Tottenham Hotspur are now leading the race for Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson, as his current club may be forced to cash-in on him this summer, a report has revealed.
What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?
Journalist Ben Jacobs has recently suggested that Tottenham may "feel they're a little bit thin" at centre-back, but they are actively working on signing one before the deadline, having opened talks with Fulham over a move for Tosin Adarabioyo.
A new central midfielder is being targeted by Ange Postecoglou, with Chelsea's Conor Gallagher believed to be of interest, while the manager is also keen on a replacement for Harry Kane, with talks set to go ahead over Lille's Jonathan David and Gent's Gift Orban.
As such, it is clear Spurs are eager to strengthen the spine of their team, but they are also running the rule over new wide options, and Johnson has emerged as a key target, with Fabrizio Romano recently providing an update on their pursuit of the Forest man.
Speaking on X, the transfer expert said: "Tottenham, prepared to approach Nottingham Forest for Brennan Johnson this week. Ange Postecoglou has already approved this potential move,"
"Not easy deal as Forest already rejected big proposals but interest in Brennan is growing now."
Romano's update follows on from a report from Football Insider, which states Tottenham are now in pole position to sign the winger, who is also being targeted by Chelsea, and the deal could be done in the next week.
In the final days of the transfer window, Forest may be forced to cash-in on the Welshman, as they are struggling to comply with Financial Fair Play, after shelling out a considerable amount of money on signings last season.
The Tricky Trees will be hoping to receive a fee of at least £40m for their academy graduate, and the Lilywhites have been keeping tabs on him for some time, having left scouts wowed with some of his performances.
Read The Latest Tottenham Transfer News HERE
How many goals has Brennan Johnson scored?
Since breaking into the first team with his boyhood club, the 22-year-old has gone on to score 29 goals in 108 games, during which time he has amassed 12 assists, while he also picked up 13 goals and 14 assists in 49 appearances for Lincoln City.
The Wales international has impressed the manager of his national side, Robert Page, who said in 2022: “He’s almost the finished article now and Forest have got a wonderful player on their hands.
“I’ve been to watch him a few times and he’s playing with freedom. He’s really enjoying his football.”
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The versatile attacker, who is capable of playing in three positions, has scored two goals in 19 appearances for his national side, and he was impressive in front of goal in his debut Premier League season last term, scoring eight times in 38 matches.
Johnson's versatility could make him a great option for Postecoglou, and Tottenham will be hoping to get a deal over the line before the September 1st deadline, having put themselves in a strong position to win the race for his signature.
New measures needed to identify and nurture spin-bowling talent, says John Emburey, after failure to compete in Ashes
Daniel Brettig10-Jan-20182:11
England’s torrid history with legspin
Counties and the ECB could address a systemic dearth of spin bowlers by pooling money into a “spin bowling fund”, worth around £3 million over six years, to pay for a coaching and talent identification network that would also fund overseas apprenticeships, under a proposal to be considered by England’s cricket director Andrew Strauss.The proposal is the brainchild of the former England captain and spin bowler John Emburey, who has become increasingly weary of what he sees as a lack of focus by the counties and ECB on developing spin bowlers. That neglect, Emburey believes, led to the vast disparity between England’s spin bowlers Moeen Ali and Mason Crane in the Ashes series, in which they took a combined 6 for 768 while Australia’s spinner Nathan Lyon (21 wickets at 29.23, 2.36 runs per over) was a leading contributor to the home side’s 4-0 victory.Emburey, formerly the Middlesex director of cricket, is set to meet with Strauss following the conclusion of England’s tour of Australia and New Zealand, and told ESPNcricinfo that if the current schedule of county matches being pushed to the fringes of the northern summer continued, then much more needed to be done to nurture young spinners capable of playing the sorts of roles Lyon now does for Australia. He also said that the current England spin coach, Peter Such, had his “hands tied” because he could only work with what the counties produced.”The counties don’t have spin bowling coaches, there’s no talent ID done in those counties for spin, there’s no captains that understand spin, set the right fields and know when to bring one on to bowl or take them off at the right times,” Emburey said. “We need to find a proper structure in finding and developing talent. It’s something I’ve spoken to Andrew Strauss about and he wants to have a meeting about it when we get back home, and Peter Such should be part of that because he’s the England spin bowling coach, to discuss where we go forward.”We’ve got to go down to a younger age group, to the minor counties and the counties themselves, and do more talent ID. All those counties should be pooling their young spinners from the ages of 11-16 to do talent ID. If the counties are not going to employ [coaches], I think the Board has got to employ six to eight coaches to be divided up amongst the 38 counties in England, say five counties each to work with.”With all the money they’re pushing forward for all the other projects they’ve got, the biggest part of the contribution is going to come from the counties themselves, with the Board contributing to make it work. Say we’re going to do it for six years, £3 million over six years, to see what can be developed and come through in terms of those younger players. You’ve got money then to pay for those coaches, and a pool of money also for Peter Such to work with to send some of those players away overseas to play or help to develop them.”Moeen Ali reflects on a dispiriting tour•ESPNcricinfo LtdUnder Emburey’s proposed scheme, each county would put in £10,000 every year, with £5,000 to come from each of the minor counties. The ECB would then add a figure in the region of £200,000 to create a war chest of £480,000 to invest in spin bowling around all 38 counties. Options for overseas education include England Lions tours, while the ECB and CA have already discussed the possibility of opening up spots in the Futures League – essentially the Australian second division – for fledgling English players.”If the counties are not going to develop those spinners then we’ve got to do it by other means. It may be that the Board have to do it and then those players get picked up by the counties,” Emburey said. “If we talent ID players the counties don’t have, but we feel they’ve got sufficient skills relative to some already playing, take those away with the Lions to Sri Lanka or wherever and I’d imagine in a few weeks a county would pick them up if they can see them performing.”Such measures are necessary due to a combination of factors, most of which chart back to the fact that precious little of the first-class county competition is scheduled in the prime summer months of July and August. These months are now subject to a surfeit of limited-overs matches. While similar to Australia’s Big Bash League scheduling, the southern summer tends to afford spin bowlers better opportunities over a longer period, while CA works closely with each state on the composition of pitches.”It’s a shocker for them,” Emburey said of the domestic schedule facing English spin bowlers. “Pitches at the beginning of the season aren’t going to suit spinners, so they’re either going to struggle or they’re not going to play at all, and at the back end of the season when it gets cold and damp and wet, it isn’t going to suit them at the end either.”The middle part of the season and towards the back end when you want spinners to make a contribution, there’s no cricket for them because of all the limited-overs cricket. You’ve got to develop one-day skills instead of those you need in first-class cricket and Test matches. Cricket used to finish on September 17-18, now it is the very end of September, and that’s ridiculous.”I think Peter Such has been hamstrung in what he can do and achieve. All he’s doing is working with the players in a first-class system that doesn’t encourage them to come through. So the system has to be changed to go out and find these players and develop them. These coaches would still be available to help and develop the players already around in county first and second XIs, but I think we’re missing out on so much talent – spinners out there we’re not getting anywhere near.”Somerset is one of few counties using spin bowling to its advantage by preparing surfaces with bare patches on a length. These pitches have been subject to plenty of criticism from opponents, such as these words from the Middlesex director of cricket, Angus Fraser, last year: “It’s disgraceful what they did. I’ve never seen such a doctored pitch. The intent was there, so the combination of a below-average pitch and intent, that changes things. There are guidelines for counties to produce the best possible pitch for matches.”However Emburey argued that in providing an environment in which the spin bowlers Jack Leach and Dom Bess could prosper, while still leaving good grass coverage on other parts of the surface to aid the seam bowlers, Somerset should be seen as “crusaders” for a wider array of skills to be seen in the English game.”I think they’ve been very fortunate with the pitches they’ve had not to be docked points, but are they actually the crusaders for change?” Emburey said. “Why should pitches always be flat? Why not have pitches that spin? Batsmen have got to learn and develop skills against spin as well. Taunton is a pitch where you’ve got to adapt your game to get runs.”The issue Leach and Bess would have after bowling on turning wickets is then having to learn how to bowl on a flat wicket, in terms of changes of pace and flight. [But] the Board have got to relax a bit in this respect. They have the ends bare at Taunton, but there is a bit of grass in the middle to give the seamers some encouragement and the ball to go through. To me they’re good cricket pitches.”As for Crane, Emburey had been impressed by elements of his debut in Sydney, but said there was still a long way for him to travel. “He needs to bowl on all types of pitches to develop his game,” Emburey said. “On a green pitch that’ll seam around, he’ll learn to bowl straighter, and to do that he’s got to bowl with more control. If you’re wide or short or bowl a long hop, you’re going to get spanked around. He needs to learn to bowl on flat wickets to bowl better and tighter, then when you get onto a wicket that gives you assistance, you’re going to bowl sides out.”
Australia’s coach has defended his player in the strongest terms, while also indicating he wants the captains and coaches from both teams to sit down together to discuss player behaviour
Daniel Brettig in Durban06-Mar-2018David Warner’s leadership role as Australia’s vice-captain has been emphatically endorsed by the coach and selector Darren Lehmann, ahead of the Cricket Australia board meeting on Friday where the events of the Durban Test match and the image they projected are sure to be discussed.As both Australia and South Africa wait to hear whether Warner and Quinton de Kock will be charged under the ICC code of conduct after their ugly confrontation in the stairwell between the two dressing rooms at Kingsmead on day four of the Test, Lehmann took the opportunity to defend Warner in the strongest terms, while also indicating he wanted the two captains and coaches to sit down together before the start of the second Test in Port Elizabeth to discuss player behaviour.Having only recently led the Australian Twenty20 side to a triangular series victory over New Zealand and England – sacrificing much of his preparation time for the South Africa Tests in the process – Warner remains highly regarded as a leader in the national team, admired for the aggressive way in which he pursues opponents with the bat and in the field.”No, he’s vice-captain of the Australian cricket team,” Lehmann said when asked whether Warner’s post as deputy to Steven Smith was under question. “We’re certainly supporting David. We want to play a way that gets us success and for us we’ve just got to make sure we don’t cross the line, that’s the key.””There are things that cross the line and evoke emotion and you’ve got to deal with that behind closed doors and get better at that. Everyone has their own opinion. We’ll just wait and see what happens moving forward, how both teams want to play it. For us, we’re here to win the series. It’s going to be a bloody tough series as we’ve seen over the five days here. We’re looking forward to PE from our point of view.”The two sides are in open dispute as to what fuelled the stairwell encounter, captured on Kingsmead’s CCTV and leaked to the media before the fifth and final day of the match, which Australia won by 118 runs. Lehmann said he wanted to meet with his opposite number Ottis Gibson, and also encouraged Smith and Faf du Plessis to do likewise.”I’m sure the captains will chat and the coaches will chat and we’ll get away to play the game,” Lehmann said. “Both sides are going to push the boundaries. That’s part and parcel of Test match cricket. It’s a bloody tough game out there and you’re representing your country. Very proud countries, both sides. The way they want to play is fiercely competitive on the ground. As long as it doesn’t get personal, that’s probably the key.”It’s hard, especially when you want to talk about a great game of cricket it takes away a bit. From our point of view, the cricket is the most important. It was a really good game of cricket. We played well, there were ups and downs in the game. It’s going to be a tight series this one, there’s no doubt about that. It’s going to be played very hard on the field by both sides, it looks like.”Ever since Lehmann replaced Mickey Arthur as coach in mid-2013, the Australian side has been given full backing by the CA board and the chief executive James Sutherland to play the way they believe will gain the best results. This was in contrast to earlier episodes in which CA either sought to improve the team’s on-field behaviour, as happened after the Glenn McGrath/Ramnaresh Sarwan bust-up in the West Indies in 2003, or put bilateral relations with India ahead of backing Andrew Symonds against Harbhajan Singh in 2008.In 2015, Ricky Ponting pointed out that the hostile way in which the Australians played was intrinsic to their success, and to try to change that would only hurt results. “If you keep toning us down, toning us down, you’ll make us the same as everybody else,” Ponting had said. Warner has gone through several phases as an on-field presence, from the “attack dog” persona of 2013-14, to “the reverend” from 2015 to 2017 and the more recent return to his former aggressive ways.There is precedent for the board stripping players of the vice-captaincy for behavioural issues. In 1997 Ian Healy was removed from the post in favour of Steve Waugh after he was fined for showing dissent to an umpire’s decision in a Test match against South Africa at Centurion, though the move was also thought to be about the board’s preferred candidate to replace Mark Taylor if his run of poor batting form continued. Then, in 2000, Shane Warne lost the role as Waugh’s deputy to Adam Gilchrist, following a string of bad off-field headlines that had little to do with cricket.Warne stated on Tuesday that verbal exchanges had long been a part of Australia’s bouts with South Africa, but that personal taunts were out of bounds. “Chat, banter, sledging has always been apart of any series between SA & Oz,” he wrote on Twitter. “Both sides always give it out. Respect is the key & I hope nothing personal was said to any player towards anyone from either side. Have a beer together afterwards & get on with it – stop the whinging!”Lehmann, meanwhile, pointed out how Nathan Lyon had taken his medicine from the ICC for dropping the ball on AB de Villiers after his run out and also apologised to the Proteas batsman. “It was probably a bit cheeky,” Lehmann said. “The great thing about it, he apologised to AB straight away. He sent him a text, spoke to him today and it’s dealt with. That’s how it should be as grown men.”
Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper could now look to open talks with another of his star men at the City Ground over a new contract, according to reports.
What's the latest news involving Nottingham Forest?
Last week, Nottingham Forest club captain Joe Worrall put pen to paper on a contract extension with the Tricky Trees, which will now see him stay at the East Midlands-based outfit until the summer of 2026.
Delighted with his decision, Worrall told Nottingham Forest's official website: "I’m over the moon and just so pleased to extend my time with the club. You only have to look to the future and it looks very bright. Everybody knows how much we care to try and improve as a team and try and push on as a club."
Football Insider claim that Worrall has received a significant pay rise from his previous £15,000 per week terms at Nottingham Forest and also indicate that the former England Under-21 international had interest in his services from elsewhere in the summer.
Worrall had less than a year left on his deal at the City Ground and would've been able to sign a pre-contract with a foreign club in January had he not found an extended agreement with his boyhood club.
Meanwhile, as per reports in Sweden, Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga has been released from Sweden's international camp after sustaining an injury in training and played no part in their 5-0 victory over Estonia in EURO 2024 qualifying.
The former Manchester United star will now return to England to undergo treatment for his knock and it is unclear how long he will be out for upon further assessment.
Who else could be offered a new contract?
According to Football Insider, Nottingham Forest are considering offering full-back Serge Aurier a new contract, which would come off the back of a strong start to the 2023/34 campaign from the Ivory Coast international.
The £50k-a-week ace is out of contract next summer and could discuss a pre-contract with foreign sides in January; however, he has enjoyed a rise to prominence under Reds' boss Cooper despite competing with Ola Aina and Gonzalo Montiel for the right-back position.
Aurier has made four appearances in all competitions for Nottingham Forest this term and has managed to notch two assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.
WhoScored note that Aurier has managed to earn an average match rating in the Premier League this campaign of 7.01/10 and show that he has successfully completed 3.5 clearances per match, demonstrating his defensive reliability when called upon.
As per FBRef, the former Tottenham Hotspur defender has also excelled in comparison to his positional peers across the top five divisions in Europe in the art of aerial duels, winning an average of 2.21 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the 98th percentile for this metric.
Cooper won't want to lose someone like Aurier on a free transfer next year and offering him a new deal would be a sensible decision to retain some valuable experience at the City Ground.
The coach believes the pair’s 88-run stand, which weathered extended periods of reverse-swing from Australia’s quicks, helped AB de Villiers play with far more freedom alongside the tail
Daniel Brettig in Port Elizabeth13-Mar-20181:59
Noise, grumbling and chatter: Everything that’s taking the sheen off a great series
Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has pointed to the pragmatic example set by Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla as a key lesson for the touring batsmen after the Port Elizabeth Test, after they weathered the sharpest blows of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins to ease the path that AB de Villiers so artfully exploited.Elgar and Amla soaked up 46.2 overs in a partnership of 88 that made for some absorbing if slow-going Test match cricket, and most importantly they were able to keep out the Australian “big three” pacemen during extended periods of reverse swing. While several quick wickets were lost after tea on day two, the investment put in by the top order – however ugly it looked – proved invaluable when de Villiers began to play with far more freedom alongside the tail.In assessing where the Australians went wrong at St George’s Park, Lehmann reckoned that sort of stoic top-order batting had been required, for while David Warner and Cameron Bancroft put on 98 for the first wicket, the highest stand of the match, there was little behind them in terms of partnerships that could tire out South Africa’s attack.”Certainly I thought Elgar and Amla showed our blokes a little bit how to get through that and as we know when your bowlers are starting to bowl 25 overs an innings it is starting to get to be tough work,” Lehmann said. “You make your runs at the back end against quality attacks and that’s what we’ve got to get better at.”Not enough runs in the first innings as you saw, at 0 for 98 I thought we were going really well, and then that either-side period of tea we lost 4 for 9 and 8 for 80 in that, and then 10-11 did really well to get us to 243, but still it was 50-75 runs short. If we have those runs … and we’re probably short in the second innings to be fair, short another 50 there. Batting’s got to improve as we know.”I don’t think we bowled as well to [de Villiers] as we could’ve, that’s an area we can certainly improve on, but in general I think our bowling was first-rate again. If we had the extra 100 runs it would’ve been a rip-snorter of a Test match. From our point of view to AB we’ve got to bowl better to him, he’s a class player.”Dean Elgar plays on the off side•Getty ImagesWhile Warner and Bancroft had given Australia the ideal start, a lack of centuries in either of the first two Tests – South Africa have made two, from de Villiers and Aiden Markram – has hurt. Lehmann pointed to both Bancroft and Usman Khawaja as players who could have gone on to more substantial innings. He also said the captain Steven Smith was unhappy with his output, and would look to atone at Newlands.”That was good, they both looked good,” Lehmann said. “You’d love them to go on, that’s the difference at the moment, AB went on, got 140 and that hurts you in this sort of format when the series is going to be so tight, runs are going to be at a premium against two quality bowling attacks. We need those guys to go on once they get in.”There’s a few good players in the series full stop, not just those two, de Villiers and Smith. He’s disappointed with his output, he sets his standards so high, so we expect him to come back strong in the last two Test matches and have a real impact.”A groin strain to Mitchell Marsh is another of Australia’s concerns ahead of the third Test in Cape Town, and Lehmann said it would be a case of assessing his fitness in the 10-day break between Tests before deciding whether a replacement player – possible Marcus Stoinis – would be required to make the trip across the Indian Ocean.”Reasonably confident but we’ll see over the next couple of days, medical staff will have a look at him and assess him and then make a call from there. We’re hopeful for the next Test,” Lehmann said. “[A replacement] sort of depends on what we want and what we could get in Cape Town. We’ll have to sum that up the next couple of days, once we get there and have a look.”He’s close to made our most runs, we haven’t had a lot of runs in the series so far, but he’s looking as good as anyone at the moment. [With the] ball, he was going to be important, and he was important for us with those couple wickets late on day two, it would’ve been nice to pick up a few more and restrict them by 30 or 40.”We’ve got a break now, lucky enough to have a bit of downtime for the lads over three or four days and then we get into our prep for Cape Town. They’ve had a long summer, we’ve had a long summer, but you’ve seen how competitive it is out there. Both teams will be fine to go next Test.”As for the loss of Kagiso Rabada from the series due to a two-match suspension, Lehmann said he would prefer to see the best players on the park, but added that it wouldn’t matter much if the Australians did not improve their own batting. “It’s never good seeing fantastic bowlers out of series,” he said. “They’re going to miss him there’s no doubt about it, but they’ve got some pretty good bowlers that are back-ups, so for us it doesn’t matter who plays, we’ve got to play and bat better than first two Test matches.”
Leeds United continued their mixed start to life back in the Championship with a 0-0 draw away to Hull City on Wednesday night, with the Whites having now won just two of their opening seven league games to leave them two points outside the playoffs.
The Yorkshire giants' hopes of securing a second successive victory were no doubt hampered, however, by the loss of summer signing Joe Rodon to a red card on the hour mark, although the 25-year-old wasn't the only Welshman to have been culpable as Daniel Farke's men failed to clinch a much-needed three points – with Daniel James also failing to impress from the flanks.
How did Dan James perform against Hull City?
The former Manchester United man – who was once part of Hull's academy set-up – was unable to build upon his late cameo appearance in the 3-0 win over Millwall last time out, having teed up Georginio Rutter for his second assist of the season at The Den.
There was to be no such notable contribution this time around, however, as the "headless" speedster – as previously described by pundit Darren Bent – was rather ineffective in his right-wing berth, having been restricted to just 27 touches in total on the night.
Leeds United's Dan James
The 45-cap international also made just 12 passes in total as a marker of his inability to get on the ball and pose a threat to the hosts' back line, with that tally lower than what both Ryan Allsop and Illan Meslier achieved in either goal, the pair having racked up 43 and 36 passes, respectively.
While James was eventually withdrawn following his compatriot Rodon's dismissal, his woes prior to that were further laid bare by the fact that he won just 50% of his ground duels and was dribbled past on three occasions, hardly helping out Luke Ayling behind him in that right channel.
Such a limp showing from the £50k-per-week menace ensured it was a 'night that made him look like a better option to make an impact off the bench' – as per Leeds Live's Beren Cross – with his 'end product' having been 'lacking', in the words of Yorkshire Evening Post journalist, Graham Smyth.
How has Dan James performed this season?
Prior to yesterday's stalemate, it had proven a relatively promising start to the campaign for the £25m man, with James having made his presence felt after returning from his loan spell at Fulham last term, where he scored three goals in just 23 appearances for the west London side.
Now back at Elland Road, the one-time Shrewsbury Town loanee was particularly impressive in the draw with West Bromwich Albion last month, with Cross writing that it was 'one of his best games for Leeds in a very long time', as he got off the mark with a late assist.
An injury setback subsequently ruled him out for the meetings with Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday, while the diminutive talent only returned off the bench at the weekend, with it having been an unhappy recall to the starting XI against the Tigers.
With Farke blessed with attacking alternatives such as Jaidon Anthony and Crysencio Summerville – the latter man having been described by Cross as 'by far the best attacking outlet on the night' – it would be wise to consider ditching James from the side moving forward, after he simply failed to take his chance.
There is no denying that the winger's "raw pace" is an asset, yet he doesn't appear to have the "knowledge or the know-how" – according to former Leeds man Ian Harte – hence why Farke should look for another solution in those wide berths.
The two-time champions sealed a berth in the 2019 World Cup when rain arrived with Scotland five runs short of the DLS par score
The Report by Liam Brickhill in Harare21-Mar-2018It usually rains on around 191 days a year in Edinburgh, where Scotland play much of their international cricket. Harare Sports Club sees, by comparison, around 73 rainy days a year, and one of those days brought a soggy end to what was shaping up to be a thrilling match between West Indies and Scotland. Chasing 199, Scotland were 125 for 5, five runs behind the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score, when the rain came down. The result means West Indies have booked their place in Sunday’s final, and thus the World Cup in England next year.Storm clouds could be seen in the distance even as Scotland started their chase, and drizzle started to drift across the ground around the 30th over. Shortly afterwards, Scotland, who were already behind the par score, lost Richie Berrington to a controversial umpiring decision, lbw to an Ashley Nurse delivery that appeared to be heading down the leg side. Clearly aware of the need to get a move on, Michael Leask cracked two fours in his 14, but when the rain arrived in force, Scotland were still behind.While their day ended in heartbreak, Scotland could scarcely have asked for a better start to the match. Opening the bowling from the City End, Safyaan Sharif pitched his first ball on middle and swung it away to find the outside edge of Gayle’s bat. A colossus had fallen, and Scotland were boosted by the belief that, with the Gayle threat safely taken care of, this really could be their day.Things got even better for them when, with the first ball of his next over, Sharif had Shai Hope caught behind for a duck. West Indies were 2 for 2, and Scotland well and truly had their tails up. On a pitch offering bounce, carry and early swing Marlon Samuels shut up shop while Evin Lewis attempted to play something approaching his natural game. Lewis collected his first boundary with a crunching drive through the covers and, once the shine had been seen off the ball, reasserted himself with a pair of sixes off Alasdair Evans.Timing wasn’t a problem for Samuels, but he couldn’t hit the gaps nearly as often as he would have liked. One of his straight drives floored Lewis at the non-striker’s end, and Scotland’s cover fielders were kept busy, but Samuels struggled to rotate the strike with any fluency. At the other end, Lewis found his groove and moved through the 40s with a series of sweeps at the spinners. A flowing drive to the cover boundary took him to a 65-ball fifty in the 23rd over, and a dab to third man brought up the 100 partnership soon afterwards. Despite their shaky start, West Indies had laid a platform and all was set for a charge at the death.Getty ImagesExcept, it never came. Having extended the partnership to 121, Lewis attempted a huge heave to leg, but missed the ball entirely to be trapped lbw by Brad Wheal for 66. Samuels eventually reached a fifty of his own, but consumed 98 balls for his eventual 51, with 62 of those being dot balls that allowed Scotland’s bowlers to settle into a rhythm. Attempting to make amends for his go-slow, Samuels charged out and carved Leask over the off side, only for Tom Sole to take sharp, sliding catch sprinting around the long-off boundary. With his very next ball, Leask had Shimron Hetmyer caught behind, and the match turned once more.After that dismissal in the 34th over, West Indies hit just two more boundaries and lost a further five wickets to be all out for 198 in the 49th over. Sharif capped his important early wickets with the dismissal of Rovman Powell before he could do any damage, while Brad Wheal’s double-strike ended the innings. Scotland had bowled out every side they had played in this competition, bar Ireland, who managed to get through their fifty overs nine down. After this performance, it was easy to see why.Scotland needed to score at a shade under four in their chase, but more importantly they needed a steady start and cool heads. For the first 10 overs, however, neither was forthcoming. In the third over, Kyle Coetzer threw his hands into a fierce cut, but found Lewis at point. In the fourth, a hopping Matthew Cross deflected a brutal lifter from Jason Holder onto his own stumps, and in the seventh Michael Jones fell into a leg trap, hooking Kemar Roach straight to Powell at long leg. In quick time, Scotland were 25 for 3 and suddenly 199 seemed a long way off.Calum MacLeod and Berrington dug them out of the hole with a steady 42-run stand, foregoing any exuberance for risk-free accumulation. But both men were removed by Nurse, with Berrington’s dismissal proving particularly crucial as Scotland were just beginning to up the tempo as the rain approached. Michael Leask and George Munsey set themselves for a counterpunch, but it was not to be, and the rain arrived to spoil Scotland’s fairytale ending. For West Indies, though, it brought sweet relief.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have now been handed a prime opportunity to sign an "incredible" striker in the January transfer window, according to a report.
Do Wolves need to sign a striker?
Wolves completed the move for Atletico Madrid's Matheus Cunha in the last transfer window, following his initial loan spell from Atletico Madrid, but they had an otherwise quiet summer, only shelling out fees for four other new arrivals.
It is still very early days, but Cunha has not been particularly prolific in the opening stages of the Premier League game, having scored just one goal in his first five games, although the Old Gold have faced tough opposition in Manchester United, Brighton and Liverpool.
However, Hwang Hee-chan has made a flying start to the campaign, having already found the back of the net three times in the top flight, so it is unclear whether Gary O'Neil will need to pursue a new forward in the January transfer window.
That said, if the manager decides he wants to refresh his attacking options, then he may have now been handed a prime opportunity to do so, with Sport Witness relaying reports from Italy, linking Wolves with a new approach for Boulaye Dia.
Dia was targeted by the Old Gold during the latter stages of the summer transfer window, with the Premier League side making a loan offer with an obligation to buy, though their approach was knocked back by Salernitana.
After seeing the move fall through, the Salernitana striker made it clear he was not happy, and he hasn't featured for the Serie A side ever since, initially refusing to travel back to Salerno after the international break, citing personal reasons.
The 26-year-old has now returned to his club, but his long-term future is seemingly in doubt, with Sky Italia reporting he is "unmotivated" in training, and there is a real risk he will not feature for Salernitana before the January transfer window.
As such, Wolves may have a renewed opportunity to sign their summer transfer target this winter, and he could be available at a lower price.
How good is Boulaye Dia?
It is not a great sign that the Senegalese attacker has downed tools in training, simply because he did not get the summer move he wanted, but there are indications he could be a solid signing for Wolves this January.
The France-born striker has now proven himself in three of Europe's top leagues, scoring 14 goals in 36 Ligue 1 games for Reims in the 2020/21 campaign, before going on to amass ten goal contributions in 25 games for Villarreal the following year.
However, the former Reims man has looked most impressive in Serie A, averaging just under one goal every two games for Salernitana in the Italian top flight last season, netting 16 times in 33 outings.
Lauded as "incredible" by journalist Josh Bunting, Dia is a proven goalscorer at a very high level, and if Hwang's form dries up before the January transfer window, then it will definitely be worth Wolves making a renewed approach.
Derbyshire should be easy meat for the Bears as they seek to wrap up a small target on Sunday morning
ECB Reporters Network05-May-2018 ScorecardJeetan Patel and Henry Brookes bowled Warwickshire to the brink of victory over Derbyshire in the battle of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two top two at Edgbaston.Having shared eight wickets in the first innings, the pair added all ten in the second to bowl out Derbyshire for 209 on the third day.That left a victory target of just 89 and Warwickshire were 19 for 1 at the close.With a bowling attack already missing the injured Olly Stone and Keith Barker and further depleted by the loss of Ryan Sidebottom to a side-strain, the home side needed others to step up. Captain Patel and 18-year-old Brookes did exactly that.Patel took 6 for 76 to complete match-figures of ten for 170 (the fourth ten-in-a-match of his career) while Brookes harvested 4 for 56 for match-figures of eight for 119.After Warwickshire resumed in the morning on 375 for 6, they added another 64, pegged back by three wickets for Duanne Olivier who finished with 4 for 134.Olivier removed Matt Lamb (a career-best 79, 155 balls, six fours) who edged to second slip before Patel and Brookes also perished via outside-edges, off Olivier and Hardus Viljeon respectively.Tim Ambrose shepherded the tail intelligently so that 40 were added for the last two wickets before the wicketkeeper scooped Olivier to long leg.Derbyshire’s second innings suffered immediate damage from Brookes. The Warwickshire academy product’s first ball knocked out Luis Reece’s off-stump, the batsman offering no shot. Wayne Madsen chipped his sixth to mid-off.Ben Slater and Alex Hughes knuckled down to add 88 in 28 overs before Patel struck twice in seven balls. Hughes was lbw for 38, trapped on the back foot, then Billy Godelman edged to second slip to fall for a duck.Slater and Gary Wilson took the score to 138 for 4 but both then fell without addition. Slater’s impressive resistance ended at 68 (161 balls) when an inside-edge off Patel ball looped up off pad to short leg. Five balls later, Wilson was adjudged lbw to Brookes.Matt Critchley fell lbw to Patel and while Viljeon conducted an entertaining counter-attack (44 fropm 54 balls with three sixes), the innings was pared away by Patel and Brookes. Hamidullah Qadri lifted the former to mid-off and Olivier was trapped in front by the latter before Viljeon failed to connect with an attempt to smite Patel into the adjacent suburb of Moseley.In nine overs before the close, Warwickshire lost Will Rhodes, lbw playing across the line to the big-hearted Viljoen.
Leeds United were relegated from the Premier League earlier this year after their run of three seasons in the top flight came crashing to an end.
They now find themselves back in the Championship once again and are looking to return to the top level at the first time of asking under Daniel Farke.
The Whites brought the German head coach to Elland Road to replace Sam Allardyce and he arrived in Yorkshire with a proven track record at this level.
Points
94
97
Goals for
93
75
Goals against
57
36
Games won
27
29
Farke's Championship title-winning seasons with Norwich (via Sky Sports):
As shown in the table above, Farke knows how to win promotion from the Championship and could use his experience with Norwich to achieve similar success with Leeds.
The Whites are fifth in the table after 11 matches and have won three of their last four league matches as it stands, as the German head coach and his summer signings have made a positive impact on the club.
Ethan Ampadu, in particular, has been an impressive addition to the squad after his move to Elland Road during the summer transfer window, and the manager may already have the dream long-term heir to him in the form of U21 midfielder Darko Gyabi.
How much did Leeds pay for Ampadu?
The Athletic reported that the Whites agreed a deal to sign the Wales international from Premier League side Chelsea for an initial fee of £7m, plus add-ons.
They swooped to sign the 23-year-old battler after he spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan to Spezia in Italy and caught the eye with his performances abroad.
Ampadu started 32 Serie A matches for his former club and provided a consistent screen in front of the back four to sniff out opposition attacks on a regular basis.
Leeds midfielder Ethan Ampadu.
The Welsh enforcer made 3.3 tackles and interceptions and three clearances per game for Spezia, and showcased his physical strength with a duel success rate of 57%, as per Sofacore. In fact, he ranked within the top 21% of centre-backs for tackles (2.25) per 90 at that level.
He also displayed his quality in possession with 4.26 progressive passes and 0.95 progressive carries per 90 for the Italian side in Serie A. This placed him within the top 15% of his positional peers for the former and the top 22% for the latter.
These statistics suggest that Leeds were signing a proactive player as he was aggressive in his defensive contributions for Spezia and looked to progress his team up the pitch through his passing and dribbling qualities.
How has Ampadu performed this season?
Farke looked at his traits and has opted to utilise him in a central midfield role for Leeds this season, which is a position that he has thrived in so far.
The impressive battler has hit the ground running in Yorkshire with his sublime performances in midfield, as the ex-Chelsea man has contributed to the play in and out of possession.
Ampadu has averaged 3.7 tackles and interceptions per match across 11 Championship appearances for the Whites. Only Luke Ayling (2.7) has made more tackles per outing and only Joe Rodon (1.6) has made more interceptions per clash within the Leeds squad.
This shows that the £7.5k-per-week ace has been outstanding from a defensive perspective, which is backed up by his ranking among midfielders in the division.
As per FBref, Ampadu ranks within the top 11% of his positional peers for clearances (1.91) and blocks (2.18) per 90, whilst also being within the top 40% of midfielders for tackles (2.27), interceptions (1.36), and aerial battles won (1.09) per 90 respectively.
These statistics show that he has been well above average in comparison to the rest of the players in his position at Championship level this season at cutting out opposition attacks to help his team.
Sofascore rating
7.2
Blocks
Two
Interceptions
One
Pass accuracy
86%
Ampadu's most recent Leeds appearance (via Sofascore)
Ampadu also ranks within the top 35% of midfielders for progressive passes (5.73) and progressive carries (1.45) per 90 respectively, which shows that he is offering quality to push his team up the pitch alongside his defensive contributions.
His impressive form this term shows that there would be big shoes to fill if Farke ever needs to replace him, whether that is due to a move elsewhere or an injury or suspension, but Gyabi could emerge as a dream heir from the academy.
How many appearances has Gyabi made for Leeds?
The superb 19-year-old, who was once hailed for his "complete" U21 midfield display by journalist Joe Donnohue, has played five first-team matches for the club since his move from Manchester City in 2022.
Gyabi came off the bench against Ipswich in the Championship in August and has been an unused substitute in four other league matches this term, which suggests that Farke already views him as a squad option at senior level.
The teenage ace is a combative midfielder who is also able to drive forward with the ball, and this suggests that he could fulfil the role that Ampadu is currently shining in at Elland Road.
Leeds midfielder Darko Gyabi.
In the EFL Trophy last season, Gyabi caught the eye with three tackles and interceptions per game and a duel success rate of 60% across three matches against Bolton Wanderers, Tranmere Rovers, and Crewe Alexandra.
The former Cityzens youngster also showcased his ability in possession with 1.7 completed dribbles, with a success rate of 87%, and one assist in those games, as per Sofascore.
These performances were not a flash in the pan for the Leeds prospect as he impressed at the U20 World Cup for England over the summer.
Gyabi made 3.1 tackles and interceptions and completed 2.5 dribbles per game over the course of four outings at the tournament for his country.
These statistics suggest that, like Ampadu, the midfield machine is able to cut out opposition attacks on a regular basis with his defensive contributions.
Along with that, Gyabi can progress his team up the pitch with his ability to drive forward and past opponents with the ball at his feet to then find teammates in advanced positions.
Therefore, the England U20 international appears to be an exciting prospect for the Whites and a player who could have the quality to be the heir to Ampadu's midfield crown if he can translate those performances to first-team level.