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Antonio Conte has admitted his Napoli players were "too worried and fearful" during their damaging 1-0 defeat to Udinese on Sunday. The Italian manager urged his squad to develop more "malice" and learn the dark arts of time-wasting to manage difficult moments, warning that their lack of character away from home is threatening to derail their Serie A title defence.

• A damaging defeat in Udine

  Napoli's hopes of retaining their Serie A crown suffered a significant setback on Sunday afternoon as they fell to a solitary goal defeat against Udinese at the Stadio Friuli. In a tightly contested affair that saw the champions struggle to impose their authority, the result has left them vulnerable in the race for the Scudetto, allowing rivals Inter to move into first place in the table.

  For Conte, the result was a bitter pill to swallow, particularly given the manner in which his side crumbled in the second half. Napoli had appeared relatively comfortable in the opening 45 minutes, denying the hosts any clear sights of goal. However, the game turned on its head after the interval, with Napoli retreating into their shell and inviting pressure onto themselves. It exposed a psychological fragility that their manager was quick to highlight in his post-match assessment.

  "The approach was there," Conte said. "Udinese never had a shot on goal [in the first half], we created a couple of chances that we could have exploited better.

  "The second half started with this long throw-in, there were some approximate clearances and we risked conceding a goal. From then on there was a bit of fear, you could see it because in the first 20 minutes of the second half two goals were disallowed, they hit the crossbar, we were a little bit too worried and fearful.

  "We will certainly have to work a lot from this point of view. I always tell the boys: we must be good especially in negative moments, when on the pitch you have to take a breath, use a bit of experience and craft, manage situations in which we must improve."

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  Calling for 'malice' and dark arts

  The defeat highlighted a recurring theme for Napoli this season: a lack of "street smarts" when the momentum shifts against them. Conte, a manager renowned for building teams that relish the physical and mental grind of winning, expressed his frustration that his current crop of players are too naive when under the cosh.

  The former Chelsea and Tottenham boss suggested his players need to embrace the darker side of the game to break up the opponent's rhythm, adding: "I told the guys too, we have to be good at managing these moments, because they [the opponents] manage them. With a bit of experience, a bit of malice, wasting time on the pitch too.

  "After that, [you must] not lose courage, not get overwhelmed by the fear of conceding a goal. Because then if the attitude is this, you call the goal upon yourself and we called it upon ourselves. There is work to be done in this aspect."

  Conte was careful not to absolve his players of blame but emphasised that character traits are harder to coach than tactical systems. He pointed to a lack of vocal leadership on the pitch as a critical flaw, noting that in difficult away environments, personality is often more valuable than technical ability.

  "I have nothing to reproach these guys for, who are giving everything in an emergency," he continued. "It is inevitable that if I go to analyse some situations, especially away from home, we have to be better at managing it, talking more, bringing out character. Because there, beyond the footballer, the person must make themselves heard.

  "Perhaps it is the most difficult aspect to work on: on a psychological level you try to work and find the right way, but many times there are footballers who have charisma and personality and we from this point of view must grow and can grow. They are excellent guys, I would like to help them grow from this point of view too because the whole team would benefit from it."

• Alarm bells ringing for the champions

  The loss to Udinese was not an isolated incident but rather the continuation of a worrying trend. During his post-match address, Conte pointed to a grim statistic to underline the scale of their struggles, lamenting that his side have now lost seven matches away from home across all competitions.

  "The alarm bell I gave even when we won, because these are situations that in the long run… There is little to say," Conte remarked. "At the beginning of the year anyway, when you play many competitions, you worry about making a squad up to par. If then for external reasons this squad is reduced anyway you can hold up, but in the end you have to pay for something, otherwise we would all be phenomena, the guys, me.

  "You have to pay something, but precisely by virtue of this we must continue to do what we are doing. Unity, compactness, we must not lose enthusiasm and motivation."

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  Facing the wind

  Despite the gloom surrounding the result, Conte remained defiant about the path forward. He acknowledged that the current season was always going to be a struggle and called for unity from everyone associated with the club. However, he refused to hide from the reality that conceding control for 20-minute spells – as they did against Udinese – is a habit that must be broken immediately if they are to salvage their season.

  "Anyway for us this year will not be a simple year," Conte concluded. "But the important thing is to always want to be united, compact and face difficulties trying to improve. Then some things are objective and under everyone's eyes, but I don't want to highlight or say some situations.

  "We must go forward in our work, knowing that the whole environment must be close to the team because it will not be a very simple year for us. We all know it, we want to work and fight knowing we have lost seven away games: there is little to say… When the wind goes the opposite way we must improve because we must know how to travel even with the wind against us."

As those at Anfield begin to think about potential upgrades for Arne Slot, Michael Edwards reportedly sent Liverpool scouts on a fresh mission to watch an attacking target he has already enquired about.

Liverpool transfer news

Heading into the weekend eight points clear at the top of the Premier League standings and the only side with a 100% record in the Champions League after defeating Real Madrid, things couldn’t be going much better for Slot’s Liverpool side.

The Reds – barring one slip against Nottingham Forest – have been untouchable and have the chance to go 11 points clear of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City this weekend.

However, those at Anfield can’t afford to rest on their laurels, especially if Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold all fail to sign fresh deals to keep them at the club beyond this summer.

It would be the ultimate failure if Liverpool allowed all three to depart as free agents. But if that does happen, the Reds must turn to the transfer market.

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With that said, according to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, Liverpool scouts were recently sent on a fresh mission to watch Georgiy Sudakov as his Shakhtar Donetsk side suffered a 3-2 defeat against PSV Eindhoven in midweek. This follows Michael Edwards’ initial enquiry earlier this year about the attacking midfielder, who is valued at £50m and reportedly ready to leave his current club in January.

The 23-year-old has continued to impress for Shakhtar, despite defeat against PSV in the Champions League last time out. And given that Slot’s system allows No 10s to flourish, Sudakov could emerge to become the ultimate option at the heart of the Dutchman’s midfield.

"Brilliant" Sudakov is on the rise

We’ve seen Curtis Jones thrive and it feels inevitable that Harvey Elliott will enjoy similar success in Slot’s system, which features the No 10 role that Klopp’s setup lacked in the face of several players who are best in the more advanced position.

Sudakov could prove to be better than both academy graduates, highlighting the levels he’s capable of reaching.

Scoring eight goals and assisting a further three for Shakhtar so far this season, Sudakov also offers key versatility as a player who is capable of playing off the left-hand side, as well as in a deeper midfield role. Dubbed a “brilliant midfielder” by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig earlier this year, there’s no doubt that the 22-year-old is one to watch.

For £50m, Liverpool could get themselves a bargain in today’s market, especially if Sudakov continues his recent rise to become one of the most talented players in his position.

اتخذ نادي إنتر ميامي المنافس في بطولة الدوري الأمريكي قرارًا غامضًا بشأن حارس جناح وهداف الفريق، ليونيل ميسي، الخاص خلال الفترة المقبلة.

حيث تم حظر ياسين شيوكو، الحارس المغربي الشخصي الشهير للقائد الأرجنتيني، من التواجد على خط التماس خلال مباريات إنتر ميامي.

هذا القرار يأتي بعد طلبات معينة من النادي، وليس قرارًا صادرًا من دوري كرة القدم الأمريكي (MLS).

وبموجب القرار، لن يكون شيوكو قادرًا على الوقوف على خط التماس بالقرب من ميسي أثناء المباريات، بدلاً من ذلك، سيتاح له التواجد فقط في غرف تغيير الملابس والمناطق الخاصة بالإعلام والصحافة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. منافس الأهلي | حقيقة رغبة إنتر ميامي في ضم رونالدو من أجل كأس العالم للأندية

وأكدت شبكة “Give Me Sport” أن هذا القرار من نادي إنتر ميامي نفسه وليس من رابطة الدوري الأمريكي، حيث أوضحت الرابطة أنها لم تُعدل أي من سياساتها.

شيوكو، الذي أصبح مشهورًا بسبب ردود فعله السريعة في حماية ميسي، كان قد ظهر في العديد من اللحظات التي لاقت إعجاب الجماهير، وقد شهدت بعض المواقف اشتباكًا مع المشجعين الذين حاولوا الاقتراب من ميسي.

وعلق شيوكو على القرار: “لم يعد يسمح لي بالتواجد في الملعب بعد الآن.”

وأشار الحارس: “لقد عملت في أوروبا لمدة سبع سنوات، حيث شهد ست حالات فقط لاجتياح الملعب من قبل المشجعين، ولكن في الولايات المتحدة، شهد 16 حالة في 20 شهرًا فقط”.

وأتم: “أتفهم القرار، لكن التعاون بين بطولتي الدوري الأمريكي ودوري أبطال كونكاكاف أمر ضروري لحماية ميسي، وبالنسبة لي سأستمر في حماية ليو بعيدًا عن الأضواء”.

الجدير بالذكر أن إنتر ميامي هو منافس الأهلي في افتتاح كأس العالم للأندية 2025 والتي ستقام في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

We are now 11 games into the Premier League season, and it would be fair to say that Arsenal have not been having the best of times.

Mikel Arteta’s side and their supporters were hoping that this would be the season that they finally beat Manchester City to the title, and while Pep Guardiola’s side have stumbled as well, Liverpool have taken their place atop the table, nine points ahead of the North Londoners.

Now, the Gunners have faced injury problems and a few harsh refereeing decisions, but at the end of the day, the team just haven’t performed well enough on the pitch.

That said, there have been a few standout players, notably Bukayo Saka, who continues to be a shining light in an otherwise bleak campaign, although even he is being outscored by a former Arsenal youngster who was sold in the summer and has since seen his valuation explode thanks to his form, which has seen him outscore Victor Osimhen as well.

Saka's form this season

Yes, while his teammates around him have struggled to reach the levels they did towards the backend of last season, Saka has continued to demonstrate just why he’s one of the best players in Europe, let alone England.

For example, in just 15 appearances across all competitions, the North Londoner’s irrepressible poster boy has racked up a staggering haul of four goals and eight assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.36 games.

Moreover, according to FBref, which has compared players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League over the last 365 days, the 23-year-old dynamo ranks incredibly high for some important statistics.

Progressive Passes Received

14.29

Top 1%

Touches in Opposition Box

7.89

Top 2%

Shot-Creating Actions

5.60

Top 9%

Expected Assists

0.32

Top 10%

Actual Assists

0.33

Top 11%

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.62

Top 12%

Total Shots

3.29

Top 87%

Tackles

1.83

Top 15%

In short, the 42-capped Englishman has been a tour de force for the Gunners in recent seasons as well as this one, and so long as he’s in the team, there is every chance they can get back to their best of the last two years.

Yet, the Ealing-born icon is still being outscored by a former youngster who Arteta sold over the summer. A promising centre-forward who is now worth significantly more than he was just a few months ago.

The promising striker outscoring Saka and Osimhen

Arsenal got rid of a number of talented players over the summer, some for hefty sums of money, like Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah, and some just on loan, like Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira, but the player we are talking about was sold from the club’s academy, Mika Biereth.

Yes, the up-and-coming Danish striker, who impressed on loan with Motherwell and Sturm Graz last season, producing 24 goals and assists across 37 appearances between the sides, was sold to the latter for just £4m in early July.

Appearances

20

15

9

Goals

9

4

8

Assists

2

7

4

Goal + Assists per Match

0.55

0.73

1.33

Unsurprisingly, the “fantastic” young forward, as dubbed by Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell, who openly compared parts of his game to both Erling Haaland and Harry Kane, of all people, started this season like a house on fire and currently has a tally of nine goals and two assists to his name in just 20 appearances.

This means that not only is the former Gunner outscoring Saka at present, but also Nigerian superstar Osimhen, who has been consistently linked with a move to the Emirates over the last year or so and has a tally of eight goals and four assists in nine games so far.

Such an incredible start to life with his new permanent club has also seen the London-born poacher’s valuation explode.

In 2024, CIES Football Observatory now currently value him at up to €18m, which is about £15m, or a 170% increase on the fee he cost the Austrian side just a few months ago.

Ultimately, Arsenal probably did the right thing in letting Biereth go out and make a name for himself without having to worry about where he’ll go on loan the following year, but given his start to the season and soaring valuation, we’re sure Arteta wishes he kept him around for a little while longer.

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Everton suffered their first Premier League defeat since mid-September after Southampton scored a late winner on Saturday.

Sean Dyche’s men had shown plenty of progress in recent weeks, but they reverted to square one against the Saints.

While they have conceded 17 goals this term, it is the ability to score which has cost them dearly throughout the campaign.

Indeed, in ten matches, the Toffees have scored just ten goals. Only Southampton, Crystal Palace and Manchester United have found the back of the net on fewer occasions than Dyche’s men.

Everton’s top scorers this season

So far this season, only six players have scored for the Goodison Park side, with Dwight McNeil leading the way with four efforts across 12 matches. The former Burnley man has been one of Dyche’s key stars this term, also creating eight big chances while averaging 2.7 key passes per game in the top flight.

Iliman Ndiaye is next on the list with three goals, enjoying a superb start for the club after only joining in the summer.

Michael Keane, Beto and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have all scored twice for Everton this term, while Abdoulaye Doucoure rounds off the list by netting once.

The most surprising aspect of this list is the fact that Calvert-Lewin has scored so few goals, despite being Dyche’s main option to lead the line.

His performances have not been great this season. Is it time to move him on sooner rather than later?

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s season in numbers

Truth be told, the £100k-per-week striker hasn’t been living up to this staggering wage for the last few seasons.

Two seasons ago, he managed just two Premier League goals, improving this to seven during the 2023/24 campaign, but these totals are why Everton find themselves languishing near the bottom of the table.

2023/24

38

8

3

2022/23

18

2

1

2021/22

18

5

2

2020/21

39

21

3

2019/20

41

15

1

2018/19

38

8

3

2017/18

44

8

5

2016/17

11

1

0

Indeed, the Englishman hasn’t scored more than ten goals since the 2020/21 season. Are his best days behind him?

He was even criticised by Jamie O’Hara following Everton’s defeat to Aston Villa in September where he missed an easy chance:

A tad harsh perhaps, but there is no questioning Calvert-Lewin is a shadow of his former self, scoring the same amount of goals as Keane this term.

When compared to positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, the striker ranks in the bottom 5% for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.14) and outside the top 40% for total shots per 90 (2.78) over the previous 365 days.

This is yet more evidence of his diminishing qualities. The 27-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and it remains to be seen whether or not he signs an extension in the coming weeks.

Judging by his recent form, they could certainly free up a large chunk of the wage bill by either selling him in January or releasing him at the end of the season.

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A £17,000-a-week Celtic player has been ruled out of the upcoming international break with a new injury, it has been reported.

Celtic suffer first defeat of 2024/25 against Borussia Dortmund

The Hoops tasted defeat for the first time in the 2024/25 season under Brendan Rodgers, losing 7-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Daizen Maeda cancelled out Emre Can’s opener in the first 10 minutes, however, after that, it was all Dortmund, with Karim Adeyemi hitting a first-half hat-trick.

A couple of Celtic players came in for criticism in the media, including left-back Greg Taylor and permanent summer signing Paulo Bernardo, and Rodgers will be looking for an immediate response against Ross County prior to the international break.

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It is one to watch before the end of 2024.

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Charlie Smith

Oct 3, 2024

Right-back Alistair Johnston was one Celtic player who spoke to the media after the heavy defeat in Germany and said: “We have got to understand what we did wrong, what they punished us with and what we did right. There aren’t as many things we did right in this match unfortunately, but there will be little moments where we could make a little change to be braver in our positioning, be more compact defensively and things like that. We will get it sorted out.

“It’s a really confident group we have here. We are not going to let this wobble us at all. We just have to understand it can happen, but it can’t happen again.”

Johnston was brought off with minutes remaining of the midweek encounter and looked to be in some pain, with a new Celtic injury update emerging.

Celtic injury latest – Alistair Johnston out of Canada squad

As reported by The Scottish Sun, Johnston has been left out of the Canada squad as he rehabs from a back injury. That’s according to Canada boss Jesse Marsch, who said: “Alistair Johnston and midfielder Ismael Kone are both rehabbing injuries. It’s back and ankle injuries for them.”

It seems as if Johnston, on £17,000-a-week, would have been included in the squad for Canada’s upcoming friendly against Panama if it wasn’t for this new injury, and you’d expect then that the 25-year-old will be missing against Ross County also.

So far this season, Johnston has made six Scottish Premiership appearances, scoring one goal and providing an assist, while also playing a League Cup game and two Champions League ties.

He was hailed by Steven Caldwell last year, who said on the right-back: “His real strength is his mentality in terms of the way he applies himself and how professional and athletic he is. He’s a voracious learner, always wanting to get better, challenge himself. He has an honesty, a sort of British mentality in the way he takes things on the chin and pushes forwards. The way he took different positions and philosophies and his positive outlook make him a real special player and person.”

Anthony Ralston was the man who replaced Johnston against Dortmund, so perhaps the Scot may get the nod against Ross County on Sunday.

Northern Diamonds produced a clinical performance with bat and ball to defeat Western Storm by seven wickets in their Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Emirates Riverside.The Diamonds were on point with the ball as Linsey Smith produced career-best List A figures of 5 for 34 to dismiss the Storm for 183. Captain Sophie Luff top-scored for the visitors with a fine innings of 65, but their total was always going to be tough to defend.Hollie Armitage led from the front in the Diamonds’ run-chase. The skipper blasted a half-century from 53 balls, and was unbeaten at the end on 68 alongside Bess Heath to guide their side over the line with ease, earning their fourth victory in five games in the competition.After being inserted, the Storm made a solid start through Fi Morris, who scored a brisk 30. However, Beth Langston dismissed Georgia Hennessy for 5 before notching a second wicket in her first seven-over burst to remove Morris.The visitors were able to settle into a rhythm with Luff and Alex Griffiths at the crease. The two players put on fifty in just 46 balls to put the Diamonds under pressure, and the hundred was brought up at the end of the 18th over. Jenny Gunn was forced to leave the field after pulling up before bowling her second over, and was replaced by Katie Levick.Smith earned her reward for a fine spell to remove Griffiths for 36, breaking a partnership of 65 for the third wicket. Storm collapsed after Griffiths’ dismissal, falling from 109 for 2 to 112 for 6 in the space of three overs. Luff was defiant amid the clatter of wickets, scoring a half-century from 57 deliveries.She shared a stand of 61 with debutant Chloe Skelton for the seventh wicket to propel the visitors towards a score over 170, but Smith returned from the Finchale End to surge through the tail. She removed Luff for 65 with the final wicket of the innings.The Diamonds enjoyed a rapid start to their chase aided by wayward bowling from the visitors. Lauren Winfield-Hill and Armitage were able to calmly see off the early overs to settle their team into the innings.Hennessy prised out Winfield-Hill with a delivery that kept low for 16. However, the home side were not deterred as Armitage and Sterre Kalis took the game away from the Storm to whittle down the total with ease. Kalis and Leah Dobson were both dismissed by Stephanie Hutchins, but it was too little too late for the visitors.Armitage completed a deserved half-century to allow the hosts to close in on victory. She and Heath produced an unbeaten stand of 54 to deliver the win, with Armitage dispatching the winning runs with a boundary through the leg-side.

Nottingham Forest conceded 67 goals in the Premier League last season, the fifth-highest number conceded in the division. Whilst this is one fewer goal than they conceded in the 2022/23 campaign (68), it is still one of the worst defensive records in the league.

This Forest side have made 28 signings in the past two seasons, making it difficult to establish a starting back four (back five including the goalkeeper), which in turn has seen the Tricky Trees struggle defensively over the past few years.

Forest's number one goalkeeper, Matz Sels, made 16 appearances for the club after signing in January last season, keeping one clean sheet, and conceding 27 goals in 1,440 minutes played.

It's safe to say he's not quite as good as this famed stopper on Trentside…

How much Forest signed Brice Samba for

Fan favourite Brice Samba joined Forest back in 2019, signed from SM Caen for €2.10m (£1.7m). Samba had only made 49 appearances for the French side, conceding 66 goals and keeping 15 clean sheets, making a name for himself and earning his move to English shores.

The gloveman went on to make 133 appearances for Forest, keeping 45 clean sheets, conceding 124 goals, and totalling 11,995 minutes played. His best season by the Trent came in 2021/22, making 45 appearances, keeping 16 clean sheets and conceding 39 goals.

Samba made some huge saves for Forest, helping them in their Championship play-offs, even being called the "hero" after saving a penalty in the penalty shootout to beat Sheffield United, and progress to the Championship play-off final.

Brice Samba's form in 2024

Since leaving Forest for only €5.00m (£4m), joining Lens in 2022, Samba has made 84 appearances for the French outfit, keeping 32 clean sheets, conceding 83 goals and totaling 7,590 minutes played.

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Samba is now valued at €15.00m (£13m) by Transfermarkt, more than triple the value he was sold for only two years ago. Since then, Forest have signed Matz Sels, Matt Turner, and Odysseas Vlachodimos trying to replace Samba, as well as loan moves for Dean Henderson, Keylor Navas and Wayne Hennessey.

The 30-year-old shot-stopper has been so good that he was nominated for the Yashin Trophy award in 2023, coming off the back of a runner-up campaign in Ligue 1 with RC Lens, making 37 appearances, conceding 28 goals and keeping 15 clean sheets.

Samba was nominated among many of the world's best, including Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois, Barcelona's Marc Andre Ter Stegen, and Manchester City's Ederson.

Goals Against

1.19

1.46

Saves

3.07

2.17

Save %

76.1%

60.2%

Passes Attempted

29.1

22.5

Throws Attempted

4.59

3.40

Clean Sheets

0.35

0.11

Shots on Target Against

4.22

3.51

The metrics show Samba is far outperforming Sels, facing more shots on target per 90, keeping more clean sheets, conceding fewer goals and making more saves per 90, averaging 3.07 saves compared to the Forest 'keeper's 2.17 saves per 90.

Having a 15.9% higher save percentage than Sels shows the difference in their shot-stopping ability, whilst the former Forest star is also averaging more passes attempted per 90, and more throws attempted per 90, but this may come from playing in a ball-dominant side where he gets more touches.

Forest could have saved themself a lot of time and effort, as well as money, when replacing Samba, if they could have held onto him. Indeed, he has quickly proven himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, earning himself a France call-up along the way.

Nottingham Forest struck gold on star who's worth more than Elanga & CHO

He was wanted by a PL rival this summer

ByJoe Nuttall Sep 9, 2024

Glasgow Rangers have had their fair share of terrible signings throughout the years, yet between 2016 and 2018, the Ibrox side seemed to make more bad signings than good.

Of course, the Light Blues didn’t exactly have a war chest available to spend, but some of the players Mark Warburton and Pedro Caixinha signed were clearly not the type to help the club return to the summit of Scottish football.

Mentioning names such as Joey Barton, Dalcio, Umar Sadiq and a host of others still sends shivers down the spines of the Ibrox faithful, yet one name stands out among most – Carlos Pena.

How much Rangers signed Carlos Pena for

Caixinha took over at the club in March 2017, enduring an underwhelming first few months, culminating in the club suffering arguably their worst-ever European result, losing to Progres Niederkorn 2-1 on aggregate.

That summer, the Portuguese manager made a host of signings in a bid to bolster his team ahead of the new season, but only Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Jack made a lasting impression at Ibrox.

Carlos Pena’s career statistics

Club

Games

Goals

Club Leon FC

191

52

Deportivo Guadalajara

43

8

CF Pachuca

22

1

CD FAS

21

4

Antigua FC

16

4

Rangers

14

5

Cruz Azul

10

0

Necaxa

9

0

Pena was one of the ‘signature’ arrivals, costing the club around £2.2m, and having represented Mexico at the latest World Cup, it looked like Rangers had signed a top-class player.

The move turned into a nightmare. Pena failed to settle in Glasgow, making just 14 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals in the process. Once Caixinha was sacked, it became clear Pena had no future at the club, especially after his disappointing start to his career in Scotland.

Considering the club were not in Europe and had been promoted just a year prior, there was hardly plenty of money available to make poor decisions in the transfer market.

Rangers messed up by signing Carlos Pena

Out of all the signings the club made during this period of acclimatising back to the top flight, Pena was arguably the biggest drain on resources.

Overall, the Mexican midfielder cost the Gers around £440k per goal scored during his brief time in Glasgow, while he was reportedly taking home a wage of £26k-per-week, which was staggering at the time, particularly when you consider his lack of impact on the pitch at Ibrox.

He joined Cruz Azul on loan in January 2018, linking back up with Caixinha, but it took until February 2019 for the player to finally have his contract terminated at Ibrox, as Steven Gerrard wanted him off the wage bill.

In the 2022 Rangers Review, journalist Derek Clark stated that “ultimately, this was a disastrous transfer in what was an equally disastrous spell for the club” after the Court of Arbitration for Sport justified the reasons why Rangers terminated Pena’s contract earlier, and it looked as though a line was drawn under the whole saga.

The club have made some dreadful signings since returning to the Premiership in 2016, but Pena surely has to go down as one of the worst players to represent the club, when you factor in value for money.

Related Rangers wanted amazing CF in 2023, now he's worth £87m & outscoring Haaland

The Light Blues were keen on a striker who has been in extraordinary form of late

Posts ByRoss Kilvington Sep 14, 2024

Yorkshire close in on quarter-finals after Lancashire chase goes down to wire

David Hopps02-Jul-2021Yorkshire 180 for 4 (Brook 91*, Lyth 52) beat Lancashire 171 for 8 (Jones 61*, Ferguson 4-24) by 9 runsAll over the country, exciting young batsmen are springing up in the Blast, playing shots that not so long ago you would never believe. As to some of the bowling, well, that’s a different matter. But at the top of that list is Harry Brook, the leading run-maker in the competition. His innings to win the first Roses T20, and take Yorkshire to the brink of qualification for the quarter-finals was quite something.Brook’s unbeaten 91 from 50 balls left him with 463 runs at an average of 115.75 and swept Yorkshire to an above-par 180 for 4, on a pitch being used for the third time, a total which they defended with nine runs in hand. One more point should grant Yorkshire their first quarter-final appearance for five years whereas Lancashire’s top four chances are in the balance.It would not be a Roses T20, though, if that win was not strewn with incident. Yorkshire were cruising with 60 needed off four only to find Lockie Ferguson defending 20 to win from the final over, whereupon he delivered a slower-ball wide which missed the strip by a yard and then closed the game out with a hat-trick from the last three balls. He finished with 4 for 24 and it is doubtful that any bowler has delivered such unerring yorkers all season. After all, they are not really on trend.But when the commotion had died down, it was Brook whose burgeoning talent remained in the mind. He cuts a slight, somewhat self-effacing figure in the Championship. In T20, this season at least, he transforms from Clark Kent to Superman.I’m just trying to play as low risk cricket as possible,” he said. “Thankfully it’s paying off. If I take the lowest risk possible, I can’t really get out. Then, if I look to bomb it in the last few overs, it gives us a good chance to get a good total.”Yorkshire’s top six, thanks to England calls and injuries, was a hotchpotch of young pros, loan signings and, in the case of Gary Ballance, a batter who no longer seems attuned to the task in hand, but Brook shouldered the responsibility without a care in the world. Quite how he survived Matt Parkinson’s lbw appeal, on 47, however, when he missed a switch hit, is anyone’s guess.Yorkshire, having elected to bat, lost the on-loan Mark Stoneman and Jordan Thompson cheaply before Brook and Adam Lyth shared a stand of 77 from 51 balls. Lyth’s first fifty of the campaign was allied later to some pumped-up and shrewd captaincy as a Roses tie re-energised a flagging season.Lyth’s contribution ended, on 52, when he sliced the unaccustomed offspin of Luke Wells (13 balls bowled in his T20 career at start of play) to the cover boundary. When Wells was at Sussex, if memory serves, he was not the mildly threatening, shaven-headed figure he is now, an image he has presumably developed especially for the north so he dare go out at night. As Lyth walked off, the Sky TV cameras caught a young Yorkshire spectator, 12 at the most, shaking his head in time-honoured, resigned fashion at the error he had just witnessed. They sure train them early in these parts.Ballance’s thoughts all season have appeared to be elsewhere. Parkinson turned one sharply behind his legs to have him stumped by miles. With only 32 balls remaining, Yorkshire were 116 for 4, but Brook cut loose to add another 74 with George Hill.He had got off the mark with a dab to third man that was pure Joe Root, a shot that it would be no surprise to discover that he had learned off him. Such subtleties gave way to a more venomous approach as he passed 50 by dancing down the pitch to loft Parkinson for successive sixes over long-on. Saqib Mahmood had been fast and threatening early on, but he was tamed, too, in the final moments with a flat six over long-off and a deft scoop to third man. This is a batter with a full array of shots.Lancashire needed a special start, but instead lost three for 34 in 5.3 overs. Finn Allen, so impressive in the Super Smash, has had a moderate season and when he was bowled by Lyth, overbalancing to the off side in his enthusiasm for a pull shot, it was not the first time this tournament that he had made such an error. Alex Davies struck Matthew Waite’s half-volley loosener for six then got out seeking a repeat against the next ball. Dane Vilas was Ferguson’s first victim, caught at the wicket.Dom Bess ended Keaton Jennings’ laboured resistance in a solid four-over spell in mid-innings but Rob Jones and Steven Croft spiritedly kept Lancashire in touch and 19 off an over from Matt Fisher left them needing 41 from three.It all boiled down to the last over. When Ferguson’ slower ball missed the cut strip, bounced off the wicketkeeper’s body and Lancashire ran two byes anything seemed possible. The young lad who had shaken his head morbidly at Lyth’s dismissal was presumably by now mentally penning a letter of complaint to the chief executive.The scoreboard clicked here and there as the scorers tried to work out the rules. A Lancashire 12th man, running on with a drink, was summarily banished from the outfield. But with 10 needed from three, Ferguson, who had bowled superbly throughout, brooked no argument. Wells was caught at long-off as Lyth, running backwards, clutched the ball to his chest with his forearms; Luke Wood fell prey to a yorker; and Tom Hartley, with the cause hopeless, pumped one down the ground into the hands of Lyth – a highly committed, stand-in captain enjoying an impressive all-round night.