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Leeds United duo Luke Ayling and Jamie Shackleton could return from injury against Tottenham, according to LeedsLive.

The Lowdown: Injury issues

Marcelo Bielsa has been without a number of key players this season, with the Whites struggling through injuries in both attack and defence.

Two regulars from last season, Patrick Bamford and Luke Ayling have missed the last eight games with ankle and knee injuries respectively.

Robin Koch, Junior Firpo and Jamie Shackleton have also had their injury issues, but it seems as if two of the five have a chance of featuring in north London this Sunday.

The Latest: Ayling and Shackleton back?

LeedsLive shared a story on Tuesday afternoon, looking at the Whites’ injury list and return dates.

When it came to Ayling, labelled as ‘agile’, they said the right-back could be back for this weekend’s clash with Antonio Conte’s side going off an update Bielsa gave last month.

Meanwhile, Shackleton, described as ‘important’ by Bielsa, missed the 1-1 draw with Leicester City last time out, however, his injury isn’t thought to be serious and he could also be back as early as this weekend.

The Verdict: Good news…

Bielsa was forced to use Stuart Dallas at right-back and centre-back Pascal Struijk at left-back prior to the international break, so having one of Ayling or Shackleton returning at right-back would be a welcome boost.

Leeds tend to go with a back three when opposing sides play two strikers, so that could be the case this weekend, should Conte select his preferred 3-5-2 formation.

If so, that would allow the likes of Dallas and Ayling or Shackleton to play at wing-back, giving Bielsa the option to use Struijk in his favoured centre-back position once more.

In other news: ‘Someone Bielsa quietly admires’ – Phil Hay hints at Leeds move for ‘fantastic’ player. 

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Leeds United fans have been voicing their concerns on social media amid news of Swansea City’s asking price for Daniel James, according to The Sun on Sunday per HITC.

The 21-year-old has been linked with a move to Elland Road throughout the January window, as the Whites look to add more creative midfielders to their roster in order to maintain their promotion push – and Yorkshire Evening Post have recently labelled him as Marcelo Bielsa’s preferred target for that position.

Figures of around £3million, per Yorkshire Evening Post, and £5m, according to TeamTalk, have been bandied around, although no official bid has been placed.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Despite that, the Welsh outfit now want £12million for their in-demand winger, according to The Sun on Sunday.

Leeds will have to seriously consider if meeting that valuation would be worthwhile, as it would signal a sizeable increase on previous figures touted by the aforementioned sources.

£12million is also a rather hefty fee to pay for a 21-year-old who is still in his breakthrough season, and has only started 12 of his 17 senior appearances for the Liberty Stadium outfit.

Clearly these Leeds fans would rather their side now walk away from any negotiations…

Surrey have signed Andrew Symonds for this season’s Twenty20 Cup

Cricinfo staff07-Apr-2010Surrey have signed Andrew Symonds, who is currently with the Deccan Chargers at the IPL, for this season’s Twenty20 Cup. Despite losing his Australia place and no longer playing first-class cricket for Queensland, he is still regarded as one of the most destructive players in the world.Symonds, 34, has an impressive Twenty20 record averaging 37.43 with a strike rate of 156.79. Alongside his explosive batting he is a steady bowler, able to switch between offspin and medium pace well enough to average 32.94 in Twenty20 cricket.Surrey missed out on qualification for the knockout stage in last year’s competition but are hoping that new captain Rory Hamilton-Brown can revive fortunes at The Oval. Chris Adams, the Surrey coach, thinks Symonds will add the touch of class the side needs for a good showing in the tournament.”Signing a player with the unique abilities of Andrew Symonds will add a huge ‘X Factor’ to our squad,” he said. “I have watched him take apart some of the best bowlers in the world and am hugely excited to see him exhibit his skills in front of packed houses around the country.”Adams is also unconcerned about Adams’ colourful past and believes he will be a valuable asset on and off the field. “I’ve spoken to Andrew to get a sense of where he was within his life and career,” he said. “There’s part of be that is quite attracted to the broken souls and those that find themselves in the situation that Andrew does because if we can provide an environment for him to come back and reinvent himself then it’s a win-win.”Speaking from India Symonds said he’s looking forward to playing in front of the English crowds again, having previously had spells with Gloucestershire, Kent and Lancashire.”I have always enjoyed playing in England and I am really looking forward to playing with Surrey. I consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to play this exciting form of cricket in so many different regions and I am sure the English crowds will make this competition one of the best.”However, there remains uncertainty over how much Surrey will see of Piyush Chawla, the India legspinner, after the BCCI’s withdrawal of No Objection Certificates. That move has ended the deals of Virender Sehwag at Northamptonshire and Yusuf Pathan at Essex, but Surrey still expect to have the services of Chawla.”We signed Chawla very much with a view to play in all forms of cricket for us this season,” Adams said. “We’re waiting for further news. We’ve had no indication as yet, or certainly no indication to say he won’t be with us for the whole season.”

Jamal Lewis now looks set to miss Newcastle United’s game at home to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Starter under Howe

Since Eddie Howe’s appointment, Lewis has become a regular in the St. James’ Park faithful’s team.

The Northern Ireland international has started their last four games in the Premier League, where he was barely getting a look-in under Steve Bruce (Transfermarkt).

However, he was forced to come off early in their 3-1 loss away at Liverpool last time out, and now is an injury doubt ahead of their match at home to Man City.

The Latest: Not looking good

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the clash against Pep Guardiola’s men, Howe has now claimed that Lewis’ injury ‘looks bad’, and could be a ‘hamstring problem’.

The former AFC Bournemouth manager was ‘surprised’ because of how ‘athletic’ Lewis is, and added that he has been ‘excellent’ in his athletic work.

The Verdict: No problem

While losing Lewis could be a blow to the North East club’s hopes of getting anything from the reigning Premier League champions, they have a capable replacement in Matt Ritchie.

Howe thought that the Scotland international was ‘fantastic’ in replacing Lewis, emphasised by his high pass accuracy (76%), accurate long balls (three) and minimal possession losses (six) compared to the rest of his teammates on the night (SofaScore).

Nonetheless, Ritchie has two assists and has averaged more shots (0.7), key passes (1.9), dribbles (0.3). crosses (1.8) and long balls (2.6) than Lewis in the top flight so far this season (WhoScored), and so would pose more of an attacking threat if the Magpies do take their rare chances to get forward against the reigning champions.

In other news, find out which ‘sensational’ ace NUFC are now ‘closing in’ on signing here!

Rob McElhenney claims prolific Wrexham striker Paul Mullin has “inspired millions all over the world” and will help to make the club even “bigger”.

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Star striker closing in on 100 goalsLeading another promotion pushCo-owner remains a big fanWHAT HAPPENED?

The 29-year-old frontman was a marquee addition for the Red Dragons back in 2021 – a matter of months after McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds completed their stunning takeover. Mullin is closing in on 100 goals for the Welsh outfit and was a talismanic presence as they secured promotion back into the Football League last season.

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Mullin has become a star of the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series, helping to raise his profile in America and beyond, with the promise of much more to come from him. His latest outing saw another match ball collected after netting a hat-trick against Accrington Stanley.

WHAT MCELHENNEY SAID ABOUT MULLIN

McElhenney was at that game and has been quick to sing the praises of Mullin as he continues to make an impressive contribution on and off the field. The Wrexham co-chairman told : “When you put in the work like Paul does, good things happen. The man you see in the documentary is the man who he is. He’s inspired millions of people all over the world, for so many different reasons, and I’m so proud that’s he’s part of this organisation. Not just because he scores hat-tricks every once in a while. The more games that this man plays for this club, the bigger this club is going to continue to get.”

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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR MULLIN?

Wrexham remain in the hunt for automatic promotion out of League Two this season, with Mullin helping to fire them back into the top three of that division. Phil Parkinson’s side have 11 games remaining in which to try and steer clear of the fourth-tier play-off lottery.

Yorkshire will start favourites against Worcestershire in their Friends Life t20 quarter-final as they target a first trip to finals day

Jon Culley24-Jul-2012Never good enough to reach finals day in nine years of trying, never good enough even to earn a home quarter-final, Yorkshire will at least enjoy that privilege when they face Worcestershire at Headingley. Unless the form that has won them seven from eight completed matches in the North Group deserts them at the critical moment, it is hard to imagine that Yorkshire will not go to finals day in the Friends Life t20 in Cardiff on August 25, and possibly as favourites.The Yorkshire transformation has been by some margin the eye-opener in a competition that has found it difficult to attract attention in a damp and chilly summer amid a congested calendar of sport. Some say it is down to the experience brought together in a management trio teaming Jason Gillespie and Paul Farbrace with the established wisdom of Martyn Moxon, others that the signing of two overseas players at the hungry end of their international careers has been the key.While both of those arguments have their strengths, there is another that can be tossed into the debate, namely the appointment of Azeem Rafiq as temporary captain after Andrew Gale dropped out with a hip injury after the third group match. Aged only 21, which made him the youngest player in the county’s history to captain the senior side, Rafiq’s elevation might be seen as shrewd judgment or a lucky gamble but there is no doubt it has paid off handsomely.Given that he had led England sides and Under-15 and Under-19 level and captained Yorkshire in second XI and pre-season matches the gamble was smaller than some might have supposed, although his senior experience was naturally quite limited.Yet Gillespie claimed “it took about five seconds” to conclude that Rafiq was the right man for the job and after five wins from seven completed matches with him in charge, including a comprehensive six-wicket win over strongly fancied Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, it is hard to criticise the Yorkshire hierarchy for making a hasty judgment. When the now recovered Gale returns to lead the side against Worcestershire it will be with a fulsome endorsement of his stand-in.”What I like about Azeem is that I see a bit of myself in him,” Gale said of Rafiq, whose heritage also makes him the first cricketer of Asian origin to captain Yorkshire. But it is not only the “aggressive, up-and-at-’em in-your-face” approach that has impressed Gale. His tactical judgment has also met with approval.”When I am out on the pitch, he comes to me all the time suggesting things,” Gale added, in his weekly newspaper column. “Some lads suggest things and you think: ‘No, that’s not right.’ But what I’ve found nine times out of 10 is that what he suggests is what I’m thinking. I think we’re on the same wavelength.”Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket, believes keeping to a pre-meditated game plan made it easier for Rafiq but that he took on the responsibility impressively nonetheless. “He’s got a good cricket brain, and he keeps calm under pressure, which you need to do as a captain,” Moxon said. “We’ve got a set plan on how we want to play, which makes it easier for him in the sense of the bowlers knowing what we’re trying to do. But he’s a great motivator in the field.”It is extraordinary to recall now that Rafiq’s debut for Yorkshire in 2008 cost them a Twenty20 Cup quarter-final after his appearance in a group stage win over Nottinghamshire. Then an academy player, he was selected in good faith but questions over his eligibility led to Yorkshire’s quarter-final against Durham being postponed moments before it was due to begin and ultimately their effective disqualification after the result at Trent Bridge was reversed.If that were a controversy not of his making, the same cannot be said of the error of judgment he made two years ago when an outburst on Twitter against coach John Abrahams on being dropped from an England Under-19 side on disciplinary grounds led to a one-month ban from all cricket. Clearly he has acquired some maturity since then.Worcestershire, having qualified as one of the two best third-placed sides from the group stages, are also bidding to reach finals day for the first time in the 10 years of Twenty20. They might appear to have weaker credentials than Yorkshire, but they emerged from a strong Midlands/Wales/West Group headed by Somerset and Gloucestershire, finishing level with Warwickshire on 11 points but with a better net run rate.What’s more, they possess the 2012 competition’s highest run scorer in opener Philip Hughes, who has hit three half-centuries in an aggregate of 322 from seven innings. Yorkshire, on the other hand, have been well served by several players.Opening batsman Phil Jaques has shared two hundred-plus partnerships – 118 with Gale against Leicestershire at Headingley and 131 with Adam Lyth in the concluding group match against Derbyshire, also at the Leeds ground. David Miller, the 23-year-old South African who forms one half of their overseas duo, hit 28 runs in the last two overs against Durham at Chester-le-Street to finish 74 not out from 35 balls and shared a stand of 91 in 7.1 overs with Gary Ballance against Lancashire at Headingley, in front of a crowd of 10,350.The Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, 22, meanwhile, is the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 18 and has been particularly effective at the end of an innings. There is a question mark over Starc’s availability for finals day after he was called up to Australia’s one-day and Twenty20 squads for their series against Pakistan in the UAE, which includes a one-day international against Afghanistan in Sharjah on August 25.Nottinghamshire’s surprise home defeat to Yorkshire did not preclude them also securing a home quarter-final with Hampshire in the other Wednesday tie. It was their only defeat in 10 North Group matches and, with Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Riki Wessels, Adam Voges, Samit Patel and James Taylor presenting as the strongest top six in the country, they will start as strong favourites, although Glenn Maxwell, the batsman named in Australia’s provisional squad for the World Twenty20, could be a dangerous opponent, especially with Darren Pattinson, a key Nottinghamshire bowler in this competition, failing to recover from a groin injury suffered in a CB40 match on Sunday.

West Brom have been dealt a blow in their hopes of landing one of their long-term targets, Daryl Dike…

What’s the word?

The Athletic’s West Bromwich Albion reporter, Steve Madeley, hosted a Q&A for West Brom fans and dealt a spanner in the works of a potential signing.

One Albion supporter asked Madeley; “Steve were we close to signing Dike in the summer and if so is he still on the radar?”

The reporter responded; “He was on the radar, Michael, but it was never close. It became clear fairly early that Orlando would want too much money for him. Unless they lower their sights, I think that might well be a problem again in January.”

Fans gutted

Dike is currently with MLS club, Orlando City, and has been tearing it up with 11 goals in 19 appearances so for the Baggies faithful to hear that they are unlikely to sign him, will understandably leave them gutted.

West Brom have not won a game since the first weekend of November, only scoring one goal in their last five games, which has put them in a vulnerable position in the league table as those behind them have caught up and those above them have expanded their lead in the automatic promotion places.

It seems like a no brainer for Valerien Ismael to add quality to the attacking third of their squad to increase the chances of their overwhelming number of shots actually being scored, a factor that would help them climb back into a position to be promoted next season.

There have been so many offensive players connected with a move to the Hawthorns over the last month so Albion will, at least, have a chance to land a player elsewhere.

That said, it will be frustrating for the fans to read that a striker with the numbers that Dike is racking up, won’t be making a move to West Brom. It’s very clear the club is crying out for a refresh in attack and getting a player like the American to fill that position would have been the perfect fit.

In other news: Ismael ready to let go of Robert Snodgrass

Piers Morgan took a fresh swipe at Erik ten Hag and has slammed Manchester United for their "pathetic" stand against media criticism.

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United have banned four media outletsRonaldo had slammed Ten Hag for his methodsMorgan aims a fresh dig at the Dutch coachWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils banned four media outlets from attending Ten Hag's press conference ahead of their encounter against Chelsea following reports of dressing room unrest in the wake of their latest defeat to Newcastle United at St. James' Park last weekend.

Morgan, who has never shied away from criticising the Dutch manager for the treatment he handed out to Ronaldo before hisexplosive interviewthat saw him leave Old Trafford prematurely, did not pass up a fresh opportunity to slam the 53-year-old.

AdvertisementWHAT PIERS MORGAN SAID

Morgan tweeted: "REMINDER: Everything ⁦@Cristiano told me a year ago about Manchester United and Erik Ten Hag has been proven correct."

Soon after he added another tweet that read: "Pathetic. You can pull this stunt when you’re the greatest manager of all time like Sir Alex, but to do it when you’re as bad as Ten Hag and the journalists are accurately reporting how bad you are, is laughable."

The Arsenal fan even went on to urge other journalists to refrain from covering Ten Hag in another tweet: "WTF? I hope every other journalist now boycotts this press conference in solidarity with their colleagues. And yes, I’d say exactly the same if Arsenal behaved like this."

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Before leaving United Ronaldo claimed that he had "no respect" for Ten Hag. He even insisted that there were "some things inside that don’t help (us) reach the top level " which was perceived as a direct reference to the coach's methods that were holding the team back. United are currently struggling in seventh, nine point adrift of Arsenal at the Premier League summit.

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WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

Ten Hag is in dire need of a win against Chelsea on Wednesday at Old Trafford. It will be a tall order for a beleaguered United side that have lost to every side they have faced in the top half of the table so far this season.

Los Blancos secured their spot in the final with a resounding 4-0 win at Camp Nou, as the Ballon d'Or winner scored his second hat-trick of the week

Real Madrid love these nights. The Spanish giants were behind on aggregate to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final, facing Europe's best defensive side in a stadium where they had only conceded twice domestically all season.

Yet Carlo Ancelotti's side put four past their arch-rivals without really breaking a sweat. It was another entry for Ancelotti's fine collection of comebacks, with Madrid running out 4-1 aggregate winners to book a spot in the Copa del Rey final.

It took a blustery 60 seconds for the tie to be levelled — and 15 minutes for it to be turned on its head.

At the end of the first half, Robert Lewandowski was denied at one end by Thibaut Courtois and Madrid broke swiftly. The sweeping move was started and finished by Vinicius Jr, with a lovely Karim Benzema cut-back in between to lock the tie at 1-1 right before half-time.

Then came the Ancelotti magic. Benzema was at the centre of it all, bagging a hat-trick for a second game in a row and battering a stunned Barcelona defence.

He got Madrid going after the break, sweeping the ball into the far corner after a dart and pass from Luka Modric. He was ruthless thereafter, scoring from the spot for Madrid's third after Franck Kessie tripped Vinicius in the box, and adding the fourth with a delightful dink from an incisive Vinicius run.

There is indeed a trophy up for grabs here, and Madrid will fancy themselves in the final against Osasuna. But perhaps more importantly, they seem to be recapturing their magic ahead of a massive Champions League meeting with Chelsea next week.

GOALbreaks down the winners and losers from Camp Nou…

Getty ImagesWINNER: Karim Benzema

Over these past couple of seasons, Karim Benzema has pretty much done it all, culminating in a richly deserved Ballon d'Or triumph. However, there was one thing missing from his stellar CV: a Clasico hat-trick. Well, the wait is over, with the France forward netting a treble in his 43rd outing against Barcelona.

Oh, and he also set up Vinicius' vital opener with a wonderfully disguised and executed cut-back for his Brazilian team-mate.

Benzema truly is one of the game's great No.9s, the kind of forward who can do it all. And best of all, he's showing no signs of slowing up. With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi long gone, the Clasico has a new king.

AdvertisementLOSER: Franck Kessie

Kessie was probably the most impressive Barcelona midfielder for the first half, but had a nightmare of a second. He was overrun by Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, and gave away a foolish penalty to hand Madrid their third on the night.

Vinicius was going nowhere when Kessie dangled a leg. The Brazilian admittedly made the most of it, but Kessie offered the chance for Vinicius to go over – a true lapse of judgment from an experienced player who should know better.

He was sacrificed after an hour for Ansu Fati, and was deservedly the first Barcelona midfielder to be removed from proceedings. Kessie is not the only Barcelona player at fault here, but his braindead moment allowed Madrid to pull away.

GettyWINNER: Carlo Ancelotti

Ancelotti joked with Osasuna coach Jagoba Arrasate back in February that the pair would meet again in the Copa del Rey final, and somehow he was right!

Madrid fans feared the worst when they saw the line-up: Eduardo Camavinga at left-back; Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in midfield without the legs of Aurelien Tchouameni behind them.

But Ancelotti's bold selection was fully vindicated. Camavinga was one of the best players on the pitch, Kroos controlled the game in the second half, while Modric provided the assist for Benzema's crucial second goal. Ancelotti may well move on this summer but, right now, he remains 'The Boss'.

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GettyLOSER: Raphinha

Raphinha was far too predictable on Wednesday. The Brazilian insisted on trying to cut sharply onto his left foot every time he received a pass. And his opposite number, Camavinga, who is by no means a natural left-back, did not have any difficulty in stopping him.

Raphinha lost the ball relentlessly, killing Barcelona attacks before they had even started to mark a truly forgettable showing from a player who has struggled for consistency. He needed to have a big game here, especially with Barcelona lacking some of their big names in midfield. Instead, Raphinha was unreliable and lacking in quality.

This wasn't necessarily a failure of attacking football — some of Barcelona's defending was truly terrible — but Raphinha is not the attacking game-changer that Barcelona thought they were getting last summer.

Some of the world's top players are into the final year of their deals, meaning they could leave at the end of the season – Goal takes a look at them

Check out the football players out of contract in 2020 in this updated article!Getty ImagesMario Balotelli | FW | Marseille

Mario Balotelli has enjoyed a career resurgence in Ligue 1 and has recently completed a move to Marseille from Nice until the end of the season.

The Italy international will see out the second half of the campaign at the French side – but where he goes afterwards will depend on how he performs during the season. He has been pictured attending games in Serie A, most recently the encounter between Inter and Atalanta. Make of that what you will.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesHatem Ben Arfa | MF | Rennes

Former Newcastle United, Paris Saint-German and Lyon star Hatem Ben Arfa is often considered one of football's 'nearly men'. Blessed with oodles of ability, the France international's career never quite took off as many would have hoped.

He has shone since joining Rennes in 2018 and his exploits will not have gone unnoticed, nor will the fact that his contract expires this summer. However, it must be noted that there is an option to extend.

Getty ImagesYacine Brahimi | FW | PortoYacine Brahimi has been a key member of the Porto team for the past five seasons since joining from Granada, but he could potentially decide to move on next summer. The Algeria international has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, including Wolves, Everton and West Ham.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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GettyGary Cahill | DF | Chelsea

No longer considered first-choice at Chelsea, Gary Cahill is weighing up his options as his career with the Blues approaches an end.

Derby County have been heavily linked with the 32-year-old, who recently retired from international duty as part of an effort to prolong his club career, but his vast experience means he would also be an attractive acquisition for a number of Premier League teams too.