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The Leeds United promotion charge has wobbled in recent weeks, with Daniel Farke’s men beginning March by drawing 1-1 with West Bromwich Albion, before slipping up away to Portsmouth on Sunday afternoon.

That latest 1-0 defeat has ensured that the Whites are now level on points with title rivals Sheffield United at the summit, with clean sheet kings, Burnley, chomping at the bit just two points behind.

While life in the Championship never does run smooth, defeats like the one away at Fratton Park will represent a real setback for the Yorkshire giants, with Farke left to rue the goalscoring woes of his leading man, Joel Piroe, on the day.

Indeed, just minutes after the break, the former Swansea City man had a gilt-edged chance to fire the visitors ahead following a clever pull-back from Manor Solomon, albeit with the Dutchman proceeding to balloon the ball over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

That glaring miss came amid what has largely been a fruitful season for Piroe, however. If anyone is to fire Farke’s men to promotion – as Patrick Bamford did in 2019/20 – it is likely to be the 25-year-old.

How Piroe compares to Bamford in 2019/20

The pressure is on for the former Norwich City boss to emulate the success of Marcelo Bielsa by leading Leeds back into the promised land of the Premier League, with the Elland Road outfit having come so close in 2023/24.

Let’s not forget, that it was second time lucky as far as Bielsa was concerned, with the Argentine maverick securing a return to the top flight in his second season at the helm, having endured play-off semi-final heartbreak in 2018/19.

The now Uruguay boss subsequently oversaw automatic promotion in the following campaign, with the current crop still on course to replicate that feat, even amid the sticky start to this month.

What is a major benefit for Farke is having the goalscoring prowess of a player like Piroe on hand, with the one-time PSV star having scored 15 goals and provided six assists in 36 league outings so far.

That ensures that he is well on course to better the return of his current teammate, Bamford, from that glorious 2019/20 season, with the Englishman having scored 16 times and contributed just four assists in 45 Championship outings.

The expectation would be for Piroe to comfortably surpass that 16-goal haul across the remainder of this season, while he may even have one eye on reaching the level of the likes of Chris Wood and Ross McCormack of the recent past, with the pair registering 27 and 28 goals, in the second tier, in 2016/17 and 2013/14, respectively.

Speaking of former Leeds strikers then, the club actually let go of one forgotten star during the Bielsa era who is now proving even more prolific than Piroe.

The forgotten Leeds star who's now outperforming Piroe

For all the positives surrounding Piroe at present, even amid his Pompey blunder, there is perhaps a frustration at the lack of a suitable rival to the former Netherlands youth international.

Where Are They Now

Indeed, promising youngster, Mateo Joseph has been unable to kick on this season after scoring just three goals in all competitions, while one-time hero, Bamford, has been a bystander to proceedings, after making just ten league appearances all season.

With that in mind, there may be a sense of intrigue at seeing a former Leeds asset shining elsewhere, with 6 foot 3 powerhouse, Sam Dalby, currently ripping it up for Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership.

Currently on loan in Scotland from League One side, Wrexham, the Englishman has enjoyed an interesting journey in recent years, after leaving Leeds for an undisclosed fee to join Watford in 2019.

The 25-year-old – who moved to Elland Road from Leyton Orient in 2018 – never actually played a first-team game for Bielsa’s side, while going on to make just a solitary senior outing for the Hornets.

Stat (*per game)

Record

Games (starts)

26

Goals

13

Assists

0

Big chances missed

8

Scoring frequency

158mins

Big chances created

1

Key passes*

0.7

Total duels won*

46%

Aerial duels won*

50%

Having ultimately found his way to Dundee via a string of loans and a permanent spell at Southend United, Dalby appears to have finally got into his groove, scoring 13 times in just 28 games for his current side.

That represents a return of a goal every 2.15 games, ensuring he is firing at a more prolific rate than Piroe, who has netted a goal every 2.53 games, in relation to his 38 appearances in all competitions.

Described as a “lot more than” just a target man by manager Jim Goodwin, Dalby currently leads the way in the Scottish Premiership for league goals, ahead of Celtic’s Daizen Maeda in second (12).

Whether Leeds would regret letting him go, considering his prior struggles in the EFL, is another matter, although it would be no surprise to see Dalby go on to get a big move in the near future, having “got a lot of attention” due to his fine form, as per Goodwin.

Back at Elland Road, however, the aim will be for Piroe and co to emulate Bamford and Bielsa’s famed side of 2019/20 by surging back to the top tier.

Leeds loanee who was "like Gazza" saw his value rise to £60m after leaving

Leeds United once had a star on loan who was later compared to Paul Gascoigne.

ByDan Emery Mar 11, 2025

Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have revealed Sir Elton John's admiration of their work with Wrexham on a recent podcast experience.

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Reynolds revealed the legendary singer had called himSir Kenneth Brannagh also spoke tactics with the Wrexham ownersRevelation came after McElhenney praised 'Sunderland 'til I Die'Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

The Wrexham owners were speaking on the fan podcast, 'Rob. Ryan. Red'. The conversation turned to the influence of 'Sunderland 'til I Die', the Netflix documentary series which inspired the pair to purchase the Red Dragons. Out of nowhere, Reynolds revealed he answered an unsolicited phone call from the 'Crocodile Rock' singer after the famous 3-2 win over Notts County during Wrexham's National League winning season in 2021/22.

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McElhenney and Reynolds also shared that legendary actor Sir Kenneth Brannagh was enthralled by their project, and the Dunkirk star talked tactics with them at an awards show. The duo of course sprinkled the conversation with their trademark irony and humour, but were obviously amazed that such prominent people had been inspired by their work with the club.

WHAT RYAN REYNOLDS AND ROB McELHENNEY SAID

Reynolds said: "Elton John was the biggest surprise phone call I ever got, after the Ben Foster save against Notts County. I don't pick up numbers I don't recognise, I must have had some sense this means something.

McElhenney interjected: "Do knights get a different country code?"

Reynolds: "Your phone is first inspected, then lit on fire before you get access to the knight. Sir Elton was very in to the Wrexham experience. Kenneth Brannagh as well. I would love hearing his analysis, because he knew so much more than I did."

McElhenney: "I'd never met him before and we were at an awards show, and he made a beeline for me. I got out of the way, assuming he was walking towards somebody behind me. But he cornered me, and he walked me through the table and where we stood, and what our chances were… It's amazing to hear who's so in to it."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

As the Red Dragons ascent up the pyramid continues, they will likely pick up even more celebrity admirers with the added scrutiny and exposure of Championship football.

German media hailed Harry Kane after he scored on Bayern Munich's day of title celebrations with a 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach.

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• German media hail Kane
• Fans reacted to striker winning first title
• Scores in 2-0 win over Monchengladbach

• WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MATCH?

  Kane opened the scoring for Bayern in the first half and Michael Olise then netted the clinching goal in the 90th minute as the newly crowned Bundesliga champions comfortably beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 in their penultimate game of the season. After the game, Kane joined his team-mates in celebration at the Allianz Arena as the England captain lifted the first-ever trophy of his career.

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  HOW DID THE GERMAN MEDIA RATE KANE'S PERFORMANCE?

  Appreciating the Three Lions skipper's performance, BILD rated it as a two out of five – with one being the highest grade – and wrote: "Celebrated his very first title in front of the TV on Sunday and was motivated to the core in the game afterwards. And he scored with them! He got a close shot on Olise's shot, goal number 25! He went full throttle, even clearing once at the back of his own penalty area!"

  Sport1 meanwhile wrote: "On the day the championship trophy is handed over, striker Harry Kane scores again."

• WHAT ARE THE FANS SAYING ON SOCIAL?

  Bayern fans also celebrated Kane's success as they hailed the former Tottenham star for finding the back of the net on a momentous occasion.

  An X user named @clockmeta wrote: "Classic Kane always finds a way to get that final touch."

  @ademir2z wrote: "6 seasons with 25 or more league goals now for Harry Kane. Wonder how many players have more than that in big Euro leagues? Exceptional stuff."

  Another fan with the handle @FL4_FCBM wrote: "Shameless but we understand bro."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR KANE AND BAYERN?

  Kane and Bayern will play their final game of the Bundesliga 2024-25 campaign on May 17 against Hoffenheim. The team are then expected to take a short break before they start preparation for the Club World Cup in the US next month.

India pay for their fielding lapses as Australia take 1-0 lead in the five-match series

Srinidhi Ramanujam09-Dec-2022Beth Mooney’s unbeaten 89 powered Australia to a nine-wicket victory against India with 11 balls to spare in the first of the five-match T20I series. Mooney and Tahlia McGrath shared an unbroken 100-run stand off 56 balls for the second wicket to steal the show after Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh’s fireworks had helped India post a competitive172 for 5.The successful chase meant Australia are yet to lose a match this year in any format. In T20Is, this was their ninth win in 12 matches, with three games producing no result.Ghosh, Deepti’s late flourish after rapid start
After being put in, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided a brisk start to India, with Verma hitting two fours and two sixes in her 21 off ten balls. Jemimah Rodrigues was out for a six-ball duck in the fifth over when she mistimed Ellyse Perry to mid-on. But Mandhana’s 28 off 22, despite initially struggling to time the ball, took India to 48 for 2 at the end of the powerplay.Australia pulled things back in the middle phase, with Annabel Sutherland dismissing Mandhana in the eighth over. Harmanpreet Kaur tried to steady the innings with a 23-ball 21 but was dismissed in the 12th over when she tried to loft debutant Kim Garth over cover but ended up hitting straight to the fielder.At 76 for 4, Ghosh changed the momentum of the innings, slamming 36 in just 20 deliveries with the help of five fours and two sixes. With Devika Vaidya, who was playing a T20I after eight years, Ghosh stitched together a crucial 56-run stand for the fifth wicket.After Ghosh was stumped off Ashleigh Gardner in the 17th over, Deepti went berserk straightaway. The allrounder struck two fours in each of the 18th and 19th overs before hammering four successive fours off Megan Schutt in the 20th to take India to a competitive total. Eight boundaries in 15 deliveries meant Deepti finished unbeaten on 36, while Vaidya remained unbeaten on 25 off 24.The Australian chase
Like India, Australia also started well with stand-in captain Alyssa Healy and Mooney keen on utilising the powerplay to the fullest. Healy picked up the gaps nicely and punished the loose deliveries to score a 23-ball 37, filled with four fours and two sixes. She and Mooney put on a 73-run stand before Vaidya removed Healy via a soft dismissal; Healy hit a full toss straight to Harmanpreet at cover.The wicket didn’t tilt the momentum for India as Mooney and McGrath kept finding boundaries to keep the scorecard moving. India’s sloppy fielding, and the dew, didn’t help them either.The chase looked fairly easy, largely due to Mooney pacing her innings well. Having begun on a steady note, she unfurled well-timed cover drives, pulls and punches off the backfoot to blunt the Indian attack. From 81 for 1 after ten overs, it was a walk in the park for Australia as they brought down the required run rate from ten to 7.4 by the end of 15 overs.Mooney’s 57-ball knock contained 16 fours, while McGrath slammed four fours and a six in her 29-ball innings.

Newcastle United are into the final of the Carabao Cup.

Eddie Howe’s side put Arsenal to the sword in each of the semi-final legs, winning 2-0 at the Emirates before repeating the trick on Tyneside.

It’s buried concerns that United’s imperious form had faded away following St. James’ Park losses against Bournemouth and Fulham in the Premier League, with a first-class display to match the result.

Arsenal were without Bukayo Saka but were buoyed after beating Manchester City 5-1 the weekend before, with exciting youngsters Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly both notching in that one.

But Newcastle turned form on its head when it mattered.

How Newcastle silenced Arsenal

With Alexander Isak, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon wreaking havoc in the final third, Newcastle overwhelmed an Arsenal side that attempted to carry the spark from their recent victory into this semi-final showdown but failed miserably.

Not only did the hosts win 54% of the contested duels on the evening, as per Sofascore, but they also made just one error in the match compared to Arsenal’s four.

The disparity up front was personified, with it perfectly clear why Mikel Arteta so desperately wants Isak to front his ship over the coming years.

Arsenal’s youth contingent proved their worth, however. Nwaneri in particular remains one of the brightest young players in English football despite being kept quiet by Newcastle’s marshalled defence, but the hosts might actually have a bigger talent on their hands.

Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal – Ethan Nwaneri’s Stats

Match Stats

#

Minutes played

53′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

41

Shots (on target)

1 (1)

Accurate passes

13/19 (68%)

Key passes

0

Crosses

0/9

Possession lost

22x

Dribbles completed

0/0

Total duels (won)

7 (2)

Stats via Sofascore

Lewis-Skelly is the talk of the town right now but Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, 21, will feel that he proved yet again that he is “the best left-back in the country,” as Toon correspondent Dominic Scurr put it after Howe’s first-leg victory in January.

Perhaps, though, Newcastle’s Lewis Miley is the best of them all. He was only introduced in the closing stages, but he’s got quite the future ahead of him.

Newcastle's answer to Nwaneri

Miley hasn’t featured all that much this season, stifled by a metatarsal fracture that left him sidelined until Howe granted him his first Premier League appearance of the campaign in December, during a 4-0 victory over Ipswich Town.

The eldest of three brothers within the United academy, Miley was described as a prospect with “unbelievable” potential by fellow Tyneside native Sean Longstaff.

Toon legend Alan Shearer has been coloured impressed by the rangy midfielder’s start to life, saying: “He just looks natural, he looks very comfortable. Other than looking at his baby looks, if you didn’t know who or what he was you would think he has been around for years, the way he was strutting around the pitch and closing down and the balance he had on the ball.​​​​​​”

One of the youngest goalscorers in Premier League history, Miley has proved himself to be a young player of confidence and ability, racking up 35 senior outings altogether, scoring twice and placing four assists.

Miley is a first-class talent, perhaps with a ceiling higher than the rest at St. James’ Park, maybe even capable of rivalling a player like Nwaneri, who is more of a forward but similarly revered by his team’s fanbase.

In the Premier League last year, while he was only 17, Miley ended up ranking among the top 15% of midfielders for assists per 90, as per FBref.

Moreover, he averaged 1.9 tackles and won 54% of his ground duels in the top flight last season, as per Sofascore, providing injury-hit Newcastle with a combative and youthful dimension.

He’s every bit as talented as Nwaneri and could rival the Arsenal prodigy for the reputation as England’s finest youngster as both continue to go from strength to strength over the coming years.

Related Howe may have unearthed his own Nobby Solano in Newcastle's "unsung hero"

Newcastle brushed Arsenal aside over two legs to advance to the final of the Carabao Cup.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Feb 6, 2025

West Ham United have submitted a late £20m+ transfer offer to sign a “world champion” for Graham Potter.

West Ham eyeing new forward before deadline

The Hammers appear to be in the market to bring in a new forward before the February 3 deadline, amid injuries to Niclas Fullkrug and Jarrod Bowen.

Michail Antonio is also out for the foreseeable following a serious car accident, with Mohammed Kudus playing in a centre-forward role in the defeat to Crystal Palace and draw with Aston Villa recently.

West Ham agree personal terms with "fast" forward over £100k-per-week deal

The player is prepared to join Graham Potter.

ByEmilio Galantini Jan 29, 2025

There have been plenty of attacking names mentioned as Irons targets, though. Brighton & Hove Albion’s Evan Ferguson, RB Leipzig’s Andre Silva and Ajax’s Brian Brobbey have all been linked with moves to West Ham, as has Galatasaray forward Baris Yilmaz. An offer has reportedly been made for Yilmaz, whereas talks have also been held for Evann Guessand of Nice.

Those at the London Stadium are yet to make a January signing following a busy summer spending spree, with the only piece of business being Maxwel Cornet’s new loan to Genoa after spending the first half of the season with Southampton.

However, it looks as if a midfield addition alongside a new attacker is wanted at West Ham in the coming days.

West Ham make £20m+ bid to sign Rodrigo de Paul

That’s because according to reports in Turkey, relayed by Sport Witness, West Ham have submitted an offer to sign Rodrigo de Paul from Atletico Madrid.

It is claimed that the Hammers have bid €25m (£20.9m) to sign the Argentine midfielder, who is out of contract at the Metropolitano Stadium in 2026.

However, Atletico Madrid have turned down the bid from West Ham. It is added they were tempted to cash in on De Paul, but due to his impressive performances in recent months under Diego Simeone, have decided to keep him.

Udinese

184

34

37

Atletico Madrid

164

14

21

Racing Club

72

7

7

Valencia

44

2

4

Argentina

75

2

11

Talking about the midfielder, Simeone recently hailed De Paul, who has scored 59 goals during his career for club and country saying: “He’s an established footballer, a world champion. Surely, in this recent good period, he’s been performing at his best for Atletico, and it’s normal for people to appreciate what he’s giving.

“He’s very important for us, with a lot of personality, and we hope he continues this way. We’ll demand this from him because it’s what we need.”

Whether or not West Ham return with an improved offer for De Paul or chase alternative midfield targets remains to be seen, but a new attacking addition appears to be at the top of the to-do list over the coming days.

It is no secret that West Ham United are in the market to add another centre-forward to Graham Potter’s squad before the end of the January transfer window.

Sky Sports recently reported that the Hammers have had a bid of £57m rejected by Aston Villa for Colombia international Jhon Duran, with the Villans intent on keeping the number nine.

Villa reportedly value the 21-year-old forward at £70m after his return of seven goals in four Premier League starts this season for Unai Emery, which means that West Ham’s bid was some way short of their valuation.

The London outfit have now, reportedly, turned their attention away from Duran to an alternative centre-forward target to come in and bolster the squad.

West Ham willing to swoop for Serie A forward

According to Calcio Mercato, as relayed by Sport Witness, West Ham are ‘queuing’ up to sign AC Milan number nine Noah Okafor before the end of the January transfer window.

Transfer Focus

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

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The report claims that the Hammers are looking to take advantage of RB Leipzig deciding to pull out of a deal for the Swiss forward due to a calf injury issue by moving for the Serie A marksman.

It states that Leipzig were set to sign the former RB Salzburg man on loan with an option to make it a permanent deal in the summer for a fee of around £21m and West Ham are now ‘willing’ to sign Okafor for the same terms.

The Hammers are ready to sign the 24-year-old star from Milan but Premier League rivals Bournemouth are also interested in snapping him up, which means that it could be a fight between the two teams to land the striker on loan before the window slams shut.

Why West Ham should sign Noah Okafor

Potter should gamble on a swoop for Switzerland international because the potential is there for him to come in as an exciting partner for Jarrod Bowen in the final third.

Like the England international, Okafor can play out wide on either flank or through the middle as a centre-forward and this means that they could form a fluid partnership for the Hammers, interchanging positions in matches to cause constant problems for defenders.

The Milan striker, who analyst Ben Mattinson once praised for having “electric” pace, has only scored one goal in five starts in the Serie A this term, but did show promise last season.

23/24 Serie A

Noah Okafor

Appearances (starts)

28 (6)

xG

3.81

Goals

6

Conversion rate

27%

Assists

2

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Okafor was ruthless in front of goal with the chances that came his way, scoring 27% of his shots on goal and overperforming against his xG.

That also came after the Swiss dynamo produced 16 goals in 22 starts for Salzburg in his final two seasons in the Austrian Bundesliga in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns combined, and these statistics all suggest that he has the potential to be a lethal finisher for the Hammers if he can get back to his best.

Bowen has created 18 ‘big chances’ and has been rewarded with ten assists in the Premier League since the start of last term, which suggests that his teammates have not made the most of his creativity in the final third.

Therefore, Okafor has the potential to be a dream signing for the England international, as he has the finishing quality to thrive on the service that the winger can provide.

Related West Ham make enquiry for "proper goal-getter" likened to Freddie Kanoute

West Ham have been having troubles in front of goal all season.

Posts ByBarney Lane Jan 20, 2025

Teams batting first have made 290-plus totals in six of the last nine ODIs at the venue

Hemant Brar16-Jul-20224:50

Jaffer: Shikhar Dhawan needs to come good

Big pictureThe last time India came away from a multi-format tour of Australia, England, New Zealand or South Africa without a series loss in any format was in 2018-19 in Australia. To find the next-most-recent instance, one will have to go all the way back to 1986, when India drew their ODI series in England 1-1, and won the Test series 2-0.On Sunday, India will have an opportunity to add to that list. Yes, they lost the Edgbaston Test on this trip but the Test series, which began last year, ended at 2-2. Then they clinched the T20I series 2-1 with their new, attacking approach. Can they produce the same result in the ODIs as well?Related

Shikhar Dhawan to lead India in West Indies ODIs

Rohit Sharma bats for Virat Kohli again amid 'slump' talk

Rohit Sharma wants India to be more positive in tricky chases

Harry Brook, Phil Salt, Matt Parkinson released for Finals Day by England

While England may not be aware of India’s touring record, they, and their captain Jos Buttler, will not want to start the post-Eoin-Morgan era with defeats in both white-ball series, that too at home.Both teams, however, need to do better with the bat. In the first ODI, England were bundled out for 110. In the second, India only managed 146 in a chase of 247. One strategy could be to see out the new ball – in both games, the eventual losing team all but lost the match in the first ten overs of their innings. Another thing that should provide some relief to the batters is the fact that Old Trafford, the venue for the third ODI, has seen some high totals in the recent past.Form guideEngland WLWWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
India LWWWWJason Roy’s form will be a concern for England•AFP/Getty ImagesIn the spotlightJason Roy epitomised England’s aggressive approach under Morgan. But in his last five outings, the first three in T20Is and the next two in ODIs, he has scored 4, 0, 27 (off 26 balls), 0, 23 (off 33 balls). While he has continued to show the intent to go hard from the get-go, the results have been missing. With England’s white-ball bench strength arguably at its all-time peak, Roy will know he needs an impactful knock sooner rather than later.Virat Kohli will always be in the spotlight – whether he is scoring runs, not scoring runs, or replying to Babar Azam on Twitter. But the focus will also be on Shikhar Dhawan, who scored an unbeaten 31 at The Oval but consumed 54 balls while doing so and looked less than convincing. In the second ODI at Lord’s, he was out for 9 off 26 balls. He was been named the ODI captain for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, but at 36, his long-term place in the side could be in danger if his form doesn’t improve.Team newsEngland have released Harry Brook, Phil Salt and Matt Parkinson for the T20 Blast Finals Day. While the trio will be back in Manchester for the ODI, they are unlikely to play. England didn’t make any changes after a ten-wicket drubbing in the first ODI, so it’s unlikely they’ll tinker with the side that gave them a 100-run win in the second.England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Craig Everton, 10 Brydon Carse, 11 Reece Topley.Despite Dhawan’s struggles, India may still persist with him. They could, though, bring in Shardul Thakur for Prasidh Krishna to extend their batting because No. 8 feels at least one slot too high for Mohammed Shami. Thakur may also be better-suited than hit-the-deck Prasidh to exploit the swing that the new Kookaburra has offered so far on the tour.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Prasidh Krishna/Shardul Thakur.Prasidh Krishna could make way for Shardul Thakur if India want to lengthen their batting•PA Photos/Getty ImagesPitch and conditionsGiven its big boundaries and a dry square, Old Trafford is generally the best pitch for spin in the country. The UK’s weather office has issued a warning for “extreme heat”, but one would assume a peak temperature of 30°C would not affect India too much. That, though, could mean the pitch assists the spinners even more.Stats and trivia In the last nine ODIs played at Old Trafford, teams batting first have posted 290-plus totals on six occasions. Teams batting first have won eight of those last nine ODIs at this venue. Moeen Ali is 20 short of 2000 ODI runs. He also has 91 wickets to his name.Quote”I’m expecting a pretty good atmosphere in Manchester – almost like an away game really. But that’s the thing you want to practise, especially with a World Cup in October [in Australia] – you want those win-or-you-are-out-of-it sort of games.”

Leeds United have impressively won ten of their 13 games at Elland Road this Championship season so far, but their very first game in front of the home masses for 2025 didn’t bring about another sweet victory.

Instead, it was a rather drab draw that was served up, as Danny Batth scored a dramatic late equaliser for Blackburn Rovers to close the contest at 1-1.

Now, it’s up to Daniel Farke to pick up his troops ahead of a big 2025, with the January transfer window now giving him time to add in some new additions to sprinkle his side with even more quality.

Of course, Leeds haven’t always been prolific spenders in this window, as was seen this time last year when the Whites went about their business conservatively.

Leeds' past January business

In the end, the only capture that took place back in January 2024 was the underwhelming loan acquisition of Connor Roberts from Burnley.

Safe to say, Roberts failed to truly fit into his new surroundings, with just one goal and one assist mustered up by the Welshman from 15 forgettable displays, before he bounced back at Turf Moor to become a regular under Scott Parker.

It could be argued that such a lack of business negatively impacted Leeds’ promotion chances, with the Whites squad becoming stretched, leading to a crushing playoff final defeat to Southampton.

Now, however, the Whites could be more proactive, with rumours already linking Farke’s men to the likes of James McAtee and Nico Elvedi to boost the camp.

Whilst there might well be a change in narrative regarding incomings, this January ahead could also see some exits occur, with this forgotten Whites figure in desperate need of a change of scenery.

Joe Gelhardt's time at Leeds

Once a heavily talked about prospect in West Yorkshire, Joe Gelhardt has really suffered from a lack of game-time over the past couple of seasons.

The Liverpool-born centre-forward was even labelled as “brilliant” by Jamie Carragher in 2021, when he was regularly making waves in the Whites first-team as a golden young gem.

Long gone now are the days where Gelhardt would be linking up with Raphinha to fire home dramatic strikes like these, however, with the ex-Wigan Athletic man only making a meagre three appearances for Farke’s men so far this season.

Therefore, the much-maligned 22-year-old surely wouldn’t refuse an opportunity to leave Elland Road behind this January, as suitors such as Wrexham begin to allegedly sniff around.

After all, when Gelhardt was at the peak of his powers donning Leeds white, he would find the back of the net six times playing in both the Premier League and Championship, meaning he could well light up the third tier if Phil Parkinson’s men do swoop in.

More pressingly, away from wanting to give Gelhardt more game-time – whether that be through a loan exit or a permanent route away – Leeds will also want the reserve attacker off the books soon owing to his steep £15k-per-week wage.

Leeds first team players who earn the same as Gelhardt

Player

Wage

League games played (24/25)

1. Joel Piroe

£15k-per-week

25

2. Mateo Joseph

£15k-per-week

25

Sourced by Capology/Sofascore

Amazingly, the on-the-fringes striker pockets the same salary as first-team regulars Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph, with Piroe on to nine goals for the season in the Championship now as an important figure up top.

Moreover, Joseph will also likely play a key part in Leeds’ ongoing hunt for promotion based on the number of appearances above, whilst Gelhardt stares the exit door in the face.

With Queens Park Rangers also reportedly keen on his services, expect the 22-year-old to be off at some point across this frantic January period.

Related Even better than Aaronson: Leeds in mix to sign "energetic" £45k-p/w star

Leeds United are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the central midfielder.

Posts 1 ByDan Emery Dec 30, 2024

“Teams, players, coaches are better prepared for him,” says Daniel Vettori of the KKR allrounder’s batting slump, in conversation with Chris Lynn and Aakash Chopra

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-20225:52

Vettori – ‘Teams, players, coaches are better prepared for Venkatesh Iyer’

Since getting retained by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 8 crore (40 times his previous salary), life in the IPL hasn’t been easy for Venkatesh Iyer. He’s batted eight times this season and has gone past 20 only once, and neither his average (18.00) nor his strike rate (102.43) make for pretty reading.After six games as opener, Knight Riders have moved him into the middle order, and that hasn’t worked either. So what’s gone wrong?Related

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According to both the former captain and coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore Daniel Vettori and former Knight Riders batter Chris Lynn, Iyer’s troubles this season mostly fall into the category of second-season syndrome.”I think I remember a discussion with Lynny, probably when we were watching a game, when he just thought that there’s a lot more information on Venkatesh Iyer, and therefore bowling coaches, coaches in general, have put a lot more time and effort into how to find a way to bowl to him, and I think that’s simply second-season [syndrome] or whatever it is – it happens,” Vettori said on the ESPNcricinfo show T20 Time:Out. “It’s happened to a lot of players, it’s happened to a lot of very good players, and the challenge, I suppose, is to step up from that.”And I think bowlers also have an understanding – some bowlers would have had success against him and try to relive that, and some bowlers would try to rectify mistakes that they made last year. I don’t think you need to overthink it; it’s just the fact that teams, players, coaches are better prepared for him.”Lynn said Iyer’s challenge would be to come up with plans to fight his way back into form.”On the whiteboards in every change room will be exactly the same plans, no doubt about that, and he’s just got to find a way,” he said. “There’s no doubt he’s good enough to bat from [Nos.] 1 to 6 – he’s playing in the Kolkata side for a reason, because he’s got talent. It’s just that teams have more knowledge and it’s as simple as that, I think.Venkatesh Iyer has gone past 20 only once in eight innings this season•BCCI

“The challenge for him is to try and go back to the drawing board, build some confidence, whether that’s for Kolkata or for another team, but just try and have some clarity when he’s walking out to bat, and it might be putting away a big shot, it might be just getting off strike, it might be using his feet, whatever it may be, just finding a way to get down to the other end and bat time. He’s only scored one fifty so far, he’s just got to bat time, and that’s the only way you build confidence.”The former India opener Aakash Chopra, who was part of the same discussion, felt there might be two other reasons for Iyer’s dip in form.”I completely agree that there is data, there is analysis, and there’s a lot of homework with regards to certain players, and he’s a top-order batter. So that’s one part of the story,” he said. “But the second part is that since that fantastic [2021] season he’s batted at [Nos.] 5 for 6 for his state side, for India, and now he’s back to opening, so yes, while he’s facing these form issues and found-out kind of issues, but the fact is that he’s been up and down the order too much.”Even now, KKR lost faith very quickly. So that’s one side, that he’s now maybe slightly confused in the head, ‘what am I supposed to do, am I an opener or am I a finisher?'”Secondly, nobody else is [performing]. See, sometimes you could go through a bad patch but you have an opening partner who’s scoring runs. He makes your life simpler, easier, and gives you the allowance to just find form, sometimes, but that’s not happening, their batting is in slight disarray. You don’t have runs from a lot of them – once in a while from Shreyas Iyer but nobody has been consistent enough, so that just puts the added pressure on Venkatesh.”Should KKR have retained Iyer?
Another potential source of pressure on Iyer could be having to live up to being retained by his franchise – ahead of Shubman Gill, one of the brightest top-order talents in India, who has since moved to Gujarat Titans.KKR let go of Shubman Gill and opted to retain Iyer ahead of the 2022 auction•BCCI

Vettori felt Knight Riders had made a smart move in retaining Iyer.”You’d have to know the man to answer that question [whether being retained had put more pressure on Iyer], but I think KKR were right in retaining him, because I think that the auction would have taken him to another level in terms of the amount that he would have gone for,” he said. “Everyone talks about that Indian allrounder and what he could have brought to a team, so retained for 6 crore, if I’m correct? [8 crore] I think he would have comfortably gone for more than that if he’d gone into the auction. I think KKR’s strategy was right; it’s just the fact that he hasn’t had the season that they would have expected.”Chopra said he would have retained Gill ahead of Iyer, if it was his call to make.”There are two more seasons to go, two-and-a-half more seasons to go [before the next scheduled mega auction], so let’s not jump the gun, and you can’t always judge a decision based on how things are panning out,” he said. “You do the best at that point in time, whatever you think.”But I think, personally, they had a choice. They had a choice of paying a couple of crores more to Shubman Gill and retaining him, and then invest in him as maybe a long-term captaincy candidate. I think it’s not about Venkatesh Iyer getting retained, and maybe he was worth more or worth less, we don’t know, but Shubman Gill, I think letting him go was a mistake, because it’s important to know when to hold on to, and when to let go of [a player]. I think the best of Shubman Gill is going to come in the next three years for Gujarat Titans and not KKR.”And what of his bowling?
Iyer, meanwhile, has not had much of a chance to show off his second suit this season, with Knight Riders only calling on his medium-pace for two overs. This, Lynn said, was not a reflection of his skills as much as of the team’s requirements. He believes Knight Riders can get their money’s worth out of Iyer in the long term, if he and their coaches can find a way to fix his ongoing issues.Iyer (seen here bowling in the IPL 2021 final) has only sent down two overs so far this season•BCCI

“I think you can’t really use that [not being required to bowl] against him, because […] going back to the auction they’ve done well, and obviously Andre Russell is bowling quite well as well, when he’s needed, so it’s not Venky’s fault there at all, but I think it’s a positive move from Kolkata to retain him.”You look at other teams, there’s two world-class established players that’s probably had a similar season – it’s not rocket science to work out who those guys are – but I think it’s a great move from Kolkata and they’re investing in him long-term; the challenge is up to him now and the coaching staff to get him back up where he wants to be and needs to be, not only scoring runs for Kolkata but getting back in those Indian colours where he does belong, I believe.”As to where Iyer should bat for the rest of the season, the T20 Time:Out panel was unanimous in its opinion that he should go back to the top of the order.”My only humble submission is that once you invest in someone for whatever reason, stick with it for a little longer,” Chopra said. “Don’t lose patience, don’t lose faith that early, Venkatesh Iyer at the top of the order is your best bet. None of your other openers are anyway firing.”Lynn concurred. “Yeah, 100%. It’s the only way we’re going to build confidence back with him. Get him up. He’s a freely flowing batsman, he plays on instinct, and that’s not going to happen at 5 or 6, so let’s get him back up in the opening role when the field’s in.”