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Rangers are now reportedly in ongoing talks to sign David Watson from Kilmarnock as early as the January transfer window, as they look to fend off competition from Scotland and the Championship.

The Gers are slowly but surely turning things around on the pitch, with new manager Danny Rohl aiming to make it four wins from four in the Scottish Premiership this weekend. And that progress must be matched off the pitch when the January transfer window arrives. It’s repeat or redemption for sporting director Kevin Thelwell, who has come under fire for his decisions in his first few months at Ibrox.

The former Everton man recently spoke about the club’s January plans, sharing that Rangers have given Rohl the chance to evaluate the players already at his disposal ahead of the winter window.

A number of names have already emerged as potential targets for the Gers ahead of 2026, too. According to recent reports, the Scottish giants have set their sights on signing Shea Charles from Southampton.

The former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder starred previously starred on loan under Rohl and could now reunite with the manager at Rangers. But he’s not the only name on their list of targets. Reports have also name-dropped Watson in recent weeks and it now looks as though Rangers’ move is advancing.

Rangers now in talks to sign Watson

As reported by TeamTalk, Rangers are now in ongoing talks to sign Watson from Kilmarnock in the January transfer window. The 20-year-old is out of contract next summer, but the Gers could fend off competition from the Championship and Scotland by securing his signature for a cut-price this winter.

Rohl is also reportedly a big fan of the young midfielder and believes that his energy, tenacity and technical ability would improve his current Rangers side when 2026 arrives.

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The praise that Watson has received during his time at Kilmarnock only backs up the verdict that he’s one of the best young talents that Scottish football has to offer. His teammate, Robbie Deas, told reporters: “Davey’s fantastic, honestly. He’s one of the hardest workers you’ll ever meet. He’s absolutely fantastic. You see that today, and he’s putting those tackles in later on.

“Davey’s got all the ability to go to the top, and I’ve no doubt he does, but I’m glad he’s here and he’s playing for us week in, week out, because I would hate to play against him.”

Much of Rangers’ focus was on Championship talent in the summer, but in Watson they would have someone who knows exactly what it takes to thrive in the Scottish Premiership.

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Double World Cup-winning allrounder signs off from 15-year international career

Alan Gardner29-Sep-2025Chris Woakes, the England allrounder, has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing down the curtain on a 14-year career representing his country across all three formats.Woakes, 36, was omitted from England’s Ashes squad last week after a battle to regain fitness following a shoulder dislocation suffered in the fifth Test against India at the end of July. Rob Key, England Men’s managing director, said afterwards that Woakes “isn’t in our plans… at all” and he has now decided to call time, posting a statement on Instagram.It means his final act in an England shirt – after 62 Tests, 122 ODIs and 33 T20Is – was walking out to bat at No. 11 in the Oval Test against India with his arm in a sling, in a vain attempt to help secure a series-sealing victory on the fifth day.Related

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“The moment has come, and I’ve decided that the time is right for me to retire from international cricket,” he said.”Playing for England was something I aspired to do since I was a kid dreaming in the back garden, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have lived out those dreams. Representing England, wearing the Three Lions and sharing the field with team-mates over the last 15 years, many of whom have become lifelong friends, are things I’ll look back on with the greatest pride.”Making my debut in 2011 in Australia seems like yesterday, but time flies when you’re having fun. Lifting two World Cups and being part of some amazing Ashes series is something I never thought was possible, and those memories and celebrations with my team-mates will stay with me forever.”To my Mum and Dad, my wife Amie and our girls Laila and Evie, thank you for your unwavering love, support and sacrifices over the years. None of this would have been possible without you.”To the fans, especially the Barmy Army, thank you for the passion, the cheers and the belief. To my coaches, team-mates and everyone behind the scenes both with England and Warwickshire, who helped me play for my country – your guidance and friendship has meant the world.”I look forward to continuing to play county cricket and exploring more franchise opportunities in the near future.”Chris Woakes was part of England’s World Cup wins in 2019 and 2022•IDI via Getty Images

A double World Cup-winner, Woakes was England’s Player of the Series during the 2023 Ashes, returning to the side midway through the series to help orchestrate a draw from 2-0 down. However, his involvement on the 2025-26 tour was put into doubt the moment he walked off clutching his shoulder on day one at The Oval.In all, he took 396 wickets across formats for England, putting him eighth on the list. His most enduring contribution was in ODIs, where he led the attack that won the 2019 World Cup, and eventually finished with 173 wickets at 30.01, the fifth-most by an Englishman.Woakes made his debut as far back as the 2010-11 tour of Australia, playing in two T20Is and three ODIs. In his second ODI appearance, at Brisbane, he picked up the Player of the Match award after taking 6 for 45 – at the time the second-best figures for England Men in the format.His Test debut came at the scene of his final appearance, at The Oval in the 2013 Ashes, but he spent much of his career waiting for opportunities in the pecking order behind James Anderson and Stuart Broad (though Woakes would end with a better average than both in English conditions).A breakthrough came in the summer of 2016, when he claimed 34 wickets at 17.20 in six Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. He scored his only Test hundred two years later, against India at Lord’s, by which time he was the senior new-ball bowler in the ODI side.Woakes was often behind James Anderson and Stuart Broad in England’s pecking order•Getty Images

With 16 wickets at 27.87 – including a brilliant analysis of 3 for 20 against Australia in the semi-final – he was one of the key cogs in England’s 2019 World Cup win. Two years later, his skills with the white ball won him a return to the T20I side, and he went on to help England lift another World Cup in Australia in 2022.Latterly, following the retirements of Broad and Anderson, Woakes led the line in the Test side, with 2024 (32 wickets at 24.09) proving his second-most prolific calendar year with the ball. However, he struggled for penetration against India this summer, with 11 wickets in five Tests before slipping while attempting to field the ball on the boundary and being ruled out of the rest of the decider – at least until his dramatic reappearance, arm strapped up under his jumper, ready to bat left-handed if required.ECB chair, Richard Thompson, said: “The images of Chris walking out to bat with his arm in a sling to try and win a Test match this summer reflected how much he cared about playing for his country and being the best team-mate he could be.”He has been a gentleman off the field, with the skills and fierce determination to win on it, regularly rising to the occasion on the biggest stage with bat as well as ball. There are so many special memories, from brilliance with the new ball in the 2019 World Cup and winning the T20 World Cup in 2022 to his series-changing impact in the 2023 Men’s Ashes which earned him the player of the series honour.”We are indebted to have players like Chris represent England and I want to thank and congratulate him for everything he has done in an England shirt for the past 14 years.”Key added: “Chris Woakes is one of the finest people to have played the game. An extraordinary career carved out alongside two of England’s greatest ever bowlers. A man who helped every team he played in, even before he walked onto the field.”

He rescues visitors from 87 for 4 in their second innings before rain ensures a draw at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Sep-2025Brooke Guest’s unbeaten half-century steered Derbyshire to safety against Middlesex and kept their promotion hopes alive ahead of next week’s vital Rothesay County Championship meeting with Glamorgan.Guest finished on 65 at Lord’s, having added 66 with Martin Andersson (31 not out) after third-placed Derbyshire had slumped to 87 for 4 in their second innings, an advantage of just 72 over their hosts.An afternoon downpour brought the contest to a premature close and left Derbyshire 27 points adrift of second-placed Glamorgan, who they host in the penultimate round of Division Two fixtures.Middlesex, a further three points behind Derbyshire, still retain a slim chance of promotion following the draw, which was also enough to confirm Leicestershire’s elevation to the top flight after 22 years.The home side’s hopes of forcing a victory were boosted after the opening four overs of the day, in which they captured two wickets to leave Derbyshire three down with a slender lead of 31.Luis Reece added just five to his overnight 17 before he was given out lbw to a Ryan Higgins delivery that zoomed some way back down the slope and Wayne Madsen soon followed in similar fashion to Toby Roland-Jones.Guest rode his luck at the start of his innings, with two inside edges off Higgins (2 for 49) that zipped just past the stumps and rolled to the rope, as well as surviving a persuasive lbw appeal by Olly Stone to a ball that kept low.The England pace bowler, in the first of a two-match loan from Nottinghamshire, was unlucky not to gain greater reward for an impressive pre-lunch spell, although he did remove Harry Came with a beauty that cannoned in to send middle stump flying.Having given away just six runs in his first eight overs, Stone conceded the same from one short-pitched delivery after the interval as Andersson pulled him into the Mound Stand to stretch Derbyshire’s lead to three figures.A brief rain stoppage with Guest on 47 could not derail the Derbyshire wicketkeeper, who punched Stone through the covers for four to complete a fifth half-century of the campaign soon after play resumed.Although Guest got away with a mistimed pull off Higgins that looped up and fell to safety, his work was already done and the dark clouds menacing the ground duly unloaded an hour into the afternoon session to confirm a stalemate.

Daniel Farke and the Premier League is never a happy marriage and he already now needs to find a way of saving his skin as Leeds United manager across his side’s upcoming games in November.

Indeed, the Whites were resoundingly beaten 3-0 away at Brighton and Hove Albion over the weekend, as ex-Elland Road star Georginio Rutter came back to haunt the West Yorkshire giants, the day after Halloween.

Next up for Leeds is a huge clash away at Nottingham Forest, which feels like a must-win game, not only so the Whites don’t get dragged further into the early relegation fight, but also so Farke can try to survive another day in the dug-out.

After all, Wolverhampton Wanderers have now just dismissed Vitor Pereira, as fixtures become more and more pressurised for managers all across the bumpy division.

Farke will know he has some decisions to make regarding who he starts down either flank for this crucial tie at the City Ground, with both areas of the pitch becoming a problem for the German in recent weeks.

Leeds' winger issues

Coming up to the Premier League, Leeds had a very frightening attack to try and keep their hands on.

Manor Solomon, in particular, stood out for his gung-ho displays down the left wing for Farke’s title-winners, with a stunning ten goals and 13 assists falling into his lap from 41 Leeds outings.

Thankfully, £18m summer recruit Noah Okafor has shown signs of his brilliance as a Solomon-style replacement, with two goals already next to his name in the Premier League, despite his new side’s overall up-and-down form. That said, they did have to rely on the underperforming Jack Harrison when the Swiss missed a period through injury.

It’s more on the right channel where Farke will feel less at ease, as both Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto – who are EFL superstars in their own right – have failed to maintain fitness so far this season, leading to the German having to shoehorn Brenden Aaronson into a right wing spot regularly.

The heavily scapegoated American did put in a sublime showing on the right channel against West Ham United, as his early goal set Leeds on their way to a 2-1 home victory.

But, that is Aaronson’s only goal contribution in Leeds white from this position on the pitch, with the other ten strikes he has put away for Farke and Co in the past all coming from a more central viewpoint.

Subsequently, the former Norwich City manager might well feel he needs more reinforcements in this spot, particularly with Gnonto also being linked with a January move away from West Yorkshire.

Leeds could sign "special" £23m Gnonto replacement

Leeds showed in the summer that they are willing to splash the cash, with £98m forked out on the likes of Okafor and many more talents.

£23m could soon be added to that spending amount, if Ismael Saibari’s Transfermarkt valuation is anything to go by, with a recent report from the Boot Room linking the Premier League newcomers to the on-fire Moroccan attacker.

At the close of October, the site speculated that a whole host of top-flight outfits were taking a look at the blistering PSV Eindhoven forward, with Aston Villa, Everton, and West Ham named as onlookers, alongside the West Yorkshire side.

Leeds are desperately in need of some additional firepower, and while Saibari has regularly lined up as a central option for PSV, whether that be as a number ten or as a traditional midfielder, he can also cut it as a right or left winger.

His immense goal and assist record in the Netherlands to date will no doubt be further music to the ears of an under-pressure Farke.

After advancing up the youth system in Eindhoven, Saibari has never looked back since entering the first-team fold.

He has a stunning 24 goals and 17 assists from just 77 games in the Dutch top-flight. Staggeringly, eight of those strikes have come just this season, leading to his current manager in Peter Bosz, hailing him as a “special” asset to possess.

With further Champions League pedigree under his belt – which has led to Saibari collecting ten goals from 15 games this season – Leeds could really show they mean business by landing the red-hot 24-year-old’s services this January, as they attempt a revamp of some of their attacking spots shortly.

With Farke further set on what the makeup of his central midfield options looks like, with no number 10 position in fill in his current formation choice, either, Saibari could well be handed one of the wing roles on his potential arrival at Elland Road, as Leeds perhaps puts their money where their mouth is to ensure an immediate return to the Championship is pushed to one side.

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