logo
Rangers boss Martin coy on Vardy links

Rangers boss Martin coy on Vardy links

Yahoo19 hours ago
Rangers manager Russell Martin has refused to rule out a move for veteran striker Jamie Vardy.
Vardy, 38, scored nine Premier League goals for Leicester City last season but could not prevent them being relegated to the Championship and left upon the expiry of his contract earlier this summer.
Advertisement
He scored exactly 200 goals for Leicester in 500 appearances across a 13-year stint which included two promotions, an FA Cup winner's medal and an unforgettable Premier League triumph in the 2015-16 season.
Reports in Italy on Sunday suggested Genoa have failed in a bid to lure the former England international to Serie A.
Rangers have also been mentioned as a potential destination and Martin was asked directly if Vardy is a target after a 2-2 pre-season draw against Belgian champions Club Brugge.
"I think I've been asked about so many players," Martin said.
"Some miles away, some on the money. So basically, I'm not going to give you an answer on that.
Advertisement
"But I guess you'll find out who's real and who's not in the next few weeks."
Rangers have also been linked with defenders Conor Coady and Nasser Djiga and Martin said he expects "the squad to look different in a week's time".
"I think we definitely want to do more, for sure," the former Southampton manager said. "And also probably some players need to move on as well at some point because the squad's going to start looking very big and very heavy."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How Wimbledon Dictates Grass Court Speed
How Wimbledon Dictates Grass Court Speed

Forbes

timean hour ago

  • Forbes

How Wimbledon Dictates Grass Court Speed

A member of the groundstaff mows the grass on a court on the first day of the 2025 Wimbledon ... More Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2025. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) The 9,709 square feet of Wimbledon's Centre Court grass—not to mention the other 17 championship courts and 20 grass practice courts—take on a singular focus during the two-week The Championships, but it's a year-round effort to care for the world's most famous sward (a fancy term for an area of short grass). Every court gets a renovation in September—the All England Lawn Tennis Club uses over nine tons of grass seed annually—with a focus on creating durability during the two-week event. And while there's only so much that the group of 15 permanent ground staff at the club—an additional 13 temporary staff are added for the tournament—can do with the amount of use the ryegrass courts receive, the focus is all about durability and consistency. Determining the speed of the court, which gets tested daily, comes down more to the soil than the actual grass, which is cut to eight millimeters daily. The general compacting of the soil over time, as well as the weather leading into the tournament and each day, are the major factors in how the ball responds. Grass and roots are seen ahead of The Championships - Wimbledon 2023 at All England Lawn Tennis and ... More Croquet Club in London, England. (Photo by) 'The amount a ball bounces is largely determined by the soil, not the grass,' Wimbledon reports. 'The soil must be hard and dry to allow 13 days of play without damage to the court sub-surface. To achieve the required surface of even consistency and hardness, the courts are rolled and covered to keep them dry and firm.' MORE: The Details And History Of Wimbledon's Strawberries And Cream All courts get re-lined with a mix of titanium dioxide via a transfer wheel marker, rolled and mowed daily during The Championships. While the September rebuild really starts the process for the next summer's The Championships, preparations begins with a skimming of the top roughly 12 millimeters. Think of this as a severe balding. 'This removes all weak and weed grasses from the sward, and it reestablishes the levels where play has worn the surface,' says Will Brierley, Wimbledon senior groundsman. Crews till a seedbed to lay new seed and fertilizer. It takes about one ton of seed each year. Covering the courts with a semi-permeable translucent growth cover for up to a week regulates heat and moisture. A program of mowing in the fall helps firm the surface and levels the grass before receiving a top-dressing of fine soil — about six tons total — and dragging to ensure the perfect leveling of the soil. In 2001, the All England Club switched from a mixture of 70 percent ryegrass and 30 percent red fescue to a 100 percent ryegrass for increased durability, as suggested by the Sports Turf Research Institute in Yorkshire, UK. The ryegrass contains up to three different cultivars to make for a dense sward with improved bounce. An aerial view of Wimbledon's Centre and Number one courts. The tournament has 18 championship ... More courts and 20 practice courts. (Photograph By) This famed ryegrass sits above a 'seedbed' of drainage pebbles, drainpipes, small stones and course soil. Prepping for The Championships, Wimbledon intensifies in spring. A post-winter roll removes frost, and a spraying program starts in April to help with plant growth, durability, color and root development. 'The date of this is worked back from the tournament start date to enable us to maximize the application,' Brierley says. MORE: On Site At Wimbledon 2025 Ahead Of Famed The Hill's Makeover Since March, the sward height drops about one millimeter every two weeks. Millimeter by millimeter, weather dependent, of course, the overall height of cut for The Championships slices from a hefty winter growth of 13 millimeters down to the playing elevation of eight millimeters, the height of the sward for play since 1995. At the playing height in time for Members' Day in May, the ryegrass can adjust to the stress of its height before the stress of trampling begins. The marking of the courts begins in early May and during the playing season the grass is cut every other day. In June, crews start to restrict the amount of water put on the courts to help the soil firm up, ensuring hard and dry soil for The Championships. During the two-week tournament, daily care of the courts includes measuring wear and hardness. The grounds crew tests soil moisture content, court hardness wear and plant chlorophyll levels to dictate evening watering amounts. A view of worn grass on Centre Court in 2023 two days before the conclusion of the tournament at All ... More England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England. (Photo by) 'The tests will determine,' Brierley says, 'how much irrigation is needed at the end of play to keep the grass alive and keep the court firmness at a playable reading.' Early every morning, Wimbledon courts receive a mow from a Toro cylinder mower and marks from a wheeled machine that lays titanium dioxide 50 millimeters wide for the lines — 100 millimeters for the baseline. It takes 500 gallons each year to mark all the lines. And Rufus, a trained Harris Hawk, patrols the grounds to ensure pigeons stay off the lawns. MORE: What's With Wimbledon's White Rule, And How Do Brands Approach Designing For Tennis Players? The practice courts get their care in the evening, allowing players to get on the courts early each day. All championship and practice courts receive the same level of care to give equal playability 'as close to humanly possible' across the site. The only special need includes a machinery lift to get equipment onto No.2 Court. About a week in, the grounds crew uses a machine dubbed the Billy Goat to essentially vacuum and clear off any kicked up debris from a week of play. Unlike the clay courts at Roland-Garros, the Wimbledon courts don't receive any care during play, except to cover from rain as needed. Whether Centre Court or a practice court, the bounce of the ball at Wimbledon is a carefully crafted effort to manage a living plant. MORE: The Last 8 Club At Wimbledon Has History And Keeps Growing

Sudan soccer league returns despite ongoing Civil War
Sudan soccer league returns despite ongoing Civil War

New York Times

timean hour ago

  • New York Times

Sudan soccer league returns despite ongoing Civil War

Sudan's soccer league has returned to the country for the first time since civil war broke out in 2023. The Sudan Football Association (SFA) has organised the eight-team Sudan Elite League, which will be played over the course of one month and which will determine the Sudanese clubs to compete in continental club competition for the 2025-26 season. Advertisement Sudanese rivals Al Hilal and Al Merrikh — who have between them won 49 of the previous 53 league titles — have both been temporarily playing league football in Mauritania, in north west Africa, due to the unstable political situation in Sudan. Last season, Al Hilal were CAF Champions League quarter-finalists and won Super D1, the top division of Mauritanian football, in 2024-25 with Al Merrikh finishing sixth. However, this did not allow either club to qualify for continental competition, with second-place FC Nouadhibou qualifying for the CAF Champions League courtesy of them being the top ranking Mauritanian side. The league started on Friday, July 4, with Al Hilal defeating Al Mirigani 2-0 while Al Merrikh beat Al Hali Madani 1-0. The derby between Al Hilal and Al Merrikh is set for the last day of competition on July 22, with Hay Al Wadi, Al Zamala, Al Amal Atbara and Marikh Al Obeid the other competing clubs. No matches are being staged in the capital Khartoum, which has been badly damaged by the civil war, with games instead being played at Atbara, 320km north of Khartoum, and Ad-Damer, 430km to the north east of the capital. Sudan, a nation in north east Africa of over 48million people, has been wracked by civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023. Precise casualty figures are difficult to establish, with more than 150,000 people killed and around 12 million others displaced. Local media have reported over 500,000 children have died due to malnutrition. Widespread hunger, famine, and disease outbreaks have been reported to the United Nations Security Council. In October 2024, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Sudanese population were trapped in a 'nightmare of violence, hunger, disease and displacement' and said almost 25m people in the country were in need of humanitarian assistance. Advertisement In November, Sudan secured qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) despite the nation's ongoing civil war. Sudan won AFCON when they hosted the tournament in 1970, but have advanced beyond the group stage of the competition only once and have qualified for just four of the most recent 25 editions of the tournament. Morocco will host the next AFCON which is scheduled to begin on December 21, 2025 and run until January 18, 2026. (Top image of Sudanese side Al Hilal: Mahmoud Hjaj/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Roma consider summer move for Brighton midfielder
Roma consider summer move for Brighton midfielder

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Roma consider summer move for Brighton midfielder

Roma Exploring Move for Brighton Midfielder Matt O'Riley Roma reignite interest in Premier League talent According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Roma are exploring the possibility of signing Brighton midfielder Matt O'Riley this summer. The report suggests that Roma head coach Daniele De Rossi is a long-time admirer of the Denmark international, with his interest tracing back to Gasperini's desire to sign O'Riley during his Atalanta days. Photo IMAGO Advertisement Roma are said to be 'trying to understand if there is room to start a negotiation with Brighton', who remain guarded about parting with one of their more consistent performers. The 23-year-old enjoyed a strong campaign in 2023–24 and remains under contract with the Seagulls. Brighton's stance is currently unclear, but Roma are expected to test the waters in the coming weeks. Our View – EPL Index Analysis Reports linking Matt O'Riley with a move away will cause understandable concern for Brighton supporters. At a time when the club is seeking stability and a clearer identity under new leadership, losing a composed, technically intelligent midfielder would feel like another step backward. O'Riley has grown into a reliable figure in the Brighton engine room, capable of dictating tempo and offering composure in high-pressure moments. His tactical discipline and underrated passing range have allowed others to play with freedom, which makes his potential departure particularly damaging. Advertisement Moreover, if this interest from Roma becomes formal, there is always the risk that a player's head could be turned. Trigoria is an attractive destination, especially under De Rossi, who knows how to inspire confidence in young talent. Tthe bigger question is whether Brighton can genuinely compete in keeping their top assets when foreign clubs come calling. This summer should have been about building on the club's identity, not further chipping away at it. Losing O'Riley might suggest that the cycle that brought European football to the Amex has reached an uncertain turning point.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store