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Leeds United had yet another quiet winter transfer window as Daniel Farke’s side ended up making no purchases.

The Whites hierarchy could well feel that the star-studded squad in its current iteration can stand the test of time when it comes to the automatic promotion race, with the West Yorkshire outfit now sitting pretty at the top of Championship table ahead of a frantic February to come.

But, as can be seen by glancing at the graphic above, Leeds’ promotion rivals did end up making some significant new additions whilst the Whites faded into the background.

Yet, it wasn’t solely down to Leeds not wanting to test the waters, with one deal failing to spark into life on deadline day to the dismay of those at Elland Road.

Leeds' failed move for Cameron Archer

It was well documented on deadline day that Leeds were attempting to bring in Southampton striker Cameron Archer before the clock struck 11pm, but nothing got over the line in the end.

Successfully snapping up Archer could well have sent out a statement to the rest of the Championship that Farke’s men aren’t going to be easily knocked off the very top of the division, with the former Middlesbrough striker a deadly finisher at the tricky level in the past.

Indeed, last time out strutting his stuff in the second tier, the ex-Aston Villa forward would bag a ridiculous 11 strikes from just 20 clashes, which included an ice-cold finish under pressure at Kenilworth Road.

Off the back of Archer’s heroics, Michael Carrick’s men secured a playoff spot, with the hope being in the here and now for the high-flying Whites that the statement addition of the 23-year-old would have made a return to the Premier League even more of a walk in the park.

Unfortunately for Farke and Co, Archer will stay put on the South Coast instead, but the German will know he already has a player of a similar ilk to the Walsall-born sharpshooter in a goalscoring menace who tore Cardiff City to shreds last time out.

Leeds' very own Cameron Archer

The star in question here is Joel Piroe who very rarely needs a second opportunity in a game to break his goalscoring duck.

The Dutchman’s clinical edge was there for all to see versus the leaky Bluebirds, with two strikes coming his way from four on-target efforts, as the table-toppers made the visitors from Wales look amateur in a 7-0 drubbing.

In total for the season now, the “dangerous” centre-forward – as he has been labelled in the past by football journalist Josh Bunting – has 12 goals and five assists from just 20 starts in the league, which shows off a striker in red-hot form not too dissimilar to Archer’s purple patch at Boro.

It’s not as if this has been a one-off electric campaign for Piroe at this level either, with the 25-year-old previously electric in the Championship when on the books of Swansea City, before Leeds forked out a bumper £10m to win his services.

Piroe’s overall record in the Championship

Season

Games played

Goals scored

Assists

24/25

30

12

5

23/24

48

14

3

22/23

43

19

2

21/22

45

22

6

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Looking at the table above further reinforces how much of a goal machine Piroe has been in the Championship over the past couple of seasons, with 67 goals in total coming his way across four golden campaigns.

In stark contrast, Archer only boasts 18 career strikes in the second tier, albeit from a lot fewer games at 42 compared to Piroe’s weighty 166 but it shows how both are pretty prolific at this level nonetheless.

Still, whilst there might be a worry in the air already that Leeds will slip up in the ongoing promotion hunt owing to a lack of freshness, there is also an argument to be had that adding in a whole host of new players could have tinkered too much with the Whites machine, as Farke prays this season is finally the time for his side to return to the Premier League.

Related What 49ers did when they received late £10m bid for £15,000-p/w Leeds star

Daniel Farke had made his decision on the Leeds man.

Posts 1 ByBen Browning Feb 4, 2025

Arsenal have asked a Bayern Munich star’s agents about the player’s availability, and they’ve been sent a very clear message.

Arsenal scour January market as Arteta confirms forward plan

The Gunners are actively in pursuit of a new forward after Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka were ruled out for lengthy periods, as now confirmed by manager Mikel Arteta, who suggests that Arsenal need another body in that area.

Arsenal in January talks with £63m striker who Arteta's already spoken to

The Gunners have contacted him directly.

2

By
Emilio Galantini

Jan 17, 2025

Saka is expected to be out until March after hamstring surgery, while Jesus won’t be seen again this season following his ACL rupture sustained in their FA Cup defeat to Man United last weekend.

Kai Havertz is Arteta’s only available striker, while Saka’s absence leaves a gaping hole out wide. As a result of these blows, the north Londoners are weighing up their options in the transfer market, with Arsenal’s manager admitting that his side are attempting to bring a new forward to the Emirates.

“Yes, for sure, because we lost two big players – Bukayo, who could be out for up to three months, and then Gabby, who will be out for a long, long, long time,” said Arteta on Arsenal signing another attacker.

“We are going to try [in this window] for sure. We are actively looking. We will try. Let’s see what we can get.”

In the last few days, Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Marseille’s Elye Wahi have been named as strikers targeted by Arsenal – as interim sporting director Jason Ayto and managing director Richard Garlick look to acquire the best possible option.

There are other areas of the squad they’re reportedly looking to improve as well, like the left-back area.

Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg has claimed that Oleksandr Zinchenko is in “concrete talks” to leave Arsenal, and Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund are showing a keen interest in snatching the Ukranian before deadline day.

If Zinchenko were to depart N5 before deadline day on February 3, then Arteta would surely need a long-term replacement for the 28-year-old. According to The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, they have their eyes on Bayern star Alphonso Davies.

Arsenal approach Davies over joining from Bayern Munich

As per their information, Arsenal have approached Davies about joining them from Bayern, via his representatives.

The £182,000-per-week Canada international is also attracting interest from Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea and Man United, as his contract expires at the end of this season and the defender is free to agree a pre-contract with sides from overseas.

However, Davies’ camp have told all of these clubs, including Arsenal, that Real Madrid are his preferred destination – and there is a real belief that the 24-year-old will put pen to paper on a switch to the Bernabeu.

This comes as disappointing news for Arteta, as Davies is a world-class option potentially available for nothing, with Bayer Leverkusen superstar Florian Wirtz even calling the player his toughest ever opponent.

Newcastle and Chelsea are both reportedly interested in signing Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis, who has a €100m release clause.

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Pavlidis eyed by both Premier League clubsBarcelona and Atletico Madrid also hoveringHas scored 14 league goals for Benfica this seasonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Per Record, Chelsea and Newcastle are leading the queue to potentially sign Pavlidis this summer. The former believe he could provide competition to Nicolas Jackson, while the Magpies are reported to be interested in case Alexander Isak leaves.

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A Greece international, the Benfica striker has scored 24 goals in 46 games in all competitions and has also provided 10 assists. He has a contract until 2029, having only arrived from AZ Alkmaar in a €20m (£17m) deal in the summer, and Record states the Portuguese giants are set to hold out for his release clause.

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The report adds that the interested clubs are unlikely to trigger the clause and would prefer to negotiate. It is unclear if Benfica would be willing to countenance that discussion, however.

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Pavlidis will next be in action when Benfica play Tirsense in their Taca de Portugal semi-final first leg tie on Wednesday.

Joe Root, with a career-high 923 rating points, is now at No. 19 on the list of the highest-rated batters in Test history

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2022Jonny Bairstow and Rishabh Pant, the standout batting stars of the Edgbaston Test, have burst into the top ten of the ICC men’s Test player rankings – Bairstow at tenth place and Pant at a career-best No. 5. The unbeaten century in the second innings didn’t hurt Joe Root’s cause either, as he consolidated his position at the top of the table, that too with 923 rating points, his best.Bairstow was the Player of the Match following innings of 106 and 114 not out in England’s seven-wicket win, which helped them square the five-match Test series 2-2. That made it four centuries in his last three Tests for him, and he moved up 11 places to No. 10. He has 1218 runs at an average of 55.36 with six centuries in the current World Test Championship cycle.With Bairstow moving up, Virat Kohli, who only managed scores of 11 and 20 at Edgbaston, fell four spots to No. 13. This is the first time since 2016 that Kohli has not featured in the top ten in Test cricket. As for Bairstow, it was a continuation of his stunning rise in recent weeks. Prior to the New Zealand Test series in June, he was ranked 47th. Now, he is back in the top ten for the first time since 2018.ESPNcricinfo LtdRoot, who collaborated with Bairstow in an unbroken 269-run stand that took England over the line against India and scored an unbeaten 142 himself – to go with 31 in the first innings – stretched his lead at the top of the table to 44 ratings points over second-placed Marnus Labuschagne. Root is now also among the top 20 highest-rated batters in Test history, at No. 19.Steven Smith and Babar Azam were at three and four respectively, with Pant at five. Pant was the main performer with the bat for India in the Test, hitting 146 in the first innings and 57 in the second. That took him up six places from No. 11.Two bowlers who gained in the latest rankings update were James Anderson and Nathan Lyon. Anderson picked up six wickets at Edgbaston, including 5 for 60 in the first innings, to move up one spot to sixth among Test bowlers. And Lyon, who picked up nine wickets in the first Test in Sri Lanka, has risen five spots to 13th.Full rankings tables

Click here for the full team rankings

Click here for the full player rankings

There was also a new top-tenner in the men’s T20I bowling rankings: Akeal Hosein. Hosein has returned 1 for 22 and 1 for 27 in the two T20Is at home against Bangladesh so far – the first ended in a no-result because of the weather and West Indies won the second by 35 runs. That has given him a jump of ten spots, and a joint-eighth position with Maheesh Theekshana.Papua New Guinea’s Norman Vanua’s impressive all-round showing in the T20I series in Singapore, meanwhile, has put him in the top ten among allrounders in the format. He hit 20 and picked up 2 for 30 in the first game, and scored 71 and returned 1 for 33 in the second, moving ten places to No. 9 as a result.

National Cricket Academy coaches Sitanshu Kotak, Sairaj Bahutule and Munish Bali will be part of India’s support staff, which will be led by VVS Laxman, on the short tour of Ireland later this month.Kotak, who accumulated 8061 first-class runs for Saurashtra in a career spanning two decades, was part of the India A support staff during their tour of South Africa in November-December 2021. Bahutule, one of the most successful spinners in Ranji Trophy history with 630 first-class wickets, was bowling coach of the India Under-19 side that won the World Cup in the Caribbean in early 2022. Bali was also with them, as fielding coach.Laxman will be India’s head coach during their two-match T20I series in Ireland, filling in for Rahul Dravid, who will instead be in England to oversee the team’s preparation for the rescheduled fifth Test from the tour last year as well as the limited-overs series. With Dravid and the other senior support staff members set to depart for England with the Test squad later this week, the trio of Bali, Kotak and Bahutule has already joined the T20I squad that is currently playing South Africa at home.Laxman is currently the director of cricket at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, a position he has been in since being appointed last year following Dravid’s elevation as head coach of the national team. He has earlier been involved in coaching capacities with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and Bengal in the Indian domestic circuit as a batting consultant. Earlier this year, he was part of the support staff group with the India Under-19 World Cup-winning team in the Caribbean.There will also be a clash of dates between India’s T20 warm-up games in England – against Northamptonshire and Derbyshire – and the Edgbaston Test, so there is a possibility of Laxman being with the team during those games as well.India’s Test specialists are likely to leave for England on June 15. The Birmingham Test had been pushed back following a Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp last year.

أبدى المدير الفني لإنتر ميلان، سيموني انزاجي، سعادته الكبيرة بتأهل فريقه إلى نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتأهل إنتر ميلان بعد التعادل 2-2 مع بايرن ميونخ في إياب ربع النهائي على ملعب “سان سيرو”، ليحسم بطاقة العبور بفضل الفوز ذهابًا 2-1 في ميونخ، بمجموع 4-3.

وقال انزاجي في تصريحات لشبكة “سكاي سبورت إيطاليا”: “كانت ليلة رائعة، والجماهير دعمتنا بشكل مذهل أمام خصم قوي جدًا”.

وأضاف: “بايرن قدّم مباراتين كبيرتين، لكننا كنا فريقًا يريد التأهل بأي ثمن، وقدمنا أداءين مميزين استحققنا بهما العبور”.

وأردف: “اللاعبون تعاونوا وضحوا من أجل الفريق، وهذا هو السبيل الوحيد للتفوق على فريق مثل بايرن ميونخ، حافظنا على هدوءنا رغم لحظات التوتر، خاصة بعد هدف كين، لكننا رددنا سريعًا، واستعدنا السيطرة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | لاوتارو مارتينيز عن مواجهة برشلونة: ينتظرنا خصمًا يمتلك تاريخًا عريقًا في دوري الأبطال

وأشاد انزاجي بروح الفريق وقدرته على التعامل مع الضغط، قائلًا: “في كل مرة سجل فيها بايرن كنا نرد سريعًا، حتى بعد التعادل 2-2 وضغطهم القوي في الدقائق الأخيرة، بقينا متماسكين وهادئين”.

كما أعرب المدرب الإيطالي عن ارتياحه لعدم حصول أي من لاعبيه المهددين بالإيقاف على بطاقات، مضيفًا: “البطاقة التي خرجت في النهاية كانت لماركو، لحسن الحظ لم تكن من نصيبي أو من نصيب باستوني، وإلا كنا سنتابع لقاء برشلونة من المدرجات”.

واستطرد: “علينا أن نتذكر من واجهناه، بايرن فاز في آخر أربع زيارات له إلى سان سيرو، وكنا نعلم صعوبة المهمة، لكن هذه النتيجة تُكافئ مجهود الجميع”.

واختتم انزاجي تصريحاته قائلًا: “نأمل أن نستعيد اللاعبين المصابين لأن الجدول مضغوط للغاية، الوصول إلى نصف نهائي دوري الأبطال ليس أمرًا عاديًا، ونشعر بفخر كبير، نريد أن تستمر هذه الرحلة، وهدفنا واضح”.

The NWSL defender took a break from preseason training to attend "SIX" the musical on Broadway, meet the cast

Martin attends performance of "SIX" the musical on BroadwayDefender poses for photos with show's female cast membersGotham FC kick off 2025 NWSL season against Seattle Reign FCGetty Images EntertainmentWHAT HAPPENED

Gotham FC defender Nealy Martin took a break from her rigorous training schedule to enjoy a night out at Broadway's hit musical "SIX." Following the performance, Martin had the opportunity to meet and take photos with the show's all-female cast, bridging the worlds of professional soccer and theater in New York City.

She was pictured with the likes of Kelsie Watts, Krystal Hernandez, Gianni Yanell and several other cast members while sporting her 2023 NWSL championship ring.

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While Martin was only watching "SIX" at Broadway, Gotham FC have taken things to another level as they’ve introduced several theme nights for the 2025 NWSL season. One of the evenings includes a Broadway Night theme which will be on show during the club’s home game against the San Diego Wave on May 16.

There are nine other themed nights and these events are designed to celebrate the unique backgrounds and cultures of both fans and players, creating an atmosphere that embraces diversity and promotes a sense of belonging.

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Gotham FC kick off their 2025 NWSL season against Seattle Reign FC on March 15 before hosting 2024 NWSL champions Orlando Pride at the Sports Illustrated Stadium on March 24.

Stumps A dozen wickets fell on the second day in Christchurch as South Africa squandered and then seized the advantage in a must-win match. Resuming on 238 for 3, the visitors would have been eyeing a total above 400, but lost 5 for 45 as clouds rolled in and offered the seam movement that had been missing on the opening day. On 302 for 8, even 320 seemed a distance away but Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj put on a 62-run ninth-wicket stand to take South Africa past 350. Then, Kagiso Rabada and Jansen ran through New Zealand’s top six to leave them on 91 for 5 but a counter-attacking half-century from Colin de Grandhomme, off 36 balls, took New Zealand eight runs away from avoiding the follow-on.The most notable difference between play on the second day compared to the first was in the conditions. It started in sunshine and there was swing in the air but it soon became overcast and there was some drizzle and the seamers came to life. The pitch also quickened up and run-scoring became less laboured. After hovering at over two an over in the morning session, South Africa scored at more than four an over post lunch while New Zealand’s run-rate was a healthy 3.5. All that resulted in four times the number of wickets falling on day two compared to day one and the game speeding up.Matt Henry created the first opportunity in the fourth over on Saturday. Rassie van der Dussen attempted to drive a ball that swung away but edged to Tim Southee at third slip. After five edges did not carry on the first day, it seemed New Zealand were surprised when one did and the fielder could not hold on. van der Dussen chipped the next ball back to Henry but it fell short and scooted away for three. Finally, Henry had some luck when he bowled Bavuma with a delivery that surprised everyone, that slipped under the bat and knocked over off stump.Two balls later, Henry beat Kyle Verreynne with one that seamed away and missed the edge and two balls after that, Verreynne was nearly run-out at the non-striker’s end as he got off the mark with a risky single. Henry only had to wait until his next over for Verreynne to nick off to second slip. The wicketkeeper batter has now scored just 112 runs from six Test innings and averages 14.00.South Africa lost 2 for 23 in the first 10 overs of the morning and scored only just 16 runs off the next 10 overs and something had to give. Neil Wagner was the beneficiary of the squeeze when van der Dussen, desperate for runs, chased a wide half-volley on one knee and edged to Daryl Mitchell at first slip.Wiaan Mulder, still considered a batting allrounder, looked composed and played crisp drives off the front and back foot before attempting a half-hearted pull shot, and as hard as he tried to bail out, he popped up a top edge that landed safely in Tom Blundell’s gloves. South Africa went to lunch on 298 for 7 and lost Rabada two overs after the break. He became Wagner’s fourth wicket, playing at a ball on fourth-stump line only to get a thick edge to slip.Colin de Grandhomme scored a 36-ball 50•AFP/Getty Images

A short rain delay did not put Jansen or Maharaj off their task and they batted with fluency as New Zealand fell into the trap of peppering Nos. 8 and 10 with short balls. Maharaj brought out the upper cut off Henry, Jansen was strong on the pull off Wagner, then Maharaj flayed Wagner for three boundaries in an over to bring up the fifty-run stand and sliced Southee through cover for four. Kyle Jamieson, who had not had any success earlier in the innings, put an end to South Africa’s chutzpah when he had Maharaj caught at gully and Lutho Sipamla caught in the slips to end South Africa’s innings 25 minutes before the scheduled tea break.The tourists used that time to their advantage. Rabada removed both openers in 10 deliveries to make South Africa’s total look like much more than it is. Tom Latham was caught down the leg side by Verreynne, diving to his right, and Will Young was done in a manner more conventional, nicking off to a ball he should have left outside off.Rabada started the final session on fire too, much to Devon Conway’s discomfort. In three successive balls, South Africa reviewed an lbw chance that was too high, had an appeal for caught behind that came off the thigh and a ball that beat that bat by a whisker. Conway also survived an lbw shout off Sipamla, playing his first Test since the series against Sri Lanka in early 2021, and almost handed Rabada a return catch before falling to the second leg-side strangle of the innings off Jansen.Mulder was brought on after 20 overs and convinced Dean Elgar to go for two reviews in three balls in his second over. The first hit Mitchell above the knee roll and was umpire’s call on clipping the bails, the second was in a similar spot with the same batter caught on the crease. Ball-tracking showed this one was missing the stumps altogether. Mitchell gave thanks to the heavens and remained batting to the close but some of his partners were not quite so lucky.Nicholls was caught by a strategically-placed fielder halfway to the point boundary as he failed to keep the cut down and Blundell bowled while shouldering arms to Rabada. South Africa would have sensed an opportunity to run through New Zealand but de Grandhomme didn’t give it to them.He took on the bowling, especially the inexperienced pair of Mulder, who he hit for a six and back-to-back fours in the same over, and Sipamla, who he cut for four and pulled for six off successive balls. He brought up fifty with a drive to deep cover and then changed gears to see out the day. South Africa used the last review on the penultimate ball of the day when Sipamla appealed for lbw against Mitchell, but he had inside-edged the ball.While South Africa will be pleased with their efforts, especially with the ball, they may still have some concern about their bowling discipline. While New Zealand bowled 41 maidens out of 133 – a third – South Africa sent down 11 out of 45, less than a quarter.