Birmingham City have joined the race to sign a new versatile defender to help them in their push for a return to the Championship at the first time of asking.
Birmingham flying high in League One
After signiificant outlay in the summer transfer window, it is no surprise to see Birmingham City at the top of League One heading into the second half of the season. Chris Davies has overseen a strong campaign so far for the Blues, with the club boasting the best defence in the division alongside the second best attack.
As a result, they sit two points clear of fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham and Wycombe Wanderers, while having two games in hand on the pair, meaning that when all is said and done they could find themselves a mammoth eight points clear at the top of England’s third tier.
Birmingham City’s season stats
Statistic
League Rank
Wins
16
1st
Losses
2
1st
Goals scored
41
2nd
Goals conceded
17
1st
Goal difference
+24
1st
But despite losing just twice so far this campaign, they are still active in the January transfer window, with the club having already agreed a deal to sign Phil Neumann at the end of the campaign when his current deal with Hannover comes to an end, having had a substantial offer for the German knocked back over the summer transfer window.
Now, they could be looking to make a more immediate addition to Davies’ side as they look to ensure an instant return to the Championship.
Birmingham rival West Brom for defender
That comes according to the Daily Mail [Via the Scottish Sun], who report that Birmingham are ready to rival their Midlands rivals West Brom for Rangers talent Adam Devine, who the pair see as a potential bargain buy this January.
Just 21-years-old, Devine’s reported £2,500 a week deal at Ibrox comes to an end this summer, and he is no closer to forcing his way into the first team. In fact, he has not featured for 16 months in Glasgow.
Rangers defender Adam Devine.
Last spotted on loan at Motherwell, Devine has managed just 33 senior appearances to date across spells with Rangers, Motherwell and Brechin City. Though breaking into the Rangers side under Michael Beale in 2022, he has failed to kick on and is now deemed surplus to requirements.
That means that Rangers are ready to let him leave this month in order to receive a fee for the versatile defender, who is a rightback by trade but has also played at left back regularly across his brief career to date.
Birmingham chasing move for "heroic" star who'd be better than Neumann
Birmingham City are looking to boost their squad this January with this addition.
ByKelan Sarson Jan 6, 2025
And Birmingham are one of the sides positioning themselves to land a potential bargain, as the Blues eye “an opportunity to sign a Rangers player on the cheap”.
Of course, Birmingham raided Rangers twice over the summer too, signing Scott Wright in a deal worth £300,000, while they also added Ben Davies to their ranks on loan. Now, it could be Devine’s time to tread what is becoming an increasingly familiar path from Glasgow to England’s second city.
The Multan Sultans batter talks about his preference for batting in the top order, and how, despite a series of injuries, he couldn’t bring himself to give up cricket
Interview by Umar Farooq24-Jun-2021Since the start of 2020, Sohaib Maqsood has the highest T20 strike rate among Pakistan batters and is ninth on the global list (among those with a minimum of 500 runs and 20 innings). It has been a period of transformation for the 34-year-old middle-order batter who was striking at 125.79 previously.Ahead of playing the 2021 PSL final for the Multan Sultans against Peshawar Zalmi, Maqsood, the third-highest run scorer in the tournament, spoke about how he developed his game after his career nearly ended in 2016.Multan Sultans are playing the PSL final for the first time. How has the journey been for everyone in the camp? The best part about Andy Flower’s coaching style is that he never allows negativity to come close to the team. Otherwise, with the sort of performances we gave in Karachi [losing four out of five games], it would have been very easy for any coach to come and shout [at the players], but he doesn’t work like that.When we came here to Abu Dhabi, 90% of our team thought we are here to play a few games and go back. But credit to him and our skipper [Mohammad Rizwan]. He [Flower] calls us champions even when we lose games. He calls us champions in training sessions, in the dressing room. Sometimes we used to laugh, saying we are more losers than champions, but he had that self-belief.After one victory here, we started to get our belief back and take one game at a time. We never thought we will end up in the top two. Not only did we make it to the qualifier, but it was remarkable how we won it so comfortably.I think in the final, the pressure will be more on Zalmi than us. They are playing their fourth final and they have lost the final twice already. It’s a kind of pressure to not lose a third final in a row.This PSL season, the Multan Sultans went from losing four of their first five games to winning five of their next six to qualify for their first final•Fareed Khan/Associated PressWhat have you done to evolve your white-ball game in the last year? I have been consistent in domestic cricket for the last two years, but the turnaround came only in the PSL for a reason. I always said that I am a top-order batsman but I never got an opportunity in the PSL to bat higher until this [second] leg in Abu Dhabi. I was playing at Nos. 5 and 6 or sometimes at four. Even in the first leg, in Karachi, I was playing at Nos. 4 or 5, so my performance was irregular.In Abu Dhabi I got to bat at No. 3 and all I did was to bat exactly as I do in domestic cricket. At the same time, form also matters. There is hard work behind [my performances] and it came with my entire focus on white-ball cricket, so it’s paying off well.Who did you have to persuade to make you play at No. 3? I didn’t convince anyone and I didn’t talk to the captain or management. Shahid [Afridi] ).You have had your fair share of injuries. How are you working to keep yourself fit? I have suffered nearly every injury other than to my knee. In 2011 I had a ligament rupture in the ankle. I couldn’t play for almost two years. I also had a long history of a back injury. But the worst came when I was at the peak of my career, at the end of 2014, when I picked up a wrist injury that broke the hamate bone in my hand. It was a career-threatening injury. I played the 2015 World Cup with the injury and had surgery after. I feel that injury set my career back the most.How did you bounce back from it? My family and friends know there was a time when I might have quit cricket. I had other career opportunities as I have a good educational background, but cricket was something I thought I could not live without, so I had to push myself. It was actually not about playing for Pakistan. It was [just] about playing cricket.I know if I am not playing cricket, I might not enjoy anything in life. If I had left cricket because of the injuries and was working in some other profession, I’d still be playing club cricket at least, because it’s my life and I can’t live without it.Did you come close to quitting elite cricket? I can’t complain about the lack of opportunities in my career, either with the national team or in domestic cricket – I always got a chance. Even in the PSL, despite bad performances, I was still selected for the next edition. Obviously there were a few good performances to back my selection.It was just injuries that made me think of quitting. You can’t do much about injuries, especially when you pick them up when you are doing well. In Under-19, I was a star and then my back injury made me sit out for nearly one and half years. That was frustrating. The injuries were hindering my progress and every step forward I took, I was coming backwards all over again.You know cricketers in Pakistan mostly come from lower-middle-class families. It’s rare that they come from the elite class. So it’s very important for a cricketer to have some [alternative] career when you are 20-22 in case anything goes wrong in your cricketing career. With this mind, I thought I should go to England to study or work.With Mohammad Irfan (left) at the 2015 World Cup. “If I could have taken care of my fitness, my international career would have been a lot better than it is”•Fiona Goodall/AFP/Getty ImagesAt some point, after recovering from my wrist injury, I felt helpless. My game was changed and I wasn’t the player I used to be. No power, no shots, and I felt embarrassed playing cricket because I was not able to do the things I wanted to. Then I thought I should do something else, but there was a voice in my head that I can’t do anything else, so I just had to carry on and keep believing.I learned some hard lessons. In fact, I would like to tell every young player that I wish I can go back and train harder and look after myself better as far as my fitness is concerned. If I could have taken care of my fitness, my international career would have been a lot better than it is.Were you the type of player who relied on natural ability instead of focusing on your fitness? When I was around 17, I was not a natural athlete. I was a chubby kid and never a quick runner either. Sometimes a player will tell me that when they were 16, they used to fly [around the field], but I can’t say that. When I was 17, I was 110kgs. But when you are over 30, you have to take care of your body. If you can’t train, you can’t play. I still give myself some credit, because with so many career-threatening injuries and surgeries, I still had belief.You are totally right that I used to believe in my natural ability more than hard work. I believed I was naturally blessed, and despite the laziness and avoiding training, I still carried on playing and had a reasonable career.Do you have any ambitions of playing for Pakistan again? Obviously, if you are playing cricket, your dream is to play for the country. I am 34 now but I still think I can contribute in the T20 format. There are a couple of World Cups coming up in a year and a half. I am in good form and have the belief that if the opportunity comes my way, I will grab it. I know there are a few people who whine about not being selected, but I am not that kind of a guy.I think if people are doing well in the national team, that also needs to be considered. I know whenever I score runs, people start talking about putting me in the team to fill in the No. 5 or 6 spots, but I am afraid if I play [in those positions], I won’t be able to deliver much. I know you have to bat for your country wherever you are asked to, but I believe if I bat in the top order, that’s where I can do better for the country.
The South Africa fast bowler ended his international career at the age of 29, having played only 11 Tests, by signing a Kolpak deal with Hampshire
ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2017Kyle Abbott’s 7 for 29 are the second-best figures in an innings for South Africa on Test debut•Getty Images1. February 2013: Abbott takes 7 for 29 in the first innings against Pakistan in Centurion, and is Player of the Match on Test debut for his nine-wicket haul.He misses the next six Tests South Africa play.2. March 2014: Abbott’s three wickets are the best returns for a South African fast bowler in the Newlands Test against Australia. His workload – 42 overs – is also the heaviest for his team.He misses the next three Tests South Africa play.3. December 2014: Abbott takes 1 for 61 in the match as Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander raze West Indies in Centurion.He misses the next five Tests South Africa play.4. November 2015: Abbott’s fourth Test lasts only a day as rain ruins the match in Bangalore. He bowls six out of 22 overs in India’s first innings, taking 0 for 18.He misses the next Test of the tour of India, in Nagpur.5. December 2015: Abbott takes 5 for 40 in 24.5 overs in India’s first innings in Delhi, and 1 for 47 in 22 in the second.He is picked for South Africa’s next Test.6. December 2015: Abbott bowls 45.4 overs in the Kingsmead Test against England and takes 2 for 128.He misses South Africa’s next two Tests in that series.7. January 2016: Abbott returns figures of 21-9-46-0 in the Centurion Test against England, with Kagiso Radaba emerging as a force with a 13-wicket haul.He misses South Africa’s next three Tests.8. November 2016: Abbott takes 3 for 41 and 6 for 77 in Hobart to bowl South Africa to series victory in Australia.With Steyn injured, Abbott plays South Africa’s next three Tests. It is the first time Abbott is playing successive Tests in a series.9. November 2016: Abbott takes 3 for 49 and 1 for 26 in South Africa’s first day-night Test, at Adelaide Oval.10. December 2016: Abbott claims 3 for 63 and 2 for 38 against Sri Lanka in Port Elizabeth, conceding only 101 runs in 41.5 overs in the match.11. January 2016: Abbott goes wicketless against Sri Lanka after bowling 23 overs in Cape Town.It turns out to be his final Test for South Africa as he confirms he has signed a three-year Kolpak contract with English county Hampshire.
It’s not been a straightforward season for Tottenham Hotspur this year.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have alternated from looking like one of the best teams in the country, to one that handed Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town their first wins of the Premier League campaign.
The Australian has been able to turn his team into great entertainers, but that is also down to the fact that it’s hard to know which team will turn up on any given day.
It could be argued that the forward-thinking coach could use one of the first players he sold when he took the reins last summer, a player who’s been touted for a return to the England set-up by Gary Neville.
Spurs' 2023 summer departures
Before getting to the in-form player in question, let’s examine a few other Spurs stars sold in Postecoglou’s first summer, starting with the big one, Harry Kane.
Yes, after years of speculation, the England captain finally left North London last summer, but instead of remaining in the country, he joined German behemoths Bayern Munich for a fee said to be £86.4m.
The Lilywhites legend left the club with an unreal haul of 280 goals and 61 assists in 435 games, and while he’s already scored 61 goals and provided 21 assists in 61 appearances for the Bavarians, he is still yet to win his first trophy as an invincible Bayer Leverkusen finally pipped FC Hollywood to the throne last year.
Now, someone who didn’t leave with as much fanfare was Lucas Moura, who rejoined boyhood side São Paulo on a free after making 221 appearances for the North Londoners over five and a half seasons, in which he scored 39 goals, provided 27 assists and gave the fans that night in Amsterdam.
Since returning to Brazil, the 32-year-old has been in fine form and currently has 13 goals and nine assists to his name in 43 games this season, and was recalled to the Brazil squad and played in the World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in September.
However, he might not be the only Spurs ace sold last summer to be recalled to their national team in the near future.
The former Spurs star Postecoglou must regret selling
Many former and current Spurs stars have been or still are part of the England set-up, such as Eric Dier, Kane, James Maddison, and now Dominic Solanke.
However, the player Neville believes should be a part of the England squad, and Postecoglou could regret selling last summer, is Harry Winks.
The Australian and Daniel Levy opted to cash in on the 28-year-old midfielder when Leicester City came in with an offer worth £10m, and while that looked like good business at the time, it’s starting to look less so this season.
Leicester midfielder Harry Winks.
After playing a crucial role in securing immediate promotion back to the Premier League, the Hemel Hempstead-born “Rolls-Royce”, as dubbed by former professional Ian Baraclough, has continued his fine form into this one, so much so that there are reports that the Lilywhites may be interested in re-signing him in 2025.
If true, it’s not hard to see why, as not only has he already racked up three assists and one goal in just 11 appearances, primarily from defensive midfield, but his underlying numbers are seriously impressive when compared to the North Londoners’ defensive midfielders.
Non-Penalty xG+As
0.13
0.13
0.10
Actual Non-Penalty G+As
0.38
0.25
0.40
Assists
0.29
0.13
0.00
Shots on Target
0.29
0.25
0.40
Passing Accuracy
86.5%
91.0%
91.4%
Key Passes
1.37
0.34
0.68
Crosses into the Penalty Area
0.21
0.00
0.00
Shot-Creating Actions
2.74
2.52
1.80
Goal-Creating Actions
0.32
0.00
0.00
Tackles Won
0.67
1.77
1.80
Blocks
1.05
0.85
0.91
Dispossessed
0.32
0.68
0.91
Fouls
0.57
1.77
1.20
Ball Recoveries
5.79
7.12
3.64
For example, while he comes out second or third best in some metrics against Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur, he comes out ahead in others, including but not limited to assists, key passes, crosses into the penalty area, shot and goal-creating actions, blocks and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, it might not be a popular opinion, and Winks might not make it back into the Three Lions set-up under Thomas Tuchel, but he has shown this season that the Premier League is where he belongs.
Moreover, when looking at his raw output and underlying numbers, it certainly looks like he could be doing a job for Postecoglou and Spurs right about now.
Their next Dele Alli: Spurs want to sign "incredible" Mikey Moore rival
The sensational attacker would be another exciting addition to Spurs’ young squad.
Mary Earps really is living the dream, with the Euro 2022-winning Lionesses goalkeeper sharing a "crazy" throwback post that proves as much.
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Article continues below
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Keeper dreamt of turning out at WembleyHas won major silverware on that pitchA lot has happened in the space of 10 yearsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Back in 2015, Earps was preparing to sever ties with Bristol Academy and could never have imagined how her professional career would take off. A decade ago, she posted an image on social media of Wembley Stadium alongside the message: "I’d love to play here one day."
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Little did she know that her dream would come true. Earps made her senior England debut in 2017 and has passed a half-century of caps for her country. She was a key figure for the Lionesses in their memorable European Championship triumph – which took place at Wembley.
DID YOU KNOW?
Earps – who won the FA Cup with Manchester United in 2024 before heading to Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent – has graced the home of English football on a number of occasions, at domestic and international level.
WHAT MARY EARPS SAID
The 32-year-old is still having to pinch herself – as a two-time winner of the FIFA Best Women’s Goalkeeper award – and said to her Instagram followers when reminiscing about her Wembley post from 10 years ago: "Posted 11th of March 2015. Wow. So grateful for this crazy life."
ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2016Australia required 131 at the start of the final day. Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja took them closer with a solid stand•Getty ImagesTim Southee removed Usman Khawaja for 45, caught by McCullum at first slip.•Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesSteven Smith, however, ensured that Australia coasted towards the target with a brisk fifty•Getty ImagesJust before lunch, Smith asked for the extra 15 minutes to finish the match. In the search for quick runs, Burns lost his wicket after a patient 65•Getty ImagesAustralia cruised to a seven-wicket win, and in the process, became the No. 1 ranked Test side after winning the series 2-0•Getty ImagesMcCullum signed off his international career with his final presentation ceremony. “Thanks for buying in, and accepting we have to play the game differently.”•Getty Images
ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2015Lendl Simmons was next to go. Right after hitting Morne Morkel for a six, he scooped one straight to third man, leaving Mumbai on 42 for 2•PTI Shakib struck again, in the seventh over, to limit Ambati Rayudu’s stay at the crease to three balls•BCCIRohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard got together for a 32-run fourth-wicket stand which ended when Sunil Narine castled the Mumbai captain for 30•BCCIPollard struggled to find his timing and played an uncharacteristic innings•BCCIBut the 21-year old Hardik Pandya smashed an unbeaten 61 off 31 balls, only his second T20 fifty, during the course of a 92-run stand for the fifth wicket that propelled Mumbai to 171 for 4•BCCIKnight Riders’ chase got off to a rousing start with Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa putting on 45 for the opening stand•BCCIBut Knight Riders lost Uthappa and Manish Pandey in the sixth over, leaving them on 46 for 2•BCCIGambhir struck some glorious boundaries before he was bowled by J Suchith off the last ball of the 11th over•BCCIMumbai’s bowlers removed Shakib and the dangerous Andre Russell in a space of ten balls, leaving Knight Riders with 44 to get from 25 balls•PTI But Yusuf Pathan’s late surge threatened to pull the game back in Knight Rider’s favour, leaving them with 12 to get off the final over•BCCIThen Pollard dismissed Pathan off the first ball, after he had made 52 from 37, and conceded only six runs to hand Mumbai a five-run win•BCCI
Tom Verducci: The Red Sox traded Rafael Devers under duress and paid down none of his contract, which limited his value. So why trade him? When you sign someone to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract, that’s the kind of commitment to consider the player “the face of the franchise.” And your face of the franchise should set a culture that young players can emulate.
Not playing first base or third base when starters go down at those positions—positions in the spectrum of your defensive prowess, not moving from infield to outfield or corner to middle—is certainly Devers’s right. But it’s also the club's right to expect more. Taking pregame grounders at shortstop last week was just another layer of weirdness to what became a parlor game of guessing Raffy’s mindset.
The Red Sox are not faultless. Owner John Henry, GM Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora failed to get out in front of potential problems when it came to communicating. But nothing they did changed the fact that the team was in transition to a new, young core and Devers's intransigence was an obstacle. He should be happier in San Francisco after losing faith in the Boston front office.
The Giants are the winners of this deal today because they added an impact hitter in his prime without disrupting the major league team. Their pitching depth made Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison superfluous. The Giants have not had a left-handed hitter hit 30 home runs since Barry Bonds in 2004, and none other than Bonds since Will Clark 38 years ago. They must pay Devers, a full-time DH when Matt Chapman gets off the IL, $250 million over eight and a half years. That’s a worry for another day. His contract already doesn’t look so bad after the money paid to Juan Soto and Vlad Guerrero Jr.
Will Laws: This deal is being widely compared to the Red Sox’s disastrous trade of Mookie Betts in 2020. But I’d be shocked if this deal ages nearly as poorly as that one has. Yes, that’s setting a low bar. But Devers has never been the sort of player Betts is and his contract very well could’ve turned into an albatross long before it expires in 2033.
Devers has been a top-15 player this season in terms of offensive value, according to FanGraphs. But he’s 35th in terms of fWAR largely due to his poor baserunning and lack of defensive value. Devers has never finished in the top 10 of American League MVP voting. Betts has seven top-10 MVP placements. Betts likewise has seven seasons where he’s been more valuable by bWAR than Devers was in his best season—and that was back in 2019, the year of the juiced ball. And let’s not forget that while Devers refused to pick his glove back up in his team’s time of need after being slated as Boston’s full-time designated hitter before this season—which he was well within his rights to do—Betts has not only been willing to play multiple positions for the Dodgers over the last several years but has excelled at doing so.
Devers is a fearsome slugger, and the Red Sox are now worse than they were Sunday morning. This should also be an excellent deal for the Giants, who have long needed an infusion of power into their lineup. But Boston boasts a wealth of hitting talent and a pitching staff in need of some reinforcements, and now has the opportunity to spend the $245 million or so it still owed Devers elsewhere.
Former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom was forced by team ownership to trade Betts and never did enough to improve the roster to fill the void left by the former MVP’s departure. He was fired after the 2023 season as a result.
Bloom’s successor, Craig Breslow, just acquired the Giants’ former top prospect, 23-year-old pitcher Kyle Harrison, as part of the return for Devers, as well as pitcher Jordan Hicks and San Francisco’s No. 2 prospect in outfielder James Tibbs III. It’s not enough to make up for the loss of Devers, but it’s a start. Let’s see if Breslow uses some of his newfound payroll space to further upgrade Boston’s pitching staff this season before prematurely sentencing him to the same fate as Bloom.
Glasgow Rangers find themselves in a similar rut that occurred after a few weeks of the 2023/24 campaign.
Having enjoyed a new manager bounce under Michael Beale, poor recruitment in the summer of 2023 led to a disjointed start to the season, with the Light Blues failing to qualify for the Champions League, while slipping eight points behind Celtic.
Philippe Clement replaced the Englishman in October last year, winning the League Cup just two months into his Ibrox reign. However, it has been far from plain sailing since.
Having clawed back the deficit in the league last term, the Gers lost to Motherwell, Ross County and Celtic to finish second, while being defeated 1-0 in the Scottish Cup final by their Old Firm rivals.
Following a busy summer transfer window, hopes were high that Clement could lead the Light Blues to the title this term, but that already looks unlikely as they currently occupy third place in the table.
Rangers’ 10 best managers of all time ranked by win percentage
The Gers missed out on the league title in his first season, but where does Philippe Clement rank among his predecessors?
ByCharlie Smith Jan 4, 2025
Competition
Opponent
Score
Premiership
Kilmarnock
1-0 loss
Premiership
St Johnstone
2-0 win
Europa League
Lyon
4-1 loss
Premiership
Hibernian
1-0 win
Europa League
Malmö
2-0 win
League Cup
Dundee
3-0 win
Premiership
Dundee United
1-0 win
Premiership
Celtic
3-0 loss
Premiership
Ross County
6-0 win
League Cup
St Johnstone
2-0 win
Champions League qualification
Dynamo Kyiv
2-0 loss
Premiership
Motherwell
2-1 win
Champions League qualification
Dynamo Kyiv
1-1
Premiership
Hearts
0-0
It isn’t just the results which are poor, but the performances have been dismal at times. The Gers had sacked their manager before Christmas in the previous two seasons and Clement is a man under serious pressure, so will it happen again in 2024?
With the rumour mill circling regarding his future, we have taken a look at potential candidates who could take the reins at the Light Blues should Clement lose his job in the next few weeks.
1 Kevin Muscat Shanghai Port
Yokohama F. Marinos manager Kevin Muscat.
Australian Kevin Muscat spent the 2002/03 season at the Gers during his playing career, helping the club win the domestic treble, and he has since forged an impressive managerial career.
He led Melbourne Victory to the A-League championship in 2014/15 and 2017/18 before going on to achieve success in Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos, replacing Ange Postecoglou. In the land of the rising sun, Muscat led the club to the J1 League title in 2022, finishing runners-up twice, while claiming the Japanese Super Cup last year.
Before Clement was unveiled, Muscat revealed that he spoke to Rangers concerning the vacant role. Could it be different this time?
2 Derek McInnes Kilmarnock
Derek McInnes
Like Muscat, McInnes also played for the club during his career, spending five years at Ibrox between 1995 and 2000.
His longest managerial spell was with Aberdeen, taking charge of the club for eight years and leading them to the 2014 League Cup, their first trophy in 20 years.
His spell at Kilmarnock has been an overriding success, and he has won two matches against Rangers since the start of last term. The Gers made an approach for the Scot in December 2017, but McInnes turned them down.
3 Ole Gunnar Solskjær Free agent (last job: Manchester United)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is currently without a club, and despite not leading the Old Trafford side to any silverware during his spell as boss, experience managing at that level could be an advantage for the Gers.
It ended poorly for the Norwegian, but he won 91 of his 168 games at United, finishing Premier League runners-up in the 2020/21 campaign and coming close to winning the Europa League in the same year before losing to Villarreal on penalties.
4 Graham Potter Free agent (last job: Chelsea)
Graham Potter has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, but he has turned down a few jobs since, including the chance to manage French side Lyon.
It appears as though he is waiting for the right opportunity to get back into management. Would Rangers suit him? That he is more of a project manager rather than instant success indicates this may not be the case, but if given time, the Englishman would surely build a solid team at Ibrox.
Unfortunately, time is something the club simply does not have right now, especially with how far behind they are in the Scottish Premiership.
All 20 Premier League managers' salaries (lowest to highest)
How much each Premier League gaffer earns.
ByCharlie Smith Oct 21, 2025 5 Frank Lampard Free agent (last job: Everton)
When Beale was sacked last year, it emerged that Lampard was keen on taking over the reins at Rangers. A while later, news broke that Lampard wasn’t even in the running, and he will almost certainly be an outsider if Clement receives his marching orders.
Sacked from both Chelsea and Everton, his next appointment must be a success, but it would be a massive gamble for Rangers to appoint him. Of course, the same was said about Steven Gerrard, yet he ended up returning the club to the summit of Scottish football by winning the league title in 2021. Stranger things have happened.
6 Kjetil Knutsen Bodo/Glimt
Bodo/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen.
Kjetil Knutsen’s spell in charge of Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt has been incredible. Since 2018, he has led the club to three league titles (in 2019, 2020 and 2023) with his style being easy on the eye.
He became the first coach to see his team score six goals against one managed by José Mourinho, displaying evidence of how his attack-minded philosophy can glide through even the toughest defences – and this is something which would be advantageous for Rangers.
His success in Norway may see bigger teams than the Ibrox side emerge as possible destinations, but if Clement does leave, Knutsen could be an inspired choice.
7 Oliver Glasner Crystal Palace
Current Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner registered an interest in the vacant role following Beale’s sacking last year, but nothing materialised.
Glasner was the man in charge of Eintracht Frankfurt when the German side won the Europa League final against Rangers in 2022. After a positive start to life as the Eagles manager, his side have struggled this term.
Indeed, they currently occupy 18th place in the Premier League table, failing to win a single league match all season. While his job may not be under fire just now, if things persist, could he find his position untenable?
Especially considering his success elsewhere, Glasner could also be another suitable candidate to take over at Ibrox, even if he is out of a job himself in the coming weeks.
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Rangers thought they had a Wayne Rooney-like talent on their hands, then he was released.
Harmer and Adam Rossington fifties leave Hampshire needing 299 to win in fourth innings
David Hopps27-Jun-2022How to play Simon Harmer on a pitch offering turn and bounce will again be the main topic of conversation at Chelmsford. Harmer soon took the last four Hampshire wickets to fall on the second morning and, as many had imagined he might, returned the best Championship figures this season in the process.His 8 for 46 was the first eight-for in Division One this summer, and also surpassed Dane Paterson’s 8 for 52 for Nottinghamshire against Worcestershire in Division Two. A pitch the colour of a peeled banana should continue to offer plenty of assistance on the third day and, despite signs of defiance, Hampshire’s target of 299 remains a distant dream.How should Hampshire combat Harmer? Limit vertical-bat shots, stay inside the line and, when you do hunt out the leg side do so with vigour and scare the close fielders to death might be one theory. Felix Organ appeared to have done a lot of thinking roughly along those lines and, with 13 overs to survive at the end of the day, his approach was particularly decisive. He swung Harmer for three leg-side sixes, the bowler conceded 30 from six overs and Hampshire closed their 13 overs somewhat enriched at 35 without loss.Dismissals at the start of day two included a reverse sweep (Keith Barker), a top-edged flat bat through cover (James Fuller) and a swing to deep midwicket (Kyle Abbott). Ben Brown, who played well for 38, was unfortunate and conveyed the fact the ball flicked the top of his pad with a meaningful pad bash, followed by an exasperated swing of his arm and spin of his bat.Liam Dawson, as Hampshire’s senior spinner, then responded with a creditable 7 for 68. As well as the first time he had taken 10 wickets in a match, he was also the first spinner to take five or more wickets at Chelmsford other than Harmer since 2014.”You have to cash in on these pitch as you don’t get many that turn off the straight in England,” Dawson said. “Harmer is world-class. Facing him and the bounce he gets is something every spinner wants and he has shown over the years how good he is. It is going to be a tough chase. We are going to have to be brave and take risks against Harmer. It is going to be a fun day. You might see some lads get out playing some big shots but that is better sitting around waiting to get caught around the bat.”Dawson is not a big turner of the ball, but he is a thoughtful bowler and approached every delivery with an air of great care as if he was not just bowling the ball but computing it. Nick Browne met the turning ball as he does swing and seam, with great deliberation, his 33 from 98 balls the most considered innings of the match. Adam Rossington’s 60 from 71 balls, his highest Championship score of the season, was a more pugnacious response from No. 7 after the loss of five early wickets. Harmer, as if to rub it in, then contributed 61 as he mowed regularly and spiritedly to midwicket.Rossington’s sudden move from Northamptonshire on the eve of the season, partly driven by a disagreement with Northants’ coaching staff over fitness regimes, was soon followed by Adam Wheater’s announcement that he would retire his Essex career at the end of the season, since when he has disappeared from view and Rossington is now established behind the stumps. He is a much more assertive batter and his bulk is making him one of the most recognisable figures in the game.It is a safe assumption that Essex did not discuss how to survive Organ with the same focus that Hampshire gave to Harmer. Organ, trying to make his way as an opening batter offering an offspin option, has a tidy first-class record, nonetheless, with his 29 wickets before this game costing under 23 runs.Along with Dawson, he kept Essex’s second innings honest. They had a first-innings lead of 75, knowing that another 150 would make them overwhelming favourites. The spinners were in tandem by the sixth over – perhaps uniquely this season – and, with half of Essex’s side dispatched for 51 just after lunch, the match was still very much alive.Organ took two in two, finding nice dip to beat Alastair Cook on the drive and have him caught at first slip, then seeing Tom Westley caught at short leg, a firm clip into Aneurin Donald’s midriff. Paul Walter, covering up in front of off stump, was trapped lbw on the back foot. Dawson had Dan Lawrence lbw flicking across his front pad. Michael Pepper, who is standing in for the injured Matt Critchley, has had an unrewarding match – after his tentative first-ball dismissal in the first innings, he opted for a reverse sweep and picked out cover. Dawson picked his way through the tail.Down in the furthest reaches of the County Ground, where the view is at its worst, two supporters watched Hampshire’s fielders agitating for wickets as Browne and Rossington began to reclaim Essex’s advantage. Seasoned county supporters, by and large, are not yet in the habit of checking the video replay when a contentious moment occurs. They draw on decades of experience, flavoured by a healthy seasoning of bias. Emotion often trumps facts, as in the real world beyond.So it was that when Browne survived a catch at short leg, Hampshire fielders dancing around, a portly man in a red polo shirt complained “clearly out” from fully 90 metres away, slightly downhill. Next ball, Browne’s defiant innings came to grief as he turned Dawson to backward short leg. “Should have walked the first time,” said the man, a little self-righteously, his faith in some sort of religious intervention confirmed. It would have been surprising if God had had the time to intervene considering that a minority of fundamentalists claim He has been more involved in Roe v Wade than Browne v Dawson.Minutes later, Harmer rode a blow from Abbott which brushed his chest on the way through to the wicketkeeper, Hampshire’s wailing for a wicket again refused. “They’re all cheating now,” said the man, before adding with no sense of irony: “Looked out from here.” All this time, umpires have been standing behind the stumps when clearly a better vantage point has existed all along.