The BCB has been in “active and ongoing discussions” with the PCB regarding Bangladesh’s scheduled white-ball tour of Pakistan later this month.”The BCB wishes to reiterate that the safety and security of its players and support staff remain the Board’s highest priority,” an official statement on Saturday said. “All decisions concerning the tour will be made with careful consideration of the current situation in Pakistan, ensuring they align with the best interests of the team and Bangladesh cricket.”Bangladesh are scheduled to reach Pakistan on May 21 to play five T20Is in Lahore and Faisalabad, but tensions along the India-Pakistan border has raised concerns.Related
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The Bangladesh team will travel to Dubai later this week to play two T20Is against UAE in Sharjah, on May 17 and 19, as part of their preparation for the Asia Cup in September. From there, the team is set to fly to Lahore for the T20Is against Pakistan.Bangladesh players Rishad Hossain and Nahid Rana, who were a part of PSL 2025 before it was postponed indefinitely, returned home on Friday.Rishad (of Lahore Qalandars) and Rana (of Peshawar Zalmi) arrived in Dhaka on Friday evening and will leave for the UAE with the rest of the Bangladesh squad on Wednesday. In case the PSL resumes soon, it is unlikely that the pair will return to the tournament, primarily because of Bangladesh’s upcoming international commitments.
Attempting to solve their centre-back problem, Liverpool have now reportedly joined the race to sign a defensive addition who already knows Ibrahima Konate well.
Leoni injury hands Liverpool fresh problem
Despite spending over £400m in the summer, Liverpool failed to address their centre-back problem. The Reds went all in on Marc Guehi, only for Crystal Palace to pull the plug on his Anfield move in the final hours of deadline day and leave Arne Slot without the added defender that he so desperately wanted.
Without Guehi, Liverpool were left with Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. Now, on paper, that should have been enough to ease any worries, but Leoni’s ACL injury has since reignited those concerns. Set to be without the 18-year-old for the majority of the campaign, the Reds have just three senior centre-backs to choose from, with one of them being the injury-prone Gomez.
It’s a problem that Anfield chiefs could solve in the January transfer window and reports are already suggesting that any move for Guehi could be accelerated as a result.
According to Sky Sports, there is “acceptance” that the England international’s time at the club is coming to an end – be it in January or when his contract expires next summer. The big question is whether Liverpool remain front of the queue for his signature.
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Real Madrid have reportedly shown interest in Guehi, which could see the Reds suffer defeat against a familiar foe in the transfer market. Alas, if that does prove to be the case, it seems as though those at Anfield already have a backup plan in mind.
Liverpool join race to sign Upamecano
As reported by BILD, Liverpool have now joined the race to sign Dayot Upamecano, with his £168,000-a-week Bayern Munich contract set to expire next summer. The Frenchman, who formed an impressive partnership next to Konate at RB Leipzig many moons ago, is on course to become a free agent and potentially hand the Reds an undeniable bargain as a result.
It’s set to be the summer of the contract rebels. Guehi looks almost certain to leave Palace either in January or as a free agent, whilst Upamecano could follow suit and Liverpool have their own contract issues with Konate.
The France international is yet to put pen to paper at Anfield and may yet join Trent Alexander-Arnold in Spain as a free agent amid interest from Real Madrid. It’s a move that would deal Liverpool another blow, but one that would also open the door for Upamecano.
League stats 24/25
Konate
Upamecano
Minutes
2,560
1,759
Progressive Passes
115
137
Tackles Won
26
22
Ball Recoveries
98
115
Dubbed a “fantastic player” by France teammate Lucas Hernandez, last season’s numbers suggest that Liverpool wouldn’t necessarily be getting a downgrade on Konate in Upamecano. In fact, the Bayern star even outperformed his former Leipzig partner in a number of departments.
Chelsea capitulated in the second half against Brighton as Trevoh Chalobah was sent off and the visitors struck three times to claim a shock 3-1 win. Enzo Fernandez had given the Blues the lead but Danny Welbeck scored twice, with Maxim De Cuyper also on target, as the Blues fell apart and lost more ground in their quest to challenge at the Premier League's summit.
Enzo Maresca's side made a fast start to the game and after Bart Verbruggen made two smart saves to deny both Fernandez and Reece James, he was powerless to prevent the opening goal. A delicious through ball from Moises Caicedo set James on his way, with the Blues skipper crossing for Fernandez to nod home.
Then came the moment that changed everything as, early on in the second half, a hopeless stray pass from Andrey Santos gave the ball to Diego Gomez, who raced through on goal before being brought down by Chalobah. A VAR review followed, with Simon Hooper eventually issuing a red card to the England international.
It went from bad to worse thereafter, with Brighton's pressure eventually telling. Welbeck, who had already stabbed a half-volley inches wide, powered a header home from close range before De Cuyper nodded past Robert Sanchez in stoppage time to make it 2-1. Former Manchester United striker Welbeck still had time to loop the ball high into the net for his second, and the Seagulls' third, in the final seconds, piling on the misery for Marseca on what turned out to be a complete nightmare of an afternoon for the Italian and his team.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…
Getty Images Sport
Goalkeeper & Defence
Robert Sanchez (6/10):
Made amends for last weekend's horror show at Old Trafford as he dealt with looping crosses, tried to instigate quick counter-attacks and intelligently came off his line to halt promising Brighton attacks. Would've been at least one or two more goals if it wasn't for him.
Reece James (7/10):
An assured display that saw him gallop forward and claim the assist for Fernandez's opener, as well as defending resolutely. Encouraging that he managed to play on despite appearing to twist his ankle, too, given all his previous injury issues.
Trevoh Chalobah (2/10):
His crazy decision to attempt to make a challenge as Diego Gomez raced through on goal led to a tangle of legs and the inevitable red card that changed everything. Awful.
Jorrel Hato (5/10):
Doubled up with Cucurella to deal with the considerable threat of Minteh and had to be even more alert after Chalobah's red. Taken off straight after Welbeck scored his first having gone missing in the middle.
Marc Cucurella (5/10):
Had a difficult assignment up against the pacey Minteh but stuck to his task and limited the Brighton winger's threat. A bit too fired up against his former team, though, resulting in a rash booking in a game where Chelsea needed calm heads.
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AFP
Midfield
Andrey Santos (3/10):
Ruined his day with the clumsy touch and wayward pass that inadvertently set Brighton away and led to Chalobah's red card. Hooked immediately after.
Moises Caicedo (7/10):
Consistently snuffed out Brighton attacks and his wonderful ball through sent James in behind for Chelsea's first goal. Life became more difficult for him after the Chalobah red, though.
Enzo Fernandez (7/10):
His bright start to the game was rewarded with a goal and he must have covered every blade of grass over the 90 minutes. The capitulation certainly wasn't down to him.
Getty Images Sport
Attack
Estevao (7/10):
Livewire. Shades of Eden Hazard with his silky touches and jinking runs, albeit there was no end product today. Sacrificed for Gusto as Maresca looked to shut up shop and hold onto the lead, which obviously didn't work.
Joao Pedro (5/10):
Played the No.9 role well in the first half as he dropped deep and linked attacks but wasn't really his day in front of goal as his team-mates failed to create any big chances for him.
Pedro Neto (4/10):
So pleasing on the eye when he gets his head down and drives forward but there was a frustrating lack of end product that Blues fans will be all too familiar with. Replaced after the equaliser.
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AFP
Subs & Manager
Josh Acheampong (3/10):
Brought on to fill the hole at centre-back after Chalobah's red card and should've got much tighter to Welbeck for the equaliser before his mistake then led to the third goal.
Malo Gusto (3/10):
Came on midway through the second half and frustrated the Stamford Bridge punters with his lack of invention before failing to stop the cross that led to Welbeck's goal. Might've given away a penalty, too, for a reckless high boot. A woeful cameo.
Benoit Badiashile (N/A):
Replaced Hato for the final 10 minutes and scrapped with Lewis Dunk as a number of Chelsea players lost their heads.
Romeo Lavia (N/A):
On for Pedro Neto as Maresca sensed the danger of a possible Brighton winner, which inevitably came.
Enzo Maresca (3/10):
What a nightmare. Everything looked to be going according to plan until Chalobah's red card and he clearly didn't have the answers as Brighton turned the screw. If anything, the introductions of Acheampong and Gusto made things a lot worse.
Wrexham have been told that they will reach the Premier League in "two or three years", with Tom Brady and Birmingham considered to be mimicking the model drawn up in North Wales by "OGs" Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The Red Dragons have enjoyed a historic run of three successive promotions, and Ben Foster believes they will be playing top-flight football at some point in the near future.
Hollywood co-owners have overseen record run of promotions
Ex-England international goalkeeper Foster helped to make Wrexham upwardly mobile when coming out of retirement to form part of their history-making National League title triumph. He has watched on from afar as Phil Parkinson’s side have made light work of Leagues Two and One.
They are now just one step away from the big time, with Reynolds and McElhenney having never hidden their desire to position Wrexham among the elite. A slow start was made to the 2025-26 campaign, leading to the odd question being asked of Parkinson’s future, but Foster is confident that the Red Dragons will continue their meteoric rise – providing more drama for the club's documentary series in the process.
AdvertisementGettyPremier League prediction: When will Wrexham reach top-flight?
Foster – speaking with on the podcast, in partnership with BOYLE Sports – said of Wrexham’s big ambition: "They’ll be fine. They’ve signed some really good players and Championship-proven players. They won at the weekend, a great win, so I think they’ll be fine, they’ll get into a little rhythm and even come January, they’ll give it another go. It won’t be long, until Wrexham are in the Premier League, I promise you. I’m going to give it two or three years, not even as far as five years, it will be two or three years."
The success enjoyed by Reynolds and McElhenney has helped to entice more A-list investors to British football, with NFL legend Brady among them. The seven-time Super Bowl winner owns a minority stake in Birmingham – who boast similar dreams to Wrexham.
Foster, who enjoyed rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars in North Wales, added: "The attention they’re bringing is more valuable than just finances. They’re the OG’s, but their model is very different. I think Tom Brady is doing it in a very similar way at Birmingham. The first one to mark it was Wrexham with the documentary. I think they’ve brought in a different audience to the game, but it’s still a football audience.
"We went on a pre-season tour in America before the League Two season, and we were playing games at a 70,000 seater university stadium, and it was half red for Wrexham, half blue for Chelsea. We played against Man United, and it was all Wrexham fans. They’re mad for it. Because of the Hollywood story, there was a National League game live on TNT, and it was the same day Arsenal were playing somebody, and the viewing figures for this game in America were higher than the Premier League game. It’s ridiculous."
Reynolds & Ted Lasso: Celebrity investor trend
Ex-England manager Sam Allardyce added on the trend started by a stunning takeover that was completed in 2021: "I think they’ve created a mass infiltration of Americans buying football clubs. There are nearly 50 per cent of American-owned clubs across all leagues, apparently. I think Ted Lasso has a lot to do with it as well. They love Ted Lasso!"
Reynolds and McElhenney remain fully committed to their project at Wrexham, with Foster revealing that a certain Deadpool actor has jerseys from iconic matches hung up in the home that he shares with wife Blake Lively and their four children. Foster said of Reynolds: "He sent me a picture about three weeks ago, the shirt’s in a room in his house. He sent a selfie, and the shirt is in a frame on the wall behind him. He still keeps in touch with all the lads; it was out of the blue and out of nowhere."
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Getty/GOALBig summer spend: Wrexham building momentum
Wrexham spent big in the summer transfer window, parting with over £30 million ($40m), and are expected to be competitive in the Championship once early injuries have been shaken off and momentum is established. The Red Dragons will be back in action on Saturday when playing host to Derby.
O futebol ficou em segundo plano no início da a vitória de virada por 2 a 1 do São Paulo sobre o Goiás na noite deste sábado (27), no Morumbi, resultado que levou a equipe para o G4 do Campeonato Brasileiro, com o protesto de jogadores e arbitragem, que em solidariedade ao atacante Vinícius Júnior, do Real Madrid, e como parte de uma campanha da CBF contra o racismo se sentaram no gramado no minuto inicial do duelo. Após a partida, os jogadores do Tricolor demonstraram apoio à causa. Com direito a forte depoimento do meia-atacante Marcos Paulo, que jogou na Espanha e revelou que ele e seus familiares já foram vítimas do ato inescrupuloso. Confira:
+ Todos os jogos do Brasileirão você encontra no Prime Video. Assine já e acompanhe o seu time do coração!
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في حديث مثير حمل رسائل مباشرة للاعبي الأهلي والجهاز الفني، تحدث سيد عبد الحفيظ، مدير الكرة السابق بالقلعة الحمراء، عن واقعة ياسر إبراهيم وتصرفه المثير للجدل عقب لقاء فريقه أمام حرس الحدود واعتراضه على عدم حصوله على جائزة رجل المباراة.
قال سيد عبد الحفيظ، في تصريحات عبر برنامج “اللعيب” على قناة “MBC مصر”: “عن واقعة ياسر إبراهيم؟ هو من الشخصيات الجميلة وجدع وراجل، هل ما فعله صح؟ لا، لكن أقول بحسب معرفتي بـ ياسر، هو قدم مباراة جيدة وربنا كافأه بهدف”.
وتابع: “أنا ظني إنه لم ير من سيحصل على الجائزة، هو كان متخيل أن يحصل على الجائزة، لكن أنا أرى إن الأهلي يحتاج إلى روح عالية، (مفيش حاجة اسمها أنا مين بل أنا إيه، مفيش حاجة اسمها أنا كذا وبرقم كذا) الفكرة بالمجهود والعرق”.
وأضاف: “لا يوجد لاعب في الدوري أبهرنا هذا الموسم، الأهلي يحتاج أجواء جيدة والكلام يقل والدوافع عند اللاعبين تزيد، تحليلي الشخصي، إن الأهلي سيكون مختلفًا تمامًا بعد فترة التوقف القادمة”.
طالع أيضًا | مدرب عالمي يرد على عرض الأهلي: أريد “Crazy Money”
وواصل: “ممكن هناك أندية كبيرة يحدث شد بها، لكن مدرسة الأهلي معروفة، عندما تسأل أحد من خارج النادي إن عنوان الأهلي هو الجماعية والالتزام، نحن نحتاج أن نخرج بأقل الخسائر قبل فترة التوقف”.
واستكمل: “الأهلي يحتاج أجواء جيدة، بمعنى إن اللاعبين يذهبون للتدريبات وهم سعداء، حتى يبدعون، عندما تحب المكان الذي تعمل به لا تسأل كم سأحصل، بل تعيش الأجواء في المكان وتحب المكان، نحن نحتاج هذه الأجواء في النادي، الفريق هو لفظ جماعي، لكن الهدف واحد وهو المكسب”.
وعلّق على تصريحات حسام غالي السابقة التي أثارت جدلًا واسعًا، قائلًا: “أنا لا أريد أن أعلق على هذا الأمر لأنه انتهى، أنا أريد أن أصنع أجواء إيجابية، لذلك ليس من المنطقي أن نعيد التعليق على أمور انتهت، لو أنت مسؤول المفترض أنك تحتوي الأزمات”.
Derby County are now interested in signing an experienced defender to add to their already busy summer window, according to a recent report.
Derby announce the signing of Owen Beck from Liverpool
On Friday afternoon, the Rams announced that Owen Beck had joined the club on a season-long loan deal from Liverpool. The left-back becomes Derby’s first loan signing of the summer and their sixth arrival altogether. This is the 22-year-old’s sixth loan spell away from Anfield, after spells at Famalicao, Bolton Wanderers, Dundee on two separate occasions, Blackburn Rovers and now Derby.
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During his time at Ewood Park, Beck worked with John Eustace, and the defender has admitted it was a “no-brainer” to reunite with the Derby boss once again. Beck also went on to add to Derby’s media team that Eustace “got the best out of him” during his time at Blackburn.
“Obviously, I know the gaffer well from last year. I spoke to him with that experience of working with him before in mind. It moved pretty fast and was a no-brainer for me.
“We built a really good connection. I feel like he got the best out of me. When he called up and we had that conversation again where he was looking to bring me in, it was a no-brainer, really!
“I enjoyed playing under him. As I said, I feel like he got the best out of me. I feel like he can get even more out of me this season, and I can push that step further.”
Derby County interested in 32 y/o defender
As the Rams wrap up a deal for Beck, they have now turned their attention to another defensive signing. According to the MailSport, relayed by Football League World, Derby are keen on signing Jake Bidwell from Coventry City.
Bidwell only signed a new contract with the Sky Blues in January of this year, extending his stay until 2027, but the Championship side are open to offers for either Bidwell or Jay Dasilva this summer, after bringing Miguel Angel Brau to the club as their new left-back.
32-year-old Bidwell has been with Coventry since January 2022, when he joined on a free transfer from the Swans. The left-back, who can also play centre-back and left midfield if needed, has been a consistent performer for the Sky Blues. Last season, he started 23 of the 29 Championship games he played, as he featured heavily under Frank Lampard, but it appears as though now he’s fallen down the pecking order.
Apps
29
Minutes per game
72
Goals
1
Assists
1
Big chances created
5
Key passes per game
0.8
Clean sheets
6
Interceptions per game
0.6
Tackles per game
0.7
His potential arrival at Pride Park would be an interesting one, as the Rams have just brought Beck in, and they already have Callum Elder and Craig Forsyth at their disposal.
However, the Rams may hold an advantage in the race to sign Bidwell, as the Englishman is represented by Wasserman, which is the same agency as Andreas Weimann, meaning the club have a familiar path to negotiations on the personal side of things.
Speaking ahead of the Duleep Trophy opener, he also said that he hasn’t “reached his expectations” as a Test player yet
Himanshu Agrawal04-Sep-2024Shubman Gill has said working on his “defensive game” helped him turn his Test fortunes around against England earlier this year.Before heading into the home series against England, Gill’s average in Tests was 30.59. But batting at No. 3 across the five games, he hit 452 runs in nine innings, at an average of 56.50. That included two centuries and half-centuries each, as he overturned a run of low scores in the format. Returning to first-class cricket for the first time since then, Gill will be leading India A at the Duleep Trophy opener on Thursday.”I worked on my defence a little bit more, especially against the spinners,” Gill said at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where his side will face India B in the Duleep Trophy. “Playing on turning tracks, if you are not able to have that confidence in your defence [then it disturbs your game]. If you’re playing on a turning track, you should be able to defend a lot more. [It is] then you play scoring shots.Related
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“And with more T20 [cricket], and playing on, I wouldn’t say flat tracks, but [on] batting-friendly tracks – [and] more in the white-ball [games] – I feel it takes away a little bit of your defensive game over a period of time. So that was my focus in the England series.”After scoring 104 in the second innings of the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, he revealed he had asked the team management to push him down to No. 3 instead of playing as an opener, a position where he had batted 29 times.Despite the returns against England, Gill acknowledged that he is not quite there yet as a Test player, and that he intended to make up for it. India play ten Tests over the next four months, starting with two against Bangladesh from September 19.”Yes, definitely, I haven’t reached my expectations yet,” he said. “But we have ten Test matches ahead of us back-to-back. So hopefully after these ten Test matches, I will be able to meet my expectations.”Gill: As captain, ‘you should understand your players a lot more’Gill said that he never felt any “extra pressure” being part of the India leadership group, as the added responsibility required him to know more about his team-mates.Over the last few months, Gill has had plenty of leadership opportunities. That run started when he captained Gujarat Titans in the IPL after Hardik Pandya went back to Mumbai Indians. Gill then led India in five T20Is against Zimbabwe, after Rohit Sharma had retired from the format and several other senior players were rested.India reversed a 0-1 scoreline to beat the hosts 4-1, after which Gill had said that captaincy “brings out the best in me”. He was even named vice-captain for the T20Is and ODIs against Sri Lanka that followed.”My role as a batsman doesn’t really change,” Gill said. “Even if I am the captain or the vice-captain, the aim is to get runs and make my team win, [and] contribute in any way possible.”If you are the captain or the vice-captain, then you should be able to understand your players a lot more rather than when you are just a player. Sometimes, it happens that you have played with a lot of [these] players since childhood. You have played a lot of age-group cricket [together]. So, obviously, you are already connected, and so it is more fun to play with them.”And if you are enjoying your role in the captaincy, it is very important to lead with performance. So if you are getting all these things, then you enjoy everything.”
He also lauded the spinners who applied the brakes on England, as India made their third consecutive ICC final across formats
Shashank Kishore27-Jun-20241:33
Dasgupta: Axar a standout performer from game one
India captain Rohit Sharma lauded his team’s calmness under pressure as they beat England in the T20 World 2024 semi-final comprehensively to secure a third straight ICC final across formats. On Saturday, India will play South Africa to try and break their 11-year trophy drought at a world event.”We’ve been very calm as a team,” Rohit said after India’s 68-run win in Georgetown on Thursday afternoon. “We do understand the occasion [of a final], but for us, it’s important to keep calm and composed.”That helps us make good decisions. We need to make good decisions through the 40 overs. In this game too, we were steady and calm, and didn’t panic too much. That has been the key for us. Yes, we do understand the occasion is important, but we need to play good cricket as well.”Related
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Rohit termed the win over England as “very satisfying”, especially given this contest was a repeat of the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final. Then, in Adelaide, India crashed to a ten-wicket defeat as Jos Buttler and Alex Hales made light work of England’s 169-run target.Two years on, it was India’s spinners who turned the tables on England on what was a slow, low turner where Rohit laid down the marker to help India post 171 for 7, which he felt was well above par.”Yeah, it’s very satisfying to win this game,” Rohit said. “We’ve worked really hard to come to this stage, and to win the game like that was a great effort from everyone. I thought we played to the conditions really well; that’s been the success story for us so far. If bowlers and batters understand and play according to the conditions, things fall in place. It’s very pleasing how we came through.”Rohit top scored in the game with 57 off 39 balls, but the conditions were tough. A spell of rain eight overs into the game added to his challenge of kicking India’s innings into gear with Suryakumar Yadav. The pair added 73 in just 8.2 overs to give India a chance to aim for a competitive score.”At one stage, we were feeling 140-150 was a good score as the game went on,” Rohit said. “Then we got some runs in the middle, me and Surya got that partnership, and then we said, ‘Okay another 25 more’. I can set a target in my mind but I don’t want to let anyone know about it. They’re all instinctive players, so I want them to go out and play freely without thinking about the par score. We know when we understand the conditions well, we will get to a good score; [and] that’s what happened, and the bowlers were fantastic.”Kuldeep Yadav picked three wickets as India outplayed England•ICC/Getty ImagesRohit was effusive in his praise for the Indian spinners who applied the brakes on England. Axar Patel started England’s slide by dismissing Buttler off his very first delivery in the fourth over, and then had Jonny Bairstow with an arm-ball in his second. He finished with 3 for 23 off his four overs to walk away with the Player-of-the-Match award.Axar was complemented by Kuldeep Yadav, who also was magnificent. His dismissal of Harry Brook after being reverse swept was particularly noteworthy because of the subtle change in his line of attack. Kuldeep, like Axar, also picked up three wickets.”They are gun spinners,” Rohit said. “When conditions are like that in front of them, it’s very difficult to play some shots. Yes, the pressure is on them to execute those balls, but they were very calm and knew what to bowl. We had a chat after the first innings: the plan was to hit the stumps as much as possible and keep the stumps in play, [and] that’s what they did.”Amid the cheer, Rohit also backed Virat Kohli to come out of his string of low scores in this T20 World Cup. Kohli was dismissed for 9 on Thursday as he was clean bowled by Reece Topley looking to slog one over the leg-side boundary. Kohli has so far aggregated 75 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 100 this World Cup.”Look, he’s a quality player, and you can go through that,” Rohit said. “We understand his class and importance in big games. Form is never a player when you’ve played for 15 years. He’s looking good, the intent is there, [and] probably he’s saving himself for the final.”Speaking to Star Sports, coach Rahul Dravid also backed Kohli while saying he was loving the “intent” and “attitude” the opening batter was showing.”You know with Virat, the thing is, when you play a slightly high-risk brand of cricket there can be times when it doesn’t come off. Even today, I thought he hit a really good six to set the tempo but he was just unlucky that the ball seamed a little bit more. But I love the intent, I love the way he went about doing it. It sets a good example for the group as well if he’s willing to do it. And you know, for some reason, I don’t want to jinx it but I think there’s a big one coming up. I’m just loving his attitude and that he’s committing himself on the field – I think he deserves it.”
Leeds United did manage to seal the Championship title with a bumper 100 points come the end of the 46-game marathon, but Daniel Farke’s side certainly made life a lot harder for themselves in the goalkeeper department.
Illan Meslier’s error-prone performances between the sticks nearly proved costly, resulting in the German having to bring in stand-in keeper Karl Darlow for the final few tense clashes of the second-tier campaign.
Karl Darlow
Whilst the ex-Newcastle United stopper did prove himself to be a solid performer in goal, it’s unlikely that Farke will solely rely on the Wales international to be his outright number one in such a daunting division.
Therefore, a whole host of new faces are being linked to step up and take on the first team mantle in goal, with this alternative target now being tipped to make the switch to Elland Road over the heavily fancied Caoimhin Kelleher.
Liverpool's CaoimhinKelleher
Leeds' pursuit of a new keeper
Kelleher is one of the main names being touted to become Farke’s brand-new number one ahead of Premier League football returning to West Yorkshire, with the Irishman reportedly available for around the £30m mark.
He is mentioned as a possible Meslier replacement by the Daily Mail too, but the new report from the Mail does suggest that other top-flight experienced ‘keepers are on the Leeds agenda, such as ex-Arsenal man Aaron Ramsdale.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ reserve keeper Sam Johnstone is also floating about as a potential number one option, but if Leeds want to land an even more impressive buy than Kelleher, they should be going all in for Ramsdale over other figures.
The 27-year-old has suffered from shaky performances here and there, but he was once Mikel Arteta’s concrete first-team choice at Arsenal, where he proved himself as a top performer at an intimidating level.
Why Ramsdale would be even better than Kelleher
Of course, Kelleher has never been able to prove himself as a number-one option at Anfield, having always played in the shadows to the likes of Allisson.
But, regardless of whether he’s been given a fair crack under Arne Slot and other Reds bosses or not, if Leeds can land a far more experienced keeper at the level in Ramsdale for a slightly cheaper £25m, it feels like a pick-up they should prioritise over the promise of the 26-year-old coming good as a main starting presence.
At one point during his topsy-turvy Gunners career, Ramsdale was on cloud nine with his imperious displays in between the sticks, with this unbelievable save coming during the 2021/22 campaign that saw the ex-Sheffield United stopper collect an impressive 12 clean sheets from 34 league outings.
Heralded as “phenomenal” by ex-Arsenal legend David Seaman off the back of his glimpses of quality at the Emirates, it will just be up to Ramsdale to try and reach these lofty heights once more, donning a Leeds strip.
After all, he is well accustomed to the trials and tribulations of a relegation battle, having just accumulated a high 4.2 saves per Premier League tie for basement side Southampton.
Ramsdale’s overall PL numbers
Stat
Ramsdale
Games played
183
Matches won
70
Losses
89
Saves made
595
Penalties saved
3x
Errors leading to goals
6x
Goals conceded
278
Clean sheets
41
Stats from the Premier League
The table above definitely reinforces how experienced Ramsdale is in the Premier League, despite only being a year older than Kelleher, with a near 200 games now played in the elite division. To add context, as a back-up face at Liverpool, his Cork-born counterpart has barely hit 30 clashes at 25 overall.
Therefore, whilst he will have an error in his back locker like Meslier, Leeds fans would surely feel more confident that the 27-year-old would come good over the gamble of Kelleher at £30m.
It will be fascinating to see who the Whites do eventually pick up in his vital position, knowing they cannot rely on Meslier if they are to beat the drop.