All posts by h716a5.icu

Leeds United are actively pursuing deals, according to LeedsLive journalist Beren Cross…

What’s the word?

“Leeds will certainly be pursuing targets. As you say, [Victor] Orta has his shortlists and he will ensure he is on top of each of their situations to swoop if or when an opportunity arises,” the reliable reporter responded to one supporter during a recent online Q&A.

“There may be little concrete out there right now because the targets they have identified are not available as yet. There is nothing to report if the moves are not in motion.

“Leeds are open for business in this window, but there is such a small pool of players who will be available at the right price, with the right quality and amount of 21/22 minutes to make it all worthwhile.”

Expect business?

It is no secret that the Whites need to bolster Marcelo Bielsa’s playing squad this month as the Yorkshire giants have seriously struggled with injuries and inconsistencies throughout the 2021/22 campaign.

Over the festive period, the Argentine was missing as many as 11 players, including nine first-team stars, in key areas, too. Last season’s top goalscorer Patrick Bamford has been missing for large parts without any true centre-forward backup, whilst many of Bielsa’s centre-backs have been injured too.

The squad is also in need of midfield reinforcements but traditionally, Leeds under Bielsa and Orta have never spent during the winter, so that trend must change if they are to resolve the aforementioned situation.

Leeds’ recent win over Burnley moved them eight points clear of the relegation zone – a sign of encouragement after such a poor start to the season, though things could quickly change with another downturn in form.

The fact that Cross has suggested that Orta and co are looking to complete deals is certainly exciting and would suggest that things will be very different this time around. Fans will no doubt be delighted as a result.

AND in other news, Bielsa must brutally axe £55k-p/w Leeds liability who’s “like a kid in the playground”…

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left buzzing over an ExWHUemployee update involving forward and target Jesse Lingard.

The Manchester United ace, who was heavily courted by West Ham in the summer, opted to remain at Old Trafford in a bid to fight for his place under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

However, as Lingard’s minutes fail to rack up, murmurs have started to emerge again regarding his future and there is a consensus that West Ham could make another move in January.

According to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee, the Irons could reignite their interest mid-season and make a move for Lingard during the winter window.

It is even thought that he would be interested in joining West Ham and Lingard’s own brother has made it clear he enjoyed his time at the club and misses it there.

Flocking to this update on the 28-year-old, it’s safe to say lots of supporters are excited at the prospect of re-signing Lingard and it’s little wonder given his phenomenal loan spell at the London Stadium last year.

If David Moyes is to maintain West Ham’s fantastic 2021/2022 season run, signing the England international in January could be a big move if they can get it done.

West Ham fans erupt over Lingard update…

“crying”

Credit: @petersweterr

“We’re going for the title”

Credit: @Callumfitzer_

“The band could be getting back together!! Woohoo!!”

Credit: @mattdcrane82

“love that”

Credit: @td_ldn

“Yes please”

Credit: @Lord_Irons

“It would be a great signing!!”

Credit: @PJ_10_Cricket

“I would take him tomorrow!”

Credit: @WestHamSteven

“Let’s hope it happens”

Credit: @The_Scotty

In other news: ‘Don’t gas me’, ‘Announce the title’…ExWHUemployee’s ‘exciting’ news has many West Ham fans talking, find out more here.

Celtic are thought to be keeping tabs on Newcastle United midfielder Joe White, according to Chronicle Live’s Lee Ryder.

The Lowdown: White profiled…

The 19-year-old is primarily an attacking midfielder who can also play in a deeper central role.

The Englishman – who is sponsored by Adidas, the manufacturers of Celtic’s kit – has made 60 appearances for Newcastle’s youth sides, four of which have come in the EFL Trophy against senior opposition.

He was handed a professional deal when he was 17 years of age, but that is set to expire at the end of the current campaign, and it seems as if a St James’ Park exit could now be on the cards.

The Latest: Celtic interest

Reliable reporter Ryder shared a story regarding White on Friday morning. He claimed that the Magpies are in danger of losing the teenager for a nominal compensation fee next summer, with a number of clubs outside of England showing an interest.

Celtic, Rangers and clubs from Germany and the Netherlands are all keeping an eye on the teenager, who was labelled as ‘very clever’ by Dave Wilkes, who knows White from his time at Carlisle.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-15/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Smart move?

White caught the eye of former Newcastle manager Steve Bruce against Burton Albion during pre-season, and it seems as if he could be a star of the future.

On that basis, there’d be no harm in interim Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson exploring a possible winter window move for the midfielder, especially with a nominal fee being touted due to White’s contract situation. He is attracting interest from clubs across Europe, so it could prove to be a real coup in the long run.

Celtic are also short of midfield options, with Ange Postecoglou relying heavily on Callum McGregor, David Turnbull and Tom Rogic this season; and even though White may not be a viable first-team option straight away, you’d expect that he could be in the future.

In other news: £9,000-a-week Celtic ace is ‘about to leave’ Parkhead, journalist claims 

Yogesh Nagar has been lined up as replacement for injured allrounder Paul Collingwood as well

Nagraj Gollapudi06-Oct-2009Delhi Daredevils are set to include Glenn McGrath in their Champions League Twenty20 squad as a replacement for Daniel Vettori. The New Zealand captain had to pull out of the ICC Champions Trophy final against Australia on Monday with a hamstring injury he had aggravated during the semi-final clash against Pakistan. McGrath has already been alerted and is expected to arrive in Delhi on Wednesday pending the organisers’ approval.Delhi Daredevils’ chief operating officer Amrit Mathur said two names, including McGrath’s, had been sent to the tournament’s technical committee. The second, Yogesh Nagar, was a replacement for England allrounder Paul Collingwood, who returned home after the Champions Trophy with a buttock strain. “We have sought the approval from the organisers to replace the injured players and have given the names of McGrath and Nagar, who were part of the original squad of 20,” Mathur told Cricinfo.Delhi have lost three overseas players in less than a week – South African batsman AB de Villers was the first to pull out due to a back injury, followed by Collingwood and now Vettori.Collingwood’s non-participation was confirmed through a press release from the ECB’s medical team today. “The scan revealed a grade-two tear and Paul has been withdrawn from the forthcoming Champions League in India in which he was due to play for Delhi Daredevils,” the release said.McGrath’s return could be interesting given his absence from competitive cricket since the semi-final of the inaugural IPL in May 2008. Though he was part of the Delhi squad in the second IPL in South Africa, the team management was wary of playing him because of fitness concerns.Peeved at being ignored, the former Australian fast bowler had even spoken about not returning for the third IPL season next year, a comment he claimed he never made. However, he has reportedly told the Delhi coach David Saker he is considering whether to make the trip this month.”He’s contemplating coming over, but we don’t want to rush him over unless he’s going to play,” Saker said in the . “It’s school holidays, he’s got his kids, he’s away. I don’t want to be in the position to bring him over and then saying, ‘we’re not going to play you’.”He’s obviously out of season, he hasn’t been playing much. Do we get him over and then he’s not ready to play? We’re trying to talk to him about that but we’re still tossing it up.”

After a contrasting week which saw West Ham trade wins with Manchester United across two different competitions, the Irons now return to Premier League action looking to build on their fine form in 2021/22.

David Moyes will want to bounce back from Sunday’s defeat as they head to Yorkshire to face an injury-ravaged Leeds United at Elland Road.

Having rested several of his key players for the win over the Red Devils on Wednesday night, the 58-year-old could well return to his full-strength starting XI today.

Here’s the lineup Football FanCast are predicting this afternoon…

There could be as many as nine changes from the side which won at Old Trafford this week.

Between the sticks, we’re backing Alphonse Areola to keep his place after a very impressive outing. The 6 foot 5 shot-stopper was a commanding presence in goal and it’s believed that he will eventually become Moyes’ permanent no.1 over Lukas Fabianski before the end of the season – perhaps that begins now.

It’s a big call to make but the 28-year-old PSG loanee has to be given a proper run in the team sooner rather than later. He’ll be joined by an entirely new back four this time around, though.

Vladimir Coufal will start, having replaced Ryan Fredericks early in the first half on Wednesday, whilst Aaron Cresswell returns over Ben Johnson on the other flank. Summer signing Kurt Zouma should continue his partnership with Angelo Ogbonna in the heart of defence.

In midfield, both Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek will feel well rested ahead of kick-off as they were not even named in the matchday squad against Manchester United on Wednesday, though they did travel to support the squad.

The only other player to remain from the victory is Jarrod Bowen, but with Michail Antonio available following his one-game suspension, the 24-year-old likely to go back to the right flank, with the Premier League’s joint-leading scorer back up top.

They will be accompanied by Pablo Fornals in the no.10 role and Said Benrahma out wide.

AND in other news, Moyes could find West Ham’s next Tevez in Jan swoop for “magical” £18m-rated marksman…

Manchester United will be aiming to move to the top of Group F when they welcome Atalanta to Old Trafford in the Champions League this evening.

The Red Devils are without a win in their last two outings but secured a vital victory over Villarreal in their most recent European encounter, moving them to within a point of today’s opponents.

And United have received a significant selection boost ahead of La Dea’s visit, with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirming he’ll be able to call upon the services of Harry Maguire, Fred and Edinson Cavani in Tuesday’s press conference.

Both Fred and Cavani missed the disappointing defeat to Leicester City over the weekend due to their national team exploits, while Maguire made an underwhelming return from injury.

However, Solskjaer did reveal that he’ll be without the services of Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane in midweek as the pair continue their recoveries.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects the 48-year-old to line up against Atalanta, with just two changes from the side that started at the King Power Stadium last time out…

Spain international David de Gea will start in goal once again for United after making an impressive start to the new season.

Ahead of the in-form shot-stopper is set to be a familiar back four. Varane’s injury means Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka will complete the defensive unit as they have done on many occasions over the last couple of campaigns.

And there is unlikely to be any surprise selections in the engine room either. The below-par performances of the 20-time English champions should mean Solskjaer goes with a tried and tested midfield consisting of Fred and Scott McTominay in the double pivot.

The pragmatic pair will be charged with forming a solid base for the more attack-minded trio of Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood to work from, meaning the £81m-rated Jadon Sancho is set to drop to the bench.

Upfront, Solskjaer has a plethora of options with Cavani and Marcus Rashford available for selection once again, but it’s likely to be Cristiano Ronaldo who leads the line once more.

And, in other news…Man Utd receive triple selection boost ahead of Atalanta, Ole will be buzzing 

The BCCI has cracked down on suspect bowling actions by instructing domestic umpires to waste no time in reporting bowlers believed to be chucking

Cricinfo staff08-Nov-2009The Indian board (BCCI) has cracked down on suspect bowling actions by instructing domestic umpires to waste no time in reporting bowlers believed to be chucking. Those whose actions are believed to be suspect have been reported and will be no-balled without a warning, the BCCI has stated.A list of 32 bowlers with suspect actions was compiled by an advisory group, which subsequently sent the named players for rehabilitation to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. From the list of 32, the BCCI has reported that 12 bowling actions ranged from between 0-15 degrees as accepted by the ICC, while the other 20 bent their arms at a flexion limit of more than 15 degrees. The list has been sent to match referees, umpires, coaches and affiliated regional boards across India.”During the pre-match meeting the match referee will only convey the warning and the outcome as per action replay if any bowler from the circulated list plays and bowls with suspect action,” Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, said. “Since the warning is already conveyed to the captain during the pre-match meetings by match referee, there is no need for an umpire to give any further warning to such bowlers on field of play.”If the bowler with suspect action plays and if in the opinion of the umpires he bowls with suspect action they can immediately call and stop him from bowling as per the law. He should not be allowed to bowl during the match. This action should be clearly communicated by match referees to team officials.”During the first round of action in this season’s Ranji Trophy season, three bowlers have had their actions under scrutiny. Two Baroda bowlers were called for chucking in two days while a day later Kulamani Parida, the veteran Railways spinner, was stopped from bowling during a game. Delhi’s offspinner Yogesh Nagar was also no-balled for a suspect action on Friday.The BCCI released a list of eleven bowlers reported for chucking during the junior and senior Twenty20 competitions, before the Ranji season. They are: Gujarat’s Mohnish Parmar (whose action was subsequently cleared by the BCCI) and Amit Singh, the Under-19 Maharashtra bowler Sagar Sawant, Uttar Pradesh’s Mohammad Norman, Rohan Thapa from Baroda, Delhi’s Nagar, Sayed Zaki of Orissa, Punjab’s Ankur Jund, Vobhor Bisen from Vidarbha, Tripura’s Debabhakt Jamta and Arlen Konwar from Assam.

Jordan Hugill’s performance in West Brom’s Championship defeat to Stoke City on Friday night has been blasted by Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman.

The Lowdown: Disappointing night in Stoke

The 29-year-old started for the Baggies for only the third time since his August move and his goalless return for Valerien Ismael’s side continued as Nick Powell’s strike was the difference on Friday night.

The striker only played 55 minutes before being replaced by Matt Phillips after struggling in Staffordshire. Hugill touched the ball just 18 times all night, 40 fewer than goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, and only completed two of his nine passes, as well as winning a mere three of his 14 duels (Sofascore)

The Latest: Goodman not impressed with Hugill

Speaking on Sky Sports Football [via West Brom News] following the game, Goodman slammed Hugill’s performance on Friday, saying: “He will have far better nights in a West Brom shirt, Jordan Hugill. Of that, I’m sure.

“It’s been one of those nights tonight. You have to give these three central defenders credit for that. All three of them, to a man, have been outstanding.”

The Verdict: Hugill needs to improve

Hugill’s goalscoring blank will be a concern for the Baggies and Ismael after seven games. With Karlan Grant on four goals this season, the 29-year-old is risking his place in future squads, and after Friday’s abysmal performance, it remains unclear if he will retain his place for the derby with Birmingham City following the international break.

The on-loan striker, who has 71 goals in 286 career appearances, will be hoping not to have a season like the 2018/19 campaign he had with Middlesbrough when he scored only seven goals in 41 appearances.

Ismael and Hugill have two weeks on the training ground to try and improve and find a way where the marksman is firing on all areas ahead of the visit of the Blues, who have conceded 12 goals in their previous five games.

In other news, some West Brom fans have slammed this defender’s performance against Stoke City. Find out more here.

Despite interest from other counties, Martin van Jaarsveld has signed an extension to his contract at Kent until 2012

Cricinfo staff03-Aug-2009Despite interest from other counties, Martin van Jaarsveld has signed an extension to his contract at Kent until 2012.Both Surrey and Lancashire had expressed interest in van Jaarsveld, who was voted the PCA Player of the Year in 2008, but the 35-year-old Kolpak player has decided to stay put.”This has been a difficult decision for me to make. Since arriving at the club my family has made many friends and I have much enjoyed my time in the county,” said van Jaarsveld. “It has been flattering to have received offers from other clubs, but I feel for my cricketing future and for my family Kent is where I wish to remain.”Graham Johnson, Kent’s chairman of cricket, added: “Everyone at the club is delighted that Martin has agreed to continue his career with Kent.  Since he joined us in 2005, his contributions both on and off the field to the development of Kent cricket have been outstanding. Martin has been one of the most successful players in county cricket in recent years, and it is great news that he has decided to continue his career at Kent.”

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam says his team is well-prepared for the World Twenty20

Cricinfo staff30-May-2009Pakistan are well-prepared for the World Twenty20 after taking part in a conditioning camp, three practice games and the RBS Twenty20 Cup, coach Intikhab Alam has said.”No one can make any predictions about Twenty20 matches but I am backing my team to do very well because the preparations have been top-class,” he told reporters before the squad left for England.Alam was particularly happy with the sports psychologist Maqbool Babri’s interaction with the squad earlier this month. “They have been through a gruelling conditioning camp in the mountains and have had very productive sessions with a sports psychologist,” he said. “Whether it’s a Test match, one-day or Twenty20 international, the sports psychologist has impressed upon the guys that cricket is a team game and not about individuals.”The one thing Alam was unhappy about was the exclusion of fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar from the tournament. “It is unfortunate because if he was fit and in the team he would have been a big asset for us as he is a very experienced and capable bowler.”However there was good news as well for Alam, as the groin injury to senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq, who skipped the recent domestic Twenty20 tournament, was found to be a minor one. “The injury is not serious. Misbah could have played [the RBS Twenty20 Cup] but since we are going to the World Cup, we decided that he should take it easy and not put pressure on his groin,” Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said.Pakistan have a couple of warm-up matches, against South Africa on June 1 and against India on June 3, to get accustomed to the conditions in England. They are in Group B along with hosts and the Netherlands.