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Arsenal are reportedly interested in an Eredivisie ace, as the Gunners prepare for a busy summer in a bid to bolster their squad.

Mikel Arteta and Edu will aim to equip the title-challenging side with depth as another hectic season beckons in August, with Champions League involvement returning to the Emirates.

What’s the latest on Jurrien Timber to Arsenal?

As reported by The Athletic’s David Ornstein late on Monday night, Arsenal are interested in Ajax defender Jurrien Timber.

The report claims that the Gunners are ‘working on a deal’ to sign the Dutchman, with an opening offer in the region of £30m made.

It’s stated that Ajax want a figure closer to £50m for the 22-year-old however Arsenal remain optimistic a compromise will be reached, with personal terms claimed to have already been agreed.

What could Jurrien Timber offer to Arsenal?

Hailed as “exceptional” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the Gunners could land themselves one of the continent's best young defensive talents this summer.

Deployed primarily as a centre-back, the 22-year-old is a competent right-back with an army of skills in defence and progressive play.

His exploits in moving the ball have seen him likened to Arsenal ace Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has transformed the club’s defence by acting as a free-roaming player with innate technical ability on the ball.

Journalist Sam Dean described the Dutchman as a ‘Zinchenko-type player’, adding that the club have been ‘planning’ to add an inverted right-back on the opposing side to nourish the defence with the expertise of the two players.

The role of both Zinchenko and the transformation of Ben White to explore the role of being an inverted full-back has played out to be integral additions to Arteta’s favoured 11.

Having players on the flanks to release and support the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka in the advanced wide positions has installed a new form of threat to his side, which could be bolstered with the introduction of Timber.

When it comes to the Ajax whizz, the numbers don’t lie with his talents in progressive play placing him as one of the best in leagues comparable to the Eredivisie, and a player with strengths mirrored to Arsenal’s Ukrainian.

As per FBref, the defender averages 8.62 progressive passes per 90 minutes, as well as maintaining an outstanding pass completion rate of 91.6% per 90, showing his ability in dispersing play.

Comparable to Zinchenko, Timber averages 81.65 attempted passes every 90, with the Gunners ace averaging 81.12 to show his desire to be on the ball and a heavy influence on play.

Their efforts going forward are similar too, with the Dutchman averaging 2.38 progressive carries to the 26-year-old’s 2.67 playing as a centre-back at Ajax with the Arsenal man deployed as a free-roaming left-back.

Winning an average of 51% of his total duels in Eredivisie, the 22-year-old has been praised as a “tenacious” defender, supported by his average of 1.4 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game this campaign, via Sofascore.

Arteta could equip his side with a top talent this summer by signing Timber, who could fit the requirements of the Spaniard’s backline perfectly, but only time will tell if the Gunners can get the deal over the line.

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group B matches that ended on October 30, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2016

Krishnappa Gowtham ran through Assam, picking up his second five-wicket haul in successive matches as Karnataka completed a 10-wicket win and earned a bonus point at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai. Assam, resuming on 48 for 1 in their second innings and trailing by 197, were bowled out for 264, with the offspinner Gowtham returning career-best figures of 7 for 108 in 34 overs and the legspinner Shreyas Gopal picking up the other three wickets.Amit Verma followed up his first-innings 166 with a 120-ball 74 containing seven fours and four sixes but no one else got past 50 although all but two of Assam’s batsmen got into double figures. Needing 20 to win, Karnataka got there in just three overs, with Mayank Agarwal hastening victory with four fours in ten balls to finish unbeaten on 17.The win lifted Karnataka to the top of Group B, above Jharkhand, who only managed three points in Wayanad, where Vidarbha’s middle and lower order batted through the first 56.2 overs of the day to frustrate their hopes of an outright win. Vidarbha stretched their overnight 315 for 3 to a third-innings total of 444, with Jitesh Sharma, Akshay Karnewar and Shrikant Wagh contributing useful 30s. For Jharkhand, seamers Ashish Kumar and Vikash Singh bowled 63.2 overs between them to take four and three wickets respectively.Set 188 to win, Jharkhand were rattled by left-arm seamer Wagh, who took three early wickets to reduce them to 48 for 4 in 13.1 overs, before they finished on 75 for 4 as Saurabh Tiwary (35*) and Virat Singh (6* off 45) batted out the remainder of the day.Half-centuries from Biplab Samantray and Saurabh Rawat led Odisha’s resistance as they frustrated Delhi’s bid for an outright win in Mohali. Odisha, on 109 for 4 overnight, lost overnight half-centurion Govinda Poddar to a run-out in the fourth over of the day to slip to 116 for 5, still 142 away from making Delhi bat again.From there, Samantray and Rawat added 134 in 59.2 overs before both fell in the space of 39 balls. Samantray was caught behind off Sumit Narwal for 88 (221b, 11×4), before Ishant Sharma dismissed Rawat for 55 (189b, 8×4) to leave Odisha seven down and still trailing by one run. Delhi, though, only managed to pick up one more wicket as Deepak Behera (15 off 58 balls), Basant Mohanty (5* off 57) and Dhiraj Singh (1* off 29) blocked Odisha to safety and one point. Between them, the eighth and ninth-wicket partnerships batted out 20.1 overs while adding 17 runs. Of that, Mohanty and Dhiraj’s unbroken ninth-wicket stand added two runs in 53 balls.Rajasthan gave Maharashtra a scare but had to be content with a single point after a 12-wicket final day in Hyderabad. Resuming their first innings on 299 for 8 and trailing Maharashtra by 162, Rajasthan’s last two wickets added 31 runs in the first five overs of the day. Having secured a first-innings lead of 131, Maharashtra would have expected a safe passage to three points, but were rocked by Rajasthan’s seamers, as Pankaj Singh and Aniket Choudhary reduced them to 38 for 4 inside ten overs of their second innings.With plenty of overs still left in the day and Maharashtra only 169 ahead, Rajasthan had a small opening in front of them, but the middle and lower order eventually ate up too much time. Maharashtra were all out for 145, but consumed 61 overs, with Chirag Khunana (36 off 64 balls), Akshay Darekar (22 off 74) and Mohsin Sayyed (11 off 55) chiefly responsible for ensuring their three points were safe. Nathu Singh picked up the last three wickets to end with figures of 3 for 32. Chasing an out-of-reach 277, Rajasthan made 4 for no loss in six overs before the teams agreed to a draw.

Glasgow Rangers appear to be edging closer to making another summer signing, with Jack Butland the next player looking set to arrive at Ibrox in the coming weeks.

What’s the latest on Jack Butland to Rangers?

According to Fabrizio Romano, Rangers are getting closer to securing the goalkeeper.

He reveealed on Twitter:

“Rangers are advancing in negotiations to sign Jack Butland as new goalkeeper on free transfer from Manchester United, deal getting closer.”

Butland spent the second half of the 2022/2023 season on loan at Manchester United from Crystal Palace, however with his contract expiring at the end of the month, he is available for nothing and Michael Beale appears to have jumped at the chance to secure his signature.

Will Jack Butland be the number one goalkeeper at Rangers next season?

Allan McGregor has now retired and while Jon McLaughlin has a year left on his current deal, Beale could be willing to move him on in the summer in order to free up some of the wage bill and make way for more incomings.

This would leave young Robby McCrorie as the only 'senior' shot-stopper in the first team squad. Whilst he has impressed during the latter stage of the season, having kept clean sheets in three of his four matches, it will be interesting to see if Beale decides that Butland is his number one ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The Englishman’s experience may prove to be the game-changer with regard to that quandary, having played 87 Premier League matches during his career to date. He has kept clean sheets in 21 of them and the £35k-per-week titan may thrive if given the chance to be no.1 next term.

There is no doubt that the last couple of years have been tough for the 30-year-old, having missed 16 games this season with a fractured finger and not making more than ten appearances during a campaign since 2019/20 for Stoke City.

During his last season in the top-flight with Stoke, he certainly showcased his abilities, making 4.1 saves per match – a success rate of 70% – while completing 0.8 run-outs per game, and he managed to keep six clean sheets in total.

Butland also has international experience, winning nine caps for England, where he has conceded only four goals, which indicates that he can perform at the highest level and with Champions League football at Ibrox next term, the Palace ‘keeper could be an excellent option to call upon.

Erik ten Hag has previously described him as “really skilful” upon his arrival at Old Trafford and this shows just how highly rated he is.

Beale could land a dream signing with Butland this summer by securing him for free, it will give the 42-year-old the chance to focus his limited funds on other crucial areas of the team.

Leeds United are finalising a move for Hamilton Academical teenager Josh McDonald, Football Insider report.

What’s the latest Leeds transfer news involving McDonald?

The Whites currently find themselves in free fall on the pitch, with Sam Allardyce the man tasked with keeping the club in the Premier League. He has three games to do just that following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to league leaders Manchester City, with Leeds now in 19th place and two points off safety after Everton and Nottingham Forest picked up wins on Monday.

However, despite the possibility of Championship football on the horizon, it looks as if the club, now without a sporting director after Victor Orta departed Elland Road, are still looking to add to their academy ranks, with McDonald seemingly on his way to Yorkshire.

Football Insider stated in the last 48 hours that Leeds have reached a full agreement to sign McDonald worth around £150,000. The midfielder has accepted a scholarship which will turn into a professional contract and was at Elland Road last week.

The report states that the 16-year-old has had a medical and ‘completed the formalities in a deal which is seen as a major coup by Leeds.’

Bigger fish to fry for Leeds right now…

McDonald is regarded as an ‘exceptional talent’ and one of the best in his age group in Scotland, and it appears as if the Whites have pipped Rangers to his services and are happy to do just that.

A transfer could well be looked back on in years to come as a shrewd piece of business, should McDonald break into the first-team ranks at Leeds, but right now, the club have a number of pressing issues.

It looks set to be an extremely busy summer off the pitch over the coming months, with another new manager likely after Allardyce's interim stint. A new director of football will also be on the agenda to replace Orta, whereas a full takeover for the 49ers from Radrizzani could also be about to materialise.

McDonald may well be a name to keep an eye on further down the line alongside another young midfielder in Archie Gray, with the teenager recently penning a professional contract with Leeds and making the bench against Manchester City last time out.

Rashid Khan belted 60 off 44 balls to rescue Afghanistan from 109 for 6 to 229, and then returned 4 for 21 in eight overs to dismiss Ireland for 150

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Rashid Khan played a starring role in Afghanistan’s victory•Peter Della Penna/ESPNcricinfo LtdSeventeen-year-old Rashid Khan produced his career-best batting and bowling performance in ODIs to give Afghanistan a 2-1 lead against Ireland in Belfast. Rashid, who had played in the Under-19 World Cup as well as the World T20 this year, first belted 60 off 44 balls to rescue Afghanistan from 109 for 6 to 229, and then returned 4 for 21 in eight overs to dismiss Ireland for 150.Afghanistan’s victory, however, was marred by Ireland opener Ed Joyce’s controversial run-out. After driving the ball over extra cover in the sixth over, Joyce stopped running mid-pitch, assuming the ball had reached the boundary. Mohammad Nabi chased the ball down and flicked it back to Rashid, who then threw to the non-striker’s end where Yamin Ahmadzai, the bowler, took the bails off with Joyce mid-pitch, having assumed the ball was dead.The on-field umpires – Alan Neill and C Shamshuddin – asked Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai to withdraw the appeal, but he refused to do so. There was no TV umpire for the game, and the wicket led to an exchange between Ireland captain William Porterfield – who was also batting at the time – and the Afghanistan players.Speaking after the match, Porterfield confirmed that Joyce had thought the ball crossed the rope. “We ran past each other, he [Joyce] said he pretty much saw him [Nabi] pass the rope, flick it back,” Porterfield said. “The fielder comes back and says he didn’t. I don’t know what footage is out there of [this]. The umpires said they are going on his word, and this is as far as it goes for me.”Four overs after Joyce’s dismissal for 12 off 21 balls, Porterfield was run out as well, for 16 off 27 balls. Rahmat Shah, who had earlier laid the foundation for Afghanistan with 48 off 70 balls, then removed Sean Terry and Stuart Poynter to reduce the hosts to 67 for 4 by the 18th over. Kevin O’Brien and Paul Stirling threatened a recovery with thirty-something each, but Rashid, the legspinning allrounder, sliced through the middle and lower order. Wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad was involved in three of those dismissals. Ireland lost their last six wickets for only 20 runs.They had started well with seamer Peter Chase having Noor Ali Zadran, who had replaced Javed Ahmadi, nicking behind for 10. Shahzad, coming off three successive half-centuries, flickered only briefly on Sunday, holing out to deep square leg off Stirling for 22.When Samiullah Shenwari and Stanikzai exited in successive overs, Afghanistan had slipped to 84 for 4 in the 21st over. Ireland’s bowlers tightened the screws by delivering 53 boundary-less balls, a sequence broken by Nabi flat-batting a four off seamer Tim Murtagh. Najibullah Zadran had fallen in the dry spell, and Rahmat edged behind soon after it ended, leaving Afghanistan teetering on 109 for 6.Nabi and Rashid then came together to add 54 for the seventh wicket and revive their side. That was followed by an unbroken partnership of 66 between Rashid and Mirwais Ashraf at over eight to the over, lifting Afghanistan to 229 for 7 on a pitch that Porterfield later admitted was difficult to score on.Rashid, who was dropped on 17 and 34, got to his maiden international fifty, which included five fours and two sixes. Terry spilled the first chance of his, parrying the ball to the cover boundary, while Murtagh fluffed the second.Porterfield said the fielding lapses cost Ireland on a surface that assisted spin. “Just under 200 on that pitch would have been about par,” he said. “I think that, putting those couple of chances down… you’re probably looking at 175-180 [if those catches were taken], which I think is pretty chaseable regardless of the [pitch]. We’ve done it [drop catches] a couple of times now in game where we’ve been just a wicket or two behind. Difficult to claw back from there.”With the first ODI of the series being washed out, Afghanistan cannot lose this series now. The final ODI will be played on July 19, at the same venue.

Leeds United return to Elland Road this evening to take on fellow strugglers Leicester City in the Premier League, and Javi Gracia must consider restoring Luis Sinisterra to his starting side.

Should Leeds start Sinisterra tonight?

After three consecutive defeats against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Fulham, the Yorkshire outfit have been sucked right back into the relegation battle, having previously distanced themselves from the bottom three with wins over Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Not many players can escape with much credit from the month of April thus far but Sinisterra boasts two goals in the Premier League after scoring the winner against Nottingham Forest, and the easily-forgettable but still impressive finish in the 6-1 thrashing by Liverpool.

The Colombian winger, who joined Leeds from Feyenoord in the summer of 2022, has struggled for consistent form and fitness in his debut campaign at Elland Road but has shown glimpses of being a top player at this level.

In 21 appearances in all competitions, the 23-year-old has notched six goals including four in the top flight, which makes him the joint second-top scorer alongside Jack Harrison and Crysencio Summerville in Gracia's squad behind only Rodrigo.

Despite his lack of regular starts in the Premier League, Sinisterra ranks third for shots and dribbles per game in Leeds' squad, which emphasises how dangerous he can be down the left-hand side when at the top of his game, and suggests that he could cause serious problems for a shaky Leicester defence on Tuesday.

Much has been made about Leeds' struggles in defence this season, with only Bournemouth conceding more goals in the Premier League, but Leicester have also been woeful at the back, shipping 56 goals in just 32 top-flight fixtures so far this term.

In fact, Leicester's last clean sheet in the league came back in November 2022, so Leeds must be positive from the outset at Elland Road and attack their vulnerable visitors, in the hope that it can inspire Gracia's side to a much-needed three points against their relegation rivals.

Sinisterra, who earns £65k-per-week at Leeds, is capable of tying any defender in knots but will likely find himself up against Timothy Castagne at right-back should he get the nod to start this evening, and he could terrorise the Belgian right-back in particular, as no defender in Leicester's squad has been dribbled past more this season.

The 23-year-old has been dubbed an "animal" by international teammate Juan Cuadrado and Gracia must consider unleashing the dangerous winger again tonight after he was perhaps harshly dropped against Fulham last time out.

Leeds United boss Javi Gracia will not hesitate to continue to make surprising team selections in light of his choice to omit Junior Firpo from starting in the Whites' defeat against Fulham last weekend, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Junior Firpo and Javi Gracia?

Last Saturday, Gracia opted not to select Firpo to play against Fulham at Craven Cottage, instead fielding Maximilian Wober on the left-hand side of the defence in what ended up being a disappointing 2-1 defeat for the Yorkshire outfit, as per BBC Sport.

Before the clash in west London, Firpo had started Leeds United's last 11 Premier League matches, as per Transfermarkt, meaning that his omission may have come as a surprise to the away support.

Nevertheless, the 26-year-old's form has dipped of late, none more so than in Leeds United's 6-1 loss to Liverpool at Elland Road last Monday. As shown on WhoScored, Firpo endured a torrid time in the affair and picked up a match rating of just 5.35/10 for his exploits.

Gracia has already been recently been pressed on his selection choices of late, particularly that of his failure to field Wilfried Gnonto from the start in their last three matches.

As cited by Leeds Live, the Spaniard spoke about the youngster's fitness before his side's match against Fulham last weekend, stating: “Gnonto is ready. He had a little issue, he had some problem, but now he's ready. He's training from the last weeks and, in the beginning when he came back, it's true I tried to protect a little bit, but now he's ready and available."

Journalist Jones is adamant that Gracia will continue to pick whoever he sees best fit to help Leeds United claim the results they need to secure Premier League survival.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Jones said: "I mean, they've made a lot of changes like that [Firpo omission]. I haven't seen enough of Firpo directly to know whether he would have made any difference in that precise game.

"But Gracia hates the fact that he keeps getting questioned on his team selection. He says I know what I'm looking at, there are different teams for different scenarios."

Can Javi Gracia keep Leeds United in the Premier League?

It looks right now like it could go down to the wire; nevertheless, Leeds have a huge opportunity to put some distance between themselves and their relegation rivals when they face off against Leicester City at Elland Road on Tuesday night.

Securing all three points would take the Whites four points clear of the relegation zone while would also boost morale massively following a three-game losing streak in the Premier League.

On the other hand, losing out to the Foxes at home could have severe consequences, as not only would Leicester leapfrog them in the table, but Everton could also plunge the Yorkshire side into the relegation zone with a victory over Newcastle United on Thursday evening.

Realistically, it's all to play for at this point and events during this midweek round of English top-flight fixtures may go a long way to deciding who manages to avoid the drop come the end of this term.

Leeds United boss Javi Gracia has impressed those inside Thorp Arch, with some seeing similar traits to the ones former coach Marcelo Bielsa brought to the club.

Is Javi Gracia similar to Marcelo Bielsa?

According to the Spaniard, the Leeds manager is putting in long days at Thorp Arch training ground for the Whites as they look to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

He has suggested that he is only getting a few hours of sleep per night in a bid to devise his plan on how to keep the West Yorkshire side afloat.

And during Bielsa's time with the club, it was believed he had asked the club to provide beds for the players and himself to rest between sessions as he looked to optimise his methods while at the club.

Speaking on his podcast, Phil Hay has suggested some of the people around the club have noticed some similarities in the values brought in by Gracia:

"It probably is [Marcelo's bed in the office], and the good news for him is there's a bed built into that office, but there's also a kitchenette that he can use.

"It's interesting actually, speaking to people about Gracia, they're not trying to compare him to Bielsa as such, but I do think they see certain traits in him that are quite recognisable."

Will Gracia keep Leeds up?

Leeds were able to soar up the table before the international break through their victory away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, which saw them climb up to 14th place.

However, it has to be stressed how tight the table remains, with the Whites still just two points off the drop zone and three off rock bottom.

So the win on the weekend has by no means made a huge difference in what is needed from the Whites over the coming weeks, however, it will have felt like a big win before the break.

Had they gone into the break on the back of another loss, there could well have been a lot of concerns still lingering around the club's future.

But the impressive victory against Wolves will have certainly relieved some of the tension surrounding the club.

Two wins and one defeat from his opening four Premier League games will have also gone some way to easing the pressure on the players who have shown some signs of being able to salvage their top-flight status.

Leeds' remaining fixtures certainly offer up a mixture in the quality of their opponents, but they do face five of their relegation rivals in the remaining weeks.

And if this Leeds side have shown anything under Gracia, it has been their ability to beat the teams around them having already taken six points from Southampton and Wolves.

A number of Manchester United fans online have slammed Casemiro after he picked up a straight red card for a reckless challenge in his most recent appearance.

Why was Casemiro sent off against Southampton?

In their latest Premier League outing, the Red Devils failed to win in front of their own supporters as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford against Southampton.

Erik ten Hag and co understandably came into the match as favourites, with the Saints stuck at the very bottom of the table but one poor decision from United’s central midfielder made things an awful lot more complicated on the day.

Indeed, with just 34 minutes played, Casemiro lunged in on Carlos Alcaraz and while referee Anthony Taylor initially just booked the 31-year-old, it was upgraded to a red following a VAR check.

This isn’t the Brazilian’s first straight red card of the season either. After all, he was given his marching orders in February against Crystal Palace in another ill-judged moment at Old Trafford.

As a result, he now faces a four-match suspension which could see him miss the FA Cup quarter-final at home to Fulham on top of three league games against Newcastle United, Brentford and Everton.

It seems as though the midfielder’s poor discipline has left some Man Utd fans at their wits’ end. Here are some of the best reactions online…

In the public eye, it seems as if Chelsea are still confident that Graham Potter can turn things around and become a success at Stamford Bridge.

However, reports from behind the scenes suggest that Todd Boehly has already begun his search for a potential successor to the former Brighton boss, with Mauricio Pochettino the latest manager to be linked with a move to Chelsea.

Could Chelsea appoint Mauricio Pochettino?

According to Football Insider, Chelsea have now made contact with the former Tottenham and Southampton boss about taking over at Stamford Bridge.

The 50-year-old has been out of work since being sacked by Paris Saint-Germain in July and would reportedly welcome a return to Premier League management, although he did turn down Aston Villa when they approached him earlier in the season.

Pochettino still has a house in London from his time working as Spurs boss, so a move could certainly suit the Argentine, and he is said to be keen to take over should Chelsea pull the trigger on Potter.

Sunday’s defeat against Pochettino’s old side left Chelsea without a win in all competitions since their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in January, with finding the back of the net a real issue for the Blues despite their significant investment on attacking players in the winter transfer window.

If Potter’s side were to be knocked out of the Champions League when they face Borussia Dortmund next week in the return leg, it would surely spell the end of their hopes of achieving European football for next season, so Pochettino may not have to wait too long if he wants to succeed the 47-year-old Englishman at Stamford Bridge.

Would Pochettino be an upgrade on Potter?

While Potter has excelled on a small budget in the past, he has looked lost when handed almost unlimited funds, and Pochettino’s experience at the top level suggests that he could be a big upgrade at Chelsea.

Since joining Chelsea, Potter has averaged a disappointing 1.31 points per game, something which Pochettino has bettered with Southampton, Spurs, and PSG.

While he was sacked by the French giants, the coach did still lead them to a Ligue 1 title last season, so he seemingly knows how to get a tune out of world-class players, having worked with the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar.

Pochettino was dubbed “world-class” by talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara after leading Spurs to the Champions League final during his time in London.

His success in Europe with Tottenham and his three trophies with PSG show that he can effectively manage a team at the top level, whereas Potter is yet to win a trophy outside of Sweden and his aforementioned points per game rate indicates that the Englishman is struggling badly.

Therefore, the experienced Argentine could be exactly what Chelsea need to turn their fortunes around and get the best out of this talented squad as the tactician has been there and done it – making him a big upgrade on their current boss.