Brighton 'offer' Rushworth new deal amid Rangers interest
While The Athletic claims that Rangers are 'keen' on Rushworth, along with clubs in the English Championship, it is said that Brighton have offered him a new deal.
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His future is 'clouded by uncertainty', with the 24-year-old having not made a senior appearance for the Premier League club since joining them from Halifax Town in 2019.
Rushworth has spent three and a half of the past four seasons on loan at Walsall, Lincoln City, Swansea City and Hull City, racking up over 100 senior appearances. He has also played once for England's under-21s.
The keeper's current deal at the AMEX runs until the summer of 2027, yet it remains to be seen where he'll be plying his trade next season.
Rangers have already signed six players this summer. Nasser Djiga became the latest arrival on Wednesday, following on from Lyall Cameron, Max Aarons, Joe Rothwell, Thelo Aasgaard, and Emmanuel Fernandez.
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Scottish Sun
17 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Inside Viktor Gyokeres' rollercoaster career as former team-mates and bosses tell Arsenal fans what to expect
GYO BACK IN TIME Inside Viktor Gyokeres' rollercoaster career as former team-mates and bosses tell Arsenal fans what to expect VIKTOR GYOKERES is the man Arsenal hope will lead them to the title following his sensational move back to England from Sporting Lisbon. The Swedish striker, 27, has had a roller-coaster career already so far. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 11 Those who know Viktor Gyokeres best have had their say on the in-demand striker Credit: AFP 11 Gyokeres is rumoured to have split with girlfriend Ines Aguiar to give himself a completely fresh start in England Credit: X SunSport has spoken to coaches, managers and players who have seen Gyokeres incredible rise to the top. But do the words of those who know him best paint a picture of someone who can fire Arsenal to their first Premier League title since 2003-04? IFK ASPUDDEN-TELLUS: 2004-2014 Bjorn Thuresson is chairman of the youth club where Gyokeres started age five until he was 16... "We are a lovely, local club and attract players from the area. We do not own our pitches and we do not have any employees. READ MORE SPORT STORIES BOAT OF BOTHER Harry Redknapp left stunned after 50ft boat crashes into garden of mansion "Viktor's father, Stefan, was also his team's trainer the time he was with us. He had good players with him but Viktor the best of the lot. When he turned 16, he moved to IF Brommapojkarna. "We are lucky because we have received solidarity payments. Fifa uses a thing called Clearing House to ensure training clubs receive compensation when young players are transferred to new clubs. "It's for players aged between 12 and 20 so that relates to Viktor's time with us. "We got a little when he went to Brighton and a little more when he went to Coventry. And now we could get a little more. A lot more, actually. So far, we have got over €200,000 (£173,000). CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "We did not get paid by Brighton or Coventry but we got the money from Fifa. "You see a massive spread sheet and see who gets what. We get roughly one per cent of a transfer fee so if Viktor's transfer fee to Arsenal is the sum we are reading, then it will be a lot (about £800,000). Why Mikel Arteta must deliver best team in London a trophy | Arsenal Exposed "In the past, we have used the money to invest in more equipment and send the players to more camps. It is quite incredible. "Viktor has not visited us since he left but when some of our players go to the national team at youth level, and he sees which club they are from, he goes up to them and says hello. "We are all proud of him." IF BROMMAPOJKARNA: 2014-2017 Peter Kisfaludy was one of his youth coaches before he broke into the first team... "The first time I met Viktor was when he was 11 and we took him to a tournament in Finland on loan from his youth club Aspudden-Tellus. Then, he joined the club at 16. "At 13, he started at a school where I coach in the mornings before the first lessons. I have also coached Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall there. "Viktor was a late bloomer but he has the same goalscoring style he has now and was always like a tank running with a ball. You could also say he is like the Swedish Orient Express. "He has always been a winner. For a long time, his girlfriend was the footballer Amanda Nilden who plays for Spurs. "They went on holiday to Spain and she is really good at table tennis. They also had a game of tennis and she won so they did not speak for two days. "They are both really bad losers. 11 Gyokeres used to date now-Tottenham star Amanda Nilde Credit: @bpfotboll 11 Viktor Gyokeres started his senior career at IF Brommapojkarna Credit: Instagram @viktorgyokeres "It has been so nice to see him progress and he has not changed. This year, I was in Portugal scouting players when there was a massive power outage - along with Spain - and there was no electricity in either country. "The restaurant would not make us food and I could not buy a bottle of water as I also had no cash and the card machines were not working. "I called Vik and he said 'come to me'. I drove 30 minutes and he gave me lunch and gave me 100 Euros to spend in case the card machines were still not working. "I have no doubt he will score many goals for Arsenal. If he scores twice, he will not be happy until he gets a third." ARSENAL TRANSFER NEWS LIVE: All the latest rumours from the Emirates 11 Gyokeres' old Brighton boss Chris Hughton didn't believe him to be a natural finisher Credit: Getty BRIGHTON: 2018-2021 Former manager Chris Hughton... "When he was at Brighton, he wasn't somebody that I thought was a natural finisher. He wasn't the type that you think will have one or two chances and he'll put one of them away. But you knew he would always get chances. "You knew he would because he always put himself in a position to get them. "If you asked me then, would I see him as a player that would play at one of the top clubs in the Premier League, then I would have to say probably no, more than yes. "When he went to Coventry, that would have been a decision by the club where they asked themselves if they saw that he was going to be a regular in the first team. Was the development process going to take longer than what they were prepared to wait for? "I watched him quite a few times when he was at Coventry. I was surprised that nobody took him, I must admit. "We all know the bigger Premier League clubs want ready-made players. But certainly, I thought perhaps a club that had come up from the Championship into the Premier League or that group of Premier League clubs that are still fighting for survival might have taken him. "What he's achieved is very much down to him. Going to Coventry and really developing his game, and then even more so abroad. "He was a bright lad. Probably because of where he came from, his English was very good, which I think helped. He was a very mature lad, for a young one. He was a confident lad. I think he had a strong belief in his own abilities. "If you're a No9 going to Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, one thing you know is you're going to get lots of chances. I don't think it will faze him." 11 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW 11 Gyokeres impressed St Pauli chiefs as he arrived on loan from Brighton Credit: Getty ST PAULI (loan): 2019-20 Former assistant manager Andre Trulsen... "I had not heard of Viktor when we signed him on loan from Brighton. We were a Bundesliga 2 club. "But he came and joined us at St Pauli and I was very impressed. He was very physical and also knew how to use his attributes. He was eager to get better and worked hard to get more minutes during games. "Before the winter break, he worked really hard to adjust to German football and to play in our system. His efforts paid off and he played more for us in the second half of the season. "Viktor definitely played a part in us avoiding relegation and he gave everything. I could see his potential but as if often the case in football, you could not be sure he would be so successful. "On more than one occasion, we had to tell him to leave the training pitch because he never wanted to stop trying to get better. "I am sure his decision to come to Hamburg and play for St Pauli was helpful for his next step and I am so pleased he has done well in Portugal "Hopefully, he can be a big player for Arsenal and can help them to success." 11 Gyokeres struggled at Swansea but team-mates knew he could be the next Harry Kane Credit: Getty SWANSEA: Oct 2020 - Jan 2021 Former defender Ryan Bennett... "There are big similarities for me between Viktor and Harry Kane. "Viktor did not make many starts for us and was not at Swansea long and he was a bit sluggish although he did have a good mentality and was determined to succeed. "When I was at Norwich, Harry came to us on loan and did not play much so went back to Spurs. Later on, when I played against Spurs and Harry was in the team, it was like defending against a different player. "It was the same with Viktor after he left Swansea. I played against him after he had moved to Coventry and his power had developed, his mindset was different and he was more aggressive. Like Harry, he has turned into a really top player. "Viktor was a nice guy but struggled in Swansea and he could not drive although lived near me and sometimes I drove him to training. "I think it was also tough for him as his girlfriend at the time was a player and they had different schedules." 11 Gyokeres was adored by Coventry fans and team-mates alike Credit: Alamy COVENTRY: January 2021 - July 23 Former manager Mark Robins... "He is a brilliant lad. Good fun. Players loved him. Supporters loved him. "He has such a dry sense of humour. He would sing in the dressing room at that point. We used to sing Sweet Caroline after every victory, regardless. "He was almost robotic. He's metronomic with his timing, with his tempo, with everything that he did. That, in a nutshell, was why he did so well in that relatively short space of time and again, why he's gone on to do other things. "When we first took him on loan in January 2021, he hadn't played for four or five months. But he came in and expected to start the first 10 games but there was no way on this planet that he was in a position to do that. So he needed to be patient. "That's the thing with Vik, he's really focused, driven and in a rush. I remember against Charlton, in an Under-21s game, and he scored two goals and they were incredible. He showed power and pace. "I asked him at the end of that game, 'You ready?' He started to contribute more and started to look more like a player. "Towards the end of the season, you could see his trajectory was starting to go up. Then you could see he'd be a really good catch for the following season. "There was a lot of work that I did during the summer to convince him to come permanently. "He just went on to have two really good seasons. The second season, we just missed out on promotion, unfortunately. That was the only way we were going to keep him. And even then, we may have lost him. "Sporting was a really good move. They had been interested for a long time. "I think that move was already preordained and the decision was made. "He's become one of the most talked-about strikers in Europe over the last 18 months but he deserves everything he gets because of his focus. "At Arsenal, it will be really interesting to see where he goes and what he does." 11 Gyokeres formed a prolific strike partnership with Matt Godden, right Credit: Getty Matt Godden was his strike partner at Coventry... "When he first came in, it was from January onwards, they signed him on loan from Brighton and he struggled a little bit. "But then we signed him permanently that summer because obviously the coaching staff saw something, saw some potential in him. "He came back that summer looking a completely different animal. It looked as though he had just gone away and smashed the gym. He came back an absolute animal and hit the ground running. "From then, we spent two years playing together and scored quite a few goals between us. "Then, he was adamant he was going to get us to the Premier League with his goals but unfortunately we lost on penalties to Luton. "There's a brilliant picture of me and him against Luton (Sep 2022) at Kenilworth Road after he had scored and I've got him by the throat and the emotions are just so high. We were both so determined after a poor result away at Norwich. "The story behind the picture is that there was all this stuff flying around that me and him didn't get along and we were both left out of the starting XI at Norwich, which was rare. "The gaffer left us both out and I remember my wife ringing me on the way home saying 'there's all this stuff flying around social media saying you and Vik have had a fight and you're not getting on'. "Vik was actually in the passenger seat of my car that day when she rang, I was giving him a lift to the airport and I said to my wife, 'Don't believe everything you read because he's sat next to me in the car! Nothing's gone on.' "And the following game we played Luton needing a result because we were struggling. We went 1-0 down and he scored a great goal after showing unbelievable pace. I've got a picture of it where I've got him by the throat. It was just pure emotion. "I play at Charlton now with Luton boys who beat us in the play-off final. "And every one of them say he's the best all-round Championship striker they'd seen or played against. "Sporting was a really clever move for him. He didn't want to go to a Premier League side that was going to struggle or a team that had been relegated into the Championship. "If you're putting chances on his plate and playing to his strengths, he's going to have a real impact, and he's done it in the Champions League so is proven at the top level. "There's no reason why he can't do well in the Premier League for Arsenal."
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
The Scottish football teamsheet that might be worth a pretty penny after historic night
Dundee United's foreigner first in Europe is a far cry from the 1980s Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... At a boom time for football memorabilia, what price the slightly crumpled bit of paper lying on the desk in front of me? The Rangers jersey worn by Tommy McLean in the 1972 European Cup-Winners' Cup final recently set a new record for a Scottish football shirt when it sold for £19,000. I'm thinking I should keep hold of my teamsheet from the first leg of Dundee United's Conference League second qualifying round tie against FC UNA Strassen. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It is most definitely a collector's item and now I am kicking myself for having spoiled it. Next to each United player's name, I have scribbled the country for whom they are eligible to play international football. Not once did I have to write 'Scotland', which is why the teamsheet, albeit slightly defaced (my bad), could merit a place in a Scottish football museum in time. Not one Scot featured in the starting XI for Dundee United against UNA Strassen. | SNS Group As you'll be aware by now, for the first time in Dundee United's proud history, a club that once provided five players for a Scotland World Cup squad and were regarded as the last word in developing young Scottish talent sent out a team without a single Scot in it on Thursday evening. I even heard it described as the saddest teamsheet in the club's history – Steve Clarke, the current Scotland manager, might well agree. It sparked plenty of comment across social media, understandably so, while calling to mind the wonderful photograph celebrating the achievement mentioned above when United players – namely Maurice Malpas, Eamonn Bannon, David Narey, Richard Gough and Paul Sturrock - made up roughly 22 per cent of the 1986 World Cup squad in Mexico. The picture in question has the quintet sitting team photo style and includes Walter Smith, who had just joined Rangers from the United coaching staff. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scotland's new breed This crop of talent – Bannon joined from Chelsea, the rest were home-grown and helped United claim their only Scottish league title in 1983 – was rivalled by a later wave including Duncan Ferguson, Christian Dailly and Ray McKinnon. The New Breed, they called themselves while testing Jim McLean's mettle. The current new breed is likewise young and ambitious. They just require a plane ticket. Manager Jim Goodwin flagged his intentions earlier this summer while observing that he'd had 'considerable success' while at Aberdeen and St Mirren when exploring foreign markets. He certainly hit the jackpot in the case of Bojan Miovski, who earned Aberdeen several million quid last year. All 11 United signings made so far this summer have been non-Scots. After skipper Ross Graham, perhaps the only native player assured of a starting berth, succumbed to an injury that could see him sidelined for up to three months, it was always likely United might line up the way they did on Thursday night at some point. The Scotland team line up before a match against Israel in 1986, including four Dundee Utd players: (L-R) Charlie Nicholas , Eamon Bannon , Graeme Sharp , David Narey , Richard Gough , Jim Bett , Paul McStay , Roy Aitken , Maurice Malpas , Jim Leighton and Willie Miller. | SNS Group 0141 221 3602 It felt particularly notable that they should do so in a European tie given United's successes of old, such as the night(s) they humbled Barcelona in 1987 with 11 Scots. It ought to be noted that when they beat the same side home and away 21 years earlier in the Fairs Cup, they did so with a team including a Norwegian and two Swedes. United were pioneers when it came to exploring the Scandinavian market. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It's also incumbent to note that two Scots did take the field on Thursday night in the shape of substitutes Craig Sibbald and Owen Stirton, the latter a more than promising product of the United Academy from far off Forfar. Still, I wondered as I passed Club '83 on St Salvador Street after Thursday's game whether United's first non-Scottish XI might be the main topic of discussion at the bar or would it be shrugged off as just what happens now. It's modern football, innit? Rangers' team of 2000 Not even so modern. After all, it's now over 25 years – March 2000 – since Rangers fielded a team without a Scot in it for the first time. Looking back at contemporary reports, this seemingly historic event barely rated a mention as the Ibrox side were held 0-0 at home by St Johnstone. Maybe, given Rangers had been accused of buying success since the Souness Revolution, it just felt like the logical next step. Celtic, meanwhile, were behind the curve. It was not until 8 September 2001 in a 3-1 win over Dunfermline that they emulated Rangers on this score with a team including the likes of Dmitri Kharine (Russia) and Olivier Tebily (Ivory Coast). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad One might imagine Tom Cairns, the Dundee United historian, having something to say on the seeming repudiation of the club's proud past and he does in a way. 'It's quite blunt,' he answers. 'The Dundee United Football Club of the last five years bears little resemblance to the club that I and many others grew up with.' He's long understood the past is another country. The now famous team sheet from Dundee United's Conference League against UNA Strassen | Alan Pattullo Remarkably, Cairns has only ever missed one home United European game – against Trabzonspor in 1997. He's seen them joust with giants on the European arena with a team full of Scots and he's now seen them beat a part-time side from Luxembourg 1-0 with a starting XI devoid of native talent. As a historian, did it feel momentous? 'No,' he replies, instantly dampening my excitement about the prospect of retiring with the proceeds from my teamsheet sale. 'It was mooted the other week that it must be very close to that happening. 'At the end of the day, it's like the new strip – do you like the strip or not? Well, I don't care about the strip. I just want to know there are good players inside it.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The finances don't add up It's a further sign of the way football is going, he explains: 'I am quite sure there are certain players they would like to have signed in Scotland but financially it's beyond them.' As Goodwin has stressed, abroad simply represents better value. Another reason we might just need to get used to vanishingly few Scots playing for our favourite teams is the recent phenomenon of highly rated players being sold to big English sides by clubs like Dundee United before they've barely had the chance to kick a ball for the first team, most recently Brandon Forbes.
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Ipswich spoil Aberdeen party as Jimmy Thelin's shake up after Scottish Cup glory becomes clear
The Dons slumped to a 3-1 defeat in front of the fans with the new season just days away Ipswich Town came up and spoiled Aberdeen's Scottish Cup homecoming. The Tractor Boys ploughed through Pittodrie, thanks to a double from Jaden Philogene and another from Scotland cap George Hirst. Jimmy Thelin 's cup winners started brilliantly but then the English Championship promotion pushers just had too much for them. Hirst and Sam Szmodic neatly combined to give Philogene a tap-in before the half-hour. They doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Dimitar Mitov pushed out a Szmodic shot and Hirst rammed in the rebound. Philogene netted a third in the second period when he too easily beat Mitov. Sub Peter Ambrose was an unlikely goal hero as he netted a consolation late on for Aberdeen. It leaves Thelin's Euro-bound squad with plenty to ponder before Monday's Premiership opener at Hearts, as he looks to improve on last season's fifth place finish. A new-look for the Scottish Cup winners It was the first Pittodrie outing since the Aberdeen lifted the Scottish Cup. The glow of that win still shines over the city. It was almost just over two months ago since Thelin had taken the trophy back to the Granite City for the first time in 35 years. It was a chance for the Red Army to come out and see their remaining heroes and those who Thelin had added over the course of the summer. The likes of Adil Aouchiche, Kusini Yengi, Nicolas Milanovic, Nick Suman, Alfie Dorrington and Kjartan Kjaransson. Old European foes This game was marked as a re-run of their legendary 1981-82 encounter in the UEFA Cup. The Dons drew 1-1 at Portman and Road then knocked Bobby Robson's side out 3-1 at Pittodrie thanks to a Peter Weir double and another from Gordon Strachan. This time it was nothing more than a glamour friendly. Both sides have very different ambitions away from a Battle of Britain. Ipswich are looking to get back into the English Premier League, while Aberdeen are fighting for third place in Scotland. Would Jimmy Thelin change tack? The Swede when it came to his formation was very one dimensional. It was 4-2-3-1 all season until he finally threw a curve ball in the Scottish Cup final. Would that encourage him to mix things up going into the new season. Yet last night it was back to the old safety blanket of 4-2-3-1, which many teams had learned to counteract last season. Will he show more flexibility or will he stick with what he knows? New faces Thelin has been relatively busy in the transfer window this summer. Kusini Yengi and Adil Aouchiche were the only two new boys who were handed starts. The big striker hardly got any service in this game and this certainly wasn't a game to judge him. On-loan Aouchiche played just behind him. He looked neat and tidy on the ball and could pose a real attacking threat. Winger Milanovic was another big-money buy and he came on for Shayden Morris at the interval. He also looks lively. It took him a few minutes to drive inside the box and fire across the face. He also had a shot blocked on the line that allowed Ambrose to follow up for his goal. Will Aberdeen be ready for Hearts? They and Celtic will be the last in the Premiership to kick a top-flight ball. They have lost their last two outings against Fulham and Ipswich but the argument will be that they are both likely to be better than most sides they will be facing domestically. Thelin is still trying to bed his new players in and it is unlikely they are going to repeat their sizzling start of last season. Traditionally, Aberdeen don't have a great record at Tynecastle. Hearts have also hit their strides under Derek McInnes so the Dons could have asked for much of a tougher challenge in the opening game.
