Leeds United have been relegated from the Premier League after three campaigns and must now heap the emphasis on crafting a team capable of forging an immediate path back to prominence.

It's been a shoddy, shambolic season at Elland Road and while gloom lingers over the club at present, rumours touting Coventry City forward Viktor Gyokeres to United might just bear fruit.

At least, that's according to Portuguese newspaper Record (via Sport Witness), who state that playoff finalists Coventry could be set to lose their star forward after falling to Luton Town at the final hurdle last month.

The outlet also claims that Sporting CP are interested in a deal, and while the Sky Blues are demanding £20m for the Swede, his proven mettle in the Championship could be just what the Whites need to return to the top next term.

Should Leeds sign Viktor Gyokeres?

Plummeting back into the Championship has been a bitter blow for Leeds who were fighting so hard to reclaim their position at the forefront of English football, but the mistakes of the past few seasons must now be rectified with diligent work in the summer transfer market.

Sam Allardyce might've left his position at the helm after a record-short managerial stint in the smouldering embers of Leeds' late-season travails, but the slate can now be wiped clean ahead of a new chapter.

And by signing Gyokeres, Leeds would wield a dynamic attacker that boasts a commendable record in the second tier, having scored 22 goals and supplied 12 assists from 50 matches this term to complement a previous haul of 18 strikes last year.

He's certainly got the opposition talking, with Blackburn Rovers defender Dom Hyam remarking: "I don't think he's got a ceiling to be honest. I think he's so good at what he does, his attributes are so rare as well.

"Obviously strikers have their qualities, but there's nothing he's bad at. He's good in the box, he's tall, he's big, he's strong, he's technically good as well. I think as long as he keeps grounded, which I know he will, I know him personally, yeah, I think he's got a massive career ahead of him."

The 25-year-old could well emulate Marcus Rashford's role at Leeds' historic rivals Manchester United at Elland Road.

Indeed, the dynamic Coventry star ranks among the top 9% of forwards across Men's 'Next 8' divisions for rate of assists, the top 3% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for progressive carries and the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

Rashford boasts a similarly impressive transitional prowess, with the £200k-per-week Red Devil ranking among the top 16% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 9% for progressive carries and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90.

Pivotally, like the Man United talisman, the Swede possesses the tools to play in a wide role too, although certainly favours playing through the middle where more goal-scoring opportunities may present themselves.

Hailed as "mustard" by talkSPORT's Adrian Clarke, Gyokeres must be signed by Leeds, who will need to get it right this summer in order to ensure the return to the second tier does not result in a sink into obscurity once again.

سجل فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي ليفربول الهدف الثالث في مرمى ساوثهامبتون، خلال المباراة المقامة بينهما ضمن مباريات ثمن نهائي كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي.

حامل لقب كأس الرابطة يوم الأحد الماضي، يغازل لقب كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي، على ملعبه أنفيلد رود من خلال مواجهة ساوثهامبتون، بقيادة الحكم كريج باوسن.

طالع ايضًا.. فيديو | جايدن دانس يسجل هدف ليفربول الثاني أمام ساوثهامبتون في كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي

الهدف الثالث جاء في الدقيقة 88 عن طريق الشاب، جايدين دانس، بعد متابعة تصويبة زميله كونور برادلي التي تصدى لها حارس ساوثهامبتون. هدف جادين دانس الثاني في مباراة ليفربول وساوثهامبتون 

Sachin Tendulkar has suggested that every Ranji Trophy game be played on two different pitches with two different balls to prepare the Test team for bigger challenges in overseas conditions

PTI03-Dec-2016Sachin Tendulkar has suggested that every Ranji Trophy game be played on two different pitches to prepare a better Test team for overseas assignments.He also suggested that bilateral Test series could be made more engaging by having back-to-back home-and-away rubbers so that the strength of two teams remains mostly constant but the varying conditions pose a bigger challenge.”I have thought a lot about neutral venues in Ranji Trophy [which is being tried this season],” Tendulkar said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in Delhi.”I have a suggestion which can be radical. When we go to places like Australia, New Zealand, West Indies and South Africa, we play with Kookaburra balls which swing early. Think about a young Ranji batsman playing with SG Test ball in India and then facing difficulty overseas.”Let us have the first innings on a greentop with Kookaburra balls, which would give openers a challenge. Even the bowlers will have something. Our spinners will also learn how to bowl with the Kookaburra on greentops.”Now let there be a pitch adjacent to the greentop which would be a rank turner. Now the second innings will be played on that track with the SG Test ball which would also help our batsmen play against quality spin bowling. We have been too focussed on playing pace in overseas conditions but we should not forget how to play spin bowling.”Tendulkar felt the use of two different pitches and two different balls would nullify the toss factor.”A captain would start thinking that winning the toss will give him only 10 percent advantage that is his right to choose first,” he said. “But if he chooses to bowl on greentop he should remember that he would need to bat on a turner in the fourth innings.”BCCI president Anurag Thakur was also among the audience.

Rangers face a battle to secure the signature of Jonathan Panzo this summer, with reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano revealing that several clubs are keen to add him to their ranks.

Is Jonathan Panzo going to Rangers?

The defender spent the 2022/23 season out on loan at Coventry, with the player unable to break into the fold at parent club Nottingham Forest. However, the short-term spell in the Championship worked a treat for Panzo, as he became a first-team regular and helped his side reach the play-off final. He played in a total of 29 league games for the side and even produced one goal and one assist along the way despite being a part of the Sky Blues' backline.

These displays have led to interest in signing the player from Rangers this summer, with the Scottish Premiership side looking to strengthen their ranks. Reports have suggested that negotiations are already happening over a potential transfer for the defender and that a deal could be worth £2.5m, with Michael Beale's outfit in pole position to land the player during the transfer window.

However, a new report from reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Rangers might not find it so easy to get a deal done for Panzo. That's because while he states that talks are indeed "ongoing," there is plenty of interest and plenty of competition for his signature this summer.

Not only are English clubs queuing up to try and sign him but there is also interest from Germany in the centre-back as well. The journalist said: "Understand Rangers have also asked for Jonathan Panzo again as new centre back, talks are ongoing — but there are also German and English clubs keen on signing him."

How does Panzo compare to other defenders?

When you look at Panzo's stats across the last year and amongst those in the same position as him in the Men's 'Next 8' competitions (that's the eight leagues after the typical big five) he ranks very highly.

Offensively, the defender is one of the best in his position when it comes to scoring and having opportunities to score, with his non-penalty xG rate per 90 of 0.08 putting him in the top 19% in his position in that area. Not only is he a potential set piece threat but his ability in playing the ball out from the back and having the ball at his feet also stands out. He has a progressive passes rate of 3.98 per 90 for example – putting him in the 83rd percentile – and he also has one progressive carry per 90 too, which puts him in the top 15% in that figure.

It means that Panzo likes to get the ball himself, even as a defender, and is well capable of driving his team forward either with an exceptional bit of vision to pick out a teammate or even by dribbling and driving it himself. With Rangers wanting to be a side who play on the front foot, he would therefore fit in nicely if he did sign for the Scottish club.

Celtic have made West Ham United boss David Moyes their priority target to replace the outgoing Ange Postecoglou, according to journalist Santi Aouna.

Is Ange Postecoglou leaving Celtic?

Postecoglou has now been confirmed as the new Tottenham Hotspur manager, with the 57-year-old putting pen to paper on a four-year deal, and the Celtic board are now tasked with finding a suitable replacement.

Football Insider report that Manchester City assistant manager Enzo Maresca is emerging as a top target for the hoops, with club chiefs in the process of drawing up a shortlist of candidates who are capable of carrying on Postecoglou's impressive work.

Brendan Rodgers had been touted for a return to Glasgow, however The Scottish Sun report the Northern Irishman is not currently interested, as he wants to take some time away from the game before planning his next career move.

As such, Celtic have identified Moyes as their "priority" target to replace Postecoglou, according to a recent update from Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna on Twitter.

It remains to be seen whether West Ham are willing to part ways with their manager, who has led them to the final of the Europa Conference League, which is set to take place tomorrow night.

Should Celtic appoint David Moyes?

It is fair to say that Moyes has done a fantastic job with the Hammers, leading them to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League in the 2020-21 campaign, before following that up by finishing seventh in the following season.

Although the Hammers failed to reach their previous heights this season, finishing 14th, they have still managed to impress considerably on the European stage, reaching the Europa Conference League final.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is a big admirer of the Scot, recently saying: "He is a really nice guy, whenever I've met him he is a really good person. I like that he always finds a way – that makes a top manager. He gets a team going. It might not have worked out at United but that was the most difficult moment in history to take over."

That said, the 60-year-old has been criticised at times, with Hammers fans growing frustrated with his negative tactics back in April, which means he would not be a like-for-like replacement for Postecoglou, who is known for his attacking style of play.

As such, while Moyes has been impressive in his role as West Ham boss, Celtic would be better off targeting a coach who is more accustomed to playing an expansive brand of football, to pick up where Postecoglou left off.

Pep Guardiola is reportedly expected to leave Manchester City in two years when his current contract expires.

When will Pep Guardiola leave Man City?

On Saturday night, the Cityzens' remarkable season came to an end as they won the Champions League against Inter Milan.

In the end, a single second-half goal from Rodri was enough to seal the trophy – albeit with a little help from Romelu Lukaku – meaning City end the campaign as treble winners.

Indeed, after lifting the Premier League and the FA Cup, their first UCL title win means they've matched the achievements of 1990s treble-winning rivals Manchester United.

Guardiola will no doubt be on a high from it all and having achieved so much in England now, some may be wondering if he is already planning the next step of his career.

Well, according to a report in The Guardian, he won't be leaving in the immediate future but has "all but decided" to depart in summer 2025 and end his tenure after nine years.

How long is Guardiola's current contract?

The former Barcelona boss only signed a new deal in November, which added another year onto his terms and contains the option for a further 12 months.

As per the aforementioned article in The Guardian, the decision to renew last year was "in the balance" for some time and many of his "inner circle" weren't sure it would happen.

The report also notes that – having now worked and won league titles in Spain, Germany and England – Guardiola's plan was to coach a club in Italy. However, it is claimed that Guardiola has changed his thinking and could be open to taking charge of an international team.

The Spaniard certainly couldn't hide his emotions after the full-time whistle in Istanbul on the weekend, telling Sky Sports: "This trophy is so difficult to win."

He continued: "This competition is a coin [toss]. But we were there. I think it was written in the stars this season that it belonged to us and we did it."

However, he's already alluded about sticking around for next season, adding: "I don't want us to disappear after one Champions League.

"We have to work harder. There are teams that win the Champions League that disappear – we have to avoid that. Knowing me, that won't happen. It's a big relief for the club, for the institution to win this trophy. Finally, people won't ask me if I'm going to win the Champions League or not."

Incidentally, Mikel Arteta has been touted as a possible replacement having obviously worked as an assistant coach at Man City before joining Arsenal. What's more, his current deal ends in 2025 too and so he could be available when Pep leaves

Virender Sharma, former Himachal batsman and now an umpire, was forced to stand at both ends for a full day’s play in a Ranji Trophy match in Mysore because his partner, Australian Sam Nogajski, had to be hospitalised with food poisoning

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2016

Virender Sharma, former Himachal batsman and now an umpire, was forced to stand at both ends for a full day’s play in a Ranji Trophy match in Mysore because his partner, Australian Sam Nogajski, had to be hospitalised with food poisoning. Nogajski, who had complained of stomach cramps last night, is said to be stable and will be discharged on Tuesday, but will not stand in the rest of the match.The reserve umpire at the venue, Vejith D, is not a member of the BCCI panel, which meant he could only stand at square leg during the second day’s play between Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh. Virender had to keep changing ends at the end of every over.V Narayana Kutty, the match referee, in consultation with the BCCI, decided on P Jaipla as a replacement for the final two days of the game.The umpire’s job became crucial on Monday, as it often does in close Ranji matches, with a lot of appealing. Mumbai, who had been bowled out for 233, managed to eke out a slender eight-run lead, but UP raised hopes of an outright result by taking out two wickets in the dying moments of the day. Ruled out caught at gully, Mumbai opener Kaustubh Pawar left unhappy with the decision, suggesting the ball had lobbed up straight off the thigh pad. Eight balls later, nightwatchman Aditya Dhumal also fell.The state of Karnataka doesn’t seem to be a happy hunting ground for Virender. Last year, Vidarbha’s Shrikant Wagh had accused him and colleague Pashchim Pathak of “favouring the home team”.Nor does India seem to be a happy hunting ground for Australian umpires, with whom the BCCI has an exchange programme. Last year John Ward had to be hospitalised after a shot from Barinder Sran pinged him in the head in Dindigul. Tasmanian Nogajski, 37, has been a regular in Shield matches and BBL, and has also stood in four women’s ODIs, but this was his first match officiating in India.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made a move to sign a Premier League-proven talent…

What's the latest on Harvey Barnes to Tottenham Hotspur?

That's according to the Daily Mail, who report that Spurs had lodged a £50m double bid for both James Maddison and Harvey Barnes.

It is a move that has been met with widespread ridicule, as Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy continues to short-change his rivals. However, Ange Postecoglou will likely not be as amused, as he seeks to make his first signing since being appointed earlier this month.

Although it is set to be rejected, it does mark a statement of intent from the Lilywhites, who are setting out their plans for the coming transfer window.

However, to tempt only the £35m-rated wide man, they will certainly have to up their price. Leicester City were commanding a fee of £50m for the 25-year-old alone last summer.

Would Harvey Barnes improve Tottenham Hotspur?

As a left winger, his acquisition by Spurs would immediately put Heung-min Son's place in the side under fire, especially after the torrid term the South Korean has just endured, in which his stock plummeted.

The 30-year-old star would score just ten league goals, marking a miserable downturn from the 23 he notched the season prior, and even the 17 the year before that.

Although the north London outfit suffered a poor season themselves, it did not excuse the anonymity of their usually ever-reliable goal machine. This left the attacking burden solely on Harry Kane, who still mustered 30 goals to emphasise this gulf in class.

However, frustratingly for Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini and eventually Ryan Mason, a lack of viable alternatives meant the former Bayer Leverkusen dynamo still featured in 36 out of their 38 Premier League games.

He could not be dropped to emphasise his unacceptable form, and so he trundled on with his levels below average.

To sign Barnes would give the struggling South Korean some ample competition at last, especially seen as the one-time England international outscored him in a Foxes side that eventually fell to relegation.

His 13 strikes in the most recent Premier League campaign marked a goalscoring career-best for the England gem, who has previously been lauded as a "huge talent" and a truly "special" footballer by journalist Adam Bate in the past.

With sheer pace and a thunderous right foot akin to Son, but at five years his junior, this could be a signing both for the near future and to reignite their once dependable finisher in the present.

After all, at the time when pundit Noel Whelan suggested his pairing with Kane was "the best partnership in world football", he was battling for his spot with a more spirited Lucas Moura, Dejan Kulusevski on top form, and Steven Bergwijn.

Barnes could arguably surpass all three of those options, to either usurp Son or spur him back to his brilliant best.

South Africa have identified the first and last hours as the time when the pink ball is at its most dangerous but have concluded that it is not the hand grenade it was hyped up to be in the lead up to the day-night Test.Kyle Abbott was South Africa’s most successful bowler, picking up 3 for 38 from 25 overs, but the only wicket to fall between the 23rd and 87th overs was the run-out of Steven Smith, as Australia claimed a potentially handy first-innings lead.”We did expect it to do a lot more,” Abbott said. “There’s periods of the game where it does a bit. If it’s new, early in the morning it did a bit then it kind of went quiet after tea, [that] seemed like the best time to bat and then when the light dipped [it got harder again]. I don’t think it has lived up to its hype and expectation.”Abbott explained that Faf du Plessis’ day one declaration was an attempt to give South Africa “two bites at that new ball, in the two periods where we feel the ball will do the most and that was late last night and early this afternoon”. Usman Khawaja was the main block on their progress, so far carrying his bat through three-and-a-half sessions, but South Africa hoped to take advantage of any assistance on the third afternoon to wrap up the innings.”Tomorrow is going to be key,” Abbott said. “If we can pick up the four wickets and not have a deficit of anything 100 and above, we would be pretty confident in knocking off and posting a score after that.”The first 15 to 20 overs are going to really testing and I think majority of the wickets have fallen in that period. When it’s our turn to bat again, we are going to identify that. It seems to be getting better but as pitches naturally do, it’s going to deteriorate.”On a personal note, this was the first time Abbott had played two consecutive Tests and hoped this could be the start of a run in the side for him, having replaced the injured Dale Steyn.”The key for me this game coming on the back of Hobart was not to go searching. And not think that because I am taking wickets, I need to take another nine. That’s not the case. I don’t look too far ahead. Hopefully it could be the start of an extended run. It’s not in my hands – actually it is – I can only bowl well I suppose.”

The offices are closed, the beaches are full and the trees are draped with lights. It’s so festive that Faf du Plessis even wore a Santa hat to his pre-match press conference, on Saturday.South Africa will take Christmas Day off, as they’ve done for the last three years, with only optional training available for the die-hards. That’s after only convening on Thursday which has means they would have had a total of three training sessions going into the Test. In between that, the players along with their families were hosted by coach Russell Domingo, who bought drinks and food for the guys which du Plessis said was “very strange thing.”It all sounds as normal as it should at this time of year, doesn’t it? But underneath that are real jitters that the seasonal slow-down could sideswipe the seriousness of what lies ahead. “It’s got a Christmassy, holiday feel to it and it’s a red flag,” du Plessis admitted. “It can creep into your game very quickly and you take things for granted or you go into a comfort zone and are just a little bit too lackadaisical, and you find yourself in trouble.”South Africa know all about that. They have lost five of their last nine Boxing Day Tests at home, dating back to 2004, and have won just two. Of the four they’ve played in Port Elizabeth, they’ve only triumphed once. Combine that with a reputation for slow starters and what is expected to be a slow St George’s Park pitch and the first Test may present Sri Lanka their best opportunity to ambush the hosts, which is why du Plessis wants his men to be switched on as soon as they take the field.”We are a team that’s good when we’re in trouble, but we’re trying to change that and become a team that dominates and puts the opposition under pressure first,” he said.He warned of something similar ahead of the last home series against New Zealand in August, but when South Africa tried to throw the first punch, they found themselves on the ropes. They were 236 for 8 on the opening day after the batsmen’s aggression only served to shoot themselves in the foot. Their aim has been better since but they’re still not quite as consistent as they’d like to be.They’re hoping to change that this series and have set specific goals for the line-up to try and achieve. “We feel that as a collective batting unit, each of the top seven has had great scoring games in terms scoring good hundreds,” du Plessis said. “You always want to make sure you get hundreds, because we feel that is what wins you Test matches. So we have done that and ticked that box.”We just feel there’s a little bit more consistency we can get from the batters. There was one hundred each from almost everyone in Australia and we would like to push those standards a bit higher and get one guy to possibly get two hundreds in a series and just dominate a little more as a collective batting unit.”All of Dean Elgar, Stephen Cook, JP Duminy, du Plessis and Quinton de Kock had a three-figure score in Australia and Temba Bavuma contributed to two half-centuries. Only Hashim Amla missed out and there’s expectation on him to make up for it.Perhaps Amla is the player du Plessis will challenge most, as part of the team’s new philosophy of pushing themselves harder than they have in the past which has led. “All of us are a little bit more driven in making sure we do things that are required of the team,” du Plessis said. “For me, it will be to step out of my comfort zone and make sure whenever I feel like challenging someone, I actually do it and not just think it in my head. That’s the same thing for all of us. When you are in that 50-50 moment of, ‘oops, I will just let it slip,’ that you don’t do that anymore. That mind shift that we’ve made collectively as a unit has put us all in a better place as a team.”Du Plessis’ most important 50-50s will not come in his captaincy, but from his conduct. After failing to have the three demerit points overturned from his ball-tampering conviction, du Plessis is a Level Two offense away from a match ban. That means he can’t use bad language or show dissent, and given the wide-ranging scope of those things for the next 24 months, he has to be more fastidious than festive on the field.”I’m going to be on my best behaviour for the next while. The problem is that it’s 24 months. That’s a long time to be on good behaviour.”