The central midfield department is arguably one of the most important areas of the pitch, but it’s often been a struggle for Manchester United over the last couple of months.

Bruno Fernandes has often been called upon to drop into a deeper role and fill the void at the heart of the side – a position that has become his own after the £200m additions in the final third.

A partner for the Portuguese international has been on the agenda for Ruben Amorim in recent months, but their hunt has so far been to no avail, with no new midfield additions made since his arrival 12 months ago.

33-year-old Casemiro has often been the man called upon in the Premier League this season, with the Brazilian making a positive impression – as seen by his tally of three goals to date.

However, given his age and current contract situation, he’s likely to depart Old Trafford at the end of the campaign, which could see the issue at the heart of the side rear its head once again.

As a result, INEOS are currently on the hunt for a new deep-lying option to fill the void for years to come, leading to one player being strongly linked with a move in the near future.

Why United are so keen on signing Anderson in the coming months

Over the last couple of weeks, United have ramped up their interest in a January deal to secure the signature of Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson.

It was reported earlier this week that Amorim’s men have already reached out to the Reds over a potential deal, with discussions taking place over the conditions of the transfer.

However, the 23-year-old would be a hugely expensive signing, with Sean Dyche’s men currently setting the asking price at a staggering £100m for the youngster.

Young English prospects always come at a premium in the modern market, but is the asking price at present a fair price for a player of Anderson’s quality?

His underlying stats from the current Premier League campaign certainly make for good reading, with the former Newcastle United academy graduate ranking top of 13 separate metrics at present.

He’s completed 113 passes into the final third, with his tally of 706 passes completed, the most of any player in the division – subsequently offering Amorim’s men a hugely talented orchestrator.

However, the hierarchy are undoubtedly hunting for a more defensive option at present, with any addition needing to be dominant without the ball to allow Bruno to flourish.

Luckily for United, Anderson has also excelled in such an area, currently entering and coming out on top in more defensive duels of any player in the division in 2025/26.

Other numbers, such as 8.8 progressive passes, with 8.6 of which being into the final third, further highlight the all-round quality the 23-year-old possesses despite his tender age.

Anderson has also transferred his talents onto the international stage, now cementing himself as a key member of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad over the last few months.

He featured for 85 minutes against Serbia on Thursday night, making the most tackles and winning the most duels of any player – further backing up his incredible defensive abilities in the Premier League.

It’s safe to say he ticks all the boxes United are looking for a new midfielder, but it remains to be seen if the hierarchy are willing to sanction such a big-money deal this January.

The United star who’s now worth more than Anderson

Despite their failures on the pitch over the last few years, Old Trafford still remains the home to countless top-level talents who are looking to cement their place in club folklore.

From big-money additions to academy prospects, boss Amorim really does have a hugely exciting squad at his disposal in his hunt for Premier League glory.

Adding quality players like Anderson will no doubt bolster their chances of success, but it shouldn’t take away from the levels previously produced by numerous players already on the books.

There’s little debating that Bruno is the most complete central midfielder currently on the books, but he desperately needs support around him to allow the club to reach the next level.

Kobbie Mainoo once appeared as though he was the perfect player to make the midfield spot his own, but it’s safe to say his career has stagnated since Amorim’s arrival last November.

The 20-year-old catapulted himself to stardom back in the 2023/24 campaign after producing countless moments of magic in the first-team after rising through the academy system.

From last-minute winners against Wolverhampton Wanderers to an FA Cup final goal against Manchester City – it truly was a season to remember for the youngster.

His incredible form for the Red Devils even led to a place in the England Euro 2024 squad, subsequently featuring in six of the seven fixtures during the tournament.

His talents were there for everyone to see, but he’s since struggled for senior minutes under Amorim, with Mainoo only registering 12 league starts in the last 12 months.

Most of his minutes have come off the substitutes bench, with the academy graduate yet to start a single Premier League outing in the 2025/26 campaign.

Games played

25

Minutes played

1656

Pass accuracy

87%

Chances created

1.7

Successful dribbles

1.3

Tackles won

63%

Duels won

5.9

Interceptions made

1.2

Recoveries made

4.8

It was reported in the summer that the player himself requested a temporary move away from Old Trafford to gain minutes to aid his development – but such a request was swiftly denied by the board.

However, despite his lack of action, Mainoo has still received huge praise in the last few months, with former Red Devil Paul Scholes labelling him as the “nearest thing” to the legendary Zinedine Zidane.

Such a comparison is no mean feat, with the now-retired Frenchman being one of the best midfielders of his generation – as seen by his tally of seven major trophies, which includes a World Cup triumph back in 1998.

Mainoo may not have featured as much as he would have liked, but he’s seen a sharp incline in his market value, with FootballTransfers now valuing the 20-year-old at £55.4m.

Such a figure is a remarkable one, given his academy status, subsequently joining for nothing as a youngster, which highlights the work done by countless staff behind the scenes.

However, such a figure is also higher than that of Anderson, with the same site valuing the Forest star at just £45.6m despite his current £100m asking price.

There’s little doubt that a move for Anderson would improve the options at Amorim’s disposal, but it’s clear that the boss needs to give Mainoo another chance to thrive.

The youngster has bags of time to reach the next level in his development, but he’s already achieved so much in such a short period – with such talent currently going to waste under the manager.

Forget Sesko: Man Utd's "terrible" dud is now becoming INEOS' worst signing

Manchester United made a huge mistake in spending big money on one first-team member.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 13, 2025

Varun Chakravarthy also made the cut as India picked three spinners for their Asia Cup opener

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-20252:34

Bangar: Samson deserves a slot in the top three

India won their first toss in 16 attempts across formats, and chose to bowl first in their Asia Cup opener against UAE. Suryakumar Yadav, the India captain, felt there was a chance of dew later in the match on a humid evening in Dubai.Muhammad Waseem, the UAE captain, said he would have preferred to bowl first too, and expected a bit of early help for the seamers.India sprang a few surprises with their selection. They retained Sanju Samson as wicketkeeper, despite the return of Shubman Gill to the top of the order displacing him into a middle-order role more familiar to Jitesh Sharma. They also picked both their wristspinners in Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.This left the issue of whether they would prioritise depth in their batting or their seam attack. They went with the former, picking the allrounder Shivam Dube rather than a second frontline quick in Arshdeep Singh or Harshit Rana. Jasprit Bumrah starts as the only specialist quick, with Hardik Pandya expected to partner him with the new ball.Related

Gill and Abhishek begin new chapter in old bromance

UAE made one change to the XI that played their last match, the four-wicket loss to Afghanistan in the recent home tri-series, bringing in the offspin-bowling allrounder Dhruv Parashar for the legspinner Muhammad FarooqIndia: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Jasprit BumrahUAE: 1 Muhammad Zohaib, 2 Muhammad Waseem (capt), 3 Asif Khan, 4 Alishan Sharafu, 5 Rahul Chopra (wk), 6 Dhruv Parashar, 7 Harshit Kaushik, 8 Haider Ali, 9 Muhammad Rohid, 10 Junaid Siddique, 11 Simranjeet Singh

حقق فريق الجونة فوزًا صعبًا على نظيره الاتحاد السكندري، بهدفين نظيفين، في اللقاء الذي جمعهما اليوم، ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

واستضاف الاتحاد السكندري، نظيره الجونة، على ملعب استاد الإسكندرية، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة عشر من مسابقة الدوري المصري.

طالع.. ماريو ديسبوتفيتش يوضح دوره مع وادي دجلة.. ورأية في محمد الشيخ

وجاء هدف المباراة الوحيد عن طريق مروان محسن، مهاجم الجونة في الدقيقة السابعة من الوقت بدل الضائع في الشوط الأول من ركلة جزاء.

وجاء الهدف الثاني لصالح الجونة عن طريق أدهم كريم في الدقيقة الأخيرة من عمر المباراة.

وشهد اللقاء تلقي كريم الديب لاعب الاتحاد السكندري بطاقة حمراء في الدقيقة 39.

ورفع الجونة رصيده إلى 18 نقطة في المركز الثامن من جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري، بينما تجمد رصيد الاتحاد عند 8 نقاط في المركز الـ20. أهداف مباراة الجونة والاتحاد السكندري في الدوري المصري

Dayot Upamecano’s future has become one of Europe’s most closely watched contract sagas as Bayern Munich push for an extension while Real Madrid and now Paris Saint-Germain circle for a free transfer. The French defender is enjoying the best season of his career, yet negotiations remain stalled. With major clubs positioning themselves, Bayern face a defining decision over a key piece of Vincent Kompany’s defence.

Upamecano contract saga intensifies as PSG joins Madrid

French international Upamecano’s superb form this season has only added urgency to Bayern’s race against time to secure the defender’s long-term future. The French centre-back has been one of boss Kompany’s most influential performers, recently showcasing his impact in Bayern’s 6-2 victory over Freiburg, where he also scored. But despite Bayern’s desire to tie him down until 2030 or 2031, as reported by the signature remains missing.

This delay has opened the door for Europe’s heavyweights. Madrid, long in the market for a long-term defensive successor, remain strongly interested. PSG, meanwhile, have now emerged as a serious contender, with reporting the French side have joined Madrid in vying for a potential free-transfer move next summer, a scenario Bayern desperately want to avoid.

Bayern’s position is clear, Upa is seen as central to the club’s defensive rebuild under Kompany, and the hierarchy is pushing to finalise terms as soon as possible. However, with his contract running until 2026 and financial constraints limiting Bayern’s flexibility, the situation remains delicate, and increasingly competitive.

AdvertisementAFPUpamecano downplays money motive

In the aftermath of Bayern’s win over Freiburg, Upamecano openly addressed the growing speculation around his future. The Frenchman stressed that finances were not the decisive factor as talks continue.

Upamecano has insisted that he was not driven solely by economic incentives, insisting that sporting conditions would have significant influence. And on the constant speculation surrounding his next steps, he kept things deliberately vague, saying: “I can say this 100 more times, but we’ll see what happens.”

As per the report, those close to the club believe Upamecano is genuinely torn. He is settled in Munich, buoyed by Kompany’s trust, and thriving in a system that suits his strengths. Yet the prospect of joining Real Madrid or returning home to France with PSG is a powerful one, especially with a free transfer potentially offering greater long-term flexibility.

Elite clubs sense rare opportunity as Bayern fight to keep star

Upamecano’s appeal across European giants stems from more than Bayern’s contract struggles. Madrid view the 27-year-old as a potential partner for Eder Militao or replacement long-term option alongside Antonio Rudiger. PSG, meanwhile, consider him a cornerstone for their next cycle, particularly as they continue building a French core under Luis Enrique.

With modern centre-backs commanding fees north of €80m, the possibility, however slim, of a free transfer next summer has alerted every major sporting director in Europe. Bayern are aware of this leverage and recognise they must act quickly to maintain control of the situation.

Behind the scenes, Bayern sporting director Max Eberl is intensifying efforts to finalise an agreement, but financial realities complicate the process. Bayern have already committed major resources to keep Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies and Joshua Kimmich, which has stretched the wage structure and made negotiations with Upamecano more delicate.

The interest from the European elites continues to grow as Real Madrid and PSG have been the most persistent suitors, but Barcelona have also monitored developments as part of their long-term defensive planning.

With each passing week, pressure rises on Bayern to deliver a deal that reflects Upamecano’s value without disrupting their evolving wage model. The risk of losing him on a free would be a massive sporting and financial setback.

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Getty Images SportBayern push for winter breakthrough as rivals wait

Heading into a crucial phase of the season, Bayern hope to accelerate talks before the January window, aiming to remove any uncertainty around Upamecano’s status. An early resolution would give the club clarity as they continue monitoring young defenders in case negotiations collapse.

Madrid and PSG are expected to intensify contact with the player’s representatives if no extension is reached on table quickly. Bayern, however, remain confident that Upamecano’s preference is to stay, provided a mutually acceptable deal is reached.

For now, the defender remains central to Kompany’s plans, and both sides recognise that a long-term extension would bring stability. But unless Bayern can match his expectations without breaking their wage structure, a high-profile transfer battle could define the upcoming summer window.

Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to visit the White House on Tuesday as part of a Saudi Arabian delegation that includes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). The visit coincides with MBS’s first trip to the United States in seven years. Ronaldo has been a prominent figure in the Saudi Pro League since joining Al Nassr in December 2022.

• Getty
  

  Face of the league

  Ronaldo's association with the Saudi government has long been called into question. But recent events have shown how strong the ties are between the league's biggest superstar and the crown. In an interview with Piers Morgan last week, Ronaldo dubbed MBS "our boss", while the meeting at the White House would seem to reinforce that notion. 

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  Trump’s increasing involvement with FIFA and the global game

  U.S. President Donald Trump has increasingly sought to build relationships with key figures in global soccer. FIFA President Gianni Infantino attended his inauguration, and Trump presented the trophy to Chelsea after their Club World Cup win last summer. Infantino and Trump have also held multiple joint press conferences at the White House.

• Ronaldo embraces Trump

  Ronaldo has recently interacted with the President as well. In July, Trump received a signed jersey from the Portuguese forward with the inscription, “To President Donald J. Trump, Playing for Peace.” Ronaldo said at the time that he hoped to speak with Trump about global issues, explaining:

  “He is one of the guys who can help to change the world. One of the most important guys is the U.S. President. If we can help each other to make this happen… He is one of the guys I wish to meet to sit and have a nice talk. If it is here, or in the U.S., wherever he wants, I know he was here in Saudi Arabia with our boss, MBS (Mohammed bin Salman). I wish one day to meet him." 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  What's next for Ronaldo?

  Following the reported meeting, he is set to return to Saudi Arabia as his Al-Nassr side hosts Al-Khaleej. Ronaldo is currently second in the league in scoring, with nine goals. 

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos junta os cacos após um dos piores anos de sua história e aposta na gestão de Marcelo Teixeira para reorganizar o clube dentro e fora de campo. Mas o que esperar do Peixe no próximo ano? O Lance! listou alguns pontos para ficar de olho!

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

COMPETIÇÕES

O Santos não conseguiu garantir vaga para a Copa do Brasil. Assim, o clube disputará apenas o Campeonato Paulista e a Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro.

PODE CONQUISTAR

O Santos ficou fora dos últimos três mata-matas do Paulistão, e a missão do clube em 2024 é não passar dificuldades e garantir vaga às quartas de final na competição. Na Série B, o Peixe entra como favorito ao acesso e principal candidato ao título.

+ Veja como ficou a tabela do Brasileirão após a última rodada

QUAL JOGADOR VALE FICAR DE OLHO?

O rebaixamento forçou a diretoria a promover um reajuste na folha salarial da equipe, que está passando por uma grande reformulação. Mesmo assim, o Peixe se movimenta no mercado, e tanto Giuliano quanto Willian Bigode devem despontar como protagonistas no elenco e merecem a atenção do torcedor santista.

Detroit Tigers fans in attendance for games at Comerica Park during the 2025 MLB season may notice a rather significant change to the stadium's gargantuan scoreboard.

Just a couple of days before Opening Day, the franchise replaced the iconic "Tigers" sign that towered above the scoreboard with one that says, "Comerica Park."

Comerica Park has been home to Detroit's MLB franchise since 2000, and for 25 years that "Tigers" sign has been a staple of the stadium. That won't be the case going forward, after the team swapped that sign out for the "Comerica Park" one, much to the chagrin of fans.

Although the "Tigers" sign was removed, the stadium did opt to keep the two tiger statues atop the scoreboard, but it's clear that fans of the team aren't happy with the flavorless change the franchise made to its scoreboard design.

Fans on social media sounded off on Tuesday after photos of the scoreboard made the rounds online.

The New York Yankees have the entire MLB world talking about their new torpedo bats after they spent the weekend hitting a gazillion home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers.

These new bats, which have more wood just below the barrel, could become all the rage at the professional level, especially because they are 100% legal.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado was interviewed on ESPN during Sunday night's game against the Atlanta Braves and he was asked what he thought of these new torpedo bats. Machado had a simple request: He wants some of those bats.

"They should send a few [torpedo bats] over here if they're gonna be hitting homers like that," he said.

Here are his full comments:

It's going to be really interesting to see how popular these bats become. A member of the Minnesota Twins was seen using one on Sunday and it feels like we will soon see a ton of batters using them.

It will also be interesting to see if MLB allows them to remain legal, especially if home runs keep being blasted out of parks.

What a wild new world.

While Daniel Farke is taking a lot of heat at the moment surrounding his incapabilities as a Premier League manager, the Leeds United players he keeps selecting also need to take their fair share of the blame for what is currently occurring.

Against Aston Villa last time out, Elland Road regulars such as Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon didn’t cover themselves in glory whatsoever, with the Dutchman – in particular – looking weak physically, when winning just three of his eight attempted duels.

Moreover, Sean Longstaff, who stunned earlier on in the season with a goal and assist against AFC Bournemouth, looked noticeably flat up against the likes of Youri Tielemans for the energetic away side, leading to him giving possession away a costly 13 times.

Farke also has a part to play here, considering he works with the camp week in week out in trying to pick wins up, with the German clearly unable to inspire his team to get out of their rotten slump.

Still, he wouldn’t have foreseen how poor a start Lucas Perri would have made to life in England, as the Brazilian consistently looks uncomfortable in the Premier League.

Perri's poor start at Leeds

Leeds’ arrival back in the top-flight would have been met with equal levels of excitement and trepidation from the die-hard Elland Road fanbase.

Indeed, supporters would have been understandably over the moon that their beloved side had finally jumped back up to the big time.

But, they would have been worried immediately about their goalkeeper situation up a division, with an error-prone Illan Meslier cast to one side during the promotion run-in.

Unfortunately, despite splashing out £13.9m on his services this summer, the aforementioned Perri hasn’t looked like a steady pair of gloves whatsoever since joining, with a disastrous eight goals already given up in November alone.

The ex-Lyon stopper received plenty of pelters after the Villa defeat, too, when he remained frozen to his spot for Morgan Rogers to hammer home this delightful free-kick effort.

Ex-Leeds player Jon Newsome has even gone as far as to label Perri a complete “waste of funds”, and it could be argued he’s been a complete waste of time and energy, as well, considering his steep price tag, and his billing as a top-flight capable ‘keeper that would make Meslier a worry of the past.

Yet, despite all the abuse that has come his way, he isn’t the biggest waste of time in Farke’s camp currently.

Leeds have a bigger waste than Perri

At least in Perri’s case, he doesn’t have much competition breathing down his neck, with Farke surely extremely hesitant to chuck in Meslier to a relegation dog-fight, alongside another reserve figure in Karl Darlow.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Therefore, the hope will be that the South American can play his way out of this mess, having started his choppy Leeds career with a promising clean sheet against Newcastle United.

On the contrary, Sebastiaan Bornauw already looks resigned to a place on the periphery, owing to recurring injury issues troubling him in West Yorkshire, and the likes of Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk and Jaka Bijol being other options Farke can call upon in the heart of defence.

For a modest £5.1m fee, Leeds would have been hoping that they’d hit the jackpot with the assured Belgian, who had 140 Bundesliga appearances under his belt, before making the switch to England, with former Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schäfer previously hailing the former German top-flight titan as a consistently “strong” presence for his team.

Across those 140 games, Bornauw would help himself to a stable, if slightly unspectacular, 27 clean sheets, meaning he would have been viewed as a handy utility signing, too, when the deal was arranged, as Leeds prepared to use their full squad to beat the drop.

Bornauw’s Leeds numbers
Stat	Bornauw
Games played	1
Minutes played	90
Games missed through injury	4
Transfer cost	£5.3m
Wage costs	£45k-per-week
Sourced by Transfermarkt/Capology

Instead, he has largely been injury-ridden since swapping Germany for West Yorkshire, with just one forgettable appearance coming his way so far in the EFL Cup versus Sheffield Wednesday.

For as much as Perri has largely been calamitous, at least he has made his presence known. Whereas Bornauw looks to already be burning a significant hole in Leeds’ wage bill, for how little action he has thrown himself into, with Leeds-based content creator Lewis Deighton rightly calling the unfolding situation out as “absolutely laughable”.

Amazingly, his £45k-per-week pay packet means he is earning more than the aforementioned Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu – who earn a lesser £40k-per-week salary each – despite both figures continuing to be ever-presents in the Farke regime.

It’s very clear how much Leeds dropped the ball this summer with unconvincing signings, as the under-pressure German now potentially pays the ultimate price with his job.

Leeds now plotting January move for "outstanding" £17.5m Champions League striker

The Whites are looking to bring in a new centre-forward this winter.

By
Dominic Lund

Nov 27, 2025

Glasgow Rangers made two huge decisions on Monday as they announced that both CEO Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell had been removed from their posts at Ibrox.

Chairman Andrew Cavenagh revealed to Sky Sports, in the post below, that the Gers need different people in those two leadership positions moving forward in order for the club to be successful.

The Rangers chief was careful not to throw mud at Stewart and Thelwell for their work at Ibrox, but suggested that it was down to their performance in their respective roles, as he stated that they still aligned with the overarching project.

Given that Russell Martin’s tenure lasted 17 matches and several summer signings do not look up to scratch, it is hard to disagree with the club’s decision to part ways with both of them, particularly Thelwell.

Looking at the list of summer signings in the graphic above, it is easier to pick out the players who have flopped or struggled than it is to pick out the successes from the summer transfer window.

The summer signing that Thelwell may go on to be infamous at Ibrox for is Youssef Chermiti, as he arrived from his former club Everton in a big-money deal.

Why Rangers should not have signed Youssef Chermiti

To preface this, supporters and those at the club will, of course, be hoping that the Portugal U21 international goes on to prove everyone wrong and becomes a consistent goalscorer for the Light Blues.

However, at this moment in time, it looks like a deal that the Scottish giants should not have done, particularly for the reported money that was involved in the move.

Thelwell signed Chermiti for Everton from Sporting in a deal worth up to £15m in the summer of 2023, but he did not score a single competitive goal for the Toffees in two years during his time in England.

Then, after moving to Rangers in April, the sporting director signed the centre-forward for a second time, splashing £8m to bring him to Ibrox, in the most expensive Gers deal since Tore Andre Flo joined for £12m in 2000.

It is fair for supporters to expect a player to make an immediate impact in Glasgow when signed for that kind of money, as Chermiti is the club’s most expensive player in 25 years, but that has not been the case.

The former Everton marksman has scored one goal in 13 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues, per Sofascore, which shows that the forward has failed to deliver much in the way of quality in the final third.

Starts

4

xG

1.29

Goals

0

Big chances missed

4

Big chances created

0

Assists

0

Pass accuracy

59%

Duel success rate

35%

As you can see in the table above, Chermiti has been incredibly underwhelming in the Europa League so far this season, failing to score from 1.29 xG after starting all four of his appearances in the competition.

The 21-year-old striker’s dismal form for the club so far suggests that Thelwell made a mistake when he signed the forward for £8m, because he has not made the kind of impact that Rangers should expect from such an expensive signing.

Chermiti, though, is not the only one of the summer signings you could argue that Thelwell should not have signed because of their performances in the 2025/26 campaign.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The former Rangers sporting director swooped to bring in Jayden Meghoma on loan from Brentford to bolster Russell Martin’s full-back options, as the ex-Gers boss had worked with the youngster during their time together at Southampton.

Why Rangers should not have signed Jayden Meghoma

During the summer window, Thelwell decided to cash in on the two senior left-back options at Ibrox, selling Jefte to Palmeiras and Ridvan Yilmaz to Besiktas.

Whilst those respective sales were not horrendous decisions in isolation, this issue is that Meghoma was the only signing brought in to replace those two senior players.

4 Lads Had A Dream covered Ally McCoist’s claim that Rangers have “downgraded” across the pitch since last season, and referenced Meghoma in comparison to Jefte as one of the areas in which the team have failed to improve.

It is not the 19-year-old defender’s fault that he has been brought in to be a first-choice option for a team that is expected to win consistently and compete on the European stage, when his experience last season was playing 12 matches on loan at Preston in the English Championship.

Meghoma, unfortunately, does not look ready to be a first-choice left-back at this level at the moment, as evidenced by his statistics in comparison to Jefte’s at Scottish Premiership level.

Appearances

33

9

Key passes per game

1.0

0.7

Assists

4

1

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.3

3.3

Clearances per game

2.9

1.3

Duels won per game

5.5

4.0

Aerial duel success rate

57%

25%

Error led to shot or goal

1

2

As you can see in the table above, the Brazilian defender’s performances in the league last season were far more impressive than what the English teenager has produced in the division this term, offensively and defensively.

These statistics back up the claim that Rangers have “downgraded” by selling Jefte to sign Meghoma on loan, which adds more fuel to the fire surrounding the criticism of Thelwell’s summer recruitment.

Like Chermiti, it seems like Meghoma has been signed to fill a role that he is not ready to fill at this point in his development. They are both young players who have time to develop and improve, but neither of them look ready to be key players for Danny Rohl in the present.

Therefore, the signing of Meghoma was one of Thelwell’s worst clangers of the summer, alongside Chermiti, because he has failed to adequately replace Jefte at left-back, and it remains to be seen if either of them will end up being good enough this season.

Thelwell signing is a bigger waste of time than Chermiti & Miovski at Rangers

This Glasgow Rangers flop is a bigger waste of time this season than both Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti.

ByDan Emery Nov 24, 2025