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Reliable Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has answered a question on whether or not the Whites should spend £10m on Reading midfielder John Swift in January.  

The Lowdown: Orta considering bid?

Swift has been in fine form in the Championship this season, scoring eight goals and registering nine assists in 20 second-tier fixtures.

His contract with the Royals is set to expire at the end of the season, which has led to rumours of a cut-price departure in the New Year.

The 26-year-old, described as a ‘grafter’ by Leeds YouTuber Conor McGilligan, is thought to be on Victor Orta’s radar ahead of January, with the Whites, along with Burnley and Wolves, considering bids.

The Latest: Hay’s comments

Hay ran a Q&A on The Athletic prior to Leeds’ 0-0 draw with Brighton on Saturday.

He was asked by one fan if Leeds should spend £10m on a player like Swift, who Bielsa called ‘great’ back in 2020. This is what he had to say in reply:

“Bielsa has liked Swift for a while. It’s a difficult question because deep down you question whether Swift improves Leeds long term but they’re not going to be able to spend big next month and maybe some pragmatism is a good idea. Tough call. But they can’t afford to get caught short this season.”

The Verdict: Make a bid

Leeds are fairly short of senior midfield options at this moment in time, having just four on the books in a defensive, central or attacking role.

On that basis, bringing in a player like Swift who has been in fine form this season could give everyone at Elland Road the boost that is needed for the second half of the season and beyond.

A figure in the region of £10m could also be enough due to his contract situation and £5.4m Transfermarkt valuation. He appears to be at the top of his game and is capable of playing anywhere in midfield, so no wonder he’s a player who Bielsa values, and a bid should therefore be made.

In other news: Possession lost 48 times, 22 duels lost, 1 key pass: Leeds’ 3 worst players vs Brighton. 

Some Wolves supporters have been hailing a brilliant piece of skill produced by Rayan Ait-Nouri in the weekend victory over West Ham.

Bruno Lage’s side are still on a high after seeing off the Hammers at Molineux on Saturday, with Raul Jimenez’s goal earning them a 1-0 win.

It was a victory which further suggested that Wolves could be eyeing up European football this season, with their sixth-place position achieved after a strong run of form.

Lage has got his team playing attacking football and picking up positive results at the same time, with his players performing well both individually and as a collective.

One player who shone against West Ham was Ait-Nouri, with five tackles and seven duels won on the day. On Tuesday, Wolves’ official Twitter channel posted a video of him producing a superb piece of skill on the touchline, backheeling the ball to take out Tomas Soucek in one slick movement.

Wolves fans laud Ait-Nouri skill

These Wanderers fans took to Twitter to hail the left-back’s moment of quality, with one hailing him as a “baller” and another revelling about how he “had West Ham on strings”.

“Just Hwang and Ait-Nouri running the show down the left”

Credit: @Westywwfc

“Bruno training, motivating, allowing natural skills. This team may falter but will get better”

Credit: @geofftwitt

“Silky baller”

Credit: @WolvesNumber37

“Marcal would’ve broke his ankle attempting such filth”

Credit: @Staffs_chris85

“He had West Ham on strings all game”

Credit: @LoganL151

“Hoping to see this on Soccer AM Saturday.”

Credit: @warren_bland

In other news, Luke Hatfield has tipped one Wolves player to leave the club. Find out who it is here.

أنهى الإسباني، فيران سوريانو، المدير التنفيذي بنادي مانشستر سيتي، الجدل حول مستقبل البرتغالي برناردو سيلفا، وإمكانية انتقاله إلى صفوف برشلونة في نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية.

وارتبط برناردو سيلفا بإمكانية الانتقال إلى برشلونة، مع وجود رغبة قوية من جانب النجم البرتغالي في خوض تحدٍ جديد، وارتداء قميص نادي طفولته.

وقال سوريانو في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “مُستقبل برناردو سيلفا؟ بيب جوارديولا يقول دائمًا نفس الشيء، عندما يريد لاعب أن يُغادر يُخبرنا بذلك”.

اقرأ أيضًا – ناصر الخليفي بعد قرعة دوري أبطال أوروبا: تغيرنا عن السابق.. ونحتاج لعدم ‘التباهي’

وأضاف: “إذا أخبرنا وجاء عرض مناسب للفريق يُمكنه أن يُغادر ولكن في حالة برناردو هذا لم يحدث حتى الآن”.

واختتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “لحسّن الحظ لم يحدث كثيرًا أيضًا الأمر، ونحن بالفعل خضنا 3 مباريات بالدوري الإنجليزي وقد فات الأوان بالفعل”.

Kris Srikkanth, India’s chairman of selectors, has said he believes the team is capable of bouncing back from its relatively early exit from the ICC Twenty20 World Cup but agrees the Indian batsmen need to work on facing short-pitched bowling,.”Winning and losing are a part of the game. I have also been in teams that have won a World Cup and lost badly immediately afterwards, and then come back. I’m sure this team will come back,” Srikkanth said in an interview to the Indian news channel .India’s batsmen were found out by consistent short-pitched bowling by the English pacemen, and Srikkanth said that that was one area which needed work. “There were probably a few areas where we’ll probably have to rework, correct ourselves and then come back in the game. Like playing short-pitched bowling, practising more on that. That will help.”He also admitted that India missed the services of Virender Sehwag, with the aggressive opener returning home from England due to an injury.”Virender Sehwag is a devastating batsman. He can just hit any bowler to any part of the ground in any form of cricket. The whole world missed Virender Sehwag. (A good) start is very important in Twenty20 cricket, and Sehwag and Gambhir form a fantastic opening pair.”Though he said that Dhoni’s lack of form “probably” contributed to the exit, he did not seem unduly worried and termed it just a “bad time” for the captain. “Every player goes through good times and bad times. So we can’t really blame him for it. I’m sure he will come out of it, he’s a master player and I’m sure he knows how to bounce back, and he will do a good job.”Srikkanth said the unpredictable nature of Twenty20 cricket was the reason for India’s exit, and pointed to the recently concluded IPL where the underdogs – Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers, the bottom two teams in last year’s competition – reached the final.

The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam fully expects Michael Olise to be dropped to the bench for Crystal Palace’s trip to Manchester City on Saturday afternoon. 

The lowdown

Olise made his full Premier League debut for the Eagles against Newcastle United last time out after notching a goal and an assist across his four substitute appearances (via Transfermarkt).

Palace had five ‘big chances’ in the 1-1 draw, and Olise was responsible for creating two of them (via SofaScore).

Football London’s Mark Wyatt handed him a rating of eight out of 10 for his performance at Selhurst Park, the joint-highest in the side. The 19-year-old, he wrote, provided his team with a ‘skilful outlet’ and was ‘always looking to make something happen’.

The latest

In The Athletic’s matchday discussion, a supporter predicted that Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha would return to the line-up at the expense of Olise and Odsonne Edouard.

“Expect that as well,” Woosnam replied, before insisting there is “no chance Olise starts at The Etihad”.

The verdict

Vieira may lean towards Ayew for an away game against the reigning champions because of his defensive contribution.

Ayew did also record his first goal contribution of the season in his last outing against Arsenal, providing the assist for Christian Benteke’s equaliser.

So it’s a justifiable selection, even if it’s one that may frustrate Palace fans in light of Olise’s positive performances.

The manager may look to Olise off the bench once again, knowing that he can make an impact.

In other news, could Vieira’s tenure end after just two seasons?

A journalist has now dropped some enticing insight into the upcoming Newcastle United takeover case.

The Lowdown: CAT case

The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) case between Mike Ashley and the Premier League over the stalled takeover deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium is set to take place next Wednesday 10:30 am.

This is separate from the arbitration hearing, which should now commence next year after further delays.

The Latest: Case insight

Journalist Simon Zekaria has now given some insight into the CAT case, claiming that both the St. James’ Park faithful and the English top flight have issues to do with confidentiality:

“I have learnt that the Premier League and NUFC are deep in confidentiality issues. Even for next week’s hearing, which has a narrow legal focus, there is lot that they don’t want to be revealed.”

The Verdict: Enticing

It is certainly set up to be an enticing case, as both sides will feel as if they have strong arguments to suggest why the proposed takeover stalled and the direction in where it is heading.

The North East club seem to feel that the Premier League are the ones keeping information to themselves, as they released statement on their official website back in July citing the need for ‘transparency and fairness in football governance’, and also called for the arbitration proceedings to be made public, suggesting that they have nothing to hide.

Nonetheless, the results of the forthcoming case should give a clearer picture over the takeover’s direction, and the Toon Army will be hoping that it is a positive one for the Tyneside outfit heading into arbitration in 2022.

In other news, find out which former Magpie is in line to become their next U23’s boss here!

MatériaMais Notícias

O jogo entre Corinthians e Flamengo do último domingo foi bem movimentado e o Rubro-Negro conseguiu impor o seu ritmo de jogo no segundo tempo e por pouco não saiu de Itaquera com os três pontos na bagagem. Após o duelo, Everton Ribeiro afirmou que o time tem que seguir na mesma pegada para evoluir na temporada.

– Temos que manter daí para cima, para continuar evoluindo nos próximos jogos, conseguindo as vitórias – disse.

O camisa 7 falou sobre a qualidade do elenco, mas ainda reiterou que é preciso diminuir os erros durante a partida.

– Conseguimos mais profundidade com passes mais rápidos e assim apareceram as chances, esse foi o diferencial do primeiro tempo para o segundo. Mostramos que temos um bom time, temos que diminuir os erros, mas isso é normal. Mostramos que temos potencial para querer algo maior no Campeonato Brasileiro

Quando perguntado sobre a possibilidade de ainda conseguir ser campeão brasileiro, o meia-atacante garantiu que o foco é sempre no próximo jogo.

– Vamos pensar jogo a jogo, esquecendo eles. Lá na frente vamos pensar nisso, eles vão tropeçar no campeonato e temos que manter firme até o final

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Simon Katich is impressed with Phillip Hughes’ maturity ahead of his first Test for Australia

Brydon Coverdale in Potchefstroom20-Feb-2009
Phillip Hughes has volunteered to face the first ball in his first Test innings © Getty Images
Every few years an Australian batsman comes along with expectations so high that it feels like he can’t possibly live up to the hype. Ricky Ponting made his Test debut at 20 and went on to be one of the world’s all-time top batsmen. Michael Clarke was already being mentioned as Australia’s next captain when he sparkled into the side at 23 and struck a century on debut.Phillip Hughes is in good company. Hughes, 20, was this week preparing for his first match representing Australia, in a tour match at Potchefstroom. He will make his Test debut in Johannesburg next week and according to his opening partner Simon Katich, who is also his captain at New South Wales, there is no question over his readiness.”He’s mature enough. Even though he’s so young, what I’ve seen from him in the last 12 months is that there’s a maturity there,” Katich said. “Regardless of the situation he just gets out there and does what he’s used to doing. That’s the key for any new guys into the team. They have to trust their games for what’s made them successful at the lower level and apply that to the next level.”Katich has been on the first-class scene in Australia for 12 years. He knows that when he began he did not have the maturity that Hughes displays and he has only seen a couple of batsmen who have had that poise at such a young age.”There’s only been a few in the last dozen years in terms of Ricky and Michael Clarke that have done that,” Katich said. “It’s a bit of a rarity. But knowing what he’s like it doesn’t surprise me too because right from the word go last year it seemed like he was made for playing professional cricket. He’s shown that in the last 12 months.”Both Ponting and Clarke endured difficult spells when they were dropped from the Test team early in their careers, so it’s entirely possible that Hughes also will have up-and-down periods as he makes his way. So far, it’s all been up. Since making his first-class debut at 18 in November 2007, Hughes has averaged 60.38.Most impressive has been the way he has performed in key matches. In last season’s Pura Cup final, he scored 116 in the second innings to help New South Wales win the title. This summer he piled on a match total of 233 in a Sheffield Shield game just days before this touring squad was picked. He is happy to absorb the pressure immediately on his Test debut, having volunteered to face the first ball.”The young bloke put his hand up for it so he’s definitely got it,” Katich said. “We did a bit of negotiating and I said I’d do the short-leg duties for him so we’ve come to a pretty good trade-off. He’s not fond of doing that so I put my hand up.”When Katich talks of Hughes as “the young bloke” he sounds like a proud father, which in a sense is not that far from the truth. Katich is 13 years older than his new opening partner and has been his captain at New South Wales for Hughes’ entire first-class career – all 18 months of it.”I’m looking forward to getting out there and opening with him,” Katich said. “We haven’t actually walked out together to open as such even for the Blues. Generally when we’ve played I’ve either batted at three or four. I’m pretty sure I haven’t actually opened with him.”That will be one of a few new experiences for Katich on this tour. Another will be playing his first Test in South Africa, where he has toured with the ODI side and an Academy squad. He must also get used to being the senior opening partner following Hayden’s retirement.”It’s a bit of a strange situation for me to be in given that only probably Ricky and Michael have played more Tests,” he said. “It’s interesting that sort of role reversal now – it means I’m getting old.”

Some Liverpool supporters have talked up the idea of Karim Adeyemi joining the Reds, following a social media exchange with Harvey Elliott.

Jurgen Klopp had a quiet summer in the transfer market, only signing Ibrahima Konate and waving goodbye to the likes of Gini Wijnaldum and Xherdan Shaqiri.

While Liverpool’s squad remains strong, there will come a time when reinforcements are needed, perhaps even in January, depending on the injury situation.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

One player who the Reds have been linked with targeting is Adeyemi, who is making a name for himself at RB Salzburg, scoring 17 goals in 61 appearances to date.

Fuel has now been added to the fire after the 19-year-old sent Elliott his best wishes on Instagram [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], following the Liverpool youngster’s injury at Leeds United.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-2/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans talk up Adeyemi signing

These Reds fans took to Twitter to talk up the prospect of the move coming to fruition, with one supporter calling it a ‘dream’…

“Come home @karim_adeyemi”

Credit: @lfc_elliot

“I’m so invested and it’s still only September”

Credit: @_SalahSzn

“We have to sign him come January. A bit young and raw still but if develops correctly he can become a star no doubt. We should try and sign 2-3 plays similar to this style. Doku too maybe.”

Credit: @RomeoLFC

“The thing that further fuels this is the fact that Adeyemi and Harvey doesn’t even have a friendship”

Credit: @Gerrard_addict

“Would be a dream”

Credit: @TPK_31

“I beg”

Credit: @lfcjason1

In other news, James Pearce has denied that one Liverpool player could leave the club. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United are eyeing a late transfer window swoop for Club Brugge starlet Noa Lang.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from The Telegraph, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been been watching the 21-year-old ahead of a potential move this summer, although they are set to face intense competition to try and land him.

And writing recently on Twitter, The Athletic’s Phil Hay said: “They like Lang and that’s a genuine link but they haven’t actually made a concrete move for him.”

Now, Sport/Voetbalmagazine (via Sport Witness) claim that Leeds remain interested in signing Lang before deadline day, but that Brugge are looking for a massive bid to let him leave.

Bielsa will be buzzing

Able to play anywhere across the frontline, Lang showed Jadon Sancho-like abilities in his loan spell at Brugge last season, bagging 17 goals and providing a further 11 assists in just 37 games, including netting in the Champions League.

With that impressive goal-scoring record, and the fact he still remains very young at just 21, a move for Lang would be extremely exciting not just for Bielsa but for the club’s fans too.

Dubbed a “phenomenon” by Belgian journalist Peter Vandenbempt, the winger made history when he became the first player in 60 years to mark his debut with a hat-trick for Ajax, while his teammate at Brugge, Cyriel Dessers, has even admitted that Leeds’ interest in the flier is not the least bit surprising.

He said: “He is absolutely ready for the Premier League. He was fantastic last season. Then it is logical that there is a next step.  I would love to see him in the Champions League with Club Brugge, but he has shown that he is one of the best footballers in Belgium.

“He is a graceful footballer, but he also works very hard. I often sat on the bench, so I could keep an eye on him there. But the way he works, I didn’t know he had that in him. He has really taken a step. The interest does not come out of nowhere. I know how Leeds work.”

If the Whites can pull off a late transfer window deal for Lang, then Bielsa will surely be buzzing.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this Premier League record breaker…