Hollywood star Will Ferrell has reportedly purchased a "large stake" in Leeds after falling in love with English football.

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Ferrell has fallen in love with English footballAlready co-owner of Los Angeles FCLeeds gearing up for play-offsGetty WHAT HAPPENED?

Following in the footsteps of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at Wrexham, the 56-year-old has pumped a significant amount of money into Leeds' owners 49ers Enterprises, according to The Sun. Ferrell is now said to be an avid fan of the Championship side and is looking forward to cheering them on at Elland Road in the near future.

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The San Francisco-based 49ers purchased Leeds last June and Ferrell is expected to be revealed as a new major investor in the coming days. “It’s true – Will Ferrell owns a share of Leeds," a source told The Sun. "The 49ers will be announcing his involvement in the coming days and he’s looking forward to sprinkling a little stardust on the club. He loves soccer and has been particularly impressed by the passion of the English game. And his aim now is to see Leeds back where they belong — in the Premier League. As far as Will and the 49ers are concerned, this is a serious investment opportunity.”

LAFCDID YOU KNOW?

Ferrell is already a co-owner of Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC. The California-based outfit were founded in 2014 and won the MLS Cup in 2022, beating Philadelphia Union on penalties in the final after a 3-3 draw.

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WHAT NEXT FOR LEEDS?

After missing out on automatic promotion to the Premier League, Leeds will take part in the play-offs. Daniel Farke's side finished third and six points behind Ipswich, which means they will lock horns with Norwich for a place at the Wembley final on May 26 – where they would play either Southampton or West Brom.

Luis Enrique reveals the tactical instruction he will give Kylian Mbappe for PSG's Champions League semi-final second leg on Tuesday.

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• PSG facing Dortmund in semi-final
• Enrique outlines tactical demands
• Plan to make Mbappe more dangerous

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Enrique has explained that, although it is expected that PSG will defend as team – "Even the world stars have to help defend", he wants Mbappe to remain high up the pitch when the French giants are in possession, in order to maximise his ability to hurt Borussia Dortmund where it counts most.

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  Dortmund locked Mbappe down in the first leg, resulting in minimal impact from PSG's main man. He agonisingly hit the inside post at one stage but was otherwise too much of a periphery figure and coud only get on the ball in deeper areas.

• WHAT ENRIQUE SAID

  Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Enrique said: "I don't want the striker to go for the ball in midfield, I want the striker to touch the ball in critical areas and that's difficult. I know you really want to talk about Kylian and I'm used to talking about Kylian. As an objective, we want to find our best players. Obviously our opponents are not going to leave him free at the penalty spot, they are going to let him touch the ball in midfield. I want him to go and touch it where he is dangerous."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR PSG?

  With this season's Ligue 1 title already wrapped up, PSG are able to give sole attention on returning to only their second ever Champions League final. But they trail Dortmund by a 1-0 aggregate score-line going into Tuesday's second leg in Paris. If successful, they would face two finals in the space of a week, with the 2024 Coupe de France final against Lyon on May 25 – seven days before the Champions League final at Wembley.

Bangladesh have never beaten New Zealand in an international in New Zealand

Mohammad Isam04-Feb-2019

Mushfiqur Rahim has identified the ODI tour of New Zealand, starting February 13, as ideal preparation for the 2019 World Cup. Conditions vaguely similar to England, high-scoring games and a quality bowling attack are what, Mushfiqur believes, Bangladesh will be confronted with in Napier, Christchurch and Dunedin.”It will be a difficult challenge in New Zealand,” Mushfiqur said. “India won the ODI series but New Zealand fought really hard. They have a really good bowling attack but I believe that our team will do well.Watch NZ v Ban live

Followers in the United States can watch New Zealand v Bangladesh live on ESPN+

“We ran them close in two (out of three) ODIs on our last New Zealand tour, in Nelson and Christchurch. If Mosaddek and I had batted for longer, things would have been different. It will be the ideal preparation ahead of the World Cup. There may be high-scoring matches. If we can overcome those challenges, it will only help us for the future.”Bangladesh have never beaten New Zealand in an international in New Zealand, and their last ODI assignment was in mid-December, when they beat West Indies 2-1 at home. Since then only T20s have been on their roster, three internationals against West Indies, followed by the ongoing edition of the BPL.But Mushfiqur felt that the match practice would prove useful, especially with regard to fitness. “Ideally there should be a week’s break (after the BPL) but still, our first game is on February 13. So we have seven or eight days left. We are in match practice, so there can’t be anything better than that. It helps you fitness-wise too.”Mushfiqur’s BPL side, Chittagong Vikings, exited the tournament after a meek surrender against Dhaka Dynamites in the eliminator in Mirpur. Mushfiqur, his team’s highest scorer with 426 runs at a strike rate of 139.21, said that although he missed out on Monday, he was still satisfied with his showing earlier in the tournament.”I wanted to play a match-winning knock today but it didn’t happen. I feel that I am slightly happier than previous tournaments. I have got out of some tough situations, and believed in myself a little more.”Mushfiqur said that the lack of pressure on the team, particularly because of their underdog tag, helped the Vikings exceed expectations.”We had the belief to finish in the top four. There was little pressure on us. We didn’t have the team on paper but we wanted to show that despite being a low-budget side, we can set an example with a good result.”I think if we had better foreign inclusions after winning five games, things could have been different. If we leave out today, I think we had a good tournament.”

Two days after IMG-Reliance pulled out of its deal to produce television coverage of the fourth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), a replacement for the remainder of the tournament has been found. The PCB has declared that a consortium of Blitz and Trans Group will produce TV coverage throughout the course of this season’s PSL from now on.”The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced the consortium of Blitz and Trans Group as the new live production partner for the HBL Pakistan Super League 2019,” the PCB said in a press release. “Blitz are the PCB’s broadcast partners in Pakistan, while Trans Group are the event management partners.”Blitz and Trans Group will start their coverage when the matches resume on Wednesday, 20 February, and will continue to provide the same high quality coverage which the followers experienced in the earlier games of the event.”The announcement by IMG-Reliance, an Indian company, that they would not be producing TV coverage of the PSL came on Sunday, three days after a suicide bomb attack in Kashmir killed 44 Indian paramilitary troops, severely straining relations between India and Pakistan. The acrimony spilled over into cricket, not just with IMG-Reliance’s decision, but with TV channel DSports ceasing broadcasting of the PSL in India. Cricketgateway’s website, which has provided online coverage of the PSL for the past two seasons, has also stopped providing its coverage in India.IMG-Reliance’s decision left the PCB scrambling to find a replacement within the two days that the PSL was on a break for before games resume in Sharjah on Wednesday, The deal with Blitz and Trans Group goes some way to assuaging fears that the PSL would be left without a production partner, a major concern given TV revenue was overwhelmingly the largest source of income for the tournament.There was also speculation that the India-Pakistan clash at the World Cup on June 16 in Manchester may be in jeopardy. It led to outgoing ICC CEO David Richardson to say that “no indications” had been sent from either board that the match would not take place but that the ICC was “monitoring” the situation.

كشف المدير الفني لفريق نيس، فرانك هايس، موقف المحترف المصري محمد عبد المنعم من خوض مباراة الأحد المقبل ضد أنجيه في الدوري الفرنسي.

ويلتقي الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة الثالثة من بطولة الدوري الفرنسي، مساء يوم الأحد.

وأعلن نادي نيس، أمس الخميس، تعاقده بشكل رسمي مع المدافع المصري محمد عبد المنعم، قادمًا من الأهلي.

اقرأ أيضًا | فريق محمد عبد المنعم.. مباريات نيس في الدوري الأوروبي 2024/2025

وأوضح فرانك هايس، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ليكيب” الفرنسية مدى إمكانية مشاركة محمد عبد المنعم في مباراة الأحد المرتقبة.

وقال فرانك هايس، أن هناك فرصة كبيرة ليتواجد الوافدان الجديدان، محمد عبد المنعم ويوسوفا موكوكو، ضمن فريق نيس في مباراة الأحد ضد أنجيه.

وربما يدفع هايس بـ محمد عبد المنعم كبديل في مباراة نيس وأنجيه، من أجل الانسجام مع الفريق قبل فترة التوقف الدولي.

ويحتل نيس حاليًا المركز الثاني عشر في جدول الدوري الفرنسي، 2024/25، برصيد نقطة.

ولم يتمكن نيس من تحقيق الفوز في الموسم الجديد من الدوري الفرنسي، حيث خسر في الجولة الأولى أمام أوكسير بهدفين لهدف، في حين تعادل مع تولوز بهدف لمثله في الجولة الثانية.

Leeds United experienced a turbulent transfer window this summer in the immediate aftermath of their relegation down to the Championship, a whole host of underperforming first-teamers departing before the prospect of second-tier football could even properly sink in.

The likes of Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Rodrigo and Marc Roca all left the club to pursue loan moves elsewhere, whilst American midfield gem Tyler Adams also left Elland Road behind to join Premier League side AFC Bournemouth on a permanent deal.

Yet, not all hope was lost completely in this transfer window with Daniel Farke going on to recruit the spine of a squad that's now third in the league and gearing up for an intense battle with Ipswich Town and Leicester City for those coveted automatic promotion spots.

Additions such as Joel Piroe, Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon have been excellent buys whilst duds in the Premier League such as Georginio Rutter have burst into life since the club were relegated – the latter man registering seven assists this season.

Farke could add some new players in January to his promotion-chasing squad regardless of the feel-good factor present at Elland Road at this moment in time, Leeds potentially going back in for Fortuna Düsseldorf star Ao Tanaka who is vying for a move away from the German club.

Leeds transfer latest

Leeds United were previously interested in the Japanese midfielder last transfer window and even made a bid for the player, according to reports in Germany, albeit with Farke's men opting to sign Glen Kamara instead to fill gaps over Tanaka.

The Whites could be encouraged to go back in for the 24-time Japan international with recent developments suggesting that the skilful 5 foot 11 Düsseldorf man is actively looking for a move away.

German football website Express commented on the 'tricky situation' Tanaka's club have on their hands to keep the 25-year-old past January, stating that Dusseldorf will not put 'any obstacles' in the way of their number four moving on.

The Whites could therefore consider going back in for their failed summer buy, adding competition for places in West Yorkshire to ensure first-team regulars such as Kamara don't become complacent centrally.

How Ao Tanaka compares to Glen Kamara

Whilst Leeds' Finnish midfielder is far more reserved in his game going forward – content with just spraying the ball about with ease in a holding role – Tanaka excels when he ventures further up the pitch to help his team add goals.

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Over the last year for his 2. Bundesliga employers – according to FBref – Tanaka has averaged 1.28 shots per 90 minutes when he forays forward. Kamara, on the contrary, comes in at a far lesser 0.21.

With the amount of shots Tanaka takes per match, it's no surprise to see the Japanese midfielder has four goals next to his name for his free-flowing 2. Bundesliga team this campaign.

Yet, Kamara comes out on top in the passing statistics between the two – Leeds' number eight is a key figure under Farke playing in a deep position, a calm orchestrator of attacking moves alongside partner Ethan Ampadu. Over the last year, Kamara has on average completed 92.4% of his passes per game compared to Tanaka's 85.5%.

The Japanese World Cup star could offer Leeds something more fresh and unique if he was to be signed, even potentially starting in a more advanced number ten role if required.

Tanaka's ability to be tough in a tackle for Dusseldorf and his national team but also potent in attack has even seen him be compared to Real Madrid golden boy Jude Bellingham, a comparison that will have certainly piqued Leeds' interest due to the 20-year-old's heroics of late – netting 15 goals in just 17 games for Los Blancos.

That likeness between Tanaka and the Englishman was noted by the Bundesliga official website, who stated:

'Tanaka is somewhere in between, going box to box and emerging as an on-field leader like Borussia Dortmund’s England international Jude Bellingham. Tanaka looks to clean up from deep – averaging almost nine tackles won per Bundesliga 2 game in 2022/23 – and get forward whenever possible.'

Kamara will then be sweating about the potential of Kamada joining the Whites, Farke could fancy signing the bargain £2.6m man in January and play him over the former Rangers man to catch opponents off-guard in their continued hunt for promotion.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após dois resultados ruins, o Ceará foi ao Morumbi com a expectativa de vencer o São Paulo e sustentar, mesmo que de maneira mínima, uma chance de brigar pela Libertadores, mas ficou no empate por 1 a 1.

+ Pedro Raul vendido, Donnarumma mais longe do Milan, futuro de Salah no Liverpool… Veja o Dia do Mercado

Desta vez, o Vozão suportou o volume do Tricolor ao longo da partida, chegou a abrir o placar e levou o gol do adversário nos acréscimos, o que fez o Ceará deixar o campo com o gosto amargo na garganta.

Na coletiva de imprensa, o técnico Guto Ferreira declarou que o triunfo na casa do São Paulo não saiu pro ‘detalhes’.

‘Faltou a gente conseguir ter mais a bola, romper mais, segurar mais a bola na linha da frente para ultrapassar mais as linhas do São Paulo. Houve determinados momentos no segundo tempo em que melhoramos, tiramos os espaços que o São Paulo tinha, mas não tivemos a sequência que a gente queria para ter finalizações concretas. Isso aí que talvez tenha feito com que a imagem da nossa equipe em relação a um comportamento mais vistoso não tenha acontecido. Fizemos uma partida equilibrada e por detalhes não saímos vencedores’, afirmou.

+ CONFIRA A CLASSIFICAÇÃO DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO

Agora, o Ceará volta a campo no próximo domingo, quando visita o Fluminense, no Maracanã.

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This will be the most high-profile tournament for Butt since returning from his spot-fixing ban in January 2016

Umar Farooq19-Feb-2019Lahore Qalandars have roped in Salman Butt to replace the injured Mohammad Hafeez for the remainder of the PSL 2019 season.This is the most high-profile event Butt will be part of after his return in 2016 from his five-year suspension for his involvement in the the spot-fixing scandal of 2010. He will play under the leadership of AB de Villiers, who was handed the captaincy by Qalandars after Hafeez fractured his thumb.Hafeez’s absence will be a major setback for the Qalandars, who had picked up the allrounder in the Platinum category and had named him captain in a bid to rectify their poor PSL record: the team has finished bottom of the table in every season so far.Hafeez injured his thumb while attempting a return catch against Karachi Kings on Saturday. He will undergo surgery later this week and is expected to be out of the game for at least one month.With Hafeez out, the Qalandars were looking for someone to provide stability and experience as an anchor at No.3, a role that Butt appears suited for.”It was unfortunate to lose Hafeez. We believe that only an experienced Pakistani player like Salman Butt can replace him,” Aaqib Javed, the Qalandars director, cricket operations, said.Before he was banned, Butt’s T20 strike rate was 107.98, considered adequate in the 2007-2010 period. His overall domestic T20 strike rate is 113.55, and he has scored 2278 runs at an average of 36.15. Butt’s consistency is also highlighted by his runs-per-innings figure of 30.4, second only to Babar Azam among Pakistani batsmen who have at least 2000 T20 runs.Butt’s T20 numbers have looked better since his return from the ban. He averages 55.35 since 2016 – the highest for any Pakistan player with a minimum of 500 runs. Azam is the next best, at 39.89, in that same period. Butt has made 941 runs in 24 T20 innings with nine half-centuries since his return to senior competitive cricket.Butt believed he was well-prepared for the challenges of playing in the PSL. “I’m pretty excited naturally. It’s the kind of tournament that has arrived after about nine years for me, but I’m confident that I’ve played all the first-class cricket, the domestic tournaments, the National T20 and the One-Day cups,” Butt said in Lahore. “My whole focus is on the PSL and I’m very grateful that Lahore Qalandars and their management have given me this long-awaited chance to perform. And I really hope that if I can come good and help the team win then definitely the other things will work out.”Butt, 34, marked his comeback in January 2016 with a century in the National One-Day Cup, and went on to finish the tournament as its second-highest run-getter, with 536 runs at an average of 107.20. He then led his first-class team, Water and Power Development Authority, to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title, scoring twin hundreds in the final to finish the season with 741 runs at 49.40. He was also the second-highest run-getter in the National T20 Cup in 2018, with 350 runs at 70.00.He was 26 when he was banned, having played 33 Tests, 78 ODIs and 24 T20Is by then. Since then, he has attended anti-corruption rehabilitation programmes conducted by the PCB, taken part in social work, and publicly apologised, though he hadn’t pleaded his innocence until 2013. The two other players punished at the time, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, have also returned to cricket after completing their bans. Amir has been successfully re-integrated into the national set-up, and played all three formats for Pakistan since, while also featuring for Karachi Kings for a fourth consecutive season in the PSL.Over the last two years, Butt’s national selection had been mooted on occasion, but the PCB has treaded cautiously on the matter. Butt’s consistent domestic performances had impressed Pakistan’s previous head coach Waqar Younis and former captain Misbah-ul-Haq, while the lack of stability in the opening combination ensured the topic of his return stayed relevant. The current coaching staff, led by Mickey Arthur, have also been impressed by Butt, but have left it to the selectors and the PCB to decide on his possible return.Butt could have been back in the Pakistan squad as early as their tour of the West Indies in the first half of 2017, with Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman then, publicly clearing his selection. However, with the revelations of spot-fixing in the PSL that season, the climate for Butt’s prospective return turned adverse, though he had no connection with any of the players in the scandal. That forced the selectors to wait longer, and a year later, they decided to look beyond Butt and try out younger prospects.

Aston Villa have had a better season than many could have possibly expected and are sitting merely three points off the top of the Premier League heading into the new year.

However, while head coach Unai Emery will be delighted with his players' performances this season, the Spanish coach may still feel as though one or two areas could be strengthened in January, with the window set to open in just a few days.

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One player in particular could be Emery's saving grace this winter and would improve Villa's backline immensely, although the signing will certainly come at a price.

Aston Villa transfer news – Nahuel Molina

As per reports in Spain back in October, Aston Villa had emerged as the front-runners to sign Atletico Madrid fullback Nahuel Molina in January. Furthermore, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently revealed in November that the 25-year-old was set to sign a new contract with Los Colchoneros, although this has yet to be made official by either party.

The Argentine defender moved to the Spanish capital from Serie A club Udinese at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign for a reported £17.3m fee. Since then, Molina has helped guide Atletico to a third-place finish last season and even picked himself up a World Cup winner's medal midway through the term with Argentina in Qatar.

Molina was Argentina's first-choice right-back in the Middle East last winter and scored a goal in the quarter-finals as the South American side eventually beat the Netherlands on penalties en route to glory. Journalist Josh Bunting described the Atletico defender as "beautiful to watch" during the tournament.

As a result of his superb performances over the past twelve to eighteen months, Molina's market value has soared to £70m, according to the CIES Football Observatory.

Nahuel Molina's stats this season

One area of Aston Villa's team that Emery has tried to mask the deficiencies of over the past few months is at right-back. The manager predominantly deploys Matty Cash on the right side of the back four during games against weaker opposition. However, when tasked with facing stronger opponents, such as Manchester United, Cash drops to the bench.

Emery prefers having a more defensive player in that position against the top teams, hence why Ezri Konsa has been asked to fill in as a right-back multiple times this season already, including during Villa's Boxing Day defeat to Manchester United. Up against Marcus Rashford on his return to the starting lineup, Konsa did quite well, winning 11 of his 15 duels and 67% of his tackles while also making eight ball recoveries.

Then, in theory, Emery will use Cash against teams with less quality than Villa, such as Sheffield United. However, the Poland international has struggled in recent weeks to offer anything on the right flank. In the 1-1 draw to the Blades last week, Cash lost possession of the ball 25 times and was handed a 4/10 match rating by Birmingham World for his errant display.

This season, Molina has been much better offensively and defensively than Cash and looks to be a clear upgrade on the Aston Villa fullback, having outperformed his counterpart across a string of metrics.

Per 90 Stats

Nahuel Molina

Matty Cash

Goals

0.13

0.11

Expected Goals

0.06

0.21

Assists

0.2

0.11

Expected Assists

0.12

0.11

Progressive Passes

4.05

4.21

Progressive Passes Received

6.99

5.06

Key Passes

0.92

0.79

Passes To Penalty Area

1.5

0.84

Take-Ons Success Rate %

42.9

28.1

Crosses

3.46

1.76

Ball Recoveries

5.82

4.89

Stats via FBref

Emery doesn't trust Cash to start in big games so signing a new right-back could be of paramount importance for Villa in January. While Molina will be expensive, he'll certainly be worth the money.

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has urged key defender Millie Bright to take her time as she continues to build fitness after a lenghy injury layoff.

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Hayes reveals advice given to BrightChelsea defender recently back from injuryImmediately recalled to England squadWHAT HAPPENED?

Bright was recalled to the England setup by Sarina Wiegman on Tuesday morning ahead of four upcoming Euro 2025 qualifiers in May, June and July. It will mark her first international action since withdrawing from the squad in late November. Club boss Hayes shared her advice to the Chelsea player a few hours later.

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Speaking at a press conference before Chelsea's midweek WSL clash with Tottenham, Hayes said: "I will often say to the players that you have to put your career first and Millie was putting her body in a situation where, if she didn’t look after it…careers are short. I advised her to really prioritise a little longer term instead of just constantly playing in pain. That's been tough for her, a long time out, and hasn't been smooth running.

"That's why I think probably most managers get frustrated when [journalists] ask, 'Who's injured?' and we say, 'They are and it might be a week'. All of a sudden it’s three weeks or four weeks, or a month, or two months. It's not because we play games with you, this is the nature of what happens coming back from rehab and Millie's was certainly not straightforward.

"I'm happy for her that she's back [but] I still think she has to build progressively. It's a testament to her character, she's always been a leader in our dressing room and one that's given everything to Chelsea and everything to me in my time here."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Having nursed a knee problem in the closing stages of last season that made her a doubt for the World Cup, Bright played her last game for more than five months when Chelsea drew 2-2 against Real Madrid in the Champions League on November 15. At one point, the 30-year-old even questioned whether she still had a career. But Bright returned for the final six minutes of the semi-final second leg against Barcelona on April 27 and has started each of Chelsea's WSL fixtures – against Liverpool and Bristol City – since.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

If Chelsea beat Tottenham on Wednesday and then Manchester United on Saturday, they will likely win a fifth consecutive WSL title, unless Manchester City can beat Aston Villa and orchestrate a goal-difference swing. For Bright, it would be her seventh since joining in 2014, as it would be Hayes, who is leaving the club for the USWNT job.