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Leeds United director of football, Victor Orta, is attracting interest ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Football Insights (via Leeds Live), who suggest that Newcastle United have been discussing a potential move to appoint the Spaniard as their new director of football ahead of the upcoming winter market.

Leeds Live continue to claim that, although it is unclear how serious these reported talks were, the Magpies’ interest in Orta is a stark reminder that the club may well have a fight on their hands to not only keep hold of their most talented players but also a number of their backroom team.

In their tweet, Football Insights stated: “Internally, Newcastle Utd have discussed Victor Orta as a potential DoF candidate.”

Disaster

Since being appointed at Elland Road back in May of 2017, Orta has had a remarkable role in transforming a midtable Championship side into one that finished in the top half of the Premier League last season.

Indeed, the director of football has done a fantastic job in continually reinventing the Leeds United playing squad, having signed a number of highly impressive players over his first two seasons with the club, including the likes of Mateusz Klich, Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison, all of whom helped the club achieve promotion to the top flight and are now worth considerably more than the fees the club paid for their services.

This is a feat Orta has managed to repeat since the club’s promotion to the Premier League, with perhaps the Spaniard’s most impressive piece of business being the £16.74m signing of Raphinha – who is now being linked with a €60m (£51m) move to either Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea.

The director has also overseen massive investment in the club’s youth side, securing deals for some of the most exciting young players in the game, such as Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood and Crysencio Summerville.

Furthermore, Orta also played a huge role in bringing legendary manager Marcelo Bielsa to the club, with the Whites’ chairman, Andrea Radrizzani, personally thanking him for his work in securing the Argentine coach, stating: “I would like to thank Victor Orta and Angus Kinnear for all of the hard work that has gone into this appointment.”

Radrizzani is not the only person to recognise Orta’s work at Elland Road, with the former Leeds United midfielder, David Norris, stating of the director of football: “He deserves massive credit. They must do loads of research, background checks, watch the players and find out all their personal stuff to make sure they’re the right fit for the club. Orta is a massive part of that so a lot of credit will go to him when it comes to the players coming in.”

As such, considering his importance to the way Leeds currently operate, if the Spaniard were to move onto pastures new in the near future, it would undoubtedly be a colossal disaster for the club, as they would practically have to start their current process all over again.

In other news: Bielsa can save Radz millions with “different” Leeds teen who reminds Orta of Aguero

Buoyant after their win yesterday, Bangladesh Under-19 continued strongly to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match encounter. A quick fifty from Saikat Ali coupled with another superb bowling display from Sabbir Rahman saw them assert their supremacy yet agai

Cricinfo staff05-May-2009
Scorecard
Buoyant after their win yesterday, Bangladesh Under-19 continued strongly to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match encounter. A quick fifty from Saikat Ali coupled with another superb bowling display from Sabbir Rahman saw them assert their supremacy yet again at the Shamsul Huda Stadium.Choosing to bat first, Bangladesh U-19 were lifted by Saikat’s confident strokeplay. His 76-ball innings comprised nine fours and three sixes, and the fourth-wicket stand of 50 with captain Mahmudul Hasan set a solid platform for the hosts. Chathura Peiris took three wickets to keep Bangladesh U-19 in check but Tasamul Haque (42) and Noor Hossain took the hosts past 250.Even as Sri Lanka U-19 lost wickets regularly, captain Dinesh Chandimal led from the front with a well-compiled half-century. Together with Kushal Janith Perera, they added 88 for the fourth wicket as the visitors looked to be well on course. But Sabbir had other plans, dismissing both batsmen, triggering off a panic that resulted the tail surrendering meekly by the 43rd over.

Khaled Mahmud has said Bangladesh should not feel deflated after their dismal showing in the ICC World Twenty20

Cricinfo staff15-Jun-2009Former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud has said the national side should not feel deflated after their dismal showing in the ICC World Twenty20 where they crashed out in the group stages. In coach Jamie Siddons’ absence Mahmud, the current operations manager of the National Cricket Academy, will oversee a ten-day camp before Bangladesh leave for the West Indies and is hopeful of boosting the squad’s physical and mental strength.”Bangladesh has not performed badly in the past six months in Test and ODIs so we must carry it on and try to better it. The one-off loss to Ireland has hurt the team morally and they are as sorry about it as the supporters but life goes on no matter what and it is up to us to ensure that the batting does not fail again and let us down,” he told the . “I will try my best to bring the team out of any psychological friction they might be under in my short sojourn with the team.”Mahmud was hopeful Bangladesh would take positives from the loss to Ireland, which ended their Twenty20 campaign. “I think because the players have been hurt by the defeat to Ireland it will make them more hungry now to perform and showcase their abilities,” he said. “They would want to get out there and prove themselves that they are capable of performing at the big stage.”Like coaches and captains before him, Mahmud said consistency was Bangladesh’s greatest weakness. “As soon as a player puts on a good performance with the bat his golden touch is nowhere to be found in the next five matches and to be playing well at the international level we must get rid of this as everyone expects us to put in a standard performance every time we take to the field against an international side.”Bangladesh’s next assignment is a short tour of the West Indies beginning next month, which includes two Tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20. It is their first tour there since 2004, when they were beaten 1-0 in the Tests and 3-0 in the ODIs.”We did not play much cricket before the ICC World Twenty20, which rendered us rusty but we will really have to pull our socks now as this is our first major tour this year,” said Mahmud. “I was a member of the 2004 touring party and we played some good cricket on that trip,” Mahmud said. “The West Indies team had Brian Lara, [Ramnaresh] Sarwan, [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul and [Chris] Gayle and we still managed to run them close and I believe the current team can do better.”The pitches should be flat as we saw in the recent home series against England where lots of runs where scored so we need to ensure that our batters do well.”

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester City supporters have erupted over a claim involving AC Milan left-back Theo Hernandez.

Sky Blues boss Pep Guardiola is currently short of natural left-backs following Benjamin Mendy’s arrest and subsequent suspension by the club.

Oleksandr Zinchenko, a makeshift option, impressed over the 2020/2021 season and dazzled City supporters with some of his Champions League displays in particular .

Joao Cancelo is another who can operate in that position, though is a natural right-back, while 2020 summer signing Nathan Ake is also capable of being deployed there (WhoScored).

Aymeric Laporte has even played there on occasion, yet a report from The Sun journalist Martin Blackburn indicates that City want to shore up that position with an assured natural choice.

As a result, the club and sporting director Txiki Begiristain are reportedly eyeing a move for AC Milan star Hernandez.

Indeed, as explained by Blackburn, City are closely monitoring the player who is rated at around £68 million and want a new natural left-back following Mendy’s suspension.

An exciting ace and real threat out wide, the 23-year-old attracted more fouls per 90 (2.5) than any of Pep Guardiola’s men domestically last year whilst also outdoing them all in terms of completed dribbles (2.2), according to WhoScored.

Taking this into account, there’s little wonder many City fans want to see him at the Etihad – with one calling him a would-be ‘phenomenal signing’.

Find all of their best verdicts, in response to City Xtra on Twitter, down below.

Man City fans erupt as club eye Hernandez…

“would be an absolutely phenomenal signing”

Credit: @BernardoControl

“PAY UP TXIKIII”

Credit: @ferrandowski21

“Come on pls get this done”

Credit: @7Mcfcmax

“We’re feasting today”

Credit: @vlahovicszn

“One of the best LBs in the world rn. Very underrated”

Credit: @lacomps

“Up there with the best itw in his position, we need to do everything we can to get him”

Credit: @bdeanMCFC

“This would be absolutely perfect”

Credit: @FodenCTID

“Please just pay it and get him and Haaland to the Stade”

Credit: @SxrgioSZN

In other news: ‘Outrageous’…Man City fans flock to Foden contract development, find out more here.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has provided a fresh injury update on Ryan Kent…

What’s the latest?

The 41-year-old has confirmed that the winger was forced off with a hamstring injury in the second half of the 2-0 defeat to Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday.

The 24-year-old was substituted in the 70th minute and Gerrard has confirmed that the player will now have a scan on his hamstring to determine how long he will be out for.

The manager told Rangers TV, via Rangers News: “We’ll have to assess it. He’ll be sent for a scan in the next 24 hours, there’s a hamstring complaint but obviously we won’t know the extent of that but that’s another frustrating part of the night.

“But we’ve got a good medical team so hopefully we’ll get him back as soon as possible.”

Fans will be gutted

Rangers fans will be gutted by this news as hamstring injuries can range from three weeks out to three months, depending on the severity of the tear. They are still awaiting the results of the scan, though, and it may be a case of Kent feeling tightness rather than an injury caused by a tear, which would not be as much of a cause for concern going forward.

Gers fans will nonetheless be gutted by the blow as it appears that there is the potential for him to now miss a few matches with the injury. He is a key figure for the club and a player who can excite fans with his direct style of play, as he likes to get the ball down and run at his man, creating chances for himself and teammates.

Ex-Rangers man Kris Boyd once called the 24-year-old “phenomenal” and praised the way he dribbles with the ball.

He said: “There’s Ryan Kent who is phenomenal – he gets you off your seat. His numbers have increased season after season. Even if the team are not at the level we saw at the start of the campaign, he is still a threat. He is so comfortable with the ball – it is like has superglue in his boots!”

Kent’s statistics in the Premiership last season also highlight his quality. He produced 10 goals and nine assists as Rangers won the title, creating 1.8 chances and completing 1.9 dribbles per game from the left wing. This shows that he is able to score and create goals for the team, which is why Gers fans will be gutted by his latest injury as his ability in the final third will be missed, whether he’s out for three weeks or three months.

Hopefully the scan will come back all-clear and there are no lasting effects on Kent’s hamstring from the match against Lyon. At this moment in time, though, Rangers fans will surely be concerned about his situation until they hear a definitive verdict on the severity of the injury.

AND in other news, 62% duels lost: Rangers lightweight who lost possession 12 times v Lyon badly let Gerrard down…

Aston Villa confirmed on Wednesday that they have partnered with Monster as the club’s new official energy drink partner.

And, as to be expected, the club update had a lot of Villa fans talking on social media.

Villa’s Premier League rivals Wolves announced their partnership with the same company just last week, and Villa have now followed suit by agreeing on a two-year deal.

The energy drink company will promote their brand at Wolves on LED advertising boards during match days, so they may well end up doing the same at Villa Park as well as engaging with the club’s global fanbase.

Villa fans recently reacted to partnerships with Luke 1977 and Socios, and they were at it again following the club’s latest announcement.

Villa fans react

Villa shared the news regarding their partnership with Monster on their official Twitter page on Wednesday.

These Villa supporters weren’t exactly thrilled at the announcement, though, with one labelling it as ‘embarrassing’.

“New club needed asap”Credit: @KeeganAv”Nooo”Credit: @RaiGurshaan”That’s embarrassing”Credit: @HarryUTV”Bad move this stuff is horrible and bad for you.”Credit: @laura25547405″Not really a healthy option is it”Credit: @scottavfc8″Delete”Credit: @JoshSmith2703

In other news: ‘The master’ – Ashley Preece drops teasing under-the-radar Villa transfer post on Johan Lange. 

Flocking to Twitter, many Tottenham Hotspur fans have been blown away by training footage of unseen talent Joshua Oluwayemi, with some pleading that he gets game-time this season.

The goalkeeper, yet to make a senior competitive appearance for Spurs in all competitions (Transfermarkt), spent part of last campaign on loan at Maidenhead United in the National League.

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Appearing in just one match for the non-league outfit, Oluwayemi conceded two goals in 44 minutes before he returned to Spurs and their under-23s side midway through the 2020/21 season.

The 20-year-old went on to feature 12 times for Tottenham in Premier League 2 before finishing up the campaign, but it’s safe to say that he has now turned heads on social media for what he has done at Hotspur Way.

Dropping footage on Twitter, Spurs’ official channel released a clip of Oluwayemi making a fantastic acrobatic save and immediately recovering the ball upon spilling.

As a result, many Lilywhites supporters have been left excited, with some hoping that he gets a chance under first team manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

Check out some of their best verdicts on his “mad” heroics below.

Spurs fans wowed by Oluwayemi footage…

“Needs some game time this season, we’re blessed with good young keepers, Whiteman, Austin and Oluwayemi…”

Credit: @oculyss

“The future”

Credit: @DeleSZN_

“Generational”

Credit: @denchie20

“Jeeeeeez”

Credit: @N17_James

“This boy”

Credit: @thfc_MK

“Mad”

Credit: @Sampear21981307

“I might have to invest in some Oluwayemi stocks huh”

Credit: @evlogia_7

In other news: ‘Useless’, ‘Sell’, ‘Giving me a migraine’…Spurs fans blast ‘awful, awful’ ace vs Palace, it’s not Davies or Tanganga – find out more here.

Martin Love left a memorable display in his farewell to the Gabba as his 118 not out was responsible for handing Queensland a 97-run lead

Cricinfo staff27-Feb-2009Queensland 5 for 366 (Love 118*, Hartley 82*, Hopes 55, Symonds 52) lead New South Wales 269 (Khawaja 112, Hopes 4-80) by 97 runs
Scorecard
Points table

Martin Love’s 30th century for Queensland came at a cruical time © Getty Images
Martin Love left a memorable display in his farewell to the Gabba as his 118 not out was responsible for handing Queensland a 97-run advantage over New South Wales. Love, the state’s leading run-scorer, will retire at the end of the season and his 30th century drove the Bulls to the confident position of 5 for 366.The innings was crucial in gaining two points that moved the Bulls to 24, equal with the second-placed Tasmania, who are struggling in Hobart. Both teams are jostling to face Victoria in the final on March 13. Love, the No. 3, held the order together after the hosts were 3 for 81 and shared vital stands with Andrew Symonds, James Hopes and Chris Hartley, who raised half-centuries.Love stayed for 219 balls and struck 15 fours while his partners operated at a quicker rate. Symonds slammed 52 from 45 deliveries, with 10 boundaries, to provide a timely surge to the innings and show he was still capable of producing an important performance. When Symonds, who is playing his 100th first-class game for Queensland, left after hooking at Grant Lambert (2 for 92) he had scored all but eight runs of his partnership with Love.Hopes followed his 4 for 80 with 55 to settle any fears of a collapse and Hartley continued his strong finish to the summer. After taking six catches, Hartley moved to 82 not out and on the third morning will aim for consecutive centuries.Queensland suffered their first loss with Ryan Broad edging behind on 0 while Shane Watson, who is returning from back stress fractures as a specialist batsman, also failed to score. The opener Nick Kruger (44) played on to Greg Mail before Love settled the situation.Usman Khawaja added three to his overnight 109 and was last man out as the Blues reached 269. Ben Cutting picked up the final wicket to have 3 for 51.

Preview of the 2nd Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Chittagong

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran02-Jan-2009
Ajantha Mendis was a late inclusion to the Test squad after recovering from an ankle injury © AFP
Match facts January 3-7, 2009
Start time 09.30am (03.30 GMT)Big PictureBangladesh’s brave attempt at pulling off a record-breaking chase of 521 in Mirpur rounded off one of the most memorable months of Test cricket in recent memory. It also dispelled the notion that anything over 450 is unattainable in the fourth innings, even if it involves the weakest Test nation. Though the result didn’t go their way, Bangladesh’s effort has sparked some life and anticipation into the short series, which Sri Lanka were overwhelming favourites to sweep.Now, though, Bangladesh find the bar raised much higher. The talking point in Chittagong has been the return of Ajantha Mendis to the Sri Lankan squad from an ankle injury. Should he play, the home side will find it that much harder to square the series. Mendis left the Indians clueless in the home series last year and, if he has his way on a slow turner here, Bangladesh could suffer equally. The two-day gap between Tests wouldn’t have given Bangladesh enough time to prepare for Mendis. They may have handled Muttiah Muralitharan creditably on a fifth day pitch in Mirpur but Mendis, as recent history will tell you, is a different proposition.Bangladesh’s failure in the first innings in Mirpur – falling for 178 – proved decisive to the result and Mohammad Ashraful wasn’t afraid to point that out. “We need to bat at least four sessions in the first innings,” Ashraful said. “If we do that then we’ll have a decent score on the board. That’s the prerequisite for us getting a positive result in Test matches.”The Chittagong Test marks a personal milestone for Sri Lanka’s captain Mahela Jayawardene who plays his 100th Test. Since his debut in 1997, Jayawardene has scored 7926 runs at 52.84 and is Sri Lanka’s leading run-scorer in Tests. He is also 74 away from the 8000-run mark.”I can’t say that I’m not emotional,” Jayawardene said. “I’m not thinking about the personal milestone. It has been an honour to play for Sri lanka and I have said this before that I never expected to play 100 Test matches when I started off.”Form guide (last five Tests, most recent first)Sri Lanka WWLWL
Bangladesh LLLDLWatch out forMohammad Ashraful:
Bangladesh’s captain was in dire need of runs in Mirpur to lift not only his sagging form but the hopes of his team and he didn’t disappoint. He scored a face-saving century but his dismissal, for 101, was one of the most important breakthroughs of the Test. He shed extravagance for patience, negated the effect of Murali and, for a change, seemed intent on building an innings. Five hundreds in 47 Tests highlights his inconsistent career but having made a start, he’ll be looking to carry on. What remains to be seen is how much inspiration he – let alone the rest of the team – takes from his own effort.The carrom ball from Ajantha Mendis, which he releases with an unusual snap of his fingers. His variations have flummoxed even the most experienced players of spin. India’s Gautam Gambhir said recently that the trick is to read the spin off his hand rather than wait for it to pitch. Bangladesh haven’t been afraid to charge the spinners so the battle with Mendis should make for compelling viewing.Team newsWith Mendis in the frame, the axe will most certainly fall on Rangana Herath, who managed just one wicket in 38 overs in Mirpur. Jayawardene said a final decision would be taken after the practice session.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Michael Vandort, 2 Malinda Warnapura, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Tillakaratne Dishan, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Dammika Prasad, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Muttiah MuraliatharanBangladesh have retained the same twelve from the first game, though Ashraful hinted at bringing in an extra spinner for a seamer. He felt Enamul Haque jnr, the left-armer, could come in to the equation at the expense of Mahbubul Alam, who picked up only one wicket in Mirpur.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Mohammad Ashraful (capt), 5 Raqibul Hasan, 6 Mehrab Hossain jnr, 7 Shakib Al Hasan, 8 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk) ,9 Mashrafe Mortaza, 10 Enamul Haque jnr/Mahbubul Alam, 11 Shahadat HossainPitch and conditionsThe surface at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium is similar to the one used for the Test against New Zealand, dry and devoid of grass. The Mirpur track held firm for all five days and gave some assistance to the seamers. However, the spinners from both sides are likely to do the bulk of the bowling here. This venue was where Shakib Al Hasan picked up 7 for 36 against New Zealand, the best innings figures by a Bangladesh bowler in Tests.Stats and TriviaAshraful has never managed to score back-to-back centuries or half-centuries. In fact, the highest he has ever scored after scoring a hundred or a fifty, is 26.Having scored four of his five hundreds against Sri Lanka, his average against them stands at 42.42 as opposed to his career average of 23.82.Since scoring an exact 400 in their debut Test in 2000, Bangladesh have passed the 400-mark on just three occasions since then in the first innings. The previous instance was in 2005.Quotes”We have seen him bowling against India on television. We also have footages but it is important not to think of him or Muralitharan too much and just try to play ball by ball. He has done very well in recent times and has taken heaps of wickets but our focus will be on playing each ball on its merit because this is a Test match.”
.”Last year we beat India in a Test series, drew England and beat the West Indies in the West Indies for the first time in our history. This is a new year and we have a lot of cricket in front of us.”

Surrey are in talks with Harbhajan Singh with a view to bringing him back to The Oval for the second half of the 2009 season

Cricinfo staff03-Dec-2008
Harbhajan Singh could be set for another spell at Surrey © AFP
Surrey are in talks with Harbhajan Singh with a view to bringing him back to The Oval for the second half of the 2009 season.Now that the club have split with their one ICL-linked player, Saqlain Mushtaq, they are able to start negotiations with the BCCI about securing Harbhajan. Last year, the Indian board had banned their players from having any links with counties who have ICL players.Harbhajan has had previous spells with Surrey in 2005 and 2007 and the club had hoped to bring him back for the end of last season, during their bid to avoid relegation, but the ICL issue put a stop to that.Surrey’s overseas player for most of last season was Matthew Nicholson, the Australian fast bowler, but he was released with two weeks of the summer to go so that Shoaib Akhtar could join. Harbhajan will be involved with India in June for the World Twenty20 following by a short tour of the West Indies, but besides that the team does not have any commitments.Surrey have also handed 18-year-old Kenya batsman Seren Waters an emerging players contract. Waters, who plays for Cranleigh School and Weybridge CC, made his Kenya debut against Ireland in October and struck 74 against South Africa in Kimberly.While the club are busy adding players to their roster, they have also lodged a complaint with the ECB about the way Yorkshire handled their dealings with Lee Hodgson, the allrounder they signed on a two-year deal from Surrey. Hodgson impressed for Surrey’s 2nd XI and made his first-class debut in the final Championship game of the season, against Nottinghamshire, when he made 63.Surrey said they had no further comment on the issue as the letter was now in the hands of the ECB.