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Glamorgan’s batting has troubled them all season and Josh Poysden’s career-best ensured there would be no let up

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2018
ScorecardA career-best five for 29 from Warwickshire leg-spinner Josh Poysden continued Glamorgan’s batting struggles on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Edgbaston.The Welsh county chose to bat, aiming to at least double their haul of just three batting points collected from the first four games.But they added just one more as, on a slow pitch, they were bowled out for 220 after Poysden, playing his first championship game of the season, dismantled the lower order.Poysden said: “It has been a really frustrating time for me, not being in the team at the start of this year and for most of last year. I didn’t play as much as I wanted to, especially in the championship last year, and with us getting relegated it hurt not to be able to contribute.”But I went away in the winter and worked hard with Stuart MacGill again and then, after I came back, have worked hard with the coaches here at Edgbaston.”Australia Test star Usman Khawaja made just four on his debut and, though David Lloyd, Owen Morgan and Chris Cooke all got decent starts, no-one built the big innings required.The total looks well under par, although Glamorgan fought back well in the last session, removing both Warwickshire openers to leave the home side on 24 for 2 at the close.After Chris Cooke, captaining Glamorgan for the first time, won the toss, young openers Nick Selman and Jack Murphy added 44 in 14 overs. They were parted by Henry Brookes when Murphy was adjudged lbw by Indian umpire Yeshwant Barde, officiating in the first match of his exchange trip.Connor Brown then edged Chris Wright behind and Selman (30, 74 balls, four fours) bat-padded Jeetan Patel to short leg.Khawaja’s uncomfortable, 47-minute stay was ended by a Keith Barker inswinger and Barker should have immediately also dismissed Cooke, who was dropped on nought by Dominic Sibley at second slip. The captain survived to add 57 in 15 overs with Morgan before misreading Poysden’s first ball and falling lbw.Poysden struck again in each of his first two overs after tea when Morgan was lbw and Andrew Salter clipped to short mid-wicket.Lloyd, having batted forcefully to pass 2,000 first-class runs in his 50th match, then departed deeply unimpressed with the decision that he had edged a ball from Patel on to pad before Tim Ambrose reached forward to catch it.Ruaidhri Smith became the fifth lbw casualty when he missed a sweep at Poysden who bowled Lukas Carey first ball to complete his five-for.Glamorgan hit back hard when the home side replied as Carey rattled Will Rhodes’ stumps with the first ball of the innings and Timm Van der Gugten castled Sibley with the 56th.Both sides are depleted in the seam-bowling department with Warwickshire’s Olly Stone and Ryan Sidebottom ruled out by side strains and Glamorgan missing captain Michael Hogan and Marchant de Lange due to hamstring injuries.

Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers was backed throughout the summer transfer window as the board allowed him to bring in nine new signings to bolster the squad.

Nat Phillips, Luis Palma, Odin Thiago Holm, Paulo Bernardo, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki, Marco Tilio, Hyeok-kyu Kwon, and Hyun-jun Yang all came through the door at Parkhead.

However, snapping up talent from other clubs is not the only way to improve the side as the Northern Irish tactician could also look to the academy to find a future first-team star.

One player whose performances for the club's youth sides suggest that the potential is there for them to emerge as an option at senior level is 20-year-old striker Joey Dawson, who could be unearthed as the eventual heir to Kyogo Furuhashi at Paradise.

How many goals has Kyogo scored for Celtic?

The 28-year-old marksman has plundered an impressive 58 goals in 91 matches in all competitions for the Hoops since the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

He has been a prolific scorer for the Bhoys since his move from Vissel Kobe in 2021 and contributed with a stunning 27 goals in 36 Scottish Premiership clashes last season.

The Japan international, who has scored four goals in six league games this term, produced a goal every 1.33 matches on average throughout the 2022/23 Premiership campaign, which shows that he is a reliable goalscorer for the Scottish giants.

Kyogo has proven himself to be able to find the back of the net on a regular basis and Celtic have a player who has the potential to replicate that success with Dawson.

How many goals has Joey Dawson scored for Celtic?

The English youngster has scored a phenomenal 20 goals in 24 matches for Celtic B since joining the club from Scunthorpe ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Dawson made his Scottish Premiership debut for the senior side that term but has not appeared in any more matches since then, despite an incredible 2022/23 season for the academy.

The 20-year-old marksman, who was described as "big" by his uncle and former Tottenham defender Michael Dawson, racked up an outstanding 20 goals and three assists in 21 Lowland League games last term.

He averaged one strike every 1.05 league outings for the B team and averaged more than one goal contribution every clash for the side throughout the campaign.

This shows that the talented finisher has the potential to be a lethal and prolific scorer for the Hoops if he can translate that form over to the Premiership and other senior competitions.

His record for the B team is outstanding even in comparison to Kyogo's phenomenal form for the Bhoys and he, therefore, could end up being the dream heir to the Japan international if he can handle the step up.

However, the young star suffered a horrible knee injury back in March and is not expected to be back until the start of 2024. This means that there is no immediate need for him to emerge as a first-team player but Rodgers could slowly bed him into the set-up throughout next year.

The Northern Irish head coach could see how Dawson deals with his recovery and then offer him a chance to impress in a competitive setting later this season, or at the start of the following campaign, to see if he can eventually take over from Kyogo in the number nine position.

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Com problemas para montar a defesa, Bruno Lazaroni vai recorrer a um reforço caseiro. O Botafogo não poderá contar com Marcelo Benevenuto e Rafael Forster diante do Grêmio na próxima quarta-feira, pelo Campeonato Braisleiro. Com apenas dois zagueiros disponíveis, Wesley, capitão do sub-20, vai integrar o plantel que viajará ao Rio Grande do Sul.

A dupla de zagueiros titular será composta por Kanu e Sousa. Benevenuto, titular, está suspenso pelo terceiro cartão amarelo. Rafael Forster, que vem jogando como volante mas é zagueiro de origem, foi expulso contra o Sport e cumprirá suspensão automática.

Wesley é o capitão do time sub-20 do Botafogo. Durante a paralisação das competições por conta do novo coronavírus, em agosto, ele participou ativamente dos treinamentos da equipe profissional no campo anexo do Estádio Nilton Santos.

Assim como Luís Henrique, vendido recentemente ao Olympique de Marselha, Wesley pertence ao Três Passos Atlético Clube, do Rio Grande do Sul, e está emprestado ao Botafogo, que possui parte dos direitos federativos do zagueiro por vitrine e tem uma opção de compra para tê-lo em definitivo no futuro.

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The India U-19 head coach feels the focus should rather be on moulding these players to become first-class and India A ready

Shashank Kishore in Tauranga13-Jan-2018Two days ago, the internet went berserk as a group of teenagers smashed cake all over Rahul Dravid’s face to ring in his 45th birthday. Dravid seemed at ease, soaking in what has become the norm in Indian cricket these days, before posing for several photographs. This was on the sidelines of their rained out warm-up game against Kenya.Had the Cricket Advisory Committee’s recommendation of appointing Dravid as batting consultant for the senior team when they go on tours had gone through as planned, he might not have been in Christchurch as the head coach of the Under-19 team. But the BCCI changed its mind and a group of 15 starry-eyed cricketers playing a World Cup couldn’t be happier.In June, Dravid was with the India A team in South Africa when the Under-19 team was in England, but was constantly in touch. The side led by Prithvi Shaw swept the ODI series 5-0. The four-day squad led by Himanshu Rana won the Tests 2-0. That they did so in cold and wet conditions was the first real sign of the squad being in the groove. Yet, Dravid’s focus when he was back with the Youth team was to not be influenced by short-term results.”The under-19s is slightly different to the A team,” Dravid said of his coaching methods ahead of India’s tournament opener against Australia in Mount Maunganui on Sunday “The A team, I always feel, is a little bit more about the performances with guys almost pushing for spots into the Indian team, so you’re really focused on trying to get performances from them to start getting recognition. You want them to get that recognition from the selectors to get into the Indian side as we’ve seen some of the A team boys do.”Here it’s a little bit more of a developmental role. You can have a little bit more of an impact even on technique, mindset and looking at them slightly from a long-term perspective. Sometimes with the A team, I feel we’re looking at them very much immediately to see how quickly they can (progress). But here, we know that the time frame is a little bit longer. So we’re not looking at them to get into the Indian team tomorrow – if they do, great – but we’re not really expecting that. We know they have three-four more years down the line, it’s a slightly different thing but both of them are really enjoyable and fun.”Dravid has often spoken of the need to use the Under-19 platform to mould players to become first-class and India A ready, without worrying about short-term results. This perhaps explains why he wasn’t too perturbed by the loss to Nepal and India’s subsequent exit from the group stages of the Under-19 Asia Cup in November.”We keep the bigger picture in mind,” Dravid said. “From the players’ perspective, they want to win every game. But if you see the lead up to it, what has been satisfying for me is that we’ve given 30-35 people an opportunity to represent India Under-19 at some level in some form over the last 14 months before finalising this squad. We ensured we didn’t pick people who had played last time, ensuring a fresh group keeps coming through. Those things are pleasing in the background, but when you get into a tournament like this you play every game to win, try and do your best to win this tournament.”Rahul Dravid poses with children at an event•Getty Images

Meeting strict fitness standards, such as passing a yo-yo test, were done away with because Dravid felt bodies of those who are as young as 16 may not be fully matured. The onus was largely on skills. Then came a residential camp in Alur in December, with a focus on team bonding activities. The players were split into pairs randomly so that no two members were room-mates for prolonged periods. A number of pool, volleyball and football sessions got them together, followed by musicals and team dinners. Later, at the NCA in Bengaluru, there was a mix of one-on-one sessions, video analysis and player feedback. The camp was topped off by a series of three matches against the Under-19 batch of 2016.That group was also invited to talk to the current batch about their experiences of playing in different conditions against different teams. “The conditions were the most exciting things for us, playing away from home,” Dravid said. “It’s really a good learning from our perspective, just exposing them to conditions is very important at the Under-19 level. It goes back to that earlier point about these results versus the experiences, and I think it’s the experiences that really matter more than sometimes the results.”As he’s gone about ticking all boxes of preparation, Dravid has been ably assisted by Paras Mhambrey, the bowling coach, and Abhay Sharma, the fielding coach. “It works really well, we’ve worked together really well for the last couple of years so we understand each other,” Dravid said. “I kind of don’t believe so much in just demarcating and saying that you know, even though Paras may be the bowling coach and Abhay is the fielding coach, I believe both of them have enough knowledge and experience as they’ve coached Ranji Trophy teams, they’ve been around teams a lot and they’ve played a lot of cricket themselves.”They know a lot about the other disciplines so the way we work here is not like Abhay won’t have a suggestion on bowling or on batting, or Paras might not have a point of view. What we’ve tried to do and encourage is a situation where we say we’re three coaches, let’s just pool our heads together and see how we can work in all the departments. Abhay sort of manages the fielding a little bit more and Paras has a little more responsibility with the bowling. But we work in sync and we’re not restricting them from actually sharing their knowledge.”Both India’s players and their staff will both be put to test over the course of the next three weeks. They may not yet have their eyes on the crown that has eluded them since 2012, but a method such as this will rarely fail twice in a row. Ramiz Raja, the former Pakistan captain, believes they too should adopt a similar junior system headed by an international cricketer of repute. There can’t be a bigger endorsement than when you’re the neighbour’s envy.

West Ham United will have to stand firm in the coming weeks if they want to keep one of their star players as Manchester City "will bid again", claims transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

West Ham United news – what is the latest?

It hasn't been the window that West Ham fans would've hoped for following their historic win in the Europa Conference League final just two months ago.

Instead of welcoming in a swath of new faces to help them push on, climb the league table, and maybe have a good go at challenging for the Europa League, they sold the club captain and talisman Declan Rice to cross-city rivals Arsenal, floundered around looking for targets and struggled to sign those they identified.

That said, things have started looking up in recent days with the arrival of Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse and the exciting acquisition of Mexican international Edson Alvarez.

Read the latest West Ham United transfer news HERE…

These three players should help the East Londoners genuinely improve this year; however, the efforts of treble-winning City to sign their most dynamic midfielder Paqueta over recent weeks has somewhat dampened the excitement of new arrivals.

According to the Daily Mail, the Premier League champions have already seen an offer worth £60m rising to £70m rejected by the Irons, with the London side only willing to sell their star should they receive an offer close to the player's £85m release clause that'll come into effect next year.

While that is obviously a lot of money, with City's seemingly endless resources, it's not a hard valuation to reach, and according to transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, they will "100%" come back in with another offer for the Brazilian.

He provided an update on the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:

"City keep working on the Lucas Paqueta deal, because City will bid again for Paqueta, 100% I can guarantee to you."

How good is Lucas Paqueta?

Despite the Rio de Janeiro-born dynamo only arriving in the league last summer from Ligue 1 side Lyon in a deal worth £51m, he has already left quite the impression on fans, managers, and players alike.

His former captain Rice was full of praise for his quality and skill earlier this summer, telling the Evening Standard: "He's incredible, honestly, he's absolutely incredible."

In his 27 league starts last year, the £150,000-a-week man scored four goals, provided three assists, took 1.9 shots per game, maintained a passing accuracy of 80.2%, won four Man-of-the-Match awards and averaged a match rating of 6.97, per WhoScored.

His underlying numbers are also fantastic and suggest that were he given a chance to play for a genuinely dominant side like City, he could quickly become one of the league's most deadly midfielders.

According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the "spectacular" star sits in the top 1% for tackles and blocks, the top 5% for clearances, the top 6% for aerial duals, the top 7% for progressive passes, and the top 16% for attempted passes, all per 90.

The Hammers faithful can only hope that David Moyes and Co are able to keep a hold of Paqueta for these final three weeks, but that might be easier said than done with the immense financial muscle at the disposal of Pep Guardiola's side.

Newcastle United's transfer window is close to bolting its latch, with manager Eddie Howe and technical director Dan Ashworth plying some impressive work over the past few months.

Playmaker Sandro Tonali has completed a £55m transfer from AC Milan, Leicester City have allowed winger Harvey Barnes to make a £39m move to Tyneside after their Premier League relegation and Southampton (also relegated) have sold Tino Livramento for £40m.

Allan Saint-Maximin has departed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, and while the Magpies will be ready and raring after qualifying for the Champions League this year, one more offensive signing looks to remain on the cards…

Who are Newcastle going to sign?

According to Turkish-Football, United have been in negotiations with Galatasaray forward Nicolo Zaniolo's agents all summer and are considering meeting the player's £30m release clause.

Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…

However, transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Newcastle's Premier League rivals Aston Villa have registered a concrete interest following a recent ACL injury to Emi Buendia.

How good is Nicolo Zaniolo?

While Zaniolo has not enjoyed the most seamless career to date, it's easy to see why European outfits such as Newcastle and Villa are eager to add him to the ranks, with the Italian's cutting edge and dynamism blending to create a truly deadly attacking outlet.

Zaniolo suffered a nightmare period in 2020 where he endured two ACL injuries himself, but has since rebounded and has caught the eye of many top outfits looking to add an extra dimension to their frontline ahead of the looming campaign.

Described as a "lethal playmaker" by journalist Zach Lowy, the 13-cap Italy international scored five times in the Turkish Super Lig despite only joining from Roma in February and starting two matches.

This follows on from the previous campaign where he scored eight goals and supplied nine assists for Jose Mourinho's Serie A outfit, netting the winning goal in the Europa Conference League final against Feyenoord.

Zaniolo also ranks among the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for total shots taken and the top 14% for touches in the attacking box per 90, as per FBref, illustrating his prowess at finding dangerous openings to sink the opposition with regularity.

Barnes is listed as a comparable player to the £76k-per-week gem, and Howe might actually be wise to make a move for a similar profile and provide healthy competition for his thriving squad.

Indeed, Barnes enjoyed an impressive campaign on an individual level despite the Foxes' relegation to the second tier, having scored 13 goals from 34 Premier League matches and earned praise for his presence as a "livewire" by pundit Alan Hutton.

As such, Barnes now ranks among the top 7% of positional peers for goals per 90, and while his clinical ability will bolster Newcastle's attacking impetus, given that the club will be looking to compete across four competitions this year, spreading the workload could be imperative.

Once dubbed a “frightening talent” by journalist Ben Jacobs, Zaniolo could shoulder the burden considerably, offering a different slant but maintaining Barnes' goalscoring knack, and both players could consequently thrive and take the next step in their development.

Manchester United appear to have identified a leading candidate to replace Harry Maguire this summer, with the former Red Devils skipper seemingly on his way to joining another Premier League club…

Will Maguire leave Man United this summer?

As per various sources, the 30-year-old looks set to seal a move to West Ham United on a £30m deal to bring an end to his turbulent time at Old Trafford, with United seemingly compromising on their prior £50m valuation of the England international.

With that departure to the London Stadium in the works, respected journalist Samuel Luckhurst revealed on Twitter that Bayer Leverkusen ace, Edmond Tapsoba is "of interest" to Erik ten Hag and co, with the 24-year-old having also caught the eye of Tottenham Hotspur amid their own centre-back search this summer.

Read the latest Manchester United transfer news HERE…

In his attached piece for Manchester Evening News, Luckhurst added that the Carabao Cup winners are 'attempting' to acquire another central defender amid Maguire's impending exit, with the Burkina Faso international said to be 'admired' by the United hierarchy.

How good is Edmond Tapsoba?

The end is nigh for Maguire it would seem, with the former Leicester City man in need of a fresh start after becoming a source of mockery and criticism in recent times at the Theatre of Dreams, with The Athletic's Carl Anka noting that the 6 foot 3 dud had "found himself derided, dropped and turned into a meme".

While Ten Hag remains rather flush when it comes to alternative centre-back options – in the form of Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane – further competition and cover is likely to be needed as the club gets ready to compete on four fronts yet again.

Having been lauded as a "complete & elegant" defender by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Tapsoba could represent a dream option as far as the Red Devils are concerned, even if the 6 foot 4 rock may not exactly come cheap having been valued at around €50m (£43m) of late.

It does appear that Ten Hag is looking to the Bundesliga to find a new centre-back recruit with speculation also rife that Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard could be on his way to Manchester, although despite the Frenchman's World Cup-winning experience, his Leverkusen counterpart could perhaps offer a more orthodox fit in the heart of the defence – with Pavard also regularly utilised at right-back.

One particular strength of Tapsoba's is his ability to carry the ball out from the back with relative ease, with the former Vitoria de Guimaraes man notably ranking in the top 7% among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues for progressive carries per 90, as well as in the top 8% successful take-ons per 90.

Pavard, meanwhile, does impressively rank in the top 8% for progressive carries, although the former Stuttgart man only ranks in the bottom 6% with regard to successful take-ons, thus indicating that he is perhaps less effective at taking on his man when in possession.

With the arrival of an "exceptional" ball-playing goalkeeper in the form of Andre Onana – as described by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola – the importance of being able to play out from the back is likely to have only increased as far as Ten Hag is concerned.

Equally, with Pavard also not exactly a long-term option at the age of 27, analyst Aaron Moniz has suggested that the versatile asset is "a bit older than ideal and sub-elite at both RB and CB", while Tapsoba and fellow target Jean-Clair Todibo are said to be the "right profiles".

That would suggest that if the Leverkusen ace is given the nod by United this summer, he could represent a mainstay in the backline for years to come.

A move to Tottenham Hotspur is something Manchester United's Harry Maguire would "consider", even without the lure of Champions League football, claims journalist Paul Brown.

Is Harry Maguire joining Tottenham Hotspur this summer?

In a shock to absolutely nobody, Spurs' summer window has once again been dominated by another Harry Kane transfer saga, with links to German giants Bayern Munich refusing to disperse and, if anything, getting stronger as the Bavarians become more bullish in their attempts to sign the England captain.

With only a year left on his £200,000-a-week deal, this saga will continue dominating the narrative around the Lilywhites until a decision is made.

However, this isn't necessarily the worst thing, as it might mean that the club can go about making their own signings with less scrutiny, and so far, they have added real quality to both the first team and squad.

The marquee signing is undeniably James Maddison, but Guglimlo Vicario and Manor Solomon look like shrewd acquisitions in a market increasingly losing any touch it once had with reality.

However, for as good as the recruitment has been thus far, the one area of the team that needs the most attention is centre-back, as the club managed to ship a staggering 63 goals across their 38 Premier League games last season.

The two names linked to the club the most over the last few weeks have been Edmond Tapsoba from Bayer Leverkusen and Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg. However, another name has recently entered the rumour mill, former United captain Maguire.

According to reports from Spain (via Football 365), the England international is emerging as a critical target for the Lilywhites as his time at Old Trafford looks to have finally come to an end.

What has Paul Brown said about Harry Maguire and Tottenham Hotspur?

Brown explained that even without the lure of Champions League football, Spurs is a club that Maguire would consider, primarily due to its size and stature.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "I think Maguire at Spurs is quite an interesting one. It might be a club he'd consider. I know obviously, they finished well off the Champions League pace last season, so I don't have that to offer him but I think you know, the size of the club and the reputation of it.

"I think it's something, I think it's a move he would consider."

Should Tottenham sign Harry Maguire?

One thing the club should be prepared for if they do pull the trigger on this signing is the fan backlash. The image Maguire has cultivated over the last few years is one of a walking disaster, and fans might fear the worst should he join.

However, as with many opinions in football, it's not entirely true, and the former Foxes man could certainly be useful to Ange Postecoglou in his new-look Spurs side.

His underlying numbers, for example, are actually quite impressive and suggest that in the right system, he could well get back to his best form, the form that saw him earn that £80m move to the Red Devils in the first place.

According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the "unbelievable" 6 foot 4 sits in the top 11% for blocks, the top 12% for aerial duals won, the top 13% for touches in the oppositions penalty area, the top17% for attempted passes, the top 19% progressive carries, and the top 26% for progressive passes received, all per 90.

It should also be noted that in the last World Cup, he was voted into Sky Sports' Team of the Tournament, and in Euro 2020 – when England almost won it all – he was named in the official Team of the Tournament.

Ultimately, if Spurs can get this deal done for a relatively low price and weather the stick and attention they'll surely get, this could end up being a great piece of business.

Rangers are set for phase two of their transfer window in the coming weeks according to Dean Jones.

The Glasgow side have made seven signings so far this window, and their window is far from finished according to the journalist.

Who have Rangers signed so far?

Rangers have aimed to strengthen their squad this window with seven new arrivals at Ibrox.

Three forwards joined this summer, with Cyriel Dessers joining from Serie B outfit Cremonense on a four-year deal for a fee reported to be £4.5m. The Nigerian forward is joined by former Atalanta striker Sam Lammers, with the 26-year-old signing for the club for around £3m. Abdallah Sima was the final frontline addition this summer for Rangers, signing on a season-long loan from Premier League high-flyers Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Scottish league side also added four free transfers, with Kieran Dowell joining from Norwich, Jack Butland joining from Crystal Palace, Dujon Sterling moving from Chelsea and Leon Balogun returning to the club on a free transfer following the expiration of his Queens Park Rangers contract.

The club have lost some key names however, with Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Scott Arfield, Allan McGregor and Filip Helander all departing on free transfers this summer. It's a big overhaul in the Rangers side, with all five of those players who left having been major pieces to the club's most recent title win, where the side also went invincible, under former manager Steven Gerrard back in the 2020/21 season.

The Gers have been linked with further additions ahead of this season as Michael Beale attempts to close the gap on Celtic, with Nottingham Forest centre-back reportedly close to completing a move to Ibrox, whilst the club could once again move for Feyenoord target Danilo after they had their first offer rejected weeks ago. LAFC midfielder Jose Cifuentes has also been linked with a move to the club.

According to transfer insider Jones, before Rangers can make any more signings, they have to "trim the squad".

What has Dean Jones said about Rangers?

When asked about what the rest of Rangers window will hold, Jones told FootballFanCast that the club have to "trim the squad" but there is a "second phase coming" to this window:

"They're also having to implement a bit of an exit strategy for players in the next couple of weeks in order to trim the squad and then be able to improve it. I think Michael Beale will be very satisfied so far with what's been done, but there will be a second phase coming."

What players will leave Rangers?

A number of players will have to leave the club in order to reduce the size of the squad which sits at a bloated 36.

One player who looks set to depart this summer is Glen Kamara. The Finland international has reportedly "demanded" a transfer from the club this summer with interest from Turkish side Besiktas, and has not traveled to the side's current pre-season training camp. Manager Beale previously said that a fee in the region of £5m would be enough to secure the services of the midfielder who was a regular under previous managers.

According to another report from the Daily Record, three more players could follow Kamara out of Ibrox, with Ianis Hagi, Ben Davies, and Borna Barisic all available should Rangers receive a good fee. Barisic in particular could be let go of should the player and club fail to agree on new terms if the club hope to make any money on the 31-year-old fullback who was integral to the successful Rangers sides of the previous seasons.

It remains to be seen who will leave the Gers to fund the second phase of this transfer window, but fans should be excited as the club seem to mean business this summer.

Angus Robson has been granted an immediate release from his Leicestershire contract after concluding that his relationship with the club has broken down.Robson, a key figure in the side under previous coach Andrew McDonald, has requested his release in pursue his career elsewhere. He is not thought to have a deal with another club at this stage.Robson, aged 25 and a fixture in the Championship side over the last three seasons, had appeared to be a pillar on which a new Leicestershire side could be built. While he has scored only two centuries in 53 first-class games, nobody in either division of the County Championship has reached 50 more often (28 times; Marcus Trescothick has recorded the same number over that period) over the last three seasons. He has been out four times in the 90s in first-class cricket.But he has been unable to build a relationship with the club’s new director of cricket, Pierre de Bruyn. De Bruyn made it clear over the winter that Robson’s place in the side was in doubt and has preferred 19-year-old Harry Dearden and 34-year-old Paul Horton at the top of the order at the start of the season.Robson has sensed he was “on the outer,” as he puts it, and decided to build a new future at a club where he feels he will have more chance of progression. Robson’s contract was due to expire at the end of the season.It is a brave decision. The market for solid, red ball players is not vibrant at present – Jaik Mickleburgh is another fine player who finds himself without a first-class county at present – and some would have been content to sit in the seconds, accept their salary and wait for another opportunity. But not Robson.”I need to be playing,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I’m an ambitious player and I feel I’m good enough. I realise I’ve not scored enough hundreds, but nobody has scored more 50-plus scores and I feel my career will best be served with a fresh start elsewhere.”Over the years Leicestershire have been very good to me and I thank them for the opportunities. But the relationship has broken down of late so I went to the club and asked for my contract to be terminated. I’m very disappointed by the way it’s ended, but I have a lot of friends in that dressing room and I’ll be wishing them well in the future.”Yes, some people would sit in, but I’m not that sort of player and not that sort of man. I don’t want to waste time in my career and I feel that to give myself the best chance of having the career I want, now is the time to accept a new challenge. I’ve nothing specific organised right now, but I’m pretty confident something will come along.”Leicestershire’s chief executive Wasim Khan said. “We are disappointed to lose Angus at this stage of the season but we have a big squad and fully understand that he wants to have an opportunity to start a new cricketing chapter in his life. We thank Angus for his contribution over the last four years and wish him well for the rest of his career.”The episode sustains a turbulent start to de Bruyn’s career with the club. His determination not to accept the mediocrity that has characterised much of Leicestershire’s cricket over recent seasons is admirable, but there does seem to be something of a culture clash between his intense approach and the more relaxed attitude of his predecessor, McDonald.And, while there will be respect for de Bruyn’s decision to grant more opportunities to young players and there should be some acceptance that such a tactic will take time to bear fruit, the fact that Leicestershire were bowled out for 81 in the second innings of their opening Championship match against a very strong Nottinghamshire attack and penalised 16 points for disciplinary issues will provide his critics with ammunition.”It’s not been ideal,” de Bruyn told ESPNcricinfo. “I’m shocked and disappointed that Angus has gone. He was next in line and he leaves a big gap in the squad. His agent first approached us about five months ago and asked if they could look elsewhere, so I presume they have now found something.”But we are at the bottom of county cricket and things needed to change. We were averaging something like 14 for 2 in terms of our starts at home in the Championship last season, so I wanted to encourage healthy competition in the squad and provide opportunities for young players.”We’ve raised the bar this season and everyone has brought in. We’re a solid, happy club and, over the next three years, you’ll see progress.”As for the 16-point penalty, it was a massive blow. I largely consider that something I inherited but what can you do? It’s happened and we move on. It may take some time to build the culture we want at Leicestershire, but we’re heading in the right direction and I’m excited by the challenge.”