The New York Yankees are adding a veteran pitcher to the organization, having agreed to sign former Los Angeles Dodgers standout Kenta Maeda to a minor-league contract, according to a report from MLB Japan.

Maeda, 37, has spent the past two seasons with the Detroit Tigers, spending time in both MLB and the minor leagues. In 2025, he's made just seven appearances for the Tigers, logging a 7.88 ERA with eight strikeouts and six walks in 8.0 innings. He started 17 games last season and has a 6.09 ERA.

In his prime, Maeda was a reliable mid-rotation starter. In his best season in 2020, when he was with the Minnesota Twins, the Japan native finished as the runner-up for the American League Cy Young, losing out to Shane Bieber. That season, a shortened 60-game campaign due to the outbreak of COVID-19, he had a 2.70 ERA with 80 strikeouts and 10 walks across 66 2/3 innings and 11 starts.

It's not clear if the Yankees intend to bring Maeda to the Bronx, though he figures to start out in the minor leagues for the time being.

Lionel Messi has sent another “we’ll be back” message to Barcelona after being crowned the “most beloved player” in the club’s history. The Argentine superstar has been awarded that honour following a supporter vote. He feels proud to have received such a title, given the calibre of talent that he was up against, and remains determined to head back to Catalunya at some stage.

• Messi's Barcelona record: Goals & major trophies

  Messi was recently in that part of the world when taking in a secret visit to Camp Nou, as that iconic venue prepares to throw open its doors again following a stunning redevelopment project.

  Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi became a global icon when gracing that turf – registering 672 goals through 778 appearances. He won 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns with the Blaugrana – helping him to become the most decorated player in history.

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  GOAT status: Messi fends off Cruyff & Ronaldinho

  He has now been named the GOAT by Barca fans – fending off competition from the likes of Johan Cruyff, Ronaldinho, Xavi and Andres Iniesta. Messi said when being presented with that prize by : “This award is very special because of what it represents and where it comes from. We've been through a lot together, both good and not so good, but that's normal because not everything in a career is perfect. This is my home, my place, and my people.”

• Homecoming: Messi & Antonela intend to live in Barcelona again

  Messi remains untouchable in the eyes of many Barcelona followers, even those of the younger generation that did not get to see much of him before an emotional farewell was taken in when heading to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

  There is seemingly no end to that sporting love affair, despite the South American forward now plying his trade thousands of miles away in MLS with Inter Miami. Paths will cross again at some point.

  Messi reiterated when discussing his future plans, having already admitted that he and wife Antonela intend to set up camp again in Barcelona once his playing days are over: “Obviously, I'm going to come back. I'm going to be at the stadium like any other fan, following the team, the club, and being just another supporter. For now, I'll be here [Miami] for a few more years, most likely, but we'll return to Barcelona because, as I've always said, it's my place, my home. We miss it a lot, so we'll be back there.”

  Messi added on his unbreakable connection with Barcelona, having been shown a video in which supporters thanked him for his contribution to the collective cause: “The truth is, we’ve been through so much together, good and not so good, which is normal in a career of so many years; not everything is rosy, and you go through difficult times. But well, it’s my home, my place, my people. I would have liked to spend my whole career there without having to go to another club. And… and, well, to have only played there in Europe.”

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  Playing return: Loan from MLS considered to be unlikely

  He went on to say of heading to PSG when it became apparent that Barca did not have the funds to put a new contract in place: “Unfortunately, things turned out differently, but I'll always have lifelong memories of all the moments we shared. And, well, I'm grateful for that. It's been a long time since I've been to Barcelona, since I've been to the stadium. I had to leave the club without fans because of the pandemic, so it was an unusual year too. And, well, many beautiful memories, so thank you very much to all the people of Barcelona. And, obviously, I also have a very special affection for everyone there.”

  Talk of Messi making a playing return to Barcelona has been quietened for now, with a stunning loan agreement during the MLS off-season considered to be unlikely. He has committed to a new three-year deal in South Florida that will take him through 2028. At 38 years of age, he is expected to form part of Argentina’s World Cup title defence in the summer of 2026.

Leeds United are back in action in the Premier League this weekend for the last time before the last international break of 2025 as they face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

The Whites were beaten 3-0 by Brighton & Hove Albion on their travels last time out in the top-flight, in what was the latest in a string of dismal away performances.

Matches

5

Wins

1

Draws

0

Losses

4

Goals scored

3

Goals conceded

12

Points

3

League rank

17th

As you can see in the table above, Daniel Farke’s side have struggled badly on the road in the Premier League so far this season, with three points from five matches.

Their only win away from Elland Road came against Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have no wins, two draws, and eight defeats in their ten matches home and away this term.

Leeds will, therefore, need to step up and improve on the majority of their performances away from home in the division if they want to pick up any points against the Tricky Trees on Sunday.

Nottingham Forest, who are currently managed by Sean Dyche, have plenty of talented players who could cause the Whites problems if they are not at their best.

The Forest players Leeds have to be wary of

The Europa League outfit have a plethora of expensive attacking players who could test Lucas Perri in the Leeds goal if they get past the likes of Joe Rodon and Jaka Bijol.

Dan Ndoye, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White, Omari Hutchinson, Taiwo Awoniyi, Elliot Anderson, the list goes on. Dyche has so many talented players at his disposal.

Hutchinson cost £37.5m, Anderson cost £35m, and Ndoye cost £34m. That is just a taste of the kind of spending power that they have been able to flex in recent seasons to build an exciting squad.

Igor Jesus – 5

Morgan Gibbs-White – 3

Chris Wood – 3

Dan Ndoye – 1

Morgan Gibbs-White – 2

Ryan Yates – 1

Dan Ndoye – 2

Elliot Anderson – 1

Callum Hudson-Odoi – 1

Douglas Luiz – 1

Neco Williams – 1

Omari Hutchinson – 1

Nicolo Savona – 1

As you can see in the table above, Leeds will need to be wary of Jesus and Gibbs-White, in particular, whilst former Whites centre-forward Chris Wood is currently out through injury.

Gibbs-White has provided quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Tricky Trees in all competitions this season, after a return of seven goals and eight assists in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore.

The England international did, however, miss a penalty in Forest’s 0-0 draw with Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday night, which could knock his confidence ahead of their clash with Leeds on Sunday.

Whilst the Championship champions need to be wary of the former Wolves star, Farke could unleash his own version of Gibbs-White by dropping Ao Tanaka from the starting line-up.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Japan international started the 3-0 defeat to Brighton last time out and should be dropped to allow German central midfielder Anton Stach to return to the side, to provide a threat at the top end of the pitch.

Why Leeds should drop Ao Tanaka for Anton Stach

Per Sofascore, the Japanese midfielder did not register a single shot, key pass, or ‘big chance’ created against Brighton, which shows that he did not have any positive impact in the final third.

On top of his failure to provide quality in possession, Tanaka also failed to win a single tackle and only won one duel in 61 minutes on the pitch for the Whites, as he offered little to the side as a defensive or physical presence.

The former Fortuna Düsseldorf star has no goals, no assists, and no ‘big chances’ created in eight appearances and four starts in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, which does not suggest that he is likely to cause Forest too many problems on Sunday.

Stach, on the other hand, has shown that he can provide moments of quality at the top end of the pitch that can win points for his side, when he is at his best.

In fact, the summer signing from Hoffenheim scored in the club’s only away win in the Premier League this season, with a stunning free-kick against Wolves in the Midlands.

Stach also came off the bench against Brighton and won four of his four duels and completed both of his attempted dribbles, per Sofascore, in just 30 minutes on the pitch, which suggests that he may be ready to come back into the starting line-up after such a bright cameo.

The towering central midfielder may not be a diminutive style of playmaker like Gibbs-White, but their respective performances this season suggest that he can be Leeds United’s own version of the Forest star.

Appearances

9

10

xG

0.88

1.90

Goals

1

1

Big chances missed

1

2

Key passes per game

1.6

1.1

Big chances created

2

2

Assists

1

1

Dribbles completed per game

0.7

0.6

As you can see in the table above, the Whites star has been even more creative than Gibbs-White, with 0.5 more key passes per game, whilst scoring as many goals from less xG in the Premier League.

Stach, who was once hailed as “underrated” by writer Bence Bocsák, and Gibbs-White are both midfield players who can make an impact in the final third as scorers and creators, which is why they are difference-makers for their respective teams.

Tanaka, unfortunately, has yet to prove that he can be a difference-maker at Premier League level, with no goal contributions this season, which is why he should be the man to drop out of the XI to bring the German back into the side to face Forest this weekend.

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Hopefully, if Stach returns to the team, he can shine and outperform Gibbs-White to help the Whites to their second win on the road in the division this term.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will begin the Super Four round on September 20

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2025Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will take on each other to begin the Super Four stage of Asia Cup 2025 on Saturday. By knocking Afghanistan out of the tournament in the penultimate group-stage game in Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka ensured they progressed to the next round unbeaten, along with Bangladesh from Group B.India and Pakistan had confirmed their spots from Group A after Pakistan’s win against UAE on Wednesday. That means the second India vs Pakistan game in the tournament will be played on September 21 in Dubai. India had beaten Pakistan in their group-stage fixture in Dubai and are undefeated ahead of their game against Oman, which will close out the first round.Pakistan will get a day’s break before they take on Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi. But Bangladesh will have play on consecutive days as they take on India on September 24 and Pakistan the next day. Both matches are in Dubai.India and Sri Lanka will conclude the Super Four stage on September 26 in Dubai. The two teams topping the table will play in the final on September 28, also in Dubai. The teams will not carry any points from the group stage into the Super Four round.

Hosts UAE eliminated after a sloppy display in the field, and eventually fell well short in a chase of 172

Danyal Rasool04-Sep-2025

Fakhar Zaman scored 77 not out off 44 balls•Emirates Cricket Board

Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Nawaz punished an error-strewn display in the field from the UAE, helping Pakistan recover from a jittery 80 for 5 and seal a 31-run win. Having set UAE 172 to win, Abrar Ahmed, playing his first game this series, helped run through the top and middle order, removing each of Muhammad Waseem, Asif Khan, Rahul Chopra and Harshit Kaushik. UAE would end up folding with limited resistance, and the result guarantees Pakistan and Afghanistan passage through to the final on Sunday, with the hosts eliminated.Pakistan soon ran into trouble after winning the toss and opting to bat. Sahibzada Farhan made a brisk start once more but couldn’t find staying power, holing out to the short onside boundary. It is the fourth game in a row he has been unable to convert a start, and Saim Ayub fell soon after.Related

UAE recall Matiullah, Simranjeet in Waseem-led Asia Cup squad

Atal, Ibrahim and Afghanistan spinners brush Pakistan aside

UAE dragged Pakistan back post-powerplay, but sloppiness in the field was a harbinger of what was to follow. After Zaman and Nawaz were each put down off an excellent Haider Ali over, Pakistan found their opportunity to cut loose, flaying the UAE for 69 in the final four overs to post 171.The hosts’ response never truly got going, as if they were unsure how to pace the chase. Waseem was circumspect for once, and Alishan Sharafu wasn’t as belligerent at the top as he would be later on during his half-century, and the asking rate only climbed. Abrar was superb through his spell, and ran through the top order, getting rid of each of Waseem, Asif Khan and Rahul Chopra. Sharafu attempted to reignite a flagging chase with a sublime display of power-hitting at the backend, and while it did plenty to burnish his reputation, UAE’s fate in this tournament had already been sealed.Drops lose matchesDespite a vastly improved bowling showing, the first innings was littered with errors in the field for the UAE, who made their bowlers’ jobs much harder than they already were. It all came to a head in the 16th over.Left-arm spinner Haider Ali had conceded just six runs in his first three overs, getting rid of Mohammad Haris and Hasan Nawaz in the process. His final over represented a chance to break the burgeoning sixth-wicket stand between Fakhar and Nawaz, with the possibility of running through the tail afterwards. Having nearly yorked Fakhar first ball, he drew Nawaz into a miscue off the penultimate delivery, only for midwicket to grass it. So he made sure the catch Fakhar offered up the next ball was as easy as it could be, arrowing straight down to long-on. That, too, would somehow be dropped by Sharafu, to howls of anguish from the bowler. That frustration would become even more acute by what followed. The wheels come offBy the end of the 16th over, Pakistan were stuttering at 108 for 5, with the UAE dragging them below seven per over. They had had multiple chances to get rid of the Fakhar-Nawaz pairing, but so far, the damage was manageable. But it was now, the first delivery after those two dropped chances, that the momentum swung on a dime.Fakhar clipped Junaid Siddique for six over long-off, and though he got out of that over, the boundaries soon began to rain down. Fakhar smashed Muhammad Jawadullah for a pair of boundaries to bring up his half-century, but the real carnage came in the final two overs. Nawaz, who had found his innings a struggle until then, lashed Siddique for two fours and two sixes off the final four balls of the 19th, before Fakhar plundered five boundaries on the trot to finish the innings off. The final two overs had gone for 42, and the final five for 74. UAE were never to recover.UAE had no answer to Abrar Ahmed’s wiles•Emirates Cricket Board

Abrar’s career-bestAbrar had lost his place to Sufiyan Muqeem in the starting eleven, but spent that time honing more than just a flashy new haircut. Given his first opportunity, the 26-year-old wasted no time making a statement. In a dazzling display of modern legspin bowling, all of his variations were on display in the shop window, and on a spinning surface, the UAE could not muster a response. A brave over in the powerplay, where he packed the offside and challenged Waseem to beat it, yielded just two, and he snared his man off the first ball of the second sliced wildly towards point.Taken out of the attack, he returned for the 13th over, and his impact was instant once more. He had the courage once again to float one to big hitting Asif Khan, whose eyes lit up as he succumbed to temptation, leathering it high into the Sharjah sky. Shaheen Afridi and Nawaz orbited around it before narrowly avoiding a collision as Afridi held on, and while Rahul Chopra was unfortunate to be adjudged lbw off a googly two balls later, Abrar had earned his luck. He would sign off his spell with the scalp of Kaushik, and ensuring he finished with his best-ever T20 figures, 4-0-9-4 a true reflection of his artistry.

One of the biggest troubles for Leeds United this season is how poorly they have performed in front of goal. Daniel Farke’s side find themselves in a relegation battle, which many people expected would be the case. ESPN journalist Bill Connelly said they need “random bursts of quality attacking” to help them stay up.

Well, things haven’t worked out that way so far for the Whites. They’ve found the back of the net just nine times, better than just two sides, including bottom of the league Wolverhampton Wanderers. Leeds’ expected goals tally is just 12.94xG, the 12th best in the top flight.

One man who has struggled for his best goalscoring form is Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Calvert-Lewin’s struggles in front of goal

Leeds secured the signing of Calvert-Lewin in the summer on a free transfer, after his contract at Everton expired. He was brought in with the aim of bolstering their Premier League goalscoring stocks, although it hasn’t really worked out that well so far.

The experienced 28-year-old, who has 11 caps and four goals for England, has not quite hit the ground running in a Leeds shirt.

In nine games for the club so far, Calvert-Lewin has only found the back of the net once, against fellow strugglers Wolves.

It was a good finish, too, from the new Leeds number nine. He got on the end of a loopy cross from Jayden Bogle, finding space between the Wolves defenders and heading home. That is the kind of striking instinct Leeds fans may have expected.

However, it hasn’t really worked out for Calvert-Lewin, aside from that goal. His underlying numbers are surprisingly low, averaging just 2.8 shots per 90 minutes, with an expected goals per game of 0.33xG. That places him in the 25th percentile for Premier League strikers.

With a huge game against Nottingham Forest next up, Farke may decide to rotate the striker out of the side in favour of a man who knows where the back of the net is.

Leeds’ Calvert-Lewin alternative

Ultimately, Leeds need to start finding the back of the net more consistently soon. Goals win you football matches, and right now, they could do with a few victories to help propel them up the table.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Well, Farke could well make the decision to axe Calvert-Lewin against Forest this weekend, and bring in Joel Piroe.

The Dutchman is someone who knows where the back of the net is, and Farke even called him the “best finisher” he’s ever seen as a manager.

With strikes like this one against Bristol City in the Championship last season, it is easy to see where the Whites’ boss is coming from.

Piroe bagged from quite a tight angle outside of the area, which takes some doing.

Indeed, he has put up some impressive numbers in a Leeds shirt so far. In 102 games for the club, the striker has 33 goals and ten assists. Last term in the Championship, Piroe was the main man up front and bagged 19 goals with seven assists in 46 games.

His underlying stats showcase how deadly he can be, too. During the league-winning 2024/25 season, the Dutch striker averaged 0.56 goals per 90 minutes, with an expected goals tally of 0.49xG. Both of those stats placed him in the top 5% of Championship strikers.

Goals

0.56

95th

Shots on target

1.14

89th

Expected goals

0.49xG

95th

Shot-creating actions

2.43

84th

Goal-creating actions

0.38

91st

Bringing Piroe into the side for the trip to the City Ground could be a stroke of genius from Farke. He has a point to prove, having fallen out of favour this season. He’s only played 164 top-flight minutes, but would surely love to get more regular game time.

Calvert-Lewin has been out of form this season. With someone who Farke himself has admitted is a deadly finisher waiting in the wings, he could be the difference in helping find the back of the net more often.

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Also, who holds the record for the most international runs in a calendar year in women’s cricket?

Steven Lynch07-Jan-2025I noticed that there were no players in Australia’s team in the Boxing Day Test who were in their twenties – Sam Konstas is 19, everyone else was in their thirties. Has any Test team ever had nobody in their twenties before? asked Reece Lane from England
That’s a good spot. Australia’s team in the absorbing fourth Test against India in Melbourne last week was the first to contain a teenager (the precocious Sam Konstas) and ten thirtysomething players. It happened again in the final Test in Sydney, even though Australia changed their team: newcomer Beau Webster was born in December 1993, so is already 31.There have been four previous Tests in which all 11 players on one side were over 30. Three of them were fairly recent matches involving New Zealand: two Tests against Pakistan in Karachi in December 2022 and January 2023 (when their youngest player was Ish Sodhi, who had turned 30 in October 2022), and against England in Wellington in February 2023, when the youngest was Will Young (born November 1992).Many years before, at Headingley during the 1921 Ashes series, England fielded a team composed entirely of players over 30, even though four of them were making their Test debuts. The youngest back then was Vallance Jupp, who was born in March 1891. (Thanks to Ian Hill for his help with this one.)Jasprit Bumrah took his 200th Test wicket in Melbourne, and still averages less than 20. Has anyone else matched this? asked Deepak Kanwalkar from India
Jasprit Bumrah’s remarkable form in Australia took him past 200 wickets during the fourth Test in Melbourne, the landmark wicket being Travis Head. Going into the final Test in Sydney, Bumrah had 203 wickets at 19.42.No one else has had an average below 20 at the time they took their 200th Test wicket – next comes Joel Garner at 20.34 (he ended with 259 at 20.97). It should be noted, however, that the average of South Africa’s Shaun Pollock briefly dipped under 20 later on: after his 50th Test, he had 210 wickets at 19.86. He finished with 421 wickets at 23.11.Laura Wolvaardt scored a huge amount of international runs in all three formats last year. Did she break the record? asked Brydon McKenzie from South Africa
This turns out to be a slightly complicated one. South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt did break the record in 2024 – but she only held top spot for a short time as she was overtaken herself late in December.At the start of last year, the calendar-year record for runs in all three women’s international formatswas held by England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt, with 1346 in 2022. Wolvaardt passed that in 2024, finishing the year with 1593 runs in all – 223 in Tests, 697 in ODIs and 673 in T20s. But that was passed in December by India’s Smriti Mandhana, who finished with 1659 runs in the calendar year – 149 in Tests, 747 in ODIs and 763 in T20s. Mandhana is also fourth and fifth on this list: she made 1291 international runs in 2018, and 1290 in 2022.Sciver-Brunt remains England’s record-holder. Sophia Dunkley comes next for them, with 1093, also in 2022. Their team-mate Maia Bouchier made 974 in 2024, including a century on her Test debut in Bloemfontein in December.Smriti Mandhana overtook Laura Wolvaardt by 66 runs to record the most runs in a calendar year in women’s internationals – 1659•BCCIZimbabwe’s Brian Bennett scored his maiden century and took his first five-wicket haul in just his second Test. Has anyone done this double quicker than that? asked Keith Casey from Zimbabwe
Brian Bennett scored 110 not out and then took 5 for 95 during Zimbabwe’s run-soaked draw against Afghanistan in Bulawayo last week. He was the third man to collect his maiden century and first five-for in his second Test, after Jack Gregory for Australia against England in Melbourne in 1921 and Roston Chase for West Indies vs India in Kingston in 2016.Only four other men have achieved this double in the same Test – but one of them was making his debut: Bruce Taylor scored 105 and took 5 for 86 for New Zealand against India in Calcutta in 1965. Like Bennett, Taylor was 21 – but now that some confusion about his date of birth has been resolved, it can be confirmed that Bennett is the youngest to achieve the feat, being around six months younger than Taylor was. It should be noted that Chamani Seneviratna also did this in what turned out to be her only women’s Test, for Sri Lanka against Pakistan in Colombo in 1998.Bennett joined a distinguished cast of men who scored a century and took five wickets in an innings in the same Test at any stage of their career – and again he is the youngest to have done it. Ian Botham appears five times on this list, and R Ashwin four. The only other Zimbabwean to do it was Paul Strang, against Pakistan in Sheikhupura in 1996.One man from each side in the recent Bulawayo Test was making his first-class debut – how often has this happened? asked David Protheroe from England
Six people made their Test debut in Bulawayo last week, and you’re right that for two of them – Newman Nyamhuri of Zimbabwe and Afghanistan’s AM Ghazanfar – it was their maiden first-class match too.This has been an unusual occurrence over the years, as this list shows. Since 1900 there had been only eight additions until last week, including two in 2023 from Ireland, where very little first-class cricket is played. It was more frequent before 1900, mainly because South Africa also had a limited domestic programme at the time. It’s therefore not too surprising that the last instance of two opposing players making their first-class debut in the same Test was in Port Elizabeth in 1896 – Audley Miller for England and Joseph Willoughby for South Africa.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.

Asa Tribe hit a career-best unbeaten 181 to keep Glamorgan’s promotion hopes firmly alive and put his side in a dominant position on day one of this Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Glamorgan were indebted to the 21-year-old Jersey international after losing four wickets before lunch after winning the toss, Luke Procter claiming two scalps. Opening the innings, Tribe never looked in real trouble, helping himself to 25 fours and two sixes in a fluent, confident innings and accounting for the bulk of the top-order runs.Sam Northeast (17) and Ben Kellaway (23) kept him company in half-century stands, but it was not until Chris Cooke’s arrival that Glamorgan mounted a substantial partnership, the keeper scoring 84 (12 fours, one six) while adding 162 for the sixth wicket with Tribe. Although Cooke fell before the close, Glamorgan were in a healthy position at 367 for six.Earlier Northamptonshire handed first-class debuts to left-arm pacer Ben Whitehouse and off-spinner Nirvan Ramesh, 17, who became the county’s third youngest debutant since the war.Zain ul Hassan was the first Glamorgan wicket to fall in the eighth over, driving outside off-stump to Procter and edging an easy catch behind.Tribe dealt almost exclusively in boundaries. He drove handsomely through midwicket against the seamers before a punch through cover point off Whitehouse brought up Glamorgan’s 50 at the end of the 15th over.Whitehouse meanwhile unsettled Northeast. After the Glamorgan skipper punched one to the boundary, Whitehouse struck him on the arm causing a short delay. Northeast recovered to slap a wide delivery from Justin Broad through extra cover to bring up the 50 partnership with Tribe off 58 balls, but the all-rounder found some late movement to draw the edge through to second slip.Tribe though looked imperious, reaching 50 off 63 deliveries. He pulled dismissively against Whitehouse who was guilty of bowling too short throughout both spells.Procter struck for the second time when he jagged one back sharply to Kiran Carlson who offered minimum foot movement and inside edged to the keeper. The impressive Ramesh then claimed his maiden first-class wicket when Colin Ingram (18) attempted to turn the ball to leg and was well caught off the leading edge by Procter in the covers, and while Tribe took consecutive boundaries off Calvin Harrison, Glamorgan went into lunch four down for 115.Tribe started positively after the interval, sweeping Ramesh over deep midwicket for six, while Kellaway eased into his work with a sumptuous cover drive off Liam Guthrie and a reverse sweep off Ramesh as Glamorgan moved past 150, Tribe bringing up the half-century partnership off 59 balls with a backfoot punch off Guthrie.With Ramesh bowling consecutive maidens at one end, Northamptonshire turned to Broad to try to force the breakthrough and he instantly troubled Tribe outside off-stump. But it was Harrison who bowled Kellaway round his legs as he went to sweep.New batter Cooke took the aggressive option against Broad but was almost undone by one that jagged back and kept low.Tribe reached three figures off 150 balls with his first false shot, under-edging an attempted sweep against Harrison, the ball running past the keeper for four. He endured a few nervous moments against Procter who beat him several times outside off-stump, but he duly moved past his previous highest score of 107 made against Leicestershire in June, despite suffering from flu at the time.After tea Cooke swung Harrison over the leg side for six to bring up the 100 partnership off 183 balls before reaching his own half-century. He continued to attack, clubbing spinners Harrison and Saif Zaib over midwicket, while Tribe hit Zaib straight for six, Glamorgan going on to pass 300 shortly before the new ball became due.Tribe steered Procter through midwicket to bring up the 150 stand off 246 balls while Cooke cut Guthrie powerfully for four. The bowler soon made the breakthrough when Cooke pulled and was well caught low down by Broad at deep backward square-leg.With Tribe still content to capitalise on anything loose and joined by Timm van der Gugten, Glamorgan secured a third batting bonus point shortly before the close.

Southampton return to action in the Championship this weekend as they prepare to travel to Charlton on Saturday, and they appear no closer to appointing a permanent successor to Will Still.

TalkSPORT recently claimed that Sport Republic are ‘seriously considering’ appointing current interim manager Tonda Eckert on a permanent basis, after his first two matches in the dugout.

The 32-year-old head coach is set to lead the team out for a third game against Charlton this weekend, and another win would do his chances of landing the role no harm.

Why Southampton should not appoint Tonda Eckert

Eckert deserves credit for providing the team with an instant boost after Still’s departure, as he masterminded a 2-1 win over QPR and a 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.

However, it may not be the right time to appoint him as the permanent head coach because of his lack of experience in first-team management in his career so far.

Eckert had only ever been an assistant manager before his move to join the U21s as their head coach this summer, and he managed nine Premier League 2 matches before his two senior games as the current interim, per Transfermarkt.

Manager Focus

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This means that Southampton have no evidence available to judge what an Eckert team will look like in 15, 20, or 30 games, or if he has the first-team coaching ability to lead a promotion push.

Earlier this month, Michael Carrick was named as a reported contender for the job, and hiring the former Middlesbrough boss could end the Eckert experiment at St. Mary’s.

Why Southampton should hire Michael Carrick

Unlike the German interim, Carrick would arrive on the south coast with bundles of Championship experience as a manager, which may be what the Saints need right now.

The former Manchester United midfielder, who was hailed as an “insanely talented coach” by former Boro player Lukas Engel, has been out of work since moving on from Middlesbrough at the end of last season.

Carrick also has the specific experience of taking over a team in a similar position to the one that Southampton are in now and leading them to a play-off finish, as that is what he did with Boro in the 2022/23 campaign.

Middlesbrough – 22/23	Pre-Carrick	Under Carrick
Matches	16	30
Wins	4	18
Draws	5	4
Losses	7	8
Points	17	58
Points per game	1.06	1.93
League position	18th	4th
Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, the 4-2-3-1 tactician took over with Middlesbrough after they had a dismal start to the season, in 18th place, and led them to fourth and the play-offs.

Southampton are currently 17th after 15 matches, with 18 points on the board, which means that Carrick would arrive in an incredibly similar situation at St. Mary’s. This could make him the ideal candidate for the job, as he has very specific experience for the job that is required.

Some supporters may see that he finished 10th and eighth in his last two seasons with Boro, but the underlying numbers behind those two campaigns suggest that he was let down by his squad.

Michael Carrick’s two full seasons at Middlesbrough
Championship	23/24	24/25
League finish	8th	10th
xPTS (Expected league finish)	73 (5th)	71 (6th)
xG	69.5	67.4
xGA	55.0	56.4
xGD	+14.5	+11.3
Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, Boro ranked inside the top six for xPTS in both of those seasons, suggesting that their performances were of a play-off calibre, but the players did not make the most of those performances to pick up the results needed.

This is why Southampton should not be put off by Carrick’s ‘failure’ to get Boro in the play-offs in the last two seasons, and is further evidence that he could be a major upgrade on the inexperienced Eckert.

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Therefore, the out-of-work English manager could be the perfect hire for Southampton for the position that they currently find themselves in, as he has the coaching ability and experience to drive the team back up the table to fight for the play-offs.

Leeds United will surely already have one eye on the January transfer window as they desperately try to climb out of their relegation mess in the Premier League.

Indeed, Daniel Farke’s men are only one point shy of dropping into the bottom three positions at this moment in time, with some transfers through the door potentially transformative when it comes to their current dismal fortunes.

After all, the West Yorkshire outfit have splashed the cash with some vigour previously in the Premier League in the frantic January window, having once forked out a jaw-dropping £35.5m on Georginio Rutter mid-way through the 2022/23 season.

Back then, it didn’t save the Whites from the relegation trap door. But, Leeds could well fancy another statement move in this fashion to try and make survival a reality, with Ivan Toney audaciously on their shopping list…

Leeds' interest in Toney

If Leeds are in the hunt for a proven Premier League goalscorer that can put away goals by the bucket-load, Toney will surely be very high up their list.

Before moving to the Middle East with Al-Ahli, the clinical 29-year-old had managed to bag 36 Premier League goals for Brentford from 85 total clashes, leading to Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher hailing him as “one of the best attacking players” in the entire daunting division.

It’s not the greatest shock to read, therefore, that a raft of top-flight clubs are now interested in pursuing Toney’s signature, owing to the 6-foot-1 marksman wanting to return to English soil to maximise his international opportunities under Thomas Tuchel, ahead of the approaching World Cup next year.

Leeds had been noted as an interested party, alongside the likes of Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, but it looks as if the financials involved with the statement deal could stop the Whites dead in their tracks – according to an update from TEAMtalk – with Toney earning a staggering £400k-per-week pay-packet in the Saudi Pro League.

This will be a gutting development, considering Leeds have just three away goals all season long.

But, they could forget all about their Toney heartbreak by finally bumping up a free-flowing goalscorer from the U21 ranks to the first team picture.

Leeds can forget Toney by unleashing "one of England's best prospects"

Instead of forking out millions on both a combined transfer fee and wage costs for Toney, Leeds could finally give one of their own a go in the Premier League.

After all, Leeds have a glittering track record when previously gambling on homegrown prodigies coming good, with both Kalvin Phillips and Archie Gray springing to mind, instantly.

Could Harry Gray be the next notable name who lives up to his Thorp Arch hype?

Already, the U21s goal machine has been labelled as “one of England’s best young prospects” by Como scout Ben Mattinson, alongside being dubbed the “real deal” in front of goal at just 17 years of age by Mattinson.

His goalscoring numbers certainly back up all this wild hype, with a hope that Gray – who has a lethal seven goals from just nine games this season – can soon enter into the Whites’ senior mix and be as equally unerring, with Toney’s failed move pushed to one side comfortably, in the process.

25/26

9

7 + 2

24/25

8

3 + 0

23/24

11

8 + 0

It’s not even the boldest claim in the world to suggest that Gray could make waves in the senior game very shortly, with one senior appearance already under his belt.

Journalist Alan Nixon has suggested, though, that the 17-year-old hotshot will be subject to interest from the likes of Derby County and Hull City in January over a loan move, which would be very beneficial to his future development, much like Toney started to make strides in the senior game himself with a string of EFL loan stints.

Still, at some point in the near future, do not rule out Gray becoming Farke’s leading man in attack, with Leeds’ continued goal-shy performances perhaps seeing the German unleash the teenager into the men’s ranks in the New Year, over chucking him out to the Rams or the Tigers temporarily.

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