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The work done by Glasgow Rangers during the summer transfer window has come under plenty of scrutiny after a fairly dismal start to the season for the Scottish giants.

One win in the first seven games of the Scottish Premiership campaign led to head coach Russell Martin losing his job, having only been appointed in the summer as the long-term successor to Philippe Clement.

Danny Rohl arrived at Ibrox last month and has already delivered four wins from four matches in the Premiership, but he has also lost both of his Europa League games in the dugout.

The former Sheffield Wednesday tactician has won 100% of his league games in charge, most recently beating Livingston 2-1 at Ibrox thanks to goals from Emmanuel Fernandez and Mohamed Diomande.

Despite this upturn in results in the league, there will still be question marks over the summer recruitment due to poor form on the European stage from the Light Blues under both Martin and Rohl.

Who were the worst signings of the summer window by sporting director Kevin Thelwell before he was dismissed from his role on Monday? Here are our worst three…

3 Youssef Chermiti

It is almost impossible not to mention Youssef Chermiti as being among the worst signings made by Thelwell when you consider the context of the signing and the fee that was paid for him.

Firstly, Rangers had already signed proven Premiership goalscorer Bojan Miovski from Girona for a fee of up to £4.2m, which suggested that Martin already had his first-choice striker in the building.

Secondly, Chermiti cost a staggering £8m to sign him from Everton. That made him the most expensive Rangers signing in 25 years, since the £12m that was spent to land Tore Andre Flo in 2000.

Paying £8m to sign a 21-year-old striker who failed to score a single competitive goal in two years at Goodison Park is bad enough on paper, but even worse when you consider that Thelwell was the man behind the £15m deal to take him from Sporting to Everton in 2023.

The Toffees had to take a £7m hit on the striker without getting a single goal out of him because of Thelwell’s investment, and now Rangers look set to suffer a similar fate if his fortunes do not improve.

Chermiti has scored one goal and provided one assist in 13 outings in all competitions for the Light Blues this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he has already offered more than he did for Everton, but it is still not enough to justify the huge outlay.

Starts

4

xG

1.29

Goals

0

Big chances missed

4

Big chances created

0

Assists

0

Pass accuracy

59%

Duel success rate

35%

As you can see in the table above, he has particularly struggled in the Europa League this season, failing to offer quality in front of goal, in his general play, or physically, which is a big concern.

For the amount of money paid, the signing of Miovski made before his arrival, and how he failed when Thelwell signed him for Everton, he has to be among the ex-Gers man’s worst deals.

2 Joe Rothwell

Joe Rothwell also currently looks like one of the worst signings of the summer transfer window, in a move that was very different to the one that brought Chermiti to Ibrox.

Whilst the Portugal U21 international was signed for big money as a 21-year-old talent with room for improvement and potential to eventually hit, the English midfielder came in as an experienced 30-year-old operator who should have made an immediate impact.

Instead, the summer signing from Bournemouth has failed to hit the ground running at Ibrox and now looks to be out of favour under new head coach Rohl, after being brought in by Martin, whom he played for at Southampton in the 2023/24 campaign.

Livingston

0

Celtic

18

Hibernian

0

Kilmarnock

0

Brann

64

Dundee United

83

Falkirk

70

Sturm Graz

21

Livingston

17

Genk

10

As you can see in the table above, the Englishman has become a bit-part player for the Gers, failing to get on the pitch in the three league games that he has been available for under Rohl.

Given he was brought in as an experienced player for the here and now, it is hard to look past him as another one of Thelwell’s worst summer signings.

1 Thelo Aasgaard

Thelo Aasgaard looks to be another one of Thelwell’s worst pieces of business from the summer transfer window, as he has been as ineffective as Chermiti and Rothwell.

Rangers swooped to sign the Norway international from Luton Town for a fee of £3.5m to bolster their ranks in the attacking midfield positions, but he has been unable to provide a regular threat at the top end of the park.

Per Transfermarkt, Aasgaard has only produced one goal and one assist in 19 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues, whilst Chermiti has one goal and one assist to his name in 13 outings for the club.

What makes that return even less impressive is that his assist was the pass to Djeidi Gassama in the clip above, where the winger does the majority of the heavy lifting for the goal.

The English-born number ten has not shown enough quality in his performances to suggest that he can be a difference-maker, aside from his stunning solo goal against Dundee United, which currently looks like it was a flash in the pan.

Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar described Aasgaard as “rotten” at the start of this month, and it is hard to disagree with that when he has many red cards as goals this season.

Aasgaard’s red card against Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup is far from the only poor moment he has had in a Gers shirt, though, as the £3.5m signing was also hauled off at half-time against Livingston last weekend.

Rohl was clearly unhappy with his contributions in the opening 45 minutes, and it is hard to be happy with his contributions over the entire season so far, which is why he has been just as bad as Chermiti and Rothwell.

Antman upgrade: Rohl must unleash Rangers flop who Thelwell tried to replace

Danny Rohl should finally unleash this Rangers flop who Kevin Thelwell attempted to replace.

ByDan Emery Nov 25, 2025

He and Ian Holland take three wickets each as Northamptonshire are skittled for 189

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Sep-2025

Chris Wright struck in his final appearance before retirement•Getty Images

Leicestershire 429 (Eskinazi 155) and 86 for 2 (Budinger 50, Keogh 2-20) lead Northamptonshire 189 (Zaib 62, Wright 3-19, Holland 3-28) by 326 runsChris Wright celebrated his 600th first-class wicket, crowning the final game of a 21-year professional career as his 3 for 19 helped put Leicestershire in the ascendency on day two of this Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Wright, who was greeted by a guard of honour when he batted in the morning session, also collected his 800th wicket in all formats, and with Ian Holland taking 3 for 28, a hapless Northamptonshire were skittled for 189 inside 58 overs, 240 behind.Only the prolific Saif Zaib looked totally assured for Northamptonshire, scoring 62, his sixth half-century of the season to go with six centuries. Named the Supporters’ Club Player of the Year during lunch, his innings moved him into sixth place on the list of Northamptonshire batters with the most runs in a season this century.With Leicestershire deciding not to enforce the follow-on, Sol Budinger picked up where he left off in the first innings, smashing 50 off 44 balls. Rob Keogh took two wickets in two balls in the day’s closing overs to offer Northamptonshire a glimmer of hope, but the visitors closed strongly on 86 for 2, 326 ahead.Earlier Northamptonshire wrapped up the Leicestershire innings within 40 minutes, Logan van Beek (35) edging behind off Justin Broad (3 for 38). Centurion Stephen Eskinazi added just five to his overnight 150 before Broad found some late movement to take the edge. Finally, Josh Hull was caught down the leg side to give George Scrimshaw his third wicket and Lewis McManus his fifth catch of the innings and 51st dismissal of the Championship season. The Northamptonshire keeper, who has played every competitive game this summer has 75 dismissals in all formats.McManus (25) displayed some crisp strokeplay, unfurling sweet drives through the covers, but he also edged several balls which fell just short or ran wide of the slip cordon. He fell playing a rash pull to Hull’s first ball with two men back for the shot, van Beek taking an excellent catch as he back peddled at fine leg.Debutant Arush Buchake survived probing early spells from Leicestershire’s seamers and showed good timing as he drove through the covers. But after punching Holland behind square for his sixth boundary, he edged to second slip for a well-made 35, as Northamptonshire lost three wickets for 12 runs in seven overs.James Sales fell cheaply to Wright when he cut too close to his body and chopped on to his stumps. Then Keogh (28), who had got off the mark with two consecutive legside boundaries off Hull, was possibly unlucky to be adjudged lbw as he came down the track to Wright, 10 short of 10,000 career runs in all formats.Zaib attacked the spin of Liam Trevaskis, smashing six down the ground before collecting another maximum as he swept over deep midwicket.At the other end, Broad dropped anchor, but after half an hour van Beek got one to lift sharply and draw the edge of his bat through to keeper Ben Cox.Zaib took on van Beek, pulling and hooking, while using his feet to drive Trevaskis down the ground, but Northamptonshire lost a sixth wicket when debutant Stuart van der Merwe fell cheaply, sweeping Trevaskis round the corner into the hands of van Beek.Zaib drove Hull through the covers to reach fifty off 58 balls, while George Bartlett (11) flat batted a full toss from part-time spinner Rishi Patel over long off for six. But on the brink of tea, Bartlett was trapped lbw as he played down the wrong line to a straight one from Trevaskis.After tea Zaib had a rush of blood smashing Holland straight to mid-off before Wright celebrated his milestone wicket when he snared Ben Whitehouse lbw. Scrimshaw was the last to go, offering a return catch to Holland.Batting again, Leicestershire made their intentions clear as Budinger went on the offensive, blazing six fours and a six before he was bowled by Keogh with one that spun away. Next ball Keogh removed Holland via a brilliant one-handed grab by Broad at first slip.

Branislav Jasurek, representative of Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, has clarified the state of the player's relationship with head coach Antonio Conte. Jasurek and Lobotka stole headlines in Italy recently after comments resurfaced of the agent suggesting that his client will leave the club if the coach stays at the helm.

Lobotka's agent raises eyebrows in Italy

Jasurek appeared in a podcast with Slovak website which was recorded in October but gained significant traction in Italy this week. Lobotka's agent's comments sent shockwaves in Naples, as he stated that the combative midfielder could seek pastures new next summer if Conte ended up staying.

"Napoli have invested well in recent times and brought in new players," he said, before questioning Conte's choice to hand Lobotka very little rest amid his struggles with injuries. "That's why I don't understand why Lobotka had to play three difficult matches in eight days before the national team match. They could have given him a little rest and thus he would have been able to play for Slovakia in Northern Ireland. So I'm nervous," Jasurek expressed.

"If Stano wins a third title in Napoli, it will certainly be easier for him to leave, but I don't like to predict these things. He now has a significantly improved contract and could stay at the club for a few more years. But he is already 30 years old and it will be almost unrealistic to physically endure it under Conte. We are still talking about whether it can be managed at all. What Conte requires is brutally demanding. The coach's running requirements in statistics are incomparable."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportJasurek issues clarification, praises Lobotka's dynamic with Conte

Following how big a deal Jasurek's words became within hours of it making the rounds on the internet, the agent was contacted by Jasurek immediately issued a determined clarification, revealing that his words were taken out of context.

"I was very surprised, because the words were taken completely out of context," he assured. "It's true that I participate in a podcast in Slovakia, where we talk about the national team and some players. In that episode I spoke about Lobotka with a lot of appreciation. At the end, I said that it's difficult to work with Antonio Conte, because he's a very demanding coach, but I added that this is positive because he's a winner. Then I joked and said that Lobo might get tired and ask me for a transfer in the summer, but it was clearly a joke.

"Everyone on the podcast understood this, because I am his agent and every transfer is 'work' for me. Anyone who listened to the podcast in the original language would have immediately understood that it was just a joke. I can also assure everyone that Conte is like a father to Lobotka, and this relationship will never change. I am sure they will win many more trophies together."

Lobotka wants to win the Champions League with Napoli

Lobotka, who arrived from Celta Vigo in 2024, has a contract until 2027 with the Partenopei. There's also an option to extend his deal by another year. According to Jasurek, the Slovakia international harbors ambitions of lifting the Champions League trophy with Napoli, drawing parallels between his connection to the club and that of Marek Hamsík.

"Stanislav has the same relationship with Napoli as Marek Hamsik. He sees the city as his second home and has bought a house there. He shows commitment every week, often twice a week, and that's what matters most," Jasurek continued.

"He is already a two-time Italian champion with Napoli and fully believes he can win the title for the third time. He also dreams of the Champions League with this club. He is 30 years old — a time when he wants to lift trophies — and he is at the right club to achieve that."

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Getty ImagesHow's it going for Lobotka and Napoli this season?

The Scudetto holders have been struggling of late, dropping to fourth place after earning just seven points out of a maximum 15 from their previous five league encounters. Per reports, Conte is set to hold talks about his future at Napoli with the club's hierarchy. 

As for Lobotka, the 30-year-old has recently returned to full fitness after spending two weeks on the sidelines due to an adductor injury. 

The 21-year-old has been appointed Guyana’s vice-captain as they prepare to defend their four-day title in the West Indies Championship

Deivarayan Muthu29-Jan-2025Guyana’s Matthew Nandu had a rousing start to his career, scoring a century on first-class debut and almost repeating the feat on List A debut, in 2023. He then suffered a slump in form but is rising again, having topped the run-charts for Guyana in the 2024 Super 50 competition, with 260 runs in six innings at an average of 43.33. The 21-year-old has now been appointed Guyana’s vice-captain as they prepare to defend their four-day title in the West Indies Championship, which will kick off on January 29.Guyana will open their campaign against Barbados at Providence. Nandu has fond memories of his 126, spanning over eight hours, against the same opposition on debut in North Sound almost two years ago.”Before making my debut I was nervous but after I got a hundred it was a special feeling,” Nandu recalled, speaking to ESPNcricinfo during a camp at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai in December 2024. “Yes, not many people can say that they have a hundred on debut, but I think we can now leave that behind and keep moving forward. “I don’t want to look back at the past, I want to continue looking at tomorrow and what it brings.”Nandu prepared for West Indies’ domestic season by facing a variety of spinners on a variety of surfaces, including black and red, in Chennai. He hopes he can incorporate the Chennai lessons against spinners in the Caribbean.”I’ve been able to figure out ways to score off the spinners in the middle, especially against left-arm spin, and the coaches have given me some good pointers,” Nandu says. “I think what the coaches have passed on over this past week and a half, it’s been very helpful towards my game. I came here with an open mind, looking to learn as much as I possibly can and try and incorporate as much as I can towards my game. So, when I get the time to go back home and put in the work, I’ll definitely focus on the things that I learnt here and try and make it more consistent towards my game.”Related

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Warrican dominates a series made for spinners in Multan

While Guyana continues to produce new heroes – Shamar Joseph is the latest poster boy of the region – cricket isn’t as popular in Canada, where Nandu grew up. Nandu played a number of sports, including baseball, basketball and ice hockey, when he was young, but he was always hooked to cricket, which is in his blood. Matthew is the son of Arjune, the former West Indies Under-19s and Guyana legspinner, who played four first-class matches before he moved to Canada. His uncle Richard Jodah has also represented Guyana in youth cricket.During the off-season in Canada, Nandu used to travel to Guyana and went onto emulate his father by playing for both West Indies Under-19s and Guyana. Against Papua New Guinea in the 2022 Under-19 World Cup at Diego Martin in Trinidad, he made 128 off 134 balls to go with two wickets with the ball.”I’ve had my dad work with me since I was a kid, so he’s played a big part in my journey as well; I’ve had the support from my mom and my brother and my uncle as well,” Nandu says. “I’ve been working hard towards my game since I was about nine-ten years old, fell in love with the game and found my way in Guyana, playing trials and stuff like that to get to the next level, so just looking to continue moving forward and taking one game and one opportunity at a time.”Matthew Nandu hones his defence at the CSK Academy in Chennai•Super Kings AcademyWhile these are still early days in his first-class career, Nandu has displayed stickability, which was the calling card of his hero and Guyanese great Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Nandu also idolises current West Indies ODI captain Shai Hope, who had handed out his maiden CPL cap at Guyana Amazon Warriors.”He’s not playing now but I looked up to Shiv Chanderpaul growing up,” Nandu says. “I think right now, it’s Shai Hope – the way he goes about his game and his mannerisms on and off the field. I feel special that Shai was the one who gave me the [CPL] cap and hopefully I’m looking forward to that happening in the future.”Shai was very open. He always wanted to share his knowledge with me, and I tried to work as much as I could with him, to learn as much as I can. And he was always open to share his experiences, and I took that with both arms.”You can be fairly certain Nandu wasn’t talking about getting another cap from Hope for any other team in domestic or franchise cricket.”Well, yeah, it [playing for West Indies] is the ultimate goal, but I think it’s one thing, getting to the level is one thing…but staying there and performing every game is another thing,” he says. “So, it comes more so with the mindset and working on that every day, every game. Just want to continue to have that right mindset.”

Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has expressed his frustration after seeing his side held to a stalemate by Athletic Club at San Mames. The Spaniard claimed the French champions "deserved the victory" but were denied by an "incredible" Man of the Match performance from goalkeeper Unai Simon.

PSG frustrated in Bilbao

The Parisians arrived in Bilbao knowing that three points were crucial to their ambitions of securing automatic qualification for the round of 16. In the hostile cauldron of San Mames, the Ligue 1 giants produced a dominant attacking display, carving out numerous clear-cut opportunities against the Basque outfit. However, they found an impenetrable object in their path in the form of Spanish international goalkeeper Simon.

The Athletic Club shot-stopper produced a string of world-class saves to keep the visitors at bay, frustrating the likes of Bradley Barcola and Senny Mayulu throughout a frantic 90 minutes as the French side made 18 attempts on goal though only five hit the target. The result leaves PSG still searching for the points required to cement their status in the top eight of the league phase standings, a reality that somewhat irked their manager during his post-match media duties.

AdvertisementAFPDenied by the Man of the Match

Speaking to the press after the whistle, Luis Enrique was quick to point out the statistical anomaly of the match. For the PSG boss, the fact that the opposing goalkeeper was named the standout performer was irrefutable proof that his tactical plan had worked, even if the scoreboard did not reflect it.

"It happened like that because goalkeeper Unai Simon was incredible, he was designated man of the match and that means we deserved the victory, I think," Luis Enrique stated. "Without a doubt, Athletic's game was of a very high level. They could have won because they had a few chances too. But on the balance, we deserved to win it.

"It's a shame because we have to win because Unai Simon was incredible, we need more points to finish in the top eight." 

Despite the irritation regarding the result, Luis Enrique remained complimentary about the spectacle. The intensity of the match, driven by the ferocious pressing of Ernesto Valverde's side and the raucous Basque crowd, provided a true Champions League test.

"No frustration, I think it was a very intense match, we did the job, they pressed a lot," Luis Enrique said. "We created a lot of chances but Unai Simon was on the pitch and the atmosphere was incredible."

He also refused to criticise his forward line, despite their inability to find the back of the net.

"All the forwards showed a good level, they created a lot of chances to score a goal."

Eyes on the January window

With the Champions League group phase reaching its climax and the domestic season intensifying, attention is also turning to the upcoming January transfer window. While the immediate focus was on the dropped points in Bilbao, Luis Enrique was asked about potential reinforcements to help convert these dominant displays into victories.

According to reports from RMC Sport, the manager remains open to strengthening his squad, provided the right opportunities arise. While he maintained that his current squad is of a very high standard—making it difficult to find players who can genuinely improve the starting XI—he did not rule out activity if the market presents a solution to their occasional lack of ruthlessness.

"We are always open to improving the team," he noted.

AFPWhat comes next?

For now, PSG must regroup. The performance in Bilbao proved they can create chances against top-tier opposition in hostile environments, but as Luis Enrique bluntly noted, as long as goalkeepers like Unai Simon are in "incredible" form, playing well is not always enough to secure the points needed for European glory. The chase for the top eight goes down to the wire.

PSG have 13 points with two games left to play, which come against Sporting CP and Newcastle in January. They are already sure of a play-off spot, at least, but the Spanish coach will be determined to ensure his side avoid the extra two matches by picking up the required points next month.

Everton’s good form continued with an impressive 3-0 win at the Hill Dickinson Stadium over Nottingham Forest.

The Toffees move into fifth in the Premier League, taking their record since the start of November to four wins, one draw and one loss.

It was a fast start for David Moyes’ side. Just two minutes into the clash with the East Midlands outfit, Forest centre-back Nikola Milenkovic headed a cross into the back of his own net, to give Everton the lead almost immediately.

Then, in the third minute of stoppage time before half-time, the Evertonians doubled their lead. It was a significant moment for Thierno Barry, who got off the mark in that famous Blue shirt after some impressive performances of late.

Iliman Ndiaye carried the ball to the edge of the Forest box before laying it into the path of Barry, who slotted home.

The perfect day for Moyes’ side was capped off in the 80th minute when another summer signing, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, drilled home a volley after the ball bounced to him from a corner. Everton ran out deserved winners to continue their excellent form.

It was a day to remember for the Toffees, with some standout performances.

Everton’s standout players vs. Forest

This will certainly be a day that Thierno Barry remembers. The Frenchman bagged his very first goal in an Everton shirt, showing the sort of quality in front of goal that earned him the big move to the Premier League from Villarreal in the summer.

What a tidy finish it was from the Toffees’ number 11, too. Ndiaye drove towards the penalty box, with Barry making a good diagonal run to find space.

The finish was composed, slotting it past Matz Sels.

Speaking of Ndiaye, the Senegalese attacker was in imperious form once again. So often the source of everything the Merseysiders do well in attack, he was a handful for the Forest defence and, of course, set Barry up.

One person who was impressed by Ndiaye’s efforts was Chris Beesley, Everton reporter for the Liverpool Echo. He gave the attacker a 7/10 rating, praising him for ‘always providing an outlet for his side’ throughout the night.

However, neither Barry nor Ndiaye were the stars of the show for Moyes’ side in a fantastic win.

Everton’s best player in their 3-0 win

What a performance it was from another of the Everton summer signings, Dewsbury-Hall.

The Englishman was at the heart of the Toffees’ midfield today, scoring his excellent goal late on, putting in the cross for the own goal, and offering plenty more on the ball.

The stats reflect just how well Dewsbury-Hall performed against the East Midlands outfit. He had 56 touches and 86% of his passes.

Off the ball, it was a masterclass from the former Leicester City star. He won an exceptional 8/13 ground duels and made five ball recoveries.

Dewsbury-Hall stats vs. Forest
Stat	Number
Touches	56
Pass accuracy	86%
Opposition half passes	16/20
Ground duels won	8/13
Ball recoveries	5
Tackles won	3/4
Goals	1
Stats from Sofascore

Dewsbury-Hall left thousands of Toffees fans impressed with his performance against Forest. Well, the same can be said for journalists, with Beesley giving him a 9/10 for his efforts, explaining he was ‘bright from the start’.

There is a case to be made that Dewsbury-Hall, described as the club’s “most important and best” player by journalist John Merro, is their best signing since Ndiaye.

The Senegalese attacker has been sensational since moving to Merseyside last summer, racking up 17 goals and assists in 54 games.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

As for the English midfielder, he has brought creativity and final third threat to Moyes’ side in just 15 games, with four goals and two assists so far.

However, the tenacity off the ball, on full show against Sean Dyche’s side, has been crucial this season too. It is certainly easy to see why Merro is of that opinion.

After paying just £28m for him this summer from Chelsea, it is looking like one of the biggest bargains in 2025. The all-action midfielder has shone so far, just like Ndiaye has on Merseyside.

£47m spent; CF "monster" replaces Beto: Everton's dream XI after January

Everton manager David Moyes will be looking to strengthen his team in the January transfer window.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 15, 2025

We must just turn up and wait for what treat he throws at us

Sidharth Monga21-Jun-20252:33

Manjrekar: The world knows how special Pant is

Rishabh Pant would have been right at home in England in an era gone by. Imagine him as one of the schoolboys in Cambridge in the late 1950s and early 1960s, an eccentric inspired by the Beat Generation of America, walking around with little regard for rules and convention, rejecting materialism that came with the post-war relative prosperity, looking all hip and dandy, doing things for rhyme or reason not apparent to observers, offending and confounding anyone who thinks they are an authority figure.Pant is actually quite at home even now. Only Alec Stewart and Matt Prior have more hundreds as wicketkeeper in this country. No visiting wicketkeeper has more than one. He has scored more hundreds in this country than Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli.All he needs is long hair, a fisherman sweater, kohl in his eye, and he could somersault all over the streets. Rish the Beat, he could call himself, along the lines of the mad-genius singer-songwriter and guitarist of that era, Syd Barrett, who went by Syd the Beat for a while.Related

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Pant dances down the second ball he faces. Seemingly goes into his bunker. Occasionally tries to ramp-pull Josh Tongue, the bowler who troubled him the most. Plays proper dirty slogs off Chris Woakes, one of them in the last over of the day. Charges Brydon Carse early on the second morning.When the opposition wicketkeeper, Jamie Smith, tries to coax him into a reckless shot against Shoaib Bashir, Pant tells him the bowler is bowling well and the field is spread out so he can’t. And still goes ahead and slog-sweeps the next ball for the 79th six of his career, going past MS Dhoni and behind only Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma among Indians.He brings up his hundred with a one-handed six, having fallen in the 90s seven times, the same number as his centuries now. On three occasions, trying to hit a six. Once, he hit a six outside the ground, the ball was lost, and he got out to the replacement ball on 99.It’s like nothing really matters. What is a hundred? Just a material possession. The world is just random chaos we must embrace, we are but a minuscule part of what is just a pale blue dot, and the best we can do is live every moment to its fullest: cartwheel when we get a hundred, trudge back slower than Inzamam-ul-Haq when we miss it, sharing every expression of pain with the world. And then do the same all over again without a care for convention or hundreds or that pain of getting out to a creative shot.Rishabh Pant celebrates his century with a somersault•Getty ImagesOf course this is not the 1950s or 60s. Of course Pant is no shooting star. Since his debut, he is only the most consistent Test batter of the most high-profile and the most scrutinised Test team in the world. He just plays a high-pressure game with the lightness of a spiritually awakened person.There has to be some method to Pant’s batting. Until he himself talks about it someday – or he could choose to keep the mystery about it alive – we can only look to make educated guesses from some of the trends.He likes to go after seam bowlers early in the piece. He is more aggressive in more challenging conditions. He likes to hit balls where fielders aren’t, something ridiculously simple when spoken about but hard to execute.Pant is susceptible to balls bowled on good length and angling across or seaming away from him. It would seem all his creative shots are designed to avoid facing those deliveries as much as he can.After he charged down to Ben Stokes second ball, only one out of the next nine Stokes deliveries were pitched on that good length. In this innings, for example, he faced 108 balls of pace and played 22 false shots, a control percentage of a tick under 80. Only 35 of those 108 balls were on a good length of 6-8m from the stumps. He played 16 false shots to them.Pant had a wider range of interception points than other batters. He was likelier than anyone else to meet a quick delivery either more than 3m down the wicket or 0.5m from the wicket. And still his average interception point was further down than others.He thrives in this chaos where he has thrown the bowlers off their lengths. When he was playing just his second Test, having got off the mark with a six in his debut innings, he let Moeen Ali bowl good ball after good ball to him in Southampton. He tried to weather the storm in the traditional way. The storm didn’t subside. He ended up scoring a 29-ball duck, and said never again.There must be no rhythm or plan for bowlers when they come at Pant. The bowlers must be forced to protect as many areas on the field as possible, giving him more room for error when he attacks. Even his batting coach mustn’t know the gameplan. There must not be any yardstick to measure his processes by. We must just turn up and wait for what treat Beat Rish throws at us.

David Moyes’ blistering start back to life in the Everton dug-out feels like a very long time ago now.

Indeed, the Scotsman was just the antidote the Toffees needed after the wheels came off Sean Dyche’s miserable reign, with just two defeats picked up from his opening ten games back in charge of the Premier League titans last season, steering them comfortably away from relegation.

The Merseyside outfit is still six points clear of that dreaded relegation zone in the here and now, but there are concerns in the air at the Toffees all the same, with Everton only coming out on top with a win in the league once across their last five matches.

A 3-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday would have only added to those worries, as former Everton hero Richarlison stood out for Thomas Frank’s away side.

Richarlison's potential Everton return

Richarlison has often found his time at Tottenham Hotspur to be fraught with bumps, but he would put the game beyond all doubt on Sunday evening when heading into the path of Pape Matar Sarr to make it 3-0.

The passionate Brazilian only has 23 goals next to his name for Spurs from 104 total appearances, but recent reports – as perTEAMTalk – suggest that the North Londoners are willing to cash in on their one-time £60m buy in January, and that Everton are circling.

It would well be a masterstroke of a return as the Toffees attempt to feel comfortable about their striker options again.

CF

77

23 + 6

LW

51

24 + 8

RW

22

6 + 1

While Richarlison might be remembered most fondly by those on Merseyside for his gung-ho performances down either wing, it feels unlikely that the South American – despite his previous heroics at the club – would be able to displace the likes of Jack Grealish on his favoured left channel at the moment.

Consequently, he stands his best chance at making waves on his return as an out-and-out centre-forward, when assessing Richarlison’s previous goal tally as a striker at Everton, with 23 goals picked up from 77 outings, leading to one of his ex-managers at Goodison Park in Carlo Ancelotti, hailing him as a “fantastic” finisher of chances.

Despite murmurs that Spurs want to offload their hot-and-cold number nine in the coming months, he is also able to boast a healthy haul of three goals and two assists next to his name from nine clashes this season.

Bringing back such a former beloved figure could signal the end for Beto in Everton blue, with the Lisbon-born striker struggling once again to get going yesterday evening, to the dismay of his impatient fanbase.

Why Beto is on borrowed time at Everton

You would think a striker in Moyes’ current set-up would be licking their lips at the prospect of how many goals they could put away, with the likes of Iliman Ndiaye and the aforementioned Grealish tricky customers intent on putting chances on a plate for the chosen marksman leading the line.

Unfortunately for Moyes and Co. though, Beto often fluffs his lines when a golden opportunity comes his way, with the former Udinese striker desperately unlucky not to find the back of the net on Sunday evening, when an acrobatic effort in the second half – with the scoreline still standing at 2-0 – was somehow clawed away by an alert Guglielmo Vicario.

That’s about as good as it gets for the under-fire 27-year-old, however, with his minimal 14 touches of the ball meaning he often cut an isolated figure at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, so much so that Jordan Pickford even managed to accumulate more touches himself, having tallied up 36 in total.

With just one goal next to his name in the Premier League this season, it isn’t a great shock to read all the widespread backlash he is receiving for his recent dismal displays, with Everton-based podcaster Paul Brown stating at full-time that the goal-shy number nine is “hopeless”.

Moreover, another Toffees podcaster in the form of Steven Kelly also stated that the ongoing striker situation is “killing” Moyes’ side at the moment.

It really does look like Beto is on borrowed time on Merseyside, therefore, with his precarious position in the starting XI becoming ever more shaky if the passionate South American potentially returns to the blue half of Liverpool shortly.

Alongside Beto: Moyes must drop 4/10 Everton star who lost possession 19x

Everton were humbled on their own patch as Tottenham Hotspur ran out convincing 3-0 winners.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 27, 2025

Mary Earps is preparing for a hostile reception on her return to former club Manchester United in the Women's Champions League this week, having turned down a new contract with the Red Devils in 2024 and departed on a free transfer. Her Paris Saint-Germain side visit Old Trafford, which also comes on the tail of the storm whipped up by revelations in her autobiography.

• Earps ready for jeers at Old Trafford

  When Earps left United on the expiry of her contract, off the back of a historic FA Cup triumph but also the club’s worst WSL season to date, she suggested that a period of expected transition did not "align" with where she was in her own career. Arsenal were credited with interest at one stage, but she opted for PSG instead. With Manchester United and PSG both qualifying for the league phase of the Champions League this season, Earps told in the build-up to Wednesday's clash it would be considered "written in the stars".

  She added: "I knew it from the moment [United] qualified. Sometimes you just feel it. Maybe I manifested it, I don't know, Going back to Old Trafford, which is a special place, with so many amazing memories. I'm looking forward to the game."

  Earps was a first-hand witness to the hostile reception that Alessia Russo, who left on a free transfer to join Arsenal in the summer of 2023, received from United fans at Leigh Sports Village in her first game against her former club just a couple of weeks into the 2023-24 campaign. The former England goalkeeper isn’t ruling out the possibility of at least "a little bit" of heckling.

  "I'm probably expecting a little booing," she continued. "I hope it's a little bit, but it might be a lot. A few of the fans have come out to support me at PSG, but Manchester United is their number one team. I understand that."

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  Hostile Earps reception far from guaranteed

  A few factors might prevent the reaction to Earps from being that bad. That the game is at Old Trafford, rather than the much more intimate Leigh Sports Village (recently renamed the Progress With Unity Stadium) where every voice can be heard, might serve to dilute any hostility. The larger venue for this game and the nature of the occasion is also likely to attract more casual fans, who are less vocal.

  That Earps made controversial comments about Hannah Hampton in her book is more a prickly subject for Chelsea supporters, and in an international context, while the fact that she left for PSG rather than a direct rival – differing from Russo switching allegiance to Arsenal – may also influence how she is perceived by United supporters. On top of that, where Russo's exit left the club somewhat high and dry without a clear starting No.9, the club had arguably already prepared for a future without Earps when Phallon Tullis-Joyce was signed a year prior. The American has flourished since taking over the gloves and is among the nominees for the 2025 Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper award.

• Skinner: Earps is 'welcome' back

  United boss Marc Skinner, who had previously also briefly worked with Earps at Leicester City when she was a teenager, said on Tuesday he will "say nothing but good things" about her.

  "Me and Mary have always had a good relationship," he explained. "I've not read the book. I don't know anything about it… I'm hearing snippets, of course I am. I'm always one of those [who thinks] you have to be careful what you say but Mary believes in it. So that's her truth, she has to speak it.

  "From our perspective, we'll welcome her as somebody that is on the opponents' team in this game. But also always pay tribute to what she has done when she was at Manchester United. I know Mary is a good person, so I look forward to the challenge of trying to beat her and her team on this Wednesday night."

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  What comes next for Earps?

  While Manchester United are looking to make it three wins from three in the Champions League proper this season after back-to-back victories over Valerenga and Atletico Madrid so far, PSG are yet to register a point after losing to Wolfsburg and Real Madrid. It’s all to play for at Old Trafford under the lights on Wednesday night.

They have called for an indefinite boycott of the Dhaka leagues

Mohammad Isam08-Oct-2025Dhaka cricket clubs’ officials have called for an indefinite boycott of the Dhaka leagues in protest of the recently held BCB elections, which they are calling “illegal”. These are the same clubs that withdrew from the polls held on October 6 after claiming interference in the electoral process.Tamim Iqbal, who withdrew from the race before the election, was among the club officials present at the press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday. Masuduzzaman, the BCB councillor from Mohammedan Sporting Club, said that they had a majority of the clubs united in the boycott, which he said would also include district-level cricket.”Starting from the third-division cricket league, including the second and first-division leagues and the Premier League, all the organisers who are participating, we saw how the beauty of cricket got lost,” Masuduzzaman said. “Therefore, if you continue like this, we will not play cricket. We will also boycott cricket at the district level.Related

• Tamim accuses board president of 'interference'

• Tamim withdraws from BCB elections: 'I cannot be a part of this'

• Aminul Islam rules out government interference in BCB election

• Aminul Islam re-elected BCB president

• BCB director removed hours after being elected to his post

“We will all remain united in announcing that cricket will be temporarily closed. We didn’t accept the elections. We said many times that this election should not be allowed to happen. But no one listened. In our opinion, he [Aminul Islam] has conducted an illegal election.”Hours later, BCB chief Aminul Islam said that they would protect the interests of the cricketers. “The betterment of Bangladesh cricket and the well-being of those who matter most – the cricketers – are the main objectives and goals of the BCB. We are all in this together; those within the board and those outside share the same philosophy and passion,” he said in a BCB press release.According to reports, at least 38 clubs are behind the boycott, including seven Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPL) teams. These include defending champions Abahani Limited and their arch-rivals Mohammedan. The other DPL clubs are Legends of Rupganj, Gulshan Cricket Club, Brothers Union, Partex Sporting Club and Shinepukur City Club.Dhaka’s league structure has the DPL at the top of the pyramid, followed by the first-, second- and third-division leagues in a professional system that is the heartbeat of Bangladesh cricket. It is the competitive system that has sustained the country’s cricketers since the 1950s.As a result, the Dhaka clubs also enjoy the majority of positions in the BCB’s board of directors. Ahead of the elections this year, however, the Tamim-led faction had complained of interference, particularly after the BCB president issued a controversial letter on September 18, in which he asked the sports ministry to send a fresh list of councillors from the districts and divisions category.