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Leeds United's relegation has condemned them to at least another year of Championship football, just three years after they thought they had left that league for good.

Whilst their 2004 demotion came as a shock to most, their 16-year failure to return to the top flight surpassed all of these emotions. They had gone from a sleeping giant to a comatose one, and it felt like no matter what occurred they would never earn that romantic Premier League return.

That was until Marcelo Bielsa was appointed, and his magic enacted.

His team was steely and hard-working, completely enamoured with a hard-working philosophy that saw them dominate the division. It was the perfect storm, with Kalvin Phillips conducting from within its eye.

An academy graduate handed a show of faith in a league where the top-flight often send their youngsters to develop, he instead was allowed to learn on the job, quickly becoming their most influential player. That promotion year saw the 27-year-old maintain a 7.28 average rating, alongside 1.8 key passes and 2.6 tackles per game, via Sofascore.

Now, in an effort to repeat that feat at the first time of asking, perhaps they could once again seek to put their faith in the academy, with Sean McGurk surely high on the list for those deserving of a first-team berth.

Who is Sean McGurk?

His potential inclusion within the senior squad is made all the more likely given the expected exit of Luis Sinisterra, who The Athletic suggest could seek to move, with a reported release clause encouraging this. With the possibility of relegation now a reality, the Colombian will be a fine signing for someone out there should he find fitness.

After all, his tally of seven goals in all competitions, whilst slightly underwhelming, was largely marred by a lack of fitness throughout the term.

His failure to adapt to the physicality of the English game cost him, especially after the 23-year-old joined having hit 23 goals and 14 assists the season prior in Holland.

Although having posted numbers nowhere near this level, McGurk has remained one of Michael Skubala's most consistent performers from that left flank, with his six goal contributions in 17 games a solid return. He has been a mainstay in the side that recently earned promotion into the Premier League 1 Division 1.

Seeking to cut in from his wing onto that favoured right foot, the 20-year-old boasts similarly blistering pace and sought to outline his other outstanding attributes after joining the club in 2021: "People describe me as a player who is quite exciting, I like to create goals and score goals and I think that is the strongest part of my game."

Whilst that is yet to shine through in the U21s, perhaps a promotion into the senior squad could see him realise this potential at the Championship level. After all, it only takes the new manager to hand him a few starts to figure out whether he can terrorise the division.

With his frightening speed, quick feet and youthful energy, that is sure to be a given though.

While these two matches are huge for the cricket economy and its globalisation – in terms of staging and not participation – the cricket carries more subtext than your usual bilateral Twenty20 internationals

The Preview by Sidharth Monga26-Aug-2016Match factsSaturday, August 27, 2016
Start time 1000 local (1400 GMT)2:13

Fans in the USA want to be a part of history in Florida

Big Picture
Despite the format’s popularity, it is fair to say bilateral Twenty20 internationals are not the newest fad in town. The sheer amount of effort and perseverance required to win a Test match gives importance to even dead rubbers. Bilateral ODIs are still a series, and 100 overs is a long enough duration for narratives to develop. Twenty20, more than any other format, needs a larger context: two points that might push you up a league table or a win that might save you from elimination from a World T20. Bilateral T20 series are played either at the end or start of a long tour almost as an afterthought; they are usually so unimportant that teams hardly bother with getting visas for their T20 specialists.However, these two, to be played over a weekend in Lauderhill in Florida, between world champions West Indies and the team they beat in the World T20 semi-final, India, are different. They carry an important context. While this is not the first time international cricket is being played in America, India v West Indies – two teams with a large expat following there – is way bigger than New Zealand playing Sri Lanka or West Indies.Cricket economy mostly runs around India. So when India go to America with all their delegates, when they sell the TV rights, when they sell the trophy rights, it becomes a big experiment for the future of cricket. This could even be a test run for a second IPL, a mini version, in America going forward; CPL has already had a stint in America that can’t be termed unsuccessful.While these two matches are huge for the cricket economy and its globalisation – in terms of staging and not participation – the cricket carries more subtext than your usual bilateral Twenty20 internationals. Who can forget Darren Sammy’s impassioned speech after he led West Indies to their second World T20 title? Well, the WICB wants you to forget the man himself. He has been dropped despite his stellar performance in the CPL. Leading them now is Carlos “remember the name” Brathwaite.West Indies’ T20 success is down to their individual professionalism rather than the administration. Dropping an inspirational leader such as Sammy is not the first time the establishment has been less than conducive to their best performance; can they continue to excel regardless?India’s leader, on the other hand, is a man much relieved because he is not playing Tests anymore, but that means whatever limited-overs cricket he leads India in becomes extra important for him. He has not tasted first-hand the joys of beating Sri Lanka, South Africa and West Indies in Tests recently. Over the last year the two highlights for him have been the Asia Cup win and perhaps the Twenty20 series win in Australia. When a player doesn’t get chances in all formats, his shortcomings in the only formats he plays can get magnified. The home series defeat to South Africa, and his failure at finishing off a chase against Zimbabwe means people will keep raising questions if he is going to be around for the 2019 World Cup.Form guide
India WWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WLWWWIn the spotlight
Start time of 10 am on the weekend. Such an early start is okay for a Test or for an ODI, but defeats the whole idea of T20 as evening-time family entertainment. While this could affect the attendance at the stadium – healthy crowd is still important for the organisers – a prime time TV start for the Indian audience is what brings in the money from the broadcasters.Sammy might not be playing these matches, but that can’t spell much relief for the opposition. His replacement is the now-fit Kieron Pollard. He had an indifferent IPL and CPL after missing out on World T20, and will be looking forward to getting back in form.Ajinkya Rahane does not feature in India’s first XI when everybody is fit for a Twenty20 international. While India seem to have dropped Suresh Raina and haven’t bothered with asking Manish Pandey to travel all the way from the A tour of Australia for just two three-hour games, Rahane is likely to get an opportunity to present his case.Team news
India are likely to draft Mohammed Shami back in looking at his impressive comeback in Tests. Jasprit Bumrah should play. The other quick bowler could be a toss-up between Stuart Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav, depending on how much batting they need from the said bowler. It will be interesting to see how Dhoni goes with his spinners given how he wasn’t very trusting of R Ashwin’s offspin in the World T20 and in the IPL.India 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 KL Rahul, 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 7 Stuart Binny/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 8 Ravindra Jadeja/Amit Mishra, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed ShamiSunil Narine is back with a cleared action, and should take Sulieman Benn’s place.*West Indies 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Andre Fletcher, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Lendl Simmons, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Kieron Pollard, 9 Carlos Brathwaite (capt.), 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Samuel BadreePitch and conditions
According to , the 10 inches of rain so far this month in Miami makes it the eighth-wettest August on record. A magnificent lightning show danced across the Fort Lauderdale sky almost non-stop from 7 pm until well after midnight on Thursday. A tropical low currently just north of Haiti and nearing the Bahamas is threatening to develop into the Atlantic tropical season’s eighth named storm as Tropical Storm Hermine. Preliminary forecasts are showing that if it forms into a full-fledged Hurricane, it may be on track to hit south Florida on Sunday.Stats and trivia In 2010 Lauderhill threw up a slow tacky surface, which produced only one score of over 100 in two matches, but there was more T20 entertainment in store in 2012 when West Indies piled on 209 and 177 to beat New Zealand. The first-innings scores in the CPL matches in Lauderhill ranged between 206 and 137. Three of the six matches were won by sides batting first. Dwayne Bravo is one wicket short of becoming only the third player to reach the double of 1000 runs and 50 wickets in T20Is. Shahid Afridi and Shakib Al Hasan await him at the club.Quotes
“The only thing that we are doing is that we will prepare as best as we can because India is going to be coming looking for revenge for the semi-final loss and we have to make sure that we are ready for whatever they bring to us.”
“West Indies has always been a tough side, they are the T20 world champions. They are quality cricketers and have shown consistently how good they are and we had a tough match in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup as well. In terms of the quality that we are going to encounter, we are aware of that.”
*18.20GMT, August 26: The preview had erroneously mentioned Denesh Ramdin as part of the West Indies squad.

Leeds United could shock a few people this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones…

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT this week, the Eurosport journalist delivered an intriguing claim about Victor Orta and co’s potential plans to bolster Jesse Marsch’s playing squad.

He said:

“We’ll discover how ambitious Leeds will be.

“I think they’ll put in a few offers that are unexpected, just to test the water, but then I also think that we’ll see Jesse Marsch leaning on players that he’s either worked with in the past or knows a lot about from his career so far so that he can build a team that is adept to play his style of play.”

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Exciting claims

Indeed, these claims are surely going to leave the American head coach absolutely delighted as the club have already secured two familiar names in Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen, both joining from RB. Salzburg for a combined £35m.

The Yorkshire giants could make it a hat-trick by signing another player with ties to the Austrian champions as Liverpool backup Takumi Minamino has been linked with a switch to Elland Road, whilst Bayern Munich outcast Marc Roca is another name heavily mooted.

Both Aaronson and Kristensen add quality to two much-needed positions – attacking midfield, where Leeds had failed to sign a new option for four years and right-back, where an upgrade was due.

Minamino would add a new dimension to Marsch’s attack, something that could be needed if Raphinha does depart the club. The Japan international bagged nine goals in 22 appearances under the American at Salzburg.

Roca would be another piece for the engine room and could be a solid option alongside Kalvin Phillips, who too has been linked with an exit.

Given the fact that the Whites only narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship on the final day of the season, Marsch will surely be buoyed by the club backing him in the transfer window to ensure that it won’t happen again.

It could be an exciting time to be a Leeds fan if Jones’ claims turn out to be true.

AND in other news, Orta given green light to seal “special” £18m Leeds swoop, he’s Marsch’s dream signing…

Everton struggled this season following a tight relegation battle in the Premier League, and Frank Lampard must improve the squad if they want to do better next time around.

To that effect, a new Goodison Park transfer target has now been revealed.

What’s the latest?

According to 90min, the Toffees have joined the race to sign former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard, who is now a free agent.

As per the report, the attacking midfielder is a potential target for not just Everton – his former Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho could try to tempt him with a move to Roma, or he could rejoin his former loan club West Ham United this summer.

Imagine him & Gordon

Everton are desperate to add new attacking threats to enhance their goalscoring opportunities following a lack of goals last season, which ultimately led to the Toffees struggling in the bottom half of the table, and signing Lingard could be a great solution to that problem ahead of next season.

The Merseyside club conceded 23 goals more than they scored in the 2021/22 Premier League, with Richarlison leading the way with 11 in all competitions. However, they will need to find a few more reliable scoring outlets if they want to break back into the top half next term.

Lingard has never been a consistent starter at Old Trafford, but during his time at his boyhood club, he has scored 35 goals and delivered 21 assists in 232 first-team appearances, with one goal contribution every 224 minutes. However, he has proven elsewhere that regular game-time enables him to offer a consistent attacking threat.

The £80k-p/w star, who was dubbed “infectious” by Manchester United legend Andy Cole, enjoyed a successful six-month loan spell at West Ham last year. He displayed his talents effectively in east London, scoring nine goals and contributing five assists in just 16 appearances, proving that he could be a very astute signing for any Premier League club this summer.

Lampard is already a huge fan of the 29-year-old and spoke out about him in 2018 on BT Sport (via The Sport Review), saying: “What I like about him is his game intelligence. You never see him linger on the ball when he doesn’t need to. He has the right amount of touches and knows when to arrive in the box at the right time.”

With that in mind, the Toffees manager could tee up a formidable attacking duo if he can secure the signing of Lingard and deploy him in the team alongside Anthony Gordon, who chipped in with seven goal contributions this term. The pair couldlink up to create more goal-scoring opportunities in the final third, ideally leading to Everton enjoying a more fruitful 2022/23 season.

AND in other news – Worse than Klassen: Journo claims Everton are now tracking “really slow” 31 y/o dud

Out-of-favour Celtic centre-back Christopher Jullien will be sold by the club this summer, according to former Hoops striker Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: Jullien’s lack of playing time

The 29-year-old has been dogged by injury problems during his time at Parkhead, which has stunted his development hugely since arriving in 2019.

In fact, Jullien was limited to just one Scottish Cup appearance in the entire 2021/22 season, with Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers the first-choice centre-back pairing.

The Frenchman’s current deal at Celtic expires next year and it looks likely that he will leave this summer.

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The Latest: Summer exit predicted for Jullien

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said that he fully expects Jullien to move on from Glasgow this summer, claiming that Ange Postecoglou would be happy to sell the defender. The 62-year-old stated:

“It’s clear that Ange doesn’t like him [Jullien]. There were so many games to play last season and he never got a look in, that tells me he’s pretty much finished at Celtic.

“Carter-Vickers and Starfelt played every game. I think one of them needs a big, powerful defender to partner them at the back and you would think Jullien fits that mould.

“But he hasn’t played and it doesn’t sound like he’s injured again so Ange clearly doesn’t like him as a player. I expect he will leave this summer because Ange won’t keep anyone who isn’t contributing.”

The Verdict: Ideal time to leave

It is a shame how Jullien’s Celtic career has panned out overall – Neil Lennon once hailed him as ‘excellent’ – with the defender powerless to do anything about his constant injury issues over the years.

However, he is surely now surplus to requirements at Parkhead and it makes complete sense for him to leave this summer, giving the Hoops the chance to receive a fee for his services and him the chance to revive his career elsewhere.

If not, Jullien would be allowed to leave for free in 2023, which wouldn’t be beneficial for Celtic in the slightest. It therefore suits all parties to secure his exit imminently, if indeed a prospective suitor emerges.

In other news, a journalist has provided a key Celtic transfer update. Read more here.

Everton are set to have a busy summer transfer window following a disappointing season in the Premier League, and now a new transfer target has emerged that could be the first signing to improve the squad.

What’s the latest?

According to Spanish news outlet SPORT, Everton are eyeing a move for Barcelona outcast Clement Lenglet this summer.

As per the report, the La Liga defender was not keen on an exit but has now accepted he is not in the current future plans of the club and is looking for a loan deal with an option to buy.

It is reported that Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Arsenal join Everton in keeping an eye on the player’s situation but no official moves have been made by any of the Premier League clubs as of yet.

Lampard needs him

There is no doubt that improvements are needed at Goodison Park and when you consider their defensive record in the Premier League last season, it is clear that Frank Lampard needs to acquire a player like Lenglet.

Everton faced a challenging relegation battle this season and only secured safety in their penultimate fixture in the league, which is a situation the Toffees won’t want to repeat again, so improving the defensive line is a huge must for the club when they’re identifying players to improve the squad.

Lampard’s side conceded the fifth-highest number of goals in the Premier League, and Jamie Carragher even branded the defence a “Championship back four” following their humiliating defeat to Spurs.

Lenglet who was hailed “world-class” by Didier Deschamps has been struggling for minutes at Barcelona but when he has played he has been efficient in his role as centre-back.

The £97k-per-week star has contributed one assist, created two big chances, made one tackle, completed two duels and offered up a 91% pass accuracy on average per game in his 21 La Liga appearances this season.

With that being said, making signings to improve the defence should be a huge priority for Farhad Moshiri this summer and if they can secure a deal for Lenglet it would be a major coup for the club over their competitors.

AND in other news: Everton can finally axe “waste of space” by signing £50m ace who is “Kante with goals”

Southampton are set to secure the signing of goalkeeper Mateusz Lis, according to Polish outlet Sport. 

The lowdown: Career so far

Despite coming through the academy at Lech Poznan, Lis failed to make a single outing for the club before heading to Wisla Krakow on a permanent switch in 2018.

The 25-year-old shot-stopper made 70 appearances for the Ekstraklasa outfit and was signed by Turkish Super Lig side Altay Sk for £630,000 (Transfermarkt).

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However, following just one full season in Turkey, the former Poland youth international looks to be on the move once more having come to the end of his deal…

The latest: Deal close

As per Sport, Southampton are believed to be ‘interested’ in the free agent and are set to sign Lis on a five-year contract as Ralph Hasenhuttl performs much-needed surgery on the goalkeeping department at St Mary’s.

It’s claimed that the six-cap youth international – who has been billed as a player with ‘long term potential’ by journalist Alex Crook – will spend the 2022/23 campaign out on loan upon completion of his move to the South Coast.

The same report also details the ongoing Saints interest in Fiorentina star Bartlomiej Dragowski, who is also on the radar of Hasenhuttl as the Austrian prepares for the departure of Fraser Forster and Willy Caballero.

The verdict: Smart signing

Securing the capture of Lis would be a welcome addition to the Southampton squad, although it appears there will be a season-long wait to see the new man in action.

Last season, the Polish goalkeeper made 3.7 saves per game, kept seven clean sheets and only made one error leading to a goal whilst earning an impressive 7.01 average Sofascore rating from 35 Turkish top-flight outings.

When using the Fbref comparison tool, Lis stacks up positively against Forster, boasting a 74.1 save percentage compared to the Englishman’s 66.3 per cent from the 2021/22 campaign, whilst also saving 2/9 penalties faced compared to 0/2 during the season, highlighting an almost instant upgrade on the current first-choice.

In other news… a talkSPORT reporter has made this huge Saints transfer claim involving one of their summer targets

Leeds United won’t be expecting much investment from the 49ers Enterprises if they go down, according to journalist Beren Cross…

What’s the word?

In a recent Q&A with supporters, the reliable LeedsLive reporter was asked about the situation at boardroom level, with one fan questioning whether or not their minority shareholders would hold back spending.

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He responded:

“Without knowing the small print of their agreement with [chairman Andrea] Radrizzani, my assumption would be they are far more cautious about putting any more money into a Championship club than they need to.

“They may well surprise us all in the summer with bold statements about investment and immediate promotion, but a relegation was evidently never a part of their plan when they came on board in 2018.”

No easy return

It took the Yorkshire giants 16 years to return to the big time, so if they were to be relegated this weekend, then there will surely be big worries around Elland Road.

Heading into the final game of the season on Sunday, the Whites are sat in the relegation zone on goal difference – by quite some margin too (20 goals). They simply have to better Burnley’s result against an in-form Newcastle United side to remain in the Premier League.

Given the fact that Leeds have picked up just two points from a possible 15, it is entirely plausible that they will be a Championship side once again and that division is not getting any easier either.

Very few teams have managed an instant comeback. It took over a decade-and-a-half to return themselves, and without that financial backing from the American heavyweights, that task could be even more difficult.

As such, supporters will surely be hugely concerned to read this latest claim from Cross, who effectively says that the 49ers group will not put in more than they have to.

If Leeds were challenging in the top half of the table, you’d imagine their backing could elevate the club into European reckoning but that’s nothing more than a pipe dream right now.

AND in other news, Jesse Marsch dealt fresh blow in relegation fight…

Frank Lampard has reportedly now personally requested to sign Bright Osayi-Samuel for Everton.

The Lowdown: Solid season

The 24-year-old is having a solid season at Fenerbahce, where he has scored two goals and supplied a further five assists playing as a right-back at times, and he has generally been a mainstay in a team who have played in the Europa League and Conference League (Transfermarkt).

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In the Turkish Super Lig, he ranks as their sixth-best performer, averaging more dribbles per game (2.3) than any of his team-mates (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, he could well be an exciting arrival at Goodison Park in the summer.

The Latest: Lampard requests

As per En Son Haber, Lampard has now made a personal request to add Osayi-Samuel to Everton’s transfer list for the summer.

The 24-year-old currently holds a market value of €6m (£5.1m), and the Toffees will ‘knock on Fenerbahce’s door’ after the campaign has ended.

The Verdict: Bargain

Signing a player for just £5.1m in today’s market holds real value, and the Blues could be getting a bargain on their hands if they were to snap up Osayi-Samuel for that amount.

Described as a player with ‘blistering pace’ and who ‘terrifies defenders’ by his former QPR manager Mark Warburton (Kilburn Times), he could offer Everton another dimension in attack and possibly give defenders in the Premier League a few problems.

Also, at only 24 years of age, he could be an ideal replacement for the 33-year-old Seamus Coleman at right-back.

In other news, find out who EFC are now fighting Liverpool to sign here!

Ex-BBC pundit Noel Whelan has claimed that Steven Gerrard has ‘hit the jackpot’ by creating the strike partnership of Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins at Aston Villa.

The Lowdown: Formidable duo

The 41-year-old boss named the attacking duo in his starting line-up for his side’s recent comfortable 3-1 victory over relegation-battling Burnley, and his decision to play the 4-4-2 diamond formation clearly paid off, with both of the forwards getting their name on the scoresheet.

According to a report from a Football Insider transfer source back in April, the Villans are thought to be preparing a brand new bumper deal for Watkins, amid receiving interest for the player from Premier League rivals Arsenal, whilst Ings is believed to be catching the eye of Brighton as they search for a new centre-forward this summer.

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The Latest: Gerrard has hit the jackpot

Reacting to the news of Watkins’ potential new deal, Whelan has urged Gerrard to keep hold of his men and persist with this new-found successful formation. He told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury: “Ings and Watkins are not bad Premier League strikers.

“They seem to thrive from playing with one another, and both are pretty well-rounded forwards. They can do almost everything in that final third.

“I think right now that a diamond system is a brilliant option for Steven Gerrard. He’s hit the jackpot.

“They don’t lose any creativity by having two centre forwards. They can both drop in and play in between the lines if they have to.

“The goals at the weekend just prove that they can be a really potent strike force when they are given the opportunity to play together.”

The Verdict: The perfect formula

Ings first arrived at Villa Park from Southampton last summer and has enjoyed a decent albeit slightly underwhelming first season in the Midlands, providing seven goal contributions in as many appearances in an excellent recent run of form.

Watkins joined a year before his teammate from Brentford for what was a club-record fee of £28m, and so far this campaign, the pair have netted a combined total of 17 top-flight goals between them.

If the pair of poachers continue their impressive returns between now and the end of the term, there is a definite chance that Gerrard’s boys could be set for a top ten finish before aiming even higher from next season.

In other news… The Daily Mail have reported that one Villa star wants to leave the club this summer.