The paceman’s stint with Gloucestershire is over after suffering a stress fracture in his back
Alex Malcolm14-May-2019Any hopes fast bowler Daniel Worrall had of making Australia’s Ashes squad have been dashed after a stress fracture in his lower back ended his season with Gloucestershire.Worrall, 27, has not played since experiencing back soreness during Gloucestershire’s Royal London Cup match with Middlesex at Lord’s on April 21.Gloucestershire released a statement confirming that scans had found a stress fracture in Worrall’s back.”Dan had multiple investigations where the Gloucestershire medical team eventually diagnosed a stress fracture in his back, which will require a period of time on the sidelines before returning to bowling,” the statement said.Gloucestershire confirmed he would not play the remainder of the English season and the club is searching for another overseas bowler.South Australia’s sports science and sports medicine manager John Porter said: “Daniel’s injury is a recurrence of a pre-existing stress injury and he will have the next 12 weeks off bowling. We are aiming for him to return early in the Australian domestic cricket season.”It is wretched luck for the injury-ravaged Worrall. He had his county stint last season ruined by a foot fracture that saw him miss the start of the Australian domestic summer with South Australia.He returned with a bang taking 17 wickets in two Sheffield Shield games prior to Christmas to put his name in the mix for an Ashes call up. He then suffered another back injury that curtailed the start of his BBL campaign.Worrall returned to play a big part in the Melbourne Stars run to the BBL final, taking 4 for 23 in the semi-final win over Hobart Hurricanes, before injuring his hamstring in another Shield game in March.
The UAE coach felt his side had had to deal with ‘really juicy’ conditions in the first ODI, but wanted his batsmen to find ways to deal with similar challenges in the future
Peter Della Penna11-Apr-2019After a memorable three-run win over Zimbabwe ended the host nation’s 2019 World Cup dreams at last year’s qualifying tournament, UAE entered the four-match ODI tour this week with hopes of replicating the feat across an entire series rather than just a one-off encounter.That goal got off to a bumpy start on Wednesday in Harare as Zimbabwe crushed UAE by seven wickets in a one-sided match. UAE coach Dougie Brown gave credit to Zimbabwe’s seam attack led by Kyle Jarvis and Man-of-the-Match Tendai Chatara for exploiting bowler-friendly conditions after UAE lost a crucial toss.”We lost the toss and got sent in on a pitch that had been covered after having heavy rain only yesterday,” Brown told ESPNcricinfo after the match. “So it was really juicy, really moist bowling conditions. They bowled exceptionally well to be honest. The ball seamed and it bounced. When the spinners bowled, it spun as well, but it stuck and it made scoring really difficult.”That said, we’ve still got to find a way if we do lose the toss to try and post a total that’s defendable. 200 may be defendable, but when you get bowled out for 110, you’re always against it.”While UAE’s lower order battled to stretch the innings out into the 45th over after they had been reduced to 42 for 6 in 23 overs, their final score of 110 wasn’t remotely competitive as Zimbabwe cruised to the target in just 23.1 overs. Brown said that although his bowlers showed heart, conditions had changed dramatically by the time Zimbabwe came out to bat.”You need early wickets,” Brown said. “We didn’t quite get them although we bowled really well. But the pitch certainly changed over the course of the day with the sun out.”Brown said he hopes that with two matches now under their belt, including a warm-up victory over a Zimbabwe Chairman’s XI prior to the first ODI, he believes UAE will soak up the lessons learned in foreign conditions to put in a stronger showing in the second ODI on Friday.”It’s a four-match series and we’ll bounce back strong,” Brown said. “Hopefully we’ll start to address what didn’t quite go right today and make some plans and try to put them in place for the game on Friday.”
Erik ten Hag may get the chance to work with Harry Kane after all, with the Manchester United boss reportedly on Bayern Munich’s managerial shortlist.
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Red Devils wanted England striker in 2023Set to be working with new boss next seasonTwo experienced coaches may trade placesWHAT HAPPENED?
The Dutch tactician has admitted that his current employers tried to sign prolific England international Kane in the summer of 2023, only to see him end up at the Allianz Arena. Their paths could, however, end up crossing some 12 months on.
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Questions continue to be asked of how long Ten Heg will fill his current post, with United said to be mulling over another change in the dugout. According to , that situation is interesting Bayern.
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They have seen Thomas Tuchel state his intention to step down at the end of the season, with the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss saying that agreement “still stands”. Ten Hag – who took charge of Bayern's reserve team between 2013 and 2015 – is now said to be an option that Bundesliga giants are considering, with the likes of Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick distancing themselves from roles in Bavaria.
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getty imagesWHAT NEXT?
In a quirky twist of fate, it is claimed that Ten Hag and Tuchel could end up trading places. United are looking for a proven winner to inherit their reins, with Champions League winner Tuchel fitting that bill, and the German is said to be open to the idea of returning to England two years after seeing a stint at Stamford Bridge come to a close.
Long-standing Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong is reportedly open to making a move away from Barcelona in the summer transfer window.
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Dutch star heavily linked with Red Devils
Snubbed switch to England in the past
Blaugrana eager to raise much-needed funds
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Netherlands international moved to Catalunya in the summer of 2019 and was expected to be the long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets in the heart of Barca’s midfield. He has, however, struggled to live up to expectations – with injury problems doing his cause few favours.
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There was talk of De Jong moving on in 2022, with Premier League giants United leading the clamour for his signature at that stage. Barca were willing to talk terms, but the Dutchman made it clear that he was settled in Spain and had no desire to move on.
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According to , that stance is now being relaxed. De Jong has picked up three ankle problems this season – limiting his game time – and Barcelona are looking to offload saleable assets in a bid to raise much-needed funds.
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WHAT NEXT?
De Jong is, along with Ronald Araujo and Raphinha, among those that the Liga giants are prepared to part with if the right offer is tabled. That may pique United’s interest once again, with the Red Devils still in the market for upgrades to the midfield engine room at Old Trafford.
كشفت تقارير صحيفة، عن موافقة الدولي البرازيلي ريتشارليسون اندرادي، لاعب فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي توتنهام، على الانتقال إلى أهلي جدة السعودي.
ريتشارليسون هو المهاجم الأساسي لـ توتنهام منذ الموسم الماضي، بعدما رحل هاري كين إلى بايرن ميونخ الألماني، ولكن يبدو أنه لن يكمل مسيرته في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، أكدت بأن ريتشارليسون يقترب من حزم حقائبه إلى المملكة العربية السعودية، إلى نادي أهلي جدة، مقابل 70 مليون يورو.
مايكل إيمليانو، رئيس لجنة التوظيف في الدوري السعودي، والذي كان مديرًا رياضيًا لـ تشيلسي وموناكو، سيكون هو مفتاح انتقال اللاعب البرازيلي إلى أهلي جدة، كما كان الحال في الصيف الماضي بجلب العديد من النجوم من الدوريات الأوروبية إلى دوري روشن.
طالع أيضًا | تمت.. أتلتيكو مدريد يحسم صفقة ألفاريز من مانشستر سيتي
صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، أكدت بأن الهدف الأساسي لـ أهلي جدة كان النيجيري فيكتور أوسيمين، لكن وصيف أمم إفريقيا يسعى للاستمرار في أوروبا، مما جعل الأنظار تتجه نحو ريتشارليسون.
وأشارت الصحيفة الإسبانية، إلى عدم موافقة جماهير أهلي جدة عبر مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي وصول المهاجم البرازيلي، في ظل أرقامه التهديفيه المنخفضة في الموسمين الماضيين مع توتنهام، وإصاباته المتكررة.
المهاجم البرازيلي منذ مايو 2022، تعرض لـ 14 إصابة، وسجله التهديفي مع سبيرز، 15 هدف في 66 مباراة.
أهلي جدة تخلى عن ماكسيمين إلى فناربخشة معارًا، ولم يتم تعويضه حتى الآن بأي لاعب، في ظل التقارير التي تشير إلى امكانية رحيل روبرتو فيرمينو أيضًا.
واحتل أهلي جدة المركز الثالث في الدوري السعودي الموسم الماضي برصيد 65 نقطة، في موسمه الأول بعد العودة من الدرجة الثانية.
West Indies squeezed out England in a thrilling finish at the Daren Sammy Stadium to claim top spot in Group A and set up a semi-final against Australia
The Report by Alan Gardner18-Nov-2018 Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWest Indies squeezed out England in a thrilling finish at the Daren Sammy Stadium to claim top spot in Group A and a semi-final against Australia – replaying their encounter in the final of the last tournament two years ago in Kolkata. England will take on India, winners of Group B, knowing that they must make rapid improvements with the bat and in the field despite scrapping to keep the possibility of victory alive until the final over.Australia hit with over rate fine
Australia have been fined for their slow over-rate in the Group B defeat to India in Guyana on Saturday. Meg Lanning’s side were found to be one over short by match referee Richie Richardson. After Lanning pled guilty to the charge, Australia’s players were fined 10% of their match fees. Lanning’s fine was doubled to 20%, and the captain could face a suspension if Australia commit a similar over-rate offence within the next 12 months. The charge was brought by the two on-field umpires in the game at Providence Stadium, Gregory Brathwaite and Wayne Knights, the third umpire Sue Redfern and fourth umpire Shaun George.
On a surface that made life difficult for fluent scoring, West Indies were indebted to an innings of 46 from Deandra Dottin and 45 from Shemaine Campbelle – the latter dismissed with just three runs needed – as the reigning champions showed their composure to claim a fourth win from as many games in the group stage.Defeat was hard on Anya Shrubsole, who picked up 3 for 10 with the ball after playing a vital part with the bat, her innings of 29 from 26 helping to resurrect England in a seventh-wicket partnership with Sophia Dunkley. Dottin, who was named Player of the Match, claimed two more wickets to become the tournament’s leading wicket-taker but England fought back impressively to ensure a game that only had group positions at stake, with both sides having already qualified, gave the packed crowd a worthy finish in St Lucia’s penultimate game.The biggest difference between the teams was the fielding, as demonstrated during a frantic finale. With West Indies needing 18 from 13 balls, substitute fielder Fran Wilson dropped Campbelle at long-on, with the chance going straight through her hands and away for four. Dunkley then failed to get near a skied slog from Campbelle in the penultimate over, before Amy Jones dropped Britney Cooper from the final ball (Lauren Winfield then ran out Cooper with a direct hit to partially atone).That left five runs required from the last six balls and although Shrubsole had Campbelle taken brilliantly at deep square leg by Danielle Wyatt from her second delivery, Kycia Knight thrashed the next through point to seal a win raucously celebrated by the home supporters.Deandra Dottin slog-sweeps during her 46•ICC via GettyA third-wicket stand of 68 between Dottin and Campbelle laid the platform for West Indies, though the pursuit was not without its nervy moments. Dottin got into block-or-bash mode, launching four sixes over the leg side but also stacking up dot balls as England sought containment after Shrubsole’s two early strikes. Campbelle began slowly, too, scoring one from her first nine balls, but began to tick along nicely before taking charge of the chase once Dottin had holed out to deep square leg off Kirstie Gordon.Although they were defending what looked a meagre total, England were given the perfect start when Shrubsole – who finished her previous appearance by taking a hat-trick – struck with her first and fourth balls, castling both Hayley Matthews and Stafanie Taylor with trademark inswingers.Dottin got going with a towering blow off Natalie Sciver but was unable to rotate the strike against England’s spinners. She did however twice launch Danielle Hazell for sixes over the midwicket; Hazell, brought into the side for Linsey Smith, was the one bowler unable to provide captain Heather Knight with control, her four overs costing 39.After Dottin fell aiming one slog-sweep too many, Sophie Ecclestone bowled Natasha McLean to leave West Indies needing 26 from the last three overs. However, Hazell’s next went for 12, including the drop of Campbelle on 39, as they faltered in the final exchanges.England’s effort was undermined from the off by the loss of regular wickets, with only three batsmen managing to make it into double-figures. West Indies fielded superbly, and looked to be in line for a simple chase with England reeling at 50 for 6 in the 11th over before Dunkley and Shrubsole combined to revive the innings with an partnership full of hard running and the occasional hearty thump.The damage was done at the top by Shakera Selman’s opening spell, which saw her bowl her allocation up front for figures of 4-0-15-2. She struck in the opening over, Chinelle Henry setting the tone for West Indies in the field by taking a leaping catch to dismiss Wyatt.Tammy Beaumont, who was dropped on 12, was the only member of the top six to make a significant contribution, and her dismissal for 23 saw England lose momentum entirely as three wickets went down for two runs in seven balls. Heather Knight, who made 6 from 13 before falling lbw to Dottin, did at least spend some time in the middle; unlike Winfield, who was brilliantly run out from her second ball by Cooper’s direct hit.Dunkley, playing her maiden international innings in her third game, then showed some of the Kia Super League form that saw her selected for the squad despite being uncapped. But she was smartly held at long-off, by Henry again, and Dottin’s horizontal grab to remove Shrubsole from the final ball of the innings suggested West Indies were not in the mood to be beaten.
Brighton's Evan Ferguson missed a first-half penalty as the Republic of Ireland held Belgium to a 0-0 friendly draw on Saturday.
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Republic of Ireland host Belgium in friendlyO'Shea's first game in charge as interim bossFerguson misses penalty in goalless drawGettyTELL ME MORE
Interim manager John O'Shea took charge of Ireland for the first time at the Dublin Arena and will be wondering how his team didn't go in at the break with the lead. Luton's Chiedozie Ogbene had a great chance in the opening minutes of the clash but could only fire into the side-netting after sprinting into the box. Yet Ireland had another glorious opportunity just before the half-hour mark when the hosts were awarded a penalty for a handball against Arthur Vermeeren. Brighton's Evan Ferguson stepped up but saw his penalty saved by goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Ferguson's misery was compounded when he missed again right at the start of the second half. A lofted ball in from the left found the forward, but he could only head over the bar from point-blank range. Belgium were struggling to create chances against an organised Ireland defence but did work an opening with 20 minutes to go when Dodi Lukebakio pulled the ball back for Thomas Meunier. The defender looked destined to score but was denied by Liverpool stopper Caoimhin Kelleher as both sides had to settle for a draw.
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In a game of few chances, Belgium were indebted to Matz Sels and his penalty save for avoiding defeat in Dublin. Belgium offered very little attacking threat throughout the 90 minutes against a Republic of Ireland side who looked the livelier in the final third. Of course Ferguson's penalty was the best chance of the whole match but he couldn't beat Sels, who blocked with his legs to deny the hosts their first goal under O'Shea.
Getty ImagesTHE BIG LOSER
Evan Ferguson is enduring a miserable time in front of goal and suffered more pain on Saturday. The Brighton attacker hasn't scored since November, when he netted against Nottingham Forest, but had the perfect opportunity to end that drought when Ireland were awarded a penalty. The Manchester United-linked attacker stepped up to take the kick but put his penalty too close to Sels, who made the save. Another opportunity went begging right at the start of the second half before he was eventually taken off after 70 minutes.
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Both teams are back in friendly action on Tuesday. Ireland host Switzerland in Dublin, while Belgium head to Wembley Stadium to take on England.
تحدث ألفارو موراتا قائد منتخب إسبانيا قبل نهائي كأس الأمم الأوروبية “يورو 2024” أمام إنجلترا.
وفي مقابلة مع الموقع الرسمي لليويفا، تطرق موراتا للحديث عن إمكانية حمل الكأس وهو قائد للفريق، دعمه للاعبين الشباب أمثال لامين يامال، وعاطفته التي تتسبب ببكائه دائمًا.
وتستعد إسبانيا لمواجهة إنجلترا غدًا الأحد في نهائي كأس أمم أوروبا “يورو 2024”.
وقال عن التفكير في صورته وهو يرتدي شارة قيادة إسبانيا ويحمل كأس يورو 2024: “من المفيد التفكير في ذلك وتخيله، تصور الأشياء الإيجابية أمر جيد، لكن لا يزال يتعين علينا لعب المباراة النهائية ضد فريق عظيم مثل إنجلترا، سيكون الأمر صعبًا”.
وأضاف: “لا يمكنك أن تتخيل، ولا أستطيع حتى أن أبدأ في وصف، ما الذي سيعنيه بالنسبة لي أن أقود إسبانيا للفوز ببطولة الأمم الأوروبية”.
وقال المدافع الإسباني دانييل فيفيان إن موراتا ينهي كل مباراة وهو على وشك البكاء بسبب عاطفة المسؤولية، وسُئل ألفارو عن صعوبة ذلك.
وأجاب: “أعتقد أن هذا ليس بسبب المسؤولية، إنها العاطفة النقية، إنه مثل المشجعين في المدرجات، عندما ألعب، أكون في كامل تركيزي بنسبة 100%، أنا أعمل، عندما قاموا باستبدالي، كان الأمر كما لو كنت أحد أهالي اللاعبين الذين يشاهدون المباراة من المدرجات”.
اقرأ أيضًا | ساوثجيت: على إنجلترا الفوز بلقب يورو 2024 لنشعر بالاحترام من عالم كرة القدم
وأردف موراتا: “أنا متأكد من أن والدي ميكيل ميرينو بكيا في ذلك اليوم عندما سجل هدفًا (ضد ألمانيا في ربع النهائي)، ثم والدا لامين يامال عندما سجل في مرمى فرنسا (في نصف النهائي)، أنا بهذه الطريقة أيضا”.
وأكد: “هذه هي شخصيتي، ليس هناك عيب في البكاء على الأشياء الإيجابية – وآمل أن يكون لدي الكثير من الأشياء الإيجابية لأبكي عليها يوم الأحد!”.
وانتقل موراتا للحديث عن كيفية دعمه للامين يامال لاعب إسبانيا اليافع، واستطرد: “أدعمه بالمودة، إظهار الثقة به، لقد كان معظم اللاعبين هنا معًا في المباريات لعدة أشهر، وكنا نقول له سوف نفوز ببطولة الأمم الأوروبية!”.
وواصل: “لقد نصحناه بالتفكير في تفاصيل كيف يمكنه مساعدتنا في تحقيق ذلك، نحاول حمايته في التفاصيل الصغيرة، لأنه لاعب كرة قدم يختلف عن أي شخص آخر تقريبًا، لكنني أعتقد أنه يمكننا قول ذلك عن نيكو وليامز وداني أولمو”.
وصر: “أعتقد أنهم جميعًا مميزون، يمكنني الحديث عن فريقنا بأكمله، والآن نحن على بعد خطوة واحدة فقط من صناعة التاريخ مرة أخرى، لكن سيتعين علينا القتال بقوة لأن الأمر سيكون صعبًا”.
وعما إذا كان لديه أي وقت أو مساحة للاستمتاع بنفسه حتى الآن، أجاب: “بصراحة لا، ليس بعد، ربما هذا هو ما ينبغي أن يكون، عليك أن تولي اهتمامك الكامل للكثير من الظروف، سيكون هناك وقت للاستمتاع وتكون سعيدًا”.
وأسترسل: “إذا سارت الأمور على ما يرام، فسنحتفل، إذا لم تسر الأمور على ما يرام يوم الأحد، فالأمر مختلف، ستعاني لبضعة أيام، ثم تعود لتشعر بالسعادة بشأن الطريقة الرائعة التي تعاملنا بها مع طريق صعب للغاية للوصول إلى النهائي”.
وأتم موراتا: “الحياة ليست دائمًا عبارة عن جوائز وكؤوس، يتعلق الأمر بالتجارب التي شاركناها جميعًا معًا أثناء وجودنا هنا، نعلم أننا سنشعر بالحزن لإنهاء هذه البطولة معًا، لأنها كانت رائعة”.
The England captain said victory in a tight Test brings “masses of confidence” but is looking for further improvement from his side
Melinda Farrell at Lord's08-Aug-20181:35
England’s best catchers aren’t in the slips – Hussain
There was still a noticeable spring in Joe Root’s step on the eve of the second Test at Lord’s, undoubtedly due to the lingering warm glow of that thrilling victory at Edgbaston. Despite twice surrendering a strong position and allowing India to scrap their way back into the contest, England have the early advantage in this series and Root was quick to deflect credit from his own captaincy to the performance of his team.”We obviously did some stuff well, but ultimately, regardless of what you do as captain your players have to perform and I thought they were exceptional,” said Root. “It’s not for me to take the credit for their hard work. Under pressure we stayed calm, we knew what lengths to bowl and stuck to that, it would have been easy for us to chase the game on that last morning but we didn’t, we knew if we held to our plans and stayed calm we would create enough chances.”It’s nice to know our thinking is right and we’re able to follow through on that when it really matters. Obviously, for me to come as captain and win a close game fills me with confidence going into the rest of the series against the No.1 side in the world but it’s about backing it up now. Looking for consistency in back-to-back games and this is an opportunity to do that.”Root’s talk of consistency points to England’s pendulum-swinging results over the past few summers, when all too often a resounding victory has been followed by abject defeat, or vice versa. The Edgbaston Test was the closest opening match of a home series since the first match of the 2013 Ashes at Trent Bridge and Root hopes the intensity of the victory will herald a sustained improvement in form.”It fills you with masses of confidence,” said Root. “One of the most exciting things about last week is that we weren’t at our best, certainly there are areas we can improve, but we found a way to win under pressure, and wrestle momentum back in our favour. That’s a sign of some strong characters in our dressing room. And having had some indifferent results in the recent past, to pull off a win like that is a really good sign for us moving forward. If we can make small improvements in certain areas, and add that to where we were good last week, we will see some improvements last week.”Ollie Pope and Joe Root head to the nets•Getty ImagesOne area England will desperately hope to improve is their slip catching. In the first Test Virat Kohli was dropped twice by Dawid Malan at second slip, Hardik Pandya was put down by Alastair Cook at first and Malan was also unable to take the catch to dismiss Murali Vijay, although he did successfully complete three catches over the course of the match, including a particularly sharp take to dismiss Dinesh Karthik in the first over of the fourth morning.During the match, James Anderson suggested England’s problems in the slip cordon may be due to changing personnel and Malan’s dropping in favour of Ollie Pope means yet another reshuffle. In the lead up to the second Test, Cook, Jos Buttler and Keaton Jennings have filled the first, second and third places respectively, despite some speculation that Root might join the cordon.”It’s a crucial part of Test cricket, especially India being such a good side you have to take those chances,” said Root. “We are looking for continuity in that department, and we feel they are the best three guys to field in the cordon. Hopefully that can be settled and stay the same for a long period of time.”I did [think about fielding slip]. I felt that is a very solid cordon and gives me an opportunity to be at mid-off, speak to the bowlers, have real clarity about what we are trying to do as a team on the field. And have a real gauge of managing the game with the guys, not telling them what to do but having clarity with how we want to approach things.”Lord’s may be the Home of Cricket but it has proved to be an unhappy dwelling for England against Asian teams in recent years. England haven’t won against a team from the subcontinent in their past five attempts at Lord’s, losing twice to Pakistan, once to India and playing out two draws against Sri Lanka. Despite a deceptive green tinge, the pitch here has generally been flat in recent times and ahead of this match the ground staff have been working against the elements to keep the moisture levels up in the hottest, driest conditions in decades, a situation that may favour another Asian touring side.”Maybe… every time you turn up here the surfaces can be quite different,” said Root. “At the start of the summer we were very below par and it would be easy to look too far into that, but against South Africa there was quite a lot of spin and against India previously spin came into it a lot in the second innings. That might play a big factor. We’ll have to wait to see what the surface looks like tomorrow morning but ultimately on the last couple of occasions, whoever has played well in the first innings has managed to contain that threat through the rest of the game.”
Glasgow Rangers have enjoyed some moderate success in the transfer market over the previous couple of years, particularly in terms of moving players on for vast profits.
Since January 2022, the Gers have managed to sell Nathan Patterson (£16m), Joe Aribo (£10m) and Calvin Bassey (£23m) for fees much higher than what they signed for. Such events have allowed the club to establish a solid player trading model which enables them to reinvest transfer fees earned back into recruitment.
These sorts of deals won’t occur every window, but Michael Beale will know that the vast majority of players who join the club see Rangers as a stepping stone to either the Premier League or to a team performing consistently in the Champions League.
The key is to sign prospective talent at a low price and develop them, before moving the player on for a vast profit. Although this method looks like it is coming back to the fore at the Ibrox side in recent seasons, it hasn’t always been like this.
Following promotion to the Premiership in 2016, the Light Blues endured some woeful decisions in the transfer market, with managers such as Mark Warburton and Pedro Caixinha wasting money on a collection of expensive flops who rather rinsed the club dry.
One such example is Carlos Pena and his 18-month stint as a Rangers' player will surely go down as one of the worst deals in their recent history.
How much did Carlos Pena cost Rangers?
Caixinha went into his first transfer window as manager of the Gers with an ambition to build a side which could finally end Celtic’s hegemony of Scottish football. While he could be praised for his adventurous proposal, it ultimately failed.
Pedro Caixinha
He signed players such as Fabio Cardoso, Dalcio and Eduardo Herrera in a bid to topple Celtic, yet they all failed to settle in Scottish football, departing within two years of arriving in Glasgow.
Pena was the most expensive signing that summer however, costing the club a fee in the region of £2.2m from Guadalajara and even after just a few matches, it was clear that the Mexican was miles off the pace. He struggled to adapt to the physicality of Scottish football as Caixinha’s reign turned into a nightmare of epic proportions.
How much did Carlos Pena earn at Rangers?
It was reported that Pena was earning around £26k-per-week upon signing for the Light Blues and this was a staggering amount considering they had spent just one season back in the top flight, finishing third behind Celtic and Aberdeen.
This money would have been better off going towards a player who was slightly younger and may have had a brighter future ahead of them, or indeed, someone with plenty of experience in European football who could have adapted much faster than Pena.
Carlos Pena's clubs
Games
Goals (via Transfermarkt)
Club Leon FC
191
52
Deportivo Guadalajara
43
8
CF Pachuca
22
1
CD FAS
21
4
Antigua FC
16
4
Rangers
14
5
CD Cruz Azul
10
0
Necaxa
9
0
Not only did it turn out to be Caixinha's worst-ever signing, but it is arguably the biggest waste of money since Rangers returned to the Premiership seven years ago, and his performances on the field didn’t exactly warrant the massive weekly outgoing either.
How did Carlos Pena perform at Rangers?
The short answer is indeed a hard no, yet it is perhaps more beneficial to take a deeper look into just how poor he really was at the club.
Having won 19 caps for Mexico, which included appearances at the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Copa America, first impressions of the attacking midfielder seemed promising, yet that swiftly changed when he took to the field wearing a Rangers shirt.
Across his first nine matches for the Gers, he did manage to score five goals, including a double against St Johnstone, yet his overall performances were disappointing, with the player really struggling to adjust to the game in Scotland, and he looked a shadow of the player that had registered 62 goal contributions – 50 goals and 12 assists – over 192 matches for Club Leon in the years prior to him arriving in the Premiership.
Having cost £2.2m in June 2017, Pena ended up costing Rangers a staggering £440k per goal, having made only 14 appearances in total before moving on from the Glasgow side at the beginning of 2018.
What happened to Carlos Pena next?
He agreed to join Mexican side Cruz Azul on loan in January 2018 as his Gers nightmare was coming to an end, and it was Caixinha who signed him, having been sacked from the Ibrox side in October the previous year after just six months in charge.
Their sporting director Eduardo de la Torre praised Pena, saying: “We have been in talks with Carlos and Rangers for ten days.
“He is a player our coach knows very well and he told us to get him. Pedro knows what Carlos can give the team.”
He obviously didn’t watch him in a Rangers jersey. Another loan spell at Necaxa for the 2018/19 season was agreed, yet this was cut short and Steven Gerrard finally terminated his contract in February 2019, a full 85 weeks after he joined the Gers.
Rangers Review journalist Derek Clark didn’t hold back when criticising the player, saying: “Disastrous transfer in what was an equally disastrous spell for the club.”
This was said last year after the Court of Arbitration of Sport justified the reasons behind the Light Blues cutting Pena’s stay in Glasgow short, and it ended a near three-year look into the matter.
Rangers are in a far better place now than they were back in the summer of 2017, and while there will be the odd transfer blunder here and there, it doesn’t happen nearly as frequently as it did in the first few years following promotion.
Pena was an abysmal signing during an abysmal period for the club and it's one which arguably set the Gers back further when they really needed to settle down and build a proper side capable of challenging for honours.
£2.2m was an awful lot of money in 2017, especially with the club not in European competition and following the recent success stories of Aribo, Bassey and Patterson, Beale could look forward to developing his players well with a view to securing lavish transfer fees once some of them are ready to report the club.