Tottenham Hotspur salvaged their 2024/25 campaign when a goal from Brennan Johnson was enough to secure the Europa League against Manchester United.

Ange Postecoglou ended the club’s 17-year wait for a trophy by winning that game, securing Champions League football in the process, and was subsequently relieved of his duties.

Daniel Levy has, since, replaced the Australian head coach with former Brentford boss Thomas Frank, who will now be looking to kick the team on to win even more silverware in the years to come.

The Danish manager could look to the transfer market to bolster his squad, although deals for Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso have already been agreed and will be made official at the start of July.

Spurs bringing in new recruits to improve the team could help them to kick on in the Premier League, after finishing closer to relegation than the top four, but it could also mean that some members of the current squad could have to make way.

One player whose future remains up in the air is Dejan Kulusevski, who is a reported target for Italian giants AC Milan and Napoli in the summer transfer window.

Why Spurs should cash in on Dejan Kulusevski

The 25-year-old star joined the club on loan from Juventus at the start of 2022 before eventually signing on a permanent deal, and has been a solid performer over the years for Spurs.

To date, Kulusevski has racked up 25 goals and 30 assists in 146 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham, which is a very respectable return and shows that he can provide quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

However, the Sweden international is one of the top earners in the squad and has not delivered enough consistent quality in the final third to justify that.

Heung-min Son

£190k

Cristian Romero

£170k

James Maddison

£165k

Dejan Kulusevski

£110k

Dominic Solanke

£90k

Richarlison

£90k

Pedro Porro

£85k

Radu Dragusin

£85k

Ben Davies

£80k

Rodrigo Bentancur

£75k

As you can see in the table above, Kulusevski is one of only four players in the squad who earn more than £90k-per-week, on a weekly wage of £110k, which suggests that he should someone the team can rely on week-in-week-out.

The left-footed forward, though, has never produced more than eight goals or eight assists in a single Premier League season for Tottenham, failing to hit double digits in either type of goal contribution.

Therefore, Spurs should look to cash in on this reported interest from Napoli and Milan in order to make room for a new attacker to come in this summer, with a view to them delivering more quality, through goals and assists, in the Premier League next season.

In fact, Tottenham are already reportedly eyeing up a Bundesliga star who could come through the door as an upgrade on Kulusevski in the coming months.

Spurs eyeing deal for Bundesliga star

According to GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham Hotspur have identified RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Xavi Simons as one of a number of targets in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Netherlands international, formerly of Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, is on the club’s radar as they consider their options in the number ten role.

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It adds that Tottenham are also among a number of teams keeping tabs on Harvey Elliott’s situation at Liverpool, and are interested in Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze.

Simons represents a slightly more left-field option, as he is unproven in the Premier League, and the Dutch playmaker is said to be open to a move to the English top-flight this summer.

Leipzig failed to qualify for any European competition ahead of the 2025/26 campaign and are reportedly looking for a fee in the region of £60m to part ways with the 22-year-old talent.

Why Spurs should sign Xavi Simons

Described by one data analyst as “one of the best 10s in the world”, the Lilywhites should press ahead with a deal to sign the young attacking midfielder because he is a player who has the potential to deliver goals and assists more frequently than Kulusevski has for Spurs to date.

Simons could come in as a big upgrade on the Swedish forward in the attacking midfield and wide areas, if he can translate his form for Leipzig in the Bundesliga over to the Premier League in North London.

The Dutch starlet, who was once described as a “pocket rocket” by analyst Raj Chohan, has hit double figures for goals in each of the last three seasons for Leipzig and PSV combined, and racked up double figures for assists in two of the last three seasons.

Simons produced ten goals and 13 assists in all competitions in the 2023/24 campaign, creating 14 ‘big chances’ and averaging 2.5 key passes per game in the Bundesliga, which speaks to the kind of quality he can provide in front of goal on a regular basis.

Appearances

25

32

xG

5.11

4.23

Goals

10

7

Big chances created

12

9

Key passes per game

2.0

2.1

xA

5.98

3.94

Assists

7

4

As you can see in the table above, the Dutchman’s form in the 2024/25 Bundesliga season also suggests that he has more to offer to Tottenham than Kulusevski moving forward, with more xA, more assists, more ‘big chances’ created, and more goals, despite playing seven fewer matches.

The Leipzig star is also on a reported wage of roughly £98k-per-week, per Capology, which suggests that he could arrive on similar wages to the Sweden international, unless he demands a significant pay hike to make the move.

If Spurs can bring Simons to the club on a similar wage to Kulusevski, the Dutch star’s performances for Leipzig in recent seasons suggest that he would arrive as a big upgrade on what Frank currently has to work with.

The 22-year-old maestro has the potential to provide more goals and more assists as an attacking midfielder, as a player who can finish his chances with more efficiency, whilst also creating more high-quality opportunities for his teammates.

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Therefore, Spurs should sign the £60m-rated star to bolster Frank’s squad before the summer transfer window slams shut, to improve their options at the top end of the pitch.

Grace Scrivens half-century sets hosts up before Aussies dampen Spirit

ECB Media07-Aug-2024Aussie duo Ashleigh Gardner and Alana King spun Trent Rockets to a much-needed 31-run win over London Spirit at Trent Bridge.Gardner and King combined for six wickets as a star-studded Spirit line-up never threatened to chase down 158 for 5.Young gun Grace Scrivens struck 55 from 43 balls for the hosts, although she had to walk off the field in the second innings when she was struck in the face attempting a catch.It meant Rockets ended a three-game losing streak and was made all the more impressive as Nat Sciver-Brunt, the women’s competition’s leading run-scorer, had a comparatively quiet match with 21 from 12 balls.Former England Under-19s skipper Scrivens played arguably her best innings of The Hundred sharing a 74-run opening stand with Bryony Smith that set the tone for a performance that will have caught the attention of the other teams.Scrivens hit nine boundaries and her opening stand with Smith, who crashed 34 from 22 balls, was only ended in misfortunate when Charlie Dean got a finger on the ball before it crashed into the stumps with Smith unable to recover her ground after backing up.India star Deepti Sharma claimed the big wickets of Sciver-Brunt and Gardner, but Heather Graham’s unbeaten 22 from 12 balls ensured a fast finish.Spirit’s chase was immediately undermined when Gardner removed Georgia Redmayne and Cordelia Griffith from successive balls before King had former Australia captain Meg Lanning caught by Kirstie Gordon at mid-on.Gardner trapped Dani Gibson lbw and when England and Spirit skipper Heather Knight’s sweep at King landed in the hands of Smith, after hitting 29 from 20, the game was up.Gardner and King both finished with identical figures of 3 for 23 from 20 balls as Spirit closed on 127 for 7.Meerkat match Hero, Gardner, said: “It was huge (win for us). It was probably the first game we put all three facets of the game together. The openers did a fantastic job giving us the start that they did, that was the best we’ve been with the ball and we were pretty clean in the field. It was a pretty perfect performance.”

Chelsea have made a proposal to sign an “insane” attacker who’s England’s “biggest talent”, and BlueCo have now received a response, it has been revealed.

Blues looking to reshuffle attacking options

The Blues have been very busy in the opening stages of the summer transfer window, having already confirmed the arrivals of the likes of Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro, which means they may need to offload some current players to create space in the squad.

Fabrizio Romano has now revealed the west Londoners may have the opportunity to sell one of their wingers to a rival club, with the transfer expert stating that Arsenal are making moves to secure Noni Madueke’s signature.

Having already agreed personal terms on a move across the capital, it is clear Madueke is keen on joining the Gunners, which means the last remaining hurdle is for the two clubs to agree a suitable fee.

HandofArsenal have now revealed that Chelsea have floated the idea of signing Max Dowman in preliminary talks over the deal to sell Madueke (via Sports Mole), but BlueCo did not receive the response they would’ve been hoping for.

The Blues’ proposal to sign Dowman has been knocked back by Arsenal, given that he is very highly regarded by the north Londoners, meaning the deal to offload Madueke will need to be of a different nature.

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Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg has revealed the winger is valued at around £52m by the Blues, meaning they could be in line to pocket a tidy fee for his services.

"Insane" Dowman could be England's "biggest talent"

Although he is still only 15-years-old, the teenager has been tipped to go on and have a very successful career, with Arsenal insider Will Balsam dubbing him the “biggest talent in England”.

Scout Ben Mattinson has also been left extremely impressed by the young attacking midfielder’s performances at youth level, claiming he could go on to make his Premier League debut in the near future.

As such, it is disappointing that Arsenal have no interest in letting Dowman leave this summer, but it is good news that Chelsea could be set to receive a big fee for Madueke, with Enzo Maresca well-stocked in attacking areas and definitely in a position to sanction the winger’s departure.

Following an excellent campaign last time out, Nottingham Forest are looking to use the summer transfer window to ensure that their European qualification was no blip. And that could reportedly start with the addition of a Bayern Munich midfielder.

Nuno Espirito Santo extends Nottingham Forest contract

Starting as they mean to go on this summer, Nottingham Forest confirmed the news that Nuno Espirito Santo has agreed a new deal with the club and will now remain in charge until at least 2028.

The Portuguese manager has taken the Midlands club to fresh heights in the Premier League and Evangelos Marinakis was clearly keen to ensure that he remains the man for the job at the City Ground.

The Greek owner told Nottingham Forest’s official media channels: “Nuno has made a great impact and performed very well during his time with us so far.

With that contract signed and delivered, Nottingham Forest can now turn their attention back towards the transfer window. Already, it looks as though Jair Cunha, Igor Jesus and Cuiabano are all on their way from Brazilian club Botafogo, who just defeated Paris Saint-Germain at the Club World Cup. But those in the Midlands could yet return to the market.

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Reports are now suggesting that the Midlands club have joined the race to sign a Champions League midfielder who looks destined to return to the Premier League this summer.

Nottingham Forest join £30m Palhinha race

According to Caught Offside, Nottingham Forest are now eyeing a move to sign Joao Palhinha this summer. The midfielder is reportedly free to leave Bayern Munich for up to €35m (£30m) in what is a cut-price deal considering that the German giants initially paid Fulham as much as £42m to secure his signature just one year ago.

The transfer fee is unlikely to be the main sticking point in any deal. Instead, there may be concerns about Palhinha’s wage demands. If he requests the same £8.5m-a-year contract that he earns at Bayern Munich then the likes of Nottingham Forest could instantly look elsewhere for options.

With Manchester United, former club Fulham, Benfica and West Ham United also in the race for his signature, Palhinha may have a decision to make regarding his salary if he wants to secure an exit away from Munich this summer.

At his best, there’s no denying that Palhinha is capable of making a significant impact with Fulham boss Marco Silva dubbing him “impressive” during his time in West London. Now, however, the Portugal international desperately needs a return to English football to rediscover his top form.

انفجر نجم منتخب النرويج وفريق مانشستر سيتي، إيرلينج هالاند، في مباراة مساء يوم الثلاثاء ضد نظيره منتخب مولدوفا، في إطار التصفيات المؤهلة إلى بطولة كأس العالم نسخة 2026.

وواجه منتخب النرويج خصمه مولدوفا، في إطار الجولة السادسة من تصفيات قارة أوروبا المؤهلة إلى النسخة المقبلة من كأس العالم، التي ستنطلق الصيف القادم في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، كندا والمكسيك.

وتمكن منتخب النرويج من إذلال مولدوفا بنتيجة 11-1، في مباراة شهدت انفجارًا من جانب إيرلينج هالاند، الذي سجل ميجا هاتريك، 5 أهداف، وصنع هدفين (لمطالعة التفاصيل كاملة من هنا).

ونشر إيرلينج هالاند، عبر حسابه الشخصي بتطبيق سناب شات، صورته بعد المباراة، حيث كتب: “ليس سيئًا”.

ويستعد مانشستر سيتي لخوض مباراة مهمة يوم الأحد المقبل، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، ضد خصمه مانشستر يونايتد في الجولة الرابعة على ملعب “الاتحاد”.

ويسعى مانشستر سيتي إلى تصحيح مساره في الدوري الإنجليزي، ذلك الموسم، بعدما تعرض لهزيمتين متتاليتين في الجولة الثانية والثالثة على يد توتنهام وبرايتون، بنتيجة 2/0 و2/1.

When is it on, who are the stars to watch, which team has the edge, and much more

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2024

ICC via Getty Images

Match detailsIndia vs Pakistan
Dambulla, July 19, 7.00pm local timeIndia and Pakistan – recent formLet’s look at the last year for this one.India first, purely alphabetically. They have played 17 T20Is in this period and have a 10-5 win-loss record (with two games ending in no-results). Right at the top, they won the Asian Games gold in Hangzhou by beating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final. They then lost back-to-back series at home against England and Australia, swept Bangladesh 5-0 in Sylhet and, most recently, their three-match series in Chennai against South Africa ended 1-1 with the second game washed out after one innings.Related

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Pakistan have actually played more T20I cricket in the same timeframe – 19 completed games. But they have won only seven of them while losing 12. Prior to the Asian Games, they hosted South Africa at home and had a fantastic result, winning 3-0. The Asian Games wasn’t special. They got to the semi-finals as expected, but lost to Sri Lanka there, and then to Bangladesh in the bronze-medal playoff. They have since lost a T20I series in Bangladesh, at home against West Indies, and were swept 3-0 most recently in England. The only series win came in New Zealand late last year when they won 2-1.India vs Pakistan – head-to-headThere have been 14 fixtures between the two sides over the years but, for reasons known, no bilateral series. The only time a match was held in one of the two countries, in Delhi during the T20 World Cup 2016, Pakistan beat India by two runs in a rain-shortened game. That, though, is one of only three matches Pakistan have won against India in T20Is. India have won 11.And at the Asia Cup, too, India have a big edge. They have won five out of the six games they have played against Pakistan. The one Pakistan won, however, was at the last Asia Cup, in Sylhet, in 2022.Players to watchFor India, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma form a destructive opening pair. Mandhana, usually the one who bats longer of the two, has 3320 T20I runs at an average of 28.13 and a strike rate of 121.83. The corresponding numbers for Shafali are 1748, 24.27 and 129.48. Getting rid of one of them quickly is often not enough for oppositions; both of them have to be removed, and fast.For Pakistan, the star is captain Nida Dar, the bowling allrounder who picks up wickets pretty much each time she bowls and can be trusted to score useful runs. And Sidra Amin has been in the middle of a purple patch with the bat – she has 205 runs from eight innings this year.Where to watchIn India and Sri Lanka, the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 will be telecast on the Star Sports Network. The live streaming will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website in India. []

Ravi Shastri believes having Gautam Gambhir as the new India head coach is “refreshing” because he is “contemporary” and has “fresh ideas”.”He’s contemporary, he just had a great season in the IPL,” Shastri said on Gambhir on the ICC Review. “I think he’s the right age where he’s young, he’ll come with fresh ideas. He knows most of the players, especially in the white-ball format, having been part of teams in the IPL. So I think it’s refreshing.”And we know with Gautam, he’s a no-nonsense guy. He’ll have his ideas as well. And the good thing for him is he’s got a mature team. He’s got a settled team, a mature team. I think even though you might think you’re mature, you might benefit from some fresh ideas. So I think it’ll be interesting times.”Related

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Gambhir takes over from Rahul Dravid after India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign, and his first assignment will be the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka that starts with the three T20Is on Saturday in Pallekele.Gambhir takes over in all formats fresh on the back of an IPL win with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – he was team mentor and was credited with rallying the players together, for making Sunil Narine open again with the bat and lifting the confidence of newcomer Harshit Rana, among other things. With the Indian team too, he will have the big task of managing both junior and senior players, across formats.”Obviously, player management becomes the key as a coach,” Shastri said. “So it’ll be interesting to see how he goes. I think he’s got the tools, he’s got the goods for the job and he’s got the experience.”Shastri said Gambhir’s “most important task” will be to understand his players as people and their “temperaments”.”It’s a question of just understanding his players as quickly as possible,” Shastri said. “What their strengths are, what kind of human beings they are and what kind of temperaments do they have. What are their personalities. A lot goes behind the scenes to understand a human being.0:50

Gambhir: Any team would want to have Rohit and Kohli

“I think that will be his most important task, which I think again should not be a problem because he’s contemporary. He’s seen these guys from the outside, he’s dealt with a lot of guys who might have played with KKR as well and for Lucknow [Super Giants] when he was there.”And he’s been around the circuit, the moment he finished cricket – and that was not too long ago – and he still is around, plays a lot of the legends cricket as well.”In Tests, Gambhir’s major assignments will be the five home Tests starting in September (two against Bangladesh and two against New Zealand) followed by five Tests in Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. In the white-ball formats, the ICC trophies he will be eyeing are the Champions Trophy in 2025 and the T20 World Cup in 2026.Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja have retired from T20I cricket, but Shastri did not see that as a problem for India, given the resources waiting on the fringes.”I think a lot of the players that won this T20 World Cup will still be around two years later,” he said. “You mentioned the three players who were retired, but barring them, I think most of the others will be still fit to be in that T20 World Cup team two years down the line in India.”So I don’t think there’s much to be done there. In fact, you will get a problem on your hands because you’ll have to choose from the new lot that’s coming and there’s some real exciting talent there.”So I think it’s the other way around. It’s how do you get those guys in there who are bursting at the [seams] to get it. There’s a queue out there and that will be his biggest challenge, but it’s a good headache when you have that kind of talent.”

Rangers have made contact to sign a £20,000-a-week player who has been likened to full-back Jefte, according to a Sky Sports reporter.

Rangers window ramps up as Cameron unveiled as first signing

Russell Martin is currently preparing for his first Scottish Premiership season in charge at Ibrox, with players set to report back for pre-season on Monday ahead of an early Champions League qualifier in July.

However, in the transfer market, the 49ers are looking to back their new manager with additions in the window. One move that was agreed before Martin arrived and the 49ers officially took over was a pre-contract agreement for Lyall Cameron, with the midfielder joining Rangers from Dundee.

Cameron was unveiled as a new Rangers player on Tuesday after a stellar 2024/25 campaign which saw him score 14 goals and provide nine assists. Speaking on his recent performances, Cameron said:

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Alongside the midfielder, there have also been strong links to AFC Bournemouth right-back Max Aarons, with claims even suggesting a verbal agreement was done and a loan move was close for the Englishman.

However, there has been a new update on a move for the full-back who has been likened to Jefte.

Rangers in contact to sign Aarons as Bournemouth stance shared

Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam provided an update on Rangers’ attempts to sign Aarons on Tuesday.

He stated that contact has been made by Rangers for the 25-year-old, however, while the Gers are looking at doing a loan deal for the £20,000-a-week defender, Bournemouth would prefer a permanent transfer.

Aarons appears to be out of favour at the Vitality Stadium under Andoni Iraola but is still under contract on the south coast until 2029. Therefore, a move could be complicated as the Cherries are looking to recoup as much of the £7m they paid for Aarons, whereas Rangers want him on a temporary basis.

Milan van Ewijk

Coventry City

Jefte

Rangers

Isaac Schmidt

Leeds United

Jordi Alba

Inter Miami

Alistair Johnston

Celtic

One way the clubs could get around negotiations could be to include an option or obligation to buy Aarons next summer, but at this moment in time, a deal doesn’t appear to be as advanced as previously suggested.

Leeds United officially completed their third signing of the summer transfer window on Tuesday when they unveiled Sebastiaan Bornauw as their new centre-back.

The Belgian giant has joined on a four-year contract on a permanent deal from Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg, following the arrivals of Jaka Bijol and Lukas Nmecha.

Bornauw played 15 times for Wolfsburg in the German top-flight last season and will provide competition to the likes of Bijol, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, and Pascal Struijk in the centre-back positions.

This means that Leeds have now brought in two new central defenders and one centre-forward, in Nmecha, but they are yet to add to Daniel Farke’s options in the middle of the park.

One central midfielder who will not be signing for the Championship champions, though, is Senegal international Habib Diarra, who has signed for Premier League rivals Sunderland.

Leeds reportedly made a bid of around £22m to sign the star from Strasbourg last month, but the Black Cats have now snapped him up for a club-record fee of £30m.

What Habib Diarra could have brought to Leeds

The 21-year-old midfielder could have been an interesting signing for the Whites as a young midfield talent who has shown promise in Ligue 1 with Strasbourg.

Diarra could have provided a decent threat at the top end of the pitch from a central midfield position after a return of four goals and five assists in 30 appearances in the French top-flight last season.

However, he is far from the finished article at the age of 21 and still has a lot to learn, as his defensive work in Ligue 1 with Strasbourg left quite a bit to be desired.

Whilst his contributions at the top end of the pitch were notable for such a young player in a major European league, Diarra’s all-round play in midfield was not at a particularly high level.

24/25 Ligue 1

Habib Diarra per 90

Percentile rank vs midfielders

Progressive passes

4.44

Bottom 41%

Progressive carries

2.33

Top 27%

Successful take-ons

0.50

Bottom 29%

Tackles made

0.84

Bottom 4%

Interceptions

0.50

Bottom 15%

Blocks

0.84

Bottom 21%

Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, the Senegal international ranked within the bottom half of midfielders in Ligue 1 in a host of defensive metrics, as well as in-possession attributes.

So, whilst he may be a promising young player with the potential to improve, Diarra may not have been an instant star for Leeds in the Premier League because of his lack of defensive nous and physicality in the middle of the park.

Because of this, it may be a good thing that the Whites missed out on a deal for the £30m-rated midfielder, amid reported interest from the club in another midfield target who would be a better signing.

Leeds eyeing Championship midfielder

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds United are one of the teams interested in a swoop to sign Southampton central midfielder Mateus Fernandes this summer.

The report claims that the Saints, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, are preparing to lose several key first-team stars in the coming weeks, and the Portuguese ace is one of them.

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It states that former Sporting prospect is expected to be snapped up by another club before the end of the summer transfer window at the start of September, and that Leeds and Crystal Palace are both lining up moves to sign him.

Previous reports have claimed that the Championship side are looking for a fee of around £30m for the midfield star, but it remains to be seen if that has changed.

It is now down to Leeds to fight hard to win the race with Palace for his signature in the coming weeks, to ensure that they do not lose out to another Premier League rival like they did with Diarra.

Why Leeds should sign Mateus Fernandes

The Whites should be pushing to sign Fernandes from Southampton because he would arrive at Elland Road as an even better signing than Diarra would have been.

At the age of 20, the Portuguese talent is even younger than the Senegalese ace and, therefore, has a similar potential to grow and develop over the years to come, which would make him an ideal long-term signing.

However, Fernandes has the quality to make an even bigger impact than Diarra in the short-term, based on his performances for the Saints last season.

Despite Southampton’s relegation from the Premier League, the 20-year-old starlet caught the eye with some impressive displays in the middle of the park, scoring two goals and providing four assists.

The £30m-rated star, who also scored against Cardiff in the League Cup, offered more to his team than just goal contributions, though, as he is an all-action and dynamic midfielder.

24/25 season

Fernandes (Premier League)

Diarra (Ligue 1)

Appearances

36

30

Goals

2

4

Assists

4

5

Successful dribbles per game

1.4

0.4

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.3

1.1

Blocks per game

0.6

0.2

Ground duel success rate

53%

49%

Aerial duel success rate

63%

43%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Southampton ace has far more to his game than Diarra does as a central midfield option, due to his defensive and offensive qualities.

Fernandes, who was once hailed for his “exceptional” passing quality by analyst Ben Mattinson, may not have produced as many goals and assists as the former Strasbourg star, but he offered significantly more to his team defensively.

As aforementioned, Diarra may have been a liability defensively for Leeds due to his lack of physicality in Ligue 1, but that would not be the case for the Saints midfielder, who has been there and done it in the Premier League.

Fernandes has shown that he can handle the physicality of English football, to be a standout in a poor Southampton team, and that means that the Leeds target could hit the ground running at Elland Road if they sign him, which may not have been the case for Diarra due to his lack of experience in England.

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Therefore, Leeds should swoop to sign the relegated midfielder after missing out on Diarra because he has the qualities, potential, and experience to be an even better signing than the club-record Sunderland ace.

Leeds United have made a fairly fast start to the summer transfer window in their bid to avoid an instant relegation from the Premier League next season.

The Whites secured their first addition last month when they confirmed that they had agreed a deal with free agent forward Lukas Nmecha, who has now officially joined from Wolfsburg upon the expiry of his contract with the Bundesliga outfit.

Daniel Farke has also added to his defensive ranks with the signing of Slovenia international Jaka Bijol on a permanent deal from Serie A side Udinese.

The 26-year-old colossus started 34 matches in the Serie A last season and arrives at Elland Road with experience of playing in a major European league.

Bijol does not look like he will be the only centre-back signing for the West Yorkshire outfit this summer, though, as the club are reportedly set to sign Sebastiaan Bornauw.

Leeds are closing in on a deal to bring the Belgian central defender to Elland Road from Wolfsburg for a reported fee of £5.13m to further bolster their options at the back.

What Sebastiaan Bornauw could bring to Leeds

The 26-year-old titan could provide Farke with a valuable and experienced back-up option at the heart of the defence, behind the likes of Bijol, Joe Rodon, and Pascal Struijk.

Bornauw has played 140 matches in the Bundesliga in his career, which shows that he has plenty of experience in a major European league, and has played 96 times for Wolfsburg in all competitions, including three games in the Champions League.

The imposing 6 foot 3 defender could provide a strong aerial presence for Leeds in both boxes. He won 62% of his aerial duels in the Bundesliga last season and has scored 11 goals in his career in the German top-flight.

This suggests that Bornauw could help Leeds to defend set-pieces as well as being a threat to score from them, which may be one of the reasons that they have decided to snap him up.

24/25

4

18

23/24

1

2

21/22

1

2

20/21

1

13

19/20

1

2

18/19

3

19

16/17

1

12

However, as you can see in the table above, the Belgian giant has also suffered from injury problems throughout his career in Germany, and missed 18 games last season.

This suggests that Farke may not be able to rely on him to be available week-in-week-out in the Premier League next season, which is further cause to believe that the centre-back could be a signing to improve the depth of the team, rather than as an immediate starter.

Leeds are now reportedly eyeing up another signing from the Bundesliga, on top of Bornauw, who could be an even more exciting signing than the Belgian.

Leeds ready to swoop for Mainz star

According to the Print Edition of BILD (30/06/25), as relayed by LeedsUnitedNews, Leeds United are interested in a deal to sign Mainz defender Anthony Caci in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that both the Whites and fellow Premier League side Fulham are keen to snap the versatile 28-year-old star up in the coming weeks.

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It states that Leeds are ahead of the Cottagers in the race to sign the French dynamo, though, because they have the ability to offer him regular first-team football.

The outlet adds that the Championship champions are ready to submit an offer to sign the Mainz ace in the coming days. He is said to be valued at around £8.5m by his current club.

It now remains to be seen, though, whether or not the club’s opening offer for Caci will match that £8.5m valuation, or if they will have to enter further negotiations.

Why Anthony Caci would be an exciting signing for Leeds

Leeds would land a more exciting signing than Bornauw this summer if they manage to get a deal over the line for the versatile Bundesliga gem to bolster their squad.

Firstly, Caci has even more experience at the top level in Europe, with 107 appearances in Ligue 1 and 97 in the Bundesliga. This means that he has played in more of Europe’s top five leagues and played more matches than the centre-back has, bringing even more experience to Elland Road.

The French star has also only missed two matches through injury since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, which suggests that he is far more likely to be available week-in-week-out in the Premier League next season.

In terms of his actual performances, Caci, who was once dubbed “fantastic” by the Athletic’s Alex Barker, could also be an exciting signing because of the qualities he can provide.

The versatile star, who has mainly played as a left-back in his career but has also played as a right-back, is an attack-minded full-back who could get supporters off their seats with his direct play down the flank, having produced 23 assists for Strasbourg and Mainz combined.

xA

0.26

Top 14%

Assists

0.23

Top 14%

Chances created

1.66

Top 22%

Successful crosses

1.27

Top 29%

Cross accuracy

29%

Top 30%

Successful dribbles

0.97

Top 16%

As you can see in the table above, Caci caught the eye with his attacking contributions in the Bundesliga for Mainz last season, ranking highly among his positional peers as a creative threat.

He ended the campaign with 7.88 xA and seven assists to his name, which shows that the £8.5m-rated talent has the ability to consistently create high-quality chances for his teammates.

This means that he could be an exciting replacement for Junior Firpo, who delivered ten assists in the Championship, as a left-back who can create goals on a regular basis, after the former Leeds star left upon the expiry of his contract at Elland Road.

Caci is a right-footed player, who played as a right-sided full-back for Mainz at times as well, but he has played 65 times as a left-back in his career, with more appearances there than in any other position, which is why he could be the replacement for Firpo.

He'd be the next Chris Wood: Leeds pushing to sign £21m star after Bornauw

Leeds United are set to sign Sebastiaan Bornauw, and are also pushing to land a new striker.

ByDan Emery Jul 1, 2025

Overall, a deal to bring the French dynamo to Elland Road this summer would be more exciting than the one to sign Bornauw, because of his experience, his injury history, and his exciting attacking attributes.