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Following their shock decision to sack Tony Mowbray, Sunderland's first priority must be finding a new manager and one who can pick up where Mowbray left off to guide the Black Cats towards the play-offs in the Championship.

So far, we've seen the likes of Will Still and Kim Hellberg linked with the Sunderland job, as those at the Stadium of Light continue their search for the next manager in the all-important hot seat.

Whoever arrives will have the almost immediate responsibility of making their mark on the Sunderland side through the January transfer window, which could make or break their season. That said, the Black Cats are reportedly already eyeing a move for one particular La Liga gem.

Sunderland transfer news

Sunderland don't operate with the biggest budget in the Championship, instead often relying on cheap moves or smart loan deals to keep their promotion hopes alive. We've seen the likes of Amad Diallo arrive before becoming a crucial player in a short loan period at Sunderland in what is the perfect example of how wise they can be in the transfer market. Now, they could show off this transfer tactic yet again to welcome a La Liga gem to Wearside.

According to TEAMtalk, Sunderland are eyeing a move to sign Sevilla youngster Musa Drammeh, who is available for a cut-price in January with his contract coming to an end in six months. The Black Cats have already reportedly sent scouts to watch the forward play for Sevilla Atletico – Sevilla's B team – this season and could now strike to land a bargain deal.

Sunderland aren't the only Championship club reportedly interested in Drammeh, however, with Birmingham City also eyeing a January move for the young striker, who is on the verge of a first-team debut at Sevilla.

Drammeh is ready for first-team football

Drammeh's stats show that he is a player ready for first-team football, whether that be for Sevilla or, indeed, another European club. The forward has scored five goals and assisted a further two strikes in 13 appearances for the La Liga side's B team in the current campaign so far. And at 22 years old, Drammeh must start making steps towards bigger and better things.

We saw last season just how much young players can thrive at Sunderland through the success of Diallo. If the Black Cats can now land another young gem in the form of Drammeh, they could finally have a replacement for their former loanee's star power. Heading into the weekend, only Watford and Preston North End have scored fewer goals than Sunderland in the Championship's top ten this season, highlighting just how important it is for them to reinforce their attacking options when the January transfer window opens.

Sunderland could forget Still by appointing EFL boss who plays "similar system"

The Black Cats could poach this exceptional EFL manager to replace Tony Mowbray, forgetting about Will Still instantly if the deal was successful.

ByKelan Sarson Dec 8, 2023

Of course, Sunderland must first find a new manager after Mowbray's dismissal before turning their attention to additions who have the chance to transform things at the Stadium of Light ahead of a key promotion push. Whether Drammeh is part of that push as a new arrival remains to be seen, however.

Leading the two-Test series 1-0, Sri Lanka may once again go in with the three-pronged spin-attack that fetched them 17 wickets in the first game

The Preview by Firdose Moonda19-Jul-2018Big PictureSoon, Sri Lankans might be making jokes about how the captain, the coach and the manager should be banned more often. Dinesh Chandimal, Chandika Hathurusingha and Asanka Gurusinha will miss four of the five ODIs against South Africa, after the ICC meted out its most severe punishment earlier this week since the demerit points system was introduced, but that is not a concern for the next five days.The trio is also out of this second Test but, even sans their engine room, Sri Lanka had trounced South Africa so soundly in Galle that they can confidently say they don’t need the big three back just yet. Rather, it’s the other three Sri Lanka will rely on: the three spinners.Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan made South Africa look like amateurs on a surface that was challenging but nowhere near a minefield, and they will look to do it again in Colombo. It’s difficult to imagine South Africa’s batting line-up doing worse, but stranger things have happened.For a start, South Africa have to decide on their approach against spin. Are they going to attack, with the mentality that they have to get runs before the ball gets them – something Ottis Gibson said was a tactic on seamer-friendly pitches – or are they going to show patience, bat time and trust that runs will follow? The latter sounds more sensible, the former more desperate, and desperate is what South Africa are.In 2014, South Africa reached the SSC 1-0 up in the series and were dogged in their determination not to lose the advantage. What followed was a blockathon that made the rain breaks more entertaining than play. Four years on, Sri Lanka are 1-0 up at the SSC and will want to turn the screws. South Africa will be happy to draw the series, but whether they are capable of that is the real question.Form guideSri Lanka: WWDLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: LWWWLIn the spotlightWhile Dimuth Karunaratne scored more than the entire South Africa team in the first Test, he also made more runs than any of his team-mates, which puts the onus on Angelo Mathews, among others, to step up. In absence of Dinesh Chandimal, Mathews is the senior-most batsman in the line-up and will want to show that. He was their second-highest run-scorer, behind Chandimal, when they visited India last year, before missing two of the three Test in the West Indies for personal reasons. He has not got past the 30s in his last five innings, numbers that simply won’t do for the man who should be leading with the bat.On his first tour of the subcontinent, Aiden Markram already showed improvement from one innings to the next in the first Test and will want to leave his mark on the series in Colombo. Markram faced 46 balls in the second innings, six times more than what he faced in the first, and, though he was stumped trying to charge the spinner, he showed a little more patience and a little more finesse the second time. Batting coach Dale Benkenstein expects Markram’s ability to adjust quickly to bring more rewards in the second Test.Team newsThe major decision South Africa have to make is whether or not to leave out Vernon Philander – who, despite his efforts with the bat, bowled only 11 of the 112.1 overs they delivered in the Galle Test – and finding a suitable replacement. If it’s an extra batsman they’re looking for, Theunis de Bruyn will slot in. If it’s a bowler, Lungi Ngidi could come into contention.South Africa: (possible) 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Temba Bavuma, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Vernon Philander/Theunis de Bruyn, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Tabraiz ShamsiHaving had success with a three-pronged spin-attack against Australia at the SSC in 2016, Sri Lanka will probably go with a similar strategy.Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Dhananjaya de Silva, 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Roshen Silva, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal (capt), 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Lakshan SandakanPitch and conditionsThe SSC surface is expected to take substantial turn in the latter half of the Test, but it does also tend to be conducive to seam bowling on the first morning and generally has more runs in it than the Galle pitch.Some rain is forecast for every day of the match. However, the second day is the most likely to be affected, with an 80% chance of showers.Stats and trivia Hashim Amla needs three more runs to become the third South African, after Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith, to 9000 Test runs. Angelo Mathews is eight runs away from 5000 runs. He will become the ninth Sri Lanka batsman to reach the milestone. In Galle, South Africa lost 17 of their 20 wickets to spin. In Colombo in 2014, they lost the same number of wickets to Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera, but managed to draw the Test and win the series.Irrespective of the outcome of the series, both South Africa and Sri Lanka will remain in their current positions – No. 2 and No. 6 respectively – on the ICC rankings table. If Sri Lanka win 2-0, they will gain six points, and South Africa will lose six. If the series is drawn 1-1, Sri Lanka only gain two points and South Africa lose two.Quotes”It is very important that we win a series, and that we win at home. They are the No. 2-ranked team. We need a victory to gain confidence, so it’s a very important game.”
“I will give him a kiss on the cheek.”

For Rahul Dravid, analysing his cricket and working his weaknesses out methodically was a way of making up for his relative lack of conventional talent

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2012Timeless SteelOn being seen as an intellectual, and whether he is comfortable with the tag
I am comfortable with that tag because that’s who I was. I’m not hiding away from the fact that I did think deeply about this game, and I thought deeply because I loved it. I wanted to know how good I could become. I challenged myself, I asked questions. That’s who I was.People are different. I am not the only intense or intellectual cricketer. I played with other cricketers who could be pretty intense and intellectual. I know Sanjay was too – not to the obsessive levels that I was sometimes, but he was. The beauty of this game is, it allows different people to succeed; it allows everyone to express themselves. In some ways, this intellectualism, or this curiosity, was a strength for me. As well as a weakness sometimes.On his obsession with technique
There are many who would say that. There were times when I thought too much about it. But that was who I was. Thinking about the game, working my weaknesses out, worked for me. I wasn’t the most prodigiously talented cricketer in Karnataka, let alone India. Some of my team-mates in my school team could hit the ball cleaner than I do. I had to work through that lack of talent, so to speak, that lack of natural flair. Runs never came easy for me. That was the foundation for this thinking. It was a strength. I was able to overcome a lot of things. There were times in my career when I overdid it, and that was a red flag.I realised it myself too, and a lot of senior players would tell me too, like you [Manjrekar], Anil [Kumble] and [Javagal] Srinath constantly being in my ear, telling me to just relax. But as a young kid growing up, desperate to do well, it was not always the most natural thing for me to do. As I matured, I managed it better. I don’t think the basic trait will ever go away, but I managed the whole process better.On the idea of being “less talented”
I think we judge talent wrong. What do we see as talent? I think I have made the same mistake myself. We judge talent by people’s ability to strike a cricket ball. The sweetness, the timing. That’s the only thing we see as talent. Things like determination, courage, discipline, temperament, these are also talent. I think when we judge talent, we have got to look at the whole package.The talent I was mentioning was about striking the cricket ball. It’s difficult to explain but some people just have it. You can look at a kid and say he has got it. Sourav Ganguly just had it – to time the cover-drive. You could see it. Sachin has it. Viru has it. You won’t necessarily say that about Gautam so much. Not that he is less successful. That’s what we see as talent.We don’t actually look at the other side of talent. We say a talented player didn’t make it, but maybe he didn’t have the other talent. I hate to bring this example up: Vinod [Kambli] is one of the nicest guys I have met. When [Karnataka] played him in Rajkot, Vinod got 150 against Srinath, Anil. First ball Anil came on to bowl, he hit him straight into the concrete wall. At short leg, you said, “Man, amazing, how did he do that? I wish I could do that.” But maybe he didn’t have the talent in other areas. Of just understanding what it took to be an international cricketer, or dealing with the stress and pressure. I can only guess. But maybe Sachin had that much more. Maybe in that other side of things, I was luckily much more talented.On reading, conversing, showing an interest in others’ lives
It was a way to escape. I thought about cricket a lot. I needed to get out of this bubble of mine. I found it in books and conversations with other people about other things. I was a curious person and this was my release. I like being challenged intellectually. I hated at the end of the day to talk cricket to someone else. I was talking to myself about cricket all the time, so I needed to talk to somebody else about something else. Took a lot of pressure off me. When I was reading books, or trying to find out what was interesting in others’ lives, I wasn’t thinking about cricket.On getting angry, particularly the one incident described by Sehwag to his wife, Vijeeta, where he threw a chair in the dressing room
I don’t think I was a person who got angry easily. I didn’t need to be conscious of it, but I did realise that when I did get angry or let someone enter infiltrate my cocoon, I didn’t play well. I was almost playing for the wrong reasons. There were a lot of times I was trying to prove someone wrong. In those cases I would never do well. Sometimes I tried to manufacture it to see if motivated me, but it didn’t.[On that occasion] I was partly angry with myself. We were leading the [2006] series 1-0, going into Bombay against England. I won the toss and I bowled first, which I don’t think in hindsight was a smart decision. We bowled badly on the first day on a wicket that did help the seamers a bit, we batted terribly, and in the end I was angry at myself too, because I hadn’t batted particularly well. I thought I made a wrong decision upfront. And then to end up capitulating on the last day when we could have easily played out a draw… I got a bit upset that day.On captaincy
Let me say, it’s been a great honour and privilege to captain India. When I got the opportunity, I took it up with a certain amount of energy and enthusiasm. I wanted to do it. At the time I gave it up, I felt that somehow, over a period of time, that had gone. Maybe it was the amount of cricket we played, or some of the up-and-down results we had. We had some good results, and crushing disappointments was well. All that took a toll on me. When I gave up, I wasn’t enjoying it. I was getting up in the morning, before a one-day game, and thinking, “Oh god, another game of cricket.” I had never felt like that about a game of cricket.It’s a tough job. It’s a challenging job, no doubt about it. There is a lot of stuff that happens outside the field that you need to deal with quite well. In hindsight there is a lot of stuff that I can look back on and say, “Maybe you could have done that better.” I don’t know any captain who will not look back and say, “Maybe some things I could have done better.”I’d like to believe I still did a pretty good job. I could have done a better job, yes. If I paced out better, maybe if some results had gone our way, especially the World Cup. It takes a toll on you emotionally. If some results had gone our way, I would have been able to carry on.On Greg Chappell
Right from the first time I met him in Australia, and Sourav introduced us, I thought he was a terrific man to talk cricket with. People like Greg have grown up with the game. They talk the game, they discuss the game, they have grown up in an era of Australian cricket where they would play the game and sit back and spend hours at the bar discussing the game. There was a lot he could offer, in terms of knowledge, from his experiences of having played the game so much. He was a great batsman, he knew batting, he understood batting. There was a lot he could help young kids with.On the impression that it was Chappell’s team and not Dravid’s
It was my team. It was obviously my team. Because Greg was a strong personality, because he was himself a great cricketer, and because of the fanfare and the publicity that came with whatever he did, it sometimes gave the impression that it was his team more than my team or our team or the Indian team. That’s the nature of the person; he is the kind of person who can polarise opinion. He is a strong personality. Comes across like that. I always felt that it was my team. I was always happy with the way things went.On the decline of cricket conversation among cricketers
It definitely happens less and less. In a way it is a sign of professionalism. People are cooling down, having ice baths, having stretches, going to the physio. Getting together happens less and less. I am sure when guys get together they talk about cricket, but I think there are more distractions – so much more to do. A lot more external entertainment. People don’t want to hang around in dirty, smelly dressing rooms, you know. That’s one of the sad things about the game.I remember long train journeys in our time, when playing first-class cricket. And in the evening you hear GS Viswanath and Syed Kirmani talk about the game, or Carlton Saldanha or Roger Binny. You have their undivided attention. You are pestering them with questions. They are having conversations among themselves, and you are eavesdropping on those conversations. A lot of my learning happened on these train journeys; I really enjoyed them. Sometimes I miss that. Creating that environment for that sometimes is missing.People do talk cricket, but it is different when it is casual and relaxed. Someone asks you specific advice, it is different. The best learnings happen in these casual conversations. You are talking to someone else, and someone eavesdrops – those are some of my fondest memories.On eliminating his exaggerated trigger movement, and whether it contributed to his getting bowled repeatedly in Australia
I did try and stay stiller rather than have that exaggerated shuffle. Actually, after I started playing well, it happened naturally. As time went on, as I batted better and better, that trigger movement became less and less. I tried to try and stop doing it. Partly because I was falling over a lot.My timing went off a little bit. It’s a tricky one, timing. Probably I was late on the ball. The timing of the coming down of the bat, maybe I lost that a little bit. Maybe they bowled well. Thing with these tours is, there is not a lot of time in between to analyse too much. There is not a lot of time to go back and work on some of these small things that come into your batting.On his possible future in cricket administration
Nobody can do anything about the governance of the game. It’s an impossible task I think.I’m joking. It’s a great game, it has been part of my life, I will always love to be some way involved in it. What form that takes, and how it happens, you never know. I have got to be humble about it. A lot of people who I respect and who have been able to make a contribution have always taken some time away from the game. I have lived this game, played this game, for about 25 years. I think it’s not a bad idea to step away from it, look from outside, get a perspective and then come back. I don’t know what form it might take. It’s too great a game for me to “give back to it”, but I will love to be associated.India readers, get the book here at a special price

A dry but much needed account of Sri Lanka’s startling ascent to the summit

Daniel Brigham04-Apr-2009

Ivo Bligh captained England’s first team to play in Sri Lanka on Friday the 13th, October 1882. There was no bad luck that day – they won comfortably – but their fortune did not last: setting sail for Australia a few days later, they collided with a ship in mid-ocean and had to struggle back to Galle for repairs. Well over a century on and England – along with all other Test nations – are still leaving the island of Sri Lanka shamefaced.Sri Lanka are cricket’s biggest success story. Given Test status in 1981, they have overcome a civil war and political interference to become a top Test side, redefine one-day cricket and reach two World Cup finals, winning one.Their short acclimatisation period makes a mockery of Bangladesh’s Test status. It also makes a mockery of Kapil Dev, who captained India in Sri Lanka’s first Test win in 1985 and said: “Sri Lanka will never win a Test outside her shores.”How they got to that stage is a fascinating story that goes unheard in this country. Mahinda Wijesinghe is our guide and an internationally respected one too – he submitted the first third-umpire proposal to the ICC back in 1984.This is a mixed book of his own essays and statistics. You will surely learn a great deal – from how the locals routinely beat European settlers in early 20th-century matches to the first hero of Sri Lankan cricket – “Derrick” de Saram, who won an Oxford Blue at cricket in the 1930s but refused to tour with MCC in order to play for his own country.The fun is in the learning, not the reading – Wijesinghe prefers his prose dry. He also writes on umpiring, dissent, and his dislike of Bishan Bedi – odd in a history of Sri Lankan cricket. It turns the whole book into a bit of a vanity project and leaves one hoping that a more skilled and objective writer will one day tackle the subject of cricket’s greatest underdog story. Sri Lanka Cricket at the High Table: the amazing feats in her first 25 years
by Mahinda Wijesinghe
self-published

أعرب علاء حبيل لاعب منتخب البحرين، عن سعادته بعد الفوز في مباراة اليوم على عمان بهدفين مقابل هدف، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس الخليج “خليجي 26″، والتتويج باللقب.

والتقى منتخب البحرين مع عمان، على أرضية استاد جابر الأحمد في المباراة النهائية لبطولة كأس الخليج 2024 “خليجي 26” المقامة في الكويت.

وقال علاء حبيل في تصريحات عبر قناة “صدى البلد”: “نبارك للبحرين، المباراة النهائية لم تكن بالمستوى المطلوب، ولم يُقدم المنتخب نفس المستوى الذي كان عليه من بداية البطولة، شيء طبيعي كان على اللاعبين نوع من الضغط، لكن الحمد لله في النهاية الأهم هو حصد البطولة”.

طالع أيضاً.. فيديو | منتخب البحرين يقلب الطاولة على عمان بثنائية ويتوج بطلًا لـ كأس الخليج “خليجي 26”

وتابع: “الحمد لله أن البحرين لا زالت ولادة باللاعبين الموهوبين، وحققنا اللقب للمرة الثانية، وإن شاء الله نستمر في حصد الألقاب جيل بعد جيل”.

وأتم: “مستوى البحرين لم يكن مُقنعاً في تصفيات آسيا، لكن للأمانة ما رأيناه في كأس الخليج مختلف تمامًا، وأظهر اللاعبون الوحوش الوجه الآخر من القتال والإصرار على تحقيق اللقب، في بداية البطولة لم يكونوا مرشحين وهذا منحهم دافع أكبر”.

Glasgow Rangers could need to sign a new centre-forward to bolster their squad before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.

Russell Martin currently has Danilo, Hamza Igamane, and Cyriel Dessers at his disposal at Ibrox, but it remains to be seen if all three of them will still be at the club when the window closes.

After the 2-2 draw at Ibrox on Sunday, the Rangers head coach officially confirmed that the club have rejected an offer that was way below their valuation for Dessers, which shows that there is concrete interest in the attacker.

Meanwhile, Lille have reportedly been in talks over a potential deal to bring Igamane, who scored 16 goals last season, to Ligue 1 this summer.

This means that Rangers may lose two of their three centre-forward options during the window, which may be why they have been linked with an interest in veteran forward Jamie Vardy.

Why a move for Jamie Vardy could make sense

It was recently reported that the Scottish giants are the ‘frontrunners’ to secure a deal for the free agent number nine after Genoa dropped out of the race for his signature.

Vardy ended his long-term association with Leicester City this year after a return of 200 goals in 500 matches for the Foxes, helping them to win a Premier League title and an FA Cup.

He turned 38 in January, which means that the forward is in the latter stages of his career, but the former England international still has the capability to make a big impact in front of goal at the top level.

Vardy ended the 2024/25 campaign with nine goals in 35 Premier League starts for Leicester, despite their relegation from the division, which came after the attacker had managed 20 goals in 37 games in all competitions when they were in the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign.

Mo Salah

29

33

Chris Wood

20

33

Raul Jimenez

12

34

Danny Welbeck

10

34

Jamie Vardy

9

38

Tomas Soucek

9

30

Bruno Fernandes

9

30

Jacob Murphy

8

30

Leandro Trossard

8

30

Heung-min Son

7

33

As you can see in the table above, the English dynamo’s nine-goal haul in the Premier League last season was particularly impressive, when you see that he was the only player aged above 34 within the top ten scorers over the age of 30 in the division.

This shows that he is still at a very high level in front of goal, despite his age, which is why Vardy could make a lot of sense as a short-term addition for Rangers.

Striker considering move to Rangers this summer

However, the Scottish giants appear to have an opportunity to sign another experienced free agent centre-forward who could be an even better signing than the former Leicester man.

Transfer Focus

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

According to journalist Sebastien Vidal, veteran Dutch striker Luuk De Jong is “considering” a potential transfer to Rangers after his exit from PSV.

The 34-year-old attacker became a free agent at the start of the month and is currently weighing up his options, with a switch to Scotland seemingly a realistic option for him.

Meanwhile, PSV boss Peter Bosz, when asked about interest from Rangers in the striker, revealed that he has spoken to De Jong about the possibility of him signing for Martin’s team.

It now remains to be seen whether or not the Light Blues can tempt him enough to make the move to Ibrox, as he is still ‘considering’ his options at this moment in time.

Why Rangers should sign De Jong over Vardy

If presented with the choice, Rangers should decide to sign De Jong instead of Vardy because he could be an even better signing for the Scottish side this summer.

The former Netherlands international is four years younger than the ex-Leicester marksman, which means that he may have a few more years of service to offer on the pitch for the Gers, making him a potentially better medium-term addition to the side.

His goalscoring record in the past two seasons for PSV also suggests that the Dutch dynamo has the potential to deliver more than Vardy in front of goal for Rangers, if he can adapt to Scottish football and hit the ground running at Ibrox.

In the 2024/25 campaign, the 34-year-old striker plundered 18 goals and 12 assists in 47 matches in all competitions. That came after the veteran attacker produced a staggering haul of 38 goals and 18 assists in 48 appearances in the 2023/24 season for PSV.

This means that De Jong has scored 56 goals and assisted 30 for the Dutch giants in the past two seasons, whilst Vardy managed 30 goals and six assists in that time for Leicester.

These statistics suggest that the former Barcelona ace could offer way more to Rangers as both a scorer and a creator of goals than the Englishman, whilst also being four years younger, because, quite simply, he has scored and assisted significantly more goals.

Appearances

34

31

Goals

29

14

Minutes per goal

96

175

Big chances created

18

16

Key passes per game

2.0

1.8

Assists

15

8

As you can see in the table above, De Jong has consistently provided goals and assists over the past two years at league level, and has even been unfortunate not to have more assists to his name.

He is an experienced and lethal marksman who can find the back of the net on a regular basis whilst also creating high-quality chances for his teammates week-in-week-out, which could make him a fantastic all-round centre-forward option for Martin.

More exciting than Aasgaard: Rangers chasing deal to sign £10m star

Rangers are interested in a deal for a Premier League forward who would be more exciting than Thelo Aasgaard.

ByDan Emery Jul 7, 2025

Whilst, at 34, De Jong may not represent the future for the Ibrox giants, the Dutch striker could make a big short-term impact as the Gers look to wrestle back control of the Scottish Premiership next season.

Leeds United could now be without the services of one first-team player for three of their upcoming matches under Daniel Farke, according to latest developments.

Leeds United prepare for Blackburn Rovers…

Consistent results have been key to building Leeds' promotion charge this term and Farke's side secured a seventh home victory on the trot in the Championship last weekend in a 3-2 triumph over Middlesbrough at Elland Road.

Despite a chaotic afternoon in Yorkshire, Farke was delighted with his side's ability to claim three points against a competent opponent, saying in his post-match press conference:

"It was a wild game in the first half and probably every football fan must have enjoyed this game. I loved what we did, but as a manager I liked the second half when we calmed everything down and didn't play with any mistakes."

"We still had big chances and we had just one mistake when we gave a counter attack, but we were able to play it out with a monster block from Joe Rodon. This was the only situation I was a bit unhappy with. For me a priceless three points against a very good opponent."

Fellow top-half side Blackburn Rovers lay in wait at Ewood Park this weekend in another test of the Whites' capabilities as they continue to try and hunt down Ipswich Town in second; however, that will be a tough ask, considering the Tractor Boys hold a seven-point advantage over their nearest challenger to the automatic promotion slots.

Leeds United's last five results – Championship

Opponent and result

Venue

Leeds United 3-2 Middlesbrough

Elland Road

Leeds United 3-1 Swansea City

Elland Road

Rotherham United 1-1 Leeds United

AESSEAL New York Stadium

Leeds United 2-1 Plymouth Argyle

Elland Road

Leicester City 0-1 Leeds United

King Power Stadium

Nevertheless, Farke could now be without one of his first-team squad members for the next three matches due to a fresh development at Elland Road.

Ian Poveda called up for Colombia

According to Leeds Live reporter Beren Cross, Leeds winger Ian Poveda has earned a call-up for Colombia and could now miss the Whites' next three matches following news from Elland Road that Farke approved his potential absence, as he explained below.

In the attached report, it is detailed that Poveda will potentially be involved with Colombia for the first time at any level if he takes to the field in their two upcoming international friendlies against Venezuela and Mexico. As a result, his involvement against Blackburn Rovers is now in doubt and he could also miss upcoming clashes against Sunderland and Coventry City.

Labelled "incredible" by Pep Guardiola, the Southwark-born winger has been a bit-part player under Farke this campaign, making seven appearances in all competitions (Poveda statistics – Transfermarkt).

Despite his availability now being cast into uncertainty, the opportunity for Poveda to gain experience on the international stage can only be a good thing regarding his development as a player, so it's good to see Farke giving te green light to tee player to read abroad, even if it leaves him a little lighter of wide options.

Everton could come under fire from several other clubs following their points deduction, with a reliable journalist delivering what he’s heard on the club possibly being sued.

Everton's season so far

The Toffees have made a mixed start to the new top-flight campaign having won four, drawn two and lost six of their opening 12 games, but in recent weeks, life off the field has been even more disappointing and has resulted in severe consequences.

After being found guilty of breaching some of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, Sean Dyche’s side have been handed a ten-point deduction meaning that they have dropped to second from bottom in the table.

The Goodison Park side are at risk of being sued by the likes of Burnley, Leeds United and Leicester City, which, if successful, could see Everton fall into administration, and it’s been reported that if that scenario were to happen, being docked a further nine points could come to fruition.

The Merseyside outfit are believed to be unhappy that the above case will be heard by the same disciplinary panel who punished them in the first place, though whilst there will be obvious cause for concern about what could happen in the future, a promising update has emerged which supporters will be pleased to hear.

Dean Jones delivers verdict

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Dean Jones admitted that Everton should not be worried about getting dragged into a "worst-case scenario", with confidence from Goodison Park in a positive update. He said:

"They're obviously in disarray at the moment, and there's a sense of fear over what could happen next. From what I understand there is a reasonable amount of confidence that any chance of them getting sued probably wouldn't lead to the worst case scenario for Everton.

"I think that they would look to deal with that. I think they already feel like they've been hard enough done by in this situation without any salt being rubbed into their wounds.

"You can completely see the case that the other teams that have been affected by them spending like this might feel they've got a case to actually get something for themselves here, and to feel that there is some reasons for them to avenge what Everton have gone and done in terms of spending."

Everton could face further consequences

Whilst Everton could do with more positive form and results on the pitch now, Dyche and his players could well be affected by the situation happening behind the scenes, and unfortunately for the hierarchy, this may create a domino effect of further consequences.

Should the board suffer any more financial difficulties, they could end up struggling to pay the wages of their existing squad members, not to mention how it could affect signing new players because they wouldn’t be able to compete in the market.

In addition, Farhad Moshiri has been working on the build of the club’s new stadium, Bramley-Moore Dock, though should the board be put under pressure regarding cash, this is also a project that might have to be put on the back burner until the situation has been resolved in the near future.

TalkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has urged one player to link up with West Ham United or Premier League rivals Everton.

Will West Ham sign anyone in January?

The Hammers face a very real prospect of losing a fair few players next summer. Indeed, Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals, Ben Johnson, Vladimir Coufal, Michail Antonio, Conor Coventry, Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski and veteran defender Angelo Ogbonna all have contracts which expire in 2024 (Transfermarkt) – while another pressing issue could be reported Saudi interest in defenders Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma.

The West Ham duo, according to a report by Football Insider this week, are attracting big-money interest from the Middle East and David Moyes is apparently "braced" to lose either one of them. If this happens, it is believed Moyes would be "desperate" to source a replacement. This has lead to links with Man United defender and England international Harry Maguire, who they're reportedly among the favourites to sign according to recent Maguire transfer news.

The east Londoners are also short of striking options, so if regular Michail Antonio were to succumb to injury, it would spell trouble for Moyes given his lack of faith in Danny Ings. The latter has played just 33 minutes of league action all season, prompting them to apparently look at signing in-form Stuttgart star Serhou Guirassy. Meanwhile, West Ham are also linked with a move for out-of-favour Man City star Kalvin Phillips.

Kalvin Phillips transfer news

According to some recent Phillips transfer news, West Ham are among the possible destinations for Leeds' former star who has found life extremely tough at Eastlands. The England international, despite being a Three Lions regular for Gareth Southgate, finds himself far behind Rodri in the pecking order at City – meaning a January move is on the cards.

"I want to play football and want to play as much as possible,” Phillips said to the media when asked about his future, hinting an exit is possible (The Evening Standard).

"Over the last year and a half I haven't been able to do that due to injuries and [other factors]. It's something I am going to have to think about. Hopefully my chance does come but if it doesn't then I will have to make other decisions as well."

If things don't take a dramatic turn, it appears the midfielder's future may well be far from Manchester, with talkSPORT's Agbonlahor telling Football Insider that West Ham or Everton are ideal destinations – urging him to "join" either one.

“He’s not got a future at Man City, that’s for sure," said the former Aston Villa striker.

“Pep Guardiola didn’t even start him against Arsenal with Rodri out suspended. He’ll be saying ‘why did you buy me if I’m not playing these games’. If he wasn’t sure about his future before that game, he knows now.

“If I’m him, I want to play football. He’s a young lad with a lot of years left. Join Everton or West Ham and just play football, because otherwise you are going to affect your England chances.”

Phillips, who's taking in around £150,000-per-week of Man City wages, could bring quality to the West Ham midfield, as highlighted by his praise as a "very special" player in the past by former Leeds ace Andrew Hughes.

Liverpool are heading back in the right direction after slipping out of the top four last season, with a lot of Jurgen Klopp’s side’s progression attributed to their successful summer of transfers.

It was a tedious transfer window for the Reds, as they completed the majority of their deals done early in welcoming Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister at the start of the business period.

While the Reds had a quiet period in the market while other club’s seemed busy, Klopp recruited well in adding the two midfielders to the fold, with both already repaying their fees with a strong start to life at Anfield.

Business hasn’t always been so sharp in the red corner of Merseyside, as highlighted by one of the deals sanctioned to welcome a certain player back in 2017, who called time on his Liverpool career after six years this summer.

When did Liverpool sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain?

In the summer of 2017, the Reds announced the signing of former Arsenal ace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had spent six years in north London before making the move to Merseyside.

The then-24-year-old was signed for a fee of £35m, a price that was poised to rise to £40m based on appearance-related add-ons to the joy of the Gunners.

At the time of his departure, the Englishman had just one year remaining on his contract with Arsenal, making the collection of £35m a strong deal for those at the Emirates for a player whose future was far from guaranteed in the favoured XI.

How many goals did Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain score?

Oxlade-Chamberlain left Arsene Wenger’s side having scored just 20 goals in 198 appearances, with only nine Premier League goals to his name in 132 league appearances, seeing him once branded as “awful” by journalist Miguel Delaney.

It was a confusing deal for a club as ‘on the up’ as Liverpool to agree to the expenditure of a versatile forward that didn’t have many goals to his name, however it quickly became apparent that Klopp saw the winger’s position further back.

For Liverpool, things seemed to click for the 5 foot 11 menace at first, as he was integrated into central midfield and given licence to roam.

The positional change seemed to work as Oxlade-Chamberlain had a hand in ten goals in his debut Premier League season at Anfield, scoring three and assisting seven in 32 appearances.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2023, and the Portsmouth-born whiz departed Liverpool having scored 18 goals in 146 appearances, a far from admirable tally but he had rounded the jaded edges of his game that had not been tamed at Arsenal.

How much did Liverpool spend on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain?

The most pivotal factor of the misunderstood England international’s game was his inability to keep fit, seeing him missing almost 600 days of action at Liverpool, amounting to just under two years of availability over his six-year stay.

While the Englishman’s tally in front of goal marginally improved, his development was hugely hindered by his consistent battle with injury and subsequently, his slip down the pecking order.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's career earnings

Club

Year

Weekly Wage

Arsenal

2013-2014

£52k

Arsenal

2014-2017

£55k

Liverpool

2017-2019

£80k

Liverpool

2019-2023

£120k

Besiktas

2023-2026

£48k

All stats via Capology

Despite his unfortunate injury woes not being any fault of his own, Liverpool were drained financially by the entire deal regarding the now 30-year-old’s stay at Anfield.

In total, the Reds spent roughly £68m to accommodate the midfielder’s tenure, due to his £35m price tag plus his colossus £33m picked up in wages over the six years he was employed by the club.

When he first arrived, the former Arsenal dud was earning £4.1m-per-year, which increased to £6.2m-per-year in 2019 when he penned a contract extension, amounting to a weekly wage of £120k, via Capology.

Did Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain deserve to earn so much?

Putting aside the fact that the midfielder, despite being frustrating at times, was a likeable figure on Merseyside, his presence and inability to secure consistent game time made his price tag and wage bill difficult to merit.

When dividing the £33m in wages that the Englishman received at Liverpool by the number of goals he scored in six years, the figure amounts to around £1.8m-per-goal-scored which is harrowing reading for the Reds.

This summer, the decision was made not to extend Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contract as he made nine appearances in the 2022/23 campaign, resulting in him leaving as a free agent at the expiration of his £120k-per-week deal.

Today, the 30-year-old is valued at €6.2m (£5.3m), conveying his decline over the years as he progresses in a new chapter of his story at Besiktas.

With one Champions League medal and a Premier League winners medal, the midfielder departed with silverware to add to his 18 goals scored, while Liverpool continue to weigh up the benefits of his expense.

How much do other Liverpool players earn?

While Oxlade-Chamberlain’s chapter has closed, the Reds continue to have some well-paid earners at the club, despite not pulling their weight on the pitch.

The Englishman was in the top-ten earners at Liverpool based on last season’s calculations of wage payments, with another questionable name in the lucrative list.

Similarly to Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago Alcantara has made a minimal impact at Anfield, despite being one of the squad’s top earners at present.

The Spaniard picks up an eye-watering £200k-per-week on Merseyside, and after three years has made only 97 appearances in all competitions following his £25m arrival from Bayern Munich.

Last season, the 32-year-old recorded 18 Premier League appearances, just nine more than Oxlade-Chamberlain, yet continues to reside as Klopp’s third-highest earner on £10.4m-per-year.

The two-time Champions League winner and seven-time Bundesliga winner will earn a total of £41.6m in wages alone as he plays out his fourth and final year of his contract with the Reds, making the total expenditure around the sum of £66m including his transfer fee.

Still, Thiago has cost Liverpool a lower amount than Oxlade-Chamberlain did during his time at the club, identifying two of the most frustrating, draining deals in the recent Anfield squad.

By leaving England, the 30-year-old closed his chapter in his homeland after representing Southampton, Arsenal and Liverpool, in a 13-year professional spell that amounted to 48 goals and £50.8m generated in wages alone.

All in all, the Portsmouth-born midfielder failed to make an adequate impact at either club, departing Anfield having rinsed the Reds for millions with little in return.