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Jamie Carragher has taken a fresh swipe at Mohamed Salah for supposedly not leading by example amid Liverpool's poor run of form. The Reds legend commended captain Virgil van Dijk for speaking to the media and demanding more from his team-mates. But the former Anfield favourite thinks Salah shouldn't shirk his responsibilities, especially after being vocal about his contract situation last season.

• Carragher feuds with Salah

  This time last year, Carragher branded Salah as "selfish" for publicly expressing his disappointment at Liverpool not offering him a new deal.

  He said on Sky Sports: "The most important thing for Liverpool this season is not the future of Mo Salah, it's not the future of Virgil van Dijk and it's not the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The most important thing is Liverpool winning the Premier League. That is more important than any of those players, and if he continues to put comments out or his agent keeps putting cryptic tweets out, that's selfish, that's thinking about themselves and not the football club."

  The Egypt international bit back at Carragher but the feud eventually ended when the former Roma man signed a two-year deal at Anfield. Fast forward to the present, and the ex-England man has laid into the 33-year-old again in light of Liverpool dropping to 12th in the Premier League and losing six out of their last seven league games. 

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  Salah needs to 'come out as a leader'

  Like Liverpool, Salah has struggled to make a telling impact for Arne Slot's team this season. The forward scored 34 goals last season but this term, he has just five goals in 17 matches. Following the Reds' 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, skipper Van Dijk said "everyone has to take responsibility" for their current malaise, and urged his team-mates to get the Merseyside outfit out of this mess. Now Carragher wants Salah to do something similar going forward.

  Before Manchester United's 1-0 loss to Everton on Monday, he said on Monday Night Football: "I think Virgil van Dijk, after the game, has come out again and spoke, as he should do as a captain, he's called Liverpool a mess. I must say, on the back of all these Liverpool defeats, it's always Virgil van Dijk who comes out. And as I said, the captain should do that, but there should be other players in that dressing room coming out and speaking for the club. A year ago this weekend, Mo Salah wasn't shy in coming out and speaking about his own situation, about the club not offering him a contract. I only ever hear Salah speak when he gets man of the match, or he needs a new contract. I'd like to see Mo Salah come out as one of the leaders, as one of the legends of Liverpool, come out and speak for the team. He shouldn't always be the captain. But, obviously, the manager is the one in the firing line. Any manager with results like that, as you said, if they were part of the bottom four or a promoter team, would be under pressure. So there's no doubt the manager is under pressure now with results like that, on the back of being champions, but also on the fact of what Liverpool spent in the summer."

• Slot positive about Liverpool's future

  While Slot was naturally disappointed with Liverpool's recent results, months on from spending more than £400 million on players this summer, he struck a defiant tone ahead of a busy run of games. The Dutchman added that a "solution" for the Reds could be within their grasp.

  When asked if his players are low on confidence, he replied: "I don't feel this, or I don't see this. After we go 1-0, we struggled. I tried to pump them up and give them the information to start the second half well. Immediately, they go 2-0 up. The players kept trying, I can't blame them for that. They blocked every shot we had. The solution is not that far away. We created chances in every and it's not as if we give away 10 chances. That will not go on forever but we have to look at ourselves and what we can do better when we concede a goal. Two games in a row, we haven't scored."

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  What comes next for Liverpool?

  Liverpool will hope to put the Forest loss behind them when they host PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday at Anfield. The Reds have had more joy in Europe's elite competition this season, so this may be the perfect game to reignite their campaign. After that, they face West Ham, Sunderland, Leeds United, and Inter Milan in the space of 10 days.

Newcastle United are masters at adapting and overcoming adversity. Hurdles have sprung up and sent Eddie Howe’s side tumbling in recent years, but each time the Magpies get themselves airborne once again.

They must prove this mentality remains intact, having struggled to make things click in the Premier League this season.

One ray of light through this up-and-down period has been Nick Woltemade, who has swerved a number of those hurdles to establish himself as one of the most exciting young forwards in Europe.

Could he be the Toon’s most talented player?

Why Nick Woltemade is thriving at Newcastle

Newcastle signed Woltemade from Stuttgart for a club-record £69m fee in August before Alexander Isak had completed his record-breaking move to Liverpool, signalling in all but confirmation the Swede’s looming departure.

With Yoane Wissa also brought in but sidelined before he could make his bow with a knee injury, Woltemade, 23, has assumed quite the heavy load.

But this hasn’t thwarted him.

The striker has scored six goals from his first 13 matches in black and white. Rangy and seemingly a throwback type of frontman, the German is endowed with much technical grace, with reporter Andy Sixsmith hailing him for “mesmerising” link-up ability.

Woltemade is surpassing expectations at number nine for Newcastle, and he is indeed playing like a man in a contest with Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali for the crown as the club’s best player.

But there’s an up-and-coming prospect who might be the cream of the crop, albeit one who requires work over the next few years.

Newcastle's bigger talent than Woltemade

Newcastle have transformed their first team in the four years under Howe’s wing, but PIF have quietly been assembling a youth force to be reckoned with down the line.

And, right at the top of this pack is Vakhtang Salia, who joined St. James’ Park from Dinamo Tbilisi this summer despite rival interest from European heavyweights such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Injury has kept the 18-year-old from featuring for the Toon yet, but he played 57 senior matches for his former Georgian side, scoring eight goals and supplying four assists.

Salia hasn’t quite worked out his best position at this nascent stage of his career, but that’s okay. He is fast and has the mark of a clinical player down the line, and in this, he could one day surpass Woltemade.

This is a bold claim to make, but the respective forwards are at wholly different points in their careers, and his “very high work-rate”, as has been said by Genk scout Mikha Gabechava, suggests he has the drive to match his talent with a tenacious approach.

Because, after all, the Georgia U21 star has been described as “one of the best teenage prospects in the world” by journalist Graeme Bailey, and this without yet proving himself in a top division. The hype is very much real.

The sales of prospects like Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson mark a cautionary tale for the Tynesiders as they look to go from strength to strength once again. Salia’s signature must be held onto, and he must be allowed to develop into a polished Premier League star.

With the right work over the coming years, he could even prove to be a bigger talent than Woltemade.

Newcastle star was set to be sold, now he's one of their "standout" players

This Newcastle star is still performing for Eddie Howe’s side.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 7, 2025

Carlo Ancelotti has lifted the lid on why his final season at Real Madrid unravelled despite Kylian Mbappe’s blockbuster arrival. Speaking from Brazil, the legendary coach detailed the defensive crisis that derailed Los Blancos’ campaign and forced tactical improvisation in key moments as the campaign ended without a major trophy.

• Why Ancelotti believes his final Madrid season collapsed

  Ancelotti’s Madrid era ended far differently from how he imagined. After winning La Liga and the Champions league in 2024 and seeing Mbappe join an already star-studded squad featuring Vinícius Junior and Jude Bellingham, expectations were sky-high. Instead, the season ended in disappointment as they finished four points behind Barcelona in La Liga and they crashed out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage, resulting in the Italian being replaced by Xabi Alonso.

  The veteran coach has now broken down what went wrong. Speaking to , he explained how an unprecedented defensive injury crisis forced Los Blancos out of their natural structure. With Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao sidelined with anterior cruciate ligament injuries and Antonio Rudiger playing through significant pain, Madrid lost the backbone that had powered their earlier success. Those problems triggered a domino effect across the pitch, reshaping rotations, shifting the midfield, and destabilising the rhythm of the team. Ancelotti says the collapse had far less to do with individuals leaving and far more to do with a team losing its defensive identity.

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  "We lost our entire starting defence" – Ancelotti breaks down the failure

  Ancelotti expanded on the real reasons behind Madrid’s drop-off, pointing directly to the defensive situation: “What happened was that we lost our entire starting defence. We lost Carvajal and Militao, and Rudiger played with a serious injury. Luckily, [Raul] Asensio came up from the youth academy and did very well. Let’s not forget that many times I had to play [Federico] Valverde at right-back and [Aurelian] Tchouameni at centre-back, which left the midfield with significant absences. We lost solidity at the back, and that cost us titles.”

  He pushed back on the idea that Toni Kroos’ departure destabilised the team, adding: “I don’t think it was because of Kroos, because we adapted to playing with [Eduardo] Camavinga, [Dani] Ceballos, Bellingham, Tchouameni, or Valverde. We have great midfielders, but finding another Kroos or [Luka] Modric is impossible.”

• Brazil beckoned after Madrid exit

  The 66-year-old ended up taking over as Brazil coach in the wake of his Madrid departure, an outcome he admits he never seriously imagined during his time in Spain.

  "Thinking about going to another club was difficult for me because of the legacy I had left here, which was huge," he said. "I found it hard to imagine myself at another club. But then Brazil called, and it became a great challenge, a great dream to prepare for a World Cup with the five-time champion team, the historic Selecao. Besides, being the national team coach is a different job. I really enjoy what I'm doing. I made the right decision.

  “At Real Madrid, I had brutal daily pressure… six press conferences a week. Brazil is also under pressure, but it’s a more relaxed job, more about observation than intervention. I don't have much time to train, but that was already the case at the clubs because of the demanding schedules. I try to learn every day about the current state of football in Brazil, the country's culture, everything. I live in Rio de Janeiro as much as possible. I really like the city. Now I'm not involved in the daily grind like before. There's time to observe calmly: the players, the structure of Brazilian football, with a very young Confederation president who wants to change things for the better. All of that is good."

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• Ancelotti aiming to get the best out of Vinicius

  The Brazil boss also discussed the challenge of helping Vinicius reproduce his Madrid form on the international stage, saying: "With the national team, he hasn't been able to reach the level he usually has at Real Madrid. But in these last few matches, he's improved and has done very well with Brazil, scoring goals and providing assists. Nobody can dispute his qualities. Vini is top-class."

  He also addressed Vini’s emotional outburst in El Clasico after being substituted by Alonso: "He simply made a mistake that day and needs to understand his new role at Real Madrid, a more important role in the dressing room than before. He made a mistake, he apologised, and he must learn from it. The coach has the right to make the changes he needs to improve the team."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has shared what’s impressed him most about teenager Andre Harriman-Annous after the Hale End graduate’s senior debut against Brighton on Wednesday.

The Gunners extended their unbeaten run to 11 in all competitions whilst booking a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after their victory over Brighton.

Goals from fellow youngster Ethan Nwaneri and star winger Bukayo Saka handed Arsenal a routine win at the Emirates Stadium, despite summer signing Kepa Arrizabalaga being forced into a string of early saves to deny the Seagulls, who threatened to break through first.

The headlines initially belonged to Max Dowman, after the 15-year-old became Arsenal’s youngest ever starter.

Dowman showed flashes of brilliance on the right-hand side in place of Saka and the injured Noni Madueke, who’s believed to be making “faster-than-expected” progress in his recovery from a knee injury.

However, once the teenager was hauled off Saka, and Harriman-Annouss replaced Declan Rice, attention turned towards the latest in a long queue of star-studded talents from the Hale End production line.

Harriman-Annous, who bagged 18 goals in 37 games for the Under-21s last season, has been a regular in first-team training at London Colney with Arteta taking note.

The England Under-18 international can feel hard done by that he didn’t mark his first senior appearance for the club with a goal too, having watched Jason Steele save his one-v-one effort before Saka dispatched the rebound.

Arteta shares what's impressed him about Harriman-Annous after Arsenal debut

It was a night to remember for Harriman-Annous, with Arteta explaining in a post-match press conference why he finally gave the youngster a chance to shine at N5.

Arsenal’s boss explains that Harriman-Annous has impressed him with a fierce mentality and work ethic behind-the-scenes, with the versatile centre-forward desperate to make an impact.

Arsenal supporters have plenty of reasons to feel excited about Harriman-Annous after his debut against Brighton.

Stepping onto the pitch in a high-stakes cup match is no small feat, and the teen showed glimpses of the potential that has impressed coaches throughout his development.

His composure and confidence stood out. He demonstrated good technical skills and an understanding of the game that belies his age. For a young player making his first senior appearance, showing such calmness under pressure is a promising sign of future growth.

Harriman-Annous made the bench against Liverpool in August, and if he continues to seize his opportunities like he did against Brighton, it’s only a matter of time before he makes his first Premier League outing.

Jurickson Profar is apparently pretty sneaky.

During the bottom of the first inning of Game 2 of the NLDS between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, Profar made a spectacular play. But he waited a bit to let everyone know just what he'd done.

With the Padres up 1-0 with one, Mookie Betts stepped to the plate and blasted the first pitch he saw from Yu Darvish down the left field line. It looked to be headed for the seats as Profar drifted back to the wall. He leaped into a crowd of Dodgers fans and … well, no one seemed to know what happened.

Profar stared at the fans and jumped up and down a few times as the FS1 camera operator flashed back to Betts, who was rounding the bases. Whoever was in charge of graphics for the network announced Betts had hit a home run. But he hadn't.

Despite making the catch, Profar milked things for a bit before revealing he'd robbed a home run. Video is below.

That's a heck of a play and he was going to enjoy every moment of it.

It’s always nice to see a player rebound from adversity. Ahead of England’s comfortable 3-0 win over Wales on Thursday evening, Manchester City’s John Stones said he considered retiring last season amid endless injury problems.

But the 30-year-old Stones has already started five matches across all competitions for the Citizens this term, and he cruised through the win at Wembley, albeit suffering but surviving a fitness scare.

Stones isn’t the only one of a City persuasion to be targeting renaissance at the more mature end of their career, though, with Jack Grealish starting to look like a £100m player once again.

Only, he’s doing it over on Merseyside, in an Everton shirt.

Why Man City loaned out Jack Grealish

Pep Guardiola broke the bank when signing Grealish from Aston Villa for a British record £100m fee. It was 2021. The Three Lions star was silky and stylish and all the rest, but he got lost somewhere within the Man City mechanics during his four years at the Etihad.

Still, the 30-year-old is a Citizen, shipped out on loan to Everton this summer. But Grealish has returned to his finest form so far this season, notching four assists in August to claim the Premier League Player of the Month and scoring the recent winner at the Hill Dickinson Stadium to end Crystal Palace’s 19-game unbeaten run.

Grealish, perhaps, is at his best when the leading figure in a team, the talisman. Under Pep’s wing, something went awry, and he toiled on the margins for his past two Premier League campaigns.

If the Sky Blues succeed in selling the £300k-per-week talent permanently next summer, they will not recoup anything near the figure once paid.

Across 157 outings for Man City, Grealish scored 17 times and supplied 23 assists for his teammates.

He was never a prolific player, per se, but there’s no doubt plenty was left to be desired, and Guardiola knew it, handing his record signing just 17 Premier League starts across his final two terms. During this period, he notched six goal contributions.

Grealish isn’t the only one who might have been ferried out this summer, though, with Pep and co maybe looking back at the opportunity to sell Bernardo Silva for a hefty figure with something akin to regret.

Pep should have sold Bernardo Silva

Silva, 31, is one of the definitive superstars of the Guardiola era at Manchester City. A six-time Premier League champion, his 419 appearances for the club place him ninth in the all-time charts.

But he’s beginning to dip. Even though the boss named him captain this summer, Silva has lost some of the magic that has so often been discernible throughout his career, and Fabrizio Romano has said only this week that the veteran “has chances to leave Man City” ahead of 2026.

It’s been a long and storied career for Silva at Manchester City, but Guardiola’s side are evolving, and habitually have the rumours of the Iberian talent’s potential departure emerged in recent years.

Last season was a struggle for everyone at the club, but Silva felt the upheaval and tumult more than most. His output was halved, and he was placed on the substitute’s bench seven times across the latter half of the top-flight term.

Altered in his role, Silva no longer produces goals and assists with the same regularity, and Sofascore record he is averaging just one chance per Premier League game this season, losing 70% of his duels so far.

He’s captained Man City six times across all competitions this season, and remains one of the most fleet-footed and intelligent players in the Premier League, even described as “one of the best players” Guardiola has ever seen.

But, aged 31, there’s a sense he’s into the autumn of his career in English football, and is not indispensable as he once was.

He’s still a tenacious and layered attacking midfielder, ranking among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe for pass completion, the top 10% for tackles and the top 7% for carries per 90, but the Portugal international could have fetched a pretty penny indeed for City in the past, with Transfermarkt recording the ace once bore a market value of €100m (£86m).

Silva is among only the top 54% for goals and assists combined, which isn’t enough for a City side looking for different attacking dimensions, easing the burden on Erling Haaland.

Saudi Arabian suitors presented themselves last year, got their bids at the ready. It came to nought, but since the Portuguese star has hinted this coming season could be his last as he stares at the culmination of his contract in Manchester, might there be a touch of ruefulness that a big sale could not have been engineered, and instead City must wave goodbye to one of their best on a free?

News is indeed growing over the possibility of Silva’s summer departure on a free, with Benfica and AC Milan considered among the frontrunners. This is a reality that Man City must accept. Perhaps they should have sold him last season, or the year before, but having signed him way back in 2017 for £43.5m, there are some who would suggest City have received bang for their buck.

Concerning the regret over not selling sooner to speed up the rebuild, the same logic might be attributed to Grealish, who languished on the side at Man City for two years before earning a move to Everton and resurrecting his career. Had City cashed in on either before they dipped and waned, a hefty figure may have been had.

He's a "cheat code": Man City sold bigger talent than O’Reilly for £300k

Man City might wish they’d kept hold of another academy star in recent years

By
Joe Nuttall

Oct 9, 2025

Real Madrid turned in a complete performance against a poor Valencia side, with Kylian Mbappe grabbing two and Jude Bellingham finding form in Saturday's 4-0 romp at Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos did most of their damage in the first half, and were able to overcome a missed penalty from Vinicius Jr to seal a comfortable win.

Madrid were in control from the first minute, and peppered the Valencia goal often. Vinicius came close in the opening exchanges, cutting onto his left before forcing a tidy save while Bellingham saw a similar effort be kept out soon after.

Instead, a bit of luck gave Los Blancos the lead, as they were handed a soft penalty after a Valencia defender was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box and Mbappe converted it with one swift stroke. The second didn't require any fortune; Mbappe scored it, capping off a fine flowing move with a simple tap-in, thanks to a delightful set up from Arda Guler. Bellingham then made it three shortly before half-time, putting an exclamation mark on a wonderful performance with a curled effort from outside the box. 

Vinicius endured a more difficult evening as things wore on. Mbappe handed the Brazilian a spot-kick, but he fired right at the 'keeper, and everything from there felt slightly rushed before Vinicius was replaced with 15 minutes to go. Not that it mattered to the rest of the Madrid team, though, and Alvaro Carreras added an audacious fourth late on, smashing into the top corner from the edge of the box to cap off a commanding Madrid win. Next stop, Anfield in the Champions League. 

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from the Bernabeu…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Thibaut Courtois (7/10):

  Didn't really have a save to make. Nice to get himself a clean sheet. 

  Federico Valverde (7/10):

  Made one wonderful recovery challenge, had a couple of looks on goal. Much improved after a rough start to the season. 

  Eder Militao (7/10):

  A solid shift at the back. Will be happy to have had a quieter evening. 

  Dean Huijsen (7/10):

  Won his headers, strong in his tackles, subbed after 70 minutes after a tidy night. 

  Alvaro Carreras (8/10):

  Opened his Madrid goal account with a lovely strike. Kept things tidy defensively. 

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  Midfield

  Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):

  A middling showing. Won his tackles, got booked, hooked at half-time.

  Arda Guler (8/10):

  Created a couple of chances and grabbed himself an assist. A solid 45 minutes. 

  Jude Bellingham (8/10):

  Looks like somewhere nearing his best. Scored a great goal, ran the midfield, and was much more decisive on the ball.

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  Attack

  Franco Mastantuono (6/10):

  Full of turns and tricks, but seldom entirely convincing. Tried to overplay a bit, and made the wrong decision here and there. 

  Kylian Mbappe (8/10):

  Inevitable from the first minute. Comfortable from the spot to open things, tidy from close range for his second. Generously forwent a hat-trick opportunity to give Vinicius a go.

  Vinicius Jr (7/10):

  Really impactful and dangerous on the ball in the first half – even if he was a little lacking in his finishing. Put his penalty right at the 'keeper, and seemed to get frustrated after. 

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  Subs & Manager

  Dani Ceballos (7/10):

  Kept things ticking over in midfield after the break. 

  Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):

  Made a couple of nice interventions, offered some bite in midfield. 

  Raul Asencio (7/10):

  Extra legs at the back – and effective ones at that. 

  Endrick (N/A):

  Immensely surprising to see him out there for the first time all season. 

  Rodrygo (N/A):

  No time to make an impact. 

  Xabi Alonso (8/10):

  His second-best night in the job yet. Madrid scored four and looked in total control. Washed down the Clasico in fine fashion – attention now turns to Liverpool. 

The transfer window is just around the corner, and it looks set to be a big one for Arsenal.

While Mikel Arteta’s side have had to contend with a torrent of injuries this year, it’s still become increasingly clear that they do not have the attacking options at their disposal to get over the line.

For example, the only player to reach double digits for goals and assists in the squad this year has been Bukayo Saka, who’s done so despite missing almost four months of action with a hamstring injury.

So, with this in mind, it’s hardly a surprise to see the North Londoners being linked to so many talented attackers in recent weeks, including one who has won the Premier League in the past and even been compared to Saka.

Arsenal's winger search

While the priority for Arsenal this summer will likely remain a new centre-forward, the club have still been linked with a plethora of talented wide players, such as Nico Williams and Rayan Cherki.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The former has a release clause of £48m in his current deal, which doesn’t seem too steep considering he’s still just 22 years old and has managed to rack up a tally of 11 goals and seven assists in 44 games this year.

However, Cherki could be even cheaper, with some reports claiming he could be available for just £30m, which would be a steal, as in just 43 games this season, the young Frenchman has scored 12 goals and provided 19 assists.

Yet, if the club want to go all out on a superstar striker this summer, they might have to go for a genuine bargain on the wing, someone like Leroy Sané.

According to a recent report from Football Insider, Arsenal have maintained their interest in the Bayern Munich star, and, alongside Chelsea, are currently the frontrunners to secure his signature.

While the competition from the Blues is far from ideal, the good news is that the £245k-per-week star wouldn’t cost anything in transfer fees, thanks to his current deal expiring in the summer.

It might still be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but Arsenal should do what they can to bring Sané to the Emirates, as he would add some real quality to the attack, and he’s even won comparisons to Saka in the past.

How Sané compares to Saka

So, before we get into some of the other reasons Arsenal should be looking to sign Sané this summer, let’s examine this comparison to Saka and where it comes from.

Well, in this instance, it comes from FBref, which compared players in similar positions at last summer’s European Championships and concluded that the Englishman was the third most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the German in the entire competition.

We can better understand their similarities by looking at some of the underlying metrics in which they rank closely, including but not limited to expected assists, progressive passes, passing accuracy, shot and goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.

However, on top of their statistical similarities, they are also both predominantly right-sided, left-footed players who have played and thrived under Arteta’s coaching, with the German spending several years with him at City.

Aside from the similarities to their best player, though, why should the Gunners bring the Bayern star this summer?

Well, first and foremost, while he has spent plenty of time off the right, he’s just as capable on the left, meaning he could provide some genuine competition to both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard next season on top of being able to rotate with others in the side.

Moreover, even though he’s closer to the end than the start of his career, the “world-class” international, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has still been seriously effective this term, racking up 13 goals and six assists in 44 appearances, totalling 2348 minutes.

That means the former Premier League winner is currently averaging a goal involvement every 2.31 games, or every 123.57 minutes, which is undoubtedly the sort of output that would give the North Londoners a serious boost.

Ultimately, Arsenal should be going all out to sign Sané this summer, as not only does he share some key similarities with Saka, but he remains a productive attacker and, best of all, he’d be free.

Their answer to Salah: Arsenal make offer for £63m CF who's outscoring Isak

The dazzling striker could be the one to lead Arsenal to glory next year.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

May 14, 2025

Rangers supporters simply cannot wait for this season to end.

On Sunday, the Light Blues held their fierce rivals to a 1-1 draw at Ibrox, taking the lead through Cyriel Dessers on the cusp of half time, but ultimately thankful for an excellent save by Liam Kelly right at the death to preserve the point.

Nevertheless, it matters little considering the champions had rubber-stamped the title a week earlier, the gap between Glasgow’s giants remains 17 points, with Barry Ferguson’s side now without a win in four Premiership games.

The Light Blues are guaranteed to finish second, thereby entering next season’s Champions League in the second qualifying round, the first leg of which takes place on 22/23 July, with Brann, Austria Wien or familiar foes Servette currently forecast to be their possible opponents.

So, with a tight turnaround between this season ending and next season commencing, the new 49ers ownership are under pressure to appoint a new manager and fast, but are they close to doing just that?

The latest on Steven Gerrard's Rangers return

According to widespread reports, including from Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Steven Gerrard is currently ‘the leading candidate’ to be re-hired as Rangers’ new manager.

Harri Burton of Football Insider has previously reported that Gerrard has impressed Paraag Marathe, who is spearheading 49ers Enterprises’ 51% takeover of Rangers, making him the obvious choice to be Ferguson’s successor.

The 44-year-old Englishman was previously in charge of Rangers for 192 matches between July 2018 and November 2021, before departing for Aston Villa, most-notably leading the club to a Premiership title, the club’s only top-division triumph since 2011.

So, while Ferguson will remain in charge for the final three matches of this season, against Aberdeen, Dundee United and then Hibs, all the current indications are that Gerrard will be returning to the Ibrox dugout in time for July’s Champions League tie.

The Liverpool legend will no doubt be looking to repeat the success he enjoyed during his prior stint at the helm…

Steven Gerrard's key men at Rangers

During Gerrard’s first Rangers tenure, few players were as important to him as Ryan Kent, with the table below outlining this point.

As the table outlines, only five players made more appearances under Gerrard than Kent, while only James Tavernier and Alfredo Morelos contributed more than his 60 goal-involvements.

Kent initially arrived on loan from Liverpool, before being signed permanently for a reported fee of £7.5m, the highest fee Rangers have paid in the modern era, only eclipsed by the £12m splashed to bring in Tore André Flo from Chelsea in 1997.

Fast-forward to the present day, is a current Rangers star on a similar trajectory?

Rangers' best attacker could be the new Ryan Kent

As noted by Alan Galindo of the Daily Record, it’s pretty difficult to dispute the fact that Václav Černý has been Rangers’ best attacker this season.

The table below underlines this assertion, with the loan star having been simply “devastating” at times, as per analyst John Walker.

Only Dessers has been directly involved in more Rangers goals this season than the Czechia international, while Černý was the club’s top scorer in the Europa League with six, a tally only bettered by Bruno Fernandes, Kasper Høgh and Ayoub El Kaab across the entire tournament.

Back in October, then-manager Philippe Clement described the Czech winger as “important for the club”, adding “I want to see more and more” from him.

As a result, Černý’s performances should offer some optimism for the Rangers support ahead of next season, the problem being the fact that he is only on loan.

Well, Mark Walker of the National has previously reported that Wolfsburg would be willing to sell Černý for £6.75m, which would be a huge outlay, similar to that paid to tie down Kent permanently six years ago.

Well, based on Černý’s output this season, Rangers should absolutely pay the money to sign him and, should they do so, as stated by Amy Canavan of BBC Sport, this would be quite the statement of intent by the new owners.

With Gerrard back at the helm also, the Englishman could find a new Kent-like attacking weapon to wield.

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Fulham are now keen on signing a full-back who has a tempting release clause, but there is set to be competition for his signature from West Ham United, according to Sky Sports Germany.

Cottagers stepping up summer transfer plans

The Cottagers are on course to record another solid finish in the Premier League, under the helm of Marco Silva, and they have picked up some very impressive results along the way, most notably defeating champions elect Liverpool 3-2 earlier this month.

The only thing that may prevent Silva’s side from qualifying for Europe is a lack of consistency, having dropped points against the likes of Ipswich Town and West Ham United, while the 1-0 loss at AFC Bournemouth last time out could also be costly.

As such, Silva may feel some new additions are needed this summer, and targets have been identified in a number of positions, recently reigniting the interest in AC Milan forward Samuel Chukwueze, who was on the verge of a move to Craven Cottage last winter.

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Panathinaikos striker Fotis Ioannadis has also been identified as a target, but there is a feeling the west Londoners could miss out, with Sporting CP also in the race for his signature.

Not only are Fulham looking to strengthen their attack, but they may also bring in a new left-back this summer, with a report from Sky Sports Germany revealing they have now joined the race for Werder Bremen defender Felix Agu.

The 25-year-old is being closely monitored by the Cottagers, having put in some impressive performances in the Bundesliga this season, but they are not the only English club in the picture.

West Ham are also keen on signing Agu, and the Premier League duo could be tempted by the appealing release clause of just €8m -€10m (£6.9m – £8.5m) included in his contract with the German club, which is set to expire at the end of May.

"Talented" Agu could excel in Premier League

There are clear signs the 25-year-old could now be ready to make the jump to the Premier League, having been lauded as “one of the best full-backs” in the Bundesliga by journalist Oma Akatugba last month.

The Werder Bremen star has made 17 appearances in the Bundesliga, displaying his attacking prowess by picking up three goals and one assist, and he ranks in the 94th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 over the past year.

Silva already has a top-quality option at left-back in Antonee Robinson, but there has been speculation over the American’s future, and Agu’s ability on the front foot indicates he could be a like-for-like replacement.

Not only that, but the “talented” defender is also extremely versatile, having played at both left-back and right-back throughout his career, as well as further forward, so he could be a fantastic addition to the squad at just £6.9m – £8.5m, regardless of whether Robinson leaves.