It would be fair to say that things haven’t entirely gone according to plan for Tottenham Hotspur this season.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have picked up just four points out of a possible 12 in the Premier League, despite playing relatively well for three of those games, and came perilously close to crashing out of the League Cup to Championship side Coventry City on Wednesday night.

For whatever reason, the Australian’s side just haven’t found their feet yet, and for all their intricate play, they seem incapable of putting the ball in the back of the net.

However, he has the opportunity to put their recent troubles behind them later on today with what’s sure to be a tough game against Brentford, one in which he must make some changes to the team that crawled over the line in mid-week.

Postecoglou must drop Pape Matar Sarr

Senegalese international Pape Matar Sarr is one of the players who needs to be dropped from the starting lineup later today.

Now, unlike the majority of his teammates, the “frightening” 22-year-old, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, didn’t have a howler on Wednesday, but he wasn’t exactly effective either, and considering Coventry are currently down in 15th place in the Championship, that’s not good enough.

Unsurprisingly, this sentiment is one shared by Spurs writer Alasdair Gold, who gave the midfielder just a 5/10 on the night, writing that while there were some ‘good moments’ from the starter, there were just as many ‘sloppy ones’ which sounds like a disaster waiting to happen against the Bees.

Moreover, he was trusted to start in the game against Leicester City, where he was equally ineffective, and in the defeat away to Newcastle United, when he was hooked at halftime. Therefore, Sarr must be dropped to the bench for the game later today, as he might be able to make more of an impact coming into the match late on.

Why Maddison should replace Sarr

So, following Wednesday’s disappointing display and the players available to Ange, it would make the most sense for Dejan Kulusevski to come in and replace the young Lucas Bergvall, as in recent matches, he’s shown that midfield is where he is most effective.

Rodrigo Bentancur will almost certainly keep his place in the team due to a lack of other options and his raw ability.

This means that James Maddison is the best candidate to replace Sarr and complete what would be quite a progressive midfield three.

Now, the Englishman received plenty of criticism for his poor performance against Arsenal last week, and it was justified, but when it comes to midfield creators, he’s still one of the best in the squad.

For example, even amid this minor slump in form, he’s racked up two assists in four Premier League games and injected some much-needed energy into the game against Coventry.

Appearances

28

4

Goals

4

0

Assists

9

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.46

0.50

Moreover, while the critique that he faded in the second half of last season is entirely valid, it ignores the fact that the “incredible” midfielder, as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, still managed to rack up four goals and nine assists in 28 league appearances, which equates to a goal involvement every 2.15 games.

Ultimately, Postecoglou needs to get a result against Brentford this afternoon, and while Sarr is a talented young player sure to improve, Maddison is far more likely to produce a bit of magic that could win his team the game, so he has to start.

£25m Spurs flop was supposed to be the next Bale, then he left for £0

The promising talent couldn’t make it work in North London.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 19, 2024

Ange Postecoglou has revealed "the club is working hard" as Tottenham's pursuit of Randal Kolo Muani intensifies with PSG open to a January deal.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• PSG ready to offload Kolo Muani
• Spurs are in touch over forward
• Postecoglou hinted at incoming transfers

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  With key players sidelined due to injuries, suspensions, and illness, the team has been operating under significant pressure. Spurs recently secured the signing of goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague and are now focused on addressing their attacking needs. Postecoglou hinted at the possibility of additional arrivals, particularly in the forward line, to alleviate the burden on players like Solanke.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Among Tottenham's primary targets is Kolo Muani, who joined Paris Saint-Germain in a £74 million move from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023 but has struggled for consistent playing time this season, making him a potential candidate for a January transfer or loan move. It has been reported that Fabio Paratici, Spurs’ former managing director of football, had attempted to sign Kolo Muani before his move to PSG and now his availability presents a renewed opportunity for the north London club to bring him to the Premier League.

• WHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID

  When asked directly about the Kolo Muani rumours, Postecoglou remained cautious.

  "Look, we are still trying to help the squad and help the players," he said. "We are still down significant numbers. We will have roughly 10 first team players missing tomorrow. That’s not easy so we are still looking to try to help the playing group. The club is working hard in a number of areas."

  When asked if he was referring to new signings or players returning from injury, Postecoglou added: "Both. It's hopefully what we can do but I wouldn't suggest tomorrow.

  "Not a centre-forward but I think we need some help in the front half if we can get it. Obviously Wilson [Odobert] is still a fair way off, Richy's [Richarlison] coming back but we've got to be really careful with him, we've got to try to keep him back. Again, it's got to be the right fit. Is that going to happen this window? I'm not sure but we know that all being well, in seven days, Richy's back and he'll definitely help Dom for sure.

  "[Solanke] has been brilliant for us. Hopefully in the very near future we get some help for him and then I think we’ll see him go to another level."

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• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR KOLO MUANI?

  Kolo Muani faces a crucial decision about his career in the coming weeks. Reports suggest that the French forward is unlikely to remain at PSG beyond this season, with a loan move in January being a strong possibility if a permanent transfer does not materialise.

أثنى تروي ديني، مهاجم فريق واتفورد السابق وعضو التحليل في شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية على النجم المصري عمر مرموش، بعدما تألق في الجولة الخامسة والعشرين من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وخاض مانشستر سيتي مباراته في تلك الجولة، يوم السبت الماضي، ضد نيوكاسل يونايتد على ملعب “الاتحاد”.

وحقق مانشستر سيتي فوزًا بأربعة أهداف دون رد، حيث تمكن عمر مرموش من إثبات نفسه وسجل هاتريك، في الدقائق 19، 24 و33.

وانضم مرموش إلى مانشستر سيتي قادمًا من فرانكفورت في يناير الماضي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. لاعب مانشستر سيتي مشيدًا بـ عمر مرموش بعد الهاتريك: النادي لم يدفع الأموال هباءً

واختار تروي ديني التشكيل المثالي للجولة الخامسة والعشرين من الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث تواجد بها عمر مرموش.

وقال تروي ديني: “لقد قلت منذ انضمام عمر مرموش إلى مانشستر سيتي أنه سيكون لاعبًا جيدًا، الآن بدأنا نرى أنه سيكون لاعبًا استثنائيًا لـ مانشستر سيتي”.

وأضاف: “إنه يتمتع بنفس قدرة كيفن دي بروين وديفيد سيلفا على صعيد الربط بين الخطوط، إنه سريع للغاية ويمكنه المرور من المنافسين”.

وواصل: “كما أن مرموش قادر على إنهاء الهجمات، تسجيل ثلاثة أهداف في 14 دقيقة يجعلك ضمن فريق الأسبوع”.

ولم يكن مرموش لاعب مانشستر سيتي الوحيد في التشكيل المثالي، المُختار من جانب تروي ديني، حيث كان هناك كذلك زميله جون ستونز.

في حين لم يتواجد أي من لاعبي ليفربول في ذلك التشكيل، مع العلم أن كتيبة آرني سلوت فازت على ولفرهامبتون بصعوبة، بهدفين لهدف، بفضل لويس دياز ومحمد صلاح.

Jamie Atkins five-for helps bowl Kent out for 165 before Sussex take 293-run lead

ECB Reporters' Network13-Jul-2021Sussex 181 and 277 for 3 (Orr 119, Haines 94) lead Kent 165 (Podmore 37, Atkins 5-51) by 293 runsAli Orr’s maiden first-class century gave Sussex a commanding, but not conclusive, lead on day three of their LV= Insurance County Championship match with Kent at Canterbury.Orr hit 119, including 19 fours, as Sussex advanced to 277 for 3, but they were stifled for long periods by the hosts, who trail by 293 going into the final day.Orr’s opening partner, Tom Haines, was out for 94 just before stumps to Matt Quinn, who took 2 for 88.Earlier Jamie Atkins took career-best figures of 5 for 51 as Kent were dismissed for 165, Hamid Qadri finishing on 30 not out, his highest first-class score.Kent began day three on 122 for 7 and lost Bailey Wightman in the first over when he was bowled by Atkins, but Quinn hung around for 38 minutes, providing useful support to Qadri, before he was caught behind off Ollie Robinson for 11.By the time Jas Singh was lbw to Sean Hunt for two, Sussex’s lead had been chopped to just 16, but Orr and Haines steered the visitors to 53 for nought at lunch and batted through the afternoon session. Kent never really looked like taking a wicket, but they were tight and disciplined, slowing the run rate to under three and limiting Sussex to 147 for no wicket at tea.Orr reached three figures when he glanced Harry Podmore to third man for four and was finally out when he cut Singh to backward point and was caught by Dan Lincoln, having faced 254 balls over nearly five hours.Harrison Ward made six when he drove Quinn to Heino Kuhn, who took a two-handed catch at point and the scoring rate slowed to 2.8 during the evening session, only nudging back over three when Travis Head hit sixes from successive balls in the 90th over, followed by two fours. Quinn then had Haines lbw in the third last over of the day, ending a painstaking innings of 233 balls and 354 minutes.Head and Oliver Carter were unbeaten on 29 and 15 respectively at stumps, but Sussex face a potentially awkward decision over the timing of any declaration on day four.

If Ireland want to test themselves before the T20 World Cup, this is their chance

Firdose Moonda21-Jul-2021

Big PictureSouth Africa are one win away from being able to declare their winter tours successful bar one ODI defeat. Victory in the T20I series will give them three trophies out of four, after they swept West Indies in the Tests, won the T20I series in a decider and shared the ODI series with Ireland. Should South Africa win the T20I series in Ireland, it will take the number of T20I series won under Mark Boucher to two out of seven, and overall number to five out 15 across formats. A win in the second of the three-match series will also leave South Africa with room to experiment in the finale, something they desperately need.Despite there only being five more T20Is for South Africa before the T20 World Cup, they have several strategic questions to address which range from the make-up of the top five to the sixth bowling option. So far, in Ireland, they have chosen six specialist batters, a spin-bowling allrounder, three quicks and a specialist spinner, which seems a likely combination for a World Cup in the UAE but may leave their line-up a little thin. South Africa need the middle order to start stepping up and that may be the focus of the next two matches.Ireland are at the other end of their planning timeline. They have only just made their return to the shortest format and have another seven matches before the T20 World Cup, though only two more against this opposition. No disrespect to Zimbabwe but they did not appear in the best of shape, and if Ireland want to test themselves against an obviously strong side, this is their best opportunity. They came back from the washout in the first ODI to take the series lead when they won the second and will want to spring a similar surprise to level this rubber before Saturday’s finale.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland LWLLL
South Africa WWLWWIn the spotlight Simi Singh is enjoying the form of his career with a century in the final ODI and the best economy rate among the Irish bowlers in the opening T20I. It’s a good time for the offspinner to be coming to the fore, with a T20 World Cup in the UAE on the horizon and Ireland’s attack exhibiting a mixture of skills, including the (now) part-time spin of George Dockrell. Singh also has all the making of a strong lower-order allrounder, and adds to Ireland’s power hitting. His former student, Harry Tector, who has cleared the rope with authority, is also part of the outfit.Bat or ball, Simi Singh is ready to step up•Sportsfile via Getty Images

Rassie van der Dussen played club cricket in Belfast for two years in 2014 and 2015, scored 1865 runs at an average of 81 and top-scored with 190* and he will hope some of that rubs off in his first appearance in the city since. By his standards, van der Dussen may not have had the returns he wanted on this trip, with two scores over 50 in 11 innings across formats in the West Indies and Ireland. While van der Dussen has become a stable presence in the South African line-up, there are still some concerns about his ability to score quickly and take the game away from the opposition, and he will want to dismiss those in the next two matches.Team news Kevin O’Brien’s lack of runs is a worry for Ireland but they are more than likely to give him another run as they look to build up to the T20 World Cup. Given that Ireland have only just got back to this format, after last playing in March 2020, they will want to allow themselves some time to create continuity.Ireland (possible): 1 Paul Stirling, 2 Kevin O’Brien, 3 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 4 Harry Tector, 5 George Dockrell, 6 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 7 Shane Getkate, 8 Simi Singh, 9 Barry McCarthy, 10 Josh Little, 11 Craig YoungSouth Africa went into the first T20I top heavy and included all four opening batters in their squad in the XI. Aiden Markram was their top performer at No. 4, showing the much talked about versatility they hoped they could get from him. It still leaves them a little under-staffed in the middle order but, with George Linde performing well in the allrounder role, there isn’t much they can do to lengthen the line-up. Kyle Verreynne and Heinrich Klaasen are likely to remain on the bench.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Janneman Malan, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Rassie van der Dussen, 6 David Miller, 7 George Linde, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Lizaad Williams, 10 Lung Ngidi 11 Tabraiz ShamsiPitch and conditions This will be the first sight of Stormont in the series and it’s set to be hot. Northern Ireland is in the midst of a heatwave with temperatures set to reach 27 degrees on Thursday. The series moves to Belfast, which last held a T20I in 2015 and has not hosted any top-eight teams, so South Africa’s visit is easily the most high profile.Stats and trivia Andy Balbirnie needs 33 runs to become the fifth Irish player to reach 1000 T20I runs Tabraiz Shamsi has enjoyed his best year as an international in 2021. He has already played more matches than in any other calendar year, taken more than double the number of wickets than in any other year and more than halves his average. He has 21 wickets at 13.28 this year, leads the T20I wicket-takers’ list and has the lowest economy rate among the top 10, at 5.47Quotes “All our bowlers were pretty good. Simi stood out with his economy rate and Josh bowled really well and Mark as well. A lot of the bowlers can take the credit. They did a really good job for us at the halfway stage and its disappointing we couldn’t back them up with the bat.”
Malahide’s wicket was on the slower side, especially as the games went on. There was quite a lot of traffic on the square. This wicket is a lot fresher. Not too much green grass but the even grass might result in a bit more bounce. The outfield looks really quick. Hopefully in these remaining T20I games theres quite a lot of runs.

The pressures of being in a bio-bubble amid unrest in South Africa is taking its toll on the national team, who shared the three-match ODI series with Ireland 1-1. South Africa came back from defeat on Tuesday to beat Ireland convincingly on Friday, but the head coach Mark Boucher acknowledged it has been a challenge to keep intensity levels up as the players try to cope with bad news from home.Not only is South Africa in the grip of its third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, but riots and looting in the Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal provinces have left more than 200 people dead and caused food and medical shortages, crippling parts of the country. “To say it’s not affecting us is not true. It is affecting us and every South African,” Boucher said.Related

• Janneman Malan, Quinton de Kock and all the records they broke

• Janneman Malan and Quinton de Kock score hundreds to set up commanding win

South Africa wore black armbands in the third ODI to show solidarity with those affected by the violence, which was at its worst earlier in the week, including on Tuesday, when they lost to Ireland.”We weren’t there the other day. Our awareness was down; our intensity was down,” Boucher said. “We looked at quite a few things without making excuses. We had a long chat after the game and we said, ‘Guys we are in a position where we can’t afford to make excuses. You are playing for your country and you have to be up every game.’Boucher said a combination of factors, including moving from one bubble in the Caribbean to another in Ireland, contributed to the lacklustre showing on Tuesday.”I have to look at the reasons why we were flat. It could be that coming off a good win against the West Indian team – usually you get a bit of time to take that in and get away for a while – maybe a week or two and we didn’t have that opportunity. As soon as we got that win, guys were packing and we got onto a plane and we flew for two days and got back into another bubble,” Boucher said.”If you want to be real around the whole thing, our energy is probably a little low because of that. Also what’s going on back home. That’s probably the reason why our awareness was down badly.”The same thing happened in the third ODI, when South Africa’s bowlers allowed the Irish tail to put on a seventh-wicket stand of 104 and a 10th-wicket partnership of 47.”Today we came out and showed when we put our minds to it and we play with good energy, we were there but when the game was sort of won, we took our foot of the gas again, which was a bit disappointing. We didn’t end off the game as we wanted to.”Boucher has taken it on himself, and the rest of the management, to try and keep the squad as focused as possible, despite the difficulties of finding ways to stay entertained under current restrictions.Boucher believes South Africa moving from one bubble in the Caribbean to another in Ireland in a short period of time might have contributed to low energy levels•AFP via Getty Images

“It’s a tough one. It’s even tougher in bubbles because one of the things we’ve liked to do is get the guys out a bit,” he said. “We’ve found a spot on the beach where guys can go for a walk, albeit at 8 o’clock at night. There’s a golf course next to us which we are allowed to play at with restrictions. And in general, in team chats, we are giving a space for everything to get their emotions out because keeping it in and having to be locked down in your room can be quite tough, especially if you have been personally affected. And I know there have been a couple of families personally affected. These are things we didn’t know we’d have to deal with. We are going along with a gut feel of what we feel is best for the players and trying to be there for the guys who feel quite emotionally drained by what is going on.”Their time on the road is not over yet. South Africa have another week in Ireland and will play three T20Is on Monday, Thursday and Saturday before returning home. Boucher expects his team to be up for it against hosts who they take very seriously.”This Irish team is no walkover team. They have had some close series against England, who are a very good team. We knew from the start that if we don’t rock up here in these conditions, which they know well, we’ll be found out,” Boucher said. “If we thought we’d just rock up at 70%, we are going to get tested in a massive way. (On Tuesday), we had a bad day on tour, which we are allowed to have. The energy levels will be a lot higher in the remaining three games. We’ve been on tour for two months, guys have been away from home, families and things are happening at home. Now, it’s about emptying the tanks.”

Could the former England international rebuild his career at one of the most ambitious and attractive projects in world football?

A couple of weeks before Dele Alli started training with Como, the former England international was spotted in the stands at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia for the Serie A clash with Roma.

Sinigaglia is not a particularly impressive structure in itself. It's neither big nor beautiful – but the backdrop is breathtaking. The stadium – which Como couldn't even use for the first few weeks of the season because of construction work required to make it compatible with Serie A regulations – is located right on the edge of one of the most spectacular lakes in the world, a natural wonder long associated with stunning scenery and celebrity visitors.

Consequently, Dele wasn't even the most famous face in the crowd on December 15. Hollywood stars Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Adrien Brody were also among the 10,376 people in attendance – and nobody was in the least bit surprised. Because this is the wonderful world of Como 1907: a small club with big ambitions that might just have sufficient pulling power to become a major force in Serie A.

'No crest, no academy, no training pitches'

After Como had claimed their first league win in more than two-and-a-half months by beating Roma 2-0 with injury-time goals from Alessandro Gabrielloni and Nico Paz, coach Cesc Fabregas was understandably reluctant to be drawn too much on the potential signing of Dele. Firstly, nothing had yet been finalised with the ex-Tottenham star. And secondly, Fabregas didn't want to distract from what had been a fantastic performance from his players.

"I only got to know Dele yesterday," the former Arsenal midfielder told reporters. "I don’t want to talk much about this, but perhaps there's a chance that he will start training with us after Christmas. Let’s see. It would be to help him get in shape and nothing more. For now, we must enjoy this win. We must talk about Como, Gabrielloni and the lads. This is the most important thing."

He had a point. Como were the story of the day and Gabrielloni undeniably deserved to dominate the headlines. In a way, the veteran striker personifies the club’s progress over the past six seasons. With his 93rd-minute goal against Roma, Gabrielloni became just the fifth man in the history of Italian football to score in every league from Serie D to Serie A with the same side – and the scenes which followed were absolutely beautiful.

"An incredible joy!" he enthused in his post-match interview with . "I couldn't have imagined being here even just a few years ago!"

Gabrielloni joined Como in 2017. He remembers the dark days – just after the club had gone bankrupt for the second time this century. However, everything started to change after the 2019 takeover by SENT Entertainment, which is controlled by the Djarum Group, an Indonesian conglomerate led by the Harton brothers, Robert Budi and Michael Bambang.

Former Chelsea midfielder Dennis Wise was initially brought on board in an advisory role before being made CEO in 2021, as slow, steady and symbiotic progress was made, both from a structural and sporting perspective.

"When we arrived," Wise explained, "we had no crest, no academy and no training pitches: we had to rent everything. Now, we have everything."

Advertisement'I didn't care about the money'

Wise also played a pivotal role in Fabregas' shock move to Como in the summer of 2022 – at a time when the club was still in Serie B. "Dennis was the most convincing [of the club directors I spoke to]," the midfielder explained at the time. "I didn't care about the money. I just wanted to join a project that excited me. I see a long-term future for this club."

There were clearly significant financial factors at play, with Fabregas becoming a shareholder in the club upon his arrival (just a few short weeks before his former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry followed suit), but the World Cup winner was also undeniably motivated by the prospect of a clear path into management.

His eventual appointment as first-team boss in November 2023 still came as something of a surprise – Como had made a decent start to the season under Moreno Longo – but it had always been part of the long-term plan. It just arrived a little sooner than everyone expected.

Fabregas, who had been coaching the club's Primavera (Under-19s) since retiring at the end of the 2022-23 season, didn't even have the requisite qualifications at the time to take the title of head coach on a permanent basis. Consequently, Osian Roberts was installed in a caretaker capacity, with Fabregas formally serving as one of the Welshman's assistants.

'Do you want to go to Ibiza?!'

However, it was obvious for the remainder of the 2023-24 season that Fabregas was the one calling the shots. He even promised the players to pay for a trip to Ibiza if they secured promotion to Italy's top flight – and he proved true to his word.

"No sooner had he said it, than it was done," centre-forward Patrick Cutrone revealed in an interview with . "A few hours after the game, we were on the plane!"

Not that Cutrone had doubted Fabregas for a second. "We have bonded a lot with the mister (coach)," he explained. "With nine games to go, we went on a retreat in Marbella, Spain. He told us: 'We can win all the remaining games and go straight to Serie A. If you believe in it, we can do it.' And from that day on we got more points than anyone else. That moment gave us the mental strength to do what we did.

"But right from the start he was very good at getting into the role of manager, he always told us he had been coached by the best, and that he had studied them. And why not learn from Pep Guardiola? Or Jose Mourinho? Or Antonio Conte? Or Arsene Wenger?

"He was very helpful, he always gave us great advice on everything. His work went beyond the pitch, becoming fundamental off it too."

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'Thierry Henry in the Como dressing room!'

Despite all of the good work done behind the scenes by Fabregas, and all of the money invested in the club by the Hartono brothers, promotion still felt surreal to Cutrone. The striker had been tipped to do great things at AC Milan, after breaking into the senior side as a teenager all the way back in 2017, but his career had unravelled after an ill-advised move to Wolves.

So, after one failed loan deal after another, he went home, to Como, and fired Fabregas' side to promotion with 14 goals in 32 games.

"When the referee blew the final whistle against Consenza, I couldn't process anything," he told . "The fans entered the field and overwhelmed me. But I managed to find my brother and my mother in the crowd. We hugged each other and burst into tears because, two years ago, when my father passed away, we weren't doing very well. It was a beautiful moment.

"Then, one of the last things I ever expected to see: Thierry Henry in the Como dressing room! I was amazed. He came towards me and hugged me three or four times. I didn't know what to do. It was Henry, an icon of world football! Seeing him in our dressing room had a profound effect on me, but then we went back to the pitch and he presented me with the award for Best Player of the Serie B season… Henry! Crazy!

"After that, I turned around and there was Jamie Vardy. Just like that, randomly. We spoke for 30 seconds and he congratulated me, and vice versa for Leicester's promotion."

Glasgow Rangers manager Philippe Clement has admitted his frustration at one thing after his side's 3-0 defeat to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

Rangers beaten at Celtic in Old Firm derby

The Gers faced their most important game of the season so far on Sunday afternoon, as the Ibrox side made the short trip across Glasgow to take on their biggest rivals. After falling short to the Hoops in both the league and Scottish Cup last season, this was a chance for the Light Blues to make a statement, but they fell well short in that respect.

Instead, Rangers were soundly beaten at Parkhead, even though the visitors made a relatively positive start, and they found themselves 2-0 down at half-time with a mountain to climb.

Callum McGregor's long-range strike completely put the match to bed in the second half, compounding the misery for Clement's team, and the game ended up petering out on a bitterly disappointing afternoon for anyone of a Gers persuasion.

The defeat means that Rangers are now already five points adrift of Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race after just four matches, and they cannot allow that gap to grow much more when the players return from the international break.

Clement fumes at particular aspect of Rangers defeat

Speaking after the game (via The Daily Mail), Clement admitted that the reaction to Rangers going behind was something that disappointed him hugely in the performance, saying:

"I was not happy with the reaction after the 1-0. It was not good enough. In the second half, there was a better reaction. But you have to become more open as a team, because you need to chase two goals and take more risks. So that also creates chances for them."

The Belgian also added that the "defensive faults made" were also a big problem for his side, on a day that many supporters will want to forget about in a hurry.

This was an afternoon that felt humbling for Rangers, with the pre-match hope being that they would show how much they have grown as a team from last season, having brought in so many new faces.

Instead, they were comfortably outplayed by a better side, and it suggests that the Gers have a massive job on their hands in order to wrestle the Premiership crown away from their most bitter adversaries.

That being said, Clement did call for patience, stressing that the average age of his team was younger than Celtic's, and that the scoreline "could have been a 3-2 or a 3-1 or a 3-3", so it's important that there isn't an overreaction to the result.

Fewer touches than Butland: Rangers must drop a star who lost 9/9 duels

The Light Blues attacker may have just played his way out of the starting line-up.

ByDan Emery Sep 2, 2024

It was undoubtedly frustrating, with Rangers failing to find top gear, but the hope is that this outfit will only grow as the months pass and new signings get to know each other better, remaining in the hunt for title glory in the process.

MatériaMais Notícias

Jogo festivo, pênalti e Loco Abreu na bola. Provavelmente todas as cavadinhas que o uruguaio fez durante a carreira vieram à cabeça de quem estava assistindo à partida contra os amigos de Túlio Maravilha deste sábado, no Nilton Santos – vencida por 3 a 1 pela equipe do brasileiro, o amistoso de despedida do ano para o Botafogo.

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O camisa 13, porém, foi na batida de segurança: deslocou o goleiro e saiu para o abraço. Após a partida, o uruguaio explicou que, apesar de se tratar de um amistoso, ele estava levando o jogo a sério.

–Eles estavam jogando sério igual a gente. O goleiro (Ricardo Gomes) não ia querer dar mole, esperou até o último momento, esperei que ele se jogasse para chutar no lado contrário. O importante era fazer gol. Não tive muita oportunidade, então quando apareceu o pênalti eu tive que fazer – afirmou.

Em campo, Loco também levou o jogo a sério. O uruguaio deu bronca nos companheiros, pediu cartões aos adversários para o juiz e reclamou. Apesar do alto temperamento dos tempos de jogador, ele valorizou o evento.

–Foi muito legal. O reencontro com a torcida, o Joel (Santana), a rapaziada de 2010, foi muito legal – completou.

Celtic enjoyed a busy end to the summer transfer window last week with three new additions to their first-team squad on deadline day on Friday.

The Hoops dipped into the market to snap up Arne Engels, Luke McCowan, and Auston Trusty from Augsburg, Dundee, and Sheffield United respectively on permanent deals, in an attempt to bolster Brendan Rodgers' options across the park.

Adam Idah, Paulo Bernardo, Alex Valle, Kasper Schmeichel, and Viljami Sinisalo had already been added to the group prior to deadline day, with all bar Valle coming in as permanent signings.

The Scottish giants showed their ambition in the summer transfer window by smashing their club-record on Engels, who they have reportedly paid £11m for, eclipsing the £9m spent on Odsonne Edouard from PSG in 2018.

Celtic and Rodgers will now hope that their investment pays off in the coming months and years, with the Belgian whiz performing on the pitch and raising his own value to potentially be sold on for a big profit in the future.

The Scottish Premiership champions invested that money after they lost central midfielder Matt O'Riley to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, in a deal that cemented a masterclass by the club.

Celtic's Matt O'Riley masterclass

At the start of 2022, former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou swooped to sign the Danish talent from English League One side MK Dons for a reported fee of £1.5m.

The young midfielder, who had started his career with Fulham, had racked up ten goals and eight assists in 54 appearances for the third tier outfit.

O'Riley hit the ground running in Scotland, with a return of four goals and two assists in his first 16 Scottish Premiership outings, and managed three goals and 12 assists in his first full league season in the 2022/23 campaign.

The superb maestro then enjoyed his best year in a Celtic jersey in what turned out to be his final season with the club under Brendan Rodgers last term.

As you can see in the table above, O'Riley was the biggest attacking threat in the entire squad in the 2023/24 campaign, when it came to both scoring and creating goals.

The central midfielder ranked first in virtually every key direct attacking statistics in the Premiership, with 31 goal contributions in the top-flight to help the team to another league title.

His sublime form in Scotland attracted interest from down south and Brighton eventually secured a £25m deal to sign the Denmark international last month.

That transfer cemented a masterclass by Celtic as they turned a £1.5m signing from the third tier of English football into a £25m player for a Premier League club, which is the perfect example of their player development model working to full effect.

It was a Scottish, and Celtic, transfer record fee of £25m but that does not mean that it was the most valuable sale in the history of the club, as transfer fees have inflated over the years.

One player who was sold for more than O'Riley, if you account for that inflation, was prolific centre-forward Pierre van Hooijdonk, who the Bhoys also played a blinder with.

How much Celtic paid for Pierre van Hooijdonk

The Scottish giants swooped to sign the number nine from Dutch side NAC Breda for a reported fee of £1.2m in January 1995 by manager Tommy Burns.

Van Hooijdonk was snapped up by Celtic after his impressive run of form in his home country, with a return of 44 goals in 71 appearances in all competitions for NAC.

The Netherlands international had plundered an eye-catching ten goals in 16 outings in the Dutch top-flight during the first half of the 1994/95 campaign, which convinced the Hoops to sign him for £1.2m.

That came after van Hooijdonk had fired in 29 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions for NAC during the 1993/94 season, including 25 goals in 31 league matches.

The sensational forward then enjoyed a terrific spell with Celtic in Scotland, scoring 52 goals in 84 matches in all competitions, and earned a mega money move away from Parkhead.

How much Celtic sold van Hooijdonk for in today's money

Per Totally Money, Premier League side Nottingham Forest swooped in to sign the Netherlands international from Celtic for a fee of £5.4m in 1997.

Transfer fees in football have significantly inflated over the subsequent years and, as per Totally Money's algorithm, that £5.4m would be worth a staggering £39.4m in today's money.

That is more than £14m more than Brighton have spent on Matt O'Riley this summer and suggests that van Hooijdonk's move to Forest was more valuable, relative to the time the transfer was completed, than the Danish star's switch to England was for Celtic this year.

This shows that Celtic and Burns hit gold when they dipped into the Dutch market to sign the prolific striker from NAC Breda, as they made a significant profit on the attacker, who would have been a Scottish record sale in 2024, and enjoyed his talents on the pitch.

As you can see in the table above, van Hooijdonk had a relatively slow start to his career at Celtic before firing in 40 goals in a season-and-a-half in the Premiership in the 1995/96 and 1996/97 campaigns.

The Dutchman then only scored seven goals in 29 Premier League matches for Forest, with a 29-goal season in the second tier sandwiched between two top-flight terms, before moving back to Holland with Vitesse.

Van Hooijdonk bounced around a few clubs, signing for Benfica, Feyenoord (twice), NAC Breda, and Fenerbahce after his spell with Vitesse, and ended his career with an impressive haul of 241 goals.

Forget Edouard: Celtic must unleash teen starlet with 1.25 goals per game

The Hoops youngster has been in incredible form for the club’s B team this season.

1

By
Dan Emery

Sep 4, 2024

Overall, Celtic hit the jackpot with the fantastic striker as they benefitted from his services both on and off the pitch, for footballing and financial reasons.