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The Rangers Review journalist Jonny McFarlane has revealed some promising Glasgow Rangers exit news involving Fashion Sakala.

The Lowdown: Bid prepared

According to a report from The Scottish Daily Express, Burnley are preparing a £3m bid for Sakala, with uncertainty over his future at Ibrox.

He is yet to play a game for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team so far this season, and they have also signed fellow attackers Rabbi Matondo, Antonio Colak, Tom Lawrence and Malik Tillman, putting his minutes further at risk.

The Latest: McFarlane update

Taking to Twitter, McFarlane has revealed that there has been ‘no contact’ from Burnley over a move for Sakala as of yet, despite the report of a bid being prepared:

“Regarding Fashion Sakala being on the move, I understand there’s been no contact between Burnley and Rangers over the striker. He has his work cut out to get in the team but things can change over course of a season.”

The Verdict: Promising

The fact that no contact has been made over Sakala is certainly promising for the Light Blues’ hopes of keeping him for this season.

The Zambia international scored nine goals in the Scottish Premiership last term, the joint-third most in the squad, while he also registered three assists and three man-of-the-match awards (WhoScored).

He also ranked highly among his teammates in terms of average shots and dribbles per match, and was generally a valuable squad member for the Teddy Bears.

Of course, Sakala’s minutes may be more limited this campaign with all of the new signings, but after already losing key squad members Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey, they should be reluctant to let him go as well.

Glasgow Rangers icon Ally McCoist has named one player that he would love to see the Light Blues sign in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

The former Ibrox frontman has said that Dele Alli, who joined Everton in a deal worth up to £40m in January, would be a good signing for the Premiership club amid reports linking him with a move to Turkey.

Speaking on the talkSPORT breakfast show [August 17, 6:23am], the 59-year-old said: “Would I take him at Rangers? All day man. All day. Yeah. I do, I really do [think he’d do a good job]. I’d take him all day man.

“He’s completely and utterly lost his way. It’s not easy, don’t think for a minute it’s easy. You look at the players that have come to Rangers beforehand, I’m not saying they’ve struggled but they’ve not been as big a success as people would have thought. And Celtic.

“It’s a difficult place to play. But if you do play there, it’s a fantastic place to play.”

Paul Gascoigne 2.0

Besiktas have reportedly agreed a deal with Everton for the England international and they are now waiting on a decision from the player.

Rangers should now act on McCoist’s suggestion and Alli’s indecisiveness over a move to Turkey by attempting to convince him to come to Scotland, as he could be Paul Gascoigne 2.0 for the Gers.

In fact, Barcelona manager Xavi – whilst he was still playing – once compared Alli to Gascoigne, with the obvious Tottenham, England and positional links.

The mercurial attacking midfielder played 74 league matches for the Light Blues during the 1990s and smashed in 30 goals, whilst also scoring nine times in 28 cup outings.

He was capable of making a huge impact in the final third whilst playing as a number 10 and Alli has the potential to do the same.

Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino previously compared him to the late Diego Maradona, saying: “You smell Maradona’s energy, his charisma is amazing.

“Ronaldinho at Paris Saint-Germain was similar. And it’s similar with Dele. People love him in this way. When you add the charisma to the talent, that’s what makes a special player. When he was scoring goals, kids loved him like he was Ronaldinho.”Kids feel this charisma, this energy, and with Dele it’s the same; he has this charisma that kids love and follow.”At the height of his powers, the former Spurs playmaker was phenomenal in the Premier League. Between the 2015/16 and 2017/18 campaigns, Alli scored 37 goals and set up 29 more in the English top flight as he consistently delivered at the top end of the pitch.As recently as the 2020/21 season, he scored two goals and provided three assists in eight Europa League outings, which suggests that he also has the quality to perform in Europe.Whilst he has flopped at Everton, with zero goal contributions in 13 games at Goodison Park, he still has plenty of time to reignite his career at the age of 26. He could do that by joining Rangers to become their next Gascoigne – scoring and creating goals regularly from midfield – if he is able to recapture his best form.

Journalist Michael Graham was left shocked with the officials failing to see a foul on Daniel Ballard in Sunderland’s draw 2-2 with Queens Park Rangers.

The Lowdown: Sunderland held by QPR

The Black Cats suffered a frustrating afternoon at the office on Saturday, as Championship football returned to the Stadium of Light once more.

Despite taking a 2-0 lead and being in complete control, Sunderland conceded twice in the dying minutes, with QPR goalkeeper Seny Dieng scoring a last-gasp equaliser.

Unfortunately, Ballard only lasted nine minutes of proceedings after colliding with an opposition player, with the centre-back ending up in hospital after the incident.

The Latest: Journalist left fuming

Taking to Twitter after the game, Graham was shocked at the officials’ inability to see what happened in a response to Alex Neil’s post-game update on Ballard’s situation, describing it as ‘staggering’:

“Which the referee didn’t even SEE btw, never mind award a foul for. Staggering that a player can be hospitalised on the pitch without an official even seeing it. Bad look for the EFL, that.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

The hope is that Ballard’s injury doesn’t prove to be anything too serious, with the 22-year-old averaging two clearances and one tackle per game in the league so far this season, impressing at the heart of the defence.

The fact that the referee didn’t properly address the incident at the time is certainly an indictment of the current standards of officiating, as Graham alludes to.

Far more consistency is required from those in charge, even though the job is tough, and poor decisions are highlighted even more without VAR in the Championship.

Arsenal’s record signing Nicolas Pepe finally appears to be on his way out of the Emirates Stadium, and Mikel Arteta could land a dream alternative in the 27-year-old’s place.

What’s the news?

The Spaniard could be set to offload the Ivory Coast forward in this transfer window, with a move to Ligue 1 outfit Nice edging closer after the player’s agent was spotted at their stadium on Sunday.

The club-record £72m signing has failed to live up to his billing since he joined in 2019, and with Arteta now moulding the squad into one that he sees fit to chase a top-four Premier League finish, Pepe’s time appears to be up.

The 40-year-old may already have a dream alternative to the Ivory Coast international, and it’s a target which makes complete sense.

No-brainer for Arsenal

Arsenal are already keen on signing Spanish youngster Yeremy Pino from Villarreal this summer, but it could be a swoop for another reported target in Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby which would be the ideal replacement for Pepe.

Having been dubbed a “disaster” by French broadcaster Matt Spiro in the past, the £140k-p/w Ivorian winger has scored just 27 goals and registered 21 assists in 112 games for Arsenal during his spell at the club, a modest return considering the financial outlay which was spent on his arrival.

This is in stark contrast to Diaby, who – in the same three-season spell as Pepe – has scored 35 goals and grabbed 38 assists, showing that he offers a bigger goalscoring threat.

The 23-year-old had a wonderful 2021/22 campaign with 25 goal contributions, compared to just three for Pepe, and the Frenchman also achieved a 50.9% shots on target percentage, far better than the Arsenal man’s 30.4%.

The Bundesliga attacker could be available for a fee of €70m (£59.4m), which is reportedly the German club’s asking price for the player.

At only 23 years of age and with eight senior appearances for France to his name, it looks like Diaby is ready to make the next step and continue his astonishing rise.

Arteta could make a big statement of intent by signing the Leverkusen winger, who would certainly add an extra dimension to the Arsenal forward line, while also enabling the 40-year-old to jettison Pepe in the process.

Considering the two forwards’ respective numbers, as outlined above, it seems a no-brainer for the Gunners boss.

Glasgow Rangers insider The 4th Official has revealed that the Ibrox outfit are expected to ‘negotiate’ over the potential signing of Nicolas Raskin.

The Lowdown: Rising star

Raskin is one of the rising stars of Belgian football, having already made 84 senior appearances for KAA Gent and Standard Liege at the tender age of just 21, scoring four goals and making a further ten assists (Transfermarkt).

Hailed as ‘incredible’ by journalist Stephan Streker, Raskin has also been capped by Belgium right through to U21 level, and will be hoping to catch the eye ahead of a potential call-up to the senior team before the FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.

The Latest: Rangers interest

Taking to Twitter, The 4th Official, who was the first to break Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s move to Ibrox back in November 2021, has revealed that the Gers are ‘interested’ in signing Raskin, who is valued at €5.5m (£4.6m) by Liege:

“Rangers interested in Nicolas Raskin with the midfielder rejecting Club Brugge for the Europa League finalists. Standard Liege wants €5.5m but expect Rangers to negotiate.”

The Verdict: Sign him up

A player who can play anywhere in the middle of the park, Raskin would certainly be a welcome addition to van Bronckhorst’s squad.

Aside from playing his trade in Belgium, he also has the experience of playing in European competition, so would also be a useful asset to have in their UEFA Champions League campaign.

Nonetheless, at just 21 years of age, Raskin has the potential to develop into one of the best central midfielders in Europe, and so the Light Blues could be snapping up a bargain at or around £4.6m.

Sunderland have just under two days left to finish off the rest of their business in the summer transfer window as the deadline passes at 11pm on Thursday.

They have faced the task of appointing a first team manager too, after Alex Neil opted to leave the club in recent days to join Championship rivals Stoke.

Fortunately, they have moved swiftly to secure his replacement with Tony Mowbray being confirmed as the club’s new boss late on Tuesday evening, penning a two-year deal at the Stadium of Light.

Mowbray has now arrived in time to have a say on who the club should sign in the final 24 hours or so of the transfer window, thus giving them the best chance of enjoying a strong campaign in the Championship.

The former Blackburn boss must now push for Kristjaan Speakman to sign reported target Anthony Scully from Lincoln, as bringing him to Wearside could represent an instant masterclass by the 58-year-old.

Mowbray’s favoured formation is an attacking 4-3-3, and this could result in a change from the 3-4-1-2 which has been in action this term, which would require wide options who can do damage in the final third.

No Sunderland midfielder or winger has scored more than one goal in the Championship this term, while only two of the club’s goals have not been scored by Ross Stewart or Ellis Simms.

Last season, Elliot Embleton (nine) was the only player outside of Stewart and Nathan Broadhead to score more than four League One goals for the Black Cats.

Scully could come in and offer a much-needed goal threat from out wide after he enjoyed an impressive 2021/22 campaign. He played 35 games for Lincoln in the third tier and found the net 11 times, whilst setting up seven goals and creating 11 ‘big chances’ for his team-mates.

Former West Ham academy director Tony Carr previously hailed the Irish gem’s instincts in front of goal, saying: “He’s always had an eye for a goal and he’s always had that little bit extra that you need sometimes in and around the box and can score something different.”

Ex-Lincoln boss Mark Appleton previously stated that you “can’t ignore” the winger’s goals, and at the age of just 23, Scully could come in as a player for the future as well as the here-and-now.

Therefore, with his appointment now done and dusted, Mowbray could land an immediate blinder by making the Lincoln winger his first signing as Sunderland manager.

Scully could improve the team’s goalscoring potential and give the club many years of fine service if he can make the step up to the Championship whilst continuing to develop and hone his skills.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has shared a worrying injury update involving star defender Aymeric Laporte.

The Lowdown: City start brightly…

After a major summer overhaul, the Premier League champions have started this new campaign brilliantly and remain unbeaten following their latest 1-1 draw away to Aston Villa.

Marquee signing Erling Haaland has hit the ground running with 1o goals and an assist over his first six top-flight matches, while the likes of fellow newcomer Julian Alvarez have also turned heads.

The Sky Blues have had to cope with some injury issues as well, with Jack Grealish, Kalvin Phillips and the ‘sensational’ Laporte (as dubbed by Spain head coach Luis Enrique) all missing their fair share of matches so far.

The Latest: Guardiola shares damning Laporte update…

Speaking to the media before City’s trip to Villa Park on Saturday, Guardiola shared a worrying update on the Spain defender

Indeed, the 51-year-old warned supporters that they may have to wait several weeks for Laporte’s return to action, coming after surgery on his knee.

The City manager stated (via BBC): “Aymeric is still a month or a month and a half away. He had a surgery on the bone. We will not push him. Knee injuries can be very difficult.

“We had four incredible central defenders before Manu, but sometimes Ayme had tough injuries.”

The Verdict: Bad news?

City’s deadline day signing of defender Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund appears a very smart piece of business amid this news.

One silver lining for supporters is getting to witness the Ruben Dias/John Stones partnership consistently again, coming after the duo played imperiously alongside each other during the 2020/21 season.

Their form was a major factor in City’s league title triumph and their run to the Champions League final that year, and it will be interesting to see if they rediscover that superb understanding.

Celtic are believed to already be turning their attention towards the January market, despite manager Ange Postecoglou having only just secured nine major deals in what was an extensive summer of recruitment.

Recent reports have suggested that the Parkhead outfit have identified highly-rated 18-year-old, Oscar Gloukh as a potential target in the winter window, with the Scottish champions anticipating potential departures should their key men impress at the upcoming World Cup.

The likes of Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley could be in action for Japan and Denmark, respectively in Qatar – albeit with the latter man yet to earn a senior call-up – with a string of strong performances likely to only further catch the attention of potential suitors.

Turning to the Maccabi Tel Aviv starlet could well see Postecoglou and co land yet another relatively unknown gem, with the versatile midfielder likely to cost in the region of £8m – albeit with his current deal set to expire in 2024.

Although his current side will likely be reticent to part ways with such an exciting talent, Maccabi owner Mitchell Goldhar has hinted at a potential exit in the near future, only recently stating: “Gloukh is one of the best players who grew up here in our academy. He has abilities that remind us of the greatest of them all. He will continue with us a little longer. Maybe in January or at most in the summer he will progress.”

Landing the teenager would also come with the added bonus of frustrating the Hoops’ Old Firm foes Rangers, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side having been heavily linked with a move for the emerging prospect throughout the summer.

The Israel U21 international has warranted such interest as a result of his sparkling form in his homeland of late, despite having only made his senior debut back in March, scoring six goals and laying on four assists in just 19 games since then.

The eye-catching “wonderkid” – as dubbed by Gers podcaster Andy Barnett – has been in particularly impressive form in the early weeks of the current campaign, having scored three goals and laid on four assists in just five league games.

Should Gloukh be snapped up by the Glasgow side in the near future, the hope will be that he can emulate the impact of compatriot Liel Abada at Celtic Park, with the latter man having sparkled since his £3.5m arrival from Maccabi Petah Tikva last year.

The 20-year-old has scored 21 goals and laid on 12 assists in just 61 games across all fronts for the Scottish Premiership side to date, having enjoyed a particularly profitable debut campaign last time out in which he provided 26 goal contributions.

That strong attacking output has continued in the current campaign as the £6.75m-rated ace has scored six goals in just seven league games thus far, including a hat-trick in the 9-0 thrashing of Dundee United last month.

While the forward had arrived in Scotland with more experience than his fellow countryman will have – making 76 appearances for his former club – he has shown that it can be a smooth transition to life at Parkhead from Israel.

There will no doubt be hefty interest in Gloukh’s signature, yet the indication is that he could well mirror Abada in becoming a future Hoops star.

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their efforts to bolster their squad throughout the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to the print edition of German outlet Bild, via Derek Rae, the Light Blues attempted to sign Hertha Berlin centre-forward Davie Selke.

Ross Wilson tried to bring the German attacker to Ibrox and failed to get a deal over the line, as Croatian striker Antonio Colak ended up being their only addition in that area of the pitch for the Premiership giants.

Rae Tweeted: “Per Bild, Rangers were in pursuit of Hertha striker Davie Selke during the most recent transfer window but ultimately in vain. Basel, FC Copenhagen West Brom were among other interested parties.”

Bullet dodged

Wilson dodged a Rangers howler by failing to sign Selke as the forward could have been a poor signing for the Light Blues this season.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig described him as “awful” in 2020 and named him as one of a number of failed prospects who have “wasted” their potential, which is backed up by his form in recent seasons.

He burst onto the scene in the 2017/18 campaign with ten goals and four assists in 27 Bundesliga appearances, along with four goals in three Europa League outings. The attacker, who was in his early 20s at the time, showcased his ability at the top end of the pitch and appeared to be a player with the world at his feet.

However, he has since failed to kick on and fulfil his potential in Germany. In the following four-and-a-bit seasons, Selke has scored just 11 times in 113 games – a goal every 8.7 matches on average.

This shows that he has been unable to live up to the standards he set in 2017/18 and has not been a consistent goalscorer in the Bundesliga over a number of campaigns.

Instead of signing the Hertha striker, Rangers brought in Colak to bolster their attacking options and he has been a revelation at Ibrox this season. The former PAOK man has found the back of the net nine times in 13 appearances in all competitions – an average of a goal every 1.4 outings.

These statistics, in comparison to Selke’s, suggest that Wilson dodged a bullet before striking gold in the transfer market over the summer. He avoided a nightmare by failing to land the German flop, whose goal record suggests that he would have struggled, and the signing of Colak is, as it stands, looking like a masterstroke from the former Southampton chief.

Tottenham Hotspur have been in desperate need of a creative playmaker for quite some time, dating back to the departure of Christian Eriksen.

Club-record moves for Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso, who cost a combined £110m, have failed to pay dividends and the recent 3-1 defeat to Arsenal in the north London derby only further compounded just how poor the side can be.

At times, the football played under Antonio Conte has been boring but when you’re winning, you ignore it. Three points – or a win – is all that really matters come full-time.

But they were outplayed by the league leaders; their arch-rivals.

Spurs failed to secure an attack-minded midfielder during the summer transfer window, despite being linked to several names, perhaps most notably in James Maddison.

The Leicester City dynamo was on fire last season for the Foxes as he delivered 18 goals and 12 assists across 53 appearances and even though the Midlands outfit sit rock bottom this term, he’s remained in form with four goal contributions from six outings so far.

January is long in the distance, so any chance for sporting director Fabio Paratici to rectify this issue will have to wait, though it could prove to be a shrewd decision for Conte to dip into the academy set-up, where Jamie Donley – part of the Guardian’s prestigious ‘Next Generation’ list for 2021 looks an ideal alternative.

The 17-year-old is primarily a striker but journalist David Hytner has previously noted his ability to drop off and provide from deep due to his impressive passing range – in some ways, just like Harry Kane.

Donley missed three months of the 2021/22 campaign with a wrist injury but still managed to bag 17 goals for the U18s, earning a promotion to the U21 set-up for this season.

That’s very similar to the goal figures that Maddison put up, albeit at youth level.

He also laid on Transfermarkt.

Donley has consistently been lauded for his passing range, which would further highlight his potential of forging a senior career outside of the no.9 position.

So maybe Conte should turn to the teenager, who journalist Josh Bunting described as a “natural finisher” and “powerful” on the ball”, with Spurs needing an exciting spark in the final third and as that’s unlikely to be remedied in the transfer market for quite some time, Donley could be an intriguing solution.

AND in other news, Spurs could unearth a new Gareth Bale in “creative” 18 y/o speed demon, forget Edwards…