Everton assistant manager Duncan Ferguson is in advanced talks with Blackburn Rovers over becoming their new first-team boss, reports Football Insider.
The Lowdown: Rovers’ manager hunt
After five years in charge at Ewood Park, manager Tony Mowbray left the Championship club upon the expiry of his contract.
Rovers made a strong start to the Championship campaign but ultimately tailed off towards the end of the season, finishing just outside of the play-off spots in eighth place.
The Latest: Ferguson interviewed
According to a report by Football Insider, Ferguson is in advanced talks with the Championship club over becoming their new manager ahead of next season.
Football Insider claim that a recruitment source has informed them that Ferguson has already been interviewed by Blackburn, and that he is now the clear front-runner to take charge at Ewood Park.
Everton are said to have accepted Ferguson’s departure.
The Verdict: Big loss
As a player, the Scotsman spent over a decade lining up for the Toffees over two separate stints at the club (via Transfermarkt).
More recently, the 50-year-old has enjoyed two spells as Everton’s interim manager; after Rafael Benitez was sacked in January, Ferguson took over for a couple of weeks before Frank Lampard was permanently appointed.
With such experience in the Everton dressing room and at Finch Farm, Ferguson will be a big loss to the Merseyside club, and Lampard will need to be swift in his search to find a new assistant manager.
In other news: Everton: Dean Jones drops Armando Broja claim
Rangers midfielder Aaron Ramsey may have played his last game for the Ibrox club, journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed.
The Lowdown: January loan move
The 31-year-old arrived at Ibrox in January after making a short-term loan switch during the winter transfer window.
Disappointingly, various injuries and moments to forget saw the Welshman limited to just nine starts in all competitions for the Gers, only five of which were in the Premiership.
The Juventus midfielder’s arrival at Rangers looked a real coup at the time for the Light Blues, with Ibrox chief Ross Wilson hailing Ramsey’s “wonderful character” upon coming to Glasgow, but the loan deal ultimately proved to be underwhelming for the Wales international.
As a result, O’Rourke thinks that the 31-year-old may have played his last game for the club, telling GiveMeSport: “I’m sure Aaron Ramsey looked like he enjoyed his time at Rangers.
“But a deal would have to be subsidised because of his wages at Juventus if Rangers were to bring him back. As it stands right now, it looks like he might have played his last game for the club.”
The Verdict: What went wrong?
Ramsey’s lucrative move to Serie A side Juventus shares similarities to that of his short-term loan switch to Rangers, as the Welshman’s struggles to keep himself fit overshadowed his performances on the pitch. Manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst even acknowledged the 31-year-old’s “quality”, but also admitted that the midfield wizard occasionally had a “difficult” time of it in Glasgow.
In fact, the midfielder was ranked just 14th out of the entire Rangers squad for his performances in the Premiership (via SofaScore), while his last (and telltale) contribution in blue may well have been the agonising penalty miss in the shoot-out defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final.
Therefore, it indeed seems unlikely that we will see Ramsey in a Blues shirt again next season.
In other news: One Rangers man is reportedly close to signing a new contract
Newcastle United target Harry Winks’ price tag has now been reportedly lowered to £15m with the Tottenham midfielder keen to find regular game time.
What’s the story?
That’s according to the Sunday People (29/5; page 55) who claim that the Magpies, as well as Premier League rivals Southampton, are keen on the 26-year-old whose price tag had been previously set at £25m.
The midfielder has struggled for game time under Antonio Conte, with the 10-cap Englishman starting just nine league matches this term.
It’s the second consecutive season where Winks has made 30 appearances for Spurs whilst also starting just nine games in the Premier League, suggesting that his situation in north London isn’t going to improve.
Imagine him & Bruno
At £25m, Winks’ valuation seemed excessive but, lowered by almost half, the midfielder’s current price tag is fair.
With senior international experience and 203 appearances for his boyhood club, of which 128 have come in the Premier League, Winks possesses impressive experience for a player who could potentially join a club that finished in the bottom half of the Premier League table this season.
Granted, Newcastle supporters may be underwhelmed at the possibility of signing Winks given the ongoing links with blockbuster players ahead of PIF’s first summer transfer window at the helm of the North-East outfit.
However, Eddie Howe certainly needs quality depth in midfield with the likes of Sean Longstaff, Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey and Joe Willock all subject to argument that they aren’t the standard Howe would like in his side.
Bruno Guimares has proven to be a revelation since his move from Lyon in January and, although Winks isn’t of the same pedigree, the two could form an intriguing partnership in front of the back-line.
Despite averaging 48 minutes a league game this season, the 26-year-old averaged 30.3 successful passes per appearance with an accuracy of 88% whilst winning 2.1 duels with a success rate of 51%.
The defensive midfielder also chipped in with 0.8 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 0.4 clearances.
Having played under three different permanent managers over the past two seasons, Winks’ fortunes haven’t improved and therefore now appears to be the right time for the Englishman to leave Tottenham in search of regular game time.
Although Newcastle may also target higher-profile names, Howe will need quality in-depth and could certainly make the 26-year-old midfielder a regular in the North-East.
AND in other news: Newcastle can afford to miss out on “magic” £40.5m-rated gem this summer, he’s no ASM
A Rangers transfer development has emerged on two key Ibrox gems as decisions on their respective futures are imminent heading into the summer window.
What’s the talk?
According to BBC Scotland’s Tom English, Allan McGregor looks on course to retire from the Premiership club upon the expiry of his contract this summer.
He has also claimed that it ‘looks certain’ that Connor Goldson will also be on his way out of Glasgow at the end of the month. Although, it remains to be seen where he will be heading as no clubs have been reported to have agreed on a deal with him.
Gio van Bronckhorst will be deflated
The Gers head coach will surely be left feeling deflated by the prospect of both players leaving the club, with a decision incoming on whether or not they will be extending their terms. English believes that neither of them will and that will leave two big holes to fill in the squad.
McGregor has been the Dutch head coach’s number one throughout the campaign and enjoyed a terrific campaign in Europe. The veteran averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 6.99 in the Europa League as he started 14 matches in the competition.
He was given an opportunity to say goodbye to the fans over the weekend as van Bronckhorst subbed him on towards the end of extra-time in the 2-0 win over Hearts in the final of the Scottish Cup. This means that, whilst it will still be frustrating for the manager, McGregor will be able to leave the club on a high.
Goldson, meanwhile, has been a reliable, outstanding, centre-back for the club this season. He started a whopping 50 matches across the Europa League and Premiership and averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.00 or higher in both competitions.
Van Bronckhorst could rely upon the colossus to be available for the majority of the campaign and his appearance numbers illustrate how much he relied on the Englishman.
The defender delivered consistently brilliant displays for the Ibrox giants over the course of the campaign and this is why the Dutchman will be gutted by the prospect of him leaving as he will not be able to lean on his quality in almost every match.
It will leave Gers chief Ross Wilson with the difficult task of replacing McGregor in the upcoming transfer window along with Goldson if John Souttar is not viewed as his direct replacement.
AND in other news, Enquiry made: Rangers avoided disaster with “annoying” dud whose value dropped £8.4m…
The best batting team of the tournament posts another 350-plus total in the World Cup
Sampath Bandarupalli01-Nov-202382 Sixes hit by South Africa in seven matches in this tournament, the most by a team in a men’s ODI World Cup. They surpassed England’s 76 sixes in 11 matches in the 2019 World Cup.10.2 Sixes per ODI by South Africa in 2023, the best hit-rate for a team in a year (min: 100 sixes). They have hit 194 sixes in 19 ODIs this year, the second most in ODIs, behind the 209 by West Indies in 28 matches in 2019.8 Consecutive 300-plus totals by South Africa while batting first in ODIs. It is the longest streak in men’s ODIs, bettering the seven by Australia in 2007 and England in 2019.ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 South Africa’s 350-plus totals in this tournament, the most in a men’s ODI World Cup. They now have nine totals of 350-plus runs in all World Cups, which is the joint highest alongside Australia.4 Quinton de Kock’s hundreds in this tournament. He is only the third batter with four or more centuries in a ODI World Cup, after Kumar Sangakkara (four in 2015) and Rohit Sharma (five in 2019).545 Runs by de Kock in this World Cup, the first batter to score 500-plus in a men’s ODI World Cup for South Africa, surpassing Jacques Kallis’ 485 in 2007. His tally is also the highest for a wicketkeeper in an ODI World Cup, overtaking Sangakkara’s 541 in 2015.2 Double-century stands between de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen in this tournament. They are only the second pair with two partnerships of 200-plus runs in the men’s ODI World Cup, after Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga.ESPNcricinfo Ltd8 Hundreds by South African batters in this World Cup – de Kock (4), van der Dussen (2), Aiden Markram (1) and Heinrich Klaasen (1). These are the joint-most hundreds for a team in a men’s ODI World Cup, level with Sri Lanka’s eight in 2015.357 for 4 South Africa’s total in Pune is their highest in men’s ODIs against New Zealand, surpassing the 324 for 4 in 2000 in Centurion.1999 The last instance of South Africa winning a World Cup game against New Zealand before their 190-run win in Pune on Wednesday. From 2003 to 2019, they lost all five matches against New Zealand at the World Cup.190 The margin of New Zealand’s defeat is their second-biggest at the World Cup. Their worst defeat is by 215 runs against Australia in 2007.ESPNcricinfo Ltd9 Number of ODIs won by South Africa in 2023 by 100 or more runs, the most such wins for any team in a calendar year, surpassing the eight by Pakistan in 1999. South Africa have won by 100-plus runs margin in each of their last eight ODIs where they batted first.
Aston Villa are now plotting a £18m bid for a “tremendous” defender, who is also being targeted by Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, with Emiliano Martinez a big fan.
Villa keen on strengthening despite resurgent form
Villa have made major improvements over the past month or so, having won six of their last seven matches in the Premier League, which has propelled them to fourth in the table, and Unai Emery has been impressed by his side’s recent performances.
After the 2-1 victory away at Leeds United last time out, the manager said: “The second half (was) better, but overall, 90 minutes, I am so happy how we competed. Even the first half, we didn’t play brilliant, but we were always trying to set our gameplan on the field, and progressively we did it.”
The Villans went 1-0 down at Elland Road, with Martinez receiving criticism for his goalkeeping in the build-up to Lukas Nmecha’s opening goal.
However, a second-half Morgan Rogers brace turned the game on its head, with the goalkeeper’s blushes being spared, and Aston Villa have now joined the race for one of the Argentinian’s international teammates.
That is according to a report from Spain, which states Villa are now plotting a €20m (£18m) opening offer for River Plate defender Lautaro Rivero, having tracked the centre-back for months, and Martinez has provided positive feedback on his compatriot.
The Villans believe the 33-year-old’s personal relationship with the River Plate star could give them the edge in the race for his signature, despite rival interest from Man City and Tottenham.
Although the Argentinian has a €100m (£88m) release clause in his contract, River Plate would be willing to sanction a departure for considerably less, and there is a belief he could make an instant impact at Villa Park.
"Tremendous" Rivero has earned big Premier League move
Hailed as “tremendous” by journalist Juan Patricio Balbi, the 22-year-old may now be ready to test himself in England, having performed very well over the past year, placing in the 93rd percentile for tackles per 90, compared to other centre-backs, courtesy of averaging 2.27.
Aston Villa make Emiliano Martinez sale decision amid Unai Emery comments
There has been a key update on Martinez’s future, following the goalkeeper pushing for a move during the summer.
By
Dominic Lund
Nov 19, 2025
Villa are arguably well-stocked at centre-back, with Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa forming a reliable partnership as of late, but Tyrone Mings has been unable to put his injury problems behind him, and is potentially in the latter stages of his career at 32-years-old.
Tyrone Mings’ injury record
Games missed
12/08/23 – 30/10/24
70
Remainder of 2024/25
7
2025-26
17
As such, Emery could do with bringing in a younger centre-back, and having recently received his first cap for Argentina, Rivero could be capable of pushing for a starting spot.
With everything on the line, here's how Gotham FC can top the Spirit for the 2025 NWSL Championship.
For the second time in three years, Gotham have charged into the NWSL Championship after delivering upsets to higher-ranked teams. Jaedyn Shaw disagrees that they’re underdogs, per se (see: “underdog, my ass” comment after they downed Kansas City), but they’ve been the surprise story of the postseason. Saturday night, they could take their Cinderella run all the way to the title. Here’s a few reasons why they might:
Getty Images
Reason 1: Defensive strength
Simply put, Gotham is hard to score on. In part, that’s because they have one of the best goalkeepers in the league (more on that shortly). But notably, they also don’t allow their opposition many chances to score. With a team that defends from the front, a midfield that’s hard to cut through, and a solid defensive line waiting behind, Gotham finished the 2025 season having allowed just 76 shots on target. That’s an average of 3 per game and is tied with the first-place Shield winners, Kansas City, for fewest shots on goal allowed in NWSL.
There’s a number of reasons they’re dynamic defensively, and it involves players across all of their lines. Emily Sonnett is in top form as a leader in their backline. Rookie of the Year Lilly Reale awaits her opportunity at left back to thwart Rose Kouassi creating from the right. Jaelin Howell, who just earned her first USWNT callup since 2022, could have a massive match as she jockeys for control of the midfield.
As a team that likes to have possession, they’re also effective at limiting the opposition by reducing their opportunities to get on the ball. The Spirit are also hard to score on, but they allowed 107 shots on target throughout the season, averaging four per game. They also conceded 33 total throughout the year, compared to Gotham’s 25. In a game of margins, that could matter.
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Reason 2: Ann-Katrin Berger
Gotham may have the Rookie of the Year (Lilly Reale), but they’re also stocked with veteran talent. One of Gotham’s most essential veterans is 35-year-old German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger.
Berger was named Goalkeeper of the Year in 2024 and was nominated in 2025 after another strong season cleaning up the few shots that Gotham does allow. Berger’s steady presence has been pivotal for club and country the past few years. The German keeper helped see her team to an Olympic bronze medal in 2024 and a semi-final finish at Euro ‘25 with clutch penalty heroics and massive saves.
This postseason, Berger has come through for Gotham multiple times. She made seven essential saves in their upset of Kansas City, and was called on to make a few key ones against Orlando to see them to the final. Saturday in San Jose, she could be a difference maker.
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Reason 3: Peaking at the right time
The Washington Spirit finished the season in a comfortable second-place position and have been the more consistently strong team throughout the year. But Gotham is glistening at the moment, with multiple players hitting their top form at just the right time.
That includes USWNT midfielder Rose Lavelle, who was out with injury in the first half of the year but has five goals and two assists in 16 games since returning. That also includes 20-year-old Jaedyn Shaw, who joined Gotham in early September and has looked like a unique talent finally in the right spot with the move.
Shaw has been electric for Gotham in the postseason, scoring in both of their playoff tests, including the stoppage-time match-winner against Orlando. The team’s top scorer, Spanish striker Esther Gonzalez, is just returning from injury and hasn’t scored in five games, isn’t in her top form of the season. But Esther has scored game-deciding goals for Gotham in two previous trophy matches. If she catches fire Saturday night, it’ll be hard to discount this ‘underdog’ team that’s hitting its collective stride at precisely the right moment.
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Championship
Gotham FC will face the Spirit on Saturday, November 22 at 5pm ET on CBS and Paramount+.
When the New York Yankees open the 2025 MLB season, they won't have the services of one of the biggest bats in their lineup.
Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton will start '25 on the injured list, according to a Saturday afternoon report from Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Stanton, 35, has not reported to spring training while "attending to a personal matter," Hoch wrote. He also noted that Stanton's injuries are to his elbows, and that the five-time All-Star has received platelet-rich plasma injections to treat them.
New York is scheduled to open its season on March 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
In 114 games for the Yankees last season, Stanton slashed .233/.298/.475 with 27 home runs and 72 RBIs. As usual, he caught fire in the postseason, crushing seven home runs against the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Despite his gaudy numbers, Stanton hasn't played more than 139 games in a full season since 2018.
Arne Slot gambled on Wednesday when he decided to exclude from his matchday squad the majority of his first-team Liverpool stars.
But the Dutch tactician didn’t gamble with his side’s chances of advancing against Crystal Palace to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. The result, plainly, always felt the probable outcome from the build-up, and Liverpool are now condemned to six losses from seven games.
Liverpool did not have the firepower to overwhelm Oliver Glasner’s side, and so he has rested his heavyweights in the hope that the Reds will see an upswing in form across the crucial coming period of football. Up next: Aston Villa and Manchester City in the Premier League, with the visit of Real Madrid in the Champions League in between.
With that in mind, the decision to field a second-string team was understandable, but there was a dearth of experience, and with the outcome almost pre-determined, unleashing the already under-fire Milos Kerkez has backfired.
Milos Kerkez struggles again
Since September 27th, Liverpool have lost more games than any other side across Europe’s top five leagues. Defensively, it’s been a bit lackadaisical and erratic.
In this regard, summer recruit Kerkez has really struggled. The Hungarian arrived from Bournemouth for £45m in July but is unrecognisable to the Premier League Team of the Year inclusion who inspired such awe on the south coast last year.
Slot and Kerkez will take solace in the 21-year-old having created two chances, finding his man with both attempted crosses and connecting well with the lively Rio Ngumoha. However, he also lost the ball 19 times and won only three of his nine contested duels (data via Sofascore).
It was a display that, once again, left plenty to be desired, and Liverpool still wait to see the left-back form into a worthy part of Slot’s project.
There is, however, time on his side. But the same cannot be said for another part of the Liverpool backline, a player who has been at the heart of a series of transfer sagas in recent years and may now be heading for the axe.
Slot must ditch Liverpool stalwart
Liverpool have undergone plenty of change this year, and there’s a sense that some of the veterans need to stick around. This isn’t true in every case, though.
For so long, Joe Gomez has been a part of the club, instrumental in the rise of Jurgen Klopp and the longest-serving active first-team player – and that even before Trent Alexander-Arnold packed and left.
Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip
The 28-year-old was part of a three-man backline in the cup, but Slot’s attempts to negate the Palace threat came undone when Gomez found himself at the epicentre of the deadlock-breaker. It was his loose touch that gifted Ismaila Sarr the first goal of his brace, ever the bane in Liverpool’s side.
Perhaps Gomez’s miscontrol was more unfortunate than clumsy, but there was still a flash of a chance to clear the danger and keep that elusive clean sheet.
Joe Gomez vs Crystal Palace
Match Stats
#
Minutes played
90′
Goals conceded
3
Errors made
1
Touches
92
Accurate passes
69/76 (91%)
Possession lost
9x
Recoveries
5
Tackles
1/1
Interceptions
3
Clearances
8
Ground duels
1/3
Aerial duels
3/4
Data via Sofascore
Moreover, Gomez’s errant pass led to the Eagles’ conclusive third strike, and Liverpool World saw it fit thereafter to hand the England international a 5/10 match rating.
After attracting interest from Newcastle United and, curiously, Palace over the past two summer transfer windows, Liverpool may come to regret not cashing in, especially if that had led to the likes of Marc Guehi, who remains under Glasner’s wing but could have been fielded for the hosts on Wednesday.
After such sweeping changes this summer, Liverpool were always going to need time to develop and reshape as a unit. But this feels messy.
We are not seeing a coherent squad ratcheting up the pace, but instead a sour situation that now threatens to spill over if form is not found before Aston Villa’s trip to Anfield on Saturday evening.
If Slot has learned anything new, it’s that Gomez cannot be placed into the starting line-up against Unai Emery’s well-oiled team.
Van Dijk's new Matip: Liverpool now chasing "sensational" Guehi alternative
Liverpool are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements in 2026.
Shohei Ohtani is now a World Series champion, but it's clear he wants more.
Soon after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees to win the World Series in five games on Wednesday night, Ohtani ran into Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. He immediately made a promise.
When the Dodgers gave Ohtani and 10-year, $700 million contract, the goal was to win championships. According to , Ohtani found Friedman and said, "Alright. Nine more, nine more."
The nine he's referring to is World Series titles. Ohtani has nine years left on his contract. So the greatest baseball player on the planet was saying his goal is to win a title in each year he plays with the Dodgers.
After that interaction, Friedman said, "In his first year, he won a championship. He's like, 'This is easy. We're just gonna do it again nine more times.'"
It's hard to argue against Ohtani having the best first season with a new franchise in MLB history. He hit .310, with 54 home runs, 130 RBIs, an OPS of 1.036 and he stole 59 bases becoming the first player to ever notch 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. Then, to cap it off, he led his team to a World Series title.
It will be hard for Ohtani to top his 2024 campaign. But if anyone can do it, he can.