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The summer transfer window officially opens for business next month, and Leeds United are likely to be busy as they prepare for a season in the Premier League.

One player who is on the club’s radar is Tottenham Hotspur winger Manor Solomon, who spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Elland Road, and the forward is reportedly open to talks over a permanent switch to West Yorkshire.

The 25-year-old attacker ended the season with ten goals and 12 assists in the Championship, and Leeds are now eyeing a new target who could be amazing for Solomon in the Premier League.

Leeds eyeing Premier League defender

According to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon (25/05/2025), Leeds United are eyeing a new target in the form of West Ham United left-back Aaron Cresswell.

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The reporter claims that Daniel Farke is lining up a move to snap up the experienced defender on a free transfer when his contract with the Hammers expires at the end of next month.

Nixon adds, however, that there is also interest from celebrity-owned Championship side Wrexham, who have just been promoted from League One, which means that there is competition for the 35-year-old star’s signature.

The journalist also reveals that Leeds would view the veteran full-back as a squad player, rather than a guaranteed starter, but that does not mean that he would not be an incredibly valuable addition, particularly for Solomon.

Why Leeds should sign Aaron Cresswell

Junior Firpo’s contract is set to expire this summer, and it still remains to be seen whether or not he will put pen to paper on an extension, which means that there is a vacant spot at left-back to be filled as it stands.

Cresswell, as Nixon’s report suggests, may not come in to start all 38 games in the Premier League next term, but he is a vastly-experienced top-flight performer who could be relied upon to deliver quality displays when called upon.

Capped three times by England, he played 312 Premier League matches for the Hammers, and 369 games in total, during his time at the London Stadium, which means that Farke would have a defender who has been there and done it at that level.

Appearances

18

Starts

10

Pass accuracy

87%

Dribbled past

0.1x

Ground duel success rate

67%

Aerial duel success rate

50%

As you can see in the table above, Cresswell, who played as a left-back or as a wide centre-back in a three, started ten Premier League games this season and delivered solid defensive displays.

The veteran full-back, whose ball-striking was described as “lovely” by teammate Ryan Fredericks when lauding his left foot, has shown that he still has the physicality and quality to dominate opposition defenders in duels, whilst rarely being dribbled past.

This suggests that he could be amazing for Solomon, who is a direct winger who wants to constantly attack to score and assist goals, because he is not a defensively weak left-back who needs constant support and doubling up from his forward ahead of him.

This means that the Israel international, should he sign permanently at Elland Road this summer, could love to have Cresswell behind him because his defensively solidity could allow him more freedom to stay higher up the pitch to influence games in the final third.

Leeds could land their best winger since Raphinha by signing £25m "machine"

Leeds United could land their best winger since Raphinha by swooping for this star.

2 ByDan Emery May 26, 2025

Arsenal have made one “top” player an offer to join them this summer, after new sporting director Andrea Berta helped to sway Mikel Arteta into a summer switch-up.

Mikel Arteta reacts as Arsenal lose Champions League semi-final to PSG

The north Londoners will end 2024/2025 without any silverware, which comes as a real disappointment for Arsenal after they were widely tipped to end their 21-year wait for a Premier League title at the beginning of the campaign.

Arsenal "closer to finalising" deal for £85m star with contract semi-agreed

The Gunners have made significant progress ahead of this summer.

2 ByEmilio Galantini May 7, 2025

A combination of debilitating injuries and their failure to put teams away, with Arsenal chalking up more draws than any other side in the top ten apart from Brighton, has resulted in Arteta’s side ending the domestic campaign empty-handed.

Arsenal sparked brief hope that they could make history by winning their first ever Champions League crown, especially after their statement 5-1 aggregate win over 15-time European champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.

Liverpool (away)

May 11th

Newcastle United (home)

May 18th

Southampton (away)

May 25th

However, they were eventually outdone by Ligue 1 champions PSG in the semis, with their lack of ruthless finishing, alongside Gianluigi Donnarumma’s heroics, ultimately crushing Arsenal’s European dream.

“It’s probably difficult with words,” said Arteta on Arsenal’s emotions after being knocked out of the Champions League.

“The work that we put [in], the enthusiasm, the belief and whatever happens, you come here, and you do what we’ve done, it’s the first time for 95% of these guys because they’ve never played a semi-final. To do what they did in Paris today against this team is remarkable, but the fact is that we are out, and we want to improve, and we want to win it. We can never look back on it yet, but if we did or whatever, it’s just, why is it still on us to reach that and unlock that door to get to the final and then actually win it? And that’s the way it might be.”

Arsenal make offer to Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap

Now that Arsenal will be ending 24/25 without any silverware, attention is continuing to turn towards the summer transfer window and how they’ll prepare for next campaign, in a bid to go again.

It is no secret that Arsenal are targeting a goalscoring striker, and it is believed by some media sources that Berta is making serious progress on a move for Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres.

However, as per Football Transfers, Ipswich Town star Liam Delap could now join the Sweden international.

They report that Arsenal could bring in two centre-forwards, one to lead the line as a starter and one to work as an understudy. Gyokeres would arrive as the star front man, with Delap coming in as a back-up option to the 26-year-old.

The Englishman, who has a £30m release clause, has been made fully aware of this by Arsenal, who’ve also outlined exactly how they’d utilise him next term. Berta is also prepared to pay the 22-year-old’s clause, just one year after Ipswich signed him from Man City.

Football Transfers also state that Arsenal have made an offer to Delap and his representatives, coming after Berta “successfully convinced” Arteta to change their transfer strategy this summer.

Delap has been a rare bright spark for Kieran McKenna’s relegated side, bagging 12 goals in all competitions, with pundit Paul Robinson calling him a “top player” and an absolute “nuisance” to deal with.

Against Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals showed what they can do if they utilise their resources optimally

Shashank Kishore05-Apr-20251:25

Boucher: Archer’s pace and rhythm show he’s back

Over the past few seasons, Rajasthan Royals (RR) have often embraced audacity in their pursuit of flexibility, but Saturday’s IPL 2025 game against Punjab Kings (PBKS), their fourth game of the season, was perhaps the T20 prototype they were looking for.They arrived in Mullanpur buoyed by a morale-boosting win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Guwahati, but were the first to acknowledge the issues that needed addressing. The most pressing concern: Yashasvi Jaiswal’s struggle for fluency at the top.Jaiswal has looked like a shadow of the explosive batter who lit up IPL 2023 – a season where he struck at over 175 in the powerplay and smashed a record 13-ball half-century. In stark contrast, since IPL 2024, he had already been dismissed ten times in the powerplay – the joint-third-highest in the tournament.Related

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On Saturday, Jaiswal shook off the cobwebs to lay the foundation for a commanding performance. His half-century wasn’t the most dazzling, but it was marked by a gritty battle with himself. By the time he was dismissed, Jaiswal had offered more than a glimpse of the ferocious ball-striker he can be – rushing from 46 off 39 to 67 off 44 before being bowled by Lockie Ferguson.Jaiswal’s return to form, combined with Sanju Samson’s full-fledged comeback as captain-batter-wicketkeeper after recovering from a finger injury, powered RR to their highest opening partnership of the season – 89. Crucially, it was also the first time the first pair lasted beyond the powerplay.This was a massive tick because the composition of their squad, combined with how they utilise the Impact Player – six batters even when batting first, unlike other teams that bolster their line-up with an extra hitter – leaves them exposed when the top order fails.Their improved batting also seemed to reduce their reliance on Riyan Parag. Parag, who had captained in the first three games, looked unshackled on Saturday as he made an unbeaten 25-ball 43. He batted knowing RR still had Nitish Rana – fresh off a sensational 36-ball 81 against CSK last week – to come and not as many overs to deal with as he had to when the openers failed.This also meant they no longer had to resort to unconventional tactics, like promoting Wanindu Hasaranga to lengthen their batting order. With Shimron Hetmyer at No. 5 and Dhruv Jurel at No. 6, they eliminated the need for makeshift solutions. Yet, you couldn’t help but wonder why Hetmyer had ever batted at No. 8, below an Impact Player, after being retained to fulfill the role of the finisher.2:28

Did the two teams read the pitch differently?

All told, theirs wasn’t a flawless batting show, but the ideal batting line-up – one that, when in full flow, can dominate the best attacks – was on display. This power-packed line-up propelled them to the first 200-plus total in Mullanpur in the IPL, which Sandeep Sharma later said was well “above par” on a pitch that “wasn’t all that good”.The batting unit looked so settled that Samson even suggested it was something they “just have to stick to”, believing they had finally found the “right batting order and right entry points” for batters.This left them even with the freedom to go through their bowling innings without having to press for Kumar Kartikeya’s left-arm versatility – he can bowl the orthodox offbreak as well as wristspin – as an Impact Player.The contest seemed to be over well before Kartikeya even came on, thanks to Jofra Archer’s fiery new-ball spell. His electrifying first over was sheer popcorn stuff. Though, if you ask young Priyansh Arya and Shreyas Iyer, they might vehemently disagree.Arya was undone first ball, almost squared up by genuine seam movement that sent his off stump cartwheeling. Iyer responded with intent, lofting two elegant shots over the covers, but Archer had the last laugh. A sharp, short ball aimed at the ribs, drifting down leg, that was called wide may have unsettled Iyer just enough to tempt a retort – one that saw him expose all stumps in an ambitious swipe. The result: stumps and bails flying in opposite directions.1:06

What forced Jaiswal to score a 40-ball fifty?

Archer was fired up – a far cry from the tentative, perhaps even slightly undercooked, version that had emerged from England’s spring chill into India’s unforgiving summer, returning figures of 0 for 109 in just 6.3 overs across his first two games.Was it the fear of another injury holding him back? Or simply the brutal combination of harsh conditions and a rampant Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batting line-up that made things look worse than they were? On Saturday, Archer delivered a proper riposte.His burst allowed all the moving parts of the RR attack to function the way they were designed to. Like Sandeep bowling two upfront and two at the death to close out the game, and their Sri Lankan spin twins of Maheesh Theekshana and Hasaranga manning the middle overs and overcoming the Nehal Wadhera and Glenn Maxwell threat.This is the template they like, and with two consecutive wins, RR now have a bit more leeway than they seemed to have. It’s also likely that Rahul Dravid’s notepad on Saturday had far fewer notes in red as a result.

Their fast-bowling or math tests, what would you rather face before you’ve even rubbed the sleep from your eyes?

Osman Samiuddin09-Jun-2023Good morning.Here is a postcard from hell.Hell is morning. Nothing good ever came from mornings. Bodies, slow, minds slower. Probably children somewhere, not being slow or mindful, the very accessories of hell.The day before this Test began Rohit Sharma arrived at a press conference at The Oval and, no lie, it took him a minute to begin to even compose a response to the first question. It was 9:15am. I’m pretty sure as the question began, Rohit was still in REM sleep. If we can ever know anything for certain about Rohit Sharma without knowing anything about him, it is that he is not a morning person. And no man should be attending to formal duties at this hour, let alone having to face questions from journalists.Related

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This Test has been starting earlier than usual for England. At 11am, we’re on the border between morning and afternoon, waiting to cross into noon. But at 10:30am, we’re rubbing the sleep from our eyes.But you know who else, apart from children, likes mornings? Fast bowlers.If children are the accessories to hell fast bowlers are the furniture. They love mornings. The rest of us are trying to string a two-word sentence together and failing, trying not to be like when the audio and video of your screen is all out of sync; meanwhile these heroes are catwalking in from 30 yards, bodies loose and lean, joints and limbs and muscles in biological harmony, hurling stuff at you at 90mph.First thing in the morning, Scott Boland. I mean. That’s like waking up straight into a math exam.Whatever else hell might be, ChatGPT will be there. And what is Scott Boland if not the ChatGPT response to the question of who is the perfect fast-medium bowler? Boland does fast-medium bowling exactly as it has been prescribed, except he does it so exactly that it can’t be real. It must be a likeness of real, that’s how good it is.Who bowls the ball he bowled second up this morning? KS Bharat is waking up, we’re all waking up really, and here’s Boland asking him to disprove the Riemann Hypothesis.”You what? Wait, what’s that sound? Is that my stumps?”It’s a ball you might not be able to keep out at 2pm, 5pm, 9pm or any pm. At 10:32am? No chance in hell.Next ball he raps Shardul Thakur on the gloves. This is a sign. Pain is incoming. Having brought balls back thus far, the last one holds its line and Thakur edges it, just beyond the slips. This is also a sign because fortune is also incoming. If fast-medium bowling as we’ve known it (Stuart Clark, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Abbas) is hell, then in the high 80s for speeds, Boland’s is Hell+.How can anyone who looks that good be so bad for you?•Getty ImagesThe greatest trick hell ever pulled is, of course, Pat Cummins, who’s up next. How can anyone who looks that good be so bad for you? How can anyone look that good this early in the morning? How can anyone be so considered and considerate, so full of empathy, and yet also be trying to crack your body open at least 120 times a day?First ball he’s in. Can’t drive it. Can’t not play at it. Can’t play it even when you can’t not play at it. It’s seaming away from Ajinkya Rahane. What coffee do they serve in hell? Cummins keeps pulling his length fractionally backwards or forwards of good length, allowing the variation in bounce in the surface to come in play for the rest of the over. Then, at the end, having fed Thakur all this heat, he throws him the illusion of a cold wet towel. A full ball. Outside off. Drive it. Seek relief. Thakur can’t see it from all the sweat in his eyes and misses.Boland got hit for his first six in Tests on Thursday. On Friday, he bowls his first ever bad delivery in Tests, four wides way down legside. India celebrate the runs. Humanity celebrates a glitch in the ChatGPT algorithm: there’s hope for all of us. Hold your horses though. Other than that ball, Boland’s over seams in, then holds, seams in, then holds again, then seams in. Thakur edges, but it scoots along the field past slips for four.Pat Cummins hit Shardul Thakur in the right forearm two balls in a row•AFP/Getty ImagesThe next over from Cummins has so many medical personnel on the field, it’s like a scene from Grey’s Anatomy which, of course, is the same thing as a scene from hell. Thakur is struck twice in two balls, on the exact same spot on his forearm, off two exact same deliveries. Not short but quick, bouncing but also seaming away. Hell is a life lived over. At the non-striker’s end, another truth bomb has struck Rahane. Hell is other people.Hell is also not over. Thakur pops a pill, puts on an extra arm guard (although at this precise moment, Tony Stark’s latest armour isn’t going to help him any) and gets hit on the glove, high up on the bat handle next ball. The last ball of the over is a conventional legbreak. At nearly 90mph.Rahane plays out an over from Boland which feels like, I dunno, maybe having a cigarette in hell. He takes six runs by opening the face of his bat but is beaten in between by one that jags away from very close to off. Smoking’s not good for your health. But it’s less bad for your health than hell.Thakur is dropped by Cameron Green at gully off Cummins. It is a dolly. He’s hit high on the pads the next ball and then in the midriff the ball after. It’s a no-ball too, so an extra ball to face. One nips in, almost rolls on to the stumps off Thakur’s bottom edge. At this point, the drop seems cruel and unfair on Thakur. ESPNcricinfo records his control percentage as 40%. It seems a lot on the high side.Boland is still going because AI never sleeps. Rahane defends solidly, then plays a nice off-drive and it might be that he’s getting the hang of this. Duly he drives, duly the ball shapes away and duly the edge falls just short of gully.It’s past 11 now, so creeping into non-morning territory. It might be that someone’s turned the AC on in hell, or at least turned the heat down. Rahane first gets lucky, jabbing at and edging a wideish length ball from Cummins for four. Rahane then gets classy, hooking the next ball, high and long for six and nearly, very nearly out of hell.There’s still time for Boland to have a whole over of fun with Thakur. Back of length, fuller, in, out, shake it all about. It leaves Thakur requiring more treatment, this time on his thumb. He may need to talk to someone about what his mind and soul have just been put through.But he’s gotten through it. It’s 11:22am. It’s not even been a full hour but my watch is telling me it’s been eternity. Morning has ended and as Mitchell Starc comes on, so too has hell.

One of the weakest batting line-ups fielded for years left England facing embarrassment

George Dobell12-Jun-2021Had the England team barged into a wedding, knocked over the cake and shouted “she’s a goat!” they could hardly have pooped the party any more.The Saturday of the Edgbaston Test was meant to be a celebration. A chance for England supporters to rejoice in the company of their fellow fan and revel in the chance to watch the national side at the ground they call their “fortress” for the first time in almost two years.Instead, it became something approaching a wake. As England subsided to the brink of their first home Test series defeat since 2014 and their first against New Zealand this century, the dancing and chanting that filled the ground for the first couple of hours of the day gave way to shocked muttering and disgusted tutting.It surely wasn’t the party the throng of punters in fancy dress had anticipated. Instead we were treated to the surreal sight of a superfluity of nuns (presumably in fancy dress, it seems high risk to ask) sipping their pints in quiet reflection with some subdued lobsters (again, presumably fancy dress, though you do see some odd things floating about in Birmingham’s canals). Still, nobody’s fancy dress was less convincing than the England team. Some of them came as batters, after all.Related

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There is some mitigation for England. It’s not so much that they are without three first-choice players – New Zealand made six changes for this match, remember – or that this is an unusually young batting line-up. The side at Lord’s included England’s youngest top seven ever assembled for a home Test.It’s more that they are up against opponents who are simply better than them. New Zealand are terrific. They have enviable depth in their seam bowling, they put a high price on their wickets and they can catch the wind in the slip cordon. It is no disgrace to be beaten by them.So, those in the Eric Hollies Stand chanting “Who are you?” as the New Zealand players not required for this game made their way back and forth to the training ground (yes, England have been thrashed by something approaching an A side), will hopefully know by now: they’re a top side who, with a fraction of the resources available to England, have just given them a lesson in how to play Test cricket.It’s the hubris that’s most grating with England. The hubris that thinks they can compete – and sell tickets, of course – with one of the best Test teams in the world while resting players having prioritised limited-overs cricket. The hubris that talks of their scouting system as if every eventuality has been considered and then picks a keeper who looks faintly astonished each time he manages to cling on to the ball. The hubris of a coaching system that, these days, allows batters to “work it out for themselves” and has resulted in some of the most technically deficient players to ever bat together in an England team.There’s a touch of hubris about having a coach for every discipline, too. That includes a spin-bowling coach for a side without a spinner and a fielding coach for a side that can hardly catch the bus. Statistics shown by Sky midway through the afternoon session showed that no Test team has a lower percentage of chances taken in the slips over the last three years. Given that England’s keeper and fine leg fielder also dropped chances on Saturday and a picture emerges of a side that has been consistently poor in this regard.You feel for England’s bowlers. While for an hour or so on Saturday morning, even they lost the plot for a while – the first hour of the day was arguably England’s most ragged in the field for a couple of years – they are generally admirably threatening and consistent.But they are being given no chance by a batting line-up as fragile as poppadoms and, to bowling attacks around the world, just as easy to gobble up. It gives no time for James Anderson and co to recover between innings and no reasonable totals to try to defend. This England side contains two of the greatest seamers the country has ever produced and also perhaps its fastest ever bowler. Their efforts are being wasted by what may be the weakest batting line-up England have put out in many, many years.Dom Sibley edges one to slip•Getty ImagesIf that sounds like an exaggeration, take a look at the career averages and compare it to other low points in their Test history. Apart from Joe Root, the one undisputed world-class batter in the side, nobody else averages as much as 34. Even when England were being thrashed 5-0 by West Indies in 1984, or Australia in 2006-07 and 2013-14, their line-ups contained several fine batters. Even when they lost to New Zealand in 1999 it looks stronger than this. You can take a look at the scorecards and names to make up your own mind.The ECB knows the reasons for the fragility of the batting. Everyone one reading this knows the reasons. While the board continues to disrespect domestic first-class cricket – be it with the schedules, the regulations or the prioritisation of the limited-overs games – they will continue to struggle to produce batters with the skills and discipline for Test cricket. This is not rocket science; the ECB will reap what it sows.There is no future in England pretending that the return of Ben Stokes will cure all ills. Of course he is a fine player who would boost any side. But the Top five England fielded here was the top five they have pencilled in to take-on India and Australia. It is unreasonable to expect Stokes to keep producing the miracles we saw at Leeds and Lord’s to mask the deficiencies of his team-mates.To be fair to England’s selection, you can understand why they felt they needed an extra batter. They probably needed a dozen extra batters. And you can see why they didn’t feel they needed a spinner on the fourth or fifth day. There’s hardly going to be any play.But there are very few positives to take from this performance. Not only is a proud home record about to be lost, but the arrival of India provides a real challenge in the next series. Australia won’t be looking on with a chuckle any more; they’ll be looking on worried that the Ashes is going to be uncompetitive. And if there’s one thing English cricket hates more than Australian derision, it is Australian sympathy.

Welcome to 'Ask Jimmy,' where SI Media writer Jimmy Traina will answer one question about a burning topic from the sports media world.

A balls and strikes challenge system is finally coming to Major League Baseball. After being used for several years in the minor leagues, the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System will be featured in the big leagues beginning next season. Each team will get two challenges per game when it comes to balls and strikes, which will be retained if successful.

This is nothing but a positive for the sport. You can’t have games decided on missed calls by the home plate umpire and this is a way to fix that.

The only downside is that I wish teams were allotted more than two challenges per game from the start. I’d give teams four or five challenges per game. Even if you think home plate umpires do a great job, they’re still going to miss a handful of calls in each game. Why not implement a system in order to rectify that?

If your argument against the ABS challenge system is that it will slow down the game, think again. 

Baseball has done a great job of speeding up the game by instituting the pitch clock. The challenge system won’t have a significant effect on the length of games.

Via MLB: In 288 games with the ABS Challenge System during Spring Training 2025, there were an average of 4.1 challenges per game. Those challenges took an average of 13.8 seconds. 

Adding on a minute to each game to get important calls correct is a no-brainer. 

Baseball already has instant replay, so adding another layer to have balls and strikes challenged seems like a natural progression. 

Think about how history would have changed if ABS was around in 1998 when the Yankees got this gift from the home plate umpire.

You just can’t miss a call like that in a World Series game.

The only downside in my view is that this will limit the number of player explosions when a home plate umpire gets a call wrong. Now, instead of throwing their helmet or slamming their bats, a batter will simply tap his head to call for replay. 

Leeds United moved out of the relegation zone in the Premier League this week with an impressive 3-1 win over Chelsea at Elland Road on Wednesday night, in a game that was underpinned by Daniel Farke’s structural changes.

The German head coach, who has typically deployed a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 formation during his time at the club, opted to start with a 3-5-2 system against Enzo Maresca’s team.

It worked wonders for the Whites as they went on to claim all three points, thanks to goals from Jaka Bijol, Ao Tanaka, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Why Leeds United's formation change worked so well

Changing from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 worked so well for the Whites because it allowed Jayden Bogle, who assisted the second goal, and Gabriel Gudmundsson to push higher up the pitch with three centre-backs providing enough cover defensively.

It also meant that the Whites could play with two strikers, instead of leaving one isolated on their own, and that led to Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha causing plenty of problems.

The two centre-forwards combined to win 13 duels against the Chelsea defenders and won four fouls, without committing any, per Sofascore, which shows that they were a nightmare to deal with throughout the game.

Nmecha, in particular, has benefitted from having Calvert-Lewin’s physicality alongside him. The German forward, who has scored four Premier League goals, has lost 69% of his ground duels this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he struggles with the physical side of leading the line on his own.

Having another, more physical, striker alongside him means that he can focus on making runs in behind and pressing opposition defenders, which is what makes it such an effective pairing, or at least what made it so effective against Chelsea.

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Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Whilst Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin got the job done on Wednesday, Harry Gray could be perfect for the new role that Nmecha is now playing for Leeds.

Why Harry Gray should be unleashed in Lukas Nmecha's new role

Bringing young players into the first-team is difficult in any circumstance, but even more so in the Premier League with all that is at stake in a relegation battle.

Academy talents are not used to the physicality of professional football and may need time to adapt, particularly strikers, which is why this new role that Nmecha has could be perfect for Gray.

Farke must finally unleash the 17-year-old centre-forward for his Premier League debut in the coming weeks because playing alongside an experienced striker like Calvert-Lewin could be an ideal introduction to regular football at senior level.

Gray, who was described as the club’s “newest Wonderkid” by talent scout Jacek Kulig and his contributor Joe Blackburn, has scored a whopping ten goals in 11 games in all competitions for the academy this season, per Transfermarkt.

Appearances

3

Goals

2

Conversion rate

50%

Assists

1

Dribbles completed per game

2.0

Ground duel success rate

52%

Aerial duel success rate

38%

As you can see in the table above, the teenage forward has scored two goals in three EFL Trophy games, playing against League One and League Two sides, but has struggled with the aerial duels in those games.

This suggests that he would not be well-suited to playing as a lone striker in the Premier League for Leeds, as he would need to duel with towering top-flight centre-backs and hold the ball up under intense pressure, which is also where Nmecha struggled earlier this season.

Therefore, playing alongside Calvert-Lewin, who won six of his nine aerial duels against Chelsea (Sofascore), could be the perfect way for him to be introduced into the first-team this season.

Gray’s return of 14 goals in 20 U21s games and eight goals in 11 U18s matches for Leeds, per Transfermarkt, shows that he has the technical and goalscoring qualities to potentially make an impact for the Whites, but it is the physicality that is questionable.

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This change in formation from Farke, though, may alleviate those concerns because of how the two-striker system works, and that is why the manager should unleash the teen sensation in Nmecha’s role in the coming weeks.

خاض فريق توتنهام، مساء يوم السبت، مباراته في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز لكرة القدم، موسم 2025/26، وذلك ضد نظيره فولهام.

واستضاف توتنهام خصمه فولهام في خضم لقاءات الجولة الثالثة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث تعرض أصحاب الأرض للهزيمة بهدفين لهدف. أهداف مباراة توتنهام وفولهام في الدوري الإنجليزي

تفاجأ توتنهام باهتزاز شباكه بهدفين بعد مرور 6 دقائق على بداية الشوط الأول، حيث جاء الهدف الأول عن طريق كيني تيتي، وأعقبه بدقيقتين تسجيل هدف من جانب هاري ويلسون.

وظلت النتيجة كما هي، قبل أن يتمكن توتنهام من تقليص الفارق بعدما سجل محمد قدوس هدفًا في الدقيقة 59، ولكن لم يستفد أصحاب الأرض شيئًا من ذلك الهدف، بعدما فشلوا في تسجيل التعادل واقتناص نقطة على الأقل.

وواصل توتنهام بذلك نتائجه السيئة في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث لم يحقق فوزًا في تلك المنافسات منذ انتصاره على إيفرتون بنتيجة 3/0 يوم 26 أكتوبر، وفيما بعد، خسر أمام نيوكاسل يونايتد وتشيلسي، وتعادل مع مانشستر يونايتد ثم خسر أمام آرسنال.

بتلك النتيجة، تجمد رصيد توتنهام عند 18 نقطة في المركز العاشر، في حين ارتفع رصيد فولهام إلى 17 نقطة في المركز الخامس عشر.

Vinicius Junior's relationship with Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso is described as "strictly professional" amid growing discontent from the Brazilian winger over his role this season. The forward reportedly misses the close bond he shared with former manager Carlo Ancelotti after finding himself on the bench once again for the La Liga draw against Elche.

• Xabi Alonso plays down Vinicius exclusion

  According to a report from , Vinicius is not entirely comfortable with Xabi Alonso's management style. The Brazilian was a substitute for Sunday’s 2-2 draw at the Martinez Valero stadium, marking the fourth time this season he has been left out of the starting XI – three times in La Liga and once in the Champions League.

  While sources close to the player indicate the relationship with Alonso remains professional, the atmosphere is a stark contrast to the "warmth and closeness" Vinicius enjoyed under Ancelotti. The current Brazil national team coach treated Vinicius with an almost "paternal" approach and considered him an "untouchable" member of the starting XI during the 2023-24 campaign, a season in which the winger found his best form.

  Alonso addressed the decision to bench Vinicius against Elche, insisting it was a mutual understanding due to the player's heavy workload during the international break. Vinicius had just completed 180 minutes for Brazil in friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia during the final international window of 2025.

  Speaking after the draw in Elche, Alonso stated: "There's no problem, we had discussed it as we often do. He understands and knew the role he would play. Today we're not happy, but everyone is eager to get back to winning ways."

  Despite Alonso's public assurances, Marca reports that underlying tension exists. Vinicius was visibly angered by his substitution in the second half of El Clasico against Barcelona earlier in the season, a decision that reportedly caused a division of opinion regarding the coach's methods within the club's Valdebebas training ground.

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  Rodrygo struggles continue despite starts

  Alonso opted to start Rodrygo on the left wing against Elche, a decision that did not yield positive results. The former Santos forward's attacking contribution was described as "clearly subpar" by the Spanish report.

  Rodrygo is enduring a difficult run of form and has yet to register a single goal or assist this season, with his goal drought now extending to 29 matches across all competitions. Like Vinicius, Rodrygo also featured heavily for Brazil during the recent international break, starting both matches, though he was substituted late in both games.

• Contract renewal talks face uncertainty

  The current dynamic between player and coach has reportedly cast a shadow over ongoing contract renewal negotiations between Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid. states that a new deal is "still far from being finalised," with the player's intermittent role adding a "cloud" to the proceedings.

  Vinicius' current contract with Los Blancos expires in June 2027, and he holds a massive market value. Despite the recent omission from the first-team, the 25-year-old remains a key contributor statistically this season. He has started 10 of his 13 La Liga appearances this season, scoring five goals and providing four assists. 

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  What next for Real Madrid and Vinicius Jr?

  Real Madrid are preparing for crucial fixtures immediately following the disappointing draw at Elche. They face Olympiacos in the Champions League group stage on Thursday before returning to La Liga action at home against Girona on Monday, December 1. Attention will focus on Alonso's team selection for these matches and whether Vinicius returns to the starting lineup as Real Madrid look to improve their recent form.

The Seattle Mariners have shut down starting pitcher George Kirby in spring training due to right shoulder inflammation. He will begin the season on the injured list, according to a report from Ryan Divish of

Kirby underwent an MRI and there is no structural damage. He wanted to continue throwing and ramping up but was overruled by Seattle's medical staff.

Kirby, a one-time All-Star in 2023, is entering his fourth season in the big leagues. He has made 89 career starts for Seattle, where in 511.2 innings pitched he's amassed a 35–26 record with a 3.43 ERA and 179 strikeouts.