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Glasgow Rangers’ director of commercial and marketing James Bisgrove has revealed the Ibrox club’s annual commercial income is approaching the £10m mark.

The Lowdown: Gers increase revenue

In recent years, the Gers have embarked on a commercial offensive to bring in more funds to the club.

The biggest deal was with Castore, who manufacture the Ibrox outfit’s kits – they will pay the Gers a minimum £25m across five years (The Scotsman).

However, the Gers have also added a number of other partners and sponsors, such as Cadbury and NordVPN (rangers.co.uk).

The Latest: Bisgrove makes Gers admission

In an interview with Four Lads Had a Dream, Bisgrove was asked whether the club’s annual commercial income was approaching £10m. He responded:

“Yes, commercial income has dramatically increased in the last 18 months, driven primarily by commercial partnerships, and the new kit and retail deal with Castore.

“We can’t comment on the financial values linked to commercial contracts but the increase in commercial income has been significant and would be reflected in the next accounts. It should be mentioned however that COVID has impacted the scale of the growth.”

The Verdict: Only going to get bigger

This is fantastic news for the Gers – to be able to bring in money even during the difficult times we are all going through is a huge positive.

As Bisgrove mentioned, the pandemic will have stunted their progress – they would probably be doing even better without it, but his comments are still overwhelmingly positive.

From next season and beyond, that commercial revenue should only get bigger. The Gers have the chance of qualifying for the Champions League group stages – participation in Europe’s premier club competition will give them plenty more opportunities. It is an exciting time to be a Gers fan on and off the pitch.

In other news, Rangers fans were delighted at this man’s display at Euro 2020.

Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United finally return to Premier League action this evening, with the Whites making the trip to south London to face Crystal Palace in Monday’s 20:00 kick-off – 16 days after their 3-0 win over Watford.

As a result of this time off, the 48-year-old manager has had plenty of time to work with his first-team squad at Thorp Arch, something that could well give Leeds the edge over tonight’s opponents – who were bested 1-0 by Newcastle United last Wednesday.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

The gap between fixtures will have also afforded a number of the Whites’ injured and fatigued players a much-needed rest from the hectic Premier League schedule, although, it is reported that the meeting with Palace will still come too soon for Patrick Bamford.

And, with Daniel James having once again struggled when playing through the middle at Vicarage Road, it would appear highly advisable for Marsch to finally unleash 19-year-old Joe Gelhardt from the off against the Eagles.

“Banging on the door”

Indeed, since the American’s appointment in the Elland Road dugout, Gelhardt is yet to be included in the 48-year-old’s starting XI, featuring just four times in the Premier League under the management of Marsch, in which time he has bagged one goal – the stoppage-time winner against Norwich City a little over a month ago.

However, looking at the campaign as a whole, the £4.5m-rated striker’s impact is clear for all to see, with the England U21 international having scored two goals and registered three assists over just 486 top-flight minutes – averaging a direct goal involvement every 97.2 minutes of football played.

For comparison, while James’ record of four goals and five assists over 30 Premier League outings does better the 19-year-old’s returns, when taking into account the Wales international directly contributes to a goal an average of once every 253.4 minutes played, it is obvious who is the more deadly.

Furthermore, over the last seven top-flight fixtures in which the £16.2m-rated winger has been deployed up front, James has failed to hit the back of the net, something which would very much suggest that he is simply not suited to a central attacking role.

As such, despite his tender age, Marsch must finally place his trust in the player who Beren Cross dubbed Leeds’ “next big thing” against Palace, as it is clear to see from his impressive record in the final third that Gelhardt is very much “banging on the door” – in the words of Phil Hay – for a start under the American.

AND in other news: Joe Donnohue drops early team news ahead of Palace, it’s a double boost for Leeds

Ahead of his side’s Premier League clash against Leicester City on Friday night, Newcastle boss Steve Bruce must finally axe Jonjo Shelvey from the starting line-up.

The England international endured a difficult afternoon against Arsenal last time out, with The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder simply slamming him as “disappointing” for his performance.

And, with a trip to Champions League chasing Leicester tonight, Bruce must make the bold call of dropping one of his trusted lieutenants, with The Shields Gazette’s Liam Kennedy raising real concerns over his form this season.

He said: “For a player of Shelvey’s talents he needs to do more. Influence more. Impact more. And more often than not, to the untrained eye, it appears as if he chooses not to up those levels.

“He is no world beater and lacks a yard or five of pace and mobility but Shelvey can be better than he shows. And that’s the most disappointing part. For that reason, for me, he is not a worthy carrier of the armband – and not a player who leads by example, despite his considerable top flight experience.

Dubbed a “liability” on the Pod On The Tyne podcast, the £70k-a-week earning Shelvey just hasn’t shown anywhere near the kind of form that warrants him still being in the starting line-up for the Magpies this campaign.

As per Whoscored, out of the last ten games that he has played, only two of those matches have seen him register a match rating of seven or higher, including dropping a measly 5.94 against the Gunners last weekend.

His passing, something that has usually been lauded as one of his strong points, has been a major let down too, with just a 75.9% passing accuracy in the Premier League – to put that into context, that ranks him 16th in the entire Magpies squad, and below even the likes of Jeff Hendrick.

With no goals and just one assist in his last 12 top-flight games, Shelvey just hasn’t contributed anything of significance for Bruce to keep persisting with him in the middle of the park, let alone be his captain.

It’s high time he gets dropped, starting with the clash against Leicester tonight.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are interested in this Dutch starlet…

Everton have agreed to a ‘ridiculous’ deal for Dele Alli, says former West Ham and Celtic star Frank McAvennie. 

The lowdown

Frank Lampard’s arrival at Goodison Park was greeted with the signings of Dele from Tottenham Hotspur and Donny van de Beek from Manchester United.

According to a report from The Athletic, the possibility of recruiting Dele had been raised in Lampard’s interviews for the job.

The 43-year-old subsequently sanctioned the transfer, confident he could extract the best from his compatriot, and his endorsement was a ‘big factor’ in Everton’s willingness to meet Spurs’ demands.

If performance-related add-ons are triggered, Dele could wind up costing £40million (via Sky Sports).

The latest

McAvennie was left scratching his head at the price tag, telling Football Insider that Everton had taken a ‘risk’.

“That £40million though, how can Tottenham can ask for that,” he said. “Why did Everton sanction that?

“That’s ridiculous. He hasn’t kicked a ball for two years. I guess if he does well enough to hit those targets then the signing will be worth it.

“Obviously it’s a risk but I think we will see the best of Dele Alli again. He’s needed this move for a long time.”

The verdict

Perhaps Everton are paying for the player Dele once was. He made his name by winning landing back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.

His end product has dried up almost completely in recent times, though. Since the start of last season, he’s managed just one goal and one assist.

In the five previous campaigns, he’d managed a total of 50 goals and 36 assists.

It’s not quite fair to say he hasn’t ‘kicked a ball’, but his involvement has dropped off rather dramatically. From his peak of 3,044 Premier League minutes in 2016/17, he fell to just 617 last term.

At least the add-ons are performance-related, meaning Everton would theoretically get some bang for their buck.

In other news, Greg O’Keeffe reacts to a ‘disappointing’ sight at Goodison.

Fulham midfielder Andre-Frank Anguissa could be set to leave Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Birmingham Live, who claim that the 25-year-old’s omission from Marco Silva’s matchday squad for the Cottagers’ Championship opener against Middlesbrough on Sunday could be a result of the transfer speculation surrounding the Cameroon international.

The report goes on to state that both Aston Villa and Arsenal are thought to have an interest in the defensive midfielder, while Everton and Valencia are also reported to be keeping a close eye on the situation of the former Olympique Marseille star, with the latter going as far to make a number of approaches to Fulham.

Fulham fans will be gutted

While the Fulham hierarchy appear intent on retaining the services of Anguissa, having already turned down multiple bids for the midfielder this summer, the fact that the 25-year-old was left out of the matchday squad for the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough last weekend would not appear to bode well for fans of the club who are hoping the player sticks around.

And, the Craven Cottage faithful will easily be forgiven for wanting their side to keep hold of the midfielder beyond the summer, as it would appear as if Fulham’s chances of securing an immediate return to the top flight this season would be considerably greater with Anguissa in the side.

Indeed, over his 36 Premier League appearances last term, the £22.5m-rated man made an average of 1.6 interceptions, 2.2 tackles, 0.4 clearances and won a whopping 7.3 duels per game.

He also impressed in a creative capacity, providing three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.8 key passes per game.

These returns saw the man Scott Parker dubbed a “superb” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as Fulham’s 10th-best performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, it would indeed appear as if the west London side’s chances of promotion would be improved by keeping the £70k-per-week man, however, after the midfielder was left out against Boro, Fulham fans could well find themselves left gutted about the 25-year-old’s departure in the not too distant future.

In other news: Khan facing nightmare as twist emerges on £2.7m-rated ace, Fulham fans will be gutted

Tottenham fans will be hoping that the potential return of Mauricio Pochettino could convince Harry Kane to stay at the club.

But former Premier League manager Lawrie Sanchez told Football FanCast that the England captain has already made his mind up and will be moving on this summer.

After making a handful of appearances under Tim Sherwood in the previous season, Kane was given his first proper chance in first-team football at Spurs by the Argentine, who played a major part in the striker becoming one of the most feared strikers in the world.

But the 27-year-old has made his feelings clear about wanting to leave his boyhood club, with Kane constantly reiterating his desire to be playing in the Champions League, something Spurs are unable to offer after finishing outside the top four for the second season in succession.

When Pochettino departed in November 2019, Kane said on Instagram: “I’ll be forever thankful to you for helping me achieve my dreams” – but Sanchez doesn’t think that the Argentine’s possible return will influence Kane’s future.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“I think Kane has made his mind up. There has been a long leaf about if he doesn’t win anything – even if he had won the Champions League it would have been difficult to keep him.

“Kane is England captain, he’s going to meet up with all his teammates over the summer, and all these lesser players are at bigger clubs winning these trophies and he’ll be thinking ‘I’m at Tottenham’, who haven’t won anything since the League Cup.”

Euro 2020 has served up a couple of exciting semi-finals. Italy’s match with Spain looks fascinating, while England’s tie with Denmark is pretty eye-catching too.

The latter is England’s second consecutive major tournament semi-final, while the team has reached this stage without even conceding a goal. Then you have Denmark, who have been on an emotional journey through the competition.

However, another interesting side-plot relates to goalscorers. There are some intriguing odds on who could grab a crucial goal in the game, with a few names in the running for the coveted Golden Boot.

Sterling’s time?

UEFA.com details how Ronaldo and Schick are currently the tournament’s top scorers with five goals each. However, with Portugal and the Czech Republic now out, the path is clear for some other stars to try and claim the top spot.

One name that cannot be ruled out is of course Raheem Sterling. The England forward already has three and, at the time of writing, these England v Denmark betting odds state he is 5/1 to grab the first goal in the match. He is also 21/10 to score anytime in the semi-final, while there are even odds on him grabbing a hat-trick. The Man City star is 100/1 to score three.

It would not be a major surprise to see Sterling on the scoresheet. He has enjoyed a fine tournament, grabbing some crucial goals in the group stage and sending the country into a frenzy with the opener against Germany. His form has been there for all to see, so it may not be a shock if he adds to his tally.

Kane or Kasper?

Another England star who will surely have an eye on the top scorer rankings is the captain, Harry Kane.

The Spurs striker may have endured a slow start to the tournament, but he has burst into life in the knockout stages. His goal against the Germans settled nerves up and down the country, while he also grabbed two in the demolition of Ukraine. According to Betfair, he is 3/1 to open the scoring in the semi-final, while he is 11/10 to score at any point during the match.

Of course, the Danes have their own Golden Boot candidate as well. Kasper Dolberg scored twice in the side’s 4-0 victory over Wales, while he also grabbed another crucial goal in the win against the Czech Republic. Betfair states he is 9/1 to score first against England, as well as 7/2 to score anytime.

Real talking point

All in all, the semi-final between England and Denmark looks set to be a truly mouth-watering tie. There are many exciting elements, but the fact that several of the competition’s top forwards will feature is a real talking point.

Are Kane, Sterling and Dolberg safe bets to grab decisive goals or could another star rise to the occasion and write themselves into footballing folklore instead? Fans of both England and Denmark will be waiting with bated breath to find out. Not long now.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be a ‘great signing’ for Newcastle United, Kevin Phillips has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath reported last week that Everton striker Calvert-Lewin featured on a KSA shortlist of targets following Newcastle’s takeover.

He’s only played three Premier League matches so far this season, with a quadriceps injury sidelining him, but last term he netted 16 goals in 32 Premier League starts.

Only Golden Boot winner Harry Kane (19) scored more non-penalty goals than Calvert-Lewin in 2020/21 (via The Daily Star).

The 24-year-old Englishman signed a new contract last year, ostensibly committing him to Everton until 2025. That contributes to a Transfermarkt valuation of £40.5million.

The latest

Phillips reckons there would be comparisons between Calvert-Lewin and Newcastle’s all-time leading goalscorer if he moved to Tyneside.

He hailed him as a complete striker and a smart long-term investment.

“Calvert-Lewin is a big powerful striker and I’m sure he’d be compared to Alan Shearer if he went there,” the former Sunderland man said.

He later added: “He has shown at Everton and England that he is improving all of the time. He is a striker who has a bit of everything.

“I think Newcastle could get a good six or seven years out of him. It would be a good investment. He could turn out to be a great signing for them.”

The verdict

Calvert-Lewin is an instinctive goalscorer, but the question is whether he’d be open to making the move.

In all likelihood, Everton will finish in the top half this season, while Newcastle are languishing in the relegation zone after nine games.

And with a top manager in the form of Rafael Benitez at Goodison Park, the Blues may actually be playing European football sooner, despite the Magpies’ riches.

So will Calvert-Lewin see it as a backwards step, or look at the long term and decide that financial powerhouses Newcastle have a higher ceiling?

In other news, talks are underway with this CL star’s camp. 

Glasgow Celtic are considering a move to bring Kervin Arriaga to Celtic Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Honduran media outlet Diez (via the Daily Record), who claim that the former Celtic defender Emilio Izaguirre has revealed the Hoops are monitoring the defensive midfielder ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

It is reported that Izaguirre himself recommended the 23-year-old to Dominic McKay and the Bhoys hierarchy, who agreed to send their scouts to watch the Honduras U23 international in action.

In the article, Izaguirre explains exactly why he believes Arriaga could play at a much higher standard than he is currently, stating: “He is tall, wins well above, has a punch and can play three or four positions: central, containment, mixed and midfielder. He is a complete player. He can be an elite in Europe and play in the Champions League.”

Arriaga could be Brown’s heir

With Scott Brown having left Celtic to return to Aberdeen at the end of last season, Ange Postecoglou could well be in the market for a tough-tackling destroyer this summer, a description that would very much appear to fit Arriaga.

Indeed, over his 24 appearances for CD Marathon in the Liga Nacional de Futbol Profesional de Honduras last season, the 23-year-old picked up a whopping 11 yellow cards – very nearly double the amount Brown received in the league last term.

And, while this is not particularly a statistic to be proud of, one thing it certainly does indicate is how stuck in the midfielder gets, fight that Celtic desperately lacked in their Scottish Premiership campaign last time out.

However, it would seem as if Arriaga is far from just a brute in the middle of the park, with his return of nine league goals from defensive midfield over the past two seasons backing up Izaguirre’s claim that the 23-year-old is a “complete” midfielder.

Indeed, footage of the player’s goals for Marathon clearly demonstrate that Arriaga is also an extremely capable free-kick taker, as well as appearing to have a trademark long-range drive finish.

As such, while the Honduran league is not exactly one of the more reputable competitions in world football, it would certainly appear as if Ange Postecoglou and McKay should heed Izaguirre’s advice regarding the midfielder, as he could well prove to be the perfect man to fill Brown’s role in the middle of the park for the Bhoys.

In other news: Celtic could sign 30-goal gem once tipped to become “world-class”, he’s a big upgrade

Celtic’s start to the new campaign had been a fairly successful one with positivity engulfing Parkhead, rather than the violent negativity of last term.

However, that atmosphere is in danger of being tarnished again despite the Hoops’ 3-0 win on Saturday afternoon.

What’s the word?

A surprising dose of news broke on Friday evening when it was revealed that Dominic McKay would be leaving his role as Celtic CEO.

McKay only took up the role this summer and worked closely with Ange Postecoglou in bringing in several new players over the last few months.

However, he has now stepped down due to ‘personal reasons’.

A fresh report from Stephen McGowan in the print version of The Daily Mail (via Celtic Vital), however, claims there might have been issues mounting for the departing chief executive.

He wrote: “In hindsight, Dominic McKay must wish he’d accepted that offer of help on the end of a phone.

“Peter Lawwell had a readymade crisis line on the nuts and bolts of running Celtic. And his successor chose not to call it.

“Inexperienced in the world of football transfers and rebuilding a football club, that was his first mistake. Regrettably, it wouldn’t be his last.

“Last night, the former chief operating officer of the Scottish Rugby Union paid a heavy price for his determination to go it alone when he lost the confidence of major shareholder Dermot Desmond… and jumped before he was pushed.”

McGowan added: “McKay expressed a desire to modernise and upgrade the club’s operations. He set out to be his own man. Plucked from the world of professional rugby, he knew nothing about football transfers — and he showed no inclination to accept a helping hand from those who did.”

Fans fuming?

If this really is the case then Celtic fans should be aghast with the events that have played out.

After all, McKay has done very little wrong since entering the club over the summer.

In fact, he has worked relentlessly with Postecoglou to prepare a squad that’s capable of usurping Rangers again to reclaim the Premiership title.

The early signs look good as well. Despite exiting the Champions League because of issues with transfers, the club went on to acquire 12 first team bodies, qualify for the Europa League and play some stunning football along the way.

Of course, McKay has no part in the football that’s being played but he’s certainly made Postecoglou’s life a lot easier over the last few weeks with his work behind the scenes.

What should also frustrate supporters is the fact that Dermot Desmond seemingly isn’t keen on the modernisation of the football club.

In his column, McGowan concluded: “His ideas were incompatible with the major shareholder and the board of directors. While he felt ready for Celtic, Celtic simply weren’t ready for him.”

This is a huge shame because his early work certainly seemed better than Lawwell and Nick Hammond’s.

Their work in the market last summer was disastrous with Vasilis Barkas and Albian Ajeti proving to be colossal failures despite an outlay of close to £10m.

Barkas was out of the team fairly quickly and Ajeti has netted just eight goals since signing from West Ham.

It speaks volumes that one of Postecoglou and McKay’s best signings – Kyogo Furuhashi – is already just one goal shy of that after being in Glasgow for a matter of months.

If the decision that McKay took was based on those above him in the pecking order, supporters at Paradise should be immensely disappointed.

AND in other news, Forget Ajeti: Celtic gem who took 126 touches vs Ross County was their true hero…