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A round-up of the fourth day of the first round of matches in the Super League of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2010Sunil Sam took four wickets to cut through Assam’s middle and lower order in the second innings and set up a chase for Tamil Nadu’s batsmen, who responded by completing an outright victory with seven wickets in hand at at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Tamil Nadu needed to play urgently to force a result and had to dislodge Assam’s overnight pair of S Sriram and Tarjinder Singh early on the final day. They added 71 more runs, however, and Sriram reached a century before he was bowled for 121 by R Ashwin. The collapse began after that and Assam lost their last five batsmen for 34 runs. Tarjinder was the last man out, for 99. Sam finished with 4 for 56 as Assam were shot out for 281. Tamil Nadu needed 120 to win outright and their openers Abhinav Mukund and S Anirudha added 65. They suffered a minor hiccup, losing two batsmen on 65, but Anirudha’s 48 ensured the home side earned five points from their season opener.Having already conceded a first-innings lead, Punjab’s middle order used the final day for batting practice against Uttar Pradesh in in Meerut. The overnight batsmen, Uday Kaul and Pankaj Dharmani, went on to make 74 and 135 not out. Kaul was bowled by Piyush Chawla, ending a 130-run partnership, but Dharmani found another steady partner in Vishwas Bhalla. They added 141 for the sixth wicket, with Bhalla contributing 76. Only two wicket fell on the last day as Punjab finished on 354 for 6.Ambati Rayudu, playing his first match for Baroda, scored an unbeaten double-century which prevented Orissa from pushing for victory in Cuttack. Having already secured first-innings points, the hosts would have harboured hopes of an outright win because Baroda trailed by 122 with nine wickets in hand. Those hopes would have lifted when Connor Williams and Rakesh Solanki fell with the score on 164. Both batsmen were dismissed by Dhiraj Singh and Baroda, still trailing, had only six second-innings wickets remaining. Rayudu, however, rallied with 27 fours and three sixes in his innings of 200 off 255 balls. The game was called off soon after he reached the landmark.Mumbai might have earned three points from a first-innings lead against Saurashtra but they were the first to object to playing on such an ineffective surface at the Bandra-Kurla Complex which, they said, had robbed them of an outright victory. For more on this match, click here.A drawn Ranji Trophy match is usually an exercise in tedium, especially if a television screen close by is showing Virender Sehwag carving up slices of Motera as though it was pizza. Hundreds of kilometers away from Ahmedabad, the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi and Bengal were engaged in a bitter tussle for the better part of a day. While the contest wasn’t gripping, it was between equals. The game was eventually and predictably drawn and it was the unfashionable Bengal team that left Delhi with bruised ego, limb and three points from their Ranji Trophy season opener. For more on this match, click here.On the final day at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi, Railways’ batsmen wiped out the deficit of 104 and took a lead in their follow-on against Gujarat before the game ended in a draw. They started the day on 54 for 1 and V Cheluvaraj and Sanjay Bangar reached half-centuries during their 94-run partnership. Wickets began to fall at regular intervals after they were separated but Railways managed to draw level with Gujarat with five wickets in hand. They finished the day on 246 for 8, 88 runs ahead.Himachal Pradesh fared better in the second innings, reaching 168 for 2, after conceding first-innings points to Haryana in their season opener in Dharmasala. Sangram Singh and Vinit Indulkar made 89 and 62 not out but they were chasing an improbable target of 360 after a steady second-innings performance from Haryana’s batsmen. The visitors had resumed on the final morning on 132 for 2. Nitin Saini missed his century, falling for 92, but Manav Sharma reached his half-century and was unbeaten on 51 when his captain, Rahul Dewan, declared on 249 for 5.

Kohli back to lead both squads, while Dube and Shami also picked in ODIs and T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2019Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav have returned to India’s squads for the three T20Is and three ODIs at home against West Indies. Virat Kohli, who had been rested for the T20I leg of the Bangladesh series, also returned to lead both limited-overs sides.

India’s limited-overs squads

ODIs: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
T20Is: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Mohammed Shami, who last played a T20I in 2017, also made a comeback to the shortest format, having already been part of the ODI squad. Khaleel Ahmed and Shardul Thakur, who were both part of the squad for the T20I series against Bangladesh, were left out. Krunal Pandya also missed the cut, with Ravindra Jadeja slotting back in as a like-for-like replacement. Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson and legspinner Rahul Chahar, who both didn’t get a single game in the T20Is against Bangladesh, were also left out.Opener Shikhar Dhawan, who had injured himself while diving to reach the crease during Delhi’s Syed Mushtaq Ali game against Maharashtra in Surat, is likely to miss only one match in the domestic T20 competition, and will be available well in time for the T20Is and ODIs against West Indies.Bhuvneshwar was undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru in the past few months, with chief selector MSK Prasad having spoken about the pacer suffering from a ‘niggle’. It is understood that Bhuvneshwar had a muscle issue, but he has now recovered from it and even trained with India’s Test squad in Indore on the eve of the first Test against Bangladesh. Bhuvneshwar then proved his fitness in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, returning figures of 0 for 13 and 1 for 23 for Uttar Pradesh.Kuldeep, who had played alongside Bhuvneshwar for Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, will reunite with fellow wristspinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Fingerspin-bowling allrounder Washington Sundar retained his place in the T20I squad while seam-bowling allrounder Shivam Dube was picked for both limited-overs squads.Dube is set to make his ODI debut, having impressed in the T20Is against Bangladesh. Kedhar Jadhav, who was part of India’s most recent ODI assignment in the Caribbean, retained his place, as did Manish Pandey. Navdeep Saini, who was part of the ODI squad in the West Indies, is currently recovering from injury and isn’t part of Delhi’s squad in the domestic T20 tournament. Deepak Chahar, who bagged record T20I figures of 6 for 7, against Bangladesh, has a chance to add to his solitary ODI cap.This might be the last selection meeting headed by MSK Prasad, the former India wicketkeeper. Prasad and Gagan Khoda, the former Rajasthan and India batsman, are likely to be replaced as their tenures will end when the BCCI convenes its annual general meeting on December 1.The limited-overs series against West Indies begins with the first T20I in Mumbai on December 6.

The Ashes were sealed with a pair of thumping victories at Melbourne and Sydney, but thereafter the tour descended into tedium and acrimony

Andrew Miller09-Feb-2011At least the sun was shining, because there wasn’t much else to be cheerful about as England’s cricketers arrived back at Heathrow Airport, more than 100 days after their departure for Australia back in late October. In between their journeys through customs, the team found a perfect pitch around the 60-day mark of their tour, as the Ashes were sealed with a pair of thumping victories at Melbourne and Sydney, but thereafter it descended into tedium and acrimony, with Eoin Morgan’s World Cup fate providing the perfect bum note on which to end a peculiar odyssey.When Allan Border’s men regained the Ashes after a four-year hiatus in 1989, they were treated to a tickertape parade through the streets of Sydney, and as for England’s own exploits, the events of 2005 remain engrained on the retinas of fans of a certain age, with open-top buses and packed receptions in Trafalgar Square marking the end of a remarkable summer’s contest.Andrew Strauss was involved then, as he was now, but whereas 100,000 delirious fans had acclaimed the homecoming of the urn six years ago, this time England’s emergence at Heathrow was greeted by a smattering of gawping spectators, and a solitary burst of applause from a man who might conceivably have been taking the mickey, given how listless the team has been during the 6-1 drubbing in the one-dayers.It all felt distinctly unfair, to be honest. “I’m a little bit jaded because I’ve been on a plane for 24 hours,” admitted Strauss, as he faced the media, dressed in his best bib and tucker and with (an oversized) replica urn from the Lord’s gift shop perched on the table in front of him. Waxing about an event that culminated more than a month ago was hard enough in light of the travails that the team had encountered in the interim, but there was something rather absurd about the situation as well, given that the World Cup – of all immense contests – is looming quite so large, so soon.”The nature of international cricket is you always move onto the next thing,” said Strauss. “When we are old and grey we will sit down and look over the footage of that Ashes series, and we’ll still be very proud of what we’ve achieved, and it will go down as one of the highlights, if not the highlight, of our careers. But now is the time to look forward to the World Cup, and if we were to complete the double of the Ashes and the World Cup in space of six months, that really would be the highlight of our careers.”Strauss was half right. Now, in fact, is the time to go into hiding for 72 hours, and suck up as much family time as possible before reconvening on the soulless Bath Road in Hounslow on Saturday, ahead of a ten-hour flight to Dhaka. Although the Prime Minister, David Cameron, had expressed a desire to greet the squad at 10 Downing Street, as Tony Blair had famously done in 2005, all such fripperies are completely off England’s agenda. “I’m not going to go and knock on his door,” joked Strauss, adding that the one person he would most definitely not be speaking to in the coming days is his sidekick, Andy Flower, with whom he has been in daily cahoots since the last week of October.Whether or not England have a realistic chance in the World Cup, the loss of Morgan is a cruel blow – albeit one exacerbated by some unusually lax work from the management and medical team, who allowed him to play on through two ODIs before finally realising that his performances were being hindered by something more serious than bruising. Nevertheless, there was a clear note of frustration in Flower’s typically measured assessment, as he shifted the blame away from a player who had proved willing to push through the pain, and put it instead on an itinerary that allowed such an accident to occur so close to a major event.”We’ve played three-and-a-half months of high intensity cricket, so we will pick up injuries, that’s the nature of the sport,” said Flower. “To have the tour ending just before the World Cup starts doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I think that’s the lesson to be learnt.”There are some positive aspects of England’s current situation. With positive news about the other five injury concerns in the squad, Strauss believed that the chance for rest and recuperation would ensure that they return to action with extra motivation – particularly the frontline bowlers, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan, whose understanding of their roles and ability to work in tandem had been integral to England’s fortunes throughout their run of five ODI series wins in a row.”The atmosphere at a World Cup will be very intoxicating and motivating,” said Strauss. “All the best players in the world will be there, and ultimately only one team will walk away with that World Cup. Of course we would have liked to have won the one-day series as preparation, but a few of our guys haven’t been involved and have had an opportunity to have rest through being injured. They are going to come back into the fold and hopefully add a huge amount of impetus for us moving forward. They should be fit, but they need to find some rhythm pretty quickly, because I believe our attack is a match for anyone in the world.”Once a wide-ranging press conference had been completed, it was time for Strauss to step out into the sunshine, and pose with the urn with his back barely 50 metres from the perimeter fence of Heathrow Airport. The incongruity was impossible to ignore – almost as incongruous, in fact, as his earlier opening statement had been. “Without a doubt this is the best and most successful tour I’ve been on,” he had said, a fact that had rung so emphatically true in Sydney on January 8, but which felt wistfully hollow in London on February 8.All of which begged the ultimate question. What exactly has this past month been all about? Answers on a postcard, please. But make sure it’s addressed to the Sheraton in Dhaka. Because by the end of the week, there will be no-one at home to reply.

West Indies coach Ottis Gibson has said that leaving Ramnaresh Sarwan out of the squad for the Sri Lanka tour was a tough decision

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2010West Indies coach Ottis Gibson has said that leaving Ramnaresh Sarwan out of the Test team was a tough decision but one that needed to be made in the interests of the touring squad in Sri Lanka. Fitness issues and indifferent form have kept Sarwan out of the side in 2010, but Gibson said he still has a lot to offer the team.”It came down to whether we can continue to take Sarwan on tour and then have one of our best players not available to us for selection all the time,” Gibson said. “The decision was taken to give him more time to get fit. I still think he’s got a lot more contributions to make to West Indies cricket and that gives him the opportunity to do the things he knows he needs to do to not just get fit, but stay fit to make those contributions.”Gibson backed the “strong decisions” made by the selectors in picking a new-look squad, with Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo stripped of their leadership roles following their refusal to sign WICB’s central contracts. Darren Sammy took over as captain from Gayle, while Brendan Nash was named vice-captain.”The selectors have picked a team in trying to chart the way forward for the West Indies in the coming years,” Gibson said. “We are in the decision-making business and West Indies cricket, from where it sits currently, needs strong decisions and those are the decisions the selectors have taken. It’s an exciting time for Darren and Brendan but also for some of the young guys who have been picked.”The squad includes the uncapped pair of fast bowler Andre Russell and wicketkeeper Devon Thomas, who was picked in place of Denesh Ramdin. Gibson was confident that both the team and the new players stood to benefit from their presence on a potentially tough tour of Sri Lanka.”Thomas’ selection comes at the back of a very good stint at the Sagicor High Performance Center in Barbados,” Gibson said. “He has had rave reviews when they went on tour in Canada. The thinking of the selectors is that the subcontinent is a tough place to tour, and if you’re going on a tour like that you need to have cover in specialist positions so therefore the view of taking two keepers [Carlton Baugh is also in the side] is exactly that.”When I see Andre Russell, he excites me. He is a big, tall fellow and he has got some pace. We took the decision to take him along and it will give me an opportunity to work with him and introduce him into the international arena that way.”Gibson also reposed faith in the inexperienced leadership pair that will take charge of the side. Sammy has played only eight Tests since his debut in 2007, while the Australia-born batsman, Nash, has featured in 15.”Darren Sammy as a cricketer and as a leader always plays with passion. Hopefully when he leads, he continues to lead in that way. What we don’t want is for him to get the job and change the way he is. I said to him already that he must be his own man and make sure that we, as management, will take as much stress off him so he can do his job.”Brendan Nash, since he’s been here, has been very professional,” Gibson said. “Growing up in Australia, he’s got a steely Australia attitude, meticulous with his preparation. That’s what I see of Nash and that’s what I hope he brings to his role as the vice-captain of the team – to lead in that regard, continue to show the younger players in the team in that way.”

In 2019, Khadka led Nepal to their maiden ODI series win against UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2019Paras Khadka, the 31-year-old Nepal allrounder, has resigned from his role as team captain after nearly ten years at the helm. He made his decision public through social media one day after the ICC restored Nepal’s membership. Khadka was the longest serving captain in Associate cricket, having been in the role since November 2009. At the time, Nepal were in Division Five of the World Cricket League. But starting with victory on home soil over USA in the final of Division Five in 2010, he led Nepal on their gradual rise to ODI status, finally achieved at the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in 2018.For the majority of his decade in charge, Khadka was the most reliable batsman in Nepal’s line-up, providing the backbone at No. 3 and 4. He was just as valuable as an offspinner, though he sometimes bowled medium pace when Nepal were lacking for genuine seamers. Another major achievement during his reign was leading Nepal to their first ever major global event at the senior level when they clinched a berth in the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. Nepal scored victories over Hong Kong and Afghanistan in the opening round but fell short of advancing to the main draw as Bangladesh moved ahead on the net run-rate tiebreaker with both teams at 2-1.ALSO READ: Nepal’s cricket addicts celebrate with their kingpinMore recently, in January 2019, Khadka led Nepal to their first-ever ODI series win, against UAE, where he became the first man from his country to score an ODI century. In September 2019, he also became the first Nepal batsman to score a T20I century, against Singapore.Sandeep Lamichhane, the Nepal legspinner who began his career under Khadka and is now much sought-after in various T20 leagues, paid tribute to his captain via a tweet: “Starting the journey under your captainship, we’ve reached places Nepal cricket had never been able to before. You’ve inspired so many youths including me in the past years and given us all more reason to love this beautiful game. Best wishes for your future endeavors. And we’d all love to see you representing Nepal for as many years as possible! You truly are a legend that has made a huge mark on all of our hearts. Here’s to you Captain! The Legend Daju”Although Nepal’s readmission comes on a conditional basis, it is a move towards the right direction as they are once again eligible for ICC funding. They were suspended in 2016 for breach of ICC regulations that prohibit government interference while also requiring “free and fair elections”. Following the election of a 17-member central working committee for the Cricket Association of Nepal earlier this month, the ICC readmitted the Nepalese board. A transition plan for Nepal’s full reinstatement will now be developed.On Monday, ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar had said: “Given the progress made in Nepal, a transition plan will now be developed for the Cricket Association of Nepal to support full compliance with Associate Membership criteria, which will also involve controlled funding.”

Manchester City fans want to sign Raphinha after they were linked with a move for the winger.

The Citizens are on the verge of wrapping up the Premier League title and are still in with a chance of lifting their first ever Champions League trophy. However, that has not stopped the club’s board from planning for next season and beyond. As such, City are said to have joined the race for the £22.5m-valued 24-year-old (Transfermarkt), with both Liverpool and Manchester United also interested (Gianluigi Longari).

The Brazilian has impressed during his first campaign with Leeds United. In 26 Premier League matches, he has managed six goals and six assists (Transfermarkt), and has done well as part of Marcelo Bielsa’s system. However, Pep Guardiola already has a plethora of attacking options at his disposal – does he really need another one?

The news of City’s interest was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Raphinha news below

“He’d look like Messi in this team…”

Credit: @mcfcalfie

“Better than sterling”

Credit: @BLACKEDHART

“Yesssssssssssss”

Credit: @Kelvi_nnn

“We Need Him As soon as Yesterday… Amazing player(@Raphinha).. Great skill.. Would also be a great addition and investment for the team not to mention He’s Man City material let’s Get him please”

Credit: @forrest76768660

“Would love him at the club for sure”

Credit: @FerociousFerran

“hes saucy would take him 100%”

Credit: @alex_hodgkiss

In other news, Manchester City fans are unhappy with news on this 22-year-old.

Leeds United are eyeing a summer move for Slavia Prague sensation Abdallah Sima in the transfer window.

What’s the story?

With the Premier League season inching closer towards its finale, it appears Marcelo Bielsa is already turning his eye to how best to strengthen this Leeds squad.

And, according to Football Insider, the club are keeping close tabs on the 19-year-old Sima, and that the forward “fits the profile” Bielsa is after.

The report adds that Leeds could face competition from rival Premier League clubs, with the likes of Everton and Manchester United also credited with having an interest.

Imagine him and Bamford

Primarily a right-winger, the teenager can also play up top, and has drawn impressive comparisons with Arsenal Invincible Thierry Henry, who, of course, started his career out wide before being transformed into one of the Premier League’s leading marksmen by Arsene Wenger.

Brian Laudrup meanwhile said (via GlasgowLive): “Sima, in particular, is a wonderful player. He is only 19 years of age, but is very good in the air and can take players on. He’s quick and is scoring for fun in the Czech league.”

And, former Chelsea goalkeeper and Czech Republic legend Petr Cech even went so far as to suggest “there aren’t many players like this in Europe.”

Dubbed as “always a threat” by former Liverpool star Vladimir Smicer, Sima could build a strong relationship with Patrick Bamford, and offer the Leeds man some vital support in terms of sharing the goal-scoring burden.

This season for Slavia, the attacker has bagged 19 goals in 36 games in all competitions, including showing his pedigree at European level with four goals in the Europa League – one of them coming in a 2-0 win away at Leicester.

Sima’s ability to come inside and be a threat in the penalty box would give Leeds that security of always having a presence in the area whenever Bamford makes those darting runs into the channel to draw the centre-backs out of position.

And, standing at 6 foot 2, Sima has got the height and physicality to be a real danger from crosses being whipped in from out wide, and offer the Whites another player to hit other than Bamford.

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Sima’s versatility in being able to play on both flanks and through the middle gives Bielsa the perfect option to either partner him with Bamford as a front two, or use him as an inside forward who can link up with Leeds’ number nine by coming in off the flank.

Either way, it’s a partnership that could bear rich fruit for Leeds next season.

Meanwhile, Bielsa could find a perfect Alioski successor in this star…

West Ham United insider ExWHUemployee claimed earlier this week that the London Stadium natives were in talks with Joao Mario’s agent over a potential return to the Premier League, which could see David Sullivan acquire superb midfield depth for David Moyes.

The Irons are expected to strengthen their engine room in the upcoming off-season, to add numbers to a unit currently featuring just Tomas Soucek, Declan Rice and veteran captain Mark Noble.

Mario may emerge as an option for the east Londoners as he will enter the final year of his Inter Milan contract this summer, and is currently on loan with Liga NOS giants Sporting CP.

The Leoes are keen to retain Mario beyond his temporary spell, with reports by O Jogo last month stating that discussions were already underway after Inter Milan let it be known that the 28-year-old is available for a fee of €10m (£8.5m).

There is confidence at the Estadio Jose Alvalade that Mario will stay at the club, and it is believed that he is likewise keen to secure a permanent move following the performances of Ruben Amorim’s side this season.

But Irons insider ExWHUemployee has claimed that Mario’s agent has been in touch with the London Stadium natives to sound out any interest in a return to the Premier League, following a loan spell for the latter half of the 2017/18 season.

A return is expected to hinge on whether or not Moyes feels Mario can still perform in the English top-flight, yet word of a potential reunion has excited some supporters.

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Moyes was at the West Ham helm when Mario moved to England in the final days of the 2018 winter market, and was left impressed by the 46-cap Portugal international’s performances over the following months.

“I think Joao Mario has done well since he came in,” Moyes said that April. “He brings a little bit of flair, he’s good on the ball, and a bit of natural talent. What goes unnoticed is that he’s actually a really hard-working boy as well.”

Mario only scored twice and offered one assist over his 14 appearances in claret and blue, but his importance on the pitch helped the Hammers to stave off the threat of relegation after arriving with the club just four points clear of the bottom three.

A return to Inter Milan only saw him start 12 of 20 Serie A outings before a move to Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow and later Sporting CP for the current term, where the midfielder has been a mainstay missing just two Liga NOS fixtures and starting 19 of 22 appearances.

His creativity has again been lacking for the Leoes with two goals and one assist to date, but the hard-working £88,000-per-week maestro has offered a box-to-box presence that could offer Moyes superb depth if signed this summer.

Mario has offered Sporting a higher average volume of shots from central and holding midfield positions per 90 minutes (0.9) this season than West Ham have seen from Rice (0.8) in the Premier League, and records 1.4 tackles to the Englishman and Soucek’s 1.9, per WhoScored.

He further carries possession up the field more successful with 2.1 dribbles per 90 to Rice (0.9), Noble (0.8) and Soucek (0.4), and provides more key passes (1.3) than each of the Irons trio (0.7 Rice, 0.5 Soucek, 0 Noble).

Mario may not prove to be a ground-breaking signing if brought back to the London Stadium, but Sullivan would add experienced depth capable of delivering when needed if he convinces Moyes to accept a summer transfer.

AND in other news, David Moyes could discover his Jesse Lingard replacement in a “gifted” £18m-rated maestro…

Leeds are making a major mistake over Mateusz Bogusz amid reports linking him with an exit from Elland Road.

What’s the story?

The Poland under-21 international has played just three times for Marcelo Bielsa’s senior side and is currently out on loan at La Liga 2 outfit UD Logrones, playing just 839 minutes of league football in Spain.

According to Polish publication Meczyki, Bogusz’s time at Elland Road may be coming to an end, with Legia Warsaw in advanced talks to sign him this summer.

Bielsa will be fuming

While the 19-year-old hasn’t exactly pulled up any trees at Leeds since joining them as a youngster, it’s abundantly clear that this is a player who is still quite highly-rated.

Czeslaw Michniewicz, his manager at international youth level, raved about Bogusz’s ability, saying: “He is at a similar level as (Poland international) Sebastian Szymanski in his previous youth. He has great talent.”

He has also earned high praise from the Yorkshire Evening Post, with Lee Sobot describing him as a player “brimming with pace, confidence and natural talent.”

Bielsa himself has previously gone on record to hail Bogusz, noting that the reason he was named in a matchday squad against Swansea last summer was because of the impression he had made behind the scenes. The Leeds manager said: “He is growing in training. He’s an offensive playmaker. I thought he would be an option for today’s match. He is more offensive than (Jamie) Shackleton and (Robbie) Gotts.”

At still only 19, Bogusz still has plenty of time to grow and develop, and while he hasn’t been a regular starter on loan at Logrones, he is still picking up valuable first team experience.

The Whites have a number of young talents coming through, like Sam Greenwood and Joe Gelhardt for example, but Bogusz is ahead in the sense that he is currently playing senior football.

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That experience should hold him in good stead, and Bielsa would surely want to see what the £900,000-rated Polish starlet has learned in his time away when Leeds come back for pre-season ahead of the new campaign.

It’s exactly why Leeds are facing an unforgivable mistake by entering into negotiations over letting him go to Legia even without Bielsa taking a second look at him. The Whites manager must be fuming with where things stand regarding Bogusz’s future right now.

Meanwhile, this Leeds player let Bielsa down against Liverpool…

Some Everton fans have been left to buzz following a transfer update reported over the weekend by the Daily Star, which was shared after the social media boycott by @Everton News Feed.

As per the news outlet, the Goodison Park faithful have entered the race to sign the Manchester City striker, which has since got a lot of Evertonians talking.

Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United, FC Barcelona and Inter Milan are also in the hunt for him, and now the Merseyside club have put their name on that growing list of admirers.

However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side would not be able to offer the Argentina international the same wages that he is currently on at the Etihad Stadium, but have informed his advisors that they can make up for that with a significant signing-on fee.

Even at 32 years of age now, Aguero is still one of the deadliest forwards in world football, and given his past exploits in the Premier League, he could be a great short-term option for the Toffees up top – he boasts the best minutes-per-goal ratio in the league’s history.

Everton fans on Aguero transfer update

These Blues buzzed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that he would be an ‘amazing’ signing:

“Get in would be a amazing addition”

Credit: @Ian_Nicho

“You’d be mad not to want Aguero”

Credit: @Joe43212525

“I would love this, shame it’s another transfer got from throwing darts”

Credit: @RhysIW

“Imagine haha”

Credit: @ftbldom

“Imagine.”

Credit: @tayotv_

“Give him £20 mil signing on fee with a year contract. I’ll take him for a year happily”

Credit: @__GS2__

In other news, find out whose display was blasted versus Aston Villa here!