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Joe Wainman has offered his verdict on Leeds United’s pursuit of Sampdoria maestro Mikkel Damsgaard…

What’s the talk?

The Leeds pundit has said that the 21-year-old should be the club’s number one transfer target this summer, ahead of Hertha Berlin’s Matheus Cunha, although he admitted that a deal is unlikely at this stage.

The Lillywhites are among a number of clubs touted with a move for the Danish forward, along with the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool and Everton.

Wainman told his YouTube channel, as transcribed by This is Futbol: “The figures that are getting mentioned, £20m, £25m, £30m, £35m, for me, Damsgaard doesn’t make the move.

“Out of all the wingers that we’ve been linked to, Damsgaard would be the one for me, even over Mateus Cunha, 21-year-old, this kid will go to the very top, the very, very top.

“I just don’t see that move to Leeds United, but listen, if the links are genuine, and there is something in that then Victor Orta, you know, maybe he’s over in Denmark now, maybe he’s frying up some Danish bacon and trying to convince Mikkel Damsgaard to come to Leeds United I don’t know, fingers crossed.

“I mean, I don’t think [he will], but you never know.”

Bielsa would be on cloud nine

Victor Orta must now sanction a swoop for Damsgaard this summer. Although he could cost up to £35m, as Wainman suggests, it could be a terrific piece of business by Leeds.

The Denmark international is a talented young prospect who has already proven his quality at the highest level and could be a key player for years to come at Elland Road if the Whites bring him in.

Damsgaard caught the eye at the European Championship for his country, scoring twice and setting up one goal as he averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.28 across five appearances. For context, Raphinha’s score of 7.22 was the highest by any Leeds player in the Premier League last term.

That suggests that the Dane could be an upgrade on what Bielsa already has at Elland Road, which could leave the Argentine coach on cloud nine if Leeds manage to fend off the strong competition for him.

Danish football expert Martin Mikkelsen hailed Damsgaard as “magical” earlier this year and said that he is capable of switching up his game and going both ways as an attacker.

He told TV2 Sport: “It’s the season’s assist. Isn’t that where we are? He’s magical – what a speed! It is fantastic improvisation, and he just finds Balde in the field, as they both know what is going to happen.

“It is a free space he has, as he is not so locked. He is dynamic and can go both ways. He is creative but also so mature in his decisions. Was it something we dreamed of? It’s awesome.”

He also has plenty of years left to develop and grow as a player, as he only turned 21 earlier this month. This could give Bielsa the opportunity to mould him into becoming the perfect player for his system at Leeds, helping him realise his full potential if Damsgaard moves to Elland Road.

Therefore, Orta must get a deal over the line for the forward, as he could be a superb signing with whom Bielsa would love to work, potentially developing him into a top-class footballer for years to come.

AND in other news, Leeds must act quickly to land “fantastic” £39k-p/w gem, he’s an upgrade on Harrison…

A major update has emerged on Manchester City striker Lukas Nmecha regarding where he might be playing his football next season.

What’s the talk?

According to Het Nieuwsblad, RB Leipzig are on the verge of securing an £8.5m (€10m) deal to sign the 22-year-old. The Bundesliga outfit are keen on snapping up the Germany under-21 international and have agreed on a fee with City to bring him over to the Bundesliga.

Nmecha has one year left on his current contract at Manchester City and spent last season on loan with Anderlecht in Belgium. Their manager, City legend Vincent Kompany, praised the striker during his loan spell in Belgium, hailing him as a “complete” centre-forward.

He told HLN, as transcribed by Manchester Evening News: “Of course, he still has room for improvement, but actually he is already a quite complete striker. He does not have any noticeable weaknesses.

“At the moment he is already one of the best strikers in Belgium.”

Fans will be frustrated

Manchester City fans will likely be frustrated by this news given the state of the club’s strikeforce as it stands. Pep Guardiola is currently heading into next season with Gabriel Jesus as his only natural centre-forward option, with Sergio Aguero leaving on a free transfer to join Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona. Guardiola also showed his lack of faith in Jesus as a starter as he deployed Kevin de Bruyne as a false nine ahead of him in the Champions League final, which they lost to Chelsea.

This suggests that City are in desperate need of a revamp at the top end of the pitch in the summer transfer window to offer the manager some fresh options. Txiki Begiristain needs to provide Guardiola with strikers to bolster his squad and this is where Nmecha could have made an impact at the Etihad Stadium.

He enjoyed a terrific campaign with Anderlecht and Germany’s under-21s, scoring 21 goals for the Belgian club before winning the Golden Boot at the European Under-21 Championship and scoring the winner in the final, suggesting that he could have the quality to make an impact in the Premier League.

Despite the 22-year-old’s impressive form for club and country, Txiki is cashing in on the £8.5m beast early in the window. The City chief could be heading for a disaster with this decision as Nmecha has not even been given the chance to show Guardiola the improvements he has made in his game. All three of his first team appearances at the Etihad came in the 2017/18 season and amounted to 46 minutes in total (Transfermarkt).

City could have benefitted from giving Nmecha a chance to shine in pre-season so that he could stake a claim for a place in the squad. This is why their fans may be frustrated by this news, as a talented young player is being sold without being given the opportunity to prove himself.

AND in other news, Txiki dealt Man City blow over “phenomenal” £200k-p/w beast, Pep will be gutted…

Since bursting on the scene during the 2017/18 season, Declan Rice seems to have improved in every game he plays in.

Last season was a standout one for the 22-year old who captained West Ham for the majority of the campaign, and Barry Fry believes that Hammers fans would not be able to forgive him if he left this summer.

With great performances comes a lot of transfer speculation and that has not been any different for Rice who appears keen on a move to Manchester United this summer, and the pull of Champions League football will be huge for him.

Rice is currently on international duty with England and impressed against Croatia, however during the previous international camps it has been reported that he was speaking to Man United players such as Harry Maguire and Dean Henderson about life at the club ahead of a potential exit this summer.

Having come through their academy, West Ham fans would hate to see someone their club has nurtured and given a chance to leave and they may struggle to forgive him if he pulled on a different club’s shirt. That’s according to Fry, who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“I can’t see David Moyes and the two David’s who own West Ham letting Rice go because he is a man mountain for them and he even played the opposition on his own sometimes last season.

“The West Ham fans would never forgive him, even if they got £100-150 million for him, they’d never forgive him because he’s one of their own.”

With West Ham failing to qualify for the Champions League last season it will put them in a far worse position to convince Rice that the London Stadium is the right place for him to play his football and continue his development.

If Rice continues to flourish at the Euros for England, then the Hammers may be able to bump up any potential price tag they would put on his head as he will be doing it in front of millions of people.

The new leaders of the Norwich Union League Division One, Worcestershire Royals, take on the bottom club, Durham Dynamos, in the next round of matches to be played this Sunday with every prospect of maintaining their place at the top of the table

Ralph Dellor26-Jun-2002The new leaders of the Norwich Union League Division One, Worcestershire Royals, take on the bottom club, Durham Dynamos, in the next round of matches to be played this Sunday with every prospect of maintaining their place at the top of the table. Not only did they get there by ousting the existing leaders in their last match, but they meet a side still looking for their first point of the season. The unpredictability of cricket in this competition is one of its great appeals, but it would be a major upset if the Royals did not win again at New Road this weekend.Warwickshire Bears – the team deposed by the Royals last week – meet defending champions Kent Spitfires at Edgbaston. The Spitfires came through strongly at the end of last season to grab the title and are in a reasonable position now, two wins away from the leaders but with a game in hand on the Royals and two in hand on the Bears. And a win at Edgbaston would really give their season some momentum, something against which the Bears will be on their guard.There are two other fixtures in Division One. Glamorgan Dragons are level on points with the Kent Spitfires, but they have only played three matches in the competition so far this season. They go to Taunton to meet the Somerset Sabres buoyed by their recent success playing as Wales against England. Steffan Jones will revert to being a Sabre in this fixture after masquerading as a Dragon in the “international”.Nottinghamshire Outlaws have had a pretty miserable time this season. The only difference between their record and that of Durham Dynamos is that they had one match washed out, and so have two points to show for their endeavours. They have an east Midlands derby at Grace Road against Leicestershire Foxes who have at least won once this year, but once only.In Division Two the leaders are Gloucestershire Gladiators. They meet Essex Eagles who are six points behind but who have two matches in hand. If the Eagles are to soar, they will need to win this one, but they will be without their talismanic captain Ronnie Irani who is away on international duty. The Gladiators, on the other hand, will have all guns blazing.Surrey Lions are only two points adrift of the leaders, and they have what looks like an easy match against Lancashire Lightening, although they have to travel to Old Trafford. Lightening are languishing, just off the bottom, lost by six wickets in the corresponding match at The Oval, so they need to strike once in this fixture, let alone twice.In a process reminiscent of evolution itself, the Sussex Sharks move inland from their Hove headquarters to Arundel to play Middlesex Crusaders. The visitors have four points from two wash-outs so far this season, while the Sharks have only just begun to show their teeth, although one win might suggest they are only milk teeth at this stage.

Everton were shocked to the core when it emerged that Carlo Ancelotti would be leaving Goodison Park after just one season at the helm and football finance expert, Kieran Maguire believes that they must sell a lot of players before they even think of signing anyone.

Since Farhad Moshiri entered the frame at Goodison Park back in 2016, the Toffees have spent an astonishing £526.38 million on players but have still failed to get anywhere near the European qualification spots.

In the last financial year Everton reported mesmerizing losses of £139.9 million so with talk of Richarlison being wanted by Ancelotti at Real Madrid, they may do worse than to sell one of their top assets.

The Toffees will want to back their new manager in the transfer market as they once again, look to break into the top six, however, that may not be possible his summer, according to Maguire who spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“I think Everton have got a financial fair play challenge to deal with but they’ve already got rid of Walcott and there’ll still be some other players who are out of contract so on the back of that they’re going to have to recruit.

“However, to a certain extent, they need to either sell or loan out players to get some money in to absorb some of the wages before they can start to spend big.”

Everton have long wanted to be challenging at the top of the Premier League however, poor recruitment has cost them massively with the likes of Yannick Bolasie, Davy Klaassen, Alex Iwobi and Jean-Philippe Gbamin all costing over £20 million.

It appeared that this season may have been the one for them as they started strongly in September and October, however their form fell off a cliff from January as they ultimately finished 10th.

A fresh twist has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur’s bid to bring Mauricio Pochettino back to the club…

What’s the word?

As first revealed by The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke, Spurs have held discussions with their former manager about a potential return to the north London side, and it is also thought that the Argentine would be open to leaving Paris Saint-Germain for his old club.

However, a new claim has surfaced suggesting that the 49-year-old is also a target for another European heavyweight.

According to Goal, La Liga giants Real Madrid have made Pochettino their top choice to replace Zinedine Zidane after it was confirmed that the Frenchman would walk away from his contract 12 months early.

Massimiliano Allegri was an early contender for the Bernabeu job but, with his return to Juventus on the cards, the club’s hierarchy have quickly shifted their attention to the ex-Spurs favourite.

Worrying blow

This is potentially a crushing blow to many Spurs fans’ hopes and dreams as the chances of a reunion with Pochettino could appear to be slim.

Indeed, Pitt-Brooke has since rated their chances of sealing him at “less than 50%” when speaking to ‘The Totally Football Shaw’ podcast earlier this week.

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Furthermore, it is no secret that Pochettino would love to manage Real Madrid, having made some intriguing claims back in 2018 after being approached by the Spanish outfit.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever coach Madrid, but of course it’s my dream,” he said (via The Mirror). “If it’s not the best it’s one of the best clubs in the world. I’m no different, everyone has it on their dream list.”

He has since reinforced his desire to one day talk the helm at Madrid as, following his appointment at PSG, he said: “It was always my objective to one day be able to play for Real Madrid and when you don’t realize a dream, you say, ‘Well, look, one day I’d like to coach Real Madrid – after Espanyol’.”

Pochettino has even had to deny that there is a Madrid release clause within his contract at the Parc des Princes.

If he has to pick between his dream club, who will be competing in the Champions League next season, and a Tottenham team staring at a place in the Conference League, then there is surely only one winner.

All in all, the chances of the Argentine returning to Spurs appear rather slim, and that won’t please many in north London, with numerous fans desperate to see Pochettino back at the club.

AND in other news, Forget Martinez: Levy can seal dream Spurs boss in “exciting” 51 y/o with 74% win rate…

Ralph Hasenhuttl is heading for a potential disaster as Southampton eye up a move for Benfica left-back Nuno Tavares this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to Portuguese outlet O’Jogo, as transcribed by Sport Witness, Southampton have held talks with Benfica over a possible deal for Tavares. The report claims Southampton have been in contact with Benfica in an attempt to find out more about the player’s situation at the club, as they weigh up a potential bid for the 21-year-old.

Serie A side Napoli are also said to be keen on the full-back, who is on course to leave Benfica after being reprimanded by the club for speaking out on social media regarding his minutes on the pitch. Tavares complained about a lack of game time and was sanctioned by Benfica, with the Portuguese giants now potentially looking to cash in on him.

Tavares’ agent, Cesar Boaventura, claimed earlier this year that the “fast” defender could be one of the best players in Europe in the future. He told Radio Marte, as transcribed by TalkSport:

“He’s a fast player, one of the fastest players in the whole Portuguese league.

“He’s young. Maybe he’s not a player ready for a big one. But he could be in the future. Within a couple of years. He can become one of the best in Europe.”

Heading for disaster

Hasenhuttl could be heading for a disaster with this deal if Southampton decide to continue their pursuit of the defender. For starters, the issue with his use of social media is a major concern. It appears as though he lost his head after being dropped by Benfica and took it out on the club via his socials. This suggests that he does not react professionally off the pitch, given that Benfica deemed his actions to be a breach of conduct.

Is this the type of character Hasenhuttl wants in his squad during a possible relegation scrap? If Southampton are fighting at the bottom of the table and things are not going well, Tavares may not respond kindly to the adversity and could cause problems within the dressing room. Southampton need leaders and players who are capable of being positive influences behind the scenes to make sure that they can bounce back from setbacks and do not allow slip-ups to turn into landslides.

The £4.9k-per-week flop has endured a difficult season with Benfica. The 21-year-old has averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.48 across 14 appearances in the league, with a slightly better score of 6.60 in his five Europa League outings. This shows that, along with potentially being a disruptive influence, he is completely out of form and may not be able to hit the ground running upon arriving at St. Mary’s. Therefore, he could be a disaster of a signing for the club.

AND in other news, Saints’ crazy call takes fresh twist with rarely-seen 23 y/o, it’s cruel by Hasenhuttl…

Wolves’ joint top scorer, Pedro Neto, picked up a season-ending injury last month and that is what will stop clubs from being interested in signing him this summer. That is according to Wolves Hall of Famer, Steve Bull, as he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast.

Neto had impressed this season as he attempted to fill the void left by Diogo Jota following his decision to join Liverpool, and he had managed to achieve a respectable 7.11 WhoScored rating before he was ruled out for the season with a knee injury.

Wolves are the fifth-lowest scores this season as the injury to their talisman, Raul Jimenez, has hit them harder than many would have expected with Fabio Silva and Willian Jose nowhere near the Mexican’s level.

Earlier this season, Neto had been linked with a move to Manchester United but following his injury many clubs may not want to sign someone who has sustained a serious injury, Bull spoke exclusively to FFC about whether or not he thinks the winger could leave:

“I think if he hadn’t got injured then there would have been a lot of enquiries because he could fit into anybody’s side as he is a talented player.

“I think clubs will leave him alone until he’s actually fully fit, so I would say we’ve got him for at least the next 12 months.”

The £50,000 per week winger is not the only player who has been linked with a move away from Molineux this summer as Nuno Espirito Santo has been touted as a potential candidate for the Tottenham Hotspur job.

This will be Wolves’ worst finish in the Premier League since they returned to the league back in 2018, having finished seventh in their previous two campaigns.

Australia will soon have its first million-dollar Test cricketer under a new pay deal negotiated with the Australian Cricket Board

AAP09-May-2001Australia will soon have its first million-dollar Test cricketer under a new pay deal negotiated with the Australian Cricket Board.Under the agreement released today, the ACB says that the Australian squad will be the best paid cricket team in the world.The board has painted a rosy future for cricket in Australia, predicting revenue from the sport will rise steadily in the next four years covered by the deal.ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed predicts that within two years, an Australian Test player will be paid more than $1 million annually in wages alone.

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith appears to have suffered a major blow before the start of the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

With the Premier League season in its closing stages, all eyes will firmly be squared towards how Villa can take another big step towards breaking into the European places for next year.

But, they will have to do so without the expertise of Rob Mackenzie, who Football Insider report is closing in on a “shock” move to Bristol City.

The report claims that the club’s transfer guru, who joined as head of recruitment to work alongside sporting director Johan Lange, is heading to Bristol to be reunited with Nigel Pearson, who he has previously worked with at Leicester.

Dean Smith may be concerned

Given that the season is now almost over, news that one of the club’s highest-ranking officials involved in the whole transfer process is set to leave just before the window starts is a real body blow for Smith.

The Villa boss will have been to kick-start the summer window with a bang, but Mackenzie’s imminent exit may just set things back for the club, who should have at least had a plan ready beforehand.

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The news from Bodymoor Heath about Mackenzie is a real shock, and it’s one Smith will desperately be hoping doesn’t have a major impact on proceedings at Villa Park over the coming weeks and months.

Transfers can often be complex and losing a key figure so close to the window opening is a blow for Smith and both he and the Villa hierarchy will need to get all their ducks in a row ASAP with the end of the season approaching quickly.

Meanwhile, Villa are interested in this recently relegated Premier League star…