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Leeds United picked up a crucial win on Wednesday night, as they beat Chelsea 3-1 to go outside of the relegation zone. With 14 points to their name in as many games, it has certainly been a struggle for Daniel Farke’s side this season.

However, they are in good form. Of course, they beat the Blues this week at Elland Road, and last Saturday were unlucky to drop points away to Manchester City.

Only a goal in the 92nd minute from Phil Foden could sink Farke’s team, who were close to the ideal week in their relegation fight.

Indeed, there have been some standout players over the past few days for the West Yorkshire side.

Leeds’ best players in their last two games

It is hard to pinpoint just a couple of players who have excelled for Farke’s side against two of the Premier League’s title challengers, with the whole squad impressing. However, one player who shone was defender Jayden Bogle.

Against City, he played as a right-back, and won 100% of his tackles and three ground duels coming up against Jeremy Doku. On Wednesday, he had more of an advanced role and made great use of it.

Operating as a wing-back on the right flank, Bogle assisted Ao Tanaka, who made it 2-0 to Leeds on the stroke of half-time.

Another standout from the impressive performances this week was summer signing Lukas Nmecha. The German striker has been in good form this term and added to his goal tally at the Etihad Stadium last weekend. He’s now bagged four times in the top flight this season.

Whilst he didn’t find the back of the net against the Blues, Nmecha still made a real nuisance of himself for the Chelsea backline.

The German was not the only Leeds attacker who stood out in the last week.

From "Bang average" to undroppable

The Whites are not short of attacking options after a busy summer. They already had the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Joel Piroe and Wilfried Gnoto, three of the players at Farke’s disposal, who all played a big role in their promotion.

Chalkboard

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

Nmecha was brought in to add to that depth, as was Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The former Everton star made the move to West Yorkshire upon the expiry of his contract on Merseyside. It was a tough start to life at Leeds, though.

The 28-year-old did not exactly set the world alight with his start in a Leeds shirt. He’d only managed one goal in his first ten Premier League games, and that was away to bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It meant the England international had to face some criticism for the lack of form in front of goal.

Earlier in the campaign, defender-turned-pundit Michael Dawson said on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday he was looking “bang average”, following the defeat to Fulham.

However, that form has recently taken a huge upturn. In what have arguably been his side’s two toughest games so far this season, Calvert-Lewin got himself on the scoresheet against both City and Chelsea.

It wasn’t just his goals that made these performances impressive, but the manner in which he played. He was a handful off the ball, winning 15 duels on Wednesday night, and six at the weekend.

He won three fouls in each game, too, making an impact despite having minimal touches.

Touches

15

35

Shots

1

3

Duels won

6

15

Fouls won

3 (1 penalty)

3

Goals

1

1

His performances were enough to earn him a pair of 9/10 ratings from journalist Graham Smyth. Against the Citizens, he praised Calvert-Lewin for the fact that he ‘gave Leeds much more presence’ and said he ‘brought others into play’ superbly against the West Londoners.

With two goals in as many games and some good centre-forward performances outside of that, it is easy to see why Calvert-Lewin could be considered undroppable for Leeds. After a tough start, it seems like he has finally begun to show his best form.

It does seem unlikely that Farke will omit the striker from his starting XI ahead of the game against Liverpool on Saturday. Instead, he will be hoping he provide further troubles for Virgil van Dijk and the rest of the Reds’ defenders.

If Calvert-Lewin can replicate such a performance again, it will go a long way to helping Leeds achieve their goal of Premier League survival.

Best signing since Raphinha: Leeds star is one of "the best" players in PL

Leeds look to have struck gold with one of Farke’s summer signings.

ByJoe Nuttall Dec 4, 2025

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Torcedor declarado do São Paulo, o atacante Jonathan Calleri disse que não pretende se aposentar no Tricolor, e sim no All Boys, da Argentina.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

A afirmação foi feita por Calleri durante uma transmissão ao vivo na Twitch. O centroavante está feliz no São Paulo, mas deseja encerrar sua carreira no clube que o revelou para o futebol.

➡️ Aposte R$200 na Lance! Betting e ganhe R$350 se o Brasil empatar ou vencer a Inglaterra

O camisa 9 recebeu sondagens para deixar o São Paulo na última temporada, mas quer cumprir seu contrato – até o final de 2025 – e tem multa acima de 50 milhões de euros (R$ 270 milhões). No Tricolor, o atacante conquistou a Copa do Brasil e Supercopa do Brasil.

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Em reta final do tratamento de um cisto de Baker na região posterior de sua perna direita, Calleri também confirmou que vai estar à disposição de Tiago Carpini para o duelo do São Paulo contra o Talleres, no dia 4 de abril, pela primeira rodada da fase de grupos da Libertadores.

➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários dos jogos do São Paulo na Libertadores

Pela lesão, Calleri foi desfalque e não participou da eliminação diante do Novorizontino, pelas quartas de final do Paulistão.

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CalleriSão Paulo

An encouraging update has now emerged over Rangers’ pursuit of Genk centre-back Mujaid Sadick, following recent claims that an Ibrox enquiry has been made for him.

It has been a promising start to life under Danny Rohl for the Gers, with the 36-year-old steadying the ship significantly after the doomed reign of Russell Martin, winning three games in a row in the Scottish Premiership.

Rohl will know the importance of adding to his squad in the January and summer transfer windows, however, and Genk centre-back Sadick has been linked with a move to Rangers recently.

The 25-year-old has reportedly been the subject of an enquiry by the Gers, who have come against him in the Europa League already this season, as he helped Genk keep a clean sheet in their 1-0 win at Ibrox.

Rohl may see Rangers’ defence as a key area of focus, with goals too often leaked at will at certain points throughout the campaign, and now a fresh claim has dropped over their interest in Sadick.

Mujaid Sadick "open" to Rangers move

According to a new report from TEAMtalk, Sadick is “open” to the idea of sealing a move to Rangers in the January transfer window, being seen as a “realistic option” to come in for the Scottish giants.

It is added that he “caught the Ibrox scouts’ eye after a commanding display in Genk’s 1-0 Europa League victory over Rangers in September”, and he sees the Scottish Premiership as “a stepping stone to greater challenges” moving forward.

At this point, it does feel as though Sadick, valued at £6m, is a genuine option for Rangers, and he could be such a strong addition for Rohl midway through the season.

Gers supporters have seen close up what he has to offer, and he has a highly impressive 95.9% pass completion rate in the Europa League this season, highlighting his ability on the ball at the back. Not only that, but he has also averaged 6.5 clearances per game.

Sadick’s versatility is something that will likely appal to Rangers, too, with the former Spain Under-18 international also capable of doing a job at right-back, immediately enhancing the squad depth at Rohl’s disposal.

Not Gassama: Future "superstar" is Rangers' biggest talent since Tillman

This future superstar is Glasgow Rangers’ biggest talent since Malik Tillman was at Ibrox.

1 ByDan Emery Nov 10, 2025

At 25, he is at a prime age to come in and hit the ground running for the Gers, as they look to give themselves the best possible chance of closing the gap on both Hearts and Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race, and the fact that he reportedly wants a move to Ibrox can only be a positive.

Not Gassama: Future "superstar" is Rangers' biggest talent since Tillman

The Oakland A's will play their final games at Oakland Colesium later this week. As the team prepares to move to Sacramento where they will wait for a stadium to be constructed in Las Vegas, owner John Fisher penned an open letter to the fanbase, which really annoyed a lot of people.

Among those completely unimpressed by Fisher's letter was ABC7 sports director Larry Beil who called the letter a "great work of fiction." Beil took a few minutes out of Monday's broadcast to pick apart Fisher and his letter saying A's fans considered his "explanation was both weak and long overdue."

Beil read parts of the letter with his voice dripping with sarcasm and annoyance. And then he went off.

"So you heard Fisher's statement," said Beil. "Let me tell you what reality is. OK? John, you tried five different extremely flawed stadium proposals, you never even got close to a shovel in the ground. Yes, Oakland politics is often a mess, I will give you that. But John, you surround yourself with incompetent yes men. And because you were born into a billionaire family, apparently never learned you have to spend money to make money. See Joe Lacob and the Golden State Warriors. Your buddy, who still wants to buy the team!"

"John, you're a serial penny-pincher," Beil continued. "You've destroyed your family's great name and legacy because of your cheapness. As for the statement about loyal A's fans, quote, I wish I could speak to each of you individually, end quote. Seriously? John, we've been trying to interview you for years, but you always choose to remain invisible. Unless you're begging politicians for public funding, then you're out in front in Las Vegas."

Beil hopes that other owners and the Players Association can still do something to stop this move, pointing out that Fisher still doesn't have a financing plan for the stadium in Las Vegas. Apparently, Oakland's greatest chance to keep the A's is ownership's addiction to failure.

Legspinner takes 6 for 51 as Division Two’s leaders tighten grip on contest

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay23-Jul-2025Derbyshire 189 (Rehan 6-51) trail Leicestershire 398 (Hill 151, Rehan 115, Handscomb 101, Reece 6-56) by 209 runsEngland all-rounder Rehan Ahmed claimed career-best figures as Leicestershire took control of the Rothesay County Championship match against Derbyshire on a record-breaking day at the Central Co-op County Ground.Rehan followed his hundred on day one by taking 6 for 51 from 20 overs with his leg spin to bowl the hosts out for 189 in reply to the Division Two leaders 398.Lewis Hill scored 151 and Peter Handscomb 101 but the visitors collapsed spectacularly to Luis Reece who took 5 for 12 in seven overs to finish with 6 for 56.Leicestershire’s total is the lowest completed innings to include three centuries in the history of country cricket, beating 422 by Essex against Glamorgan at Swansea in 1995.When they resumed on 357 for 3, their sights would have been set on 500 plus but they managed only 41 more as Reece ran through them.Handscomb completed his hundred in the second over of the morning but then played at one from Zak Chappell that moved away to take the outside edge,The rest of the session belonged to Reece whose relentless disciplined line was too much for the visitors.Ian Holland edged a drive to be caught by Brooke Guest standing up and after Hill on drove Reece for four to reach 150, he pushed at the next ball and was caught behind.Louis Kimber, having survived a hard head high chance to short cover, then drove an easier catch to the same fielder two balls later before Reece struck twice in an over.Ben Green was beaten by swing and former Derbyshire bowler Logan Van Beek was also snared at cover, the fourth Leicestershire player to be out without scoring.When Liam Trevaskis was bowled by Alex Thomson in the next over, the visitors had lost their last seven wickets for 38 runs.Derbyshire lost David Lloyd in the first over of their reply when he shouldered arms to Holland but Caleb Jewell and Harry Came then dug in until Ahmed struck either side of tea.The pair batted sensibly,both passing 50, to add 112 from 215 balls but Came then dragged a pull into the hands of mid on.Wayne Madsen went in the leg-spinner’s next over, caught at slip playing a big drive, and Ahmed claimed Jewell’s wicket immediately after the interval.The Australian was trapped lbw going back in his crease and Aneurin Donald was caught behind cutting after a brief counter attack.Ahmed turned one past Reece’s defensive push before bowling Chappell to become the first Leicestershire player to score a hundred and take six wickets in an innings since Phil Simmons against Durham in 1996.Derbyshire’s slide continued with Guest edging a drive at Trevaskis to slip before Thomson was run out and Kimber removed Jack Morley in the final over to leave Derbyshire trailing by 209.

England batter Tammy Beaumont will return to Strikers for the first time in seven years

Alex Malcolm19-Jun-2025Sydney Sixers produced a shock in the WBBL overseas draft by taking England batter Sophia Dunkley with the No.1 pick which left long-time Sixers overseas Sophie Ecclestone available for Adelaide Strikers at pick No.2.There was a lot of uncertainty heading into the WBBL draft after Melbourne Renegades lost star pre-signing Hayley Matthews to a shoulder injury while Hobart Hurricanes announced they had pre-signed star England allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt on draft day.A number of clubs were chasing top-order batting talent in the draft including Sixers who had the number one pick. Ecclestone, the world’s No.1 T20 bowler, had previously played two seasons with Sixers including last season. But Sixers general manager Rachael Haynes said the need for a top-order batter forced their hand with the first pick.”Sophie Ecclestone has been an incredible player,” Haynes told ESPNCricinfo. “It was really tough to let her go through the draft. But I think the last couple of seasons, our reflection as a club has been that our batting has been short, and the numbers certainly show that.”We definitely looked locally to try and address that. But the next option is at the draft, and so really excited we’re able to secure Sophia Dunkley.”A lot of clubs were unsure of what each would do in the opening round and Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers attempted to flush out some retention picks in the opening round.Related

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Stars tried to get India batter Jemimah Rodrigues with pick No.3 but Heat used their retention pick. They then tried to get England batter Danni Wyatt-Hodge but Hurricanes retained her.Stars finally landed in-form England wicketkeeper bat Amy Jones. Perth Scorchers had the right to retain but opted not to. Scorchers tried to poach Heather Knight and Deandra Dottin but Sydney Thunder and Renegades both used their retention picks immediately.Scorchers then used the final pick in the opening round on pre-signing Sophie Devine to lock her in at the platinum price.Most of the second round featured pre-signed players but Scorchers made a slight surprise in picking fringe England batter Paige Scholfield in the second round at the gold price. Scorchers also picked up South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon, who will play for her fourth WBBL club after previously playing for Hurricanes, Sixers and Thunder.Thunder were thrilled to get South Africa quick Shabnim Ismail in the final round to walk away with arguably the strongest overseas trios, having claimed Knight as a retention and pre-signed Chamari Athapaththu.England batter Tammy Beaumont will return to Strikers for the first time in seven years having played 27 matches for them between 2016 and 2018. She has since played for Renegades and Thunder.Renegades were the only club not to take three players in the draft. The injury to pre-signing Matthews allows them to make another signing at a later date although they can only recruit a player who had nominated for the draft but was not selected.”We were at a distinct disadvantage,” Renegades coach Simon Helmot said. “We were the only team not to have a pre-signed player. But the allowance then was we only need to pick two today, and I suppose we can stop and have a look at what’s going on in the world of cricket over the next couple of months. I don’t believe there’s a rush in this decision. So we can look at what happens in the Hundred, look at what happens in the in the CPL, even look what happens in the World Cup, and see which players are in form, and also maybe what our needs are.”Adelaide Strikers: Sophie Ecclestone, Laura Wolvaardt, Tammy Beaumont
Brisbane Heat: Jemimah Rodrigues, Chinelle Henry, Nadine de Klerk
Hobart Hurricanes: Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith
Melbourne Renegades: Deandra Dottin, Alice Capsey
Melbourne Stars: Amy Jones, Marizanne Kapp, Dani Gibson
Perth Scorchers: Sophie Devine, Paige Schofield, Chloe Tryon
Sydney Sixers: Sophia Dunkley, Amelia Kerr, Maddy Villiers
Sydney Thunder: Heather Knight, Chamari Athapaththu, Shabnim Ismail

Glasgow Rangers have held positive Ibrox talks with a leading Gers manager target to replace Russell Martin.

Managers who could replace Martin at Rangers

Sunday’s 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw with Falkirk proved to be the last straw for Martin at Rangers, who was dismissed that evening.

Gers chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chairman Paraag Marathe have since written an open letter to Ibrox supporters, telling fans that a ‘rigorous, thoughtful recruitment process is already underway’ to find a new manager, with the pair ‘treating it with the urgency it deserves’ and are ‘deeply involved’.

A number of targets have already been linked with a move to Glasgow, including former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl who is “appreciated by senior figures” at Ibrox.

Another candidate currently out of work is Sean Dyche. The former Everton and Burnley boss has been without a job since leaving Goodison Park, and he is thought to be very keen on moving to Glasgow.

In Europe, there have also been more names mentioned to come in and replace Martin. Dutch head coach Mark van Bommel is another “interested” in replacing Martin, whereas Spanish manager Quique Setien is also on the Gers’ radar after leaving Beijing Guoan.

Martin upgrade who's "similar to Postecoglou" in running for Rangers job

The Ibrox hierarchy are on the hunt to find an upgrade on Russell Martin at Rangers.

ByDan Emery Oct 7, 2025

A ‘fan favourite’ and one of Rangers’ top targets, though, is former Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard, and there has now been a positive development over a return to Glasgow for the former title winner.

Rangers hold positive talks with Steven Gerrard

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Rangers have now had ‘positive progress in talks with Gerrard’ over a reunion at Ibrox.

It was stated on Monday that discussions were set to continue and that negotiations are complex, however, the ball appears to be rolling in regards to a move back to Glasgow for the 45-year-old.

Gerrard, who plays an attacking 4-3-3 system, averaged 2.15 points per game during his 192 matches in charge of Rangers between 2018-2021, winning the Scottish Premiership in 2020.

Days in charge

1,228

Games

192

Wins

124

Goals per game

2.12

Players used

65

His assistant from his time at Ibrox, Gary McAllister, was even asked about a return to Rangers with Gerrard on Monday, to which he said:

“We had a wonderful time there. We really enjoyed our time there. Steven did an amazing job to get that 55th title.

“He’s always going to be linked with Glasgow Rangers, he loved his time up there. You never know what can happen.”

Rangers look set to take their time when appointing their fourth manager of 2025 due to the current international break, but by the looks of things, a return to Ibrox for Gerrard is a real possibility.

Looking to get one over on their Premier League rivals, Manchester United have now reportedly jumped ahead of Cheslea in the race to sign a young defender this month.

Man Utd still targeting reinforcements

For a team coming off the back of their worst-ever finish in the Premier League, Manchester United have enjoyed an excellent summer transfer window. The addition of Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha should transform Ruben Amorim’s attack from entriely blunt into one of the sharpest in the so-called top six.

There were plenty of promising signs from Cunha and Mbeumo last weekend, in particular. Even as Arsenal stole a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, it was clear that the Red Devils were the better side on the day and deserved at least a point, if not all three.

Amorim reacted to the opening day defeat with plenty of pride, praising his players for their bravery and aggression in a marked improvement from last season.

There is still plenty of work to be done and improvements to be made, however, which could come courtesy of the transfer window. The Red Devils are still reportedly targeting deals to sign Senne Lammens and a Lucien Agoume as they aim to address two problem areas, whilst also setting their sights on a future star.

Man Utd jump ahead of Chelsea in Bright Ede race

As reported by Polish journalist Sebastian Staszewski, Manchester United are now ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign Bright Ede from Motor Lublin this month. The 18-year-old defender has impressed in his home country and is reportedly valued at around €8.5m (£7m) as Lublin potentially cash-in ahead of the deadline.

He's like Baleba: "Extraordinary" £35m star now wants to sign for Man Utd

Manchester United appear to have moved on from Carlos Baleba with a move for another star.

1 ByEthan Lamb Aug 22, 2025

Those at Old Trafford aren’t alone in pursuit of Ede’s signature, though. Whilst Chelsea and Benfica have paused talks, an unnamed Italian club are also reportedly interested in signing the young defender to hand United some frustrating competition.

United’s interest in Ede should come as little surprise. INEOS have focused on welcoming young players and partiucularly young defenders since arriving, having already signed Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven. Now, they could add a third young prospect to their backline in the form of the Polish defender.

Compared to Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes by scout Jacek Kulig, Manchester United would be landing an undeniable hidden gem if Ede went on and reached the same level as the dominant Brazilian in the Premier League.

“They had that belief that they can give us breakthroughs in the powerplay”

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2025

Harmanpreet Kaur has hailed Mumbai Indians’ fighting spirit after they withstood severe pressure from Delhi Capitals on their way to an eight-run win in the final of WPL 2025. It was MI’s second title in three seasons of the tournament.”The way we played today, we fought till the last ball, even though we didn’t start the way we wanted,” Harmanpreet, who was also the Player of the Match for her 44-ball 66, said at the presentation. “But I think it’s all about being there, doing the right things again and again, and that’s what we were thinking and we were trying [to do].”Related

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Stats – Another WPL final, another defeat for DC

Harmanpreet came to the crease with MI 14 for 2 in the fifth over, and proceeded to put on a match-turning 89 runs with Nat Sciver-Brunt, who capped a Player-of-the-Tournament-winning season with another superb all-round display, scoring 30 and picking up 3 for 30.”It wasn’t easy when I went to bat, but I had that belief that if I stay there and keep rotating the strike, when Nat is there I don’t need to take too much pressure because she’s been in great touch and she was doing the job for the team,” Harmanpreet said. “I just wanted to support her at that time, and I think that partnership with Nat was amazing. We tried to keep things simple and easy and whoever was there took calculated risks at that time.”For all that, MI only set a target of 150, which Harmanpreet felt wasn’t enough given DC’s batting strength. But Sciver-Brunt and Shabnim Ismail gave MI the perfect start in their defence, picking up a wicket each in the powerplay.”I think 150 was not a decent total [against] DC, but matches like that are always pressure games – 150 in these kind of games always looks like 180. I think credit goes to our bowlers. They had that belief that they can give us breakthroughs in the powerplay. It was good to see Ismail bring important wickets for us, and the other side how Nat bowled. They created that opportunity for us, and they got us [into] the game, really happy with the way everybody in the team bowled today.”Harmanpreet Kaur scored a 44-ball 66 after coming to the crease with MI 14 for 2•BCCI

One of Mumbai’s great strengths this season has been the proven overseas bowling quartet of Ismail and allrounders Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr and Hayley Matthews. That’s still left other, less experienced bowlers to deliver four overs, though, and Harmanpreet was full of praise for Amanjot Kaur, Sanskriti Gupta and Saika Ishaque for doing this role whenever required. In the final, Ishaque took 1 for 16 from her first three overs before Marizanne Kapp went after her in an expensive fourth over.”We made things very clear for everyone [before the season],” Harmanpreet said. “We had very good one-to-one meetings where we tried to [clarify] their roles for the team. We knew we have four experienced bowlers, they can do the job for [us] but it’s a T20 and [the other] four overs are always important. We knew that whoever is in the game that day, we’ll try to give them that opportunity to do the job for us.”Today Saika was there, she did a great job for us, she bowled those crucial three overs for us. Before that Amanjot was there and in between Sanskriti did a really good job for us. They knew their role, they knew whenever they are there they have to deliver in the best way. I really enjoy playing with them.”Lanning: ‘One more partnership may have given us a chance’For DC, a third final in three seasons ended with a third defeat, but their captain Meg Lanning didn’t see any pattern running through the three losses.”We haven’t been able to put our best performances on the board in the final, which is disappointing, but that’s cricket,” she said. “It’s no fault of anyone’s. We came in here as prepped as we could be to do as well as we could, and it just hasn’t happened for us. It’s been different each time around.DC lost openers Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma inside the first three overs of their chase•BCCI

“We’re bitterly disappointed, we feel like we put ourselves into a good position to win, but that’s the game. You win some, you lose some, and unfortunately we’ve been on the wrong side.”Lanning felt 150 was chaseable, and one more partnership could have taken DC over the line.”We didn’t quite get it together with the bat,” she said. “I thought chasing 150 was a pretty good target for us, and just one more partnership there for a couple of overs may have given us a chance. But very proud of the group, we put in a good season, we had some really good moments, but yeah, we’re all pretty disappointed.”DC topped the league table, but this meant they came into the final a full eight days after their last game. Lanning didn’t think this made any significant difference to the way the final went.”I’m not sure. Some people will say Mumbai might be tired, so you can’t win these things. I don’t think there’s any right or wrong way to do it. It’s about performing well on the night, and Mumbai were too good for us tonight.”

Leeds United are on the verge of playing their first match in the Premier League for more than two years as they prepare to welcome Everton to Elland Road on Monday night.

The Whites won the Championship title with a staggering haul of 100 points last season, and now have to show that they have what it takes to avoid an instant relegation back down to the second tier.

Daniel Farke watched on as the two teams that came up alongside Leeds put in contrasting performances on Saturday, with Burnley losing 3-0 to Tottenham and Sunderland smashing West Ham United 3-0.

The West Yorkshire outfit will be hoping for closer to Sunderland’s fortunes, as they look to kick off the new season with three points on the board in front of their home supporters.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin arrived on a free transfer on Friday, having left Everton, and it remains to be seen if he will make his debut in the match.

Leeds do, however, still need to sign an attacking midfielder before the end of the window to provide Calvert-Lewin, and others, with chances to find the back of the net.

Why Leeds need to sign an attacking midfielder

Whilst Farke has promised not to rigidly stick to his principles, following his struggles at Norwich, getting relegated from the Premier League in the past, the German boss will not abandon the way he wants his teams to play.

This means that the 4-2-3-1 formation, which was the go-to for Leeds in the Championship, may get plenty of use in the top-flight in the current campaign.

With this in mind, the Whites need to sign a new option for the number ten position because Brenden Aaronson may not have what it takes to make the step up, after scoring one goal in 36 games in the Premier League in the 2022/23 campaign, per Sofascore.

As you can see in the table above, the USA international also failed to deliver a single goal or assist in his ten appearances against the other five teams in the top six in the Championship last season.

Aaronson has not shown enough in the final third to suggest that he has Premier League quality, which may be why the Whites have recently been linked with an interest in Leicester City star Bilal El Khannouss.

The Morocco international, who has delivered two assists in two Championship games this season, is not the only attacking midfielder on the club’s radar, though.

Leeds have interest in Dutch playmaker

According to EFL Analysis, Leeds United have an interest in £14m-rated Sheffield United attacking midfielder Gustavo Hamer, as they look to bolster their squad before the end of the window.

The report claims that the Championship champions are ‘huge admirers’ of the former Coventry City sensation, and that PSV have also been linked with the midfield star.

Transfer Focus

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

Speaking to EFL Analysis, though, journalist Graeme Bailey said: “I don’t think that they ever wanted Gus Hamer to go, and as it’s looking now, there’s certainly a good chance that he stays.

“He’s the captain and I think, despite the scoreline against Bristol City, Ruben Selles actually got them playing some wonderful football and it looks as if that system will suit Hamer.”

These comments suggest that it will not be an easy deal for Leeds to do before the window slams shut, because the Blades are not actively looking to cash in on their captain.

Why Leeds should sign Gustavo Hamer

The Whites should be pushing to convince them to part ways with Hamer, though, because he would be an even better option than El Khannouss to play in the attacking midfield position for Farke.

Both attacking midfielders have played in the Premier League in teams that were relegated from the division at the first time of asking, but it was the Dutchman who showed more potential to deliver in a better team.

As you can see in the table above, Hamer scored twice as many goals and registered twice as many assists in the top-flight in comparison to El Khannouss in his season in the division with Sheffield United in the 2023/24 campaign.

These statistics suggest that the Blades star, dubbed “outstanding” by Chris Wilder, would be more suited to hitting the ground running at Elland Road as a solid number ten option for Leeds, because he has shown that he can deliver goals and assists at a fairly impressive rate at that level.

Hamer, who scored a sensational goal from the halfway line against Birmingham City this month, also delivered ten goals and eight assists in all competitions for Sheffield United last season, per Sofascore, in their Championship campaign.

El Khannouss, meanwhile, has yet to score more than three goals in a single season in all competitions in his career, per Sofascore, which means that he has yet to prove himself as a consistent goal threat.

This suggests that signing Hamer would be less of a gamble for Leeds, because he has proven more in his career and delivered more impressive performances at Premier League level, and that is what the Whites need as they look to avoid relegation this season.

Therefore, the Sheffield United star would be a way better option than El Khannouss for Farke’s side this summer, because he appears to have a much greater chance of hitting the ground running and making an instant impact on the pitch in the top-flight as an attacking midfielder.

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By
Dan Emery

Aug 17, 2025