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Leeds United have only just announced the £12m capture of Sean Longstaff, but another midfield deal looks to be nearing to completion to complement the ex-Newcastle United man’s arrival.

Indeed, it is now being reported that Daniel Farke’s Premier League newcomers will welcome Anton Stach to the building imminently, with the versatile Hoffenheim presence going down as their sixth summer buy for around the £17.4m mark.

Longstaff and Stach might just be the start, however, before another wave of new faces joins very shortly, with attacking signings now looking to be a priority.

Leeds chasing deal for Premier League youngster

Away from Stach offering Leeds more options in midfield alongside the 27-year-old giant, the other signings through the door this summer have mostly been defensive, besides Lukas Nmecha.

Therefore, attack is surely the next part of the pitch due for a makeover, with Rodrigo Muniz reportedly still on the Leeds agenda, on top of new, exciting targets such as Igor Paxiao coming to the surface to gift the Whites more options on the left and right flanks.

Whilst Muniz is a buy that will appeal to Whites supporters everywhere, when assessing his weighty 17 goals in the Premier League, Leeds’ other pursuit of Marc Guiu might well raise some eyebrows.

Football journalist Graeme Bailey claims that Leeds could soon chase a loan deal for the Chelsea youngster to boost their options up top, having looked at him previously.

Whilst Guiu does come highly rated from Stamford Bridge, his lack of Premier League experience would worry those at Elland Road as they jump back up to the gruelling division.

Yet, the Spaniard might well go to be an even bigger talent than Mateo Joseph if he does move to West Yorkshire, which would unfortunately push his fellow compatriot down the Whites pecking order even more.

How Guiu could be a bigger talent than Joseph

Joseph must already know deep down that his Premier League minutes next season are going to be somewhat sparse, considering only 11 league starts were handed to him last season on the way to Farke and Co. sealing the title.

A promising three goals and three assists would come his way, but the 21-year-old hasn’t quite shown enough in these bursts of quality from the bench to suggest he should be pushing for more consistent first-team minutes. Whereas, Guiu at Chelsea might well fancy his chances at being a second-in-command to Joel Piroe, and even more, based on his blistering cameos in West London last campaign.

Guiu’s overall numbers for Chelsea vs Joseph’s at Leeds

Stat

Guiu

Joseph

Games played

16

73

Goals scored

6

6

Assists

0

4

PL appearances

3

3

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Amazingly, despite appearing 57 times less for Enzo Maresca’s outfit overall when weighed up next to the 21-year-old’s haul at Elland Road, Guiu finds himself on the exact same goal tally Joseph has next to his name at Leeds, with all six of those efforts also staggeringly coming about last season as Chelsea ran out convincing champions of the UEFA Conference League.

Of course, the quality of the opposition can be questioned here, but Guiu does look ready for more senior chances, with those six goals coming about from just four starts, meaning he’s a far more lethal and composed finisher from limited chances than his Whites counterpart.

With two goals under his belt in the senior ranks at Barcelona, too, the 19-year-old would surely go on to enhance and elevate his game surrounded by the likes of Piroe as a hungry asset wanting to learn more, as opposed to Joseph, who has made his intentions clear on his desire to move on from West Yorkshire.

Once labelled as a “nightmare for centre-backs” to contain by football talent scout Jacek Kulig off the back of his high-energy game, Guiu might well be the perfect impact bench option for Farke to call upon next season, away from landing a more seasoned head such as Muniz.

With all these thrilling new buys in the offing, there might not be a place for Joseph at Leeds very soon, as fresh blood is potentially preferred over the reserve striker.

Related Even better than Paixao: Leeds hopeful of sealing signing of £50m striker

Leeds United are hopeful of signing a star who is even better than Igor Paixao.

Posts 1 ByDan Emery Jul 18, 2025

أعلن هانز فليك، مدرب برشلونة، عن قائمة الفريق لمواجهة خيتافي مساء اليوم الأحد، لحساب منافسات الجولة الخامسة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني للدرجة الأولى.

برشلونة يسعى إلى تحقيق الفوز على خيتافي من أجل مواصلة التنافس على لقب الدوري الإسباني، وذلك مع قوة ريال مدريد.

ويحتل برشلونة المركز الثاني في ترتيب الدوري الإسباني برصيد 10 نقاط وبفارق خمس نقاط بشكل مؤقت عن ريال مدريد المتصدر بالعلامة الكاملة وبرصيد 15 نقطة.

وابتعد ريال مدريد في صدارة الدوري الإسباني أمس بشكل مؤقت، عقب انتصاره على إسبانيول بهدفين دون مقابل على ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو.

أقرأ أيضًا.. تشكيل برشلونة المتوقع أمام خيتافي اليوم في الدوري الإسباني

وشهدت قائمة برشلونة استمرار غياب لامين يامال عن صفوف الفريق الكتالوني، في ظل عدم تعافيه من الإصابة التي يعاني منها على مستوى الظهر.

يامال لم يشارك مع برشلونة أمام فالنسيا الأسبوع الماضي في الدوري الإسباني، وكذلك أمام نيوكاسل يونايتد في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتواجد في الناحية الأخرى باو كوبارسي في قائمة برشلونة، بالرغم من تعرضه لإصابة خفيفة أمام نيوكاسل، لكن فليك أكد أن اللاعب سيشارك ضد خيتافي.

ويغيب جافي أيضًا في ظل عدم تعافيه من إصابته على مستوى الركبة. قائمة برشلونة لمباراة خيتافي في الدوري الإسباني

حراسة المرمى: خوان جارسيا، فويتشيك تشيزني، دييجو كوشين.

خط الدفاع: جول كوندي، باو كوبارسي، رونالد أراوخو، أندرياس كريستنسن، جيرارد مارتن، إريك جارسيا، جوفري تورنتس.

خط الوسط: فريكني دي يونج، بيدري، فيرمين لوبيز، مارك كاسادو، مارك بيرنال، داني أولمو.

خط الهجوم: فيران توريس، روبرت ليفاندوفسكي، رافينها دياز، روني بردجي، أنطونيو فيرنانديز، ماركوس راشفورد.

🚨 𝐒𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓#BarçaGetafe pic.twitter.com/E716PJfaj4 — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 21, 2025

As Unai Emery builds towards his third full season in charge of Aston Villa, the future of Ollie Watkins looms large.

With Manchester United heavily linked with a move for the England international and Villa walking a tightrope with Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR), the club may be forced into tough decisions this summer.

Watkins, fresh off the back of a third straight Premier League season with 15 or more goals, has become an indispensable figure at Villa Park.

However, the lure of a new challenge could test both his loyalty and the club’s resolve.

To keep their accounts in order, Villa have already sanctioned the €77m (£64m) sale of Jhon Durán and are now weighing up offers for Emiliano Martínez.

Yet any replacement for Watkins would need to be more than a stopgap – they’d need to match his work rate, creativity, and eye for goal.

As Villa look to avoid a post-Watkins drop-off, attention has turned to one of the Bundesliga’s brightest talents, a striker whose profile mirrors that of Watkins in both style and output.

Aston Villa seeking Watkins successor

According to German outlet BILD Aston Villa have identified RB Leipzig’s Loïs Openda as a key target should Watkins leave this summer.

Journalist Sacha Tavolieri reported that Villa are monitoring the Belgian striker closely, and Openda is understood to be open to a move to the Premier League – though no formal talks have taken place.

The 25-year-old is under contract at Leipzig until 2028 and has a release clause of €80m.

However, BILD reports that a fee of around €70m (£60m) could be enough to tempt the Bundesliga side into selling, if Villa were to lodge a bid, particularly in light of their disappointing 2023/24 campaign.

While Openda has not formally asked to leave, sources close to the club suggest he has expressed frustration behind the scenes – especially as key teammates Xavi Simons and Benjamin Šeško are also linked with summer exits.

Phillipe Clement, who managed Openda at Club Brugge, has no doubts about the striker’s suitability for top-level football.

“He’s super-fast but he also has an eye for goal and will be decisive,” he said. “In difficult times, he’s someone who remains combative. That’s an important quality in life and as a player.”

With Openda valued highly by Leipzig, who paid €40m (£34m) to sign him from Lens in 2023, any move would depend heavily on Watkins’ future.

Why Openda could be the perfect Watkins successor

According to FBref, Openda is one of the most statistically similar players to Watkins in Europe’s top five leagues. On closer inspection, the comparison holds up well.

Goal Involvements (2024/25)

Stat

Watkins

Openda

Goals

16

9

Assists

8

5

Total

24

14

Source: FBref

Openda’s non-penalty expected goals (8.2) were not far off Watkins’ (13.2), and both maintained strong conversion rates – Openda netting nine non-penalty goals to Watkins’ 14.

The Belgian also excels in areas that Villa fans have grown to expect from their lead striker. His progressive carries per 90 minutes (2.12) edge Watkins’ (1.90), and he creates more shot-creating actions (2.42 vs. 1.84).

He also attempts and completes more passes per 90 (13.8 vs. 10.6), though Watkins boasts the better pass completion rate (72.4% to 63.8%).

In front of goal, the differences are subtle.

Watkins slightly edges Openda in shots per 90 (2.84 vs. 2.82) and shots on target per 90 (1.25 vs. 1.14), but both players hover around the same shot-on-target percentage — 43.9% for Watkins, 40.3% for Openda.

Perhaps most intriguing is Openda’s dribbling output. He completes 0.81 successful take-ons per 90 compared to Watkins’ 0.35, with a higher success rate (29.7% to 24.4%).

While not elite figures, they show Openda’s willingness to beat defenders, an attribute Emery may want more of from his next No.9.

There are areas where Watkins still holds the edge. He wins the ball more in the attacking third (0.14 tackles per 90 compared to Openda’s 0.07) and has better discipline and decision-making in link-up play.

But Openda’s progressive passing distance (36.5 yards per 90) compared to Watkins’ 22.7 suggests greater vertical intent, something Emery’s side could lean into more, especially in Europe.

With 27 Belgium caps to his name, Openda isn’t just a runner or a poacher.

He’s a complete modern forward.

Dynamic, intelligent, and tactically flexible enough to play wide if needed.

If Watkins were to leave, replacing him would be no easy task. But in Loïs Openda, Villa may have found the closest thing to a like-for-like successor.

A forward who mirrors Watkins’ strengths but brings additional tools that Emery could sharpen even further.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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Villa have proved savvy in the market under Emery, blending data-led recruitment with tactical clarity.

Should they pull off a deal for Openda, it could prove one of the most pivotal transfers of their Europa League campaign and another sign of the club’s growing ambition.

Related Duran 2.0: Aston Villa in contact with “one of the best strikers in the PL”

Aston Villa have an opportunity to land their next Jhon Duran by signing this attacking menace.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Aug 1, 2025

The Thunder posted a comfortable victory over the Heat, but the evening game between Scorchers and Renegades went down to the final ball

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2024

Perth Scorchers 108 (Hinkley 32, King 23, Capsey 5-25) beat Melbourne Renegades 106 for 8 (Dottin 40, King 3-23, Ainsworth 2-18, Devine 2-22) by two runsAlana King’s all-round contributions proved decisive in a low-scoring thriller at the WACA as hosts Perth Scorchers completed a two-run win over Melbourne Renegades while defending only 108.King first scored a crucial 15-ball 23 for the Scorchers from No. 8 amid a batting collapse triggered by the Renegades pair of Milly Illingworth and Hayley Matthews (2 for 15 apiece). Alice Capsey then ran through the tail to claim her career-best figures of 5 for 25 while skittling the Scorchers for 108.However, the Renegades’ batting failed to complement their bowling effort, losing wickets through their innings. Needing 15 runs off the last three overs – 11 off two overs and eight off the final six balls – they failed to hit a single boundary and finished their innings on 106 for 8.The pressure was put on Renegades early in the chase by seamer Chloe Ainsworth when she dismissed opener Courtney Webb and first-down Capsey for first-ball ducks in the first over. Sophie Devine and King then accounted for Naomi Stalenberg and Matthews respectively, and when Amy Edgar removed Georgia Wareham cheaply too, Renegades were 47 for 5 in the ninth over.Deandra Dottin counterattacked with a 27-ball 40 that included three fours and three sixes from No. 6 to lift the Renegades briefly, but King sent her back for the second of her three wickets. King also removed Illingworth in the 18th over to finish with 3 for 23.Tasked with defending 10 runs off the last two overs, Edgar and Ebony Hoskin closed out the game for the Scorchers, conceding only eight singles. Sarah Coyte, who finished unbeaten on a 31-ball 21, needed three for a tie or a boundary for a win off the final ball, but Hoskin kept the last delivery down to just one.Heather Knight played another vital hand•Getty Images

England captain Heather Knight cracked an unbeaten half-century and Sam Bates snared 4 for 25 to lead Sydney Thunder to a 19-run WBBL victory over Brisbane Heat at the WACA Ground.Knight, Phoebe Litchfield, and Chamari Athapaththu, all fired to lift the Thunder to a formidable 170 for 5. In reply, Charli Knott and Grace Harris threatened to pull off the run chase, but the Heat were eventually bowled out for 151 after Bates weaved her magic.After being sent in to bat, Thunder were 13 for 0 in the third over when Georgia Voll was dropped by Laura Harris on 2. Voll would go on to score 22, but more importantly she combined with Athapaththu for a quick-fire 52-run opening stand to give Thunder the perfect platform to launch.Athapaththu and Litchfield cracked seven boundaries apiece, and Knight went into overdrive later in the innings as Heat’s bowlers struggled to contain the star-studded battling line-up.Heat spinner Jess Jonassen was superb with 3 for 22 from her four overs, and Shikha Pandey was economical. But the rest of the bowlers struggled, with Grace Parsons and Nadine de Klerk copping the brunt of the punishment.Heat needed to make a fast start to their run chase, and opener Grace Harris received three slices of luck during her blistering knock. She was on 5 when she gloved a spinning Bates delivery through to the keeper. The appeal was turned down, and Thunder decided not to review it, but replays showed it clearly came off her glove. Harris was then dropped on 26 and 32, but was eventually out when she was caught in the deep from a Taneale Peschel full toss.Knott cracked six fours and a six to notch her maiden WBBL half-century and give Heat a chance, but their victory hopes came crumbling down when she was bowled by Bates who now has 12 wickets from four games in what has been a sizzling start to the season for the 28-year-old.”I don’t know if there’s a real secret behind [my form]. It’s nice to be contributing finally,” Bates told . “I had a pretty ordinary season last year, so I reflected quite a bit on that. I changed some little things and they’re paying off, which is nice.”

حقق الفريق الأول لكرة اليد بالنادي الأهلي، الفوز على سيدني الأسترالي، في أولى مبارياته ببطولة العالم لكرة اليد للأندية.

وتُقام جميع مباريات بطول كأس العالم للأندية في الفترة من 26 سبتمبر إلى 2 أكتوبر 2025، على صالة العاصمة الإدارية الجديدة.

وتمكن الأهلي من تحقيق الفوز على سيدني الأسترالي بنتيجة 41/14، علمًا بأن الشوط الأول انتهى بتقدم الأحمر بنتيجة 20/6.

طالع.. تاريخ مشاركات الأهلي في كأس العالم لأندية اليد

ويشارك في البطولة 9 أندية مقسمة على 3 مجموعات، وهي الأهلي، الزمالك، برشلونة الإسباني، فيزبريم المجري، سيدني الأسترالي، ماجديبورج الألماني، كاليفورنيا إيجلز الأمريكي، الشارقة الإماراتي، توباتي البرازيلي.

ويتأهل أول كل مجموعة إلى نصف النهائي، حيث سينضم إليه أفضل فريق يحتل المركز الثاني في المجموعات الثلاث، وستشارك الفرق الخمسة المتبقية في مباريات تحديد المراكز.

Mumbai allrounder was part of the India A tour to Australia before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy began

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2024

Tanush Kotian, the Mumbai offspin-bowling allrounder, has been picked as R Ashwin’s replacement in India’s squad for the fourth and fifth Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests.Kotian is expected to fly to Melbourne on Tuesday following Ashwin’s retirement at the end of the third Test in Brisbane. He is currently in Ahmedabad as part of the Mumbai squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.The fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starts on Thursday with the five-match series level 1-1. Kotian is expected to be back-up for Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, the two spinners in the squad, with Axar Patel unavailable.When asked a day after Kotian’s call-up, Rohit Sharma joked: “Tanush was here a month back [with India A], and Kuldeep [Yadav] I don’t think has a visa… we wanted somebody to get here as quickly as possible. Tanush was the one who was ready and he played here.”Rohit quickly clarified that he had been joking, and elaborated: “Not that Tanush is not good enough. He’s shown in the last two years what he’s done in domestic cricket. And we really wanted just a back-up in case we need two spinners playing here [MCG] or Sydney. You need a back-up option.”Kuldeep of course is not 100% fit. He went through a hernia surgery. And the other options, like Axar – Axar had a baby, so he’s not going to travel. Tanush was the right option for us at this point. He’s certainly shown in the domestic level what he’s capable of. He’s probably one of the reasons why Mumbai has gone on to win the Ranji Trophy last year. He played a major role as an allrounder, so a very good option for us.”Kotian, 26, has played 33 first-class games and taken 101 wickets at an average of 25.70. He has also scored 1525 runs in 47 innings, at 41.21 with two centuries and 13 fifties. He was part of India A’s tour of Australia that preceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – he played one match, scoring 44 runs and taking one wicket.Related

Tanush Kotian raises his all-round game for Mumbai

From Vikhroli to the MCG, the Tanush Kotian story

As Rohit mentioned, Kotian had played a massive part in Mumbai’s victorious 2023-24 Ranji Trophy campaign, scoring 502 runs at an average of 41.83 and picking up 29 wickets at an average of 16.96, which earned him the Player-of-the-Tournament award. Kotian was the only player to complete the season double of 500 runs and 25 wickets.In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, which is being played in two phases with the T20 and List A tournaments in between, Kotian has played two of Mumbai’s five matches, as he was away in Australia. He has been on target with the ball, picking up 12 wickets at an average of 16.66, but hasn’t had much luck with the bat, scoring 30 runs from three innings. His most recent performance of note, though, had come with the bat, when he scored 64 and 114 not out, both from No. 8, in Mumbai’s Irani Cup win over Rest of India in early October. He took three wickets in his only bowling innings in that game too.Kotian and Manav Suthar, the 22-year-old left-arm spin-bowling allrounder from Rajasthan, are thought of as the next in line when it comes to the India Test set-up, with 31-year-old Saurabh Kumar of Uttar Pradesh possibly having fallen behind in the race. Kotian and Suthar played one game each on that tour of Australia with India A.India’s squad for fourth and fifth TestsRohit Sharma (capt), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian

MatériaMais Notícias

A ausência dos três pontos não é a única coisa ruim que o Santos leva do duelo contra o Atlético-MG, pelo Brasileirão. Após realização de exames, o meio-campista Luan Dias, que fez sua estreia pelo Peixe neste último domingo (23), teve detectadauma lesão muscular moderada na posterior da coxa esquerda.

+ Todos os jogos do Brasileirão você encontra no Prime Video. Assine já e acompanhe o seu time do coração!

Com isso, o jogador se junta a outros jogadores na lista de lesionados do Peixe. São eles:Lucas Braga (fortalecimento no púbis), João Lucas (edema muscular), Zabala (lesão no ligamento cruzado anterior do joelho esquerdo), Felipe Jonatan (ruptura total do ligamento cruzado anterior do joelho esquerdo) e Lucas Barbosa (lesão ligamentar do tornozelo esquerdo)

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSantosElenco do Santos é um dos 10 mais valiosos da Série A do Campeonato BrasileiroSantos24/04/2023SantosColeção de roupas do Santos com o Charlie Brown Jr é finalista de prêmio internacionalSantos24/04/2023SantosAinda sem vaga para a Copa do Brasil 2024, Santos não disputará a Copa PaulistaSantos24/04/2023

+Eduardo Barroca vai sair da fila? Veja 12 técnicos que ainda estão atrás do primeiro título

Desses listados, o mais próximo de um retorno é Lucas Braga, que já participou de atividades com outros jogadores nos treinamentos. Além do ponta, João Lucas está em transição física e deve retornar para os exercícios com o resto dos atletas do Santos em um futuro breve.

Ainda tratando a lesão sofrida contra o Grêmio, Lucas Barbosa faz seu tratamento junto da fisioterapia do clube e ainda deve desfalcar o Alvinegro Praiano por algumas semanas. Felipe Jonatan e Leonardo Zabala devem perder o resto da temporada do Santos para poder tratar o LCA do joelho esquerdo.

O tempo de recuperação de Luan Dias não foi divulgado, mas esse tipo de lesão pode levar de quatro até seis semanas para a recuperação total.

ذكرت تقارير صحفية أن مانشستر يونايتد وضع قائمة من 3 مرشحين لخلافة المدرب البرتغالي الشاب روبن أموريم، في حالة رحيله عن تدريب الفريق.

وبحسب “TEAM TALK” العالمية، فإن جاريث ساوثجيت دخل قائمة المرشحين الثلاثة، حيث لم يتول أي منصب إداري منذ نهايته ولايته التي استمرت ثماني سنوات مع منتخب إنجلترا من 2016 حتى 2024.

وحقق منتخب إنجلترا تحت قيادة ساوثجيت المركز الثاني في نهائيات كأس الأمم الأوروبية 2020 ويورو 2024 وحقق إنجازات أخرى، وقاده لنصف نهائي مونديال 2018 واحتل المركز الرابع في أفضل أداء منذ عام 1990.

وإلى جانب جاريث ساوثجيت هناك مرشحان آخران وهما أوليفر جلاسنر مدرب كريستال بالاس وأندوني إيراولا مدرب بورنموث.

اقرأ أيضاً.. تقارير: ثنائي قطبي مانشستر يفكران في الرحيل إلى الدوري السعودي

ويرتبط كل من جلاسنر وإيراولا بعقدين مع نادييهما وسيتعين على يونايتد دفع تعويضات كبيرة للحصول على أي منهما.

ويبقى معرفة ما إذا كان كل من جلاسنر وإيراولا مهتمين بتدريب مانشستر يونايتد بالنظر لأدائهما المتميز في كل من كريستال بالاس وبورنموث.

ويحتل فريق كريستال بالاس المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي حتى الآن وتوج بلقب الدرع الخيرية هذا الموسم، وقاد إيراولا فريق بورنموث ليكون منافسًا أوروبيًا حقيقيًا واحتل المركز التاسع الموسم الماضي وهو أفضل مركز له في تاريخ النادي.

وعلى الرغم من خسارة بورنموث لعدد من لاعبيه الأساسيين في سوق الانتقالات الصيفية، لكنه لا يزال يقدم أداء رائعًا ويحتل المركز الخامس في جدول الترتيب بعد ست مباريات.

ويحتل مانشستر يونايتد حالياً تحت قيادة روبن أموريم المركز الرابع عشر في جدول ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز بعد بداية كارثية لموسم 2025-2026.

In a late flurry of deals, Nottingham Forest have now reportedly submitted an opening offer to sign a Bundesliga attacker for Nuno Espirito Santo.

Nottingham Forest agree Kalimuendo deal

Whilst it has been a steady summer at Forest, with their biggest deal arguably being Morgan Gibbs-White’s new contract, Nuno reiterated that there is still work that needs to be done.

The Forest boss told reporters: “Dealing with doubts is the worst thing you can have in football. We have doubts, who is going to be [here], when are they [new signings] going to come? All these things create doubts.

Related Deal close: £15k-p/w Nottingham Forest "miracle worker" on verge of exit

The player only joined last summer…

Posts ByCallum Kemp Aug 15, 2025

“Not only me but in the club. What we want is game-by-game to have as many options as possible. Europe will come after, and for sure it will be better, but for now until that happens it is a major concern.

“The owner is aware, the club is aware, everyone is aware. Everybody knows the reality. This is a lost chance that we had as a group to do it.”

It seems as though Nuno is set to get an answer to his questions and the chance to ease his doubts, however. Following his strong words, Forest have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Arnaud Kalimuendo, whilst the likes of Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee also now look destined for the City Ground this month.

It’s a late-summer spending spree which may be far from done. Reports are now indicating that Forest have also submitted an opening bid to sign a Bundesliga talent.

Nottingham Forest submit Leweling offer

According to Sky Germany, Nottingham Forest submitted an opening bid to sign Jamie Leweling worth €25m (£22m) with add-ons.

VfB Stuttgart have rejected this first offer, and the German club reportedly have no intention of selling their star winger, but whether more interest from the Premier League changes that remains to be seen.

League stats 24/25

Anthony Elanga

Jamie Leweling

Minutes

2,501

1,663

Goals

6

11

Assists

2

2

Key Passes

50

25

Those at the City Ground are seemingly willing to take a chance on Leweling despite a relatively tough season last time out. Although a hamstring injury disrupted his campaign, the German would have been disappointed to end on just four goal involvements in the Bundesliga last time out.

On paper, the 24-year-old does not have the output levels to replace Anthony Elanga, who decided to swap the Midlands for Newcastle United earlier this summer.

Nonetheless, Leweling has still earned plenty of praise in Germany. Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth told reporters: “Jamie featured in every Bundesliga match [last season], and that statistic alone shows just how important he is to the team.

“His commitment and willingness to work for the team make him a very valuable player for us. We also think that he has plenty of potential to develop further, and that’s why we decided to tie Jamie down to VfB on a long-term deal.”

Players voice frustration at move that will largely benefit overseas signings in men’s competition

Matt Roller12-Dec-2024

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) has escalated its row with the ECB, accusing the board of showing players “a lack of respect” with changes to the Hundred’s pay structure.Salaries for the 2025 edition were announced on Thursday to the backdrop of existing discontent over a controversial new No-Objection Certificates (NOC) policy, and prompted frustration from both players and the union that represents them. Their objections include: The growing gender pay gap between men’s and women’s competitions An expectation that top salary increases will predominantly benefit overseas players Failure to reward the players that have grown the Hundred’s profile ahead of the sale of stakes in its teams A “severe lack” of communication between board and players Changes from plans pitched to players at a PCA summit in OctoberThe PCA has been publicly critical of several recent ECB decisions, including piecemeal changes to the county schedule and new restrictions on NOCs. Neil Snowball, the ECB’s managing director of competitions and major events, denied last month that the two organisations were at loggerheads but the PCA’s frustration is abundantly clear.The response to the split of salary increases will further raise the prospect of some players refusing to engage in the Hundred’s retention process. The threat of a boycott was raised last week as a potential last resort by those disillusioned by the new clampdown on NOCs, which will affect the same group of players frustrated by Thursday’s announcement.”We have had a strong working relationship with the ECB on player matters for a significant period of time and there has been a feeling of genuine collaboration,” Daryl Mitchell, the PCA’s interim chief executive, said. “However, this has not been the case in the last few weeks, including the lack of player consultation and clarity on the NOC policy.”Mitchell said the PCA were “extremely concerned” at the management of salary increases, citing a growing gender pay gap and a sense that English players “will see little benefit” from the changes to the top wage bands in the men’s game, which are designed to attract leading overseas players.In the men’s Hundred, top salaries will rise by 60% from £125,000 to £200,000 next year, with a 20% rise from £100,000 to £120,000 for players in the second-highest salary band. The other four salary bands – covering 11 players in each squad – will only increase by 3-5%.Salary increases in the women’s Hundred are more evenly distributed, with a 30% hike for top earners and raises between 13 and 25% for the remaining wage bands. But the competition’s gender pay gap has grown overall, with the vast majority of the overall 25% increase in its salary pot to be distributed to the 16 highest-earning players in the men’s competition.”Due to a severe lack of communication and consultation, there is a feeling there has been a lack of respect to the players who have been incredibly supportive in growing the competition,” Mitchell said.Tymal Mills, who is the top wicket-taker across the four seasons of the men’s Hundred, wrote on X: “Players in bands three downwards have largely carried and made the competition what it is today, ready to be sold and profited on. Yet, after tax, [they] are essentially getting no salary improvement after four years. First world problems I know but worth pointing out.”Sam Billings, who has captained Oval Invincibles to back-to-back men’s titles, added: “Remarkable how a category gets a 60% increase yet most others get under 5%… Who has come up with this???”The ECB was represented at a PCA summit in Paris in October by Vikram Banerjee and Rob Hillman, director of business operations and director of major events respectively, who briefed players on planned Hundred salary changes. Mitchell said: “Unfortunately, what was presented to the players and the subsequent conversations that followed has changed significantly.”Hillman said on Thursday it was “imperative” that the ECB reviewed its salary offers “in the current landscape of global cricket”. He said: “We want the best players participating in the Hundred… We’re really excited about where the Hundred goes next.”The row has broken out at a time when the PCA’s leadership is in transition. Mitchell, the chief operating officer, has stood in as interim chief executive since Rob Lynch left for a role at MCC in July. James Harris will stand down as chair in February, with both roles recently advertised.