Leeds United are building for their return to the Premier League under Daniel Farke and have now set their sights on a talented forward, according to reports.
Farke makes Leeds United plans for Bamford clear
Making an impressive start to pre-season, the Whites came away from their first encounter against Manchester United with a goalless draw that will have provided a platform to build on as they sharpen up for the new campaign.
Speaking after the match, Farke confirmed Patrick Bamford isn’t in Leeds United’s plans this term, signalling that he is ready to take ruthless decisions to streamline his squad.
He explained: “With Patrick (Bamford), I had a really open and honest conversation. I would have preferred a completely fit Patrick Bamford in the last two seasons. He knows how much I rate him as a person.
“It was the second day of pre-season when I told him in my office that he wasn’t part of my plans for the upcoming Premier League season, due to the fact that he’s had really difficult years over the past few years.”
Sean Longstaff has recently arrived at Leeds United for £12 million to add another layer of top-flight quality to their engine room. Meanwhile, Farke is also plotting a move to hijack Marseille’s pursuit of versatile Juventus forward Timothy Weah.
Terms agreed: "Dominant" £17m star says yes to signing for Leeds United
Leeds United appear to be closing in on their first signing of the summer window.
ByDan Emery Jun 15, 2025
Deals are beginning to multiply at Elland Road, with Hoffenheim midfielder Anton Stach seemingly the latest arrival at the Whites after Fabrizio Romano delivered his famous ‘here we go’ tagline to signal that he will come in to bolster the ranks.
Now, Leeds have made contact for a Premier League forward that they have been reportedly interested in tempting to Yorkshire.
Leeds United make contact to sign Marc Guiu on loan
According to a report from Transferfeed, Leeds United have made contact to sign Chelsea forward Marc Guiu on loan after previously looking to sign the youngster before he moved to Stamford Bridge from Barcelona.
Marc Guiu in Chelsea training.
Despite a lack of minutes last term, the 19-year-old scored six times in 16 appearances across all competitions, with his tally coming entirely in the Europa Conference League.
Marc Guiu in the Europa Conference League (Fotmob)
Shots
19
Shots on target
12
Touches in opposition box
31
Chances created
4
Successful dribbles
4
Labelled “exquisite” by Joe Cole, he was also compared to Luis Suarez by the former England international, who stated off the back of his goal against Astana last December: “Marc Guiu must have watched Luis Suarez as a young man at Barcelona.”
Expectedly, any prospect of Guiu moving on this summer may depend on whether Nicolas Jackson is sold by Chelsea amid interest from elsewhere in the Senegal international.
Ultimately, Leeds are in need of a striker and the Granollers-born star could be an ideal solution to add some firepower ahead of an exciting campaign back in the big time.
Liverpool made mincemeat of the Premier League’s finest in 2024/25, winning the title in Arne Slot’s first season at the helm.
Such was their dominance that a late-season sojourn over in the Gulf states was permitted while rivals worked toward positive finishes to the term.
This wasn’t the case for the Anfield side; far from it. However, 2025/26 will bring a new campaign and Liverpool are acting like it, using their pull, heightened by the recent success, to sign Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, as well as Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez.
Liverpool like to pluck exciting talents from their divisional rivals, and this summer is proving no different. Indeed, with a fee agreed with Leverkusen for the £34m sale of Jarell Quansah and Ibrahima Konate’s future uncertain as he enters the final year of his contract, Real Madrid lurking, is it any surprise that sporting director Richard Hughes is hoping to sign Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi?
Why Liverpool target players like Kerkez & Guehi
Liverpool might have broken the British transfer record this month (should Wirtz’s fixed £100m fee be expanded by the £16m in add-ons), but the Merseysiders tend to walk down a less-beaten path, signing up-and-coming talents from clubs settled lower down the Premier League ladder.
Take Andy Robertson, for example, signed from Hull City for just £10m back in 2017. He’s since solidified his name among the division’s all-time great full-backs.
Most Assists in Premier League History (defenders)
#
Player
Apps
Assists
1.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
259
64
2.
Andy Robertson
308
60
3.
Leighton Baines
420
53
4.
Graeme Le Saux
327
44
5.
Kieran Trippier
204
38
Data via Premier League
And how could we forget Gini Wijnaldum? The Dutchman was the industrious, metronomic heartbeat which kept Klopp’s system ticking, purloined from Newcastle United after their relegation to the Championship.
Shoutout Xherdan Shaqiri, too.
The point is, Liverpool run their club intelligently, identifying players proven in the Premier League and with plenty of scope for growth. Manchester United, with their Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, may well have taken a leaf from their rival.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp
While FSG are in a position to sign superstars like Wirtz, they haven’t lost track of their roots: Kerkez, signed for £40m, is evidence of his, hailing from the south coast, while the 24-year-old Guehi would also align with this tried-and-tested Merseyside method, having been at the centre of transfer rumours in recent days that suggest Liverpool would be willing to pay £50m to snap him up.
Slot will have had his say in identifying such players, looking to bring them to Anfield, but he is benefiting somewhat from the club’s prowess when Klopp was at the helm. Certainly, there’s one star in particular who aligns with the discussed method who should be the barometer from which to judge an addition’s success.
Liverpool have struck gold on Premier League signing
Like Kerkez and Virgil van Dijk before him, Alexis Mac Allister has proved a stunning signing for Liverpool, joining the club from Brighton & Hove Albion in a deal worth £35m two years ago.
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister
His first term, the Argentina international, who was instrumental in his nation’s 2022 World Cup triumph, filled in as a holding midfielder after the Anfield side failed in a bid to land Moises Caicedo; since, with Slot in charge, he’s moved back into a more expansive midfield role, winning silverware in both seasons on Merseyside.
One constant, however, has been Mac Allister’s brilliance in the centre of the park. The 26-year-old has only gone from strength to strength after switching the Seagulls for the Liverbird, with pundit Joe Cole even declaring him a “superstar” who “can play anywhere”.
Alexis Mac Allister in the Premier League (LFC)
Stats (* per game)
23/24
24/25
Matches (starts)
33 (31)
35 (30)
Goals
5
5
Assists
5
5
Touches*
74.2
55.8
Pass completion
88%
87%
Big chances created
3
6
Key passes*
1.4
1.3
Dribbles*
0.5
0.5
Ball recoveries*
5.9
4.2
Tackles + interceptions*
4.1
3.3
Ground duels (won)*
5.0 (50%)
4.3 (50%)
Data via Sofascore
Take a look at the table above. What do you see? Curiously, Mac Allister has shifted roles under Slot, less active and frenetic in his play, calmed into a controlling force which channels the flow of the coach’s ball-playing vision.
The South American star perhaps said it best himself: “In terms of the change, perhaps with Jürgen I played as a lone five [holding midfielder]. So, the position was very different. I was much more defensive than anything else.
“So, the system has changed a little, but the main ideas are the same. I think perhaps the big change is in having that patience to have longer periods of possession and dominate games more and obviously that creates more chances.”
Alexis Mac Allister celebrates for Liverpool
It’s certainly showcased through the metrics: as per FBref, Mac Allister ranked among the top 20% of midfielders in the Premier League last year for goal involvements, the top 16% for progressive passes, the top 14% for shot-creating actions and the top 13% for tackles per 90.
He’s the real deal, having ballooned in value and technical quality since making the leap. It’s a rise that Slot and co will no doubt hope Kerkez will follow, and Guehi too, should he sign from Palace this summer.
The fiesty midfielder’s progress at Liverpool has even impelled Real Madrid to come knocking on the door, with reports earlier in the year suggesting Florentino Perez would be willing to fork out some €90m (£76m) for the maestro, who has been earmarked as a potential long-term successor to Luka Modric’s soon-to-be vacant locker at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Naturally, this puts him in a much higher bracket than Kerkez and Guehi, but we must caveat that with a firm ‘for now’, as the ball-playing specialist may yet find his new and potential teammates to be rivalling him on the financial scales down the line.
Liverpool know their stuff, work with a calculated eye to sign up-and-coming Premier League stars and bring them up to elite status, when certain other high-station clubs then come sniffing around for fully developed product.
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Mac Allister is a perfect representation of that, and soon Kerkez and perhaps Guehi will be too.
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Mark Wood is back in England’s Test attack•Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Mark Wood has been recalled to England’s attack in place of the retired James Anderson as the only change to their XI for the second Test against West Indies at Trent Bridge, which begins on Thursday.Wood, England’s fastest bowler, was not available for the Lord’s Test, having only just returned to the country after the completion of England’s T20 World Cup campaign in the Caribbean, in which he claimed three wickets in five appearances. He has not yet played a first-class match for Durham this season.However, Wood was added to the squad in the wake of England’s innings-and-114-run victory in the first Test at Lord’s, and will slot back into the XI, having featured in three of England’s five Tests in India earlier this year.This will be the first time that England have played a home Test without either Anderson or Stuart Broad in their XI since 2012, and only the second since 2007. Anderson spent Tuesday at Trent Bridge in his new role as England’s bowling coach, following his farewell appearance at Lord’s.Wood’s inclusion means that Matthew Potts and Dillon Pennington will have to wait for their opportunities, having been original inclusions in England’s squad for the first two Tests, as named by the selectors last month.James Anderson started his new role in England’s coaching staff•Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images
Potts, who impressed with 23 wickets in his first six Tests in 2022 and 2023, has not featured for England since the Ireland Test at Lord’s last June, while Pennington is yet to make his Test debut.The selection of Wood follows the success enjoyed by another 90mph seamer, Gus Atkinson, who claimed match figures of 12 for 106, the fourth-best by a debutant in Test history, in last week’s win at Lord’s.Shoaib Bashir, England’s offspinner, did not bowl in the Lord’s Test, his first home appearance for his country, but retains his place at Nottingham.England XI: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Shoaib Bashir
Wolverhampton Wanderers are now set to say goodbye to Rayan Ait-Nouri as Manchester City are reportedly closing in £33.7m deal to sign the player.
The Algerian defender has been with Wolves since 2020, but after five seasons at Molineux, now is the time to cash in.
This follows on from Manchester United signing Matheus Cunha, bringing in £62.5m for Vitor Pereira to use this summer.
Wolverhampton Wanderers' RayanAit-Nouri
Cunha will be missed, no doubt about that, but Ait-Nouri has been one of the best players for Wolves in the Premier League over the previous few years.
Rayan Ait-Nouri's record at Wolves
Last season, the defender enjoyed his most productive season with regards to attacking output since he joined Wolves.
Across 41 matches, Ait-Nouri scored five times while registering seven assists for the club. He also created eight big chances in the Premier League for the Old Gold, while averaging 1.3 key passes and succeeding with 1.7 dribbles per game last term.
The onus for Pereira now is to find a player who can be signed cheaply that will go on to replicate the success that Ait-Nouri has at the club.
Rayan Ait-Nouri’s Wolves statistics
Season
Games
Goals
Assists
2024/25
41
5
7
2023/24
38
3
4
2022/23
27
2
1
2021/22
27
1
6
2020/21
27
1
2
Via Transfermarkt
He will have money to spend. That’s a certainty. Could he sign a player from his homeland this summer who might be an even bigger talent than Ait-Nouri?
Wolves eyeing move for Roger Fernandes
Journalist Graeme Bailey stated recently that Wolves are keeping tabs on Braga’s Roger Fernandes ahead of making a potential swoop.
Transfer Focus
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“I think the Portuguese league will be somewhere that they explore; it wouldn’t surprise me if they do look towards that league again,” said Bailey.
“I’ve heard Roger Fernandes’ name linked to Wolves in recent weeks as well, wouldn’t surprise me if he was on the agenda.”
Roger Fernandes for SC Braga.
Despite typically operating as a right-winger, Fernandes can also play either left-back or left wing-back, positions that Ait-Nouri made his own at Wolves.
Quite how highly-rated the 19-year-old is evident by the fact that he even made his debut aged just 15 years and eight months for Braga back in August 2021 – a record in Portugal’s top-flight. Ait-Nouri, by contrast, was 17 when he made his first senior bow for Angers in August 2018.
Last season, meanwhile, Fernandes made 48 appearances across all competitions for the Portuguese side, scoring five goals and chipping in with seven assists.
For context, Ait-Nouri’s final season in France saw him register just three assists in 17 games in Ligue 1, before joining Wolves at the age of 19.
Fernandes shone at both ends of the pitch. Not only did he create six big chances while averaging 1.3 key passes per game, but the youngster also won over 50% of his contested duels while averaging 1.5 tackles per match for Braga.
Last summer, talent scout Jacek Kulig praised the teenager, describing him as “Braga’s biggest jewel” and “one of the most exciting U19s in Portugal.”
It would certainly be a significant coup should Pereira land the winger this summer, especially given his high ceiling for development.
Wolves might only have to pay a fee of around £25m to secure his services. With the club raising nearly £90m by selling Cunha and Ait-Nouri, it could prove to be a wonderful bargain this summer.
Wolves now keeping tabs on £25m winger who is similar to Antonio Valencia
The Old Gold are looking to add some attacking flair this summer.
Preparing for a summer without Paul Mitchell following the sporting director’s recent departure, Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing the chance to sign an attacking star who’s worth as much as £59m.
Paul Mitchell to leave Newcastle
After less than 12 months at the club, Mitchell’s time at Newcastle has come to an end by mutual consent. The sporting director endured a difficult summer transfer window last year as the Magpies attempted to comply with PSR rules and limit their spending and will now step away at the end of June having never truly received the chance to make his mark on the incomings front.
Paul Mitchell at Newcastle United.
Releasing a statement on his departure, Mitchell said: “I’d like to thank everyone at Newcastle United for their support over the last year.
“I’m leaving at a time that is right for me and the club, particularly with Darren Eales – someone who I have worked so closely with in my career – moving on soon. The club is in great hands on and off the pitch, and is in a fantastic position to continue building.”
Odysseas Vlachodimos (£20m)
Elliott Anderson (£35m)
William Osula (£10m)
Yankuba Minteh (£30m)
Lloyd Kelly (Free)
Miguel Almiron (£8m)
John Ruddy (Free)
Lloyd Kelly (Loan fee £3m)
Total Spend = £30m
Total made = £76m
Whilst Newcastle never really set the world alight in the transfer window under Mitchell, he did well to navigate his way through any PSR problems last summer even if it meant overpaying for Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Now in search of a new sporting director and ready to spend again, Newcastle must get the forthcoming transfer window right. On that front, they’re reportedly in pole position to sign Matteo Guendouzi and another impressive Frenchman has also since emerged as a potential summer target.
Newcastle eyeing £59m Akliouche chance
According to Caught Offside, Newcastle are now keeping a close eye on the chance to sign Maghnes Akliouche from AS Monaco this summer in a deal worth around €70m (£59m). The Magpies face competition from Premier League champions Liverpool, but could yet flex PIF’s financial power to land the impressive 23-year-old right-winger.
A player with a “magnificent skillset” according to football talent scout Jacek Kulig in 2024, Akliouche has since enjoyed an excellent season for Monaco – scoring seven goals and assisting another 12 in all competitions.
He'd be incredible with Isak: Newcastle prepare bid for "deadly" £60m star
Newcastle are looking to make some impactful signings in the transfer market this summer.
1 ByAngus Sinclair May 30, 2025
As Newcastle look to add further star power to the right-hand side of their front three, Akliouche could emerge as an ideal option. Still just 23 years old and yet to reach his best, the Frenchman ticks the box for Champions League experience and the potential to become a world-beater at St James’ Park.
His century in Multan was a reminder that Pakistan can still be on the right side of Test-match rejoicing
Danyal Rasool08-Oct-2024Pakistan domestic cricket is an unglamorous, hard watch, and you can tell Salman Agha was shaped by its caring, if calloused, hands – he is as close as you can get to a personification of it. The red-ball domestic system is constantly shapeshifting, and Salman’s own adaptability – from pressure absorber to pressure transmitter, from second fiddle to leading man – reveals the turbulent fires his game and personality have been welded in. Since making his international debut, Salman has rarely been in the spotlight; not stylish enough as Saud Shakeel, not charismatic enough as Mohammad Rizwan, and shunted to the outposts of the lower-middle order.His understated nature extends off the field. You speak to him and sense there’s a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, a man who, despite reaching the other side of 30, never forgets he’s ultimately playing cricket for a living, and thus life isn’t that bad. Even his unbeaten 104 feels like the footnote to an impressive Pakistan innings, devoid of the delightful panache of Abdullah Shafique or the engrossing personal narrative of Shan Masood’s effort.When Salman came out, Pakistan had lost two quick wickets and were wobbling at 393 for 6. Just two Tests ago, a first-innings score of 448 for 6 declared against Bangladesh had resulted in a ten-wicket defeat.Related
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The first ball of the second session on Tuesday was a harbinger for England; Jack Leach pitched one up, and Salman half-volleyed it through the covers. It was the defining match-up of the session; Leach would bowl 61 balls to him with Salman plundering 65 runs off them. It included three sixes, one in fortunate circumstances as Chris Woakes caught him on the long-off boundary, only to leave a trailing foot planted outside the rope as he took the catch upon his return into the field of play. The call may have gone either way, and upon his reprieve, Salman chuckled before launching Leach over long-on the very next ball. Salman later said he looks to attack “all spinners in any situation”, but Leach – at the receiving end of more of Salman’s milestones – was singled out. He was clipped for the couple that brought up Salman’s half-century, smashed for the boundary that fetched him his 1000th run, and milked for the run that got him his century.The word in vogue is aura, and Salman has precisely none of it. It is perhaps that which discombobulated Salman as he batted on with Shaheen Afridi. England’s field settings bordered on the curious by this time, the visitors leaving several fielders in the deep towards the end of overs allowing him to farm the strike. Even when Abrar appeared to be trying to get out, England made him work to give his wicket away, Jamie Smith missing a straight stumping before Gus Atkinson put down a sitter. Abrar had a look of amusement at the other end; England might have been bored by this point, but having done this for over a decade in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Salman is close to unboreable.But his nonchalance belies a steel that has been present since the day he made his Test debut. Runs scored with the lower order intrinsically feel lower-value, but Salman’s have been anything but. In this WTC cycle, Pakistan have scored exactly 2000 runs from batting positions five to eight, averaging 44.44 runs per wicket – no other side betters that. If you’re in any doubt about Salman’s outsized role in that statistic, here’s another one; no batter in world cricket has managed more runs in positions 7-8 than Salman’s 946 since he made his debut. If you consider Pakistan’s top-order-batting woes for the best part of Salman’s time in the side, those have not been bonus runs, but Pakistan’s bread and butter.Salman’s adaptability was on show in Multan•Getty ImagesFor the last year, Pakistan have been present at the scene of much Test-match rejoicing. Australia enjoyed themselves so much that David Warner, coming out to bat in his farewell Test to seal a series whitewash over Pakistan, allowed himself a beer at lunch before knocking off the winning runs. Bangladesh’s exultation was on an altogether higher plane, their Test series victory in Pakistan seen as an optimistic portent in the wake of a revolution.The last two days, Pakistan have got something of a taste of how all that felt in a remarkable inversion of the script. It was England who lined up with a bowling attack that looked wholly unsuited to these conditions, the next 149 overs dishing up further proof. England missed a key chance by inches to get Salman out early, the frustration exacerbated as he went on to reach three figures. It was England that lost their discipline and intensity as Pakistan’s last four put on 163.Pakistan were the side backing a struggling batting line-up, eschewing the ever-present temptation of frenetic changes. And – heaven above! – Pakistan were even taking stunners, Aamer Jamal refusing to let his magical Australian summer fade as England’s last-minute opener Ollie Pope was sent packing inside two deliveries. Even as England’s subsequent partnership delivered its reality check, Pakistan finally had the chance to remind themselves that is what made it all so much fun.And with Salman’s wide grin reminding them every single day, who could really forget?
After a tepid home summer, the New Zealand seamer is focusing on growing his game further. He talks about being the fourth prong of a highly skilled attack
Alan Gardner30-May-2022Kyle Jamieson is a man of impressive numbers. His 6ft 8in frame, for a start, puts him among the tallest sportsmen who aren’t involved in the NBA. Then there is his Test bowling record. Since making his debut just over two years ago, Jamieson has taken 66 wickets at 18.72 in 14 Tests, striking once every 43.5 balls. Few among those who have taken a minimum of 50 wickets have combined such a low average with such a lethal strike rate in Test cricket since Sydney Barnes more than 100 years ago.You might also throw in the Rs 15 crore – that is 150,000,000 rupees, just over US$2 million – paid by Royal Challengers Bangalore to acquire Jamieson’s services in the 2021 IPL auction. Although nine wickets and an economy of 9.60 for that price tag were eye-catching for the wrong reasons. For now, the IPL remains unfinished business.None of these markers mean too much to Jamieson. “No, I’m not really a stats guy,” he says, long limbs squeezed into one of the white plastic seats in front of the pavilion in Hove. The ICC’s No. 5-ranked bowler, and self-described “fourth prong” of New Zealand’s Test attack, is staring out into the gloom that has descended on Sussex’s tight little ground, rain drumming intermittently on the roof, as he considers a series of questions about just how good he is, and just how good he be.Related
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“For me, that stuff sort of just happens, it comes and goes, and it’ll go up and go down over the course of my career,” he says. “If I’m trying to get better and learn and grow, those things are going to take care of themselves. I think sometimes that [your average] does measure where you are at but sometimes it doesn’t necessarily reflect that. You can be getting better and grow as a person, as a player, but it’s not necessarily reflected in the numbers.”It’s easy to see why people get excited by Jamieson, numbers aside. Despite being more of a batter while growing up, he has taken giant strides – quite literally – since he moved his focus to bowling in his late teens. Able to deliver the ball from a height of 2.3m, and to generate the sort of awkward bounce that makes playing forward an act of folly, Jamieson can also swing it both ways from a fuller length than most, all while generating speeds up to 140kph/87mph. Such a formidable array of attributes has seen him described as pretty much the perfect fast bowler.He chuckles wryly at that. While his height is simply a blessing of the genes – “I can certainly thank my parents for that” – there has been plenty of hard work put in since Dayle Hadlee, older brother of Richard, spotted Jamieson’s potential as a bowler ahead of the 2014 Under-19 World Cup.”I’m just trying to grow my game and I don’t think there’s any sort of perfect fast bowler,” Jamieson says. “There’s a lot of different guys that have done it a lot of different ways and been very successful for a long period of time. I’m just trying to grab little bits from those guys and add to my game, where it’s applicable, and try and get to my definition of perfect.”What would that definition be? “There’s a few little things that I’ll probably keep to myself,” he says with a smile. “But yeah, I have a pretty clear vision in my head around the cricketer I want to be. I’m just trying to chase that as much as I can. That’s what I’ll hang my hat on in the time to come.”
Being a force across all three formats is one of the challenges that motivates him, as well as improving his returns with the bat. Jamieson has five first-class fifties, with a highest score of 67 – although some England fans might remember him flaying a 110-ball hundred against them during a tour game in 2017-18. That hints at a Ben Stokes-like ability to change games with either bat or ball, and Jamieson agrees that “genuine allrounder” is the label he aspires to.”I’m still a long way off the batter I want to be,” he says. “I’d love to be contributing more runs. I think I’m still relatively fresh in that area. How do I balance that, how do I improve? And my white-ball stuff as well – that’s probably the thing that numbers don’t necessarily always show. I know that I’m so young in my career, there’s still a long way to get to where I want to go. It’s just about trying to put in those yards around the specifics I want to improve on.”I’m a long way off that finished product but certainly that genuine allrounder is what I’m trying to strive for, and understanding that there’s a lot of time to come before I reach that point. But it certainly motivates me to keep going.”
****
After his barnstorming start to Test cricket, in particular, the last couple of months have given Jamieson a little time to “reassess where things are at, look at some of the lessons I’ve had and then plan ahead where I take my game”.Having been released by RCB less than a year after that life-changing payday, he decided against entering the 2022 IPL mega auction, prioritising instead a period at home in Auckland with his family that also allowed him to work on the fundamentals of his cricket. Time spent by the beach, playing golf, and satisfying a love of Italian food helped recharge the batteries after two years as an international cricketer that overlapped almost completely with the era of biosecure bubbles and travel restrictions brought about by Covid-19.Jamieson has dismissed Virat Kohli three times in four Tests, including twice in the World Test Championship final•Alex Davidson/Getty ImagesBoth Jamieson and New Zealand experienced a dip in form during the southern summer just past. The reigning World Test champions could only manage two 1-1 series draws, against Bangladesh and South Africa; Jamieson’s 14 wickets, meanwhile, came at a more modest 28.71. New Zealand currently sit sixth on the table for the 2021-23 WTC cycle. If they are to qualify again for the final, and have a chance to defend their title, they need to do well in the upcoming three-Test series against an England side languishing down at the bottom.For Jamieson, this is all part of the journey. Few would have tipped New Zealand to lift the inaugural WTC trophy when the concept was undergoing its tortuous genesis in the mid-2010s. And while Jamieson’s name has been mentioned in the same breath as some of New Zealand’s greats during his rapid ascent, he remains rapt just to be involved alongside Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner as arguably the best Test fast-bowling attack going.”Hundred per cent” he says, when asked if he still sees himself as the junior member of the attack. “Those guys have played, I don’t know how many Tests, but all of them have played over 50 Tests, two of them have taken over 300 Test wickets, and Waggy’s [Neil Wagner’s] not far behind. So I’m certainly the fourth prong of that attack.”Just love being a part of the group. I count myself so fortunate to come in at that time, [with] those guys at the peak of their powers and just to learn off them. Certainly a lot of the success I’ve had has been down to those guys.”Nevertheless, that success includes memorable dismissals of some of the best batters in Test cricket. Jamieson’s first two wickets, in Wellington in February 2020, were Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli; he has since removed Pujara three more times and Kohli twice, including a peach of an lbw at a crucial juncture in the WTC final in Southampton last June. That came as part of a five-wicket haul, which also included Rohit Sharma caught in the cordon.”Not so much the moments when you get wickets and stuff, it’s the team stuff I’ll cherish for as long as I live”•Kai Schwoerer/Getty ImagesAt Lord’s, a couple of weeks beforehand, he dealt with both the slope and Joe Root, England’s captain, done by perfect length off the very first ball of day. At Hagley Oval in 2021, Fawad Alam was practically guillotined by a vicious bouncer, while a personal favourite is the laser-like inswinger that sliced through Mohammad Rizwan (three dismissals in two Tests) as part of an 11-wicket haul in the same game.But rather than bask in such personal triumphs, Jamieson prefers to focus on what might be New Zealand’s special sauce: their togetherness as a group.”I think, for me, the moments tend to be more around the team stuff. I remember sitting in the change room after my first Test and just soaking up that win. Sitting in the change room after the [WTC] final and seeing a lot of the guys that have been part of the New Zealand set-up for such a long period of time and been through an immense amount of stuff to get to that position, just to see the pure joy on their faces was something I hold pretty dear. Not so much the moments when you get wickets and stuff, but it’s the team stuff I’ll cherish for as long as I live.”Predictably, Jamieson also plays down his ability to target the opposition’s best: “I think most people could look at a team sheet and know there’s a few key wickets, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the other ones aren’t key either.”But again it is the numbers that do the talking for him. While his ratio of top-order wickets – 48 of his 66 Test dismissals have been batters in the top seven – is not remarkable, the cost of those wickets is. An average of 21.13 puts him behind only Axar Patel (13.5) and Ollie Robinson (20.7), for bowlers who have taken 30-plus top-seven wickets since his debut. Restrict the sample to batters in the top five, and Jamieson is well out in front with 35 at 19.70.”I’m a long way off that finished product but certainly that genuine allrounder is what I’m trying to strive for”•Getty Images”You’re always trying to make an impact, regardless of who the batter is at the other end,” he says. “As a bowler your job is to take wickets and try to take them early in the game as much as you can, which tends to be the top-order guys. Some days it’ll fall to me, some days it’ll fall to Timmy and Trent and Wags. But it’s how do we as a collective take 20 wickets?”
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Never mind a lab-built fast-bowling monster, Jamieson might well be something far scarier: a quick who is always thinking about his game. Although still fairly new to international cricket, at 27, he has been grafting away for several years to bring all those aforementioned attributes together in one package.Despite the obvious attractions of attempting to constantly bomb batters from the crease, Jamieson’s methods are more varied. “The short ball’s part of the plan,” he says, “as is moving the ball different directions and different angles of attack on the crease.” He describes finding the outside edge for a catch in the cordon as his most satisfying form of dismissal, and has long focused on overcoming the tall bowler’s natural aversion to pitching it up.”I think that’s something right from when I started to switch more to bowling around U-19. It was always: how do you bowl fuller but still be heavy? That’s something I’m always trying to try to work on, [to] not bowl that floaty full ball. As a tall guy your natural length’s probably more back of a length, but you’re constantly trying to find that balance between getting it up and still being heavy.”You’re always trying to just drill that stuff. You come to training, you’re trying to find what that length is, trying to be heavy; you’re asking the batter for feedback around that length – what does it feel like? Hopefully you can be in that right area for longer periods and create some pressure.”More than two-thirds of Jamieson’s Test wickets have been those of top-seven batters, at an impressive average of 21.13•ICC via GettyAs with Jamieson’s pivotal dismissal of Kohli on the third morning of the WTC final, this is a finely calibrated approach. Having realised that collectively they had bowled too short on the second day (the first having been lost to rain), it was New Zealand’s “fourth prong” who set about rectifying the situation. Six deliveries were all Jamieson required to triangulate a way through Kohli’s defences.It is this never-ending battle of wits that keeps Jamieson ticking.”You’re always thinking. That’s the process between when you bowl the ball and walking back, reflecting on what happened there. How do I feel getting to the crease, what was the outcome of that ball? Constantly doing the cycle of trying to find the right area and work towards a plan. There’s always natural variation: sometimes the ball’s a little bit fuller than what you want, a little bit shorter than what you want, but it ends up working out for you. That’s just the process of any bowler or any bowling unit. It’s constantly reflecting and trying to find that perfect ball or that perfect plan to swing the game in your favour.”However you define fast-bowling perfection, that seems a pretty good place to start.
Director of PCB’s High Performance Centre speaks about the problems in the previous structure, and his plans
Umar Farooq04-Jun-2020Why merge domestic cricket and the old NCA into this new HPC? Basically, the two are related departments. You develop players at one place and test them in terms of performance at domestic cricket, which becomes a feeder to the international team. There have long been chronic problems of the system missing out on many players, which have been the subject of extensive debate. There was a system in place but it was a disjointed one. A number of Under-19 players have disappeared without getting a proper chance in first-class cricket and that’s a worry. There has been no coordination between the NCA and domestic operations; they were working in different directions. So the idea is to merge both departments so that we can properly regulate players and make sure they do no slip out of the system.Then why not improve that coordination rather than bring in this new centre? With the restructuring of domestic cricket last year, all teams are regulated by the PCB and by themselves. There are no private teams – like departments – anymore with their own parallel production line. So with everybody on one page now, this was the best time to merge it all under one umbrella. We want this model to be more relevant than before and better connected. When you identify and develop a player, the HPC will now make sure he will play in first-class cricket and doesn’t wait and disappear. The HPC will keep a thorough eye on the progress of a player in the system. It’s easier to manage a pipeline and ultimately we need better performers and players to represent the country. That is the main purpose.What are your major plans? The long-term plan is to form a national framework starting from the Under-13 circuit. Picking players on the basis of technical, tactical, mental, physical attributes and profiling them better. Their progress at the local level will be recorded and a detailed plan will be created for their development.The mid-term plan is to pick a set of players for the next Under-19 World Cup and get them ready for the next World Cup. During the recent Under-19 World Cup, our team wasn’t prepared enough as compared to the other better teams. We need to start preparing at least one-and-a-half years in advance with one dedicated set up and one direction. There is a gap and it’s not just at the age-group cricket, but it is there between our first-class and the international team as well. The whole lot moves on to the next level with that same gap and those limitations. The problem is at the developmental level. So first we need to toughen up that process.Getty ImagesWe will prepare the players so that at the senior level, there is proper competition and they feel it. That competition will test their ability and enhance them. So going forward, players won’t feel a sudden steep rise at the next stage. Players who are not reaching benchmarks will be washed out of the system and those passing through with distinction will make their way ahead. This HPC won’t allow mediocrity. Fitness, discipline, lifestyle, performance, it has to be there in a player. Nobody is going to go up to the next level until all boxes are ticked.We will have a close relationship with the national chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq. We are not going to influence the selection but make sure we have a readymade production line available all the time. For instance, if Misbah comes to us and asks for a batsman for South African conditions who plays well square of the wicket or asks for a seam bowler, that’s our job to have an answer with the best option.From where will the players come into the HPC? From the [provincial] associations as I am not in favour of open trials. So many players get in the system – not very talented – and then become a part of the production line. When you have open trials at Under-13 level, you get tons of kids selected and many are undeserving. That is an unfair system, to be honest. There are other good players you miss out on. So that is the basic problem, where the pipeline is leaking. The kids picked up are not competitive and, unfortunately, they go on to play Under-13, Under-16 and Under-19 and even first-class cricket. So this area needs to be carefully protected. It’s tough but at some stage we have to stop undeserving players making their way into the system. Due to Covid-19, this is probably is not going to happen this year, but the HPC will make sure that kids entering in the system are on the basis of merit and competition.For all this, you need coaches with strong credentials. Do you think you have enough of them at your disposal? We do have good coaches but there is a need to work on changing the thought process of coaches. In Pakistan, it’s more coach-centric and not really about the player. Professional players have a dependent mindset and this is why we lack consistency. There are times when you have to take a decision in seconds, but there is a mental block because players don’t really understand the game… they are just playing it. Their mental growth is at some stage tested because the coaching style has made players just hit 100 balls in nets without understanding the perspective of the player. Instead, they need to ask the player what they want. It is not always about weaknesses, it’s about enhancing a strength as well. You can never fully eradicate your weakness but you negotiate it and see how you can work it out.If a player is naturally talented, coaches should help him enhancing [his skills] rather than dictating their terms to make it unnatural. So the growth of a player should be on the terms of his natural ability, and not changing it. A player’s thought process needs to be encouraged; make them aware about the game; they need to speak up how they feel about the game. So coaching attitude and manuals will also be revised and we are changing it to make it more player-centric. It’s very much needed for a players’ mental growth and allowing them to think independently when they are on their own. Players are the bosses and coaches are the helpers.
Sheffield Wednesday have now reportedly expressed interest in signing a young Premier League gem on loan in the January transfer window.
Sheffield Wednesday narrow down takeover candidates
Despite the fact that they’ve now passed their initial soft deadline of December 5, Sheffield Wednesday are yet to name their new owners. In a long, detailed process, the Owls are seemingly keen to ensure that they find the right candidate for the job rather than simply the highest bidder.
Joint-administrator Kris Wigfield released a statement when the club passed their first deadline at the beginning of December, claiming that takeover talks have gained “momentum”.
According to The Star’s Alex Miller, Wednesday have now shortened their list of candidates in a move that should at least push takeover talks forward.
Wigfield has kept the names of candidates close to his chest, but reports have claimed that Mike Ashley has been among those attempting to buy the club.
The former Newcastle United owner reportedly saw his first bid turned away, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll return with an improved offer.
When it comes to the football, meanwhile, the Owls have set their sights on some much-needed January additions now that they can sign free agents or players on loan and that could see Everton’s Reece Welch arrive.
Sheffield Wednesday express interest in signing Reece Welch
According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Sheffield Wednesday have now expressed interest in signing Welch on loan from Everton in the January transfer window. The Toffees reportedly believe that a loan move for the 22-year-old would be an ideal next step for his development next month.
Those at Hillsborough are no strangers to welcoming Premier League talent on loan, either. Harry Amass has thrived on loan from Manchester United this season, even as off-pitch chaos has engulfed the club, and the Owls could now repeat their transfer genius by signing Welch next month.
The young central defender also has just over six months remaining on his current Everton contract, which means that Sheffield Wednesday could look to land a free deal if he arrives on loan and impresses.
Sheffield Wednesday candidates now considering shock move to complete takeover
The Owls are approaching their initial deadline.
ByTom Cunningham Dec 3, 2025
On paper, joining Sheffield Wednesday won’t be the most attractive option for young players, but the Owls can at least guarantee the game time that the likes of Welch so desperately need.
Billionaire takeover candidate makes Sheffield Wednesday decision as deadline nears
Sandhu, Shamim had Australia on the ropes at 76 for 7 before Mooney’s mastery took over
Firdose Moonda08-Oct-20253:25
Review: Mooney masterclass, seamers down Pakistan
Beth Mooney’s masterful maiden World Cup century rescued Australia from 76 for 7, set up a match-winning total of 221 and denied Pakistan the opportunity to pull off the first upset of the tournament. Australia are now at the top of the points table, with two wins and a washout while Pakistan remain winless in last place.Mooney continued a magnificent 2025, in which she now averages 63.42, with an innings that was a class above anyone else on a slow, low turner in Colombo. Only two other batters, Alana King and Sidra Amin, got more than 20; King’s innings came with Mooney at the other end. The pair shared a 106-run ninth-wicket stand and King’s 51* was the highest score for a player batting at No.10 or lower in women’s ODIs. They completely eclipsed the efforts of Pakistan’s spinners, who shared six wickets for 98 runs in their 30 overs and gave their side real hope before the batters completely faded away.Pakistan were bowled out for 114, undone by seam and swing. As much as Pakistan will need to question their batting, they will wonder how they squandered the opportunity to bowl Australia out for one of their lowest World Cup scores after getting themselves into a position of such advantage. The answer lies in Mooney’s approach.Beth Mooney’s hundred rescued Australia•ICC/Getty Images
Unlike all the other batters, she demonstrated an ability to play late and move in the crease and showed patience in the face of extreme pressure. All told, Mooney hit 11 fours in her century and ran 44 singles, nine twos and a three. She earned the right to play with freedom at the end and Australia’s final flourish of 81 runs in the last 10 overs including 53 off the last four, iced the cake.Their takedown of Diana Baig, who conceded 74 in her 10 overs, will also ask questions of Pakistan’s bowling options. They only had five at their disposal and while four had an excellent day out, they could not close things out quickly enough after Fatima Sana chose to bowl in hot, humid conditions because she suspected spin could play a role. She was proved right almost immediately.Sana introduced spin in the form of Sadia Iqbal in the fifth over, Iqbal ended it by drawing Alyssa Healy forward as she tried to flick. Healy gave Baig a simple catch at midwicket.Four balls later, Sana, after bowling 12 dot balls and with her hero Ellyse Perry at the other end, had Phoebe Litchfield playing across the line and skying it straight up. The Pakistan captain kept her composure to take a good catch. In the end, Sana did not get to bowl to Perry at all as she took herself off to go all spin.Ellyse Perry was beaten and Sidra Nawaz completed the swift glovework•AFP/Getty Images
Nashra Sandhu struck with her fifth ball when Perry came down the track, was beaten by turn and Sidra Nawaz did some excellent work behind the stumps to break them. With that, Sandhu became the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan in ODI World Cups, going past former captain Sana Mir and she showed no signs of stopping. In her next over, Sandhu deceived Annabel Sutherland with the one that held its line and beat the inside edge to bowl her.Though left-arm spin has been the discipline of destruction at this tournament, offspinner Rameen Shamim was not to be denied a share of the spoils. Ash Gardner chipped Shamim straight to Sana at midwicket. Then, Sandhu sent one down slow, Tahlia McGrath tried to get it over extra cover but could not get to the pitch of the ball and sliced it to Baig, who lunged forward to take the catch in the infield.When Georgia Wareham was done in by extra bounce and gave Shamim a return catch, Australia were 76 for 7 – the second lowest at the fall of the seventh wickets since 67 for 7 against New Zealand in 1993. Sandhu thought she had the eighth in the 23rd over when Garth missed a straight one and was given out lbw but she reviewed and replays showed she had hit the ball.Alana King and Beth Mooney added 106 off 97 balls for the ninth wicket•ICC/Getty Images
That proved crucial as it allowed Australia to rebuild, in a similar fashion to the way they did after being 128 for 5 against New Zealand. This time, they were able to do it against a Pakistan attack that had to go back to their seamers, in the absence of another spin option. Sana brought herself back on in the 28th over and should have run Garth out but got herself into a poor position at the non-striker’s end. She also had to go back to Baig, and Australia’s 100 and Mooney’s fifty both came off her in a sign of things to come.The eighth-wicket stand between Mooney and Garth grew 39 before another Nawaz special behind the stumps. Baig sent a full ball down leg, Garth missed the flick with her front foot out of the crease and back heel lifted. Nawaz reacted quickly to collect, stay low and break the stumps. Australia were 115 for 8 and again, Pakistan could not close things out.King did a sterling job of holding her end and helped Mooney drag the innings into its latter stages. Mooney was on 85 when she was given lbw to Iqbal, against a delivery that turned in and pinned her on the back leg. She reviewed and ball tracking showed it was doing too much and would have missed leg stump. King was 17 off 35 at the time.Mooney entered the nineties when she whipped Baig behind square and moved swiftly to 94 with a cut that went to the deep-third boundary. Her hundred came with a single off Sana, and then she let King have some fun. King took 13 runs off Baig’s final over and then back-to-back sixes off Sana’s last over to bring up 50 off 48 balls. Mooney then smashed two more fours before being dismissed off the last ball as she cut Sana to cover.Ashleigh Gardner got Sidra Amin, the only top-six batter who got into double figures•AFP/Getty Images
Pakistan’s demoralisation with how they fielded showed in their batting. Sadaf Shams looked nervy initially, edged Megan Schutt between the keeper and slip and then nicked off against Garth. Schutt got on the board three overs later when Muneeba Ali was caught low by Sutherland at mid-off, in a dismissal that looked eerily similar to Heather Knight’s not out against Bangladesh yesterday.Nawaz, promoted to No.4, had no footwork when she edged Garth to Healy, Schutt had Natalia Pervaiz caught by Mooney at slip and then Garth bowled Eyman Fatima, playing and missing as she attempted a slog. Pakistan were in a mess at 31 for 5 and it didn’t get much better.Sana chopped a short Sutherland ball onto her stumps before Sidra Amin and Shamim put on 29 in 52 balls, which was Pakistan’s best stand. Spin ended it when Amin picked out Sutherland at long-on. Pakistan were 78 for 7 but had no batters to take them close. Shamim and Sandhu delayed the inevitable for 68 balls in a 25-run stand. Pakistan were dismissed in 36.3 overs and their net run rate plunged to -1.887.