Category Uncategorized

Leeds United are preparing for life back in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship at the second time of asking under Daniel Farke.

The Whites and the 49ers Enterprises have already been linked with replacing the Leeds manager ahead of their top flight return due to concerns about his previous record with Norwich City.

In what would be a ruthless call from the Elland Road board, Leeds are also likely to be very busy in the transfer market to bolster their squad with quality on the pitch to remain a Premier League side.

Latest Leeds 2025 summer transfer targets: in pictures

Leeds summer transfer targets 2025

Player

Age

Club

Kalvin Phillips

29

Man City

Manor Solomon

25

Tottenham

Sam Johnstone

32

Wolves

Julian Weigl

29

Borussia Monchengladbach

Evan Ferguson

20

Brighton

Tomas Soucek

30

West Ham

Caoimhin Kelleher

26

Liverpool

Nico Elvedi

28

Borussia Monchengladbach

George Hirst

26

Ipswich Town

Aaron Ramsdale

26

Southampton

Nicolas Raskin

24

Rangers

Hidemasa Morita

29

Sporting CP

Abdoulaye Doucoure

32

Everton

Angus Gunn

29

Norwich City

Tammy Abraham

27

AS Roma

James Trafford

22

Burnley

Djordje Petrovic

25

Chelsea

Modibo Sagnan

26

Montpellier

Zaidu Sanusi

27

FC Porto

Dembo Saidykhan

21

Vancouver Whitecaps

1 Kalvin Phillips Man City

Former Whites midfielder Kalvin Phillips has found life difficult after leaving Leeds for Man City in 2022. Recent loan spells at West Ham and Ipswich Town haven’t worked out for the defensive midfielder, who could now be on the search for another new club this summer.

Reports have linked Phillips with a return to Leeds, saying that he is keen on the idea of heading back to his boyhood club.

Kalvin Phillips stats at Leeds

Appearances

234

Goals

14

Assists

13

Yellow cards

54

Red cards

4

Minutes played

18,257

2 Manor Solomon Tottenham

Loanee Manor Solomon has helped Leeds into the Premier League with some crucial displays during the run-in, and he is expected to become a permanent Whites player this summer.

The Israel international could cost around £15m, with claims he is set to be Leeds’ first signing of the window.

3 Sam Johnstone Wolves

A new goalkeeper to replace Illan Meslier could be high up on the to-do list for Leeds, and Sam Johnstone of Wolves is thought to be of interest at Elland Road.

A goalkeeper with plenty of Premier League experience now after stints with West Brom, Crystal Palace and Wolves, Johnstone was actually on the books of rivals Man Utd early in his career and starred against Leeds back in 2023.

4 Julian Weigl Borussia Monchengladbach

Farke has previously worked with midfielder Julian Weigl at Borussia Monchengladbach and recent claims have suggested that initial contact has taken place over a move to Leeds.

The Monchengladbach captain has plenty of experience in the Bundesliga and has even played in the Champions League, so he could add that extra bit of quality in midfield for the Whites.

5 Evan Ferguson Brighton

With doubts at Leeds over Joel Piroe and Patrick Bamford in the Premier League, a new striker looks set to be signed ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, with Brighton’s Evan Ferguson a target.

The Irishman has been on loan at West Ham for the second half of the 2024/25 season, and by the looks of things, Leeds could try their luck with a forward who could be the “next Harry Kane”.

6 Tomas Soucek West Ham

Towering West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek is another Premier League player to be linked with Leeds, especially after falling out of favour under Graham Potter recently.

The Czech Republic international is wanted by Leeds and Everton with the 49ers even willing to pay him a whopping £120,000-a-week, an increase on his current Hammers deal.

Tomas Soucek: Major titles won

Trophy

Years won

Europa Conference League

2023

Czech First League

2017, 2019, 2020

Czech Cup

2018, 2019

7 Caoimhin Kelleher Liverpool

Another goalkeeper who could replace Meslier at Elland Road is Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher, who could be a man in demand over the coming months.

Kelleher has impressed when called upon at Anfield and may well become number one for the first time in his career in Yorkshire.

Caoimhin Kelleher: Major titles won

Trophy

Years won

Premier League

2020, 2025

Champions League

2019

FA Cup

2022

EFL Cup

2022, 2024

UEFA Super Cup

2019

8 Nico Elvedi Borussia Monchengladbach

Another Borussia Monchengladbach player who Farke knows well is defender Nico Elvedi, who has been with the Bundesliga side since 2015.

Reports claimed that Leeds were preparing a £10m offer to sign the experienced Switzerland international if promotion was secured, something they can now do.

9 George Hirst Ipswich Town

Leeds could look to raid the teams coming down from the Premier League, with recent rumours of a move for Ipswich Town forward George Hirst.

The Tractor Boys are looking to keep the attacker at Portman Road with a new deal due to interest from the Whites and fellow promoted side Burnley.

10 Aaron Ramsdale Southampton

Another Premier League relegated target is goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who reportedly has a £25m release clause in his Southampton contract.

The Englishman has admirers from Leeds and the likes of Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, although he could get regular game time at Elland Road.

Turning their attention towards future stars, Liverpool scouts are now reportedly keen for sporting director Richard Hughes to sign one particular 16-year-old gem ahead of Barcelona this summer.

Liverpool could endure summer of change

With Trent Alexander-Arnold’s exit now more inevitable than ever and the likes of Andy Robertson and Darwin Nunez struggling for form under Arne Slot, it could be a summer of change at Liverpool. What they will hope to avoid, however, are departures for Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, with a new deal for the former now considered a matter of when and not if, as per David Ornstein.

The Dutchman provided a fresh update on his deal following Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat at the hands of Fulham, telling reporters: “There is progress, yeah. Listen, these are internal discussions and we’ll see.

“I love the club, I love the fans and they were there for us again [at Fulham]. We wanted to reward them, but I ask them to be there again on Sunday and make the stadium an amazing venue like always for us.”

Of course, Van Dijk’s main focus will be on ensuring that Liverpool seal the Premier League title once and for all in their remaining seven games. Sat 11 points clear of chasing contenders Arsenal, the Reds need just four wins to secure their crown. Even if doubt began to creep in against Fulham too, the Reds could instantly put that to bed against West Ham United this weekend.

Related Slot may have unlocked a Mascherano & Alonso hybrid in Liverpool “machine”

Many of Liverpool’s players have hit new levels under the Dutchman’s management.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Apr 9, 2025

Meanwhile, once their place at the top of English football is confirmed, their focus will turn towards the summer transfer window. Already, a number of names have threatened to steal the headlines on that front and if reports are anything to go by, those at Anfield are in for a busy few months ahead of next season.

Liverpool battling Barcelona to sign Mederic

Though it’ll be bigger names like Jonathan David and Milos Kerkez who steal the headlines this summer, no matter where they find themselves playing next season, Liverpool are still keeping an eye on welcoming future stars.

According to Africa Foot, as relayed by Sports Witness, Liverpool scouts are now keen for Hughes to sign Obli Kouame Jean Mederic ahead of interest from Barcelona, who want to add him to their famous La Masia academy.

The 16-year-old defender has reportedly been outstanding at the U17 Africa Cup of Nations this month and has done enough to attract the attention of Liverpool, Barcelona, Marseille and Atalanta.

Helping Ivory Coast finish top of their group at the U17 AFCON, Mederic is certainly one to watch at just 16 years old. Liverpool, of course, aren’t afraid to shop around other academies, having welcomed Harvey Elliott from Fulham in the past and – more recently – Rio Ngumoha from Chelsea last summer.

Now, they could get one over on Barcelona by welcoming Mederic at the first chance they get this summer. It’s then that the Ivory Coast defender would join up with the Reds’ academy, before perhaps one day joining the likes of Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate within Slot’s backline.

Radha Yadav says “only the fielding part changed the momentum” in the fourth T20I where India restricted England to 126 with a supreme performance in the field

Valkerie Baynes10-Jul-2025Charlie Dean was face down and covered in dirt, so you couldn’t read her lips or hear her voice over the celebrating Indian fans, but the violent jerk of her head suggested an expletive or two may have been uttered.Her dismissal, and frustration at it, summed up England’s woes and India’s strength in the fourth T20I all at once; England failed to mount a challenge and their opponents were hungry, as illustrated by their superb fielding display.So, when Dean reverse-swept Radha Yadav straight to short third, yet set off for a single only to be sent back by partner Sophie Ecclestone, N Shree Charani fired the ball to the keeper’s end with speed and accuracy and Richa Ghosh whipped off the bails as Dean dived in vain.Related

• Harmanpreet and Mandhana hope India 'break the barrier' for maiden World Cup glory

• Harmanpreet embraces 'happy headache' with India's depth on the rise

• 'One more ball, please' – The quiet rise of N Shree Charani

• Spinners set up historic series win for India

Charani, who only made her T20I debut at the start of this series and is the leading wicket-taker, already had two wickets for the match and England were 101 for 7 after electing to bat. They added 25 more runs as Ecclestone and Issy Wong attempted to give themselves something to bowl at.But India took the spoils, thanks firstly to Charani and fellow left-arm spinner Radha, who was named the Player of the Match for her 2 for 15 and contributions to India’s efforts in the field, which was a big improvement on the previous match at The Oval, which England won by five runs in the last over.In the fourth T20I at Old Trafford on Wednesday, India’s batters also showed what could be done on a pitch they had exploited with their spin-heavy attack when openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma put on a strong powerplay and Jemimah Rodrigues finished their pursuit of 127 with three overs to spare.”We spoke in the last meeting that we have to cut down the twos and we actually did that today and we were really pumped up to do that,” Radha said. “Only the fielding part, I thought, changed the momentum.”

“She probably would’ve batted through that on that wicket and got us to a score that we could have defended”Tammy Beaumont on the missing Nat Sciver-Brunt

Just as important for India had been delivering on a promise to themselves to take home a maiden T20I series victory on English soil, which they can now do with an unassailable 3-1 lead with one match to play on Saturday.”The day we came here, we spoke about eight matches and we were like, we will go absolutely hard at them no matter what,” Radha said. “The belief and the dedication this time is really different. I don’t know about the past, but this time, this team, this atmosphere, magical this is, and we are actually onto something. We want to create something big going forward.”So this is the path we want to go [on] and there’s still a lot of things we have to correct. We have that in our minds, but… this is a different team and we are going to dominate no matter what. Batting-wise, we are doing so well, but particularly bowling and fielding sets the tone for us. Batting has been really good, but bowling and fielding we touched upon and it is showing in the results.”Radha Yadav was named the Player of the Match•Getty ImagesSave for two minor blemishes – when Sophia Dunkley beat Deepti Sharma at cover point for the first boundary of the match, off the 15th ball, and when Amanjot Kaur, seeming blinded by the sun as she ran the wrong way from deep backward square leg and failed to stop a four off Tammy Beaumont – India were flawless in the field.Arundhati Reddy took three cool-as-you-like catches in the deep to remove Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Beaumont and Paige Scholfield, and Radha took a sharp, low catch at backward point to dismiss Dunkley, reaching for a slower, wider delivery as Deepti pulled her length back to the advancing batter.Radha also did brilliantly running and diving to her left to stop what had looked like a certain four as Scholfield attempted to pierce the gap between deep midwicket and long-on. Amanjot took a blow to her right wrist fielding off her own bowling as Scholfield struck the ball firmly back at her but she took a wicket two balls later, pinging the top of middle and off as Amy Jones backed away to give herself room.Charani trapped Alice Capsey lbw for 18 off 21 deliveries and Scholfield’s dismissal left England six wickets down before they had reached the 100-run mark. Dean followed and the hosts walked off at 126 for 7.Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh sealed the chase•ECB via Getty ImagesBeaumont, England’s stand-in captain while Nat Sciver-Brunt is injured, conceded that was 20 runs too few.England have lost 22 wickets to spin so far in this series, as India have persisted with the same four-spinner, two-seamer attack throughout, and Beaumont also acknowledged the hole left by Sciver-Brunt in offering a counter to that.”Nat Sciver-Brunt is irreplaceable, isn’t she, really? She’s come off as the leading run-scorer in the WPL, so she would’ve known the bowlers we’re facing inside out,” Beaumont said. “Her experience through that middle order and how aggressive she is and particularly the way she plays spin, it’s really aggressive, and she’s a real boundary-hitter for us. She probably would’ve batted through that on that wicket and got us to a score that we could have defended.”We’re so lucky to have someone like Nat, but her workload’s incredibly high and, unfortunately, these things happen. We’ve got three games where people need to step up into those shoes for just a little bit and hopefully she’s back and raring to go for some 50-over cricket for the next few months.”The final T20I will be played at Edgbaston on Saturday followed by a three-match ODI series starting in Southampton on July 16.

Stokes’ signing has added to their formidable list of allrounders, but death bowling could be a concern

Deivarayan Muthu27-Mar-20233:17

Is death bowling a concern for CSK?

Where CSK finished last seasonNinth, just above bottom-placed Mumbai Indians on net run rate.CSK squad for IPL 2023MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Moeen Ali, Bhagath Varma, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway (wk), Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Dwaine Pretorius, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Ben Stokes, Maheesh TheekshanaPlayer availability – Theekshana, Pathirana arrive lateMaheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana will only be available to CSK after participating in a six-match white-ball series for Sri Lanka in New Zealand, which will end on April 8. This means they will miss CSK’s first three games. Devon Conway and Mitchell Santner, though, have been released by NZC to be available for the entire IPL season.South Africa fast bowler Sisanda Magala, who has been signed as a replacement for the injured Kyle Jamieson, might also arrive late, if he is picked to play the home ODIs against Netherlands on March 31 and April 2.Left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary is a doubtful starter as he is recovering from a back injury at the NCA in Bengaluru.Related

Mentor Dhoni vs protege Hardik, a contest within contest to kick off IPL 2023

Potential India captain Hardik hosts superstar Dhoni in IPL opener

Chennai Super Kings sign Akash Singh as injured Mukesh Choudhary's replacement

'Home-and-away is what makes the IPL what it is'

Record-breaker N Jagadeesan leaving fear of failure behind in KKR IPL stint

There is a chance, too, that Super Kings could lose Ben Stokes’ services if they go deep into the tournament. Stokes has said he will play England’s one-off Test against Ireland at Lord’s, which is scheduled to begin four days after the IPL final, and “give [himself] enough time to to get back and play that [Ireland] game”.What’s new with CSK this yearThey forked out INR 16.25 crore (USD 1.9 million approx.) for Stokes, their marquee signing at the auction. Haryana left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Nishant Sindhu and Chhattisgarh left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Ajay Mandal have been picked as back-ups for Ravindra Jadeja. Ajinkya Rahane and former Under-19 World Cup winner Shaik Rasheed are the new reserve batters.The good – CSK return to ChepaukSuper Kings return to Chepauk for their first full season at home since 2019. They have almost every variety of spin – mystery spin, legspin, offspin, left-arm fingerspin – to exploit its slow and low pitches. Head coach Stephen Fleming has already spoken about their plans to recreate their old spin-to-win formula at home. They also have excellent batters who can counter spin like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Conway and Moeen Ali.Having worked his way back from a serious knee injury, Jadeja has won games for India in both red-ball and white-ball cricket. In the two matches he has played at Chepauk over recent weeks, including one in the Ranji Trophy for Saurashtra, Jadeja found grip, turn and bounce. With Dhoni no longer the master finisher he once was, Jadeja will also have to do that job with the bat.CSK have a surfeit of allrounders who lend depth to both batting and bowling, affording Dhoni to occupy the ‘luxury spot’. If Santner starts the season, they could have batting depth all the way down to No.10.Maheesh Theekshana could be a regular death-overs option for Super Kings•BCCIThe not-so-good – Who will bowl at the death?
With both Theekshana, who bowls at the death for Sri Lanka, and Magala, a specialist death bowler for South Africa and Sunrisers Eastern Cape, set to join the squad late, CSK might have to scramble for options at the back end of the innings. Especially when they go away from home.Two of CSK’s first-choice players – Gaikwad and Chahar – are coming back from injury. England will be watching Stokes’ workloads carefully as well, given his knee problems over the winter, and the Ashes coming up in the summer. Robin Uthappa’s retirement leaves a vacancy in their batting line-up but it is unclear who can fill it. Shivam Dube is an option, but he too is on the road back from injury and hasn’t played a competitive game since November 2022. And then there’s Rahane with a T20 strike rate of 119.CSK could potentially have five left-handers in their top seven, which exposes the line-up to offspinners and other bowlers who take the ball away from them. Sunrisers Hyderabad, for example, could target CSK’s left-hander-heavy line-up with Washington Sundar, Aiden Markram and Glenn Phillips.Schedule insightsSuper Kings will play five of their first eight matches away from home before they look to maximise points from their stretch of home games on black-soil pitches at Chepauk. The black-soil track that was used for the series decider between India and Australia offered sharp turn throughout the game.CSK’s afternoon fixture against arch-rivals Mumbai on May 6 at Chepauk will be the 1000th match in the IPL.The big question