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Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford could be fit for the final two Premier League games of the season despite initial fears he would not return this campaign.

The Lowdown: Bamford’s torrid season

The 28-year-old was arguably the Whites’ star man last season, scoring 17 league goals, but things have panned out very differently this time around.

Bamford has been hampered by injury problems throughout the campaign, being limited to just seven league starts, which has played a part in the Whites’ struggles.

The striker is currently out with a foot injury which was initially expected to make him miss the rest of the campaign, but Jesse Marsch has revealed he could now miss just the next three weeks.

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The Latest: Hay shares good news

Providing his thoughts in a Q&A for The Athletic on Monday ahead of Leeds’ trip to Crystal Palace, Phil Hay claimed that Bamford could return for the last two league games of the season, which are at home to Brighton and away to Brentford.

The journalist shared a prospective return date from the Whites manager which essentially means missing the next three weeks, claiming:

“Still no Patrick Bamford [v Palace] but Jesse Marsch thinks he might make it back for the last two games of the season.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Verdict: Could be massive for Leeds

This is a potentially huge boost for Leeds, as they find themselves in danger of getting sucked back into a relegation battle between themselves, Everton and Burnley.

Bamford’s finishing ability means that just one chance could be needed in one of those final two matches, should Marsch’s side still not be safe at that point.

In many ways, the hope is that Leeds have avoided relegation by then and Bamford doesn’t need to be risked, but having him in contention would feel significant, providing the Whites with proven Premier League firepower.

In other news, Hay has dropped a Leeds transfer claim. Read more here.

Ed Cowan is one of Australian cricket’s most entertaining Tweeters, but he’s also one of the country’s most prolific domestic batsmen

Brydon Coverdale06-Oct-2010

You have to respect a cricketer who tried to start up a new age of sledging on Twitter by dispatching the following message to Sulieman Benn: “hey @sulibenn – hope you tweet better than you bowl”. The sender was Ed Cowan, the one-time investment analyst and now Tasmania opening batsman, and one of Australian cricket’s most entertaining tweeters.He didn’t get a response, perhaps because he’d left a letter out of the West Indian’s account name. The mistake probably wasn’t deliberate, but if it was you couldn’t blame him – even a 20-hour aeroplane trip away, Benn would be a scary adversary. Either way, it was a fun idea.Cowan’s followers had better hope he never makes the Australian side, or his tweets and guest spots on the Cricket with Balls blog might come under Cricket Australia’s censorial eye. But a national call-up is not out of the question, after Cowan finished behind only David Hussey on last year’s Sheffield Shield run tally.It was his first season with Tasmania after switching from New South Wales, where he was competing with a line-up of openers including Phillip Hughes and Phil Jaques. Cowan, 28, followed up with a century for Australia A, but he knows that his Test ambitions will only be fulfilled if he produces more than one outstanding season.”If you’re not in the Aussie team, you’re out of the Aussie team,” Cowan told ESPNcricinfo. “There’s no ‘close to’ the Aussie team. Particularly in Test cricket, you’ve got to show that you can do it season after season, like the last five or six seasons, Jaques and [Chris] Rogers and [Simon] Katich when he was out of the team, just piling on the runs.”Knowing my role continually and being able to prepare accordingly was really massive [last year]. I always felt as though I was under pressure at New South Wales, if I failed in one game I was going to be dropped. Knowing the [Tasmanian] coaching staff and the captain had the confidence to back me, I felt that in my own batting and felt I could play how I wanted to play.”His freedom resulted in a season of 957 Sheffield Shield runs at 53.16, including a career-best 225 against South Australia. It was a fine outcome for a man who had managed only 21 first-class appearances for New South Wales in five seasons. Cowan has kept in touch for this summer by playing club cricket in the Netherlands, where he was introduced to a peculiarity of Dutch cricket.”It’s a quirky little cricket community in the Netherlands,” he said. “It’s very old school. All the grounds are surrounded by canals. [When the ball goes in], they have swimming pool scoops that you fetch the ball, throw it back and dry it off and away you go, you keep playing with it.”That might help him during his early-season matches in drizzly Tasmania, where he will be joined in the top order by the South Australian discard Mark Cosgrove. The Redbacks’ decision to axe Cosgrove, who has played ODI cricket for Australia, was one of the surprises of the off-season and Cowan hopes his new team-mate can also thrive on a change of scenery.”He still has his best seasons ahead and for whatever reason the SACA didn’t want to contract him but their loss is certainly our gain,” Cowan said. “We’re excited because he fits in so well to our group. We see him as such an attacking one-day option, to fit in with our other strokemakers. And in four-day cricket that hole left by Dan Marsh is pretty important for us [to fill].”Judging by Cosgrove’s form in the opening Ryobi Cup match, he will be another valuable import for Tasmania. But Cowan had better hope the Tigers don’t also go chasing Sulieman Benn for the Twenty20 competition, or he could be on the wrong end of a big bash.

Celtic have not found it difficult to find the back of the net this season having scored 78 goals in 33 SPFL games under Ange Postecoglou.

Despite this impressive feat, one figure at the Parkhead club that hasn’t been particularly prominent in an attacking sense is striker Albian Ajeti.

With 17 appearances to his name across all competitions, the 25-year-old has only been able to score three goals.

As well as his lack of regular goals, his performances in the league when he has been able to get on the pitch have been rather underwhelming.

The centre-forward is currently listed as the second-lowest rated Celtic player currently in Postecoglou’s squad that has started more than one league game according to WhoScored.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Hoops may be looking to add some more attacking depth to their side, which could also push the misfiring Ajeti out of the club at the same time.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Ghana Web, Celtic are pushing for a summer transfer move to sign Bayern Munich youngster Christopher Scott.

With a total of 106 youth appearances to his name for Bayern and his previous club Bayer Leverkusen, the 19-year-old has scored 44 goals and provided 15 assists in the process.

This shows what a capable attacking figure he is and what he could potentially offer the Hoops if they sign him this summer.

The teenager has also made two senior appearances for the Bundesliga champions this season which came during the back end of last season.

Labelled as an “very aggressive accurate passer” by Bhoys Analytics, Scott is set to have his current contract at the German club run out in the summer.

With that in mind, if the Hoops can secure his signature on a free transfer and then give him regular minutes on the pitch, this could be a great bit of business from the Parkhead club.

Also, with Frank McAvennie claiming how “unbelievable” it is for the club to still be paying Ajeti his £18k-per-week wages, getting him out of Celtic Park and replacing him with a young attacking talent such as Scott could give the Hoops fans a lot to shout about.

In other news: “Understand that…”: Journalist drops big transfer update, it’s bad news for Celtic

Ashes tickets go on sale to England supporters from Tuesday after more than 160,000 were sold to Australian fans last week. Members of the Australian Cricket Family received a head start for the series beginning on November 25, but there are still spots available for the public release.Four years ago approximately 42,000 English supporters, including 20,000 from the Barmy Army, attended the contests, which ended in a 5-0 victory for Australia. There is no chance of a repeat of the record-breaking crowds at the end of the year.”We’re not expecting the same extraordinary numbers,” Cricket Australia’s public affairs general manager Peter Young said. England held the Ashes after a 16-year drought when they arrived last time and there was huge excitement from their supporters at the prospect of retaining the urn.”That series was one out of the box, probably an all-time record,” Young said. “The UK-Australia exchange rate is also very different this time, making it more expensive for UK visitors.”The Barmy Army has been allocated a block of seats at each venue and one of their supporters will be the trumpeter Bill Cooper, who was banned from playing his instrument on the previous tour. “He is coming into venues on an agreed basis to work within our guidelines,” Young said.He said Cooper would provide entertainment but fans nearby would not be subjected to all-day tunes. Cooper, who does like to watch cricket, will be the only one blowing any sort of trumpet as vuvuzelas are not allowed.General sales are available for the Tests at the Gabba and Adelaide Oval on Tuesday, the SCG on Wednesday and the MCG and the WACA on Thursday. Cricket Australia has warned that scalpers are already offering seats at inflated prices and that those tickets can be cancelled at the admission gates.

The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, one of the venues for the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent, is still running behind schedule in terms of readiness of the pitch

Cricinfo staff07-Jun-2010

The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, one of the venues for the 2011 World Cup, is still behind schedule in terms of readiness of the pitch. The ICC completed its routine three-day venue inspection in Sri Lanka and expressed satisfaction at the progress made in the two new international venues, Pallekele and Hambantota.The Premadasa is the only ground in Colombo with floodlights, and Sri Lanka Cricket is spending eight million dollars to renovate the stadium and relay the pitch. The inspection team made a similar unfavourable progress report in February, when the ICC’s pitch consultant Andy Atkinson said that work on the playing area was behind schedule. Four months on, he said the status hadn’t changed much.”Premadasa is a worry for me,” Atkinson told . “I would like to get some games in to try out the pitch conditions before the big show next year.”Eugene van Vuuren, the ICC’s structural engineer, said good progress had been made at the other two venues. “With the exception of the Premadasa stadium, others are on track to play a few first-class and international matches before the tournament starts next February,” van Vuuren said.The Suriyawewa Stadium in Hambantota, on the Southern coast, is due to host its maiden first-class domestic match in July. The Pallekele Stadium near Kandy has held an Under-19 match.Sri Lanka will stage 12 matches, with the Premadasa hosting seven, including the first semi-final. Hambantota and Pallekele will host two and three games respectively.

تحدث محمد أبو الدهب لاعب الأهلي السابق، عن مباراة القمة المُقبلة بين القطبين، للمنافسة على كأس السوبر المصري، يوم الجمعة المُقبل، على ملعب هزاع بن زايد بدولة الإمارات.

وقال أبو الدهب في تصريحات عبر إذاعة “القاهرة الكبرى”: “الأهلي أصبح يمتلك شخصية مع كولر، المدرب السويسري هو أهم صفقة أبرمتها القلعة الحمراء”.

وتابع: “زيزو من أخطر لاعبي الزمالك، ولكن الأهلي يمتلك مفاتيح لعب كبيرة، وسيكون هو الأقرب للفوز، وفيريرا سيدافع أمام كولر”.

وأضاف: “البرازيلي برونو سافيو ينقصه الثقة، ولكنه من أفضل الصفقات في الأهلي، وشادي حسين الأفضل لقيادة الهجوم”.

طالع أيضًا | سامي قمصان: جاهزون لمواجهة الزمالك وتعويض جماهير الأهلي عن الموسم الماضي

وواصل: “فيريرا يُفضل الاعتماد على قوته في خط الدفاع، ولكن كولر يلعب بشكل هجومي، والمدرب السويسري يفوق مواطنه فايلر، ولكن ما ينقصه معالجة التأثر الهجومي”.

وعن أهم النصائح التي يوجهها للاعبي الأهلي خلال مباراة القمة، قال: “أن يتم الضغط على مدافعي الزمالك واستغلال النقص في صفوفه، بالإضافة إلى غلق المساحات على أحمد مصطفى زيزو”.

وأردف: “جماهير الأهلي ستكون هي العنصر الأهم في المباراة، وكان لي الشرف في ارتداء قميص هذا الفريق، وانتقادي للنادي أحيانًا من أجل المصلحة وحزني على المستوى في بعض الأوقات”.

واختتم: “غياب أليو ديانج عن الأهلي سيكون مؤثر ولكن ما يميز المارد الأحمر أنه يمتلك البدائل، وغياب محمود الونش سيرهق فريقه خاصةً أنه لا يوجد بدائل بنفس قيمته”.

According to Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic, Ajax were ‘priced out of a potential deal’ by Tottenham for Steven Bergwijn as Antonio Conte considers him ‘an important member of his squad’.

The Lowdown: Bergwijn’s transfer saga

The Dutch winger was at the centre of a fluctuating transfer saga during the January window. One moment he was seemingly off from N17, the next Conte wanted him to stay.

On 9 January, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claimed that Tottenham had ‘decided to sell’ the 24-year-old amid interest from a number of clubs.

Two days later, the Evening Standard reported that Spurs had rejected an opening £15m bid from Ajax. It was said that Daniel Levy was holding out on the deal as he was looking to recoup as much of the £27m that they paid for the player in 2020 as they could.

However, Bergwijn seemingly threw his Spurs future into the air as he fired in two stoppage-time goals in 80 seconds to snatch Conte’s side three points in a thrilling 3-2 win over Leicester City two weeks ago.

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The Latest: Ajax ‘priced out’ of Bergwijn deal

According to Eccleshare on Twitter, the Dutch champions were priced out of a possible deal for Bergwijn, a player who Conte feels is an integral member of the Tottenham squad.

He outlined: “It’s been a busy day for #THFC departures, but Steven Bergwijn is staying put. Ajax priced out of a potential deal for someone Antonio Conte considers an important member of his squad.”

Eccleshare also revealed for The Athletic that Spurs were not actively looking to offload the attacker, but Ajax’s interest had tested their resolve. This ultimately ended as the Dutch giants could not afford to meet Tottenham’s asking price.

The Verdict: Good choice

Bergwijn has not enjoyed an easy period since he arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but in recent weeks, it seems that the Netherlands international’s fortunes may have changed.

With the 24-year-old having secured Spurs that dramatic win against Leicester and with Alasdair Gold hailing him as a ‘rare bright spot’ in the recent defeat at Chelsea, this begged the question as to whether Conte and Fabio Paratici were silly to consider allowing the player to leave.

Considering the failed pursuit for now-Barcelona winger Adama Traore, Tottenham have made the right call to keep hold of the Dutchman, whose ‘quality’ has been hailed by Conte himself.

In other news: Tottenham: Late Ousmane Dembele attempt fails

Newcastle United return to action in the Premier League tonight as they face off against Manchester United at St. James’ Park.

The Magpies head into this match off the back of three straight defeats in the division, conceding four apiece to Manchester City and Leicester and three to Liverpool.

Eddie Howe’s team lost 4-0 to City in their last outing, with the Premier League leaders easing their way past them with relative comfort.

How many changes will Howe make to the side? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the team, with Fabian Schar, Sean Longstaff and Allan Saint-Maximin coming in.

Starting off in the defence, Schar could come in for Ciaran Clark. The £42k-per-week dud was abysmal against Manchester City and should now be axed from the XI for this match. He only won one duel in the entire game against Pep Guardiola’s side and gifted them the opener as he allowed a cross to go over his head as he ducked and Ruben Dias was on hand to nod into the back of the net.

This catastrophic error may now lead to him being kicked out of the team, which opens the door for Schar to return alongside Jamaal Lascelles. The Switzerland international has averaged a dismal SofaScore rating of 6.59 this season but Howe’s options are limited and it could be a chance for the defender to turn his campaign around.

In midfield, Isaac Hayden is suspended and will need to be replaced. The ex-Arsenal man has averaged 3.0 tackles and interceptions per game, which highlights the defensive hole that his absence will leave.

Longstaff, however, could fill that void as he has averaged 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game, showing that he has the ability to win the ball back for his side, much like Hayden does.

Finally, we are predicting that Allan Saint-Maximin will come in for Ryan Fraser on the left. He has averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.11 (highest in the squad) this season and produced three goals and three assists from out wide for the Magpies.

This shows the threat he can provide to the team, whereas Fraser has zero goals and one assist – which is why the Frenchman should be brought back into the fold.

AND in other news, NUFC must sign new Steven Taylor in £64k-p/w gem who Shearer dubbed “outstanding”…

Aston Villa have wrapped up their second signing of the January transfer window with the arrival of Lucas Digne being confirmed by the club’s official channels.

It didn’t take the Midlands club too long to spring into action this month to help manager Steven Gerrard strengthen his Premier League squad with the loan signing of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona as well.

Despite not even hitting the midway point of the month yet, it appears as though the club could be set to announce a new player at Villa Park very soon.

What’s the latest?

In a recent Twitter post from journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, he revealed that Digne had signed his contract to become a Villa player in a deal worth an apparent fee of €27m (£22.5m).

The official announcement then took place on Thursday morning as the left-back was proudly unveiled as Gerrard’s latest signing.

Lange masterclass

Since joining Everton back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Barcelona in a deal worth £18m, the left-back made 127 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions, with 113 of those appearances coming in the Premier League, highlighting the vast experience that he’ll be able to offer Gerrard’s side.

With six goals and 20 assists under his belt during his time at Goodison Park, the Frenchman will also be able to provide Villa with another attacking outlet from the left-back position, more so than current Villa full-back Matt Targett, who only has three goals and five assists in 89 appearances for the club across all competitions.

Digne’s situation at Everton eventually became unpleasant after a reported falling out with manager Rafa Benitez last month. As a result, for Johan Lange to pounce so quickly on a player from a league rival, especially one as experienced and capable as Digne is nothing short of a masterclass from the recruitment team.

He is a player with plenty of knowledge of the Premier League, and like Coutinho, should be able to impose himself on Gerrard’s side in a swift fashion. This has been a tremendous window so far for the Villans with Lange really demonstrating how good he can be in the market when given money to spend.

Moving forward, if Digne can hit the ground running at Villa and cement himself as an important figure in the team, this will give Gerrard’s side a big boost for the remainder of the season and potentially push them into the top half of the table if he can add some goals and assists to his tally for the season.

In other news: this Villa target could be joining their Premier League rivals…

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has delivered an injury update on Ibrox defender Borna Barisic after their 2-0 victory on Wednesday evening.

What’s the story?

The Gers came out with all three points from their clash against St Johnstone thanks to goals from Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent, but the one big concern surrounded Barisic, who was forced off with just over ten minutes remaining.

However, speaking in his post-match press conference following the game, Van Bronckhorst was quick to play down any suggestions of a serious problem with the left-back.

He said: “He’s okay. He was just not feeling well. He’s not injured.”

Huge boost

Make no mistake about it, Van Bronckhorst’s update on Barisic is a welcome relief and huge boost to the Gers in the midst of a busy festive schedule.

The Ibrox side are back in action in a couple of days when they take on Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership, before hosting St Mirren at home on Boxing day.

After being out with injury for three games in late October and early November, Barisic has come back into the side and started the previous five matches for the Gers, helping them keep an impressive four clean sheets in that time.

Former Rangers full-back Steven Smith has previously waxed lyrical about the Croatian, saying: “When you have got him on one side and the numbers that Tavernier is producing on the other side, I think when people tell you the numbers it is scary. You are talking about forward players and strikers not even reaching those numbers so the two of them have been outstanding.”

While Barisic has yet to net at all this season, there’s no questioning that when on song, he’s one of the most effective full-backs in the league, and Van Bronckhorst’s update on him should have fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, this Rangers star was outstanding vs St Johnstone…