All posts by h716a5.icu

Leeds United have impressively won ten of their 13 games at Elland Road this Championship season so far, but their very first game in front of the home masses for 2025 didn’t bring about another sweet victory.

Instead, it was a rather drab draw that was served up, as Danny Batth scored a dramatic late equaliser for Blackburn Rovers to close the contest at 1-1.

Now, it’s up to Daniel Farke to pick up his troops ahead of a big 2025, with the January transfer window now giving him time to add in some new additions to sprinkle his side with even more quality.

Of course, Leeds haven’t always been prolific spenders in this window, as was seen this time last year when the Whites went about their business conservatively.

Leeds' past January business

In the end, the only capture that took place back in January 2024 was the underwhelming loan acquisition of Connor Roberts from Burnley.

Safe to say, Roberts failed to truly fit into his new surroundings, with just one goal and one assist mustered up by the Welshman from 15 forgettable displays, before he bounced back at Turf Moor to become a regular under Scott Parker.

It could be argued that such a lack of business negatively impacted Leeds’ promotion chances, with the Whites squad becoming stretched, leading to a crushing playoff final defeat to Southampton.

Now, however, the Whites could be more proactive, with rumours already linking Farke’s men to the likes of James McAtee and Nico Elvedi to boost the camp.

Whilst there might well be a change in narrative regarding incomings, this January ahead could also see some exits occur, with this forgotten Whites figure in desperate need of a change of scenery.

Joe Gelhardt's time at Leeds

Once a heavily talked about prospect in West Yorkshire, Joe Gelhardt has really suffered from a lack of game-time over the past couple of seasons.

The Liverpool-born centre-forward was even labelled as “brilliant” by Jamie Carragher in 2021, when he was regularly making waves in the Whites first-team as a golden young gem.

Long gone now are the days where Gelhardt would be linking up with Raphinha to fire home dramatic strikes like these, however, with the ex-Wigan Athletic man only making a meagre three appearances for Farke’s men so far this season.

Therefore, the much-maligned 22-year-old surely wouldn’t refuse an opportunity to leave Elland Road behind this January, as suitors such as Wrexham begin to allegedly sniff around.

After all, when Gelhardt was at the peak of his powers donning Leeds white, he would find the back of the net six times playing in both the Premier League and Championship, meaning he could well light up the third tier if Phil Parkinson’s men do swoop in.

More pressingly, away from wanting to give Gelhardt more game-time – whether that be through a loan exit or a permanent route away – Leeds will also want the reserve attacker off the books soon owing to his steep £15k-per-week wage.

Player

Wage

League games played (24/25)

1. Joel Piroe

£15k-per-week

25

2. Mateo Joseph

£15k-per-week

25

Amazingly, the on-the-fringes striker pockets the same salary as first-team regulars Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph, with Piroe on to nine goals for the season in the Championship now as an important figure up top.

Moreover, Joseph will also likely play a key part in Leeds’ ongoing hunt for promotion based on the number of appearances above, whilst Gelhardt stares the exit door in the face.

With Queens Park Rangers also reportedly keen on his services, expect the 22-year-old to be off at some point across this frantic January period.

Even better than Aaronson: Leeds in mix to sign "energetic" £45k-p/w star

Leeds United are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the central midfielder.

1 ByDan Emery Dec 30, 2024

Chelsea have completed the signing of Sporting's Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo in a combined €74 million deal as confirmed by the Portuguese club.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Chelsea complete double deal with SportingSign Quenda and Essugo in €74m combined dealBoth starlets will join Chelsea in the summerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

On Wednesday evening, Sporting confirmed that they had reached an agreement with Premier League giants Chelsea over a double move for starlets Quenda and Essugo, who is currently on loan with La Liga strugglers, Las Palmas.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The announcement released by Sporting confirmed that Chelsea have agreed to a transfer fee of €50.7m (£42.5m/$55m) with add-ons worth €1.3m for Quenda and the Portuguese winger will remain in Portugal for one more year before moving to London in the summer of 2026.

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

The announcement also confirmed the fee decided for Essugo's transfer, with the Blues set to pay an additional €22.2m (£19m/$24m) for the midfielder. The 20-year-old will continue to stay on loan at Las Palmas till the end of the season and will then move to Stamford Bridge.

WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

The Blues will be very keen on making sure they qualify for the Champions League next season as they look to get back to the top end of the pack in the Premier League. They will hope that Essugo and Quenda's signing will help them do so.

Arsenal have been rocked as it has emerged that another star is set to share the sidelines with Bukayo Saka for the forseeable future, missing what is set to be the busiest time of the year.

Arsenal injuries piling up as Saka hamstring timeline revealed

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side have seen injuries hamper their season since the opening day of the campaign, and now their worst fears have been realised.

After missing captain Martin Odegaard for a month of the Premier League between international breaks, Saka will now also be absent over the festive period and beyond.

Arsenal readying bid for "world-class" star who's like White & Timber

Arsenal could be about to make a huge statement signing in January.

ByEthan Lamb Dec 23, 2024

The Arsenal talisman went down in the first half of their 5-1 win over Crystal Palace with no one near him, and had to be replaced by Leandro Trossard, going straight down the tunnel. Now, Mikel Arteta has revealed the extent of the issue, admitting that his star man will miss “many weeks” with the hamstring issue.

“It’s not looking good. He’s going to be out for many weeks”, the Gunners boss epxlained. “It’s a huge blow, but it’s going to be a big exercise for us to overcome another challenge”.

Saka has been vital to Arsenal’s revival in recent years, with the 23-year-old having managed five goals and 10 assists already this season, more than any other player in north London.

Now, the Gunners will need to look elsewhere for answers, with Gabriel Jesus a potential replacement for the winger, while Gabriel Martinelli filled in for the remainder of the clash against the Eagles. Quizzed on the situation, Arteta suggested as many as four of his players could fill in.

“Gabi [Martinelli] has played there, Ethan [Nwaneri] has played there, Leo [Trossard] can play there in relation to how the unit moves. Kai [Havertz] can play there. We will talk to them and understand how they feel about it.”

In yet more bad news for the Gunners, though, another star has been ruled out for almost the same amount of time as Saka.

Another Arsenal star sidelined with knee injury

That comes as loanee forward Raheem Sterling has also picked up an injury and will be sidelined for weeks. The England international arrived from Chelsea over the summer, but has struggled for game time in north London.

With Saka now injured, it would have been a perfect opportunity for the forward to step up, but he was absent from the squad against Crystal Palace and Arteta has now revealed that is because he too has been injured. Asked about the 30-year-old, the Gunners boss confirmed that, like Saka, he will be out for “weeks”.

Player

Injury

Likely return

Bukayo Saka

Hamstring

February

Raheem Sterling

Knee

February

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Unknown

December

Takehiro Tomiyasu

Knee

Unknown

Ben White

Knee

March

It continues Arsenal’s misfortune with injuries, which has seen all of Gabriel, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori miss games in recent weeks, and now threatens to all but end their push for the Premier League title. With January around the corner, they may be forced to dip into the transfer window for a replacement.

Will Young makes 46 as County Select XI keep plugging away in spirited display

Andrew Miller26-May-2022New Zealanders 298 for 8 (Henry 65*, Mitchell 58, Young 46, Patterson-White 3-60) vs County Select XIDay by day, innings by innings, and now player by player, New Zealand’s World Champion Test team is slowly beginning to assemble in good time for next week’s series opener against England at Lord’s.You wouldn’t necessarily believe it from their first-day scorecard at Chelmsford, which yielded a litany of half-formed innings as a spirited County Select XI made light of the pre-toss loss of Ollie Robinson to share eight wickets between them, including three in as many evening-session overs for the Nottinghamshire spinner Liam Patterson-White.However, in keeping with the message emanating from the England camp since the arrival of Brendon McCullum as coach, it’s the mindset that matters the most, and with half-centuries for Matt Henry and Daryl Mitchell – one of the squad’s most recent arrivals from IPL duty – and a further 46 from 96 balls from Will Young, a key factor in last year’s series-sealing victory at Edgbaston, there was enough evidence of progress in between the splodges on the scorecard.By the close, the New Zealanders had pushed along to 298 for 8, thanks in no small part to a lively ninth-wicket stand between Cam Fletcher and Henry, whose unbeaten 65 from 67 balls contained ten of the most uncompromising blows of the day.It was hardly riches compared to some of the monstrous totals being racked up at this ground in the Championship this season. However, this green-tinged pitch was a more conventional Chelmsford surface than the ECB-ordered roads of recent vintage, offering good carry for the quicks all day long – perhaps most notably the young left-armer Ben Gibbon, whose nipbacker to send Mitchell on his way for 58 was unquestionably the ball of the day.By the time of his extraction, however, Mitchell had made a sufficient mark. The transition from the white-ball tamasha of the IPL to the dozy ebb and flow of the CloudFM County Ground is one of the more curious tempo-changes that the game has to offer – and it’s a comedown that Kane Williamson too can expect to experience later in the game after his overnight arrival in the country, albeit from a paternity stopover in New Zealand.Mitchell, however, has had less of an abrupt shift than some of his team-mates – notably Devon Conway, who thumped a matchwinning 87 from 49 balls for Chennai Super Kings earlier this month, and was still in action only this past weekend. Here his solitary scoring shot was a pleasing cut through point as he fell for 4 from 14 balls to the energetic Lancashire seamer Jack Blatherwick.Ben Gibbon impressed with his left-arm seam on the first day at Chelmsford•Andrew MillerMitchell, by contrast, has been warming the bench for Rajasthan Royals for the past month, ever since two underwhelming mid-tournament outings which yielded a total of 33 runs from 44 balls, and left him surplus to Rajasthan’s squad permutations as they prepare for Friday’s Qualifier against RCB.He stood firm in a lively opening gambit. Gibbon’s tight line to the left-handed Tom Latham induced a spliced edge to Ryan Patel at second slip before Blatherwick’s breakthrough left New Zealand tottering at 24 for 2. But Young, who survived a tough chance to the diving Patel at midwicket on 6, grew into his own knock as he and Mitchell added 67 for the third wicket.The pick of Young’s six fours was a powerful launch through long-on as Jamie Porter dropped short, and having carried his solid county form for Northamptonshire into his two unbeaten innings against Sussex earlier in the week, another half-century seemed on the cards until Blatherwick found some nip on off stump and a thin edge off a squared-up blade.Robinson’s morning withdrawal led to a late SOS to Middlesex’s Ethan Bamber, who arrived during the lunch interval and was thrust into action as a rolling substitute in the afternoon, bowling nine lively overs but encountering Mitchell in a mood to free his arms, as he leaned into an elegant launch over long-on for the only six of his innings.It briefly seemed that Gibbon might also fall victim to New Zealand’s hard-hitting middle-order, as Colin de Grandhomme clicked his own innings into gear with three fours in a row – each of them dismissed through the leg side as the youngster strayed repeatedly onto his legs.But Gibbon, who turns 22 in a fortnight’s time, has already endured worse indignities in his short career. The first of his two first-class appearances to date also happened to be the occasion of Ben Stokes’ rampage through New Road three weeks ago, and he had been on the receiving end of two of Stokes’ record-breaking 17 sixes that day.One over later, and with Mitchell back in his sights, Gibbon changed his angle to round the wicket, and produced a peach of a bail-trimmer, nipping at pace from a good length outside off, and bursting through a loose drive to flick the top of off stump.By that stage Tom Blundell had already fallen for 8, caught at slip by Patel as he pushed with hard hands at a tight-lined lifter from Lyndon James. And though de Grandhomme and Michael Bracewell seemed in the mood to re-inflate the innings from a wobbly 154 for 5, the introduction of Patterson-White’s unassuming but quietly effective left-arm spin caused a further flurry of breakthroughs.Bracewell gave Patterson-White the charge, only for the ball to turn inexorably through the gate to bowl him for 21, whereupon de Grandhomme planted him into the long-off stands before chopping the next ball through backward point for four. Patterson-White held his nerve, though, and his line, immediately skidding a flatter delivery into the pads to extract a leg-stump lbw decision for 39.Kyle Jamieson then leaned back on an attempted cut to hole out to Nick Gubbins at short cover, but as the floodlights kicked in, so did Henry with a buccaneering final flurry to a satisfactory day’s play all round.

GOAL takes a look at which American players are playing the best ahead of the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League

With the CONCACAF Nations League Finals set to kick off this week, one key question remains: Which U.S. men's national team players are in the best form?

It’s a crucial topic, especially with tournament call-ups looming. For the USMNT, these games matter. Competitive matches are rare on the road to the 2026 World Cup, and manager Mauricio Pochettino will need his top players ready to deliver. Fortunately, several have taken their games to new heights in recent weeks.

Christian Pulisic has earned his place on the list after a superstar performance for Milan, making it two consecutive big performances from the American star. With Milan’s recent struggles, he just missed out on the last edition of this list – a testament to how well other USMNT stars are performing. Pulisic’s quality is well known, but other players have been raising their games just as high

From established USMNT starters to those pushing for a breakthrough, these are the American stars thriving at club level. This is not a ranking of the best players, overall, but rather a snapshot of who is showing the best form at the moment. GOAL takes a look in this recurring feature tracking the pulse of U.S. talent worldwide.

Getty5Tyler Adams – Bournemouth ⬇️

He was his club's Player of the Month for February, which is a pretty good indication of just how good Adams has been in recent weeks.

In reality, he's been fantastic since making his long-awaited return from injury, leaping right into the Bournemouth XI and instantly bringing to a whole new level. It's been a little bit rockier in recent weeks, to be fair, with Bournemouth now winless in four after a 2-1 loss to Brentford this weekend. Manager Antoni Iraola deserves credit for the club's rise, but so too does Adams, who has been one of the Premier League's best defensive midfielders since returning to the team.

If he can bring that to the USMNT, they'll reach a new level, too. Adams is simply that good.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport4Chris Richards – Crystal Palace ↔️

Crystal Palace might just be the Premier League's hottest team, and the club's defense has played a major role. USMNT defender Richards has been right at the center of it all.

Over the last month or so, Palace has won four of their last five Premier League games, including wins over Manchester United, Fulham, Aston Villa and Ipswich Town. They've also won two FA Cup clashes in between Richards, meanwhile, has been ever-present, headlined by an assist in the FA Cup triumph over Millwall. The real work has been done defensively, though, as Palace have secured seven clean sheets in all competitions since the start of 2025.

Over the last month, Richards has played the best soccer of his career, and Palace have an outside chance at a European push because of it.

Getty3Christian Pulisic – AC Milan 🌟

With three goals over his last two games, both crucial Milan wins, Pulisic heads into national team camp with his swagger back.

AC Milan haven't been as good as their leading man but, over the course of a week, Pulisic dragged to two huge wins. First up was a two-goal performance against Lecce, which was followed up by the equalizing goal in a 2-1 win over Como. These were huge goals, finishes that will give Milan hope of a European push.

The fact that they're even alive is all thanks to Pulisic, who is showing that this isn't just form, but something more permanent.

Getty Images Sport2Josh Sargent – Norwich City ↔️

Sargent is in the best form of his career and it comes at a time of great need for the USMNT. Strikers Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun won't be in camp in March due to injury, but Sargent will, and based on how he's playing, that means things will be OK.

Since scoring a brace against Swansea on Jan. 25, Sargent has been on an absolute tear. He scored against Watford and Derby. Then against Hull City, too. A brace against Stoke, another goal against Oxford United – they've just kept coming. It's all added up to eight goals in as many games before two scoreless outings this week.

To push towards a Premier League chance, will need Sargent to keep at this pace. For the USMNT, they'll need that, too, f they want to lift another Nations League trophy. This is a big opportunity for Sargent, one that could greatly impact his chances of featuring more for the USMNT if he plays well.

After two seasons of coming painfully close to dethroning Manchester City in the Premier League, there was a belief among some that this season would finally be Arsenal’s year.

However, we are now 15 league games in, and while Mikel Arteta’s side find themselves two points clear of Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut, they’re six points off table toppers Liverpool.

It’s been a mixture of unfortunate injuries, silly suspensions and lack of cutting-edge in attack that has seen the Gunners fail to capitalise on the Champions’ own poor form.

Games

15

5

2

Wins

8

3

2

Draws

5

1

0

Losses

2

1

0

Goals For

29

8

8

Goals Against

15

2

1

So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see recent reports linking the club to an up-and-coming striker who could be a difference-maker, either in January or next year and possibly even be an upgrade on Kai Havertz.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in Bologna striker Santiago Castro.

The report claims that the Gunners have had scouts watching him in recent Serie A matches and have been impressed with what they’ve seen, although they aren’t the only ones, as Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Everton, Juventus and Inter Milan are also supposedly keen on the 20-year-old poacher.

However, while the level of competition is far from ideal, the good news is that signing the Argentine forward won’t cost the North Londoners an outrageous amount, as the report has revealed that an offer of around €40m could tempt the Italians into selling, which comes to about £32m.

It might be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Castro’s impressive form, it is worth pursuing, especially as he could be an upgrade on Havertz.

How Castro compares to Havertz

Now, to determine whether Castro could in fact be an upgrade on Havertz, we need to see how the pair stack up against one another, starting with the most important metric of all for a centre-forward: pure output.

Interestingly, while the Argentine gem has scored fewer goals than the German this season, he’s been more productive in the time he’s been on the pitch.

For example, in 20 appearances, totalling 1336 minutes, he’s found the back of the net on five occasions and provided six assists, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.81 games, or every 121.45 minutes.

In contrast, in 21 appearances, totalling 1767 minutes, the former Chelsea has scored nine goals and provided two assists, equating to a goal involvement every 1.90 games, or every 160.63 minutes.

So, with the young Bologna ace, whom talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed “one of the most interesting young strikers in Europe,” coming out on top for pure output, is it the same story when we take a look at their underlying numbers?

Non-penalty expected G+As

0.33

0.56

Actual Non-Penalty G+As

0.60

0.51

Shots

2.22

2.46

Shots on Target

1.02

0.87

Passing Accuracy

78.8%

77.0%

Key Passes

1.03

0.72

Shot-Creating Actions

2.39

2.32

Goal-Creating Actions

0.51

0.14

Successful Take-Ons

0.85

0.43

Indeed, it is, as he comes out ahead in the majority of relevant metrics, including but not limited to actual non-penalty goals plus assists, shots on target, passing accuracy, key passes, shot and goal-creating actions and successful take-ons, all per 90.

Ultimately, Havertz has been a useful signing for Arsenal, but should the club want to improve their attacking options, then signing the exciting Castro in January or next summer seems like a no-brainer, especially as his rate of return and underlying numbers point to him being an upgrade on the German international.

Great news for Saliba: Monaco suffer big injury blow ahead of Arsenal tie

The sensational talent is one of Arsenal’s most important players.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 11, 2024

Australia will be keen to experiment, with Green and Labuschagne coming in for Marsh and Smith; Pakistan will miss injured Shadab

Tristan Lavalette28-Mar-2022Big pictureAfter a historic and much-hyped three-Test series, comprising 15 gruelling and emotionally charged days, the limited-overs leg of Australia’s tour of Pakistan can feel somewhat neglected by comparison. The anti-climax is heightened by a severely-weakened Australia, who are missing a slew of stars due to rest, injuries and personal reasons.While Australia will undoubtedly experiment and start underdogs against a formidable looking Pakistan, there is a lot on the line for both teams with the three ODIs part of the current World Cup Super League cycle.Related

Smith ruled of limited-overs matches against Pakistan

Injured Mitchell Marsh to miss opening ODI; Inglis tests positive for Covid

Zampa not worried about three-month break

Australia set to experiment in Pakistan for 2023 World Cup

Australia and Pakistan will look to make up ground amid increasingly rare ODI scheduling in another T20 World Cup year. Australia have won their three series played during the cycle, but sit seventh due to playing just six matches, while Pakistan are 10th after a 3-0 defeat to England in the UK in July in their last ODI hit out.Similarly, Australia last played an ODI against West Indies in July, and they have only played four ODIs overall since December 2020.As their 50-over droughts end, Australia and Pakistan will be keen to put their best foot forward with an eye towards a World Cup in India only 18 months away.Form guidePakistan LLLWL (Last five completed matches; most recent first)
Australia WLWLW
In the spotlightAfter a tough home summer, Aaron Finch has a chance to ease his pressure with a big series in Pakistan. Having memorably become the first Australian captain to lift the T20 World Cup trophy, a laboured Finch struggled through the season with a persistent knee injury during a lacklustre BBL and subsequent T20I series against Sri Lanka. The 35-year-old is keen to continue through to next year’s World Cup but his dip in form has raised eyebrows. Finch has not played an ODI since December 2020, but expressed confidence during his press conference on Monday of being able to slip back into the 50-over format comfortably enough. He will be relied upon to shore up Australia’s inexperienced batting order, and if he fires then that should quell simmering pressure over his position.Australia players train in the heat•Associated PressShaheen Shah Afridi lit up the Test series although didn’t quite get the reward for his toil on mostly stale pitches and against Australia’s experienced batting order. Without his new best buddy David Warner, along with Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell also missing, Australia’s top order appears a little shaky and ripe for Shaheen to crack open if he can get the white ball hooping around. He will be eager for a bounce back in ODIs having been expensive during the three-match series in South Africa and in the last ODI in England last year.Team news*Mitchell Marsh is going to miss the opening ODI due to a hip injury with emerging star Cameron Green set to be his replacement. Smith was earlier ruled out of the series due to an elbow injury, which could open the door for Test specialist Marnus Labuschagne to add to his 13 ODIs. Josh Inglis tested positive on Monday and will isolate for five days but that’s unlikely to change the team combination with Alex Carey set to keep wicket.Australia will experiment with the squad, including uncapped ODI players Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis and Mitchell Swepson.Australia (possible): 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 Ben McDermott, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Travis Head, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Ben Dwarshuis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Nathan EllisPakistan are likely to be without legspinner Shadab Khan for the opening two ODIs after he sustained a groin injury during the PSL. They have a strong squad, including a contingent who played in the Tests, but excluded former captain Sarfraz Ahmed and allrounder Imad Wasim. They included uncapped spinner Asif Afridi and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris after strong performances in the PSL, while an ODI debut for Abdullah Shafique, who starred in the Tests at the top of the order, could be forthcoming.Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Abdullah Shafique 5 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 6 Mohammad Haris, 7 Faheem Ashraf,  8 Asif Afridi, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Haris RaufPitch and conditionsOn the back of the Test match, the pitch is expected to be dry and favouring batting although reverse swing could be a factor amid dewy conditions under lights. Very hot conditions are forecast in Lahore with a maximum temperature of 38 degrees.Stats and trivia Australia have a commanding record against Pakistan in ODIs with 68 wins from 101 completed matches. On their last tour of Pakistan in 1998, Australia wrapped up a clean sweep of the three-match ODI series with a six-wicket victory in Lahore to complete the then second-highest successful chase in history. Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist scored centuries to lead Australia’s chase down of 316 with seven balls to spare. The world’s No.1 ranked ODI batter Babar Azam has a career average of 56.92 which is the fourth best of all time.*1210 GMT: The preview was updated after Cricket Australia issued a statement.