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Glasgow Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst may feel that the break for the 2022 World Cup has come at a perfect time for the club.

The Light Blues have a lengthy injury list, with nine players on the sidelines, and this spell away from competitive action could be a blessing if a number of them are back after the international tournament.

23-cap Wales international Tom Lawrence is currently out with a knee injury and is not in his country’s squad in Qatar.

That has left Borna Barisic as the only representative from the current Gers side in the competition.

How well do you know the current and former Rangers players who have been in a squad at a World Cup for their respective countries?

Try this quiz and see if you can guess every player correctly based on their career path…

While West Bromwich Albion are currently benefitting from the new teachings of Carlos Corberan, the Midlands outfit have been quite temperamental when it has come to incomings and outgoings across the past few years.

There have been some impressive figures who graced the Hawthorns through shrewd enough business, but whether it be a lack of pull or a lack of foresight, these have only been fleeting.

However, arguably the most notable blunder of all was their failure to push for Arsenal’s Serge Gnabry after Tony Pulis infamously branded him as not good enough for the Baggies.

His exact quotes from 2015 were:

“Serge has come here to play games but he just hasn’t been for me, at the moment, at that level to play the games. 

“He’s come from academy football and not played much league football — does academy football really prepare players for league football? And we’re talking about Premier League football here.

“As a manager, you pick a team that’s going to win a game of football. You pick your best team.”

The German featured just three times whilst on loan under Pulis before returning to the Emirates in 2016, where he was eventually sold to Werder Bremen.

It was here where he would begin the revival of his career, proving so many people wrong as he earned his move to Bayern Munich, where he now boasts 74 goals and 49 assists across 194 matches.

The 27-year-old has become an integral cog in the German giants’ side, starring on either flank with his blistering speed, quick feet and lethal finish.

This form has since been translated into international football too, where he boasts 20 goals in just 38 caps and has featured heavily at this current World Cup.

Having impressed in his opening game against Japan despite their loss, Gnabry suffered a quieter game as they kept their hopes of qualification alive with a late equaliser against Spain.

This has levelled out to a 6.75 average Sofascore rating, where he proves himself to be a constant threat no matter the opposition.

As well as recording 4 shots, 1 key passes and 1 big chances created per game (via Sofascore), the wide man is not afraid of offering some defensive cover too despite his incredible talent.

He has also averaged 1.5 tackles and 1.0 clearances per game too.

However, what is arguably most impressive is his 100% dribble success rate, which has been something he has excelled at throughout his career.

To watch Gnabry’s meteoric rise that started in the Midlands is a frustrating sight for all those involved in the deal, as he was clearly out of favour in north London.

They were handed the perfect opportunity to mould their own global superstar but passed it up on Pulis’ recommendation.

It stands as one of the worst takes in recent history, as his performances in Qatar only exacerbate just how wrong he was.

Sunderland have been linked with Grimsby Town defender Anthony Glennon in recent months and the young defender could be the next Luke O’Nien in Tony Mowbray’s side.

It was reported in November by Football Insider that Sunderland, along with Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City, were all keen on signing the former Burnley man in the January transfer window.

The Black Cats have been making ‘regular checks’ on the ex-Liverpool academy graduate ahead of the mid-season transfer window and could look to make an early swoop for his signature as he continues to impress for the Mariners in League Two.

Glennon is ranked as the second-best performer for Grimsby in the fourth tier so far this campaign after averaging a strong 6.98 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

For context, only Ross Stewart and Jack Clarke have averaged higher from Sunderland’s squad this season, which emphasises just how impressive Glennon has been.

The 23-year-old mainly operates as a left-back in Paul Hurst’s side but has shown his attacking qualities on a regular basis this term, as no player in Grimsby’s squad has averaged more crosses or key passes per game.

Burnley under-23 boss Steve Stone was full of praise for Glennon in 2019 as he impressed in a number of positions for the Clarets’ youth team. He said:

“He is exceptional wherever he plays. He is exceptional in terms of how he drives and leads this team because he is captain of this team now.

“He drives it from centre half, he is not a big centre half and he has been unbelievable alongside Bobby Thomas and I keep saying to people how brilliant he has been.

“It is the same name that comes out and I think everyone else says the same thing.

“Then to push him to left back and be as good as he was again after not playing there for months is a testament to what he is about.”

Versatility is a hugely valuable asset for a player to have in modern football, as O’Nien has shown during his time at the Stadium of Light, as he has featured as a defensive midfielder, centre-back and right-back on a regular basis.

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Therefore, if Glennon does complete a move to the Black Cats in January, there seems no reason why the versatile defender can’t emulate the 28-year-old at Sunderland and become another Mackems’ fan favourite.

Everton made a £15m bid for Mohammed Kudus in the summer and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the club’s pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

According to De Telegraaf journalist Mike Verweij, Everton are set to battle Liverpool to secure the signature of the Ajax midfielder in the January transfer window.

Speaking on De Telegraaf’s Kick Off podcast, Verweij claimed:

“Everton was of course already concrete before and Kudus was very angry that it didn’t happen then.

“Ajax did not want to talk to Everton at the time, while you must have thought of a transfer fee of €30/40m. Now Liverpool is also concrete, according to English media.

“If two clubs from a country start bidding against each other, that’s already good, but two clubs from one city is of course quite nice.”

He’s been “on fire” in Qatar

There is no doubt that it would be a major coup if Everton could sign Kudus but now that they have competition it won’t be an easy battle with not only Liverpool, but many Premier League clubs who have taken an interest in the talented player.

According to 90min, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have also enquired about the player’s situation at his current club after his outstanding performances at the World Cup.

The Ghanaian star has been representing his nation in Qatar and has been a stand-out performer in the prestigious international tournament over his two appearances so far.

The 22-year-old has scored two goals and successfully completed 63% of his dribbles, as well as averaging two shots on goal, 1.5 tackles and winning 5.5 duels per game.

Nigerian international and Ajax centre-back Calvin Bassey has heaped praise on Kudus for his World Cup displays, hailing the midfielder a “star boy” in an interview:

“[Mohammed Kudus is a] star boy. He’s on fire.”

Everton are in desperate need of more creativity in their final third after scoring only 11 Premier League goals so far which is the second joint-fewest in the top flight, and the January transfer window is Frank Lampard’s biggest hope in saving their season.

With that being said, the powers at Goodison Park must do everything they can to fend off the outside interest in Kudus by delivering a much more tempting offer to the player.

New Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Julen Lopetegui will have some big decisions to make at Molineux after the World Cup if he wants to keep the Old Gold in the Premier League and it seems as if the Spaniard is set for a big call on Raul Jimenez.

According to the Mexican news outlet W Desportes, Jimenez could be close to returning to his former side America in Mexico and already has a ‘foot and a half’ out of Molineux.

Lopetegui will reportedly make the 31-year-old available for transfer in January as he looks to cash in on the struggling striker, with Matheus Cunha seemingly likely to arrive as his replacement.

The former Sevilla boss has already voiced his frustrations about Jimenez going to Qatar with Mexico, despite last featuring for the Old Gold in their stalemate with Bournemouth in August.

He said:

“It’s his decision, no problem. And I understand. But, of course, I told him my thoughts. He is not fit at this moment because he has been injured and he hasn’t played any minutes for two or three months. Two or three very important months.

“I understand, of course, that players want to go to the World Cup. I understand the country puts pressure on them to go. But, in the end, you have to be able to play well and you have to show this for your club team first.

“But he decided to go. Mexico decided to call him up. I want, when he comes back, for him to be fit for us. I am worried about that, of course, because Raul is an important player for us for sure.”

Since signing for Wolves in a £30m deal in 2019, the former Benfica man has gone on to make 150 appearances for the Old Gold, in which he has contributed 55 goals and 23 assists.

However, he has sadly never looked the same player after suffering a horrible fractured skull injury in 2020, with just ten goals in his last 47 Premier League appearances, which is far from good enough for a player who earns £100k-per-week at Molineux.

Given Wolves’ woes in front of goal so far this season, which has seen them manage just eight in the Premier League, it seems clear that they don’t currently have the quality required to stave off relegation to the Championship, and there is no time for sentiment from Lopetegui.

Jimenez was once considered a “world-class” forward – in the words of Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan – but his form in recent campaigns shows that he is a shadow of his former self, so Lopetegui is right to consider replacing him in January, especially after his disappointing decision to put his country ahead of his club by going to the World Cup.

Transfer expert Dean Jones has shared that Glasgow Rangers ‘plan to keep’ Glen Kamara in the January window, despite reports linking him with a move.

The Lowdown: Nantes interest

As per reports in France (via The Daily Record), Ligue 1 side Nantes have Kamara as their number one transfer target for the January window, and are prepared to pay up to £6m to sign the central midfielder.

However, Michael Beale has claimed that Kamara will be a ‘big player’ for the club moving forward, and was ‘hugely important’ for him during his first spell.

The Latest: Kamara staying put…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has shared that the Gers ‘plan to keep’ Kamara during the January window, and that he is a player ‘Beale really likes’:

“Rangers plan to keep Glen Kamara for now and aren’t actually expecting too much interest in him in January from what I’ve been told. Beale really likes him and would probably look to utilise him while he gets things settled.”

The Verdict: Worth keeping

Kamara is certainly worth keeping around as a squad player, and the fact that Beale has a good relationship with him should see the Finland international thrive under his management.

He has made eight appearances in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, and boasts one of the best passing accuracy rates (85.3%) in the squad (WhoScored), which coupled up with his team-high 91.1% pass accuracy from players who played at least one match in the last campaign, shows how important he is in terms of keeping possession and moving the ball around the pitch.

Nonetheless, Kamara is still just 27 years of age and about to enter his prime, which the Light Blues will surely not want to miss out on.

Premier League clubs have their eyes on Celtic winger Liel Abada, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. 

The Lowdown: Abada’s time at Celtic

Celtic signed the winger back in July 2021 from Maccabi Petah Tikva on a five-year deal worth a reported fee of £3.5m.

Since then, the Israel attacker has gone on to make 78 appearances for the Parkhead club across all competitions, the latest of which being in their recent 2-1 SPFL win over Livingston, where he assisted both goals.

With domestic football now on the go again following the World Cup in Qatar, the Celtic star has caught the attention of clubs in England.

The Latest: Romano’s Abada update

Josip Juranovic is expected to be the subject of heavy speculation over the coming weeks after his displays in Qatar with Croatia, and now Romano has revealed there is serious interest in Abada as well.

“Premier League clubs are following Liel Abada for the future. Talented winger born in 2001, has scored 24 goals and also provided 13 assists in 18 months. Celtic consider Abada as key player and they want to keep him at all costs, even if PL clubs are tracking him.”

The Verdict: Celtic must keep hold of Abada

As well as scoring seven goals and delivering four assists in his 17 league appearances this season, Abada has racked up more shots on target (19) than any other Celtic player, as well as having the highest percentage of shots on target (59.4%) at the club.

This highlights how much of a useful attacking figure he is for Celtic and presumably shows why some clubs in England have their eyes on him.

In our view, the Hoops should have no intention of allowing the winger to leave the club any time soon as his goals and assists have proved how much of an impressive player he is at still a fairly young age.

Moving forward, unless Abada tells the Celtic hierarchy he wants to leave, the board should be holding out for the foreseeable future as his current form will only see his price tag rise even further.

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their plans to bolster their options between the sticks…

What’s the talk?

According to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, the Light Blues are eyeing up a swoop to sign Everton shot-stopper Asmir Begovic at the end of the current campaign.

The former Stoke City man is out of contract in the summer of 2023 and the Gers could now swoop to sign the experienced colossus on a free transfer.

Crook tweeted:

“#EFC goalkeeper Asmir Begovic is a summer transfer target for #RangersFC.”

Beale can finally ditch McGregor

Teddy Bears boss Michael Beale can finally ditch current no.1 Allan McGregor by securing deal to sign Begovic, whether that comes in January or at the end of the season when his deal at Goodison Park expires.

The Scottish stopper’s form has declined in recent seasons and his worrying form indicates that the Gers could improve their team by replacing him in one of the next two transfer windows.

During the 2020/21 title-winning campaign, McGregor saved 85% of the shots on his goal and averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.20 across 27 appearances in the Premiership. He also only made one error leading to a shot or goal and these statistics show that he was sensational between the sticks as he saved the vast majority of the efforts against him and rarely made mistakes.

However, the veteran only saved 66% of the shots on his goal last season, averaging a rating of 6.76, and made four errors leading to shots or goals, whilst he has stopped 59%, averaging a score of 6.73, in the current term.

These statistics prove that the £13k-per-week liability has been on a massive decline over the past two years and that is why Rangers may be looking at a new shot-stopper to replace him.

Begovic, who was once dubbed as the “ultimate professional” by his former manager Eddie Howe, has been a backup for the Toffees since the start of last season but did catch the eye during his spell with Bournemouth in the Championship in 2020/21.

The Bosnian averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.99 and saved 73% of the shots on his goal across 45 appearances for the Cherries as he consistently delivered quality displays between the sticks.

He proved that he still has what it takes in the present as he showcased his quality in the Premier League this season with a Sofascore rating of 8.00 and a clean sheet against West Ham for Everton, saving all four of the efforts against him.

Begovic – who earns £43k-per-week in the English top-flight – also produced a brilliant display in the EFL Cup earlier this term as he earned himself a Sofascore rating of 8.2, by saving five out of five shots, in a 1-0 win over Fleetwood.

The 35-year-old’s statistics, albeit with limited game time in the last 18 months, indicate that he could be an upgrade on the struggling McGregor and that is why Beale must push for this deal to be done.

West Bromwich Albion have finally started to become somewhat active in the transfer rumour mill, following months of radio silence as they struggled under Steve Bruce.

With Carlos Corberan masterminding the turnaround, the Spaniard led them on a triumphant run of five straight victories before Coventry City halted them.

Regardless, the early signs of his fresh reign are positive, and now he seems poised to bolster an already impressive squad in the coming window.

One such new recruit could be a sparkling loanee from a Premier League club, with Lamare Bogarde of Aston Villa having been touted earlier this month.

The defender has featured just once for his club’s first team, but at just 18 years old the sky really is the limit for the teenage sensation.

It could be seen as an ideal alternative should they lose out in their pursuit of Ryan Porteous, given that the Hibernian centre-back has garnered widespread interest ever since he refused contract discussions.

Whilst it may only be a temporary fix, it could offer a financially freeing deal to allow Corberan to solve this issue in the summer or one of the windows following even that.

Whilst the 23-year-old is clearly the more experienced defender and is enjoying a fine season outlined in his 7.30 average rating, Villa’s Dutch goliath has earned rave reviews despite limited senior action.

Dubbed a “Rolls-Royce” by expert scout Xander, who continued to label him “calm and smooth”, he clearly boasts the technical attributes to succeed at the first team level.

This was supplemented by journalists Gregg Evans’ claim, as he reported for The Athletic: “The youngster is calm and composed in possession and likes to play out from the back.”

However, his defensive contribution cannot be overlooked either. In his one game playing in the Football League Trophy this season, he recorded a comfortable three clearances.

Whilst this may be his first foray into first-team life, it could be the beginning of a magnificent career that truly starts at the Hawthorns.

It may not be a like-for-like replacement, but Bogarde can certainly deputise as a capable alternative to Porteous.

Newcastle United are unlikely to bring Cristiano Ronaldo in on a loan deal in the future following his recent move to Saudi Arabia, according to Luke Edwards.

What’s the latest?

The Portuguese superstar left Manchester United in the latter stages of 2022 having found game time become few and far between under Erik ten Hag. He has since made the move to the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr where he is believed to be earning around £200m per year.

However, with this move to the Middle East, rumours of a potential loan deal being available to return to the Premier League with a possible move to St. James’ Park mooted if Newcastle are to qualify for the Champions League.

But reliable journalist Luke Edwards has now suggested this is not the case having checked the story out with his sources.

Speaking on the BBC Transfer Gossip Daily podcast, he said: “Newcastle, I don’t see it. I’ve checked this out with sources at Newcastle and it’s not beyond the realms of possibility because Newcastle United are owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia Football Club, this stuff can happen. But I think the brutal thing is, I don’t think Eddie Howe would want him.”

Not for Howe

Eddie Howe has begun to build something rather special on Tyneside since his arrival in the latter stages of 2021 and he has done so without any real superstars.

Bruno Guimaraes has established himself as a real talent at St. James’ Park, however, he did not arrive as a mega-money signing from Lyon last January for around £37m.

And it appears as if, for now, Howe is content with not adding any huge egos to his side at risk of potentially disrupting the apple cart amid their relative success as they sit pretty up in third spot of the Premier League table.

In Ronaldo, Howe could add the Champions League’s record goalscorer with the 37-year-old scoring 140 goals in the elite European competition.

However, with Ronaldo, Howe would also be taking on a huge ego who certainly disrupted United during the recent break with his blockbuster interview with Piers Morgan on the behind-the-scenes issues he’s endured at Carrington.

And you do have to question how the Toon boss would handle a character like Ronaldo if the mooted move was pushed on Newcastle next season given the 45-year-old’s past.

Howe’s previous clubs managed consist of Bournemouth and Burnley meaning this stint on Tyneside is the first occasion in which he has managed players of potential Champions League calibre.

But Ronaldo would be at another level and you do have to question what effect he could have on this blossoming Newcastle side if he was to suddenly join if they are to earn themselves a spot in the Champions League.