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The Daily Record recently reported that five Glasgow Rangers players will be allowed to move on from Ibrox before the end of the January transfer window.

Kieran Dowell, Clinton Nsiala, Nedim Bajrami, Danilo, and Rabbi Matondo are all free to leave in the coming weeks on permanent deals, whilst Lyall Cameron could be sent out on loan for the rest of the season.

It is not a surprise to learn that Danny Rohl wants to move on from Dowell, for example, because he has not played a single minute of competitive football since August, having been given a chance by Russell Martin at the start of the campaign.

Rangers in talks to sell flop

On top of Dowell and the other four players mentioned in that Daily Record article earlier this month, another Light Blues flop is on his way out of the club.

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 Joshua Barrie, Glasgow Rangers are “in talks” with Argentinian outfit Huracan over a deal that would see Oscar Cortes make the move to South America.

The winger, signed by Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen, is currently on loan with Sporting Gijon in Spain, but this move would see that loan cut short so that he can move to Argentina.

Barrie claims that the two clubs are currently in talks over a deal that would be a loan with an option or obligation to buy, which means that they are looking to sell the Colombian forward.

However, it remains to be seen how much money Hurucan are willing to pay at the end of the loan to make the deal permanent in the summer transfer window.

Why Cortes has been a bigger flop than Dowell

With Cortes seemingly now on his way to leaving the club on a permanent basis, it is hard to say anything other than that he has been an even bigger flop than Dowell.

The English midfielder has not been a success at Ibrox. Since signing on a free transfer from Norwich in 2023, he has contributed with two goals and three assists in 38 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

He has not offered anywhere near enough quality in the final third, hence why he has found himself on the fringes ahead of a January exit, but it must also be recognised that the ex-Canaries star joined on a free.

Cortes, however, was signed for a whopping fee of £4.5m from Lens in the summer of 2025, after an obligation to buy was put in his loan deal in 2024.

The obligation to buy meant that the Gers had to pay £4.5m for a player who had only scored one goal and provided one assist in 16 Scottish Premiership games in 18 months for the club, per Sofascore.

Rangers defender Richard Foster said that Cortes “looked miles off it” when given an opportunity shortly before the loan deal had to be made permanent, and interim boss Barry Ferguson suggested that he needed to up his levels in training to get more game time.

After signing permanently, despite his struggles across his 18-month loan stint, the winger was sent out on loan to Sporting Gijon for the 2025/26 campaign, but he has failed to deliver a goal or an assist in eight appearances in all competitions, per Sofascore.

Rangers career

Dowell

Cortes

Fee

£0

£4.5m

Appearances

38

19

Goals

2

1

Big chances created

4

1

Assists

3

1

Game stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Cortes and Dowell both look set to permanently end their Rangers careers with fairly dismal statistics, given that they are both attacking players.

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It is the Colombian, however, who looks like the bigger flop and worst signing out of the pair, because he has not offered as much on the pitch, whilst costing a significant fee, rather than joining on a free transfer.

Rangers have only signed eight players for more than £4.5m in their history, including the likes of Ryan Kent, Youssef Chermiti, and Tore Andre Flo, which illustrates how costly the Cortes deal was.

With that in mind, albeit without knowing how much money they could recoup for his services as part of the option to make this potential loan permanent, the 22-year-old dud may have to go down as one of their biggest ever flops.

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The money they paid to sign him, the lack of output on the pitch, and the failed loan before a permanent exit from Ibrox all point to him going down as a huge flop.

Results summary
The group stage came to an end this week with the four semi-finalists confirmed. Titans, Dolphins, Cape Cobras and Warriors will face off on Wednesday and Thursday to determine who will play in the final, with Lions and Knights bowing out. While Titans were on a good run from the start (which became bumpy in the final week) and were expected to qualify, Dolphins finished second on the points table despite three washouts in succession. Cobras lost their first three matches but had a mid-campaign surge and it took Warriors until midway through the competition to put their first winning points on the board but they snuck into the final four.Last week, Cobras started well when they beat Knights by five runs, defending 156 in Kimberley. Temba Bavuma’s move to the top of the order proved successful – he top-scored with 46 off 39 balls and shared a 56-run third-wicket stand with JP Duminy to resist a sustained Knights’ pace attack. Ryan McLaren (2 for 31), Shadley van Schalkwyk (3 for 27) and Mbulelo Budaza (4 for 32) all enjoyed impressive returns. Cobras’ Dane Paterson went better than all of them with 4 for 24 as he reduced Knights to 6 for 2 in the second over and inflicted mid-innings blows on them, removing David Miller, who scored 59 off 32, and McLaren. Knights remained in the contest until the end and needed 11 runs off the final over, bowled by Ferisco Adams. A run-out and the wicket of Duanne Olivier helped Cobras prevail.On Friday, Cobras were victorious in another tense affair. They beat Titans, who were undefeated up to that point, off the penultimate ball and successfully chased down 133 with Adams again the finisher, this time with the bat. He hit the winning runs off Chris Morris, after Titans’ internationals-laden attack struck repeatedly. Cobras were 88 for 6 at one point but Adams, helped by Rory Kleinveldt and George Linde ensured they did not squander their own good work with the ball. The trio, along with Paterson, kept Titans pretty quiet, dismissing Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram for single figures while ensuring only Henry Davids (30) and Farhaan Behardien (43) made more than 20 runs. Titans’ total of 132 for 9 was their lowest batting first this season.The weather on Friday night affected the other games – both of which were reduced. In Bloemfontein, Dolphins were on the receiving end of more rain and had to take on Knights in a 17-over affair. Knights scored at just under 10 runs to the over with Miller’s 46 off 23 balls and McLaren’s 48 off 24 balls accelerating matters for them as they finished on 168 for 4. Imran Tahir’s 2 for 23 was the only respectable return from Dolphins’ bowlers. Dolphins’ chase was almost derailed at 36 for 2 in the 6th over but Morne van Wyk’s 70 off 43 and Dane Vilas’ 51 off 22 took them close before Robbie Frylinck’s 27 off 14 finished things off.In Potchefstroom, Warriors batted for 17.1 overs and were 133 for 4 when the heavens opened. Wayne Parnell, on loan from Cobras, opened the batting and was stumped for 1 but Jon-Jon Smuts found form with 69 off 52 balls. Lions faced a reduced target of 97 in 10 overs and Reeza Hendricks’ 41 off 28 took them close. He had little support, though, and Lions ended five runs short on 92 for 7.Knights and Lions both needed a win to sneak an outside chance of making the semi-finals but their Sunday match only lasted one over before a Highveld storm washed the game out.At Kingsmead, Dolphins bowled Titans out for 79 to hand them their second defeat. Titans were playing a largely second-string XI, without de Kock, Markram, AB de Villiers, Morris, Dale Steyn and captain Albie Morkel but did have Morne Morkel in their ranks. Morkel took 2 for 25, but only he and David Wiese (1 for 23) conceded at less than seven to the over as Dolphins scored 168 for 7. Van Wyk’s 67 off 41 was his third half-century in three matches and the top-score. Then, Dolphins’ attack applied sustained pressure, with everyone chipped in and Titans were skittled. Dolphins played three spinners – Prenelan Subrayen, Tahir and Keshav Maharaj, and they picked up two wickets each.The victory for Dolphins, and Cobras loss to Warriors, gave the Dolphins a home semi-final in Durban while Cobras missed out on hosting their playoff in Cape Town. Like Dolphins, Warriors posted 168 but only lost five wickets and enjoyed contributions from Smuts (48) and Colin Ingram (41). Cobras made a fist of the chase and were 90 for 2 just after the 10-over mark but the dismissals of Hashim Amla and Duminy in the space of two overs made them wobble. Ingram took 2 for 18 and Warriors won by 18 runs. Cobras did have some good news, though, in the form of Vernon Philander.Reeza Hendricks top-scored with a 64-ball 43•Sivaraman Kitta

International incidents
Morne Morkel made an unexpected return to action after spending the last two months recovering from a side strain. Morkel was initially diagnosed as needing four to six weeks on the sidelines but, his brother, Titans’ captain Albie, had earlier told journalists he didn’t think Morne would be back to play in this tournament but he was wrong. Morne bowled his full quota of four overs so, irrespective of whether or not he plays in the knockouts, he has now fulfilled the requirement of playing a domestic match in order to be considered for international selection.Paterson’s impressive response after he was dropped mid-campaign by Cobras continued. He took eight wickets in three matches this week, with figures of 4 for 24, 3 for 28 and 1 for 30. He now lies joint-top of the wicket-takers’ list with Tabraiz Shamsi and has claimed 12 scalps at 17.16.Tahir enjoyed his best return of the tournament so far, with 2 for 20 for Dolphins against Titans.Wayne Parnell was dropped by Cobras three weeks ago and has been trying to find form for Western Province semi-professional side with mixed results. After scoring 65 and taking 2 for 40 against North West, he managed only 1 and 0 for 23 in his next game against Eastern Province. That fixture took place in Parnell’s original home-town Port Elizabeth and five days later, in Potchefstroom, his outing for Warriors, did not go too well. In a single appearance, he managed just one run, opening the batting and bowled one over, which cost 14 runs. Parnell did not play in the final round of fixtures and it remains to be seen if he will feature in the knockouts. South Africa move into a domestic one-day cup in 10 days’ time, where he may feature more regularly as the national report for duty against Zimbabwe and India.Domestic dreamers
Again, very little to report on this front, adding to ongoing concerns that the gap between domestic and international cricket remains substantial. Hendricks though can be pleased with his returns. At the end of the group stage, he is the top run-scorer with 361 runs, five more than JP Duminy, including a century and two fifties.Beyond the boundary
Cricket fans will remember this week for being the one in which de Villiers’ return to Test cricket became a reality. De Villiers was named in the South African Invitation XI to play a three-day warm-up match against Zimbabwe next week, with a view to making a return in the Boxing Day Test. And it seems de Villiers is saving himself for the longer format. He has not played in Titans’ last three matches but may return for the business end this week.

The Somerset chairman, Giles Clarke, has been elected as the new chairman of the England & Wales Cricket Board, after seeing off the challenge of his only rival for the role, the current deputy chairman and former head of Surrey, Michael Soper.Following David Morgan’s appointment as the president-elect of the ICC, the two candidates went head-to-head in the original poll in August, but were tied at nine votes each. This time the margin was more comprehensive, with Clarke emerging victorious by 12 votes to six, with one abstention.The call for nominations closed on Monday, September 3, and all 18 first-class counties and the MCC went to a ballot. The endorsement from the full membership of the ECB is scheduled to be completed on October 10, and Clarke will remain in the role until March 2009.The 53-year-old Clarke began the ballot as the underdog, having become an unpopular figure in English cricket after brokering the £220million deal with BSkyB that took home Test series away from terrestrial television. But he is currently overseeing the redevelopment of the county ground in Taunton and is believed to be keen on attracting investment to try to boost the finances of county cricket.Soper admitted after his failure to win the first ballot that he had failed to make a strong enough case for his election, and tendered his resignation as ECB deputy after the results of the second ballot had been revealed.”It is with great regret that I am tendering my resignation,” he said. “Over the last five years I have endeavoured to unite this great game of ours and bring a sense of balance and fair play to both the Test match grounds and non-Test match grounds.”The last few weeks have saddened me in that nine county chairmen told me to my face that they were supporting me. I have now found that three nameless individuals have, in fact, lied. I cannot represent the game at the highest level while people do not honour their word. It has never been my way because I have always believed in the maxim ‘my word is my bond’.”I will always be available to serve our wonderful game should the need arise and I hope that English cricket in the long run will always remain a vibrant force for young people to enjoy.”

Scorecard
Tejinder Pal Singh and Shreyas Khanolkar hit centuries and shared a 161-run partnership to propel Railways to a commanding position at the end of first day’s play in Delhi. Six bowlers were used but the runs came at a frenetic pace as the duo peppered 33 boundaries between them. Railways had yielded two first-innings points to Assam in the previous round while Goa lost their first match.
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Abid Nabi and Vijay Sharma snared seven victims between them as J&K dismissed Services for 208 before reaching 79 for 1 at the end of the day’s play in New Delhi. While Nabi came back in his second spell to rock the top order, after Services had run away to 81 for 1, Vijay Sharma harassed the lower-middle order.
Scorecard
Powered by a 110-run partnership between Jagadeesh Arunkumar and Chandan Rawat, Assam ended the opening day on a healthy 247 for 3. Arunkumar joined Rawat at 62 for 2 and slowly lifted Assam to a commanding position. It was a patient effort from the two: While Rawat took 179 balls for his 70 Arunkumar spent 253 minutes and faced 181 balls for his unbeaten 83. Sreekumar Nair got the breakthrough when he foxed Rawat but Arunkumar found an ally in Nishanta Bordoloi and steered the side to stumps without any further damage.
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Pritam Gandhe grabbed a five-for as Vidarbha bowled out Madhya Pradesh for 221 before reaching 10 without losing any wicket by close of play on the opening day in Nagpur. With Gandhe bowling 27 overs, Harshal Shitoot rotated the bowlers, using as many as eight bowlers. Three batsmen got starts but failed to carry on and that hurt MP.
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Patient half-centuries from Manish Vardhan and Rajiv Kumar saw Jharkhand creep to 180 for 6 on a turgid day’s play in Cuttack. Debasis Mohanty impressed for Orissa, picking up three wickets in 19 overs. Pravanjan Mullick, the captain, employed spin for 35 overs and though they picked up just one wicket, they kept the pressure on giving away only 69 runs.
Scorecard
Himachal Pradesh rode on a century from Paras Dogra to reach a comfortable 264 for 6 at the end of the opening day’s play in Dharamsala. Dogra was involved in hundred-plus partnerships with Sangram Singh and Maninder Bisla and lifted HP from a wobbly 43 for 2 to a healthy 245 for 3. Then Tripura struck back removing Bisla and Dogra in quick succession and picked up one more wicket to end the day on a fighting note.

Themba Mliswa: ‘Taibu and some of his charges are now engaged in a dirty war, emanating from petty racial wars fomented by a known clique of the Asian and white groups in Zimbabwean cricket’ © Cricinfo

The row engulfing Zimbabwe cricket continued to rumble on, with reports that the authorities had raided the offices of Zimbabwe Cricket at the national academy and that Peter Chingoka, the board chairman, and Ozias Bvute, the managing director, continued to help officials of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe with their investigations.The RBZ are remaining tight-lipped about the line of their enquiries, but sources inside Zimbabwe suggest they are probing a number of the claims made in the dossier compiled by the provincial chairmen.There was some progress yesterday, however, with the announcement that the board had concluded negotiations with the players over contracts and other outstanding issues. “It was a positive meeting,” Wilfred Mukondiwa, ZC’s human resources manager, said. “We were in agreement as far as those were concerned.”While that would seem to remove one of the grievances aired by the players last week, it seems unlikely that the threat made by them to strike will be withdrawn as long as Chingoka and Bvute remain at the helm. The players made it clear that they were not prepared to play while the pair remained in charge.And while Tatenda Taibu remains in hiding after receiving threatening telephone calls after the players made their statement last Thursday, the fiercely pro-government Herald newspaper, which totally ignored all last week’s events, launched a savage attack on him.In an interview with Themba Mliswa, the chairman of Mashonaland West, one of the new provinces critics claim have been created to give the ZC board enough votes to survive the rebellion by the established provincial set-ups, Taibu is accused of selling out.”It is quite disturbing that Taibu and some of his charges are now engaged in a dirty war, emanating from petty racial wars fomented by a known clique of the Asian and white groups in Zimbabwean cricket,” said Mliswa. “I have also realised that his (Taibu’s) game has deteriorated for a captain and he has abandoned the game of rules for the one with unwritten rules, which is politics.”Mliswa, who has had no involvement in cricket until recent weeks, said that he supported the investigations into the board’s activities. “If there are any violations, we humbly submit that the probe must go on, but the investigations must cover the entire ZC board and management. Accountability, transparency and honesty are key values or cornerstones of any organisation’s success, ZC included.”Those comments would be of interest to the Zimbabweans who claim they were duped by Mliswa in a scheme he ran to bring them into the UK which left many being deported on arrival. The venture was eventually cited by the UK authorities as the reason for Mliswa himself being deported in 2002.

Richard Collins, a consultant surgeon at the East Kent NHS Trust, will be Kent’s president for 2005.Collins, 61, who has been Kent’s medical adviser for the last 19 years and a committee member since 1999, was delighted with the nomination: “I am very conscious of the very notable names who have preceded me and will do my utmost to do all I can to help the cause of Kent cricket.”Although he doesn’t have first-class playing experience, Collins enjoyed his club cricket, having represented Buckhurst Hill in the Essex League for 16 years, and he has been a full MCC member from 1968. Brian Luckhurst, the current president, will introduce Collins as his successor at the next AGM, in March.

Close Bangladesh 288 and 163 for 3 (Bashar 82*, Saleh 27*) lead Pakistan 346 (Yasir 170, Latif 54*) by 105 runs
Scorecard Day 2 bulletin

Mashrafe Mortaza celebrates after nailing Misbah-ul-Haq © AFP

Bangladesh have often been accused of throwing it away all too easily, but they showed enormous determination and resolve on the third day of the first Test at Karachi. First, the bowlers grabbed Pakistan’s last five wickets for just 45 runs, and then Bangladesh’s batsmen – led by Habibul Bashar again – ensured that they built on the good work. By the close Bangladesh had wiped out the 58-run first-innings deficit and scored 163 for 3, a lead of 105. If Pakistan expected a romp in the park, it certainly didn’t turn out that way.Dav Whatmore’s influence was obvious on a team which, so far in their international career, have shown little relish for a fight. Pakistan clearly held the upper hand when play began, but Bangladesh bowled with tremendous discipline, choking the runs and chipping away at the wickets. Then, their batsmen displayed the solidity and patience which is expected in Test cricket. Bashar (82 not out) scored his second half-century of the Test – the fourth time he has achieved this feat – while Hannan Sarkar and Rajin Saleh gave him splendid support.As in their first innings, Bangladesh stuttered at the start, when Javed Omar was leg-before to Shoaib Akhtar for 13 (19 for 1). It very nearly became 19 for 2, when Bashar slashed at his first ball and was dropped by Yasir Hameed – the second day’s hero – at third slip. Bashar started off playing plenty of risky strokes, but then settled down to bat with more responsibility. The lack of pace and bounce in the pitch helped the batsmen too.Sarkar looked good for plenty more but played a rash sweep off Mohammad Hafeez to be trapped in front for 30 an over before tea (73 for 2). Sanwar Hossain went cheaply immediately after the break, but Saleh – playing in his first Test – showed excellent grit, temperament and technique. Especially engrossing was a confrontation with Shoaib late in the day, when Saleh was peppered with plenty of short stuff, but stood up on tiptoe to defend, or weaved out of the way. Shoaib was frustrated enough to hurl the ball at Saleh when he pushed it back to the bowler, but it did little to fluster the batsman. Saleh finished the day unbeaten on 27, but it was worth many more.Earlier, Bangladesh’s bowlers choked the runs with a sustained spell of line-and-length bowling, and then reaped the rewards as Pakistan lost quick wickets. Despite being denied a couple of plumb lbw shouts, the Bangladesh attack never eased the pressure. Mashrafe Mortaza got things rolling when he finally did win an lbw appeal, trapping Misbah-ul-Haq in front for 13 (303 for 6).Mohammad Rafique then nailed Shoaib Akhtar and Shabbir Ahmed as the first 15 overs of the day produced just 12 runs. Though two fours in Alok Kapali’s first over broke the tedium briefly, that also forced Khaled Mahmud to bring himself on, with telling effect. Mahmud’s only Test wicket had come in his second Test, and after toiling 106 overs in his next six matches, he finally had something to show for his efforts. A gentle half-volley outside leg did the trick, as Danish Kaneria played too early and scooped a return catch (338 for 9). Mahmud nonchalantly tossed the ball to the umpire, but the occasion wasn’t lost on his team-mates, who converged from all parts of the ground to celebrate a rare success, and the halving of his Test average to 240.Rashid Latif survived the flurry of wickets at the other end to remain unbeaten on 54, and by close of play, was left ruminating about the prospect of chasing a sizeable fourth-innings target.

Sri Lanka’s selectors made three changes to the squad that lost in Sharjahlast October when they picked a 15-man squad for the LG Abans Triangular ODISeries starting Saturday.Fast-bowling allrounder Suresh Perera comes back into the squad after hisbowling action, reported for being suspect by umpire Steve Bucknor in August,was cleared by a BCCSL panel of experts. He is set to be slotted into thenumber seven slot, providing Sri Lanka with greater dynamism in themiddle-order.Fast-bowler Nuwan Zoysa returns to one-day cricket following his fullrecovery from an ankle injury. He will be competing with Charitha BuddikaFernando and Prabath Nissanka for the third seamers spot.Leg-spinning allrounder Upul Chandana is the final change, drafted in tobolster the teams spinning options on the slow turning wickets expectedduring the tournament.The selectors decided not to pick a replacement wicket-keeper following afinger injury sustained by Romesh Kaluwitharana in Sharjah. Kumar Sangakkarawill keep wicket throughout the tournament and is expected to bat at numbersix.Strike bowler Dilhara Fernando was unavailable for selection because of thestress fracture identified in his back, which kept him out of the Sharjahfinal, whilst allrounder Dulip Liyanage has been dropped.Sri Lanka will play Zimbabwe, who lost both their practice games againstdevelopment sides, on Saturday at the Sinhalese Sports Club.Full squad:Sanath Jayasuriya (Capt), Marvan Atapattu, Avishka Gunawardene, MahelaJayawardene, Russel Arnold, Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Silva, Suresh Perera,Kumar Dharmasena, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan,Charitha Buddika Fernando, Nuwan Zoysa, Prabath Nissanka

ScorecardA five-wicket haul from Akshay Wakhare bowled Bengal out for 164, but the hosts’ massive first-innings lead meant Vidarbha needed a challenging 297 for only their third win of the season. Starting the day at 141 for 7, Vidarbha managed their way to 202, thanks to Shrikant Wagh’s unbeaten 60. But only two other batsman managed double-digit scores, as Pragyan Ojha took 7 for 58 to bundle Vidarbha out in 69.1 overs and earn Bengal a lead of 132 runs. Bengal, however, lost wickets at regular intervals in their second dig, with only the captain Manoj Tiwary (63) producing a score of note. Wakhare collected 5 for 61 from his 22 overs, while Wagh chipped in with 3 for 27 to skittle Bengal in 62.5 overs. Vidarbha were 3 for 0 in their second innings when stumps were called.
ScorecardEleven wickets fell in Lahli as Asam edged closer to their second win of the season. Arup Das took six wickets while the other Das -Krishna- claimed four to wipe out Haryana for 111 in 50.3 overs.Himanshu Rana top-scored with 27 and was among three batsmen to have passed 18. The fall of wickets seeped into Assam’s second innings as well with Ashish Hooda dismissing both openers. Tarjinder Singh, coming in at No.3, fell to Mohit Sharma for a 12-ball duck, but Amit Verma and Arun Karthik steadied Assam with a 76-run partnership.Offspinner Jayant Yadav had Karthik stumped four overs before stumps while Verma stayed unbeaten on 24 with the visitors 38 runs away from the target.
ScorecardRobin Uthappa struck his second successive century to lead Karnataka to 400, from an overnight 255 for 3, before the defending champions declared. Left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh and pacer Suryakant Pradhan shared six wickets between them.While Uthappa made 148 off 257 balls, the other overnight batsman Karun Nair hit 73 before he became Dhiraj’s first victim. Odisha began poorly again, with one of their openers bagging a duck (Natraj Behera in the first innings and Rajesh Dhuper in the second). Odisha are still 168 runs in arrears.

A Newcastle United journalist has claimed that Ivan Toney will be a bigger concern for Eddie Howe than Christian Eriksen when they play Brentford.

The Lowdown: Eriksen debut?

Eriksen could reportedly make his debut for the Bees at home to the Magpies on Saturday afternoon, having not featured in a competitive game on a football pitch since suffering a cardiac arrest for Denmark at Euro 2020.

He recently featured in a bounce match against Glasgow Rangers, when he provided two assists in a 2-2 draw, and all eyes will now be on whether he makes a competitive return against the northeast club this weekend.

The Latest: Toney back for Brentford v Newcastle

As pointed out by Newcastle reporter Miles Starforth of The Shields Gazette, Toney will also be returning for Brentford, and he argued that the former Magpies striker will be a bigger concern for Howe than Eriksen, writing:

“The focus is likely to be on Christian Eriksen on Saturday, but the return of Ivan Toney, quietly sold by Newcastle in 2018, is arguably more of a concern for Eddie Howe.”

The Verdict: Point to prove

Toney will no doubt have a point to prove against his former club, for whom he only made sold to Peterborough United in 2018 after a few loan spells away from Newcastle.

He has not done too badly since, notching up 77 league goals combined for the Posh and Brentford over the last four seasons (not been kind to the Bees, he will want to get Thomas Frank’s side back on track.

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This is a big match in terms of the relegation picture, and the Magpies will no doubt have to keep Toney quiet if they are to claim another three points.

In other news, find out which £40.5m-rated star has ‘bewitched’ NUFC ahead of a potential summer move