Rangers eye Southampton's Downes & Forest's Toffolo'
New Rangers head coach Russell Martin wants reunited with midfielder Flynn Downes, who he signed for Swansea City and the 26-year-old's current club, Southampton, but he could be thwarted by the £10m price tag, while Harry Toffolo is interested in a switch to Ibrox with the left-back poised to quit Nottingham Forest. (Scottish Sun On Sunday), externalRangers have opened talks with Leicester City over Conor Coady, who will have to take a pay cut following relegation to the Championship, but the 32-year-old centre-half's future is also unclear because of question marks over the long-term future of team boss Ruud van Nistelrooy. (Sunday Mail), externalDor Turgeman says he is ready for his next challenge in Europe amid interest from Rangers and clubs in Italy and Spain after the £4m-rated 21-year-old striker helped Maccabi Tel Aviv win the league title in Israel. (Sport 5 via Sunday Mail), externalRangers head coach Russell Martin aims to retain Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande as he wants to keep his best players amid reported interest in the midfield duo. (Glasgow Times), externalBasel, Leuven and Cincinnati have expressed their interest in Rangers winger Ross McCausland and would all prefer a permanent transfer for the 22-year-old Northern Ireland international. (Sky Sports), externalRussell Martin says he "doesn't see a reason" to change the Rangers captaincy, currently in possession of right-back James Tavernier, upon his return to the club as head coach. (The National On Sunday), externalIssame Charai, who remains on Rangers' coaching staff after joining in January, is the frontrunner to take over at Westerlo with Timmy Simons likely to exit the Belgian Pro League club. (DH via Sunday Mail), externalRead Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full.
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BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
Double celebration in Hull as rugby fans run 10k after final
Thousands of runners have taken to the streets of Hull for the city's annual Jane Tomlinson Run for All 10k Sunday participants tackled a new course for the first time, with both the start and finish at Hull Kingston Rovers' ground, Craven stadium will also be the focal point for the team's bus parade through Hull after they won the Challenge Cup at Wembley on fans were among the runners who took part in the 10k and one said he was "still in shock" the day after the victory. Chris Grubb ran in rugby kit carrying a blow-up trophy - a stunt he planned two weeks ago in case the Robins won."I woke up this morning smiling," he said, after returning from Wembley to make the start line."I looked around and everyone was crying. It was so emotional."He only had six hours of sleep after arriving home from the Cup final."It's just been a long time coming, and now, I keep saying to everyone, I can die a happy man because we've finally done it!" The race was won by Joseph Wilson with a time of 31 minutes and eight seconds, and Coralle Bell was the fastest woman with oldest man in the race was John Burkhill, 86. Mr Burkhill, from Sheffield, was raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support and has collected nearly £1.2m for the entered his 1,055th event across the UK in memory of his son's said: "It's a very special day for me today. I've got some good friends here, I come back every year to do it." Founders of the charity Aim Higher, Gill Jagger and Nicola Robinson, took part in the run dressed as Nintendo characters Mario and Luigi. Their charity promotes social inclusion for children and young adults with autism or mental health were also 30 members of staff from the Special Stars Foundation, which supports adults and children with additional needs, running the new route for the 10k was chosen because of roadworks on the race is named after Ms Tomlinson, who raised almost £2m for charity by taking part in endurance events around the world before her death from cancer in to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
I was jailed for robbery aged 15 before becoming a drug dealer and rapper – but now I'm an academy scout for Arsenal
JOSEPH BOL has gone from dealing drugs, getting stabbed by rival gangs and spending three separate stints in prison, to helping Arsenal uncover new talent as an academy scout. Bol, 39, has turned his life around, putting crime in his rear-view mirror and excelling as a football scout. 7 7 Bol works as Arsenal 's grassroots academy coordinator for East London, helping the Gunners identify the best talent across U9s to U14s level. It's far cry from what he was doing at a similar age to the youngsters, with Bol being sent to prison for three years at just 15 years old for robbery. He also found himself wrapped up in dealing Class A drugs and ultimately being convicted for that too. Speaking to The Times, he recalled: "I wanted things my mum didn't deem necessary, like designer clothes, trainers, and that led me down a slippery slope. "I stopped playing football and I started selling and smoking weed, and then it went on to be more Class A drugs. I was just in a bubble thinking this is going to be my career path." After being let out of prison for the first time, Bol turned his attention to rap music - amassing millions of YouTube views for his songs about crime. He added: "I came out and got adulation from my peers, it boosts your ego, and I just started rapping about what I was going through. "It was more about selling drugs. We didn't really have postcode wars at the time.' 7 Bol, who recalled taking Maths and English GCSEs in a young offenders' institute, was still wrapped up in the world of crime for some time. And was even stabbed in the arm and leg while sitting in the front seat of his car by four members of rival gang at one point. But after turning 21 and finisng himself in an adult prison, Bol's life changed thanks an officer who encouraged him to complete FA Level One and Community Sports Leader coaching courses. He recalled that decision helped him "break the cycle" and he started to volunteer at a local football club when he was released from prison. In 2012 he set up his own grassroots team, AC United, which snowballed into an eight-team club with performances catching the attention of top scouts. Bol continued rapping about his old life at the same time, earning a reputation under his stage name "Joe Black", and even performed as a support act for hip-hop superstar Rick Ross. 7 Unexpectedly, it was his rap career that helped Bol land his first proper job in football. A standout player at AC United, Clinton Mola, was invited for a trial at Chelsea - with Bol accompanying him to the training ground. Upon his arrival at Cobham, Bol was mobbed by a group of U14 players - including a young Reece James - who recognised him from his music videos. Recognising the sway and impact that Bol had in the local community, Chelsea decided to hire him as a member of their coaching staff. They also signed Mola, who now plays for Bristol Rovers in League One and represented England from U16 to U21 levels. Bol recalled being concerned that Chelsea would turn him away after a DBS check of his criminal history. He said to The Times: "Rightfully so, because there were obviously reservations after what showed up [on the DBS check]. 'I did a risk assessment and they asked me how I ended up in these situations and what I'd done to change my behaviour to ensure I wouldn't fall back into those old patterns. "Long story short, I think the years I put in coaching unpaid went a long way to overpower the past. 7 "They could see I was making a big effort to make a change. I got the role and I was there for just over five years.' From there Bol's career in football scouting has taken over and he made the switch to Arsenal's academy in 2020 - where he has been ever since. Working alongside academy manager Per Mertesacker, Bol's role is to manage a group of scouts and make sure they are always covering all parts of East London. Along his way he has helped unearth and develop some of of the Premier League's most exciting young talents. Zain Silcott-Duberry, who made his Prem debut for Bournemouth this season, is just one of the youngsters he has had a hand in developing. While 14-year-old Trey Faromo, another Bol has helped identify, is thought to be one of the country's brightest talents and recently made his debut for Chelsea Under-18. Now Bol is targeting a spot as the head of recruitment at a Premier League club, but still recognises how far he has come. He said: "I feel proud of where I'm going. It's good to reflect every once in a while to remember how far I've come" 7 7
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Furious Barcelona star is 'ready to go to WAR with the club' and claims board are leaking information against him in effort to 'push him out of the back door'
One Barcelona player is ready to go to war with the club and has accused the board of leaking information to force him out, according to an explosive report. Veteran goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, also the Blaugrana's captain, is said to be deeply upset over how the LaLiga giants are handling his future. Espanyol stopper Joan Garcia is rapidly closing in on moving to the Nou Camp and he is likely to replace Ter Stegen, who missed much of last season through injury and lost his spot in the starting XI to Wojciech Szczesny, as Hansi Flick's No 1. It has been claimed that Barcelona president Joan Laporta has even told members of the board that Ter Stegen, 33, must be sold once Garcia arrives. However, Spanish outlet Sport have now reported that Ter Stegen is refusing to be pushed out. He is said to be shocked by the situation and 'deeply hurt', believing the development is a 'direct attack' on his 'professional character'. Sporting director Deco will explain Barcelona's stance to Ter Stegen and his camp in the near future and the club want an amicable outcome for all parties. But Ter Stegen has accused figures of purposefully leaking information to damage his reputation in a desperate attempt to pressure him to leave of his own volition. After recovering from the season-ending injury suffered in September, Ter Stegen has returned to full fitness and wants to fight for his spot in the side. He is tied down to a contract running until 2028, which was signed under Laporta. Barcelona plan to make it clear to the goalkeeper that Garcia will be Flick's first-choice option with Szczesny, once he pens a new deal, his back-up. Sport claim that Ter Stegen could stay at the club, but only if he accepts his new bit-part role. Should Ter Stegen decide to move on, Barcelona would reportedly be willing to release him and pay him a year of his contract as compensation. Ter Stegen is reportedly 'outraged' and is convinced his situation is personal rather than a sporting issue. He is also said to privately blame both Deco and Flick. 'No one has told me about this, so I don't know the situation,' Ter Stegen said. 'I'm not worried. I know that I will be at Barcelona next year,' he added. 'If I remember correctly, and if no news has happened in the last few hours, we only have two goalkeepers for next season, Inaki [Pena] and me.' Ter Stegen joined Barcelona from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014 and has won 19 trophies in Spain, including the Champions League and six LaLiga titles.
