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Leeds United’s recent upturn in form has meant they have put distance between themselves and the relegation zone. The Whites now find themselves on 16 points this term, three ahead of fellow strugglers West Ham United, who are 18th in the Premier League.

The impressive thing of late is the clinical nature they have shown in front of goal. In their last four games, Daniel Farke’s side have found the back of the net nine times, which is almost half of the total number of goals they’ve bagged all season, which stands at 20.

Leeds are seemingly set to push for more in the final third, too, and are linked with a new attacker in January.

Leeds ready to poach forgotten Premier League star

The West Yorkshire side already made a couple of significant additions to their attack in the summer.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin joined on a free transfer and has five goals this term, more than any other player, with Noah Okafor and Lukas Nmecha also signing for the club.

Now, according to a report from MOT Leeds News, the Whites ‘have expressed an interest’ in signing Tottenham Hotspur and Wales winger Brennan Johnson.

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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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However, it is not clear if this would be a loan move or a permanent deal.

The Whites are not going to be alone in the race to sign Johnson this winter. South London outfit Crystal Palace are also said to be keen on a move.

They value the winger at £50m, so it could mean Leeds need to pay a fee in that ballpark if they want to sign him.

Why Johnson could be another Dan James

If there is one thing Johnson will add to the Leeds side, it is Premier League experience. He has played for boyhood side Nottingham Forest and, more recently, Spurs, making him something of a plug-and-play signing for Farke.

He’s made 120 top-flight appearances so far for the two clubs, bagging 26 goals and assisting 19 in that time.

In each of his two full campaigns for Spurs, he’s managed 16 goals and assists, his best numbers in a single season of the Premier League.

Johnson’s PL stats by season

Season (club)

Games

Goals (Assists)

22/23 (Forest)

38

8 (3)

23/24 (Forest/Spurs)

35

5 (11)

24/25 (Spurs)

33

11 (5)

25/26 (Spurs)

14

2 (0)

Stats from Transfermarkt

Of course, the Welsh international also played in Europe for Spurs, scoring the winning goal in the 2024/25 Europa League final against Manchester United. That is certainly a brilliant experience to add to Farke’s squad.

One of Johnson’s great strengths is the fact that he can hurt teams in transition. His pace is “frightening,” according to football social media presence HLTCO, and he has a real knack for popping up with a goal at the back post, referenced by The Overlap: The Breakdown host, H.

It is certainly possible to draw similarities between the potential signing of Johnson and that of Daniel James back in 2021.

Subscribe for deeper Leeds United transfer and tactics insight Unlock expert Leeds coverage by subscribing to the newsletter: data-led breakdowns of transfer targets, player fit and tactical impact. Subscribe to track how potential moves like Brennan Johnson might change the Whites’ attacking options. Subscribe Subscribe for deeper Leeds United transfer and tactics insight Unlock expert Leeds coverage by subscribing to the newsletter: data-led breakdowns of transfer targets, player fit and tactical impact. Subscribe to track how potential moves like Brennan Johnson might change the Whites’ attacking options.

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Immediately, it is easy to see how these deals are alike, with the pair both Welsh international wingers, joining from a traditional “big six” side, Manchester United in James’ case.

Just like Johnson would be if he moved to Elland Road, his compatriot was a plug-and-play addition.

James racked up 74 appearances for the Red Devils and chipped in with 18 goals and assists in that time. He’s since grabbed 51 goal involvements in a Leeds shirt.

However, as players, they have similar strengths, too. James is also a huge threat on the counter-attack and is known as one of the quickest players around. According to Speeds Database, his top speed is 31kph.

There are certainly lots of similarities between the pair of Welsh internationals. Signing Johnson could well make Leeds a bigger threat in the final third, and certainly give them an extra weapon in transition alongside James.

Related As much as Aaronson: Leeds star is now on borrowed time under Farke

One Leeds United star could find himself struggling for minutes under Daniel Farke.

Posts ByEthan Lamb

	Sourav Ganguly has had his fee docked for showing dissent © AFP

Sourav Ganguly and Shane Warne have been fined 10% of their match fees, while Pratap Kumar, the on-field umpire, has been suspended for a game following the catch controversy during Thursday’s IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals. Ganguly asked Kumar to refer a decision to the third umpire after he wasn’t convinced about a take by Rajasthan’s Graeme Smith at the deep-midwicket boundary.Asad Rauf, the third umpire, ruled in favour of the batsman after replays weren’t entirely conclusive. In his post-match comments, Warne, the Rajasthan captain, hit out at Ganguly’s behaviour and condemned his attitude towards the IPL’s spirit of cricket agreement.Farokh Engineer, the match referee, ruled that Ganguly’s act of asking the umpire to refer a decision constituted a level 1 offence according to the ICC’s code of conduct. Warne was found guilty of violating section 1.7 of the code, which deals with “public criticism of, or inappropriate comment on, a match-related incident or official”.Engineer also found there was no reason for Kumar to accede to the plea to refer the decision, and ruled him out for a game. Kumar is the second umpire to be suspended in the IPL. Amiesh Saheba was dropped for two matches following his comments about Sreesanth’s behaviour to the tabloid newspaper.

There is plenty of speculation regarding Whatmore’s move to India © AFP

Mahmudur Rahman, CEO of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), says that outgoing coach Dav Whatmore lacked a “characteristic essential” in dealing with sub-continental teams. With a fair amount of speculation building as to Whatmore’s future in India, also in search of a coach, Rahman offered a word of caution about the Sri Lankan-born Whatmore.”From what we’ve read and seen, the issue for India seems to be that coaches have not been able to get into players’ heart and that could be one aspect the Indian board might want to talk about,” he told , an Indian television channel, in Dhaka.”Dav being an Australian is used to the Australian way of doing things.”There [in Australia], you do not have so much of explanation. Here in the sub-continent, we’re very emotional people and sometimes a player performs depending upon how he feels when he gets out of bed.”Whatmore stepped down as Bangladesh’s coach last month, but also expressed his interest in coaching India following Greg Chappell’s resignation in the aftermath of India’s quick exit from the World Cup. Whatmore’s comments didn’t go down well with the BCB, which stated that it could affect the morale of the team.Whatmore, whose four-year tenure will end after the current home series against India, has declined to comment on Rahman’s comments.

England A 96 for 2 (Key 46*, Joyce 24*) trail Sri Lankans 179 (Dilshan 47, Lewis 6-49) by 83 runs
Scorecard

Jon Lewis appeals on his way to 6 for 49 © Getty Images

Angus Fraser was not the cheeriest operator at the best of times. But little got him grumbling like the idea of expensive-but-supposedly-threatening “wicket-taking bowlers”. “I always thought it was just an excuse to bowl expensive crap,” he once harrumphed.Fraser’s fellow seamer Jon Lewis could be forgiven a grumble in sympathy. Playing for England A at sunny Worcester Lewis today whipped out six of Sri Lanka’s expected Test line-up, for 49 runs. Yet hardly anyone expects him to play in the first Test at Lord’s next week.A late call-up, Lewis only featured because the younger and more glamorousSajid Mahmood was being hidden from the Sri Lankans ahead of ananticipated Lord’s debut.Lewis’s first-class average is 26; Mahmood’s 31. It is a classic exampleof the division of bowlers in the minds of many fans and some selectorsinto the workhorse and the thoroughbred (the Frasers of this world mightsay workhorse and show-pony). Their assumption is that that Test cricketrequires the indefinable ‘something’ – pace or `magic’ – that only thethoroughbred provides, no matter how inferior his figures at a lowerlevel.Which is part of the reason Lewis has never won a Test cap, despite 12years of shining county figures. He managed three one-day internationalslast summer “but at the end of last season the selectors said I didn’thave enough pace to go to the subcontinent,” he says. The feeling is thathis age – 31 in August – also counts against him. And with consistency ofselection a mantra there is little chance of a workhorses-for-coursespick.But is the prevailing wisdom really true? Take Fraser – the archetypalworkhorse – versus Shoaib Akhtar, the archetypal “wicket-taker”. Frasertook 177 Test wickets at 27, only marginally higher than Shoaib, whose 165 wickets have come at 25. Nor did Fraser lose his zip on pitches without sap. In Australia he had 29 wickets at 32. Shoaib has 17 at 43. And another man who bowls in the late 70s mph has made amore than decent career – Chaminda Vaas averages 28 in Test matches andhere nipped out Alastair Cook for nought.All of which suggests the picture is not black and white. “The standard ofcounty cricket is very high at the moment,” Lewis continued. “I think theguys who’ve played county cricket and gone straight into the England sidehave done particularly well over the past two years. The standard ofcounty cricket is excellent and if you do well in that then you deserve toget a chance.”I feel like I could do a job anywhere,” he continued. “I’m happy bowlingon any sort of wicket, I’m not just an early-season bowler in England. Ifeel like I’m confident bowling anywhere at any time and that I can getthe best players out. But it’s obviously up to the selectors to pick theside and if they don’t pick me that’s their prerogative.”Today he gave them another jab in the ribs, as Sri Lanka tumbled to 179 ona true-enough pitch. Bowling on a dinner-plate sized spot outside offstump, Lewis simply waited for the ball to move off the seam or in theair, which happened fairly often, or for the batsman to do something daft,which happened seldom. Four of his victims were caught in the cordon, onewas lbw, one bowled. After removing the top four, Lewis came back afterlunch to end a threatening partnership of 95 between Tillakaratne Dilshanand Chamara Kapugedera.Still if ‘workhorse’ cricketers think they’re underappreciated it’snothing compared to retired ones. “Did you ever play for England?” Derek Pringle was asked by two young lads today. Yes, he politely explained. Wereyou, they continued, eyeing Pringle’s 6ft-and-plenty frame, awicketkeeper?

The ten-day long dispute between the Kenya Cricket Association (KCA) and 13 striking players appears to be over after the Kenya National Sports Council (KNSC) brokered a truce between the two parties.”The first move is to settle the players’ salary arrears, then other things will follow,” said Joshua Okuthe, the KNSC chairman. “We have asked the players to work out the tabulation of what they are owed and forward it to us. We will then forward the same to KCA.”The intervention by the KNSC came after Ochillo Ayacko, the minister for sport, got involved.One by-product of the negotiations was that a Players’ Welfare Committee was agreed which would formulate future contracts for players and take up all issues relating to player welfare.But it is by no means certain that the players that went on strike will automatically be drafted back into the side. Steve Tikolo, who acted as their unofficial spokesman, was openly critical of Andy Moles, the coach, and Moles and the selectors are believed to be impressed with the performances of the replacements who played against Namibia at the weekend.Tikolo claims the striking players are still owed around US$4,000 (£2,250) from the World Cup last year, where Kenya reached the semi-finals. He is also demanding a one-year extension to their contracts, which expired on September 30.”We want all our outstanding allowances and the salaries from last month to be paid in full before we start everything on a clean sheet,” said Tikolo. “We don’t want the same scenario to repeat itself in the future.”What is certain is that Hitesh Modi will continue as captain. He scored 138 not out in the eight-wicket win over Namibia in the first one-dayer in the three-match series on Tuesday.

Javed Miandad fears that Sourav Ganguly’s comments about Shoaib Akhtar’s bowling action could create tension between the two sides. An article in the quotes Miandad as saying, "I would advise both team captains to avoid giving such contentious statements as it can create ill-feelings and spoil the mood of the series."Miandad was in no doubt that Ganguly’s statement was a psychological ploy to unnerve his leading bowler. "I look at Ganguly’s comments as a way to put pressure on Shoaib, but we’ve told him to bowl flat out and not worry about such things."Shoaib is regarded as the world’s fastest bowler and has been clocked at over 100mph (160.9kph). He has picked up six wickets in the series so far. Miandad concluded: "I think matters such as anyone’s bowling action should be left to the umpires and match referee to look into.”* * *Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, is not in favour of holding India-Pakistan clashes often in the future. Speaking to , the former diplomat-turned-cricket administrator said that having frequent clashes would "debase" the importance of renewed cricket ties between the two countries."I am against playing each other too much. I am against Sharjah, Kenya and Singapore," he said at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday. "We shouldn’t play each other too much. We should play each other maybe every year, but more than that, in principle, I am against."* * * goes in search of culinary delights, and finds them at the Holiday Inn in Lahore. With cricket-crazy Indians having come over in their thousands, the menu at the Lahore Gate restaurant is heavily influenced by the game.You can choose from Sweep of the Day (soup), Full-toss Salad, Fish and slip (deep-fried fish with French fries), Curry in Gully (chicken curry served with rice or bread), Deep Fine Chicken Breast (deep fried chicken breast), Run in a Bun (chickenor beef-burger), Off Swinger (crisp and spicy chicken sandwich), Googly Tutti-Fruity (ice cream), and Stumped-out Banana. Whether it’s the right diet for cricketers is another thing altogether.* * * also finds space for the speed-gun readings from the Peshawar game, which showed Mohammad Sami breaking the 100mph barrier. Only Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee had been timed at that pace in an ODI before, clocking 100.2mph during last year’s World Cup. England’s Nick Knight was on the receiving end of both those 100mph thunderbolts.An executive of the TV company beaming the matches conceded that errors were possible in the reading of speed-guns, even though the Australian company that makes them guarantees 98% accuracy.* * * has a story on the Shoaib Akhtar lookalike who has Lucknow in a tizzy. Shamsuddin, 22, runs a meat shop in Lucknow’s main market, and was initially taken aback at the unexpected adulation. Cricket-crazy fans mobbing him for autographs became a regular occurrence.”I like people when people say that I look like Shoaib Akhtar," says Shamsuddin. "When I first saw Shoaib Akhtar on TV, I could not believe my eyes. When schoolchildren call me Shoaib Akhtar, I also wave back.”Lucknow residents say that the similarity is striking. “His resemblance to Shoaib Akhtar is amazing. Especially, the way he runs up to bowl,” said Vikas Mehta, a local. Whether he ever clocks 100mph remains to be seen.

The Sri Lankan cricket board (BCCSL) has agreed to provide its players with performance incentives during next month’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa.The BCCSL is offering US$ 100,000 for Sanath Jayasuriya’s team to win theWorld Cup in addition to earning as much as approximately US$ 20,000 perplayer if they reach the final.A BCCSL spokesman said that the incentives will increase with each stagethe team makes in the World Cup beginning from the five Pool matches andgoing through to the Super Sixes, the semi-finals and the final.The BCCSL has also doubled the players’ match fee from US$700 to US$1400for the World Cup and also paying the team a sum of US$150,000 to offsetany infringement of their advertising rights.The BCCSL earlier turned down a demand from the Cricketers’ Association foradditional payments for the players to offset any losses they may incur onany advertising rights during the World Cup.The BCCSL was of the opinion that the players will be duly compensated onlyon performance. At the time the demand was made the Sri Lankan team wasgoing through a lean patch having lost 4-1 to South Africa and the firstthree matches of the on-going Victoria Bitter one-day triangular againstAustralia and England.Since the tournament resumed after the New Year, the Sri Lankan team’sfortunes have reversed and they have recorded successive victories overAustralia and England to be in contention for a place in the three-matchfinals.BCCSL sources said that the players’ demands for an increased payments havebeen tied up with performance.The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned advertising on productsby players which clash with those the World Cup tournament is being sponsored.A similar situation arose during the ICC Champions trophy tournament heldin Colombo in September last year. On that occasion the BCCSL paid theplayers 18 percent of the guarantee fee paid to them by the ICC.Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996 under the captaincy of ArjunaRanataunga when it was hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but failedto retain the title three years later when it was held in England.Sri Lanka are in Group B of the 2003 World Cup with hosts South Africa, NewZealand, West Indies, Kenya and Canada.The tournament kicks off on February 8 with the final scheduled for March23. Sri Lanka open their campaign on February 10 against New Zealand.

Yorkshire have been given permission to play fast bowler Matthew Hoggard in the CricInfo Championship game against a confident Leicestershire side at Headingley tomorrow.But their three other centrally contracted England men – Darren Gough, Michael Vaughan and Craig White – will all be unavailable.Scott Richardson comes back into the Division One leaders’ line-up to open the batting with Matthew Wood while paceman Steve Kirby is added to the squad.Coach Arnie Sidebottom said: “We had a blow in the B&H Cup on Monday (when they lost in the semi-final to Gloucestershire) and didn’t play that well in the Cheltenham & Gloucester but we are still top of the Championship and if we can win this one it will go a long way to helping us win the title.”Leicestershire, who lie third after three Championship wins this season, would dearly love to close the gap on the leaders with a victory but will probably be without Trevor Ward who is doubtful with a hamstring injury. However, bowler James Ormond should return.Champions Surrey will be without Graham Thorpe because of his calf injury and Alec Stewart who will be on Test Match duty next week when they entertain Lancashire at The Oval.Michael Atherton will also be awaiting the First Test and could be replaced by Jamie Haynes while Mark Chilton remains doubtful because of a wrist injury.Simon Jones is back for Glamorgan who are visited by bottom-of-the-table Northants but the Welsh county’s coach Jeff Hammond said: “We don’t take notice of anyone’s form as sometimes an animal that’s wounded comes out stronger than ever.”Northants’ only change sees the return of Adrian Rollins in place of Jeffrey Cook.In Division Two, leaders Middlesex are seeking to recover from their humiliating exit from the C&G Trophy at the hands of Herefordshire by making a couple of changes for the game against Sussex at Lord’s. Tim Bloomfield and Chad Keegan are set to replace Jamie Hewitt and Aaron Laraman.Despite the embarrassment of the midweek loss, director of coaching JohnEmburey said: “The side we have got is more of a Championship side than aone-day team.”Sussex welcome back pace bowler James Kirtley with Billy Taylor the man tomake way.Durham will probably be without fast bowler Steve Harmison for the visit of Warwickshire while Nicky Phillips will have a late fitness test. Warwickshire will miss Ashley Giles who has been told to report for England duty on Monday.Enlgnad’s Dominic Cork will be missing from the Derbyshire line-up for the visit to Hampshire while Worcestershire face Nottinghamshire at New Road.

Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has given his reaction to Leeds United transfer news involving Rangers winger Ryan Kent. 

The lowdown: Kent a target for Leeds

This comes following a report from Football Insider which claimed that the Whites are interested in signing the 25-year-old.

The ex-Liverpool academy prospect could be viewed as a potential replacement for Raphinha should the highly sought-after Brazilian move on from Elland Road.

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Kent is believed to have a £20m release clause in his contract at Ibrox – a deal which expires in 2023 (Transfermarkt) – although Campbell has suggested that it would be money well spent by Leeds.

The latest: ‘Very good business’

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Arsenal striker claimed that Kent would be capable of filling the void left by Raphinha if the Brazilian departs.

The 52-year-old said: “He’s done a great job up there under Steven Gerrard and now Giovanni van Bronckhorst, he’s been a real star.

“If Leeds look at him as the one who can come in and take that Raphinha role, with Dan James moving over to the right, then I think that would be very good business.”

The verdict: Time to move?

Since moving north of the border, Kent has been superb for Rangers and has directly contributed to 74 goals in 164 outings for the Scottish Premiership side.

So far this season, the man once hailed as ‘sensational’ by his former Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard has scored three times and provided 16 assists despite suffering with a hamstring injury for most of the autumn.

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As for replacing Raphinha, the £12.6m-valued Englishman predominantly operates from the left wing and would require the switch for Dan James, as mentioned by Campbell, to work in order to make the move worthwhile.

Given that some of the Welshman’s best performances this season have come when operating on the right on occasion, it could be a reshuffle worth making, therefore adding weight to the theory behind Leeds moving for Kent.

In other news, journalist backs Leeds move for Austrian Bundesliga star. Read more here

Scorecard

	Niall O’Brien ground his way to an unbeaten 137 © Emirates

Wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien’s unbeaten 137, aided by captain Trent Johnston’s 69, furthered Ireland’s advantage on the second day after their bowlers had dismissed United Arab Emirates for 228. Ireland, resuming on 46 for 1, finished on 366 for 7, a lead of 138.William Porterfield and Eoin Morgan made 25 and 47, before a 64-run stand between the O’Brien brothers – Niall and Kevin. Left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza bagged his second wicket for the match by dismissing Kevin for 33, but Niall O’Brien, who had made a nervous start, held fort against the UAE bowlers.The hosts must have a sensed the possibility of a fightback when Andre Botha and Alex Cusack departed in quick succession; Ireland were 203 for 6, still needing 25 to more to match UAE’s first-innings score.However, Johnston joined hands with Niall O’Brien, and the two not only put Ireland in the green, but seized the momentum with a record seventh-wicket stand of 163. Johnston needed only 95 balls for his 69, which included ten boundaries. O’ Brien’s 137 contained 20 fours, and his presence at the crease on the third morning will give Ireland the chance to further their lead before aiming to bowl out UAE for the second time in the match.The umpires signalled the close at the fall of Johnston’s wicket – stumped by Amjad Ali off Saqib Ali. For UAE, Zahid Shah, Saqib and Raza took two wickets apiece; Raza was the best of the lot: his 2 for 47 coming off 24 economical overs.”I’ve been a bit ill over the past day, but I’ve been on tablets and special drinks and I’ve managed to get through it to the end,” a delighted Niall O’Brien admitted. “I missed out on the game here last year when all the records were broken, so it’s great to score a hundred today.”