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Leeds United are among the teams interested in Manuel Lanzini ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to TEAMtalk, who claim the Yorkshire giants have submitted an enquiry to West Ham over the 28-year-old attacking midfielder, though the Irons have rebuffed such advances.

Premier League rivals Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Southampton and Everton are also said to be keen.

It remains to be seen how much the Argentinian would command next month, having cost the east London outfit just £9m from UAE Pro League side Al Jazira back in March 2016.

He is thought to be on around £70k-per-week at the London Stadium.

Creative solution

Although the Hammers are rejected the idea of letting Lanzini leave this winter, it would be hard to imagine them rejecting a substantial bid for his signature considering he has slipped down the pecking order this season.

Both Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma are often preferred to him, whilst Irons boss David Moyes made a €39m (£33m) investment in Nikola Vlasic in the summer.

The 28-year-old’s vast experience in the top-flight would make him an interesting candidate for this struggling Leeds side – one that could ultimately do with some creativity in the final third.

Only five teams have scored fewer goals than the Whites from 18 league matches this season, two of which sit in the relegation zone. 44% of these goals have come from set pieces and they are amongst the four worst teams when it comes to scoring from open play, per WhoScored.

Lanzini, who has never really been a regular figure at West Ham, has still proven to be a playmaking influence, having averaged 1.7 key passes per 90 throughout his time in east London.

If he were to perform to that level at Elland Road right now, then only two players would rank ahead of him, one being the wing threat of Raphinha.

“In training, being around this player all the time, he’s brilliant, he’s amazing. I’ve never seen a player like him,” once claimed former teammate Jordan Hugill. “The things he can do with a football, it’s incredible just to watch him and in training, it’s even better.”

Ex-manager Slaven Bilic even likened him to Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric, whilst Darren Bent dubbed him a “top player” with “wonderful feet” to Football Insider just last year.

On the above evidence, Bielsa signing his fellow countryman could be quite a shrewd move, whether it can definitely happen or not remains to be seen but United would be foolish to not try again next month.

AND in other news, Leeds source drops major behind-the-scenes Bielsa update at Thorp Arch, fans will be worried…

The Professional Cricketers’ Association is investigating claims that players were left to take the decision to go ahead with Saturday’s IPL match

Cricinfo staff19-Apr-2010The Professional Cricketers’ Association is investigating claims that players were left to take the decision to go ahead with Saturday’s IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians following two low-intensity bomb blasts outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.The quoted Ian Smith, the PCA’s legal adviser, as saying the PCA were looking for more details about what led to Saturday’s match going ahead, and were looking at a claim from a non-Indian player that the decision was left to the players themselves.”The immediate worry for us, and I have heard this direct from one of the players, is that after the initial explosion and a sweep of the stadium, the decision that the game should go ahead was taken by the players,” Smith said. “From what I have been told, the Indian guys said very quickly that they felt unfazed. But the foreign guys then felt under pressure to agree with their colleagues. The idea that you can determine whether conditions are safe by a referendum of the players is outrageous.”They were out in the middle warming up when the bomb went off. We don’t know who provided them with the information on which they made their decision.”JP Duminy, who plays for Mumbai, told that Bangalore “were upset with the situation”. “We were told to go back into the change rooms [after the blasts], and the security tried to keep everything low-key,” he said. “They said everything was fine and that the game will go ahead. Bangalore were upset with the situation and had to be convinced to play the game. My team was always going to play.”Smith said he hadn’t been able to speak to any of the six English players – Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Owais Shah, Michael Lumb, Kevin Pietersen and Ravi Bopara – involved in the IPL, but had been in email communication and advised them wait for a full report from the ICC’s security experts Nicholls Steyn Associates and Reg Dickason, security adviser to the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations.The semi-finals of the IPL have now been moved out of Bangalore and will be played at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai instead. While pleased with the shift, the PCA said it wasn’t happy about the relocation being announced before the players had left Bangalore.”Players I have spoken to today are experiencing quite a few problems and some are currently caught up in traffic trying to reach the airport, which isn’t ideal,” Angus Porter, the PCA chief executive, told Cricinfo. “We are pleased that the semi-finals have been moved to Mumbai, but making it public before the players have left Bangalore has left us a little uneasy. We will be very glad when they reach Mumbai.When asked if the events of the last 48 hours went against pre-tournament agreements, Porter said, “The security plans have varied with how they have been implemented and we are concerned with how some aspects have been delivered.”But what I do want to add is that this isn’t a time to hit the panic button about the 2011 World Cup. Security around international teams is generally easier to deliver, rather than when individual players are out there representing sides such as at the IPL.”

Nathan Patterson may be open to leaving Rangers and joining Everton as he struggles to dislodge James Tavernier. 

That’s according to BBC Radio pundit Noel Whelan, who was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Patterson has been limited to just two starts in Rangers’ first 20 Premiership matches this season, with Tavernier selected for the other 18. Indeed, more than a quarter of his total game-time so far in 2021/22 has come in the Scottish League Cup.

The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell has written that ‘figuring out how to use Nathan Patterson’ is one of the key challenges facing Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Ibrox. The youngster has started just two of the Dutchman’s nine matches in charge so far.

Everton made two attempts to sign the 20-year-old last summer and are expected to renew their pursuit when the January transfer window opens next week (via The Guardian).

The latest

Whelan reckons that Patterson could succeed 33-year-old Seamus Coleman at Goodison Park or even slot in at left-back after Lucas Digne reportedly fell out with Rafael Benitez.

The former Aberdeen striker added that, while the youngster has looked a ‘top talent’, the presence of Tavernier limits his prospects at Rangers.

Whelan told Football Insider: “Obviously we know that Seamus Coleman isn’t getting any younger in that right-back spot. There’s also an opportunity for him on the left with the Lucas Digne situation, he could fill in there.

“He’s played there for Rangers recently. Even though he’s a top talent, it’s bound to be hard to get in the side ahead of the skipper, James Tavernier.

“We’ve seen him really impress for Scotland as well and he’s shown he can be a brilliant attacking talent as well on international duty. From what I know, he’s got a lot of potential.”

The verdict

You can see why Van Bronckhorst may be reluctant to leave Tavernier on the bench or alter his position. The skipper has recorded more goal involvements (14) than anybody else in the Gers squad from his right-back berth.

Indeed, if you go by WhoScored metrics, he has been Rangers’ highest-performing player this season, averaging a rating of 7.79/10.

Intriguingly, Van Bronckhorst managed to fit both players into the team against Dundee United recently by selecting Patterson on the left. Perhaps he’ll need to do that more often in the interests of the youngster’s development and indeed his transfer value.

In other news, many Rangers fans gushed over this Allan McGregor claim

The ICC has published its report on the investigations into the incidents that marred the finish of the World Cricket Division League Five game between Nepal and USA in Kirtipur, standing by its original decision on the score revision and the promotion of

Cricinfo staff11-May-2010The ICC has published its report on the investigations into the incidents that marred the finish of the World Cricket Division League Five game between Nepal and USA in Kirtipur. It has found no evidence to support Singapore Cricket Association’s (SCA’s) claim that Nepal had earned a back-door entry into Division Four following a crowd disturbance, due to the technical committee’s revised target that helped them edge ahead of Singapore on net run-rate.The match was disrupted in the closing stages by the unruly home crowd, with USA set for a facile win that would have brought Nepal below Singapore in the league standings. As it transpired, the 45-minute delay caused by the crowd disturbance meant the target was revised significantly enough to lift Nepal’s net run-rate above Singapore’s by a slender margin, giving the home side a fortuitous entry into Division Four.The SCA demanded that ICC looked into the issue, specifically the decision of the technical committee that revised USA’s target from 163 off 50 overs, to 157 off 46.The inquiry, conducted by top ICC officials Dave Richardson, David Becker and Ravi Sawani, ruled against SCA’s claims today. However, it made recommendations that the proposed mandatory safety standards being introduced by the ICC security task force considers including sanctions against the home board when the home crowd interrupts a match, particularly when it benefits the home team. The investigation covered all aspects of the controversy including the net run-rate calculations, the reactions of the match officials and the nature of the security-related issues which arose during the match.Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, thanked the inquiry panel for their investigations and expressed his sympathy for Singapore, but said that promoting them retrospectively would set a bad precedent. “I am grateful to the inquiry panel for the thorough investigation conducted and it is reassuring to note that the correct processes and playing rules were applied by the event technical committee and match officials.”It is a most unfortunate outcome for Singapore and there was a suggestion that they should be promoted alongside USA and Nepal. While everyone agrees that this was a regrettable incident and one which we do not want to see repeated, there is no justifiable basis to promote Singapore and such temptation would create a dangerous precedent to the integrity of competition and the playing regulations,” Lorgat said.The Cricket Association of Nepal has already accepted a directive to not host further international cricket at the venue until remedial measures were carried out, including the reconstruction of the boundary wall that was damaged by stone-throwers looking for projectiles to hurl into the ground.

Leeds United star Raphinha remains a target for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Raphinha linked with Leeds exit

The Brazilian has been one of the best players of the Marcelo Bielsa era at Elland Road, thrilling the supporters with his attacking brilliance on the right wing.

Somewhat inevitably, Raphinha has been linked with a move to an elite club in Bayern this month, as the reigning German champions eye up attacking reinforcements.

While the story has gone a little quiet of late, a fresh update is a worrying one from a Leeds perspective.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Journalist makes new Raphinha claim

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed that Bayern are still keen on snapping up Raphinha, seeing him as a candidate to replace Kingsley Coman and strengthen their attack. He outlined:

“Bayern Munich, we all know, brilliant club, probably going to be German champions again, always competing for the top honours.

“Big thing for them could be maybe they might need a winger in the summer with doubts surrounding the future of Kingsley Coman, so I’m sure Raphinha does figure on their list.”

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The Verdict: Hard to keep him

Ideally, Raphinha would continue to dazzle at Leeds for many years to come, adding far more than his 14 goals and 10 assists for the club, having been hailed as ‘incredible’ by journalist Phil Hay.

However, the 25-year-old may surely feel that his talent belongs at a club playing in the Champions League, so it could be very hard for the Whites to keep hold of him.

A January exit would be a disaster, and the Brazil international would hopefully not force a move midway through a potential relegation fight, but it would be hard to begrudge him a summer transfer, especially if he continues to help Leeds away from danger in the Premier League in the meantime.

In other news, O’Rourke has backed one player to make a move to Leeds. Find out who it is here.

Sulieman Benn has riled opponents and match referees in the past, but he has hit a new low after being asked to leave the field by his captain Chris Gayle

Cricinfo staff31-May-2010Sulieman Benn has riled opponents and match referees in the past, but he has hit a new low after being ordered off the field by his captain Chris Gayle. During West Indies’ seven-wicket loss to South Africa in Dominica, Benn upset Gayle so much by failing to follow instructions that he was told he was no longer required.”I actually asked him to leave the field,’ Gayle told reporters after the game. “As a captain, it was a situation like you ask a particular bowler to do it and he said he had never done certain things before. That’s why you have practice sessions, to practise. I asked him to simply bowl over the wicket. I don’t see why it should be a problem.”He wasn’t up for it and if you’re not up for it, why give that particular bowler the ball. I just see it that he [Benn] doesn’t want to take part. It was my call to actually ask him to leave and tell him that he is not needed anymore.”Benn’s behavioural issues came to a head during the Perth Test in December, when he was suspended for two ODIs following a clash with Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin. He had previously been fined and forced to have counselling after what was labelled “insubordinate” behaviour during a West Indies A tour of England in 2002.His fiery nature has also been on display at club level, when he was fined after an altercation with an opponent while batting for his Barbados club Spartan. It is unclear whether Benn will play any part in the fifth and final ODI against South Africa in Trinidad on Thursday.The fourth ODI had a dramatic finish with Dwayne Bravo bowling three consecutive dot balls in the final over, leaving South Africa with one to get off the last delivery. AB de Villiers then played the ball to midwicket and sprinted the single as Darren Sammy fumbled. Gayle praised Bravo for his bowling effort but said that, despite making 303, West Indies should have scored a lot more.”Credit must go to Bravo for the way he bowled the final over,” Gayle said. “But to get 300 runs, and lose was not good. We should have scored at least 30 or 40 more runs based on the start that Dale [Richards] and I gave the team, but we were very disappointing in the middle overs again, too many dot balls. We also missed a few catches, and this is the inconsistency. At times, we do well with the bat, and then turn up and do something completely different with the ball.”

Leeds United have set funds aside to bolster Marcelo Bielsa’s playing squad in one key area…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who dropped a fresh claim to supporters on Twitter this week. When asked about potential names or positions the club were looking at, he replied:

“There was 15m set aside for a midfielder …”

Short and sweet, but this should come as no surprise as the Yorkshire giants have been on the lookout for a new option in the engine room for quite some time and they failed to find someone during the summer.

Some of the names linked to Leeds in recent months include out-of-contract Reading playmaker John Swift, Huddersfield Town dynamo Lewis O’Brien and Marseille sensation Boubacar Kamara.

Bielsa needs it

The fact that United have been trying to sign a new midfielder for the last few windows speaks volumes and that addition is needed now more than ever.

Bielsa’s side have struggled for form and consistency throughout the 2021/22 campaign, as highlighted by results this year already. After beating Burnley in the Premier League in a six-pointer to move eight points clear of the relegation zone, the Whites were defeated by West Ham United in the FA Cup.

Injuries have certainly played their part, with as many as 11 players expected to be absent ahead of another clash against the Irons, this time back in the league.

One of those is England international Kalvin Phillips, who plays an integral role as Bielsa’s lynchpin in defensive midfield – capable of spraying the ball around the pitch, he is often the start of many attack, whilst only two players manage more tackles per game than him, proving to be a brick wall in front of the backline at times.

Then there are players like Mateusz Klich – long a mainstay under the Argentine head coach – who have been underperforming and holding the team back.

That is exactly why a new midfielder is paramount to their chances of improvement this season.

Although, the fact that Nixon claims some money was set aside for one is certainly encouraging and if you’re Bielsa, you’ve got to be encouraged by what you’re hearing from the Elland Road hierarchy.

He will surely be buzzing by this heading into the remainder of the window. It’s now on Victor Orta and co to deliver for their manager.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Meslier: Leeds lightweight who lost 86% duels badly let Bielsa down vs West Ham…

Australia’s discarded Test opener Chris Rogers hasn’t given up on adding to his sole cap, despite slipping behind Phillip Hughes in the backup queue

Brydon Coverdale in Derby09-Jul-2010Australia’s discarded Test opener Chris Rogers hasn’t given up on adding to his sole cap, despite slipping behind Phillip Hughes in the backup queue. Rogers made a professional 93 for Derbyshire against Ricky Ponting’s men in their warm-up game and, after losing his Cricket Australia contract nearly two years ago, this date was circled on his calendar.”It was an enjoyable day,” Rogers said. “I’ve been looking forward to this challenge for a while. It’s good to get some runs against Australia. It’s good for my confidence and hopefully it’ll show a few people that I can play. This game has been looked forward to, almost since last year. I’ve been pretty nervous about the challenge but looking forward to it. To do well is very satisfying.”At 32, Rogers knows that time is not on his side if he is to resume the Test career that began at the WACA against India in January 2008. Shane Watson and Simon Katich are firmly established at the top of the order in Tests, while Hughes is clearly next in line and as an older former Test player, Rogers is in the same boat as Phil Jaques.Rogers had another productive summer for Victoria last season, though his 641 Sheffield Shield runs at 49.30 was down from his peak a couple of years earlier. However, Rogers is aware that Katich was 32 when he broke back into the Test team, so it can be done, and with 912 county runs at 65.14 this year he still holds a flicker of hope of one day playing another Test.”It’s always there,” Rogers said. “I know Australia are looking to the future a little bit, too. But I’d like to think that if there was ever an opportunity that I’d be ready. Today has been a good day.”For half the day, Rogers frustrated the Australian bowlers in their only day of bowling in match conditions before Tuesday’s first Test against Pakistan. Rogers was eventually caught behind off Johnson, who found some reverse swing later in the innings, and Rogers was impressed with the attack.”I always think Dougie [Bollinger] is a fine bowler, and Hilf has good skills, but Mitch was probably the pick today, when he ran in and got it reversing and hit the wicket, that became very tough,” Rogers said. “I didn’t last too long then. I could see that on a wicket that’s a bit more conducive, they’re going to be very much a handful.”

Ben Hilfenhaus sealed a Sri Lanka A capitulation to pace by knocking off their remaining five wickets on the fourth day as Australia A emerged triumphant by 107 runs at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane

Cricinfo staff21-Jun-2010
Scorecard
Ben Hilfenhaus knocked off the remaining Sri Lankan wickets to complete an excellent all-round effort•Getty ImagesBen Hilfenhaus completed a promising comeback from a knee injury with a five-wicket haul to confirm Australia A’s 107-run victory over Sri Lanka A in Brisbane. Hilfenhaus’ maiden first-class half-century had helped set up a huge lead for Australia before Sri Lanka capitulated to the pace of Hilfenhaus and Peter George.Set 424 for victory, Sri Lanka had been pegged back by George, who had left them in trouble at 224 for 5 at the end of the third day. On the fourth morning, Australia were made to wait by the overnight pair of Chamara Silva (58) and Kosala Kulasekara (33), who extended their partnership to 90 before Hilfenhaus struck.Kulasekara was caught by captain George Bailey, his first of three in the innings, and Hilfenhaus cleaned up the rest, including Silva, facing hardly any resistance. The last five wickets fell for 28, squandering an encouraging start by the Sri Lankan batsmen, who had promised to make a fight of their chase of an imposing target.”It’s a very, very good result, it was a pretty different wicket here and I haven’t really played on a wicket like that at AB Field before,” Bailey said after the game. “It was a little bit tacky and soft on days one and two and it was a very different game, but it is good play in those sometimes.”I thought it was a pretty good performance from us. I think nearly everyone contributed at some stage. I think all our bowlers bowled well during the match. When they got away from us yesterday I thought Peter George and Andrew McDonald bowled a really good spell for us.”It’s funny how it can roll one way for a bowler and once they start getting a few wickets they can end up with a handful. Hilf bowled really well for us today but once again I thought Peter George bowled really well and Mitchell Starc bowled pretty well as well.”

A major update has emerged in Newcastle United’s attempts to sign Bayer Leverkusen beast Mitchel Bakker…

What’s the talk?

According to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, the Magpies have agreed a deal in principle with the Bundesliga club as they close in on their third signing of the window.

The report claims that they are now poised to discuss personal terms with the full-back, as Eddie Howe looks to add to the two signings he has already made this month in Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier.

Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope claimed over the weekend that he is valued at £16m by Leverkusen, although the exact figure Newcastle have now agreed for Bakker remains to be seen.

Delight

Newcastle fans will be delighted with this news for several reasons.

Firstly, it suggests that the club’s third signing of the window is not a million miles away as PIF have been able to agree a fee with the German outfit, which shows that they are working hard behind the scenes to get things completed.

Supporters will also be happy with the club’s efforts to bolster Howe’s squad, with this news making it clear that bids are going in and negotiations are happening as the window progresses.

They want to add to the team to improve their chances of avoiding relegation and the signing of Bakker could be a strong step in their journey to doing so.

The left-back position has been a big problem for the ex-Bournemouth head coach this season and the Dutchman could come in and nail down the role.

Paul Dummett started at left-back in the 1-0 win over Leeds and was dribbled past twice, whilst losing 50% of his ground duels, before being taken off with an injury – with Jamal Lewis also having been out since the 16th of December.

Bakker has played 13 times in the Bundesliga for Leverkusen this season and featured in 26 Ligue 1 matches for PSG last term, showing that – at the very least – he is reliable in terms of his availability. He has also made 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game in the German top-flight, whilst registering one goal and three assists.

This suggests that he could add an extra attacking dimension to Newcastle’s side along with being a strong defender who can step in and win the ball back for his side.

Therefore, fans will be delighted to read that the club have agreed a deal for him.

AND in other news, Howe plotting late NUFC swoop for “outstanding” £61k-p/w beast, fans will be amazed…