Category Uncategorized

Brenden Aaronson is keen on a move to Leeds United this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Athletic’s ever-reliable reporter Phil Hay, who delivered a fresh update on the situation of the RB Salzburg midfield in a recent Q&A with supporters.

And they’ll be delighted with what he said:

“The intention is, or certainly was, to bid again for Aaronson. He’s interested in the move, he’s played under Jesse Marsch before and Salzburg are likely to be more open to bids in the summer than they were in January.”

Indeed, the Yorkshire giants failed with two bids during the winter, the latter being in excess of £20m. Meanwhile, Transfermarkt value the USMNT international in the region of £18m.

Sign him up!

When the transfer window does reopen, it’s time for director of football Victor Orta and co to push ahead with signing the 21-year-old maestro at long last.

Leeds have failed to sign a new man for the engine room for nearly four-and-a-half years now, with the last arrival being Adam Forshaw from Middlesbrough in 2018.

It’s no wonder the side have been embroiled in a relegation battle in just their second season back in the big time as they clearly haven’t strengthened enough to remain competitive.

And when you risk losing someone like Raphinha in the summer, new manager Jesse Marsch is going to need plenty of new additions to bolster the playing squad and he should look no further than a player he once managed over in Austria.

The 18-cap dynamo is a hugely talented attacking midfielder with bags of potential and could be worth every penny. He has delivered five goals and ten assists across 35 appearances this season, even delivering in the Champions League, where he ranks amongst the very best indeed.

Across the last year, Aaronson ranks amongst the top 1% of similar midfielders and attackers for pressures in the final third (10.46 per 90) and tackles in the final third (0.5 per 90), as per FBRef.

He also created a whopping five key chances against Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, becoming the youngest-ever player to do so since Lionel Messi against Celtic in 2008.

It’s no wonder his manager, Matthias Jaissle, waxed lyrical about his work rate only last month.

“The special thing is, I hardly know any other No. 10 who works so much without the ball,” he said. “He always puts himself behind [on defence], he is a great team player, very hardworking and has a monster mentality.”

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Meanwhile, former USA international DeMarcus Beasley described his talents as “silky” and elsewhere, he’s been compared to Clint Dempsey, who was quite the hit in the Premier League for Fulham and Spurs.

On the above evidence, the young American would be quite the signing for Marsch and this new era in west Yorkshire, one that could really get Elland Road rocking,

Supporters will be absolutely delighted to have a player like Aaronson, capable of pressing from the front and playing for the badge each and every week. Orta and co must snap him up as their first signing this summer.

AND in other news, Marsch could finally axe shocking Bielsa favourite in summer swoop for “exceptional” 21 y/o gem…

	Lord’s is set to change almost beyond recognition © Getty Images

A report in today’s Times says that the MCC is planning to spend up to £200 million on redeveloping Lord’s over the next decade. Every stand, other than the listed 1890 pavilion, the new Grandstand and Mound Stand, would be replaced.Initial plans were costed at £100 million, but these have now been expanded to include rebuilding of the Warner Stand (1958), the Compton and Edrich Stands (1991), the Tavern (1967) and the Allen Stand (1935). The changes are likely to boost the capacity to between 38,000 and 39,000, still less than half of some of the biggest grounds in the world, but still by far the largest in England. Other changes could include an underground Real Tennis court, an academy, floodlights and a hotel.The report added that leading architects were being approached, though even after their appointments, obtaining planning consent would take at least a year.Funding for the project would be raised from debentures and possibly by building apartments on the northern perimeter at the far end of the Nursery Ground. That would probably signal the end of the Nursery, which has increasingly been eroded by a series of developments, as a cricket pitch.”We do not want to create a stadium,” David Batts, who is in charge of the redevelopment, told The Times. “We have to be mindful of how many people will be able to walk around the ground during a Test match to buy food and drink. The walkways can be congested already, so we have to work out how many boxes and bars we put into the stands to enable spectators to eat in the stands, which is particularly necessary for the short Twenty20 matches.”The plans are part of the MCC’s attempt to move forward, aware that there is pressure on the ECB to take one of its two annual Tests away and award it to another venue.

Robin Peterson has not yet taken a wicket in the World Cup © Getty Images

Robin Peterson believes he has a major role to play in the World Cup despite his limited impact with the ball so far. Peterson hoped the success of other spinners – including Brad Hogg, Muttiah Muralitharan and Daniel Vettori – in the Caribbean might be an indication that he can help South Africa reach the semi-finals.”Coming to the West Indies I thought the wickets were always going to be slow and I expect, at some stage, to have a role in the tournament and I must make sure that I am ready,” Peterson told . He has played only two of South Africa’s four World Cup matches, for figures of 0 for 43 from 11 overs.With Shaun Pollock struggling to contain top-order batsmen and South Africa’s attack dominated by fast bowlers, Peterson hoped he would be called upon more often as the tournament progressed. “I think because of the heat the role of a spinner was always there,” he said.”You can’t bowl seamers all the time and it’s also important to control the over rate, change the pace of the game, so there’s always a role for a spinner. You look to spinner to slow the run rate, just get the batsmen thinking of a certain style of bowling and as a spinner you think all the time and, if you pick up wickets, it’s a bonus.”Peterson’s bowling has been economical but unspectacular, however it is for his only World Cup innings that Peterson’s team-mates will thank him the most. When Lasith Malinga claimed four wickets from four balls to leave South Africa unexpectedly on the verge of a loss to Sri Lanka, Peterson edged a boundary to third man to ensure victory.”I’m not a hero, I was just lucky,” he said. “Obviously I’m happy that it was important to win the game and the two points came our way. The important thing was that we came out on top at the end.”South Africa face Ireland in Guyana on Tuesday, and Peterson said his team would not take the encounter lightly after almost losing to Ireland in a warm-up game. Two days later South Africa will play Bangladesh before finishing the Super Eights with a string of tough clashes against West Indies, New Zealand and England.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe Titans recovered from the precarious overnight position of 70 for 4 to post a handy 93-run first-innings lead, but the Dolphins soon chased it down as the second day of the SuperSport Series final ended with the game intriguingly poised.Justin Kemp and Geoffrey Toyana posted a vital fifth-wicket partnership of 107 with Kemp uncharacteristically becalmed; his 50 came from 113 balls. The aggressor was Toyana who raced to his half-century from 69 balls.However, both batsmen fell while settled and it was left to Albie Morkel to play the innings of the day. He struck 15 fours and a six in his 93-ball innings to help give Titans a very useful first-innings lead. Ugasen Govender, the 22-year-old fast bowler, was the pick for the Dolphins; although expensive, he captured the key wickets of Morkel today and Martin van Jaarsveld yesterday.The Titans bowlers were unable to capitalise on the efforts of their batsmen, though, and the Dolphins calmly reached 99 without loss, trailing by just six runs.

Nepal 287 for 7 dec (Vesawkar 89) and 45 for 2 lead UAE 614 by 168 runs
ScorecardNepal moved into a commanding position on the second day of their latest round in the ICC Intercontinental Cup. They declared early on 287 for 7, shot out UAE for 165, before making a solid start to their second innings at 45 for 2. They will take a lead of 168 runs into the third day, with eight wickets remaining. Nepal had Sharad Vesawkar to thank for leading their first-innings charge. He ended with 89 and the declaration came soon after.UAE’s reply got off to a terrible start, Chadha falling on the third ball of the innings, trapped lbw by Mahaboob Alam. Wickets tumbled at regular intervals, with no pair managing to put together a decent partnership and Raju Basnyat tore through the middle order with 3 for 27 from 17, with Shakti Gauchan offered support with two wickets. Ahmed Nadeem gave UAE some hope, taking two quick wickets at the start of Nepal’s second innings to leave them at 38 for 2.

Sanjay Bangar: can Railways make up for his absence? © AFP

The final league phase of the Ranji Trophy kicks off on Christmas day, but that will not sway the teams into granting any favours. Semi-final berths are up for grabs, but there is also a small matter of teams taking desperate measures to avoid relegation.Elite Group
Points Table Group AMumbai (20 points) are the only team certain to make the knockout stage. Either Punjab or Railways are most likely to join them, unless Uttar Pradesh get a large dollop of fortune served their way. Punjab (11 points) take on Mumbai at Mohali, and will need an outright win to ensure complete safety. Anything short of that, and Railways (10 points) could pip them at the post. Railways travel to Baroda, and will hope for Mumbai to do them a good turn by denying Punjab a win.Vinod Sharma, the Railways coach, spoke to Wisden Cricinfo on the eve of their match. He said, “We are very happy with the preparation and we will try to do our best.” When asked about his team going off the boil in the last two games he said, “Middle-order batting failure has resulted in us slipping up. We are thinking of one or two changes for tomorrow’s game.”Railways go into the game without Sanjay Bangar, who has been selected for the India A squad playing in the Kenstar tri-series in Kolkata. Sharma said, “We are thinking of opening with Amit Pagnis and Shreyas Khanolkar, who hit a hundred against the touring West Indies side in 2002.”Baroda are in a perilous position, and run a huge risk of relegation to the Plate division. Semi-finalists last year, runners-up in 2002 and champions in 2001, Baroda (4 points) will hope to stay in elite company. Sharma added, “It sets up an exciting game as both teams will look for a result from the game.”Kerala (2 points) languish at the bottom and their only chance of survival in the big league rests on Baroda slipping up. Kerala host UP in their final match and only a win can give them a chance of not falling into the Plate cabinet. UP (9 points) will not only aim for an outright win, but also try and sneak in a bonus point. Just in case Punjab and Railways mess up in their respective matches, UP, for the first time since the 1997-98 season, might enter the last four.The other match of the group involves Delhi and Andhra. With both teams having collected only 6 points, the result is only of academic interest.Group BTamil Nadu (15 points), having finished all their games in the league stage, are almost certain of topping this group. They would be hoping that some complex mathematics does not work against them, an eventuality that would occur only if Karnataka and Hyderabad record handsome wins in their final matches.But the real tussle is between Karnataka (11 points) and Hyderabad (10 points). Both teams enjoy home advantage – Karnataka take on Assam while Hyderabad entertain Rajasthan. Just a win may not be enough, and both sides would try to eke out a bonus point to tilt the scales.If both Karnataka and Hyderabad falter, three teams (Gujarat, Bengal and Assam) will be lurking in the shades and smelling a semi-final opportunity. Rajasthan (4 points) teeter on the brink of relegation and know that even a victory, against Hyderabad, may not be good enough.Plate Group
Points Table Group AHaryana (8 points) host Vidarbha (7 points) in what is virtually a quarter-final clash. With Madhya Pradesh (10 points) cosily ensconced in the last four, and the three other teams having only 4 points, this knockout game could decide the other semi-finalist.Maharashtra and Orissa have already booked their place in the last four, and will hope for some useful practice in their final games. Orissa travel to Delhi to play Services, while Maharashtra entertain Himachal Pradesh at Pune. With the Maharashtra batting order in such destructive form – Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Kaushak Aphale et al – the HP bowlers may not find this Christmas too merry.

We apologize for missing details from the official scoresheets.

HARARE SPORTS CLUB v TAKASHINGAAt Alexandra Sports Club. Harare Sports Club won by 46 runs.HARARE SPORTS CLUBS V Carlisle c Maregwede b Chigumbura 18*T R Gripper c Sibanda b Maungwa 12B R M Taylor c Maungwa b Chigumbura 13+N R Ferreira c Sibanda b Utseya 2A M Durham c ? b Utseya 38K P R Went b Utseya 4J M Cornford c Mutendera b Matsikenyeri 60P Brous c Maregwede b Matsikenyeri 32G Cremer not out 3S Bala not out 0A MhanduExtras (b 2 lb 3 w 10 nb 6) 21(8 wkts; 55 overs) 203Maungwa 4 0 9 1 (6nb)Mutendera 2 0 16 0Mbwembwe 6 2 15 0 (1w 1nb)Chigumbura 13 3 41 2 (3nb)Manyande 3 9 9 0Utseya 17 1 55 3 (3w)Matsikenyeri 9 0 46 2Sibanda 1 0 7 0TAKASHINGAS Matsikenyeri c Cremer b Durham 17G Makoni c Brous b Gripper 4E Chauluka c Brous b Durham 0E Chigumbura c Ferreira b Durham 12V Sibanda run out (Durham/Ferreira) 3*+A Maregwede c Went b Bala 31R N Manyande c Durham b Gripper 37P Utseya c Brous b Bala 5D T Mutendera c Gripper b Bala 10A Maungwa not out 24A Mbwembwe c Durham b Cremer 4Extras (b 8 lb 1 w 1) 10(47.4 overs) 157Durham 11 1 42 3Gripper 18 1 69 2Bala 12 5 19 3 (1w)Cremer 6.4 2 18 1OLD GEORGIANS SPORTS CLUB v OLD HARARIANS SPORTS CLUBAt Old Georgians Sports Club. Old Hararians won by 90 runs.OLD HARARIANSG B Brent b Mwayenga 5R E Butterworth c Mugochi b Bennett 13R W Sims c Neethling b Bradshaw 27S M Ervine c Mwayenga b Bradshaw 28D P Viljoen lbw b Coulson 3*P A Strang not out 75C H Brewer c Mugochi b Neethling 11T Benade c Neethling b Wishart 12C Ervine not out 27H P Rinke+S KhanExtras (b 2 lb 7 w 9 nb 4) 22(7 wkts; 55 overs) 223Mwayenga 10 1 34 1 (1w 3nb)Bennett 11 2 36 1 (1w 1nb)Neethling 15 2 51 1 (1w)Bradshaw 6 0 24 2 (2w)Coulson 4 1 24 1 (1w)Mugochi 2 0 4 0Wishart 7 0 41 1OLD GEORGIANS*L S Malloch-Brown c Viljoen b Brent 1C B Wishart hit wkt b Sims 84R Chinyengetere c Khan b Brent 1A J C Neethling c S M Ervine b Sims 13D Bradshaw c S M Ervine b Sims 7W Mwayenga c S M Ervine b Brent 9R J Bennett c and b Strang 5I M Coulson run out (C Ervine) 0M Coulson b Sims 0B Mukombachoto c Brent b Sims 0B Mugochi not out 0Extras (b 5 lb 2 nb 1 pen 5) 13(41.3 overs) 133S M Ervine 9 4 13 0Brent 10 3 33 3Rinke 5 1 20 0Sims 10 2 31 5 (1nb)Viljoen 4 1 22 0Strang 2.3 1 1 1C Ervine 1 0 1 0UNIVERSALS SPORTS CLUB v UPRISINGAt Universals Sports Club. Universals won by 179 runs.UNIVERSALSH Adam lbw b Mukandiwa 6B A Murphy b Muteerwa 6B G Rogers c Muteerwa b Chemhuru 88G M Croxford lbw b Mukandiwa 1D R Matambanadzo c ? b Chiposi 26*I Meman lbw b Chemhuru 8N Chouhan c Muteerwa b Chemhuru 10+K J Taibu c Chihera b Mukandiwa 51D T Hondo c ? b Muteerwa 48S Shah not out 9B Sanyika not out 0Extras (b 4 lb 3 w 16 nb 4) 27(9 wkts; 50 overs) 280Chinyoka 1 0 13 0 (7w 4nb)Muteerwa 12 0 67 2 (2w)Mukandiwa 10 1 58 3 (6w)Chemhuru 11 1 54 3 (1w)Chiposi 16 1 81 1UPRISINGT Katomeni c Matambanadzo b Croxford 13C Rizhibowa c Rogers b Murphy 12A Tichana c Taibu b Murphy 1I M Chinyoka c Matambanadzo b Murphy 2I Senzere c Matambanadzo b Rogers 25C Mukandiwa c Croxford b Rogers 4A Chihera c Adam b Rogers 2*G Chiposi c Chouhan b Murphy 3A Gwandure not out 4I Chemhuru c Taibu b Murphy 4J Muteerwa b Murphy 15Extras (not stated) 16(29.3 overs) 101Murphy 14.3 2 40 6 (4w 5nb)Rogers 8 0 34 3 (1w 1nb)Croxford 7 0 22 1

Free State batted themselves to a 33-run Standard Bank Cup victory over Griqualand West on a superb batting surface which yielded almost 600 runs.Andrew Gait scored a Free State record 138 not out to set up his side’s 315for two and there were five other half-centuries in a match in which twoother men also reached the 90s without being able to go on to three figures.Griquas made a decent fist of their run chase with debutants Brett Tuckerand Johan Louw each scoring 59 but the mountain was just too high to climb.Gait was only playing in his sixth one-day match, having previously beenregarded as more suited to the first class game.But the decision to give him his head at the top of the one-day order paidoff handsomely. His 138 surpassed Free State’s previous highest score of 126not out, ironically set by current Griquas coach Mickey Arthur.It came at a run-a-ball and included 12 fours and two sixes and provided themainstay for two successive century partnerships.He and opener Kosie Venter (50 from 52 balls) came in a mere 18 overs andGait then put on another 156 with the pinch-hitter Johan van der Wath (91).Van der Wath scored his runs in a Kluseneresque 65 balls with 13 fours andtwo sixes before he was denied a richly deserved century when he chippedDeon Kruis’s slower ball into the hands of short midwicket.Griquas began the chase at a fantastic rate, scoring their first 50 in justseven overs as fast bowler Victor Mpitsang’s first three overs went for 30.But once Free State got the breakthrough with the dismissal of Martin Gidleyfor 16 the pressure began to build on the crack in the dam wall and wicketsfell at regular intervals although Tucker and Pieter Koortzen (99) kept uptheir hopes alive longer than might have been expected.They put on 91 for the fourth wicket before Koortzen missed out on a centuryfor the second time this season. On the last occasion he had been undefeatedon 99 against the Dolphins. This time he drove over a straight ball from theoccasional bowler Morne van Wyk.From there it was a matter of time and overs. They were both on Free State’sside.

According to a report from the Irish Independent, Liverpool are set to sign Derry teenager Trent Kone-Doherty. 

The lowdown: Star in the making

The 15-year-old is yet to feature for Ruaidhrí Higgins’ first team but has appeared on the bench this season.

Having represented the Republic of Ireland at Under-16 and Under-17 levels, Kone-Doherty is certainly catching the eye, scoring twice in eight games for his country.

Predominantly a winger, the teenage sensation starred in youth international friendlies against Malta and Northern Ireland, and it seems that may have been enough to convince scouts at Liverpool’s academy to take the plunge.

The latest: Big move pending

According to The Irish Independent’s Daniel McDonnell, sharing the report on Twitter, the Reds are now the ‘clear front runners’ to land the ‘exciting’ youngster.

Citing a six-figure sum as compensation, the Anfield club are seeking to complete a pre-contract deal as soon as possible.

He has also trained with Celtic, according to Liverpool Youth reporter Lewis Bower, so it looks like the Reds are going to get another one over on the Hoops after the news involving Parkhead youngster Ben Doak.

The verdict: Building for the future

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is making a habit of overseeing moves for some of the most exciting talent in recent months.

The Reds have already added and developed Harvey Elliott, Kaide Gordon and Irish goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher into first-team players during the German’s tenure.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Now it appears that moves for Celtic starlet Doak and then Kone-Doherty could be set to join recent academy captures Bobby Clark and Calum Scanlon.

All these signings are clear proof of the club attempting to build a solid foundation for the next generation on Merseyside, whilst also maintaining fierce competitiveness in the here and now.

In other news, Liverpool make ‘offer’ to sign EPL forward. Read more here.

Scorecard
Left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed had a dream debut, claiming figures of 5 for 8 to help dismiss St Lucia for 105, after which Trinidad and Tobago chased the target with ease to claim an eight-wicket win at the Stanford Cricket Ground. Incidentally, Mohammed’s were the best ever returns in Stanford 20/20 history.Chasing 106, openers Lendl Simmons and William Perkins gave Trinidad a blazing start, putting on 75 runs in 51 balls, before Perkins, who made 25, was caught by Cyrille Charles of offspinner Shervin Charles. Simmons failed to reach his half-century, when, after scoring 42 with four fours and a six, he was dismissed by seamer Xavier Gabriel. Daren Ganga and Kieron Pollard then knocked off the remaining runs to complete a facile win.Earlier, St Lucia’s openers Keddy Lesporis and Johnson Charles added 45 runs in eight overs before Charles was bowled by Richard Kelly. The second-wicket stand between Lesporis and Shervin Charles (17) fetched 35 runs, before Charles was caught by Mervyn Dillon of offspinner Sherwin Ganga.But the complexion of the match changed when Lesporis, who had kept up St Lucia’s scoring rate with a 40-ball 45 with three fours and a six, was caught by Samuel Badree of Mohammed, who was introduced in the 16th over. Mohammed then dismissed Mervin Wells to make it two wickets in succession. Medium-pacer Rayad Emrit claimed the wickets of Cyrille Charles and Sergio Fedee, while Mohammed had Alleyne Prospere caught by Sherwin Ganga before adding two more wickets to get his five-for. Not surprisingly, Mohammed went home richer by US$25,000 when he received the Man-of-the-Match award.