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Leeds must land Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham this summer amid Noel Whelan’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that the Blues are ready to offload the England international this summer, and Whelan has urged Marcelo Bielsa’s side to throw their name into the hat.

He said: “Gosh, I’d like Leeds United to be linked with Tammy Abraham. A natural goalscorer, somebody with that stature. Very much like a Patrick Bamford sort of player as well, probably a little bit more clinical in front of goal.

“I’d like to see us linked with a Tammy Abraham, that would be quite a good signing. He works hard, he’s got the right attributes that I believe we could benefit from. I could see it.”

Bielsa’s perfect striker

Called the “real deal” by former Villa manager Tim Sherwood, Abraham has got all the qualities to be a real dream striker for Bielsa, given his ability to do all facets of the game up front, whether that be holding the ball up, running the channels, and just providing a finisher’s touch inside the box.

Last season in the Premier League, when he was much more of a regular starter under Frank Lampard, Abraham scored 15 goals, and his heat-map as per Sofascore shows a striker who spent most of his time in the penalty area, but drifted much deeper and out wide too.

Bielsa himself has previously lauded Patrick Bamford for his work rate, saying: “If you see the players in the best teams in the world, not the best players, they are players who always play at one hundred percent.”

And in Abraham, the Leeds boss could find something very similar.

Speaking after he netted during a loan spell against Swansea a couple of seasons ago, Aston Villa boss Dean Smith said: “Tammy is a handful and he knows better than me that he should have been walking away with the match ball tonight. But he scored the winning goal, he’s a hell of a talent. Tammy put in a hell of a shift up front on his own and proved he is a fine player.”

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Tall and physical just like Bielsa’s former favourite at Athletic Bilbao, Fernando Llorente, the £36m-rated Abraham has got the combination of athleticism and technical ability to be a real star for Leeds.

Meanwhile, a Leeds source has revealed some exciting plans at Thorp Arch…

Carl Hooper went to sleep last night with a few worries ahead of thisweekend’s crucial back-to-back Cable & Wireless One-Day Internationalsagainst South Africa

Haydn Gill05-May-2001Carl Hooper went to sleep last night with a few worries ahead of thisweekend’s crucial back-to-back Cable & Wireless One-Day Internationalsagainst South Africa.The West Indies captain surely would not have wanted to dream aboutwhat took place at the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) three days agowhen his bowlers made little impact in defending a total of 220.With the seven-matches series tied 1-1, the West Indies cannot affordto go to the Queen’s Park Stadium and deliver the type of loosematerial that was on offer in St. John’s.More pressureI am sort of worried about the bowling, Hooper admitted yesterdayafter a practice session at the impressive facilities of the St.George’s University.In the first 15 overs, South Africa seem to be getting off to flyersand being able to maintain pace pretty easily. We’ve got to get thatright and create more pressure.When the field restrictions were eased at the ARG, South Africa werealready 70 for one, and after 15 overs in the opening match at SabinaPark, they were 67 for one.Cameron Cuffy has been the only West Indian fast bowler to adhere to aconsistent off-stump line and three-quarter length, but the WestIndies will need Mervyn Dillon to step up this weekend.Cuffy and Dillon were last night chosen as the West Indies’ only twospecialist fast bowlers. It suggests that there is a reluctance to useNixon McLean and Kerry Jeremy, both having proved expensive in theopening matches when they shared the third pacer’s slot.CapableI think they have got the message, but obviously implementing it isgoing to be a bit difficult, Hooper said in reference to theinconsistency.In some games we have been good and in some have have been poor. Weknow that we are capable of beating South Africa, which is mostimportant, and that’s what we are going to try and do this weekend.Plenty is at stake and both teams know that defeats in both matcheswill leave them in a must-win situation for the fifth match of theseries in Barbados on Wednesday.South Africa, who went into the match at the ARG seeking to avoid athird successive limited-overs defeat for the first time since 1997,are contemplating changing their line-up.As captain Shaun Pollock explained, the intention is to give others achance.We don’t want to make too many changes, but you’ve got to keep guysfresh, he said. After a long tour, a couple of changes might berequired.The likes of Makhaya Ntini, Justin Kemp, Andre Nel and Paul Adamscould come into reckoning.West Indies, however, do not have the luxury of rotating personnel.We’d like to, but I don’t think we’ve got the quality of players to dothat, Hooper said. We need at all times to have the best 11 playing.We’re not in South Africa’s position where we can rotate and stillhave a strong squad.A notch higherWhile South Africa hardly did anything wrong on route to Wednesday’seight-wicket success, they still believe they can raise the game anotch higher.There are always areas to sharpen up on and we’ve got a few ideas onwhere we can improve, Pollock said.Pollock, who was impressed by the relatively new Queen’s Parkfacility, which hosted its first international match two years ago, isamong those who feel these matches can shape the course of the series.It is a big weekend with two games in such a short space of time, theSouth Africa captain said. If we can win both, we can jump a long wayahead.Hooper echoed his opposing number.These are two key fixtures. It’s going to be tiring, but if we can getahead with great games, it is going to be important in going toBarbados.

Speaking to Football Insider, a Lilywhites source has lifted the lid on Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy’s exciting summer transfer plan – with the club’s recruitment team now targeting a colossal centre-back with ‘genuine pace’.

The Lowdown: Problem position for Spurs

Centre-half has long been viewed as a real problem position for Tottenham given the lacklustre displays of Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld at points this season (GiveMeSport).

This has lead to claims from reliable sources like Sky Sports, who say that the centre of defence is a priority for Spurs and chairman Levy.

Many names have been linked, including the likes of Jannik Vestergaard and Jerome Boateng (Sky Sports), but now a Lilywhites source has detailed exactly the kind of profile Spurs are planning to recruit this summer.

The Latest: Lilywhites source lifts on Levy transfer plan

Now, backing up these claims, a Tottenham source has allegedly told Football Insider that Levy and co have made the signing of a world class centre-half a top summer priority.

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Indeed, the club have apparently ‘long identified’ a senior central defender to be part of the key recruitment strategy for Tottenham.

Lifting the lid on this transfer plan, the source explains that Tottenham desire a ‘commanding’ presence blessed with ‘genuine pace’.

As well as this, they must be capable of slotting effortlessly into the starting eleven as soon as possible.

The Verdict: Big plan, limited resources…

While this comes as an exciting plan for Spurs’ arguably most weak position, the financial difficulties brought upon by coronavirus make this strategy slightly more tricky.

Clubs will be looking to profit off player interest and generate profitable sales as much as possible over this summer window and it will be no exception when Tottenham come calling.

As explained by this report, Levy may have to consider selling one of his prized assets like Son Heung-min or even Harry Kane to bring in a truly world class centre half.

This is the real dilemma for Spurs, as a big rebuild could arguably require an even bigger sacrifice.

In other news: Tottenham fans erupt over this ‘best news’, find out more here.

Monday 28th May sees the start of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union’s great winter experiment when India play Zimbabwe A at Mutare Sports Club

Nigel Fleming22-May-2001Monday 28th May sees the start of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union’s great winter experiment when India play Zimbabwe A at Mutare Sports Club. Never before has Zimbabwe seen first-class cricket in the off-season. Mutare’s pipe opener precedes Test and one-day series with both India and the West Indies in the next few weeks.The Indians have never played at this end of the country and will need their wits about them, particularly when fielding on Mutare Sports Club’s hard, bumpy outfield. The local administrators are holding their breath that no late-season rain interferes, as the new covers planned for the pitch have not yet been purchased.Despite this, regular visitors to the ground will notice plenty of new developments. The old timber shack score-box that suffered at the hands of Cyclone Eline last year has been pulled down and replaced by a grander, timber “media center”. Care has been taken to ensure that this new edifice is not in the path of any falling trees. The men’s changing rooms have been renovated, the toilets given smart new pine seats and the basement showers upgraded. The dining room has been partitioned and a new mobile metal scoreboard has been built.New full-time groundsman Joel Muzeya and his small work force have been working feverishly for the last few weeks getting the field prepared. Joel was formerly the high-density schools coach and this game will be his first major test. It’s envisaged that he will divide his time between the ground and coaching next season. It is hoped to send him to local Test venues to understudy professional groundsmen as they prepare for Test matches later this year.The farmers’ league got under way last Sunday with Makoni hosting Ruzawi River at Rusape Sports Club. Having unilaterally withdrawn from the competition last year, they re-entered this year after realizing how much they missed it. Nigel Hough in his third season as captain has at his disposal no fewer than four golden oldies with first-class experience. As well as himself, there is batting to follow in Kenyon Ziehl and Kevin Curran with Terry Coughlan to bowl leg-spin. Northamptonshire’s ex-skipper Curran has been managing the family farm recently, but hasn’t played cricket for over two years.In a competitive but mostly friendly league, each side bats for 50 overs whilst bowlers are limited to 10 overs per man. That’s where the similarity with one-day internationals ends as field placements, wides and bouncers are played to normal cricket rules. Official umpires are rarely seen, wives keep the score and tea and lunch breaks follow timeworn traditions.Batting first, Ruzawi River only managed 178/9 with Ian Duvenage hitting 67. Zeihl mopped up the tail with 3/17. In reply Makoni coasted home to 180/5 with two overs to spare. Young Richie Blyth-Wood hit 30 at the top of the order; Curran added 56 not out whilst Hough in his normal restrained fashion whipped 38 not out off 20 balls.

After helping Inter Milan to their first Serie A title in 11 years, Romelu Lukaku is a wanted man across Europe and Steve Howey, who made 100 appearances for Manchester City, exclusively told Football FanCast that the striker would have no doubts about joining the Premier League champions.

Lukaku spent two indifferent years at Manchester United where he scored 42 goals in 96 games but eventually departed for Italy with Inter Milan in a £75m deal as he fell out of favour under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Sergio Aguero is set to leave after the Champions League final against Chelsea and there have been reports linking Lukaku with a sensational move to the blue half of Manchester, in a similar transfer that saw Carlos Tevez join City back in 2009.

Lukaku has proved himself to be one of the deadliest finishers in Europe with 28 goals this season and Howey spoke exclusively to FFC about how the Belgian would not be bothered about annoying Man United fans if he joined City.

Howey said: “I think given his experience at Manchester United I don’t think he’ll have any major alliances with Man United. I think some players look at it and think I’m going to go to a rival team and I’m going to make sure I’m absolutely amazing.

“He certainly knows where the goal is and his confidence seems to be sky-high. So, I think if he came back to the Premier League, he would strengthen Man City’s team, no doubt about it.”

The Belgian international won his first league title since 2010 this season when Inter Milan, in the end, breezed to the title and Lukaku’s partnership with Lauturo Martinez has blossomed into a dangerous one as the Argentine looks set to reject Barcelona’s advances and sign a new deal.

Lukaku made a name for himself during his loan spell at West Brom as his goals helped spearhead the Baggies to a respectable eight place finish during the 2012/13 season.

Indian Law Minister Arun Jaitley has said the ‘misconduct’ by cricketers found guilty by the CBI of match-fixing did not come under any of the existing penal provisions and it was for the Sports Ministry to suggest changes in the law to prosecute

01-Jun-2001Indian Law Minister Arun Jaitley has said the ‘misconduct’ by cricketers found guilty by the CBI of match-fixing did not come under any of the existing penal provisions and it was for the Sports Ministry to suggest changes in the law to prosecute such offenders.”Those found guilty of match-fixing did show misconduct. But the ingredients of misconduct strictly did not fit into any of the penal provisions of criminal code of conduct wherein they could be prosecuted,” Jaitley told reporters in London on Wednesday.The Sports Ministry had referred the case to him to find out whether any penal action could be taken based on the CBI report, Jaitley, who is also President of Delhi and District Cricket Association, said. “As of today, with the kind of evidence they have, all accusations showed misconduct by concerned cricketers and therefore, the Cricket Board was empowered to take action which they did,” Jaitley said.The minister said there was no proposal before the Law Ministry to incorporate penal provisions for such misconduct and added, “It is for the Department of Sports to consider.””If such acts are repeatedly still taking place in spite of the exposures, then you have to come out with tougher provisions of law”, Jaitley said.Jaitley said among all the inquiries held into match-fixing in different countries, it was the Delhi police inquiry and the CBI probe which brought out all the evidence. “They have brought in hard evidence. They have not gone by surmises. The CBI has done a good job”, he said.Jaitley said the “legislative premises has always been that the evil sought to be curbed and the law you bring in must have some relationship of proportionality between the two.””If you legislate and bring in penal action, the level of proof required is much higher. Then the proof has to be beyond reasonable doubt and for the Indian Cricket Board to proceed to take disciplinary action, the level of proof as in a civil litigation is a preponderance of probabilities. For a court to convict him the proof required will be beyond reasonable doubt”, he said.

Paul Stewart has exclusively told Football FanCast that a move to Newcastle United could revitalise Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s career.

A knee injury wrecked the first half of his season, but even since returning from that setback before Christmas, the England midfielder has just twice in the Premier League for Liverpool and was left out of the squad for the victories at Manchester United and West Brom.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has enjoyed both Champions League and Premier League success since his move from Arsenal almost three years ago but has never been a guaranteed starter under Jurgen Klopp despite making 30 appearances during the Reds’ title winning campaign 12 months ago.

The 27-year-old still has more than two years remaining on his Anfield contract but is reportedly going to be available to sign for just £17m this summer, with German giants Borussia Dortmund interested in the midfielder.

But former Liverpool man Stewart believes that staying in the Premier League could get Oxlade Chamberlain’s career back on track following his recent injury struggles.

He told Football FanCast:

“Brighton, maybe Newcastle? I don’t want to be disrespectful to them clubs, but at that price they’re the type of players they can go in for.

“I think he’s got ability Oxlade, and he has been unlucky with injuries, but that Liverpool team, to try and get in there, I don’t think they will be looking at him as one of the players that can do that.

“So, one of those clubs could revitalise one of those careers – he’s playing week in, week out if he stays fit, people will be saying £17m is a steal.”

With Adam Gilchrist hammering out a thunderous century, Australia shrugged aside South Africa’s highest total in five matches to wrap up the Standard Bank one-day series by eight wickets at Kingsmead on Wednesday night

Peter Robinson03-Apr-2002With Adam Gilchrist hammering out a thunderous century, Australia shrugged aside South Africa’s highest total in five matches to wrap up the Standard Bank one-day series by eight wickets at Kingsmead on Wednesday night.Under most circumstances South Africa’s 267 for six might well have proved a winning scored, but with Gilchrist carving out 105 at better than a run-a-ball, Australia cruised home with 14 balls to spare to take a 4-0 lead with only two games remaining.Gilchrist was in stupendous form after being given a life by Jacques Kallis at slip on 11 and as he and Matthew Hayden battered the home attack during a 170-run opening partnership, it was possible to see the spirit and fight drain out of Shaun Pollock’s South Africans.After the life given him by Kallis and another near miss on the midwicket boundary when he had 58, it would be stretching a point to argue that Gilchrist’s innings was near flawless. It was, however, both brutal and entertaining in its execution and in this sort of mood it is difficult to imagine any attack in the world containing him.Hayden contributed 59 to the partnership almost unnoticed as Gilchrist slapped the South African bowlers around Kingsmead and although they both fell within 10 runs of each other, all that was required of Ricky Ponting (44 not out) and Damien Martyn (47 not out) was bat out the last 17 overs of the innings. It was as comprehensive a beating as Australia have given South Africa this summer and it is understating the case to say that the home team now appear to have exhausted all their options.The bowling was ragged – the faster Nantie Hayward tried to bowl, the harder Gilchrist hit him – the fielding ordinary and the body language told its own tale. South Africa were outplayed in the field despite making a decent fight of it after being asked to bat first.South Africa’s best batting display of the series came by way of a relatively sound start, contributions all the way down and a characteristically perky 76 from Jonty Rhodes.Playing on his home ground, the little Natalian joined together with Mark Boucher to rattle off 97 for the sixth wicket off 80 deliveries to give the innings a kick at almost exactly the right moment.Rhodes started the series slowly before bursting into form with an 83 in the third match in Potchefstroom. He followed this with 56 in Bloemfontein on Easter Saturday and Wedesday’s innings took him just 70 deliveries as South Africa took 86 off the last 10 overs of the innings.It wasn’t exclusively the Jonty Rhodes show, though. Graeme Smith, playing in his second match, made his second 40, falling four runs short of 50 this time when he tried to lap at Shane Warne for Gilchrist to scramble around and a take off a top edge.It was, nevertheless, a fine effort from the 21-year-old and although debate will continue as to the wisdom of dropping Gary Kirsten, Smith, at least, has justified his inclusion in the team.Not nearly so much, though, has Herschelle Gibbs who scratched around for 25, being dropped by Gilchrist on 16, before getting out to another wild swipe, this time at Jason Gillespie. No matter Gibbs’ undoubted talents, he is playing poorly at the moment and perhaps he, rather than Kirsten, should have been the one given a rest.Nicky Boje made a run-a-ball 22 batting at three, certainly his most successful position in the batting line-up, Kallis, a stodgy 21 in one of his more forgettable matches, and Neil McKenzie 17 before getting what might have been an unfortunate decision from umpire Rudi Koertzen.After McKenzie, however, came Boucher, perhaps the ideal person to partner Rhodes in a run scramble and together they knocked the ball around Kingsmead as the Australian fielding, never at its sharpest on this occasion, became progressively more untidy.Of the Australian bowlers, Warne was the most economical while picking up the wickets of Smith and McKenzie. Not a bad effort at all for someone who’s had the last two weeks off.

It’s looking increasingly unlikely that Harry Maguire will play any part in Manchester United’s Europa League final tonight after he failed to participate in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s final training session.

The 28-year-old had played every minute of every Premier League game for the Red Devils since his arrival in the summer of 2019, until he injured his ankle against Aston Villa on May 5th.

His likely absence will be a huge blow to United’s hopes of securing their first major trophy in four years when they take on La Liga outfit Villarreal in Gdansk, Poland.

United flew Magurie out to Poland in the hope of him getting over his ankle issue in time for the game, but it looks like time has run out for the England international.

In Solskjaer’s press conference on Tuesday evening, the Norwegian manager kept his cards close to his chest over the England international’s fitness levels.

“Harry is just going to jog up and down the sideline a bit I reckon,” said the United boss after he was asked about Maguire’s chances of playing in midweek.

However, left-back Luke Shaw offered more insight into his teammate’s wellbeing.

“Harry’s here, he’s travelled with us. There’s another session to go, and we’ll see how he is. We’re hoping he’ll be available, but the main focus is for the players who are out there to fit to enjoy the session today and be ready for tomorrow,” said United’s Players’ Player of the year.

Despite Shaw’s apparent optimism, though, Maguire, who is currently valued at £36m, could only watch United’s last training session from the stands, disappearing down the tunnel after just fifteen minutes, meaning it looks certain that he won’t be fit enough to play in the game.

The former Leicester City man’s likely absence will offer an opportunity to either Eric Bailly or Axel Tuanzebe to stake a claim for a regular starting berth next season as talk continues to rumble on over who should partner the Ole Trafford outfit’s captain in the long-term.

A dominant display alongside Victor Lindelof could give either man’s career a significant boost, whether they remain at United or not, and it will be intriguing to see how the rest of the side cope without their influential leader in the biggest game of the season.

Ultimately though, the United fans will undoubtedly be gutted at the news of Maguire’s expected unavailability at it a major setback for the Red Devils as Maguire’s presence on the sidelines, rather than the starting XI, significantly harms their chances of lifting the Europa League trophy once again.

And, in other news…No Maguire, De Gea starts as £31.5m star axed in 10 changes: Predicted Man Utd XI 

It was theoretically possible that a result would materialise on the last day of West Zone’s Duleep Trophy match against South Zone at Chennai

Staff Reporter30-Mar-2002It was theoretically possible that a result would materialise on the last day of West Zone’s Duleep Trophy match against South Zone at Chennai. But Sridharan Sriram and D Vinay Kumar ensured that their side picked three points from a drawn match instead of none.Sriram, in the second innings, got the century he missed out on in the first. Resuming on six, he made 134 more runs on the day before being run out by substitute fielder Amol Muzumdar around 10 overs before the close of play. Sriram’s runs came off 232 balls and included 14 fours.Sriram shared in a 237-run partnership for the second wicket with D Vinay Kumar, who missed out on a century himself. Making 96 off 150 balls with eight fours, Vinay Kumar was at the crease for 323 minutes.Vinay Kumar fell just three overs short of stumps, and it was left to Barrington Rowland (12 not out) and Hemal Watekar (0 not out) to take South Zone through to the close of play. They ended the day on 266 for three and garnered three points from the match.