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Glasgow Rangers central midfielder Nicolas Raskin is one of the players whose future is up in the air now that the January transfer window is open for business.

It was reported last month that Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing the Belgium international ahead of the second half of the season.

At the time of that report, it was claimed that the Gers are likely to cash in on the central midfielder if a team comes in with an attractive offer for the former Standard Liege star.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not any club, Spurs or another side, are willing to put a bid on the table to snap him up this month.

Rangers eyeing move for Premiership star

Irrespective of whether or not Raskin remains at Ibrox or moves on before the end of the window, the Light Blues are reportedly in the market to add to their options in his position.

Transfer Focus

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

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According to The Scottish Sun, Danny Rohl is interested in signing Motherwell central midfielder Elliot Watt for Glasgow Rangers in the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Gers are eyeing a possible swoop for the Scottish star to bolster their ranks in the middle of the park for the second half of the season and beyond.

It confirms that the Scottish Premiership giants are yet to make contact with Motherwell to discuss a deal for the 25-year-old ace, but they are keeping tabs on his situation.

The Scottish Sun adds that he penned a two-year contract with the club last summer, which means that he only has 18 months left to run on his deal and Rangers could look to take advantage of that to make their move now.

Why Rangers should sign Elliot Watt

The Light Blues must press ahead with a deal to sign Watt before the end of the January transfer window because he could be a big upgrade on Raskin in the middle of the park.

With the Belgian’s future at Ibrox in doubt, signing a midfielder who could come through the door as an instant upgrade on him could be a shrewd move by Rangers to mitigate the potential blow of losing Raskin further down the line.

Watt’s performances for Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership this season suggest that he can be that instant upgrade on the current Gers star, as he has been in phenomenal form at Fir Park.

The 25-year-old talent scored his third goal of the league campaign earlier this week in a 2-0 win against Celtic for Motherwell, as shown in the clip above, with a composed finish after Kasper Schmeichel’s mistake.

Watt was described as the “best midfielder in the league” this season by Rangers supporter and analyst Kai Watson, and his statistics in comparison to Raskin’s explain why he may hold that opinion.

25/26 Premiership

Watt

Raskin

Appearances

19

17

Pass accuracy

87%

87%

Goals

3

1

Key passes per game

1.4

1.4

Assists

2

3

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.5

2.7

Ball recoveries per game

8.2

4.1

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Motherwell star offers a similar threat at the top end of the pitch, as a scorer and as a creator, but he has been more impressive at winning the ball back for his side.

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The English-born midfielder has shown that he can excel in and out of possession as a classy operator in the middle of the park, as he can win the ball back at an impressive rate, complete his passes efficiently, and carry a threat in the final third.

Watt is, therefore, an incredibly well-rounded midfielder who has the quality to offer even more to the team than Raskin, particularly when it comes to recovering the ball to create more attacks for his side.

The Motherwell star, whose 7.74 Sofascore rating leads the way in the entire Premiership, could also hit the ground running because he is a proven performer in the Scottish top-flight who would not need any time to adjust to the country or league.

Related Tavernier 2.0: Rohl wants Dan Purdy to sign "perfect" £2m star for Rangers

Rangers are reportedly considering a swoop to sign a star who could be James Tavernier 2.0 at Ibrox.

Posts ByDan Emery

Therefore, he could be the perfect signing for Rangers this month as they look to bolster their squad for a title charge in the second half of the campaign.

	Confusion over Peter Chingoka’s UK Visa has prompted the ICC to switch its annual meeting to Dubai © AFP

The ICC has confirmed that its annual meeting will be moved from Lord’s for the first time in its 99-year history and relocated to Dubai. The switch, revealed by Cricinfo last week, was prompted by uncertainty over whether Zimbabwe’s chairman Peter Chingoka would be able to obtain a UK visa in time as the ICC wanted all representatives to attend.”The annual conference week was originally scheduled to be held at Lord’s in London,” said an ICC statement on Monday. “The decision to move the location to the United Arab Emirates was made by the ICC board on the basis that all delegates required to attend would be permitted entry.” The conference week will take place between June 29 and July 4.There was confusion last week as to whether Chingoka’s visa application to enter the UK been obstructed or if he had actually applied at all. It appears that in fact he had withdrawn his latest application in order to use his passport to travel to India.The board’s president-elect, David Morgan, said on Saturday that Chingoka’s visa had neither been granted nor refused. He added: “The ICC at its last board meeting took a decision that if it wasn’t certain that Mr Chingoka was going to be in possession of a visa by April 15 then the conference week would be relocated from here [Lord’s] to Dubai.”

Although the independent forensic audit into the affairs of Zimbabwe Cricket has still yet to be made public, Cricinfo has learned that Ruzengwe and Partners, the small Harare-based firm that carried it out, have been appointed as auditors to the board.The forensic audit, demanded by the government after allegations of financial impropriety were levelled against the ZC executive, was launched in March 2006 by Peter Chingoka, the ZC chairman.Until recently, the routine audit work was carried out on an honorary basis – ie for free – by Price Waterhouse Coopers, a firm of international standing with offices in Harare. It is unclear whether Ruzengwe and Partners are also working without payment, or whether PWC stood down or were replaced..An accountant who has worked on ZC’s accounts in the past told Cricinfo that there were questions over the appointment of the same outfit who had carried out the forensic audit to this role. “At a large blue-chip firm questions would be asked regarding a potential conflict of interest,” he said. “I think there are clear ethical concerns.”Many stakeholders are concerned that no accounts since 2005 have been made public either. The old constitution stipulated that audited accounts had to be presented to the AGM within a specified period. One former senior ZC official told Cricinfo that “you would have thought that audited accounts would have had to be presented to an AGM held within a prescribed period after the year end … but we have not had sight of the latest constitution.”Another official with close links to the ZC said: “For the board to be taken seriously and properly discharge its mandate, it is responsible for ensuring that an annual audit of ZC finances is done in timely manner by a reputable firm of auditors, and that the financial statements contain a full and proper explanation of all movements in ZC finances over the preceding 12 month period. This basic reporting requirement is legislated by statute in Zimbabwe.”Stakeholders have been subjected to a two-year battle to obtain the books and this has resulted in calls for a forensic audit … {which has] diverted resources away from cricket. Let’s face it, none of this would have been necessary had the board being doing its job properly in the first place.”The last audited accounts made public were for the year ending April 30, 2005 and were prepared by PWC.

Clive Lloyd has made it clear that a player’s priority is to the West Indies © Getty Images

Clive Lloyd has resigned from his position as chairman of the Stanford 20/20 Cup board citing concerns over how the future of the tournament affects West Indies cricket. reported that Lloyd’s resignation followed “a very healthy discussion” with Allen Stanford, the Antigua-based Texan billionaire who spent US$41 million to bankroll the recent tournament, but there are rumours that a looming clash between Stanford and the WICB would have put Lloyd in an uncomfortable position.Lloyd is a WICB director and chairman of the board’s cricket committee, but was one of 14 former West Indian legends who worked closely with Stanford to organise the successful tournament. “I have since had time to reflect on the matters which we discussed and, in particular, concerns for the future of West Indies cricket in relation to the Stanford 20/20 tournament,” Lloyd said in a brief letter of resignation.Stanford’s next venture is a US$5 million 20-over match featuring the Stanford SuperStars – 20 of the best players from the tournament – against South Africa in November. However, a possible conflict with the dates for West Indies’ tour of Pakistan overshadowed the announcement. During a press conference to announce the team, Lloyd emphasised that West Indies cricket should always remain the focus and that replacements for those selected for the Pakistan tour would be arranged for.Stanford is believed to have a different opinion. “We cleared all of this with the ICC and with the WICB in terms of having a clear date in November that would not be in conflict,” he said. “We have this in writing from January. The date for the Pakistan tour was announced after we were told that our one night, 20-over match would not be in conflict. I want to make it very clear that, as someone who has now committed US$41 million, that I went into this with a conciliatory tone and attitude with the WICB. I met with Ken Gordon three times. Now it is unfortunate that they scheduled the Pakistan tour to coincide with our 20-over match with South Africa that was previously agreed to.”The Super Stars’ match is scheduled for November 10 in Antigua, while unconfirmed reports indicate that West Indies are due to arrive in Pakistan on November 7 – two days after the Champions Trophy final.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Faced with an inexperienced bowling attack and a low target, Sanath Jayasuriya pulled out all the stops during his 40© Getty Images

Sri Lanka made short work of Zimbabwe in the first encounter between the two sides in the Paktel Cup, finishing the match off in less than 52 overs, just over half the scheduled amount. Their victory was set up in the field: after winning the toss Marvan Atapattu put Zimbabwe in on a grassy Rawalpindi pitch and his attack, featuring four seamers, rolled them over for 104 in 33 overs. Sanath Jayasuriya produced some fireworks as Sri Lanka coasted to their target, and gave themselves an afternoon off with an early victory.Zimbabwe would have had no inkling of how quickly their innings would unravel while Stuart Matsikenyeri was batting in the first hour. Matiskenyeri ignored the early loss of Brendan Taylor, his opening partner, and played the game he knew best. Ball on bat sounded like a rifle shot as he fired off a string of boundaries in the first few overs, and Zimbabwe raced to 50 at nearly five an over. But having reached 37 out of a total of 54, Matsikenyeri grew a shade too adventurous against the accurate medium-pace of Farveez Maharoof, swung across the line, and was bowled.Thereafter the Zimbabwe batsmen gifted away their wickets with a series of ill-chosen strokes. Maharoof picked up a second wicket, that of Vusi Sibanda with a cutter, and Dilhara Fernando, out of the Sri Lankan side for a while, teased out Mark Vermeulen with the slower ball, bowled with a split-finger grip – one of his specialities. Atapattu saw his chance and brought back Chaminda Vaas for a second spell, a move that brought him another two wickets. Only Dion Ebrahim held one end up as the Sri Lankans easily finished off the tail, and Upul Chandana picked up some cheap lower-order wickets to finish with 3 for 15.With only 105 to chase, Sri Lanka threw their bats at the bowling and lost a couple of wickets in getting home. Saman Jayantha, who replaced Avishka Gunawardene at the top of the order for today’s game, again gave evidence of more than one chink in his technique – hard hands, and a tendency to play across the line of the ball – in making 21 before he miscued a flick horribly and skyed a catch to Tatenda Taibu. Jayasuriya was in better touch, and sent several deliveries searing through the infield on the way to 40, but Zimbabwe had the small satisfaction of picking up three wickets in all before Sri Lanka got home.The two sides now play each other a second time on October 11, and Zimbabwe will want to put this disappointing performance behind them, and try to demonstrate that they can indeed compete at this level.

Released on May 17

A special DVD marking England’s 3-0 Test series victory in the West Indies will be released in May. will feature over two hours of highlights from England’s Wisden Trophy triumph – the first time for 36 years that England have won a series in the West Indies.Highlights of this memorable series include matchwinning performances from Stephen Harmison, Graham Thorpe, Matthew Hoggard, Andrew Flintoff and Michael Vaughan. The release includes Harmison’s demolition of West Indies for their lowest-ever Test score (47 in Jamaica), Graham Thorpe’s invaluable knocks, Matthew Hoggard’s hat-trick, and the Antigua run-fest, which included Brian Lara’s new world-record score of 400 not out, and valuable centuries from Andy Flintoff and Michael Vaughan.This production is a DVD exclusive, and is Region 0 (viewable worldwide). The DVD is being produced by Green Umbrella, the sports specialists who are also releasing 400 not out – Brian Lara’s World Record Innings.Caribbean Calypso – West Indies 0 England 3
Running time: 130 mins approx
Release date: May 17, 2004
Publisher: Green Umbrella
Price: £14.99Customers can pre-order this DVD at Cricshop. An exclusive Cricinfo version of this release features a number of special DVD extras.Click here to order a copy from Cricshop

Pakistan’s first two matches in the World Cup have emphatically underlined the team’s shortcomings, not that it came as a revelation.They brought home the batting’s brittleness more tellingly, exposed the limitations of leadership more harshly and marked ineptness of fielding more prominently.The two matches against front-runners Australia and lowly placed Namibia made it clear that Pakistan’s World Cup campaign may come to an early, pre-Super Six end, if radical changes are not made.If the team crosses the first hurdle, it is certain to stumble by the wayside on the next turn-ignominiously in all likelihood. Nothing is to be done in the areas of captaincy and fielding overnight.Waqar Younis cannot be taught field placing or imaginative harnessing of bowlers; intelligence and acumen are not subject to instant upgradation.Coach Richard Pybus has done the deed in fielding and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) can now think of how best to use the expensive sword.Tour selectors would carry out the task of selecting playing eleven and finalizing batting order in their sterile way; they have already demonstrated a pathetic lack of capacity for grasping a challenge and rising to it. However, even chief selector Wasim Bari, the man who has played a pivotal role in messing up the team, feels that changes in batting order are indicated. But a routine shuffling of the pack would hardly produce positive results.A conventional approach would yield no mileage. Firstly, faults need to be objectively inventoried. The openers have failed. No specialist batsman for one drop is among the World Cup squad.Middle-order suffers from loss of concentration around a score of 20-30 odd runs. Worst of all, star batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq is woefully groping.Juggling with the batting order is not the way out. A radical strategy needs to be devised.Going by Saeed Anwar’s scratchy, hit and miss innings against Namibia, authentic fireworks associated with him in the past are not expected of the stylish left-hander.Exchanging him for Salim Elahi may be useful in so far as he would quickly return to the pavilion instead of wasting time and deliveries in the middle.It would also mean replacing a good fielder with a weak one.The selectors should have tested Anwar on the South African safari. His late recall without properly ascertaining form and fitness for a gruelling one hundred over run was an act of astounding naivety.Saeed Anwar against Namibia was baggage – he could be cabbage against a professional side.The team has thus to wade through the tournament with 14 members. Eleven of them are self-selected for the playing eleven in crucial ties.The main worry is Inzamam. He comes two down at a paltry score accumulated at snail-paced rate and quickly pushes the team down a deeper hole. A batsman of his class cannot be sidelined, most certainly not when Taufiq Umar is the sole replacement option.The suggestion for sending Inzamam at No 3 is going through the motions of change. Considering that the opening stand is qualified to last the first three to four overs on its lucky day, he would be virtually opening the innings most of the time. Why not cast him as opener? If Sachin Tendulkar can face the new ball, there is no reason to think that Inzamam cannot.He will have to be told that he has to lead the batting. Nothing would be lost if he gets out early but he possesses the talent to take any bowling apart; he should be instructed to attempt just that.Inzamam getting out to a low score at No 4 expedites the team’s trip down the slope; failure as opener would prepare the remaining players for a fight without loss of time.His partner is to be selected from among Saleem Elahi, Taufiq Umar and Shahid Afridi, besides Saeed Anwar. One way or the other, they have all failed. Saleem Elahi and Taufiq Umar have struggled to consolidate their place in the playing eleven. But they have been either losing their wickets early or regardlessly prolonging their stay in the middle; they cannot be seriously considered productive players for the abridged version of the sport, not at this point in time at least.Afridi has been a bigger failure, if anything. But the travelling circus of coach and experts has contributed to his miserable run by advising him to settle down first and do the hitting later; it has to be the other way round for Afridi.He is a slogger and there are no grounds for expecting his transformation in to textbook batsman. He should be sent in, with instructions to go for broke. Despite mishandling by the captain against Australia, he remains a handy bowler. Inzamam should adopt the same approach.The pair would be bonanza if it clicks; there would be time for repair work for the later batsmen if it comes apart.Ours is a team without a specialist one-down batsman, thanks to the premature axing of Ijaz Ahmed and ignoring Mohammad Wasim. Experimenting with Abdul Razzaq in that slot proved generally positive in the last World Cup. He can be placed in the same position, current form notwithstanding.Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan can bat at two and three down. There is no need to pack the team with more batsmen in the hope that they would score runs. If Inzamam, Youhana, and Younis cannot deliver and help Pakistan reach a good total or chase a high one, others are much less eligible for hitting either target.Pakistan’s strength is their bowling. That department should be further augmented. With Afridi and Razzaq already in the side, there would be room for another six players.Rashid Latif and Wasim Akram are waging a committed fight; Wasim is determined to produce a memorable swan song. They should fill the next two positions.Azhar Mahmood should be inducted as additional all-rounder. The last three positions can go to Saqlain, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar. This would widen the team’s bowling resources and give the captain a chance to replace bowlers who are not at their best on a particular day.A bold and aggressive approach is the only option for Pakistan to retain its chances and self-respect in the tournament. The team has to take the World Cup by the scruff of its neck. Or, turn quickly, tamely and shamefacedly towards the exit door.

Honours were even at the end of the second day of the Second XI match betwen Somerset and Hampshire at Southampton.On the first day Hampshire were bowled out for 136 with Matt Bulbeck taking 4 for 34 off 11 overs. In reply Somerset also struggled to 152 all out in 76 overs with Wes Durston top scoring with 49.By close of play on Tuesday Hampshire had moved on to 102 for 3, a lead of 86, with 7 wickets left.

John Hartson summed up the mood around Celtic ahead of the January transfer window by asking the club to “please” sign a new centre-forward.

The former Hoops marksman asked for the Scottish Premiership side to sign a new number nine after the 3-1 win over Aberdeen, as Johnny Kenny struggled yet again.

In the last two matches, the Ireland international has missed a whopping four ‘big chances’ without scoring a goal as the starting striker for Celtic, per Sofascore, failing to score from four shots against Aberdeen.

The 22-year-old forward has now missed nine ‘big chances’ and scored four goals in the league this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he has been far too wasteful with the chances that have come his way.

Celtic eyeing move for new striker

Hartson may get his way next month because the Scottish giants are reportedly looking at a possible move for a new marksman to bolster their squad.

Transfer Focus

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

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According to Football Insider, Celtic are lining up a move to sign £4m Union Berlin centre-forward Andrej Ilic when the January transfer window opens for business.

The report claims that the Hoops have joined the race to land the Serbian attacker, who is also in the sights of Premier League side Burnley.

It adds that the Bhoys want to bolster Wilfried Nancy’s attacking options ahead of the second half of the campaign, and Ilic is one of the players who is firmly on their radar.

Football Insider does not reveal how much money it would take to sign him from Union Berlin, though, so it remains to be seen how realistic a deal is.

Why Celtic should sign Andrej Ilic

Celtic should push to get a deal done for the 25-year-old centre-forward because he has the potential to be Nancy’s own Kyogo Furuhashi, as a striker who can provide a reliable presence up front.

The Japan international scored 85 goals in 165 appearances for the Hoops, per Transfermarkt, as he proved himself to be a reliable scorer for both Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers.

Kenny, as aforementioned, has been an unreliable number nine for Nancy, and Kelechi Iheanacho has only started three games in the league since his move from Sevilla on a free transfer at the start of September.

This shows that the Hoops have not had a reliable number nine in the building since they allowed Kyogo to join Birmingham for £10m in January 2025.

Ilic is a player who has the potential to finally replace Kyogo and be Nancy’s own version of the Japanese forward, despite his struggles in front of goal so far this season.

The Serbian marksman has one goal in 16 matches in all competitions for Union, per Transfermarkt, but he has also registered eight assists in that time, which shows that he is still contributing at the top end of the pitch.

Andrej Ilic’s goalscoring pedigree

Season (Team/s)

Appearances

Goals + assists

25/26 (Union Berlin)

16

1 + 8

24/25 (Lille + Union Berlin)

17

7 + 0

2023 (Valerenga + RFS)

46

28 + 7

2022 (RFS)

47

21 + 7

2020/21 (Javor Matis + RFS)

39

10 + 3

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, the current campaign is a one-off in comparison to the rest of the past five years, as he has generally been a reliable goal threat wherever he has been. Journalist Josh Bunting even described him as being “so dangerous” during his time at RFS.

Subscribe to the newsletter for deep coverage of Celtic’s striker hunt Get deeper context—subscribe to the newsletter for stat-driven breakdowns of Celtic targets like Andrej Ilic, scouting insights and realistic fit analysis to better understand the Hoops’ striker options and wider transfer coverage. Subscribe Subscribe to the newsletter for deep coverage of Celtic’s striker hunt Get deeper context—subscribe to the newsletter for stat-driven breakdowns of Celtic targets like Andrej Ilic, scouting insights and realistic fit analysis to better understand the Hoops’ striker options and wider transfer coverage.

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A return of seven goals from 4.49 xG in 11 starts in the Bundesliga for Union Berlin in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, shows that he can finish chances at an impressive rate at the top level in Europe and is still a ‘dangerous’ player, having moved on from RFS.

His struggles in front of goal at the start of this season, though, could provide Celtic with an opportunity that they may not have had if he had carried on his impressive form into the current campaign.

Ilic’s overall goal return in his career suggests that he is more likely to get back to scoring goals on a regular basis than he is to continue struggling to finish chances, which is why this may be the perfect time for the Hoops to strike and bring him to Parkhead.

Related Not just Johnny Kenny: Nancy must finally drop Celtic flop who won 0 duels

Wilfried Nancy must finally drop this Celtic flop who was as bad as Johnny Kenny against Aberdeen.

Posts ByDan Emery

If Celtic can get a deal done for the Serbian, Nancy could have his own Kyogo Furuhashi if he can help the 25-year-old get back to the prolific form that he has shown in the past.

	Daniel Vettori: “I think everybody would like to see some space for the IPL in the FTP. If it is feasible, then it will be great and easy on the players” © Getty Images

Haroon Lorgat, who is set to take over from Malcolm Speed as the ICC chief executive, is open to the idea of revising the Future Tours Programme (FTP) in order to make space for the IPL.”The game is growing and the world is changing,” Lorgat told the . “With the successful introduction of Twenty20 to the calendar, there is more cricket to be played, and as a result the time could come where workloads have to be managed.”The IPL is something that is exciting and can be used to enhance and grow the game around the globe. Cricket is unique in that we have three formats now, and that can be used to attract new fans. If we need to revisit the FTP, we will do that.”The inaugural edition of the IPL will overlap with Australia’s tour of West Indies and New Zealand’s summer in England. “If well managed, I think all three forms of the game are sustainable, Lorgat said. “It’s just about finding the right balance.” Earlier in an interview with Cricinfo, Lorgat had said IPL deserved strong support at the highest level.Meanwhile New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said though it was unlikely that players would retire to play in the IPL it was difficult to refuse when big offers came one’s way. “I think everybody would like to see some space for the IPL in the FTP,” Vettori told the . “If it is feasible, then it will be great and easy on the players.”But according to a survey by the Australian Cricketers Association, 47% of Cricket Australia -contracted players and 49% of players with state contracts polled said they would consider early retirement to play in an Indian Twenty20 league.