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Jason Cundy has told Chelsea to sign a fringe Liverpool star so Enzo Maresca can replace one of his mainstay players, with the talkSPORT pundit explaining exactly why Todd Boehly should move for him.

Chelsea's rumoured transfer plans for 2025

As previously reported, the Blues are planning to bolster Maresca’s options both further forward and at the back.

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Despite Nicolas Jackson’s scintillating start to 2024/2025, proving that he’s more than capable of leading Chelsea’s forward line, it is believed that Stamford Bridge transfer chiefs are still internally debating the prospect of a new striker as soon as January (Simon Phillips).

Chelsea made a late summer attempt to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli, but neither the west Londoners nor Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli could strike a deal for the Nigerian, who ended up joining Turkish champions Galatasaray on a season-long loan.

Chelsea’s next Premier League fixtures

Date

Newcastle (home)

October 27

Man United (away)

November 3

Arsenal (home)

November 10

Leicester City (home)

November 23

Aston Villa (home)

December 1

Maresca was backed with a plethora of signings over the summer window. However, a fresh centre-forward option wasn’t one of them, despite Chelsea having also made a summer proposal to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.

Chelsea are also scouring South America for centre-backs and could look to sign defenders from that continent who are plying their trade elsewhere at the moment. Meanwhile, concerns surround current Chelsea number one keeper Robert Sanchez.

The former Brighton shot-stopper has started all eight of their Premier League games so far, but has come under fire by some sections of the media, including Cundy.

Chelsea told to replace Robert Sanchez with Caoimhin Kelleher

Speaking on talkSPORT, via The Metro, the former Chelsea star claims that second-choice Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher would be an ideal successor for him.

Cundy has urged Chelsea to sign Kelleher to replace Sanchez, calling the Republic of Ireland international “top drawer”.

“What was really evident to me at the weekend was that Chelsea’s No.1 isn’t as good as Liverpool’s No.2,” said Cundy on talkSPORT.

“Whenever I see Kelleher play he looks top drawer. Sometimes when you see a No.2 goalkeeper come in, you might see the defence drop a bit deeper or they’re hesitant to do back passes.

“Whenever Kelleher’s in goal and he’s played a lot in the last 18 months to two years both in the Carabao Cup and Champions League, he never looks out of place. Liverpool don’t look any weaker with him in goal and that is a massive compliment by the way.

“If you’re a Liverpool fan, I know you’ve got [Giorgi] Mamardashvili coming in, but you don’t want Kelleher to go either. He’s too good to be a number two. I want him [at Chelsea].”

There is still time for Chelsea’s current first choice to prove his worth, with Fabrizio Romano claiming over the summer window that Maresca really rates Sanchez and couldn’t wait to work with him.

“He is a monster in terms of his physicality,” said Graham Potter on Sanchez during their time together at Brighton.

“He’s not just big but he is powerful, he is fast. In terms of attributes as a goalkeeper, he has got everything to be a top goalkeeper. We have to keep helping him, supporting him.”

The defending champions show their quality in a low-scoring match

Danyal Rasool09-Sep-2021A comprehensive bowling performance from Trinbago Knight Riders routed Barbados Royals by six wickets, chasing down 94 with more than three overs to spare. Knight Riders’ spinners did enough to stifle Royals throughout the first innings, with Akeal Hosein, Khary Pierre and Sunil Narine responsible for seven of the nine wickets that fell, conceding just 59 runs in their combined 12 overs. In response, Knight Riders chose to coast rather than blast their way to victory, with the asking rate not a concern for them. Colin Munro’s unbeaten 41 shepherded them through the chase, with Hosein’s two sixes finishing the game off with a flourish and putting Royals on the brink of elimination.Royals got off to a flyer thanks to Kyle Mayers, whose 12-ball 24 was as good as things got for his side. At that stage, the pitch looked like it had little for bowlers and a big total was seemingly on the cards. But once Mayers fell, no batter could build on the mini-platform he had set, and as the spinners took over, Royals began to crumble.A disastrous middle-order collapse saw Knight Riders pick up five Royals wickets for 18 runs, with all three spinners making hay. Azam Khan hung around with the tail without really having much of an impact, and the innings spluttered along to the end, by which time the Royals had limped to 93.Despite a brilliant first couple of overs from Mohammad Amir, including a first-ball wicket, the chase never really threatened to unravel. Knight Riders understood all they need to do was keep wickets in hand and the win was all but assured, and unlike the Royals, negotiated the middle overs expertly. Royals’ spinners had few runs to play with, and thus struggled to build any real pressure, and even though Lendl Simmons and Tion Webster departed early and Darren Bravo struggled for runs, Knight Riders were always in control.Both sides were going through the motions at the end, with the game drifting and the result not in doubt. The win took Knight Riders to the top of the table, with the defending champions assured a spot in the playoffs. Royals, meanwhile, are staring elimination in the face.

Still looking to add to their midfield, Liverpool are now reportedly keeping tabs on the progress of one transfer target who Michael Edwards could steal in to hijack ahead of Bayern Munich.

Liverpool transfer news

Whilst the Reds sit top of the Premier League even without a summer full of investment, they’ll be well aware of how unsustainable their position at the top is without the added depth they could welcome in 2025.

Of course, it wasn’t for the want of trying that a midfielder failed to complete a move to Anfield in the summer, with Martin Zubimendi simply changing his mind and rejecting Liverpool, but that’s not to say alternatives weren’t available.

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Their summer failure has at least made the 2025 task clear as day, however. A defensive midfielder to compete or sit alongside the recently-emerged Ryan Gravenberch must be the priority, even if the Reds find themselves flying under new boss Arne Slot.

With that said, those at Anfield have reportedly turned their attention towards a man in demand. According to The Boot Room, Edwards is now keeping tabs on Adam Wharton ahead of a potential move that would see Liverpool hijack a deal and jump ahead of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich as well as Premier League rivals Manchester United.

Wharton impressed against Liverpool last season, as Crystal Palace shocked the Reds to secure a rare Anfield victory. Since then, he has gone on to make his England debut and steal further headlines, before struggling alongside the rest of Oliver Glasner’s side in an early period to forget in the current campaign.

If the former Blackburn Rovers man swiftly returns to his best though, then there’s no doubt that the rumours over his Selhurst Park future will continue to arrive, with FSG, Edwards and Richard Hughes now firmly in the race.

"Incredible" Wharton could complete Liverpool midfield

At just 20 years old, Wharton’s first struggle for form was always going to arrive at one stage, but once he reaches the other side of his current blip, big things could once again await. He more than proved himself in his Anfield audition last season, winning eight out of 10 duels and making six tackles in a dominant display in the middle of the park. Now, as Liverpool look to add to their midfield, Wharton could emerge to become Slot’s missing piece.

Unsurprisingly, the Palace star has earned plenty of praise during his time at Selhurst Park, including from teammate Eberechi Eze, who said via BBC Sport: “Playing with him at Palace, I’ve got used to seeing the way he plays and understanding him. He’s very calm, composed, and a joy to play with.

“For someone so young, he’s very mature and very wise. When you speak to him, it feels like you’re speaking to someone older than you, that’s the type of person he is. He’s an incredible player.”

Alas, amid such impressive interest, those in South London may need to appreciate their midfielder whilst they still can, with Anfield potentially awaiting Wharton in 2025 despite Palace’s valuation of £100m.

Matches to be played in Karachi and Lahore, and finish before Australia’s tour of Pakistan

Umar Farooq24-Jul-2021

Multan Sultans are the defending PSL champions•PSL

The seventh edition of the PSL will be played in Pakistan in a window in January-February next year, the PCB has confirmed after consulting the six franchises. The tournament is expected to start in early January and continue till the third week of February. The scheduled has been drawn up despite a dates’ clash with the BBL in Australia. Lahore and Karachi will host 17 matches each, with the final to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.The regular PSL window, since 2016, has been in February-March, but in 2022, Pakistan is hoping to host Australia. That forced PCB to work a window either before the series against Australia or after, and neither window was without its share of clashes. April-May clashes with the IPL, and that affects the broadcasting and commercial arrangements. It is also likely to affect player availability. That window will also overlap with the month of Ramzan.The January-February period isn’t free either, because the BBL takes place then, and a number of premier T20 players are expected to be occupied there. There is also the issue of the weather in the Punjab province of Pakistan, which tends to be foggy in winter. To deal with the weather, the PCB has decided to start the PSL in Karachi, which is in the Sind province, in January, and then travel to Lahore, in Punjab, in February, when it is likely to be more conducive.The Covid-19 pandemic has hampered the PSL schedule for the past two seasons, as it has the cricket calendar around the world. The fifth and sixth editions of the tournament were both played in two chunks. The 2021 edition started in February in Pakistan but was postponed after 14 matches and completed in June in Abu Dhabi. In 2020, the tournament started on time in February, but though the league stage was completed by March, the playoffs could only be held in November.The seventh edition of the PSL will also have fresh broadcast and commercial partners after the previous deals concluded this year after a three-year run. The PCB has confirmed that it is presently working at a framework for the evaluation of the rights and their subsequent sale. The PCB is expected to hire an independent consultant to evaluate the value of the brand. In the last cycle, the PCB had secured a 358% rise in the broadcast deal, worth approximately USD 36 million.

Despite needing to replace Jack Clarke, Sunderland reportedly pulled out of talks to sign a 23-year-old winger in what would have been a loan deal from Liverpool this season.

Sunderland transfer news

On paper, losing Clarke to Ipswich Town is a major blow. On the pitch, however, it seems to have played little part. Regis Le Bris' side are flying high at the top of the Championship as the only side to have taken maximum points from their first four games. The Black Cats may have taken their time in search of their latest permanent manager, but patience has so far been a virtue.

Whether those at the Stadium of Light can credit their summer transfer business for such a blistering start remains to be seen. After all, the Black Cats didn't exactly splash the Clarke money, instead mainly focusing on free deals for the likes of Wilson Isidor and Ian Poveda.

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They also reportedly missed out on the chance to sign a replacement for their former star man. According to reports in Mexico, as relayed by LFC Transfer Room, Sunderland pulled out of a deal to sign Cesar Huertas having failed to agree terms. The Pumas winger would have joined Liverpool before heading out on loan to Wearside, only for the Black Cats to cause the deal to fall through.

A player who Liverpool certainly deemed good enough to welcome to Anfield, Sunderland may have missed a trick by pulling out of such a loan deal this summer.

Huertas could have replaced Clarke

If Sunderland are in good stead without a big-money replacement for Clarke, then the mind can only wonder just how good they'd be had they signed Huertas on loan for the season. The 23-year-old enjoyed quite the campaign for Pumas last time out and more than showcased his ability to become the main man elsewhere.

League stats 23/24 (via FBref)

Jack Clarke

Cesar Huertas

Appearances

39

28

Goals

15

9

Assists

4

9

Whilst Huertas failed to match Clarke on the goals front, his all round brilliance is clear to see with nine goals and nine assists representing his eye for both creating and finding the back of the net himself.

When the January transfer window swings open, it will be interesting to see whether Liverpool move to sign the winger again and Sunderland find themselves in position to land a loan deal for a second time.

Of course, as things stand, those at the Stadium of Light will be holding no regrets over their summer business. They sit top of the Championship, unbeaten and flying under new boss Le Bris.

The 26 finalists include the back-to-back Ballon d'Or winner, NWSL stalwart, but none of the USWNT's "Triple Espresso" attacking trio

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Article continues below

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Aitana Bonmati, Marta, Barbra Banda FIFPRO World 11 nomineesTrinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mal Swanson not shortlistedFinal team set to be announced on Dec. 9Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Most of the biggest names in women's soccer have been included among the nominees for this year's FIFPRO Women's World 11. It is voted upon annually by the best players in the game. Dating back to 2015, the award celebrates footballing excellence on the global level.

The 2024 awards will mark the ninth edition, and will be revealed Dec. 9. A record 28,000 players from 70 countries have voted for the 2024 Men’s World 11 and Women’s World 11.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The nominees are determined by position. Among the forwards are Banda, England's Alessia Russo, and Barcelona breakout star Salma Paralluelo. Midfielders include Bonmati, the USWNT's Lindsey Horan and Alexia Putellas, who impressed in her return after recovering from a serious knee injury.

U.S. center back Naomi Girma is on the list, less than two months after being omitted from the Ballon d'Or shortlist.

DID YOU KNOW?

The USWNT's "Triple Espresso" of Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson did not make the final list of nominees. Horan and Girma are the only Americans to make the list.

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THE FIFPRO WOMEN'S WORLD 11 SHORTLIST IN FULL

Goalkeepers: Mackenzie Arnold, Mary Earps, Christiane Endler

Defenders: Selma Bacha, Ona Batlle, Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Olga Carmona, Jess Carter, Naomi Girma, Alex Greenwood

Midfielders: Aitana Bonmati, Debinha, Ingrid Engen, Lindsey Horan, Alexia Putellas, Ella Toone, Keira Walsh

Forwards: Athenea, Barbra Banda, Linda Caicedo, Tabitha Chawinga, Lauren James, Marta, Salma Paralluelo, Alessia Russo

Late declaration sets visitors 374 to win, after Rushworth completes another Durham five-for

David Hopps24-Apr-2021 Derbyshire 267 (Madsen 76, Hosein 63, Rushworth 6-58) and 10 for 0 need another 374 runs to beat Durham 475 (Bedingham 257, Burnham 75, Conners 5-83) and 175 for 2 dec (Lees 78*, Bedingham 53*)This feels like a game that Durham need to win. Nobody expected them to beat the champions, Essex, last week, but they came mightily close. Derbyshire are a different matter, just the sort of opponents to help Scott Borthwick, a new captain who has returned to his roots, experience that winning feeling. It would be even more dispiriting not to win this one.Durham might have dominated this match, but after three days they cannot be entirely confident of victory. They managed five overs at Derbyshire on the third evening, but failed to get a wicket to get the show on the road. Derbyshire will resume on 10 for 0, needing another 374 for victory, and acting as spoilers is not beyond them on a lifeless, if somewhat inconsistent, surface.This was a featureless day, professional enough but with little to commend it in terms of entertainment. A cutting north-easterly wind was equally uninviting. Derbyshire have known many third days like this: up against it, sticking at it, surviving as best they can. County members are understandably desperate to see some live cricket, but those who passed the time potting their dahlias had few reasons to be aggrieved.Behind the game or not, much of the individual satisfaction rested with Derbyshire players, particularly Harvey Hosein who survived a half-chance to slip on 21 to complete a fourth successive half-century and is finally ensconced, belatedly perhaps, as their first-choice Championship keeper, having had to concede opportunities in recent seasons to the likes of Gary Wilson and Daryn Smit. Three of those fifties – against Warwickshire and then two against Worcestershire – were unbeaten so he finds himself with a palatable Championship average of 140.Hosein is not entirely lacking wicketkeeping competition. His Championship understudy, Brooke Guest, a recent acquisition from Lancashire, is playing in this match as a specialist batter and made a career-best 37. Durham also missed a chance to dismiss him, on 15, when he was sent back by Hosein, but Ben Raine’s throw to the bowler’s end was well off target. Durham will hope these fleeting opportunities do not come back to haunt them as victory chances diminish tomorrow evening.Neither innings could be rated as memorable, but they were worthy enough and their seventh-wicket stand of 83 in 25 overs helped Derbyshire keep Durham in the field for 83 overs before their innings came to a halt at 267.Related

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Their partnership was necessary when Wayne Madsen, the likeliest thorn in Durham’s side, was dismissed without adding to his overnight 76. Paul Coughlin forced some unexpected bounce out of a docile surface and Madsen, shovelling to leg, popped a leading edge into the off side.Few Durham bowling days take place without Chris Rushworth claiming attention in some form and two more wickets completed the 27th five-for of his first-class career. He is now the second highest wicket-taker in Durham’s history and, barring mishaps, he will soon pass the man at the top of the list, Graham Onions. The assumption here is that he is good for many years yet, a bowler reliant on guile not pace, and that one day he will be receiving the same sort of recognition for longevity currently lavished upon Kent’s Darren Stevens. All that was on his mind, though, was the immediate future. “Fingers crossed that tomorrow’s the day,” he said.With a lead of 208, and 52 overs to bat, the best Durham could hope for appeared to be an overnight declaration. That eventuality seemed even likelier when the New Zealand batter, Will Young, who is still to make a score of note in his three-match deal, dragged on a front-foot drive at a wide length ball, and Borthwick, having successfully swept Matt Critchley’s leg spin to the fence in the previous over, fell lbw attempting a repeat.Young made his Test debut for New Zealand late last year and, when he signed, Durham’s director of cricket, Marcus North, observed that his cricket was “in a good place.” It might well have been, but it appears that good place was in New Zealand. If anybody can explain the financial, developmental or human sense of short-term deals like this during a Covid pandemic and when the county game is mired in debt, please write to the usual address.Alex Lees and David Bedingham stepped up the pace with an unbroken stand of 92 off 18 overs, helped by 21 overs of spin from Critchley and Madsen which went for five an over. The declaration came as a surprise to this observer, if not the two sides, but Durham have not won in nine matches and they need to end that run while Borthwick’s return keeps optimism high.

Allrounder steps in to oversee clean sweep after hamstring injury rules Knight out of last game

Valkerie Baynes07-Mar-2021Natalie Sciver thoroughly enjoyed a first taste of international captaincy, saying her side made the job easy as she oversaw England’s 3-0 sweep of the T20I series against New Zealand.When Anya Shrubsole was ruled out with a knee injury, Sciver was handed the role of vice-captain for the tour, to glowing approval from regular captain Heather Knight, who said at the time: “There’s no doubt Nat is a huge leader in the group for us.” When Knight was ruled out of the final fixture because of a hamstring problem, Sciver had to bring her leadership skills to the fore and she relished the opportunity as England sealed a 32-run victory over New Zealand with 12 balls to spare on Sunday.”Sign me up for some more games,” Sciver beamed. “It’s been brilliant. With everyone contributing like that, it’s an easy game.Related

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“Yesterday, Heather pulled up not so well after the last game, so I found out yesterday [that I would be leading the team today]. I had a maybe a sleepless hour when I was trying to get sleep but as soon as the warm-up was done I was all right.”Having gone 2-0 up in the preceding ODI series, England were disappointed to have dropped the third game, which New Zealand won by seven wickets, and the tourists set their sights on sweeping the T20s.Tammy Beaumont carried on her excellent form from the ODIs, where she was the leading run-scorer, to be named Player of the Series for the T20s, again topping the run-scoring charts with 102 at an average of 34.00 and strike rate of 100.99. But when she, fellow opener Danni Wyatt and Sciver all fell cheaply on Sunday, two players trying to establish themselves as regulars in the team shone with the bat.Fran Wilson, playing her first match of the series, top-scored with an unbeaten 31 off 23 and Sophia Dunkley, coming in a No.4 where Knight would normally be, added a valuable 26 off 29 deliveries. Dunkley did not bat in the first match as England won by seven wickets and was not out on nought when they won the second by six wickets.”As soon as she heard the news, she was a bit shocked,” Sciver said of the moment Dunkley learned she had been promoted up the order from No. 6. “But then I think she managed to get her head around it.”It does get harder in T20 when you go in at five, six and seven, where you might only have two balls or ten balls or whatever it is. So, yes, it’s great for her to get a chance and really show us that she can do it.”It’s so hard to go through a tour when you’re not sure if you’re going to play and then you don’t really get the opportunity to bat in the game… Fran was really key, to be in at the end was was brilliant, so she took on her role really well.”England Women pose with the trophy•AFP/Getty ImagesBut it was England’s bowling contingent who were most impressive in the final match, with six different bowlers among the wickets as New Zealand were bowled out for 96 in 18 overs in reply to England’s 128 for 9. Young offspinner Mady Villiers claimed career-best figures of 3 for 10 from two overs, but Katherine Brunt was named Player of the Match after dismissing both openers, Sophie Devine and Hayley Jensen, for ducks in the first over of New Zealand’s chase before finishing with figures of 2 for 19 from four overs.Sophie Ecclestone ended with identical match figures to Brunt, while Freya Davies, Sarah Glenn and Sciver all chimed in with a wicket each.Sciver said Brunt, her fiancee who returned after missing the second match with a head cold and ended the series with four wickets at an economy rate of 4.17, had been bowling as well as she had done for some time.”She has been brilliant,” Sciver said. “She’s been terrorising people in the nets. You don’t want to sign up to face her at training sessions, so it’s great for her to get some reward out there on the pitch.”Sometimes she doesn’t quite have the luck go with her, or the decisions, so I’m really pleased that she managed to, throughout the tour, pick up wickets where she can and today was really important for us and she did the job.”Villiers had only bowled four overs across the first two matches for one wicket, so Sciver was happy about her return as she continues to forge a three-pronged spin attack with Glenn and Ecclestone.”It’s so good, just to have a legspinner, a left-arm spinner and an offspinner who all have got amazing talent and can come in and do a job for us at any point,” Sciver said. “Mady’s had to wait her turn a little bit but she did brilliantly today.”

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has had a difficult summer transfer window so far as he has already lost several members of his first-team squad.

Teenage whiz Archie Gray left to join Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent deal, after his first season at senior level last

term.

Central midfielder Glen Kamara has also moved on from Elland Road to join Ligue 1 side Rennes, having only joined the Whites from Rangers last summer.

Farke will now be hoping that he does not lose any more of his key players from the 2023/24 campaign, particularly amid reported interest in star forward Crysencio Summerville.

Fabrizio Romano claims that West Ham United have submitted an initial bid in an attempt to sign the Dutch whiz, who is also wanted by Italian giants Roma.

There is no price attached to the offer or a mention of how much Leeds would want for the reigning Championship Player of the Season, though, and it remains to be seen how likely an exit is for the attacker at this stage.

If the West Yorkshire outfit can keep hold of Summerville, though, then they could land a dream partner for him as they eye a swoop for another star from the division.

Leeds interested in Championship ace

According to The Mirror (22/07/2024), Leeds have joined the hunt to sign Blackburn Rovers attacker Sammie Szmodics ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

The report claims that both the Whites and Premier League side Ipswich Town are interested in a swoop for the Ireland international before the deadline passes at the end of next month.

Blackburn, however, are battling to keep hold of their star player and have gone as far as to offer him higher wages to tempt him to remain at Ewood Park for the forseeable future.

It adds that interest is growing in the Rovers forward, though, and that Leeds are now in the mix to sign him to bolster their attacking options.

Meanwhile, Ipswich reporter Stuart Watson claims that the Tractor Boys, who just earned promotion to the top-flight, have had an offer of £6m turned down by Blackburn for Szmodics.

The journalist adds that the Championship side are holding out for a staggering fee of £20m at this moment in time, which is more than three times as much as Ipswich's initial offer.

It seems unlikely that Leeds would spend £20m on a player as a Championship team but they should keep tabs on his situation and look to pounce later in the window if the forward decides to push for an exit and the valuation lowers, as he could be a dream for Summerville.

Crysencio Summerville's wing wizardry for Leeds

The Dutch attacker was crowned the Championship Player of the Season for the 2023/24 campaign thanks to his electric play down the wing for the Whites.

He won the award over Szmodics and Leicester City's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who has since signed for Chelsea, and this means that Leeds could end up with two of the best three players from the division last season by the end of this window.

Summerville came away with that trophy due to his fantastic ability to score and create goals on a regular basis from a left wing position for Farke's side.

Appearances

43

Goals

19

Assists

9

Big chances created

17

Key passes per game

2.6

As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old magician chipped in with a eye catching 28 goal contributions in 43 appearances in the second tier.

He also had a good reason to be frustrated with his teammates as they did not make the most of his outstanding creativity throughout the season.

Summerville racked up 12.53 xA and created 17 'big chances' for his fellow attackers but was only rewarded with nine assists, which shows that their wasteful finishing was to blame for him not getting into double figures for assists as well as goals.

These statistics suggest that Leeds should be looking to bring in a player with excellent and efficient finishing skills to make the most of the creativity that the flying Dutchman provides the team with on a weekly basis, which is why Szmodics should be signed.

Why Szmodics would be perfect for Summerville

The Ireland international could come in to be the perfect player to play alongside Summerville in the number ten position for Leeds, due to his fantastic finishing ability.

Making the most of chances was a huge problem for the Whites during the 2023/24 campaign, as was illustrated by the Dutch attacker's lack of assists in comparison to the quality of chances he created.

Georgino Rutter

16.05

7

-9.05

Patrick Bamford

11.11

8

-3.11

Joe Rodon

2.51

0

-2.51

Ethan Ampadu

2.3

0

-2.3

Mateo Joseph

2.43

1

-1.43

As you can see in the table above, Georginio Rutter and Patrick Bamford were particularly wasteful with the opportunities that came their way in the division.

Whereas, Szmodics scored 27 goals from 21.41 xG for Blackburn in the Championship, which shows that his finishing was considerably above average – as he outperformed his xG by almost six goals.

The 28-year-old star, who was described simply as a "goalscorer" by Jon Dahl Tomasson, scored 27 goals in 44 league outings as he proved himself to be a reliable source of goals in the second tier.

In fact, he ranked within the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Championship for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.62) – the highest total per 90 in the league.

This shows that Szmodics was one of the best goalscorers, particularly in his position, in the entire division last season and that is why he could be a fantastic signing for Leeds.

Leeds pursuing deal for "strong" star who'd brilliantly replace Cresswell

The Whites have reportedly made initial contact over a deal to sign the young defender.

ByDan Emery Jul 23, 2024

Not only would he add more goals to Farke's squad but he would also provide Summerville with a competent finisher who can finally make the most of the chances that the winger creates each week.

Benny Howell is set to spend the rest of the Big Bash season with the Melbourne Renegades as international cover after a “rollercoaster” first weekend in the competition.Howell, the Gloucestershire allrounder whose array of slower balls and consistent success in England’s T20 Blast has won him a cult following, initially joined the side for the first two games of the season while Afghan imports Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad underwent their quarantine period.But he will now stay with the squad for at least the next three weeks, travelling as part of the BBL’s hub to Canberra, the Gold Coast, Perth and Adelaide before returning to Melbourne in mid-January.Rilee Rossouw, the South African middle-order batsman, is the only overseas player that the Renegades are expecting to have available for the full competition, with three permitted in a team’s playing XI at any one time. Noor initially signed as cover for Imran Tahir, who will not be available until the New Year, while Imad Wasim is due to join the squad on Boxing Day. With Afghanistan’s ODI series against Ireland in mid-January likely to provide further complications, Howell will stay with the squad and look to press his case for selection.

Finch to miss Hurricanes fixture

Aaron Finch is set to miss the Renegades’ game against Hobart Hurricanes on Saturday in order to spend time at home with his family.
Michael Klinger previously signalled that Finch would be given some time off to refresh after spending nearly four months away on international or IPL duty, and confirmed to AAP that he would skip the Hurricanes game, with the hope of returning soon after Christmas.
Will Sutherland will return to the squad after playing for Australia A, with Shaun Marsh and Kane Richardson the main candidates to stand in for Finch as captain.

“I’ll be around,” Howell told ESPNcricinfo. “I know Nabi and Noor are coming this week, but I’ll see what happens. I’m sure Nabi will come straight in, but we’ll see what happens in terms of the balance of the side and how they choose to go about it. If I play then great, but if not then I’ll still be happy to do whatever I can to help out.”Howell’s own fortunes mirrored those of the team in their first two games of the season. Bowling his unique brand of mystery medium pace, he impressed in the convincing win against Perth Scorchers – second-favourites with the bookies ahead of the competition’s start – but struggled in the 145-run thrashing at the hands of defending champions Sydney Sixers on Sunday night.”It was a bit of a rollercoaster weekend,” he said. “We got the bad one out of the way early, but at least we got a win under our belts in the first game. It was always going to be hard playing back-to-back, not that it’s any excuse.”In the first game, the wicket was not at all conducive to cutters and offspinners. I literally just stuck to one of my knuckleballs, and it was natural variation from there. The second game didn’t quite go to plan. I was disappointed with how I did, but I can’t dwell on that too much.”Related

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In the defeat against the Sixers, in which they made the second-lowest score in the BBL’s history, the Renegades leaked 205 in their 20 overs before losing three wickets in as many overs in the chase. At that stage, they decided to target the Bash Boost bonus point, which meant they needed to reach 76 by the end of the 10th over.While they ultimately fell a long way short as wickets kept tumbling, Howell suggested that they had no regrets about the decision to keeping swinging.”We didn’t want to scrape up to 150 or 160; we wanted to at least go for the bonus point and if we’d got that, you never know, we could maybe have gone on. How often do you see teams chasing a really high score when they’re 20 for 3 after three overs? If the 10-over score is chaseable, I don’t see why not.”You might look bad if it goes wrong and you’re bowled out early, but you still lose the game, and at least you’re trying to get something from it. I think it was the right decision, we just didn’t execute at all well.”The Renegades started their season with a convincing win and a crushing defeat•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Howell’s stint at the Renegades came about thanks in part to his relationship with head coach Michael Klinger, previously a team-mate at Gloucestershire, but had also been a long time coming. He spent the 2017-18 season on standby as injury cover without playing a game, and had been lined up for a stint last year before a hamstring tear ruled him out of the competition.This year, he used his Australian passport to secure a club cricket spell in Victoria for Buckley Ridges CC, for whom he played a single game before the start of the BBL season. He may play for them again in January depending on the overseas situation at the Renegades, but after more than a year out due to injury and the pandemic, he is simply happy to be playing again.After the Australian summer, Howell has half an eye on the T10 League in the UAE, and will put his name forward for the IPL auction, despite admitting he has no expectation of being picked up. “I’m just hoping to get a good run of games in when I get the chance and to perform well: so far, so good.”