbles per game.

Mourinho is already known to be a fan of Reguilon too, speaking as a pundit back in April 2019, he said: “One of the players that could show that Real Madrid traditional desire to compete against Barcelona was another kid like Reguilon, who had a very good approach in both matches.”

“Reguilon offers Madrid stability, grit and energy, helping balance a side that too frequently looks vulnerable with Marcelo in the back-line,” says Goal, which only emphasises his ability at either end of the pitch.

At just £18m, Spurs should absolutely swoop for the emerging Madrid sensation.

AND in other news, Spurs must move on from long-term Steve Hitchen target…

Chelsea are close to finalising a dream transfer window after welcoming a hat-full of exciting new recruits to Stamford Bridge. 

The Blues, who will be looking to improve on their fourth place finish last season, boast a very strong-looking squad to help them bridge the gap between Manchester City and Liverpool.

Frank Lampard has had his eye on some mega talent, including Timo Werner who scored an astonishing 34 goals in 45 appearances during his last term with RB Leipzig (via Transfermarkt).

Although the German will make Chelsea much more of a threat in front of goal, Jamie Redknapp has highlighted one of Lampard’s defensive signings as his pick of the bunch.

Indeed, the former Liverpool man thinks Thiago Silva has been a huge coup for the West Londoners and he will be an important part of Lampard’s side.

“It might not be the most exciting, but [their best signing] might end up being Thiago Silva because of his experience,” Redknapp told Sky Sports (via Daily Star). “He’s got an amazing knowhow, he’s played at the top all of his career, he’s played for some of the biggest clubs – the likes of AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.”

Silva made the move from France to England last month after enjoying eight years with the Ligue 1 champions. He joins fellow defender Ben Chilwell in a bid to strengthen Chelsea’s leaky defence from last season. The 35-year-old became a free agent after his contract with PSG ended this summer.

Redknapp has highlighted the importance of signing a veteran like Silva, particularly in a team as youthful as Lampard’s.

“He’s a winner, played for his country countless times, captained his country. So he’ll be a brilliant addition for them,” he continued. “It will be interesting to see who Frank sees as the best partner for him. Is it Zouma? Is it Christensen? We don’t quite know that yet.”

Silva will be available for selection for Chelsea’s first game of the new Premier League season against Brighton.

Do you think Thiago Silva will transform Chelsea’s defence? Have your say in the comments below!

It’s not really that Manchester City have been quiet in the ongoing summer transfer window but Pep Guardiola is not yet done with revamping his squad.

Of course, now that Lionel Messi is no longer a realistic target for the time being, seeing how the Argentine has confirmed he’ll be staying at Barcelona for the remainder of the upcoming campaign, the Citizens can once more focus on other priorities.

Speaking of priorities, despite adding Nathan Ake from Bournemouth to the squad, Man City still want to reinforce their defence. For quite a long time, Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly has been their prime target but the Citizens have also tried snatching up Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez as well.

However, according to the latest reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport reporter Alfredo Pedulla, Diego Simeone has rejected Guardiola’s £62m for the defender as they are not exactly willing to part ways with their star.

Not to mention that Gimenez is also the third captain behind Koke and Jan Oblak so getting this deal over the line could indeed be easier said than done for Man City.

The defender has three years left on his contract and a release clause worth around £109m. Even for the Citizens, that would be an insane amount of money to spend on one player, especially given the current circumstances.

Gimenez could potentially be a good Koulibaly alternative but at this point in time, it seems that Atletico Madrid could be tough negotiators as well.

Verdict

For quite some time now, it seemed like Man City would complete the Koulibaly transfer sooner rather than later but this Gimenez update did come as a surprise.

Still, seeing how expensive the centre-back could be, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to instead focus on Napoli and give them the money they ask for their star player.

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl is hoping to see some more signings squeeze through the door before the summer transfer window closes on Monday.

The Saints have already welcomed Mohammed Salisu from Real Valladolid and former Spurs man Kyle Walker-Peters. Potential Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg replacement Ibrahima Diallo is also nearing a move to St Mary’s after impressing the club during his time in France. But to improve on their 11th place finish from last season, Hasenhuttl is keeping his fingers crossed for some extra personnel to kit out his squad.

Southampton transfer news

The Austrian is confident that the Saints are in a position to bring in a couple of extra signings before the end of the business window. Speaking via Hampshire Live, Hasenhuttl said: “I definitely won’t be switching off my telephone that would be a horrible mistake, I think. There is a game on Sunday and I think after that a lot of players will pop up on this market and there will be some interesting options still there.”

Southampton could be looking to target a new winger to help create chances for the in-from Danny Ings. Out of the 51 league goals scored by the Saints last season, the former Liverpool man was responsible for 22 of them (via Premier League).

“I know that for the fans it is always good when you bring some signings in,” Hasenhuttl continued. “They like to see new players, sometimes they like to see new players more than wins!

“Two would be good. Three would be better.”

Pressure on Martin Semmens

The Southampton board will likely see this as a wake up call for what the manager feels he needs in order to produce a good performance this season. After their strong finish last term, a top ten finish will be a sure priority, with maybe even top six in mind.

Only seven points separated them from sixth-placed Spurs last campaign, which is not an unachievable goal. The Saints have struggled to come out of the blocks this time but their two losses out of three can be easily rectified. All eyes will be on the closing hours of Monday to see what last-gasp deals they can add to their roster.

In other news, Southampton would get Hojbjerg upgrade with Ibrahima Diallo deal…

According to The Chronicle, Newcastle had to withdraw their interest in Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

After initially looking like they could be set for a major spending spree amid speculation of a potential takeover, the Magpies’ summer plans were thrown up in the air when that fell through.

In the end, Steve Bruce’s side still made some shrewd Premier League-proven signings in the likes of Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser, and it appears they also wanted to bring in Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea too.

The Chronicle claims that the Tyneside club had “tentative interest” in the midfielder, but that they had to abandon any potential move to due to not being able to shift out fringe players on big wages.

Worse than Longstaff

Whilst Loftus-Cheek may have burst onto the scene, his career since then hasn’t quite hit the expectations. The England international has had his fair share of injury problems, with an Achilles tendon rupture in the 2018/2019 campaign keeping him out for almost a year.

The 24-year-old just hasn’t been able to take to the field as often as he would have liked, with chances difficult to come by in a stacked Chelsea midfield.

Newcastle already have a talented English midfielder in their ranks with Sean Longstaff, and when you look at the numbers, there’s a real argument to be made that Loftus-Cheek is actually far worse than the Magpies’ hometown hero.

Last season in the Premier League, Longstaff averaged 1.5 tackles, 1.1 shots and 0.7 key passes per match. Compare that to Loftus-Cheek, who registered no tackles per game, and only 0.6 shots and 0.1 key passes per game.

Despite being described as a “world-class player in the prime of his career” by Fulham owner, Tony Khan, Newcastle have dodged a bullet by not signing him in the summer.

And in other news, this Newcastle flop has thrived since his St James’ Park exit.

West Brom boss Slaven Bilic was desperate for a new striker this summer and he finally got his wish in landing top target Karlan Grant from Huddersfield on the eve of the domestic transfer deadline.

But was he the right signing? In hindsight, perhaps not.

Express & Star reporter Joseph Masi revealed to the Baggies Broadcast podcast in July that Albion were “in talks” with then-Peterborough forward Ivan Toney, he said:

“They are looking at Ivan Toney from Peterborough, they’re in talks for him at the minute.”

Evidently, that did not come to fruition as the 24-year-old joined Championship playoff finalists Brentford for an initial £5m, which could rise to a maximum of £10m through add-ons, as per Sky Sports.

The decision to not push through a move for the former Newcastle United graduate is looking to already be a disaster from sporting and technical director Luke Dowling.

On Wednesday night, he took his tally for the season to seven goals, bagging his third successive brace. That’s nearly 1.2 goals per appearance this season and at that rate, he’ll surpass Grant’s 19 goals in 43 appearances for the Terriers with ease.

Toney is also averaging 3.2 shots per game, which is more than the 2.6 the new West Brom man managed per match too.

Grant wasn’t able to kickstart his Hawthorns career in a fairytale way, failing to score in his 73 minutes against Burnley on Monday evening, though Bilic will be hoping that his one shot off target was a mere byproduct of his lack of pre-season and match time. He did very little else on debut.

The Baggies have got it badly wrong with strikers before, the list is never-ending from Brown Ideye to Charlie Austin and Kenneth Zohore last season.

Posh chairman Barry Fry dubbed his former striker a “revelation” amid interest from Scottish champions Celtic, whilst Toney’s old boss Steve Evans once claimed he was a “dream” to manage due to his “phenomenal” work rate.

On an early viewing, he certainly looks like he could have been the better option to Grant. Those in the Midlands better hope he isn’t the one that got away come May.

£5m, what a bargain.

AND in other news, West Brom have the last laugh over Pulis FLOP despite eye-watering financial LOSS…