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It is no secret that signing a new striker will be one of the priorities for Leeds United's next manager, whoever that may be.

The Whites, who confirmed a full takeover by the 49ers Enterprises on Friday, were relegated from the Premier League this past season for a number of reasons – a lack of regular goals being one of them.

Indeed, only Rodrigo Moreno registered more than five goals, with Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra next highest with five each.

With Patrick Bamford in particular struggling – the out-of-form striker netted just four times in 28 league outings – and question marks over others such as Crysencio Summerville, Wilfried Gnoto and Joe Gelhardt, Leeds look best suited to dipping their toes in the transfer market to find an adequate option.

It is not at all surprising that Leeds have already been linked with numerous players, with Coventry City's Viktor Gyokeres among them, but there are other – more affordable – options out there for the Yorkshire side.

One of those options is said to be Sory Kaba, who while not as big a name as some, showed last season on loan in the Championship with Cardiff City exactly what he is all about.

Can Sory Kaba replace Patrick Bamford at Leeds United?

Kaba only arrived at Cardiff on the final day of the January transfer window, but he more than made an impact for the Welsh club as they just about staved off relegation.

Indeed, were it not for the Guinea international's eight goals in 17 league appearances – three goals more than any other City played managed, despite only playing half of their games – it could have been an entirely different story.

Cardiff fans are unsurprisingly desperate for Kaba to return to the Welsh capital, but Football League World reports that Leeds are also interested in bringing him in from Danish side Midtjylland.

Leeds are reported to have sent scouts to watch Kaba up close last season. If that is the case, they would have witnessed first-hand just what a presence the 6 ft 3 striker has up top.

As football reporter Josh Bunting put it, Kaba "pins defenders in and wins the flick-ons", while providing "something different" as a number nine.

Kaba was not afraid to get shots away last season, finishing the Championship campaign with an average of 2.6 per game, as per WhoScored, which compares to 1.8 for Bamford, albeit in a higher division.

Former Elche and Dijon striker Kaba also thrives when it comes to taking on an opponent, as highlighted by his 1.02 successful take-ons per 90 across the past year, as per FBref. For comparison, Bamford managed 0.65.

To further emphasise Kaba's presence, he won an average of 5.67 aerial duels per 90 minutes, whereas Bamford won just 2.14.

As former Cardiff boss Steve Morison put it, Kaba was "a great addition to their squad", arguably the difference between relegation and survival.

In many ways, gambling on an alternative to Bamford by taking a punt on Kaba – who is valued as little as £4m by Football Observatory – could be the difference between Leeds challenging for promotion or being among the also-rans next season.

Persistent rain ruled out any chance of play in the second and third sessions after Pakistan, having chosen an all-seam attack on a green pitch, picked up two New Zealand wickets after winning the toss

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy24-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe cut featured prominently among Ross Taylor’s six fours•Getty ImagesPersistent rain ruled out any chance of play in the second and third sessions after Pakistan, having chosen an all-seam attack on a green pitch, picked up two New Zealand wickets after winning the toss. New Zealand batted positively, going after anything marginally loose, and scored 77 runs in 21 overs before rain forced an early lunch, 15 minutes before schedule. With intermittent showers continuing to afflict Seddon Park, umpires called off play at 4pm.It left the Test match suspended in an interesting though still embryonic position with Jeet Raval, carrying on from his impressive debut in Christchurch, batting on 35 and Ross Taylor, who seemed unbothered by the pterygium in his left eye, on 29 off 20 balls.Taylor looked far more assured than he had done in either South Africa or India, lining up in a more side-on stance than normal, and, perhaps as a consequence, lifting his bat up behind him rather than out towards gully as is usually the case, allowing it to come down straighter in defence while having no adverse effect on his traditional strength, the square-cut. Of the six fours he hit, five came off this shot.This was also because Pakistan bowled too short and too wide at him, and in general weren’t as accurate as the conditions demanded. Sohail Khan and Wahab Riaz were particularly guilty of spraying the ball around, while Imran Khan, returning to the Test line-up after more than a year, looked rusty, often slanting the ball too wide of off stump to make Raval play.It was a curious unraveling after Mohammad Amir had begun as well as he possibly could have, every ball of his first over tight on off stump, curling away from a good length or just short of it, forcing the two left-handed openers to play, and produced four edges and two plays-and-misses. Two of the edges carried to Sami Aslam at first slip. He dropped the first, at knee height while falling to his left, to reprieve Raval, and caught the second, to send back Tom Latham for a first-ball duck.Aside from that let-off and a couple of loose drives away from his body, Raval showed impressive judgment outside off, particularly against the right-armers angling the ball across him. He profited particularly from nudges off his legs and pulls, the latter shot rather effective on a pitch where the ball came through with true bounce but not a lot of pace.Kane Williamson looked in excellent touch in his 42-ball stay at the crease, easing two effortless drives through the off side when Amir overpitched, and defending with the softest hands in the game. When Amir dropped a difficult return catch in the fifth over of the morning, off a firmly hit straight drive, it looked as if Williamson might go on and make a substantial score, but it wasn’t to be, as he fell to Sohail after a Pakistan review.Getting the ball to nibble in from outside off stump, Sohail produced a tentative, half-forward poke, and the bowler and all the fielders behind the wicket went up instinctively when they heard a click through to the keeper. Simon Fry gave it not out on the field, and Ian Gould, the third umpire, overturned his decision; it seemed a tight call to make. HotSpot did not register an edge, and the Real-Time Snickometer seemed to show a spike an instant the ball passed his inside edge, suggesting it may have hit his elbow. Some of the TV commentators, however, said they heard a double-noise, indicating the ball may have kissed the edge and then hit Williamson’s elbow.

Miguel Cummins bowled Worcestershire to a thrilling victory by 11 runs over Sussex at Hove after claiming 12 wickets in the match

ECB Reporters Network14-Sep-2016
ScorecardMiguel Cummins claimed five wickets in the second innings to seal a thrilling win•Getty ImagesMiguel Cummins bowled Worcestershire to a thrilling victory by 11 runs over Sussex at Hove after claiming 12 wickets in the match.The Barbadian followed up his 7 for 84 in the first innings by taking 5 for 82 in the second, including the last four, just when it appeared that Sussex were heading to victory.Chris Jordan (50) and David Wiese, who finished unbeaten on 70, put on 114 in 23 overs for the seventh wicket to get Sussex to within 45 runs of their target.Even when Jordan was squared up by Cummins and caught behind, one ball after reaching his second half-century of the match, Wiese and Jofra Archer added 19 runs to get the target down to 26.But Archer (16) then showed his inexperience, chasing a ball well outside off stump and edging to second slip after Cummins switched back to bowling down the slope.Wiese cracked two boundaries as Sussex took 13 off the next over from Joe Leach to get the target down to 13 but the contest was ended by Cummins in spectacular style.Brett D’Oliveira produced a wonderful catch at square leg to intercept Danny Briggs’ leg-side flick and with the next ball Cummins sent Steve Magoffin’s middle stump flying with a yorker before setting off on a celebratory run around the outfield, with his delighted team-mates in hot pursuit.Victory has improved Worcestershire’s chances of finishing behind champions Essex in the second division with a home game against Derbyshire to end their season.They had started the final day needing nine wickets with Sussex requiring 259 runs and they made the perfect start when Leach bowled Craig Cachopa through the gate with the second ball of the day, condemning Cachopa to a pair.Sussex were soon 42 for 4 as Cummins bowled Ben Brown with a nip-backer which kept a touch low and Leach collected his 60th wicket of the season when Fynn Hudson-Prentice (20) was bowled.But the green shoots of a Sussex recovery began to sprout in a fifth-wicket stand of 54 between Ollie Robinson and Phil Salt, who had started to look at ease until he drove a slower ball from Charlie Morris to mid-off for 17.Worcestershire looked to have more or less wrapped things up on the stroke of lunch when D’Oliveira plucked out Robinson’s middle stump with a direct hit from backward point after confusion between him and Jordan over a single. Robinson made 42 but after lunch Jordan and Wiese took the attack back to their opponents.Their first 50 runs came from just 41 balls and luck seemed to be running Sussex’s way when Jordan’s mis-timed pull off the indefatigable Cummins dropped just short of D’Oliveira at midwicket.Jordan made 50 off 84 balls while Wiese finished from 70 off 80 deliveries with eight fours and a six, off D’Oliveira but it was Cummins, whose match figures of 12 for 166 were the best of his career, who had the final say.”It’s a shame one side had to lose and I genuinely mean that,” said Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s head coach. “It was a great game and a fantastic advert for Championship cricket.”The wicket was strange. A lot of batsmen got out early but if you could get in and form partnerships it could be hard to take wickets. I was pleased with the way we stuck at it because when Chris Jordan and David Wiese were batting together I thought that might be it for us – it looked like being the crucial stand – but Miguel Cummins has come back and won it for us.”To take 12 wickets and keep running in hard as he did was a mighty fine effort. He is a hard trier and it was an amazing way to finish it with those two wickets at the end.”Wiese, whose efforts had taken Sussex so close, said: “CJ (Jordan) and I decided there was no point going into our shells, we wanted to be positive because if you hung about on that wicket you would eventually get knocked over.”We put pressure on their bowlers and we went through stages when we could score quickly. We complemented each other well and it was such a good wicket that all of a sudden it looked like we might win the game.”But they took two really good catches and Miguel Cummins kept coming in hard at the end. It was a terrific game and it’s just a shame we couldn’t get over the line.”

Ben Stokes was forced out of the England attack with a calf injury during the afternoon session at Old Trafford and may well have played his last Test cricket of the summer.Stokes was two deliveries into his sixth over when he pulled up sharply having delivered the ball and was unable to stop a gentle push back past him from Younis Khan. He was unable to complete his over and limped off the pitch.An ECB spokesman confirmed the injury was to Stokes’ right calf and said he would not bowl again on the fourth day. That means the England attack has been reduced to four men as they attempt to bowl Pakistan out and level the series. Pakistan were 66 for 2 when Stokes left the field before the man who finished his over, Moeen Ali, struck twice.It was later confirmed that Stokes will be sent for an MRI scan on Tuesday. If he has sustained a torn calf muscle, rather than a strain, he could well be out of action for six weeks. The third Investec Test starts at Edgbaston on August 3; the fourth at The Oval on August 11.Stokes, who had earlier generated impressive pace and had Younis dropped at slip by Alastair Cook, was making his return to the Test team having sustained a knee injury earlier in the summer. He was forced off the pitch at Headingley and subsequently underwent surgery.

Manchester City have a chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to four points from Arsenal by winning their game in hand this afternoon against a struggling Leeds United side.

Pep Guardiola’s men haven’t dropped points in the league since a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest back in February and all the signs are ominous that the club will run away from the Gunners and claim their third title on the bounce.

City defeated West Ham United 3-0 in midweek and the momentum is building ahead of a frantic end of the season spell, which could see the club win the league, FA Cup and Champions League, matching Manchester United’s wonderful treble from 1998/1999.

With fixtures coming thick and fast, the Spaniard may be inclined to freshen his team up and give some key first team players a rest ahead of a blockbuster Champions League semi-final clash against Real Madrid in midweek.

Julian Alvarez, who featured in the victory over West Ham, should be unleashed again, this time slightly further forward in the hope that he could demonstrate his clinical nature.

Will Julian Alvarez start for Manchester City against Leeds United today?

Against the Hammers, Guardiola utilised the Argentinian just behind Erling Haaland and he enjoyed a decent game, having registered two shots on target, succeeded with both his dribble attempts and showcased his physicality by winning 70% of his ground duels while making four tackles, via Sofascore.

An effective performance for sure, but could the manager unleash him instead of Haaland against Leeds? Allowing him to potentially score a couple of goals while resting the Norwegian hitman for bigger tests to come, it’s certainly a thought.

The £50k-per-week gem has enjoyed a solid debut campaign in Manchester, scoring ten goals across both the Premier League and in Europe, while also shining at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, netting four times as Argentina won their third World Cup.

Irons boss David Moyes previously dubbed Alvarez as a “very good technician” while Lionel Messi even declared that his international teammate was “spectacular” following his excellent performances at the World Cup.

Even with Big Sam now at the helm, Alvarez could terrorise a Leeds side who have leaked a whopping 67 goals this term, the most in the top flight and with the Argentine dynamo in full flow, he could boost his confidence ahead of a crucial final few weeks of the season.

A win would put clear daylight between them and Arsenal at the top of the table, and it could prove to be the catalyst for a stunning treble.

Arsenal have made few blunders under Mikel Arteta, who has endured plenty of trials during his short spell as a head coach. Dealing with various issues born of previous regimes, the Spaniard was calm and calculated in his decision-making, which culminated in the success they hope to achieve.

However, no manager can get every decision right.

Whether it be a tactical blunder to lose a game, or the wrong substitution to surrender control, arguably few mistakes are as frustrating and long-lasting as selling a player and watching them go on to thrive.

That has certainly been the case with Matteo Guendouzi, who admittedly struggled to outline himself as a star central midfielder for the new boss. It seemed like the 24-year-old remained rash and often thoughtless in his displays, which led to his eventual exclusion from the team.

Former Gunners player Jeremie Aliadiere had suggested that his compatriot hadn't "grown and matured" enough to stake his claim. As was the case with Mesut Ozil and Piere-Emerick Aubameyang, if they did not fit the system, Arteta would let them go.

So, for a fee of just £9m, the Frenchman departed – after being banished from the squad by Arteta.

How much is Matteo Guendouzi worth now?

Having featured 82 times for the North London outfit, his 21 yellow cards during that period certainly support the earlier suggestion of a rash play style.

However, as a youngster joining, Guendouzi came with a big reputation and was expected to be the future of the club's midfield. When he made the final shortlist for the Golden Boy award, this was only further cemented.

Featuring heavily in his first full season, the £41k-per-week stopper acted as a steady presence at the base of midfield. This culminated in an unspectacular 6.79 rating, which would improve just slightly the year following to 6.84. Either way, it marked progression.

However, the eventual sale of such a promising talent was deemed a must to continue progressing as a club, even if journalist Aaron West had suggested there was "something special" about the young destroyer.

Since moving to Marseille, as performances have improved, so too has the valuation of the 6 foot 1 star. Boasting a 7.00 rating last campaign, in which the French international seemed to finally be growing into his potential, CIES Football Observatory clearly took note.

They suggested that Guendouzi's value had rocketed, and from that £9m initial sale the midfielder was now worth €35m (£31m).

At the tender age of just 24 too, this is a figure set to only increase with each passing year of improvement.

As aforementioned, Arteta has not made many errors during his reign. But this decision to offload their former star youngster might well be turning into a mistake.

كشفت وسائل إعلامية إسبانية، تطورات جديدة بشأن موعد عودة لاعب الفريق الأول بنادي برشلونة، بيدري.

ويشارك برشلونة في بطولة كأس السوبر الإسباني 2024، بصفته بطلاً للدوري المحلي لموسم 2022/2023، ويتواجد ريال مدريد في البطولة بصفته بطل كأس ملك إسبانيا.

فيما سيشارك أوساسونا بصفته وصيف كأس ملك إسبانيا، ويتواجد أتلتيكو مدريد بالبطولة بعد حصوله على المركز الثالث في الدوري الإسباني.

اقرأ أيضاً.. غرزتان في الرأس.. إصابة لاعب جديد في برشلونة قبل مباراة لاس بالماس

وذكرت صحيفة “سبورت” الكتالونية، أن بيدري غير مستبعد تمامًا من المشاركة في السوبر الإسباني، حيث أن اللاعب يواصل عملية تعافيه ولكن النادي لن يُخاطر معه.

وتابعت أن مشاركة بيدري أمام لاس بالماس وبارباسترو مستحيلة، وأن الهدف هو تجهيز اللاعب للسوبر الإسباني ولكن لن يُضغط عليه ولن يلعب إلا وهو جاهز بنسبة 100%.

وسيلاقي برشلونة نظيره أوساسونا في دور نصف نهائي كأس السوبر الإسباني، في الحادي عشر من يناير لعام 2024 في المملكة العربية السعودية في تمام التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.

Sheffield Wednesday defender Reece James has admitted that he is "keen" to make the permanent move to Hillsborough.

What's the latest on James' future?

The Owls left-back first made the move to South Yorkshire when he put pen to paper on a season-long loan from Blackpool in July 2022 and it's fair to say that he's enjoyed a rapid start to life under Darren Moore, having made 22 appearances in League One.

The Tangerines star's contract at Bloomfield Road isn't set to expire until next summer but Mick McCarthy's side will know that the upcoming transfer window will present them with their final big opportunity to cash in, should they want to sanction his permanent sale and get him off their books for good.

During an interview with YorkshireLive back in December, the 29-year-old hinted that he would be open to playing for the automatic promotion chasers full-time having so far loved his time at the club, and he's now delivered a fresh update on his transfer stance which supporters will be extremely pleased to hear.

Speaking to The Star, James has revealed that he would like to sign a permanent deal at Sheffield Wednesday. He said:

“At the moment there haven’t been any conversations for myself with either club really. But obviously I’m really enjoying my football, I’m really enjoying my time at the club – you never know what can happen. I’m keen for something to happen, but we’ll have to see… I’ve really enjoyed my time here, I’ve loved it. And my main focus is to get the job over the line here…

“There’s not really been any contact with Blackpool, they’ve got their focus and I’ve got mine. Theirs is to stay in the Championship and mine is to get into the Championship with Sheffield Wednesday, so that’s what I’m concentrating on.”

Should Sheffield Wednesday buy James?

James has been an excellent addition for Sheffield Wednesday since joining, and having played such a significant role in helping put them right among the promotion contenders, Moore and the rest of the hierarchy have to permanently take him on board in the summer.

The £3.7k-p/w talent is currently averaging 2.1 tackles and two clearances per third-tier game, via WhoScored, showing that he's not afraid to put in a challenge and stop the opposition from going on an attack, but he's also proven to be strong in the offensive aspect of his play.

Prior to the Cheltenham game, James has provided four assists and whipped a total of 32 crosses into the box from bursting down the flank, and offers plenty of versatility having operated higher up in the midfield and even at centre-back this season, so the Owls shouldn't even have to think twice about taking up the chance to buy him should the opportunity arise.

Ivan Cavaleiro was once a fan favourite at Wolverhampton Wanderers but his career since leaving Molineux suggests that the Old Gold did brilliantly to sell him for as much as they did.

How did Cavaleiro perform at Wolves?

Wolves would sign the Portuguese winger from AS Monaco in 2016 for what was a club-record fee at the time, and he would play a significant role in their eventual promotion to the Premier League.

He would hit five goals and five assists in his first season with the Old Gold, which included a memorable late winner in a 2-1 triumph away at Brentford.

Paul Lambert sang his praises after the game, saying to the Express & Star (via HITC):

“He’s a threat, Cav. If he can find consistency in his game he’s a massive player. You saw when he came on…I changed his position and I thought he was absolutely fantastic.”

The wide man was able to find that consistency the following season as he was comfortably one of the top performers in Nuno Espirito Santo's side as they won the Championship title and secured a return to the top flight.

Across 42 league appearances, Cavaleiro would contribute a hugely impressive nine goals and 12 assists, a tally which he was sadly never able to achieve in the Premier League for the Midlands club.

Despite Wolves' impressive performances in their first season back in the top division, the former Portugal international would manage just three goals and one assist in 23 appearances, which led to him joining Fulham on loan in the Championship again the following season.

How has Cavaleiro done since leaving Wolves?

The second tier appeared to be his level as he once again earned promotion, with six goals and seven assists under his belt, and the Craven Cottage outfit opted to pay £15m to sign him permanently that summer, which now looks to have been a brilliant deal for Fosun and the Old Gold.

Although he was a regular for the Cottagers in the Premier League the following season, he would manage just three goals in 36 appearances as they were relegated, and that certainly seemed to knock his confidence, as he then notched just two goals in the Championship last season, despite Marco Silva's side running away with the title.

It was no surprise therefore that he was loaned out by Fulham, with the 29-year-old joining Alanyaspor in Turkey, where he boasts a modest return of four goals and three assists in 18 appearances this season.

Unsurprisingly, Cavaleiro's move away from England and lack of goal contributions in recent years have seen his market value plummet since his Wolves exit, with FootballTransfers now suggesting that he is worth just €2.7m (£2.4m), which represents an 84% decrease on the fee Wolves received just three years ago.

While Jesse Marsch’s sacking from Leeds United a matter of weeks ago was unsurprising, the decision that was taken in order to replace him was somewhat of a shock.

The Whites cast their net out in search of a swift appointment but were knocked back several times, first by the disciple of Marcelo Bielsa – Carlos Corberan – who signed a new deal at West Bromwich Albion and then by Andoni Iraola who was blocked by his club, Rayo Vallecano.

As a result, Victor Orta and co were left with limited options, ultimately looking towards his fellow countryman in Javi Gracia.

A strange appointment it indeed looks, and when considering he reportedly doesn’t even have a work permit, the hire becomes even more perplexing.

The former Watford boss at least arrives with experience in English football and indeed the Premier League, but it will be an uphill battle to keep the Yorkshire side in the division.

Fortunately, he does have a number of talented young players to call upon, one of which is Giorginio Rutter.

What impact could Rutter have under Gracia?

The year of 2023 has been a troubling one not just for Leeds, who have not won a game since the resumption of the league following the World Cup, but also for new signing Rutter.

Signed from Hoffenheim in the winter, the 20-year-old looks a raw but exciting talent. That said, he is yet to find the net in his five Premier League games and 109 minutes of action.

Those are limited involvements indeed but under Gracia, he could well thrive.

After all, this is a manager who once coached a certain Richarlison to prominence all those years ago at Vicarage Road with the Brazilian – now a £60m footballer at Spurs – playing under Gracia’s tutelage for the Hornets.

Although he failed to score for the Spaniard, he is undoubtedly one of the most notable players the new Leeds boss has worked with.

The Brazil international is a master of the dark arts when it comes to his off-the-ball work, making himself a nuisance for opposition defenders.

But he is indeed a competent footballer too, using his pace and trickery to work openings for both himself and his teammates. It is those qualities that have seen him ultimately go on to score 48 times in the Premier League.

Capable of operating as a centre-forward or out on the flanks, there are clear parallels with Rutter who plays in similar areas of the pitch.

At Leeds, the Frenchman has exclusively played as a striker but with Patrick Bamford now back in the fold, could play out wide. That said, with Gracia previously favouring a 4-4-2, perhaps the duo could operate together in the same side.

But what makes this comparison to Richarlison all the more obvious is their skill set, with scout Jacek Kulig once hailing the “clinical finisher” for his “blistering pace.”

Described as ‘part centre-forward, part jet-heeled winger’ by the Bundesliga website, the 20-year-old was among the 50 quickest players in Germany’s top tier with a top speed of 21.46 mph, just 2 mph quicker than that of the current Spurs attacker.

Rutter’s ‘direct running and mesmerising dribbling’ as per Bundesliga.com only add further comparisons, with such a player only set to get better as the years go on.

Leeds, and Gracia, however, will just have to hope that progression happens in the next few weeks. He will be key to any chance the Elland Road outfit has of staying up.