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Former Arsenal forward Jermaine Pennant has told Football FanCast that Mikel Arteta’s transfer plans may have changed ahead of the summer transfer window.

Title race hotting up

The Gunners’ Premier League title hopes were boosted by Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at Aston Villa on Wednesday, now sitting eight points behind the Reds with a game in hand, though they may still be left to rue the decision not to bring in any new signings in January.

Rather than signing a new striker, Arteta made the call to stick with Kai Havertz, but the German has since been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a hamstring injury, joining a number of other first-team players on the treatment table.

Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli are also sidelined, while Bukayo Saka is expected to be out for at least another month, leaving Arteta light on options in attack, and the manager has been increasingly reliant on young players.

Exclusive: Ex-Arsenal player has one fear with Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly

The teenage duo have started to establish themselves as first-team regulars for the Gunners.

ByDominic Lund Feb 19, 2025

Ethan Nwaneri has come into the fold since Saka was ruled out, picking up three goals and an assist in the Premier League this season, while Myles Lewis-Skelly has also received increased game time at left-back.

When asked whether the emergence of Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly could impact Arsenal’s summer transfer plans, Pennant told Football FanCast: “I think so, you’ve seen now that Nwaneri can be a more than suitable replacement for Saka. You can put him in – like Liverpool throwing in a Gakpo or Diaz – and either/or you’re happy with. So with Nwaneri and Saka they’ve got that right hand side in a good place.

“Lewis-Skelly at left back, he’s proven that he’s more than capable in that position, so again they don’t really need to focus on that.

“So I think that’s helped them going into the market to really now finally focus on a good number nine.”

Alexander Isak's price tag drops

Pennant’s suggestion that Arteta could focus on signing a striker this summer comes at the same time as the news that Alexander Isak’s price tag has now dropped to £83m, in what could be a real boost for the Gunners.

While still a large fee, Isak has been incredible in the Premier League this season, scoring 17 goals and picking up five assists in 23 games, which indicates the Swedish forward would be worth Arsenal breaking the bank for at the end of the season.

Although Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly are still teenagers, they have shown maturity beyond their years since emerging as first-team stars this season, with Arteta’s side showing no signs of slowing down in the Premier League title race since Saka’s injury.

As such, the Gunners’ main priority this summer has to be bringing in an out-and-out striker who can guarantee goals, and Isak, who has been described as “world-class” by members of the media, certainly fits the bill in that regard.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com os times ainda se reforçando para as competições em disputa, existe uma possibilidade de Marcelo Carné se transferir para uma nova equipe caso ele e o Juventude não falem mais mesma língua. Isso porque o contrato do goleiro está próximo de se encerrar e o jogador pede uma valorização no contrato. Com mais de 60 jogos pela equipe de Caxias, Carné falou sobre essa situação, mas não ficou em cima do muro sobre sua vontade:

– Realmente meu contrato termina no fim de novembro, a diretoria me procurou mas ainda não houve uma renovação. Quero dar continuidade, mas é preciso acertar alguns detalhes. É importante que eu me sinta valorizado aqui, que os pensamentos sejam iguais, tanto os meus como o da diretoria. Se for de comum acordo, eu fico. Essa é minha vontade, estou feliz e me sinto em casa aqui – ponderou.

Suspenso da partida contra o Brasil de Pelotas no Alfredo Jaconi neste sábado, o camisa 1 lamenta a ausência, mas demonstra confiança em seu substituto:

– Infelizmente estou fora do jogo contra o Brasil, mas faz parte. Mais cedo ou mais tarde essa suspensão acabaria chegando, mas estou tranquilo porque o time vem bem e confio também no trabalho do Luís – concluiu.

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Leeds United could finally be set to restart their summer spending, with a star acquisition reportedly nearing completion…

Who are Leeds United signing this summer?

Having already welcomed Ethan Ampadu, Sam Byram and Karl Darlow to the club, with the loan capture of Joe Rodon also bolstering their ranks further, it must come as a surprise to manager Daniel Farke that his side is actually weaker now than when he first came in.

The mass exodus of Elland Road has seen numerous first-team stars jump ship, unwilling to try and steer the Whites from the mess they put them in.

Whilst frustrating, if they don’t want to be there, the German head coach likely does not want them.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

Instead, he will look elsewhere for players who do, with a report from Last Word On Football now suggesting a potential deal for someone who would certainly improve them.

They note that the west Yorkshire outfit are actually set to sign Glen Kamara from Rangers, having been linked with a switch throughout the window.

His club are holding out for a fee of around £5.5m to sanction his exit, with that report also suggesting personal terms have already been agreed.

How good is Glen Kamara?

Despite their troublesome start to the campaign, there has been a sole area on the pitch that has impressed amidst all the turmoil.

Three Championship fixtures have failed to bring a victory, but at the very least a solid foundation for success has been seemingly built with a rock-solid engine room.

The Wales international has struck up an immense relationship with 17-year-old prodigy Archie Gray, boasting youth and energy in spades, with the former in particular offering vast experience despite being just 22 years old.

However, it is likely unrealistic to assume that the Thorp Arch graduate can hold down his spot for the entire term.

That is where Kamara can come in, to help fulfil that role and allow the teenager to take over in a few years, if not allow his attributes to thrive further forward as an attacking maestro.

After all, the Finland international is entering his prime years at 27 years old and would offer an added injection of pace, power, tireless energy and economical passing.

To justify these claims, his performances throughout the 2021/22 Scottish Premiership season are worth viewing, as his 7.01 average rating was buoyed by a host of outstanding other figures.

With three goals, three assists and a 91% pass accuracy, alongside 1.3 key passes and one tackle per game, there is little that Kamara did not excel at, via Sofascore.

The perfect all-rounder, his presence alone could help elevate the whole team.

It was therefore no surprise to see him lauded by former boss Steven Gerrard, who noted:

“He’s a terrific footballer in possession, always playing with his head up and looking to connect defence and attack.

“But what pleased me most is what I spoke about when we signed him in terms of how he’ll be out of possession. Will he hunt the ball back, be aggressive, work hard for the team and be a monster in the middle of the park?

“He showed signs of that against Kilmarnock and potentially he can become a top midfielder.” This was supplemented by a further quote, where the Liverpool legend branded him a "class act".

Then, comparing his figures with Gray’s opening three games of the Championship term, it becomes clear that whilst promising he remains raw.

Kamara could help hone his 81% pass accuracy and 1.3 tackles per game, via Sofascore, into a more refined and confident midfield presence, moulding the youngster in his image whilst allowing him to retain his youthful exuberance that has instantly endeared him to fans.

It would likely take no time at all for Gray to become a hero at Elland Road, but should he manage to copy the performances of his potential new teammate, this would be a venture surely fast-tracked.

With New Zealand having won the first Test by a big margin, and with Tim Southee set to return, West Indies are up against it to level the series

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Dec-2017

Big pictureTwo sessions of fortitude – that was about as much as West Indies could summon at the Basin Reserve. Either side of their third-day resistance, however, the visitors appeared outmatched with bat and ball – New Zealand’s batsmen cruising to big scores, and their bowlers more or less running riot. That West Indies will be without captain Jason Holder – suspended due to an over-rate violation – and that the hosts are likely to have Tim Southee back in their XI would seem to make the disparity between these teams even greater.And yet, there is unpredictability about West Indies that suggests New Zealand will not stroll to victory with quite so much ease, at Seddon Park. In August, having been walloped witless by England at Edgbaston, the likes of Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite scripted a wonderful comeback win at Headingley. Last year, having been defeated handsomely by Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, West Indies had also triumphed in Sharjah. This young West Indies side has sometimes been overwhelmed in Tests, but over the last year they have also refused to cede trophies without a fight – winning at least one Test in each of their last four series.Such is New Zealand’s confidence at home, however, and so in form are their batsmen, that they will expect to pile on more big scores at Hamilton. The West Indies attack, intense only in short bursts at the Basin Reserve, has major improvements to make if their team is to square the series.Form guideNew Zealand WDLDW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LDWLWIn the spotlightHe may have crept up on the competition, but over the past three years Neil Wagner has become one of the best quicks in the world. That he has only 139 wickets to his name is a reflection of the scarcity of Test cricket for New Zealand. The figure that makes for more impressive reading, however, is his average of 23.44 since 2015. Among quicks, only James Anderson and Kagiso Rabada have bettered him in that period. The challenge for Wagner is to sustain his success as more and more teams become wise to his unique mode of operation, and devise batting plans specifically to counter him.A number of batsmen did get the better of Wagner in the second innings at Wellington, however – among them: 20-year-old Shimron Hetmyer. Having been dismissed by Wagner in the first innings, Hetmyer scored 21 runs off 18 Wagner deliveries in the second dig, pulling him disdainfully on two occasions, and cracking him for offside boundaries as well. But Wagner was not the only bowler Hetmyer attacked – Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner also went for runs during what was a sparkling maiden half-century. There is talent here for sure, but New Zealand will be more prepared for him in Hamilton.Team newsWith Southee set to come back in, the seamer most likely to make way seems to be Matt Henry, despite Henry’s second innings three-wicket haul in Wellington. As BJ Watling remains unavailable, Tom Blundell will be the home side’s wicketkeeper-batsman again.New Zealand 1 Jeet Raval, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Tom Blundell (wk), 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultBrathwaite is set to lead the visitors in Holders’ stead. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph or uncapped left-arm quick Raymon Reifer may come into the side to replace him.West Indies 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt) 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shimron Hetmeyer, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Sunil Ambris, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Raymon Reifer, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Miguel Cummins, 11 Shannon GabrielPitch and conditionsThe match will be played on a surface comprising Patumahoe soil, which means there is likely to be pace, bounce and carry right through the Test. There is some rain forecast for Sunday and Monday, with cloudy patches expected for the remainder of the Test. Of bowlers with more than 50 wickets since 2015, Wagner’s strike rate of 46.2 is third best, after Rabada and Mitchell Starc New Zealand have won three of their last four Tests at Seddon Park – one of those victories having come against West Indies in 2013 Shai Hope needs 42 runs to complete 1000 runs in TestsQuotes”Seventeen is the benchmark that Hogan [Martin Crowe] wanted me to get to and beat. But he said, also, carry on and don’t stop there. Hopefully, in time, Kane will probably end up with about 40.”
“The key for us is the first-innings total. If we could get a good first-innings total, we’ll put ourselves in a good position.”

The purchase of 19-year-old wonderkid Matheus Franca on a five-year deal from Flamengo for £26m is another clear step in the direction that Crystal Palace wants to go.

Upon the Brazilian’s arrival, Palace Chairman Steve Parish said: "Matheus is a young and exciting player whose impressive early progress we have followed with keen interest, and we are delighted to welcome him to the club.

“Palace have a long history of attacking players with skill, pace, and tenacity, and I am sure Matheus will be another popular addition to the nucleus of this young and entertaining squad, packed full of international talent and potential, that we are building here in south London.”

Parish’s comments are indicative of the club’s transfer strategy, which has been summed up by The Atheltic’s Matt Woosnam as ‘buy players young, develop, sell for a profit at their peak’, which the club intends to implement on a cyclical basis as their model of sustainability.

Following Franca, and on the pretence of this thought process, the Eagles are reportedly chasing Matheus Nascimento.

Who do Crystal Palace want to sign?

According to reports, Palace and Nottingham Forest are interested in signing the Botafogo striker in a £15m deal.

The forward previously stalled on a move and was spotted with Palace officials, but Forest are said to be ‘leading the race’ as their owner Evangelos Marinakis is planning to loan him straight to Olympiacos, as he also owns the Greek side.

What are Matheus Nascimento's strengths?

The 6-foot marksman has been at Botafogo since the age of 11, and he swiftly established himself as one of the most promising prospects within the club’s academy, having scored over 150 goals.

Tiano Gomes, general manager of Botafogo's academy labelled the player as a "high-potential athlete" and an "asset."

As a result, Nascimento signed his first professional contract in June 2020, and in September of that year, he made his professional senior debut aged just 16 years and 6 months.

In total, the South American, who has been described as “incredible” by scout Jacek Kulig, has accumulated 80 appearances for Botafogo, scoring 11 times.

His signing would be yet another exciting addition to Palace, whose attack is taking shape following Wilfried Zaha’s inevitable departure.

Due to a lack of options, Nascimento could find instantly involved in the first-team outlay, with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Odsonne Edouard not exactly the most prolific strikers.

Suspect depth and unproductive senior players, could see Franca awarded with a regular role in his first season in English football.

Kulig feels that the playmaker is “one of the most exciting teenagers in Brazil” and his potency could be hugely beneficial for Palace. In 59 appearances for Flamengo, he notched 19 goals and those in his homeland as he is destined for unadulterated greatness.

Fabio Matias, his former coach, is leading this change of thought and said: “He has many important aspects to his game. In addition to technical and tactical ability, he has a very good understanding of the game. That makes him stand out because he interprets spaces well.”

With the confirmation of Olise’s commitment to the south London outfit on a four-year deal, the timeless brilliance of Eberechi Eze, and the glimmering potential of Franca, Nascimento could join this eye-catching wave of excitement to form an exciting new combination in attack.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com dois empates e uma derrota em três jogos, o Londrina busca sua primeira vitória na Série C. No último domingo(23), visitou o Ituano e saiu na frente no placar, porém cedeu o empate faltando 15 minutos para o final do jogo e somou apenas um ponto, resultado que deixou o time “estacionado” na oitava posição do Grupo B.

Uma das esperanças da equipe, Júnior Pirambu ressaltou a qualidade do time paulista e acredita que será complicado para os clubes somarem pontos no Novelli Jr. Além disso, destaca que faltam detalhes pro Tubarão somar os primeiros três pontos.

– O Ituano tem um elenco qualificado e sabe aproveitar o mando de campo, então creio que será muito difícil os times tirarem pontos lá. Fizemos um bom jogo, mas acabamos tomando o gol na reta final. São detalhes que precisamos corrigir e tenho certeza que vamos conseguir nos recuperar pra conquistar bons resultados – comentou.

O atacante também afirma que a equipe paranaense está crescendo na competição e melhorando o desempenho nas partidas. Ele crê que é necessário manter o ritmo para que os resultados venham de maneira natural:

– Estamos em crescimento, pegando um ritmo muito bom e melhorando a cada jogo. Vejo nosso elenco com qualidade e muita vontade, então temos que manter a pegada porque estamos no caminho certo. Se mantermos assim, pelo acesso na competição.

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Australia’s vanquished tournament favourites will return home to the uncertainty of unemployment and the searching questions of a nation that expected them to be lifting the World Cup trophy at Lord’s, rather then losing a semi-final to a supercharged India in Derby.Meg Lanning’s team signed short-term contracts to ensure they were paid throughout the tournament amid the pay war between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association back home, but now join their male and domestic counterparts in awaiting the resolution of a dispute that is fast running out of time to avoid major commercial and competitive dislocation in the game.At the same time, Lanning and the coach Matthew Mott are expecting to face a concerted inquisition from CA’s team performance manager, Pat Howard, as to why the Australians failed to produce their best at the pointy end of the Cup. Defeat to India means Australia hold neither of the game’s two major trophies for the first time since 2009.”Normally there’s a pretty exhaustive review, Pat Howard, the boss, will certainly ask some questions,” Mott said. “So when we get home we’ll have to face the music I guess. [We’ll] go through what went right and what went wrong, and there’ll be a lot of questions asked because we came here with the expectation to win, we had the team that could have won the competition and we didn’t. So we’ve got to ask ourselves some tough questions. We’re hurting a fair bit at the moment but there’s certainly a lot of areas we have to work on.”We’ve got a culture where we throw things around and brainstorm a lot. We should have been blown off the park today and the fact we hung in there and kept it alive – we take that away. A bit of that Aussie spirit to the end there – Alex Blackwell’s innings was pretty special I think. So those sort of things, but we’ve come here to win and we go away losing semi-finalists. We’re very disappointed.”On a day when she was unable to lead with the bat, bowled by a superb swinging delivery from Jhulan Goswami, Lanning said her team had been unable to find the consistency to play the “perfect game” when both bat and ball were in sync. This was underlined by how Harmanpreet Kaur dominated Australia’s bowlers with an innings of rare ferocity, leaving too much to be done in the chase after early wickets fell to the moving ball.”We came here to win, so there’s not a whole lot of positives. I thought we played good cricket in patches, we weren’t really able to put the perfect game together,” Lanning said. “There were glimpses there but, to win a World Cup, you’ve got to be consistent and put performances together.”It’s definitely a very disappointing finish to the tournament. We came here to win, and we’re not going to get the chance to play off in the final. India were too good today; they outplayed us in all the facets of the game, so we’re going to have to look at a few things and see what we need to do, because all the teams around the world now are improving all the time.”The standard of this World Cup’s been as good as it’s ever been. So there’s a lot more teams competing up the top now, so we’re very aware of that and and given the result today we’ve got a fair bit of work to do to make sure we keep getting better and are able to beat sides like England and India who are in the final.”Mott said that in the field the Australians had not adapted quickly enough to Harmanpreet’s aggression, echoing the match against Sri Lanka when Chamari Atapattu hammered an unbeaten 178. On that occasion, Lanning had been able to respond in kind with a domineering innings of her own, but this time she could not, leaving deputy Alex Blackwell to mount a brave but ultimately fruitless rearguard.”We ran into someone who was red hot and just didn’t adapt quickly enough,” Mott said. “[It was] possibly the innings of her life but that’s two we’ve had in this competition that we haven’t reacted well to, so very disappointing. It was a good cricket wicket but they scored 40-50 too many. We needed to stop the hemorrhaging there when they were going; just needed some discipline there, and it just went to custard to be honest … they got far too many.”We just wanted a nice platform, but I think they bowled extremely well to knock a few of us over early. The ball was swinging and they hit the stumps, which is what we talk about doing, so that put us behind, and we always needed a platform I think. A couple of special innings by Villani and Alex was brilliant, but we just left too much, too late.”As for the prospect of returning home to unemployment, Lanning did not yet want to think about it. “We haven’t even thought about that to be honest,” she said. “We know CA and the ACA have been working in the background there, so that’ll all play out over the next couple of weeks but I don’t think any of the playing group or the staff have given it much thought.”

Tottenham Hotspur have now "targeted" Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic as an "ideal replacement" for Harry Kane, and they have already started to sound out a potential deal, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

Is Harry Kane leaving Tottenham?

Transfer expert Graeme Bailey has indicated that Tottenham are willing to pull out all the stops to keep Kane in north London, with the club willing to make him the highest-paid player by offering him a deal worth around £400k-per-week.

However, the talisman is yet to put pen to paper on a new contract to extend his stay beyond the end of next summer, and rumours about his future continue to swirl, with German champions Bayern Munich very much interested in signing him.

Bayern's honorary president, Uli Hoeness, is confident the Bundesliga club will buy the striker this summer, as he has signalled he wants the move, however Paris Saint-Germain are also now emerging as potential suitors.

Unlike two summers ago, when the England captain expressed his interest in joining Manchester City, he will not push to leave N17 this summer, but he is keeping his options open, amid interest from Bayern Munich.

PSG are willing to make a formal approach for the 29-year-old, but only if he changes his stance and makes it clear he is willing to leave Spurs, and now the club are starting to run the rule over potential replacements.

One such player is Vlahovic, with Galetti now reporting the Lilywhites have taken "the first steps" to sound out a potential deal, and to better understand the Serbian's current situation at Juventus.

With the possible departure of Kane, Tottenham have now targeted the 23-year-old as he is viewed as the "ideal replacement", presumably by new manager Ange Postecoglou.

They will have to hijack the deal from PSG however, as Galetti has since claimed the French giants have already agreed an €11m (£9.4m) per year salary with the player – though he reaffirms there is still competition from Spurs.

How much would Dusan Vlahovic cost?

The striker would not come cheap, as transfer insider Dean Jones has reported that he could cost as much as £70m, while there is also the small matter of offering him a suitable wage package.

In his current deal, the Serbia international brings home £216k-per-week, meaning Tottenham would probably have to be willing to make him one of their top earners to bring him to N17 this summer.

Despite being hailed as an "absolute monster" by members of the media, the Juventus striker has not been at his best over the past year, averaging just 0.35 penalty goals per 90, compared to 0.55 from Kane during the same time period.

However, at 23-years-old, Vlahovic is still very young, and he has previously demonstrated he is capable of finding the back of the net on a regular basis, scoring 38 goals in 58 Serie A games across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

Tottenham will be hoping that Kane decides to commit his long-term future to the club, but if he is tempted by a move to Bayern or PSG, then they may have already found a brilliant replacement.

تقدم فريق مانشستر سيتي بهدف مبكر في شباك ريال مدريد، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويلتقي الفريقان في الوقت الحالي، على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” في ذهاب ربع نهائي دوري الأبطال، موسم 2023/24.

وتمكن البرتغالي برناردو سيلفا من تسجيل الهدف الأول لصالح مانشسر سيتي في الدقيقة الثانية من عمر الشوط الأول.

جاء الهدف بعد احتساب ضربة حرة لـ مانشستر سيتي، بعد خطأ من تشواميني ضد جاك جريليش.

ونفذ برناردو سيلفا الضربة الحرة ببراعة، مسجلًا الهدف الأول لحامل اللقب في شباك لونين حارس ريال مدريد. هدف برناردو سيلفا أمام ريال مدريد

An update has emerged on interest in one of Glasgow Rangers' fringe players ahead of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign…

Is Scott Wright leaving Rangers?

According to Football Insider, Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq are keen on a deal to sign Scott Wright from the Light Blues before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that they have made a 'concrete' move to land the former Aberdeen winger, although there is no mention of an official offer or how much the Scottish side would demand for his services.

Former Gers head coach Steven Gerrard was confirmed as Al Ettifaq's new manager earlier this month and the Englishman is now looking to reunite with his former player heading into next season.

This comes after the Daily Mail recently reported that the Scottish forward is one of a number of players who could be allowed to move on from Ibrox this summer if the right bid comes in.

Who could replace Scott Wright at Rangers?

Michael Beale could land a superb replacement for the current Light Blues attacker by securing a deal to sign Sunderland ace Jack Clarke, who would be a dream upgrade for the club.

The Glasgow giants are one of a number of clubs reportedly interested in signing the Championship hotshot and the 42-year-old head coach must push to win the race for his signature over the coming weeks.

Clarke enjoyed a terrific campaign in the second tier of English football as the exciting winger produced nine goals and 11 assists in 44 league outings for the Black Cats, while he also completed two dribbles per match.

To put those numbers into context, no Rangers player managed more than nine Scottish Premiership assists or 1.9 dribbles per game. This suggests that the £15k-per-week star would provide Beale with an added level of creativity and drive on the wing, particularly when you compare his statistics directly to Wright's.

The current Gers dud made 19 league appearances for the club last season and was directly involved in one goal, as he failed to find the back of the net on any occasion while the ex-Dons man also only completed 0.5 dribbles per match.

Wright averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.63, which placed him 30th out of 31 players within the squad, and did not prove himself to be a valuable option for Beale moving forward, as the vast majority of the side managed to outperform him.

Clarke, on the other hand, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 for Sunderland and that would have placed him 12th in the Gers team – above the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Nicolas Raskin, and Glen Kamara.

The 22-year-old, whose talent was described as "effortless" by ex-Premier League forward Noel Whelan, has proven himself to be a productive player in the final third while being able to deliver consistent performances. Whereas, Wright has struggled badly on both fronts

That is why Beale must now sanction an exit for the Scottish dud before landing an upgrade in Clarke, who would offer far more quality at the top end of the pitch.