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As those at Elland Road gear up for their return to action after the international break, former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes that the 49ers Enterprises have now made an “audacious bid” to sign a Premier League winner.

Leeds transfer rumours

Set to square off against Swansea City in their first game back from the international break, Leeds could end the weekend at the top of the Championship if results go their way in what would be the perfect way to enter a busy festive period of fixtures. A win would also take Daniel Farke’s current run to just one defeat in his last five games in charge of the Yorkshire club.

The German deserves great credit for how he’s turned around a tough start to the campaign and adjusted to life without both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev in two major injury blows.

That’s not to say that he won’t be keen for the chance for further reinforcements to arrive in 2025, however, with Robinson now backing those at Elland Road to go in pursuit of a major coup.

Leeds and Farke keen on £45k-a-week "key player" in possible free transfer

The Whites are among the teams chasing a player who could arrive for nothing in 2025.

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By
Brett Worthington

Nov 21, 2024

According to Robinson, the 49ers and Leeds have now made an “audacious bid” to sign James McAtee from Manchester City in 2025. The former goalkeeper told Football Insider: “Leeds have made an audacious bid for him. He’s had two really good loans at Sheffield United, West Ham have been in the mix and he’s been linked with Fulham, but it’s not just going to be them.

“And what would they be getting for him in January? £20-25million? £30million? There are a lot of clubs that would take James McAtee, whether it be on a permanent or loan deal. But I think Pep Guardiola might be selfish between now and the end of the season and keep him.

“He wants him to be a part of his squad and I think they’re going to need him. The amount of injuries this season, you’d have thought he would already have broken into that first-team with the talent he has.“

Robinson’s statement follows earlier reports that Leeds are eyeing a January loan move to sign the Manchester City academy graduate, who has also attracted the interest of West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.

"Talented" McAtee could push Leeds towards promotion

If Leeds push ahead and secure McAtee’s signature as early as the January transfer window, then he could make the difference in their race to secure promotion. The Premier League winner did exactly that for Sheffield United during the 2022/23 campaign to help them back towards the Premier League, scoring nine goals and assisting a further three. Now, it could be Leeds who benefit.

Described as “talented” by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig, McAtee looks on course to become the next top prospect to depart The Etihad, following in the footsteps of Cole Palmer. And if he’s anything like the Chelsea star, then Leeds could welcome a player who would take them up another level entirely.

Fast bowler proud of resilience after bouncing back from brutal treatment by England batters

Andrew Miller28-Feb-2023Neil Wagner, New Zealand’s final-day hero at Wellington, was hailed by Brendon McCullum – his former captain and current England coach – as “one of the toughest I’ve come across”, after his bruising four-wicket haul secured a thrilling one-run win in the second Test.Wagner’s final figures of 4 for 62 in 15.2 overs included both of England’s set batters, Ben Stokes and Joe Root, as well as the crucial final scalp of James Anderson, caught down the leg side by Tom Blundell, as England slipped from 201 for 5 to 256 all out in the course of his final gut-busting ten-over spell.And the performance capped an extraordinary comeback from one of New Zealand’s most indefatigable performers, after he had borne the brunt of England’s aggression, both in second innings at Mount Maunganui, where his figures of 13-0-110-2 had been the second least economical in Test history, and in the first innings at Wellington, where Harry Brook’s thrilling 186 had dispatched him at close to a run a ball across 21 more overs.This time, however, with England reeling in their run-chase after the loss of four early wickets on the final day, Wagner’s aggression proved the difference, with both Stokes and Root falling in consecutive overs in failed attempts to capitalise on a deck-hitting approach that proved so effective for New Zealand throughout their reign as World Test Champions.”I got a bit of rhythm, something ticked which is nice,” Wagner said in the moment of victory. “I guess it happens in cricket. But credit to Harry Brook, he’s a serious talent. The way he’s played it and came after me, he was pretty awesome to watch but not to receive. He’s a serious player but to finally get some reward from it was quite pleasing.”Related

• Neil Wagner retires from international cricket

• Neil Wagner strikes gold to uphold New Zealand and England's unspoken promise

• From saviour to self-sacrificing leader, Stokes paves England's way to evolve as a collective

• Does Harry Brook have more runs than even Don Bradman in his first nine Test innings?

• New Zealand beat England in one-run thriller, make history by overcoming follow-on

The win – which was set up by a second-innings of 483, led by a century from Kane Williamson and a 149-run opening stand between Tom Latham and Devon Conway – squared the series at 1-1, and so preserved a proud home record that now stretches to 11 unbeaten campaigns since 2017.”That’s the characteristics of this team, we keep having to fight for each other, find a way of doing the hard yards out there, and we did,” Wagner said. “It’s a special one, this, and we’ll celebrate it well. It’s an amazing achievement, and obviously everybody contributed, so hats off to everyone. That’s what this team is about, to keep fighting and it’s just something that we’re extremely proud of.”Tim Southee, New Zealand’s captain, admitted that the victory had to rank as the best he had ever been a part of, having sat out their similarly fraught four-run win over Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in 2018-19.”It’s hard to go past having only been the fourth team to win a Test match when asked to follow-on,” he said. “I imagine it’ll be a Test match that’s talked about for a long time.”We went back to what Wags’ biggest strength is,” Southee added. “He bought into it, he trusted it, even though it hadn’t come off as he’d have liked in the series. We trusted his best method and he was able to come in and change the game in this last session, like he has done for a long period of time.”It’s an unusual tactic that you see a little bit more of nowadays, but it’s something Neil’s done for a long period of time. For him to come in and change the game there, when it looked like Ben and Joe had almost taken it away from us was a massive part of this game, and shows you the ticker that Neil’s got.”It shows more about him as a character and a cricketer. He doesn’t give up. It’s in his DNA to keep giving to this team. And I think we saw that and how valuable he can be: when nothing was really happening, and into the wind as well, was able to change the game in that last sessions.”McCullum’s own reign as New Zealand captain, from 2013 to 2016, was instrumental in instilling the fighting spirit that endures to this day, and he paid special tribute to Wagner, a man whom he first played alongside in the Caribbean in 2012.”It’s a tough game, right, and tough characters have to find a way and they do,” McCullum said. “Neil Wagner is one of the toughest that I’ve come across. Obviously I had the pleasure of captaining them for a long period of time, and now playing against him, you know that he’s got a huge heart and he’ll find a way when the going gets tough.”He was good today. He was better than good, he was excellent. He turned the game on its head.”

Dropping Shivnarine Chanderpaul before the series provided opportunities for younger players, but the West Indies’ lack of batting depth was ruthlessly exposed in his absence

Daniel Brettig15-Jun-20151:26

Hazlewood and Lyon star in the Caribbean

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Jason Holder
As impressive as Holder’s bold batting and canny bowling was his attitude to the contest. He does not give up, and is not overly irked by aggression directed his way from opponents. On the evidence of this series he should be batting at No. 6 for West Indies, and probably leading the team in the next year or so. A source of optimism.Jerome Taylor
Some truly brilliant spells in Jamaica maintained a formidable record at Sabina Park, as Taylor swung the ball at pace while also summoning a rare yorker to stop Steven Smith short of 200. He lacked enough support, but will be a worthy opponent in Australia later this year so long as the West Indies can find another paceman or two with enough discipline to help him.Devendra Bishoo
Not many bowlers spin past Steven Smith, a fact that underlined the excellence of Bishoo’s Dominica display. His absence from Sabina Park was a major blow to the hosts, and it can only be hoped that his poorly spinning finger can be effectively treated ahead of future assignments. Australian pitches, with their extra pace and bounce, should agree with him.

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Shane Dowrich
A sound temperament, a sturdy enough technique and a determination to stay at the crease marked Dowrich as one of the more promising young batsmen to enter the West Indies Test XI in recent times. Has plenty more to learn, but was at least able to “stick it out” for far longer than any other young batsman apart from Holder.

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Shai Hope
Three starts in four innings suggested that Hope may have the right stuff provided he can build on his concentration, but the question for the West Indies is where he should bat. Having opened in Dominica he dropped down to No. 5 at Sabina Park, looking neither out of his depth nor quite ready to dominate. Watch this space.Marlon Samuels
The longest West Indian innings of the series, yet was twice out hooking and then missed the second Test. Samuels is the most enigmatic of figures, but for now he is the only senior batsman the West Indies possess. The team knows who he is and what he provides, and must hope he can suppress the instincts that had him taking on the short ball in a most ungainly fashion at Windsor Park.Marlon Samuels needs to show more responsibility as the West Indies’ senior batsman•Getty Images

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Jermaine Blackwood
Batted as though he had a bus to catch – a bus to a Twenty20 match. Despite making a strong start to the West Indies home season before this series against England, a few of his dismissals made one wonder if he really can become a successful Test player. Blackwood freely admitted he has plenty of work to do on his concentration. The talent is there, but how much does he want Test match success?Veerasammy Permaul
Suffered by comparison to Bishoo, and made little impact at Sabina Park. Permaul is steady, but clearly needs the pitch to do much of the work for him. Batted passably in the second innings as the last rites were being given.Denesh Ramdin
Much more was expected of Ramdin this series. His wooden captaincy and mediocre batting left plenty to wonder whether he is the right man to lead the team to Australia at the end of the year. Like several other members of the team he fell back from his efforts against England, and it will be a question of resolve as to how much he works on that after the Caribbean Premier League.Shannon Gabriel
Fast but erratic, Gabriel may be the right man to share the new ball with Taylor, but must close the gap between his best and worst. Missing out on the Jamaica Test through illness was a blow, for he would doubtless have made the ball jump on a lively first morning.Darren Bravo managed an underwhelming 49 runs in four innings during the series•Getty Images

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Kraigg Brathwaite
Devoid of footwork and hurried by the Australians’ pace, Brathwaite looked worryingly out of his depth for someone who has been installed as a long-term opening batsman. On swifter Australian pitches, such problems may well be exacerbated further.Darren Bravo
The biggest disappointment of the series. Despite his obvious talent, Bravo was hemmed in and made to look ponderous by the Australian bowlers and their disciplined lines. Unlike his mentor and hero Brian Lara, Bravo was unable to get through the tough periods and make the bowlers come back for more spells. Without Shivnarine Chanderpaul around anymore, Bravo must do more than this.Kemar Roach
Three years ago Roach was a constant threat to Australia, but this time looked a bowler much diminished. Lacking his former pace, he was also less accurate, and failed completely to support the excellent Taylor on day one in Jamaica. Capable of so much better than he showed here.Rajendra Chandrika
A first-class average of 26 does not inspire much confidence in an opening batsman, and Chandrika was set a most difficult task to step up. A pair on debut will make for painful reading, but plenty of other batsmen have dealt with that ignominy before improving. It remains to be seen whether Chandrika will get that chance.

Aurelien Tchouameni seems to have put his struggles with form behind him and has also become more popular than ever in the Real Madrid dressing room.

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• Tchouameni's dressing room stocks on the rise at Real
• Surprised team-mates with a piano performance at an airport
• Has been one of the in-form players of the team in recent weeks

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Aurelien Tchouameni is certainly enjoying his current purple patch at Real Madrid, with his return to form coming at the right time for head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who has had to deal with multiple injuries. The French midfielder's popularity within the Madrid dressing room has surged, too, after dropping a surprising piano performance at an airport on one of Los Blancos' recent away trips.

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• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to Cadena SER, Tchouameni's Real Madrid team-mates have been impressed with his resolve to turn things around amid a furious wave of criticism. Ancelotti has had to deal with a truckload of injuries throughout the season. With Eder Militao suffering an ACL injury, and David Alaba recovering from one, the Italian manager fielded Tchouameni as a makeshift centre-back, an experiment that, to be fair, didn't work out as expected.

  Earlier in the season, reports emerged that stated that the Real Madrid hierarchy was not happy with the Frenchman's performances. In fact, Tchouameni was whistled by the home supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu in a game against Celta Vigo.

  In recent weeks, though, with the emergence of Raul Asencio and the return of Alaba to full fitness, Tchouameni has returned to his preferred position in midfield and looks rejuvenated in the middle of the park, producing top performances on a more consistent basis.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The same report further mentioned that Tchouameni's fluency in Spanish has also impressed those in the first team, with his strong command of the language attributed to his mother, who is a Spanish teacher.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR AURELIEN TCHOUAMENI?

  After starting for Real in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Atletico Madrid, Tchouameni will be expected to retain his spot in the XI when the La Liga holders travel to the Ceramica to take on Villarreal on Saturday, March 15.

Chelsea has been the home to countless elite-level attackers over the years, helping the club transform into one of the biggest names in England and across Europe.

Eden Hazard will go down as one of the most memorable, featuring over 300 times for the Blues, scoring some crucial goals – helping them claim the Premier League title twice during his seven-year spell at Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian would also make the club a hefty profit in the process, leaving for Real Madrid for a fee in the region of £150m in the summer of 2019 – making them a profit of £118m on their investment from 2012.

Frank Lampard was another who featured at the very top level during the entirety of his time in West London, making just shy of 650 appearances for the Blues, breaking their record and becoming the top scorer in their history with his tally of 211.

The Englishman has since returned to manage the first-team squad on two separate occasions, trying to stabilise the ship in uncertain times such as embargoes and poor on-field performances.

One striker will remain in the hearts of almost all supporters forever after his impact at the club following his out-of-the-blue transfer under José Mourinho.

Didier Drogba’s stats for Chelsea

Didier Drogba will always be remembered for his goalscoring ability with his array of different finishes following his time at the Bridge, scoring 147 times in his 344 appearances for the Blues during a combined 11-year stint in West London.

He joined the club in the summer of 2004 from Ligue 1 side Marseille, with then-manager Mourinho having to convince former owner Roman Abramovich to splash the cash for his signature – with the Ivorian his number one target.

Drogba scored various key goals for the Blues, but his ability to create an opportunity or an opening in front of goal, essentially out of nothing, made him as popular as he was, with the fans adoring him for his efforts.

The now 46-year-old achieved double figures in every season he played in England bar his final one in 2014/15, providing the goals when the side needed them most.

Undoubtedly, his most memorable moment for the club came in the 2012 Champions League, where he scored the crucial equaliser, before scoring the winning penalty in the shootout – cementing himself in the club’s history forever.

It’s now been nine years since his final game for Chelsea, with various managers and behind-the-scenes staff trying to find the club their new version of the African superstar.

However, their attempts are yet to be successful, with one player previously having high hopes upon his move to England.

Chelsea's next Didier Drogba not living up to the hype

Fellow Ivorian David Datro Fofana followed in the footsteps of his compatriot, joining the Blues in an £8.4m deal from Norwegian side Molde back in January 2023.

The striker would make four appearances in the second half of the 2022/23 season, which remain his only appearances for the club to date after his transfer.

His move to the Bridge was an exciting one, with Turkish commentator Hakan Gulec, dubbing the 21-year-old as the “baby Drogba” – a huge heap of pressure that up to now, he’s failed to live up to.

Fofana has since been sent on various loan spells across Europe to allow him to reach his potential and have an opportunity to prove that the comparisons really on in his career were accurate.

Union Berlin and Burnley were the sides who signed the youngster on temporary loans, before returning to West London this summer for pre-season ahead of 2024/25.

However, he wouldn’t get his chance under new boss Enzo Maresca, being shipped on loan to Turkish side Goztepe after a failed move to join Greek outfit AEK Athens.

Given his young age, there’s still a lot of time for Fofana to progress and reach the levels he was credited with before his move to England, but he needs to do so quickly if he is to remain at the Bridge.

Owner Todd Boehly isn’t afraid to axe or sign new players if he feels that an area needs strengthening, with the centre-forward area undoubtedly the one in need of most attention – but Fofana could find himself on the brink if he doesn’t impress this season.

Chelsea set to unearth their own Yamal in "crazy" £100m star in the making

Chelsea could have their very own Lamine Yamal with this “crazy” talent.

By
Connor Holden

Nov 14, 2024

Plays of the day from the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab in Hyderabad

Devashish Fuloria11-May-2015 The Maxwell effect
With no help in the first six overs for either the seamers or the offspinner Gurkeerat Singh, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan made brisk progress, adding 56 runs. So when Glenn Maxwell came in to bowl in the seventh over, Dhawan hoped to continue in the merry way. Maxwell, not known for turn, not only got his first ball to dip, but also got it to spit away from an advancing Dhawan, leaving him stranded down the pitch.The Neo effect
Warner had been hitting the ball hard all day, but one got very close to the non-striker. As the batsman made room to hit Sandeep Sharma inside out in the 11th over, the bowler followed him. Warner, though, went ahead with the shot and hit it firmly back at Moises Henriques, who, to his credit, stayed mostly still before just getting his right shoulder out of the way. The ball was travelling at some speed, but Henriques probably saw it in slow motion.The parallax
In the 17th over, Warner, while trying to make room, had to reach out for a low full toss outside off. He managed to hammer it over cover for a boundary but instead of being forced to stay on his normal stance, Warner went in the other direction. He took stance way wide of leg stump, just inside the wide marker. Anureet, confused whether to go for the open stumps or the batsman, ended up serving another low full toss. That was clubbed to the cover boundary as well.The misfiring gun
No runs should have come off the last delivery of the Sunrisers innings. Instead, two were given away. Sandeep Sharma bowled an accurate yorker that was dug out back down the pitch, straight to the bowler, by KL Rahul. As the batsmen went for a non-existent single, Sandeep had plenty of time to walk to the non-striker’s end and take the bails off. But he chose to fire a throw from his position a couple of meters away from the stump only to miss them. Sandeep couldn’t believe it. George Bailey couldn’t believe it either.Six in third dimension
It would be hard to beat Chris Gayle on the length of his sixes, but M Vijay could now possibly stake claim on the vertical dimension. He greeted Trent Boult with a flick that launched the ball as high as the light towers and but didn’t seem to have much horizontal distance. When it landed, though, it was over the square-leg boundary, 68 meters away.

It’s not clear which formats he would be in charge of, with S Sriram understood to be at the helm of the T20I side

Mohammad Isam31-Jan-2023Chandika Hathurusingha has returned to the Bangladesh men’s national team as its head coach.Not long after Cricket New South Wales confirmed that Hathurusingha had parted ways with them, the BCB announced a two-year deal starting next month. It has, however, not been confirmed which formats Hathurusingha would be in charge of, with S Sriram also around and at the helm of the T20I side.ESPNcricinfo understands that discussions about the roadmap between Sriram and the BCB in Dhaka earlier this month didn’t provide clear answers. But the board had said in December last year that it wants Sriram to be the long-term T20I head coach. If that remains true, Hathurusingha might only be connected with the Test and ODI sides.Related

• Hathurusingha: 'No tension' between senior Bangladesh players and me

• Ireland to stage Bangladesh Super League ODIs in England

• David Moore appointed Bangladesh's head of programmes

• Ireland to play their first Test against Bangladesh

“It’s an honour to have been given this opportunity to coach the Bangladesh national team once again,” Hathurusingha said in a statement. “I really loved the warmth of the people and the culture of Bangladesh. I’m looking forward to working with the players once again and enjoying their successes.”This is 54-year-old Hathurusingha’s second stint with Bangladesh after he had served as the head coach from 2014 to 2017. That included Bangladesh’s famous ODI series-winning streak at home, that included beating Pakistan, India and South Africa in consecutive months. Under Hathurusingha, the team also made the knockout stages of ICC events at the ODI World Cup in 2015 and the Champions Trophy in 2017, and also recorded their first Test wins against England, Australia and Sri Lanka.

BCB: Hathurusingha ‘a proven tactician’

During Hathurusingha’s time with the team, Bangladesh had a 40.20% success rate in 102 matches across formats. For the record, that’s lower than what his successors – and now predecessors – Steve Rhodes (51.11) and Russell Domingo (42.34) achieved.”Chandika’s experience and knowledge of Bangladesh cricket will be an advantage for him and will benefit the players,” BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said. “He is a proven tactician and we have seen his impact on the national team during his first assignment.”Following his time with Bangladesh, Hathurusingha went back to Sri Lanka, his home country, and took charge as the head coach of the national men’s team there, before moving to New South Wales in July 2020.

Fast bowler named in 16-man white-ball leg of tour after suffering stress fracture in summer

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2023Saqib Mahmood will make his return to competitive action on the white-ball leg of England Lions’ tour of Sri Lanka in February, following the stress fracture in his back that ruled him out of the 2022 home international season.Mahmood, 25, impressed on England’s tour of the Caribbean in early 2022, where he made his Test debut and claimed six wickets at 22.83 in his two appearances. However, he has not played since his solitary County Championship fixture for Lancashire against Gloucestershire in May.He was, however, part of the pace bowler rehab programme in the UAE in October, as was his fellow quick, Brydon Carse, who is also included in the white-ball squad after sustaining a toe injury during last summer’s ODI series against South Africa.Yorkshire’s fast bowler Matt Fisher, who made his Test debut alongside Mahmood in Barbados in March, is one of four players named for both the red- and white-ball legs. Somerset’s captain Tom Abell, Lancashire’s left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, and the prolific Essex seamer, Sam Cook, are also included in both 16-man squads.The Test squad includes two other capped players in Alex Lees, who opened alongside Zak Crawley throughout the 2022 home summer but was dropped for the recent tour of Pakistan in favour of Ben Duckett, and Haseeb Hameed, who made a century for the Lions against the senior squad in the UAE in October, having been dropped after the last Ashes tour in 2021-22.With several contenders for England’s squads set to be in action at the SA20 and ILT20 tournaments in the coming months, the 28 players in the Lions party include three members of the Under-19 squad that reached the World Cup final in Antigua last year. Jacob Bethell, Tom Prest and James Rew were all key figures in the team that helped propel Rehan Ahmed towards his memorable Test debut in Karachi last month. Ahmed is not included in the Lions set-up, but two other legspinners feature, in Hampshire’s Mason Crane and the Essex allrounder Matt Critchley.Bethell and Rew are both currently playing grade cricket in Australia, and will rejoin the Under-19s squad for this month’s two Youth Tests in Australia before joining the Lions ODI squad.ECB Performance Director, Mo Bobat, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity to expose players to the challenges of playing A-team cricket in the sub-continent, which will be fantastic for their development.”The series also provides us with the chance to observe the players ahead of this year’s World Cup as well as next winter’s Test series in India.”The squads have been selected with careful consideration of each player’s individual programme. We’ve worked closely with the counties to understand the players’ best interests as we map their development opportunities. In some cases that includes enabling players to play in domestic franchise cricket.”The ODI squad takes into account the strength in depth that we have across a number of key roles in our England Men’s white-ball teams and many of the players will join us directly from cricket they’ve been playing elsewhere, in Australia, South Africa or the UAE.”After a hugely exciting and successful first half of the winter for our Test and Twenty20 teams, I am sure the Lions players will be suitably motivated to make the most of this opportunity.”The red-ball tour will begin with a three-day warm-up match in Colombo on January 25 before two four-day Tests against Sri Lanka A in Galle. The white-ball squad will then play three ODIs against Sri Lanka A in Colombo, with the opening match scheduled for 15 February.The ECB is set to confirm the Head Coach and the captains for each squad before the series, while selection is subject to attainment of England Lions’ minimum fitness standards.Lions Test squad Tom Abell, Josh Bohannon, Jack Carson, Sam Cook, Matt Fisher, Nathan Gilchrist, Tom Haines, Haseeb Hameed, Tom Hartley, Jack Haynes, Lyndon James, Alex Lees, Liam Patterson-White, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, Josh TongueLions ODI squad Tom Abell, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Mason Crane, Matt Critchley, Matt Fisher, Sam Hain, Tom Hartley, Tom Lammonby, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Prest, James Rew, Luke Wood.

Dani Olmo's agent Andy Bara has opened up for the first time about a scary incident that took place at his home in Zagreb.

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• Olmo's agent's house attacked in Zagreb
• Explosives thrown into his garden
• Andy Bara manages Olmo and Morata

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Croatian agent Andy Bara, whose company Niagara Sports agency manages European stars like Dani Olmo and Alvaro Morata, has opened up on explosives being thrown into his garden at his home in Zagreb. The incident happened on Tuesday morning when an unknown person threw a firecracker into the garden and immediately disappeared. Bara also clarified that his family is safe, although his dog was injured in the attack.

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• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Speaking to , who first released the video of the incident, Bara said: "It was not a bomb. And if it had been a bomb, as they say, half the house would probably have disappeared. My family and I are fine and there is no material damage except for the burnt grass where the firecracker fell.

  "It woke my wife, who came down to see what was happening, but not me or the children. If the dog had not been injured, we would not have called the police."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Zagreb police have opened an investigation to trace the unknown entity who threw the explosives. A police officer was quoted saying: "The police left after the investigation on the scene. The security guard next to the house had not noticed anyone. Ten days ago, a similar device had been thrown at a neighbor's house."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR DANI OLMO?

  Olmo will be back in action for Barcelona on Wednesday as they take on Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 fixture.

Leeds United strolled to a comfortable 3-0 win over Plymouth Argyle on Saturday in the Championship to move up into second place in the table.

The Whites did not allow the away side to register a single shot on goal throughout the 90 minutes and scored all three goals in the first half, which speaks to their dominance in West Yorkshire.

Daniel Farke’s side have only lost one of their opening 13 matches in the division, a 1-0 defeat to Burnley at Elland Road, and they must remain consistent to secure an automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking.

Leeds fell short in the play-offs in the 2023/24 campaign, losing 1-0 to Southampton in the final at Wembley, after finishing third in the regular season.

The West Yorkshire outfit have had to deal with a number of injury issues already this season to disrupt their progress, though, as Ethan Ampadu, Max Wober, and Ilia Gruev have been sidelined with long-term blows, whilst Dan James recently missed a month with a hamstring injury.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, Leeds are reportedly looking at a player who could bolster their options in the middle of the park.

Leeds interested in English dynamo

Despite signing Josuha Guilavogui on a free transfer last month, the Whites are said to be interested in signing another central midfielder to add depth to the squad.

According to The Sun, Leeds are keen on Lewis O’Brien and could look to bring him over to Elland Road when the January transfer window opens for business.

The report claims that Farke’s side and fellow Championship outfit Hull City have been making enquiries to keep tabs on his availability, as they look to potentially swoop for his services.

O’Brien is currently on loan with LAFC in the MLS, from parent club Nottingham Forest, and his impressive stint there may make it a struggle for Leeds or Hull to snap him up.

The Sun reports that LAFC have an option to make the deal permanent for a fee of £7m and that the English midfielder looks set to complete a permanent move to the American outfit at the start of 2025.

This means that Leeds will have to move quickly and persuade the former Huddersfield Town star, who was linked with a £10m move to Elland Road during his time with the Terriers in 2022, to ditch the MLS to move back to the Championship, with the possibility of Premier League football next term.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

If the Whites can thrash out a deal with Forest and convince O’Brien to make the move to Yorkshire, the left-footed ace could be a dream for current star Ao Tanaka.

Ao Tanaka's form for Leeds

The central midfielder was signed from Fortuna Dusseldorf during the summer transfer window and had to initially bide his time for a chance in the starting XI in the Championship.

Injuries to Gruev and Ampadu, however, provided the Japan international with an opportunity to start week-in-week-out in the league for Farke, and he has certainly grasped his chance with both hands.

The 26-year-old metronome has started each of the last six Championship games for the Whites and is yet to taste defeat as a starter, whilst Illan Meslier has only conceded four times in those six matches.

He is yet to register a goal or an assist in the league, but the Japanese star ranks within the top 17% of midfielders in the division for progressive passes per 90 (6.16).

This shows that Tanaka is making an impact in possession, by consistently progressing the ball forward into dangerous areas, without goals and assists.

As you can see in the table above, the former 2. Bundesliga maestro has also offered quality out of possession by winning duels and tackles, and making interceptions to cut out opposition attacks.

This shows that he is a well-rounded central midfielder who can make an impact on and off the ball, albeit his work in the final third could be better.

Leeds could now land a dream partner for him in the middle of the park by convincing O’Brien to forget about a long-term move to America and join Farke’s side.

Why Lewis O'Brien would be a dream for Ao Tanaka

Firstly, the English dynamo is a left-footed player and would offer a natural balance to the right-footed Tanaka on the left side of the manager’s double pivot. Whereas, Joe Rothwell, a right-footed ace, is currently playing alongside the Japanese whiz.

Secondly, O’Brien would come in with plenty of experience in English football, with 146 Championship appearances and 13 outings in the Premier League under his belt, which suggests that he could help the former Dusseldorf man to continue to settle into life in the league.

It also suggests that the 26-year-old ace, who was hailed as “very special” by ex-boss Carlos Corberan, could hit the ground running in the second tier, given he played 23 times on loan with Middlesbrough during the 2023/24 campaign.

His form for LAFC in the MLS also indicates that he has the potential to be an excellent addition to the Leeds squad, and a dream signing for Tanaka on the pitch.

As you can see in the table above, O’Brien has significantly outperformed Rothwell as a defensive presence in the middle of the park, whilst also averaging more tackles, interceptions, and duels won than Tanaka.

The English whiz has also created more chances per game on average than the Bournemouth loanee, which suggests that he could offer more than him in the final third and, therefore, make up for where the Japanese star lacks in his performances.

This is why Farke must push hard to secure a deal for O’Brien in January, as his mobility and defensive work rate, coupled with his creative passing, could make him an ideal partner for Tanaka in midfield.

Farke has struck gold on undroppable Leeds ace who they didn't want to sign

The Leeds United head coach had to convince the club to take a chance on him.

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By
Dan Emery

Nov 4, 2024