Cammy Devlin, Nicolas Raskin, Dan Neil and Connor Barron could all be vying for one defensive midfielder role [SNS]Cammy Devlin could not hide a wry smile when asked if he was confident of being a surefire starter for Rangers following his summer switch from last season's title rivals, Heart of Midlothian.As if the Australia 28-year-old did not know it before his return from the World Cup, his first couple of training sessions were a reminder of the plethora of players already competing for the central midfield berths with the Ibrox side.And media questions at his first public press conference also emphasised the number of players in his position still being linked with a possible summer transfer to the Scottish Premiership club.New manager Derek McInnes hopes to complete a couple more deals - not necessarily midfielders, though - before they start their season away to Dundee United in the top flight on Friday evening.So who are Devlin's rivals in the Ibrox engine room?McInnes teases Rangers signing within 48 hoursWho has your Premiership club brought in & let go this summer?Devlin opens up on 'too stressful' Hearts exit for RangersSurplus of defensive playmakers?Three of Rangers' seven summer signings - and none of their 11 departures - are central midfielders.Yet they already had six on their books - nine if you include three who were out on loan.Considering they are attacking midfielders, you can discount Thelo Aasgaard, who has just been to the World Cup with Norway, and Nedim Bajrami, who has failed to become a regular starter in his two years at Ibrox, as competition for the more defensively minded Devlin.Likewise, Jose Cifuentes, Lyall Cameron and 20-year-old Paul Nsio, considering they have returned from Toronto, Aberdeen and Raith Rovers, respectively, without having suggested they are ready to make the step up.Ivory Coast international Mohamed Diomande, whose form dipped in his second full season at Ibrox, is more a box-to-box man.Meanwhile, Nicolas Raskin has looked more effective pushing forward for Rangers despite preferring to play just in front of the defence.It was, though, in that latter role that the Belgium international received rave reviews at the World Cup, making it ever more likely that Rangers will look to cash in this summer on a player who has expressed his desire to move to a top-five league.Given Raskin's anticipated exit, it was no surprise McInnes would look to snap up Devlin, given the Australian was a key player in their title challenge together with Hearts - especially as he was available for free.However, Rangers have also added two more defensive midfielders - Dan Neil, who was out of contract with Sunderland, and Vanja Dragojevic, purchased from Partizan, where he was captain at the age of just 20.That is before considering two more defensive midfielders already on Rangers' books.Scotland cap Connor Barron must have been relishing the arrival of his former Aberdeen manager as he seeks more regular starts, while Tochi Chukwuani is still bedding in after his January arrival from Sturm Graz.Meanwhile, Rangers continue to be linked with a current Sturm Graz defensive midfielder, Ryan Fosso.At least Jens Hjerto-Dahl, for whom Rangers have reportedly had bids rejected by Tromso, is more attack minded.Devlin hails 'quality' of midfield rivalsSerbia's Vanja Dragojevic watched Sunday's friendly while waiting for a visa [SNS]No wonder Devlin insists he is taking nothing for granted despite his close relationship with McInnes."It is a massive challenge when you come to a club of this size with a history of winning," he said."Not that at Hearts I expected to play ever week - that definitely wasn't the case."There will definitely be challenges. There's a lot of great midfielders. "I've only just been here a couple of days training with the boys, but the quality in the squad, which I already knew because I played against them, is really high."Devlin was asked if he was surprised that Rangers continue to be linked with midfielders."It's normal to be linked with good players that are costing a lot of money," he said."If you come here and don't expect that, you're probably not in the right head space."Devlin had been offered a new contract to extend his five years at Tynecastle and had options elsewhere, including Major League Soccer.However, when McInnes moved to Ibrox, the same man who had been trying to persuade him to stay at Hearts was able to convince him to move along the M8 despite potentially greater competition for a starting place."I've never got anywhere in life without just fighting as hard as I can," Devlin said."It wasn't easy to get here. The same as the national team, it's hard to get there, but it's even harder to stay there."That's something I pride myself on - my hard work, treating every training session and every game like it might be my last."It was Devlin who anchored the midfield, with Diomande and Aasgaard in front in Rangers' final pre-season friendly - a goalless draw with West Ham United on Sunday.McInnes still seeking 'a bit of stardust'No matter who wins the battle for places, former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday questions whether his former club have so far improved that area of the pitch."Last season, there was a real lack of creativity from midfield," he told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound."They have 11 midfielders at the club right now and, for me, none of them can dictate a game."They are all very much in the same mould, dogged out of possession, tidy players, but none that can score goals or create chances."For that reason, Halliday expects McInnes to add to his midfield further."They still have so much business to do," he added."The manager has got characters in to improve the mentality and then they can sprinkle a bit of stardust with the next three or four signings."However, speaking after the Ibrox draw with West Ham, McInnes hinted it would be to a yet-to-be signed winger to whom he would look to provide extra ammunition for his strikers."The one area of the pitch we are really strong is through the middle of the park just now," he said."Nico will be back this week, but after so many games played and his World Cup exploits, we never planned for Nico to be back for Dundee United, but I've got good options in there and it's an area we are particularly strong." Visit our Rangers page for all the latest news, analysis and fan viewsGet Rangers news notifications in the BBC Sport app

Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty ImagesFIFA President Gianni Infantino has shared a strongly-worded message against critics of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Infantino and FIFA have come under heavy criticism over the controversies that plagued the 2026 FIFA World Cup, such as visa issues, outside forces influencing FIFAs decision-making, and officiating troubles.However, the FIFA President has slammed the critics focusing on these aspects over the larger collective good that the World Cup left behind.Gianni Infantinos 15-slide message to World Cup criticsInfantino started his Instagram message with a To all those who, before lamenting the people who have been wrapped up in the negative news stories since the World Cup ended earlier this month.To those behind their pens and papers, behind their screens spreading hate and false rumors, I want to say that while you are sitting behind, we at FIFA are on the front lines organizing, working hard, and delivering the best show in the world.Infantino spoke about the unity the World Cup brought across its three host nations and how it was an unprecedented success in terms of security, especially with the Iranian national team playing in the Cup despite being at conflict with the United States.He also mentioned the billions of people enjoying the World Cup away from the news cycles.While they celebrated, you were busy planting seeds of hate. Our world needs love, not hate; tolerance, not division; celebration, not mourning.The FIFA President also directly referenced the widely-reported visa issues that troubled team officials from entering the United States by mentioning the millions of people who werent stopped.Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty ImagesHe mentioned the refereeing controversies by implying that the sides that are criticizing FIFA also apply the same rules in their domestic leagues, trying to minimize their argument.This was a powerful message to try and highlight all the good the World Cup did rather than the negative.It was a spectacular competition, so Infantino had to try to downplay the criticism with such a pointed message.Its better to acknowledge the merits of both sides and put the tournament behind us as a new World Cup cycle begins and the European football season is less than a month away.Read more:Otherwise hes out Will Ferrell reveals the surprising rule Lionel Messi has for every commercialYoure a hooper The heartfelt advice Barack Obama gave Caitlin Clark about WNBA stardomRetired U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem returns to competition as eighth-division footballer

Liverpool set to do everything to land Barcola, they could lodge a bid soonLiverpool are now set to push for Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola as they search for attacking reinforcement, according to journalist Florian Plettenberg.The Reds are poised to miss out on Yan Diomande, prompting them to shift all their focus to the dainty French international winger. They could soon lodge a bid.Liverpool need a replacement for Mohamed Salah on the right, and while he is not a like-for-like replacement, he did break out playing on that flank.Barcola has seen his playing time reduce and would love the opportunity to be a key player again.He still managed 13 goals and seven assists in 47 appearances across all competitions last season.While the Liverpool target is guilty of missing big chances, it also speaks to his ability to get in prime areas to get shots off, which is an excellent underlying sign of quality.Barcola would be competing with Rio Ngumoha, Victor Munoz, Federico Chiesa, and Cody Gakpo for playing time if he were to make the move to Merseyside.He will back himself to get a starting berth on the left or right side of Andoni Iraolas attack. He is very fast.Interestingly, Liverpool and the French champions are also chasing Maghnes Akliouche, but it appears the Champions League winners will get him.Also, it is worth noting that while strengthening the attack is important, it is far from the only priority.A specialist holding midfielder remains a glaring need. It will allow the other more advanced midfielders in the squad to shine.Meanwhile, another right-back should be high on the agenda to provide quality and depth with Conor Bradley out and Jeremie Frimpong struggling in England.An additional centre-back would not go amiss either as Liverpool look to equip Andoni Iraola with a squad capable of challenging on every front.

Chelsea set to lodge another bid for Alex ScottChelsea are set to lodge a second improved bid for Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, according to journalist Florian Plettenberg.The Blues are in the market for midfield reinforcement and are trying to bring the Englishman to Stamford Bridge after a terrific season in which he caught the eye.Even before Chelsea allowed Andrey Santos to leave, they already needed another midfielder. His departure made the gaping hole even more obvious.Besides Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea are seriously lacking quality in the centre of the park.Romeo Lavia cannot be relied upon considering his injury history, and Dario Essugo has also struggled for consistency, leaving the Blues needing reinforcement.Scott would be a terrific pick-up for the West Londoners. Former Chelsea boss and current England manager Thomas Tuchel loves his intensity.The 22-year-old is an excellent box-to-box operator who can do everything in the engine room. He can tackle, pick a pass, and make lung-bursting runs.Scott will eventually get better at crashing the box and dominating games, but he is already playing at an impressive level.Xabi Alonsos side will have to bid higher than the 64 million offer they lodged days ago. There are reports that he is open to a Stamford Bridge switch.Chelsea must still keep Enzo FernandezIf Chelsea do succeed in signing Scott, it should not be viewed as a reason to cash in on Fernandez.The Argentina international remains one of the finest midfielders in world football and offers a level of creativity, control and big-game quality that Scott has not yet reached.Scott has the talent to develop into a top-class player, but he should arrive as Fernandezs understudy rather than his replacement.Learning alongside a World Cup winner could accelerate his development, while Chelsea would benefit from having depth in midfield instead of weakening their starting XI.Fernandez wants to leave, but no club is coming forward with an offer and the Blues should convince him to stay with a worthwhile new deal.

Diomande, Vinicius, Raphinha and Julin lvarez on the front pagesOn a Monday turned yellow by Pogaars fifth Tour, the transfer market continues to dominate the front-page headlines.Real Madrid are closing the Diomande deal with Leipzig for 120-130 million, leaving PSG out of the race. It is imminent, As stresses.The other big story of the week is Vinicius: Arsenal are preparing the biggest salary offer in their history to tempt him, but Mourinho, newly installed on the Real Madrid bench, is flatly refusing to let him leave. The Brazilian, in fact, would rather stay and renew with Los Blancos.If Vinicius does not leave, Londons plan B is Bradley Barcola, whom PSG have priced at 145 million, a fee neither Liverpool nor Arsenal seem willing to pay.In Barcelona there are two main talking points: for Sport, it is the Julin lvarez deal, which is still dragging on. For Mundo Deportivo, it is Raphinhas return to training.In Valencia, every summer is the same summer: time to beg Peter Lim for those quality reinforcements that never arrive.Ol provides the finishing touch of the day with one of its trademark puns. Boca were thrashed 3-0 by Riestra and the headline is three-mendous!This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in here.

GLOBAL CYBERSECURITY MARKET POISED TO EXCEED $600 BILLION BY 2030, DRIVEN BY AI AND ZERO TRUST ADOPTION FLORIDA, United States, July 5, 2026 — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BMAG Consulting, a leading boutique advisory firm, today announced the release of its comprehensive new report, *"The Global Cybersecurity Market: Strategic Insights and Future Outlook to 2030."* This landmark study provides...

Middle East and Africa Medium Voltage Synchronous Motors Market  According to the latest report published by Data Bridge Market Research, the Middle East and Africa Medium Voltage Synchronous Motors Market The Middle East and Africa Medium voltage synchronous motors market is expected to reach USD  427.77 million by 2032 from USD 307.30 million in 2024, growing with a...

  The globe involving on-line video slot online games happens to be the most interesting varieties of digital camera leisure. Using inventive themes or templates, getting visuals, along with interactive game play, link sms808 these kind of online games bring in avid gamers via worldwide. No matter whether a person can be new at all to the feeling as well as features liked video slot...

Heavy equipment operates under demanding conditions where strength, dimensional stability, and dependable performance are essential. In this environment, Engineering Machinery Castings play an important role in producing structural and functional components for equipment used across construction, manufacturing, mining, agriculture, and material handling. Well-planned Engineering Machinery...

The North America pre-engineered steel building (PESB) market is experiencing robust growth as the construction industry increasingly shifts toward modern, efficient, and sustainable building solutions. Pre-engineered steel buildings have become an essential component of industrial, commercial, and agricultural infrastructure due to their ability to reduce construction timelines while...