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Everton have made three signings during the January transfer window, however, they have not made any further additions since they sacked Rafa Benitez over a week ago.

Though, with less than a week to go they have been linked with a player who could potentially change the fate of their season.

The Toffees are struggling in the Premier League so far this term, finding themselves teetering on the edge of the relegation zone only three points clear of the drop.

Their defensive record has been shocking, with the side scoring 11 fewer goals than they have conceded and several shocking performances at the back that have cost Everton points, most recently Michael Keane’s own goal at Carrow Road which led to their tenth defeat and the firing of Benitez.

Further bolstering the defensive line is something Farhad Moshiri and Duncan Ferguson should be looking closely at in the last week of the transfer window, with Malang Sarr linked with a move to Goodison Park.

Yerry Mina has recently returned from injury and adding a high quality centre back partner could be the change that Everton need to reignite their campaign and save themselves from a relegation battle at the bottom of the Premier League table.

Sarr can play both left back and left sided centre back, which would complement Mina on the right side perfectly, with the £5.4m-rated titan being hailed by his current manager Thomas Tuchel, who said:

“I have the feeling that he knows his role very clearly, he appreciates being in the team and when necessary, he steps up and shows he can be a strong teammate and a strong player.”

The 22-year-old is not currently first choice at Chelsea, making just ten appearances so far across all competitions but has clearly impressed his manager due to the praise he has received, and even his little experience playing in a competitive and successful side could be something that could add value to the Everton defence right now.

Ferguson could form a terrifying defensive duo by deploying Mina and Sarr together, with the 6 foot 3 Everton defender returning to the side.

The Colombian will offer a fresh perspective in the backline following the confidence knocks the other central defenders are likely to be rocked by after several poor performances this season.

Combine that with Sarr’s eagerness to prove he is good enough for first-team football, whilst offering experience of playing alongside some of the most pedigreed defenders in football like Thiago Silva, and it bodes well for the future of the Toffees’ backline.

There has been no official approach or bid made for the young Chelsea defender, but this could change in the last week of the window as Moshiri will surely be keen to make sure Everton have everything they need to stay in the Premier League next season.

In other news: Moshiri could cause chaos by appointing Vitor Pereira

Shoaib Malik, the former Pakistan captain who is currently serving a one-year ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), is set to join Lancashire for their Friends Provident Twenty20 campaign that begins in the first week of June. His participation has been supported by the PCB, who gave the No Objection Certificate (NOC) but is subject to visa regulations.Malik was one of the seven players punished by the PCB following Pakistan’s tour of Australia, where they lost all their matches and were bogged by off-field controversies. Malik has since kept himself occupied with his wedding to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, and with the appeals process against the ban. The PCB is yet to give its verdict on the appeals. Malik’s last competitive appearance was the final of the RBS Twenty20 Cup final in March, when he led Sialkot Stallions to the title, three days before PCB handed the ban.Despite the ban, the PCB had no problem with Malik, and other banned players, perusing county opportunities. “The suspended players can play in domestic cricket and anywhereabroad,” PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said. “We gave Rana Naved the necessary permission to play in county cricket and Malik’s case was similar.”Malik has a commendable Twenty20 record at the international level, averaging 26.21 at a strike-rate of 114.85 with the bat, in addition to a bowling average of 20.42 and an economy rate of 6.65 runs per over. He led Pakistan to the final of the World Twenty20 in 2007, and was a member of the team that won the tournament in 2009.The offspinning allrounder was delighted by the opportunity to play for Lancashire. “When Lancashire approached me to come and play for them I didn’t hesitate in saying yes. I love playing cricket in England and the opportunity to play with a club of Lancashire’s reputation was too good to pass up.”Their recent overseas signings in [Simon] Katich and [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul only add to an already strong list. I’m very excited and look forward to a strong Twenty20 campaign,” Malik said.Mike Watkinson, the Lancashire County Cricket Club chairman, believed that Malik would be an asset to the side. “We are delighted to recruit yet another world-class player to the cricket club. Shoaib will be a quality addition to our Twenty20 squad.”Peter Moores, the head coach of the county side shared Watkinson’s optimism about Malik’s inclusion. “Shoaib has a proven track record in the game and is a versatile cricketer. He’s at a good age, can bat up and down the order and is an experienced spin bowler. We look forward to welcoming him to the squad,” Moores said.

كشف تقرير جنوب إفريقي عن قيمة راتب جناح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، بيرسي تاو، مع المارد الأحمر وإجمالي ثروته في بلده مقارنة بمواطنيه في المستطيل الأخضر.

ويلعب بيرسي تاو منذ الموسم الماضي مع الأهلي عندما جاء من برايتون المنافس في الدوري الإنجليزي، وبحسب موقع “SportsBrief” الجنوب إفريقي، أن راتب اللاعب الشهري قيمته 1.5 مليون راند أي تقريبًا 82 ألف دولار.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ألدريدج: محمد صلاح أثار ضجة وغيرة في غرفة ملابس ليفربول

وبذلك يعتبر تاو بحسب التقرير اللاعب الأعلى أجرًا مقارنة باللاعبين داخل جنوب إفريقيا وتغلب على أقرانه مثل كيجان دولي، ثيمبا زواني، بيتر شالوليلي.

بينما تبلغ إجمالي ثروة تاو الحالية 3 ملايين دولار أي بالعملة المحلية 55 مليون راند جنوب إفريقي، لذلك يعتبر لاعب الأهلي أحد أهم لاعبي كرة القدم في بلده.

لعب تاو خلال مسيرته في صفوف صن داونز، برايتون، أندرلخت، كلوب بروج ويونيون سان خيليوزي.

MatériaMais Notícias

Adversário do São Paulo na estreia da Copa do Brasil, o Madureira vive uma realidade completamente diferente da vivida pelo clube paulista. Enquanto a modesta equipe carioca possui um elenco estimado em 4 milhões de euros (R$ 15,5 milhões), o valor dos tricolores está na casa dos 52 milhões de euros (R$ 202,2 milhões). Apesar da desigualdade, os cariocas, donos de uma das vagas na Série D do Brasileirão do ano que vem, enxergam com bons olhos a oportunidade de enfrentar um dos gigantes do futebol brasileiro.

Para o experiente Júlio César, atacante de 37 anos, e com passagens por Fluminense, Coritiba e pelos mercados europeu e asiático, o sorteio realizado pela CBF na última sexta-feira (15) não foi completamente injusto com o Madureira. Afinal, não é sempre que o clube homônimo ao bairro da Zona Norte da Cidade Maravilhosa tem como rival o São Paulo em um jogo de mata-mata.

– Por conta da visibilidade, principalmente para os jogadores mais jovens do nosso elenco, é uma grande oportunidade para o Madureira. É claro que enfrentar um clube grande, de massa, é sempre difícil. Nosso time vai se preparar muito bem para isso. Como é um jogo só, tudo pode acontecer. Espero que a gente surpreenda todo mundo, confidenciou o jogador ao LANCE!

Com a mudança do formato da Copa do Brasil, a primeira fase será disputada em partida única. O visitante, no entanto, possui a vantagem de jogar por um empate para conseguir a classificação à rodada seguinte do torneio nacional. A ideia é incentivar um jogo mais ofensivo e motivar os clubes de menor expressão a se abrirem e irem ao ataque, algo não tão habitual no antigo formato.

Por conta disto, a expectativa é de que se criam confrontos abertos e os times considerados menores possam praticar um jogo ofensivo, tal como seus adversários. Na opinião de Júlio César, o Madureira possui totais condições de mostrar sua força dentro de campo e, quem sabe, eliminar o São Paulo de Hernanes, Pratto, Cueva, Jucilei e companhia, para entrar na história.

– Vamos tentar fazer o melhor jogo possível. Temos que tentar fazer algo diferente. É uma equipe grande e repleta de bons jogadores. Mas nós também temos a nossa qualidade. Fácil não vai ser, mas também não é impossível, cravou o experiente atacante.

O confronto da primeira fase da segunda competição nacional mais importante do calendário ainda não tem data definida. Mesmo sem ter maiores informações sobre o jogo diante do Madureira, o Tricolor vê a Copa do Brasil como uma de suas prioridades. Haja visto que a CBF vai premiar o campeão com R$ 50 milhões. Soma-se a isto o fato do São Paulo nunca ter conquistado a competição.

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Como foi a reação do elenco assim que saíram os confrontos?
– Quando saiu o sorteio, os caras mandaram no nosso grupo no WhatsApp. Os mais jovens ficaram eufóricos, doidos para jogar contra o São Paulo. Eu, por ser mais experiente, fico mais tranquilo. É sempre bom ter um jogo grande.

Vocês já iniciaram a pré-temporada?
– Os times menores do futebol brasileiro, que não tem calendário durante toda a temporada, acabam se reapresentando mais cedo. Nosso grupo está trabalhando há um mês. Estamos fazendo uma pré-temporada forte para conseguirmos bons resultados no Carioca, na Copa do Brasil e também na Série D do Brasileirão, que conseguimos a classificação e vamos jogar e 2018.

Vocês foram semifinalistas do primeiro turno do Campeonato Carioca deste ano e, por isso, conquistaram a vaga. Como foi a campanha no estadual?
– A campanha do começo do ano foi muito boa. O PC (treinador) conseguiu mesclar um time com veteranos e jogadores mais jovens que querem crescer no futebol e na vida. Fomos para a semifinal do Carioca no primeiro turno, contra o Fluminense, e fizemos uma excelente partida. Tanto que até o Abel Braga, técnico dos caras, disse isso depois do jogo.

Júlio, você tem passagens por algumas equipes expressivas do Brasil e também por times importantes da Europa e da Ásia. Hoje, defendendo as cores de um clube que não costuma estar na mídia e dono de uma vaga na Quarta Divisão do futebol brasileiro, como você vê essa diferença?
– É óbvio que o Madureira não tem a mesma estrutura do São Paulo ou de um grande clube do futebol brasileiro. Mas vou te confessar que o clube não deixa a desejar para muito time mais conhecido do país. Treinamos em um campo bom, temos acompanhamento médico, fazemos fisioterapia na Barra da Tijuca (bairro nobre do Rio de Janeiro), nos concentramos em um hotel da Barra. O clube tem um projeto bom e a diretoria trabalha bastante por isso.

O estádio de vocês, o Conselheiro Galvão, possui capacidade para pouco mais de 5 mil pessoas. Por isso, é provável que a partida seja disputada em um estádio maior para abrigar também a torcida do São Paulo. Qual sua opinião sobre isso e em qual campo vocês preferem atuar?
– Pessoalmente, prefiro jogar no nosso estádio. É pequeno, claro, mas é a nossa casa, onde conhecemos todos os cantos do campo. Se for para jogar em um outro, a gente joga também. Sem problemas.

Everton are reportedly interested in making a move for Ajax winger David Neres with the Toffees looking to turn what has so far been an underwhelming campaign around.

What’s the story?

According to Jeunes Footeux, Everton manager Rafa Benitez is interested in bringing the Ajax star to Merseyside this month in a bid to turn a disappointing season around.

The Toffees are sat in 15th having played 18 Premier League games this campaign and need extra firepower on the flanks with talisman Richarlison still sidelined.

Moreover, the Brazilian’s future at Goodison Park is unclear, with the 24-year-old reported to be a potential Kylian Mbappe replacement at PSG during the summer.

However, the winger is still an Everton player and could soon be joined by his national teammate Neres in the Premier League.

Bye-bye Richarlison

Neres, also 24, has been with the Dutch champions for five years after joining from Brazilian giants Sao Paulo in January 2017.

In that time, Neres has managed to score 47 goals and register 41 assists in 180 appearances. The Brazilian was also a major contributor in Ajax’s famous run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018/19, scoring against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

The winger, who plays predominantly on the right, has scored four goals so far this season in 20 appearances in the Eredivisie and Champions League combined, as well as contributing two assists.

However, his most fruitful campaign to date was the 2017/18 season in which Neres scored 15 goals and registered 14 assists in 38 appearances across all competitions.

As a result, signing him could finally give Rafa Benitez the excuse to let Richarlison slide or better still, arm him with the firepower necessary to improve their wilted attack.

Not only have Richarlison’s performances dwindled but his attitude has also been questionable, reacting angrily to being substituted earlier this term and showing a petulant attitude right throughout his time in Merseyside.

It was the same result last February when Noel Whelan savaged him for something similar:

“You can’t take away he’s an exceptional player and he’s a gifted player. What you have got there is a bit of an attitude problem and it’s kind of a spoilt child attitude about him,” he began.

“You saw him coming off the field, he’s got that face on and he’s a bit petulant and childish in his behaviour, shrugging off somebody on the sideline, mumbling to himself. When you’ve got great players like that, there’s a certain professionalism that you’ve got to bring to the side as well and you just see those sort of little weaknesses in players.”

Furthermore, Benitez’s side have had rotten luck this campaign regarding injuries with star players Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison both facing respective spells on the sidelines.

Moreover, right-winger Andros Townsend recently missed games through injury and the Merseyside club could do with more options out wide, particularly on the right.

Although Neres’ goals tally isn’t the highest, the £18m-rated winger is an exciting prospect and would offer Everton a much-needed alternative in the attack. He could also be Richarlison’s saving grace.

In other news, Everton have been linked with this well-known forward…

Australia have named an unchanged 12-man squad for the second Test, resisting the urge to add Steven Smith as a second spinner following Pakistan’s struggles against Nathan Hauritz in Melbourne

Brydon Coverdale at the MCG30-Dec-2009

Ricky Ponting has declared himself a certain starter for the Sydney Testbeginning on Sunday despite suffering more pain than he expected in his hurtelbow during the win at the MCG. Australia have named an unchanged 12-mansquad for the second Test, resisting the urge to add Steven Smith as a secondspinner following Pakistan’s struggles against Nathan Hauritz in Melbourne.Clint McKay was retained in the group but is expected to be 12th man again,following a bowling performance Ponting described as the best from an AustralianTest team in a couple of years. It included Hauritz’s first five-wicket haulin first-class cricket, and though Ponting said a secondspinner would be an option for Sydney, the selectors decided against naming Smith.Smith was added at the MCG as cover for Hauritz, who had a groin injury inthe lead-up to the Test. Smith had enjoyed a net session with Shane Warne which Ponting was certain would help his development. “I know he would havegot a lot out of the session the other day,” Ponting said. “Any time anyyoung spinner can spend some quality time with Warney one on one is goingto be of great benefit to them.”Ponting will lead Australia as they aim to take the series 2-0 in Sydney,despite his injury troubling him through the Boxing Day Test. He said he was not in any doubt at all for the second Test.”I’ve had a bit of pain in both innings to tell you the truth,” Ponting said.”It probably flared up more than I was hoping it would halfway through myfirst innings but I declared myself fit to play and I’ve just got to putup with it and get on with it from there. That’s all I could do. I’ve continuedto have treatment through this game and will the next few days give myselfevery opportunity to recover as well as I can for the next Test.”Australia squad Shane Watson, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (capt),Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Marcus North, Brad Haddin (wk), MitchellJohnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger, Clint McKay.

Sriram Veera previews the tri-nation tournament involving Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka in Dhaka

Sriram Veera in Dhaka03-Jan-2010

This tri-nation tournament is not worth any hype: It’s being contested by a weakened Sri Lankan side, a Bangladesh outfit that has only played against weak teams in the recent past and an Indian team which, though filled with attractive batsmen, is suffering from poor bowling form and abysmal fielding. And it’s being played at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, a venue where dew is such an important factor that all the matches in the recent series between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe were won by the chasing team. The combination of these factors doesn’t make for compelling competition but the timing, a year before the 2011 World Cup, gives the teams something to work towards and plug holes in their game.Bangladesh
An almost inexhaustible supply of left-arm spinners, flashy batsmen prone to self destruct, no permanent set of seamers and 26 different opening combinations in five years has been the story of Bangladesh cricket. They’ve had mixed results in 2009: they beat Zimbabwe and a depleted West Indies but according to Jamie Siddons, the coach, it hasn’t helped in determining the scale of their progress.This series will help gauge how far they have come. According to Shakib-al-Hasan, a good fallout of playing teams like Zimbabwe and second string West Indies is that Bangladesh are learning how to win and getting used to it. What has been the stand-out feature of Bangladesh – and it’s what offers hope for the future – is that unlike other teams in nascent stages, they don’t have to wait for the bigger teams to have a really bad day to win; they can win on their own strength, by a collective burst of inspired performances. They go into this series with an inexperienced seam attack and yet again, will depend heavily on their spinners – Siddons has already said Abdur Razzaq will bowl in the Powerplays- and it’s to be seen how their batsmen play.One thing to watch out for: Tamim Iqbal has been speaking in recent times about focusing on facing more deliveries with the knowledge that runs will come if he stays at the crease. It’s easier said than done for an impulsive stroke player but, as they say, you have made a start to solving the problem by admitting there is one and by acknowledging its solution. Will this be the series where Tamim grows up?India
Two major areas of concern have emerged from recent series: wayward bowling and shoddy fielding. India’s bowlers can be effective on helpful pitches but on flat surfaces, like the ones on which the World Cup will be won and lost, they have looked increasingly toothless. Nobody bowls yorkers. Nobody possesses a venomous bouncer. Nobody has a great slower one. They bowl with hope and not conviction on flat beds: Zaheer Khan might strike with the new ball, Ashish Nehra might be able to bowl tightly in the Powerplays, Harbhajan Singh hopefully won’t fire it in flat on middle and leg stump. Ishant Sharma, once the next big thing, has been replaced by Sreesanth, who was also once the next big thing.There are more hopes and mirages around the bend: Yuvraj Singh can make breakthroughs with his “easy action and that straight ball”, Virender Sehwag can strike with his “natural drift”, and who can forget what Sachin Tendulkar did a decade ago with the ball. And if all fails, there’s Suresh Raina (“How intelligently he pauses sometimes before release; surely he can turn into a decent offbreak bowler”). And let’s not waste time dwelling on India’s fielding (“Poor outfields, you know, they didn’t grow up diving” and that lovely gem: “It’s about conservation of energy; why dive when you can kick it away”).One thing to watch out for though: During this series Virat Kohli could break away from the pack of contenders and cement his place in the ODI team. He has the game to do it but has he the mental fortitude?Sri Lanka
Kumar Sangakkara had arrived as a messiah who would lead Sri Lanka into a brave new world but his honeymoon period was short and it’s clearly over now. They said he wouldn’t be as abrasive a leader and a freedom fighter as Arjuna Ranatunga was but he wouldn’t be a passive as Mahela Jayawardene either. Sangakkara was supposed to be cool, confident, aggressive without being brash and tactically brilliant. Perhaps too much hope and pressure was piled on Sangakkara too early and perhaps it won’t be too long before all those adjectives can be used to describe his leadership.To be fair to him, Sangakkara did not inherit Jayawardene’s settled side because Chaminda Vaas retired and Muralitharan is not the world beater that he was. Not all is rosy on the island: Sanath Jayasuriya, it seems, is being nudged and pushed towards retirement, Muralitharan’s magic fingers and wrists are getting weary, Ajantha Mendis is getting used to reality devoid of any mystery (perhaps it might be the best thing that happened to him), Jayawardene keeps slipping into patches of bad form, Thilan Samaraweera hasn’t fixed a spot in ODIs, Chamara Kapugedera has been finally dropped, Thilina Kandamby has improved but is yet to learn to finish games and there is a whole set of new seamers that seem to change every other series.One thing to watch out for: Upul Tharanga showed signs of maturity in the series against India and, with the decline of Jayasuriya, his progress in the series will be a keenly-followed event.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a hefty injury boost ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, Bruno Lage revealed that Bruno Jordao, who has not featured competitively for Wolves for 16 months due to a knee injury, is finally back in training with the first-team squad, and could be in contention for the trip to Norwich City on Saturday.

Asked whether the central midfielder is once again an option for his matchday squads, the 45-year-old said: “Yes, he’s one more. He started working two or three days ago. He needs time.

“We have six weeks to work with him and after see if he’s ready to compete for a place or if he needs to take another decision. I am very happy with him. I knew him when I arrived and saw him since the first day working hard to come back as soon as possible.

“Now he needs to show me on the pitch that he wants to fight for a place in the team. I need to see Bruno. I want to give him a lot of confidence to be ready to train and compete and try to understand the dynamic he can give us.

“I saw some games from him in the past but it’s soon for me to make a conclusion on what he can give to our team. Since the first day, he has been a good professional. I am very happy with that mentality.”

Lage will be buzzing

Considering just how short of options Lage currently is in the middle of the park, the return of Jordao, particularly with the hectic Christmas schedule of the Premier League soon upon us, is sure to have left the Portuguese manager buzzing.

Indeed, prior to the 23-year-old’s return, the Wolves boss had just Ruben Neves, Leander Dendoncker or Joao Moutinho to pick from in central midfield, with this trio having returned just one goal and one assist over their accumulative 32 top-flight appearances.

And, while Jordao is by no means an out and out attacking midfielder, the former Portugal U21 international has scored one goal over his four first-team appearances since his £8.01m move to Molineux back in the summer of 2019, something which would suggest he could be used as a more attack-minded option by Lage.

In any case, the return of an extra body in the middle of the park is undoubtedly a huge boost for the 45-year-old manager, who will be looking to continue his side’s run of excellent form against Norwich City this weekend.

In other news: Hatfield drops Wolves transfer claim on “unplayable” £17m-rated dynamo, Shi must act

Temperamental fast bowler Sreesanth has been given one more chance to resurrect his stop-start career, after being selected in India’s 15-man squad

Sidharth Monga10-Nov-2009Temperamental fast bowler Sreesanth has been given another chance to resurrect his stop-start career, after being selected in India’s 15-man squad for the first two Tests against Sri Lanka. Weeks after being given a “final warning” for his poor on-field behaviour, Sreesanth is now a candidate to share the new ball with Zaheer Khan, who has recovered from his shoulder injury.Sreesanth last played for India in 2008, and had his share of injuries and criticism over attitude in equal measure. During the time he spent out of the Indian team, Sreesanth played 10 first-class games for 28 wickets, including one five-wicket haul for Warwickshire, and 23 overs for no wickets against Andhra in his latest Ranji Trophy match. Clearly his selection is a gamble on promise over form. It is a big – bordering on generous – decision made by the selectors, and an equally big chance for Sreesanth to wash away all the criticism against him.Zaheer made an expected comeback, having recovered from the injury he sustained during the IPL, and having featured in Twenty20 matches during the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament and a Ranji Trophy fixture. He has not missed a Test, but has not played limited-overs cricket for India since the ICC World Twenty20 in June.The selectors also recalled Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner, and S Badrinath. His Tamil Nadu team-mate M Vijay retained his place as reserve batsman. Ojha, yet to make his Test debut, toured Sri Lanka in 2008, but lost his place to Amit Mishra, who made a strong debut against Australia in Mohali in 2008-09. Vijay, an opener, was handed a debut in Nagpur against Australia after Gautam Gambhir was banned for one Test. Badrinath has yet to play a Test.There was no place for Ashish Nehra, who has done well after making his ODI return, or Munaf Patel, as India opted for three spinners. There was no reserve wicketkeeper named.The decision to pick 15 players, and that too an extra batsman, raised questions about the selection. Usually for a home series, only 14 players are picked. And with the middle order set in stone, neither Vijay nor Badrinath has a realistic chance of starting in Ahmedabad. Now both of them will miss important Ranji Trophy matches, when only one was needed as injury cover, unless someone is sent back to domestic cricket on the morning of the Ahmedabad Test.The selection also left the bowling unbalanced. MS Dhoni is not a fan of playing only two pace bowlers unless the pitch is extremely spin-friendly, and the selectors have given him only three fast bowlers to choose from. Zaheer Khan is coming back from injury, Ishant Sharma is in poor form, and Sreesanth is a completely unpredictable character. One bowling back-up would have been of more value than two batting back-ups. And what about Munaf? He has lost his Test place on the basis of 13 overs bowled in two ODIs against Australia, one of them on a flat Hyderabad pitch.India squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, M Vijay, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra.

Leeds United must bring in new signings in the January transfer window after a poor start to the season, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Another defeat for Leeds

The Whites had another disappointing Premier League outing on Sunday, losing 2-1 to Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Dan James’ opener wasn’t enough to get Marcelo Bielsa’s side a positive result and they now sit 17th in the table, just one place above the relegation zone.

Leeds’ squad has felt stretched at times this season, with key players such as Luke Ayling and Partrick Bamford injured, so January signings wouldn’t go amiss.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Hay calls for January signings

Taking to Twitter on Monday afternoon in sharing an accompanying article for The Athletic, Hay delivered a 13-word verdict calling for the Whites to make mid-season reinforcements.

He said that it “no longer feels like they have the luxury of sitting this window out”, adding that “Full-strength Leeds have ample quality but they rarely are full strength, to the point where it seems as if they are being compromised.”

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The Verdict: Makes perfect sense

While there is no need for Leeds to go overboard in January – the return of key figures will bolster Bielsa’s options – it is important that a new face or two comes in to supplement the existing squad, as Hay has understandably pleaded.

It would bring a much-needed freshness to the playing pick at a time when a relegation fight is becoming increasingly likely, allowing for rotation between January and May and hopefully leading to a rise up the table.

Failure to make any signings could threaten to make things become even more stagnant, potentially leading to the threat of a return to the Championship, at a time when the expansion of Elland Road could be impacted negatively.

In other news, three Leeds players struggled in the defeat to Spurs. Find out who they are here.