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Leeds United are looking to sign two different types of midfielder in the January transfer window, according to a new report which emerged on Saturday morning.

The Lowdown: Leeds’ injury crisis

The Whites have made a disappointing start to the season but they haven’t been helped by injuries, which have got increasingly worse in recent weeks.

Kalvin Phillips is the most high-profile current absentee but the likes of Patrick Bamford, Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk and Rodrigo are also sidelined.

The long-term injury to Phillips has only heightened the need for midfield reinforcements in January and that appears to be the plan at Elland Road.

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The Latest: Two midfielders coming in?

According to Football Insider, a Thorp Arch source has informed them that the club will be looking to sign both a defensive midfielder and a No.8 next month.

Whites chiefs are thought to be ‘fearful of a relegation battle’ and they see new signings as a way of avoiding that happening.

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The Verdict: Simply has to happen

Making midfield signings is an absolute no-brainer for Leeds, with Phillips such an influential player that they could struggle to get by with their current options.

Both Koch and Struijk can play in the middle of the park, too, so their respective injuries mean Marcelo Bielsa is even lighter in that area. Frankly, it would be a grave error not to sign a No.6 and a No.8, injecting some life into Leeds’ stuttering campaign.

Someone like Nahitan Nandez would be an ideal defensive midfielder to come in, with the Cagliari man averaging two tackles per game in the Serie A this season, not to mention winning 49 caps for Uruguay.

In terms of No.8, Aaron Ramsey could be a clever choice, with the Welshman linked with a move to Leeds and scoring 40 goals and assisting 51 times during his previous spell in the Premier League.

In other news, an injury expert has made a worrying claim about one Leeds player. Find out who it is here.

Michael Clarke believes Australia’s best Twenty20 players should be included in Cricket Australia’s contract list

Cricinfo staff28-Apr-2010Michael Clarke believes Australia’s best Twenty20 players should be included in Cricket Australia’s contract list. On the eve of the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, Australia’s Twenty20 captain said it seemed unjust that formal deals were not in place for short-format specialists like David Warner, David Hussey and Dirk Nannes.”I’ve told Cricket Australia that they should have contracts,” Clarke told reporters in St Lucia. “I think there should be a Twenty20 contract introduced to our system. Players like David Warner and David Hussey … they’re here playing in a Twenty20 World Cup. They should be paid for that.”We’ve got a lot of guys in this squad now who aren’t on CA contracts but they’re playing this form of the game for Australia in a World Cup. I think there needs to be some kind of recognition for those guys. I don’t know how that could work but I believe there should probably be something like Twenty20 contracts.”The Cricket Australia contract system rewards Test and one-day players while Twenty20 is not considered a major factor. Over the past few years Australia have generally used the same players in one-day and Twenty20 cricket but the trend towards more 20-over specialists could lead to a greater disparity between the sides.The tournament in the West Indies, which starts on Friday, will be the third Twenty20 world championship in four years as the format continues to gain impetus. Australia have not perfected their game in 20-over cricket and are keen to make up for last year’s surprise first-round exit.”For me, it’s as serious as a one-day match or a Test match,” Clarke said. “There are blokes in this squad who haven’t played Test cricket. They haven’t played one-day cricket. It’s the ultimate for them.”It’s become exactly the same as one-day and Test cricket. It’s a form of the game that we want to be the best in the world at. We’re not there yet, we’re improving, but this [tournament] is a way for us to start.”

Sri Lanka’s captain Kumar Sangakkara refused to admit that his team were overwhelmed by pace and bounce generated by Australia’s fast bowlers on the Kensington Oval pitch, and put down the 81-run defeat to the inability to build partnerships

Sa'adi Thawfeeq10-May-2010Sri Lanka’s captain Kumar Sangakkara refused to admit that his team were overwhelmed by pace and bounce generated by Australia’s fast bowlers on the Kensington Oval pitch, and put down the 81-run defeat to the inability to build partnerships.”We accepted bounce and pace and we are pretty adept at playing that, but unfortunately we didn’t build any partnerships,” Sangakkara said. “They only bounced out once which was my dismissal, the rest of the guys probably played far too many shots. The common factor during our entire innings is that we didn’t build a partnership.”You expect the new ball to be difficult and you expect Shaun Tait to bowl with a lot of fire but pace and bounce also creates opportunities to score runs. It’s how batsmen try and exploit those conditions that really matter. But unfortunately we didn’t do that well today. Being three down after the first six overs we still had the opportunity to recover but we didn’t have the patience to really build the partnership.”Australia is backing themselves with their batsmen to score runs and they back their pace bowlers to try and exploit the conditions at Kensington. We beat them in Nottingham where Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson bowled very well but in quite different conditions. There wasn’t so much pace on those tracks, but still it is not a wicket where you can get shot out for 87 no matter how quick someone bowls.”Sri Lanka had their chance to keep Australia down to a small total when they dismissed half the side for 67 by the 11th over, but a crucial miss off Cameron White saw the tide turn against them. White was missed by Ajantha Mendis on 23 when he top edged a sweep off Suraj Randiv, and it took the game away from Sri Lanka.”Cameron White batted brilliantly and Michael Hussey scored very well,” Sangakkara said. “That one chance at short fine leg to get Cameron out was missed. Unfortunately catches like that if you miss in games like this they make you pay and Cameron just did that.”Sri Lanka now faces the prospect of having to beat India on Tuesday to qualify for a semi-final place. “The match against India we are going to win it,” Sangakkara said. “That’s how we are going to look at it. We’ve got one win and West Indies has a win. We got everything to play to trying and get into the semi-final.”

Everton are already getting stuck into the transfer window, making the first signing of the month in the Premier League after securing a deal with Vitaliy Mykolenko for an undisclosed fee this morning, and now they could be on course to make a second January move.

What’s the word?

The Mirror have reported that the Toffees are ‘watching developments’ on Ainsley Maitland-Niles, as Serie A club Roma are also speculated to swoop in with a possible loan move for the Arsenal player.

Everton were said to be keen on signing the 24-year-old back in the summer, after The Athletic reported in August that they were in talks for a season-long loan deal with an option to buy in the latter stages of the transfer window. However, nothing materialised in the end and Maitland-Niles remained an Arsenal player going into the 2021/22 season.

According to Corriere della Sera (via Sports Mole), Arsenal are holding out for a £12.6m bid for the player; and with this information coming to light, Rafael Benitez could swoop in with an offer to stop fellow suitors Roma.

Would be a great coup for Everton

Everton are in desperate need to pick up on results and climb back up the Premier League table from their current position of 15th, with only five wins so far.

Maitland-Niles has had eight appearances for Arteta’s team this season with one assist. The advantages of his diversity in positioning – playing as a left wing back, central midfielder and right back in his career so far – could add tremendous depth to the Toffees’ squad if they were to sign him in the January transfer window.

The £48k-p/w beast has been dubbed “the next Gareth Bale” by Tony Cascarino when he wrote about the player in his article for The Times, gushing: “I saw the next Gareth Bale on Thursday, and he was wearing an Arsenal shirt.”

Peter Crouch has previously hailed the midfielder, telling BT Sport: ‘I thought Maitland-Niles was fantastic in that midfield role, I really like him in there.

‘I think he’s tremendous, I really like him. He’s got energy and he’s calm on the ball. He was full of confidence.”

Benitez has already iterated that the club will be making moves in the transfer window, already sealing the signing of Mykolenko and potentially landing a great coup in Maitland-Niles, judging by the comments from the likes of Cascarino and Crouch.

In other news: Benitez could secure an upgrade on Tom Davies with this maestro

Emergency skipper Adam Gilchrist answered the Middlesex call by cracking a 47-ball century to ease the visitors to a comfortable six-wicket win over Kent in Canterbury

11-Jun-2010
ScorecardAdam Gilchrist celebrated his first game as captain in style, cracking a rapid hundred•Bipin PatelEmergency skipper Adam Gilchrist answered the Middlesex call by cracking a 47-ball century to ease the visitors to a comfortable six-wicket Friends Provident t20 win over Kent in Canterbury. The 38-year Australian Test great was thrust into the captaincy role following Shaun Udal’s mid-afternoon resignation and responded by smashing 106, with nine fours and seven sixes.With Gilchrist leading from the front, the visitors easily chased down Kent’s 183 for 6 to open their South Group win account with an over to spare. Udal had quit following a team meeting held in the St Lawrence dressing rooms just after 3pm.Gilchrist won the toss and asked the hosts to bat in front of a disappointing Canterbury crowd of barely 3,000 who witnessed the loss of Kent captain Rob Key in the second over after feathering a catch to Gilchrist. Joe Denly and Martin van Jaarsveld (50) joined forces to add 70 for the second wicket inside eight overs, taking advantage of some undisciplined bowling and a short boundary on the lime tree side of the ground.Both right-handers clattered seven fours but Denly, when looking to advance and hit Shaun Udal over his head, effectively yorked himself allowing Gilchrist to collect and whip off the bails for a stumping. Van Jaarsveld raced to a 31-ball half-century but fell to the very next delivery when chipping a Neil Dexter slower ball to Pedro Collins at square leg.Spitfires maintained their impetus through Geraint Jones and in-form Darren Stevens in a five-over partnership worth 58. The stand ended when Stevens swatted the 23rd ball of his stay to long-off. Azhar Mahmood lost off stump when heaving across the line and Jones danced across his stumps to go lbw, to give Collins a three for 38 haul and set Middlesex an asking rate of 9.2 an over.After the early loss of David Warner (17), Gilchrist teamed up with former Kent favourite Neil Dexter to bat the hosts out of contention with a stunning second-wicket stand of 104 in nine overs. After chipping four sixes in his 45, Dexter holed out to deep mid-wicket.Gilchrist and Eoin Morgan, who was bowled for a second-ball duck, both fell with seven needed for victory, leaving Owais Shah and Dawid Malan to complete the win.

Everton have been offered Inter Milan forward Alexis Sanchez on a free transfer, with the Italian giants looking to offload the former Arsenal and Manchester United man.

What’s the story?

According to The Sun, Inter have offered the Chilean to the Toffees for free amid fears that Rafael Benitez will lose star forwards Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.

Having been a fan favourite at Arsenal, the 33-year-old’s career has taken a major downturn since leaving north London four years ago. Spells at Manchester United and Inter Milan haven’t worked out as planned and the forward is now subject to a potential return to the Premier League.

The report also claimed that, should the Merseyside club fail in their pursuit of Sanchez, they will move for 23-year-old New York City striker Valentin Castellanos.

Everton should sign Sanchez

Signing a player reportedly being paid £175k per-week who has struggled for form over recent seasons would undoubtedly be a risk for Benitez’s side. However, having seen the player the Chilean can be, and considering the lack of options the Toffees may soon have in the attacking department, it would be worth the gamble.

At Arsenal, Sanchez was one of the Premier League’s top performers, with Barcelona legend and current manager Xavi stating that the forward “never stops running”.

In 166 appearances for the Gunners, the Chilean scored 80 goals and contributed a further 45 assists; a goal contribution every 1.33 games. By contrast, in a combined 131 outings for Manchester United and Inter Milan, he has managed 19 goals and 30 assists, which amounts to a goal contribution every 2.67 games.

Moreover, if there is genuine concern that the Toffees could be without both Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison in the near future, Benitez will need alternative options in attack. This is particularly prevalent given the Merseyside club’s current position in the Premier League.

The Toffees have won just one of their last 12 league games and are sat in 15th place, eight points clear of the relegation zone.

If the 33-year-old were to come to the club and be able to replicate similar form to that from his time in north London, it would certainly be worth the gamble from Everton.

In other news, Everton have been linked with this promising midfielder…

According to a report by Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), AC Milan’s Frederic Massara and Paolo Maldini held talks with Japhet Tanganga’s representatives two weeks ago, ahead of a proposed ‘loan with a right of redemption’ transfer.

The Lowdown: Lack of first-team football

Since the arrival of Antonio Conte at N17, a variety of formulations have been utilised for Spurs’ backline. This has made it difficult for players to secure themselves a guaranteed position in the starting 11. This has been the case for Tanganga, who has made just four appearances in the Premier League under the Italian boss, having been used as a central defender and at right-back.

In the League Cup, Tanganga has averaged the most amount of blocks made per game in the squad, earning himself a place in the starting lineup for last week’s clash with Chelsea in the EFL Cup semi-final.

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However, he struggled against the Blues, with some reports calling his display a ‘calamity’, and it is perhaps no surprise to see the player linked with a move away in the January window.

The Latest: Milan hold talks with Tanganga

According to a report by Calciomercato (as relayed by Sport Witness), Milan chiefs Massara and Maldini held talks with Tanganga’s representatives two weeks ago, ahead of a proposed transfer to the Serie A side.

Milan are said to be looking for a ‘loan with a right of redemption’, which presumably would entail the permanent move going through in the summer.

However, it is clear that if a deal were to be agreed, Tottenham would prefer a permanent transfer during the January window.

It is reported that Spurs value the defender at £16.7 million, which Milan believes to be too high a fee. Therefore, talks have stagnated, but it is believed that a deal could come to life towards the end of the window.

The Verdict: A good move for the youngster

With guaranteed game-time an uncertainty at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a move away in search of regular first-team football could be the best course of action for Tanganga.

The central defender could follow in the footsteps of Fikayo Tomori, who joined Milan in a deal worth £25 million. Since arriving in the Serie A, Tomori has been impressive, playing his way back into Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

Tanganga has also received similar praise, from both fans and professionals, with Gary Neville having asserted that he is a ‘really special’ player, and former manager Jose Mourinho regularly describing some of his performances as ‘amazing’.

Therefore, this suggests a move abroad could prove to be the best option for the youngster’s long-term playing career.

Paceman Jack Brooks took two runs off the final ball as the Northamptonshire Steelbacks incredibly sealed their third tie in this season’s Friends Provident t20 against the Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Wantage Road

11-Jul-2010
ScorecardPaceman Jack Brooks took two runs off the final ball as the Northamptonshire Steelbacks incredibly sealed their third tie in this season’s Friends Provident t20 against the Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Wantage Road.Australia international David Hussey smashed 41 off 32 balls as the Outlaws recovered from 13 for three to post 144 for 7 off their 20 overs, with David Willey taking 3 for 33 for the hosts.Chaminda Vaas hammered 47 off 30 balls including six fours and one six before Brooks made two runs off the one ball he faced as the result between the two sides at Trent Bridge last month was repeated. Nottinghamshire won the toss and chose to bat, but they got off to an awful start when they lost their two openers in the fourth over.Alex Hales (3) launched Brooks high into the air and was caught at backward point by Willey before veteran Ali Brown (9) edged him to wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien two balls later.Matt Wood faced two balls without scoring before being caught behind by O’Brien off Chaminda Vaas, leaving the visitors on 13 for 3. Samit Patel and Hussey then led the recovery, adding 76 runs between them for the fourth wicket.Patel blasted 40 off 32 balls before he got underneath Willey’s delivery and was comfortably taken at extra cover by David Sales. Hussey then followed when he smashed Willey straight to Alex Wakely at long-off before the same bowler forced Steven Mullaney (12) to edge to O’Brien.Graeme White’s (2) attempted reverse sweep off Northants captain Andrew Hall in the final over went to Brooks at short third man, leaving Nottinghamshire skipper and wicketkeeper Chris Read unbeaten on 28.The Steelbacks chase got off to a solid start with Sales and Vaas making 40 together before Sales (9) edged a Darren Pattinson delivery on to his middle stump. Half-way into the hosts innings, O’Brien, who made 17, clouted Mullaney to Hussey at extra cover.Vaas was three short of his half-century when he went cheaply in the following over by top-edging Patel straight to Dirk Nannes at square leg. Nannes then trapped Wakely (19) lbw as the game moved towards a thrilling climax with Northants needing 38 from the last five overs.Chigumbura made 18 before his leg stump was taken out by White when his attempted reverse sweep went awry. The Steelbacks required ten as they moved into the final over, but they lost Hall (12), James Middlebrook (9) and Ben Howgego (1), all run out, before Brooks’ heroics.

Antonio Conte is reportedly now eyeing up a move to sign Jordan Veretout for Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Sound familiar?

Spurs fans may have heard of Veretout before, as he has played in the Premier League with Aston Villa, under former Lilywhites manager Tim Sherwood.

He was not exactly a hit at Villa Park, lasting just one season there, but he has come on leaps and bounds since then.

Now playing under another former THFC boss in Jose Mourinho at AS Roma, the central midfield player currently has four goals and eight assists in total so far this term, and is now catching the eye of former Serie A coach Conte.

The Latest: Conte monitoring

As per Calciomercato, Conte is now ‘monitoring’ Veretout’s situation at Roma, as there is a chance that he could be sold.

The player apparently likes Conte from what he saw during the manager’s time in Italy, and is currently valued at between €25-30m (£20.9-25.1m), but it is ‘unlikely’ that he will move this month.

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The Verdict: Get it done

At 28 years of age, Veretout is entering his prime, and so now is the best time to go out and buy him if he is the man Conte wants.

The £91,000-per-week ace would give the North London club that extra bit of creativity needed in the middle of the park, as his 1.9 key passes per game in Serie A so far this campaign is matched only by Son Heung-Min in Conte’s squad in the Premier League, not to mention his six assists in the Italian top flight – no Tottenham player has more than three league assists.

Nonetheless, having seen him up close in Serie A, he is a player that Conte will know how to get the best out of, and a move for the France international in this window would present a shrewd bit of business.

In other news, find out who Spurs have now joined the race to sign here!

Kent kept their faint hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Friends Provident t20 alive with an emphatic win over leaders Sussex at Hove

27-Jun-2010
ScorecardKent kept their faint hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Friends Provident t20 alive with an emphatic win over leaders Sussex at Hove. An unbeaten 98 for Rob Key and 53 not out from Martin van Jaarsveld inspired Kent to only their third win in 10 matches.The Spitfires set a daunting total of 194 for 1 and despite a muscular 44 from Matt Prior the Sharks were always struggling to keep up with the required rate as they finished on 167 for 9 to lose by 27 runs.Key deserved a century for his performance as he and Joe Denly put Kent in command right from the start with a stand of 90. Denly made the most of a reprieve in the first over when a mistimed drive fell inches short of James Kirtley at mid off.It was the first of a number of unfamiliar mistakes in the field by Sussex and Kent made them pay. They took only 13 from the first three overs but accelerated from there with Key hitting Dwayne Smith for three consecutive fours.The former England man also hit Yasir Arafat for successive fours and smashed Will Beer straight down the ground for six as he raced to his 50 off 31 balls. Denly was made to look slow in comparison before he was finally dismissed for 38 off 34 balls, run out by a direct hit by Arafat when he was sent back by Key.The arrival of Van Jaarsveld only served to increase Kent’s momentum with the pair putting on an unbeaten 104 in 9.2 overs. Van Jaarsveld only offered one chance when Smith put down a difficult catch as he matched Key by bringing up his 50 off 31 balls. Key looked set for a deserved century but finished two short on 98 off 55 balls with 14 fours and one six.Sussex’s hopes of chasing down Kent’s total were hit when they lost Ed Joyce, Murray Goodwin and Smith early in their reply. Prior kept them in it with 44 off 26 balls, including three fours and three sixes, and together with Chris Nash put on 45 for the fourth wicket.The England wicketkeeper was caught on the boundary going for another big shot and Nash followed in identical fashion two overs later. Andrew Hodd and Joe Gatting both hit two sixes to leave Sussex needing 42 from the last three overs but Matt Coles removed them both in the 18th over to kill off Sussex’s challenge.