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A Celtic exit in the summer of 2025 is “not out of the question at all”, according to a fresh update from a “superb” 24-year-old Hoops player.

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The January transfer window isn’t a million miles away now, so it is no surprise to see Celtic being linked with plenty of potential new signings. Highly-rated teenage Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller has emerged as an exciting target for the Scottish Premiership champions, but rivals Rangers are thought to be providing competition.

There are players who could head the other way in January, however, with Alexandro Bernabei one such figure, with the left-back reportedly playing his final game for Celtic, following a loan move to Internacional.

In terms of current injuries, Adam Idah was ruled out of the international break because of injury, with his involvement with the Republic of Ireland ending before their UEFA Nations League matches got underway. The hope is that he will be back in the fold sooner rather than later, though, with his withdrawal more precautionary than anything.

"Superb" Celtic ace hints at exit

Speaking to Fotbollskanalen [via The Daily Record], Gustaf Lagerbielke admitted that he may leave Celtic for FC Twente permanently next summer, having moved there on loan earlier this year: “It is a straight loan until the summer. Then there is always the possibility that I will be bought. So far it’s felt very good there so we’ll see how it goes forward.

“There is always that [chance of going back to Celtic]. I still have a contract there. It’s not out of the question at all. Then I’ll have to see closer to the end of the season what happens with everything. But it’s a fantastic club.”

The fact that Lagerbielke was even allowed to leave Celtic on loan during the summer window suggests that Brendan Rodgers doesn’t see him as a future part of his plans. This is despite him being admired by his manager, who said of him last December after a winning goal against Feyenoord: “It was a great moment for him because he hasn’t been involved in squads, other guys have been in front of him.

“But his attitude in training in the main has been superb and he has always been ready. The irony of him being sent off and then getting the goal was great, a really nice moment for him.”

Lagerbielke has generally done well in a Celtic shirt, winning the league title and Scottish Cup last season, but he was limited to only seven appearances in the former and may feel that a move away next year is best for his development.

Celtic man just got embarrassed by an £88m sensation for his country

The Celtic defender had a howler on Sunday evening with a poor performance against England.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 18, 2024

His admiration for the Hoops is clear, but he is also seemingly happy at Twente and likes the idea of his temporary switch being turned into a permanent one at the end of the season.

Leading Bengal in Abhimanyu Easwaran’s absence, Tiwary wants his team to take their game to “the next level” to try and win the Ranji Trophy

Rajan Raj16-Dec-2022Manoj Tiwary has hinted that the ongoing 2022-23 season of the Ranji Trophy could be his last in first-class cricket, but he wants to make sure “to give Bengal a Ranji Trophy title on my way out”.Tiwary, who is in charge of Bengal because regular captain Abhimanyu Easwaran is away on national duty, led the from the front as the side, chasing 257 for victory against Uttar Pradesh at Eden Gardens, got to the target for the loss of four wickets in their Elite Group A game. Tiwary got in at 156 for 3 and ended with an unbeaten 60.Related

• Ranji Trophy: Abhimanyu Easwaran to play at Abhimanyu Cricket Academy Stadium

• Arjun Tendulkar scores century on Ranji Trophy debut

• Agarwal hits the reset button to focus on Karnataka

• Everything you need to know about Ranji Trophy 2022-23

“We have to play like champions. We won today, but it’s not like we played exceptional cricket,” Tiwary, also a member of the legislative assembly in West Bengal, told reporters after the match. “If we look session-by-session, there were phases when we bowled badly. And our opening batters must score runs. If we want to win the Ranji Trophy, we must take our game to the next level.”Bengal have won the Ranji Trophy only twice in all these years, once way back in 1938-39 and then in 1989-90. Tiwary, who started playing first-class cricket in the 2004-05 season, has played the Ranji final thrice: in 2005-06, 2006-07 and, more recently, in 2019-20.”I am quite relaxed about leading the team,” the 37-year-old Tiwary said. “When I stepped down as the first-class captain of Bengal [during the 2018-19 season], I was told to continue as captain of the one-day and T20 sides, but I had refused, telling them that we need to groom a younger player as captain. But [in Abhimanyu’s absence], I realised I have to take this responsibility because decision-making is such a crucial part of the game.”Though he did ask for more from the bowling unit – which was missing Mukesh Kumar, who was out in Bangladesh with India A – Tiwary had words of praise for his pace spearhead Ishan Porel, who hasn’t played a lot of cricket of late but earned the Player-of-the-Match award against Uttar Pradesh for his match haul of seven wickets, including a five-for in the first innings.”Porel’s comeback has been quite good,” Tiwary said. “He wasn’t available for the Vijay Hazare [50-over] Trophy tournament, but he proved his worth here. I have spoken to him: we are playing at a level where we must forget what has happened in the past; every minute, every second, we must tell the world why I am Ishan Porel, or why I am Manoj Tiwary. That is the mentality that will help him become a champion.”Bengal’s next game is against Himachal Pradesh, also at home at Eden Gardens, from December 20.

Mikel Arteta believes that Arsenal have the resources to win the Champions League this season ahead of their last-16 tie against PSV.

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• Arteta believes Arsenal can win Champions League
• Gunners 13 points behind Liverpool in Premier League
• Arsenal face PSV on Tuesday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Gunners faltered at City Ground last week as Nottingham Forest held them to a goalless draw in a crucial Premier League fixture. With them dropping two important points and Liverpool beating Newcastle United 2-0, Arsenal further drifted away from the top position, leaving them 13 points behind the Reds.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  With the north London side's hopes of winning the Premier League title slowly fading away, Arteta is now eyeing success in Europe as he claimed that his team has the resources to win the Champions League this year. Arsenal qualified for the round of 16 after finishing third in the league stage, having conceded just three goals in eight outings – the second lowest tally, after Inter.

• WHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID

  Speaking to reporters in his pre-match press conference, the Spanish coach said: "We cannot change it, we have to learn from it and take that into the next game. There are a lot of things we have learned this season in the Champions League about ourselves. We have played very differently home and away the last year, especially in Europe.

  "This year, we have been much more consistent. We have scored a lot of goals and not conceded almost anything. We have only conceded three goals and the lowest Expected Goals in the competition, which is great. That's a big platform."

  He added: "We have those resources, that's what the team has already done. Now we have to continue to do it. When you look at the teams that have been very successful, the defensive record is critical. Then we have shown the capacity to score a lot of goals in the competition. Now the team is different, but this team still has a lot of resources to do that."

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

  Arteta's men are all set to lock horns in the first leg of the round of 16 fixture in Netherlands on Tuesday before facing rivals Manchester United in the Premier League next Sunday.

It’s been a whirlwind few years for Ipswich Town, as Kieran McKenna has led them from the depths of League One to the heights of the Premier League in the blink of an eye.

The Tractor Boys have made a good account of themselves in the top flight so far, as while they are without a win, they have picked up five points.

Moreover, a few of the club’s summer signings have quickly established themselves as key players for McKenna and look like brilliant buys.

However, that cannot be said of all of them, including one who simply cannot be trusted to play for the first team again this season.

McKenna's brilliant buys

So, before we get to the offending player in question, let’s look at a couple of the club’s more successful signings this season, starting with the best of the lot: Liam Delap.

The Tractor Boys agreed to pay Manchester City up to £20m for the up-and-coming striker in mid-July, and while there was some excitement around the potential so many believed him to possess, few would have expected him to play as well as he has for the Suffolk side.

In just 11 appearances, the Winchester-born poacher has scored five goals, including a brace against Aston Villa, and if the club are to beat the drop this season, it’ll undoubtedly be largely down to his impressive output.

Now, another star that McKenna welcomed to Portman Road this summer is Sammie Szmodics, and while he hasn’t been able to quite replicate the ludicrous form that saw him rack up 33 goals and four assists in 48 games last season, he’s shown glimpses of quality here and there.

For example, he’s found the back of the net twice in ten appearances from an expected goals figure of 2.01 and, given that he’s missed three big chances on top of that, he could see his tally balloon when he’s fully acclimated to life with the Blues.

However, alongside some of their excellent to middling transfers, the club also made what is now looking like a poor decision to sign another vastly experienced star on loan, a star who might not play for the club again.

Ipswich's transfer mistake

So, the player in question is Manchester City ace Kalvin Phillips, who put pen to paper on a season-long loan deal in mid-August.

The first thing to say is that even though he has had a rough few years, the former Leeds United star showed just how talented he was when playing with the Peacocks, and only last year John Stones commented on his “outrageous” passing abilities.

However, in the last few years, we have not seen the player who starred for the Whites.

The 28-year-old seriously struggled on loan with West Ham United last season, playing just 320 minutes across 14 poor performances that saw him pick up a red card in just his fourth game before ending the season out of the squad entirely.

Unfortunately, his form has not improved much this season, and despite making just eight appearances for the club, he has already picked up a red car, which completely turned the tide of the game against Leicester City on Saturday.

Moreover, reports have now revealed that discussions are being held at the club over potentially cancelling his loan deal due to serious concerns over his conditioning, with some at the club supposedly “amazed” at his ‘lack of mobility and running power.’

Ultimately, Phillips has shown in the past that he is a Premier League-level footballer, but so far this season, he has looked way off the pace, and after costing the club what should have been their first win of the season, he shouldn’t be trusted to play in the league again.

Left for £0m: Ex-Ipswich star is outperforming Hutchinson & Szmodics

The proven goalscorer enjoyed a long stint with Ipswich Town.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 1, 2024

What this game showed us is that Scotland have the talent to compete with England. They were not blown away; they were defeated by their lack of exposure to the circumstances

George Dobell in Christchurch23-Feb-2015Perhaps, if Freddie Coleman had been a foot closer at cover when Moeen Ali, on 7, drove uppishly, things might have been different.Or perhaps, if Rod Tucker’s finger had gone up when Ian Bell, also on 7, was rapped on the pad by a delivery from Alasdair Evans, Scotland may have exposed England’s fragile middle order.But such moments apart, this game rarely looked as if it would spark into life. A sublime century from Moeen killed off Scotland’s hopes before the bacon sandwiches had been devoured. For most of the day, in this charming parkland setting, as two relatively modest teams completed a result that seemed all but inevitable about an hour in, this game seemed as far away from the cut and thrust of the World Cup as Christchurch to London. Neither of these sides will be in Melbourne on March 29.It is traditional after such encounters to praise the plucky loser; the little Associate taking on the giant Full Member.But such a view is patronising. This is a global tournament and if Scotland really do want to be regarded as a fully professional elite team, they must accept the slings and arrows that come with the territory.The truth is that Scotland should be disappointed with this performance. They will know, on reflection, that they are better than the 15 wides they conceded here. And they will know, on reflection, that several of their batsmen paid for a lack of composure with soft dismissals. What did Richie Berrington, flicking to midwicket, or Preston Mommsen, sweeping to deep backward square, think would happen when they hit the ball in the air? All 10 of their wickets fell to catches; several were simple sucker punches.

‘Better side than what we showed’ – Mommsen

Preston Mommsen, the Scotland captain, admitted he was “very disappointed” with his side’s performance following their 119-run loss to England in Christchurch.
“We’re very disappointed with the start we had with the ball,” Mommsen said. “And then, with the bat, obviously some of the dismissals were slightly disappointing. We had a bit more time than we thought in that chase.
“I think we’re a better side than what we showed today. We couldn’t quite put in the full package, and that’s quite regrettable.”
While Mommsen admitted that the absence of a fifth specialist bowler might have been a mistake, he celebrated the performances of Alasdair Evans, who conceded only 46 from his 10 overs, and Kyle Coetzer, who made 71.
“Kyle batted beautifully, but did not get enough support,” he said. “And Ali [Evans] did a fantastic job with the ball. But that fifth bowling option probably was a little bit expensive. That’s something we’ll go away and reflect on. Sometimes it’s worth thinking about that fifth bowler being a specialist bowler.”

Ian Bell will receive some stick for his patient half-century. But his innings – an uncharacteristically ugly innings by his standards – was one of the key differences between these teams. While he had the wisdom to understand that his side, bowled out in 13 of their previous 19 ODIs, could be exposed if he fell early on a two-paced pitch, and the patience and humility to build a partnership with the far more fluent Moeen, Scotland’s batsmen were flustered and fooled. They played as a young Bell might have done. Bell with 150 fewer ODI caps.Instead of allowing themselves time to build innings, they sought release shots that brought their downfall. Instead of Coleman remaining on the midwicket boundary, as he was surely asked to, he allowed himself to be sucked in by the excitement of the encounter and then saw the ball pass agonisingly over his head and land on the boundary rope. And picking an XI with only four bowlers? Well, it’s an accident waiting to happen.So Scotland did not do themselves justice. And for many years to come, the players involved may look back and rue something of a missed opportunity.But this World Cup appearance must not be the destination for Scotland. It must be another step on their journey.They have passed this way before and failed to take the opportunity. Not just in failing to win any games – they are still without a World Cup win – but in failing to build the structures required back home to ensure progress.In their recently published – and highly recommended – book by Tim Wigmore and Peter Miller, we are reminded of May 1999, when Scotland and Bangladesh met in a World Cup match at The Grange in Edinburgh.It was an eagerly anticipated encounter. The two were seen as the best Associates sides in the world at the time and both were pushing for more international recognition.For a while it seemed Scotland would win. They reduced Bangladesh to 26 for 5 and then, when chasing 186 to win later in the day, were poised on 138 for 6 when disaster struck. Gavin Hamilton, batting fluently on 63, was run out backing up as Manjural Islam laid a finger on Alec Davies’ drive and the ball deflected onto the stumps. Bangladesh went on to win and, about a year later, were awarded Test status.Scotland took a different journey. From that high point, their team fell apart. As an amateur organisation, they had few of the systems to scout or develop players, few of the systems to arrange meaningful games and few of the systems to source the finance required to grow. They meandered for a while. In attempting a short-cut to success, they at one stage sent out a faintly embarrassing letter to all county cricketers (including William Porterfield, the Ireland captain) asking if they might qualify for Scotland through an ancestor.But that has all changed. Twice in the last five years, Scotland have won the Best Overall Development Programme at the ICC’s awards. There are around 50,000 cricketers in the country – more than Ireland – and plans to build a centre of excellence at Stirling which will be the home of Scotland cricket.Like England, they are challenged by a lack of cricket in schools and little cricket on free-to-air TV. But participation numbers are growing, the number of schools playing the game is growing, the investment in the game has grown and the days when they looked to source their players from South Africa or Australia have gone. Nine of this team have played county cricket. Six of them are currently connected with counties and one more – Iain Wardlaw – has chosen not to pursue county opportunities.What this game showed us is that Scotland have the talent to compete with England. They were not blown away; they were defeated by their lack of exposure to the circumstances. They were defeated, as much by Moeen’s batting, as the failure of any Full Member nation – other than England – to play them since the start of 2014. With more opportunity to play such matches, they could gain the assurance and composure required to win. Experience is the missing ingredient.

Former cricketer discusses his antiracism fight on special episode of the Switch Hit podcast

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2022Azeem Rafiq says he will continue to confront racist attitudes within English cricket, even though he can see no end in sight to the ECB’s investigation into allegations he made more than two years ago, because he believes “the cost of not speaking up was too much”.It was confirmed on Thursday that the Cricket Disciplinary Committee hearing into charges levelled against seven former Yorkshire players, and the club itself, will be pushed back until the new year to allow for appeals against the process taking place in public.Speaking to Osman Samiuddin on ESPNcricinfo’s Switch Hit podcast before the delay was announced, Rafiq revealed the extent of the backlash he has suffered since accusing Yorkshire of being institutionally racist during his time as a player. Rafiq, who is due to appear in parliament again next month for another hearing of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport select committee, has decided to relocate his family to Pakistan after “fearing for his life” in the UK.