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Leeds United have been boosted by the news that Diego Llorente and Robin Koch are both available for the Premier League clash with Tottenham on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Huge game for Leeds

The Whites were thumped 6-0 away to Liverpool on Wednesday night as their hugely worrying form continues ahead of the business end of the season, with just one point taken from the last 15 on offer.

On Saturday lunchtime, Leeds welcome Spurs to Elland Road for a vital league clash between two out-of-form sides, with Antonio Conte’s men losing four of their last five matches in the division.

Injury problems have hampered the Whites throughout the campaign, but some positive news has emerged on that front going into the weekend.

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The Latest: Whites receive double boost

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday [via Yorkshire Evening Post], Marcelo Bielsa confirmed that Llorente and Koch are available this weekend, having both missed the Liverpool game. In the latter’s case, it was due to a head injury he suffered against Manchester United last Sunday.

The Leeds manager revealed: “Llorente and Koch are available. With respect to the knock to his head, I never said that it wasn’t dramatic for a player to receive a knock, I said that knocks have grave and dramatic consequences. What I did say that we shouldn’t dramatise situations that don’t deserve to be dramatised.”

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The Verdict: Timely returns amid defensive concerns

This is undoubtedly a positive update, one which means that Luke Ayling will be able to revert to his preferred right-back role on Saturday, duly giving the team more balance.

Defensive stability has been an issue throughout the season – Leeds have conceded 56 goals in 25 league matches – but having Llorente and Koch both potentially starting tomorrow should make Bielsa’s team more solid at Elland Road.

It is imperative that the Whites stop the rot quickly and avoid getting dragged into the relegation zone – victory on Saturday would feel like a big moment in their season in that respect.

In other news, a journalist has dropped a Leeds injury claim. Read more here.

As per reports from Spain, there has been an update on West Ham United’s transfer pursuit of Real Madrid playmaker Isco.

The Lowdown: West Ham set for big summer?

After failing to strengthen in a January transfer window to forget for the Hammers and David Moyes, reports have suggested that they could be busy in the summer to make up for last month’s radio silence.

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There have even been rumours of West Ham board members potentially bankrolling mega-money strikers bids in an attempt to back the club.

While a lot could depend on the result of their quest for Champions League football, there has been another transfer update out of West Ham, this time involving 38-cap Spain international Isco.

The Latest: GSB willing to offer Isco great terms…

According to reports from Spain, West Ham are one of the four teams ‘fighting’ to sign the Galacticos midfielder who is set to leave on a free at the end of this season.

It is believed that the club, and by extension owners GSB, ‘would offer’ Isco a ‘good contract’, the possibility of playing in the Premier League and a guaranteed starting place under Moyes, something that the player himself ‘is looking for’.

The Verdict: Right move?

Once valued at £100m by Real Madrid, it is debatable whether Isco is exactly what Moyes needs at West Ham right now.

Cutting a bit-part figure under Carlo Ancelotti this season, the ex-Malaga star would also probably have to take a pay cut on his rumoured £210,000-per-week wages to join the Irons at the end of the current campaign.

By comparison, long-time target Jesse Lingard will also be available as a free agent and could be a better option given his Premier League experience and the fact that he is already proven under Moyes, under whom he had a superb loan spell this time last year.

In other news: Insider shares big update as GSB and West Ham eye ‘boost for the whole club’, find out more here.

The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas has provided the latest update on Jarrod Bowen’s injury ahead of West Ham’s Europa League clash against Sevilla.

The Lowdown: Bowen excelling for West Ham

Bowen has gone from strength to strength this season, having emerged as one of the Premier League’s most exciting talents. The 25-year-old has netted eight goals and produced 10 assists as West Ham continue to make a bid for Champions League qualification.

However, in a huge blow for David Moyes and co, the former Hull City winger suffered a heel injury during the Irons’ 1-0 loss to Liverpool at the weekend.

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The Latest: Bowen injury update

On Sunday, West Ham’s official website claimed that Bowen had not sustained any significant damage with his heel injury.

However, Thomas took to Twitter to dampen what was seemingly positive news. Speaking ahead of the Irons’ upcoming fixtures, he claimed: “Jarrod Bowen likely to miss games against Sevilla and Aston Villa. More info #WHUFC”.

The Verdict: Could be worse…

It certainly is a setback if Bowen is ruled out of action for the first leg of their tie against Sevilla in the Europa League, and it would come as a huge blow for Moyes, who at times has been heavily reliant on his top scorer from this season.

West Ham have now dropped down to sixth in the Premier League, three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who have three games in hand, which makes a top-four finish now seem improbable.

However, it seems that the outcome could have been a lot worse. Bowen is only set to miss one game in either competition, so if he can return quickly (possibly for the second leg against Sevilla) and maintain his superb form, the Hammers should be able to overcome the setback of his absence.

In other news: Noel Whelan believes that one West Ham player’s absence is leaving a ‘massive void’ in the team

Southampton remain keen on signing West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, but the south-coast club are ‘looking at other targets’ in case they fail to secure the player’s signature, claims journalist Tom Barclay.

The Lowdown: Interest in Johnstone

With the 29-year-old out of contract in the summer, a number of Premier League clubs have been circling the West Brom man as they look to secure him on a free transfer.

According to Sky Sports, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will battle it out for the England international’s signature in the summer. They also report that a host of other clubs, including Southampton, are thought to be interested in the signing.

The former Man United shot-stopper has been on Ralph Hasenhuttl’s radar for a while, with Saints’ interest reported back in November.

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The Latest: Barclay’s claim

Barclay believes that despite Southampton’s best efforts, Johnstone is likely to join Tottenham upon the expiry of his current contract.

However, the journalist understands that Saints have made backup plans, in case they fail to secure the 29-year-old. Speaking with GiveMeSport, he claimed: “I wouldn’t say their interest has cooled, but they are just waiting to see what Johnstone’s answer is.

“I think Tottenham are most likely to sign him, but it’s down to the player and Southampton have still got their hat in the ring.

“They haven’t given up on that one, but I do know they are looking at other targets as well.”

The Verdict: Could still be done

Having been described by England legend Glenn Hoddle as “outstanding”, it is unsurprising to see the vast interest that Johnstone is attracting.

Hoddle’s claim is supported by the Englishman’s underlying stats, for which he ranks in the 99th percentile for goal kicks and average length of goal kicks (via FB Ref), suggesting the step up to a top flight outfit wanting ball-playing ability between the posts shouldn’t be difficult.

With all four of Southampton’s keepers currently set to leave at the end of the season upon the expiry of their contracts, this could guarantee Johnstone a starting position in a Premier League XI, so perhaps that is one piece of pulling power in Saints’ favour – go to Tottenham and play second fiddle or join Ralph and start from the off.

In other news: Southampton: Tom Barclay drops Fraser Forster contract claim

Sunderland could have striker Nathan Broadhead available for tomorrow’s crunch League One play-off semi-final second leg away at Sheffield Wednesday.

What’s the latest?

The Black Cats ran out 1-0 victors against Darren Moore’s men on Friday evening, although they will feel as though their aggregate lead should be more going into their trip to Hillsborough after a dominant display.

Following the match, Sunderland boss Alex Neil claimed, as quoted by the Sunderland Echo: “He [Broadhead] will have a chance for Monday. Unfortunately, tonight was too soon.

“We will assess him over the next few days and make a call.

“Tonight he wasn’t ready. It’s tough as he is a good player but we have other good players.”

Supporters will be hopeful

Although Broadhead’s availability isn’t 100% confirmed, the Sunderland faithful will be hopeful that the 24-year-old will at least make the squad that travels to south Yorkshire tomorrow.

The Everton-loanee has had an excellent campaign for the Wearside outfit, scoring 13 goals in 25 appearances although injuries have prevented the Welshman from making a serious impact at the Stadium of Light.

With this season being their fourth consecutive campaign in the third tier, Neil’s side arguably have their best chance of finally escaping League One since suffering back-to-back relegations in 2017 and 2018.

The Black Cats did manage to reach the play-off final in their first season in League One back in 2019, although victorious Charlton Athletic were deserved winners on the day.

Despite having the lead on aggregate, their advantage is small and will certainly be tested by a Sheffield Wednesday side who boast the best home form in League One this term.

Moreover, Sunderland lost 3-0 on their previous visit to Hillsborough earlier this season, although that was under their previous manager Lee Johnson.

Therefore, having extra firepower available in Broadhead will be a major boost for Neil’s side’s chances of making it to Wembley where they will face either Wycombe Wanderers or MK Dons for a place in the Championship on 21 May.

AND in other news: Neil can blow SAFC supporters away with £3.4k-p/w gem who was made “in a laboratory”

Alan Hutton has been left buzzing over what he has now heard from a Glasgow Rangers source.

The Lowdown: Lowry deal close

As per Football Insider’s RFC sources, the Ibrox faithful are now close to tying Alex Lowry down to a new deal, amid strong interest from a number of clubs in the Premier League.

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The youngster had rejected an initial contract offer back in February, but now it looks as if the club have persuaded him to stay at Ibrox.

The Latest: Hutton reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Teddy Bears defender now Rangers TV pundit Hutton has now given his reaction to the news, claiming that it is ‘brilliant’ both for Lowry and his old team:

“I think it’s brilliant for both sides. We know what he’s all about. He’s definitely one for the future.

“He needs to know there’s a pathway into the first team. I think that’s the biggest thing to come out of this. The flip side is that the grass isn’t always greener.

“Yes, there’s an opportunity to go down south but he’s very young. You can also get lost down there. It’s difficult to break into a Liverpool team or a Man City team. That’s got its own challenges.

“So to stay where you are, you know what it’s all about to play with Rangers. There are opportunities that are going to arise. If you work hard, he has seen that the pathway is there.

“He can find the first team, he has done it in the past. I think it’s good for him moving forward to be where he is. Be comfortable and see how he develops from there.”

The Verdict: Right call

It is easy to forget that Lowry is still just 18 years of age, and so he has his whole career ahead of him.

The pathway has been there for him, as he has already managed a total of four senior appearances in a Light Blues shirt this season, and more opportunities are sure to come for him next term under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Nonetheless, he is highly thought of at the club, as former manager Graeme Murty even went as far as to call him ‘remarkable‘, and so staying at the Gers seems like the right thing to do for now, until he makes more of a name for himself outside Scottish football.

In other news, find out which ‘really exciting’ attacker RFC could now lose this summer here!

Patrick Boyland has now revealed some interesting Everton news on Asmir Begovic.

The Lowdown: Barely played

In truth, Begovic has barely played since arriving on a free transfer in the summer.

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The former AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper has played just six times in total so far this season, and has not featured since March (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Contract extension

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic journalist Boyland has revealed that the Goodison Park faithful have now taken up the option of extending Begovic’s deal for another year:

“Understand Everton have also taken up the option of extending Asmir Begovic’s deal by a further year.”

The Verdict: Interesting

It is certainly an interesting decision by the Merseyside club to keep hold of Begovic for another year, despite the fact that he has barely featured for them.

At 34 years of age, and earning £43,000-per-week at the Toffees, one could question why they have decided to keep hold of him, especially given the fact that they have Andy Lonergan as another back-up goalkeeper to Jordan Pickford, and Joao Virginia still has to come back from his loan spell at Sporting CP.

However, he has done pretty well when he has come in, with the Blues winning four of the six games that he has featured and keeping two clean sheets (Transfermarkt), and so Frank Lampard and the board have clearly seen enough to keep him for another campaign.

In other news, find out what ‘certain’ EFC claim this injury expert has now dropped here!

An early piece of Rangers team news has emerged ahead of the Glasgow giants taking part in the Europa League final tonight…

What’s the talk?

Gio van Bronckhorst has confirmed that Kemar Roofe will be in contention to make the starting line-up as the Gers look to win a major European trophy in Seville.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, the head coach said: “Kemar Roofe is available, he trained yesterday for the first time. He will also be training tonight and in the squad.”

The Dutchman added: “Kemar (Roofe) is a boost for us, he is important and I am happy for him as he has been working hard to return. He is there and ready to play a part.”

Supporters will be buzzing

This update will surely leave the Ibrox faithful buzzing, as having Roofe back is a major boost to the team ahead of a monumental clash for the club.

The players, and indeed staff, have an opportunity to write their names in the history books as the first group to lift a European trophy for Rangers since 1972. A win will also mean that the Gers go straight into the group stage of the Champions League next term, handing the club a significant financial lift and giving the players an exciting chance to play at the very top level.

This is why it is important for Van Bronckhorst to have his best players available to him, and Roofe certainly falls into that category based on his form prior to picking up a knock last month.

In his last six appearances for the club, the Jamaica international scored four goals and provided two assists in all competitions. Over the course of the season, he has netted 12 goals in 13 starts across the Premiership and Europa League.

The 29-year-old has proven that he has the quality and mentality to turn up when it matters in Europe. In the second leg of the quarter-final tie against Braga, Roofe turned in a sublime performance to decide the game for the Gers as he won a penalty for James Tavernier to convert before scoring the winner in extra time with a composed finish.

This shows that he has the potential to play a key role in the final tonight if he is selected, and that is why having him fit and available is a major boost to the squad. Supporters will be buzzing to see him in action and will be hoping that he can sprinkle his magic in the Europa League one more time…

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst must finally unleash “powerful” 19 y/o Rangers gem who “took his chance” in 2022…

Transfer insider Dean Jones has provided an update on Newcastle United and the interest in Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. 

The lowdown: Magpies interested

This comes following a report from talkSPORT claiming that Newcastle are monitoring the 35-year-old Danish shot-stopper as Eddie Howe looks to improve the squad.

Heading steadfast towards the final 12 months of a deal at the King Power Stadium (Transfermarkt), Schmeichel could be seeking a new challenge in the near future.

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However, one notable journalist has suggested that it’s not only the North East club that are attentive to the stopper’s situation.

The latest: ‘Offers prepared’

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones has suggested that the 80-cap international is on numerous radars across Europe.

He explained: “His contract is starting to wind down and I think that there’s a possibility that he has offers coming in for him this summer. I think he might even have offers prepared for him right now.

“There are clubs, I’m told, in Germany and Italy that are keen on Kasper Schmeichel and they’ve got a feeling he might become available.

“We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Leicester had to consider options for him in the summer.”

The verdict: Better options available

Although the pursuit of a new number ‘keeper in order to challenge and perhaps usurp Martin Dubravka is an important one, at 35, Schmeichel isn’t the ideal candidate to carry the mantle of a new era in the North East.

This season, the experienced Dane  – who was hailed as ‘world class’ by manager Brendan Rodgers in 2020 following a goalless draw against Brighton – has kept 10 clean sheets in 51 outings across all competitions, making 3.6 saves per game on average (Sofascore).

Albeit clearly still at the peak of his powers, Newcastle manager Howe would be best served to consider a younger alternative such as the heavily linked Manchester United stopper Dean Henderson.

In other news, find out which ‘world-class’ ace NUFC have now made contact over signing here!

All results still possible as England need 291 runs, India ten wickets on placid Oval track

Matt Roller05-Sep-20212:54

Laxman: Time to give Rahane a break

Shardul Thakur and Rishabh Pant’s half-centuries frustrated England and left them needing to complete their highest-ever run chase to take a 2-1 lead in the series, but an unbroken 77-run opening stand between Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed kept them in with a chance of pulling it off.India resumed three wickets down with a lead of 171 on the fourth morning, and pressed on towards a significant third-innings total thanks primarily to Thakur and Pant’s 100-run stand for the seventh wicket. They lost wickets in clusters but England’s bowlers struggled to create regular chances on a flat Oval pitch and India’s total of 466 was their highest in the second innings of a Test since 2009.England’s openers were tasked with seeing out 32 overs in the evening session and managed to do so with few concerns. Virat Kohli quickly turned to Ravindra Jadeja, who bowled 13 overs on the trot as he searched for the rough created by the seamers’ footholes, but he struggled for consistency in his length. Burns was gritty and defensive but Hameed found some fluency, clipping boundaries off his pads and driving forcefully through the covers to leave England eyeing an improbable win.Kohli and Jadeja – retaining his new role at No. 5 – resumed after seeing off the second new ball on the third evening and saw off James Anderson and Ollie Robinson’s first spells with ease, Kohli pounding Anderson for four through the covers and punching Robinson through mid-off with a strong bottom hand to move into the 40s.But Chris Woakes’ first spell of the day brought two breakthroughs. His second ball was angled across Jadeja and defended into the off side, but both England and umpire Alex Wharf recognised that it had hit the knee roll of his pad first. Jadeja reviewed the decision, but the on-field call was upheld.Shardul Thakur made twin fifties at The Oval•PA Photos/Getty Images

Three balls later, the out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane was pinned on the pad while shouldering arms to a nip-backer, but successfully reviewed Wharf’s decision, with the DRS showing that it would have bounced over the top of the stumps.Rahane had no such luck in Woakes’ following over: he was set up perfectly, with Woakes gradually pushing his release point wider until Rahane played around another nip-backer that would have crashed into the top of his leg stump. His duck meant his Test average dipped below 40 for the first time in six years and his place will be under severe pressure in Manchester.Kohli struggled to score as fluently in the second hour of the morning session, tied down by Woakes in particularly, and fell six runs short of his half-century as another England bowling change worked perfectly: Moeen Ali’s sixth ball of the day drifted away, spun in and took the outside edge to give Craig Overton a straightforward catch at slip.That left India leading by 211 runs with four second-innings wickets in hand and with their last two recognised batters at the crease in Pant and Thakur. Both men would have been tempted to play in their usual counter-attacking style but instead batted through to lunch with composure, as England burned their final review on a hopeful appeal for a bat-pad catch.England toiled after lunch with little success. Moeen struggled for consistency, dropping short with regularity, and while Pant stayed within his shell, Thakur was more than happy to wait for the bad ball and pick off runs with controlled aggression.Anderson and Robinson were both asked to bowl more than 30 overs in the innings and Thakur treated them with disdain, a straight six off Robinson’s offcutter the pick of his shots before he brought up his second half-century of the match. There were occasional chances, with Moeen making a mess of a run-out opportunity and Pant surviving a tight lbw shout when attempting to reverse-sweep Anderson, but they brought up a 100-run stand after taking the lead beyond 300.Related

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• Stats – A rare second-innings marathon in Tests by India

They fell within six balls of each other. Thakur was suckered into a drive outside off when Root brought himself on, and after bringing up a measured half-century, Pant skipped down the pitch to try and thump Moeen back over his head but only managed to offer a return catch. His reaction was one of self-flagellation, despondently dragging himself off after smacking his pad with his bat.Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah had some fun either side of tea while keeping England’s bowlers out in the dirt, hitting 25 and 24 respectively in quick time, but both were caught in the infield by Moeen as Woakes and Overton boosted their figures with late wickets. It left England with two hours to bat in the sunshine and facing a record chase.But aside from one hopeful lbw appeal from Mohammed Siraj against Hameed, which was turned down both on the field and by the DRS, they struggled to create chances in the evening session. With four members of support staff self-isolating and two senior players in Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara off the field nursing niggles, Kohli will need to step up as captain on the final day.