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Looking to strengthen before the summer transfer window slams shut, Leeds United could reportedly turn their attention to the Premier League as they attempt to build a squad capable of promotion at the first time of asking.

So far this summer, Daniel Farke has welcomed a total of four new arrivals, with the pick of the bunch being Joe Rodon on loan from Tottenham Hotspur.

Now, however, the Yorkshire club could reportedly turn to Jonjo Shelvey.

What's the latest on Jonjo Shelvey to Leeds United?

According to reports, Leeds are considering making a move for out-of-favour Nottingham Forest midfielder Shelvey this summer. The former Newcastle United man is yet to make an appearance for Steve Cooper's side this season, and missed the final part of the last campaign after a reported bust-up with the manager.

Now, Leeds could swoop in to end a saga to forget for the Englishman, after they recently lost Tyler Adams to Bournemouth, leaving them in need of a midfielder, as per Teamtalk.

With plenty of experience to his name, it would certainly be interesting to see Shelvey make the move to Elland Road this summer. If he does stay at Forest, game-time looks unlikely to come his way anytime soon.

Should Leeds United sign Jonjo Shelvey?

Replacing a 24-year-old midfielder with a 31-year-old player who was frozen out at the back end of last season is far from a good look on paper for Leeds. However, Shelvey's experience could be crucial in a young squad at Elland Road.

The likes of Ethan Ampadu and Archie Gray could undoubtedly do with a bit of guidance in the middle of the park to combine with their youthful fearlessness. So, whilst Shelvey is far from a star player, he could yet play a pivotal part if he made the move to the Yorkshire club.

It's worth noting, too, that the midfielder has experience of earning promotion from the Championship after securing the league title with Newcastle back in the 2016/17 season.

When at his best, Shelvey has earned plenty of praise, too, including from former Hull City man Michael Dawson, who said on Sky Sports, via Nottingham Forest News: "He certainly creates chances, he gets on the ball and makes things happen. That’s something that Forest in the first 60 minutes, or even in previous games, have been missing.

“He will get on the ball in the middle of the field, he’s got a wide range of passes, he’s a very confident player. Not just confident, he can execute that pass when he sees it, if it’s a long-range one he can hit that.”

So far this season, Leeds have struggled for control in some areas and have, therefore, failed to get off to an emphatic start.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

In their opening three games, Farke's side have struggled, failing to win a single game, with draws against Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion, as well as a surprise defeat at the hands of Birmingham City.

Shelvey could bring some much-needed calm to what is a rocky ship at Elland Road, if he does end up making the move this summer.

Australia have effectively revealed their full pace attack for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane by withdrawing Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird from the third round of the Sheffield Shield in addition to Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.The decision to have Hazlewood train alongside the other three at the National Cricket Centre – rather than playing for New South Wales in the Shield match against Queensland at Allan Border Field next week – followed his impressively rhythmic return to first-class cricket against Western Australia at Hurstville Oval.Having played in Sydney grade cricket the previous weekend, Hazlewood claimed three wickets in each innings, notably dismissing Test middle-order contender Hilton Cartwright for a first-innings duck, defeating the WA captain Mitchell Marsh in each innings, and also getting the wicket of Shaun Marsh twice. These top-order incisions made it possible for Starc to pluck a hat-trick in each innings while cleaning up the WA tail.Following the match, Hazlewood was involved in discussions with coaches, selectors and medical staff, leading to the decision to spell him from the next Shield match, effectively deciding he was ahead of schedule after Hurstville. Instead, he will work alongside Starc, Cummins and Bird under the eye of the Australian bowling coach David Saker in Brisbane. Starc and Cummins were always slated to play the first two Shield games before missing the third.”The decision on Hazlewood not playing in the third round of the Shield was made in consultation with the player, coaching staff, selectors and team performance staff, following a review of all the bowlers after the last round of the Shield,” a Cricket Australia spokesperson said.Bird’s inclusion in the quartet, having bowled well for Tasmania despite their defeats in the opening two matches to Western Australia and Queensland, underlines his long-standing position as the selectors’ preferred reserve pace bowler in most conditions. He played the most recent of his Test matches at the MCG against Pakistan on Boxing Day last season, and was a squad member in both India and Bangladesh.Beyond Bird, the most recent other pace bowler in Australian squads has been Chadd Sayers, who was 12th man for last year’s day-night Test in Adelaide and is a noted exponent of swing and seam with the pink ball.

Australia’s captain said he “can’t condone” the behaviour of Ben Stokes as the allrounder looks increasingly likely to miss the Ashes

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-20171:20

Stokes promises to give his story

Australia captain Steven Smith spoke carefully when addressing the issue of Ben Stokes’ potential absence from the Ashes series for the first time.Stokes won’t travel with the England squad to Australia at the end of October following the late-night brawl in Bristol last month which left a man in hospital and Stokes with a broken hand.Stokes, who was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm before being released under investigation, is still waiting to hear what route the police will take, but the ECB withdrew him from the Ashes squad and Steven Finn was named as the replacement.Speaking to ABC Radio, Smith confirmed he had watched the video which emerged shortly after the incident and is alleged to show the fight outside the Mbargo nightclub in Bristol but largely kept his counsel on the issue.”Whether he comes or not, that’s out of our control. You always want to come up against the best and test your skills against the best. That’s what Test cricket is all about.”There’s no doubt Ben Stokes is one of the best players around the world at the moment.”When asked how such an issue would be dealt with in Australia, he said: “I certainly don’t condone that kind of behaviour. Hopefully it never happens to one of our boys.”Darren Lehmann, Australia’s coach, has previously spoken about the issue being a “touchy” one for him in light of his memories of the incident in Melbourne 13 years ago when his friend and mentor David Hookes died after being punched to the ground by a hotel bouncer. He briefly made the link again before shifting the debate back to the impact Stokes’ absence would have on England.”It’s a hard one to comment on because you don’t know the full scenario. Having been in a similar situation with David Hookes, the one punch, it isn’t a nice scenario to be in either way and it’s a sad scenario for multiple people,” Lehmann said, also speaking to . “If I’m talking in pure cricket terms, with someone like Ben Stokes he’s obviously got some issues and whether he comes or not I’m not privy to that conversation.”They need him playing, he’s one of their best players and really shakes the make-up of their side because he’s their fourth quick and can bat top six which allows them. They’ll miss him, we’d miss Steven Smith for example. You miss your really good players.”When pressed on how Australia would deal with such a situation, Lehmann added: “It’s a tough one, I’d know what we’d do. I can’t really talk about it here, I’d love to. We’ve had situations like that in the past. We’ll let them deal with it.”Even before the police have decided their course of action, the fallout has been substantial for Stokes with the Ashes now looking a slim prospect and kit supplier New Balance having ended a £200,000 sponsorship deal with him.Last week, Stokes made his first public comments since the incident although they were to apologise to Katie Price for the video which emerged appearing to show Stokes mock her disabled son Harvey. Stokes’ agent, Neil Fairbrother, issued a statement saying the allrounder would give his side of the story into the events in Bristol when the investigation allows.

Newcastle United have reportedly set their sights on signing Galatasaray attacker Nicolo Zaniolo this summer.

What’s the latest Newcastle transfer news?

The Magpies, and by extension owners PIF, have already splashed the cash on two marquee signings to bolster Eddie Howe’s squad ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Sandro Tonali was the first big-name player through the door, joining from AC Milan in a deal worth £55m, and it was recently confirmed that Harvey Barnes has signed from Leicester City at a cost of around £38m.

However, it doesn’t look as if those at St James’ Park plan on stopping there, with Champions League football on offer for the upcoming season. It appears as if Howe and Newcastle want to bring in a new full-back as they have had a £30m approach turned down by Southampton for Tino Livramento.

Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney is another who has been linked with a move north, whereas Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch is another player of interest.

Further additions at the back and in midfielder could be on the cards, and by the looks of things, another signing in the final third may also be on the agenda, with speculation emerging over Zaniolo.

According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Newcastle have set their sights on a move for Zaniolo. They claimed that polls and information have been gathering when it comes to the Galatasaray attacker, however, the Turkish side are reluctant to sell this summer.

The report adds that Zaniolo is attracting interest from a number of clubs in Italy, but say that Newcastle could complicate a possible return to Serie A.

Who is Nicolo Zaniolo?

Zaniolo is 24 years of age and is primarily an attacking midfielder who can also turn out on the right-hand side or as a second striker. The Italy international, who was labelled a wonderkid alongside Tonali back in 2019, spent time in Fiorentina and Inter Milan’s youth systems before moving to Roma in 2018.

He went on to make 128 senior appearances for Roma, scoring 24 times and providing 18 assists and only made the move to Galatasaray back in February.

Since then, Zaniolo has contributed to six goals in 12 appearances for his current employers, but it looks as if he is attracting interest once again.

Described as a “monster” by journalist Nick Mercadante, Zaniolo has also been linked with a move to Tottenham this summer, with Milliyet's Galatasaray correspondent Nevzat Dindar saying:

"Zaniolo is also evolving into a world star. English clubs for Zaniolo.

"It goes up to 30-35 million euros. At this point, Galatasaray does not take Juventus' offers seriously. Tottenham is the closest club to finish Zaniolo."

However, it looks as if Newcastle could soon join the race for the left-footed attacker, who would offer plenty of versatility to Howe’s squad.

During his career, Zaniolo has made 101 appearances as an attacking midfielder, 56 as a right-winger and 28 as a second striker, so he could prove to be a smart signing in what looks set to be a busy season for the Magpies, making this one to watch.

Tottenham Hotspur could make a bid to sign Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie "next week" if they sell Harry Kane, and it is believed he "would welcome" a move to England.

Who will Spurs sign?

Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou has been backed with three major signings so far this summer, not including Tottenham's permanent deals for defender Pedro Porro and forward Dejan Kulusevski.

The north Londoners have reinforced their goalkeeping department with the signing of Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli for around £17.2 million, and he was followed closely by England international star James Maddison.

Winger Manor Solomon, after an impressive spell on loan at Fulham last campaign, then joined on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk – with the trio of new additions making their Spurs debuts in pre-season.

Attention now turns to star centre-backs, and it is believed they're eyeing two senior defensive signings for that area of the pitch, which doesn't include their potential deal for Blackburn Rovers starlet Ashley Phillips.

"That's definitely our intention, absolutely," said Postecoglou when asked about signing new defenders.

"We've been working on it for a while and we'll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.

"I don't think it's any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.

"In terms of the other boys, we've got a big squad but my view is I wanted to bring them along and just work with them, get some clarity in my head and give clarity to them."

Elsewhere, as Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg edges closer to Atletico Madrid, Spurs may well look for a replacement if he does go. Star striker Kane's future is also shrouded with uncertainty, coming as Bayern Munich make a serious push for him.

Now, according to Spanish news outlet Sport, one midfield ace attracting Postecoglou's serious interest is Kessie of Barca.

Tottenham have apparently "warned" the La Liga champions that they could make an offer him just "next week" – if they receive funds from Kane's potential sale.

Kessie, who is a real candidate for the chopping block as Barca look to get rid of one player per position, is apparently considered an interesting player at Spurs.

The £199,000-per-week ace, for his part, "would welcome" a move to the Premier League as Tottenham eye a move.

How good is Franck Kessie?

His best season at the top level arguably came at AC Milan during the 2020/2021 season, where he racked up a brilliant 13 goals and four assists in 27 Serie A appearances (WhoScored).

These numbers indicate that Kessie is a serious threat from midfield when at his very best, with former Spurs keeper Paul Robinson once claiming he could be a good fit.

"Kessie would fit the bill," said Robinson to Football Insider.

"He is strong, quick and effective at both ends of the pitch. He ticks a lot of boxes.

“There is no doubting that he is an amazing player. The question is, would he come in and command a starting spot? Hojbjerg and Bentancur have done extremely well. [Yves] Bissouma has struggled to get a look in at times."

Essex missed the chance to maintain their 100% record in the competition when they lost in an exciting last over finish against Glamorgan who gained their second win from five games

ECB Reporters Network07-May-2017
ScorecardColin Ingram’s century gave Glamorgan a total that was just enough•Getty Images

Essex missed the chance to maintain their 100% record in the competition when they lost in an exciting last over finish against Glamorgan who gained their second win from five games.Glamorgan were indebted to Colin Ingram, who scored a superb 142, which included four fours and eight sixes, two striking the pavilion roof, while Varun Chopra, who made 124, threatened to win the game for Essex. Following his dismissal, panic set in and they were two runs short of the seven they required to win from the last over.Glamorgan, who had elected to bat on the pitch used for the previous one day game on Friday, soon lost their openers, Jacques Rudolph and David Lloyd, who were both dismissed by Neil Wagner. Ingram and Will Bragg then played with extreme caution against Wagner and James Porter and after the first 10-over Powerplay the score had only progressed to 26 for 2.Their caution, however, was rewarded as the third-wicket pair put on 98 in 22 overs, before Bragg, having scored 59 from 79 balls, was stumped down the leg side from Ashar Zaidi’s left arm spin – the second time in successive innings for Bragg to be dismissed in this way.Kiran Carlson then joined Ingram, and the 18-year-old, who top scored in the previous game, again showed plenty of promise with an array of attacking strokes, scoring 36 from 33 balls, before giving Ravi Bopara a return catch.Ingram, playing every ball on merit, reached his 16th one-day hundred, and his third against Essex, before launching a furious assault on the attack, notably Ryan ten Doeschate, who was struck for three sixes in an over and with 87 runs scored in the last ten overs, Essex faced a challenging target of 282.Glamorgan’s opening attack struck immediately. When Marchant de Lange had Nick Browne caught behind and Tom Westley was bowled by Michael Hogan, Essex were 2 for 2 after nine balls.The visitors then replicated Glamorgan’s recovery, as Alastair Cook and Chopra settled into a productive partnership. De Lange didn’t help his, or Glamorgan’s cause, by greeting Chopra with three short pitched deliveries that were struck for sixes over the midwicket boundary. He outscored Cook, reaching 50 from 59 balls, and they added 103, before Cook gave a low catch to cover point.Ravi Bopara then supported Chopra in a stand of109, with Chopra reaching his third List A century for Essex, and Bopara an attacking 56, before Bopara was unluckily run out, when Craig Meschede dropped a return catch from Chopra, only to deflect the ball on to the stumps at the bowler’s end.Essex then faltered, losing Adam Wheater and Chopra, who was bowled by Meschede, and at 239 for 6, the visitors required 43 from the last six overs.Essex were favourites at that stage, but when Ashar Zaidi and ten Doeschate were dismissed, and Simon Harmer ran himself out, four runs were needed from the final ball with the last pair at the crease. They could only manage two and Glamorgan had won by the slender margin of one run.

Newcastle United appear to be stepping up their interest in Nice midfielder, Khephren Thuram, having only just wrapped up a deal for Italy international, Sandro Tonali.

What's the latest on Thuram to Newcastle?

According to journalist Rudy Galetti, it does appear that the Magpies are set to make their move for the signing of the promising Frenchman, with Eddie Howe and co ready to rival Liverpool for the 22-year-old's signature.

Writing on Twitter, the respected insider stated: "Khephren #Thuram, as told yesterday, #Newcastle are moving for the midfielder and are serious for him. #Liverpool are pushing hard for the [French] player, but are also concretely approaching Romeo #Lavia: #Southampton won't give discount and will rejected any bid below £50m."

If the Tynesiders are to land the highly-coveted playmaker this summer, previous reports have suggested that the Italy-born maestro could command a fee of around £55m, with his current deal set to expire in 2025.

Would Khephren Thuram be a good signing for Newcastle?

Despite the recent £55m capture of the aforementioned Tonali, a further midfield addition looks likely to be on the cards for those at St James' Park ahead of next season, with PIF having previously lodged a £50m offer for Inter Milan sensation, Nicolo Barella.

As per the Independent, however, Newcastle are considering alternatives to the latter man due to the Serie A side's reported £80m valuation, hence turning to a "powerful" talent like Thuram – as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig – who is said to share a number of stylistic and statistical similarities with the Italian, as per FBref.

In the case of Barella, the "box to box" gem – as described by pundit Jamie Carragher – is particularly adept at driving forward from his deep-lying berth, showcased by the fact that he ranks in the top 11% among his European peers for progressive carries, as well as averaging 1.92 touches per 90 in the attacking penalty area.

That record is undoubtedly similar to that of Thuram, with the 6 foot 4 ace – who has also been categorised as a "box to box" asset by Kulig – ranking in the top 6% for progressive carries, while also averaging 2.16 touches per 90 in the opposition box.

The pair have both been able to translate that forward-thinking approach into providing an end product, with Thuram chipping in with two goals and four assists in 35 Ligue 1 games last season, while Barella contributed six goals and six assists in 35 Serie A outings.

Not just a threat in an attacking sense, both men can also hold their own defensively, with the Inter star having recorded a solid average of 1.4 tackles per game last term, while the Nice ace was only just ahead having averaged 1.5 for that same metric.

With Barella recognised as "one of the best in Europe" – in the words of Carragher – it is safe to assume that Thuram could be on a similar trajectory such is the comparison between the pair, hence why the youngster would represent an ideal alternative as far as Howe is concerned.

Quinton de Kock said he wasn’t affected by facing Jeetan Patel despite falling to the spinner in his last four international innings, and just focused on turning the pressure around on the hosts

Firdose Moonda in Wellington17-Mar-2017

Quinton de Kock “knew straightaway” that he would come up against Jeetan Patel, but instead of dreading facing the offspinner who had dismissed him in his last four innings, de Kock was “not at all” anxious. Quite the opposite.”I was looking forward to the battle again,” de Kock said.Patel was brought on to bowl the last over before lunch, nine balls after de Kock had arrived at the crease, and de Kock decided he would not be done in. “I have played against so many offspinners in my life. I know Jeetan is a good bowler and he has me four out of four but I knew I could still get on top of him if I just put my head down,” de Kock said. “It happened today, so it was nice to finally get one over him.”Not only did de Kock survive Patel, but he also combined with Temba Bavuma to wrest the advantage in South Africa’s favour.”We knew the pressure was on us. The mindset was to somehow shift the pressure onto them. I didn’t want to get bogged down, so the only way forward that I knew was to play my natural game,” de Kock said. “I was obviously a little bit more aggressive than usual, but it was something that needed to be done.”Bavuma and de Kock scored 114 runs in 28 overs in the second session as the surface eased.”As conditions flattened out, they made the most of it and played well,” New Zealand fast bowler Neil Wagner conceded. “Full credit to de Kock and Bavuma, who showed lot patience and grafted through that period. You expect that from a quality team.”While de Kock already regarded South Africa’s 81-run lead as good enough and anything more “a bonus,” Wagner said New Zealand were “pretty happy with the position they are in.” Southerly winds are set to pick up on Saturday, which will make bowling tough for South Africa, and if New Zealand can make sure they set a decent target, Wagner hopes Patel can still have a say – if not on de Kock, then on the outcome of the match.”If it’s a southerly and quite cold, it’s going be tough work [to bowl]. It’s quite hard to control your length and line at times,” Wagner said. “I think Jeets [Patel] is definitely in the game. It does tend to bounce here and the footmarks deteriorate. It depends on how it deteriorates but Jeets definitely has a big role for us in the second innings.”

Manchester United are eyeing a swoop for Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen as Erik Ten Hag aims to bolster his defensive options next season.

What’s the latest on Andreas Christensen to Manchester United?

According to sources in Spain, Man United are willing to pay €40m (£34m) in order to sign Christensen from Barcelona this summer.

Ten Hag is aiming to sign an experienced centre-back and Christensen has plenty of Premier League experience having spent five seasons at Chelsea before joining the La Liga giants on a free transfer last summer.

The Dutchman could be set to sell Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof this summer in order to generate funds for better signings, and the Danish defender would certainly be a big upgrade on Maguire as Champions League football returns to Old Trafford.

Could Manchester United sign Andreas Christensen?

The 27-year-old still has three years remaining on his current contract, and as he enjoyed a successful debut campaign in Spain, Xavi won't be keen on getting rid of him anytime soon, making a move potentially problematic for Ten Hag.

He ranked 11th in the squad for overall rating as per Sofascore while also ranking second for accurate passes per game (61.1) and clearances (2), while coming third for interceptions (0.9), underlining just how effective he was during his maiden season for the club.

Maguire ranked seventh throughout the United squad for his overall rating (6.95/10), yet this was lower than the 7.05/10 that Christensen averaged in the Spanish top flight.

Meanwhile, the Englishman also ranked in a lowly eighth position for interceptions per game (0.8), fourth for clearances (2.6) and tenth for accurate passes (30.6), with Christensen making nearly double the number of passes per match.

Indeed, it’s evident that the Dane is a far superior passer of the ball compared to Maguire, as he ranks in the top 1% across Europe’s big five leagues for pass completion rate (93.7%) and also ranks in the top 10% for progressive passes per 90 (4.95), suggesting that he is excellent at starting attacks from the defence on a regular basis.

Maguire, on the other hand, only ranks in the top 48% across Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion rate (85.2%) and in the top 53% for progressive passes per 90 (3.09), which indicates that Christensen could be a major upgrade that would fit Ten Hag’s style of play.

The former Chelsea defender has been lauded as being “underrated” by his former teammate at Stamford Bridge, Cesc Fabregas, and should the Red Devils lure him to Manchester this summer, they would be able to ditch Maguire in the process, vastly improving their options at the back.

Mashrafe Mortaza has said he sees a bright future for Bangladesh, provided young players are given the right environment to develop. The limited-overs captain completes 15 years in international cricket on Tuesday, becoming the longest-serving international cricketer in the country’s Test status era.Mashrafe, who made his debut against Zimbabwe in November 2001, said that the players also must remain eager to perform, and focus on hard work to bring out their individual potential.”I am sure that Bangladesh will achieve many things in the next 15 years,” Mashrafe told ESPNcricinfo. “We have to take care of the players, and by that I mean we have to create an environment for them. We have to keep them in the right process. The players also need to remain hungry.”We will achieve things in 15 years that we cannot imagine now. But, for it to happen, we have to head in the right direction. It is not that we didn’t have talented players in the past, but they were wasted. There has to be hard work to make use of the talent. If we can do these things properly, we will get better.”Mashrafe, who is seen as a vital cog in Bangladesh’s ODI success over the last two years, predicted that Bangladesh’s Test team would improve significantly, especially after having figured out a way to compete against teams like England, whom they beat in a Test match last week.”Our Test ranking will get much better in the coming years. We need to have specific targets since now we have also realised that we can win Tests in home conditions. We had done the same in ODIs, so I believe that the boys will do better. We will have a higher win percentage at home.”Mashrafe added that a strong group of fast bowlers would also help the team when they played overseas, which should be part of their long-term planning. “We have good fast bowlers so we also have a better chance of doing well abroad. But there has to be long-term planning. Our coaching staff, including those in the High Performance programme, are preparing them to that tune.”Meanwhile, senior batsman Tamim Iqbal said that Mashrafe’s presence had been a significant boon to Bangladesh cricket over the past 15 years.”In our Bangladesh team, Mashrafe is the character who fulfills the team. He plays a big role by being the elder brother, friend and father figure,” Tamim said. “He may be just five years older than most of us, but I see that many see him as a father figure. I know a lot of guys who will take the direction Mashrafe tells them to.”His presence is very important. You cannot buy his character with a million dollars, nor by being the captain or a performer. He is such a character, everyone is drawn to him. I would say that his character played a massive role in raising our cricket to this stage.”