The Division Two leaders are working with a bit-part attack due to injuries and the MLC

ECB Reporters Network29-Jun-2025

Robson struck his first century of the season•Getty Images

Middlesex 336 for 5 (Robson 133, De Caires 76, Walker 3-57) vs LeicestershireAfter the euphoria of winning at Lord’s for the first time in 45 years last month, Division Two leaders Leicestershire were made to toil for rewards against the same opponents at the Uptonsteel County Ground, where Middlesex opener Sam Robson posted his first Rothesay County Championship hundred of the season.Middlesex finished on 336 for 5 after Robson made 133, the 37th first-class century of the 35-year-old batter’s career. Earlier, Josh De Caires, still looking for his maiden first-class century after 37 attempts, scored 76 in an opening stand of 173.Leus Du Plooy, captain in the absence of Toby Roland-Jones, who is sidelined by a gastric bug, was out for 56 in the penultimate over.In a Leicestershire attack without four of the bowlers that forged the victory at Lord’s, seamer Roman Walker took the first three wickets to fall and currently has career-best figures of 3 for 57.The pitch had a healthy covering of grass but where the sight of a similar surface in April with a Dukes ball in hand would have had a bowler licking his lips, a Kookaburra on a bone dry day in late June is a different proposition.It made for another of the attritional days that are becoming familiar when the Kookaburra ball is in use – not perhaps the best day to have been chosen for the supporter-led County Cricket Day initiative in which Leicestershire, among others, are participating by offering free admission.Perhaps mindful of Monday’s forecast for still hotter conditions, and how the contest might look on day four, Leicestershire captain Peter Handscomb handed Middlesex the chance to bat first. His side extended their lead by virtue of a draw with Glamorgan last week and may be happy simply not to lose this one. Middlesex, next to bottom, desperately need a win.They had 119 on the board by lunch, with no losses. Robson and De Caires completed half-centuries with boundaries off Logan Van Beek in the final over before the break, the home attack leaving the field wicketless in the opening session of a match for the first time this season.Granted, they were lacking Tom Scriven, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Mike and Josh Hull because of injuries, while their leading wicket-taker of the first half of the season, Ian Holland, is playing Major League Cricket for Washington Freedom. Nonetheless it was a disappointing session for the home attack, who failed to create a real chance.Middlesex added a further 100 between lunch and tea, albeit for the loss of two wickets, when almost all of the meaningful action from the home side’s stance took place in the space of five deliveries as Walker, playing only his fifth Championship match in four seasons at Grace Road, dismissed De Caires and Max Holden.Finding some movement off the seam with a ball 47 overs old, Walker had the former caught behind off an inside edge, and, bowling around the wicket to the left-handed Holden, straightened one enough to pass the outside edge and clip off stump, removing Middlesex’s leading scorer for a duck.The 24-year-old ex-Glamorgan seamer – in the last year of his current contract – picked up his third 10 overs after tea as Robson, whose hundred had come off 185 balls, for once failed to control his shot and was caught at gully.It was a decent catch by Sol Budinger, yet merely a warm-up for what might be the best of the 25-year-old’s career – so far or still to come – five overs later as new batter Ryan Higgins flashed at Ben Green. Now at backward point, Budinger dived for a ball going past him to his left six inches above the ground and somehow caught it with his right hand.That left Middlesex 271 for 4. They would have been 286 for five had Green, at mid-off, not dropped a dolly chance offered by Ben Geddes off Van Beek on 11, although he at least partially atoned by having Du Plooy caught at second slip when looking well set for day two.

Everton host West Ham United in the Premier League on Monday evening, and David Moyes will look to take advantage after the beleaguered Irons sacked Graham Potter on Saturday.

It’s no secret that West Ham have endured a torrid start to the season, and in fact, have toiled ever since parting ways with Moyes at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

The two sides sit at opposite ends of the Premier League scale right now, and while Everton are tenth, they find themselves with a glorious chance to return to the win column and put the frustrating Carabao Cup exit at Wolves behind them.

Moyes shuffled his pack for that midweek defeat, but by reinstating his side’s biggest stars, the Blues might just get the job done.

How Everton can beat West Ham

Everton have yet to taste defeat at their new home, and for that to change on Monday would be considered a big blow for a side looking to make headway after several years of imperilled fortunes.

But stranger things have happened, and West Ham will hope to use this transitional period to strike while expectations are low. However, with the likes of Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye returning to the starting line-up, Everton should have enough to breach a wobbly defence.

The Londoners’ xG allowed total of 7.6 is next-to-last in the standings right now, marginally behind pointless Wolves. This effectively means they have been poor in defence, shipping many chances and lacking the authority and coherence to repel danger.

Grealish must be excited to test himself against such rusted Iron, and Ndiaye too. But West Ham have weapons of their own, and the home side’s backline must have their wits about them.

Everton have enjoyed, by their standards, a fine start to the season, habitually slow to get into gear. And all this without their star defender Jarrad Branthwaite, who is now ready to return to the field.

Branthwaite has not yet kicked a ball at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but his form and fitness will yet shape the mood on the blue half of Merseyside over the coming months, and he will be crucial in silencing Hammers talisman Jarrod Bowen.

The return of Jarrad Branthwaite

Said to be “one of the best defenders” out there by journalist John Barlow, Branthwaite has settled comfortably into his standout role at Everton over the past few seasons.

And, for the second campaign in succession, he’s been absent throughout the early weeks. This proved detrimental for Sean Dyche’s system one year ago, but Moyes has staved off any threat of a relegation-battling term, having made some emphatic summer signings.

With the England star now fit again and in line to make his seasonal debut, the Blues might just shape into a force to be reckoned with, the backline reinforced and setting a rigid framework for the forwards ahead.

It might prove the missing piece of the puzzle to raise Everton’s game and rebuff a disorganised West Ham side.

Branthwaite in the Premier League
Match Stats (* per game)	23/24	24/25
Matches (starts)	35 (35)	30 (28)
Goals	3	0
Assists	0	1
Clean sheets	12	8
Touches*	52.2	51.9
Accurate passes*	31.4 (80%)	32.7 (83%)
Ball recoveries*	5.2	3.1
Tackles*	1.9	1.2
Interceptions*	1.4	0.9
Clearances*	4.5	6.3
Ground duels won*	2.5 (67%)	1.9 (69%)
Aerial duels won*	2.7 (68%)	2.1 (59%)
Data via Sofascore

And it’s the forwards who are taking the plaudits in Everton’s team right now. The Toffees have been hard at work this summer, with Moyes adding Grealish and Tyler Dibling to pre-existing ranks boasting the fickle Beto and the deadly Ndiaye, who was the club’s top scorer last year with ten strikes across all competitions.

However, Bowen would love nothing more than to torment his former mentor on Monday night, and while West Ham have struggled this season, with two goals from three recent league matches, the Three Lions forward is one to watch.

Bowen scored three goals from his first six games against Everton, but has blanked across each of the past two top-flight terms. Curiously, those four fixtures coincide with Branthwaite’s return from PSV to Merseyside.

Previously said to be “unplayable” on his day by The Guardian’s Barney Ronay, the 28-year-old will certainly be up for the task. As per Sofascore, he has averaged five duels a game in the Premier League this season, also converting his only two big chances.

Bowen’s pace and tenacity on the ball serve him well, but Branthwaite would directly impede that facet of his game, one of the toughest tacklers in the Premier League.

As per FBref, he also ranks among the top 7% of central defenders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for clearances per 90.

Moreover, Branthwaite has a cast-iron relationship with the stand-in skipper, James Tarkowski, on the field, and his return to fitness will only raise the 32-year-old’s game once more.

Perhaps the most exciting part is that Branthwaite is still only 23 years old and has much still to learn as he marries his physicality and athleticism with a more cultured take on the technical side of the game.

The development and modernisation of Moyes’ tactics will give rise to such growth, to be sure, and while Branthwaite is an “absolute monster” of a centre-half, as he has been declared by talent scout Jacek Kulig after winning back-to-back Young Player of the Year awards on Merseyside, there is still room for improvement.

But the fact that he has the skillset to negate the threat of a talisman such as Bowen at this stage of his career bodes well indeed. West Ham are in disarray, and Everton are not. A combination of fluent attacking play and steely defensive work should prove enough for Everton to withstand against the advances of their opponents and strike them down.

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Will Miller

Sep 26, 2025

Let’s have some run today with a couple of plus-money pitching props!

We are betting on two home pitchers to allow at least three runs before they exit today.

Best MLB Prop Bets Today

Yusei Kikuchi OVER 2.5 Earned Runs (+110) at DraftKings

The Houst Astros bats have been hot lately, averaging 5.37 runs per game since June 1. They hit lefties well, too.

Their .266 average vs. southpaws ranks fifth in MLB, and their .457 SLG ranks sixth.  

On average, the Astros have scored 2.70 runs this season in the first five innings of games. Across the last three, that number is even higher at 3.33 runs per first five.

On the other side, Kikuchi has been struggling lately. He allowed four or more runs in each of his last three starts. With Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez both hitting lefties better than righties this year, I’ll grab the plus money here for the Astros to put up a three-spot before Kikuchi exits. 

Trevor Rogers OVER 2.5 Earned Runs (+105) at DraftKings

The Boston Red Sox have also been hot since June 1, scoring 5.32 runs per game — just behind the Astros. 

They also see lefties well with a .337 OBP (fourth in MLB). Per first five, the Red Sox are averaging 2.7 runs this season, and they have averaged 3.0 runs per first five innings across their last three games.  

The Red Sox are also averaging 5.07 runs per road game – the fifth most in MLB. Lefty Trevor Rodgers has an xERA of 5.17 according to Statcast and a higher ERA when at home this year. That’s enough to have me interested in plus-money. 

Leeds United have started well in the Premier League, after bouncing back to the top flight for the first time in two years. Daniel Farke’s side have been something of a yo-yo team in recent times, with this being their fourth campaign in the top flight in the last seven seasons.

The Whites only just managed to stay in the Premier League in the 2021/22 campaign, ending 17th that season, after a strong finish of ninth the year before.

The man who kept them up by the skin of their teeth four years ago was Jesse Marsch, who was eventually dismissed despite some statement signings during his tenure.

Marsch’s prominent signings at Leeds

51-year-old Marsch brought 11 new faces to Elland Road during his time at the club. One of those, goalkeeper Joel Robles, was a free transfer, and another joined on loan, with Weston McKennie switching Juventus for Leeds for six months in 2023.

The most expensive addition that the Wisconsin-born manager made during his time as Leeds boss was Georginio Rutter. The Frenchman was, and still is, the club’s record signing from German side Hoffenheim. He cost the Whites £35.5m back in January 2023.

Nowadays, the former Leeds striker plays for Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion, where he moved for £40m. He has 14 goals and assists for the Seagulls so far, and is yet to get close to his Leeds tally of 26 goal involvements.

Not only did Marsch purchase Leeds’ most expensive player of all time, but he also bought the man second on that list. Brenden Aaronson cost the Yorkshire outfit £24.7m in 2022 and is still at the club today.

The attacker has chipped in with 15 goals and assists in 95 games.

Aaronson is not the only Marsch signing still plying his trade at Leeds. There is another player now worth far more than what they paid for him.

The Marsch signing whose value has skyrocketed

There are certainly some of the signings made by Marsch which have turned out to be good additions to Leeds’ squad. Rutter, for example, saw the club make a healthy £5m profit on the deal, and Aaronson is a key player under Farke today.

Well, perhaps the biggest success story of the lot has been Italian attacker Wilfried Gnonto. The 21-year-old has been a Leeds player for some time now, joining the club back in 2022 at the end of the transfer window. He cost just £3.8m from Swiss side FC Zurich.

Throughout his time at Elland Road, Gnonto has shown why Leeds invested in him despite being just 18 years of age at the time. In 123 games for the Whites so far, Gnonto has found the back of the net 22 times and assisted 14 goals.

His best season for the Yorkshire giants came in the 202425 campaign, where they got promoted back to the Premier League. Gnonto played a huge part in their Championship title win, scoring nine times and assisting six in 43 games.

To further reinforce Gnonto’s quality in a Leeds shirt, take a look at some of his underlying numbers from the Championship last term.

One of the standout stats is the 4.27 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes he created, which placed him in the top 6% of forwards in the second tier.

Gnonto – 24/25 Championship
Stat (per 90)	Number	Percentile vs. attackers
Goals and assists	0.59	94th
Key passes	1.82	84th
Progressive passes	4.9	92nd
Shot-creating actions	4.27	94th
Carries into final third	2.41	90th
Stats from FBref

With all that in mind, it might not be a surprise to learn that the value of the “explosive” winger, as football scout Antonio Mango called him, has absolutely skyrocketed. He has certainly improved leaps and bounds since the Whites paid the cut-price fee of £3.8m three years ago.

Nowadays, according to Football Transfers, the Italian youngster is worth an impressive £22.8m, a higher amount than anyone in the Leeds squad. That is an eye-watering increase of 500% from the original deal the Yorkshire side got.

Gnonto has certainly been worth the cheap fee that the Whites paid for him three summers ago. Given the fact that he is just 21 years of age, there is still plenty of time for his value to shoot up and for the impressive performances to continue.

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By
Dan Emery

Oct 9, 2025

A furious Eddie Howe slammed the mentality of his Newcastle United players after a damning defeat to West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday. The Magpies had a nightmare outing at the London Stadium as they gifted the Hammers their first home win in nine months. After the loss, Howe's side have now slipped to 13th place in the Premier League table, with just three wins from their first 10 matches.

A day to forget for Newcastle

The Magpies started the game on a bright note as Jacob Murphy put the visitors in front after just four minutes. The right-winger weaved in and out of the Hammers defence before striking hard into the bottom-left corner. But Newcastle could only hold onto their lead for half an hour as Lucas Paqueta, looking to lead West Ham to safety, curled an effort from distance past the diving Nick Pope. Ten minutes later, an Aaron Wan-Bissaka cutback was turned into his own net by Sven Botman to give the hosts the lead. Newcastle pushed, but were unable to find a way back into the game and Tomas Soucek bundled home in injury time to seal the three points.

It was the Magpies' fourth defeat of the season, as it left them struggling in 13th in the league table with just three wins from their first 10 league games. Star forward Anthony Gordon drew a lot of criticism as his Premier League goal drought extended to 19 matches.

AdvertisementAFPHowe tears into Newcastle players

Speaking to reporters about his team's performance after the game, a frustrated Howe said: "The dynamism wasn't there. The physicality and the energy were missing. We scored early and could have grabbed hold of the game but we didn’t and let it slip away. It didn't look like a Newcastle team that we've seen in recent seasons. The body language, the collective spirit on the pitch, loads of little things weren’t there. It was a by-product of us just not being where we needed to be mentally."

On subbing off stars like Gordon and Nick Woltemade, the English coach added: "I could have taken anyone off. That is a reflection of where we were at that stage of the game. It is very rare for me to feel that way. I don't think I have since I have been Newcastle manager."

West Ham relieved after regisering first home win in nine months

Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo was happy to gift the West Ham fans the victory over the Magpies, as the Portuguese coach said: "I think the fans saw something in the team today. This is what we want. How can we as a team show to our fans that we want to fight and we want to change the situation."

He added: "The players are realising that winning in the Premier League, we have to work very hard. We will do it again. The win makes it easier, there are smiles and the legs feel easier. We see slight improvements on the pitch. We have to create a platform on the pitch."

Captain Jarrod Bowen told Sky Sports: "It’s obviously been a difficult period. But when I’ve spoke to the lads, [I’ve said] we’re the only ones who change it. When mine [my shot] hit the post… sometimes you think ‘Is our luck going to change?’ But we stuck at it and we went on to get a comfortable win. Yes, it’s been frustrating. But we have so much potential in this squad, and I’ve told the team, it’s up to us to go out and show it."

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Getty Images SportNewcastle aim for comeback in Europe

Newcastle's players will now shift focus to Europe and aim to get back to winning ways after the disappointing away defeat against West Ham. In the Champions League, Howe's men have registered back-to-back wins after going down against Barcelona in their opening game. They next host Athletic Club at St James' Park on Wednesday before facing Brentford in a Premier League clash on November 9, their final game before the international break.

Manchester United are now ready to join the race for an “unbelievable” £75m midfielder amid the interest in Bruno Fernandes and doubts over Casemiro’s future.

Man Utd keen on new midfielder with Casemiro's future up in the air

Casemiro’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season, but the Brazilian has remained a key player for Man United, having arguably proven Jamie Carragher wrong since the Sky Sports pundit infamously suggested he needed to “call it a day.”

The 33-year-old has made seven Premier League appearances this season, with the only game he missed being due to suspension, and the midfielder’s defensive attributes have been on display on a regular basis over the past year.

Statistic

Average per 90 (past year)

Tackles

4.05 (99th percentile)

Blocks

2.33 (99th percentile)

Clearances

2.81 (94th percentile)

There have been widespread reports suggesting the former Real Madrid man could still extend his contract, but his future remains up in the air, while there are also some doubts over whether Fernandes will remain a United player.

According to a report from The Mirror, the Portugal international, who is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world, is attracting interest from elsewhere, with Saudi Pro League clubs known to be keen.

Consequently, Man United are now ready to enter the race for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, who has been a shining light for the Tricky Trees amid their poor start to the season.

Having impressed for Forest and England, Anderson’s asking price is now a whopping £75m, with a number of rival Premier League clubs also keen, including Manchester City and Chelsea.

Ruben Amorim views rebuilding his midfield as a priority, having previously looked at signing Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba, with United now big admirers of the Forest star too.

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ByEthan Lamb Oct 21, 2025 "Unbelievable" Anderson impressing for club and country

The 22-year-old has become a regular starter for the Three Lions under the helm of Thomas Tuchel, recently putting in a fantastic display in the 5-0 win against Latvia, completing 121 passes and making four tackles, the highest number of any player.

Newcastle United defender Kieran Trippier has also made it clear he is a huge admirer of his former teammate, taking the time to praise his performances for Forest.

A £75m asking price is steep, but Anderson is a very well-rounded midfielder, also placing in the 85th percentile for assists per 90 over the past year, compared to other midfielders, so he would undoubtedly be an exciting addition to Amorim’s squad.

Premier League teams have been urged to exploit a weak link in Thomas Frank’s starting eleven at Tottenham.

Tottenham edge out Leeds United in 2-1 win

The Lilywhites, once again, were forced to display real grit as Spurs battled their way to a 2-1 win away at Leeds United in today’s early kick-off.

Goals from Mathys Tel, who was given the starting nod over Richarlison, and summer signing Mohammed Kudus edged Leeds out, despite Daniel Farke’s side battling to the last second on a very rainy afternoon at Elland Road.

Mohammed Kudus

8.4

Mathys Tel

7.8

Noah Okafor

7.0

Sean Longstaff

7.0

Jayden Bogle

6.8

via WhoScored

Noah Okafor did make the game level before half-time, but Kudus’ deflected first ever goal for Tottenham gifted Frank’s side a hard-fought three points.

The Ghanaian’s Man of the Match display helped Spurs become the first team to beat Leeds on home turf in a league game for over a year — putting their disappointing draw against Bodo/Glimt in the Arctic Circle firmly behind them.

An ever-present in Spurs’ team ever since his £17 million move from Empoli in 2023, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, also made crucial saves in Yorkshire.

Vicario thwarted Dominic Calvert-Lewin from making it 2-1 just after half-time with a left-footed stop before denying Leeds again in the very last minutes, but the shot-stopper was left in no-mans-land when ex-Spurs defender Joe Rodon missed a gaping chance early in the first half.

The Italy international started his Lilywhites career impressively under Ange Postecoglou, putting in some excellent performances and pulling off match-winning saves since then, but Vicario has attracted criticism for his handling of crosses into the box.

Premier League rivals urged to expose Guglielmo Vicario at Tottenham

Former Newcastle and Crystal Palace midfielder Darren Ambrose, speaking to talkSPORT earlier this week, is convinced that Vicario has been “found out” because of this and has urged Premier League rivals to take advantage.

There were flashes of this issue from Vicario against Leeds, especially with Rodon’s opportunity as a result of the 28-year-old’s failure to deal with an incoming ball.

However, Tottenham’s goalkeeping coaches can always work on the keeper’s lack of confidence right now when it comes to claims.

The former Serie A keeper is still quite young in goalkeeping terms, and while there is still room for improvement, ex-teammate Fraser Forster piled praise on Vicario’s work ethic to get better behind-the-scenes.

Just when Chelsea were seemingly building serious momentum, wait, what happened?

When the Blues took a fourth-minute lead through Alejandro Garnacho against Sunderland, they appeared set to cruise to a nice routine victory at 3 o’clock on a Saturday.

However, Wilson Isidor equalised for the Black Cats soon after and then, right at the death, with the home side pushing for a winner of their own, Chemsdine Talbi snatched victory, sparking wild celebrations from the Mackems who had traveled to West London.

Chelsea did end the afternoon with 16 shots to Sunderland’s ten, but forced Robin Roefs into just two saves, while Robert Sánchez made six, hence why the newly-promoted outfit ended the game with a higher xG figure: 0.97-1.16.

Before this, Enzo Maresca’s team had won four on the spin, demolishing Ajax 5-1 in the Champions League, while also beating both Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

Now, though, question marks will be raised against the manager, so, with a fierce London derby against Tottenham to come next Saturday, which player should Maresca cast aside following his display during this defeat?

João Pedro's start to life at Chelsea

Back in the summer, after arriving mid-way through the Club World Cup from Brighton, straight into action having been on a Brazilian beach, João Pedro was being heralded as a revelation.

He scored twice on debut against former side Fluminense in the semi-finals, before also netting during the final demolition over Paris Saint-Germain a few days later.

However, since serious football has returned, he’s not lived up to these admittedly astronomical high standards.

Pedro has scored only twice this season, on target against both West Ham and Fulham back in August, thereby enduring something of a goal drought, which is not ideal given that Liam Delap is sidelined long-term.

Also not helping Pedro’s cause is the fact that, on Wednesday night, he missed the annihilation of Ajax, suspended, having been sent off in stoppage time against Benfica, and the team put in a free-flowing, free-scoring display in his absence.

Per Sofascore, during Sunday’s defeat to Sunderland, in 85 minutes on the field, he touched the ball just 30 times, lost possession on nine occasions, was flagged offside twice, and mustered zero shots, replaced by Tyrique George towards the end, a change Chelsea supporters may have wished to see sooner.

However, his place in the starting lineup may actually not be under that much threat, given that his primary competition for minutes may have actually been even worse.

The Chelsea youngster who should be dropped

It may still only be October, but Marc Guiu has already endured a weird season.

The teenage Spaniard began the campaign on loan at Sunderland, making just three appearances for the club, scoring against Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup, before being abruptly recalled following the aforementioned injury sustained by Delap.

Upon his return to West London, he did not feature in any of their first six fixtures, making the recall seem a bit pointless, but he then changed the game off the bench against Nottingham Forest last weekend, providing a much-needed focal point.

Guiu was then rewarded with a start against Ajax in mid-week and repaid the manager’s faith, breaking the deadlock in that one, thereby starting against his, briefly, former club this weekend too, a first-ever Premier League start.

However, as the table below documents, safe to say he did not make Sunderland supporters rue what could have been.

Marc Guiu’s stats vs Sunderland

Stats

Guiu

Match rank

Shots on target

1

8th

Shots off target

1

6th

xG

0.22

4th

Accurate passes

2

30th

Duels contested

3

23rd

Duels won

Zero

30th

Possession lost

6

17th

Touches

10

26th

SofaScore rating

6

30th

Stats via SofaScore

As the table documents, Guiu won zero duels, completed just two passes, and touched the ball only ten times, the same number as the man who replaced him in the 76th minute, namely Jamie Gittens.

Bobby Vincent of Football London awarded him a 4/10, noting that he ‘got very little change’ out of Dan Ballard, while Sam Tabuteau of the Evening Standard added that he ‘struggled to get into the game’ and lacked ‘finesse’, believing the game was a ‘reminder of his inexperience’, both of which are pretty polite ways of phrasing it, we would suggest.

Thus, the Barcelona wonderkid may not be the answer to Chelsea’s centre-forward conundrum after all.

With games against Spurs, Barcelona and Arsenal to come in November, Maresca will surely favour alternative options, especially for those tougher assignments.

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One of the most exciting talents on Leeds United’s books right now is certainly Harry Gray. The 17-year-old centre-forward comes from a long line of Leeds players.

You can trace that back as recently as his brother Archie, who now plays for Tottenham Hotspur, and his grandfather, Eddie, a Leeds legend.

The England under-17 striker is an excellent talent. He’s shone for Leeds’ academy this season, with four goals in four Premier League 2 games, impressive in itself but even more so given he’s playing four years up.

Last season, Gray – who recently put pen to paper on a new deal in Yorkshire – was given his first-team debut by Daniel Farke, although he has not had that opportunity this term.

That might be due to Farke’s reliance on experienced players.

Farke’s reliance on experience over youth

Whilst the Leeds manager gave the youngest Gray brother his first taste of senior football at the end of last season, he isn’t one to turn to youth players a lot.

In fact, when he played former academy star Archie Gray 52 times in 2023/24, that was certainly more of an outlier.

This season, in Leeds’ battle for Premier League survival, Farke has relied on a more experienced group of players. The Whites have the seventh-highest average age in the top flight in 2025/26, at 27.1 years old, according to FBref.

There is only one player under 25 who has made an appearance this season, namely Wilfried Gnonto, who is 21 years of age.

In theory, that experience should certainly help the West Yorkshire outfit in the top flight.

Some players have years of Premier League football under their belt.

Yet, Leeds are just three points above the relegation zone, and things are not really working out for Farke’s experienced squad this season.

Perhaps it is time to take a punt on someone younger, like Gnonto or Gray.

Well, if recent reports are to be believed, Farke could soon be out of a job and replaced with someone who trusts the youngsters.

Why Leeds could benefit from a change of manager

There have been reports this week which have tipped the Whites to replace Farke with Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior. Whilst former Leeds star Aidy White says that the appointment would be a “huge gamble,” there are plenty of merits to the move.

Firstly, the former Hull City manager has an impressive record in Ligue 1. He’s coached 42 top-flight games in France, winning 21, drawing ten and losing the other 11.

His average of 1.74 points per game is a real standout and a testament to his ability to churn out results.

Games

42

Wins

21

Draws

10

Losses

11

Goals for/against

73/54

Points won

73

Average points per game

1.74

The London-born manager is certainly a highly rated coach. Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley said he is “one of the best emerging British coaches,” which he proved during his time in the Championship with Hull.

He guided the Tigers to seventh in 2023/24, including fantastic performances like this. His side narrowly missed out on a playoff spot.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rosenior try and bed the younger players into the first-team fold at Leeds. He is known for trusting those with less experience, as showcased in the average ages of his squad at Strasbourg this season.

The French side have comfortably got the youngest squad in Ligue 1, fielding a side with an average age of just 21.6 years old. However, this is not an anomaly.

The situation at Hull was the same. In his only full year on Humberside, his squad was the joint sixth youngest, with an average age of 25.4.

It is easy to see why Rosenior could be the perfect head coach for someone like Gray. The homegrown star is a talented youngster who is putting up some excellent performances in the academy.

A coach like Rosenior, who values the academy players and the breakthrough stars, could well give him a chance to shine at senior level.

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ByJoe Nuttall Oct 23, 2025

تحدث وليد صلاح الدين، مدير الكرة بالنادي الأهلي، عن فوز الأحمر بهدفين نظيفين، على حساب الزمالك في نهائي كأس السوبر المصري 2025.

وقال وليد صلاح الدين عبر قناة “أبو ظبي”: “مبروك للأهلي ولجماهيره والإدارة، نستحق اللقب، كنا الأفضل، وهاردلك لكل الفرق، بذلوا مجهودًا كبيرًا جدًا”.

طالع.. عماد متعب بعد تتويج الأهلي بـ السوبر: فزنا ببطولتين في مباراة واحدة.. وما زلنا نعاني في هذا المركز

وتابع: “أحيي الزمالك وجماهيره وجهازه الفني، مباراة رائعة استمتعت بها الجماهير بالكامل، كنا الأفضل، وإن شاء الله نكون أفضل في إفريقيا هذا الموسم”.

وأكمل: “بخصوص ما حدث بعد المباراة، لاعبو الأهلي سلموا على لاعبي الزمالك، اللاعبون جميعهم إخوة، وسيتجمعون غدًا في المنتخب الأول والثاني، كلنا إخوة، وهذه هي قيمة مصر، نقلنا الصورة الحقيقية للقطبين، فهما أقوى فريقين في إفريقيا والأمة العربية”.

وأضاف عبر قناة أون سبورت: “الأهلي أقوى فريق في الأربعة أندية المشاركة في البطولة، وفوز مستحق، أعمل مع الأهلي منذ 12 مباراة، حققنا 3 تعادلات و9 فوز وبطولة، نفعل كل شيء في كرة القدم، لكن لا يوجد توفيق أحيانًا، واليوم كان معنا التوفيق وتوجنا بالبطولة”.

وأردف: “لا أريد أنسى عماد النحاس وجهازه المعاون بالكامل تعب جدًا جدًا مع الفريق وبعد ذلك أتى توروب، هارد لك لنادي الزمالك أظهرنا صورة مصر الحقيقة، واللاعيبه صممت على عمل ممر شرفي للاعبي الزمالك، نستحق الفوز نحن أقوى فريق في الأربعة فرق، الأهلي أقوى فريق في إفريقيا”.

وأستكمل: “نحن فريق كبير جدًا الأهلي عندا بيقع بيكون له (ألف قومه) نحن أفضل فريق في إفريقيا اللاعيبه تلعب بثقة عالية، ضغوط مباراة سيراميكا أصعب من اليوم ومع ذلك الاستحواذ عالي جدًا ولا توجد أي مشكلة”.

واختتم: “الأهلي يكون قويًا جدًا مع الفريق القوي وهذا كان واضحًا جدًا، معنا فريق كبير ومنضبطون جدًا وكل ما يقال غير صحيح”.