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It might not have been pretty, but Liverpool have that winning feeling again, having ended their recent rut with a deserved 1-0 win away at Inter Milan on Tuesday evening.

There few highs, but also – more importantly – few lows at San Siro for Arne Slot’s side, with the reigning Premier League champions looking far more comfortable than they did just days earlier amid the chaos at Elland Road.

Perhaps that speaks to the gulf in quality that has opened up between the Champions League and England’s top flight, although, regardless, seeing off last season’s losing finalists is no mean feat. Slot needed that.

Having been vindicated in his decision to leave out Mohamed Salah for the trip to Italy, the title-winning Dutchman’s ruthless streak might well be beginning to pay off.

The issue is, the Egyptian isn’t the only problem still to be solved, with more members of last season’s glorious side still looking way off the pace.

Liverpool's worst performers against Inter in numbers

Now, this isn’t to try and pop the balloon following what was a much-needed victory for Slot and co, although the former Feyenoord boss himself would admit that his side were far from perfect on the night.

Indeed, a string of absences – and not just that of Salah – saw the Reds lineup with something of a new-look forward line, albeit with it taking a controversial Dominik Szoboszlai spot-kick to eventually settle the affair.

All eyes were on the pairing of Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike – with the night marking just their second start together all season – yet, perhaps as to be expected, there was little in the way of fluency or dynamism, even with the visitors posing the greater threat during the first half, in particular.

Isak, in particular, endured yet another frustrating outing to continue his Merseyside woes, with the £125m Swede regularly failing to make things stick through the middle, losing the ball on eight occasions from just 25 touches, as per Sofascore, prior to being withdrawn on the 68-minute mark.

While the price tag may suggest otherwise, the 25-year-old shouldn’t necessarily be the only avenue for concern, with it also proving a difficult outing for Joe Gomez at right-back.

Accurate passes

Jones (67)

Duels won

Mkhitaryan (8)

Aerial duels won

Van Dijk (3)

Successful dribbles

Ekitike (5)

Touches

Bastoni (94)

Key passes

Akanji (3)

Possession lost

Dimarco (17)

The Englishman was safe and steady, although he provided little attacking flair, having lost the ball 11 times himself, while failing to provide a single successful cross or key pass, having won just a solitary duel all night.

The Anfield side looked far more progressive and threatening with substitute Conor Bradley unleashed down that side, with the hope being that the Northern Ireland star can remain injury-free heading into a hectic festive period.

Slot will surely wish to bring the academy graduate into the starting lineup on a regular basis, although one man who could fall out of the reckoning is last season’s star, Alexis Mac Allister.

Liverpool's new Joe Allen & Lucas Leiva

Central to what made Slot’s side so impressive last term was the midfield unit, with the Dutchman reinvigorating Ryan Gravenberch in that deep-lying role, while also finally getting a tune out of Szoboszlai in an advanced, attacking berth.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

It was also, however, another fine campaign for that man Mac Allister, with the 2023 summer arrival from Brighton having cemented his status as “one of the best signings” that the club had made in the FSG era, in the view of DaveOCKOP.

The World Cup winner was the key, the glue keeping it together in the centre of the park, having also showcased his attacking flair with 13 goals and assists in all competitions.

From that knack for delivering clutch moments, the Argentine has frustratingly tailed off this time around, with his effort against Real Madrid earlier this season having been his only goal to date in 2025/26.

With just two assists also added into the mix, the 26-year-old is morphing into Lucas Leiva and Joe Allen territory at present, representing a solid but unspectacular option at the heart of the midfield.

Indeed, neither man was particularly adept at making the difference in a creative sense, with Allen scoring just seven goals in 132 games during his time at Anfield, while cult figure Leiva also netted just seven times himself, albeit from 346 total games.

To compare Mac Allister to such a limited pairing might appear hyperbolic, although again on Tuesday night, he was distinctly lacking any spark or flair, having failed to provide a single key pass, nor attempt a single shot or dribble.

He did win six of his seven ground duels, while losing the ball just five times, but again, there was that risk-averse feel to his performance, echoing those sorry days of Allen and Leiva lining up in the Brendan Rodgers and early Jurgen Klopp era.

As already stated, Mac Allister’s prior work ensures he remains one of FSG’s “best signings”, not least considering his bargain £35m fee, although like many of his teammates, the former Seagulls star simply doesn’t look like the player of 2024/25.

As bad as Isak vs Inter: Liverpool mainstay must now be axed by Slot

Liverpool secured a significant victory at Inter Milan in the Champions League.

ByAngus Sinclair 5 days ago

With the pressure growing on Arne Slot, Xabi Alonso has reportedly made his mind up on taking the Liverpool job if it becomes available at the same time that he potentially leaves Real Madrid.

For the first time in Slot’s Liverpool career, serious questions are being asked about his tenure. Last season’s Premier League title win has provided him with plenty of credit but, as Jamie Carragher pointed out on Monday Night Football, not everyone is still convinced that he’s still the man for the job.

After eight defeats in 11 games, the Dutchman simply has to turn things around. The Reds backed him by breaking their transfer record twice in the summer and spending over £400m, but are yet to see that investment pay off.

The most concerning aspect of Liverpool’s recent run is that nothing has changed. Slot has persisted with the same system, which only provided false dawns against Real Madrid and Aston Villa.

Now, with Alonso also under pressure at Madrid, Liverpool could be presented with a tempting opportunity to make a sensational change.

Xabi Alonso makes Liverpool decision

According to Football365, Alonso is now ready to take the Liverpool job if Real Madrid decide to sack him. The Spaniard has been put under increasing pressure by reports that Vinicius Junior has decided against signing a new deal whilst the manager is in charge.

As Real Madrid are forced to decide between their star man and their new manager, it’s Liverpool who could take full advantage.

For many, the big question has centred around who would replace Slot if Liverpool decided to sack the Dutchman. In Alonso, they’d have the perfect answer.

The Reds were interested in a reunion with the Spaniard before they hired Slot and could now get what they initially wanted over a year later.

Forget Leoni: 19-year-old academy star could end Konate's Liverpool career

Liverpool’s French centre-back has been abject in Slot’s system this season.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 24, 2025

Although a lot of pieces will need to fall into place, there’s little doubt that Alonso would be welcomed with open arms at Anfield.

"I'm told" – Romano shares what Slot thinks about his own Liverpool future

The San Diego Padres topped the Detroit Tigers 2-0 on Tuesday and, in the process, did something no MLB team has ever done.

San Diego shut the Tigers out behind seven immaculate frames from Nick Pivetta and two clean innings from relievers Jason Adam and Robert Suarez. It continued a pattern of dominance from the team's pitching staff. It was the seventh shutout of the season for the Padres, and they became the first team in major league history to total seven shutouts in March/April.

The Friars are now tied with MLB's best record at 17-7. Their seven shutouts are tied for the most ever through 24 games, and the last team to accomplish the feat was the 1992 Atlanta Braves. That pitching staff wasn't bad; it featured Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Steve Avery, and Charlie Leibrandt.

As a team, San Diego enters Wednesday's action second in MLB in ERA (2.77) and third in WHIP. Their relief corps has been stellar, posting an MLB-best ERA (1.43) that is more than a full run better than the second-place New York Mets (2.47).

Pivetta has been outstanding so far and is looking like the bargain of the offseason. The Padres waited out the market and signed the 32-year-old righty to a four-year, $55 million contract in mid-February. He has delivered so far.

After his win on Tuesday, Pivetta is 4-1, with a 1.20 ERA, a 0.77 WHIP and 30 strikeouts against seven walks in 30 innings. In five games he has already generated 1.4 WAR.

So far this season, the Padres are proving pitching wins games.

CPL 2025 got off to a low-scoring start in Basseterre, where St Kitts and Nevis Patriots rode on a stellar bowling performance led by Waqar Salamkheil to run out six-wicket victors over Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.After Jason Holder opted to bowl, Kyle Mayers, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naseem Shah left Falcons at 39 for 3 inside the fifth over. Salamkheil, the Afghanistan left-arm wristspinner, came on in the eighth over and was on target off his fourth ball, pitching just outside off stump and turning it back in to hit Fabian Allen’s stumps. He went on to spin out Shakib Al Hasan, Imad Wasim and Odean Smith to end with 4 for 22 from his four overs.Fortunately for Falcons, USA batter Karima Gore was in good nick, but with no other batter making a significant contribution, he had to pretty much go it alone. Gore’s 34-ball 61 included eight fours and two sixes, and Falcons would have wanted him to bat longer than he did after having walked out in the first over itself. As it happened, Farooqi returned to get rid of Gore in the 12th over, a slower delivery sliced high for Andre Fletcher, the wicketkeeper, to take a sharp running catch.All Patriots, the CPL 2021 winners, needed to score was 122, and though they got there quite comfortably, and never really looked in danger of not being able to, there was a little stutter in between thanks to Rahkeem Cornwall.Evin Lewis took off in a flash, scoring 25 in 13, before falling to Obed McCoy in the fourth over. Patriots made it out of the powerplay with just the loss of Lewis and 55 runs on the board, but in the seventh over, Cornwall sent back both Kyle Mayers and Rilee Rossouw. And suddenly, at 56 for 3, Patriots were looking just that little bit out of sorts.But Fletcher was playing a sedate knock, and in Alick Athanaze, Patriots found just the man for the job. Fletcher fell after scoring a 26-ball 19, to Salamkheil’s compatriot AM Ghazanfar at the end of the tenth over, but Patriots had reached 76 already by then. Athanaze, with an unbeaten 28-ball 37, and Holder, with 18 in 14 balls, finished the job from there with five overs in the bank.

No. 7 continues lower-order fightback before India lose Vaibhav Suryavanshi cheaply at start of reply

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay21-Jul-2025India Under-19 51 for 1 trail England Under-19 309 (Ekansh 117, Pushpak 4-76) by 258 runsEkansh Singh completed a superb hundred on a second day of England’s Youth Test against India that was severely truncated by rain.Only 28-and-a-half overs were possible between the cloudbursts but that was long enough for Kent right-hander Singh to compile 117 sprinkled with three sixes and 14 fours. Singh was last out, as England’s youngsters totalled 309, having shared an eighth-wicket stand of exactly 100 with James Minto who made 46.Naman Pushpak finished with 4 for 76 for India who lost teenage starlet Vaibhav Suryavanshi for 20 in reaching 51 for 1 before a thunderstorm ended play shortly after 5pmOvernight and morning rain delayed the start until 12.30pm and the showers returned 22 minutes later to drive the players off again. The intervening period was long enough for Ekansh to treat the smattering of spectators to four boundaries, including two sumptuous cover drives.It was 2.15pm before the game resumed but Ekansh had lost none of his rhythm, twice driving the ball back past the stumps for four as he continued to deal exclusively in boundaries on the day until he moved into the 90s. His battle with strike bowler Aditya Rawat was an engaging one, the seamer producing two excellent yorkers both superbly dug out by the batter. There would be no nervous 90s, Ekansh raising his 100 in the grand manner with a huge six over long-on.Minto provided great support, an uppercut over the slips for six resulting in a lost ball, necessitating the third change of the cherry in the short afternoon session.The 100-stand was raised before Minto chipped one straight back to Pushpak after which the end came swiftly. Alex Green became Pushpak’s fourth victim, before Singh holed out on the long-on boundary.India’s reply began in explosive fashion with Suryavanshi and his skipper Ayush Mhatre playing almost a shot a ball. The latter top-edged one over the slips before being given a life by Ralphie Albert when he spilt him at cover, Alex French the unlucky bowler.Suryavanshi meanwhile took a heavy toll of Green, nonchalantly driving him over mid-off for six before slashing one backward of square for another maximum. However, youthful impetuosity got the better of him when he pulled Green’s next delivery down the throat of fine leg – something of a waste, especially given three balls later the rain returned, forcing an early tea.Only 15 minutes more play was possible – just long enough for India to raise their 50.

Over the last couple of years, Manchester United have been a side who have splashed the cash in the transfer market to try and take them back to their former glory days.

In the last three years alone, the Red Devils have spent upwards of £800m on new additions, but the vast majority of which have failed to deliver and catapult them up the league table.

The club finished 15th in the Premier League last time around, with pressure piling on manager Ruben Amorim as a result of his lack of impact at Old Trafford.

Despite financial difficulties voiced by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, he handed the 40-year-old funds in the region of £200m to help improve his first-team squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

However, one player already at the Theatre of Dreams has struggled as of late, with a potential exit on the cards from the club in the months ahead, given his lack of impact.

The latest on Zirkzee’s future at Man Utd

Over the last couple of days, it’s been reported that United forward Joshua Zirkzee has been hugely linked with an exit just over a year after his arrival.

Last summer, the Red Devils paid a fee in the region of £36m for the signature of the Dutchman, joining the club from Serie A side Bologna with real expectations to improve the frontline.

However, the 24-year-old only netted three league goals last season and was unable to get himself off the mark in the opening weeks of the new season after staying put.

The big-money spent by the board over the summer has seen the player fall further down Amorim’s pecking order, subsequently failing to make a single start to date.

He’s only registered 74 minutes of league action in 2025/26, undoubtedly leading to his desire to leave the club and pursue a new challenge in the near future.

Current CEO Omar Berrada has previously stated that players who failed to make any impact in two years must be sold to avoid losing huge money – with Zirkzee certainly in that category.

However, he’s not alone in that department, with another current first-team member also on borrowed time given his lack of impact at Old Trafford in recent times.

The United star who’s on borrowed time alongside Zirkzee

United’s lack of success in the transfer market has undoubtedly contributed to their demise in the Premier League, which has increased pressure onto the shoulders of Amorim.

Some of the players already on the books before his arrival struggled to make an impact after his arrival, with Brazilian winger Antony just one player who ultimately failed to hit the ground running during his tenure.

He joined the club in a £86m deal from Ajax back in the summer of 2022, subsequently following Erik ten Hag to the club after his appointment during the same period.

However, the club decided to sell the 25-year-old this summer, with the forward moving to Real Betis for just £21m, seeing the hierarchy take a £65m loss on their investment.

Another example of their failure in the transfer market is highlighted in their move to sign Manuel Ugarte last summer, with the Uruguayan costing a fee in the region of £42m from PSG.

His arrival was seen as the perfect opportunity to improve the options in the middle of the park, but a little over 12 months after his transfer, he’s failed to nail down a place in the starting eleven.

Ugarte, who’s been dubbed a “wet blanket” by former Chelsea star Craig Burley, has only started two games this campaign, along with 22 in the previous season.

Games played

6

Matches started

2

Minutes played

242

Passes completed

40

Chances created

0.3

Fouls committed

3.4

Dribbled past

0.9

Interceptions

0.6

The Uruguayan’s underlying stats from the recent campaign highlight his inability to impress, which could ultimately spell the end of his time at Old Trafford in the near future.

He’s only completed an average of 40 passes per 90 this season, whilst only creating 0.3 chances per 90, subsequently showcasing his

inability to progress the play into attacking areas.

The 24-year-old has also committed 3.4 fouls per 90 to date, whilst also ranking in the 73rd percentile for being dribbled past – highlighting he often resorts to taking out an opponent if he’s struggling to dispossess them.

As a result, he’s often been selected behind the likes of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in such a role, with his move to England undoubtedly failing to reach the heights many anticipated.

After such a disappointing first year in the Premier League, it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone to see him depart in the near future, subsequently raising funds for another talent to arrive in the process.

The new Yorke & Cole: Man Utd's "superb double-act" could save Amorim's job

Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke famously scored 53 goals as Manchester United won the treble in 1998/99, but has Rúben Amorim found a new “electric” duo?

ByBen Gray Oct 7, 2025

Joe Root says guilt at not being able to support Jos Buttler during his captaincy is driving the 34-year-old to continue in limited-overs cricket under Harry Brook. On Sunday, Root became England’s leading ODI runscorer, a feat capped with a career-best 166 not out to chase down a target of 309 in the second ODI against West Indies in Cardiff, sealing a series win in the process. It follows his ascension to the top of the English Test charts last October, when he moved beyond Sir Alastair Cook’s tally of 12,742 in the first Test of the Pakistan tour.Upon reaching 42, Root passed the previous highest of 6,957 achieved by Eoin Morgan. As impressive as Morgan’s runscoring exploits were, his captaincy was legacy-defining, overseeing a white-ball revolution that sent England to the top of rankings, capped off by winning the 50-over World Cup in 2019.Root, England’s top-scorer at that tournament with 556 runs, was a vital cog in Morgan’s machine. However, with priorities shifting, particularly in the final years of his own Test captaincy, he found himself playing less and less 50-over cricket. Even without the Test captaincy during Buttler’s tenure, Root ended up playing just 25 of a possible 47 ODIs.That included the dismal 2023 World Cup campaign, and an equally poor Champions Trophy earlier this year, which ended in Buttler’s resignation. Those tournaments sandwiched a 2024 in which Root played no white-ball cricket for his country.Now, with eight ODIs under his belt in 2025, and an 18th hundred in the bag, he is back to being at one with the format. And he admits his renewed drive comes from wanting to support Brook in the way he felt he had not with Buttler.Related

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“I played a huge amount of cricket with Jos and almost felt guilty that I wasn’t there for him throughout a lot of his tenure,” Root said.”And now that there’s more chances and more opportunities to play ODI cricket, I want to be involved in that. I want play as much as I can for England and, if I’m going make the team better, then absolutely want to be there and involved in, in trying to do that.”Whether that’s helping in and around practice with the younger players as a senior bat, and sharing and expressing my experience with them to try and speed up their processes and their learnings. But also out on the field, I feel like I’ve still got a lot to give and there’s a lot more runs in there. Hopefully knocks like that show that.”Hopefully, this can be a team that is quite consistent and sticks together for a long period of time and we can start building something as a group together. It’s what we did really well leading up to that 2019 World Cup. I don’t think that counts for nothing.”Naturally, Brook was full of praise for Root, whose unbeaten 166 eclipsed the 146 for 7 that the rest of the team (plus extras) managed between them. It confirmed a first series victory as captain for the 26-year-old, achieved ahead of Tuesday’s third and final ODI at the Kia Oval. It also eases qualifying automatically for 2027’s ODI World Cup.Root was similarly full of praise for his new skipper, particularly his work in the field to restrict West Indies to 308 all out. However, he could not resist a familiar jibe at his Yorkshire teammate’s expense.”He’s still an idiot,” joked Root. “As much as he’s an idiot – and I can say that because I’ve known him forever – he’s very cricket intelligent. He might not always be the most intelligent away from cricket, but he understands the game exceptionally well and that’s why he’s so consistent as a batter. I think that’s what will make him a really good leader as well.”You saw today, he might see the game slightly differently and he might do things differently, but it asks different questions of a batter. There was a phase in the game today where we had quite unusual fields, but they found it hard to rotate. It built pressure, it led to wickets and we ended up bowling them out.”

Russell Martin has survived another day as Rangers manager.

On Saturday, the Gers reached the League Cup quarter-finals, managing to win 2-0 at Ibrox, although a Glasgow derby at Hampden on 2 November is probably far from what they need right now.

The question though still remains; will Martin be in charge by then?

Well, to avoid becoming the shortest-serving permanent manager in Rangers’ history, breaking Pedro Caixinha’s record, Martin would still need to be at the helm for the visit of Braga in the Europa League on 27 November, which appears unlikely considering he is yet to win a Premiership match in five attempts, leaving them second-bottom, ahead of Sunday’s trip to Almondvale.

Thus, surely 49ers Enterprises, who took over the club in the summer, are considering potential replacements, so a future “elite manager” should be top of their wish list, not the obvious front-runners.

The favourites to replace Russell Martin at Rangers

Ever since it became clear that Martin was not going to last particularly long in Govan, amid widespread protests against him and chief executive officer Patrick Stewart present throughout the weekend win over Hibs, two obvious front-runners have emerged, both with Merseyside connections.

Steven Gerrard would be the populist choice, with many supporters wanting to see him return to Ibrox, having managed the club for 194 matches between 2018 and 2021, re-establishing Rangers as a force in European football, as well as leading them to their sole Premiership title since 2011, stopping Celtic’s pursuit of ten-in-a-row.

A key figure in Gerrard’s success in Glasgow was then-assistant Michael Beale, who returned to Ibrox as manager himself in 2022, lasting just 43 matches before being hounded out.

The pair did briefly reunite in Saudi Arabia, working together at Al-Ettifaq before Gerrard was unceremoniously sacked in January, so could the 49ers get the band back together?

The other leading candidate is Sean Dyche, who has also been out of work since January, dismissed by Everton earlier this year.

Having taken charge of 557 games as a manager, of which 332 have come in the Premier League, the former Burnley boss is surely one of the most experienced coaches Rangers could attract, and he has proven himself adept at getting the best out of whatever he has to work with, something the current occupant of the Ibrox hot seat certainly is not doing.

However, rather than playing it safe, Rangers should be bold and appoint a future “elite manager” who is currently out of work.

Rangers' dream Russell Martin successor

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Jordi Cruijff, son of the legendary Johan, asserted that “all the best managers were midfielders”, a claim supported by a study from The Athletic, which found that ‘almost half of coaches with a professional playing background were midfielders’.

Well, a man looking to reinforce that stereotype is Michael Carrick – formerly tipped to replace Gerrard in the hot seat by Charlie Adam back in 2021.

After spending 12 years at Manchester United as a player, he retired in 2018 and worked under José Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjær as an assistant coach, placed in interim charge for three matches in 2021, overseeing victories over Villarreal and Arsenal, as well as a draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

After leaving Old Trafford, Carrick returned to the North East, where he was born and raised, appointed Middlesbrough manager in October 2024.

As the table below documents, his time on Teeside was generally pretty successful.

Matches

136

Wins

63

Draws

24

Defeats

49

Goals scored

220

Goals conceded

177

22/23 league finish

4th

23/24 league finish

8th

24/25 league finish

10th

Best EFL Cup run

Semis

As outlined by the table, Carrick led Boro into the Championship play-offs in his first season, having taken over with the side 21st, before they were beaten 1-0 by Coventry City in the semi-finals.

He also guided them to the EFL Cup semi-finals, actually defeating Chelsea 1-0 in the first leg at the Riverside, but eighth and then tenth place finishes in the Championship saw him sacked and replaced by Rob Edwards during the summer, who has made a flying start in fairness, with Middlesbrough currently top of the table.

Nevertheless, Carrick earned plenty of praise, labelled a future “elite manager” by one analyst, while Jack Manship of Total Football Analysis was impressed by his ‘eye-catching’ brand of football, praising Boro’s ‘organisation’ and ability to attack quickly.

Meantime, Solskjær has backed Carrick to be a future Manchester United manager one day, describing him as a “winner”, forecasting he will be a top-class coach in the near future.

Thus, while Carrick is out of work, Rangers should surely do everything they can to convince him to take over in Glasgow, successfully taking a chance on Gerrard back in 2018, even more of a rookie himself at the time, so a young coach with fresh ideas is surely exactly what they need.

Imagine him & Raskin: Rangers must rue selling £6m "left-footed Yaya Toure"

As Nicolas Raskin underlines his importance at Rangers, imagine him alongside the “left-footed Yaya Touré” sold for £6m by Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

ByBen Gray Sep 24, 2025

This was the fourth time that Hardik had dismissed Gill in T20s in just 18 deliveries

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-20251:54

How does Hardik get the better of Gill almost every time?

The ball dug in short. The pitch making it sit up and not zip through. On middle and off. Shubman Gill does what he must, play the pull. He hits it superbly. But straight to the fielder in the deep. And that’s the fourth time Hardik Pandya has dismissed Gill in just 18 balls in T20s.”It’s just the right length [to Gill]. Hardik tends to bowl that back-of-length [delivery] and he’s been using that short ball quite effectively,” Cheteshwar Pujara said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show after the match. “Gill is someone who has a little bit of vulnerability when it comes to that length. It is his scoring opportunity, but at the same time, when he doesn’t get it right, you do get dismissed from that length.”Maybe Hardik knew that – there’s very little cricketers don’t know these days when it comes to data and numbers, strengths and weaknesses of opponents. Hardik stood there, looking pleased as punch. Of course he knew it would – or could, at least – work. Gill looked like he couldn’t believe he had fallen into the trap.Related

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Hardik: 'Batters have to come to the party, hopefully soon'

Unwittingly, though, Hardik might have laid a trap for his own batters in the process. On a black-soil pitch, with the ball gripping in the slow surface, slow, slower, slowest was the way to go. Not that Gujarat Titans (GT) or Mumbai Indians (MI) wouldn’t have known that anyway before their IPL 2025 match in Ahmedabad on Saturday evening, but seeing the proof in Hardik’s plan of action helped – GT stopped MI 36 short after putting up 196, and at no point did it really look like their wouldn’t.”There were some shots that were easy to hit on that wicket, there were some shots that were difficult [to hit], so we were making sure that we make sure that they were hitting difficult shots on that wicket. Which we thought were difficult when we were batting,” Gill said in the press conference afterwards. Prasidh Krishna, for one, made the most of the conditions. Going against his nature, so to say, he kept it slow, and into the pitch. And emerged Player of the Match for his 2 for 18.And Hardik, only half in jest, possibly, agreed that he might have helped Prasidh with the planning. “Definitely, I was just thinking that,” he told the host broadcaster. “Maybe I bowled way too many balls – they were able to see that it’s gripping.”On this wicket, I think those were the toughest balls because some were shooting down, some were bouncing and some were gripping. So when you have this much variable bounce or difference, I think as a batter it becomes difficult.”

Leeds United still have a bit of time left to add more quality to their squad before the end of the summer transfer window at the start of September.

The Whites were reportedly leading the race to sign Leicester City attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss earlier this month, but they now look set to miss out on the Morocco international.

Sky Sports reports that Crystal Palace are close to agreeing a deal with the Foxes to sign the 21-year-old playmaker in a deal that could be worth up to £32m.

Why missing out on Bilal El Khannouss is a blow

The Eagles swooping in to potentially sign El Khannouss ahead of Leeds is a blow for Daniel Farke because he is an impressive young talent who could have been an exciting addition to the squad at Elland Road.

In his first season in the Premier League, the Moroccan ranked within the top 25% of attacking midfielders for chances created (42) and the top 37% for xA (3.11), per FotMob.

Per Sofascore, El Khannouss created eight ‘big chances’ in 27 starts for Leicester, despite their relegation, and could have added an extra degree of creativity to the Leeds midfield.

The Whites could, however, forget all about the Foxes sensation by swooping to sign Gabriel Sara, who was linked with a £35m move from Galatasaray earlier this month.

Why Leeds should sign Gabriel Sara

Signing the Brazilian maestro would help everyone to forget about El Khannouss because he could be an even better signing for Leeds, particularly with the new 4-3-3 system that Farke deployed against Everton.

Lining up with three central midfielders instead of a double pivot and a number ten means that Sara could make more sense as a signing, as he is a creative central midfielder, rather than an out-and-out number ten like the Leicester starlet.

The left-footed star, who delivered 13 goals and 12 assists in his last season in England with Norwich, has been in fantastic form for Galatasaray as a creative whiz in the middle of the park over the past 12 months.

Sara has created a staggering 11 chances in two matches in the Super Liga this season, per Sofascore, which is roughly a quarter as many as El Khannouss created in the entire 2024/25 campaign.

As you can see in the table above, Sara was directly involved in six more goals in two fewer appearances at league level in comparison to the £32m-rated man, and created one more chance per game on average.

The Brazilian star, who scored a sublime solo goal against Leeds two seasons ago – as shown in the highlights below, has been a consistently brilliant creator for both Galatasaray and Norwich in the last few years.

Sara, who was hailed as “outstanding” by former boss David Wagner, appears more likely to make an impact in the here and now in comparison to El Khannouss, who is younger and still developing.

The 26-year-old wizard is in the prime years of his career and could arrive at Elland Road to hit the ground running as a creative maestro in the middle of the park for Farke, given his prior experience in England and his form for the Turkish giants.

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By
Dan Emery

Aug 17, 2025

Therefore, Leeds should be pushing to secure a deal for Sara now that Palace are closing in on El Khannouss, because he has the experience, the quality, and the creativity to be an even better signing for the Whites in their bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.