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Leeds United have spent the first part of the summer transfer window attempting to improve the depth and the quality of Daniel Farke’s defensive options.

Three of their four signings are defenders, as Gabriel Gudmundsson, Sebastiaan Bornauw, and Jaka Bijol have all been added to the squad, alongside striker Lukas Nmecha.

The Championship champions are also looking to improve their options in the middle of the park, though, as they were recently linked with a move for Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff.

Sky Sports reported that the Whites were interested in a deal to bring the English maestro to Elland Road this summer, and made three bids to tempt the Magpies into cashing in on him.

However, all three offers were turned down by Eddie Howe’s side, with the most recent proposal worth up to £12m, and Leeds are said to be weighing up where to go next.

The Whites will be hoping that whoever they sign to fill that central midfield role can be as effective as Kalvin Phillips was for Marcelo Bielsa in the 2020/21 campaign.

Why Kalvin Phillips was so important for Leeds

When Leeds were promoted to the Premier League under Bielsa in 2020, Phillips stepped up from the Championship and showed that he could compete at the top level with brilliant performances in the middle of the park.

The England international sat at the base of the midfield and provided consistent quality with both his use of the ball in possession as well as his destructive play off the ball to break up opposition attacks on a regular basis.

Phillips, who came up through the academy system at Thorp Arch, played 29 of the club’s 38 games in the Premier League that season, and used his defensive quality to help the team avoid relegation back down to the Championship.

The English enforcer was terrific at making tackles, interceptions, and blocks to prevent Illan Meslier from being worked too often in the Leeds goal, as shown by the statistics in the table below.

20/21 Premier League per 90

Kalvin Phillips

Percentile rank vs midfielders

Tackles

2.74

Top 12%

Interceptions

1.67

Top 18%

Blocks

1.82

Top 9%

Clearances

1.96

Top 9%

Aerial duels won

1.11

Top 39%

Passes blocked

1.30

Top 15%

Stats via FBref

Phillips ranked incredibly highly in pretty much every major defensive metric, which speaks to how important he was to Bielsa’s team in the middle of the park.

As you can see in the clip above, though, Jamie Carraghe also explained why the midfielder was an important player in possession with his ability to dictate games with his passes.

Leeds have held talks to sign Bundesliga star

Leeds may be on course to land their next version of Phillips, though, as they are reportedly interested in a deal to sign Anton Stach from Hoffenheim.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to the Sunday Mirror (13 July, page 76), as relayed by MOT Leeds News, Leeds United have already held talks with Hoffenheim over a potential deal for the central midfielder.

The report also reveals that the Bundesliga club are willing to cash in on the German talent if a club is willing to pay a fee of around £17.25m for the 26-year-old titan.

It also states, though, that Eintracht Frankfurt are plotting a possible bid for the 6 foot 4 colossus, which means that Leeds could face some pretty stiff competition to get a deal over the line for the midfielder in the coming weeks.

Why Leeds should sign Anton Stach

The Whites should push to beat Frankfurt to his signature before the end of the summer transfer window because Stach could be Farke’s own version of Phillips.

As aforementioned, the current Manchester City man was so important for Bielsa because of the defensive insurance that he provided in front of the back four, coupled with the technical quality that the English star offered on the ball.

Stach, who also offers a physical presence at the height of 6 foot 4, is a defensive or central midfielder who could arrive at Elland Road to bring similar qualities to Phillips in the middle of the park.

The 26-year-old star averaged 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game, without making a single error that directly led to a goal or penalty for the opposition, in 30 appearances in the Bundesliga last term.

Stats

Phillips (20/21 Premier League)

Stach (24/25 Bundesliga)

Appearances

29

30

Goals

1

1

Assists

2

2

Tackles per game

2.6

2.2

Interceptions per game

1.6

1.5

Duels won per game

5.3

5.6

Ground duel success rate

53%

59%

Aerial duel success rate

47%

57%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Stach’s defensive numbers last season in the German top-flight are incredibly similar to the numbers that Phillips put up for Bielsa in the 2020/21 Premier League campaign.

These statistics suggest that the German talent would offer similar qualities out of possession in the present day Leeds team for Farke, as a destructive defensive midfielder who can consistently win duels, tackles, and interceptions, whilst dominating opposition players in duels on the ground and in the air.

The £17m-rated maestro, who former teammate Dominik Kohr claimed has an “incredible” shot, also completed 83% of his attempted passes and contributed with two goals and four ‘big chances’ created, which shows that he can also make an impact in possession.

Therefore, Stach could be as important to Farke’s Leeds team as Phillips was to Bielsa’s newly-promoted side in 2020, due to his qualities on and off the ball in midfield, having proven himself in a major European league in Germany.

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That is why the Championship champions should be pushing very hard to beat Frankfurt to the signing of the Hoffenheim man before the opening game of the Premier League season against Everton.

Needing to win three out of three to win a home World Cup and recreate the joy they did at Kensington Oval when they beat USA, West Indies clearly know where they need to get better: when they are batting in the middle overs. Both their average and run-rate have been the lowest in that phase this World Cup. They are losing a wicket every 20 balls in the middle overs despite scoring just 123 per 100 balls. Even these numbers make them look better than they have been as it includes the onslaught against USA when they were assured of a win and had to go hard in order to improve their net run-rate.It was in the middle overs against England, their only defeat so far, that West Indies let the game slip away. Especially in the first half of the middle overs, when they scored just 40 runs from overs seven to 11 in batting-friendly conditions. They had resolved to do better in those periods but never got tested when they played USA.”When we lost to England, we struggled in that period after the powerplay,” Roston Chase admitted. “I mean USA and South Africa is two different opponents, but we spoke about that, and the guys came out and executed it well today. It was only four overs outside of the powerplay, but that’s the main focus, because we know we have the power at the end. So it’s just for us to control that powerplay with the batting and our bowling, and then for us in the batting to keep the momentum going through that 7 to 15 period where we fell down horribly against England.”Related

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• Shai Hope silences strike-rate critics, with bat and words

• Chase, Hope help West Indies thump USA for NRR boost

Middle overs is also where Chase might have a role to play. Just to be able to stay busy and not starve the in-form hitter of the strike. “Easy for me because my job is just to give them the strike and let them hit it for six,” Chase joked when asked how it was playing in a team full of power hitters. “So that’s right up my alley. I guess that’s why I’m pencilled in at 4 to just be that transition between the boundaries and just keeping the strike rotated as well. Because I find that most of the time the boundary hitters, they usually hit boundaries, but then they may get a few dot balls. And then it equals out the equation. But if you have me there just to stroke it around and look nice, that’s good.”If he hasn’t batted till the 10th or the 11th over, though, Chase’s role is likely to be restricted to bowling in the middle overs and fielding at backward point, where he pulled off a stunning catch against USA. “If I see 10 overs come and I haven’t gone up there yet, I just keep my eyes on Rovman [Powell, the captain] all the time,” Chase said. “Once I see he give me a look, I go, yeah. Yeah, it’s for the better of the team. And the guys go out there and execute and give it their all. I’m happy with that.”In the absence of Brandon King, West Indies are now likely to open with Shai Hope, who was tried in the Chase role once earlier during the tournament. If Hope bats through into the middle overs, he is not the one to get bogged down. Undefeated South Africa are not the usual South Africa unit that used to stall in the middle overs. They in fact choked out England in the middle overs in the last match. Don’t be surprised if this contest comes down to the middle overs.

Celtic have already completed their first signing of the summer transfer window, which opened for business on Sunday, by agreeing to bring Kieran Tierney back to Parkhead.

The Scotland international will officially return to the club at the end of this month, upon the expiry of his contract at Arsenal, to be Brendan Rodgers’ left-back for the 2025/26 campaign and beyond.

Tierney, as you can see in the graphic above, won five Scottish Premiership titles during his first stint in Paradise after coming up through the academy system, before being sold to Arsenal for £25m in the summer of 2019.

Six years later and the Scottish full-back is returning to the club on a free transfer to bolster the Northern Irish head coach’s options at the back next term.

Tierney is not the only former Celtic full-back sold for big money who is on the move this summer, though, as Jeremie Frimpong has signed for Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for a reported fee of £29.5m.

How Celtic hit the jackpot with Jeremie Frimpong

The Hoops hit the jackpot with the full-back when they snapped him up from Premier League giants Manchester City for a very modest fee of £300k in the summer of 2019, a few months after Rodgers left to join Leicester City.

Celtic were willing to take a gamble on a player who had not played a minute of senior football up to that point, as he had been playing

U23 and U18 football for City.

Because of his lack of senior experience, there was no way for the club to know how he would adapt to playing regular first-team football in Scotland, which is why it was a risk to bring him in as a right-back option.

However, he hit the ground running for the Hoops, winning the domestic treble in the 2019/20 campaign, with a fantastic debut season as a senior player.

Frimpong stayed at Celtic for another six months, playing 22 times in the 2020/21 Premiership season, before signing for Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth up to £11.5m at the start of 2021.

This shows that the club hit the jackpot with the defender because they were willing to take a gamble on an inexperienced young full-back from England for a modest fee, and went on to make a huge profit on the defender.

Frimpong then went on to provide 30 goals and 44 assists in 194 appearances for Leverkusen in all competitions before his big-money move to Liverpool this summer.

The Scottish giants are now reportedly eyeing up a move for the full-back who could follow in the Netherlands international’s footsteps at Parkhead.

Celtic eyeing move for English full-back

According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign left-back Harley Mills from English League One side Peterborough United in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Posh are currently mulling over an approach from Premier League side Fulham, who have offered £1m for the teenage defender, which shows that there is competition for his signature.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

It states that Celtic have joined the race for the League One full-back because Rodgers wants to bring in competition in the left-back position for Tierney, who is poised to return to Parkhead on a free transfer from Arsenal at the end of the month.

Greg Taylor is out of contract and currently due to move on from the Scottish giants this summer, whilst Jeffrey Schlupp’s loan deal has expired, which has left Tierney as the only left-back contracted to the Hoops heading into next season.

Mills has been identified as a player who could come in to provide back-up in that position initially, as a replacement for Taylor, and he could now come through the door this summer as Frimpong 2.0 if Rodgers signs him.

Why Celtic should sign Harley Mills

Firstly, it is worth reinforcing that the 19-year-old talent would only be a second-choice at left-back in the 2025/26 campaign to start with, because Tierney will be the go-to option given what he achieved in his first spell at Parkhead.

This means that there will not be a lot of pressure on Mills to perform straight away, as was the case when Frimpong arrived from Manchester City’s academy, and that is backed up by a potential fee of £1m, which is not a mind-blowing amount of money to spend on a squad option.

He would, therefore, be given time to adapt and adjust to senior football in Scotland, as the young left-back does not have a wealth of experience as a first-team player under his belt.

Mills, who was hailed as “outstanding” by youth coach Jamal Campbell-Ryce, has played 20 times for Peterborough, including 12 appearances in League One, but did catch the eye at Wembley in the final of the EFL Trophy.

The English star scored a phenomenal free-kick in a 2-0 win over Birmingham City for his side, and that capped off what was an excellent campaign for the Posh academy graduate in that competition.

Appearances

6

Sofascore rating

7.25

Goals

2

Key passes per game

1.2

Big chances created

1

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.2

Duel success rate

67%

As you can see in the table above, Mills showcased his quality in and out of possession across six appearances in the EFL Trophy, winning the majority of his duels with opposition attackers whilst also scoring two goals and creating one ‘big chance’ for his teammates.

He only started eight games in League One, averaging 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game and winning 62% of his duels, but his form in that cup competition shows the kind of potential he has as a left-back.

Mills has shown potential as a strong defender, who can win his duels at an efficient rate, and as an attacking force with his quality as a scorer and a creator of goals, which suggests that he is worth gambling on for a fee of £1m.

Like Frimpong, he could be a low-risk full-back signing from English football who could go on to be worth millions more in the future if things go well for him in Glasgow.

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ByDan Emery Jun 1, 2025

Aston Villa’s hopes of securing a place in the Champions League next season were dealt a blow when they lost 2-1 to Manchester City at The Etihad on Tuesday night.

The Villans, sat in seventh, remain two points behind Newcastle United in fifth place, but have now played a game more than Chelsea, Newcastle, and Forest above them.

A last-gasp goal from Matheus Nunes secured all three points for the home side, after Bernardo Silva and Marcus Rashford’s first-half goals had the game level, and Axel Disasi will not want to see his involvement in the goal replayed.

Axel Disasi's game-changing mistake

The French defender was brought on to replace Matty Cash at right-back in the second half and was skipped past with ease by Jeremy Doku in the build-up to the winning goal.

Disasi, as shown in the clip below, tried to tackle the Belgium international and completely missed the ball, which allowed the winger to spring past him before delivering a perfect cross for Nunes to score.

The centre-back, playing outside of his natural position, could have tried to show Doku down the line and attempted to block the cross, but tried to cut the attack out at source and got it all wrong, which was a costly mistake in the end.

Disasi did, however, win three of his four duels – making three tackles – prior to that lost duel with the winger, which shows that he was having a good cameo until that moment in stoppage time.

The Chelsea loanee was not the worst performer on the pitch for Unai Emery, however, as Boubacar Kamara put in a disappointing display in the middle of the park.

Why Unai Emery must drop Boubacar Kamara

The Villa head coach must ruthlessly drop the French enforcer from the starting XI because it was a tired performance by the former Marseille star.

He seemed to be laboured in his approach to duels in midfield and that led to Manchester City’s players winning the vast majority of their battles against him. Kamara ended the game with a duel success rate of 23%, losing seven of his nine duels, which shows how easy it was for the opposition.

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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Maybe it was a game too far for Kamara, who has played 37 times in all competitions this season, and Emery may need to drop him from the team to provide him with the rest that his display on Tuesday night suggests that he needs.

Pass accuracy

87%

89%

Duels won

2

4.4

Duel success rate

23%

54%

Tackles

0

2.1

Interceptions

0

0.7

Dribbled past per game

2x

1.1x

As you can see in the table above, he was below his usual standards in the Premier League this season. Instead of being his usual combative, assured, strong self, the midfield flop made it too easy for Manchester City to control the middle of the park.

He also played the full 90 minutes, and that is why he was even worse than Disasi, who only had one poor moment off the bench, because the midfielder was consistently underwhelming throughout the game.

To end the match with zero tackles and zero interceptions, as a defensive midfield, whilst playing the full game, is disappointing and not the standard that he has set this season, which is why now could be the time for Emery to take him out of the side.

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ByBarney Lane Apr 22, 2025

It’s no secret that a striker will be at the top of Arsenal’s transfer wishlist this summer.

However, with Liverpool having scored 17 goals more than them in the Premier League alone this season, a centre-forward won’t be enough; the Gunners will also need a new winger to complement Bukayo Saka.

Fortunately, there have been more than a few reports linking the club to a whole host of sensational wide talent in recent weeks, but perhaps the most consistent since last year has been to Nico Williams.

The Spanish superstar is an incredibly exciting player, but the North Londoners might be after a more sure bet, as recent reports have linked them with a Premier League star who’s like a better version of the Athletic Bilbao star.

Arsenal's summer transfer window

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other stars Arsenal are reportedly keen on signing this year, with one of the leading names still being Viktor Gyokeres.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The Swedish international has been in sensational form this term, scoring 44 goals and providing 11 assists in 45 appearances for Sporting CP, and, according to a recent report from Fabrizio Romano, remains a firm target for the Gunners.

Another attacker who seems to be on the North Londoners’ radar is Kingsley Coman, who looks set to leave Bayern Munich in the summer and could be available for around £39m.

However, given the Frenchman’s injury record and lack of involvement this term, he’s not a player that’s likely to excite the Emirates faithful, which couldn’t be said about Anthony Gordon.

Yes, according to a recent report from Football Insider, Arsenal hold a ‘strong interest’ in the former Everton star.

However, there are a couple of problems, with the first being interest from Liverpool and the second being the fact that Newcastle United will not want to let one of their star players leave, and should they qualify for the Champions League, it’s unlikely that they’d have to.

Moreover, reports from last year claimed that he’d cost at least £100m, meaning it would require a near club-record offer from the Gunners.

However, while it would be an expensive and complicated transfer to get over the line, Gordon would be worth it, as he’s a better version of Williams.

How Gordon compares to Williams

So, before we get into their output, it’s worth examining where the comparisons between the two wingers come from, beyond their positional similarities, of course.

Well, in this instance, it stems from FBref, which looks at players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one and, in this instance, has concluded that the Spaniard is the fifth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Englishman.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, goals per shot and shot on target, expected assists, passing accuracy, progressive passes and more, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.47

0.35

Progressive Passes

3.73

3.14

Goals per Shot

0.10

0.10

Goals per Shot on Target

0.33

0.26

Passing Accuracy

72.1%

70.4%

Expected Assists

0.20

0.20

Key Passes

2.08

1.86

Goal-Creating Actions

0.51

0.62

Successful Take-On %

37.6%

36.6%

However, while they do rank closely for many of those metrics, it’s important to note that the Newcastle United gem actually does slightly better in the majority.

This superiority over the Pamplona-born international extends into their output as well.

For example, in his 35 appearances this term, the “exceptional” Toon ace, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has scored nine goals and provided seven assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.18 games.

In contrast, the 22-year-old has scored ten goals and provided seven assists in 41 games for Bilbao, which comes out to a slightly less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.41 games.

Finally, while both players would undoubtedly improve Arteta’s squad, it might take the La Roja ace some time to get used to the Premier League, whereas the Liverpool-born maestro has already proven himself in the league and could make a real difference from the word go.

Ultimately, while it would be an expensive and complicated transfer to get over the line, Arsenal should do all they can to sign Gordon this summer, as he’d be an even better signing than Williams.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 15, 2025

With a blazing half-century in Ahmedabad, he shows Kings had picked the right man at the auction

Ashish Pant05-Apr-20242:50

‘Kudos to Shashank Singh for hanging in there all these years’

When Shashank Singh walked out to bat in his ninth IPL innings, Punjab Kings were 70 for 4 in the ninth over of their chase of 200 against Gujarat Titans. The required rate had rocketed to 11.47 and, according to the ESPNcricinfo forecaster, their win probability had plummeted to 4.77%.So, he had no option but to go for it. He had to take down the likes of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mohit Sharma. He had to believe he was the “best in the world”. He did and by the end of it all, his unbeaten 29-ball 61 took Kings to an unlikely three-wicket win in Ahmedabad.Related

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Shashank will undoubtedly grab the headlines after handing Kings their second win of the season and their first on the road. But approximately three-and-a-half months ago, he had become the talking point for a different reason altogether. A reason beyond his control.On December 19, 2023, Punjab Kings successfully bid for a “Shashank Singh” during the accelerated round at the auction. Hammer down, bid sealed. Minutes later the team owners seemed to suggest to the auctioneer Mallika Sagar that this wasn’t the player they were looking for. But Sagar had moved to the next player by then, so the bid stayed.Kings later put down the confusion to a case of mistaken identity clarifying that the onboarded player was always on their targeted list. Shashank also put a statement on his social media account saying, “It’s All Cool … Thank you for trusting on me!!!!” But the “accidental signing” memes had already made their way to the internet.

It’s All Cool … Thank you for Trusting on me!!!! https://t.co/Gs9hOnRspa

— shashank singh (@shashank2191) December 20, 2023