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Whilst they may have fallen out of the automatic promotion places over the weekend, Leeds United’s attackers have caught the eye throughout 2024/25.

Joel Piroe still sits as the Whites’ top scorer, registering 15 goals in the Championship, playing a key role in Daniel Farke’s ambitions of securing a return to the Premier League.

Daniel James is another talent who’s thrived over the last couple of months, notching 20 combined goals and assists throughout the league campaign – the joint-best season of his professional career.

The pair have contributed to their impressive tally of 79 league goals in their 40 outings, currently boasting the best-attacking record of any side in the division.

Regardless of which division they find themselves in next season, they could be about to land a star who’d add to their already impressive record in attacking areas.

Leeds targeting move for EFL attacking star

According to Alan Nixon, Leeds are one of a number of clubs interested in a move to land West Brom’s forward Grady Diangana ahead of the summer window.

Wolves have also been credited with a keen interest in landing the 26-year-old talent, who’s registered four goals and two assists in the Championship throughout 2024/25.

The Democratic Republic of Congo international joined the Baggies for £18m back in the summer of 2022 but could be available as a free agent this summer with his deal set to expire in June.

The report from Nixon states that the former West Ham youngster is hoping Farke’s side show concrete interest this summer, potentially favouring a move to Elland Road.

Whilst it’s unclear if a deal will be completed this summer, he would be a superb addition – potentially allowing the hierarchy to forget about a permanent move for one player.

Why Diangana would be a superb Solomon alternative

Manor Solomon joined Leeds on loan from Tottenham Hotspur last summer, looking to kickstart his career after a stop-start period with injuries and lack of first-team action.

The Israeli international made an immediate impact in Yorkshire, notching 14 combined goals and assists up until the start of February – including a goal and two assists in the 4-0 win over Oxford United.

However, he’s now gone eight games with a single contribution, leading to doubts among the fanbase over a permanent transfer for the 25-year-old this summer.

Such concerns could see the hierarchy target a move for Diangana as a result, with the West Brom star a safe option given his potential move on a free transfer.

When comparing the pair’s respective stats from the Championship this campaign, the West Brom winger has managed to match or better Solomon in numerous key areas, highlighting how impressive a deal to land him this summer would be.

Diangana, who’s previously been labelled “unbelievable” by teammate Jed Wallace, may have registered fewer combined goals and assists, but has registered a higher pass accuracy and completed more through balls – showcasing his talent in attacking areas.

Games played

30

33

Goals & assists

6

14

Progressive passes

4.3

3.7

Pass accuracy

80%

79%

Aerials won

0.9

0.3

Fouls won

2.3

1.6

Through balls

0.9

0.2

He’s also won more aerials and been fouled more per 90, highlighting his all-round nature with and without the ball, making him a threat at either end of the pitch if required.

Solomon could still be a viable option for the club this summer regardless of promotion, but after his recent lack of form, it’s understandable that there are doubts over his future.

As for transfer target Diangana, he’s proved that he’s an impressive talent, with any deal to land him this summer incredible business, especially considering the fee paid for his signature a couple of years ago.

Meslier included: Leeds must axe £150k-p/w quartet if they go up

Daniel Farke will tempted by a slight clear-out at Leeds United if Premier League football returns to Elland Road.

ByKelan Sarson Apr 8, 2025

Facing a no-out, bases-loaded jam against the Reds on Wednesday night, Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto retired three straight batters to help carry a 3-2 L.A. lead through another half-inning.

The 27-year-old forced Ke'Bryan Hayes into a fielder's choice before striking out Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz to leave the 6th inning unscathed.

After making De La Cruz look foolish with an 80-mile-per-hour curve ball for a third strike swinging, Yamamoto let out all of the emotions—and turned in this epic reaction:

Awesome stuff.

The Dodgers' offense went on to score four more runs in the ensuing half inning to give their team, and their pitcher, some insurance while taking a 6-2 lead.

Yamamoto was ultimately pulled after an outing that saw him allow just two unearned runs and four hits while striking out nine across 6 2/3 innings. With a win, the Dodgers will advance to the NLDS and take on the Philadelphia Phillies.

Partex Sporting Club get out of relegation zone with dramatic win while Rakibul Hasan and Nahid Rana shine with the ball

Mohammad Isam27-Mar-2025

Key takeaways

Abahani Limited have taken the lead in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, as it goes into the Eid break. Abahani are now on 14 points, while Gazi Group Cricketers and Mohammedan Sporting Club are on 12 points each. With eight rounds of matches complete, Abahani have taken a significant step towards defending their title.It was a good week for Prime Bank Cricket Club and Mohammedan Sporting Club, who like Abahani won both their matches this week. Mohammedan sealed a seven-wicket win against Shinepukur Cricket Club, but their regular captain fielded for just one over and was rushed to a hospital after suffering a heart attack.

Best batters

Gazi Group’s Anamul Haque reached 500 runs in a Dhaka Premier League season for the seventh time, and became the first to cross the landmark in the 2024-25 season. He struck an unbeaten 149 against Mohammedan last week, following it up with an unbeaten 144 against Gulshan Cricket Club this week. Anamul started the season with two ducks, but now has scored at least a fifty in five of the last six innings, with his other score being 48.

Best bowlers

Left-arm spinner <Rakibul Hasan and speedster Nahid Rana took four-wicket hauls against Dhanmondi Sporting Club in Abahani’s five-wicket win in Mirpur. Due to workload management, Rana is playing only selective matches for Abahani this season, but he has made an impact. Rana has nine wickets from his four outings, while Rakibul leads the wicket-takers with 17 scalps.

Best match

Partex Sporting Club dragged themselves off the relegation zone (bottom three) in dramatic fashion, beating the high-flying Agrani Bank Cricket Club by one wicket. Their middle-order batter Mohammad Rakib was the hero, remaining unbeaten on 80 off 103 balls with five sixes and as many fours. Rakib kept his cool as four wickets fell in the last four overs. With ten runs required off the last over, Rakib first struck a boundary before getting dropped at long-on. He struck another straight boundary before No 11 Abdul Gaffar took a cheeky single off the last ball to win the game.

Points to ponder

Agrani Bank and Dhanmondi lost both their matches this week. Though Agrani Bank remains in the top six, the big-budgeted Dhanmondi slipped to No. 8 in the points table. Shinepukur and Rupganj Tigers remain at the bottom with just two points each.

Players to watch

Samiun Basir became only the third bowler in Bangladesh’s List-A history to take a five-wicket haul on debut. He took 5 for 27 playing for Legends of Rupganj against Rupganj Tigers in Mirpur. Samiun has a classic left-arm spinner’s action, and likes to float the ball to the batter. He also can spin the ball, which would be an asset going forward.

A leading surgeon who treated Harry Kane following his hamstring injury in 2020 has been awarded £37,000 (€42,386/$49,458) in damages from the UK’s oldest Bentley dealership after his new car was stolen. Professor Fares Haddad tended to the England captain after he underwent surgery to repair a ruptured tendon during the 2019-20 Premier League season.

Prof Haddad sues Jack Barclay Ltd. following 2023 car theft

A world-renowned orthopaedic surgeon specialising in sports medicine, Prof. Haddad successfully sued Jack Barclay Ltd. – based in Mayfair, London – following the theft of his Bentley Continental GTW12.

According to the luxury car was stolen from Prof. Haddad’s driveway in January 2023. But when he attempted to claim on his insurance, the payout was refused because the car’s tracker system was not properly activated. While cutting-edge tracker software had been installed by Jack Barclay’s staff, an important subscription service remained inactive.

Prof. Haddad had assumed Jack Barclay’s staff would establish a continuous tracker subscription via Vodafone. The 58-year-old came to that understanding following conversations and email exchanges between himself and a showroom executive in 2019, when he was considering buying the Bentley.

AdvertisementAFPMr Haddad had claimed a total of £82,643 from Bentley dealership

Following a trial at Central London County Court, Judge Andrew Holmes ruled in favour of Prof. Haddad, finding Jack Barclay Ltd. at fault for failing to send an email to Vodafone, which would have started the tracker. However, Judge Holmes also decided Mr. Haddad bore some responsibility for failing to notice there was no subscription in place until after the Bentley was stolen.

Judge Holmes slashed the award of £82,643 by 60 per cent to £33,057 to reflect Prof. Haddad’s “contributory negligence”, although with accumulated interest his total award will come to just over £37,000.

Mr. Haddad had claimed a total of £78,643 from Jack Barclay Ltd., suing for the return of money paid out under his Hire Purchase (HP) agreement – which his insurers refused to cover after the theft – plus £4,000 for the cost of a replacement hire car.

Judge finds Mr Haddad bore 'contributory negligence' during trial

Speaking during the trial, Judge Holmes told the court: “But for the failure to send the form to Vodafone, Prof. Haddad’s losses would not have occurred. Had the tracker subscription been incepted, Prof. Haddad would have taken the steps necessary to continue it.”

He added: “I see considerable force in the suggestion that Prof. Haddad had a responsibility thereafter to ensure that the tracker was activated.

“With each year that went by, the failure to notice or to check his records becomes more difficult to understand.

“The ordinary person taking an ordinary level of care of his or her own affairs would be expected over time to realise that he was not making payment, or receiving correspondence, about an important point in relation to the insurance of a valuable vehicle.”

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Getty Images SportProf Haddad played key role in Kane's surgery in January 2020

Prof. Haddad – the clinical director of the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health – played a key role in helping Bayern Munich striker Kane return towards the end of the 2019-20 season which was heavily disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The forward – then playing for Tottenham Hotspur – went under the knife to repair a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring in January 2020. He sustained the injury in Spurs’ 1-0 Premier League defeat against Southampton on 1 January 2020 before returning to training in May of that year and competing in the latter part of the specially-extended campaign.

Kane went on to finish as Tottenham’s top goalscorer in 2019-20, netting 18 league goals as the north Londoners came sixth under then-manager Jose Mourinho, who succeeded Mauricio Pochettino on 20 November 2019.

India enforced the follow-on expecting wear and tear, but Campbell and Hope led West Indies’ strongest showing of the series

Karthik Krishnaswamy12-Oct-20251:51

Chopra: ‘Tiredness’ hampered India bowlers

When India wrapped up West Indies’ first innings and secured a lead of 270 runs, seven-and-a-half sessions of the Delhi Test still remained.The pitch was still making bowlers work hard: West Indies, after lasting less than 50 overs in both their innings in Ahmedabad last week, had survived 81.5 overs in their first innings here. Their last two wickets had added 73 runs, suggesting that wicket-taking on this slow, low pitch was particularly difficult when the ball became older, with edges unlikely to carry to close-in catchers.Teams tend not to enforce the follow-on in such situations, given the time remaining in the match and the two major benefits of batting again – rest for the bowlers, and a chance for them to come back and bowl after the pitch has undergone more wear and tear.Related

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India, however, asked West Indies to bat again, and by stumps on day three the visitors had enjoyed their best day of the series, with John Campbell and Shai Hope scoring half-centuries and putting on an unbroken 138 for the third wicket. West Indies will begin day four trailing by just 97 runs, with India back on the field with 130.5 cumulative overs in their legs.India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said India had enforced the follow-on in the belief that the pitch would deteriorate significantly by the end of the third day’s play.”There was a discussion to bat,” he said. “Those last two wickets took a little bit longer than we would have hoped for, and had probably started going towards the [space] where you do look to bat again.”But we felt [270] was a good lead. We thought the wicket’s going to keep deteriorating, we thought by close of play it would be at its worst, but it just seems to have slowed down even more.”This left India’s spin trio with a tricky time of finding the right pace to bowl at. Having shared eight wickets between them in the first innings, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar took 1 for 149 between them in 38 second-innings overs.”It’s quite challenging to get any pace out of the wicket, [and] you have to really fire the ball in,” ten Doeschate said. “And, of course, when you fire the ball in, it’s got less chance of spinning. We have found it tricky this afternoon, and Shai Hope and John Campbell batted beautifully, so back tomorrow, get our plans right, and hopefully get those last four batters out and then get into the tail.”Khary Pierre, who scored 23 from No. 8 in West Indies’ first innings, said he was surprised by India’s decision to enforce the follow-on.3:56

What made Campbell and Hope stand out?

“Actually it was a bit surprising that they went back to bowl [even though] the wicket was still a good one,” Pierre said. “For me, personally, batting on the wicket, batting a lot of time, and watching the wicket, seeing what it was doing, I think it’s still a very good wicket.”I was surprised, but it’s India, and you know they want to get the win, and probably didn’t think they needed to go back and bat, but so be it. We have to bat properly in this innings and try and make a game of it.”With eight wickets in hand and the deficit now down to double-figures, Pierre felt West Indies had a real chance of making a game of it.”I would say the Test match is still on,” he said. “Once we apply ourselves with the bat, we have two set batters at the crease right now that will start over tomorrow, and once we bat properly, the game is still on. Once we get a lead, we all know, on the fourth and fifth day of a Test match, the bowlers will come and probably get some balls to spin and stuff and make a game of it.”

Ashwin leaking runs in the powerplay and Jadeja failing to pick up wickets have added to CSK’s woes

Deivarayan Muthu10-Apr-20252:44

Can Ashwin and Jadeja get back among the wickets?

R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja claimed 55 wickets each in 67 IPL matches together for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) between 2012 and 2015. Ashwin’s creative genius dovetailed beautifully with Jadeja’s metronomic accuracy, turning Chepauk into a fortress. Between 2012 and 2015, CSK won 18 of their 25 games at home, boasting a win-loss ratio of 2.57.In their quest to recreate that winning formula several years later, CSK splurged INR 9.75 crore on Ashwin and reunited him with Jadeja and his beloved Chepauk. But the grand reunion hasn’t produced the kind of output CSK and their fans might have hoped for. CSK have already lost two in a row at home and another defeat in Chennai will leave them in unfamiliar territory.Ashwin has conceded almost ten an over for five wickets this season and has completed his quota in only three out of five games. While Jadeja’s economy rate (8.07) is better than Ashwin’s, the left-arm spinner has got just two wickets in five matches and has not completed his quota in any of those.Related

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Ashwin came into this IPL as a retired international cricketer and started it looking like someone who hadn’t played professional cricket for three months. His first ball to Suryakumar Yadav, in the powerplay against Mumbai Indians (MI), was right in the slot and was pumped over the covers.That foretold Ashwin’s powerplay run this season: 78 runs off 30 balls for just one wicket at an economy rate of 15.60. Between 2012 and 2015, his powerplay economy rate was 6.25.The entire landscape of T20 has changed since then. It has become a different sport, with batters trying to launch every ball into orbit. Mitchell Marsh, who is among the top run-getters this season, recently described going at a run-a-ball in the powerplay as “panic stations”. Specialist offspinners are a dying breed and Ashwin, arguably, is the last of that breed.6:50

Chawla: Dhoni as captain will help struggling Ashwin and Jadeja

He has dipped into the carrom ball and turned it the other way, but batters just keep coming at him. There are also other factors that have hampered Ashwin. Chepauk no longer offers the sharp turn that it used to in the past, with CSK going on the record to express their dissatisfaction with the pitches at home. In Guwahati, CSK perhaps made a tactical error by throwing Ashwin at Nitish Rana, who was promoted to No. 3, to take advantage of his match-up with the spinner.Ashwin hasn’t had luck going his way either. In his final over against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur, Ashwin looped up a carrom ball wide of Priyansh Arya’s swinging arc and drew a mis-hit, but Mukesh Choudhary misjudged the catch and ended up stepping on the boundary cushion.Ashwin isn’t the only spinner who is going for runs in the powerplay. Even a mystery spinner and a modern superspecialist like Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) Maheesh Theekshana is going at over ten an over during this phase. The powerplay has become such a hostile environment for bowlers, especially spinners.

“We’ve actually restricted teams to below-par scores, and it’s been the batting that has held us up on this occasion”CSK head coach Stephen Fleming

CSK coach Stephen Fleming lauded Ashwin for fronting up to do a difficult job for them.”That sixth over is a tough over, so don’t underestimate that role that he’s playing,” Fleming said in the lead-up to CSK’s game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). “And after that, he came back really well. I think the last couple of overs went for single figures. So we’re asking him to do a tough role, but what we are doing is taking wickets, and that’s been the positive thing. We felt we’ve actually restricted teams to below-par scores, and it’s been the batting that has held us up on this occasion.”Unlike Ashwin, Jadeja doesn’t bowl in the powerplay; he usually bowls in the middle overs. Jadeja, who has retired from T20Is, has always had excellent defensive skills, but the arrival of Noor Ahmad has given CSK’s attack a point of difference. So they have preferred Noor’s left-arm wristspin over Jadeja’s fingerspin during the middle overs this season. Noor is currently the Purple Cap holder, with 11 strikes in five games at an economy rate of 8.33 and an average of 13.63.”I think we’ve got some good options with the spin department,” Fleming said when asked if CSK were under-utilising Jadeja the bowler. “Ruturaj [Gaikwad] has been able to use the appropriate bowlers for the batsmen that are in. Jadeja bowled really well in the last game. Noor Ahmad has been the key wicket-taker, so he’s dominated to this point. We’ve sort of got six bowlers that can provide good options throughout. Batting-wise, he’s moving up and down the order, depending on what we need. We really like his partnership with MS [Dhoni] at the back end. That appeals to us. There are other players in the squad that we’ve highlighted to be up the order, but he’s been up to No. 5, I think.Noor Ahmad’s addition has given CSK another spin option•AFP/Getty Images”He’s been in early and throughout, so just trying to get a gauge on who’s to bowl death, who’s in the middle, and work it around that way. It’s not a set stage that Jaddu has to come in. We’re quite flexible with it.”Sure, Ashwin and Jadeja haven’t produced the kind of impact they did back in the day, but don’t count them out. On either side of two expensive overs in Mullanpur, Ashwin threatened to shut PBKS down with the wickets of Nehal Wadhera and Glenn Maxwell in successive overs. Had Choudhary held onto Arya’s catch, it would have been a completely different story. In the same game, Jadeja bowled three tight overs and kept even the left-hand batters in check.On the eve of the match against KKR, when Devon Conway tried to line Ashwin up in the nets, the bowler cleverly dangled the ball away from his reach and made him look silly. It tore open a portal to his heyday when he used to make left-hand batters look silly.But of all the things that have taken CSK by surprise this season, their world-class spinners struggling at their fortress might be the biggest.

Across two Tests and three innings, they bowled unchanged for 89.5 overs, turning into Pakistan’s two-man answer to Bazball

Danyal Rasool24-Oct-2024Plenty had happened since Pakistan last made a bowling change. They had won a first home Test in four years. The entirety of the knockout stages of the Women’s T20 World Cup had taken place. New Zealand had won their first Test in India in 35 years. Pakistan’s newly-formed selection committee had travelled from Multan to Rawalpindi alongside the chief curator Tony Hemming, and, in what vaguely felt like a crime against horticulture, heated, fanned, sunned, shaded and raked 22 yards of soil to subvert its natural characteristics.Spanning eight days, three England innings and two cities, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali had thrown themselves into the cause with the zeal of men who could barely believe they had been called on. It appeared that their surprise was matched by that of their head coach, who had, twice in the past two days, made clear to anyone who would listen that none of this was his plan. But having bowled Sajid and Noman in tandem for the final 15 overs of England’s first innings last week in Multan, Shan Masood, who had similarly had his wings clipped, stuck with them for all of their second. Sajid and Noman were then entrusted with the new ball in Pindi – the first time a Pakistan side had ever opened a Test with two spinners – and they simply carried on.Related

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Lunch was taken, and yet, when play resumed, there was no change. Like one of those Fantasy Football games where, once locked out of your account, you can never go back in to make changes, Pakistan kept to their last default setting. On commentary, Ramiz Raja worried about the two spinners tiring their fingers out, but, having played no first-class cricket since January, Pakistan’s new 31- and 38-year-old saviours were making up for lost time.The journalists were briefly ushered out of the press box to commemorate a milestone, with the PCB having prepared a cake to mark English journalist Scyld Berry’s 500th Test match. When everyone returned, Sajid and Noman were still bowling; they might as well have been there before Berry made his debut.The pleasant morning gave way to a warm afternoon, and the crowd gradually built up. The stadium announcer was doing his best to keep them animated, rousing them into cries of Sajid and Noman, but swiftly found himself out of ideas beyond that. If he was anything like the DJ in Multan, whose entire playlist was a shuffle between Wonderwall and Skyfall, that admittedly didn’t take much.In truth, though, when the change finally happened was merely a statistical curiosity. There was not once in what would become 89.5 unbroken overs from the pair that a change was required and passed up. This Pindi surface, after all the ignominies visited upon it, was taking spin from the outset, and few bowlers in Pakistan currently can exploit that better than Sajid and Noman.Noman preyed on Zak Crawley’s impatience at a crucial point in the first session, when England’s openers appeared to have countered the spin threat in a 56-run stand, slowing the pace down – a tactic the left-arm spinner has employed cannily through his career – and landing it wide. Earlier that over, he’d beaten Crawley with a perfect delivery that drifted in landed on middle, and ripped past Crawley’s outside edge. This, by contrast, looked like a loosener, and Crawley snatched at it, slicing it to gully.Sajid Khan finished with figures of 6 for 128•Getty ImagesSajid found an area outside off stump from where he could turn his offbreak at pace, and stuck with it. His knack of in-match problem-solving helped Pakistan turn around the second Test, and he found turn to trap Ollie Pope and Joe Root in quick succession – the latter with a ripper that even Root’s quick hands were unable to keep out.By now, the pitch’s demons were making no effort to conceal themselves. Ben Duckett had battled for his half-century on a surface designed specifically to preclude him from doing so. But no batter, however set, could have accounted for the one that just about rolled along the ground after landing on middle. It barely hit him above the ankle; he hardly had enough time to shoot the surface a look of disgust before the umpire sent him on his way. There were cackles in the crowd, and even the Pakistan players’ delight was tempered by the acceptance that this wasn’t a manner of dismissal usually found in the first session of day one.But it’s often too easy to treat and the moustache-twirling, thigh slapping Sajid as gentle, harmless figures of fun. Their presence in the side can be explained away by Pakistan’s chaotic desperation, their success as a product of pitch preparation. The pitch was expected to hold itself together for a couple of days, but if these two were getting wickets, it must have been crumbling apart. Even when in the wickets, as they have been since they were called up, the marketability of Sajid and Noman – combined age 69 and combined hairline to match – doesn’t hold a candle to Pakistan’s quicks, thick luscious hair and all. Even ESPNcricinfo has been guilty of this in the past, only talking Noman up if it could be done through the prism of Naseem Shah’s wider appeal.But it is when things got deadly serious that Pakistan turned to Sajid and Noman. Jamie Smith, the only batter to comprehensively pass Pakistan’s death-by-spin test, called Sajid a “fantastic bowler”; having missed the first Test, he is already the series’ highest wicket-taker. It is the presence of these two that emboldened Pakistan to try out this drastic change of strategy in the first place, confident that their quality on helpful surfaces would overcome their rust. Masood’s rallying call over the last fortnight has been 20 wickets; the two have managed 29 in three days of bowling. You’d have to require incredible commitment to the bit if you handed them 90 consecutive overs for a bit of a laugh.Sajid, too, gently pushed back against insinuations that his wickets haul was down only to the surfaces. “This wicket isn’t like Multan,” he said. “The ball gets soft after 25-30 overs. In Multan, even with a softer ball, you get assistance from the pitch. This wicket is not like that. There were some good balls, but also poor shots from them. Wickets don’t get given to you here. You have to vary the pace, use the crease, and that’s how I got my wickets.”Forty-two overs into England’s innings, Pakistan finally made a change. With England’s seventh-wicket partnership beginning to blossom, Zahid Mahmood stepped up from Pavilion End. He banged in a long hop to Gus Atkinson, and was pulled away to deep midwicket.Sajid and Noman were no longer bowling together, and everyone could tell.

Manchester United’s midfield department has been a problem area over the last couple of months, with Ruben Amorim still yet to discover his best partnership at the heart of the side.

The 40-year-old has operated with a two-man partnership ever since he took the reins last November, with the midfielders crucial to his 3-4-2-1 system.

The likes of Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte and Mason Mount have often shared responsibility in starting as part of the duo, but the manager still wants reinforcements in such a position.

Kobbie Mainoo is just another option at Amorim’s disposal, but he’s often decided against utilising the Englishman, as seen by his measly tally of zero starts in the Premier League this campaign.

As a result, INEOS have been tasked with identifying potential options during the January transfer window to try and provide a long-term fix to the issues in the midfield department.

Man Utd’s hunt for new additions during January

Over the last couple of weeks, United have been one of the Premier League clubs interested in a move to land Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson.

It’s been reported that Amorim’s men have already held talks with Sean Dyche’s side over a potential move, but it could be an expensive one, with a £100m price tag currently being mooted.

They aren’t alone in their pursuit of the 23-year-old, with rivals Manchester City also said to be keeping a close eye on his progress ahead of the upcoming window.

However, Anderson isn’t the only midfielder on the Red Devils’ radar, with Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham another option INEOS are reportedly considering.

According to one Spanish outlet, Amorim’s men have made a €150m (£130m) bid for the England international in an attempt to solve their current issues.

The report also states that his current employers aren’t looking to offload him at present, which could make a deal somewhat tricky to complete in the near future.

Why Bellingham would be perfect for Bruno Fernandes

Despite being an attacking midfielder, Bruno Fernandes has been asked to play in a somewhat deeper midfield role in United’s squad this season – often partnering Casemiro at the heart of the side.

However, it hasn’t stopped the Portuguese international from starring at the heart of the side, as seen by his excellent goals and assists tally in the Premier League.

In his first 15 appearances of the league campaign, he’s already registered ten combined goals and assists, with three of his efforts coming at Wolves on Monday night.

However, the manager is yet to strike a balance at the heart of the side, especially considering Casemiro is now 33 and set to leave at the end of his contract in the summer.

As a result, Bellingham could well be the answer to the current issue in midfield, especially if his stats from LaLiga in 2025/26 to date are anything to go by.

The numbers he’s produced showcase his remarkable box-to-box nature, which could well make him the perfect partner for Bruno at the heart of the side.

Bellingham, who’s been described as “the best midfielder in the world” by Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, has been a tad off the pace this term but he’s certainly still the best when you consider raw talent and his potential. There is a reason, after all, that Madrid trusted him to wear Zinedine Zidane’s famed number 5 shirt at the biggest club in the global game.

To illuminate his qualities, he’s completed 8.9 progressive passes per 90, all of which being made into the final third. That sounds pretty perfect for Fernandes, doesn’t it?

Such numbers showcase the creative nature he possesses, with such tallies potentially taking some of the strain and responsibility on Bruno to constantly provide the goods in central areas.

However, out of possession is where the 22-year-old has excelled this campaign, as seen by his tally of 2.9 tackles won per 90 – subsequently ranking him in the top 5% of all players in LaLiga.

He’s also made 0.9 interceptions and won 1.5 aerials won per 90, which also ranks him in the top 5% of midfielders – highlighting his remarkable talents out of possession.

Bellingham’s dominance is showcased in his tally of 67% of tackles entered that he’s won this season, finally ending United’s hunt for a new ball-winner if a deal can be completed.

£130m would be a remarkable amount of money spent on just one player, but the Madrid star has demonstrated world-class levels for many years despite his tender age.

The prospect of him linking up with Bruno is one to get excited about, with the pair potentially having the quality to catapult the club to a title challenge in the near future.

The new Ji-Sung Park: Man Utd star is fast becoming as important as Bruno

Manchester United have another star who is becoming as important as Bruno Fernandes.

By
Ethan Lamb

3 days ago

Out of almost nowhere, Chelsea have emerged as Arsenal's closest challengers for the Premier League title this season as the London rivals prepare to lock horns at Stamford Bridge this weekend – but is this another false dawn? After all, Enzo Maresca's side found themselves in a similar position midway through 2024-25 only to fall away dramatically in the second half of the campaign. Ahead of Sunday's showdown, though, there is reason to believe the Blues could have staying power this time around.

After grinding out wins against Wolves and Burnley, following the customary defeat of Tottenham on the road, Chelsea have – – risen to second in the Premier League table ahead of hosting Mikel Arteta's early-season champions-elect, albeit they are still six points behind their cross-capital foes.

Serious doubts, though, remain over their ability to stay the course for the long-term – which are justified given the Blues haven't mounted a sustained title challenge since they last lifted the trophy nine seasons ago, and the backdrop of the club's tumultuous recent history since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital takeover three years ago.

It's not long since Chelsea were in a similar position, either; around this time last season they surged into second place behind eventual league winners Liverpool, before failing miserably to deal with the packed festive schedule and sliding back down the standings amid a winter of discontent.

This time, though, things feel slightly different, with Maresca's side showing the kind of mettle and big-game aptitude that suggests they could have staying power for the season. However, the visit of the Arsenal juggernaut will be the ultimate test of their credentials at the top of the table.

Getty Images SportWinning habit

Chelsea's start to the season was inauspicious as they picked up just two wins from six league games, leading many to believe that another top-four finish would be the best that they could hope for. Since the start of October, though, there has been a shift.

The sensational late victory over Arne Slot's toiling champions has proven to be the catalyst for a run of eight victories in 10 matches in all competitions, with the alarming home defeat to high-flying Sunderland late last month proving to be an anomaly in what could prove to be a defining period in the west Londoners' campaign.

Having dropped points in clashes they were expected to win earlier in the season against Crystal Palace, Brentford and Brighton, the Blues have defeated Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Burnley with relative ease, as well as notching another victory over Spurs in north London in one of the most one-sided 1-0 wins you're likely to see.

Of course, Chelsea's young squad reached the latest significant milestone in its progression in the Champions League in midweek, as they utterly dominated the 10 men of Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in a mightily impressive 3-0 thumping that sets them up very nicely for Sunday's top-of-the-table showdown.

AdvertisementAFP'There is only one way'

For Maresca, this developing winning habit is vital to his side's chances of success: "Last year, we were playing in the Conference League, and I said many times that for me personally, if you want to build a winning mentality, there is only one way: winning games. Because otherwise, if you don't win games, it's difficult to convince the players, 'guys, we are building a winning mentality'," the Italian tactician said after Tuesday night's dismantling for the Catalan giants.

"But when we don't win, it's difficult. So the only way in any competition, Conference League, Champions League this season, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, is to win games. It's the only way to build the winning mentality. And I think the Conference League and the Club World Cup last season helped a lot.

"And now we are trying to do exactly the same. For sure, the players are better players in this moment compared to last season, because we spent more time together."

Getty Images SportRotation, rotation, rotation

In downing the mighty Barca by exploiting their recklessly high line, Maresca served up another timely reminder of his tactical acumen, but what has been even more impressive of late is his ability to utilise his whole squad without results and performances suffering.

No Premier League manager has made more changes to their starting XIs than the Italian so far in 2025-26, with the five he made for the Barcelona game from his team that eased past Burnley taking his tally for the season to a remarkable 102, and it's only November.

While he has a core of guaranteed starters in bigger games, Maresca has been able to lean on the likes of Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos, Jamie Gittens, fit-again Liam Delap and academy graduates Josh Acheampong and Tyrique George in lower-stakes situations – either from the start or as substitutes.

They have handled remarkably well without the talismanic Cole Palmer, too, who has made just four appearances this season due to a groin issue and subsequent broken toe. He has, though, been passed fit to play on Sunday. Meanwhile, defensive midfielders Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo – whose imminent returns will strengthen the group again – have also been sidelined, as well as long-term absentee Levi Colwill.

That ability to rotate, and doing so successfully, could well prove to be vital for Chelsea as they fight on four fronts over the notoriously hectic winter period. If they require a two-legged play-off to reach the Champions League last 16 and make progress in the domestic cup competitions, then they face a brutal schedule of as many as 32 games in the next four months.

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Getty Images SportAnother false dawn?

There will, of course, still be question marks over whether Chelsea have the staying power to go the distance and truly challenge Arsenal – who look ominously capable of becoming runaway leaders – all the way until the final day of the campaign, especially given the young group's lack of experience in that department.

If we zoom out, the Blues are only one point better off than at the same stage last season, and they have certainly benefitted from unrecognisable champions Liverpool and, to a lesser extent, disjointed Manchester City underperforming considerably to this point.

As we've touched upon, their title challenge completely unravelled over the winter period last term before they managed to steady the ship in time to secure a top-four finish on the final day. Even when they were second, Maresca was consistent in his messaging that his team were 'not ready' for a title challenge, although that led some to question whether he had manifested their downturn in form with his pessimistic outlook.

It will be very interesting to see how Chelsea contend with the relentless nature of the schedule this time around, but there is a sense that things are different one year on in terms of cohesiveness, togetherness and strength in depth – something the manager has recognised, albeit he maintains it is too early to predict what they are capable of.

Mikel Arteta has provided a window into the ongoing contract negotiations between Arsenal and star winger Bukayo Saka. The Gunners boss said he is confident the 24-year-old will "leave a legacy" at his boyhood club. Saka is under contract with Arsenal until 2027, but is expected to sign a new deal as the club looks to lock down the core of its title-challenging squad.

Getty Images SportArteta provides update on Saka contract

The Spanish manager was speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal's north London derby clash with Tottenham on Sunday. 

When asked if he was confident the winger would sign a new deal with the club, Arteta shared that Saka has expressed his desire to remain with Arsenal going forward. He described the relationship between the England international, his representatives and the club's hierarchy as "very healthy and powerful". 

Saka signed his current deal in May 2023. The four year deal is set to expire at the end of the 2026/27 season, prompting the likely re-opening of talks over the past few months. 

AdvertisementArteta: Saka wants to "leave legacy" at Arsenal

Arteta was asked if he was confident in Saka's desire to stay with the club and replied: “I prefer that word, I think it is confidence.

“What Bukayo has transmitted to me and the club, and Emeka (Obasi, Saka’s agent) as well, is that they want to continue to be here. I think it’s a very healthy and powerful relationship.

“The journey that he has had at the club and what he has become is something we want to maintain. I think that is something that is going to leave a legacy at this football club and he needs to fulfill that role.

"What I’m very aware of is that he wants to continue with us, that he’s very happy and that he’s in the place that he wants to continue to be and achieve everything that we want to achieve together.

“When that (a new contract) happens and how it happens, I leave that to Andrea [Berta] and the club to figure it out.”

Arsenal lock down title-challenging squad

The north London club have systematically looked to secure the futures of a number of their best performers over the past few months. Saka's fellow academy graduates Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri penned new deals in the summer, locking them down until 2030. 

Real Madrid's reported interest in William Saliba was staved off with a new deal; the Frenchman is under contract until 2030 too. His defensive partner Gabriel — who was recently ruled out for a month after sustaining an injury on Brazil duty — extended his deal with the club until 2029. 

Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard and David Raya also improved the terms of their respective agreements with the Gunners. 

Speaking on the club's proactive approach to managing their players' futures, Arteta said: “It’s been a very clear vision and route on how we want to do things.

“Ownership has been incredibly supportive and determined to make sure that we can continue the journey with these players and maintain the core of the team. That is the efficiency of everybody that works upstairs, starting with Andrea (Berta) and all the team to get things done because at the end there are always three parties and it’s never an easy thing to get done.”

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Getty Images SportSaka's growing Arsenal legacy depends on lifting trophies

There is scant evidence to suggest that Saka views his future outside of north London. Since breaking through into the first team as a left back in the 2018/19 season, the Gunners' 'Star Boy' has developed into one of world football's most consistent right wingers. He has made 277 appearances for the club, scoring 76 goals in all competitions. That form has seen him bloom into a trusted player at international level. Saka has won 48 caps, scoring 14 times for England. 

For the 24-year-old to leave a true legacy at such a massive club will depend on his ability to drive Arsenal on to more silverware. Saka has lifted just one majour honour in his career, the 2019/20 FA Cup, which the Gunners won during Arteta's first season with the club. Three straight second place finishes in the Premier League will have only further fuelled his ambition to win more. Arsenal's push for their first league title in more than 20 years continues with that north London derby on Sunday.