Celtic are in the process of finding their long-term successor to former head coach Brendan Rodgers, who resigned from the role last month after a 3-1 loss to Hearts.

The Northern Irish manager returned to Parkhead in the summer of 2023, replacing Ange Postecoglou in the dugout, and won the Scottish Premiership title in both of his full seasons in charge.

Celtic are now looking for a manager to come in and build on that success in the months and seasons to come, and Columbus Crew boss Wilfried Nancy appears to be closing in on the job.

The latest on Wilfried Nancy to Celtic

According to Sky Sports, the Premiership champions have been granted permission by Columbus Crew to hold discussions with the French tactician this weekend.

The report claims that Nancy is open to making the move from the MLS to Scotland to replace Rodgers in the dugout, after the 2025 MLS came to an end for his side this month.

It adds that the Hoops want to have a new manager in place for their league clash with St Mirren next weekend, and that they will need to discuss compensation with Columbus Crew if they agree terms with Nancy.

If the French boss does take over the job in the coming days, one player who could benefit from his arrival at Parkhead is central midfielder Arne Engels.

Why Arne Engels could explode under Wilfried Nancy

Just as Matt O’Riley did when Rodgers took over from Postecoglou, Engels could explode with the change in manager from Rodgers to Nancy this season.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Belgian star could be O’Riley 2.0 with the potential that he has to be an exciting attacking force as one of the two number 10s behind the striker in his 3-4-2-1 system.

Appearances

38

37

Goals

3

18

Minutes per goal

843

181

Big chances created

16

14

Key passes per game

2.2

2.5

Assists

12

13

As you can see in the table above, the Denmark international, who now plays for Marseille, scored 15 more goals and provided one more assist in the league under Rodgers than he did under Postecoglou.

Engels could benefit in a similar way with this change in manager, as he has mainly played as a central midfielder in a 4-3-3 system for Rodgers, but he could play further forward under Nancy.

The Belgium international, whose set-piece delivery was hailed as “world-class” by Rodgers, produced nine goals and six assists in the Scottish Premiership last season, but has only managed one goal and one assist in ten games this term, with both of those goal contributions coming against Kilmarnock for Martin O’Neill.

Engels has created four ‘big chances’ in four appearances in the Europa League this season, being rewarded with one assist, per Sofascore, which is a testament to his technical and creative quality.

The midfield star is valued at £9m by Transfermarkt, over a year on from his £11m move from Augsburg, which suggests that the Hoops need to find a way to get more out of him, to ensure that their £11m investment does not turn out to be a poor one.

Playing further up the pitch, as a number ten, as part of Nancy’s preferred tactical set-up would put him in more positions to show off his brilliant technical ability, rather than often being too far from goal as a central midfielder or as a number six under Rodgers.

Celtic now "granted permission" to take biggest step yet in push to hire Wilfried Nancy

The Bhoys are set to make their move…

ByTom Cunningham Nov 15, 2025

Therefore, the Columbus Crew tactician could help Engels to explode and follow in O’Riley’s footsteps if Celtic hire him and he goes through with the 3-4-2-1 system used in the MLS.

Danny Rohl’s start to life in charge of Glasgow Rangers on the European stage has not gone to plan so far, as he has lost both of his Europa League games without his side scoring a goal.

The former Sheffield Wednesday head coach, though, has inherited a team that struggled badly under Russell Martin, and will not have any of his own signings until the January transfer window.

Rohl took over from Martin after the Scottish manager only won five of his 17 games and one of his Scottish Premiership outings in the dugout for the Ibrox giants.

The German tactician has had an instant impact on the side in the Premiership. Rangers have won all three of their league games since his arrival at the club, and kept back-to-back clean sheets away from home.

A 3-0 win at Dens Park on Sunday means that the Light Blues can head into the final international break on a high, after goals from Nicolas Raskin, Mikey Moore, and Djeidi Gassama.

However, there are still some individuals within the squad who have been unable to step up. Bojan Miovski, for example, was hooked off at half-time against Dundee.

Why Rangers should be worried about Bojan Miovski

The Light Blus should be concerned by the Macedonia international’s dismal start to life at Ibrox, because he has yet to show any signs of replicating his form with Aberdeen.

Miovski was signed from Girona during the summer transfer window to bolster Martin’s options at the top end of the pitch, possibly because of his proven track record in Scottish football.

The left-footed forward’s return of 32 goals in 78 games in the Premiership for the Dons suggested that he was a safe and sensible signing to add goals to the Gers attack, but it has not played out that way.

Miovski has scored one goal in eight appearances in the top-flight for Rangers, against Falkirk, from an xG of 1.84, per FotMob, which suggests that he has underperformed as a finisher.

The Rangers centre-forward was given the nod to lead the line against Dundee at Dens Park, after coming off the bench against Roma last week, but he was unable to prove to Rohl that he deserves more starts on the other side of the international break.

Minutes

45

Touches

14

Dribbles completed

0/0

Shots

0

Key passes

1

Big chances created

0

Duels won

2/8

As you can see in the table above, Miovski failed to register a single shot on goal in 45 minutes of action before being taken off at half-time. Whilst you could point to a lack of creativity behind him, his struggles in duels meant that he was unable to fashion chances for himself.

The Scottish giants, therefore, should be worried about the former Aberdeen marksman, because he has been at the club for several months now and is no closer to showing the kind of quality that earned him a good reputation in the Premiership in the past.

Miovski, though, was not the only Rangers player who failed to deliver an impressive performance in spite of the 3-0 victory against Dundee last time out.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Rohl must ruthlessly drop central midfielder Mohamed Diomande from the starting line-up when the Gers return to action on the other side of the international break, as he was just as bad as Miovski at Dens Park.

Why Rangers should drop Mohamed Diomande

The Ivorian midfielder was taken off by the German head coach at half-time, just as Miovski was, and was replaced by Scotland international Connor Barron.

Per Sofascore, Diomande lost 75% (3/4) of his duels in the opening 45 minutes of the game at Dens Park, which shows that he was too much of a lightweight in the middle of the park. That may have been why Rohl decided to take him off for Barron, who won 100% (2/2) of his duels in the second half.

The Rangers midfielder also failed to take any shots on goal, did not create any chances for his teammates, and did not attempt a single dribble, per Sofascore, which shows that he offered very little in midfield and was just as bad as Miovski, who was as ineffective in and out of possession.

Diomande, who was sent off against Genk in the Europa League in September, has endured a frustrating 2025/26 campaign after catching the eye with his impressive performances last term.

The left-footed star scored four goals and provided seven assists in 36 outings in the Premiership last season, but his form in and out of possession has dropped off a cliff this year.

Appearances

36

8

Sofascore rating

7.19

6.45

Goals

4

0

Key passes per game

1.2

0.5

Assists

7

0

Duels won per game

4.4

2.9

Ground duel success rate

57%

46%

Aerial duel success rate

48%

25%

As you can see in the table above, his defensive and offensive numbers are down across the board in the Premiership for the Gers, which shows that he has been unable to carry last season’s success over to the current one.

His underwhelming performance against Dundee on Sunday was simply the latest in a long line of disappointing performances from the central midfielder for the Light Blues in the 2025/26 campaign, as he has struggled in and out of possession throughout the season.

Given that Barron came on and showed great energy and desire to win 100% of his duels off the bench in the second half, Rohl should ruthlessly ditch Diomande from the starting XI for the clash with Livingston at Ibrox on the other side of the international break.

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ByTom Cunningham Nov 7, 2025

Miovski and Diomande both failed to offer enough quality on the pitch in the first half against Dundee, hence why they were hauled off at the break, and they should both lose their place in the starting line-up as a result of that.

They replace Shabnim Ismail, Lauren Winfield-Hill and Madeline Penna in a last-minute change

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2025South Africa allrounder Dane van Niekerk has been picked by Guyana Amazon Warriors for the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) 2025. The franchise announced van Niekerk, New Zealand medium-pacer Molly Penfold and Ireland wicketkeeper-batter Amy Hunter as replacements for Shabnim Ismail, Lauren Winfield-Hill and Madeline Penna.This will be van Niekerk’s first stint in a franchise league since August 2023, when she played in the women’s Hundred. She was also part of the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League in 2023, where she was signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru but did not play a single game, and she was released ahead of the 2024 season. It will be her first stint in the WCPL.Van Niekerk recently made a U-turn on her international retirement after returning to domestic cricket and was part of a training camp with the South Africa national team, but will not be a part of the upcoming ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka that begins on September 30. She had initially announced her international retirement after being left out of South Africa’s squad for the home T20 World Cup in 2023 after failing to meet fitness requirements.Related

• Shreyanka Patil among three Indians picked in WCPL draft

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However, South Africa head coach Mandla Mashimbyi has said she’s being looked at for future series.Van Niekerk played the 2024-25 domestic season for Western Province, and finished fourth on the list of highest run-scorers in the CSA Women Pro20 Series, with one century and a fifty.Amazon Warriors will kick off WCPL 2025 against Trinbago Knight Riders in Providence on Saturday.

It may have taken six years, but Tarik Skubal has finally found his money pitch. And the Guardians were feeling it in Game 1 of the divisional round on Tuesday.

These Guardians know Skubal well. In addition to facing him three other times this season, they faced him just days ago in a crucial Tigers loss, one that helped cement Cleveland’s huge comeback to secure the AL Central title that, at one point, Detroit had a 15.5-game lead on Cleveland. 

So, it was reasonable to wonder whether Skubal’s pitching would be effective Game 1, or whether the Guardians would have him figured out. 

"It means a lot to take the ball in Game 1," Skubal said to a scrum after the game. "To have the trust of our whole organization, teammates, coaching staff, it means a lot."

Ultimately, he rose to the challenge of that honor, helping secure Detroit's 2–1 win. Skubal held Cleveland to a single earned run in 7.2 innings of work with a career-high 14 strikeouts. Propelled by his pitch, Skubal brought a strong body of work.

Skubal’s changeup to thank for huge Game 1 victory

Skubal’s changeup has emerged gradually year over year as a proportion of his pitching profile, with it finally overtaking his four-seam fastball as the most-used pitch he threw in a season in 2025 (31.4% frequency). 

Here's a look at just how long this pitch has taken to emerge as his most used and most dominant:

Tarik Skubal changeup usage, run value

Year

Changeup Portion

Changeup Run Value

2020

16%

-1

2021

12%

0

2022

15%

4

2023

24%

9

2024

27%

7

2025

31%

25

So it was only right that on Tuesday, in an important Game 1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians, the majority of his 14 strikeouts came on the changeup, now his best pitch, dialed in over a number of years. 

Tarik Skubal's strikeout pitches in Game 1 vs. Guardians

Pitch Type

Strikeouts

Changeup

7

Fastball

4

Sinker

2

Curveball

1

Seven—of half of his total strikeouts—came on the changeup. Twelve out of the 23 times he threw the pitch resulted in a swinging strike, with it being hit in play just three times. 

"I was just kind of worried about executing each pitch and trying to do my best to live pitch-by-pitch… getting ahead and getting guys into leverage," Skubal said of his performance after the game.

The changeup went for a hit twice in the game: One was a soft ground ball by Angel Martinez, the other a line drive hit 105.5 MPH off the bat by Kyle Manzardo. Overall, the Guardians managed a single quality hit on the pitch all afternoon. 

Tarik Skubal's slider was important, too

The changeup is, of course, a pitch that seldom gets the job done on its own. As a slower pitch, it’s one that catches hitters off guard after the pitcher has shown them something faster in the repertoire. 

Skubal most frequently used the slider as his immediate setup pitch (the pitch right before the strikeout pitch) in Game 1. The slider was his strikeout pitch, but it served a clear purpose, forcing Guardians batters into seven foul tips and overtraining them to the ever-so-slight speed difference from the changeup.

Tarik Skubal pitch counts, ALWC Game 1

Pitch Type

Pitch Count in Game 1

Average MPH, Game 1

Fastball

30

99.12

Slider

27

91.91

Sinker

23

98.7

Changeup

23

89.42

Curveball

4

84.27

Skubal strikeout on Tuesday was a swinging strikeout, proving just how well his deception worked as a result of the sequencing, for which catcher Dillon Dingler deserves credit for as well. Neither of the two hits off the changeup came with the slider as the setup pitch.

Asked about the slider usage after the game, Skubal laughed and said, "Is Dingler coming in here? Yeah, I don't know, he calls it and I throw it. That's kind of it. That's kind of how all of it goes. There's like two shakes a game and the rest are him calling it, and I just try to throw it."

Notably, his curveball, thrown just four times, was set up by a slider the lone time it baited a Cleveland batter to swing at it, and miss, on Tuesday.

It was a strong afternoon at the office for Skubal, putting the Tigers just a game away from advancing and finally putting the 2025 Guardians in their rearview.

MatériaMais Notícias

Presidente do Palmeiras, Leila Pereira não demorou a responder provovação do presidente do Flamengo, Rodolfo Landim, sobre o gramado do Allianz Parque. O dirigente rubro-negro citou a derrota do Alviverde para o Internacional na quarta-feira (17), na Arena Barueri, e afirmou que, contra o time carioca, os paulistas “vão querer jogar no sintético”. A mandatária palestrina relembrou – em declaração ao portal “ge” – conquistas recentes do Verdão sobre o rival, vencidas sobre grama natural.

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– A declaração do Landim me causou bastante estranheza. Que eu me lembre, ganhamos a Libertadores de 2021 e a Supercopa de 2023, contra o Flamengo, em campo de grama natural, não é? – questionou Leila Pereira.

– O Landim sabe muito bem que o campo de grama sintética do Allianz Parque não oferece qualquer vantagem técnica ao Palmeiras. O gramado, inclusive, acabou de ser reformado para que tenhamos sempre grandes jogos em nossa casa. Se o Landim estivesse mesmo preocupado com a qualidade do gramado, o campo do Maracanã estaria em melhores condições – completou a presidente do Alviverde.

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Palmeiras e Flamengo se enfrentam no próximo domingo (21), pela terceira rodada do Brasileirão. A bola rola a partir das 16h no Allianz Parque, em São Paulo (SP). O Alviverde ocupa a 12ª colocalçao do campeonato, enquanto o Rubro-Negro é líder após duas partidas.

Tudo sobre

FlamengoLeila PereiraPalmeirasRodolfo Landim

After South Africa took a lead, Babar and Rizwan helped Pakistan recover from an early flurry of wickets

Firdose Moonda22-Oct-2025Pakistan are effectively 23 for 4 after South Africa’s lower-order flipped the script and gave them a 71-run first innings lead in Rawalpindi. Senuran Muthusamy and Kagiso Rabada both walked away with batting career-bests – and Rabada with the first fifty of his Test career, off just 38 balls, – as Pakistan ran out of answers against the tail. For the first time in the series, the hosts find themselves chasing the game.Muthusamy will get fewer plaudits than Rabada, whose innings was studded with sexy hits straight down the ground but deserves all the praise. He held South Africa together after they lost 4 for 50 in the morning session and looked certain to take a deficit into the second innings.Muthusamy shared a 71-run stand with fellow left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj and a 98-run partnership with Rabada and on a deteriorating pitch, has given South Africa a big advantage. It is only the second time both the ninth and tenth wicket put up stands of more than fifty and first since the Adelaide Test in 1998.Pakistan were clearly stunned by the late assault as their spinners were blunted, Shaheen Shah Afridi was targeted and Shan Masood could not plug gaps in the field. They slumped to 16 for 3 in response but have since recovered to 94 for 4 thanks largely to Babar Azam’s best in the series so far. He stayed calm against a fiery South African side and delighted an appreciative crowd with well timed drives and one powerful pull. He is one run away from a 30th Test fifty and first at home since his century against New Zealand in December 2022. Alongside him is Mohammad Rizwan, unbeaten on 16, with Salman Agha the last recognised batter to come.All that may overshadow the 38 reasons Pakistan had to celebrate when Asif Afridi, on debut, became the oldest man to take a Test five-for in his first match. Asif’s fifth wicket was that of Simon Harmer, when South Africa were 210 for 7. That South Africa added another 194 runs will be difficult for him to believe, especially after the way the day started.Asif Afridi performs the sajda after claiming his maiden five-wicket haul•Associated Press

Asif struck in the first over of the day when Kyle Verreynne pushed at his fourth ball and got a thin edge, which Mohammad Rizwan gleefully pouched. Stubbs, who was on 68 overnight, was back in his defensive shell and added just eight runs to his score before being trapped in the crease by a quicker Asif ball that hit him on the pad. Asif struck again in his next over, when Harmer missed a reverse sweep and was pinned in front of middle stump.Muthusamy, who had been at the crease from the first over of the morning, looked fairly comfortable and with all the main batters out, gave himself permission to play his shots. He swept particularly well and was perplexed when he was given out lbw to Sajid Khan and reviewed immediately. Ultra Edge confirmed an inside-edge.Pakistan took the second new ball as soon as it became available and Asif shared it with Shaheen. It was only once Shaheen was replaced by Noman Ali that it brought rewards when Noman had Marco Jansen out lbw.Maharaj joined Muthusamy and batted proactively but offered plenty of chances. He was dropped by Imam-ul-Haq at silly mid-off in what was a tough chance akin to Tony de Zorzi which dismissed Babar on day two, then could have been stumped off Asif as he charged down but Rizwan was unsighted and could not react in time and then offered Asif a return chance that he could not hold on to. Muthusamy decided to live dangerously too and swung across the line to hit Sajid high over the keeper. Salman ran back but could not get to the ball in time.South Africa went to lunch 48 runs behind and most likely with a view to cutting the deficit to as little as possible but ended up doing much more. Three overs into the second session, Muthusamy got to his second Test fifty, off 88 balls, and three overs after that lost Maharaj. Encouraged by his ability to charge down, Maharaj did it one too many times as Noman flighted the ball and was stumped. At that stage, South Africa were still 27 runs behind.Kagiso Rabada played aggressively as he notched his highest Test score of 71•AFP/Getty Images

Muthusamy reverse-swept Sajid in a shot that suggested he was going to accelerate in anticipation of the end. But Rabada had no intention of going anywhere quickly. He swung hard and sent Noman over his head for his first four and the fun began. He slog-swept Sajid for six and then hit Shaheen over long-on and just short of long-off for back-to-back boundaries before taking six more off Sajid.His fifty came with a touch of class as he guided Sajid through point and then he tonked Agha over his head for another six. While Rabada went crazy, Muthusamy quietly collected runs to move into the 80s and soon the race was on to see whether they could both get to three figures. Neither did, as Rabada played one big shot too many and was caught at long-on to give Asif a six-for and South Africa a precious foot in front.On a high from their batting effort, South Africa were quickly brought down to earth when Rabada started with a no-ball in an over that cost nine but they pulled things back quickly. Harmer shared the new ball and spun it past Imam’s inside edge onto his front pad. He was given out and reviewed but remained out on umpire’s call. In his next over, Harmer had Shan Masood stuck on the back foot as he tried to drive through mid-on and was also given out lbw. Masood reviewed too, and lost the review as he was confirmed out. It was two wickets in two balls for South Africa as Rabada got Abdullah Shafique for the second time in the series after he was dropped off several edges. This time, loose defence took the edge and Jansen at third slip took the catch.Pakistan were effectively -55 for 3, with two batters yet to score at the crease and South Africa tried to close in. They burned two reviews hoping to get Babar lbw, and both times he had inside-edged onto his pad, which only underlines the danger South Africa knew he poses. Babar showed glimpses of his classy best, timing Rabada through point, cutting Harmer over cover point and then advancing on Maharaj. He dominated a 44-run stand with Saud Shakeel, who laboured his way to 11 off 43 before edging Harmer to Markram at slip. Still, Pakistan were behind.They took the lead when Rizwan swept Muthusamy through backward square leg for his boundary and the game really began. Babar and Rizwan saw out the day without further drama until Rizwan knocked the bails off on the last balls and South Africa appealed for hit wicket. The umpires called it dead ball to end an action-packed day.

Manchester United are reportedly inching towards recruiting rising Colombia star Cristian Orozco. The Red Devils have been looking to try and strengthen their midfield as Casemiro heads into the final years of his career, and academy product Kobbie Mainoo struggles to force his way into Ruben Amorim's plans. Now, they look set to sign the 17-year-old ahead of a switch next summer.

Man Utd near €1m transfer

According to Fabrizio Romano, United's next signing will be Orozco, who will be in England in the next few days to complete his Old Trafford move. He adds that the Red Devils will pay $1 million to Colombian side Fortaleza to join from June 2026. He will be able to link up with his new team then as he will have turned 18.

AdvertisementYoung recruitment drive from Man Utd

Ever since Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a minority stake at United in early 2024, the club have shifted their transfer priorities towards signing younger players who might have a big sell-on value. And the pursuit of this teenage defensive midfielder is the latest example of that. In addition to the Colombia Under-17 international, United raided the South American market earlier this year for 18-year-old left-back Diego Leon, and in 2024, director of football Jason Wilcox was instrumental in securing the signing of Mali midfielder Sekou Kone. 

AFPRatcliffe's Man Utd challenge

One big downside of Ratcliffe's reign has been the widespread redundancies as the club bids to cut costs. Going forward, the INEOS owner has challenged the Red Devils to be as cost-effective as possible in order to ensure long-term success. 

"I'd rather find the next [Kylian] Mbappe than spend a fortune trying to buy success," Ratcliffe told The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club Podcast last year. "It's not that clever, is it, buying Mbappe, in a way? Anyone could figure that one out. Much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or Jude Bellingham or the next Roy Keane."

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What comes next for Man Utd?

As this transfer heads towards its apparent conclusion, Ruben Amorim's side will look to bounce back from their disappointing 1-0 loss at home to Everton when they round off the month with a trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday. The visitors are five places behind the Eagles in 10th but could overtake the south London outfit by a point if they win at Selhurst Park this weekend.

Arsenal beat German champions Bayern Munich 3-1 on a night to remember in Europe, and one Gunners star absolutely stole the show with his performance.

Mikel Arteta’s side were handed one of their toughest tests on paper tonight against a Bayern side who are still unbeaten in the Bundesliga and one of the favourites to win the Champions League, but they were no match for the Premier League frontrunners in north London.

Jurrien Timber

7.7

Bukayo Saka

7.4

Riccardo Calafiori

7.4

Lennart Karl

7.4

Declan Rice

7.3

via WhoScored

Bayern had also won all but one of their matches in all competitions this season heading into their trip to the Emirates, with Arsenal handing Vincent Kompany’s side their first defeat of 2025/2026.

Second-half goals from Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli ended up firing Arsenal to victory in their heavyweight clash. Madueke, back after two months out with a knee injury, scored his first Gunners goal before fellow sub Martinelli pounced on a mistake from Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer to stretch Arsenal’s perfect record in the competition to five victories from five matches.

Earlier, Jurrien Timber had headed Arsenal into the lead and, with former Tottenham striker Harry Kane unable to add to the six goals he has scored at the Emirates, it was left to Bayern’s 17-year-old star Lennart Karl to grab the first goal Arsenal have conceded in the competition this season.

This glamour tie was arguably the least important of Premier League leaders Arsenal’s three matches this week, sandwiched between the 4-1 derby demolition of Spurs and Sunday’s trip to second-placed Chelsea.

Nevertheless, it is still one to revel in, and the result perhaps hands Arsenal the status of Europe’s best team right now.

While Timber, Madueke and Martinelli were the heroes on paper, it was a complete midfield performance by club-record signing Declan Rice, who absolutely bossed proceedings in the middle of the park with one of his best ever displays in red and white.

Ally McCoist hails 'out of this world' Declan Rice in Arsenal win

Covering the game for TNT Sports, commentator Ally McCoist repeatedly waxed lyrical about the England international — branding him Man of the Match for his “first class” outing against the Bavarians.

Rice was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet as well on 60 minutes, with the former West Ham captain storming down the left only for veteran keeper Manuel Neuer to deny him just reward for his imperious showing.

McCoist called Rice “magnificent” and “out of this world” for the run, which just about summed up what was a possessed performance from one of Arsenal’s leaders.

Tonight was a massive statement from Arsenal, who not only showed they can cut it against Europe’s toughest opponents, but also sent a very clear message that they’ve got absolutely zero intention of letting up.

Next up, a fierce London derby awaits against Chelsea this weekend — a match which could send Arteta’s side nine points clear at the top of the table and cement their status as overwhelming title favourites.

Rice will be a massive part of that, and tonight shows just how vital he is in Arteta’s quest to end the club’s 22-year wait for a Premier League trophy.

Sky Sports reported on Monday that Celtic are closing in on the appointment of Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy as their successor to Brendan Rodgers in the dugout at Parkhead.

The Hoops are poised to make the French tactician their new permanent manager, which will end Martin O’Neill’s time in interim charge after he takes the next two matches.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it will not be long before the incoming head coach will have the chance to bring his own players in to bolster the squad.

Celtic set to make move for new centre-forward

According to The Scottish Sun, Nancy is set to make a move for Columbus Crew centre-forward Wessam Abou Ali as one of his first transfer targets in January to add to his options at the top end of the pitch.

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The report claims that the incoming Celtic manager views the Palestine international as a ‘perfect goalscoring machine’ and wants to reunite with him at Parkhead ahead of the second half of the 2025/26 campaign.

It adds, though, that Columbus Crew and Nancy only signed him in July from Egyptian giants Al Ahly for £5.7m, which means that the Hoops will have to pay a fee in excess of that as he has only been with the American side for a matter of months.

If the Scottish Premiership champions can seal a £6m+ deal for the MLS sensation in the January transfer window, it could end Johnny Kenny’s career at Parkhead.

How Abou Ali could end Kenny's Celtic career

Kenny has scored four goals in five matches under O’Neill, which is an impressive return, but he was subbed off at half-time in the 1-0 win over St Mirren in the Premiership last weekend.

The Ireland international has been playing as the main number nine due to an injury to first-choice number nine Kelechi Iheanacho, who is on his way back in the coming weeks.

This suggests that the arrival of a big-money centre-forward signing could put him third in the pecking order, behind Abou Ali and Iheanacho, when they are all fit and available, which may make him consider his short-term future in Glasgow.

Kenny has shown, with five goals this season, that he can be a capable goalscorer at this level. This means that he could find another club where he can play regularly and score goals consistently, if that does not continue at Parkhead.

Abou Ali has scored three goals in five matches for Nancy in the MLS for Columbus Crew since his move in the summer, after he scored three goals in three games at the Club World Cup.

2025/26

6 goals

5 goals

2024/25

15 goals

6 goals

2023/24

19 goals

13 goals

2022/23

10 goals

5 goals

As you can see in the table above, the Palestine international has outscored Kenny in each of the last four seasons in all competitions, which suggests that he would be a much better option for Nancy to call upon up front for Celtic.

Abou Ali was described as a “clinical” and “proven” goalscorer by Columbus Crew General Manager Issa Tall, and his statistics suggest that was an accurate description of his qualities.

The 26-year-old scored three goals from 0.75 xG in the MLS in the 2025 campaign and bagged three goals without missing a single ‘big chance’ at the Club World Cup, per Sofascore, which shows that he is a lethal finisher.

Therefore, the Columbus Crew centre-forward could be a fantastic signing who could lead the line impressively for the Hoops, whilst also potentially ending Kenny’s career at the club, as falling down the pecking order may force him to reconsider his future.

£1.5m Celtic flop has been an even bigger waste of time than Balikwisha

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1 ByDan Emery Nov 25, 2025

Celtic are keen to appoint a permanent successor to Martin O’Neill and now look to be well down the road in that regard, as fresh details over Wilfried Nancy’s arrival and potential backroom team emerge.

The Bhoys enjoyed a productive weekend of Scottish Premiership action, even if it was a little fortuitous, claiming a dramatic last-gasp victory over St Mirren before Heart of Midlothian lost out at Aberdeen to narrow the gap at the top of the table.

Four points separate the top two heading into a busy schedule, with Celtic holding the advantage of a crucial game in hand against Dundee United days after they collide with the Edinburgh side in a blockbuster clash at Parkhead in a couple of weeks.

From a position of real uncertainty, the Bhoys have edged their way back into title contention and will hope to capitalise as Hearts continue to falter, albeit O’Neill made it clear after their win in Paisley that he isn’t sure how much longer he will be in interim charge alongside Shaun Maloney.

He said: “There’s relief as much as anything else, but you enjoy winning football matches – that’s what it’s about. It keeps confidence alive as much as anything else and keeps momentum going.

“At this minute, I haven’t heard anything more. I would reckon I would probably be on the plane for Rotterdam and maybe not much longer. If the board announce a new manager in the couple of days, I will walk into the sunset.”

O’Neill looks likely to be in charge for Celtic’s trip to face Feyenoord on Thursday in the Europa League and could be in situ for their match against Hibernian on Sunday. However, it doesn’t look like he will be sticking around for long after that.

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ByDan Emery Nov 22, 2025 Wilfried Nancy set to add four new faces to Celtic backroom staff

Previously, it became clear that Columbus Crew manager Wilfried Nancy is set to take over at Celtic after his side bowed out of the MLS Cup playoffs, though there has since been quiet over the details of his arrival.

Now, PLZ Soccer report that Nancy is set to begin his journey at Parkhead from the start of December, if not before then, with the Bhoys’ home clash against Dundee on the third day of the month likely to be his first game in charge.

Four of Nancy’s own staff are set to take on new roles in Glasgow over the next week, should their contracts be signed off, with Dermot Desmond sparing no expense making the new boss feel at home in the face of recent fan pressure. Kwame Ampadu is likely to be one of the new faces following his work alongside the 48-year-old in the United States.

Wilfried Nancy’s record at Columbus Crew

Matches

136

Wins

71

Draws

32

Losses

33

Trophies

MLS Cup (2024)

It remains to be seen whether Maloney will form part of the Frenchman’s backroom team after his sterling efforts during his period as interim assistant.

Celtic fans have had to wait nearly a month to find out the identity of their new permanent manager, though they will be relieved to see that the hunt for a new boss is finally nearing an end.