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

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

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

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

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

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

3 Youssef Chermiti

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

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

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

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

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

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

25/26 Europa League

Youssef Chermiti

Starts

4

xG

1.29

Goals

0

Big chances missed

4

Big chances created

0

Assists

0

Pass accuracy

59%

Duel success rate

35%

Stats via Sofascore

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

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

2 Joe Rothwell

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

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

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

Joe Rothwell’s last 10 matchday squad appearances

Opposition

Minutes played

Livingston

0

Celtic

18

Hibernian

0

Kilmarnock

0

Brann

64

Dundee United

83

Falkirk

70

Sturm Graz

21

Livingston

17

Genk

10

Stats via Sofascore

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

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

1 Thelo Aasgaard

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posts ByDan Emery Nov 25, 2025

Latest thrashing by South Africa underlines scale of challenge for Harry Brook and Brendon McCullum

Matt Roller02-Sep-2025If the margin was an aberration, then the result itself was not. England were utterly thrashed at Headingley as South Africa cruised home with 175 balls to spare, their seventh defeat in 10 ODIs this year and their 20th loss in 30 matches since the start of the last World Cup. Harry Brook said it was “just a bad day” but England have had far too many of them in this format.This was an abject performance, characterised by a collapse of 7 for 29 to slide from 102 for 3 to 131 all out. Sonny Baker conceded 76 runs in seven wicketless overs, the most expensive figures for an England debutant, and the chase barely lasted long enough for the floodlights to come on. The crowd had long since thinned out by the time Dewald Brevis hit the winning six.For Brook, this was a reality check after starting his tenure as white-ball captain with a clean sweep against West Indies in June. South Africa were far stronger opponents, and have now hammered England in three consecutive ODIs: this was worse than the car-crash in Karachi at the Champions Trophy, though still someway short of the Mumbai mauling at the 2023 World Cup.Related

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The fans who stuck it out to the bitter end cheered sarcastically as Adil Rashid took two cheap wickets with the scores level, but left feeling short-changed. “It’s not good enough,” Brook said. “Nobody wants to come and watch that. I can’t say much more than we’ve just had a bad day. We’ve got to put it behind us as quick as possible and move onto the next game.”Brook refused to blame England’s lack of relevant preparation, but their build-up to this series was almost non-existent. Eight players trained at Headingley on Sunday, with seven – including Brook – missing due to their involvement in the Hundred’s knockout stages, and the same number on Monday. Jamie Smith aside, their batters looked bereft of rhythm or confidence.The contrast with South Africa’s preparation was obvious, arriving in Leeds directly from Australia last week. They were faultless in the field – Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton took excellent catches, and Tristan Stubbs’ sharp throw ran Brook out from deep cover – and looked every inch a side that had been playing international cricket for the last month.But the last week alone cannot explain the wider pattern of England’s sharp decline in ODI results. Once the team to beat in this format, they are now ranked eighth in the world – sandwiched between Afghanistan and West Indies – and this was a defeat that had all the hallmarks of the bad old days.For Brendon McCullum, Markram’s ultra-attacking innings in the run chase must have felt eerily familiar. Markram’s 86 off 55 balls bore almost uncanny similarities to McCullum’s 77 off 25 against England in Wellington a decade ago – right down to his merciless treatment of Baker, which evoked McCullum’s disdainful takedown of Steven Finn.England’s problems did not stem from over-aggression but a more fundamental failing to adjust to the tempo of the format. Brook was run out looking for an unlikely second run in the 14th over while Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks’ dismissals were about as soft as they come, all caught playing half-hearted, rotating shots rather than trying to hit boundaries.”In my opinion, we probably could have gone a little bit harder with the bat and tried to put them under a little bit more pressure,” Brook said. “The more positive you are and aggressive you are as a batter, sometimes you get away with more stuff.” Markram’s high-risk, high-reward approach served to underline his point.But England consistently bat like a team unfamiliar with the demands of 50-over cricket, with batters grinding the clutch to jump between first gear and fifth but nothing in between; they have been bowled out in 15 of their last 30 ODIs. For all that they can blame their lack of exposure to the format, their top seven on Tuesday had more than 15,000 ODI runs between them.Concerned by the divergence between formats, they have made an overcorrection. They picked seven players on Thursday who had featured in a gruelling Test series against India, six of whom had then gone straight into the Hundred and looked worn down by their heavy workloads. Somehow, they managed to look short of rhythm and overcooked simultaneously.England were too slow to evolve after their 2019 triumph, changing captains three years into a four-year cycle between World Cups. They were understandably reluctant to move on from a golden generation of white-ball players, and paid a high price with a humbling group-stage exit in 2023 which marked the final chapter for several players’ ODI careers.The trouble is that they do not appear to have learned from those errors. They are halfway through another four-year cycle but have no clear identity as a team beyond a deep batting line-up. Brook’s repeated clichés about putting bowlers under pressure and trying to take wickets do not equate to a philosophy, nor an actual gameplanEngland have two chances this week – at Lord’s on Thursday, then in Southampton on Sunday – to prove that criticism wrong, and perhaps it is unfair to judge them too harshly after one off-day. But for a team that only two years ago were defending champions in both white-ball formats, days like this have become uncomfortably familiar.

Manchester United are looking to add to their squad in January, and Fabrizio Romano has revealed one signing the Red Devils absolutely “will” make in 2026.

Ruben Amorim will be pleased with the progress his side have made in their last batch of Premier League matches with the international break now here, given that the Red Devils have gone five games unbeaten in the top-flight.

Despite looking set for a defeat last weekend, Matthijs De Ligt’s late header against Tottenham salvaged Manchester United a draw in the capital to keep his side one point off the top four.

Intriguingly, the Red Devils now sit above Liverpool on goal difference after their heavy defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, which is a testament to their resilience despite losing three players due to injury, something Amorim was keen to point out when speaking to Match of the Day.

“It was a complicated match, especially in the end. If you look at the game the three points were there to take. I think we can be so much better to understand more what’s happening in the game,” said the United boss.

“We lacked a little bit in the final third, the quality was not perfect. We fight in every adversity. We lost Harry Maguire, Casemiro, Benjamin Sesko and we lose two goals, but we still managed to score.”

While the Slovenian appears to be the worst of the casualties, it does beg the question of where Manchester United could look to strengthen in January. With that in mind, Romano has delivered a telling update from Old Trafford.

Fabrizio Romano confirms Man Utd "will" sign midfielder

Speaking on GIVEMESPORT’s Market Madness podcast, Romano has confirmed that Manchester United will “for sure” sign a midfielder next year, noting that Atletico Madrid star Conor Gallagher and Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller are two targets that the club could look to acquire.

Conor Gallagher in 2025/26 – all competitions

Appearances – 16

2 goals 0 assists

Angelo Stiller in 2025/26 – all competitions

Appearances – 17

1 goal 5 assists

With both midfielders excelling inside Europe’s top five leagues, it appears there could be room for movement, even if January may not be a suitable time due to the difficult nature of conducting business mid-season.

Man Utd are also eyeing a midfielder they could get a £60m discount on

Gallagher’s homegrown status would also appeal to Amorim. However, there are no certainties in football, and it appears that there is plenty of work to be done before Manchester United secure a new operator in the engine room.

No confirmation yet on whom he will play for this season

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2025Batter Mandeep Singh has decided to leave Tripura ahead of the 2025-26 domestic season after spending just one season with the team.”Thank you Tripura CA for giving me the opportunity to play last season, I enjoyed my time there,” Mandeep wrote in an Instagram post. “Made some wonderful memories on and off the field. Wishing the team success for the upcoming season. Looking forward to the next chapter.”Mandeep captained Tripura across formats, playing six matches in the Ranji Trophy, six games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and seven matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Tripura in the 2024-25 season.Tripura failed to make it out of the group stages in all the competitions but Mandeep showed good form.In the Ranji Trophy, he scored an unbeaten 124 and made five half-centuries, crossing the fifty-run mark in every game he played last season. He made three fifties in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, with a top score of 94 against Bengal, and he scored two half-centuries in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s.Mandeep had switched over to Tripura after 15 years with Punjab, having led them to the Syed Mushtaq Ali title in his last season with them, ending a 30-year trophy drought.There is still no confirmation on which team he will play for in the upcoming season.

They will look to expose India’s middle and lower orders, even as Shaheen Afridi will hope for a better outing

Danyal Rasool27-Sep-20251:49

Wahab: Additional pressure on India in the final

A former Pakistan captain, Mohammad Rizwan, once famously said about his team that they “either win or learn”. While there is an inherent truth to that, the quote has taken on a life of its own, weaponised by critics of the national side both within Pakistan and outside it, to lampoon the team when it is undergoing a period of sustained failure.In this Asia Cup, Pakistan have won every game bar the two they played against India. With the sides set to meet for the first time in an Asia Cup final on Sunday, India’s two comprehensive victories over Pakistan mean the best Salman Ali Agha’s team can hope for is focus on the few things they have learned from their defeats.

No room to consolidate

Pakistan have had it drilled into them that the powerplay is a time of maximum aggression. They didn’t lack in intent during the fielding restrictions in either game against India, but invariably, India found a way to tip the Pakistan innings into quicksand. On the first Sunday, it came immediately following the powerplay, with the next four overs producing just seven runs as Pakistan shrank in the face of India’s accurate spinners.Related

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• Plan C (Chaos) does it for Pakistan, not for the first time

On the following Sunday, Pakistan avoided getting sucked into that void, going after the spinners and scoring 36 runs, including four sixes, in the four overs after the field spread out. However, the wicket of Saim Ayub, followed by some curious decisions in the batting order, resulted in a slowdown following the halfway mark. In the seven overs after drinks, Pakistan scored just 38, the fewest by any side this tournament in that phase. It resulted in what appeared to be a 190-200 total petering out at 171, and India chasing comfortably once more.The final will carry its own pressure, but that does not detract from Pakistan’s goal; if they are setting a target, they will have to go all out all the time. It is what makes their task so unenviably hard, but as the previous two games have shown, no other path leads to victory.

India’s soft underbelly

Pakistan didn’t get to go too deep into India’s batting order in either of the games, as almost all the damage India did to Pakistan occurred at the top. This has been a recurring theme in almost all of India’s matches, which means No. 6 and lower have had limited exposure in this Asia Cup.More intriguingly, what little time the lower order spent at the crease hasn’t been nearly as explosive as their upper-order counterparts. In the Super Fours, India slowed down in each of the three games once the top order was gone. Against Bangladesh, the last nine overs produced 56 runs, with just one player outside the openers registering a strike rate over 100. The fall of the third wicket, that of Abhishek Sharma against Pakistan, caused India to slow down in pursuit of 174, with the next 28 balls producing just 30 runs.An off day for India’s openers could pose a problem for them•AFP/Getty ImagesSpanning out across all teams, India’s batters from Nos. 6-11 have faced the fewest deliveries among the five Full Member teams this tournament. Notably, they have also been the slowest scorers among those five sides, with a strike rate of 110.58.Pakistan, meanwhile, are the second-fastest at 142.48. Their last six batters have also, by far, faced the most deliveries – nearly three times India’s number. While that is down at least partially to misfiring openers, Pakistan will draw hope from a belief that an off day for India’s openers represents a much bigger problem for them than a similar failure for Pakistan’s own openers.

Shaheen Afridi vs India

Afridi has grown into this tournament. He took three wickets in each of the last two games, both must-win matches for Pakistan. Agha kept Afridi on for three overs in the powerplay in those two games, and he took that once customary first-over wicket both times. Afridi is now the joint second-highest wicket-taker in this Asia Cup.None of his nine wickets, though, have come against India, who have smashed 63 runs off his 5.5 overs across two games. In fact, since that famous Player-of-the-Match performance in Pakistan’s ten-wicket victory over India at the 2021 T20 World Cup, Afridi against India has been cannon fodder, with just one wicket in nearly 14 overs across four matches.In T20Is against India, Shaheen Afridi has just four wickets at 39.25•Getty ImagesEven including his performance in that famous victory in Dubai, where he took 3 for 31 – that featured the early wickets of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul – Afridi’s T20I figures against India make for grim reading, with four wickets at 39.25. Afridi has a worse strike rate and average against India than against any other side he has played at least twice, and his economy rate of 8.80 is the second worst – just behind the 9.06 he has against Australia.These numbers from their frontline fast bowler are not conducive to Pakistan’s chances of an upset in the Asia Cup final. This is particularly true due to India’s reliance on their openers, and their tendency to fly to fast starts. In the two games this tournament, Abhishek hit Afridi for a four and a six off his first two balls in the group game, and a first-ball six in the Super Fours. Whether Afridi can keep his streak of first-over wickets alive might prove crucial to Pakistan’s hopes.

The pressure isn’t on Pakistan

This is perhaps the most vital thing those two matches should teach Pakistan. India have been curiously eager to take the pressure off Pakistan, with captain Suryakumar Yadav suggesting that recent results meant India vs Pakistan wasn’t even a rivalry anymore. On some level, this is obviously not true; an India-Pakistan rivalry has never been contingent on specific merits or weaknesses of their on-field ability, with each side enjoying extended dominance across history without diminishing the game’s status. But on another, India have demonstrated that if they bring their best, there is little Pakistan can do to live with them.6:02

How did Pakistan go from being pioneers to falling behind in T20 cricket?

Perhaps the second game showcased this more than the first. Pakistan played close to the kind of game they were hoping to play. India were sloppy in the field, dropping several catches. Jasprit Bumrah went for more runs in the powerplay than he ever has, and the spinners copped punishment immediately after. And still India won with relative comfort.Pakistan are searching for an upset, not looking to complete a journey they have inexorably been riding to. Some parallels with the 2017 Champions Trophy have been brought up, where an obviously superior India side was blown away by a perfect Pakistan on the day. The five tournaments featuring more than five teams where these sides have met in the final may give Pakistan a 3-2 edge, but the Champions Trophy is an aberration. It is the only one where the result of an earlier meeting in the same competition has not repeated in the final.Pakistan will, as Rizwan might put it, be Asia Cup champions on Sunday. Or they will learn they are the second-best team in the continent. If it turns out to be the latter, then from the T20 lows they have found themselves in over the last two years, it will not be the worst position to be in.

Monaco midfielder Paul Pogba gave a passionate speech to the home fans after his side earned a narrow 1-0 win over reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain. The former Manchester United and Juventus star finally made his return to competitive football this month, having joined Monaco on a free transfer in the summer. Now back in the action, Pogba is already displaying what he can bring to his new club.

• Pogba makes rallying call

  Monaco took all three points against PSG on Saturday to blow the Ligue 1 title race wide open. The hosts edged out a narrow victory, despite playing with ten men for the closing stages of the game, thanks to Takumi Minamino's winner. The Japanese international fired Aleksandr Golovin's cross into the bottom corner from just inside the penalty area to put Monaco in the lead with just 22 minutes of normal time remaining.

  Monaco then had to stay strong and show remarkable character to cling on to a precious victory over PSG when Thilo Kehrer was given his marching orders with ten minutes left on the clock. The German was shown a straight red card for a poor challenge on Ibrahim Mbaye.

  Pogba was brought on in the 86th minute, adding an old head to a side desperate to see off a barrage of PSG attacks. The Frenchman helped close the game out and, having made his home debut for the side, made a speech to the fans after the game.

  He said: “Today is an important day. Today we won, but the next match is what matters. We are already working to achieve that. We keep moving forward together. We never give up. Thank you.”

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• Watch the clip

• Ligue 1 title race opens up

  The victory for Monaco ensured that the top six sides in the French top division are separated by just eight points. Pogba’s team moved to sixth in the table on 23 points, trailing Stade Rennais by just one point in the spot above them.

  The story is far more interesting higher up in the table though, with RC Lens becoming the new leaders following their 2-1 victory over Angers on Sunday. Lens are one point above PSG, who have 30 points from 14 games.

  Marseille are chasing the top two clubs and Roberto De Zerbi’s men will be gutted to have blown a chance to go top on Saturday. Despite goals from Igor Paixao and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg putting the Italian coach’s team ahead against Toulouse, the visitors scored a 92nd-minute equaliser to steal a point away from their southern France neighbours.

  Lille sit amongst the rest in fourth, three points clear of Monaco, but five points off the top. They earned a late, narrow 1-0 victory away to Le Havre on Sunday, even with ten men after Ayyoub Bouaddi’s red card.

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• AFP
  

  Pogba influence to grow

  Pogba could have a chance to make his first start for his new club next Friday. Monaco travel to Stade Brestois looking to keep applying pressure to those above them in Ligue 1.

Over the years, Tottenham Hotspur fans have often voiced their displeasure over the lack of money spent by the hierarchy, which has no doubt restricted them in the Premier League.

However, when money has been splashed on new additions, it has not always been spent in the best way, as seen by their first-team dealings in the summer of 2013.

Gareth Bale’s £85m move to Real Madrid generated huge funds to splash on potential replacements, which led to the arrivals of Roberto Soldado and Erik Lamela.

Both cost a reported £60m combined, but neither managed to fill the void left by the Welshman, with the club growing frustrated by the lack of quality additions made in the market.

Such a feeling has become evident once again in recent years, with one member of Thomas Frank’s squad struggling to match the expectations of the supporters.

The stats behind Rodrigo Bentancur’s decline in 2025/26

Back in January 2022, Spurs paid a reported £22m for the signature of midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur from Italian side Juventus – a deal that was seen as a potential bargain at the time.

The Uruguayan managed to rack up a total of 113 first-team appearances before the start of the 205/26 campaign, but his 18 outings this season have been littered with errors.

He’s so far struggled to meet the demands of the Dane’s various systems in North London, but he’s certainly not been aided by the manager’s selection of partnering alongside Joao Palhinha.

Both are predominantly better out of possession than with the ball at their feet, as seen by their combined tally of just one pass into the final third against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

However, even before the North London Derby, Bentancur has struggled for the Lilywhites, with his underlying figures in 2025/26 showcasing his lack of success to date.

He has only created 0.6 chances per 90 this season, which ranks him in the bottom 25% of all players in the division – backing up his lack of quality in possession.

Without the ball, he’s been just as ineffective, as Bentancur has also struggled under Frank, only making 0.5 interceptions per 90, which also places him in the lower quarter of all midfielders in England’s top-flight.

The midfielder has also been dribbled past more than 75% of other players in the league, further highlighting his all-round failures in the Premier League this campaign.

The Spurs star who’s become worse than Bentancur

The midfield department at Spurs has been one that has been questioned over recent months, especially given Frank’s continuation of utilising Bentancur and Palhinha together at the base of the side.

The club is home to a plethora of young talents who have previously showcased their talents, but ultimately, they’ve been unable to do so on a consistent basis since the Dane’s arrival.

Lucas Bergvall, Pape Sarr and Archie Gray all started the opening day victory over Burnley in North London, with the trio at one stage looking like the players to take the side forward.

However, it’s the only time they have all operated alongside one another in 2025/26 – a decision that has no doubt taken many of the supporters by surprise.

All of the aforementioned stars racked up over 40 appearances across all competitions under Ange Postecoglou last season, but it remains to be seen if they will reach such numbers under Frank.

New additions have also struggled to make their mark in North London, with attacking midfielder Xavi Simons yet to set the world alight after his £52m switch from RB Leipzig this summer.

The Dutchman arrived with huge expectations, no doubt aided by the transfer fee, but it’s safe to say his move to the Lilywhites has been nothing short of a disaster to date.

He’s featured in nine Premier League matches to date, failing to register his first goal for the club and only providing one assist for his teammates – with such an effort coming on his debut.

One of his darkest moments no doubt came against Chelsea at the start of the month, with the 22-year-old coming off the bench to replace Bergvall, but was later substituted himself amid his lack of impact.

To top off his recent struggles, former transfer target Eberechi Eze netted a hat-trick against the Lilywhites on Sunday, whilst Simons was brought off the bench at the break and only registered 36 touches in total.

His underlying figures from the whole campaign showcase his recent struggles, with the youngster so far being a massive waste of the hierarchy’s money.

xG

0.06

Bottom 12%

Shots taken

0.9

Bottom 21%

Goals

0

Bottom 3%

Chances created

0.9

Bottom 12%

Cross accuracy

16%

Bottom 22%

Assists

1

Bottom 40%

Touches in opposition box

1.5

Bottom 15%

Simons, who’s been “miles off it” according to Jamie O’Hara, has achieved an xG of just 0.06 in the Premier League – a tally that ranks him within the bottom 12% of all players in the division.

He’s also created just 0.9 chances per 90 and registered just 1.7 touches in the opposition box per 90, with both tallies ranking him in the bottom 15% of attackers in the league.

Other figures, such as 0.9 shots taken and a 16% cross accuracy, further indicate his struggles, with many fans undoubtedly wishing a deal was completed for Eze instead.

There’s little denying that at his tender age, he has bags of time to resurrect his career in North London, but it’s safe to say he already has a huge number of supporters on his back.

At present, his £52m transfer fee looks to be a massive waste, with such a deal having the potential to go down as one of the club’s worst-ever signings.

Frank can fix creativity woes with Spurs star who's "impossible to defend"

Tottenham Hotspur have massively struggled within the attacking third under Thomas Frank as of late.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 25, 2025

Between breakout performances and returning stars making noise, the U.S. leave November camp with momentum – and something close to genuine belief. GOAL’s writers unpack the key storylines that emerged.

Right, then – we’ve got some results. And they’re good ones, too. The USMNT have taken plenty of heat – and rightly so – for leaning too much on the good-vibes narrative. The message has long been that winning doesn’t matter all that much. That may or may not be true, but this is America, and American fans like it when their teams win.

And how about two of them? Including one emphatic battering of a top-tier team? The U.S. played two, won two, scored seven, and conceded two. They brought some old faces back into the fray and got some real promise out of new ones, too. And perhaps most importantly, there's real hope where there was once total apathy. Suddenly, we're all allowed to be excited, and that's a good thing.

But zoom out for a second, and what are the takeaways here? Sure, Gio Reyna impressed, but what does that actually mean? Is Alex Freeman good enough to, you know, be any good long term? And, on the slightly negative side, who showed that they might not be good enough for the big time? GOAL U.S. writers break it all down in another edition of… . 

GettyBiggest takeaway from the thrashing of Uruguay?

Tom Hindle: That Sebastian Berhalter can BALL. There will be a lot of chat about the depth of the player pool – and rightfully so. But the center midfield options are plentiful here, and Berhalter turned in a fine audition for a spot.   

Ryan Tolmich: The player pool is deeper than many would think. After the game, Pochettino was upset by the idea of “regular” players, and he’s right; this team is much more than a few names now. There are now so many players who will believe that they won’t just make the World Cup, but make a difference once there, and that’s a pretty damn good thing considering where this team was just a few months ago.

AdvertisementImagnIs this Mauricio Pochettino's best result?

TH: By a country mile, with the minute caveat that Uruguay were really rather bad on the day. 

RT: Certainly, and not just because of the scoreline. This was a team playing in perfect harmony with fight, energy and intention. Despite making wholesale changes, the standards didn’t drop at all. It’s a testament to the work the staff has put in to get everyone humming and on the same page.

GettyWho stood out over the course of the camp?

TH: Gio Reyna. Cooked from the start against Paraguay, balled in the second half against Uruguay. A proper player.

RT: Alex Freeman is the easy answer, and he’s also the right answer. He’s become so much more confident over the last few months, and that confidence resulted in two goals. That won’t be the norm, but it shows how dangerous he is as an attacking weapon. He's gotten much better defensively, too, so the sky seems to be the limit.

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AFPWho missed their shot to impress?

TH: Brenden Aaronson. He's clearly a talented footballer, and could really do with showing a bit more when he puts his national team kit on. This was another near miss. 

RT: No one really? If you’re nitpicking, you could say that Ricardo Pepi will really wish he buried that shot against Paraguay to put some pressure on Balogun, but at the moment, he just isn’t fully fit. Generally, though, everyone performed well enough to keep themselves in the mix.

Zimbabwe end their tri-series campaign with no wins in four games with serious questions around their batting depth

Firdose Moonda24-Jul-2025

Tim Seifert brought his fifty up in 33 balls•Zimbabwe Cricket

New Zealand smashed the highest score of the tri-series and any hope of Zimbabwe earning a consolation win as they laid down a marker ahead of Saturday’s final against South Africa.After choosing to bat first – despite captains in this tri-series usually bowling – a second-wicket stand of 108 between Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra set New Zealand up well. Both went on to score half-centuries before a Michael Bracewell cameo of 26 of 16 balls pushed New Zealand to 190. They bowled Zimbabwe out in 19 overs, as only three Zimbabwean batters got into double figures.As dominant as New Zealand were, Zimbabwe will be particularly unhappy with their lapses in the field. They put down three catches – Tim Robinson on 0, Seifert on 13 and Bracewell on four – and bowled seven wides and a no-ball in a messy display which left them needing to complete their second-highest successful chase to win.Any chance of that happening was blown away when Zimbabwe were reduced to 44 for 5 in the eighth over. Ish Sodhi took three of those wickets, bowling in the powerplay, and proved too much to handle for Zimbabwe’s top-order. A sixth-wicket stand of 51 between Tony Munyonga and Tashinga Musekiwa leant the innings some respectability Sodhi’s career-best 4 for 12 scripted a simple win for New Zealand. With 150 T20I wickets, he also climbed to third on the all-time wicket-takers’ list in the format.Zimbabwe will be spectators on Saturday and have no more fixtures scheduled before they host the Africa Region T20 World Cup Qualifiers in September.Ngarava among the wickets again Richard Ngarava has been Zimbabwe’s most successful bowler of the series and almost struck with his second ball when Robinson chased a delivery that angled away and got a thick outside edge. Ryan Burl at wide slip could not hold on. There was not too much damage done from that miss as Ngarava had Robinson caught at deep third off the second ball of his next over. Ngarava was brought back at the death and though he was hit for three successive by Seifert, he eventually foxed him with a slower ball that he feathered through to Clive Madande. Two balls later Bevon Jacobs tried to hit a short, wide ball out of the ground but was done for pace and sliced it to backward point.Ngarava’s change-ups worked again when he had Mitchell Santner caught behind off a slower ball in an over that lasted 10 balls. His next challenge is to enhance his wicket-taking skills with a bit more discipline in order to truly lead Zimbabwe’s attack.Ish Sodhi (150*) moved past Shakib Al Hasan (149) to take the No. 3 spot on the T20I wicket-takers’ list•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Seifert sees another opportunity to cash inDon’t drop Seifert. He was put down on 0 by South Africa in the previous match and went on to score 66* in a clinical run-chase. In this match, he was on 13 and had already hit two fours when Munyonga, at deep backward square, put him down off Tino Maposa and Seifert didn’t need a second invitation.Two overs later, he smacked Dion Myers into the leg side for his third four and the runs kept coming. Wellington Masakadza was sent through extra cover, Myers through the slip area and Sikandar Raza past short fine. Seifert brought up his 12th T20I fifty off 33 balls and went on to score his first six when he deposited Raza over long-on. He was especially good in a wide ‘v’ down the ground with 50 of his runs coming between extra cover and mid-wicket before he eventually fell to Ngarava for 75.Myers might be an opening option In search of a solid start, Zimbabwe asked Myers to open the batting, ahead of Wessly Madhevere, for the first time in his T20I career and he was off to a flier. He drove and cut Matt Henry for back to back boundaries to give Zimbabwe a blazing start and then showed off his pull shot to end the first over on 14 without loss. Myers was less in control against Zakary Foulkes, who he inside-edged over the keeper but showed intent against legspinner Sodhi, albeit without success.He walked across his stumps off the second ball he faced from Sodhi and tried to flick him fine but gave himself too much room and was bowled. A score of 22 from 18 balls is not much to write home about but given how poorly Zimbabwe have batted through this series, it could be an option worth exploring in future.Henry gets Raza and Zimbabwe unravel Zimbabwe were 28 for 3 after five overs thanks largely to a Sodhi double-strike and New Zealand clearly in control despite Henry’s expensive opening. He switched ends to complete the powerplay, started with a wide and then went short to Sikandar Raza, who met with him aggression. Raza swiped Henry to the leg side three times, and the third was well enough to get four before Henry adjusted his length and caught Raza in the crease. Raza was given out lbw and indicated he was not happy with the decision which left Zimbabwe 37 for 4 and in danger of their lowest score against New Zealand which sits at 84.They got to 130 but were never in the hunt to chase down the target and have serious questions about their batting depth.

Erling Haaland has given a candid response to Norway’s daunting World Cup draw, admitting on social media that he faces a brutal challenge in what supporters are already calling the tournament’s 'group of death'. Next summer’s World Cup will be the largest ever staged, expanding to 48 teams across 12 groups as FIFA introduces a round of 32 for the first time. Yet even within a broadened field, one Group I stands out for its sheer competitiveness.

• Haaland set to clash with Mbappe

  France, Senegal, Norway and the winner of FIFA play-off 2 – one of Bolivia, Suriname or Iraq – have been drawn together. The draw immediately triggered excitement among fans because it finally delivers a long-awaited showdown between Haaland and Kylian Mbappe on the sport’s biggest stage. The Norwegian is heading towards his first World Cup with Norway in fine form, whereas Mbappe, now spearheading Real Madrid’s forward line, continues to produce the kind of numbers that will define a generation of footballing legends. Mbappe already has the ultimate international accolade, having lifted the trophy in 2018 and dazzling again in the 2022 final. Haaland, on the other hand, has been forced to watch from afar as Norway repeatedly missed out, until now.

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• A battle between two extraordinary strikers

  Haaland was ruthless in qualifying, scoring 16 goals in eight games to haul Norway into their first World Cup since 1998. No player on any continent scored more. For a country whose footballing hopes have long rested on promise without fulfilment, Haaland’s numbers were simply historic. Mbappe’s own statistics this season are equally formidable. He has scored 16 times in 15 league matches for Real Madrid and is only two goals away from becoming France’s all-time leading scorer at just 26. Haaland is already Norway’s record marksman and an incredible 22 goals clear of the next highest on his country’s list. At club level, he has 15 goals in 14 appearances for City in the English topflight. 

  He shared his initial reaction on Instagram shortly after the draw was finalised and wrote: "France and Senegal, that’s tough [laughing emoji]. What do you guys think?"

• Deschamps welcomes the Haaland–Mbapps spectacle

  France manager Didier Deschamps was keen to embrace the drama of the inevitable duel. "It will be a great duel," he told reporters. "Both teams have lots of other big names, but of course Kylian and Haaland are two players recognised around the world and they will be two of the contenders to be the top scorer."

  Deschamps was quick to highlight not only the Haaland–Mbappe spectacle but also the renewed significance of France facing Senegal, a flashback to one of the most dramatic opening nights in World Cup history. In 2002, Papa Bouba Diop stunned the world by scoring the winner against the reigning champions, setting in motion a disastrous tournament for Les Bleus as they departed without a single victory.

  "Every World Cup has its own story and we need to make sure this one is as beautiful as possible," added Deschamps. "Of course, as France we have a status and there is a lot of expectation around us, but we need to show respect and humility from the beginning. Before thinking about what is at the top of the mountain, we will need to work our way up gradually and the first steps are difficult."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  When can England face France?

  Given France were among the top four seeds, an eventual meeting with England could only happen in the latter stages of the tournament. England themselves face a challenging route, having been drawn alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama.

  "We have Croatia and Ghana, two regulars in World Cups, and we have Panama," England manager Thomas Tuchel explained. "I don’t know much about Panama, but we will know everything about them when the tournament starts. For me personally, even in the Champions League, you have to focus on the group – the group is always the most difficult, and we want to escape, and we want to win the group. It’s a tough one."

  Every World Cup fixture will be announced on Saturday evening.