All posts by h716a5.icu

Leeds United are ‘most interested’ in signing New York City forward Valentin Castellanos, according to 90min.

The Lowdown: Orta and Kinnear spotted in New York

The Whites have been acting quickly when it comes to signings for Jesse Marsch ahead of his first full season in charge.

Leeds have already brought in Brenden Aaronson from RB Salzburg and look to be closing in on right-back Rasmus Kristensen.

Castellanos could now be the club’s next key target, with Victor Orta and Angus Kinnear recently spotted alongside Leeds director Massimo Marinelli just over five miles from New York City’s Yankee Stadium.

The Latest: Smith’s post

90min journalist Chris Smith shared an update regarding Castellanos on Twitter.

He provided a link to his story, claiming that the Whites are the ‘most interested party’ and they do indeed have ‘club reps’ in the US after Manchester City passed up on their option to bring him from a fellow City Group outfit.

“Per sources, Man City have passed up their option on New York City FC striker Taty Castellanos, but have recommended him to a number of other EPL clubs.

“Leeds the most interested party, club reps are in USA.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-4/” title=”Latest Leeds United updates!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Needed

Reinforcements in attack are certainly needed after Patrick Bamford started just seven Premier League games last season due to injury.

Castellanos, described as a ‘quality player’ and even dubbed the ‘new Didier Drogba’, appears to be an extremely shrewd target, with the Argentinian contributing to 76 goals in 126 games for the MLS side.

Still just 23 years of age, Castellanos can also play on either wing and Transfermarkt have a probability of a move to Leeds United at 68%, so this could be one to watch very closely.

In other news: Phil Hay now drops big update on Raphinha’s Leeds future after what he’s heard from Elland Road. 

Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Gonzalo Plata to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Bolavip, who claim that Leeds have now joined the race for the Sporting Lisbon winger, who is also a €10m (£8.5m) target of Real Valladolid – the team with whom the 21-year-old spent the season on loan.

The report goes on to state that the Ecuador international’s representatives contacted a number of Premier League clubs regarding the availability of their client in the summer transfer window, with Victor Orta looking to have been convinced by the forward’s impressive campaign in Spain.

Raphinha 2.0

Considering just how much potential Plata evidently possesses, in addition to the fact that Raphinha looks almost certain to leave Elland Road in a €55m (£47m) deal in the coming months, it is easy to see why Orta would be interested in a move for the Sporting starlet this summer.

Indeed, over his 30 LaLiga 2 appearances this season, the £4.5m-rated talent played a pivotal role in Valladolid’s promotion back to the top flight of Spanish football, scoring six goals, registering five assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.5 shots, making 1.4 key passes and completing 2.3 dribbles per game.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more-2″ title=”Read the latest Leeds news, transfer rumours and more!”]

The 21-year-old forward also highly impressed in a defensive capacity, making an average of 1.8 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and winning 6.0 duels – at a success rate of 51% – per fixture.

These returns saw the player who Sam Tighe claimed has a “huge amount of talent” – as well as “lovely dribbling” ability and an “extremely hard” work rate – average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.96.

For comparison, over Raphinha’s 35 Premier League appearances this season, the £40.5m-rated winger scored 11 goals, provided three assists and created ten big chances, in addition to taking an average of 2.5 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 1.8 dribbles per game – with these returns seeing the Brazil international average a SofaScore match rating of 6.97.

As such, while it is undeniable that the step up from LaLiga 2 to the Premier League will be a difficult one to make, it is abundantly clear that Plata boasts the ability to do so.

And, considering the youngster’s extremely similar profile to Leeds’ current 25-year-old wing wizard, should the Spaniard manage to get a deal over the line for the Ecuadorian this summer, the Sporting starlet could well prove to become Orta’s next Raphinha-style discovery at Elland Road.

AND in other news: “Talks ongoing…”: Romano reveals big Leeds transfer update that supporters will love

The final day of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign certainly turned into a rollercoaster for fans of both Manchester City and Liverpool.

Going into the final ten minutes of the curtain closers, Pep Guardiola’s City were trailing 2-1 to Aston Villa at The Etihad Stadium, whereas Jurgen Klopp’s charges were drawing one a piece with Wolverhampton Wanderers. For those fans who like a flutter, particularly via bitcoin given its 300% increase since Liverpool last faced Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League Final, those final ten minutes were tantalising. For those playing online via bitcoins fast, simple and no transaction fee, anonymous betting design, those who headed to Cloudbet for the first time would have been met with excellent welcome bonuses as well as no KYC being required.

City ultimately lifted their sixth title having staged a comeback to win, keeping them a single point ahead of Liverpool to end their hopes of a historic quadruple – despite them also taking all three points in their late victory over Wolves.

Klopp and his team will be understandably disappointed with how the final days action went, but they simply have to dust themselves down and prepare properly for the upcoming 2022 Champions League Final clash with Real Madrid once again, as few fans would have turned their nose up at an equally impressive trophy treble at the beginning of the campaign, and that is of course, still potentially on the cards for the German manager and his first team squad.

Given the commanding season that Carlo Ancelotti had led them to in La Liga, Real Madrid will be tough opposition for Liverpool on Saturday, May 28, but with Klopp resting key players like Roberto Firmino, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah against Wolves, they should be fresh and raring to go next weekend, and as everyone knows, an in form Liverpool side with the threats they carry at the top of the pitch are more than a match for pretty much any side in the game.

Undoubtedly the disappointment of missing out on the Premier League title on the final day, having done all they could to almost capitalise on a City slip up, could in fact focus Klopp’s side and drive them on further ahead of the upcoming European clash with the disappointment still being so fresh in their minds.

Although history won’t list them as quadruple winners, it will remember just how close they got and the achievement that this was to potentially have four major trophies up for grabs at this late stage of the season, and ultimately lifting the Champions League trophy now and adding it to the FA Cup and League Cup could really propel them on, as eyes will soon turn to next season and the 2022/23 campaign and what further improvements Klopp plans to make to his already highly talented crop of first team players. There’s also the distraction that the World Cup in Qatar will bring to our domestic campaign, and naturally, some clubs will be impacted more than others when it comes to international call ups.

But for now and ahead of any future flutters, people will just reflect on the words of skipper Jordan Henderson and few will disagree.

“Yeah, the lads have given everything, so you can’t have too many issues. We’ve given absolutely everything all season right until the last day. In January, I think we’d have bit your hand off to take it to the last day. So, I’m very proud of the boys and what they’ve done this season so far, but it’s not over yet. We’ve got another game next week. There’s a bit of disappointment today. We’ve got to say congratulations to City, of course, but then we focus on the job next week. A huge match against a really good side and we’ll have to be at our very best if we want to come away with the trophy.”

Photo by Unsplash

Liverpool forward Divock Origi is absolutely nailed-on to join AC Milan at the end of the season, journalist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Origi tipped for exit

The Belgian has long been tipped for a summer exit in recent months, with his current Reds deal expiring once the current campaign is over.

Origi has been continually linked with a move to Milan, with the Serie A giants looking to add more firepower in the attacking third ahead of another year in the Champions League – they often rely on Olivier Giroud to lead the line, who will turn 36 at the start of next season.

The transfer is starting to look like a formality, with Romano giving a fresh update on the matter this week.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-33/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Latest: Origi to sign contract in Milan

Taking to Twitter, the renowned transfer expert claimed that the deal is now extremely close, even effectively done:

“Divock Origi has no doubts on his next destination: he’s just waiting to complete medical tests and sign the contract as new AC Milan player in the coming weeks.

“Liverpool have already accepted his decision – he’s definitely leaving on a free transfer.”

The Verdict: Smash it, Divock

This is a perfect time for Origi to move on, with the 27-year-old too good a footballer to be sitting on the substitutes’ bench for Liverpool most weeks.

He is in his prime years and a move to Milan could be perfect, as the Rossoneri lie on the cusp of winning the Serie A title, meaning the Belgium international could be joining at a perfect time in their recent history.

For all Origi’s cult hero status at Liverpool, racking up 41 goals across his time at the club, first and foremost he is a very good footballer and someone who could and deserves to thrive with a new challenge at another huge club.

In other news, a journalist has confirmed ‘strong interest’ in one Liverpool player. Read more here.

Tottenham Hotspur go to battle with relegation-threatened Burnley in a huge game at either end of the Premier League table this lunchtime.

Antonio Conte’s side will be buoyed by their emphatic north London derby victory over arch-rivals Arsenal on Thursday night, though they still remain one point behind the Gunners heading into the final two matches of the 2021/22 campaign.

Their quest for a place in next season’s Champions League could be seriously bolstered with a victory over the struggling Clarets but it’ll be no easy task with them fighting for their lives at the foot of the standings.

The Italian head coach is without several first-team stars, including first-choice defenders Cristian Romero and Sergio Reguilon, so it’ll be interesting to see if he sticks or twists with his winning lineup.

Here’s the XI we could see at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon…

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-news-updates-transfer-rumours-gossip-spurs-thfc-conte-paratici” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Between the sticks, skipper Hugo Lloris is a shoo-in to remain, whilst the back-three heralding him should also remain unchanged, even despite a late withdrawal for full-back Ben Davies.

He’ll line up alongside Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez with Ryan Sessegnon continuing his duties on the left and Emerson Royal keeping his place on the right.

The Colombian international isn’t the obvious replacement for Romero, given the £27m-rated defender has previously been lambasted as a “liability” to the team.

In midfield, we should see the tandem of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur, with Oliver Skipp one of many on the treatment table and Harry Winks hugely out of favour.

The former Juventus powerhouse has been an instant hit in N17, even catching the eye of Romero, who lauded the £74k-per-week as a “big animal” on social media recently.

Meanwhile, up top, Conte is surely going to stick with Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski after the pair were withdrawn early against Arsenal, and they’ll pair up with Harry Kane, who leads the line once more following his midweek brace.

Predicted Spurs XI (3-4-2-1): Lloris; Davies, Dier, Sanchez; Sessegnon, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Emerson; Son, Kulusevski; Kane

AND in other news, Spurs now plotting swoop for £60m-rated “thoroughbred bomber”, imagine him and Kane…

Just how big was Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup triumph on Sunday? The answer is in the reactions of Athapaththu, Dilhari and Samarawickrama after the game

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Jul-20243:07

Chamari Athapaththu: “SL women’s cricket in safe hands”

If the human spirit’s triumph over adversity is the greatest thing about sport, there are few more compelling sports stories in the world right now than of Sri Lanka’s women cricketers.Watch the back end of the highlights of their Women’s Asia Cup 2024 win in Dambulla on Sunday, and try not to feel something. Jump in at 10:02, and watch Kavisha Dilhari run down the pitch at Radha Yadav, and launch the ball at least ten metres beyond the deep-midwicket boundary.Dilhari is not a player renowned for her power. She’d batted in 43 T20I innings before this, and hit exactly zero sixes. But what she’s lacked in muscle, she’s always had in audacity, because in the second international innings of her career, batting as low as No. 9, Dilhari got low and scooped seamer Mansi Joshi over the wicketkeeper, executing one of the most difficult shots in her sport before hitting the winning runs to seal a tense match. She was 17 at the time.Related

The emotional rollercoaster that is Sri Lanka cricket

Coach Ratnayake's magic mantra that made Sri Lanka fearless

Athapaththu and SL manifest destiny to become champions

Sri Lanka ace record chase for first Women's Asia Cup title

Six years later, she’s up at No. 4 in the batting order striding in to the Asia Cup final after Sri Lanka have lost their best player, Chamari Athapaththu, the requirement still 73 off 48 balls. Dilhari’s sixteen-ball innings is electric. The stands and banks at the ground are not only full, they are raucous.There is a greater proportion of women in attendance than usual, some in long dresses, some in jeans, some in hijabs, some with their children, almost all of them screaming at every Sri Lanka run at this point.Dilhari fails to score off only three balls through her stay. She whips between the wickets, scythes a four through extra cover, then goes deep in her crease to crash another six down the ground off the fourth ball of the 19th over, and wins the match with that shot.

It is not nothing to watch women make history here. Not nothing to watch Dilhari celebrate as aggressively as she deserves or to watch Samarawickrama collapse after producing such a clutch innings. Not nothing to see Athapaththu let others take the limelight in a narrative whose trajectory she has influenced more than any other figure

She is amped. She drops her bat, bear-hugs her batting partner with the power of an industrial compactor, sprints off to the side, rips off her batting gloves and throws them in elation.Harshitha Samarawickrama, who has played the innings of her life to propel Sri Lanka to victory, collapses to the ground, and sobs, as team-mates rush the field and round on her.Off in the distance, Athapaththu, one of Sri Lanka’s greatest ever, and very arguably the country’s premier athlete at this moment, strides in to the field still trying to process what has happened. In the previous overs, when the match hung in the balance, she’d paced the boundary like an anxious parent on exam day.Kavisha Dilhari celebrates after scoring the winning runs•ACCLater, when it’s time to lift the trophy, Athapaththu hands it off to her team-mates and squats near the edge of the group in the victory photo. On the international stage, she has had to frequently fight for her place, often overlooked in lucrative franchise competitions, even as she’s been her national team’s talisman for years. Here, when she has every reason to be front and centre, she cedes ground to younger players.What is happening on the field here is special. Samarawickrama had dropped two catches earlier in the match and told herself “no matter how many runs India score, I will make sure I hunt them down”, and stayed true to her promise to herself. Athapaththu, at the tail end of a glittering career, is revelling in a trophy win, for once. She is one of the greatest-ever figures in the women’s game, but had played no matches between March 2020 and January 2022, partly because of Covid, but also because her board had not thought women’s cricket a priority.Others like Dilhari are ecstatic at having broken down a door for the island’s women. Earlier, while bowling, she had kicked at the ground contemptuously when the umpire had not given what should have been a decision in her favour. This is the kind of behaviour many old-school coaches on the island will insist is the height of impropriety in a “gentleman’s game”. But when you cheer for women’s rights, you occasionally find yourself supporting women’s wrongs as well.But all this pales in comparison to what is happening outside the field. Because over the boundary in Dambulla, there are girls in raptures. One fan, no more than ten years old by the looks, holds a sign that in Sinhala thanks “Chamari (aunty)” for being such an inspiration, and promises to be as good.

In recognition of the phenomenal victory of our Sri Lanka Women's Cricket team in the Asia Cup 2024, Sri Lanka Cricket is thrilled to announce a reward of $500,000 USD! Your dedication, teamwork, and relentless spirit on the pitch have brought immense pride to our nation.… pic.twitter.com/rAGtbGbED1

— Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) July 29, 2024