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The New York Mets played the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. The NL East rivalry doesn't have as much juice this season as it has in years past; the Mets are rolling with one of the best records in baseball but the Braves have scuffled all year. Entering Tuesday night's affair there was a 13-game difference between New York and Atlanta in the divisional standings.

Even with that, though, the game did not unfold without some measure of drama.

The score was tied at 4-4 entering the ninth inning at Truist Park. Soto kicked off the top of the ninth with a single to get a man on base for Pete Alonso, batting cleanup. The Mets slugger mashed one deep into right field, but Ronald Acuña Jr. made a great play at the wall and caught the fly ball for the first out of the inning.

But Soto, for some reason, was caught between first and second for a few moments after Acuña made the grab. He seemed confused as to whether Acuña actually caught the ball or if it hit the wall first. His hesitation proved fatal as the Braves star gunned the ball back into the infield to force Soto out at first before he made it back to the bag. What could have been a rally for the Mets suddenly ended up with two outs and nobody on base; they'd go on to lose in extra innings, 5-4.

Afterwards Soto laid the blame right at the feet of the umpire for the crucial blunder, explaining he was waiting for the call to be made and felt the ump took "way too long" to do so.

"I mean, we rely on the umpires," Soto said. "We wait for them to make the call. We had something like that earlier this year too. The goal is look for the umpire and make sure he makes the right call. But I felt like he just took way too long to make the decision and it just put me in a tough spot."

Soto's frustration is clear. Obviously if he assumed the catch was made and booked it back to first base he would have been safe this time. But if he assumed wrong he would have put his team in a bad spot. Similarly if Soto presumed the catch was not made and started sprinting he would have looked foolish if the catch was, in fact, made. It's part of every baseball player's process on the basepaths to look to the umpire or their coaches to determine what happened.

Unfortunately for the Mets Soto couldn't puzzle it out on time Tuesday. He believes the ump needs to be better next time from these quotes.

Ruben Amorim has singled-out one key star for criticism, claiming their performances for their country are better than the shifts they put in for Manchester United. The United boss has also claimed he can "feel the anxiety" every time his player receives the ball in a damaging analysis ahead of the clash with Crystal Palace.

• Youngster's struggles since joining United

  Dorgu has faced some initial problems since becoming Amorim’s first signing at Man Utd, primarily due to being played as an attacking wing-back when he is a more natural full-back. Pundits and fans have described some of his performances as "dreadful," pointing out defensive lapses and poor decision-making in the final third. He has also yet to register a goal or assist for the club. 

  However, Dorgu is still only 21 years old and arrived mid-season from Lecce in Serie A, and was thrown into an unstable team under a new system. His struggles are often viewed as a result of being played out of position and mis-used by the current system rather than a lack of talent. But his boss has pointed out that Dorgu's instincts when playing for United are completely different to when he plays for his native Denmark. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Amorim: 'He has time to improve'

  Ahead of the clash with Palace, Amorim said: "You can feel the anxiety every time Patrick touches the ball. I can feel the anxiety. When I see Patrick playing for the national team, he scored a great goal against Scotland and the decision that he made under pressure was completely different than the decision he's making in our team. I think it's the decision, he needs to be calmer playing the game."

  He added: "I remember the shot against Everton. That was easier than the decision he had to make when a guy from Scotland was there. I saw it when he played in Italy. But again, here is different and sometimes the pressure is hard for them in the beginning. He has time to improve. I just need to understand the context in trying to help them (Dorgu and Dalot). They are far from their best, and they know it. Like a lot of players in our team, like myself. I just look at them, and think they have so much more to give. So let’s see this week if we can improve that." 

• Away day woes for Amorim

  Manchester United have won just three of their last 26 Premier League away games against London sides and just one game away from home this season. And the United boss has acknowledged that his side’s form away from home is a problem he needs fix quickly. Amorim said:  "I felt during this year that when we played at home, the intensity was higher. And I felt in this game at home (against Everton) the intensity was not at the same level. So I think it's something that we need to work on. It's hard to point one thing why we are not winning away. There's a lot of issues. We are improving but we need to know how to finish the games in order to win."

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  Palace test awaits United

  Palace are unbeaten in their last four meetings with the United, winning three, and have only lost one home game all season. United, winless in their last three Premier League matches and struggling away from home and are also hampered by injuries to key attackers Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha, along with defender Harry Maguire.

  Ahead of the match Amorim has conceded his team needs to defend better. The Portuguese said: “We are being really soft near the box. So we need to improve that in the last games, especially against Nottingham (Forest, the 2-2 draw). We allowed a lot of crosses, we didn’t press well [in] moments. Against Everton, they were with 10 men and we suffered the goal (Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s winner) with the only shot on target."

Home skipper remains unbeaten on 171 after day one run-fest at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Sep-2025Middlesex 394 for 5 (du Plooy 171*, Cracknell 64*, Geddes 60) vs GloucestershireMiddlesex skipper Leus du Plooy’s 24th first-class hundred gave the hosts the upper hand on the first day of the their final County Championship Division Two clash of the season with Gloucestershire at Lord’s.The South African-born left-hander passed the landmark of the third time this season, remaining unbeaten with 171 in an innings sprinkled with 15 fours as Middlesex piled up 394 for 5.Du Plooy shared stands of 127 with Luke Hollman (55), 121 with Ben Geddes (60), and an unbroken 112 with wicketkeeper Joe Cracknell, who had 63 by the close.Ajeet Singh Dale kept the visitors in the contest with 4 for 88, including wickets with successive balls in the afternoon session, while Graeme Van Buuren bowled a frugal spell of spin to return 1 for 35 from 18 overs.Despite the 10:30am start, du Plooy chose to bat on winning the final toss of the campaign and the hosts made a quick start thanks to some wayward offerings from Gloucestershire’s new-ball attack.It was a similarly innocuous delivery from Singh Dale which brought the breakthrough, a leg-stump half-volley which Sam Robson sent straight to square leg. If that was fortuitous, Singh Dale produced a useful fourth stump ball in his next over that Josh De Caires nicked through to wicketkeeper James Bracey.It would be the last success for some time as the bowlers erred in line and length again and du Plooy and Hollman feasted accordingly. Three Hollman fours in one Matt Taylor over raised the 50, while du Plooy was quickly into stride, driving confidently in the mid-off/extra-cover arc. A back foot drive through cover from the skipper was the shot of the morning and he moved to his half-century from 56 balls shortly before lunch.The hundred partnership came up in the first over following the resumption and while Singh-Dale was finding hints of both swing and seam from the Nursery End, the pair carried the score to 161 relatively untroubled. It took a piece of brilliance from Bracey – who claimed a Gloucestershire record 11 victims against Middlesex in the corresponding fixture last season – to break the stand, grabbing a ball that was dying off the inside edge of Hollman’s bat, giving Singh-Dale a third wicket.Higgins followed to his next ball, harshly adjudged lbw to one heading over the top, but Geddes joined his skipper in the middle as and the hosts quickly regained the upper hand.Geddes, impressive in his first season in Middlesex colours, employed the pull shot to great effect, sending one short one from Singh Dale into the Grandstand, before a square drive took du Plooy to a chanceless century.Van Buuren put the breaks on either side of tea and was rewarded with the breakthrough when Geddes was pinned in front. Du Plooy however, had set his heart on a daddy hundred and while the boundaries briefly dried up he glided his way past 150.Cracknell proved a valuable ally, clearing the ropes with a thunderous pull shot and unfurling some pleasing cover drives in becoming the fourth home batter to pass 50 in the late autumn sunshine.Before the start of play there was a poignant minute’s silence in memory of beloved umpire Harold ‘Dickie Bird,’ who passed away on Monday aged 92.

The trio will tour Bangladesh for the three T20Is because of injuries to Ryan Klein and Fred Klaassen, and the withdrawal of Saqib Zulfiqar

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2025Netherlands have handed a maiden call-up to 17-year-old batter Cedric de Lange and recalled right-arm quick Sebastiaan Braat and allrounder Sikander Zulfiqar for the upcoming T20I series in Bangladesh starting August 30. The changes had to be made after Ryan Klein and Fred Klaassen were ruled out with injuries, while Saqib Zulfiqar withdrew due to personal reasons.De Lange has been a consistent performer at the Under-19 level as well as for his club and in the recent Pro Series, the domestic T20s in the Netherlands which concluded on August 20.”It’s always exciting to bring a youngster into the squad,” captain Scott Edwards said. “Cedric has been impressive all summer and he’s really earned this call-up. We’re looking forward to seeing what he can offer us on this tour and, hopefully, across a long career ahead of him.”Related

Vikramjit back in Netherlands squad for Bangladesh T20Is

Braat returns to the Netherlands side for the first time since 2021, when he played T20Is against Nepal, after solid numbers in domestic cricket as well as club cricket.Sikander Zulfiqar’s absence from international cricket was even longer, having last turned out in T20Is in 2019.”It’s also great to welcome Sebastiaan Braat back into the side,” Edwards said. “It’s been a couple of years since he last played for us, but he’s had a very strong summer at club and domestic level, and we’re looking forward to having his experience back in the group as well.”Sikander has been a valuable member of our national team before and I’m glad to see him back in orange. He’s got phenomenal ability to clear the fence late in the game and I can’t wait to see him back and amongst the group.”Netherlands have only played five T20Is against Bangladesh and this will be their first time touring Bangladesh. The series acts as a preparation ground for Netherlands, ahead of the T20 World Cup early next year, while Bangladesh will use the series as an opportunity to finalise their line-up for the Asia Cup starting September 11.Netherlands train in Sylhet for three days before their first T20I on August 30, the second on September 1, and the third on September 3.Netherlands squad for Bangladesh T20IsScott Edwards (capt & wk), Noah Croes, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Sikander Zulfiqar, Cedric de Lange, Kyle Klein, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Shariz Ahmad, Ben Fletcher, Daniel Doram, Sebastiaan Braat, Tim Pringle

Newcastle United have purchased some real gems over the last few years when flexing their muscles across various transfer windows.

Just this summer gone, the Magpies splashed out a substantial £69m to land Nick Woltemade, and it’s already looking like it was a necessary splurge to make, with the skilful, yet towering German now up to four Premier League goals, despite the new campaign still very much being in its infancy.

Other, more shrewd purchases in recent memory have also seen Eddie Howe and Co. land both Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn, who remain as mainstays in his XI to his day, despite both being veteran figures at St James’ Park, while a deal to snap up Sandro Tonali for £55m back in 2023 continues to pay off.

The best recent bit of business of them all, however, could be obtaining Bruno Guimaraes, with the much-loved Toon captain even being hailed as “special” by his manager at the weekend, as another clutch moment from the Brazilian in black and white secured a last-ditch 2-1 win over Fulham.

Guimaraes' hero status at Newcastle

Acquired for a cheaper fee than both Woltemade and Tonali at the £40m mark back in 2022, it’s clear, now that Newcastle won themselves an almighty bargain picking up the South American from Lyon when they did.

Indeed, the Rio De Janeiro ace has become a “talisman” for the Magpies – as he was recently labelled by Match of the Day pundit Michael Carrick – with goals and assists aplenty, 52 combined to be exact, always matched by a hunger to battle away and fight for his beloved side, across his 166 appearances and counting on Tyneside.

From his mammoth 11,032 minutes in the Premier League, Guimaraes has won a very high 915 duels.

Yet, that is also coupled with his incisive play in the forward areas, with his 6510 accurate passes across the same span of matches, often resulting in him finding a teammate in the forward areas who can steer the Toon to a win.

The well-respected number 39 – who has also been dubbed a “joy to watch” this season by Toon-based blog Mouth of the Tyne – does also take matters into his own hands in the attacking positions, with a bumper eight goal contributions next to his name this campaign.

All of this overwhelming evidence points in the direction of Guimaraes being an unbelievable, earth-shuddering steal, but there is a new star emerging at St James’ Park now who might well be viewed as Newcastle’s most prized purchase since the 27-year-old’s impactful arrival.

Newcastle have another Bruno bargain

Guimaraes’ longevity in a Magpies shirt should be commended, with his midfield partner in Joelinton, beginning to show signs of decay, while he continues to stand out as a fine wine.

Malick Thiaw will hope he’s viewed as such a revered element of Howe’s team down the line, with the decision to bring in the 6-foot-4 centre-back this summer for just £34m already being viewed as another Guimaraes-style masterstroke.

Games played

6

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches*

48.7

Accurate passes*

33.5 (88%)

Ball recoveries*

4.0

Clearances*

4.0

Total duels won*

5.0

Just ten games have come the Düsseldorf-born warrior’s way on Tyneside to date, and yet, he is already being branded as “absolutely sensational” to watch by Newcastle-based writer Thomas Hammond.

The table above only backs up all the wild praise the three-time Germany international has been receiving, with the commanding number 12 not looking out of place whatsoever in the Premier League – despite struggling to hold down a first-team spot at AC Milan – as seen in him averaging an unerring 88% pass accuracy, on top of winning five duels on average across his six outings in the tough league so far.

He very much stood out against Fulham too, in much the same way Guimaraes did, with eight duels heroically won, further reinforcing how much of a bargain the Toon have managed to pull off by acquiring Thiaw for a measly £34m.

With two Champions League clean sheets also under his belt, seeing Mouth of Tyne further boldly state that Thiaw can play at the “very top”, it’s clear that one of the centre-back spots in Howe’s XI is now nailed on to be taken up by the new fan favourite.

Already a recipient of his own catchy chant by the Newcastle fans, too, it does remain to be seen what Thiaw’s long-term career looks like in England.

Right now, though, he looks to be treading down the same, success-laden path as Guimaraes in being a staple for many years to come.

Move over Woltemade: Howe has unearthed a new “game-changer” at Newcastle

Newcastle United have unearthed a new game-changer, and it’s not Nick Woltemade.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 26, 2025

Manchester United made it three wins out of three in the Premier League on Saturday when they beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2 at Old Trafford.

Bryan Mbeumo, who joined from Brentford in the summer, scored twice, whilst Casemiro and Matheus Cunha also got on the scoresheet in front of the home fans.

Bruno Fernandes, as shown in the clip above, played a crucial role in the fourth goal with his brilliant dummy, but his influence in the final third is beginning to wane.

Why Bruno Fernandes's influence is waning

The Portugal international has hit double figures for both goals and assists in all five of his full seasons at Old Trafford to date, per Sofascore, which speaks to the consistent impact that he has had at the top end of the pitch.

However, Bruno only has two goals and one assist in ten appearances in all competitions so far this term, scoring two goals from 4.29 xG in the Premier League, per Sofascore, which shows that his influence is waning.

Do not get it twisted, the 31-year-old star is still an influential player who can produce moments of magic for United, but the arrivals of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko mean that he does not need to carry the team on his back anymore.

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He still has two years left on his contract and only turned 31 last month, which means that he does still have plenty of gas left in the tank, but there is another player at United who may have Bruno’s captaincy in his sights, Matthijs de Ligt.

Why Matthijs de Ligt is a future Man Utd captain

The Netherlands international is five years younger than Bruno and may have more of a long-term future at Old Trafford, which could see him eventually snatch the captaincy if he continues to shine at the back.

After the 4-2 win over Brighton, content creator Liam Canning described his performance as “monstrous”, stating that he has “been United’s best player this season” and that the defender is “a future captain in the making” for the Red Devils.

It is hard to argue with that assessment from Canning after watching the former Bayern Munich and Juventus centre-back strut his stuff against Brighton on Saturday.

Minutes

90

Interceptions

1

Clearances

6

Blocks

1

Ball recoveries

5

Aerial duel success rate

100% (2/2)

Pass accuracy

91%

As you can see in the table above, De Ligt was ‘monstrous’ at the back for Ruben Amorim by winning 100% of his aerial duels and making several important defensive interventions.

This season, per Sofascore, the United defender has won 61% of his duels across nine starts in the Premier League. This shows that he has provided a dominant defensive force at the heart of Amorim’s back three.

Rio Ferdinand recently claimed that the Dutchman should be “the first name on the teamsheet”, which is usually reserved for the captain and main star of the team, and that is high praise coming from a player who won Premier League titles whilst playing in the same position.

De Ligt, of course, has also shown that he is a leader. He was the youngest captain in the knockout stage of the Champions League when he played for Ajax in the quarter-finals at the age of 19, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he can be a leader and a captain.

Therefore, Bruno may need to watch out as his powers seem to be waning whilst De Ligt’s stock is rising and he potentially has more years left ahead of him than the Portugal international to lead the club forward as captain, should Amorim decide that he is suitable for that role.

Forget Sesko: Man Utd have Van Persie 2.0 who's 'one of the best in the PL'

Manchester United have found their next Robin van Persie in this star, and it is not Benjamin Sesko.

ByDan Emery Oct 27, 2025

Arsenal edged out a narrow 1-0 win over Fulham on Saturday evening. Leandro Trossard scored the only goal of the game on the hour mark after Gabriel Magalhaes knocked a Bukayo Saka corner into the path of the Belgian to tuck past Bernd Leno. However, the result means striker Viktor Gyokeres has failed to score since netting in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest last month.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Arsenal's misfiring striker

  The pressure has been Gyokeres since he moved to Arsenal over the summer. The Swede was rampant for Sporting CP last season, scoring 39 times as the Portuguese powerhouse claimed the Liga Portugal title.

  The 27-year-old's flying form saw him linked with a high profile move to the Premier League in the off-season with Arsenal ultimately winning the race to secure his services. Manchester United had been credited with an interest in Gyokeres, and a move to Old Trafford would have seen the Sweden international link up with Ruben Amorim again, the pair excelling together during their respective stints in Lisbon.

  However, Gyokeres has failed to live up to expectations in the opening weeks of his Arsenal career. Indeed, the former Coventry man has scored just three times in his opening eight league matches, including a brace in a routine 5-0 home win over Leeds in August.

  Gyokeres last scored against Nottingham Forest in what was Ange Postecoglou's first game at the City Ground helm, but is now on a run of seven club games without a goal, a streak that stretches to nine matches if you include his two Sweden outings this month.

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• 'We were all begging for him to score'

  Gyokeres managed three shots at Craven Cottage on Saturday evening and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes the only frustration from the game was the forward's failure to hit the back of the net again.

  "He was very close today again, two or three times. We were all begging for him to score. The work rate he puts in for the team is phenomenal, so we try to give him support and love and it will come," Arteta said after the narrow London triumph.

  Arteta isn't worried about Gyokeres' barren run in front of goal, and prior to the Fulham victory, stated that his confidence in the striker stems from a conversation they had over the summer before Arsenal signed the striker.

  The idea of Gyokeres going through a difficult spell was raised, and the reaction was telling. "He looks at you and doesn’t move. He was on the screen like this and he just said: 'It’s fine'," Arteta revealed. "That’s him. There’s no emotion there, he just has a single-targeted mindset. That’s what I love about him."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'His journey had bumps in the road'

  Arsenal place huge emphasis on analytics when it comes to signing players, but character and personality are also key traits they look for when they pursue a player. And Arteta has admitted that Gyokeres' 'bumpy' journey to the top stands the striker in good stead.

  "He has not been a top striker in all of his career. His journey had bumps in the road," Arteta said. "And when you go to a level, you’re going to have this, it doesn’t go like this (motions a constant upward curve).

  "I haven’t seen that for any player, except one or two in history. So get ready and deal with it with naturally, and obviously with all the support that he has from us."

  And Arteta is pleased with how Gyokeres has handled his dry spell, and noted that his presence and work off the ball ha created space for others.

  "Viktor adds so many things, that probably are not noticeable, the Arsenal boss said. "He creates environment and space and solutions to a lot of the players around him. And with the talent that we have in the team, I’m sure that everybody, him included, will benefit from that."

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• Gyokeres looking to end goal drought

  Arsenal now have three successive home games as Gyokeres looks to end his goal drought. The Gunners face a tough test next week as they take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in a bid to make it three European wins from three having beaten Athletic Club and Olympiacos in their opening two League phase games.

  The north London side then welcome Crystal Palace and Brighton to the Emirates between now and the end of the month in the Premier League and EFL Cup as they look to end a lengthy wait for silverware.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is ready to seriously push the boat out in an attempt to tie down star defender William Saliba, amid threatening interest from Real Madrid.

Arsenal facing William Saliba threat from Real Madrid

Saliba started his first game back from an ankle injury in their 1-1 draw with fellow Premier League title contenders Man City last Sunday, relegating in-form summer signing Cristhian Mosquera back to the bench.

While the Frenchman failed to pick up Erling Haaland’s run on the counter-attack, resulting in City’s superstar striker opening the scoring, Mikel Arteta was happy to welcome his star defender back, and Saliba’s presence was still imperative on the whole.

Arsenal 1-1 Man City – most tackles made

Number

Jurrien Timber

7

William Saliba

4

Jeremy Doku

4

Riccardo Calafiori

3

Declan Rice

2

via WhoScored

Saliba and Gabriel’s exceptional partnership, often touted as the best central defensive pairing in Europe, has been vital to the Gunners’ trophy challenges since 2022.

Largely thanks to their presence, Arsenal have conceded fewer league goals than any other side in the top flight in each of the last two seasons, with only Man City’s treble-winners and a resilient Newcastle team managing a lower number of strikes against them by the end of 2022/2023.

Saliba has established himself as one of Europe’s most commanding and assured centre-backs in that time, which has attracted serious admiration from the Bernabeu.

According to El Desmarque recently, Arsenal are only in a position to demand around £70 million from Real for Saliba next summer, as the 24-year-old has just over two years remaining on his current contract.

With Saliba’s deal expiring in 2027, Berta is currently attempting to negotiate an extension, but it is believed that talks to tie down the France international are taking some time amid a reported delay (Football Insider).

That being said, Arsenal are determined to ward off Xabi Alonso whilst ensuring Saliba is with them for many years to come.

Andrea Berta to push Arsenal limits with huge William Saliba offer

As per reporter Dean Jones, speaking to TEAMtalk, Berta is ready to push Arsenal’s limits with a huge contract offer for Saliba.

The potential deal would see Arteta’s pivotal defender become their highest earner on around £300,000-per-week — earning even more than Kai Havertz (£280k), Gabriel Jesus (£265k), Martin Odegaard (£240k), Declan Rice (£240k) and summer signing Viktor Gyokeres (£200k).

Arsenal see Saliba as one of the best defenders in world football, with Jones reporting they want him to commit at all costs.

The former Saint-Étienne star is arguably an irreplaceable force at the heart of Arteta’s backline, even if Mosquera did a pretty good job when Saliba was out.

Why Arsenal must tie down William Saliba

Crucially, Saliba is more than just a defender — he’s a leader.

His partnership with Gabriel has become the strongest in England, and his presence has allowed Arsenal to play the high defensive line that underpins their entire tactical approach. Without him, the system arguably doesn’t work the same way.

Securing his future is about more than money or contract clauses — it’s about signalling to the rest of Europe just how serious Arteta’s side are about becoming the continent’s most elite club.

If Arsenal want to continue challenging Liverpool and Man City whilst competing in the Champions League, they cannot risk losing their defensive lynchpin.

Saliba is the type of player you build dynasties around, and the Gunners have worked too hard to reach this point only to let one of their crown jewels leave for a meagre cost.

This season, Leeds United have the tough task of surviving in the Premier League as a newly promoted side. It has not been done in the previous two campaigns, with all six sides coming up from the Championship going straight back down.

Of course, the Whites are back in the top flight for the first time since 2022/23. The previous season, they stayed up by the skin of their teeth, largely thanks to their iconic winger Raphinha.

His penalty away to Brentford on the final day of the season helped them to a 2-1 win to keep them in the Premier League.

Daniel Farke won’t have the Brazilian at his disposal this season, but Leeds are linked with another exciting attacker.

Leeds' plans after signing Noah Okafor

It has been a busy summer already for Leeds, with nine new faces through the door, the latest of which has seen Noah Okafor arrive for a reported figure of £17m.

However, it does not seem like their transfer dealings will stop there.

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According to a report from Leeds Live, the Whites have a ‘hope of hijacking’ Crystal Palace’s deal to sign Bilal El Khannouss from Leicester City. He is a player Leeds have already held talks to sign this summer.

It seemed like the deal was off for Farke’s side, with El Khannouss choosing to go to Selhurst Park. Yet, Oliver Glasner’s side are not ‘fully committed’ to the move and have ‘temporarily halted’ talks, which could give Leeds a chance to pull the deal off.

If so, they’d surely have to match the £32m fee Palace are set to pay the Foxes.

Why El Khannouss would be a good signing

Without doubt, Leeds and the other promoted sides this season have a bit of a mountain to climb in order to stay in the Premier League.

Yet, signing a “magician” like the Moroccan star, as football scout Antonio Mango called him, would go a long way to helping stay in the division.

Despite a tough year for Leicester in 2024/25, El Khannouss was one of their standout players.

In 37 games across all competitions, he scored three goals and assisted six. This season, he has started on fire, with two assists in the Championship in as many games.

As well as impressing in the Premier League, the 21-year-old has also shone for Morocco. He starred in their third-place finish at the 2024 Olympic Games, scoring and assisting three times and creating ten chances along the way, as per Sofascore.

Well, just from those numbers, it is easy to see how El Khannouss could be Leeds’ most exciting signing since Raphinha.

Ex-teammates at Elland Road have waxed lyrical about the Brazilian, too, with Dan James calling him a “magician”, exactly the way Mango described the potential new Leeds signing.

His time for the Yorkshire outfit was short but sweet. The now-Barcelona forward, who shone last season under Hansi Flick, played 67 games in that famous white shirt.

In that time, he scored 17 times and assisted 12, with the most famous strike surely that final-day penalty at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Leeds fans would love for the Moroccan star to have the same impact as Raphinha in their survival campaign of 2021/22.

That season, the Brazilian averaged 2.01 key passes and 2.75 progressive carries each game. In comparison, last term for the Foxes, El Khannouss played an average of 1.74 key passes and averaged 3.02 progressive carries per 90 minutes.

Key passes

1.74

2.01

Progressive passes

5.29

4.14

Goal-creating actions

0.29

0.31

Progressive carries

3.02

2.75

Ball recoveries

3.80

5.12

It is easy to see why El Kahnnouss would be Leeds’ best signing since Raphinha. Not only does he have similar creative numbers to the Brazilian, but he has also been given similar high praise in his short career so far.

For a fee in the region of £32m, the Moroccan star could revolutionise this Leeds team and bring back some of the magic Raphinha added at Elland Road.

Better than Nmecha: Leeds now competing to sign "powerful" new striker

Leeds United are reportedly competing to sign a striker who could be even better than Lukas Nmecha.

1 ByDan Emery Aug 20, 2025

New Zealand opener suffered a nasty head injury ten days ago but looked comfortable in the nets on the eve of the match against Pakistan

Danyal Rasool18-Feb-20252:10

‘NZ have both depth and experience to go far’

Rachin Ravindra is first in the training nets in Karachi, marking his guard even as Tom Latham equivocates on his availability for the Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan.Like a celebrity adamant to prevent unflattering photographs being taken, he’s already got his helmet on, the gash on his forehead and the stitches holding it together hidden from view. New Zealand have wrapped more than just bandages around him, protecting him from a rushed return after the freak injury he suffered ten days ago, when he lost sight of a slog from Khushdil Shah and got hit by the ball flush on the forehead.Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell bowl spin to him, and Ravindra’s signature flamboyance is on full display. He backs away and clears his front leg, carving a glorious lofted cover drive. When one is tossed up and overpitched, he unleashes an on drive; but for the nets, it was comfortably clearing the boundary.When Ravindra was initially hit, there were fears of a much more damaging injury. His legs buckled from underneath him as he stared at the ground, dazed and bleeding profusely. He received lengthy treatment as he lay prone with a stretcher brought on, and warm empathic applause rippled as he was gingerly led off the outfield.Related

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But every update that came from the New Zealand camp in the incident’s wake was more optimistic than the last. He hadn’t been concussed, he hadn’t lost consciousness, there was no damage to his eyes, nose or teeth. A “chirpy character”, Kane Williamson called him, his personality was largely back to normal by New Zealand’s next game, but they weren’t going to take any chances with him.”Rachin will train tonight and we’ll get a bit more of an indication of how he’s going,” Latham had said just moments earlier. “His recovery’s going good, but just need to make sure since it was a pretty nasty injury. When it’s a head injury you just need to make sure things are all right, so just going through the protocols he needs to go through and we’ll wait and see.”In the fortnight since New Zealand have been in Pakistan, they have taken such setbacks in their stride. This is the side that, most famously, is greater than the sum of its parts. Devon Conway took Ravindra’s place for the remainder of the tri-series; he scored 97 and 48 as they won the trophy. In this time, Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears also became unavailable, but no bother; Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy replaced them without any apparent hardship. Kyle Jamieson will not be available tomorrow but is on his way as Ferguson’s Champions Trophy replacement, and New Zealand simply chug along.Rachin Ravindra was struck by the ball on his forehead during the tri-series•AFP/Getty Images”It’s about adapting to conditions and surfaces as best we can,” Latham said. “The surface we played on here against Pakistan looked slightly different to the one Pakistan played on against South Africa. We’ll have a look at what the wicket’s like today but it’s about adapting as best we can. We’ve played three games here and a warm-up game, so guys are reasonably familiar with conditions and it’s about playing our brand to the best of our ability.”New Zealand have not so much treated the last ten days as a dry run as a platform to showcase their repertoire. They won a game by consolidating with the top order and exploding at the death. In the game against South Africa, they demonstrated their quality in pursuit of 304, Williamson leading a cruise of a chase. In the final, the pace and spin attacks combined to asphyxiate Pakistan for a below-par total, the outcome never in doubt. They won three games in three different ways with just about everyone taking turns to shine.”It’s nice to be performing,” Latham said. “Throughout the tri-series and the warm-up game, we’re fortunate everyone within the squad has had some time with the ball or bat. Nice that we’ve been playing well through the tri-series. We were put under pressure in all three games and we’ve obviously managed to overcome that and come out on the right side. We’ve got the results but at the same time, it’s nice we’ve been able to overcome that pressure which will hopefully hold us in good stead.”By now, the spinners have had their turn, and Jacob Duffy and Will O’Rourke are having a go. Ravindra stands back, well away from the stumps. He lingers by the corner, watching intently, perhaps acclimatising himself to the pace from that angle without putting himself in harm’s way. A short while later, he emerges from the nets, thanking the net bowlers before having a long chat with Tim Southee, here in Pakistan as an ICC ambassador, before disappearing into the dressing room.He emerges half an hour later, helmet gone and ball in hand, but only uses it for throwdowns rather than the usual left-arm orthodox. Conway, Williamson and bowling coach Shane Jurgensen huddle around him and another lengthy conversation follows. Evidently, if New Zealand are to play him, they want to make absolutely sure he’s all right to take the field.And if they don’t, they’ve shown they can cope just fine, too.