Category Uncategorized

The BCB opened its facilities on Sunday, for the first time since March

Mohammad Isam19-Jul-2020Only one player is allowed to train inside the stadium at a time, with just one trainer with him, both maintaining fair distance. Separate seats, water bottles and toilets for them. No groundsmen or board official allowed inside the ground. A second player can only enter the ground once the first player is done training.These are the new rules to be followed at the usually buzzing Shere Bangla National Stadium as the BCB opened up its facilities on Sunday, for the first time since March. The same regulations are to be followed at the other facilities in Sylhet, Khulna and Chattogram.Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shafiul Islam trained in Dhaka while fast bowler Khaled Ahmed and left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed did so in Sylhet. In Khulna, it was Nurul Hasan and Mahedi Hasan, while the rain didn’t allow Nayeem Hasan to train in Chattogram. Imrul Kayes will also train in Dhaka on Monday. These nine cricketers volunteered to train. Rahim had also trained at another ground on the outskirts of Dhaka last week.The BCB is following other usual protocols. Players and trainers had their temperatures measured, and hand sanitisers and sprays are readily available. When Rahim and Mithun batted in the indoor nets against the bowling machine, they didn’t pick up the balls. The person feeding the ball into the bowling machine collected all the balls once a round was finished. Once training was over, the player left the ground and only after half an hour did a second player enter the stadium.Akram Khan, the BCB’s cricket operations chairman, said that they have had requests from players to resume training from May, but the board discouraged any outside training due to the severity of the coronavirus pandemic in Bangladesh.”We have had requests from players to train since before last Eid [in May], but we didn’t encourage them,” Akram said. “The situation wasn’t good, and neither is it okay now. But we have had the ground and training facilities ready since May, so we decided to open them for players this time. As long as the pandemic situation remains the same, this is how the training will be arranged. Obviously if it improves, we will be back to full training immediately.”Khan also said that the board has no issues with the cricketers who have decided to stay home. “We are okay with them staying at home. If any of them want to join the training, we will arrange a schedule for them,” he said.Most Bangladesh cricketers have been doing some sort of physical training at home. Last month the BCB sent training equipment to most of the centrally contracted cricketers. Wicketkeeper Nurul has put together a pitch in front of his house, while Khaled has been running almost daily during the pandemic.On Sunday, the cricketers either did sprints, in some cases 20 each of 100m, while others ran for about 40 minutes for a distance of 4.5km. The current schedule is applicable for a week before players go for the Eid-al-Azha break.Bangladesh have had several series postponed due to the pandemic, including a three-match Test series in Sri Lanka which was scheduled for July. The two-Test series against New Zealand at home, supposed to be held in August, has also been postponed, as is the Asia Cup. With the T20 World Cup also in doubt, the BCB’s next biggest revenue source in 2020 remains the Bangladesh Premier League, scheduled for the end of the year.The board is currently looking at the possibility of resuming the Dhaka Premier League, the domestic one-day competition, in September, as hundreds of non-contracted cricketers are struggling financially.

Nacional defender Juan Izquierdo has died at the age of 27 – days on from suffering a cardiac arrhythmia in a Copa Libertadores tie against Sao Paulo.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Izquierdo collapsed on the pitch
• Defender suffers cardiac arrhythmia
• Nacional confirm his passing, aged 27

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Uruguayan fell unconscious in the 84th minute of the round of 16 contest in Brazil on August 22, before being taken to the intensive care unit at Albert Einstein Hospital. The former Montevideo Wanderers player had been undergoing medical treatment following his collapse but the hospital said on Tuesday night that he had died from a brain death after the cardiopulmonary arrest – as per .

Advertisement

• WHAT NACIONAL SAID

  Nacional confirmed Izquierdo's tragic passing in a statement on X, which read: "It is with the deepest sorrow and shock in our hearts that the Club Nacional announces the death of our beloved player Juan Izquierdo. We express our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and loved ones. All of Nacional is in mourning for his irreparable loss. R.I.P. Juan, you will be with us forever."

• 'SOUTH AMERICAN FOOTBALL IS MOURNING'

  Uruguay suspended all football activity last weekend over concerns relating to Izquierdo's health. The president of CONMEBOL, Alejandro Dominguez, paid his respects to the player and his family – as did fellow Uruguayan Luis Suarez.

  Dominguez said: "South American football is in mourning," while Suarez added: "Pain, sadness, it is hard to explain. May he rest in peace. I wish a lot of strength for his family and friends."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Brazilian Football Federation President Ednaldo Rodrigues said a minute's silence would be observed in every game organised by the federation on Wednesday in tribute to Izquierdo – who also had spells at Cerro, Penarol, and Liverpool in Uruguay.

A "superb" manager INEOS have liked for years is "highly thought of" by Manchester United and could replace Erik ten Hag this summer, according to an update from journalist Ben Jacobs.

Man Utd manager latest

Ten Hag finds himself under huge pressure in the Old Trafford hot seat currently, with Thursday night's 4-3 defeat away to Chelsea another bad result in an increasingly disappointing season.

There have been some positive moments during the campaign, and United could yet win the FA Cup, but supporters are growing tired of consistently unpredictable performances, and many are keen for a new manager to come in. Sir Jim Ratcliffe could be of the same mindset, as he looks to have a huge summer, making big changes behind the scenes to kick start a new era.

A number of names have been thrown into the hat as potential options to come in for Ten Hag, including Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna, who was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's assistant for a period at United, as well as being in charge of the Under-18s. Bologna boss Thiago Motta is another possible candidate to take charge of the Red Devils, being described as a "special" manager.

Now, someone else has been mentioned as an option for United – one with plenty of Premier League experience.

Man Utd interested in "superb" manager

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs said that Graham Potter is a serious choice as United's next manager, as Ratcliffe and INEOS have liked the former Chelsea boss for years.

"If Manchester United have to make a change or decide to make a change, they will have a plan. This is why we have a lot of names linked. You start with a long list. Of those names, I think many are other available or sought-after managers in the market currently. A few left-field, younger, or less proven names are doing well, but it would be a big step up to go to Manchester United.

"One is Graham Potter, who couldn't handle the Chelsea dressing room for various reasons, perhaps some not in his control, but is still highly thought of after his time at Brighton. INEOS liked Potter with a view to Nice long before the investment was completed at Manchester United, and that's why he's been linked."

Potter's reputation has been hampered a little after a disappointing spell in charge, but in truth, the Blues job is something of a poisoned chalice, as Mauricio Pochettino is finding out currently.

Instead, the Englishman should be judged on the excellent job he did at Brighton between 2019 and 2022, turning the Seagulls into a top-half Premier League side and playing good football along the way, often favouring a 3-4-2-1 formation.

Graham Potter's managerial stats	Matches	Points per game
Chelsea	31	1.42
Brighton	134	1.28
Swansea City	51	1.45
Ostersund	224	1.71

Potter has also been hailed as "superb" by Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy and he would come in as a young coach with fresh ideas, potentially getting far more out of the squad than Ten Hag is. There would be an element of risk there, given the size of the job, but he has shown enough in his managerial career to show that he would be an exciting choice.

Tottenham Hotspur face an anxious few weeks of action as Ange Postecoglou's side fight to secure Champions League qualification, fifth in the Premier League and six points behind Aston Villa ahead of the final stretch of the campaign.

Of course, Postecoglou will take solace in the knowledge that his team hold two games in hand on Unai Emery's side, but with fixtures against Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City awaiting in this culminating cluster of games, something special is needed to clinch top four.

Regardless of the forthcoming results, Spurs are resolved to land some exciting additions during this summer's transfer window, with plans already being mapped out…

Spurs transfer news

According to Tuttosport – via Sport Witness – Tottenham are interested in signing Lecce defender Patrick Dorgu and have already established contact with a bid to ask for information about the young gun, with the defender reportedly available for €20m (£17m).

However, with AC Milan, Juventus and Atletico Madrid also in the mix, Tottenham will need to present an attractive offer to secure the Dane's signature and bring him to London.

How Patrick Dorgu would fit in at Spurs

Dorgu is only 19 years old but he has been riding the crest of a wave with Lecce in Serie A, developing a tidy and even array of abilities to cement himself as one of the division's most promising prospects.

To evidence this: as per FBref, Dorgu ranks among the top 4% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 15% for tackles and the top 11% for aerial duels won per 90.

Moreover, having completed 27 league matches this season – starting 12 times – the teenage talent has scored twice, completing 86% of his passes and averaged 4.0 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.

Left-back

17

1

0

Left midfield

4

1

0

Right-back

1

0

0

Right winger

1

0

0

Left winger

1

0

0

With an innate goalscoring prowess and blossoming versatility suggesting that Dorgu might not spend the duration of his career on the edge of the backline, the 6 foot 2 star may find himself utilised in a more offensive role if signed by Tottenham, repeating the past success with Gareth Bale.

Bale is one of the greatest footballers in Lilywhite history, scoring 106 goals and supplying 67 assists over 258 games before joining Real Madrid in a world-record £85m transfer in 2013, going on to forge one of the most illustrious careers of his generation.

He was signed as a youngster for just £5m though, arriving from Southampton as a talented left-back, though it was his fearsome pace and power that urged the metamorphosis into a role as a forward – a tactical tweak that led Arsene Wenger to note how "exceptionally well" he adjusted.

That's probably an understatement and a half, with journalist Zach Lowy appositely heralding him as a "legend of the game", and Tottenham would possibly be wise to seek an emulation in the shape of Dorgu.

Especially as analyst Ben Mattinson has dubbed the Denmark U21 international as "technically & physically developed for his age" and "tactically versatile" – also remarking on his attacking quality: "Dorgu offers so much going forward. Great delivery & his pace allows him to drive down the touch line and cross the ball into the middle."

His unique blend of attributes has also led journalist Antonio Mango to note the unique player's "explosive movements, supreme athleticism and engine to last." That certainly sounds like Bale, doesn't it?

Tottenham might just be wise to take a punt and bring this starlet to the club. Dorgu has all the skills to forge a career of the highest distinction.

Spurs can ease Udogie blow by unleashing their “best academy defender”

This would be a shrewd move from Ange Postecoglou.

ByAngus Sinclair Apr 23, 2024

حقق الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، فوزًا صعبًا على سموحة اليوم الجمعة، ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز، بهدفين مقابل لا شيء.

الزمالك التقى مع سموحة، ضمن مواجهات الجولة الثانية من المرحلة الأولى لبطولة الدوري الممتاز، على ملعب الجيش ببرج العرب في الإسكندرية.

طالع..فيديو | مصطفى شلبي يسجل هدف الزمالك الثاني أمام سموحة

الهدف الأول جاء في الدقيقة الثانية بعد خطأ فادح من الهاني سليمان حارس سموحة في محاولة لمراوغة ناصر منسي داخل منطقة الجزاء، لينجح مهاجم الزمالك في خطف الكرة ووضعها في الشباك.

بينما الهدف الثاني للزمالك، جاء عن طريق مصطفى شلبي في الدقيقة 86 بعدما وصلته الكرة من رأسية حمزة المثلوثي أمام المرمى.

وواصل الزمالك انتصاراته في الدوري بعدما حقق الفوز بالجولة الأولى على البنك الأهلي بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين. موعد مباراة الزمالك والمصري في الدوري

ويواجه الزمالك، نظيره المصري البورسعيدي في الجولة المقبلة من مسابقة الدوري يوم 23 نوفمبر في تمام الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والتاسعة بتوقيت مكة المكرمة.

Melbourne Stars make the most of their opponents’ error-strewn display on the field

Alex Malcolm22-Dec-2019The power of Marcus Stoinis and the pace of Haris Rauf helped the Melbourne Stars steamroll the Hobart Hurricanes by a whopping 52 runs in Moe.Stoinis made the most of some early fortune to make an unbeaten 81 that underpinned a solid total of 4 for 163 on a country pitch that was not easy to settle on. He shared an 81-run opening stand with Nic Maddinson, but both benefitted from mistakes by the Hurricanes, with Stoinis dropped twice and Maddinson bowled off a no-ball. Stoinis struck seven fours and four massive sixes in his 54-ball innings that really picked up pace after the powerplay.Rauf then bagged his maiden T20 five-wicket haul, and was named Player of the Match, in just his second BBL game after being plucked from Hobart grade cricket. He took 5 for 27 from four overs, backing up the work of his skipper Glenn Maxwell, who took the key wickets of D’Arcy Short and David Miller in the powerplay. Spinners Sandeep Lamichhane and Adam Zampa tied the middle order in knots before Rauf blasted them out with express pace and some cleverly disguised slower balls.The Stars now have two wins, despite not using the services of new recruits Dale Steyn and Nathan Coulter-Nile.A drop from a Rose
Clive Rose opened the bowling as a specific match-up plan for Stoinis. The first ball he bowled to the right-hander produced an error – Stoinis scooped a leading edge back to Rose and he spilled the low chance. Stoinis swept the next ball for four. He was missed again in Rose’s next over, slicing a ball to backward point only for Riley Meredith to lose the ball in the sun, with the easy catch hitting the turf untouched. Those two chances allowed Maddinson and Stoinis to capitalise. Maddinson did farm the majority of strike and battled to rotate it on a tough, low, skidding surface despite finding the boundary eight times with some powerful strikes through the off-side.Rose, despite the drop, bowled superbly in the powerplay, conceding just 12 runs from three overs. But that good work was undone in the tenth over when Nathan Ellis bowled Maddinson off a no-ball. Stoinis then thumped a four, courtesy of a misfield, and a six to pick up the rate.Marcus Stoinis pulls behind square•Getty ImagesLeft-right experiment halts momentum
Simon Milenko bucked the trend of misfields and dropped chances with a superb diving catch at backward point off Meredith to remove Maddinson. Maxwell and coach David Hussey decided to promote Ben Dunk to keep the left-right combination going in an attempt to nullify legspinner Qais Ahmad, instead of allowing the in-form Maxwell to bat with 59 balls left in the innings. Dunk made 19 off 12 and hit two sixes but he also absorbed five dot balls, before Meredith returned to remove Maxwell and Peter Handscomb as the innings lost impetus. The ball became softer and the pitch harder to score on as the Stars failed to find the boundary between the 15th and 18th overs. But both Stoinis and Hilton Cartwright were able to clear the rope in the last two overs to set a competitive total with the Hurricanes missing the services of specialist death bowler James Faulkner, who was strangely rested.Maxwell’s smart move
Maxwell used himself in the powerplay against the Hurricanes key man Short and left-handed opening partner Caleb Jewell. The decision worked a treat. Short was unable to find the boundary off Maxwell, scoring just four runs in five balls before pulling a quicker short ball straight to Daniel Worrall at backward square. Ben McDermott picked out midwicket with a miscued pull shot off the pace of Rauf in the next over. With Miller joining Jewell, Maxwell opted to bowl himself a third over in the powerplay against the two left-handers and he slid one through the gate of Miller as he charged and missed attempting a wild slog. The Hurricanes were 3 for 45 at end of the powerplay, and Maxwell had 2 for 15 from three overs.Legspin twins have a ball before Rauf runs riot
With Short and Miller gone, Maxwell called upon his two legspinners Lamichhane and Zampa and the pair ripped through the middle order. Jewell fell to a top-edged sweep shot trying to sweep Lamichhane’s wrong’un. Clint Hinchliffe took an outstanding diving catch running in from deep backward square. Zampa deceived Simon Milenko with a wrong’un and then a slider to clip his off bail. The pair took 2 for 16 in four overs. Rauf returned to rip through the tail bowling at 145kph-plus. He took three wickets in an over, bouncing out Mac Wright and then crashing through the fragile defences of Tom Rogers and Qais to flatten the stumps twice. He saved his best for last, fooling Ellis with a brilliant slower ball to claim his five-wicket haul. Rose was the only positive for the Hurricanes with the bat, smashing 32 not out including three sixes to post his highest score in T20s.

England manager Gareth Southgate has come to Jude Bellingham's defence after the midfielder avoided a suspension for a controversial goal celebration.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Bellingham risked ban for celebration
• Midfielder not suspended by UEFA
• Southgate spoke in defence of England star

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 20-year-old was investigated by UEFA over a gesture he made as he celebrated his last-ditch equaliser in the last-16 tie against Slovakia, with many interpreting it as an insult aimed at the opposition bench. Instead, UEFA gave him a suspended one-game ban and a fine, meaning he is available for Saturday's match against Switzerland in the quarter-finals.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Southgate is not concerned by the Real Madrid star's actions, however, as he stressed Bellingham is not perfect and admits that he would not know how to react after scoring such an important goal at that age.

• WHAT SOUTHGATE SAID

  He told reporters: "I haven’t spoken with him. I think it’s a common-sense decision. Clearly it’s an unprecedented moment in someone’s life to score a goal like that in the 96th minute. I don’t know how I’d have reacted if that was me, at his age as well.

  "I’m just so mindful of everything he’s achieving and at that age – or any age – nobody is going to be perfect. You are at times going to react emotionally and without that emotion I don’t think you have the type of player he is. I think he deals with everything so well."

  He added: Jude is an incredible boy to work with. The maturity that he has, how he deals with everything, the ability to impact games in the most important moments. I have a really good relationship with him. But there’s a spotlight on him and I think he knows I’m there to support him. I’m so pleased with how he responded in the last game to a couple of quieter games, which in his world became a crisis. He’s super-motivated to help us win [on Saturday]."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• (C)Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

  Southgate will hope Bellingham can put in yet another decisive display when the Three Lions line up against Switzerland in their Euro 2024 quarter-final tie, with the winners going on to face either the Netherlands or Turkey in the next round.

Having failed with the high-profile appointments of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy changed track and handed Ange Postecoglou the reins last summer.

Conte had been dismissed several months prior – the club's fourth sacking in as many years – and an eighth-placed Premier League finish had brought the urgency for change to the foreground.

There have been some bumps in the road and Angeball is hardly infallible, but the progress under the Australian boss is clear to see, with new signings marrying into the ideology and existing squad members revived after the previous malaise.

Creativity has permeated the crop, and while Harry Kane was in prolific form last year, this was an issue that needed sorting, indeed rectified early into Postecoglou's reign through the £40m acquisition of James Maddison from relegated Leicester City.

The rest of the squad has stepped up too, with right-back Pedro Porro coming on leaps and bounds after entering at the 2022/23 term's midpoint, complete in his skill set and one of the Premier League's most creative full-backs.

Conte's Spurs flop is now worth just £4m & even worse than Gil

Tottenham have had their fair share of transfer blunders over the years.

ByAngus Sinclair Feb 19, 2024

However, he's actually been surpassed by a former Spurs star in Kieran Trippier, who has inarguably been one of Europe's most influential wide defenders over recent years.

Kieran Trippier's time at Spurs

Admittedly, Trippier has been chided for a catalogue of errors across recent months at Newcastle United, but he's been one of the most transformative signings in recent memory within English football, with the best days of his career coming after his spell with Spurs.

June 2015: Trippier was a somewhat unknown commodity but then Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino spotted an opportunity and activated the 24-year-old's bargain £3.5m release clause with Burnley and brought him to White Hart Lane.

The 5 foot 10 ace would amass 114 appearances for Tottenham, scoring twice and providing 23 assists, but he revealed that his final days at the side proved to be laced in poignancy, a growing sense that he was expendable forcing him to seek pastures new.

Season

Apps

Starts

Goals

Assists

18/19

27

26

1

3

17/18

24

21

0

5

16/17

12

6

0

5

15/16

6

5

1

1

Source: WhoScored

Speaking to The Athletic in 2019, he said: "What annoyed me … as you know, people in football speak and there are always rumours, but I know 100 per cent for a fact – and this is what I was most angry about – that two months before the end of the season, Daniel (Levy, the chairman) was offering me to other clubs.

“I knew for certain that was happening, so I knew my time there must be up. I was playing for my teammates and the supporters, but I also knew I wasn't wanted."

Levy was seemingly keen to move the defender on and that resulted in a permanent transfer to Atletico Madrid for a reported fee of £25m in the summer of 2019.

Perhaps, Trippier felt that the chairman should have gone about it in a different way or been, in his eyes, more respectful after more than 100 appearances for the club.

Kieran Trippier's post-Spurs career

Now aged 33, Trippier has been the linchpin behind Newcastle's resurgence under Eddie Howe's tutelage, producing some frightening performances since his arrival from Spain back in 2022, also assuming the central leadership role.

Described as a "revelation" by talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan, Trippier has been utterly immense, blending defensive fortitude with high-class creativity to a resounding effect, albeit suffering a blip in form recently, rebuked for some "disastrous" defensive displays across the winter period by journalist Harry De Cosemo.

Nonetheless, the lion's share of Trippier's efforts since draping the curtain on north London have been excellent, with his two-and-a-half-year stint with Atletico Madrid sharpening his defensive skills – playing under Diego Simeone will do that – before returning to his homeland in January 2022 as Newcastle started to kick things off under affluent new ownership.

To this day, he is one of the division's standout stars, chalked into the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for 2022/23.

More creative than James Maddison in 23/24

Tottenham have attacking quality in abundance right now despite the summer sale of Kane, but this hasn't always been the case over recent campaigns and Trippier could have been a fine player to have aided the club, especially given that he's actually been more creative than Maddison this term.

As per FBref, the Magpie machine ranks among the top 2% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues and European competitions over the past year for assists and shot-creating actions, the top 4% for passes attempted, and the top 3% for progressive passes per 90, clearly one of the game's elite creators.

#

Trippier

Maddison

Matches played

23

15

Goals

1

3

Assists

10

6

Pass completion

81%

86%

Big chances created

13

7

Key passes per game

2.7

2.7

Tackles per game

2.3

1.4

Ball recoveries per game

6.3

2.0

*All stats sourced via Sofascore

As can be ascertained from the table above, Trippier is matching Maddison for key passes per game while creating more big changes and providing more assists, albeit a more infrequent goalscorer – but he is technically a defender, remember.

Furthermore, he might have played more fixtures but Trippier is supplying assists for his teammates at a rate of 0.43 per match, a higher rate than his fellow England international's 0.40 per match.

It is obviously important to remember that the stars in question play very different roles, but this actually just puts the force on Trippier's praiseworthy productivity.

But Postecoglou's Tottenham fraternity is steeped in fluency and attacking intent, and Trippier, while approaching the twilight phase of his career, has proved himself not only as one of Europe's best right-backs since leaving Spurs but one of the most influential playmakers around.

Porro is much younger and will (hopefully) be a key member of Postecoglou's project for years to come, while Maddison has been hailed as "one of the best players of the season" by The Times' Henry Winter, Trippier has indeed pipped him when taking in the scope of the creative metrics.

Still, Trippier would have been an invaluable member over recent seasons, with his impact on Tyneside evidence that he could have been pivotal in stemming the sludge that has marred the recent years at the club, given his outstanding creativity in comparison to his compatriot this term.

Either side of Aston Villa's promotion from the Championship to the Premier League, they launched multiple raids on Brentford. First, they poached their manager from the Bees, appointing Dean Smith, the man who would steer them back to the top flight, in 2018.

In 2019, he reunited with Ezri Konsa at Villa Park after paying £12m for the centre-back and then, a year on, he sanctioned what was at the time a club-record £28m deal for striker Ollie Watkins.

There haven't been any major dealings between the clubs since, but Villa have showed some interest in another striker at the Gtech Community Stadium, this time Ivan Toney. It was reported last May that Toney was on Unai Emery's radar, and that the Midlands outfit were plotting a move. It didn't materialise last summer, but now pundit Stan Collymore has pleaded with the club to revisit the deal.

Collymore offers to "drive" Toney to Villa

Speaking to CaughtOffside, Collymore told Villa to sign Toney on the basis that they need another more reliable option at the head of the team, with Jhon Duran facing multiple weeks out because of a hamstring injury.

He said: “I would love to see Aston Villa join the party. I know Toney’s preference may be to stay in London, but if he fancies a change of scenery, I would happily drive him to the Midlands myself.

"Unai Emery is one injury away from having no recognised striker. If Ollie Watkins is sidelined, that only leaves Jhon Duran, and he’s injured himself at the moment, so it’s obvious Villa needs a new forward — Toney would be a superb addition."

Toney deal ultimately makes little sense for Villa

Toney has proven himself to be a top-class striker, having reached the 20-goal mark in the league last season. There are no signs of him struggling to get back into form after an eight-month betting ban, either – heading into Saturday's trip to Wolves, he'd scored two in three following his return.

Related Emery could replace Watkins with Villa's teen "goal machine"

Aston Villa could have a perfect replacement for Ollie Watkins in their academy

Posts ByRoss Kilvington Feb 9, 2024

But just because a player is elite, it doesn't always make them the right fit for a particular team. In Watkins, Villa have one of the outstanding centre-forwards in not only England, but European football this season. In addition to his 11 goals, he's also notched a league-high ten assists, ranking second in the division for overall goal involvements.

Stat (per 90)

Ollie Watkins (23/24)

Ivan Toney 22/23

Non-penalty goals

0.49

0.43

Assists

0.44

0.12

Goal contributions

0.93

0.73

Non-penalty xG

0.47

0.5

Yes, signing both players would offer Emery some peerless depth, but the reality is that both of these players are far too good to accept sitting on the bench. While the Spaniard has used a 4-4-2 at times and could theoretically accommodate the duo with that shape, his typical use of Moussa Diaby alongside Watkins suggests he prefers a more withdrawn option to complement his number nine.

Leeds United are already being linked with summer moves for players, should Daniel Farke’s side earn promotion from the Championship.

Leeds’ January window

The Whites’ main focus was on outgoings and contract renewals in January. Djed Spence saw his season-long loan from Spurs cut short, whereas Luke Ayling left on loan for Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday signed Ian Poveda.

Teenagers Darko Gyabi and Lewis Bate left on loan and Leo Hjelde and Sean McGurk joined Sunderland and Swindon Town on permanent transfers. There was a late incoming at Elland Road, with Connor Roberts joining on loan from Burnley.

Farke was happy with the window overall, saying after Leeds’ 1-0 win at Bristol City on Friday:

"It was crucial that we kept our key players, and we did this. We made no secret that we would need one or two defensive players.

"We wanted to bring a specialist in and we found one with Connor Roberts. He's a top class character, fully committed. It's feels like we're the Welsh national team!"

Roberts joins fellow countrymen Jo Rodon, Dan James and Ethan Ampadu in Yorkshire, with Leeds battling for automatic promotion. Should they go up, then attention will once again be on the summer transfer window, with the 49ers Enterprises possibly looking at a long-term target once more.

Leeds linked with Ben Brereton Diaz

Journalist Ben Jacobs, talking to CaugtOffside, relayed by TEAMtalk, shared an update on Ben Brereton Diaz’s future in the last 48 hours. The reporter backed Leeds to revisit their interest in the striker, should they get promoted.

“Come the summer I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Leeds revisiting an old target in Ben Brereton Diaz. He’s at Sheffield United right now but that’s a straight loan, with no option to make permanent. So if Leeds get promoted don’t be surprised if they come back in for Brereton Diaz who has been on their radar for quite some time.”

Leeds’ interest in Brereton Diaz dates back to 2021 when Marcelo Bielsa was still in charge of the club. Former Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray backed the striker in 2020, calling him a “beast”.

“Brereton's like a beast now, and he can score goals. I see it every day in training. He's a brilliant lad and all our lads absolutely love him.

“He's filled out now and he will work so hard for this team. He's very gifted and can score goals. I'm confident that Ben Brereton, given the game time, and remember he needs to get in front of the Armstrongs and the Dacks, can and will do it.

“I can see the physicality level of Brereton these days and he's really looking like a man now, and scored a great goal. He worked his socks off and the more he plays the more confident he'll become.”

The Chile international went from strength to strength at Ewood Park and is now finding his feet in the Premier League on loan at Sheffield United from Villarreal. He’s already scored two goals for the struggling Blades in just 177 minutes of top-flight football, so if the Whites do win promotion, perhaps he could be a shrewd signing to rival the likes of Patrick Bamford, Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter.