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Leeds United remain interested in signing Nottingham Forest starlet Brennan Johnson.

What’s the story?

Reports in the January transfer window suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were interested in landing the 20-year-old, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.

Football Insider have now claimed that while Forest are preparing new contract talks with the youngster over staying at the club, Leeds are continuing to monitor him ahead of a potential move.

He was fantastic against Arsenal in the FA Cup

Sabri Lamouchi, Johnson’s former manager at Forest, hailed him not just as an “unbelievable player” but also one with the “right mentality” – exactly the kind of words which will have Bielsa nodding his head in appreciation.

The starlet enjoyed an impressive campaign on loan at Lincoln City in League One last season, scoring ten goals and providing a further twelve assists in the league – his displays were key as they made the play-off final, losing to Blackpool 2-1 despite him setting up a goal at Wembley.

It’s no surprise then that he has kicked on once again, this time in the Championship.

The 20-year-old has bagged seven goals and provided another five assists in 30 games across all competitions, playing in a whopping seven different positions, including stints on either flank, and through the middle on his own as well.

His performance in the FA Cup earlier this year against Ben White and Arsenal was a particular highlight.

Despite not getting on the scoresheet himself in that famous victory over the Gunners, he completely destroyed the north Londoners’ full-back Nuno Tavares, and he got the better of former Leeds defender White as well.

As per Sofascore, he attempted two dribbles, provided one key pass, sent in two crosses and also managed one interception, regularly being spotted doing his defensive work.

Writing in her post-match player ratings for The Nottingham Post, Sarah Clapson gave him the joint-highest score of a nine, saying: “Had the measure of Nuno Tavares early on, so much so the Gunners man suffered the indignity of a first half substitution. Continued to put the visitors on the back foot with his awesome pace.”

Johnson’s performance in that game at the City Ground showed exactly why he would be an exciting signing for Bielsa and Leeds if they can eventually land him.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has delivered an update on this Leeds United transfer target…

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has dropped a fresh twist in Everton’s hunt for a new manager…

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days had suggested that former Porto boss Vitor Pereira was the man leading the race to replace Rafa Benitez on a permanent basis, but it now appears that Frank Lampard has once again come into consideration following a significant development.

Writing initially on Twitter, Ornstein said: “Amid a mixed reaction reaction to reports of Vitor Pereira’s potential appointment as Everton boss, understand a final decision has yet to be made by #EFC owner Farhad Moshiri and Frank Lampard is still very much in contention for the job.”

Fans will be buzzing

The fact that Toffees fans took to protesting about Pereira’s potential appointment as the club’s new manager speaks volumes about just how much they disagreed with Moshiri’s first choice.

Ornstein’s update that the reaction to Pereira’s possible hiring has seemingly impacted the decision to appoint him is sure to be a major relief to Everton fans, while revealing Lampard is still “very much in contention” is a double boost.

And on Twitter, a move for Lampard was backed by The Telegraph’s Matt Law, who said: “Sure I’ll get stick on Twitter for this but surely Lampard is the obvious choice for Everton. Fans seem to want him, track record in English football, can communicate ideas quickly + make instant impact. Not only proved he can use youth but has also made good transfer decisions

“Qualifying for and managing in the CL, also getting to an FA Cup final, seems plenty qualified for the Everton job to me. Yes, Chelsea were ninth when they had sacked him after 19 games, but they had been in top 3 for first 11 games of that season.”

Lampard’s time with Chelsea and Derby has seen him pick up valuable experience in English football, and quite crucially, a real mix between competing at the very top end of the pyramid with the Blues, and leading a side in the play-offs down in the Championship.

As Law himself says, Everton “fans seem to want him”, and it’s exactly why Ornstein’s news on this mini manager saga is sure to delight them.

Meanwhile, Everton have made an enquiry for this European star…

England have added Tim Bresnan to their squad for the final Test of the summer against Pakistan at Lord’s on Thursday

Cricinfo staff22-Aug-2010England have added Tim Bresnan to their squad for the final Test of the summer against Pakistan at Lord’s on Thursday.Having taken the unprecedented route of naming their starting XI three days in advance of the third Test, which they went on to lose by four wickets, England have returned to their more established option of naming a squad this time round, with Bresnan the only addition to the team that lost at The Oval.Going into the match it was Alastair Cook’s position at the top of the order that was most under scrutiny but he responded with 110 in the second innings and Geoff Miller, the national selector, feels his performance was a bright spot in the defeat.”There were some real positives from the last Test such as Alastair Cook’s outstanding century and the way the team fought hard on the final day defending a small total,” said Miller. “But ultimately the team is looking for an improved performance to finish the series well.”Bresnan kept his spot ahead of Yorkshire team-mate Ajmal Shahzad after replacing him in the squad for the first Test when Shahzad suffered an ankle injury. It gives Shahzad another opportunity to work on his game at his home county, after taking seven wickets in Yorkshire’s recent Championship victory over Durham.”We have been saying throughout this entire series that consistency is key and that certainly remains the case. We know Pakistan are a dangerous side, which they showed in the last Test, so we will be looking for a strong performance across the board in this final Test match of the summer.”England squad: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Tim Bresnan

According to sources close to The Daily Mail, there has been a very promising update as Tottenham Hotspur look to seal the signing of Wolves winger Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Spurs in talks…

As explained by reliable outlets, Tottenham are in discussions to sign the Premier League forward by the end of January 31 with manager Antonio Conte already mapping out a role.

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Indeed, the Spurs boss is apparently after Traore as he aims to re-mould the player into a right-wing back for Tottenham’s back-three system.

This comes as summer signing Emerson Royal fails to impress the Italian with transfer chief Fabio Paratici now tasked to bring Wolves’ ace to north London.

In an update, the Mail have just dropped some very promising news.

The Latest: ‘Strong’ chance of agreement…

As per their sources, chances of a Spurs agreement to sign Traore are now ‘strong’ with the Lilywhites ‘pushing to complete a £20 million deal’.

The Mail also back that Conte is planning to use the player as a right-wing back but also claim that Spain’s international ace could fill one of the two wide-attacking roles in a 3-4-3 formation.

The Verdict: Big update…

As Tottenham are now very likely to sign Traore this winter, we believe he could be a snip at £20m going by his age and plaudits in England’s top flight already.

There is a reason Wolves once valued the 25-year-old at around £50 million and Paratici should certainly take advantage of the attacker’s contract situation to sign him for £30m less.

His current deal is set to expire at the end of next season with no extension in sight, gifting Conte and the club an opportunity to bolster their ranks with a serious threat.

Wolves legend Steve Bull, speaking to FootballFanCast, even called him a ‘world-beater’ on his day and it’s safe to claim Traore would be an exciting first signing of the Conte era.

In other news: ‘This will get Tottenham fans excited…’ – Sky Sports drop major N17 transfer update on live TV, find out more here.

So far in the current January transfer window, Celtic have managed to bring a number of new players to the club such as Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda among others.

However, it seems as though the Parkhead club could be set to say goodbye to a familiar face connected with the Bhoys after recent reports emerged claiming that Celtic have terminated Leigh Griffiths’ contract.

With the club seemingly cutting ties with the Scot, one player that could or should follow in his footsteps out of Celtic is fellow attacker Albian Ajeti.

Celtic signed Ajeti back in the 2020 summer transfer window from English Premier League side West Ham United in a deal worth a reported fee of £4.5m.

Since then, the 24-year-old has gone on to make 48 appearances for the Hoops across all competitions but has only managed to score nine goals and provide five assists, which is far less than what the club would have hoped for when they signed him.

Labelled as a “problem” in the past by Packie Bonner in terms of his efforts on the pitch, Ajeti has only started six of the 17 games he’s appeared in for Celtic across all competitions this term, scoring just three goals in the process, exposing his inability to find the net on a regular basis.

As well as his lack of goals this campaign, his performances in the SPFL have not been much to shout about either with WhoScored giving him an overall season rating of 6.47/10, making him one of the lowest-rated players in Ange Postecoglou’s squad to start more than one league game this season.

With that in mind, it could be worth Celtic continuing their clear out after reportedly terminating Griffiths’ contract and pushing Ajeti, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £18k-per-week according to Salary Sport, out the door as well before the current transfer window ends.

Taking into account how it has been claimed by journalist Pete O’Rourke that Celtic could look to add some more attacking players to their squad before the end of the month, this could only push Ajeti further down the pecking order or potentially out the door altogether.

In other news: Big boost: Ange drops huge Celtic injury update that’ll surely have fans delighted – opinion

Sussex Sharks remain in control of the Twenty20 South Group after thrashing Hampshire Royals by nine wickets at Hove

18-Jun-2010
ScorecardSussex Sharks remain in control of the Twenty20 South Group after thrashing Hampshire Royals by nine wickets at Hove. The reigning champions are on course for the knockout stages again after recording their sixth win in seven games as they chased down a target of 133 in just 11.4 overs.Matt Prior fell for a golden duck, stumped by Nic Pothas off the bowling of slow left-armer Danny Briggs in the first over, but that was as good as it got for the Royals as Brendon McCullum and captain Murray Goodwin went on the rampage.Goodwin smashed 76 from just 35 balls, winning the match with a six off Dominic Cork – the second of his innings – to add to 11 boundaries. McCullum lost little in comparison as he hammered 59 from 33 deliveries with six fours and four sixes, his first half-century in his short stint with the Sharks.At one stage Sussex scored 31 runs from just eight balls as seamer Chris Wood’s second over disappeared for 21 and McCullum hit the first two deliveries of the next from Briggs for six and four.An understrength Royals’ attack had no answer and after picking up just two wins from five games so far they are already struggling to make the knockout stages. Sussex had earlier produced an excellent bowling performance to restrict the Royals to 132 for 8 after visiting skipper Cork had won the toss.Goodwin sprung a surprise by opening with his two slow bowlers and it paid off when off-spinner Ollie Rayner, making his first appearance in the competition for nearly four years, struck in his first over as Michael Lumb’s wretched form continued when the World Twenty20 winner drove to mid on.Jimmy Adams, who had scored a century against Surrey on Sunday, looked in the mood to make another hefty contribution, quickly moving to 31 with three fours and a six. But he failed to make his ground when sent back by Michael Carberry and was run out by McCullum’s under-arm throw from backward point.Dwayne Smith then picked up wickets in successive overs with Sean Ervine beaten by extra pace and bounce while Michael Carberry cut to backward point. When Australian Dan Christian was leg before on the walk to offspinner Chris Nash the Royals were 76 for 5 and struggling.They were revived by a stand of 45 from 33 balls between South African Neil McKenzie and Nic Pothas, with McKenzie top scoring with 40 from 35 deliveries. He should have been run out on 32 and Sussex also dropped three catches, but James Kirtley and Chad Keegan bowled superbly at the end of the innings with only 26 runs scored in the last four overs.McKenzie was deceived by Keegan’s slow bouncer and the former Middlesex quick then bowled Wood to finish with 2 for 22 while Kirtley had Pothas taken at deep point in the final over to further stall Hampshire’s momentum.

David Warner is sick of hearing about being a Twenty20 specialist

Cricinfo staff09-May-2010David Warner is sick of hearing about being a Twenty20 specialist and hopes his outstanding form in the short game doesn’t stop his dreams of winning a baggy green. Warner’s strong starts with Shane Watson are one of the reasons Australia are undefeated heading into the Super Eight match against Sri Lanka in Barbados on Sunday.Warner has 114 runs in 71 balls during the first three games, including an onslaught of seven sixes in his 72 against India. “A lot of the guys in the team take the mickey out of me about being a Twenty20 specialist,” he said in The Sunday Telegraph. “Your ambition as a kid is to play Test cricket and wear the baggy green. That’s always been my goal.”The performance against India earned him the Man-of-the-Match prize and he is becoming a big target for opposition teams. Sri Lanka have lost Muttiah Muralitharan to a groin injury but the side has fast and slow threats in Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis that Warner will have to overcome.Warner said he hadn’t spoken with the selectors about his prospects in the other forms of the game. “It’s probably better that those guys don’t come up to me and tell me what to do because it could play with my head,” he said. “I know what I have to do.”He played with Virender Sehwag, another brutal opener, with Delhi in the IPL and asked for tips. “I said: ‘What game do you think would suit me?’ He said: ‘This [Twenty20] is your game, but Test cricket will be the key. All the field is up, opening the batting there you can play your shots.'”The hardest thing about Twenty20 cricket for me is that you have to keep looking at the scoreboard. There are times when you have to pull it in a little bit. But once you’re going and the adrenalin is going, you’re all pumped up and you want to keep scoring runs.”

The next IPL auction will have a salary cap of $7 million for each franchise, it has been announced. The auction is likely to see all players available for signing for the first time since the inaugural auction in 2008

Cricinfo staff23-Mar-2010The next IPL auction will have a salary cap of $7 million for each franchise, it has been announced. The auction, due to be held later this year, is likely to see all players available for signing for the first time since the inaugural auction in 2008.”This would mean $70 million for the 10 teams every year and $210 million in three years,” Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman was quoted as telling PTI. “This will be the single largest auction in sporting world, you see even in art auctions the bids are for a few million and that too for total ownership. In IPL, the amount that the teams would spend on players would be huge for having the contract for just three years.”Modi said the enhanced cap for auctioning would be for three years, starting with the fourth season of the IPL in 2011, and that the details of the increased ceiling and the auction programme would be announced after the current tournament.Like in the initial auction for the 2008 season, Modi said there would be a three-year lock-in period for players acquired in 2011 as well, and that there would be “separate trading windows for the purpose”, in case players or teams wanted to make changes.The decision came on a day Subroto Roy, the Sahara Group chief who won the rights for one of the two new franchises added to the IPL, suggested an increase on the cap. Roy acquired the Pune franchise while Rendezvous World Sports bagged rights for the Kochi team, taking the total number to 10.

Cricinfo previews the return match between Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers at the Brabourne Stadium

The Preview by Sidharth Monga02-Apr-2010Match factsSaturday, April 3
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)
A fit and ready Ryan Harris will be crucial to Deccan’s plans•Associated PressBig pictureTime is running out for Deccan Chargers, who have won only three matches by the halfway stage. They’ve lost two from strong positions. Kolkata Knight Riders, whom they let off the hook in the opening match of the tournament, came back to beat them convincingly in the return match. The other team, Mumbai Indians, awaits on Saturday.If Ryan Harris is fit and ready, Deccan will look to him to strengthen their weakest link. Both their near-misses can be attributed to Deccan’s poor death bowling. Like Chaminda Vaas and RP Singh against Kolkata, Kemar Roach and Andrew Symonds lost the script against Mumbai in their first encounter. Even in one of the matches that Deccan won, ordinary bowling from RP let Kings XI Punjab come close in a match that shouldn’t have gone into the last over.Mumbai haven’t been thinking twice before accepting such largesse from other teams this season. They have been winning the close matches, a marked change from previous years; they are closing out matches ruthlessly; and they are looking for a win that should all but seal their place in the semi-finals. And we are only about halfway through.Form guide (most recent first)Mumbai Indians WWWWL
Deccan Chargers LLLWW
Team talkHarris has arrived in India, and Deccan will be hoping he is fresh and fit to replace Roach, who has gone for 80 in his eight wicketless overs so far. Alternatively, Vaas could come back too, but his death bowling has been a worry. RP could come back after his replacement, Harmeet Singh, failed to impress.Mumbai don’t really need changes to a winning combination, but there could be a case for dropping one of their West Indians, and trying JP Duminy. Between them. Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo have scored 131 runs in 11 innings, and Mumbai would like to test Duminy’s form before they reach the more important matches.Previously…Deccan 3 Mumbai 2
In their first encounter this season, Mumbai were stumbling to a below-par total at the DY Patil Stadium when Harbhajan Singh went mad and Deccan lost the plot.Prime numbersSachin Tendulkar is the highest scorer in Powerplay overs. He has scored 163 in the first six and been dismissed once, and has scored at a rate of 9.40 runs per over. Adam Gilchrist has a strike rate of 11.36 runs per over but has been dismissed six times in Powerplay overs.Mumbai are one of only two teams to have scored more than 300 runs through their opening partnerships. They have 301 in seven innings at a run rate of 9.07 per over while Bangalore lead with 378 in seven innings at a run rate of 7.87. Deccan have a higher run rate, 10.93, but their opening partnerships have scored only 195 in seven tries. Tendulkar, at 314 runs, needs 49 runs to reclaim the orange cap that he got to wear only for one day.In the spotlightAdam Gilchrist has given Deccan a few quick starts but is yet to last long enough to put them in a winning position. That he has faced just 88 balls in seven innings as an opener tells a story. It’s about time that Deccan started expecting one of those special nights when everybody else is a spectator.Kieron Pollard gets paid more per match than Dwayne Bravo. Pollard is a less accomplished international player than Bravo. Pollard is less of a bowler than Bravo, and perhaps more dispensable. Despite the winning run for his team, Pollard will feel under pressure. Tendulkar, though, hasn’t been a fickle captain, and knows a Pollard special can’t be too far away. Pollard will want to prove Tendulkar right as soon as possible.The chatter”All is not lost. We have one win less what we were this time last year. After seven games, we had memorable four wins to be back. It goes without saying that there is much work to be done.”

Cricinfo presents the plays of the day from day five of the second Test between India and South Africa in Kolkata

N Hunter18-Feb-2010Amla prospers in silence
Eden Gardens had not even started to fill in when Virender Sehwag bowled the day’s first ball. So when Hashim Amla raised his bat, having taken a single to reach his half-century, barring a few isolated claps, no one seemed interested in acknowledging his efforts.Mishra needs a Ranadeb Bose pillRanadeb Bose, Bengal’s medium-fast bowler, has never bowled a front-foot no-ball in his entire first-class career. Perhaps, Amit Mishra needs to pay Bose a visit, now that he is in Kolkata. The legspinner over-stepped the line on 13 occasions in this Test to carry his series tally to 18.Dhoni’s left theory
When in Bengal think ‘Left’. With Amla well set MS Dhoni opted for a bizarre leg-side field comprising a backward square leg, square leg, midwicket and a mid-on along with the short leg for a couple of early Harbhajan Singh overs. Not sure what exactly the Indian captain had on his mind, but to the normal eye it seemed pure left theory.Boucher, the cutman
Each time there was a drinks break or the batsman signalled the dressing room for any sort of assistance, Mark Boucher rushed to the middle to inject a fresh dose of motivation and inspiration in equal proportions to Amla. Just like a cutman in a boxing ring, Boucher had towels, wet and dry, across his shoulders with a water bottle at hand as he lent the exhausted Amla a shoulder, whispering words of wisdom into his team-mate’s ears. It did help Amla who played a gallant knock and held his head high despite the lows.Harris distracts himself
The needle had already been established in the first innings after Ishant Sharma had seen off Paul Harris with a , having forced the South African to nick. Today, as Amla pushed the game into the final session the Indians grew desperate and an equally anxious Harris decided to play with their nerves. As Ishant charged in to bowl and was about to take the leap before delivering the ball, Harris moved back out of the crease, waving towards the sight an irritant behind the sightscreen.Viru’s foul play
With the game entering the final five overs, the Indian desperation reached levels where players were willing to cross the line. Amla cut Sachin Tendulkar to the point boundary, but the ball stopped a few inches inside the ropes, but Virender Sehwag tapped it with his foot, which was, picked up by the TV cameras and India were penalised five runs.