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In our Loan Watch feature, The Transfer Tavern takes a look at how Leeds United winger Helder Costa has fared during a season-long spell at Valencia.

The Lowdown: Option to buy

The Whites made Costa’s loan move permanent following promotion to the Premier League in 2019/20, penning a four-year deal at Elland Road.

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Costa went on to make 22 Premier League appearances under Marcelo Bielsa, scoring three times and registering three assists.

However, he was sent out on loan to Valencia last summer, which included an option to make a deal permanent at the end of the current campaign.

The Latest: Costa in 2021/22

Costa hasn’t fared well over in La Liga, as per SofaScore. The 28-year-old has started just 13 league games, averaging just 52 minutes per game, often hauled off as he consistently fails to leave his mark on proceedings.

He has failed to score a goal, provided just one assist, lost 63% of his duels and has lost possession 9.3 times per game.

His latest display against Villarreal resulted in a 3/10 match rating from one Spanish outlet, and it looks increasingly unlikely that Valencia will exercise their option to buy over the coming months.

The Verdict: Headache for Radrizzani and Orta

Costa returning to Yorkshire over the summer could provide Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta with a fresh transfer headache.

They managed to negotiate a £16.7m option to buy fee, which would have seen the Whites actually make a small profit.

His Transfermarkt valuation has now dropped to £7.2m though, the joint-lowest it has been since 2016, so Leeds may find it hard to bring in a respectable fee for his services. If Leeds can’t strike terms elsewhere, Jesse Marsch may well have to keep the underperforming winger ahead of his first full season in charge.

In other news: Sky Sports now share big news on Leeds star’s Elland Road future; ‘dealing’ already happening. 

Leeds United have reportedly submitted a bid for Calvin Ramsey…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, who delivered a rather exciting claim to GIVEMESPORT on deadline day. He revealed:

“Leeds have made an offer for Calvin Ramsay, a right-back at Aberdeen.

“The issue is Aberdeen are holding out for as much money as they can and they feel that if something doesn’t happen now, his value might increase further down the line.

“It’s a little one to keep an eye on.”

Bielsa needs additions!

The Yorkshire giants have so far failed to secure any incomings at Elland Road this January transfer window, though this latest development suggests there is still hope that something can be done.

Recently, the Whites have been linked with a £3m swoop for the Aberdeen starlet and whilst the arrival of an 18-year-old full-back from the Scottish top-flight is hardly encouraging, it is one that manager Marcelo Bielsa badly needs right now.

Truth be told, he could do with any sort of strength in depth, given the ongoing injury crisis at the club.

Problems have ripped right through his squad regularly throughout the 2021/22 season, leaving him putting square pegs in round holes in some crucial matches.

Last month, Leeds looked set for a relegation battle after they were thumped by Man City and Arsenal, with the 66-year-old being without as many as 11 first-team players.

More recently, against West Ham, he had only one senior pro on a bench of nine substitutes. The other eight were all talents from the academy, including 15-year-old midfielder Archie Gray.

Things have improved since then but the side is merely another injury or two away from sheer panic – the likes of last season’s top goalscorer Patrick Bamford, club captain Liam Cooper and influential anchorman Kalvin Philips are still on the treatment table.

Ramsey, who has been dubbed “elite” by Dons chairman Dave Cormack, would provide vice-skipper Luke Ayling with some crucial cover with the goal of replacing him one day surely in mind.

He’s an established starter in the SPFL and has represented his country at U21s level, so you’d imagine that he could hold his own if called upon.

Bielsa badly needs additions and at around £3m, Leeds could do little wrong with the signing of Ramsey this deadline day.

AND in other news, Leeds’ late deadline day transfer plans emerge ahead of 11pm…

Neither team extended themselves. Both played within themselves. But in the end, both left the arena happy.

Sriram Veera at Port Elizabeth22-Sep-2010As he walked away from the presentation ceremony, Warriors’ captain Davy Jacobs turned to MS Dhoni and gave him the thumbs-up sign. Dhoni returned the compliment. It was that kind of a night. Both teams went home happy. It was a strange night in some ways. Neither team extended themselves. Both played within themselves. In the end, both left the arena happy.Let’s take the case of Chennai first. You have to win to qualify for the semi-final and you win the toss. What do you do? Chennai, rightly, decided early that on this slow track where the ball stopped and turned, 160 would be a good score. They showed their positive intent when they went after Nicky Boje in the seventh over. It was fascinating to watch.Here was a spinner’s track where you perhaps expected that they will go after the pacers. But this is a team with batsmen who are good players of spin and they went after Boje. They looted 16 runs from that over to jump to 53 for no loss from 7 overs. Jacobs immediately removed Boje from the attack and introduced his trump card, Justin Kreusch.Prior to this game, Kreusch has bowled just four overs in this tournament. He bowled two overs in one game and a solitary over apiece in the next two. It’s not that he wasn’t successful. He produced the game-breaking moment against Victoria when he yorked David Hussey. He produced a similar delivery in his first over today to remove M Vijay. Unlike the other night, he was given the ball again.”Normally just one over and off and so thrilled to get more than one over,” Kreusch said with a laugh. “But this is obviously my type of wicket and so I knew I will get more than one over. Obviously thrilled that I could contribute and we are in semis.”He bowled cutters, took the pace off the ball, generally kept it full and strangled the batsmen. Chennai lost some wickets in the middle overs and decided to shut shop for a while. It was a brave move. It was risky as well. What if they fell short of a decent total? But what if they went after runs and lost more wickets and ended up with a below-par total? But what was a below-par total? It was that kind of a game. When do you go for the slog?Dhoni felt it had to be delayed. That he was forced to delay it. “I think we just delayed the slog by two overs,” Dhoni said. “We started it in the 17th over, which meant that we had just 18 balls to make as many runs as possible. At the same time you have to see the quality of the bowlers and they didn’t give too many loose deliveries to us. So you don’t really earn 30-35 runs in those 3 overs. And that was the thing that really happened in the middle.”We got up to a decent start. I think there was a miscalculation in the middle and we lost 2-3 wickets together. I think if we would have lost just one wicket at that point of time then the batsmen who are set can take bit of a calculated risk. But when you lose 2-3 wickets all of a sudden then you have to delay the slog which really means that you are losing 10-15 runs crucial on this kind of a track. But we are happy to be on the winning side and qualify for the semis.”It was a sentiment that was shared by Warriors. “We would have probably gone a bit harder at the start if we had to chase 160,” Jacobs said. “We didn’t have to do it but the run out of [Craig] Thyssen set us back a bit – we stopped going after the win after that – but we are happy that we have made it.”The crowd too were happy. The giant screen flashed that Warriors had made to the next stage when they reached 109 and they started to sing, chant, drink and make merry. Warriors went on to lose but that just seemed a minor inconsequential detail tonight.

Trevor Bayliss has praised his bowlers for their consistency and discipline on a flat SSC pitch after they captured five wickets to reduce India to 669 for 9

Sa'adi Thawfeeq at the SSC29-Jul-2010Trevor Bayliss, the Sri Lanka coach, has praised his bowlers for their consistency and discipline on a flat SSC pitch after they captured five wickets to reduce India to 669 for 9 on the fourth day in Colombo.”What we are happy about is that we stuck to our game plan and have been able to bowl to those fielding plans,” Bayliss said. “Everyone knows it’s been a very good batting wicket and a very difficult one for the bowlers to bowl on. We’ve been striving for over a period of time to be consistent and have discipline and we’ve shown that.”Some of the plans may not have worked, but at least we bowled according to those plans and made it as difficult as possible for the Indians to score. It’s not often that you can get the Indians for less than 300 for two days in a row. Hats off to our boys, they’ve done pretty well to actually take nine wickets. It’s a great effort. On the wicket out there, every time you pitch it up, it went for four. It was pretty silly to keep pitching the ball up, so we thought we make it difficult for them to score and hopefully they make a mistake and get out.”Bayliss said the game would have taken a different turn had wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene held on to a catch off Sachin Tendulkar, when the batsman was on 29. He went on to score his fifth double-century and ensured India averted the follow-on. “When we took those three quick wickets, and if we were able to take another one or two, the game could have been different,” Bayliss said. “We put one catch down when he [Tendulkar] was on 29 and, when we looked back on it, it was a reasonably easy chance. By no means blaming the ‘keeper, who is one of the best in the world, he’s a done a great job for us in the past.”If we had been able to take that catch who knows what might have happened. The great players probably don’t get any more luck than anyone else. They take advantage of that luck and he’s [Tendulkar] certainly done that in this match.”Bayliss also said that it was unfair to compare the bowlers comprising the present bowling attack with Lasith Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan. “It’s a bit hard to judge the bowlers on their performances in this match. We played on this wicket before. It’s been flat and the great Murali has struggled to take wickets as well.”Sri Lanka won’t take as many wickets in a hurry like they have done in the past with Murali in the team. This is a very flat wicket on the last two days and we got two young bowlers [Ajantha Mendis and Suraj Randiv], who bowled extremely well with two and four wickets, which is a good performance.”Bayliss said a bit of extra grass on the pitch would have been ideal for the bowlers. “You will be surprised how much the ball will turn, there might be a little bit of movement and pace for the fast bowlers, and the batters would enjoy the ball coming onto the bat a little more. The wicket will have a little more for the spinners to grip on to.”Bayliss said Sri Lanka would go out and get some batting practice on the final day and keep the Indians on the field for as long as possible ahead of the deciding Test at the P Sara Stadium.

A number of Wolves supporters are happy after a transfer update claimed Wanderers are unlikely to sign Francisco Trincao permanently this summer.

Bruno Lage’s side are enjoying an increasingly excellent season, with three Premier League wins in a row this month and talk of a European push gathering momentum.

One player who has blown hot and cold throughout the campaign is Trincao, however, having moved to Molineux on loan from Barcelona in the summer transfer window.

The Portuguese starlet has made 18 appearances in all competitions but he only has just one goal to his name, also failing to register a single assist.

According to journalist Gerard Romero [via Talking Wolves on Twitter], Barcelona are not expecting Wolves to trigger the purchase clause in the Trincao deal, allowing him to return to Spain.

Wolves fans positive after Trincao update

These Wanderers fans reacted positively to the update on Twitter.

“Not surprised he’s been very poor so far”

Credit: @nathjones00

“Correct decision if the clause is around €25million as rumoured”

Credit: @SamW160

“See I’m not too bothered about this. I can see signs of brilliance but £25m is steep! He’s got half a season to change our minds though…”

Credit: @LewyDeWolf

“Rightly so”

Credit: @wwfcjoe_

“Thank god”

Credit: @xReecexx

“Probably for the best”

Credit: @KyleCarnell7

In other news, Tim Spiers has provided a key Wolves transfer update. Read more here.

Leeds United will only be able to make loan signings in the January transfer window, according to claims made by a Thorp Arch source.

The Lowdown: Signings needed in January

The Whites could badly do with reinforcements this month in order to ease the current injury problems and ensure that a Premier League relegation battle isn’t on the cards.

Leeds have had to make do without pivotal figures such as Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford, but they are just a small sample of the players currently unavailable to Marcelo Bielsa.

Despite additions being needed, a new update doesn’t sound too positive for the Elland Road faithful.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Worrying claim emerges

According to Football Insider, a Leeds source has informed them that the Whites will only be able to make loan signings in January due to Financial Fair Play constraints.

The message has been ‘made clear’ by club chiefs to Bielsa, who must now weigh up whether or not he is happy to only bring in players on a temporary basis until the end of the season.

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The Verdict: Are panic signings required?

The downside to signing players on loan is that it brings little stability and rhythm to the squad in the long-term, only alleviating a problem for a short period.

Bielsa must work out if he thinks Leeds can get by without any new faces, with injury problems potentially easing in the coming weeks and perhaps allowing them to pull clear of danger.

A loan-to-buy option for a player could also be shrewd business, allowing the Whites to possibly snap up a player permanently in the summer, assuming he does well at Elland Road in the meantime. Someone like Cagliari midfielder and long-time target Nahitan Nandez could be perfect in that respect, considering the Serie A side are reportedly happy to see him leave.

In other news, Leeds have reportedly been boosted in their pursuit of one player. Find out who it is here.

Steve Rhodes claimed a “moral victory” for Worcestershire after rain thwarted their victory attempt on the final day of the Championship match against Gloucestershire

George Dobell at New Road01-Jun-2010
ScorecardSteve Rhodes claimed a “moral victory” for Worcestershire after rain thwarted their victory attempt on the final day of the Championship match against Gloucestershire.Worcestershire would have risen to second in the division two table had they been able to secure the win. But, with rain preventing any play until 3.45, the visitors were able to cling on for a draw. Perhaps, had Vikram Solanki clung on to a chance offered by Vikram Banerjee at fourth slip, Worcestershire might have been able to force victory.But, by then, Gloucestershire were already 85 runs ahead with just 18 overs remaining.It was wretched luck for Alan Richardson, however. The 35-year-old seamer, who bowled 28 accurate overs in the second innings, was easily the pick of the attack and richly deserved his third five-wicket haul of the campaign.A couple of Gloucestershire players were also grateful for the reprieve. Both James Franklin and Chris Taylor were dismissed by bizarrely inappropriate shots. Franklin obligingly pulled directly to the man positioned for the shot on the square-leg boundary, before Taylor undid much of the value of his resistance with a horrid heave across the line.Without Richard Jones, however, who was off the field with a hamstring strain, Richardson lacked support and Gloucestershire were able to cling on until the sides agreed to shake hands on the draw with 10 of the scheduled overs remaining. Jones will undergo a scan to ascertain the extent of his injury in the next 24 hours.”It’s very frustrating,” Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, said afterwards. “I felt we played all the cricket in the game but we can’t control the weather. That’s two games in a row we’ve had the best of draws. It’s a moral victory.”Rhodes expressed satisfaction at Worcestershire’s start to the season, however, taking particular pleasure in the performance of the club’s younger players.”We’re reasonably well placed,” he said. “We’ve only lost one [championship] game – which is better than anyone else in the division – and we’ve shown a bit of resilience. There are good signs for the future. Our two leading run scorers are aged 20 and 22 [Alexei Kervezee and Moeen Ali respectively] while until this game 23-year-old Richard Jones was our leading wicket taker. All three are very ambitious and, with hard work, can go a stage further.”I’ve always said I want us to be in a position to challenge for promotion in the last month of the season. That would be lovely. We’re a proud county and we want to be playing in the top division.”Gloucestershire were stung by the news that they had suffered a two-point deduction for their tardy over rate. Still, they are up to second in the table (equal on points with Sussex, who have a game in hand) and look likely to be involved in the promotion race.”We still felt we could win this morning,” their captain, Alex Gidman said afterwards. “But to come out of the game with a draw having not played our best cricket is a positive for us.”Gidman also insisted he was not concerned by his side’s poor form with the bat. Despite Gloucestershire averaging the lowest score per wicket of any side in the country and are the only team without a first-class century in the campaign.”I’m not really worried, no,” he said. “We’ve played on some tough wickets and, at the halfway stage of the season, we’re challenging for promotion. Statistics are fine, but it’s what works for the team that is important, and we’re right in the hunt.”Meanwhile Gloucestershire have added Ian Butler to their squad for the T20 Cup. The fast bowling allrounder, who recently impressed in New Zealand’s World T20 campaign, joins up with compatriots John Bracewell, Hamish Marshall and James Franklin in Bristol.

Leeds United have been told that Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien “would jump” at the chance to move to Elland Road.

What’s the story?

Reports over the course of the summer transfer window suggested that the 23-year-old featured prominently on Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s shortlist, but a deal failed to materialise before the August deadline, with suggestions that the Whites’ final offer failed to meet Huddersfield’s demands.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has now claimed that the Terriers star would still be interested in making the switch to Elland Road if Leeds came back in for him.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “He signed a new contract at Huddersfield but I’m sure if the opportunity came to go to Leeds, it would be something that he would jump at. Let’s see if Huddersfield are able to turn down any offers for the midfielder.”

Could finally replace Klich

With 158 games played for Leeds, “unsung hero” Mateusz Klich has been a valued servant for Leeds over the years, but at 31, he is one of the players who Bielsa might look to slowly ease out of the side in the near future.

Speaking in February 2020, Bielsa raved: “He cannot do better. Klich is a player with very, very much skills physically. A player who runs more, more intense movements and makes more movements at maximal speed. His values are now linked with how he prepares mentally. This is the fact that makes him run. More hungry he is, the more he runs.”

That same intensity and energy is exactly what O’Brien brings to the table, and he could ultimately replace Klich at Elland Road.

Former Huddersfield shot-stopper Matt Glennon has raved about the 23-year-old’s work rate, saying: “He closes down until the 95th, 96th minute, still running to the corners, stopping defenders, he’s got unlimited energy.

“Lewis O’Brien wants to put the hard yards in and wants to be at the very top of where he can get to. He’s one of those lads who works ridiculously hard which, for me, is your minimum in any league, but he’s got that quality, the drop of a shoulder, that strength to keep people off him, a low centre of gravity to glide past people, arm aloft when they try to knock him off the ball.”

Nearly a decade his junior and clearly a man held in high esteem, O’Brien could well be the man to usurp Klich in the midfield engine room for Leeds.

Meanwhile, Victor Orta could solve a big issue by signing this star…

A Rangers transfer update has emerged, regarding a Premier League player they may try to bring to Ibrox…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, via The Scottish Sun, the Gers are interested in a deal to sign Crysencio Summerville from Leeds this month.

The report claims that they are keeping close tabs on his situation as they consider a swoop to bring him in on loan for the second half of the campaign.

Masterclass

Gio van Bronckhorst could seal a masterclass in his first transfer window by securing a deal for his fellow countryman this month.

The 20-year-old has made five Premier League appearances for Leeds this season and has impressed for the Whites at youth level. He has produced nine goals and eight assists in 24 games for the club’s U23 side, showing that he has the potential to both score and create goals from out wide.

He was dubbed a “bag of tricks” by coach Chris Powell and this suggests that he could be an exciting player for the fans to enjoy watching. Rangers supporters would love to see him pulling off skill moves to beat an opponent on the wing before scoring or creating a goal, which could endear him to the Ibrox crowd and make him a favourite if he is successful.

Leeds Live’s Joe Donnohue previously lauded the winger on Twitter, saying: “Cody Drameh and Crysencio Summerville were great together down the right flank for Leeds’ U23s last season. Seems like more of the same this year. Drameh an excellent carrier, weightless going forward. Summerville a wriggler, impossible to handle.”

At the age of 20, he has the world at his feet as he has plenty of time to develop and grow into a top player. This is why signing him on loan could be a masterclass by van Bronckhorst, as Rangers could be getting a player with untapped potential who could regularly contribute goals for the club in the Premiership without paying a transfer fee for him.

If the transfer is a success and he is able to hit the ground running in Scotland then the Gers could look to negotiate a permanent deal at the end of the season. Although, it is slightly premature for that as a loan is yet to be agreed between the two sides at this moment in time.

AND in other news, Report delivers big update on £3.1k-p/w Rangers outcast that’ll leave fans buzzing…

West Ham United have initiated talks regarding a deal to bring Nathaniel Phillips to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by West Ham insiders Claret & Hugh, who revealed that David Moyes and his transfer team are in discussions with the Liverpool centre-back ahead of a potential move in the winter market.

However, the insiders go on to suggest that the 58-year-old manager will first have to hold a meeting with the club’s new board in order to discuss his plans for the January transfer window, as well as the funds he will have at his disposal this winter.

Forget Ogbonna

With centre-back pair Angelo Ogbonna – anterior cruciate ligament injury – and Kurt Zouma – hamstring tendon injury – both facing lengthy spells on the sidelines, the heart of the West Ham defence is undoubtedly an area of the pitch in which Moyes simply must strengthen next month.

And, while it is undeniable that he is a player of extreme importance to the Hammers, should the club manage to get a deal over the line for Phillips this January, he could well be a signing who ultimately goes on to take Ogbonna’s place alongside Zouma in Moyes’ backline.

Indeed, over his 17 Premier League appearances for Liverpool last season, the £7.2m-rated man was in excellent form, helping his side keep seven clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, 4.8 clearances and winning a whopping 7.5 duels per game.

The player who Jurgen Klopp dubbed a “monster” who is “absolutely insane” also chipped in going forwards, scoring one goal, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 0.9 shots and making 0.4 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £65k-per-week centre-back earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.19, ranking him as the Reds’ fourth-best performer in the league last time out.

As such, should Phillips be able to refind this form after a potential switch to East London, it would not be surprising to see him take the place of Ogbonna in Moyes’ starting XI going forwards – leading us to believe that the West Ham board must do all they can do land the Liverpool defender in the January window.

In other news: West Ham can repeat Lingard masterclass with “unique” £21m beast who’s “irreplaceable”