Arne Slot has refuted claims that Darwin Nunez's exclusion from the Liverpool first XI is due to a clause that would trigger a payment to Benfica.
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Connolly had played just four first class games and was wicketless from his 96 deliveries before his Test debut in Galle
Tristan Lavalette06-Feb-20250:40
Connolly: ‘I like to be aggressive while I’m playing red-ball cricket as well’
From the moment his clutch batting memorably lifted Perth Scorchers to the BBL title almost exactly two years ago, Cooper Connolly quickly became a fan favourite and there was plenty of intrigue over the potential of this promising left-arm spinning allrounder.But even his legion of admirers out west could not have foreshadowed his rise to Test cricket would be so swift. After just four first-class matches, the 21-year-old Connolly became Australia’s 471st men’s cricketer after he replaced offspinner Todd Murphy in Australia’s XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. He became Australia’s fourth debutant in as many Tests.With his emotional parents standing nearby, Connolly, 21, was presented with his baggy green cap by former Test batter and fellow Western Australian Simon Katich.Related
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Sri Lanka's 'strength is spin', but it's a game Australia can play too
His selection for this Test had been murmured in recent days with expectations that the surface used for this match would be notably dry and especially favourable to spin.Connolly’s selection has raised some eyebrows given he is wicketless from 96 deliveries in his first-class career so far. But all three of his Shield matches have been at the pace-friendly WACA ground, while he bowled only six overs against India A in Mackay in early November which was his last first-class match.Albeit a different format, but Connolly did take six wickets in the recent BBL season – where he was named player of the tournament after scoring the most runs in the league stage – highlighted by a strong performance against Sydney Thunder in favourable spinning conditions at the Showgrounds.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
If the surface for the second Test does spin sharply, Connolly could prove dangerous and provides another left-arm spinning option alongside Matthew Kuhnemann, who had so much success in the series opener.”From what I’ve seen in the nets he bowls some really good balls,” stand-in captain Steven Smith said on Wednesday. “He was pretty consistent when he was bowling in Dubai and in the nets here.”That’s kind of all you’ve got to do in these conditions, just try and bowl as many good balls in a good area and let the conditions take over.”Connolly’s inclusion also underlines bolder selections from Australia’s hierarchy who have shown a willingness to experiment ever since picking 19-year-old Sam Konstas for the Boxing Day Test against India.Cooper Connolly receives his debut cap from Simon Katich•Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
With Australia’s spot in the World Test Championship final secured, Connolly edged veteran Glenn Maxwell for a spot on the Sri Lanka tour having made his T20I and ODI debuts in the backend of last year. Undoubtedly, selectors have an eye towards the future – Australia’s next tour of India is just two years away – but they will insist his selection in the second Test is a decision based on specific conditions.At this stage of his fledgling career, Connolly is certainly a much stronger batter and adds significant depth to Australia’s order at No. 8. He has already scored three half-centuries from his six first-class innings, starting with 90 off 115 balls on debut at No. 7 in last year’s Shield final between WA and Tasmania.It was an elegant knock on a tricky WACA surface that instantly drew comparisons to former WA great Shaun Marsh. But given his all-round skills and X-factor ability, with an uncanny knack of hitting the most mesmerising shots, Connolly has been likened to Maxwell and Travis Head.”It’s pretty cool to be honest. You dream of it as a kid watching them smack it around,” he told ESPNcricinfo last December about the comparisons to Maxwell and Head. “I feel proud of myself… it’s a dream to put on a baggy green.”
Tottenham have joined Manchester United in monitoring Randal Kolo Muani’s uncertain future, with Juventus talks dragging on.
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خاض فريق ريال مدريد، مساء يوم الأحد، مباراته في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم ضد نظيره خيتافي، لصالح المجموعة التاسعة.
وحل ريال مدريد ضيفًا على خيتافي في الجولة التاسعة من الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2025/26، حيث حقق الملكي فوزًا صعبًا بهدف دون رد. هدف فوز ريال مدريد على خيتافي في الدوري الإسباني
وكاد كيليان مبابي أن يسجل هدفًا لصالح ريال مدريد في الدقيقة الثامنة من عمر الشوط الأول، بعدما سدد كرة من داخل منطقة الجزاء، ولكن حارس خيتافي تصدى لها.
وفي الدقيقة التالية، سنحت فرصة جديدة لـ كيليان مبابي حيث سدد كرة قوية من خارج المنطقة، ولكنها مرت بجوار المرمى.
وطالب خيتافي بالحصول على ضربة جزاء في الدقيقة 22 من عمر الشوط الأول، نتيجة سقوط أحد لاعبيه داخل المنطقة عقب تدخل من دفاع مدريد، ولكن الحكم لم يحتسب أي شيء.
وتألق حارس مرمى خيتافي، ديفيد سوريا، في الدقيقة 42 من الشوط نفسه، بعدما سدد رودريجو كرة خطيرة من داخل منطقة الجزاء، إلا أن حارس أصحاب الأرض تصدى بشكل رائع.
وقبل نهاية الشوط ذاته، سدد ديفيد ألابا كرة ناحية مرمى خيتافي في محاولة لتسجيله هدف أول لكتيبة تشابي ألونسو، ولكن سوريا تصدى لها.
وقرر المدرب تشابي ألونسو إجراء تبديل مع بداية الشوط الثاني حيث دفع باللاعب راؤول أسينسيو بدلًا من ديفيد ألابا، خاصة وأن لياقة الأخير لا تجعله يستطيع خوض مباراة كاملة.
وفي الدقيقة 56، دفع تشابي ألونسو بالنجم البرازيلي فينيسيوس جونيور بدلًا من الأرجنتيني فرانكو ماستانتونو.
ونفذ كيليان مبابي ركلة ثابتة في مكان خطير في الدقيقة 72، ولكن كرته مرت بجوار القائم، وسط ذهول من جانب النجم الفرنسي.
وشهدت الدقيقة 77 حصول لاعب فريق خيتافي، آلان نيوم، على بطاقة حمراء مباشرة بعد ثوانِ من دخوله كبديل نتيجة تدخله القوي على فينيسيوس جونيور، لاعب ريال مدريد.
حالة غريبة في كرة القدم! 😲
آلان نيوم يُطرد 🟥 بعد أقل من دقيقة من مشاركته أمام ريال مدريد!#الدوري_الإسباني #خيتافي #ريال_مدريد pic.twitter.com/7UHOTgs7cE — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) October 19, 2025
واحتج لاعبو خيتافي وكذلك مدربهم على قرار طرد نيوم، ولكن تقنية الفيديو أكدت الأمر، ليضطر الفريق إلى اللعب منقوصًا.
وفي الدقيقة 80، سجل كيليان مبابي هدف ريال مدريد الأول بعد تمريرة رائعة من زميله التركي أردا جولر، حيث وصلت الكرة إلى الفرنسي الذي سددها في الشباك، معلنًا عن التقدم.
وازداد الوضع سوءًا على خيتافي بعد طرد جديد في صفوفه حيث تحصل لاعبه، أليكس سانكريس على بطاقة صفراء ثانية ومن ثم حمراء، في الدقيقة 84، بسبب تدخله على فينيسيوس جونيور.
وكاد لاعب خيتافي كامارا أن يسجل هدف التعادل القاتل في الدقيقة 96، لولا تألق الحارس تيبو كورتوا الذي تصدى للكرة بطريقة مميزة من جانبه.
بتلك النتيجة، ارتفع رصيد ريال مدريد إلى 24 نقطة في المركز الأول، بينما تجمد رصيد خيتافي عند 11 نقطة في المركز الثاني عشر.
It’s been a truly bizarre campaign for Tottenham Hotspur this year.
The fans will only remember this season for the club’s historic triumph in the Europa League – and rightly so – but the powers that be cannot ignore just how disastrous the team’s Premier League performances were, injury crisis or not.
While there are likely plenty of things the club can and should address behind the scenes, one of the best ways Daniel Levy and Co can ensure next year is more successful is by signing the right players this summer.
The good news is that recent reports seem to indicate that they’re targetting at least one bonafide star who’d be an incredible addition to the squad, but it could be bad news for James Maddison as the target in question would likely be an upgrade on him.
Tottenham transfer news
Given how poorly the team fared on the domestic front this season, it’s not been a surprise to see Spurs linked with a host of talented stars in recent weeks, like Xavi Simons and Angel Gomes.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The former could cost the club around £65m, but with a tally of 11 goals and eight assists in just 33 appearances for a lacklustre RB Leipzig side this season, that’s a fee that feels pretty reasonable.
Gomes, on the other hand, wouldn’t cost a penny in transfer fees, as his contract with LOSC Lille expires this month, although for all the experience and quality he’d bring with him, he couldn’t be described as an upgrade for Maddison, unlike Eberechi Eze.
Yes, according to a recent report from Football Transfers, Spurs have maintained their intense interest in the Crystal Palace star.
In fact, the report goes a step further, proclaiming the Englishman as the North Londoners ‘top target’ for the window.
The story does not reveal how much the 26-year-old dynamo might cost the Lilywhites, but it has been pretty widely reported in recent weeks and months that he has a release clause in his current contract worth around £68m.
It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Eze’s incredible ability, it would be more than worth it, even if his arrival would be bad news for Maddison.
How Eze compares to Maddison
Now, while Eze is a positionally versatile player and has spent plenty of his career playing out wide on the left, his most played position, and where he’s spent most of this season, is attacking midfield.
Therefore, his main rival for game time at Spurs would be Maddison, but how do the pair stack up against one another?
Well, when it comes to their pure output, it’s the Eagles ace who comes out on top, as in 43 appearances for the South London side, he scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.72 games.
In comparison, the former Leicester City star scored 12 goals and provided 11 assists in 45 appearances for the Lilywhites this year, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.95 games.
What about their underlying numbers, then? Who comes out victorious when we take a look under the hood?
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.52
0.50
Progressive Passes
3.37
8.16
Progressive Passes Received
5.31
4.73
Progressive Carries
2.36
2.24
Shots
3.48
1.94
Shots on Target
0.94
0.85
Key Passes
2.01
2.04
Shot-Creating Actions
4.69
4.73
Tackles
1.35
1.54
Blocks
0.94
0.74
Successful Take-Ons
2.33
1.64
Ball Recoveries
5.07
3.78
Well, things are once again somewhat close here, but overall, it’s the FA Cup-winning “superstar,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, who comes out on top.
For example, he comes out ahead in more relevant metrics than his compatriot, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, while Maddison is a brilliant player, Eze is two years his junior and performing at a higher level in a side that most would have predicted to finish lower than the North Londoners this time last year.
Therefore, Levy and Co should be doing all they can to sign the versatile star this summer before someone else beats them to him.
Shades of Dembele: Spurs make "generational" £60m star a priority signing
The sensational gem could develop into something truly special at Spurs.
ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 4, 2025
Liverpool have received a boost in their pursuit of a £84m striker, as he is now keen on a summer move to Anfield, according to a report.
While Mohamed Salah may have received most of the plaudits, Jamie Carragher has asserted that the Reds having lots of different goalscorers is the reason they won the Premier League title, considering Arsenal have been more defensively solid.
However, the lack of a dependable centre-forward is a real concern for former Red Danny Murphy, who has claimed Arne Slot is no great admirer of Darwin Nunez, saying: “Slot obviously doesn’t fancy him.
“Slot has played a winger, Luis Diaz, ahead of him as a striker at times. That tells you everything you need to know.”
Murphy also states he would be “amazed” if Nunez remains at Anfield beyond the summer, and work has started on bringing in a potential replacement for the Uruguayan, with DaveOCKOP recently dropping a new update on Liverpool’s pursuit of Benjamin Sesko.
Sky Sports: Liverpool may sell "amazing" £50m player after transfer twist
He played in the 3-2 defeat away to Brighton on Monday night.
By
Henry Jackson
May 20, 2025
The report states that Sesko is now interested in a move to Anfield this summer, with the Reds holding a serious interest, but a concrete offer may have to wait until after Nunez is offloaded, with Napoli and clubs from Saudi Arabia keen on the 25-year-old.
The Slovenian striker is attracting interest from across Europe, but a deal will not be cheap, with RB Leipzig looking to hold out for a fee of €100m (£84m), although there may be some leeway to negotiate a lower fee.
Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is known to be a big admirer of the 21-year-old, stating he has “incredible potential” earlier this year, while also detailing that he is happy to have him at a Red Bull Group-owned club.
The forward certainly isn’t short of admirers, with former Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell also adding: “Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6’4″) is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile.”
The Reds are known to have a good business relationship with Leipzig, which they will be hoping they can use to their advantage in negotiations, as it is evident that Slot will need to bring in an upgrade on Nunez this summer.
The former Benfica man has just five Premier League goals to his name this season, so it is exciting news that Sesko is now a serious target to replace the striker, alongside a number of other top forwards.
|
Player |
Current club |
Potential cost |
|
Viktor Gyokeres |
Sporting CP |
£60m |
|
Hugo Ekitike |
Eintracht Frankfurt |
£84m |
|
Alexander Isak |
Newcastle United |
£150m |
|
Victor Osimhen |
Napoli |
£60m |
They came unstuck against Pakistan spinners in the UAE but records at home offer cause for optimism
Alex Malcolm15-Nov-2018Ninety-one runs from 78 balls with eight wickets in hand. That equation for any professional T20 team should be a cakewalk. That was the equation for Australia against Pakistan in Dubai last month.Chris Lynn, a feared T20 batsman the world over, had been dropped six balls earlier at deep square leg having top-edged a sweep off Imad Wasim. He attempted another sweep, without even a sighter from the legspin of Shadab Khan, and holed out at deep midwicket.Three overs later Australia needed 76 from 60 balls with six wickets in hand. Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh were at the crease with D’Arcy Short still to come. Maxwell tried to hit the next ball from Shadab into the stands from the crease; he miscued to long-off and holed out. Australia went on to lose.A week later at the same venue Pakistan needed 104 runs from 84 balls with nine wickets in hand to clinch the series against New Zealand. Babar Azam, the world’s No.1 ranked T20 batsman, with a T20 career strike rate of 118.31 compared to Lynn’s 144.10 and Maxwell’s 155.55, batted for the next seven overs without risk. He faced 12 balls of spin excluding two wides, scored 12 runs and didn’t hit a ball in the air.He was caught for 40 off 41 balls trying to loft a Tim Southee slower ball over the ring. Pakistan’s new equation was 58 off 42 with eight wickets. Mohammad Hafeez faced six balls, absorbed one dot, scored four singles and a two. With 40 needed from 24 deliveries, Hafeez launched Ish Sodhi twice in three balls. Pakistan won by six wickets with two balls to spare.**Cricket Australia is intent on taking T20I cricket seriously.So much so that of the 42 recommendations set out in the Longstaff Review, that has purged Australian cricket of its ills, the only one CA rejected was the call for Australia Test and one-day players to be excused from T20Is in order to play more Sheffield Shield cricket.The selectors have turned the Australian T20 team into a specialist side over the last 12 months, picked specifically on the back of BBL form and chock-full of Australia’s best T20 talent. In fact, Australia’s T20 team has played matches in Australia and New Zealand while the Test team has started tours in India and South Africa in the last two years.But the left-arm orthodox of Imad and the right-arm legspin of Shadab rendered that talent useless on good, albeit slow, surfaces in the UAE. Australia’s play against spin in Test cricket has been a cause for concern over many years, one they went some way to rectifying in the UAE, only to come unstuck by the military medium precision of Mohammad Abbas. Their play against spin in T20 cricket is also under the spotlight.
Big Bash League franchises have turned their gaze to spinners as preferred overseas signings citing a weakness among Australia’s domestic batsmen. Shadab, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi among others have been revelations.But the stats of Australia’s T20I players against spin in the BBL don’t necessarily match that theory. While spin to Lynn and Short, in particular in Powerplays have been commonplace to try and quell their influence, both have decent records against spin in the BBL.Maxwell, Aaron Finch, Alex Carey and Ben McDermott also have excellent records against spin in the BBL. One of the best spinners in BBL cricket across the eight seasons, Michael Beer, said the development of play against him and others has been clear from season one to now.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”It’s definitely changed,” Beer said.”I can almost say in the first BBL people were happy just to get through my first over. Whereas last year, people were on the attack. That’s the game changing not just the way the Aussie batsmen play.”I even look back to the first couple of BBLs, I can probably count on one hand how many guys hit me over my head for six outside of the Powerplay, because they’d see long-on and long-off and almost cut that shot out.”Now the guys think, ‘I actually hit this shot quite easily because I’ve trained, I’ve practiced it a lot more’. So, in terms of that sort of stuff I think the game and our batting has developed hugely. But obviously it’s taken awhile.”But the players’ records against spin in the IPL and in T20Is in Asia are nowhere near as good. You could mount an argument that the standard of spinners is better both internationally, and in the IPL, but there are world-class spinners playing in the BBL.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe quality of surfaces, techniques and tactics borne from a lack of experience in those conditions appear the more likely cause.”It’s not easy,” said Michael Hussey, one of Australia’s best multi-format, all-surface players.”The first time, the second time, the third time, you’re going to find it tough playing in the subcontinent. It’s not until you’ve gained some experience playing in those conditions, probably failed a few times and then slowly start to figure out. How can I play differently to score runs here? That’s been a bit of a problem. We’ve chopped and changed our team so much we haven’t probably given our guys two, three, four, five, six different goes at it to actually figure it out.”To that point, Australia have used as many as 12 different players to bat in the top seven in T20Is in this calendar year alone and 19 across the last two years.***Australia had a clear plan to be ultra-aggressive against spin in the first T20I in Abu Dhabi. It is the Australian way. Target the first ball of an over or a spell to put a spinner under immediate pressure. It backfired badly. There was panic, and a complete reversal of tactics in game two, where a cautious go-slow caused more problems. In game three they were betwixt and between.It can be written off as signs of a fragile side, devoid of experience and confidence at a vulnerable time in Australian cricket.But techniques and tactics against spin in short-form cricket are part of a wider problem in Australia’s high-performance system. Power-hitting from the crease against spin is encouraged in Australia. It does require incredible hand-eye ability, but the predictable spin and bounce from Australia’s predominantly flawless pitches allows the most talented a chance to succeed. The likes of Finch, Short, Lynn and Maxwell do as their abilities are extraordinary.”You’re quite often a product of the environment that you’re brought up on,” Hussey said. “Certainly in Australia, our pitches have been pretty flat and haven’t really turned much and you can just basically stand and deliver particularly against the spinners because there’s not a lot of spin there. But once we get to the subcontinent things are very different. You can’t just stand and deliver, or you at least have to earn that right.”High quality footwork, percentage batting and control are the hallmarks of the world’s best T20 players of spin at the moment. Rohit Sharma’s unbeaten century against West Indies was a case in point. He absorbed a maiden upfront, unperturbed by any ramifications, which in itself takes supreme confidence. He targeted the left-arm orthodox of Khary Pierre in the Powerplay striking boundaries with the first ball he faced in the fourth and sixth over. But neither were wild swipes; one with the spin, presenting the full face, over mid-off, the other with the drift over mid-on. He then milked singles from the remainder of both overs. He also allowed Fabian Allen to bowl three overs outside the Powerplay for just 17 runs, without too much risk, before unleashing consecutive slog sweeps in Allen’s fourth, the 13th of the innings, when the run-rate was barely above eight.It provided a stark contrast to Australia’s frantic early slogs against Shadab and Imad.”My observations of the great players that play spin in all forms of the game, but in T20 cricket, is they’ve got this great ability to manipulate the fields and hit the ball in different areas and a great ability to get off strike and work the ball into the gaps and play different angles and generally that comes from playing a lot later,” Hussey explained.”Whereas in Australia because the pitches are so true and a bit faster we can just hit through the line and we can get out a bit in front of ourselves and you get away with it. But on the slower pitches, you can’t really do that, you’ve got to really wait for the ball.”There is also a desire to keep hitting if you strike an early blow, to turn a possible 10-run over into a 20-run over and potentially leave your opponents a bowler short by taking a spinner out of the equation.”I don’t think it’s bad tactic to have a crack early,” Hussey said.”If you can get a boundary away in the first couple of balls he can go into a defensive frame of mind and you take pressure off yourself.”I sort of feel as though we’ve got some amazing hitters. But it’s sort of either block, block, block and then six, rather than one, two, one, one, two and then a four or six to finish the over, which turns out to be a great over. Everyone is slightly different on how they would go about that.”
Australia’s two quickest scorers against spin outside of the suspended David Warner, are Finch and Maxwell. They score at 2.14 and 1.43 runs per over respectively quicker than Rohit in all T20s over the past three years, but average 7.52 and 14.16 fewer runs per dismissal against spin.T20 batting is about risk versus reward, particularly against spin. The difference in the runs per over is merely Finch and Maxwell clearing the rope once as opposed to Rohit finding it with placement and control, while the cost of trying to clear it comes at a much higher price.No one strikes this balance better than Virat Kohli, averaging 69.35 against spin while striking at 8.49 per over the past three years in all T20s. Australia’s best, Warner, averages 40.12 while scoring at 8.77.***Adaptability and experience is a trademark of both Kohli and Warner.”You need to adapt to whatever the situation is throwing at you, really, and whatever the team needs from you at that stage,” Hussey said.”That just comes with experience. I hope, that if we identify a whole group of players that we think are good enough that we actually stick with them and give them a chance to really learn those batsmanship skills.”From a bowler’s perspective predictability made Beer’s job easier.”There’s that much footage and guys have played that much T20 cricket,” Beer said. “Nothing really comes out of the blue. Unless they’re instructed to do something they don’t normally do, not too many people get you off guard.”Australia have stuck with the batting group from the UAE for the four T20 matches against South Africa and India, with the exception of Marcus Stoinis who replaces Mitchell Marsh in the middle order.Spin was virtually a non-factor in the one-day series against South Africa and despite Imran Tahir and Tabraiz Shamsi being available for South Africa and Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal for India, Hussey believes spin won’t be as big a factor in the T20s.”Generally the pitches are pretty good and they shouldn’t spin the ball as much,” Hussey said.”The mystery guys, the ones that are hard to read, they’ll pose anyone issues on any surface, so I think of someone like a Rashid Khan in the Big Bash, just because he’s so hard to pick, he’s going to be a challenge everywhere.”Like all aspects of Australia’s cricket at the moment, improved play against spin in T20 cricket will no doubt lead to better results.The equation is simple, adapt and prosper.
Leeds United know that there is plenty of work for them to do in the summer transfer window to build a squad that is capable of avoiding an instant relegation from the Premier League.
One player the Whites should be looking to replace as a starter, heading into the 2025/26 campaign, is attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson.
The USA international did not do enough in the Championship to suggest that he has the quality to make the step up to the top-flight as a regular starter next term, as evidenced by his form against the other five teams that finished in the top six.
Bristol City (A)
0
0
Burnley (H)
0
0
Sunderland (A)
0
0
Sheffield United (H)
0
0
Coventry (H)
0
0
Coventry (A)
0
0
Burnley (A)
0
0
Sunderland (H)
0
0
Sheffield United (A)
0
0
Bristol City (H)
0
0
As you can see in the table above, Aaronson did not deliver a single goal or assist against the top teams in ten appearances for the Whites.
The American flop also scored one goal in 36 games in the Premier League during the 2022/23 campaign for Leeds, and his form last term does not suggest that he is likely to fare much better.
Leeds are still looking for their next Pablo Hernandez
The last time the West Yorkshire outfit were promoted to the top-flight, Pablo Hernandez was the chief creator for Marcelo Bielsa, either playing as a number ten or as a winger on the right flank.
During the 2019/20 promotion-winning season, the Spanish playmaker produced nine goals and nine assists in 36 appearances in the second tier, helping the Whites on their way to the title with his ability to both score and assist goals at the top end of the pitch.
He also created 13 ‘big chances’ and delivered 2.3 key passes per game on average in the Championship, which shows that he was constantly looking to unlock opposition defences with his creative quality by creating chances at an exceptional rate.
That form came after the mercurial playmaker produced 12 goals and 12 assists, with 16 ‘big chances’ created, in 39 appearances in the Championship during Bielsa’s first season in charge at Elland Road. This shows that he consistently provided a big threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals from an attacking midfield position.
Leeds are still looking for their next version of Hernandez. Some may point to Georginio Rutter, who delivered 15 league assists in the 2023/24 campaign, but the French attacker only scored seven goals, as he failed to consistently perform as a scoring threat.
Daniel Farke, however, could find the club’s new playmaking superstar by swooping to sign one of the stars of his Norwich City team in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Leeds eyeing move for Premier League star
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Leeds United remain interested in a deal to sign Aston Villa attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
The reporter claims that the Championship champions are “still keen” on the Argentina international, following on from their interest in him at the start of the year.
Jacobs also notes that Sheffield United playmaker Gustavo Hamer is also a target for the Whites after the Blades lost to Sunderland in the play-off final at Wembley last weekend.
Leeds were reportedly interested in a deal to sign Buendia on loan from Aston Villa during the January transfer window, with an option or obligation to buy, but he ended up joining Bayer Leverkusen on loan for the second half of the season.
The Argentine ace, who worked with Farke at Norwich, has now returned to England after the conclusion of the Bundesliga season, and could be available to snap up this summer with an alleged valuation right now of £15m.
Why Leeds should sign Emi Buendia
The Whites should push to bring the Villans outcast to Elland Road this summer because he could be an upgrade on Aaronson as well as being the club’s new Hernandez.
Buendia missed the 2023/24 campaign with an ACL injury and struggled for game time, playing 89 minutes, in the Premier League in the first half of this season before his loan move to Leverkusen.
The 28-year-old magician showed signs of promise in his loan spell with Leverkusen, though, as he delivered two goals and two ‘big chances’ created in 11 appearances and three starts in the Bundesliga, scoring more than Aaronson did in an entire top-flight season for Leeds.
Buendia, who produced nine goals and eight assists in his first two Premier League seasons with Villa, appears to be on his way back to his best, and Farke could be the perfect coach for him to revive his career, given what they achieved together at Carrow Road.
Appearances
38
39
Goals
8
15
Big chances created
7
18
Key passes per game
2.4
3.1
Assists
12
16
As you can see in the table above, the Argentine ace was particularly effective in the 2020/21 campaign, so much so that journalist Connor Southwell described his form as “remarkable”.
The same reporter hailed Buendia as a “joy to watch” for the Canaries. That claim is backed up by both his statistics, with 31 goals and assists combined in that second Championship season, and his highlights from his time working with Farke.
As you can see in the clips above, the Leeds target was capable of the spectacular, as a scorer and a creator of goals, whilst playing for Farke as a right-sided attacker who drifted infield to impact games from a central position.
Like Hernandez, Buendia is equally capable of playing as a number ten or as an attacking midfielder on the right flank, drifting inside, and he could replace Aaronson as the central member of the front four.
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The Villa attacker is a proven Premier League performer, as shown by his aforementioned statistics in his first two years in the division with the Villans, who has also proven himself to be a superstar in a Farke team, which is why Leeds should sign him this summer.
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Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, says there is a “strong consensus” within English cricket that the Hundred should be opened up to private investment and that the owners of American and British sports teams, as well as IPL franchises, have made their interest clear.The ECB has consulted with the first-class counties since the end of the Hundred’s third season in August, discussing the ownership model of the competition’s eight clubs which each comprise a men’s and women’s team. Several options have been tabled, with host counties likely to be given equity stakes in the teams that play at their home venue.Counties would then be free to sell those stakes on to interested investors, or retain them if they choose. The governing body would retain ownership of the competition as a whole, which is reportedly valued at over £1 billion, but could sell its own stake in the teams.Discussions will continue but Gould’s comments were the clearest indication yet that private investment is imminent. “The future of the Hundred is very strong in terms of ticket sales, broadcast interest, and franchise interest now in terms of third-party investors who are interested in it,” he said at an event launching the 2024 season at The Oval.”We’re having really good discussions with the game. There is a strong consensus that we would like to see private investment come into the Hundred. There’s a very strong consensus that that should be through investment into the teams rather than the central competition, and now we’re working through the options of what that could potentially look like, in terms of how control, revenue and capital is shared.”Gould does not expect English cricket to follow South Africa’s lead in selling all eight Hundred teams to IPL team owners. “Our interest won’t just be with IPL franchises,” he said. “We have got a lot of interested sports owners from the [United] States and from this country. So we’ll be looking at all those options.”The ECB would keep overall control of the Hundred, which has been valued at £1 billion,•Getty Images for ECB
The ECB initially told counties it intended to confirm changes by the end of May and implement them in time for the 2025 season, but has since cooled on that timeframe. “We’re not putting huge deadlines on it,” Gould said, with the consensus over the broad principles around the Hundred’s future not yet reflected in the detail.”The game has suffered from divisions over the last five or six years, and we would rather take a bit of time in order to get to the conclusions that we think the game is seeking, rather than rush people,” Gould said. “We can, frankly, create more value with a game that is operating as one.”The ECB are still resigned to the fact that the BCCI will not grant active men’s players No-Objection Certificates to feature in overseas short-form leagues. “It’s not something that we are working into our proceedings,” Gould said. “I can see why: they [the BCCI] have got a dominant global position there, and they want to try and make sure that they can retain that.”Indian broadcast money generally follows Indian players… the BCCI and the IPL have just said, ‘No, we want the IPL to be the No. 1 global tournament and in order to do that, we need to make sure that we rely on our strengths which is the size of our market and the quality of our players’. That may change at some point… but we are not basing any of our models on that, at this point.”Related
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Some smaller counties have raised concerns that proposed ownership models may further entrench the chasm between them and the biggest clubs, but Gould denounced the idea that the ECB’s management are hoping to kill some counties off by stealth as “a totally mad conspiracy” theory.”I’ve been in the game 20-odd years and that conversation has always been around, but we’re the one professional sport that hasn’t lost a club [in England] and we’ve been going 140-odd years. Look at rugby and football. We’ve done extremely well as a sport to maintain that 100% record, and that’s where our intent lies.”The depth of our talent pool, both in terms of men and women, is our superpower at the moment… having more teams and more players and more depth to our talent pool is ideal. It’s where we want to be. It increases competition. It provides more opportunity for talent to come through. I don’t see any backward step in terms of 18 first-class counties.””But we also need to make sure that clubs do not feel restricted by that, so that we can make sure that [counties] that are particularly good at delivering talent or crowds through the doors… we need to make sure that they’re celebrated too. We can’t run it all at a median denominator. We have to let clubs and counties fly.”