Leeds United right-back Luke Ayling took part in a Q&A session on Twitter earlier this week where he named the best player he’s ever played with at Elland Road.

What’s he said?

The 28-year-old has been at the club since 2016 when he was signed by former manager Garry Monk from Bristol City, so there have been a good four seasons worth of players to choose from.

But it is a current member of Marcelo Bielsa’s side that takes the acclaim – Pablo Hernandez, who arrived initially on loan the very same summer.

Ayling didn’t even have to think about it when he was asked the question, he said:

“Pablo. I don’t think anybody comes close to the stuff that he can do on a football pitch, the skill level that he has got and what he’s done in his career. I signed a few weeks after him, so I’ve played pretty much every game that I have played with Pablo. I’ve had him in front of me for three years and it was the easiest thing I’ve had to do – pass to him, then go round him and see what happens. Yeah, Pablo’s the best player I’ve played with in general. I think talent-wise, nobody comes close to him.”

Luke Ayling, Leeds right-back.

Age is nothing but a number

The Leeds regular could have picked anyone ranging from the likes of Kalvin Phillips to Chris Wood, so it’s certainly telling that he’s selected the veteran Spaniard.

Later that season, Hernandez was described as the most creative player in the second tier by the Yorkshire Evening Post, and in 150 appearances for the club, he’s provided 33 goals and 36 assists, per Transfermarkt.

For away day veterans only: Can you name all of these defunct stadiums?

Despite being on the worse side of 34, the midfield maestro has continued to contribute this term, featuring in 28 matches where he has directly contributed to 12 goals.

Elland Road can expect to see a lot more of him too, having signed a contract extension until the summer of 2022, and promotion to the top-flight will trigger an extra year on top of that.

No player in the Leeds squad averages more key passes per game whilst he ranks in the top three for shots and dribbles each match also, via WhoScored.

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AND in other news, Assessing Leeds’ best academy products of this millennium…

Two brilliant football teams playing each other at Anfield. It is a sight that can’t really be bettered.

And, in 1997, Newcastle United visited Merseyside to take on Liverpool in a high-scoring thriller.

It sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

After a pulsating ding-dong affair, the home side triumphed 4-3 courtesy of a Robbie Fowler double and a highly dramatic last minute winner, a death-blow that sent a former Liverpool legend to his knees in utter despair in the away dug-out.

If that all sounds extremely familiar that’s hardly surprising: after all, the goal-fest of 1996 – complete with the iconic image of Kevin Keegan slumped onto an advertising hoarding unable to comprehend what he was witnessing – is often voted the greatest game in the modern era.

Only here’s the thing: a year later both teams did it all again, and arguably the sequel was even better.

Every element of the first classic was repeated, to the point where it stretched plausibility. Once again Newcastle arrived with the scent of a title in their nostrils with Liverpool – just like the previous April – in the hunt too but significantly further back.

Once again kamikaze defending from both sides produced chances in abundance and seven goals that shook the TV camera on the gantry – and once again that included a highly charged late decider for the Reds. Now though it was Kenny Dalglish looking on gob-smacked having taken over the reins in the north-east that January from a spent and drained Keegan.

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Even with 20 years distance it is still difficult to accept that this all happened; that lightning struck twice; that a fixture could unleash such mayhem and frolics and PlayStation insanity and then ten months later produce almost an exact carbon copy.

For those involved it must have been traumatic. For neutrals it bordered on the magical.

So why, you may ask, is the second installment of crazy superior to the original? Simply put, because the scoring order is better.

In April 1996 free-scoring Newcastle traded blows with Roy Evans’ Spice Boys and alternated leads. The following March Liverpool got their noses in front and then extended their advantage to three goals to the good at the break. It was, under normal circumstances, game over with Steve McManaman, Patrick Berger and Fowler chipping away at the visitors title credentials and looking to put their own hopes back in contention into the bargain.

Except Newcastle came back, and they did so because David James chose this night of all nights to be at his most calamitous. In the 71st minute he spilled a routine tester from Keith Gillespie to make the game a contest again and then late on, as the contest threatened to die away he charged from his area into no man’s land. There he encountered Faustino Asprilla whose lunge for the ball knocked it sailing past the hapless keeper into an unguarded net.

If anything defined that magnificently flawed Newcastle side it was their steadfast belief in miracles but with minutes becoming seconds surely here it was a sensational proposition too far? Not so; not in this fixture; not when two of the most entertaining but brittle sides collided with not a handbrake to be seen.

In the final moments of a high-octane, rip-roaring encounter the ball popped free in the Liverpool box and Warren Barton poked it home. It took a replay to determine how and considering James’ nightmare second half it should surprise precisely no-one to learn that it squeezed between his legs.

And that was that, everyone agreed so, because another 4-3 would just be plain weird; the fates revealing that they’re not actually in charge of anything at all. Yet here it came with a flat-low cross perfectly pitched for Fowler to nod powerfully past Shaka Hislop. The unbridled carnage that ensued contained more than a whiff of disbelief about it.

At the very least the amazing events that took place at Anfield on March 10th 1997 deserve to be viewed as a companion piece to what went before it. It was inferior in no way other than it occurred second. It should forever be scorched into our memories.

What happened next?

For a consecutive season Newcastle finished second to Manchester United, a position gauged as a disappointment at the time. They would never scale such heights again, however.

Liverpool’s propensity to drop points against lesser fare cost them dearly and they ended the campaign level on points with Newcastle and Arsenal but behind on goal difference.

The Bombay High Court has adjourned its hearing on the petition filed by Deccan Chargers against their termination from the IPL to September 24, and asked the BCCI not to float any new tender for a new franchise in Hyderabad. The franchise’s owners, Deccan Chronicles Holdings Limited (DCHL), had on Saturday, challenged the BCCI decision to expel them, saying there was no breach committed as alleged by the Indian board.On Monday, the BCCI counsel submitted an exhaustive affidavit that DCHL’s team of lawyers sought some time to read. Justice SJ Kathawalla granted them a week’s time, ordering status quo on the matter.”The BCCI filed a counter-affidavit today,” a board official told ESPNcricinfo. “Deccan Chargers wanted some time to go through [the papers]. The affidavit discloses that that we were never going to float a new tender for a franchise in Hyderabad in any case.” Justice Kathawala is understood to have made it clear to the court that he was not “staying the termination”.Even though the board was not surprised by DCHL’s decision to take legal recourse, the BCCI is believed to be disappointed at not being able to move on its plan to get a new franchise on board. “We have the new tender ready with a shortlist of new cities, but can’t do much at the moment,” the official said.

Lev Yashin is considered by many as the greatest goalkeeper of all-time and having researched him, it’s not hard to see why.

He saved over 150 penalties over the course of his career and played in four World Cups for the Soviet Union from 1958 to 1970. He is also the only goalkeeper to have won the Balon D’Or, winning the illustrious award in 1963.

Nicknamed ‘The Black Spider’ as he wore an all-black kit, Yashin was an imposing figure between the sticks.

He was fearless and would dive at oncoming opponent’s feet to get the ball without giving it a second thought.

The Soviet keeper was also imposing for the defenders in front of him, constantly shouting out orders. This was in an era when goalkeepers weren’t known for being particularly vocal, defenders would often orchestrate play from the back.

Yashin won Olympic Gold in the 1956 Games with the Soviet Union and was also part of the side that won the European Championship in 1960.

He won five domestic league titles playing for Dynamo Moscow as well as three Soviet Cups.

In 1967, Yashin was awarded the ‘Order of Lenin’, the highest civilian decoration in the Soviet Union. He was one of only a few sportsmen to win the illustrious award.

Yashin didn’t only just play football, he was also a decent ice-hockey goalkeeper, too. He won a Soviet Cup in 1953 but gave up on his hockey career a year later to concentrate on football.

In his 20 year career, Yashin made 812 career appearances from 1950 until he finally retired in 1970.

Tottenham seem to be at a crossroads at the moment. They don’t have their new stadium yet, they crashed out of two competitions in a week, and some of their players are being linked away from the club. 

What’s worse is that manager Mauricio Pochettino could well be leaving the club soon, not only due to the interest from rival clubs, but because he may be growing bored of the lack of trophies and progress Tottenham seem to be making.

One man that could bring a completely radical new approach to Tottenham is former Man United boss José Mourinho. Now we are not saying that the Portuguese is going to join Tottenham, or even linked with a move to north London, but it is a possibility that Daniel Levy may need to think about should his current manager leave.

This would be a controversial call, as Mourinho is a very divisive figure, but here are the pros and cons of Mourinho joining Tottenham:

Pros Status

Whether he is popular or not, there is no denying that Mourinho is one of, if not the most well-known manager in the world.

If Tottenham were able to attract the Portuguese to their club, it would send a huge message to the rest of the world. Some fans would even argue that they would suddenly be put in the same conversation as Chelsea, Man United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan- all European Giants that Mourinho has managed.

This would be a very good move for Tottenham’s global appeal.

Track record

Pochettino has made Tottenham into one of the most attractive teams to watch in England, and indeed Europe. He has overseen some very successful performances and seasons as a whole but there is one glaring blemish on his career so far and that is his lack of a trophy. He has made it to semi finals and indeed a League Cup final, but still has nothing.

Mourinho is almost stylistically the opposite of the Argentinian, creating boring and defensive teams to some, but he has undeniably had a lot of success. He could bring a winning mentality that Spurs have perhaps lacked in recent years. 

At every club he has been with, he has got silverware which to many Tottenham fans is all they may want. He could be the missing piece in their puzzle and toughen up a traditionally fragile team.

Cons Man management

For a long time there was no questioning the methods and style of Mourinho as it was hard to criticise a manager that had been successful in every club and country he had managed in.

But he started to turn a few heads with Man United, particularly regarding his man management.

He fell out with a number of players and oversaw a drastic drop in form by many of them. This was surely one of the leading factors in his sacking and he now has a job to prove that he is not a negative effect on others.

On the other hand, Pochettino has a great rapport with all his players and any senior figure at Tottenham will be wary of the Portuguese’s arrival.

Outdated

There were also questions during Mourinho’s spell at Man United whether he was becoming outdated as a manager. As teams like Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham play progressive football, Mourinho’s Man United look like they were from a different era.

Perhaps he is past his sell by date and Tottenham would not want to risk devastating a team that play so positively under Pochettino.

Verdict

Given the way that Mourinho tarnished his reputation at Man United, this is a risk that Levy should avoid. Whether fans agree with Mourinho or Paul Pogba after their ongoing feud, it is an environment that Tottenham just cannot afford to create.

That being said, Tottenham do need to look to a manager like the Portuguese in terms of their winning mentality if the situation does arise when they need a new manager. But this is a potential disaster they should avoid.

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According to The Daily Mail, Southampton are preparing to launch a £10 million offer for Genk right-back Joakim Maehle.

What’s the story?

Ralph Hasenhuttl is apparently lining up Maehle as a replacement for Cedric Soares and to provide cover for impressive youngster Yan Valery, as per The Dail Mail. 

Maehle has been in fine form so far this season. According to Transfermarkt’s statistics, the 21-year-old has racked up two goals and seven assists in 36 appearances in all competitions. 

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

By contrast – as per Transfermarkt’s stats – Cedric has registered just two goals and ten assists in his 119 games as a Southampton player to date.

Maehle, then, potentially offers a great upgrade in terms of producing in the final third for the south coast club, making him an exciting potential replacement for the Euro 2016 winner.

More than a back-up option

Since Hasenhuttl’s arrival at St Mary’s Stadium, 19-year-old Valery has been entrusted with regular game time as the first team right-back. The French teenager has excelled in this role, and The Daily Mail state that Maehle’s arrival could simply be to provide cover for Valery.

However, considering the Denmark under-21 international looks set to cost Southampton £10 million, it would be surprising if Hasenhuttl only saw him as a back-up option for a teenager. Maehle himself will have designs on forcing his way into the Saints’ starting XI, and he certainly has the capacity to shine in the Premier League.

Valery will have to up his game even more in order to rise above Maehle in the pecking order.

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According to quotes as reported by The Scottish Herald, former Rangers star Neil McCann believes that the club will end up cashing in on star striker Alfredo Morelos, who continued his brilliant season by scoring four times in the 5-0 Scottish Cup thrashing of Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Wednesday night.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 44-year-old pundit was delivering his verdict on the prolific Colombian centre-forward post-match, and he waxed lyrical about him after his four-goal haul, which took his tally for the campaign to 27.

One of his comments in particular caught the eye though, as he said that expects the Glasgow giants to sell the 22-year-old if and when the big offers arrive for his services.

McCann said, via The Scottish Herald: “Without being disrespectful to Rangers, they’ll cash in on this guy because a lot of teams will be looking at his goal-scoring exploits.

“He’s got everything for me, for a centre forward. He can play on his own, I’m not sure how much he enjoys playing with a partner.

“When he’s alone and operating with two wide men, he really enjoys it. He enjoys dropping off and he’s so powerful – you can never take your eyes off him as he has some leap.”

Is he right?

While his comments won’t exactly endear him to the fans of his former side given he is saying they won’t keep their star man, he is completely spot on.

The record transfer fee that the Scottish Premiership outfit have ever received is the reported £10m fee they got for Alan Hutton from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008, and they are a club that can’t afford to reject significant offers even with the ambition they have shown by appointing Steven Gerrard as their manager and signing the likes of Jermain Defoe.

The form of Morelos and inflated transfer prices mean that they can attain a really good fee for the South American, and he will soon be attracting interest from teams in bigger leagues – if he isn’t already that is.

Marco Silva failed to sign a new striker during the recent January transfer window leaving Everton short of quality options up top.

The Blues were desperately looking to strengthen their forward line with Cenk Tosun failing to have the desired impact after signing from Besiktas last January. The Turkish forward has struggled immensely and Silva has opted to use Richarlison as the lone striker throughout the season. Silva did target Michy Batshuayi but the Belgian opted to join Crystal Palace on loan instead.

It’s surely expected that the former Watford manager will once again look for a top quality striker in the summer window provided he can save his job in the remainder of the season. Everton’s dismal run of form has put massive pressure on his shoulders. However, owner Farhad Moshiri has backed the current boss for the long-term at Goodison Park.

Therefore, Everton must turn their attention to RB Leipzig forward, Yussuf Poulsen, when the summer transfer window reopens. Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, the Denmark international has been a pivotal player for the German club since joining in 2013. Poulsen lead the line during their successful promotion campaign to the Bundesliga and has remained a starter alongside Timo Werner in the Leipzig attack.

The 24-year-old has been in fine form once again this season, netting 10 goals and registering three assists in 20 Bundesliga appearances so far. A quick and powerful striker, Poulsen has all the right attributes to be a massive success in the Premier League. He excels as a target man meaning he would slot seamlessly into Silva’s 4-2-3-1 system on Merseyside.

Signing Poulsen in the summer would finally mean Everton fans can move on from the Tosun disaster.

Everton fans, thoughts?

حسم نادي طرابزون سبور التركي موقفه من إمكانية التعاقد مع لاعب فريق آرسنال، محمد النني، في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي الحالي.

وكان اللاعب المصري قد قضى الموسم الماضي، على سبيل الإعارة، في صفوف بشكتاش التركي.

وعاد النني، بعد انتهاء إعارته مع بشكتاش، إلى آرسنال مرة أخرى هذا الصيف.

وارتبط النني بأكثر من نادِ تركي، مثل طرابزون سبور وجالطة سراي وفناربخشة وغيرها.

ولكن رئيس نادي طرابزون سبور، أحمد آغا آغلو، أكد أنهم لا يستطيعون الحصول على خدمات محمد النني.

وقال رئيس طرابزون، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “ntvspor” التركية: “محمد النني يمتلك راتبًا بقيمة 2.5 مليون يورو، وسيصل إلى 3.7 ملايين يورو بسبب الضرائب هنا”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تليجراف: محمد النني قد يتسبب في رحيل توريرا عن آرسنال

وأضاف: “ميزانية رواتبنا الصافية تبلغ 12 مليون يورو.

واختتم: “لا يمكننا التعاقد مع لاعب يحصل على مثل هذا الراتب، هذا هو الوضع”.

يُذكر أن المدرب مايكل أرتيتا أعاد اكتشاف محمد النني، مؤخرًا، وظهر ذلك جليًا في اعتماده على خدماته خلال الفترة الماضية.

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Crystal Palace visit Leicester City this weekend and will be hoping they can make it a fourth consecutive win over the Foxes, although they will have to do it without Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Martin Kelly, who have been ruled out through injury.

The former has been the Eagles’ outstanding performer on the right hand side of defence and has garnered interest from a number of top clubs, including Premier League champions Manchester City.

Meanwhile, the latter has stepped in capably when required and has earned himself a new deal which will keep him at Selhurst Park until 2021.

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Wan-Bissaka’s absence, in particular, will please Claude Puel and Leicester – the right-back has become one of the best in the league in his position and even outshone talisman Wilfried Zaha this season.

The Eagles have proved they can best the Foxes without their key men, though – the Ivory Coast international was suspended for the last meeting and the SE25 outfit still came out on top, keeping a third consecutive clean sheet against the 2015/16 champions.

Here’s how the Palace fans reacted on Twitter, with many surprised that 21-year-old Wan-Bissaka could even get injured – indeed, he has looked “immortal” since his breakthrough to the starting XI…