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Leeds United reportedly have the funds available to sign Cagliari and Uruguay midfielder Nahitan Nandez in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Constant Leeds links

Few players, if any, have been linked with the Whites more intensely than Nandez, with the 26-year-old endlessly tipped to move to Elland Road in recent months.

The 49-cap Uruguay international has been a key figure for Cagliari since joining from Boca Juniors in 2019, making 88 appearances to date for the Sardinian club.

A January exit looks possible for Nandez, though, and Leeds have again been boosted in their efforts to sign him.

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The Latest: Fresh update emerges

According to Cagliari News 24 [via Sport Witness], the Whites have the ‘necessary liquidity’ to get a deal over the line, even though they are yet to submit an offer for him.

Torino don’t want to pay the €25m (£20.8m) that Cagliari want for Nandez’s services, acting as a further positive for Leeds.

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The Verdict: Perfect January signing

With Kalvin Phillips out injured until at least March, it is essential that the Whites bring in at least one midfielder this month in order to fill the void left by arguably their most important player, as well as bolstering an area of the squad where they are rather light.

Of all the midfielders to have been linked with Leeds, Nandez arguably looks the most tailor-made to come in and be a hugely successful signing, with plenty of high-level experience down the years but also the prime period of his career possibly ahead of him still at the age of 26.

Nandez has chipped in with two assists and averaged 1.5 dribbles per game in Serie A this season, showing he possesses creativity, not to mention winning 2.4 aerial duels and two tackles per match.

The Uruguayan is also renowned for his tremendous work rate, a quality which will surely endear him to the infamously demanding Marcelo Bielsa, so that is why he could be perfect for Leeds.

In other news, one Leeds player has been linked with a move to a big-name club. Find out who it is here.

MatériaMais Notícias

Anunciado na manhã desta quinta-feira como primeiro reforço do Atlético para 2018, o volante Arouca comemorou sua chegada e mandou um recado para os torcedores através do Twitter do clube. No vídeo, o jogador garantiu que dará seu máximo em campo e a agradeceu aos dirigentes pela oportunidade de vestir a camisa atleticana.

– Alô massa atleticana, estou chegando, muito feliz, animado. Não vai faltar empenho e nem dedicação. Queria agradecer o presidente, o Gallo, que está abrindo as portas para mim. Pode ter certeza que, se Deus quiser, vai ser um ano maravilhoso para todos nós. Aqui é Galo! – falou o atleta de 31 anos.

Contrato por empréstimo junto ao Palmeiras, onde tem contrato até o final de 2018, o volante foi contratado a pedido do técnico Oswaldo de Oliveira, com quem trabalhou junto em 2006, no Fluminense, em 2014, no Santos, e em 2015, no Verdão. Com a previsão de fim de empréstimo coincindindo como o encerramento do vínculo com o clube paulista, o Atlético-MG pode manter o atleta em definitivo.

Após passar por uma cirurgia no início do ano, para tratar uma lesão no tornozelo, e sofrer com complicações, Arouca entrou em campo apenas uma vez em 2017, aos 40 minutos do segundo tempo de uma partida contra a Ponte Preta, realizada em outubro.

O jogador chega para ser o oitavo volante do Galo. Elias, Adilson, Yago, Roger Bernardo, Gustavo Blanco, Ralph e Lucas Cândido, que se recupera de lesão, mas deve estar apto para se apresentar junto ao restante do elenco em janeiro.

RelacionadasAtlético MineiroSette Câmara apresenta nova gestão; Gallo crê em permanência de RobinhoAtlético Mineiro14/12/2017Atlético MineiroDepois do acerto, Arouca finalmente é anunciado pelo Atlético-MGAtlético Mineiro14/12/2017Atlético MineiroEmpolgação, título e decepções: O 2017 do Atlético-MG em 20 fotosAtlético Mineiro14/12/2017

Primeiro reforço para a temporada 2018, o volante Arouca fala sobre sua chegada ao Atlético. Vamos, #Galo! pic.twitter.com/Z8aJCaa73G

— Atlético (@atletico) 14 de dezembro de 2017

Under the new ownership of Serbian media mogul Dragan Solak and his company Sport Republic, Southampton could see some new investments being made to their squad in the near future to improve Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

However, it seems as though the south coast club could have a fight on their hands to keep hold of one of their star players.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Spanish media outlet Fichajes, fellow Premier League clubs Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing James Ward-Prowse in the next summer transfer window.

As a product of Southampton’s youth system, Ward-Prowse has gone on to make a total of 344 senior appearances for the Saints across all competitions, scoring 39 goals and providing 45 assists along the way, easily cementing himself as a crucial figure for the club and prove that Hasenhuttl would not be pleased to potentially see him go to another club.

Saints calamity

His latest appearance for Hasenhuttl’s side saw the Englishman score a brilliant free-kick in their 3-1 defeat against Wolves at the weekend and although they lost, it defined the captain’s importance to the squad.

Having scored 12 Premier League free-kicks in his career, Ward-Prowse’s previous efforts have been labelled as “unbelievable” by Darren Ambrose and thus, seeing him leave would be quite the disaster.

Interest in the midfielder isn’t new either, with the Saints turning down a bid of £25m for the 27-year-old last summer from Aston Villa last summer showing just how reluctant they were to let him go even before he signed a new contract.

This suggests that it would take a massive amount of money for any club to sign Ward-Prowse, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £100k-per-week according to Salary Sport, anytime soon but still be a worry for them if it were to happen.

With that in mind, this should ease any worries the Southampton supporters may have about the club captain’s future at St. Mary’s.

If Ward-Prowse did join another Premier League club in the future in the same way that the likes of Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Jannik Vestergaard and Danny Ings have done in recent years, this would surely be something that would leave Hasenhuttl enraged.

It’s safe to say this would not be a good start to the Solak ownership on the south coast.

In other news: Solak could land the next Broja at Southampton with swoop for £3.6m-rated beast – opinion

Many Everton fans have been left erupting over some early team news that has emerged ahead of their game away at Chelsea in the Premier League tonight.

As per The Times journalist Paul Joyce, Lucas Digne has said that he is ‘ill’ and so will now miss the clash at Stamford Bridge, after Rafa Benitez initially had him in his staring eleven having trained with the team.

This comes after the Frenchman reportedly had a row with his manager, which led to him missing their last two games in the Premier League.

However, it seems as if they have patched things up given that Benitez was going to play him, but now Digne’s illness means that he will miss a third match in a row.

Nonetheless, the Goodison Park faithful now have a mammoth task ahead of them against the European champions, as they will have to try and get something without their only senior left-back in the squad.

Everton fans on team news

These supporters of the Merseyside club erupted as the team news was shared on Twitter, with one Toffee even going as far as to claim that it was ‘unreal’:

“We’re a shambles hahahaha”

Credit: @lukeblack85

“What a shambles Everton Football Club is from top to bottom”

Credit: @WhatKCSaid

“Unreal this now”

Credit: @notJoth

“I’m scared”

Credit: @NSwann12

“Comedy club”

Credit: @Adam95H

“You couldn’t make it up really…”

Credit: @rob_fisher_efc

In other news, find out what club news has Blues fuming here!

The United Arab Emirates finished day three of their Intercontinental Shield game against Uganda at Abu Dhabi at 102 for 2 – a 90-run lead – with Arshad Ali and Saqib Ali’s unbroken 77-run partnership steadying the innings after early breakthroughs by the

Cricinfo staff22-Jan-2010
Scorecard
The United Arab Emirates finished day three of their Intercontinental Shield game against Uganda at Abu Dhabi at 102 for 2 – a 90-run lead – with Arshad Ali and Saqib Ali’s unbroken 77-run partnership steadying the innings after early breakthroughs by the Ugandans.UAE had started their innings with a small deficit after Lawrence Sematimba’s 89, with significant contributions from Ronald Ssemanda (41), Benjamin Musoke (40) and Frank Nsubuga (37), had taken Uganda to 373. Uganda’s lead could have been even larger, however, had it not been for a stern fightback by UAE’s bowlers, led by Amjad Javed, who picked up four wickets. Uganda looked like they had built a solid platform, but they collapsed from the position of 327 for 4, losing four wickets for five runs before Nsubuga’s late flourish.Wickets continued to tumble when UAE came out to bat. Charles Waiswa, the left-arm opening bowler, castled Arfan Haider with only 16 runs on the board to give Uganda a vital early breakthrough. Less than five overs later, Dennis Tabby snuck one past captain Khurram Khan’s defences to leave UAE in strife at 25 for 2.That wicket brought Arshad and Saqib together, and each played a watchful hand in ensuring no further stutters before the close. Arshad struck six boundaries on his way to a seventh first-class fifty, but UAE are not out of danger yet and will be hoping for an extended knock from him tomorrow.

As per Calciomercato, a Tottenham Hotspur transfer update has emerged involving Fiorentina star Nikola Milenkovic.

The Lowdown: Spurs enter summer talks…

The Lilywhites and Fabio Paratici where heavily interested in bringing the Serbia defender to north London at one point in the summer as they competed with bitter rivals West Ham for his services.

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As per Sky Sports, Tottenham had entered talks to sign Milenkovic after his proposed move to the Irons broke down, coming amid their previous search for a right-back and centre-half.

Despite eventually snapping up both Emerson Royal and Cristian Romero for those positions in the squad, it appears manager Antonio Conte has reignited interest.

The Latest: Conte re-joins race…

According to Calciomercato, Tottenham, and by extension Conte, have re-joined the race for Milenkovic and linger in the background as they eye a January move.

The 24-year-old is now apparently a target for Spurs again as his future with La Viola becomes one of the Serie A side’s biggest talking points of the winter window.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Milenkovic’s deal expires in 2023, putting Fiorentina under some pressure to potentially recoup a large fee while they can, with any figure around his £22.5 million Transfermarkt estimation coming as arguably good business.

The 6 foot 4 powerhouse, still a fairly young age, would come to Spurs with a degree of sell-on value whilst providing Conte with a needed reinforcement defensively.

According to WhoScored, only the in-form Eric Dier has averaged more clearances per 90 than Milenkovic out of Tottenham’s entire centre-back roster – while the Serb towers over every Spurs player in terms of aerial duels won.

Lauded as ‘extraordinary’ by Spanish defender Pol Lirola, these numbers and tags could point to shrewd January signing.

In other news: Conte wants player gone in January with final decision made, Spurs chiefs already told to sell…find out more here.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst continued his perfect start to life at Rangers with a 3-1 win in the Premiership on Sunday.

The Gers swept Livingston away in what ended up being a fairly comfortable victory, despite some nervous moments in the first half.

Allan McGregor was forced into a couple of terrific saves, but goals from Joe Aribo, Scott Arfield and Fashion Sakala ensured that they came away with the three points.

Forget Tavernier

Whilst James Tavernier may grab the headlines with two assists from right-back, perhaps the real star of the show for the Gers was Alfredo Morelos.

The Colombian bulldozer led the line brilliantly and was crucial to everything Rangers tried to do going forward with his work rate and movement up front. He was constantly harassing the Livingston defenders and trying to hold the ball up, whilst making runs off the ball to create space for the likes of Ianis Hagi, Aribo and Scott Arfield to run through.

Arfield’s goal to open the scoring came from him sprinting through the middle of the pitch after Morelos dragged a centre-back over to the far side. This highlights how much of an impact he can have without even touching the ball in the move.

However, the 25-year-old also made his mark in possession. As per SofaScore, he created an impressive four chances for his teammates throughout the game, whilst completing 81% of his passes and managing one shot on target. One of the opportunities that he created led to Aribo firing them 2-0 up, with his clever first-time pass finding the ex-Charlton man in the box to sweep it into the top corner.

He also put in a shift defensively. As per SofaScore, Morelos won five duels, including four of his seven on the ground, and completed two tackles for Van Bronckhorst’s side. This shows that he was willing to put in the hard yards for his team to win possession back and hold his own against Livingston.

Therefore, he was able to piece together a complete performance by making an impact at both ends of the pitch, which is why he was the real star of the show for Rangers. The Gers’ number 20 may not have managed to get himself on the scoresheet, but he was still crucial to their play and led the line superbly today.

AND in other news, 35 G/A: Rangers secured dream £4m deal for “outstanding talent”, he’s a match-winner…

Paris Saint-Germain may have a readymade replacement if Mauricio Pochettino is lured to Manchester United.

The Telegraph’s Jason Burt reported that the Ligue 1 leaders have been made aware that former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane would be keen on the job at the Parc des Princes.

Is Pochettino to United now on?

This could be a crucial development because, according to Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna, PSG will let Pochettino go to United if they have a successor lined up for the Argentine. Conveniently, he also says that Zidane is their preferred candidate.

Incidentally, the former Real Madrid boss has himself been ‘repeatedly linked’ with the Red Devils.

No need to wait?

United’s initial plan following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was to appoint an interim manager to lead the team until the end of the season, but it seems as if the prospective appointment of Pochettino could be fast-tracked, with Zidane now said to be waiting in the wings.

Fan feed utdreport relayed Burt’s update, and here’s what a selection of supporters said in response, with many voicing excitement over the potential chain reaction which would see the Argentine coming to Old Trafford soon.

“I’m starting to get excited about our club again”

Credit: @koreen_didier

“This now looks inevitable. we need to get it sorted before Chelsea.”

Credit: @stefanduro

“Get it done”

Credit: @ellis22szn

“Get in”

Credit: @niarra4v

“Ok that works. Let’s do that. Everybody wins.”

Credit: @TheRealRobLaw

“It’s all coming together…”

Credit: @UtdLG

In other news: What of Erik ten Hag? These Man United fans have flocked to an update on the Dutchman.

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has urged Celtic to make the most of their arch-rivals’ current slump after Steven Gerrard’s exit as manager across Glasgow.

The Lowdown: Celtic on the up

It was painful for Hoops fans watching on as their biggest rivals won the Premiership at a canter last season, with the Bhoys being denied 10 league titles in a row in the process.

Rangers currently hold a four-point advantage over Celtic this time around, but their Scottish League Cup exit at the hands of Hibernian on Sunday suggests that all is not well since Gerrard left.

Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou’s side have picked up five wins and a draw from their last six league outings, finding a rich vein of form in the process and progressing to the final of the aforementioned competition, thus giving them the opportunity to strike first in the domestic trophy stakes in 2021/22.

The Latest: Pundit makes Celtic plea

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claimed that Celtic need to be ruthless during this current period, making the most of Rangers potentially taking their eye off the ball.

Those comments come amid recent reports that the Hoops plan to bring in major reinforcements in the  January transfer window, with the possibility of multiple signings as they plan to reclaim domestic supremacy. Whelan said:

“They will be smelling blood for sure after what they saw from Rangers at the weekend. There’s a trophy which they will absolutely be favourites to win in December, barring a catastrophe.

“It’s a really good sign for Celtic, they’ll be fighting all the way to bring the title back to Celtic Park.

“On the pitch, they are keeping pace. They’ve scored a lot of goals this season, their goal difference is already superior to Rangers’.

“They need to take advantage from now and into the January window. They can really hurt them in these early stages of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s tenure.”

The Verdict: Big chance to take advantage

This could prove to be a pivotal point in the season come next May, with Rangers arguably at their most vulnerable at the moment following their recent managerial upheaval.

New manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst may take time to make his mark at Ibrox and Celtic have winnable, albeit not necessarily easy, league games coming up against Aberdeen, Hearts and Dundee United.

January reinforcements could only help in that respect, with major additions being mooted, as Whelan alludes to, giving Postecoglou’s men that extra push before the business end of the season arrives. This could be the ideal time for an upwardly mobile Celtic to really push on and reclaim the edge on their biggest rivals.

In other news, a journalist has made an exciting claim regarding one Celtic player. Find out who it is here.

A Sri Lanka A side fielding eight players with international experienced outclassed the New Zealanders in a low-scoring practice game

Jamie Alter in Colombo06-Sep-2009
Scorecard
A Sri Lanka A side fielding eight players with international experience outclassed the New Zealanders in a low-scoring practice game on a lazy Sunday in front of a handful of spectators at the SSC. The New Zealanders went in without Daniel Vettori, Ross Taylor and Shane Bond and though it was the bowling that should have been weakened by the absentees, it was up to the mark. A limp batting performance, however, led to a 61-run defeat.The day began well as Daryl Tuffey made his presence felt in his first and last opportunity on tour, taking five wickets to limit the target to 235. However, a poor start to the chase and a shaky middle order put too much pressure on the battling Brendon McCullum, who was unlucky to be given out lbw to Sri Lanka’s star performer, the allrounder Muthumudalige Pushpakumara.Thilina Kandamby decided to bat in good conditions, but Sanath Jayasuriya followed two poor Twenty20s with 2, caught behind off a short delivery. Tuffey bowled a rhythmic opening spell and, aided by some loose shots and athletic fielding, helped reduce Sri Lanka to 14 for 3. Mahela Udawatte’s poor form continued against the tourists, after Friday’s first-ball duck at the Premadasa, when McCullum pouched a good catch at extra cover.Tuffey provided the initial problems in a smart spell of 2 for 14 from five overs, after which Kandamby and Lahiru Thirimanne picked easy runs from Brendon Diamanti, Jeetan Patel and Neil Broom. Through a mixture of swings and inside edges, crisp flicks across the line and drives down the ground, the pair added 56 to settle the nerves. Kandamby danced down to Patel and effortlessly lofted six over mid-off, but trying to repeat the shot he chipped straight to short extra cover for 26.Tuffey continued his good game when he returned in the 34th over, immediately getting Thirimanne to give a catch to midwicket for 51. In the 36th over he drew another loose shot, getting the ball to angle sharply, and had Gihan Rupasinghe out for a brisk 34. An impromptu jig followed.Dinesh Chandimal and Pushpakumara bailed Sri Lanka out and ensured Kandamby had at least a competitive total to play with. Chandimal, regarded as a future international, used his feet well and was also quick between the wickets, keeping the New Zealand fielders on their toes.Pushpakumara’s cameo, both chancy and delightful, enabled Sri Lanka to reach 234 after walking in at a nervy 137 for 6, with 14 overs to go. A crafty late dab off Patel, exposing all the stumps and then steering past short third man, was followed by another delicate deflection off Diamanti’s medium-pace. When Tuffey returned and pitched too wide, Pushpakumara flayed four over gully and sliced wide of the wicketkeeper.They put on 64, at 7.80 an over, before both fell in the 45th over: Chandimal for a 30-ball 29 and Pushpakumara for 42 from 30 balls. After taking 4 for 28 from eight, Tuffey’s figures were spoiled by Nuwan Zoysa, who clubbed 26 from just 11 balls, but he finished the innings in 47.5 overs. Jesse Ryder took 2 for 18.The New Zealanders had a bad start; Dilhara Fernando and Zoyza, picked up a wicket each as the tourists slipped to 49 for 3 in 9.3 overs. McCullum was left to try and hold the innings together after Broom and Gareth Hopkins departed in successive overs from Pushpakumara, who didn’t get much turn but bowled a very tidy line. McCullum was playing solidly, intent on getting himself in until he was adjudged lbw to Pushpakumara. It was a harsh call as the ball was missing leg stump by a week. McCullum fumed as he walked off, and with that went the New Zealanders’ chances.Diamanti took 35 balls to score 18 and the asking rate had neared seven-and-a-half by the time he was yorked by Fernando. Jacob Oram went on to score 39 from 56 balls after the competitive element had long since gone. Fernando took him out to finish with 3 for 40.