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Despite making 92 points in the league this year, Rangers ended their campaign in second place, seven points behind their bitter city rivals.The club also failed to pick up any silverware in the country’s domestic competitions and suffered a pretty miserable Champions League campaign to boot.In a bid to improve their fortunes next year and challenge the Hoops for league glory, Micheal Beale’s side are interested in bringing Swansea City’s Morgan Whittaker north of the border, per Football Insider.

What’s the latest on Morgan Whittaker?

According to the report, the 6 foot 3 winger had already been the subject of ‘multiple’ failed bids from Rangers, reaching up to £1.5m.

It was around that time that Beale made his feelings towards the player crystal clear, labelling the wide-man “excellent” in an interview with Sky Sports Scotland.

Those comments came just after Whittaker had been recalled from a supremely successful loan spell with then League One side Plymouth Argyle, where he had been “quality”, per manager Steven Schumacher.

It was during his time with the Pilgrims that the Derby-born player burst onto the scene, scoring nine times and creating seven assists in just 25 league appearances, per Transfermarkt.

Despite his return to South Wales not going to plan, starting just two games since January, he is still a wanted man.

Unsurprisingly, Argyle are linked to the player, but their comparatively restricted finances make any deal unlikely.

The primary rivals for the players’ signature are Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland and Coventry City.

Having just lost the services of Manchester United youngster Amad Diallo, the Black Cats are on the lookout for an explosive winger and have the financial muscle to compete with the Gers.

Would Morgan Whittaker be a good signing for Rangers?

With the way the Rangers boss has been talking about Whittaker, it doesn’t sound like his miserable second half of the season with the Swans has put him off the player, nor should it.

His primary body of work came from his time in the Southwest, so it would make sense to judge him based on that.

According to WhoScored, the tricky winger averaged an impressive rating of 7.02 and earned four Man-of-the-Match awards in just 19 starts in the league.

He clearly made an impact on former boss Schumacher, who lauded the player back in December, saying: “He has a left foot to die for.”

The expected departures of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morales this summer should also make it easier for the player to play his way into Beale’s starting lineup.

The Teddy Bears also need some attacking reinforcements, as their top goalscorer in the league this season is defender James Tavernier with 15 in 33 games, just six more than Whittaker achieved at Argyle in eight fewer games.

The signing would also give the Scottish giants some much-needed flexibility as the England youth international has frequently played across the wings and in attacking midfield.

ESPNcricinfo previews the first one-day international between Ireland and Pakistan

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan17-Aug-2016Match factsAugust 18, 2016
Start time 1045 local (0945GMT)Azhar Ali’s ODI form slumped in Pakistan’s most recent series and the results also nosedived•Getty ImagesBig PictureThere is not much time for Pakistan to bask in their Oval victory. They have since hopped on a plane to Dublin as they switch into one-day mode with a two-match series against Ireland.The contrast between their rise in Test cricket and struggles in the one-day game has been stark: they sit ninth in the ODI rankings, outside of the automatic qualification places for the 2019 World Cup.Since the 2015 World Cup they have been captained by Azhar Ali who suffered a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh before two series wins over Zimbabwe – although they lost a match to them in Harare – and one against Sri Lanka. They took the lead against England last year before being comfortably beaten 3-1 and were overturned 2-0 in New Zealand in January.There are three players in this current squad who will have memories of the first meeting between these sides on that famous day in Jamaica: Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Umar Gul were part of the three-wicket defeat. Six years later, Hafeez and Malik were also involved in a tie in Dublin.But, like Pakistan, Ireland are struggling in the one-day rankings, currently adrift of Afghanistan and Zimbabwe at the bottom. Their crown of leading Associate has been challenged; they shared their recent series against Afghanistan 2-2. There is a concerning reliance on Ed Joyce at the top of the order – against Afghanistan he was almost 200 runs ahead of Ireland’s next highest scorer – and they need much more from the likes of Paul Stirling and captain William Porterfield.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland WLWLL
Pakistan LLLLLIn the spotlightAzhar Ali regained his form in the final two Tests against England, making a fine century at Edgbaston, a solid 49 after being promoted to open the batting and then finishing the series with a six. Now he has to switch his focus back to trying to find a winning formula in one-day cricket. And he needs to score runs as well. After being appointed captain he enjoyed an early bounce with two centuries in first five games, but has now gone 11 innings without a fifty. His strike-rate, too, has come under scrutiny with the pressure it can put on the rest of the top order.Barry McCarthy, who plays county cricket for Durham, has enjoyed an impressive start to his Ireland career with 14 wickets in six ODIs. He helped cover for the absence of Boyd Rankin against Afghanistan and will be asked to do the same again after Rankin was ruled out of the rest of the season with injury. He can be expected to share the new ball with Tim Murtagh.Teams newsRankin has been ruled out with a stress fracture of the tibia which removes one of Ireland’s senior pace bowlers. But they have not called in a replacement with Craig Young now available after an elbow injury. The batting will be boosted by the return of Niall O’Brien.Ireland (probable) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Ed Joyce, 3 Niall O’Brien, 4 Gary Wilson, 5 Kevin O’Brien, 6 Paul Stirling, 7 Stuart Poynter (wk), 8 Andy McBrine, 9 Tim Murtagh, 10 Barry McCarthy, 11 Peter Chase/Craig YoungPakistan may need to strike a balance between giving some of new arrivals, and those who have been sidelined during the Tests, some cricket and ensuring they do not take a half-hearted approach to these matches. Sharjeel Khan has been called up after a successful A-tour of England, while Umar Gul has the opportunity to show he can still deliver his pinpoint yorkers.Pakistan (from) Azhar Ali (capt), Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam, Mohammad Hafeez, Baber Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Umar Gul, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Mohammad NawazPitch and conditionsThe forecast for Thursday is promisingly dry between two days of significant rain. Of the surface, Ed Joyce said: “We’re expecting two good pitches here as they normally are at Malahide.”Stats and trivia William Porterfield and Kevin O’Brien are currently jostling to be Ireland’s leading ODI run-scorer: Porterfield sits on 2591 and O’Brien has 2561 Sharjeel Khan made 253 runs in four innings during the recent tri-series involving England Lions and Sri Lanka A The overall head-to-head for these sides is 4-1 to Pakistan with one tie.Quotes”In the last few years we haven’t played very good cricket in one-dayers. Our performances are not as consistent as in Test cricket, and we need to really improve our skills.”
“These guys are definitely favourites but we’ve got a good one-day team and are hopeful of giving them a few good games. There’s a lot of guys in good form in England which bodes well for us.”

The BCCI has decided to do scrap its domestic Twenty20 tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, from the 2016-17 season and replace it with a new inter-zonal league. The new tournament will occupy the same slot in the domestic calendar as the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which was played in January this year.

Ranji Trophy 2016-17 at neutral venues

The BCCI working committee has ratified the decision proposed by the board’s technical committee to play the Ranji Trophy at neutral venues. The idea was originally mooted by the technical committee, led by Sourav Ganguly, which had recommended the need for a radical idea to make the premier first-class tournament more competitive and discourage the growing trend of states offering underprepared pitches for home matches.
The idea received a favourable response from captains and coaches of domestic teams during a meeting on Thursday. A majority of them felt such a decision was inevitable considering the quality of pitches during a few games in the previous seasons, and the failure of match officials to impose a penalty for this.

“We have proposed that the T20 matches will be played on a zonal-league basis,” BCCI president Anurag Thakur said at the end of the board’s working committee meeting in Dharamsala on Friday. “The states can play these matches at any time of the year among themselves. Then a league will be started where the stakeholders would be the state units in the zone.”The new tournament will be divided into two stages – an inter-state one, followed by the main inter-zonal one. In the first stage, states within a zone will play T20 matches among themselves. Once that level is complete, every zone will have a board comprising one representative from each of the respective state associations. Members of the zonal board will appoint a CEO and selectors to pick a team for the main stage. For example, once state teams within the West Zone have finished their respective matches, their representatives can appoint a selection committee that will pick a team to compete with the other four zones. There could be an additional sixth team representing the affiliate states under the BCCI banner, but that has not yet been confirmed.The schedule for the main inter-zonal stage of the tournament is likely to be drawn up by the BCCI, but Thakur said the inter-state matches can be held anytime prior to the tournament. Incidentally, the new structure was not discussed at the captains and coaches meeting on Thursday.The format for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy comprised teams spread across four groups with the top two from each qualifying for the knockouts. When asked why the board decided to revamp the format, Thakur said the new tournament would provide an opportunity to youngsters and domestic players who were unable to participate in the IPL. He also said that the franchise-based leagues run by states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu would remain unaffected by this new tournament.”They can participate in that competitive tournament now,” Thakur said. “Rather than Syed Mushtaq Ali, the way it has been played, this new format will give more number of matches to the players and more glory and more money to the upcoming cricketers.”A BCCI official said that the idea to start the new zonal-league tournament came from Thakur, who presented a proposal to monetize the new tournament before the working committee.”He wants to find a sponsor for the tournament and market that,” the official said. “But that is not easy considering fans are interested in watching international stars and not domestic players,”The official also revealed that Thakur wants to resuscitate university cricket in a similar fashion by selling rights for the T20 University Cricket Championship. In 2013 the BCCI, along with the Indian government, had conducted the University Cricket Championship, an extension of the annual all-India inter-zone university Rohinton Baria Tournament, by selling the rights to NDTV and co-sponsor Toyota. However that venture was scrapped after one year.”The previous deal ended because there was no attraction for the sponsor. They were expecting that the BCCI would allow an international player in each team to create hype but that was not possible,” the official said.

حقق فريق الكرة بالزمالك فوزًا صعبًا أمام منافسه الرجاء بنتيجة 4-2 بركلات الترجيح بعد انتهاء الوقت الأصلي من اللقاء بالتعادل الإيجابي 2-2، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس دبي للتحدي.

وأقيمت مباراة الزمالك والرجاء مساء اليوم على أرضية ملعب استاد المكتوم في نصف نهائي البطولة الودية.

ويخوض الزمالك منافسات بطولة كأس دبي للتحدي، بمشاركة أندية الرجاء المغربي والأهلي السعودي ووهان ثري تاونز الصيني.

وكان الزمالك قد تقدم بهدفين أحرزهما محمود حمدي الونش في الدقيقة 3 ومحمود شيكابالا بالدقيقة 6 من عمر اللقاء.

طالع | الزمالك يوضح حقيقة التعاقد مع صفقات جديدة بعد انتهاء أزمة القيد

بينما أحرز يسري بوزوق هدفي الرجاء الأول والثاني من ضربتي جزاء، في الدقيقتين 66، 87 من عمر اللقاء.

ولجأ الفريقان لركلات الترجيح والتي شهدت تألق محمد عواد حارس القلعة البيضاء، ليقود الزمالك للفوز بنتيجة 4-2. أهداف وركلات ترجيح مباراة الزمالك والرجاء المغربي اليوم في كأس دبي للتحدي

وبهذه النتيجة تأهل فريق الكرة بالزمالك للمباراة النهائية من بطولة كأس دبي، منتظرًا الفائز من لقاء الأهلي السعودي ووهان ثري تاونز الصيني.

Arsenal's surprise pursuit of the Premier League title this season was coincidentally upheld by their rivals, as it almost seemed like Mikel Arteta finished off his team with two Manchester City players.

Bringing in Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus both finished off his system perfectly and added the goalscorer they craved, yet it seems set to not be enough with just four games left for the Gunners to play.

That could explain why attention has already turned to this summer, as Edu has been tasked with bolstering the squad to a level where it can feasibly compete with Pep Guardiola's side for a full campaign.

The rumour mill has therefore kicked into overdrive, as a switch to the Emirates has fast become one of the most attractive propositions in football. Joining up with a youthful, hungry manager who is overseeing the joint-youngest squad in the division, means success is almost guaranteed in the near future. However, Arteta will crave it immediately.

Having come so close and fought for so long, a few key additions could prove to be the difference in taking that final step. Ironically enough, one proposed signing is that of Barcelona's Ferran Torres, who also spent time in Sky Blue as part of the Cityzens' relentless regime.

Is Ferran Torres better than Gabriel Jesus?

What makes this potential deal all the more tantalising for the Gunners is the reported price tag of just €35m (£30m), as the Catalonian giants desperately scramble for funds to re-sign the wantaway Lionel Messi.

Edu could pounce on this opportunity, seeking to welcome the Spaniard who could actually prove to be a better finisher than Jesus.

The Brazilian has come under fire of late for squandering chances in big matches, with his role in their 3-3 draw with Southampton particularly frustrating. The 26-year-old accumulated an expected goals (xG) of 1.14 yet did not find the net, and vital points were dropped.

Although he might have scored ten goals this year, outperforming Torres' seven in all competitions, the former forward has actually underperformed his expected goals for the whole campaign.

The 23-year-old too has suffered from his own expected goals tally, but only by 0.89 compared to his potential competition's 3.35. This suggests that the £265k-per-week finisher should have scored far more than he actually has.

Not only this, but Guardiola himself even suggested that the current-Barcelona talent was a more natural finisher than Jesus, claiming:

"I spoke with Gabriel and he likes to play sometimes more in wider positions than the central one, and Ferran has a big sense for the goal, I would say a little bit higher than Gabriel when he plays in central positions."

Having been further lauded in the past by the legendary Spanish boss for his "exceptional" numbers during his debut campaign, as he notched 13 times in all competitions, perhaps ample time for further development could see him return and turn into the true monster he was expected to be.

Pundit Gabby Agbonlahor has been reacting to a Manchester United transfer update involving loanee Marcel Sabitzer.

What’s the latest Man United news on Sabitzer?

Erik ten Hag brought Sabitzer in on loan from Bayern Munich late in the January window, with a deal not including an option to make it permanent at the end of the season.

However, a full-time transfer could soon be on the cards, with reports this month claiming that both Sabitzer wants to sign permanently for the Premier League giants and Ten Hag is keen to have him on board.

Talking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor, who contributes to Sky Sports and talkSPORT, feels that Sabitzer has been “poor” for the Red Devils, name-checking his display against Sevilla as a prime example. The pundit believes that United need to go for better backup signings, looking at Manchester City’s options in comparison.

“I don’t think so. I’ve watched him a few times now. The odd game he’s decent, but he has been poor as well – and against Sevilla on Thursday was one of those games.

“Sabitzer is a second-string player, but they need to go for better backups. Look at Man City – they can bring on Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, etc. I just don’t think Sabitzer is good enough for Man United.”

Could be fairly expensive for United…

Agbonlahor clearly thinks United should be looking elsewhere for midfield reinforcements this summer, a position that Ten Hag wants to bolster over the coming months alongside signing a new striker.

You can see why as well after the 29-year-old’s display against Sevilla in the Europa League quarter-final second-leg on Thursday. He was United’s worst outfield performer, as per SofaScore, having just 26 touches of the ball, losing possession on 10 occasions and coming off second-best in seven of his 10 ground duels.

It is believed that Bayern Munich have set a £25m asking price to make a transfer permanent for Sabitzer, who is on a £211,000-a-week contract, so a display like that won’t do his chances of a full-time transfer any good. However, it looks as if Ten Hag is keen on a deal, and it looks like it could be a fairly expensive one.

League leaders Arsenal may have endured a slight wobble in recent games, although that should not detract from what has been a stellar season so far under manager Mikel Arteta.

After having missed out on Champions League qualification at the tail end of last season, the Spaniard has since transformed his youthful outfit into genuine title contenders, with the club's impressive recruitment having been vital in that recent resurgence.

The £32m arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko, in particular, has helped to spur on the north London outfit this season, with the Ukrainian gem having gone from something of a peripheral figure at former club Manchester City to now being a leading figure at the Emirates.

The versatile left-back's impact has been recognised by his manager who hailed him a "perfectionist", with few having been able to anticipate just how vital the 26-year-old would become in his new home.

The former City ace is not alone in having potentially proved any doubters wrong during his time in the capital, with teammate Aaron Ramsdale having also quashed early scepticism after signing from Sheffield United back in the summer of 2021.

How good has Ramsdale been for Arsenal?

As club legend Ian Wright noted last season, the England international had been somewhat "ridiculed" following his arrival in a £30m deal, with fans and pundits alike having questioned the wisdom in bringing in a player who had suffered back-to-back relegations with the Blades and for Bournemouth.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has also recently admitted that he had been "scratching his head" at the time of the goalkeeper's switch to north London, although has "never been more wrong" such has been the 24-year-old's impact to date.

The £60k-per-week rock's fine form has also been praised by journalist Pete O'Rourke, with the respected insider telling Football FanCast that the stopper could well be among the best signings of Arteta's tenure thus far.

Asked where Ramsdale would rank among the best additions of the decade, O'Rourke stated: "Yeah, I think he's got to be up there. Came under the radar and obviously came in for a bit of criticism when he first arrived at the club.

"Arsenal did spend big money on him when they signed him from Sheffield United, who had just been relegated, so it was a lot of question marks about paying the big money for him. And obviously, he came in as the number two goalkeeper originally with Bernd Leno still number one, but he's worked really hard. He got that number one shirt midway through last season as well and he's held on to it."

The 6 foot 2 ace has been in particularly impressive form so far this season after keeping 12 clean sheets from his 31 Premier League outings, having been rather heroic in the recent draw away to Liverpool.

The one-time Cherries gem notably denied Mohamed Salah with a stunning, sprawling save late on in that thriller at Anfield, before remarkably keeping out Ibrahima Konate at point-blank range when the Frenchman appeared nailed on to score.

That "exceptional" performance against the Reds – as per Arteta – has only served to rubberstamp just how impressive Ramsdale has been for the Gunners thus far, with the point he neared his side potentially pivotal in the title reace.

Indeed, the Stoke-born titan has left a lot of those initial naysayers looking rather silly.

Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount’s future at the club has further been thrown into doubt with the news that his father is eyeing up a move for his son.

The Lowdown: Mount on the move?

The future of the 24-year-old has been a major talking of late, with contract talks at an impasse and neither party looking likely to budge at this point.

Mount has been linked with a move away numerous times in recent months, with Liverpool arguably emerging as the front-runners to snap him up at this point.

The midfielder’s current Chelsea deal expires at the end of next season, so realistically, this summer will be the best time to sell if he doesn’t agree an extension at Stamford Bridge.

A new update regarding the situation has now emerged – one that further suggests that Mount could be moving on to pastures new in the near future.

The Latest: Key update emerges

According to Football Insider, Mount has ‘dropped the biggest signal yet’ regarding his potential exit this summer, with his father mandating an agent to ‘sound out interest in his services’.

It is stated that a price tag of £60-70million has been slapped on the England international’s shoulders, which if met, will be enough to prise him away from west London.

The Verdict: Feels increasingly likely

For a long time, the idea of Mount leaving Chelsea seemed unthinkable, given his lifelong affiliation with the club and the fact that he has always appeared happy there.

Things have clearly changed, however, and it could simply be that he feels under-appreciated in terms of his contract, as he looks to earn more than his current £80,000 per week.

Mount has certainly not had his best season for Chelsea overall, scoring just three times in 23 Premier League appearances, and he hasn’t completed a full 90 minutes since the 1-0 victory at home to Crystal Palace back in January.

The hope is that the 36-cap England international can end up agreeing an extension with the Blues – he has been described as an ‘unbelievable’ footballer by Joe Cole – but it does feel increasingly likely that he could end up plying his trade at a rival club next season, which will be a strange sight for supporters.

His love for Chelsea does mean that a sudden change in the current situation is possible but this latest update is further proof that an exit arguably now feels like the most likely outcome during the summer transfer window.

Sunderland return to action in the Championship this afternoon as they face promotion-chasing Luton Town at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats have lost four of their last five matches in the division and will be hoping to head into the upcoming international break on a high.

Tony Mowbray's side were beaten 2-1 by Sheffield United, despite taking the lead through Edouard Michut, on Wednesday night and there could be at least one change for the head coach to make.

Luke O'Nien started the game at left-back and was forced off with an injury in the 87th minute, which could cause him issues ahead of today's match.

Speaking about the defender's situation, Mowbray said:

"I think it was just a kick and a clash, and yet it is a bit concerning because Luke O'Nien isn't somebody who would be hobbling about or staying down from an injury, so we'll see over the next day or two."

However, the head coach later added that the defender should be "okay" to be in the squad.

Who could replace Luke O'Nien?

With natural left-backs Dennis Cirkin and Aji Alese out, the Black Cats manager must avoid risking aggravating any issue for O'Nien by handing a start to January signing Joe Anderson.

Although the versatile ace may be 'okay', there is no need to risk him when there is another player in Anderson who could step in. While the 22-year-old plays in the heart of the defence by trade, the Englishman is also capable of playing at left-back.

He has been deployed as a full-back in 23 matches in his youth career – along with a further 65 at centre-back – and this suggests that the enforcer is comfortable featuring on the flank.

Anderson could also improve the team's build-up play out from the back, with Mowbray describing him being a naturally left-footed player as a "rarity" upon his arrival.

O'Nien – a right-footed gem – only created one chance in his last four appearances and the ex-Everton man produced 0.8 key passes per match in the EFL Trophy earlier this term.

The 22-year-old, who made 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game in the EFL Trophy this season, did catch the eye in his cameo against Millwall last month – making four tackles and interceptions in just 12 minutes on the pitch.

Journalist Josh Bunting once hailed the defender as "impressive" and his statistics in his short Championship debut proved that he has the potential to be just that in the second tier.

Therefore, Mowbray must unleash the battler in place of O'Nien he could be an excellent stand-in at left-back with his defensive and creative ability.

David Moyes is a man under serious pressure at West Ham, with Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Brighton a clear reminder that the Hammers are in a relegation battle this season.

Should Moyes be sacked by West Ham?

The Scottish manager has perhaps survived due to his successes in previous seasons at the London Stadium, with the Hammers reaching the Europa League semi-final last season, as well as a top-eight finish in the Premier League.

However, this domestic season has been something of a disaster for the east London outfit, as they find themselves battling at the bottom of the league, with just six wins to their name from their 25 league fixtures.

It was suggested ahead of West Ham’s 4-0 win against Nottingham Forest that a bad result could see Moyes lose his job, which he managed to avoid, but after successive losses to Manchester United and Brighton, it is surely only a matter of time until the 59-year-old is given the boot.

Incidentally, the man who was on the end of that 4-0 thrashing at the London Stadium could be the ideal successor to Moyes at the London Stadium.

Should West Ham hire Steve Cooper?

According to the Daily Mail, a number of Premier League sides have shown interest in Steve Cooper as a result of his impressive work at Nottingham Forest, with West Ham one side name-checked as a potential destination for the 43-year-old.

The Welshman first rose to prominence as manager of England U17s, with whom he won the World Cup back in 2017, helping to establish senior England players such as Phil Foden, Conor Gallagher and Marc Guehi.

He would then take over at Swansea City, where he led the Welsh outfit to successive Championship playoff campaigns, averaging an impressive 1.61 points per game and narrowly missing out on promotion back to the Premier League.

A third playoff campaign would follow with Nottingham Forest, as he produced an incredible turnaround with the Midlands club before steering them back to the Premier League.

The Reds started slowly but have given themselves a real chance of staying up in the top flight, and Cooper was rewarded with a new contract in 2022, despite them slipping to the bottom of the table at the time.

That faith has been rewarded by some impressive recent performances by Forest, and it is no surprise that several Premier League sides are keeping a close eye on him ahead of the summer.

Speaking live on BBC 606, pundit Chris Sutton praised Cooper following their win against Leeds, saying: “It’s sort of outrageous, the amount of players that Nottingham Forest has signed, isn’t it?

“But the end justifies the means and Steve Cooper has done an amazing job gelling all these players together.”

Considering Cooper has averaged 1.69 points per game in his time at the City Ground, compared to Moyes’ 1.52 points per game at West Ham, despite having a poorer squad on paper, the Hammers should definitely consider bringing the Welshman to the London Stadium.

Indeed, he could well be a big upgrade should their current manager be sacked.