Even as Delhi struggled to stay afloat against Saurashtra, selectors Khoda and Sidhana had a war of words, which ended with Sidhana walking out of the meeting

PTI and ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2023Delhi’s 2022-23 Ranji Trophy campaign has suffered one blow after another.They lost one match against Maharashtra outright, conceded the first-innings lead in two others, and are now staring down the barrel against Saurashtra in the ongoing fourth round of matches. Against Saurashtra, in fact, they had slumped to 10 for 7 before recovering to post 133 on the opening day in Rajkot.Currently seventh in an eight-team pool, their hopes of making the knockouts are fading fast.Off the field, not unusually, trouble has been brewing, with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) yet again in the midst of a controversy. On Tuesday, Gagan Khoda and Mayank Sidhana, part of the selection committee that picks the senior and Under-25 men’s teams, had a heated exchange during a meeting.Related

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While the selection of the U-25 team for the next round of CK Nayudu Trophy matches is believed to have been at the centre of the argument, there have been rumblings over inconsistent selections in the Ranji squad too. There are also allegations against DDCA secretary Siddharth Verma, that he had prevented U-25 coach – and former India fast bowler – Pankaj Singh from sitting in the selection meeting.On Wednesday, Khoda, the former India batter and a national selector during MSK Prasad’s tenure as selection chief, alleged that Sidhana had tried to push for “dubious candidates” in the U-25 team.Sidhana walked out in protest, saying that he had done so because of “certain selections” made by Khoda and Anil Bhardwaj, the third member of the selection panel. “Even secretary Siddharth Verma didn’t pay heed to my objections,” Sidhana, a former Punjab player, told PTI. “Mr Khoda didn’t watch any of the Under-25 trial games and the other selector Mr Bhardwaj only wants one player in the team, Vikas Solanki.”My contention was his performance when given a chance earlier in BCCI Under-25 tournaments hadn’t been great, but they insisted on going by trial-game results. I can’t support unfair practices.”Badoni opens, while frontline openers sit outWithin the Ranji set-up, a number of questions have now been raised over Delhi coach Abhay Sharma’s preference for handing the opener’s role to debutant Ayush Badoni, normally a middle-order batter, against Saurashtra’s top-notch attack. Dhruv Shorey has been one of the openers, while murmurs are that the two other openers, Vaibhav Sharma and Salil Malhotra, have been kept out because of internal team politics. The two have been in the team hotel in Rajkot, and not with the team at the ground, since BCCI rules permit only 15 squad members in the dressing room.Prior to the fourth round of matches, Badoni was slotted in as an opener, even as designated vice-captain Himmat Singh was dropped. Senior batter Nitish Rana, too, has been out of favour, while regular wicketkeeper Anuj Rawat has been relegated to the U-25 team.”Look, we select a team and the coach selects the playing XI. We don’t interfere,” Khoda said when asked about the selection shuffle.Injuries haven’t helped Delhi eitherSelection issues aside, Delhi have also had to grapple with injuries to key players. They are already without six first-choice fast bowlers, and have had to dig into the reserves to field a pace attack.Ishant Sharma is recovering from a side strain, while Simarjeet Singh is suffering from a heel injury. Mayank Yadav has a torn hamstring, while Navdeep Saini is rehabilitating at the National Cricket Academy after an injury he picked up on the Test tour of Bangladesh, and Harshit Rana is nursing a toe injury. Pradeep Sangwan, who was captain until the previous season, hasn’t been considered.”You had no pre-season camp, no proper training session and fast bowlers were highly under-cooked,” a senior DDCA official had lamented to PTI as the slew of injuries surfaced. “There was no planning, no vision and what has now happened is exactly what was supposed to happen without systems in place. Some of the pacers were unfit before the season.”

Mikel Arteta was quizzed on his side’s chances in the Premier League title race, and whether he had ceded defeat. “No chance,” the Arsenal manager said. “Over my dead body.”

Still, Liverpool have an 11-point lead at the summit of the table, and they can preserve that lead at home against Newcastle United tonight, maybe even extend it given the Gunners travel to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest this evening.

The senior members of the Anfield cohort will know the battle is far from over, not least because Liverpool must juggle their workload across several competitions: the Reds will meet Newcastle again in next month’s Carabao Cup final while also looking to drive through the Champions League knockout rounds and toward the title.

Keeping Arsenal a distance away will allow for more rotation over the business months, and so United need to be defeated on Wednesday evening.

However, it won’t be easy, with Newcastle fearsome in attack and the hosts playing their fifth match in 15 days, with tired legs and several injuries to overcome.

Liverpool's latest injury news

Liverpool have enjoyed comparative joy on the injury front this season, owing to Arne Slot’s expert man management and the more settled style of football, still a high-pressing team but less thrash-metal than under Jurgen Klopp.

There are still some issues though: Alexis Mac Allister has a black eye after being bashed in the face during the emphatic victory over Manchester City, but Slot has confirmed “he will be okay” and trained with the rest of the squad on Tuesday morning.

Conor Bradley’s latest injury adds pressure on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s back; the right-back only returned from injury himself a few weeks ago and is being carefully managed, so don’t be surprised if Jarell Quansah enters the field in the second half as a stand-in full-back along Ibou Konate.

Joe Gomez and Tyler Morton remain long-term absentees, not expected back any time soon.

Liverpool’s backline will have a tough time dealing with Alexander Isak, one of the Premier League’s most dangerous forwards. Still, Virgil van Dijk and co will be up to the task.

Slot may want to unleash a surprising answer to the Sweden striker though, someone who might surprise a few and lessen Mohamed Salah’s workload.

Slot's rogue answer to Isak

Darwin Nunez has been reduced to a bit-part role in his third season at Liverpool. It’s his first season without Klopp, who championed his signing and welcomed him from Benfica on a deal worth £85m – a club record.

In seasons past, the 25-year-old has been an agent of chaos, riddled with deficiencies but frenetic and lively and mercurial. However, Slot doesn’t subscribe to his style, so Nunez has only started seven times in the Premier League, scoring four goals and providing two assists.

As you will see, the £140k-per-week Nunez has actually shored up his wastefulness, albeit at the expense of the ample opportunities that invariably arrived at his doormat when playing in Klopp’s system.

Slot has triumphed in unlocking a number of Liverpool’s players: Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai et al., but Nunez’s lock remains unpicked.

However, he’s capable of moments, real moments, charged energy and tenacious unpredictability marking a potential fusion of attacking threads. Brentford felt his power at the Gtech in January, falling after the Urugayan’s last-gasp brace.

And so did Newcastle last season. Klopp’s rebuild was almost complete, the screws being tightened on the new midfield framework, but there was a sense of uncertainty about Liverpool, who had fallen behind at St. James’ Park in August 2023 with Van Dijk shown a first-half red card.

Up stepped Nunez, off the bench and devastating in firing a perfect brace past Nick Pope. It was a fine moment, easily recalled by the myriad of Liverpool supporters who draw their best moments from the past several years of action.

He hasn’t kicked on, but Nunez’s inclusion in the starting line-up could be worthwhile for a Liverpool side who have erected an almost impregnable lead at the top of the Premier League and must consider rotation after such a thick and unforgiving run of fixtures.

Paris Saint-Germain, indeed, await at the Parc des Princes next week, the beginning of a two-legged last 16 extravaganza on the continent. Liverpool will need to be at their rip-roaring best, and Nunez isn’t likely to start in that one so could be given a shot in this one.

He’s got a few tricks up his sleeve and could be a valuable and unlikely star for Slot, flanked by reliable goalscorers Gakpo and Salah. As per FBref, the mobile striker ranks among the top 11% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for total shots taken, the top 19% for progressive carries, the top 7% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 2% for tackles per 90.

He’s willing to work hard and run through the thirds, something that Isak does emphatically for the Toon. He might not have turned into the “monster of a player” that Dwight Yorke predicted, but Nunez is certainly capable of channelling his strengths and unleashing them in moments, and you might say he already has the Magpies’ scent.

Any of Diogo Jota, Diaz or Szoboszlai could be used as number nines, but Nunez, having not started in the Premier League since Boxing Day, could do with another chance to prove himself to Slot – and who knows, perhaps his presence and desperate pursuit of a reprieve could see him thrive as Liverpool’s rogue answer to Isak.

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Paris Saint-Germain keeper Mary Earps donned an Arsenal shirt to support her Lionesses team-mate, Alessia Russo, in the Champions League final.

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Earps travelled to Lisbon to support RussoGunners edged out Barca to win the UWCLIt was their first European triumph in 18 yearsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

In a heartwarming show of solidarity, Earps arrived at the stadium wearing Russo’s Arsenal jersey, sharing the moment in a video that quickly went viral on the internet. The duo share a close-knit bond and the keeper's tribute showcased her unwavering support for her compatriot, even when club allegiances differ.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPWHAT EARPS SAID

Earps shared the video on Instagram and wrote: "@ALESSIA YOUR BIGGEST FAN IS HERE".

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

In what proved to be one of the biggest surprises in recent women’s football history, Arsenal toppled Barcelona in a fiercely contested final in Lisbon, clinching their first UEFA Women’s Champions League title since 2007. Super substitute Stina Blackstenius stepped up in the second half to score the decisive goal, handing the Gunners a hard-fought 1-0 victory.

With Michael Carrick feeling the heat as Middlesbrough manager, reliable journalist Scott Wilson has dropped an important update on a potential move for Steve Cooper.

Carrick under pressure at Middlesbrough

Boro suffered a damaging 1-0 defeat at home to Watford on Saturday afternoon, cranking up the pressure on Carrick in the process. The loss leaves them sitting 11th in the Championship table, with the Hornets overtaking them, and they are now four points adrift of the playoff places, but the manager was still bullish after the game.

“I fully believe we can get out of this. There’s a big different between a confidence hit in a tough moment and then the belief of what you’re capable of, and that it can turn. We’ve all seen it.

“Things can turn, but when you’re in it, you’re really in it. At the moment, we are in it, and there is no getting away from that. We’ve got to accept that.”

It’s now four league defeats in a row for Carrick’s side, and five in their last six in the competition, perhaps understandably leading to more dissenting voices emerging among the fanbase.

Next up for Boro is a trip to Bristol City in the Championship on Friday evening, which assuming the former Manchester United and England midfielder is still in charge at that point, is a massive game for him. Now, a new claim has dropped over his future at the Riverside Stadium.

Journalist drops Cooper to Middlesbrough update

According to a new claim from The Northern Echo‘s Wilson, links surrounding Middlesbrough replacing Carrick with Cooper are “understood to be incorrect”. The same also applies to former Luton Town boss Rob Edwards, who had also been linked as an option, with the club happy with the current manager.

The report also states that owner Steve Gibson “remains fully supportive of Carrick’s efforts and continues to regard the 43-year-old as the right man” to take them towards promotion.

Opinion is likely to be split when it comes to this latest update, with some no doubt feeling that Carrick has taken Boro as far as he can, but others of the persuasion that he deserves more time.

There certainly isn’t anywhere near the same level of patience with managers in the modern game as there used to be – Carrick’s legendary boss at United, Sir Alex Ferguson, was famously given years in the job before he won a trophy at Old Trafford – so it is refreshing to see Gibson sticking by the 43-year-old.

That said, results have to improve very quickly now or Boro will be at risk of completely falling away in the playoff mix, so if there isn’t a fast improvement, a decision will need to be made.

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For now, though, it appears as though Carrick still just about has enough credit in the bank, ahead of a huge period for him and his players.

Celtic’s astronomical scoring statistics continue.

Sunday’s 2-0 Scottish Cup victory over Hibernian means Brendan Rodgers’ side have already scored 128 goals across all competitions this season.

With up to 11 games to go, they’re unlikely, to put it mildly, to break the club record of 196 set in 1966/67, but a sixth treble in nine seasons is very much within their grasp.

So, even though the Hoops aren’t exactly finding goals hard to come by, could they regret selling a ‘prolific’ striker who is continuing to impress since departing?

Adam Idah's Celtic career in numbers

By virtue of scoring a 90th-minute winner in last season’s Scottish Cup Final against Rangers, irrespective of what else he achieves, Adam Idah has already cemented his place in Celtic folklore.

This came at the end of the Irishman’s loan spell from Norwich, during which he scored nine goals, thereby convincing the Celtic hierarchy to spend a huge £9.5m to secure his services permanently last summer.

Well, by slotting home the second against Hibs on Sunday, Idah took his tally to 14 for the campaign, most notably bagging a quick-fire brace at Villa Park in the Champions League, despite the fact he’s yet to cement himself as the undisputed first-choice centre-forward.

However, did Celtic sell a striker for less than half Idah’s fee, who may have performed even better?

Celtic may have sold an upgrade on Idah

During Ange Postecoglou’s two seasons at Celtic, he signed no fewer than 29 players, with Alison Conroy of Sky Sports noting that the Australian utilised his knowledge of ‘rarely explored’ markets, most notably those in Far East Asia.

Six Japanese players arrived at Parkhead under Postecoglou, who similarly believed there was value in the K-League, thereby signing striker Oh Hyeon-gyu from Suwon Samsung Bluewings in January 2023, for a reported fee of £2.5m.

Oh arrived to replace Giorgos Giakoumakis, quickly establishing himself as something of a super-sub.

The South Korean scored 12 goals for the Hoops, ten of which came off the bench, unable to usurp cult hero Kyōgo Furuhashi in the starting lineup.

So, after 18 months in Glasgow, in search of more regular game time, Oh joined Jupiler Pro League side Genk for a reported fee of £4.5m last summer, representing a decent profit for Celtic.

Dimitri De Condé, who is Genk’s director of football, said that Oh possesses “a nose for goal”, adding that he is “quick” and that he boasts a “strong presence in the box”, while Owen Brown of the Athletic described him as ‘prolific’.

Well, so far, they’ve both been proved right, given that the 23-year-old has nine goals to his name this season, most recently coming off the bench, in trademark fashion, to snatch victory against FCV Dender in the tenth minute of injury time on Saturday.

Partially thanks to this goal, de Smurfen remain nine points clear at the top of the table, chasing their first league title in six seasons, so let’s assess how Oh and Idah compare.

Appearances

47

31

61

Minutes

1,317

662

2,604

Goals

12

9

23

Minutes per goal

109.75

73.56

113.22

Assists

0

2

3

Of course, as the table outlines, Idah has scored 23 times since joined Celtic last January, while Oh has bagged 21 goals since his own arrival in Glasgow.

Nevertheless, given the fact that both are often asked to make an impact off the bench, it’s noteworthy that Oh’s minute-per-goal ratio at both Celtic and now at Genk is significantly higher than Idah’s, with the Korean on target every 73 and a half minute in Belgium.

Also, on a domestic basis at least, Oh is scoring goals at a higher level.

According to Global Football Rankings, the Jupiler Pro League is the eighth-strongest division in the world, with the SPFL Premiership down in 43rd place, while the UEFA coefficient rankings also has Belgium’s top-flight six places higher than Scotland’s.

So, did Celtic really need to sign Idah for £9.5m, when they could have simply kept Oh, rather than selling him for £4m?

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Big picture – lack of experience a worry for Ireland

Ireland have nine uncapped players in their Test squad. Three of them have never played first-class cricket. They also have just four survivors from their last Test, back in 2019. Opposite them are Bangladesh, with 473 caps in their Test squad. They were also quite dominant in the white-ball leg of the series in Sylhet and Chattogram, so the Dhaka Test has the potential to be an uneven contest.The seven-wicket in the final T20I in Chattogram should, however, give Ireland some confidence. It was their first win on tour, with the batting, bowling and fielding finally coming together. One of the big stars of the show, Paul Stirling, has gone back home as he is not part of the Test set-up. but they will have regular captain Andy Balbirnie back at the helm after taking a break from the T20Is.The Ireland party also has PJ Moor, the former Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batter who is now an Ireland cricketer. He has played eight Test matches. Ireland have played only three in all these years. He also has experience playing in Bangladesh. His last Test was also in Dhaka, in 2018.Related

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Mark Adair will lead the bowling attack with Graham Hume, Fionn Hand and Thomas Mayes in the pace department. Andy McBrine is the most experienced spinner in the side that also has legspinner Ben White, who was impressive in the T20Is, and left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys.Ireland have two Tests in Sri Lanka to follow, this game will give them a chance to get used to the conditions and figure out their brand of Test cricket.Bangladesh were at full strength, but a late announcement that Taskin Ahmed has been ruled out with a side strain has marred that. “Taskin underwent an MRI today which confirmed that he has a left side strain (grade 2), ” national team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan said. “Such injuries take about four weeks to recover from.” There is also uncertainty surrounding Tamim Iqbal’s availability.*Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das make up the leadership duo, while Ebadot Hossain have returned to the side after they missed the India Tests in December. Zakir Hasan is the big miss after his successful Test debut, with a left thumb injury keeping him out. Shadman Islam has returned in his place.Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque and Shakib will bridge the top and middle-order, with Tamim at the top and Mushfiqur Rahim coming in after that. But who will partner Tamim – Shadman or Mahmudul Hasan Joy?

Form guide

Bangladesh LLLLL
Ireland LLLThe Dhaka pitch is expected to assist spinners, but there should be runs on offer early on•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight – Litton Das and Curtis Campher

Litton Das found a high gear in the T20Is against Ireland, ending with the highest strike rate (minimum 100 runs) by a Bangladesh batter in a T20I series – 198.52. Litton was also Bangladesh’s highest Test scorer last year, despite mostly batting in the lower-middle order. Russell Domingo had predicted that it wouldn’t be long before Litton got a more central batting role in the Test team. It may not be in this Test, but is certainly around the corner.Stirling aside, Curtis Campher was the only Ireland batter who showed a bit of form in the T20Is. Campher is expected to take the attacking options even in the red-ball format. But in his only first-class match, for Ireland A in Chattogram two years ago, he spent more than four hours in the middle across two innings. Maybe he can play the long game if needed too.

Team news

Will both Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Shadman Islam start, with Tamim perhaps missing? Taskin Ahmed’s late withdrawal also means that Khaled Ahmed is likely to take his place. Uncapped paceman Rejaur Rahman Raja has been added to the squad as Taskin’s replacement.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal/Shadman Islam, 2 Mahmudul Hasan Joy, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim, 7 Litton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Khaled Ahmed, 11 Ebadot HossainThere has to be a call between Matthew Humphreys and George Dockrell, who might lose out since he doesn’t bowl anymore.Ireland squad (probable): 1 Murray Commins, 2 James McCollum, 3 Andy Balbirnie, 4 Harry Tector, 5 PJ Moor, 6 Curtis Campher, 7 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 8 Mark Adair, 9 Andy McBrine, 10 Graham Hume, 11 Matthew Humphreys

Pitch and conditions

Despite the notion that the Shere Bangla National Stadium only caters to spinners, the average first-innings total here in the last seven Tests is 446. The weather will mostly be dry, though Dhaka has seen the odd spell of rain recently.

Stats and trivia

تحدث طارق قنديل، عضو مجلس إدارة النادي الأهلي، عن انضمام أحمد سيد زيزو، لاعب الزمالك السابق إلى صفوف الأحمر، خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية.

وقال قنديل، عبر قناة “الأهلي”: “قابلتُ زيزو، وكان سعيدًا جدًا، تغمره السعادة لتواجده في النادي الأهلي، أما أليو ديانج، فهو شخصية رائعة، ويشعر بسعادة كبيرة بعودته إلى الفريق”.

طالع.. إجراء جديد من فيفا تجاه لاعبي الأهلي قبل مواجهة إنتر ميامي

وتابع: “جمهور الأهلي عظيم، ويستحق كل خير، ونحن من بين هذا الجمهور، نتمنى أن يظل الأهلي في الصدارة دائمًا”.

وواصل: “أقول للاعبي الأهلي أنتم تشاركون في حدث كبير، وأنتم أهلٌ له، وعلى قدر المسؤولية”.

واتم: “كأس العالم للأندية يتشرف بوجود النادي الأهلي؛ فالأهلي يُمثّل قوة مصر الناعمة، وهو من مصادر الفخر والسرور لجميع أبناء مصر”.

Leeds United took another step towards their ultimate goal of automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking when they were held to a 1-1 draw by West Bromwich Albion.

Daniel Farke’s side played host to the Baggies at Elland Road on Saturday and failed to claim all three points, despite taking the lead through Junior Firpo.

The Whites are now three points ahead of Sheffield United in second place in the Championship and eight points clear of Burnley in third, with 11 matches left to be played.

This means that Farke and his team are in a fantastic position to ensure that they miss out on the lottery of the play-offs, going straight up to the top-flight instead of heading into the post-season matches.

Leeds are competing to land automatic promotion despite a disruptive summer that saw many key stars, including Crysencio Summerville, Archie Gray, Georginio Rutter, and Glen Kamara, move on from Elland Road.

Impressive recruitment has been at the heart of the team’s success and one summer signing, in particular, who has caught the eye this season has been Ao Tanaka.

Ao Tanaka's form for Leeds

The Whites reportedly paid a modest fee of £3.4m to sign the Japan international from German side Fortuna Dusseldorf in the summer transfer window to bolster their options in the middle of the park.

However, Tanaka was not brought in to immediately start in midfield for Farke. He was a substitute in his first four Championship appearances, as Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu started together, and an injury to Ampadu against Coventry provided him with a chance to nail down a place as a regular starter.

The 26-year-old star has gone on to start 27 matches in the second tier to date and has established himself as the go-to option for Leeds in front of the back four.

Tanaka, who recently scored a big goal against Sheffield United in a promotion six-pointer, has offered an incredibly reliable presence in possession for the Whites.

Leeds are a dominant team, averaging 60.9% possession per game in the Championship, and this means that their midfielders have to be comfortable with taking plenty of touches.

24/25 Championship

Ao Tanaka (per 90)

Percentile rank vs midfielders

Passes attempted

74.87

Top 5%

Pass accuracy

89.8%

Top 2%

Progressive passes

7.40

Top 5%

Passes into the final third

7.03

Top 5%

Passes into the penalty area

1.38

Top 10%

Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, Tanaka ranks incredibly highly among midfielders in the division when it comes to completing passes and progressing play into the final third.

He is the midfield maestro for Farke and has been a joy to watch in the Championship this season, but he is not the first of his kind to play in a (potentially) promotion-winning side at this level for the Whites.

Marcelo Bielsa had his own Ao Tanaka

Former Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa, who won the second tier title in the 2019/20 campaign, had his own version of Ao Tanaka in the form of English metronome Adam Forshaw.

The ex-Whites man struggled with injuries throughout his time with the club and was restricted to seven appearances and six starts in the league that term, but he was exceptional in the games that he did play.

As you can see in the chart above, Forshaw’s use of the ball that season was incredibly similar to Tanaka’s this term, in terms of his progressive passing and his efficiency with the ball at his feet, whilst offering more than the Japanese star as a creative threat.

Forshaw, who averaged 1.23 passes into the penalty area per 90, provided Bielsa with a metronomic figure in the engine room, as he had the technical quality to constantly get on the ball and make things tick in a dominant side chasing promotion.

Unfortunately, his fitness issues ultimately hampered his time at Elland Road, as the midfielder, who was described as “valuable” by the Argentine tactician, went on to play just 34 Premier League games in the following three seasons.

He did show signs of promise in the top-flight, however, ranking in the top 15% of midfielders for passes into the final third per 90 (5.64) and in the top 16% for key passes per 90 (1.5), which shows that he offered quality as a progressive and creative passer in the Premier League.

This shows that he was Bielsa’s own version of Tanaka because he was another diminutive metronome who could be a terrier in midfield, buzzing around the pitch to dictate the tempo of games whilst also having the ability to progress play and find teammates in dangerous areas.

What happened to Adam Forshaw

His contract at Elland Road expired in the summer of 2023 and it was an awkward time for the out of contract players because Leeds had just been relegated and they did not appoint a permanent head coach until Farke arrived in July, after deals had expired.

CEO Angus Kinnear did not opt to extend Forshaw’s contract before appointing a new manager and that meant that he allowed the midfield star to walk away on a free transfer that summer.

Where Are They Now

Expand Collapse

That has turned out to be an excellent decision by Kinnear as Forshaw, despite the quality he displayed during his time under Bielsa at Elland Road, has bounced around the Championship in recent years.

He joined Norwich on a free transfer after his exit from Leeds and only made nine appearances in the first half of the season, before being allowed to join Plymouth Argyle on a free transfer.

The 33-year-old lasted a year with the Pilgrims, playing 30 times in all competitions, before he secured another free transfer to a Championship team in January of this season – joining Blackburn Rovers.

Forshaw has scored one goal in ten matches for Blackburn in the second tier so far, since his move at the start of the year, and may be hoping to finally settle down after three free transfers in the space of 18 months.

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The fact that the English central midfielder has bounced around the Championship, without commanding any transfer fees, suggests that Leeds allowed him to move on at the right time and that they were right to not award him a new contract in the summer of 2023, despite his quality when available in the past for the Whites.

With their sights set on Championship promotion, Leeds United are set to receive the boost of a returning star who hasn’t played since the start of the year in an injury-ridden campaign.

Leeds injury news

They may sit top of the Championship, but that doesn’t mean Leeds have had it easy on the injury front throughout the current campaign. At the beginning of the campaign, Daniel Farke was forced to turn towards the likes of Ao Tanaka earlier than planned due to an injury crisis in midfield. To his credit, the former Bundesliga midfielder has thrived at the heart of a side gunning for silverware and become one of their star men.

With the fixtures coming thick and fast at the end of the Championship campaign and everything still to play for, there’s no doubt that Farke will be keen to welcome key men back to his strongest side and get over the line in the race for promotion.

It looks as though the German is set to get his wish on that front too, having told reporters that Patrick Bamford is now back in training and on course for a return at Leeds for the first time in 12 games.

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They’re reportedly set to lose their CEO…

ByTom Cunningham Mar 7, 2025

The former Norwich City manager said in his press conference when asked about potential returns: “Everyone who was available for the last game is available for this game, which is definitely good news. All were able to recover from knocks from the last game.

“Some other good news is Patrick Bamford was able to take part in team training this week. He was out for nine weeks, but he was able to handle the load and that’s good news because he is making good progress.

“It’s also good news on Ethan Ampadu and Max Wober and we are still hopeful we will have them the other side of the international break. We are hopeful for the run in.”

Bamford could provide unexpected boost

Whilst some may be quick to write Bamford off after a campaign full of injuries and a lack of goals, he could yet provide a surprising boost for Farke’s side at a crucial time. Of course, this isn’t the star striker who reached double figures in the Premier League, but he is still a player who should add vital depth and extensive experience in the Leeds dressing room.

Almost into the last year of his current £70,000-a-week contract, it remains to be seen whether Bamford will find himself at Elland Road as they potentially step into the Premier League. For now, his focus should be on making his mark on a season which has threatened to run away from him.

Having missed the last 12 games, the Whites shouldn’t rush the forward back to action as soon as Portsmouth, but games such as Queens Park Rangers next weekend could be one to keep an eye on if he continues to step up his recovery.

Endrick sent out a message to Carlo Ancelotti after the Italian manager's last day in charge of Real Madrid.

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• Endrick's farewell message to Ancelotti
• Italian coach to join Brazil national team
• Madrid announced Alonso's arrival on Sunday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ancelotti sat in the Madrid dugout one last time on Saturday as they beat Real Sociedad 2-0 in their final La Liga game of the 2024-25 campaign. The match also marked the end of the Italian coach's second stint at Santiago Bernabeu, as he will now take charge of the Brazil national team.

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• WHAT ENDRICK SAID

  After the veteran coach's farewell game, Los Blancos youngster Endrick sent out a heartfelt message for the head coach as he wrote on Instagram: "I'm very grateful for all the advice and lessons you've given me since I came to Real Madrid, Mister. His successful career is an inspiration to us all. I wish you good luck in your new challenge with our Brazilian national team."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  A day after Ancelotti bid goodbye to the Spanish giants, the club formally announced the arrival of Xabi Alonso as their next head coach. The former Bundesliga-winning manager's first assignment in charge will be the Club World Cup in the United States next month.

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• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

  Alonso's first match as Madrid boss will be against Al-Hilal in their Club World Cup opener on June 18.