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Glasgow Rangers may have been expecting more from Thelo Aasgaard when they reportedly agreed to pay £3.5m to sign the attacking midfielder from Luton Town in the summer transfer window.

After 25 matches in a Light Blues shirt in all competitions, the Norway international has as many red cards (one) as goals for the Scottish Premiership giants, per Sofascore.

The former Wigan star has also only managed two assists in those 25 games, the latest of which was a long punt up the field that Youssef Chermiti managed to get on the end of against Hearts.

Rangers make approach to sign Championship star

Just a matter of months on from signing Aasgaard, the Gers could be about to land an upgrade on him amid interest in another attacking midfielder.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to GIVEMESPORT, Glasgow Rangers have made an approach to sign versatile attacker Josh Windass from Championship side Wrexham in the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Gers have made an approach to enquire about the possibility of a loan deal for the English attacking midfielder, as they look to bolster their squad ahead of the second half of the season.

That said, according to Record Sport, Wrexham are currently not looking to part ways with the 31-year-old forward, who joined them on a free transfer from Sheffield Wednesday in the summer, and have rejected Rangers’ opening loan bid.

Windass scored 19 goals in 73 games for Rangers before joining Wigan in 2018, per Transfermarkt, and worked with Danny Rohl at Sheffield Wednesday in the 2024/25 campaign.

Why Rangers should sign Josh Windass

Eyebrows may be raised about signing a player from a less-than-memorable era at Ibrox under Pedro Caixinha, but he did score 12 goals in 28 Premiership matches in his last full season at Ibrox, per Transfermarkt.

Since moving back to England, Windass has forged a respectable career for himself in the Championship, notably with Sheffield Wednesday and Wrexham in recent seasons.

Journalist Rob Staton claimed that the 31-year-old star “scored special goals” for the Owls, and that has continued since his move to Wrexham in the summer, as proven by the clip below.

Windass, who can play as an attacking midfielder or as a centre-forward, has scored six goals from 3.39 xG and assisted three goals from five ‘big chances’ created, per Sofascore, in the Championship this season for the Welsh outfit.

It may not be a popular or exciting option, as he is a 31-year-old Championship player who has played for Rangers already, but his form since the start of last season suggests that a deal for him would improve Rohl’s side.

Windass (Championship)

24/25

25/26

Appearances

44

19

xG

14.43

3.39

Goals

13

6

Big chances created

7

5

Key passes per game

0.7

1.0

Assists

5

3

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the English attacker has racked up 19 goals and eight assists in the Championship in the past 18 months, which is more than a respectable return for an attacking midfielder.

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Meanwhile, Aasgaard produced two goals and one assist in 17 appearances in the Championship for Luton in the second half of last season, per Sofascore, and has followed that up with one goal and two assists in 25 games for Rangers in all competitions.

The Norwegian midfielder has flopped badly at Ibrox, as evidenced by his lack of impact at the top end of the pitch, and that may be why the Light Blues are reportedly looking at Windass as a potential signing ahead of the January transfer window.

Their respective statistics suggest that the Englishman would return to Ibrox as a huge upgrade on Aasgaard, by offering more of a threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals, which is why he could be an excellent addition to the squad.

Related £7m Rangers duo have been so poor they make Miovski & Chermiti look good

This £7m Rangers duo have been so underwhelming at Ibrox that they even make Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti look good.

Posts ByDan Emery

However, the Gers must now attempt to convince Wrexham to change their mind and part ways with the attacking midfielder in the coming weeks, given that they are currently not planning to let go of the former Owls attacker.

	Harbhajan Singh’s counsel VR Manohar is confident the present evidence against his client is “innocuous”. © Getty Images

As a dramatic Test series ended, the drama shifted off the field to preparations for the hearing of Harbhajan Singh’s appeal against his ban for making racist remarks. A day before Justice John Hansen began the hearing a controversy was brewing over his decision to admit new evidence, including transcripts from stump cameras, even as the Indian team gathered in Adelaide in a show of unity instead of proceeding to Melbourne for the next leg of the series.Harbhajan’s counsel, VR Manohar, said he would not oppose the use of additional evidence like the transcript of the stump microphone but would object to any embellished improvised material, which he said was “fishy” evidence.However, the BCCI has said that introducing new evidence at this stage was not a normal court practice. “Our lawyer has said that whatever comes to the fore in the lower court is discussed or heard by the appellate commissioner, bringing new evidence is against the rule,” BCCI president Sharad Pawar told reporters in New Delhi.Members of the Indian team were wondering why the additional evidence had come so late, three weeks after the conclusion of the Sydney Test at which the incident occurred. In a show of solidarity the team decided to stay back in Adelaide. The additional members of the one-day squad will also join them from Melbourne.Justice Hansen said on Monday the appeal would be a re-hearing, with evidence being given by all of the witnesses who gave evidence to Mike Procter in the original hearing; he also spoke of “additional evidence, such as the transcript available from the stump microphone,” being made available.”I have nothing against the stump microphone evidence being used as long as it is not tampered with,” Manohar told Cricinfo from Mumbai. “What I will object to is a scenario where a player who said he didn’t hear Harbhajan use the monkey word during the first hearing turns around and says he did hear that word. That would be termed as “fishy”. If the players decide to add to what they have stated in the tribunal, and if that contradicts their initial stance, that would be objectionable.””If there have been any suspicious changes to the material recorded during Procter investigation, I would term it as fishy or embellished improvised material. That said, I am not against using stump microphone transcripts or some thing new like that.”Manohar, whose son Shashank is the Indian board’s president-elect, will participate in the hearing via a video link from Mumbai. He has not travelled to Australia, citing his age – he is 74 – and his confidence that the present “innocuous” evidence was enough to prove Harbhajan’s innocence.Cricinfo, meanwhile, has learnt that the evidence provided by the stump transcripts is inconclusive – what Harbhajan says is indecipherable – and is expected to neither jeopardise nor help his case.The original hearing was played out under the shadow of India’s threat to pull out of the tour unless the racism charge was withdrawn. There was some speculation that the threat still held, and Lalit Modi, the board’s vice-president, said as much on Monday. “If the racism charge against Harbhajan is not taken back, then the Indian board has taken a decision that the team will come back to India,” Modi was quoted by PTI.

Bermuda’s coach Gus Logie has urged the island’s young cricketers to stand up and be counted as the game moves into a new era following the World Cup.Logie said playing on the biggest stage was not something the country could afford to let slip. And he added the onus was on the next generation to show that they wanted to be a part of a bright future for the sport in Bermuda. But he insisted that players had to set their goals higher than Cup Match and realize there was a big wide world’ beyond the island.He said: “Don’t settle for mediocrity, be the best you can be. There’s many people who can help you, in any field, in Bermuda. Don’t see Bermuda as the world – there is a big wide world out there. We’ve seen some young players revelling in that atmosphere. If you hit a six in the World Cup you can say you did it against the best. That has to be better than doing it against Somerset or St George’s – the whole world was watching and enjoying it.”There had been fears of a mass of retirements from the World Cup team but it now seems that only three players – Lionel Cann, Dean Minors and Saleem Mukuddem – are likely to step down. But Logie said the door would reopen to younger players and insisted “it’s time to rebuild.”He added: “There’s no reason why we can’t reach that same level (as the top Associate teams). The players know what has to be done. The onus is to rebuild, with younger players showing commitment and desire to represent their country.”There will still be room for the class of 2007 in the new-look Bermuda squad and with fixtures planned against top associates and possibly a couple of Test nations, it seems the opportunities for Bermuda to progress will be there.Logie said the World Cup needed to be a starting point. And he said the country could learn lessons from Bangladesh, which set up an academy just over a decade ago and saw its graduates progress to beat India at this tournament. “If you invest in your people there is every possibility that it will bear fruit. We are an impatient people and we want to see fruit come from the seed, but Mother Nature don’t work like that. If we are prepared to be patient we will see results. Credit to Bangladesh and their people. Now is the time for them to enjoy it.”Reproduced with permission from the Bermuda Sun

The formidable Faisalabad Wolves lived up to their billing when they won the ABN-AMRO Cup Gold League,beating Lahore Eagles by seven wickets in the final at the National Stadium in Karachi on Thursday.Faisalabad have in fact regained their national limited overs title, which they had won for the first time in 2003-04 by bagging the season’s Quaid-e-Azam Cup. Lahore Eagles were one of the losing semi-finalists last season.After being put in to bat on a seaming pitch, the Eagles recovered from a shaky start of 43 for 4 in 16 overs to muster 244 , thanks to a defiant 62 by Shahbaz Butt, the wicketkeeper. Saeed Ajmal, the offspinner came under heavy punishment conceding 70 runs in 9.4 overs.The Wolves in reply romped home in 44.1 overs, losing only three wickets. Naved Latif finished with 54 not out off 55 balls and Misbah-ul-Haq, the captain, remained unbeaten on 44. The two shared an unbroken stand of 93 for the fourth wicket.Samiullah Khan, the left-arm fast bowler, picked up the Man-of-the-Match award for his fiery bowling, with figures of 4 for 25. The Faisalabad captain received the glittering trophy and a cash prize of Rs 2,50,000 while Aamer Sajjad, the Lahore Eagles captain, collected the runners-up trophy and a cash award of Rs 1,25,000.The Faisalabad opening pair of Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Ali gave their team a flying start of 124 runs in 19 overs. Hafeez was trapped lbw by Sohail Ahmed for 67, where he clubbed eight fours and a six his during his 52-ball knock. Imran Ali’s 73 included 10 boundaries.Mohammad Hafeez (best batsman), Saeed Ajmal (best bowler), Mohammad Salman (best wicketkeeper) and Multan Tigers’ Saeed Anwar Junior and Lahore Eagles’ Abid Ali (joint prize for best fielder) got special awards carrying Rs 25,000 each.

Tony Frost: guided Warwickshire to a tense draw against Kent © Getty Images

Scorecard
Tony Frost kept his cool to ensure Warwickshire maintained their unbeaten Championship record, dating back to the last game of the 2003 season. He made an unbeaten 82 from 232 deliveries after Min Patel had spun Kent – the last team to beat Warwickshire – to the verge of victory with 32 overs of testing left-arm spin. David Fulton declared Kent’s second innings at their overnight score, leaving Warwickshire to chase 347 on a pitch that was assisting the spinners. However, it was Simon Cook who struck the first blow – with the first ball of the day – trapping Nick Knight lbw. Warwickshire were in deep trouble at lunch, on 73 for five, but Frost and Alex Loudon, against his former team, batted the entire afternoon session. Min Patel claimed three quick wickets after tea, including Loudon, and Kent seemed poised for victory but Neil Carter survived for 48 balls and Neil Warren for 15 to help Frost secure the draw.
Scorecard
Stephen Fleming was left to rue is decision not to enforce the follow-on as rain delayed the start of the final day at Lord’s until 2.50pm and then Middlesex comfortably batted out a draw as Nottinghamshire used their spinners to improve their over rate to avoid a points deduction. Andrew Strauss fell early, bowled by the part-time off-spin of David Hussey, but an 87-run stand between Ben Hutton, the captain, and Ed Smith removed any threat of a batting collapse. When Smith was run out, Owais Shah accompanied Hutton for the final hour, Hutton finishing unbeaten on 76. He will feel that Middlesex got out of jail.

Kevin Pietersen: dashing innings was not enough for Hampshire © Getty Images

Scorecard
Hampshire were left playing out a draw in a tense finish at Hove despite an explosive innings from Kevin Pietersen. Play did not start until mid-way through the afternoon session but Hampshire still went for their target of 285. John Crawley and Billy Taylor took the score to 130 for 3 before James Kirtley snapped them both up without addition to the score. Suddenly Sussex fancied their chance of victory but Pietersen and Sean Ervine then embarked on a thrilling stand of 113 for the sixth wicket. Pietersen smashed 61 from 50 balls, with five fours and three sixes, but when he was caught off Mushtaq Ahmed the task proved too great for the remaining batsmen. The fall of Ervine persuaded Hampshire to play for the draw.

Steve James, sidelined by injury throughout 2003, has hinted that he is considering retirement if he cannot run by the end of February. James, 36, has undergone four operations on his left knee in the last two years, the most recent in June 2003.”I am seeing my surgeon on February 4 and will decide then,” James told BBC Wales. “If I’m not running by then I will have no option but to retire, but I will work my socks off for the next month.”James, who played twice for England in 1998, made his Glamorgan debut in 1985, since which time he has scored 15890 runs at 40.63. For much of the 1990s James was one of the most prolific batsmen on the county circuit, but in recent years injury blunted his effectiveness.He was appointed as Glamorgan’s captain in 2001, leading them to the Sunday League title in his first season. He resigned last summer when it became apparent that he would not be able to play during the season.

MELBOURNE, Dec 28 AAP – All-rounder Craig White is the latest victim of the injury curse that has plagued England throughout this Ashes tour.A scan last night showed White had suffered a tear to his side muscle, meaning he might not bowl for another six weeks.White has been England’s best player in this fourth Ashes Test with three wickets in Australia’s first innings of 6 (dec)-551 and a top score of 85 not out in England’s reply of 270.”It could be six weeks before I’m right to bowl again. We’re going to wait and see after this Test and see how it feels,” he said.”I’ve bowled a few overs on this tour, so I think it’s just wear-and-tear.”White added it was “probably touch and go” as to whether he would be fit to bowl in the World Cup in two months.He said he first felt a twinge on day one of this Test.He needed strapping and painkillers yesterday and bowled at half pace.He also felt pain while playing cross-batted shots in his innings.White felt bowling in his current state would be like asking someone to bat with a broken thumb.He was also doubtful as to whether England would play him as a specialist batsman after his form at the crease in this Test.”That could be the case, but I’m in the team as an all-rounder,” he said.”So if I’m not bowling, I don’t think I will be playing.”Despite this setback, White was pleased with his form on this tour.He was not in the original Test squad and was in Australia to prepare for the one-dayers.White is England’s leading wicket taker with 14 and his unbeaten knock here represented a return to Test batting form.Playing in a Boxing Test also fulfilled a long-standing dream for White.He was raised in Australia, wearing his England T-shirt 20 years ago as he watched the tourists win the Boxing Day Test by three runs.After two matches for Victoria in 1990 as an off-spinner, White moved to England and made his Test debut in 1994.”It’s gone well personally, I was in Adelaide just to prove my fitness for the one-day tour … it’s nice, a good feeling,” he said of this tour.

• It was the 1726th ODI in cricket history.
• It was Australia’s 486th and England’s 331st match.
• It was the 70th match between these two sides. The record now reads :Australia 37,England 31,tied one and abandoned one.
• Umpires David Constant and George Sharp were officiating in their 33rdand 24th match respectively.
• Robert Croft and Alan Mullally were playing their 50th match. Theybecame 21st and 22nd Englishman to reach this milestone. A total of232 players have now made 50 or more appearances in shorter version ofthe game.
• Glenn McGrath has now taken 28 wickets in 17 matches in England whichequals the Shane Warne’s record for Australia. Incidentally WestIndian Andy Roberts with 26 wickets from 21 games holds the record ofmost wickets by a visiting player in England.
• Gilchrist’s innings (80) was the highest by an Australian wicketkeeperagainst England . This obliterated Richard Robinson’s 70 at this sameground on June 6,1977.It was also the third highest innings by awicketkeeper against England in all matches after Sri Lankan RomeshKaluwitharana’s 102* at Colombo SSC on March 27,2001 and West IndianJunior Murray’s 86 at this same ground on May 26,1995.
• Australia won the match with 119 balls to spare. This was theEngland’s third heaviest defeat in terms of balls spared by theopposing side while achieving the winning target. Interestingly allthe three instances have come against Australia. The accompanyingtable lists England’s worst such defeats :

  Balls	Winner	Total	Loser	Total	Venue	Date
  188	Aus	94-6	Eng	93	Headingley	18-06-1975
  147	Aus	95-4	Eng	94	Melbourne	07-02-1979
  119	Aus	177-2	Eng	176	The Oval	21-06-2001
  102	Pak	84-2	Eng	81-9	Edgbaston	03-09-1974
  97	SL	166-0	Eng	165-9	Colombo (SSC)	27-03-2001
  88	SL	183-2	Eng	180	Moratuwa	20-03-1993
  84	WI	207-4	Eng	202-8	Scarborough	26-08-1976
  76	WI	190-2	Eng	189-9	The Oval	07-09-1973

  • England has now suffered defeat in 11 consecutive matches. England’slast win in an ODI had come in the first match of three match seriesagainst Pakistan at Karachi on October 24,2000 while chasing a targetof 300 plus. England then lost the remaining two matches on thatseries, lost all three against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka and then six ina row in this NatWest Series.
  • Australia has now beaten England in seven matches in a row since theCarlton & United World Series Cup match at Adelaide on January26,1999. It is Australia’s best run against England. The previous bestwinning streak for Australia against England was of five matches fromJune 6,1981 to January 23,1983. However it is still not a record inAustralia-England matches. England had beaten Australia in eightconsecutive matches from December 8,1979 to June 4,1981.
  • England bowed out of the series without registering a win despiteplaying as many as six games. The only other similar instance ofEngland not winning a game in a competition comprising of at leastthree teams (excluding those played on knock out basis) had come in1984-85 World Championship of Cricket in Australia when England lostall its three matches.
  • Ricky Ponting was winning his 11th Man of the Match award – his secondagainst England.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s Rangers return to action in the Premiership at Ibrox today after a two-week international break.

The Gers have an opportunity to go level on points with their rivals at the top of the league table in the Old Firm clash in Glasgow this lunchtime.

Prior to the international fixtures, Rangers won 2-1 in their Scottish top-flight clash away at Dundee, with Aaron Ramsey and Connor Goldson scoring the goals for the Light Blues.

How many changes will Van Bronckhorst make to the team? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make four alterations to the side from last time out, with Leon Balogun, Ryan Jack, Glen Kamara and Kemar Roofe all coming in.

Starting at the back, Balogun may come in to replace Filip Helander. The Swedish defender was taken off at half-time a fortnight ago and has struggled since returning, recording SofaScore ratings of 6.2, 6.5 and 6.7 respectively in his three Premiership appearances in 2022.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria international has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.02 in the top flight across 17 appearances for the Gers. This suggests that he may currently be the better option of the two, as he has been putting in a higher standard of performances, which is why Van Bronckhorst may bring him into the starting XI.

Rangers lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Dundee and we are predicting that the Dutchman will go with a 4-3-3 to add more defensive solidity across the middle of the park in what is set to be a huge game in the title race.

Scott Arfield was hooked at half-time at Dens Park for Joe Aribo, but we are predicting that neither of them will start and that Kamara will be the one to come in.

Aribo struggled on international duty as he lost five of his six duels away to Ghana and failed to complete any dribbles, tackles, interceptions or key passes, as per SofaScore. He was dubbed “useless” by journalist Zino Mulla after his performances for Nigeria and this should act as a warning to Van Bronckhorst to avoid starting the dud whilst his confidence is shot.

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Kamara’s former Dundee coach Neil McCann once dubbed him “perfect”, and that’s what he may start with John Lundstram and Jack on either side of him, the latter coming in for James Sands. His two midfield partners can go from box to box with their energy and robustness, whilst Kamara has the quality to set the tempo and dictate the play from deep, with an exceptional 91% pass accuracy on 56 passes per game in the Premiership.

At the top of the pitch, Alfredo Morelos will need to be replaced. Van Bronckhorst has confirmed that the attacker will be absent, saying: “Morelos will be assessed and hopefully we can give more news after the weekend. Unfortunately for all of us he won’t be with us on Sunday, we won’t have him back in the next couple of weeks.”

This leaves the position free for Roofe to come in and take the number nine position, with the rest of the team remaining unchanged.

AND in other news, Rangers had a major disaster on “complete” 243 G/A ace who’s “like Harry Potter”…

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Mission accomplished: India’s delight is all too apparent as they celebrate the win © Getty Images

No overseas team, barring legendary Caribbean sides, had won in Perth since 1985-86, and given what transpired in Sydney a fortnight ago, India’s convincing 72-run victory at the WACA will surely go down as their finest Test win. An entertaining ninth-wicket partnership between Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark gave a 16,000-strong crowd plenty of merriment, but it proved to have only nuisance value as India ended Australia’s stunning 16-match streak.Michael Clarke had been the boy on the burning deck, but with Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist back in the pavilion, the good ship was always destined for the ocean floor. And when Clarke gave Anil Kumble the charge and was beaten in the flight, it was as good as over. His 81 had spanned just 134 balls and included some majestic drives, but when he departed, he took any lingering Australian hope with him.Johnson and Clark thought differently though. They weren’t about to die wondering, and a partnership that contained more agricultural mows than a harvest season gave Kumble and the Indians more than a bit of grief. The 73-run stand at nearly a run a ball had everything – fours, huge sixes, miscued hooks falling short of fielders and even Johnson being bowled off a no-ball.Kumble took the new ball as soon as it was due and Irfan Pathan struck with the final ball of his second over with it, inducing a big swish from Clark that flew to Dhoni behind the stumps. But there was still time for Johnson to bring up his 50 and Shaun Tait to show off his space-age pads before RP Singh sneaked one through a defensive prod to spark joyous celebrations.A couple of contentious decisions helped them along the way. At lunch, with Australia three down, the match was still finely poised. But soon after the interval, RP jagged one back a little to strike Hussey on the knee roll. As he had with Sachin Tendulkar on the opening day, Asad Rauf chose to disregard the height and give the batsman out. Hussey had made 46, and his exit dimmed hopes of glory.Worse was to follow for Australia. Symonds biffed Kumble for a six over long-on, but was then caught on the crease by a delivery that hurried through at 102kph. To the naked eye, it was plumb, and Billy Bowden’s finger was already on the way up by the time a dismayed Symonds suggested an inside edge. Having drunk from a reservoir of luck in Sydney, Symonds found the well bone-dry across the continent in Perth.

	Anil Kumble could sense an historic victory was on the cards when he trapped Andrew Symonds lbw © Getty Images

Through it all, Clarke played with the mastery that marked his debut in Bangalore in 2004. There were a couple of beautiful straight-drives, and elegant strokes through the covers that left the fielders standing. He was just as assured clipping off the pads, and with Gilchrist showing signs of finding his feet, the 50 partnership came up in 10.4 overs.By that stage, with Ishant Sharma not replicating his morning heroics and Pathan not quite finding his rhythm, Kumble had gambled on the offspin of Virender Sehwag. It was an inspired move. Gilchrist tried to sweep one that was too full and was bowled behind his legs, prompting frenzied celebrations from the Indians. And when Brett Lee followed in Sehwag’s next over, the game was as good as up.It had been much tighter in the morning, even though a sensational spell of seam bowling from Ishant put Ponting through the wringer for an hour before dismissing him. Both Ponting and Hussey struggled for any semblance of fluency as the Indians toiled with little reward on a slightly cooler morning.Ishant had Ponting sparring outside off stump innumerable times, and induced more than one false shot in a spell where his rhythm was exceptional. Starting with an edge off Hussey that didn’t quite carry to second slip, he tested both batsmen with lively pace and steep bounce while maintaining great seam position. His height was the most significant factor, with even length deliveries causing problems. Ponting took one on the knuckles, and was never at ease all morning.There were two excellent appeals for leg before turned down, the second when Ponting didn’t even offer a stroke, but justice was done 20 minutes before lunch when Ishant drew him into a stroke that took the edge through to Rahul Dravid at first slip. Ponting and Hussey had added 74, giving a platform for the rest to tilt at what remained an imposing windmill.The figures may not show it, but Ishant’s nine-over spell was as good as any seen from a visiting bowler in Perth over the past decade. It pushed Australia right back on to the ropes and after lunch, his bowling mates landed the knockout blows that levelled the best team in the world.