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One player has his eyes on a potential move to Leeds United, with Daniel Farke’s side making their stance clear on a January deal.

Unbeaten Leeds eyeing January transfer moves

It’s been a solid last two months for the newly-promoted Whites, who haven’t lost a single Premier League game since November with eight points now separating them from the drop zone.

While this run has been peppered with stalemates, the signs are hugely encouraging for Leeds as they hope to put further ground between them and West Ham in 18th.

Newcastle United awaits on Wednesday evening, and while a trip to St. James’ Park is always tough, Farke’s men go into their North East clash with real momentum from a solid festive period.

The January transfer window also presents an opportunity to strengthen in what would be a crucial month.

While tempering expectations of quick-fire winter deals in the opening week, or any major spending, Farke told reporters before their 1-1 draw with Man United that signings are very much a possibility over the next few weeks.

It is clear by Farke’s message that only obvious squad upgrades will be prioritised, which explains their stance on re-signing Man City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

The £150,000-per-week midfielder has only made one appearance under Pep Guardiola this term, a seven-minute run out in the Carabao Cup against Huddersfield, and has been frozen out of the side for a long time now.

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Phillips spent last season on loan at Ipswich Town, where he failed to convince the Tractor Boys to make his move permanent, and that move was preceded by a dismal six months at West Ham.

Kalvin Phillips keen to re-join Leeds as Whites transfer stance revealed

Now, according to FourFourTwo’s Joe Donnohue, the 30-year-old looks upon the idea of an Elland Road pretty positively.

Phillips is apparently keen on a return to Leeds, though the club are unlikely to pursue negotiations having already strengthened Farke’s midfield with last summer’s arrivals of Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff.

Farke views captain Ethan Ampadu as indispensable at the heart of his system, further reducing any potential pathway back for the former Yorkshire favourite.

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Wolves have emerged as serious contenders to offer Phillips a Premier League lifeline this month instead, exploring a loan deal as Rob Edwards seeks reinforcements for the club’s desperate survival battle.

The Midlands outfit finally secured their first league win of the season last weekend by demolishing West Ham 3-0 at Molineux, temporarily easing pressure on Edwards.

As things stand, Wolves are a far more likely destination for Phillips than Leeds, who won’t be swayed by the prospect of an emotional homecoming.

Leeds’ refusal to entertain an approach leaves Phillips facing the stark choice between proving his credentials in a relegation scrap or continuing his Etihad exile under Guardiola, who has made abundantly clear the midfielder holds no future in Manchester.

Related Leeds now very interested in signing £94,000-a-week Serie A striker this month

He could partner Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Posts ByTom Cunningham

Darren Fletcher will finally get the chance to scratch the itch of management as he prepares to lead Manchester United as caretaker boss, and one of his first tasks will be reparing the academy he graduated from.

Fletcher set to lead United at Burnley

Ruben Amorim’s sacking as Old Trafford boss after 14 months has seen the 41-year-old former midfielder parachuted into the hotseat for Wednesday’s Premier League trip to struggling Burnley.

It is the latest chapter in Fletcher’s long association with United, whose sons Jack and Tyler have been on the bench in recent matches with the former making three substitute appearances.

Returning players may restrict opportunities under their father – who made 342 appearances for the Red Devils, winning trophies aplenty, before returning in 2020 to work within the academy as he “really got the bug” for coaching.

Speaking to the Press Association in August 2020, Fletcher said: “I’ve always wanted to stay in football. I’ve always had that goal and ambition.

“Management is something that does really, really interest me in the future. Not that I want to think about doing it (right now).

“I think the itch will need to be itched at some point, if you know what I mean, if the opportunity arises.

“But for me just now it’s about taking some time from not being a player and getting myself mentally prepared for my next whatever it is, my next challenge in life, in football.”

Related Man Utd identify "top target" to replace Ruben Amorim; INEOS love him

INEOS have brought an end to Amorim’s tenure.

Posts ByTom Cunningham INEOS angered by Amorim's treatment of two academy stars

While results on the pitch and his public barrage against the club’s leadership and recruitment staff were the nails in the Amorim coffin, Samuel Luckhurst reveals the club were also angered by his treatment of 18 year-olds Harry Amass and Chido Obi.

Amass is currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, where the midfielder has started 21 Championship games, but Amorim claimed he was “struggling” at Hillsborough.

Obi meanwhile has not made the same impact as Ayden Heaven after the pair moved from Arsenal, and the manager highlighted his lack of regular playing time for the Under-21s, which was not received well behind the scenes.

Subscribe to the newsletter for inside Man Utd academy insight Get a deeper perspective by subscribing to the newsletter for focused coverage and analysis of Manchester United’s academy and managerial shifts, helping you track how youth development influences the club’s talent pipeline.

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The ownership also took issue with his public criticism of the now very in form Patrick Dorgu, who initially struggled to settle at United after his move from Italy.

Man Utd’s next manager

Odds

Xavi Hernandez

12/1

Gareth Southgate

10/1

Darren Fletcher

5/1

Oliver Glasner

5/1

Enzo Maresca

7/2

It is clear that Fletcher’s connection to the academy – both through his own career and his two sons – could help reinstil the famous pipeline that so many United greats have followed.

Tottenham are eyeing a complicated deal as they plot a move for a rising star who is set to join another club before he is available for transfer elsewhere.

Frank lauds Spurs mentality after win over Crystal Palace

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank hailed his players for a “huge mentality effort” after a gritty 1-0 win at Crystal Palace.

Spurs fans had started to turn on Frank after a run of five defeats in eight left them 14th in the Premier League on Christmas Day.

While there had been no suggestions internally that Frank’s job was under immediate threat, Tottenham needed to return to winning ways and Gray’s 42nd-minute header settled the contest between the current FA Cup and Europa League holders.

“I really liked the desire, details, mentality in the team and the character and resilience of the team is something I spoke about a lot,” Frank reflected.

“That is so important that we have that resilience in the team, because in a long Premier League season, you need to go to a very difficult away ground here and fight and show character. To get a clean sheet, win 1-0, that was a massive win in many ways.

“Was it a top performance? No. Are there things we can improve? Yes. But to go here, with the season having been a little bit up and down, I think it’s a huge mentality effort from the players.”

Sporting director Johan Lange is expected to be active in finding reinforcements for the manager in January, but their first signing of the month may not arrive until the summer.

Related Tottenham join race to sign "ridiculous" midfielder who's shining in the UCL

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Posts ByDominic Lund Spurs eyeing complicated deal for Aleksandar Stankovic

According to reports in Italy, via Sport Witness, Inter are set to activate their €23m (£20m) buyback option on Club Brugge midfielder Aleksandar Stankovic, son of legendary midfielder Dejan, who won five Serie A titles and one Champions League title in Milan.

However, the Itallian club are not planning for a future with the 20 year-old defensive midfielder, but instead hope to immediately shift him on for profit.

Tottenham are waiting in the wings and are ‘ready’ to make an offer worth €40m (£35m), having already made contact over a move, but the Nerazzurri are expected to ask for more.

Stankovic can play at the base of midfield or as a centre-back, and has played in 19 of Brugge’s 20 league fixtures this season, scoring twice.

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The youngster has also started all six of their Champions League games, having been praised for his strength, aerial ability and long passing.

With four Serbia caps to his name already, Stankovic is showing plenty of signs he could follow in his father’s footsteps.

Leicestershire are seeking to placate residents’ concerns over their plan to install permanent floodlights at their Grace Road ground as they seek to join the mass adoption of evening Twenty20 matches which are regarded as a vital component in ensuring English cricket’s professional survival.Without floodlights, Wasim Khan, Leicestershire’s chief executive, who has been entrusted with reviving the ailing county, has warned it could disappear within five years.Fourteen of the 18 first-class counties now have permanent floodlights, which has enabled them to push back the start times of matches in the NatWest T20 Blast, allowing spectators to get to the matches after work and acting as a prime driver of record attendance levels.Only Worcestershire, alone among the 18 first-class counties, have not begun to draw up plans for permanent floodlights – their New Road ground is on a flood plain – with the recognition now universal that they are essential for maximising the appeal of Twenty20 cricket in England.Of the late adopters, Gloucestershire were granted planning permission in April after Bristol City Council reversed its decision and overturned residents’ protests, an outcome that was also necessary for the county to stage matches in the 2019 World Cup.Somerset are also drawing up a planning submission for floodlights with the 2019 World Cup partly in mind, as part of the next phase of redevelopment at Taunton that will include improved drainage, a new stand and an upgraded scoreboard. They held a public meeting in September to appease concerns.Leicestershire’s submission is for 40 metre high permanent floodlights at Grace Road ground as part of a £1 million investment. This has been met with concerns in a resident’s meeting about potential light pollution in a residential area and the appearance of the floodlights.Khan said: “I spoke to the residents and tried to get across that the way cricket is moving we need to be sustainable or we might not be here in five years’ time.”We need the lights to be able to play later in the evening. It means we could start later T20 games later and get more people in the ground who would come after they finished work.”I understand people’s concern about light spillage but I think that is based on the experience of the temporary flood lights that the club used a few years ago. The science and technology has moved on so much since then. We are talking about getting the best floodlights available and there really will be minimal light spillage.”Khan hopes Leicester City Council will grant planning permission for the lights so that Leicestershire can start work on erecting them in February.Floodlights at county grounds now bear little resemblance to the temporary structures that were initially used in the early days of T20. They were barely adequate in terms of the quality of light cast on the playing area and light escaped over a wider area.Experience at other counties with permanent lights suggests that initial opposition has not been followed by widespread complaints once the floodlights have come into use. Far from being regarded as an eyesore – the sort of hostility reserved by some towards wind farms – some have even been regarded as alluring from a distance, as many who look upon towards Headingley’s lights from outlying suburbs such as Chapel Allerton can now testify.The reputation of T20 cricket in England was undermined during a quarter-final between Worcestershire and Hampshire at New Road in August. The match ended in farcical circumstances as bad light forced an early end to proceedings, Hampshire progressing to Finals Day with the help of rain tables, having bowled just 8.1 overs in Worcestershire’s run chase.

Gone fishin’ © Getty Images

The England and Wales Cricket Trust has committed £250,000 to help cricket clubs that have been affected by this summer’s torrential weather and floods.It has been a forgettable summer, leading the weather forecasters to gloomily predict that July is heading for the wettest on record. And the consequences for county cricket are starting to look ominous, financially and for team’s prospects in the table. Yesterday, Worcestershire were forced to abandon their Championship match against Lancashire at New Road – the second abandonment in succession at the club.Though the ECB and their trust can’t do much about the torrential rain, the sum they have pledged ought to at least aid clubs’ recovery – not just in county cricket, but for clubs and leagues too.”The weather this summer has created serious problems for cricket clubs at all levels of the game,” David Collier, ECB’s chief executive said. “Many of the club grounds are the centres of the community and we, at the ECB, felt it was important to do our best to support them at this difficult time.”Details of how the £250,000 will be spread among the clubs have yet to be worked out, and the ECB have also approached Sport England to match this funding.

Dav Whatmore: ‘It’ll be a hell of a contest’ © Getty Images

Bangladesh’s cricketers landed in Harare after a grueling 31-hour trip from Dhaka which included a 12-hour stopover in Doha and a second stop in Nairobi. They have five days to acclimatise before the first ODI in Harare.The original schedule would have meant the side stopping over in Kenya for a few days but that was amended when a warm-up match in Zimbabwe on July 26 came up.Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh’s coach, was less bullish than he had been last week about the five-match series between one-day cricket’s basement sides. “I have noted that the Zimbabwean team are also keenly looking forward to this visit and they have sent their players to South Africa for three practice matches before Bangladesh come and I get the feeling that they are really keen to even up the score from when they played in Bangladesh last year. So it’ll be a hell of a contest.”Most judges would say that Bangladesh would start favourites and I would agree despite our ICC ranking in one-day format. Bangladesh have played some good cricket and are probably in all honesty are a little bit better than Zimbabwe but the conditions might put us back on a level playing field. I think both teams would feel that they have a chance of winning.”Asked about the dominance of spin in matches in Zimbabwe, Whatmore was equally open. “During the Bangladesh A tour of Zimbabwe our spinners have done well but if you are good enough as a quick then it is better to bowl there than here. I think we have the pace attack and if we need to lean towards the slower bowlers then we have the manpower to do that as well.”Zimbabwe have yet to name their squad, but the nucleus is expected to come from the side in South Africa. Terry Duffin, the captain, is flying in from the UK where he is playing club cricket, as is Brendan Taylor. What is less certain is whether others who are in the UK will return, and it is rumoured that Ed Rainsford, the team’s leading strike bowler, has not made himself available.The uncertainty is compounded by the fact that the Zimbabwe board’s media department repeatedly refuses to answer questions put to it by Cricinfo.

Head of the International Cricket Council’s Anti Corruption Unit, Lord Condon believes a number of misunderstandings contributed to the “bad and unfair experience” suffered by West Indies manager Ricky Skerritt during the recently held ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka.Lord Condon’s comments came in a letter to Skerritt following a meeting with the West Indies manager and Rev. Wes Hall, president of the West Indies Cricket Board, in Colombo on Monday.The meeting reviewed the events that led up to a Sri Lankan newspaper story that insinuated police found “prostitutes” in the hotel rooms of Skerritt and team analyst Garfield Smith.”I have spoken to the Sri Lankan police, staff at your hotel, Rev. Wes Hall and my ACU colleagues and there is no reason to doubt at all what you have said publicly and to me,” Lord Condon wrote.”Cultural and language differences clearly played their part. However, the most important factor was that the Sri Lankan police exceeded the guidance my unit gave to the Sri Lankan cricket board.”There is no reason to prevent visitors to your room whoever they are unless there is a link to malpractice. You were understandably upset and the subsequent inaccurate press article seems to be sourced to the local police.”Skerritt had asserted in his letter of demand to the newspaper that the article had been deliberately planted to sully his good name and the West Indies team.”The article contains absolute falsehoods and innuendoes made deliberately with the intention of causing damage and embarrassment to [me],” he said.Lord Condon concluded his letter by informing the West Indies manager a review of the incident had been put on record at the ICC’s Executive Board meeting in Colombo on Monday and thanked Skerritt for all the co-operation the ACU received from the West Indies team.Skerritt and the rest of the West Indies squad left Colombo on Tuesday for India where they will contest three Tests and seven limited-overs internationals.

The Indian bowlers cannot afford to be as shoddy as they were in the warm-up game© AFP

Sourav Ganguly was remarkably relaxed for a man whose team had just suffered a sound thrashing against an A team. He, more than anyone else, knows the fickle nature of cricket, especially the shorter version. There was an unreal air about the Karachi one-dayer, with the Indian team being cocooned throughout their stay by security of the highest intensity. Yet this gives the team a chance to stay focused on the cricket. After all, they have little choice. As Ganguly put it, his tourism in Karachi has been limited to the airport, his hotel room, the cricket ground and, lo and behold, one swimming-pool.The last time India were in Pakistan for a series – in 1997 for three one-dayers, not quite 14 years ago as everyone parrots – Karachi proved to be a happy hunting ground. That fateful day, when India won by four wickets, is remembered for Rajesh Chauhan’s last-minute heroics, but it was Ganguly who laid the base with a confident 89. And, from Ganguly’s relaxed smiles, it’s clear that the warm-up match hasn’t dented India’s confidence significantly. “Morale is pretty much up. That was a warm-up game yesterday but there is no excuse. They played better than us when they batted. Tomorrow is an international game, it is a different ball-game.” One journalist began to suggest that Ganguly was worried about the bowling, and he nipped that in the bud with a quick quip: “Nothing is worrying me.”The National Stadium, like many others in Pakistan, is a big one. The boundaries are long, the surroundings wide-open. The drive to the stadium is a long one, and the heat is oppressive. That, more than anything else, will be a factor in the series opener. India’s bowlers have consistently suffered injuries, and Zaheer Khan’s performance (1 for 78 from nine overs with 22 extras) will have to be a concern, whatever Ganguly might say notwithstanding. Ashish Nehra, more out of the side than in it, is yet another worry, but he might still get the nod ahead of either Irfan Pathan or Lakshmipathy Balaji.Normally India never announce their team the day before a game, so it came as no surprise when Ganguly said that key decisions on the composition of the side would be taken only on the morning of the match. The batting line-up, if not the actual batting order, is well set, with the only choice being between Hemang Badani and Mohammad Kaif.This series has been preceded by so much talk about security, inter-country politics, goodwill et al, that it’s a massive relief that the games are finally about to begin. Finally there is talk about bat and ball, Pakistan’s fast bowlers versus India’s batting and, of course, Shoaib Akhtar v Sachin Tendulkar. Inzamam-ul-Haq was to the point, Javed Miandad chatty and witty, Sourav Ganguly laid-back, and John Wright measured, when they spoke to the press in the last two days. But none dropped any pearls of wisdom. With the number of press calls happening at the moment, that is hardly surprising.Yet, for India’s fans several key questions still remain unanswered. Is this bowling attack disciplined enough to hold down Pakistan’s batsmen? Will the batting line-up consistently put enough runs on the board to put pressure on the opposition? Will Tendulkar bat with the unfettered aggression he displayed at Centurion during the World Cup? Will Murali Kartik step up to the plate and be counted in the absence of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh? When either Simon Taufel or Nadeem Ghauri calls “play” and the first match of this series gets underway all questions will be answered.Pakistan (probable): 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Shahid Afridi, 3 Yasir Hameed, 4 Yousuf Youhana, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Moin Khan (wk), 8 Shabbir Ahmed, 9 Saqlain Mushtaq, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Mohammad Sami.India (probable): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 SouravGanguly (capt), 4 Rahul Dravid (wk), 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Mohammad Kaif, 8 Murali Kartik, 9 Irfan Pathan, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Thursday, March 13, 2003:::
“Sachin Tendulkar’s current form is the stuff nightmares are made of, speaking as a bowler. He is in serious nick, he has an ominously quiet resolve to win this World Cup for his team, and he has been playing so well, that his hitherto off-colour, out-of-form colleagues have also started coming into their own.” South African pace legend Allan Donald
Source: The Gulf News, UAE”I hope the ICC take notice of these performances. It’s a great day for Kenyan cricket but I hope they keep the feet on the ground.” Kenyan coach Sandip Patil, on his team’s performance in the World Cup
Source: The Gulf Daily News, Bahrain”When I watch Sachin Tendulkar bat, I find myself wondering how Don Bradman would have coped with the modern game. The Indian genius has been at his imperious best. Would Bradman’s insatiable appetite for scoring runs have been diminished by so much cricket, especially the endless stream of one-day matches.” Former Australian captain Greg Chappell
Source: The Brisbane Courier Mail, Australia”I won’t blame the playing conditions or the pitches but the attitude of the parent body. Look at how the ICC has allowed the tournament to lose its lustre.” Former West Indian fast bowling great Michael Holding, on the 2003 World Cup
Source: The Hindu, IndiaMonday, March 10, 2003:::
“I would like to see a couple of new innovations as well. Firstly, a new ball at 25 overs, with one mandatory catcher inside the 15-metre circle. This would prevent having to change the ball later in the innings. It would also bring in new tactics and batting and bowling innovations,” Former South African coach Bob Woolmer
Source: Rediff.com
“One area that has achieved high standards (in this World Cup) so far is the batting. The best three so far, in no particular order, were Symonds against Pakistan, Davison against the West Indies and Tendulkar against Pakistan,” Australian legend Mark Waugh
Source: Outlook, India
“I think that one of the things that we have to get rid of is insularity at all levels. Everyone wants West Indies to win but they all want their own people to play or whatever,” West Indies coach Roger Harper
Source: CaribbeanCricket.com

Sri Lanka Cricketers’ Association (SCA) is still in its infancy, but hasstarted well, have plenty of encouraging plans and look to be moving in theright direction. Their formation is clearly good news for national, club andpast players alike.Other Test nations established player associations long ago, but Sri Lanka’sonly started last December. Former Sri Lankan batsman Roshan Mahanama,Secretary of the SCA, admits that this has been a long overdue development.”Ravi Ratnayake, the former Sri Lankan fast bowler, was the one who firststressed on the importance of having an association for the cricketers. Thiswas about 15 years ago. He had all the documents details and everything, butunfortunately it didn’t come through as Ravi had to migrate to Australia,”said Mahanama.When asked as to the need for such an association’s, he answers: “We formedthis to look after the welfare of the cricketers. If you look at the majorcommercial bodies in the country they all have associations. Cricket is oneof the top five earners of foreign exchange, so we should have anassociation of our own.”Mahanama feels the welfare of the cricketers is not sufficiently catered tooat present: “I played for Colombo Cricket Club (CCC) in the one-daytournament last year and I realised none of our players were getting paid.”Now the English Players Association gets 300,000 pounds sterling from theECB and the Australian Cricketers’ Association gets 750,000 dollars fromtheir board, but we don’t get a single cent from the Board,” he says.He is, however, hopeful that the players will be offered greater incentivesin the future: “They are in the process of recognising us. I hope and praythey will. I am keeping my fingers crossed. But I must tell you that theSports Minister was kind enough to grant us SLR 100,000 through the SportsFund.”The CEO of the Cricketres’ Association, Don Anurasiri, the former Sri Lankanspinner, agrees with Mahanama that the players’ financial situation has toimprove.”The board pays some money to the clubs, but this money is not spent on thecricketers. Whereas in other counties this is not the case,” remarked Don.”So we would like to see some of the money given out by the Board going tothe cricketers, rather than for the development of the club”.Mahanama has ambitious plans for the future: “We want the clubs to get about15-20 players contracted and pay them a share of what they get from theBoard. Then we want to have an insurance scheme for the players andprogrammes like career guidance”In fact, the SCA envisages a time when they too will contribute to the wagesof club cricketers. In three years time Anurasiri hopes that: “We would beable to pay every club depending on their capabilities. We would be able topay some sort of money to the contracted players.”And for those that have had to retire from the game: “Many past cricketerswonder what they are going to do with themselves after they have retired. Ifthey are in trouble and need medical help or financial support, we want tobe there to assist them.”The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) has yet to recognisethe SCA, but members feel that it’ll happen sooner than later: “When we hada meeting a couple of months ago they said they can’t recognise us straightaway. They said they wanted to see what we are doing.”The SCA is keen to foster a progressive relationship with the board.According to Mahanama: “We have told them that we have to go hand in hand.We didn’t form the association to fight with the cricket board.The SCA has already made efforts to popularise the game in outstation areas.They played a six-side tournament in Matara recently that involved over 50past and present Sri Lankan cricketers. Last week they played a one-day gameagainst the Matale District Cricket Association in Matale. Both the effortsattracted large crowds and were considered a great success.A body that can represent Sri Lankan cricketers is long overdue in SriLanka. One only has to look at similar associations in the UK and Australiato see the immense contribution they can make towards player welfare. Theformation of the SCA is therefore a very significant development thatdeserves the support of all those connected with the game.