It is fair to say that the end of the summer transfer window did not go exactly to plan for Celtic in their attempts to bolster the attacking options in the squad.

Brendan Rodgers wanted to add more firepower to his frontline by bringing in a new number nine, whilst he also allowed Adam Idah to leave to sign for Swansea.

The Ireland international scored 20 goals in all competitions for the Hoops last season, per Transfermarkt, and his exit left Johnny Kenny and Shin Yamada as the only natural strikers at the club.

Unfortunately, Celtic were unable to bring a new centre-forward to Parkhead on deadline day. Instead, they signed Kelechi Iheanacho on a free transfer the day after deadline day, and he has scored three goals for the club to date.

The Nigeria international has scored one goal from open play, along with two penalties, and missed four ‘big chances’ in six appearances so far, per Sofascore.

Celtic did make a signing on deadline day, though, as they brought Sebastian Tounekti in from Hammarby for a fee of around £5m, and he has hit the ground running in Glasgow.

Celtic have hit the jackpot with Sebastian Tounekti

Typically, crowds love to watch exciting wingers who take their man on and make things happen with the ball at their feet, because it creates excitement and gets fans off their seats.

Tounekti is that sort of winger. The Tunisia international could be described as fearless in the way that he is willing to try and try and try again to dribble past opposition defenders.

He completed five of his eight attempted dribbles and created four chances for his teammates against Kilmarnock, per Sofascore, on his debut for the club in the Scottish Premiership last month.

The 23-year-old star, who scored his first goal for the club in the League Cup against Partick Thistle, has completed 14 dribbles in five appearances for the club in the Premiership and the Europa League to date.

He has been an electric figure on the left flank for the Scottish giants with his ability to whiz past opposition full-backs with ease to get into promising positions in the final third.

As you can see in the table above, Tounekti has the most completed dribbles of any player in the Celtic squad, despite playing four fewer matches than the three players who are closest to his tally.

One thing that you may notice about that table is that summer signing Michel-Ange Balikwisha, who is a winger, does not make it into the top five at the club for completed dribbles.

That is because he has not completed a single dribble in five appearances in all competitions for the Hoops, per Sofascore, which shows that he has been a bit too timid with the ball at his feet so far for the Bhoys.

Whilst that suggests that he is unlikely to follow in Tounekti’s footsteps as an exciting and dynamic wing wizard, Rodgers does have another Celtic player who can get supporters off their feet with exciting wing play.

Chalkboard

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

Jota suffered an ACL injury in May against Dundee United that ruled him out of action for up to nine months, which means that the Hoops may not have him back until the second half of this season.

Once the former Rennes and Al Ittihad star does return to the field at Parkhead to play for Rodgers, though, the manager could have another Tounekti at his disposal.

Why Jota is the original Tounekti

The Portuguese starlet signed for, left, and rejoined Celtic before Tounekti arrived in Glasgow on deadline day at the start of September, but is currently on the sidelines because of his injury.

Jota produced 25 goals and 23 assists in the Premiership and European competitions across his two seasons at the club under Ange Postecoglou’s management, which attracted interest from Al Ittihad.

The electric forward joined the Saudi Pro League side for a fee of £25m in a move that was a blow for the Scottish giants, because he was their most exciting attacking outlet.

As you can see in the table above, Jota was the most prolific dribbler in the squad in both of his first two seasons at Parkhead with Postecoglou in the dugout, which shows that he was the original Tounekti.

Of course, the Portugal international returned to Celtic in the January transfer window this year, joining from Rennes, and he hit the ground running at the start of his second spell in Glasgow.

The 26-year-old star scored four goals and provided two assists in 11 Premiership appearances in the second half of last season, whilst completing 1.6 dribbles per 90, per Sofascore.

Jota, who pundit Michael Stewart described as a “game-changer” who “raises the bar”, gets fans off their seats in anticipation because he takes defenders on and makes things happen in the final third.

Along with his dribbling skills, the Portuguese talent also has the output, with his return of goals and assists, to give supporters the belief that he will score or create a goal when he gets the ball in dangerous positions.

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Therefore, Rodgers will be patiently waiting for Jota to be available for selection once again, because the manager will then have two electric and exciting wingers to select on the flank in Tounekti and the former Benfica star.

Perhaps no play better represents the Minnesota Twins' recent collapse than catcher Ryan Jeffers's bunt attempt in the bottom of the 12 inning Thursday night at Target Field.

With the game tied 5–5 and the winning run standing on second base, Jeffers tried to bunt but instead popped out to Miami Marlins first baseman Jonah Bride. Even worse, Bride caught Twins veteran Carlos Santana too far off second base and doubled him up for the second out of the inning.

Play-by-play announcer Cory Provus had seen enough on the Bally Sports North broadcast.

"Double play," he said. "Come on guys, that can't happen. Can not happen!"

The Twins would go on to lose to the Marlins, 8–6, in 13 innings. They left the winning run on base in the ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th innings and were 2-for-19 as a team with runners in scoring position, continuing an unfortunate trend of losing baseball in Minneapolis.

Provus's call perfectly represented the frustration of the Twins' fan base over the past six weeks.

On Aug. 17, the Twins beat the Texas Rangers 5–2 to improve to 70–53 on the season. At the time, per Fangraphs, Minnesota had a 92.4% chance to make the playoffs and was just two games behind the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the AL Central.

Minnesota went on to lose 24 of its next 36 games and now is all but officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Entering Friday's slate of games, the Twins are three games behind the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals for the American League's final two wild-card spots. To make the playoffs, the Twins need to sweep the Baltimore Orioles this weekend combined with the Atlanta Braves sweeping the Royals and the Tigers getting swept by the lowly Chicago White Sox.

After that colossal collapse, Fangraphs now gives the Twins a 3% chance of making the playoffs heading into the final weekend of the 2024 regular season. And that might even be a bit generous.

“I think it’s finding when he comes in, how we can find balance and get the batting line-up to be a little bit longer and stronger”

Sidharth Monga25-Jul-20254:35

Morkel defends India’s tactics with the ball

After India conceded 500 for the first time in over ten years outside Asia and the West Indies, the bowling coach Morne Morkel was not sure he had answers for many questions – dropping pace of the bowlers, use of Shardul Thakur as the bowling allrounder, delayed injection of Washington Sundar into the attack – but one thing he was certain of: that India have been making selections looking for batting cover.Morkel was asked repeatedly about the repeated exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav, a unique strike bowler who has not played a single Test on this tour. “I think it’s finding when he comes in, how we can find balance and how we can get that batting line-up to be a little bit longer and stronger,” Morkel said. “We’ve seen in the past that we’ve lost wickets in clumps. Kuldeep is world class and he’s bowling really well at the moment, so we’re trying our best to find ways for him to get in. But unfortunately, with that, just to balance with batting throws it out a little bit.”Morkel was asked again why India were being so defensive. “I do think at the end of the day you need runs on the board, and for us obviously giving that a little bit of extra batting protection, wanting to get totals of 400-plus,” he said. “You need it against England, especially the way they play, their brand of cricket.Related

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“But to be honest, the wicket so far has been dry and it’s actually spun a little bit. So that brings Washington into the game. It brings Jaddu [Jadeja] into the game. So Kuldeep, we are trying to find a way for him, but it is just more that consistent runs from our top six that we want so that we can bring a guy like Kuldeep in.”Morkel was asked why the side doesn’t think that playing proper strike bowlers also reduces the batters’ burden by winning them matches with fewer runs. “There’s always an option of going in with quicks and picking your six best bat,” Morkel said. “All those discussions we have had or we do discuss. But I think so far in this match, the last two Test matches, the guys who have played have done a good job in terms of spin bowling. We were ever so close to winning that Test match at Lord’s. We had a great Test match at Edgbaston. So I think so far we’ve played good cricket, good cricket bar yesterday’s bowling performance.”That does bring one to the question of why India couldn’t create as much jeopardy as England did after three Tests of looking like a potentially better bowling unit. Morkel felt that India went searching too much on day two, which is when they ended up bowling too straight and leaked runs. He said they were better with their areas on the third day, but they needed more energy on the ball. He was asked about the drop in the pace of the whole unit.”That’s something that we’re trying to get our heads around,” Morkel said. “On a surface where it gets a little bit flat, you need a little bit of energy behind the ball. I think that’s definitely one of the factors for us so far in our bowling innings. Just getting that little bit of extra zip off the wicket to create the opportunities for caught behind and lbw.Washington Sundar made an immediate impact after being introduced into the attack rather late•Getty Images

“But yeah, I mean to look at the workloads of guys like Siraj and those sort of guys, they’ve had heavy workloads. Anshul [Kamboj]’s first Test match so far, and it’s important for us to grow and develop a nice fast-bowling unit. So not too much to judge on that. Also, a heavier sort of outfield. But in terms of commitment and effort that the guys have put in, I don’t think we can fault that. It’s just a good point you made. You need a little bit of energy on the ball on good surfaces where the ball at times is not doing as much.”Kamboj, the debutant who bowled in the late 120kphs, was picked practically straight off the flight ahead of Prasidh Krishna, who has been with the squad and played the first two Tests. “The discussion going into the Test match was somebody, a bowler that can bowl volume, one guy to bowl overs. Somebody who can ask questions at the stumps, off stump, an accurate sort of bowler. And Anshul, I think I’m sure at domestic level has done that. He’s done really well on the India A tour here, and he was a guy whose name’s been in the mix for a long time, and they gave him the opportunity for that.”About the lack of bowling for Thakur, Morkel said: “A bit of a tough fit when you have four seamers. When you’re going at five runs and over, I think as a captain, you want to bring strike bowlers back to try and take the wickets. Unfortunately, it happened for Shadul in that first Test match as well.”Washington was the last bowler used and he took two wickets and brought some control. “Shubman just made the call in there to stick a little bit longer with the seam options,” Morkel said. “I think in the first couple of days we saw the ball moving around and seaming around and pace on the ball was the way to go and then when we got the opportunity to bowl, we missed our length. So did we bowl enough good balls to say that we need to go to spin straightaway? I don’t think so. And I think when he got the opportunity today with ball in hand, Washi did a great job for us.”

Sunderland still have some time to wait until they face off against arch rivals Newcastle United back in the Premier League.

The middle of December sees Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats clash against Eddie Howe’s Magpies in what promises to be a hotly contested Tyne-Wear Derby, with the last fierce meeting between the two enemies in the top-flight coming all the way back in 2016 in a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park.

The two sides did butt heads in the FA Cup back in 2024, as an Alexander Isak-led Toon comfortably swept aside their Championship hosts 3-0 on the day, but the Wearside outfit is a completely different beast now with Le Bris at the helm, as opposed to their once bruised nature as second-tier regulars.

While there will be a lack of niceties exchanged at the Stadium of Light in December, Sunderland will know that there are some strong performers already in their camp who will be ready for any intense battles ahead, with the likes of Noah Sadiki not fazed whatsoever by the intensity of the top-flight so far.

Sadiki's early promise at Sunderland

With new signings such as Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele, and Omar Alderete receiving a lot of the early praise this season, and rightly so, Sadiki has arguably slipped under the radar as another mightily impressive summer pick-up.

Indeed, the former Royale Union Saint-Gilloise battler might just be 20 years of age, but he looks cut out for the grind of the English top-flight already, having been an ever-present part of Le Bris’ starting lineups across Sunderland’s seven Premier League clashes so far.

He has made one of those starting central spots his own with his energy and quality clear for all to see, with his running statistics on the opening day against West Ham United seeing him cover a ridiculous 11.5km across the 90 minutes.

With an assured 85% pass accuracy also averaged per Premier League game so far, it could be argued that Sadiki is actually Sunderland’s own unique take on Newcastle warrior Bruno Guimaraes, with the 20-year-old just needing to add goals and assists to his Black Cats repertoire to be on the road to rivalling his South American counterpart.

At the moment, he has zero goals or assists next to his name.

This could come soon, though, with Sadiki actually helping himself to four goal contributions last season during his swansong Belgian Pro League season.

But, with six ground duels won effortlessly at the City Ground before his side’s 2-0 slip-up at Manchester United, it might well be that Sadiki excels more as a tireless anchor for the Sunderland cause, as opposed to marauding forward on occasion and hammering home sweet efforts, like Guimaraes.

Instead, one of Sadiki’s equally lively teammates could have more of a compelling argument to hand on why he’s Sunderland’s very own version of the Magpies captain, having been in and around the intense environment of the top-flight for far longer than the promising number 27.

Why Sunderland's "genius" is their own Guimaraes

When Guimaraes arrived on Tyneside in January 2022, Sunderland’s main rivals were used to middle-of-the-road finishes in the Premier League. Now, with the Brazilian as a key cog in Howe’s machine, Champions League football is regularly served up.

Of course, Sunderland won’t be expecting to be in Europe’s elite competition anytime soon, but it’s abundantly clear from how the Black Cats have started this season that Granit Xhaka is already a transformative presence – much like Guimaraes once was at St James’ Park – who can help the Wearside outfit to a high-up finish right after promotion.

Much like the number 39 chips in time after time with crucial goals and assists, the former Arsenal warrior has more than played his role in Sunderland collecting early wins in their immediate bid to beat the drop, with the last three goals Le Bris’ men have scored in the tough division coming about from Xhaka popping up with an assist.

This, clearly, sets him apart from Sadiki, who can spray a lovely pass here or there, but hasn’t quite grasped the same level of incision as the Basel-born midfielder.

But, much like his Toon foe, Xhaka is also definitely well-versed in what it takes to be a physical presence when needed, having even been branded a “monster” by Arsenal-based writer Connor Humm when still at the Emirates, off the back of the 33-year-old winning 130 duels during his final top-flight campaign in North London.

Games played

7

7

Goals

2

0

Assists

0

3

Touches*

59.7

72.9

Accurate passes*

35.7 (83%)

46.4 (84%)

Big chances created

0

4

Ball recoveries*

5.8

5.1

Total duels won*

6.7

6.4

This side of his well-varied game has been on full display donning Sunderland red and white, too, with Xhaka not a million miles off Guimaraes’ “world-class” nature, as he was once glowingly labelled by scout Jacek Kulig for never letting his standards slip on Tyneside.

On Wearside, Xhaka has also been a rock early into this competitive season, with 6.4 duels won on average, putting him on the same lofty pedestal as his counterpart, who was once touted to leave Howe and Co. behind for a staggering £100m.

Considering Sunderland landed their midfield veteran for just £17m, this is extremely impressive to see.

With 17 goals also coming his way in the Premier League when situated at Arsenal, it could be that Xhaka elevates his game even more in the weeks to come and becomes the constant Sunderland needs to push up the division, much like Guimaraes has been their every step of the way for Howe’s men as they turned into a Champions League-level outfit.

With Xhaka now wearing the armband with pride, it will be fascinating to see where both Sunderland and Newcastle are in the league standings come their showdown on the 13th of December, with the Black Cats very much fancying their chances of Tyne-Wear glory if their “genius” – as he was recently labelled by Sky Sports’ Don Goodman – puts in another game-changing display.

Sunderland "powerhouse" is in danger of becoming a modern-day Altidore

This Sunderland attacker is in danger of turning into a modern-day Jozy Altidore.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 7, 2025

The BCCI holds the hosting rights for the tournament, which is expected to be held in the UAE in September

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2025The fate of this year’s Asia Cup, which was thrown into uncertainty following the India-Pakistan military skirmish in May, could be decided at the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) annual general meeting in Dhaka on Thursday.The BCCI will attend the meeting virtually, and there is no clarity yet on whether Sri Lanka Cricket will attend virtually or an official will travel to Dhaka. For the BCCI, Rajeev Shukla will be the representative. There was even talk of Afghanistan and Oman missing the meeting, but they will now attend, while Nepal, like the BCCI, will participate virtually.The Asia Cup is one of the major points of discussion at the meeting. The BCCI holds the hosting rights for the eight-team tournament, even though the matches are expected to be played in the UAE in September.It is the first time that the BCB is hosting a high-level ACC meeting. Board president Aminul Islam said that the BCB was only providing logistical support to the ACC and didn’t comment on certain boards not sending their representatives.”We agreed with the ACC to organise this year’s AGM,” Aminul said on Tuesday. “It is an ACC programme. We are providing them with logistical support. That’s all we are doing. We are in touch with the ACC, who is informing us who is coming and who is not, as we have to make arrangements for airport pick-ups, hotel bookings and other support.”On Wednesday, Aminul and BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury received Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB and ACC boss, at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. A gala dinner is scheduled in the evening, followed by two days of the meeting at a hotel in Dhaka.

French football giants Paris Saint-Germain are facing an anxious wait over the fitness of Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele ahead of their massive Champions League clash with Germany's Bayern Munich. The winger sparked panic after complaining of a hamstring injury, but subsequently returned to training in a confusing twist for the French champions.

'It hurts, it hurts so bad' – Dembele's worrying post-match comments

PSG's preparations for their crucial Champions League showdown with Bayern have been plunged into doubt amid conflicting reports over the fitness of Dembele.

The 28-year-old winger is considered a major doubt for Tuesday’s top-of-the-table clash at the Parc des Princes, according to a report from L’Equipe. The potential absence of their star forward is a significant blow for the French champions as they prepare to host a Bayern side that has won all 15 of its matches in all competitions this season.

Fears over Dembele’s fitness ignited in the immediate aftermath of PSG's last-gasp 1-0 Ligue 1 victory against OGC Nice on Saturday. The forward, who is being carefully managed after a recent hamstring injury, came off the bench for the final 15 minutes of the match.

However, as the team celebrated Goncalo Ramos’ 94th-minute winner, Ligue 1+ broadcast footage captured Dembele in conversation with teammate Achraf Hakimi, raising alarms about his physical condition.

The winger was heard complaining about his right hamstring, telling the Moroccan full-back: "It hurts, it hurts so bad."

Further footage from the incident revealed Dembele also stated: "I'm hurting in my hamstring… I'm hurting too much." This worrying sequence suggested a potential setback for the French international, sparking panic among the club's staff just days before their most important European fixture of the season so far.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesPSG cautious amid attacking injury concerns

The club’s concern is amplified by an existing injury in their attacking department. According to L’Equipe, PSG have "no intention to risk another injury" after recently losing Desire Doue. The 20-year-old rising star sustained a "severe thigh tear" against Lorient and is reportedly set for several weeks on the sidelines, leaving him as PSG's only other confirmed absentee.

Dembélé himself is only just working his way back to full fitness. The winger sustained a hamstring injury while on international duty with France in September and has been slowly reintroduced by manager Luis Enrique.

The PSG boss has publicly urged patience with Dembele’s recovery. Speaking in a recent press conference, Enrique insisted the club needed to "stay calm" and closely monitor the player’s "sensations" to avoid a significant relapse. Dembélé has only started one match—against Lorient—since returning from that initial injury.

Dembele returns to training in positive twist

Despite the widespread panic following his post-match comments on Saturday, PSG received a significant boost on Monday morning as Dembele returned to full squad training.

According to a conflicting report from RMC Sport, the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner participated in the team’s final session at the Camp des Loges and "trained without apparent discomfort." Further reports added that the winger "showed no signs of injury" during the drills.

In a sign of the situation's importance, both club president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and sporting director Luis Campos were in attendance at the session to observe the squad's preparation and Dembele's condition firsthand.

While his participation in training suggests there is "little doubt about his availability" for the matchday squad, RMC Sport notes that his role in the game remains uncertain.

The outlet reports that "it remains to be seen whether Dembele will start on the bench or not." Given Enrique’s previous calls for caution and the player's limited starts since September, a place on the bench appears to be the most likely outcome.

The club's medical staff and Enrique will make a final decision on Tuesday, balancing the immense stakes of the match against the significant risk of re-injuring their most potent attacker for a longer period.

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GettyWhat next? Crucial showdown looms for perfect-record rivals

The anxiety over Dembele’s fitness comes ahead of a monumental Champions League Group Stage clash. Both PSG and Bayern Munich have dominated their group, each entering Matchday 4 with a perfect record of three wins from three matches and nine points apiece.

The two giants are separated only by goal difference, with PSG boasting a 13-3 record (+10) and Bayern a 12-2 record (+10). The encounter at the Parc des Princes will almost certainly decide which team tops the group and secures a more favourable draw in the knockout stages.

PSG are facing a Bayern side in blistering form under Vincent Kompany. The Bavarian club has not only won all three of its Champions League fixtures but is on a remarkable 15-game winning streak in all competitions this season. Enrique will be desperate to have a game-changer like Dembele available, even if only as an option from the bench, to help break down their formidable German opponents.

كشف بيب جوارديولا المدير الفني لمانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي، عن حديثه للاعبي فريقه بعد تعادل آرسنال أمام سندرلاند في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وقبل المواجهة أمام ليفربول.

وتعثر آرسنال أمام سندرلاند بعدما كان متقدمًا بهدفين لهدف، لتنتهي المباراة بتعادل إيجابي بهدفين لمثلهما ويخسر نقطتين في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وفي اليوم التالي نجح مانشستر سيتي في تحقيق الفوز أمام ليفربول بثلاثية نظيفة، وذلك بالجولة الحادية عشر للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، على ملعب “الاتحاد”.

وقال جوارديولا في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “مترو” البريطانية: “أنا متأكد تمامًا من أنه عندما تعادل آرسنال في النهاية أمام سندرلاند، وهذا أمر وارد الحدوث، فأنا لست متفاجئًا، بل متفاجئًا بما يفعله سندرلاند وطريقة لعبهم. أعتقد أن ليفربول وأنا نفكر: يا إلهي، لقد أضاعوا نقاطًا في النهاية واستقبلوا هدفين”.

اقرأ أيضًا | نيفيل وستوريدج عن أداء لاعب ليفربول أمام مانشستر سيتي: غريب وضرب زميله في مقتل

وأضاف: “في تلك اللحظة، وبالنظر إلى سلسلة نتائجهم الأخيرة، بدا الأمر وكأن تعثرهم لن يحدث، في النهاية، علينا أن نفعل ذلك، وقلت للاعبين لا تلعبوا اليوم بدافع أن آرسنال لم يفز، عليكم أن تفعلوا ذلك لتؤمنوا بأنفسكم”.

وأتم: “نلعب ضد أبطال إنجلترا، علينا أن نظهر لهم أننا قادرون على مواجهتهم طوال هذا الموسم، أعتقد أننا أظهرنا ذلك، وخاصةً في الشوط الأول”.

ويتصدر آرسنال الترتيب بـ 26 نقطة، ويليه مانشستر سيتي في الوصافة برصيد 22، فيما تجمدت نقاط ليفربول عند 18 نقطة في المركز الثامن بترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز. 

Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, a Westlake, Ohio, native and lifelong Cleveland sports fan, had his fandom levels for Cleveland sports teams questioned after he attended Game 1 of the ALCS between the Guardians and New York Yankees with his girlfriend and pop star Taylor Swift.

Fans couldn't help but notice that Kelce wasn't wearing any gear respresenting the Guardians. But Kelce, who posted an excited message on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the Guardians' thrilling walk-off win over the Yankees in Game 3 on Thursday, also took the time to set the record straight on his Cleveland sports fandom.

Well, there you have it. Kelce, who was raised on Cleveland sports and played football at the University of Cincinnati, made it clear that it shouldn't matter if he wears Cleveland sports gear or not—anyone who knows him knows he's a true fan.

Kelce's response to the critics prompted the Guardians, clearly in a good mood following the dramatic victory, to take to X and poke fun at the Chiefs tight end with a lighthearted joke.

Now, would be one heck of a response.

Leeds United have proved to be more than a match for Premier League football and now have growing confidence they can seal a statement deal at Elland Road in January.

Leeds move forward after pivotal victory over West Ham

Daniel Farke has had his doubters in the top-flight and some reservations will always remain after his previous spell in the division with Norwich City. However, there can be no doubt that he has made the Whites a competitive force at the highest level.

Claiming 11 points inside nine matches, Leeds find themselves in a decent position to kick on after a much-needed victory over West Ham United on Friday, which may be symbolic in a way as the Hammers slide further towards the bottom of the table.

Either way, there is a long way to go and nobody will be getting ahead of themselves. Still, Farke singled out his players for the determination they showed to ensure three points were claimed in front of a raucous home crowd against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.

He said, via BBC Sport: “First of all, I’m delighted to take the three points. It is difficult to explain how we were standing there after the last three games with one point. We had much more domination and controlled the performance. We had a difficult week, in terms of illnesses and injuries.

“It was a difficult week for us. You could feel it. We showed passion and bravery. In the last 20 minutes you could feel it was a difficult week. A big fighting spirit, will and passion to bring it over the line.”

Come the January window, Leeds could make a move for Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Issouf Sissoko and may look to his displays in Champions League qualifying matches as an indicator of his potential.

With the engine room a key priority, Farke and company are now said to be growing in confidence that they can sign an experienced international in mid-season.

Leeds could land Piotr Zielinski in January

According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Leeds are hoping to sign Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zielinski in January as the Serie A giants are now ‘definitely’ open to sanctioning his departure.

The reporter said: “He was linked with Leeds in the summer window and they were linked with a couple of other midfielders as well. He is well down the pecking order at the San Siro. He’s struggled for game time, had just two starts in the Champions League, so he’s not started a Serie A game.

Appearances

47

Goals

2

Assists

4

“Inter are definitely open to his departure to try and save some money and boost their own transfer coffers. Whether they’ll be able to sell Zielinski to Leeds, that remains to be seen. He’s 31 now, but I still feel he’s got a lot to offer and the player himself would be interested in a move away in January in search of regular first team football. If he’s not going to be getting that at Inter, he will maybe seek a move away.”

In a campaign where he has struggled for starts, the Poland international has still managed to create three chances in 167 minutes of Champions League football, per Fotmob, illustrating his capacity to cause danger.

While his £139,000 per week wages would be an expensive commitment, they are probably not out of the Whites’ budget, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Zielinski were to end up at Elland Road.

There will be no WBBL matches scheduled at the MCG or the SCG in the upcoming home and away season but the possibility of another MCG final remains open after Cricket Australia committed to a Saturday night final that will be held the day before the start of the BBL season.CA released the schedule for the upcoming WBBL season on Friday. The tournament is going to be completed in a tight 35-day window between November 9 and December 13, squeezed between the Women’s ODI World Cup in India and the men’s BBL which begins on December 14.The WBBL season will get underway with a grand final rematch between Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Renegades at the Allan Border Field in the first game of a double-header with Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes also facing off at the ground in a twilight match.Related

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There are 10 double-headers in all, but just one at a major international venue with the Adelaide Oval hosting two matches on November 28. The WBBL made a bold move last season to host matches at major venues as part of a ‘Stadium Series’, with three matches hosted at the Adelaide Oval, two at the SCG, one at the Gabba and three at the MCG including the final.But Big Bash League general manager Alistair Dobson said it was a difficult year to promote stadium games due to the tightness of the schedule.”Each season when we look at the schedule, we are always looking for the balance of the right venues and the right opportunity to promote those games,” Dobson said. “We’ve enjoyed playing in bigger stadiums for the past couple of seasons, and are really looking forward to being back at Adelaide Oval this year.”The other games, largely due to scheduling reasons and needing to optimise those games in those big stadiums, we haven’t found the right slot for them this year.”That’s not to say we won’t be back there in the future, because [playing] the world’s best cricket league in the world’s best stadiums is still a part of our thinking going forward, but not for this season.”WBBL schedule 2025-26•Cricket Australia

There is a possibility though that the MCG could hold the final if one of the Melbourne teams earns the right to host it given the CitiPower Centre (Junction Oval) will not have lights erected in time for the WBBL season, with the final scheduled to be a Saturday night game after last year’s final was played during the day.The North Sydney Oval, the Allan Border Field and the WACA all have lights which means the SCG, the Gabba and the Perth Stadium would unlikely be used for the final if required. The Adelaide Oval will also be unavailable on December 13 due to the third men’s Ashes Test being hosted on December 17 but the Karen Rolton Oval has lights for Adelaide Strikers to host there.There has been some raised eyebrows among clubs regarding parts of the schedule with each team having to host a game at a neutral venue. Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers will play in Adelaide just two days before Strikers and Scorchers play against each other in Melbourne. But the request of the broadcasters Channel Seven and Foxtel to minimise the amount of movement of broadcast equipment across the tightly condensed season has forced some compromises in the schedule.