Leeds United gambled massively when they dismissed Javi Gracia, as despite the Spaniard bringing an upturn in form upon arriving, they had begun leaking countless goals whilst also losing their characteristic all-action attacking play.

They were a shell of the club that earned them a return to the Premier League, although that is a failure born through years of mismanagement.

In his final five games in charge, they had shipped four goals or more on three separate occasions, failing to win in any of them. However, in handing the reins to Sam Allardyce, their desperation soared to new heights.

The English league stalwart has enjoyed a lengthy career, and to add a club as historic as the Whites to his resume must have been a dream come true. However, it left many questioning whether he had enough time to mastermind such a monumental turnaround that he has become famous for, given that before their loss to Manchester City he had just four league games to play.

With three very tough fixtures now left and points desperately needed, the main thing that the 68-year-old can do is make the players feel comfortable and fit them into a system where they can shine. Also, to progress past Gracia's short and unceremonious tenure, the former Everton boss could at the very least seek to start his best players.

Seeing Wilfried Gnonto waste away on the bench as the club slumps back to the Championship is a travesty, as the Italian will likely be key in any chance they have of avoiding the drop.

How good is Wilfried Gnonto?

Enjoying his debut year in England since his summer move, few could have predicted the influence the 19-year-old would instantly have on the Yorkshire outfit.

The £20k-per-week wizard joined for just £5m but instantly captured the nation's attention with his speed, dynamism and remarkable close control.

However, the fact that he has just 21 appearances in the league this season is baffling, considering this constant danger he provides is backed up by a respectable two goals and four assists. Somehow, the forward has only merited a place on the bench in seven of their last ten league games.

For comparison, as someone seven years his senior and well-versed in the division, Jack Harrison only has five more goal contributions than Gnonto, having played 12 more times.

Given the fear he strikes into any opposition fullback, with pundit Tam McManus branding him a "pocket rocket", his intangible qualities could prove vital in any chance they have against the likes of West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

Allardyce must focus on revitalising the 10-cap dynamo now, as it could be the difference between playing Premier League or Championship football next season.

Tottenham Hotspur are still searching for a new manager, and Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim is "in the mix" to get the job, according to journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke.

What's the latest Tottenham manager news?

Julian Nagelsmann is still Tottenham's main target, according to a recent report from The Telegraph, however a potential obstacle is the fact the German would require an expensive compensation bill, as they may have to pay Bayern Munich over £10m.

That said, chairman Daniel Levy is still "pushing" to appoint the 35-year-old, with Florian Plettenberg claiming that "more talks" are pencilled in, and he may be keen on joining, given that he believes that Spurs have "big potential".

If the Lilywhites miss out on their top target, however, they could also look at appointing Amorim, who would be open to making the switch to north London at the end of the season, according to journalist Dan Kilpatrick.

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic journalist Pitt-Brooke has recently confirmed the Sporting CP tactician is in the running for the job, and he believes it could be a very shrewd appointment, saying:

"My own personal view has been that the best thing for Spurs would be to appoint someone who represented something of Pochettino 2014: probably Amorim or De Zerbi. And they’re both still in the mix. But other candidates could claim to be that too."

However, in an article produced for the Athletic, Pitt-Brooke clarifies the 38-year-old has a €20m (£17.7m) release clause for non-Portuguese clubs included in his contract, so he would not come cheap.

Should Tottenham appoint Ruben Amorim?

It may be time for Spurs to appoint an up-and-coming manager once again, with the more established names, such as Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho, failing to deliver in north London.

Pitt-Brooke has previously lauded the Sporting CP boss as "the most exciting young manager in European football", while he has also received praise from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

During his time in the Primeira Liga, the tactician has won five trophies, while he has recently led his side to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

The Portuguese side defeated Arsenal en-route to the quarters before narrowly coming up short against Juventus, so the Lisboa-born manager now has a decent amount of experience managing in European competition.

The only sticking point about appointing Amorim is his huge release clause, and given that Nagelsmann is available for a lot less, the former Bayern Munich manager should remain Tottenham's number one target this summer.

It’s been a season to remember for Aston Villa, who have gone from relegation candidates to a side pushing for Europe in just over half a season. The key to Villa’s success has been the introduction of Unai Emery, who took the reins from Steven Gerrard back in October, and the club haven’t looked back since the Spaniard arrived.

In his short time in the Midlands, former keeper Brad Freidel has commended Emery for “putting smiles” on the faces of his players, when speaking to BBC, who have found their form in a system specialised by the four-time Europa League winner.

With European football still a possibility for the Villains with four games remaining, the club are looking towards the summer transfer window, where the 51-year-old will have the chance to put his stamp on the club and progress from this season's success.

The club have reportedly already been eyeing candidates for their potential transfers this summer, one name being 22-year-old Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, who the club have moved for before.

What’s the latest on Aston Villa's interest in Emile Smith-Rowe?

Despite Villa’s bid exceeding £30m being rejected in the summer of 2021, the club are reported to still have the young midfielder on their radar, as per reports from football.london.

The London-born Arsenal fan has played for the Gunners since the age of 9, and following the rejection of the Midlands side’s bids, penned a new deal at the club and took the infamous no.10 shirt.

Everything looked set for the 'immensely gifted' midfielder – as described by his club – to kick on and become a regular starter at the Emirates Stadium, but things haven’t gone to plan after suffering repeated injuries and falling short to the talent of Martin Odegaard.

The lack of game time of the youngster has sparked rumours that his time may be coming to an end in north London, having played just 142 minutes this season.

What can Emile Smith-Rowe offer Aston Villa?

Once hailed as “special” by Premier League legend Jamie Carragher (via the Daily Mail) after Arsenal’s victory over Villa back in 2021, Smith-Rowe packs a lot of talent and could usurp Philippe Coutinho as a creative spark in the Villains’ attack.

Things haven’t ticked for the Brazilian flop in the Midlands, which has opened a gap for Emery to strengthen should the 30-year-old fail to step up to the challenge.

The Croydon-born gem ranked higher than the one-time Champions League winner in average pass completion per 90 in the 2021/22 season, ranking in the top 7% of those in the Premier League with 82.9%, compared to Coutinho’s 81.1% – as per FBref. The young midfielder ranked in the top 1% the season before, showing his consistency in dispatching the ball in a critical area.

Arsenal’s no.10, who Emery himself once hailed as "quality," also came out on top in comparison to the Brazilian for non-penalty goals per 90 mins, averaging 0.47 compared to the Villa man’s 0.34. With Coutinho’s lack of form in the Midlands in mind, it could be a perfect opportunity for Emery to link with his former player this summer.

Smith-Rowe has the Spaniard to thank for handing him his debut for the Gunners in the Europa League back in 2018, so could an exciting reunion be on the cards?

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsZimbabwe had never won a T20I series of more than one match. A chase of 139 presented them an opportunity to achieve this, and a nervy final over from Barinder Sran brought them to within one hit of victory. But Elton Chigumbura, with four needed off the last ball, could only manage enough power and elevation to hit a low, wide full-toss into extra-covers’ hands. India, never quite convincing, won by three runs and took the series 2-1.Until this match, Sran had impressed with his new-ball swing, but had never really come under pressure. Now, India were bowling second for the first time on the tour, and were defending 138. A number of Zimbabwe’s batsmen had got off to starts, but no one had carried on. They now needed 21 off the last over, with Timycen Maruma and Chigumbura at the crease, both batting on 12. Maruma had shaved six off the target with a massive leg-side clout off Jasprit Bumrah in the penultimate over.Now Sran sent down a length ball, and Maruma, clearing his front leg once again, clobbered it over the midwicket boundary. Then Sran brought square leg and fine leg into the circle, and, in looking to deny Maruma the scoop over the infield, slanted the ball too wide outside off stump. The pressure was firmly on, and a high full-toss followed, providing width for a slap to the cover boundary. No-ball, nine runs to get off five balls, free hit to come.It was at this point that Sran pulled his death-bowling skills together, sending down three successive wide yorkers, all there or thereabouts: dot, dot, single. Eight to get off two, and Chigumbura ran down the pitch, slogged, and streaked a lucky edge to the third man boundary.The situation was something like the first ODI of India’s tour to Zimbabwe last year; then it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling to Chigumbura with six to get off the last ball. Chigumbura could only get a single, unable to get any elevation on a yorker despite batting on 103 at the time. Sran couldn’t quite nail his yorker, but his full-toss was low enough to deny Chigumbura and Zimbabwe.That India had 138 to defend was down to Kedar Jadhav, who scored 58 off 42 balls – his first half-century in T20Is – to lift a batting line-up that got into early trouble on a pitch with decidedly low bounce and inconsistent pace: some balls stopped, some skidded, and the batsmen came to realise that a stump-to-stump line was rather difficult to score against. When Jadhav walked in, India were 27 for 3, with Manish Pandey’s first-ball run-out adding to the early loss of both openers.Jadhav added 49 with Ambati Rayudu for the fourth wicket at exactly a run a ball. Both batsmen were kept quiet by the conditions and Zimbabwe’s use of them, before Rayudu ran down the pitch, got too far from Graeme Cremer’s legbreak, and holed out to long-on. Neville Madziva and Tendai Chatara followed that up with three quiet overs, conceding only 15, and Donald Tiripano profited from the pressure built by his seam-bowling comrades, MS Dhoni slogging across the line and inside-edging onto the stumps. In the process, a bail flew into Dhoni’s helmet and hit him close to his right eye; when India fielded, the backroom staff came on at regular intervals to administer eye drops.At 93 for 5 in the 17th over, India seemed to be losing their way a bit, but Jadhav took charge in the next over, jumping out to Chatara to hit his first ball for a clean, straight six, and then staying back to one just short of yorker length to carve it to the point boundary. Jadhav ended the over with an inside-edged flick onto his pad which ran away to the fine-leg boundary to bring up his half-century.Tiripano, mixing up his pace well, dismissed Jadhav in the 19th over, but Axar Patel carried the momentum forward into the last over, launching Madziva for six over long-off. It wasn’t the biggest total, but Zimbabwe would need to bat well to get 139 on this pitch.They did this, in spurts, always staying on course, but losing wickets with enough frequency to keep India in the game. Vusi Sibanda, who replaced Sikandar Raza in Zimbabwe’s XI, came in at No. 3 and gave them early impetus, hitting Dhawal Kulkarni for two straight fours either side of a slap to the cover boundary, all in the fourth over. By the end of the fifth, they were 38 for 1.Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and the spread-out post-Powerplay fields quietened Zimbabwe, and Hamilton Masakadza, who had moved to 15 off 20, was trapped lbw by Axar’s left-arm spin in the ninth over, trying to sweep a stump-to-stump ball. Kulkarni then had his revenge against Sibanda when he nipped one back to catch him falling over, and Zimbabwe, at 60 for 3 in the 11th over, had to start all over again.Yuzvendra Chahal eased the pressure with frequent long-hops. Sibanda had already pulled him for four; now Peter Moor clubbed him for sixes in the 12th and 14th overs, and followed up with another, lofting a flighted ball cleanly over extra-cover. But he fell in the same over, and with Bumrah and Axar coming back for three more tight overs, Zimbabwe were left needing 35 off the last three.Bumrah then pulled off a stunning, leaping catch at short third man to dismiss Malcolm Waller, whose uppercut off Kulkarni had looked destined to go for four, and Maruma and Chigumbura only managed three off that over. Maruma’s heaved six off Bumrah kept Zimbabwe in the game, just about, setting the stage for the tour’s dramatic conclusion.

Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha is "very likely" to leave the club in the summer transfer window and Steve Parish wants to focus on securing Michael Olise, according to an update from journalist Pete O'Rourke.

When is Zaha out of contract?

The 30-year-old has arguably been the Eagles' greatest player of the Premier League era, so often proving to be their attacking talisman down the years. His pace, trickery and unpredictability have all made him such an exciting player to watch, and he has now racked up 458 appearances for Palace, scoring 90 goals and registering 76 assists along the way.

Zaha's future has been a big talking point throughout this season, however, with the £130,000-a-week winger's current Palace deal expiring at the end of the current campaign. That means he will be allowed to leave on a free transfer, unless an extension is agreed in the next month or so.

It feels increasingly likely that the Ivorian could be angling for a fresh challenge, seeing this moment as his last chance to get a big move at the peak of his powers. A fresh update further suggests that that could be the case.

Will Zaha leave Palace in the summer?

According to Football Insider's O'Rourke, he has been told that it is "very likely" Zaha will depart Selhurst Park in the summer window. While talks have taken place over a new Palace deal, little progress appears to have been made and the player is 'keen to pursue a new challenge'.

Marseille, Arsenal and Chelsea are all credited with interest in the report, and the news means that the Eagles are putting their focus on extending Olise's stay at the club, in order to soften the blow.

In truth, it does feel as though Zaha feels he has come as far as he can at Palace, with his talent arguably deserving of a move elsewhere before he drifts past his prime. He has shown such loyalty to the Eagles, returning there after a failed spell at Manchester United, so it would be hard to begrudge him a move to a club like Marseille, who are expected to be in the Champions League next term.

Ideally, he will sign an extension and spend the rest of his career in south London, of course, but he has lofty ambitions and will surely want to test himself in a European competition, which is something Palace can't offer him currently. There is always a chance that Zaha could have a change of heart, but at this point, it feels unlikely.

Tottenham Hotspur forgotten man Giovani Lo Celso doesn't look likely to have a future in north London come next season, according to journalist Paul Brown.

What's the latest news involving Giovani Lo Celso?

As per The Daily Mail, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is said to be a known admirer of Lo Celso and is keeping a 'watchful eye' on his situation ahead of the forthcoming transfer window.

The 27-year-old is currently on loan at Villarreal and has been for the last two years and was discussed as a potential target for Emery at Newcastle United back in 2021 when he was linked with the Magpies' job.

Lo Celso joined Spurs back in August 2019 on a season-long loan deal before being signed permanently in 2020 for a fee of £27.2 million, as per BBC Sport.

In 2022/23, the Rosario-born midfielder has featured 24 times for Villarreal in all competitions, registering one goal and three assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Contractually, Lo Celso is bound to Tottenham until the summer of 2025, though it is unclear as of yet what the future will hold for the loanee.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Brown thinks Lo Celso and Spurs will expect to part ways in the upcoming off-season.

Brown told FFC: "They invested quite a lot of money in Lo Celso and seem to have made the decision that it's not going to work out with him. I think Spurs have decided that's it and as soon as they get the right offer, he'll be gone. I'm pretty sure Lo Celso knows that and isn't desperate to try and come back and prove he can still make it work there. If they were to appoint a new manager who loves the guy and sees him as potentially a key part, that might change, but it doesn't look very likely at the moment."

Should Tottenham Hotspur look to offload Giovani Lo Celso in the summer?

If Tottenham are presented with a reasonable offer for Lo Celso from elsewhere, it would make sense for both parties to shake hands and move on as his spell in north London hasn't gone as expected.

Lo Celso has featured 84 times in total for Spurs, scoring eight goals and laying on six assists, as per Transfermarkt; nevertheless, he doesn't look likely to add to his appearance tally any time soon unless something drastic changes.

Prospectively, a new manager could come in and change his mind to stay, though he ended up becoming a spare part under Antonio Conte and it's unlikely to foresee a scenario where he is integrated into the squad.

Looking forward, Spurs should look to recoup at least some of the fee they shelled to acquire the Argentinian and reinvest it back into their squad.

A relaxed approach to a must-win game paid rich dividends for India in Harare on Monday, as they put on a near flawless performance

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2016

How did India react to an unexpected loss to Zimbabwe on Saturday? By unwinding.Mandeep Singh said the team concentrated on not putting additional pressure on themselves: “A few boys went to see a movie yesterday, we played FIFA, so we had quite a relaxed day yesterday, and obviously we discussed quite a lot about the previous game, and I think we played really well today.”Perhaps that helped India regain some freshness ahead of the second match, for they bossed it from start to finish. They lost the toss and were asked to chase on a used pitch, which showed hints of uneven bounce, and it could have been a decisive factor had the target posed a challenge. But India kept Zimbabwe to a mere 99 for 9 and secured a ten-wicket victory with nearly seven overs to spare.Mandeep struck the winning runs – a fierce square cut over the infield to record his maiden T20I fifty. An excellent return considering he had not “been able to sleep” on the eve of the match. “Call it pressure or nervousness, whatever you want,” he said. “But when you go in to bat, it becomes a little easier, at least for me. At that time I just thought, the target is 100, how do I achieve that.”Once I’m inside these things don’t bother me, that the selectors are watching, that this series is very important. Before the match these things do play on my mind, this series is obviously very important [for me], but honestly once I go in, it’s only I have to bat and win the match, and obviously [things like] reading the wicket, what is the situation. So it’s a good thing that I forget [all the pressure] once I’m in.”Much of the work for India’s victory was done by the bowlers though. Barinder Sran picked up 4 for 10, the best figures by an Indian on T20I debut and Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with 3 for 11 to become the highest wicket-taker in the format in 2016.At times, it seemed that all of India’s wickets on Monday had come rather easily, like they were still playing a computer game. The Zimbabwe batsmen slogged at good-length balls and lost their stumps, pressure mounted and their release shots invariably found the fielders. No one could manage a strike-rate of 100.Bumrah told that strangling the opposition formed a key part of his process: “Whenever I try to take a wicket, I never get a wicket. So I always try to hit the correct areas and try to contain the batsmen. So that gives me the best opportunity to take a wicket. That’s the only thing I do.”Sran’s “dream debut” – he took three wickets in an over – was set up by his ability to pick up on the batsman’s intentions.”The big thing is to handle pressure and utilise ideas for T20 cricket,” he said. “You have to read the batsman quickly. When the batsman is trying to hit you, you have to vary your pace and length. Ashish Nehra and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have given me a lot of these ideas. Bhuvneshwar has also helped me with tips on swing and seam position.”Bumrah rounded up the tail and produced a top-class inswinger to topple Elton Chigumbura’s middle stump in the 17th over and dismiss him for 8 off 19 balls. Chigumbura had been Zimbabwe’s match-winner on Saturday and taking him out early pleased Bumrah greatly. “All the wickets were satisfying, but my favourite wicket was Chigumbura’s because he could have taken the game away from us.”

Rohit Sharma and openers Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul started the six-week long tour of the West Indies with fifties against West Indies Cricket Board President’s XI in Basseterre, as the Indians accumulated 258 runs in 93 overs

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2016
ScorecardShikhar Dhawan was one of the three Indians to hit a fifty on the opening day of their tour•AFPRohit Sharma and openers Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul started the six-week long tour of the West Indies with fifties against West Indies Cricket Board President’s XI in Basseterre, as the Indians accumulated 258 runs in 93 overs. After captain Virat Kohli chose to bat, Dhawan and Rahul got the Indians off to a strong start with a 93-run stand in 27 overs.Dhawan retired out after his 51, an innings that featured seven fours. Like his opening partner, Rahul, too, retired out shortly after reaching his half-century, at the end of the 35th over.Kohli, however, could not build on his slow start and was caught behind for a 40-ball 14 off left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, after adding 26 runs for the third wicket with Cheteshwar Pujara. Warrican struck again a few overs later when he bowled Ajinkya Rahane for 5."I think I bowled very well knowing that St Kitts [pitch] suits batting and India was off to a good start as well so to come and pull back [the scoring] and bowl economically and get two wickets was very important for the team,” Warrican said after stumps. “[I was] being patient and consistent, knowing that you couldn’t blast out anyone on this wicket. So the key was to be patient and disciplined and just stick to the basics and that’s what I did. It was just like any other game against an international team, the batting is always strong so my aim was just to bowl wicket to wicket and be consistent, allow them to make the mistakes and that’s what I did."Pujara, the third Indian to retire out, made a patient 34 off 102 balls including five fours. Rohit, who came at No. 6, and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha then combined for a 47-run sixth-wicket stand off 97 balls that took the Indians past 200.After Saha was dismissed for 22, Rohit found able support from Amit Mishra, as they remained unbeaten on 54 and 18 respectively.

تركت مباراة برشلونة وفياريال العديد من الأشياء خلفها، مثل الفوز بخماسية للغواصات الصفراء، واستقالة تشافي عقب المباراة، وتوقيت تسجيل الأهداف، وما قاله المدرب الإسباني تجاه الكاميرات.

برشلونة خسر بخماسية مقابل ثلاثة أهداف على ملعبه لويس كومبانيس، ضمن الجولة 22، ليتوقف رصيده عند 44 نقطة بفارق 10 نقاط عن ريال مدريد المتصدر.

طالع أيضًا | سبورت عن تصرف تشافي في مباراة برشلونة وفياريال: سئم من القرارات التعسفية لصالح ريال مدريد

حكم المباراة مونويرا مونتيرو احتسب ركلة جزاء لصالح برشلونة في الوقت الضائع، ولكن غرفة الفار استدعته لمراجعة الحالة، ليعود ويلغي قراره.

انفجر تشافي اعتراضًا على قرار الحكم مونويرا مونتيرو، وتوجه إلى الكاميرا وقال: “هذا عار”.

صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، كشفت موقف تشافي من العقوبة بسبب حديثه، وقالت إنه لن يتعرض لأي عقوبة، لأنه لا يمكن لتقنية الفار التدخل أثناء المباراة في مثل هذا الإجراء، إنها ليست شرعية. 

في حالة تشافي فإنه لا يوجد شيء في غير محله، خاصة وأن تشافي لم يهاجم شخص بشكل مباشر، وهو ما يُعتبر موقفًا، ولجنة العقوبات في الاتحاد الإسباني لا تأخذ بعين الاعتبار أي تحرك ضد مدرب برشلونة، بسبب تلك الواقعة.

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Pedro Neto is being watched by Premier League rivals Arsenal as they weigh up a summer approach, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

What's the latest on Neto to Arsenal?

The Old Gold winger has made 109 senior appearances since joining back in 2019, and despite his contract not expiring for another four years, he’s been a long-term transfer target of Mikel Arteta at the Emirates Stadium.

The Athletic reported that the Portugal international was at the top of the Gunners boss’ wishlist with talks even having taken place regarding a potential deal for over a month last summer, but the reason for a move not coming to fruition soon emerged.

The Sun’s Daniel Cutts claimed that the N7 outfit were only willing to pay £35m for the 23-year-old whereas the Midlands side valued him at £50m and therefore weren’t willing to sanction his sale for a fee significantly lower than they would have been happy with.

Now, according to Football Insider, Arsenal are “considering a return” for Neto at the end of the season and are already “monitoring” his situation at Wolves. The Gunners are “in the market” for a winger who could be a backup to Bukayo Saka and they feel that Julen Lopetegui’s attacker could be the right man for the job.

Should Wolves keep or sell Neto?

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has previously hailed Neto a “superstar” at Wolves, and whilst he has had some decent performances, one goal in 19 appearances across all competitions this season isn’t a good enough return so they should definitely cash in if a huge offer – like £50m – arrives.

As per WhoScored, the left-footed ace is ranked 21st out of a total of 26 squad players who are still at the club for his level of displays this season, recording a match rating of 6.39, which shows how little of an impact he’s been able to make at Molineux.

The Viana do Castelo native also pockets £50k-per-week which is the same as captain Ruben Neves, and when you consider how much more the skipper does both on and off the pitch, it seems unfair for the two of them to be on the same wages.

Finally, Neto is extremely injury prone having spent 127 days on the sidelines with an ankle problem this term so he’s even costing the club a lot when he’s out of action, so it would make sense to sanction his sale and use his transfer fee to generate funds for new signings in the summer.