Sports

Rangers manager Philippe Clement has told his players to park their Europa League heroics and stay humble ahead of Sunday’s Viaplay Cup final.

Rangers reached the last 16 of the competition when they beat Real Betis 3-2 in Seville on Thursday to claim top spot in Group G.

It was the first time a Rangers team had won an away game against Spanish opposition in Europe and a first home defeat of the season for a Betis side that had drawn with Real Madrid earlier in the month.

Clement has now gone 13 games unbeaten since replacing Michael Beale but the Belgian knows that silverware is the true litmus test for Rangers managers and he has the chance to succeed at the first attempt on Sunday.

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC)

Rangers tak…

Manchester City s battling 2-1 win over Southampton meant they stayed in touch with Premier League leaders Liverpool ahead of a blockbusting trip to Anfield next weekend.

The gap at the summit remains six points after Sergio Aguero cancelled out James Ward-Prowse s first-half opener from a rare Ederson error, before Kyle Walker proved to be an unlikely matchwinner.

But Pep Guardiola s champions are undeniably some way short of the supreme form that saw them amass 198 points over the course of back-to-back Premier League titles, having laboured for long periods against a Southampton side that shipped nine goals eight days ago.

A repeat of Wolves win at the Etihad Stadium last month appeared on the cards until Aguero intervened.

Liverpool retained their adv…

West Bromwich Albion have the signing of Bakary Sako on a free transfer.

Sako was available after his contract with Crystal Palace expired this summer. He began his career with French side Châteauroux, where he spent four seasons before joining Saint-Etienne in 2009. In England, he made his name playing for three years at Wolverhampton Wanderers and then joined the Eagles in 2015 on a three-year deal. Over those six years in English football, he made a total of 174 appearances in all competitions and found the opposition net 46 times.

The winger has revealed it was the passion of the Baggies manager Darren Moore that convinced him to move to The Hawthorns despite being wanted by several Premier League clubs. For his part, Moore is looking forward to having the option…

West Ham United are interested in signing Mohammed Kudus from Ajax in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Premier League club West Ham are in advanced talks with Eredivisie outfit Ajax over a deal for Kudus, who is a very versatile player and can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a winger.

Kudus has been on the books of Ajax since 2020 and has established himself as one of the best young players in the Netherlands. The 23-year-old has scored one goal in one Eredivisie game this season. Last season, Kudus made 19 starts and 11 substitute appearances in the Eredivisie, scoring 11 goals and providing three assists in the process.

West Ham will play in the UEFA Europa League this season after winning the UEFA Europa Conference Leagu…

Real Madrid appointed Santiago Solari as a full-time successor to Julen Lopetegui on Tuesday, agreeing a deal until 2021, and he follows a long line of coaches to graduate from the club s Castilla side to the first team.

Solari was installed on an interim basis in October after Lopetegui had been dismissed following a dismal run of five defeats in seven matches across all competitions.

The 42-year-old enjoyed a perfect audition for the role, guiding Los Blancos to four successive wins, making him the first Madrid coach to start with such a run since Manuel Pellegrini in 2009.

Solari, who also played for Madrid, had been in charge of Castilla – their reserve team – for two years and was held in high regard by the club s hierarchy.

But how have other…

Patrick Cutrone is grateful to AC Milan but claims he was sold by his former club because there is a preference for Italian teams to field foreign players.

The one-cap Italy international ended his 12-year association with boyhood club Milan in July after taking up Wolves offer of a four-year deal.

He came through the Rossoneri s youth ranks and scored 18 goals in all competitions in an impressive breakthrough campaign in 2017-18, but the 21-year-old was less prolific last term and was moved on for a reported €22million during the close season.

Portuguese forward Rafael Leao, 20, was brought in as a replacement and Cutrone believes that move as well as Moise Kean s switch from Juventus to Everton is indicative of the way teams operate in Serie A.

3 Patr…

Wayne Rooney is close to an agreement with Birmingham to become their new manager.

Talks are progressing well and there is no expectation of any hold-ups, the PA news agency understands.

The former England skipper will replace John Eustace at St Andrew’s after leaving DC United last week.

Rooney, who was Derby boss between November 2020 and June 2022, is expected to be joined by Ashley Cole and John O’Shea as part of his backroom staff.

US-based Shelby Companies Limited completed a takeover of Birmingham in July and owner Tom Wagner has been reportedly seeking to make a change of management, with Rooney’s name linked with the club in September.

In August seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady became a minority owner in the club.

Bi…

Naby Keita has been ruled out of Saturday s Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool, but Thiago Alcantara and Sadio Mane are set to be involved.

Liverpool midfielder Keita has a fitness issue but Thiago and Mane, who both tested positive for coronavirus prior to the international break, have given manager Jurgen Klopp a boost ahead of the match at Goodison Park.

The Premier League champions are looking to bounce back from their humbling 7-2 loss to Aston Villa last time out, while their local rivals are top of the table with maximum points from four games.

Naby will not be ready, said Klopp.  Long-term of course, Oxlade-Chamberlain is not ready – but apart from that they all came back healthy from the internationals.

On Thiago and Mane recover…

Jose Mourinho has ruled out a move for Zlatan Ibrahimovic because he has the best striker in England at his disposal in Harry Kane.

Ibrahimovic has been linked with a move to the north London club after Mourinho was swiftly announced as Mauricio Pochettino s replacement last week.

The pair briefly worked together at Inter during the 2008-09 season before linking up again at Manchester United in 2016.

Speaking ahead of his first Champions League game in charge of Spurs against Olympiacos on Tuesday, Mourinho poured cold water on suggestions he could swoop for the 38-year-old free agent.

Drop the shoulder,  

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)

I have more than a connection [with Ibrahimovic], he said. He s an amazing player, amazing…

Barcelona would not attempt to match the offers that Lionel Messi may receive from rival clubs, presidential candidate Joan Laporta has declared. 

Laporta was previously president from 2003 to 2010, overseeing the early years of Messi s career at Camp Nou, and is now seeking a further term at the helm. 

The Catalan giants were plunged into a financial crisis by the coronavirus pandemic and it has meant pay levels have been closely examined, re-thought and restructured. 

Messi is the club s top earner, but as he approaches the end of his contract, which expires in 2021, there are doubts over whether he will renew. 

The club s all-time record scorer wanted to leave before the 2020-21 season and may again tell Barcelona he intends to depart, although…