Leeds United have not always had the best of success in the transfer market over the years as they have brought in big-money flops and missed out on targets who have gone to achieve greatness.

The Whites relieved sporting director Victor Orta of his duties in May of this year after his work contributed to the club being relegated from the Premier League last season.

His transfer dealings and managerial appointments were not able to achieve the goal of staying in the top-flight and the Yorkshire-based side will be hoping for greater success in the future if they are able to return to the top table under Daniel Farke.

The likes of Brenden Aaronson, Dan James, and Rodrigo were all signed for significant fees at Premier League level for Leeds and failed to be consistent performers throughout their time on that stage.

However, the attention should also turn to the players Orta attempted to sign and was unable to get over the line as one talented gem who could have ended up at Elland Road was Josko Gvardiol.

How close Leeds came to signing Josko Gvardiol

Croatian outlet 24Sata claimed in 2020 that Leeds had an offer of €22m (£19m) accepted to sign the central defender from Dinamo Zagreb in September 2020.

The report claimed that then-manager Marcelo Bielsa viewed him as a dominant enforcer who could hit the ground running and impress at Premier League level, despite being 18 at the time.

They had already had an offer of €21m (£18m) accepted by Dinamo but the club decided to up their offer to €22m and included a 20% sell-on clause in order to improve their chances of securing his services ahead of RB Leipzig.

It was added that the Whites did not expect Gvardiol to be at Elland Road for much longer than one season as they believed that he would quickly be sold on for a significant profit to the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, or Liverpool.

However, the player seemingly decided to make the move to Leipzig instead, for a reported fee of just €16m (£14m), and was loaned back to Dinamo for the rest of the 2020/21 campaign.

Gvardiol's Leipzig career in numbers

The impressive centre-back eventually joined up with his new team for the start of the 2021/22 campaign and went on to play 87 competitive matches in all competitions across two years in Germany.

He caught the eye with his Bundesliga performances during his first season with Leipzig as the versatile ace, who can also play at left-back, showed his abilities on and off the ball.

Gvardiol ranked within the top 9% of his positional peers for progressive passes (5.87) and progressive carries (1.76) per 90 at Bundesliga level that term.

The Croatia international also made 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game and won 58% of his physical duels over the course of the 2021/22 season.

These statistics show that the ex-Dinamo star hit the ground running in Germany as he was able to consistently win the ball back at an efficient rate for his side whilst also being able to impact games in possession with his progressive play out from the back.

Gvardiol, who played 30 Bundesliga matches last season, also impressed at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with Croatia as he displayed his quality at the very top level.

The 21-year-old titan averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.16 across seven appearances at the tournament and made 2.9 tackles and interceptions per game, to go along with a pass success rate of 90%.

How much Manchester City signed Gvardiol for

His impressive form for club and country over the last two years earned him a mega-money move to treble-winners Manchester City during the recent summer transfer window.

Pep Guardiola's side sanctioned a staggering £77m swoop for the Croatian central defender, who became the second-most expensive defender in football history – behind Harry Maguire's £80m switch from Leicester City to Manchester United in 2019.

That was significantly more than the £14m Leipzig paid for his services in 2020 and, still, considerably more than the £19m that Leeds were prepared to pay.

Even if you take 20% of profit away – as part of the proposed deal with Dinamo – the Whites would have made a colossal £46.4m profit if they were able to sell Gvardiol on for a similar fee had they been able to get that deal over the line.

Gvardiol has made 11 appearances in all competitions for the Cityzens so far this season and has already showcased his progressive quality in possession at Premier League level.

The young colossus currently ranks in the top 12% of his positional peers within the division for progressive passes (5.62) per 90, which highlights his ability to ignite attacking sequences from a defensive position.

This suggests that he has been able to quickly adapt to life in the Premier League and is already being trusted to play regular minutes under Guardiola, with seven top-flight starts to date.

Gvardiol's Ballon d'Or ranking

The 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony took place on Monday of this week and the great Lionel Messi was crowned with his eighth Ballon d'Or trophy for his exploits with Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain.

Whilst he did not win an award, Gvardiol was recognised for his outstanding performances by placing 25th out of the 30 shortlisted candidates for the trophy.

Kim Min-jae (22nd) was the only defender who featured higher on the list and, interestingly, the Croatia international finished above his teammate and Manchester City star Ruben Dias, who was 30th.

This is a particularly impressive accomplishment when you consider that the Portugal international was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2022/23 Premier League season.

He also made the Champions League Squad of the Season as City beat Inter and kept a clean sheet in the final to secure the trophy, which shows that Dias was an outstanding performer domestically and in Europe for the treble-winners.

Therefore, Gvardiol finishing above him in the Ballon d'Or ranking illustrates just how good the Croatia international was for club and country last season.

Leeds, Orta, and Bielsa must rue not being able to convince the then-teenage titan to make the switch to Elland Road as they missed out on a world-class defender who could have made them a gigantic profit.

The former Zimbabwe coach submitted a court application asking for the board to be liquidated in order for it to pay its debts

Firdose Moonda23-Sep-2018Former Zimbabwe coach Heath Streak has submitted a court application asking for Zimbabwe Cricket to be liquidated in order for the board to pay its debts. The eight-page document, seen by ESPNcricinfo, was submitted to the High Court in Harare on September 20.In his application, Streak lists the monies owed to him and other members of his coaching staff, who were all dismissed following their failed World Cup qualifying campaign in March. He accuses ZC of “illegally” terminating their contracts and claims the organisation is being run in a “reckless and negligent manner,” and that it should be declared insolvent.Streak claims to be owed USD 128,762.95 and states that batting coach Lance Klusener, fitness trainer Sean Ball and A team assistant coach Wayne James are due USD 11757.93, 43,999.23 and 14175.66 respectively. The total amount members of the coaching staff are owed is USD 198695.77, a fraction of the sum of ZC’s debts which is believed to run into millions of dollars.In the court application, drafted by Gerald Mlotshwa, the same lawyer who was assisting Zimbabwe’s players in setting up an association earlier in the year, Streak writes that he believes ZC’s board of directors has “run the organisation in a reckless and negligent manner, mismanaged loans and grants that were advanced to it by the International Cricket Council and failed to make meaningful repayments.” He has named Winsley Malitala as a provisional liquidator, to oversee the dissolution of ZC.This action was taken despite the developments that followed the ICC’s annual conference in July, when ZC was placed on a payment plan to ensure a drip-feed of funds into the system in order to restructure the board’s debt. Since entering into the deal with the ICC, ZC paid outstanding player salaries and trimmed its staff.ESPNcricinfo also learned that ZC could face more legal action in addition to Streak’s case, should it be successful. Further applications could compel Zimbabwe’s Sports and Recreation Committee to take disciplinary action against ZC if the board is declared insolvent, while another case may be filed to compel the SRC to release the results of a ZC audit. But the liquidation case will need to be completed for these applications to be considered. Sources told ESPNcricinfo they expect the matter to be heard next month.

The rising star recently joined up with U.S. Soccer, becoming the latest dual-national to commit to the program

The ties between US soccer and Borussia Dortmund already run deep. Christian Pulisic was the trendsetter, the first American to burst onto the scene at one of the sport's biggest clubs. Gio Reyna soon followed and, despite some recent turbulence, has had plenty of bright moments during these initial years in the black and yellow.

Behind them, though, is another American rising through the ranks. Until just a few weeks ago, Borussia Dortmund starlet Cole Campbell wasn't eligible to play for the U.S but a chance meeting with a former national team star convinced him to make a big switch.

Now committed to the USMNT program, Campbell has immediately become one of the more talked-about prospects in American soccer. But who is Campbell and what does his path forward look like with both the U.S. and Dortmund? GOAL has you covered…

Getty ImagesWhere it all began

Campbell was born in Houston to parents with deep roots in soccer. His mother was an American-born Icelandic international named Rakel Karvelsson. His father was a pharmaceutical executive, Lance Campbell, who also played at the college level. They gave Campbell something of a head start in the sport, for sure.

During his youth, Campbell's family moved to Georgia, where he eventually linked up with the Atlanta United Academy. In 2020, though, the Campbells moved to Iceland to take care of the forward's maternal grandmother. Campbell had spent plenty of his youth in Iceland, visiting during summers. It was a natural transition, on and off the field.

As a player, he continued to grow after signing with Fimleikafeeag Hafnarfjardar, making his first-team debut in 2021 to become the second-youngest player in league history. His rise brought him into the Iceland U-17s, too, where he made several appearances in 2021.

After just two appearances for his club, it was announced that Borussia Dortmund had swooped, sealing a deal that would bring the forward to Dortmund in the summer of 2022. According to , Bayern were also in pursuit of Campbell, who was ultimately convinced by Dortmund legend and current youth coordinator Lars Ricken to don the black and yellow.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe big break

During a short stint with Icelandic side Breidablik prior to his Dortmund move, Campbell took the field against Aron Johannsson, who was suited up on the other side for Valur. Like Campbell, Johannsson was an American-born Icelandic international. He too had his foot in both worlds and, in 2013, Johannsson made what was one of the most important decisions of his life, filing a one-time switch to leave Iceland and join the USMNT, who he would go on to represent at the World Cup one year later.

After that game, the ex-USMNT striker became Agent Johannsson, and he ended up being a vital recruiting tool for the USMNT.

“It's kind of funny,” Campbell told American Soccer Now. “I had never met him before but he came over to me and he was like 'You're Cole, right?' I said yeah. Then, he told me I’ve got to consider playing for the US. I was like, 'Really?' And he said 'It's such a great opportunity. It's such a big, big thing.' He said he would do it all over again if he could. It kind of got me thinking.”

After his move to Dortmund, U.S. Soccer really ignited the recruiting process. He was visited by Marco Mitrovic, the then-U.S. U-19 coach who is now in charge of the Olympic team. From there, it all snowballed, leading Campbell to recently commit to the U.S. with a one-time switch.

“The U.S. came calling and really pursued me. I felt really wanted,” he said. “At the end of the day, I had to just look and say, 'Iceland was good, but the U.S. is a huge opportunity.' I felt like that was what was best for me. That's why I made the switch.”

How it's going

It's safe to say that Campbell's impact on the U.S. program was immediate. Upon filing his one-time switch, he was called into the U.S. U-19 camp for a pair of friendlies against England and Morocco. It didn't take long for him to make his presence felt.

In that first friendly against England, Campbell scored the opening goal just 15 minutes in. He went on to score another shortly after the start of the second half, helping lead the way in a 3-2 win. It was one hell of a first impression.

On the club level, Campbell is also making progress. He's still a part of the Dortmund U-19s, but he has been called up to train with the senior squad on several occasions. He was even included in the club's first-team training camp in Spain during the Bundesliga winter break, showing just how highly he is rated.

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Biggest strengths

Primarily deployed as a winger, it's been made quite clear that Campbell is a player who has a knack for contributing to goals. Across 23 appearances for Dortmund's U19s comprising just over 1,500 minutes, Campbell scored three times and racked up nine assists. Those are decent numbers, even for a club like Dortmund that will be outclassing opponents much of the time.

A right-footed player, Campbell is versatile, able to play on either wing or centrally as more of a No.10 if needed. Campbell's movement is fantastic, as are his skills on the ball. He's comfortable taking players on, cutting inside from the wing intending to do damage.

There are few clubs in the world better at developing talent than Dortmund, particularly in attacking areas. Pulsiic, Reyna, Jaden Sancho, Jamie Byneo-Gittens… we won't even get into Jude Bellingham and Erling Halaand.

Campbell clearly has the skills to play at a top level, and he's in the perfect place to evolve those skills in a way that gets him ready for what's ahead.

Manchester City are looking to sign a "fantastic" Manchester United player in the near future, according to an eye-catching transfer update.

Man City transfer news

Pep Guardiola's side are again the team to beat in the Premier League this season, even if they may not end the weekend in pole position.

Having got over a mini-slump, City are playing some wonderful football again, and the manner in which they dispatched rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend was ominous for the other clubs challenging for the title.

Guardiola again refreshed his squad during the summer transfer window, bringing in the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku, among others, and he will always be looking out for further signings moving forward, with the possibility of making additions in January.

While focusing on the present is clearly important for the Spaniard, he is someone who will also want to ensure that City remain a force well into the future after he is gone, highlighting the need to snap up some of the most exciting young talent around, too.

It looks as though that is exactly what the club are looking to do at the moment, and they are reportedly eyeing an audacious piece of business.

Man City want Kobbie Mainoo

According to an update from FourFourTwo, Manchester City are attempting a stunning move to sign highly rated Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo.

It is stated that they want the 18-year-old to cross enemy lines, with Mainoo incidentally part of the outlet's most exciting teenagers, where he ranks 43rd.

This could be a spectacular swoop by City, not only because it would be robbing one of their biggest rivals of a huge talent, but also because of Mainoo's potential ceiling as a player.

At just 18, the Englishman has already caught the eye greatly at Old Trafford, with Mainoo's statistics highlighting that he has made three first-team appearances, as well as shining during pre-season, when Denis Irwin said of him (via Metro):

"He’s had a fantastic game, Kobbie. Brave, good on the ball.

"He’s got confidence, he looks a real top player. What I’ve seen from Mainoo, what the manager’s seen in training and matches, he must trust him."

Mainoo is also a three-time England Under-19 international, suggesting that he could rise through the ranks at international level and eventually make it into the senior setup, so plenty points towards him having a massive future in the game.

United will clearly be absolutely desperate to keep hold of the teenage midfielder, seeing him as a major part of their future, but the lure of City and Guardiola is clearly great, so his head could be turned by representing arguably the world's best club side on current form.

It is a transfer story that perfectly illustrates how City have overtaken their rivals in recent years – this is something that would have happened in reverse in the past and be a big statement of intent.

Even with the long-awaited Test championship now taking some sort of shape, there continues to be doubt around the future of five-day cricket. With a T20 league happening virtually every month of the year, with franchises willing to pay obscene sums for all-round talent, the fears of players choosing club over country are no longer rooted in a subterranean reality. West Indies perhaps struggle with this the most, but their captain Jason Holder has seen positive signs from the next generation.”Just a couple of days ago, we were sitting down in the dressing room to chat as part of a group. For me personally, it is a thing of joy and pride to play Test cricket,” Holder said at the pre-match press conference in Rajkot.”Of all three formats, Test is my favourite format and it was shocking for me but it was really good to see most if not everyone saying the same thing. And in recent chats as well around the CPL and even prior to the CPL, the amount of young players who are eager to play Test cricket is remarkable.”There’s been a craze that Test cricket is dead around the world but if you have young players coming through such as the ones in the Caribbean who are really looking forward and really want to play a Test match for West Indies, if that goes around the world, I’m sure Test cricket will be here for a very very long time. Personally again, it’s the best format. It’s a test of character and to be successful on this stage, it says a lot of your character and it says a lot about yourself as a person.”That desire will be useful as West Indies, ranked ranked No. 8, take on India, who are at the top of the table and are experts at winning at home. Holder felt there were ways to bridge that gap and has high hopes of his team doing so, if they followed a few simple steps.”All our batters have to have a gameplan and know how you’re looking to score, and how you’re looking to make runs against this quality attack in their own backyard. One of the things I spoke about is patience. We’ve got to be patient but not only that, we have to capitalise on any loose delivery or any opportunity to score. I think looking to score is evident and should be one of our main gameplans. Whenever you play any game of cricket, you have to be positive and get runs on the board. Not being reckless but you’ve got to have a clear gameplan about how you’ll go about facing the Indian attack.”West Indies come to India on the back of a successful home season – they beat Bangladesh 2-0 and drew with Sri Lanka 1-1 – but the last time they won a series here was in 1983. Holder stressed that the their biggest focus was on playing good cricket – “because that is the only thing in our control” – but he did put the onus on his batting line-up to do what needs to done.And in that sense the likes of Kraigg Brathwaite, who is among the top five run-getting openers in the last two years, Shai Hope, who helped pull off one of West Indies’ greatest ever Test wins last year at Headingley, and Roston Chase, who defied India in 2016 and almost did the same to Pakistan last year, become crucial.”These are the guys we’ll be looking to carry our batting,” Holder said. “Guys like Kraigg Brathwaite who’s been around for a long time and has had success as well and I’m sure Roston and Shai, they’ve probably had an up-and-down period the last couple of months, but they’ll be looking to turn things around. We’ll lean on them and myself and Shane Dowrich, who’s been doing well too, to get us through.”Only five members of the West Indies squad have played Test cricket in India – Brathwaite, Kieran Powell, Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach and Devendra Bishoo and one of them is out of contention for Rajkot. But Holder felt there was a way to overcome that disadvantage.”I’m sure many of the guys have had random conversations with players who’ve toured here before. Not only past West Indian players but players around the world in general. The luxury we have is that we’ve just had the CPL which obviously has international players. From the Barbados Tridents team we had Steven Smith and I’m sure at some point the players leaned on them for some guidance and expertise on how to be successful playing in Indian conditions. It’s about sharing as much information as possible. We obviously watch a lot of footage in this day and age as well and it’s just about about picking the bits and pieces that we require to make a complete gameplan.”

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag believes that his side were "brilliant" at times during their "unacceptable" defeat against Chelsea.

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Man Utd stunned 4-3 in stoppage timeTen Hag believes his side deserved to winBlamed individual errors for defeatGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Despite a valiant effort to claw back a 2-0 deficit and take a 3-2 lead, the Red Devils ultimately succumbed to a late surge from Chelsea, with Cole Palmer's hat-trick securing a remarkable victory for the Blues. Nonetheless, their Dutch manager insisted that his team deserved to win, but lamented their inability to manage the game effectively which ultimately cost them the three points despite leading 3-2 until the 99th minute.

AdvertisementWHAT TEN HAG SAID

Speaking to after the game, Ten Hag said: "Yes we started poor, kicking the ball away and defending poorly. But you saw we were dominating the game and it was brilliant how we played – we deserved to win the game. But, you cannot give it away like we did and we have to manage this game better. It is a team performance, you can point to one of the players but it is about team performance.

"When it gets chaotic you have to deal with it as a team and we made the wrong decisions and we didn't help out as a team. Out of possession, we made a bad decision – a lack of concentration. Also, I think (un) lucky at the end with the penalty situation, questionable and very soft but we have to do better."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

United's defensive frailties were once again exposed, with Chelsea registering a staggering 28 shots on goal. This marked the continuation of a concerning trend, who have conceded 20-plus shots in seven of their last eight Premier League games. Their total shots conceded in 2024 now stands at 225, the highest in the league. Despite these alarming statistics, Ten Hag dismissed the significance of these numbers, asserting confidence in his team's defensive capabilities.

"It is ridiculous," he said. "We showed we were fourth ranking before this game in goals conceded. Everyone is talking to each other after, we are good and we have good defending as a team, a good goalkeeper and a good back four so I cannot do anything with such stats."

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

With United's hopes of securing a place in Europe's top flight next season hanging in the balance, Ten Hag's future at the club appears uncertain. The defeat to Chelsea has intensified the pressure on the Dutch manager ahead of a crucial fixture against Liverpool on Sunday. United must regroup and address the glaring issues exposed in their defeat before facing their arch-rivals who will be eager to avenge their FA Cup defeat earlier in the season.

Nottingham Forest are set to scout an exciting new player in January, but a reliable journalist has revealed that there are two other clubs who are also looking to bring him to the Premier League.

Nottingham Forest's season so far

Steve Cooper’s side have made an extremely mixed start to the new campaign having won three, drawn four and lost five of their opening 12 games, meaning that they currently find themselves 15th in the top-flight table. The Reds suffering relegation at the end of the season is highly unlikely given the poor start that the three newly-promoted teams, Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town have had, but nonetheless, it’s better to be safe than sorry by bringing in fresh faces.

Ahead of January, Evangelos Marinakis will be assessing his options in the market, and he’s set his sights on a potential move for Universitario’s attacking midfielder Piero Quispe, who has made a total of 88 senior appearances across all age levels in his homeland (Transfermarkt – Quispe statistics).

However, Peru’s international was already on the radar of Reds chiefs over the summer alongside Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion, but with a deal failing to come to fruition before the deadline, the 22-year-old is set to be the subject of a second approach from the Midlands.

Nottingham Forest set sights on Piero Quispe

According to Christian Martin (via Todo Sport and Sport Witness), Nottingham Forest are expected to send representatives to watch Quispe in January as they consider making a fresh move based on his performances, whilst the Bees and the Seagulls are also set to deploy their chiefs once again.

“We had already reported the polls and from our source we found out that he was on the books of Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Brentford. These last two share scouting reports.

"Wonder Kid, that’s what they call him and mention him as one of the most promising wonder boys. The good foot reminds us of Nolberto Solano. We understand that ‘Nobi’ Solano is sometimes consulted by him, especially Nottingham Forest is looking for a player in that position and we know that in January there will be a new survey from these three clubs.”

Cooper could land a real star in Quispe

According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Quispe is naturally an “advanced playmaker”, and he loves to get involved with the action in the final third having posted 19 contributions (11 goals and eight assists) in 88 outings since the start of his career.

The Lima native is also a versatile operator having been deployed in four different positions over the pitch following his arrival on the professional scene, including two roles in the centre of the park and out wide on both the left and right flanks.

Furthermore, Quispie has already had a taste of what it's like to be successful having been crowned Peruvian Champion for 2022/23, so he will possess a much-needed winning mentality which is something that he could pass onto the rest of the squad should he sign a deal at The City Ground.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are ready to make moves in the January transfer window, as Gary O’Neil seeks further reinforcements to bolster the depth of his squad at Molineux.

The Englishman took charge just four days prior to the Midlands club’s 2023/24 Premier League opener, having minimal time to sculpt his side to his liking after a damning summer of financial constraints.

Now, the former Bournemouth boss will have the chance to target some new faces, with one name said to be on Wolves’ radar being an admired figure during the summer.

Wolves transfer targets – Boulaye Dia

As relayed by Sport Witness this week, Wolves could have another shot at signing Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia in January, after failing to secure a deal for the 27-year-old in the latter stages of the summer.

After a successful loan spell at the Italian club, the Senegalese dynamo signed permanently in July, however, his security at his new home is not guaranteed, with a release clause in place in his contract.

According to Sport Witness, Dia remains on Wolves’ radar, and with his release clause sitting around just €22m (£19m), he poses as an affordable asset to the Premier League side, in what could be a power move for O’Neil’s front line.

If the fee of his release clause is honoured by the Old Gold, the former Villarreal forward will be granted permission to leave Italy, with the target man boasting a host of qualities that would benefit those at Molineux.

How Boulaye Dia could fit in at Wolves

Once lauded as “incredible” by journalist Josh Bunting, Dia showcased his clinical streak in Serie A last season, ending the campaign as the third-highest scorer in the league behind Victor Osimhen and Lautaro Martinez.

Last term, Wolves ended the campaign in less impressive scoring form as their reported target, netting just 31 goals in 38 games to be crowned the lowest-scorers in the 2022/23 Premier League.

Thankfully, O’Neil has got his side firing again, although the front line remains short of a clinical number nine, with Matheus Cunha still far from being a decorated goalscorer at Molineux.

Since his arrival in England, initially on loan in January, the Brazilian has only scored four goals in 33 appearances when leading the line for the Old Gold, although his claim to the favoured XI spans beyond his ability to put the ball in the net.

Level with Eberechi Eze and Jeremy Doku, no player has completed more take-ons in the Premier League this season than Cunha, whose ball-carrying expertise has worked wonders to encourage O’Neil’s side to be more direct.

This is where the signing of Dia comes in, as in capturing the 27-year-old’s signature, the manager could pair the threat of Cunha with the proficiency of the Senegal international in front of goal to bolster the outlet in attack.

Appearances

Goals

Assists

27

6

2

28

8

1

39

16

1

35

7

6

33

16

6

10

4

0

As highlighted above, the Serie A forward is a seasoned scorer in a host of Europe’s top leagues, with his 33% conversion rate last term reinforcing his clinical streak when handed the opportunity to score.

O’Neil could hand Cunha an assured outlet to work alongside in Dia, who if paired together, could drive Wolves to further heights and make their goal-scoring mishaps of last season a forgotten narrative.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na manhã desta terça-feira, o Corinthians deu sequência na preparação para mais um Majestoso. O Timão recebe o São Paulo no próximo domingo, às 18h15, na Neo Química Arena, pela 25ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

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> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão clicando aqui

O preparador físico Flávio de Oliveira realizou o aquecimento dos atletas no Campo 1 (Ronaldo Soares Giovanelli). Depois, no Campo 2 (José Ferreira Neto), Vagner Mancini fez um treino de cruzamentos e finalizações. O treinador alvinegro também organizou um trabalho coletivo e de bolas paradas.

Por conta dos protocolos de saúde em decorrência da pandemia de coronavírus, os jornalistas não podem acompanhar os treinamentos in loco. Assim, as informações são fornecidas pela assessoria de imprensa do clube.

Um bom sinal do dia foi o zagueiro Léo Santos, que fez um trabalho com bola no campo sob a supervisão da equipe de fisioterapia do clube. Há mais de 620 dias sem entrar em campo, o defensor ainda não tem prazo para retornar após passar por três cirurgias no joelho no período. Clube, departamento médico e comissão técnica não têm pressa para a recuperação do atleta.

continua após a publicidade

Para o Majestoso, o treinador corintiano não poderá contar com Jô, expulso diante do Fortaleza, mas terá as voltas de Jonathan Cafú, que se recuperou de resfriado, e de Bruno Méndez, que cumpriu suspensão do STJD e já está novamente à disposição. Além de Jemerson, que cumpriu quarenta e treina com o elenco desde segunda-feira. Quem deve voltar a figurar entre os relacionados é Boselli, que nem sequer viajou para o Ceará na última semana.

Ainda nesta tarde, o elenco corintiano segue no CT para um trabalho de força e completará o treinamento em dois períodos. Nesta quarta-feira, o Timão faz mais um treinamento preparatório para o clássico diante do São Paulo. Atualmente, o Alvinegro ocupa a 11ª posição na tabela com 30 pontos.

Tim Murtagh took four wickets as Middlesex finished their final day at Lord’s this season with victory

ECB Reporters Network21-Sep-2018

Tim Murtagh once again delivered for Middlesex•Getty Images

ScorecardTim Murtagh finished with 4 for 55 as Middlesex ran through the Derbyshire batting to secure a 117-run victory in their final home County Championship match of the season.Murtagh – who passed 750 first-class career wickets in the process – finished the visitors off in the seventh over after tea, despite an unbeaten century from Derbyshire skipper Billy Godleman.Although Godleman carried his bat for 105 from 147 balls at Lord’s, it was not enough to deny his former county a victory that enabled them to leapfrog Derbyshire into fourth place in the Division Two table.Middlesex declared on their overnight total of 199-7, setting the visitors a fourth-day target of 328, and they might easily have made deep inroads during the early overs.Godleman played and missed, as well as surviving three appeals, but he gradually settled down and looked particularly strong on the off-side as he advanced towards his half-century.Toss rule not working – Malan

Middlesex’s captain Dawid Malan welcomed a calmer Lord’s pitch which allowed his batsmen to set up victory.
“It was probably back to an old-school Lord’s wicket and that suits the way we play,” he said. “It’s nice for guys to play on a wicket where they can trust their defences and get runs.
Middlesex’s batsmen have made only four Championship hundreds all season, despite most of them being pushed at some time or other for England recognition.
“It showed that if we do play as well as we can in conditions that suit us, we can get big scores and win games,” Malan said. “A lot of good players have struggled this year when the conditions were really tough.
“I think we’ve got to make up our minds whether we want to have a heavy roller or a toss rule. The toss rule was brought in to aid spinners and we haven’t played a spinner in several games at Lord’s this year. So if the rule was brought in to help spinners, it isn’t working.”

It was Murtagh who made the breakthrough for Middlesex, tempting Luis Reece (12) into the hook shot and Ethan Bamber held a tricky catch at deep square leg.The home side continued to take wickets at regular intervals, with James Harris trapping Wayne Madsen leg before and Martin Andersson finding the outside edge of Alex Hughes before lunch.Although a brief downpour delayed the resumption, Murtagh struck again with his first ball of the afternoon, having Harvey Hosein caught behind as Derbyshire’s scoring rate slowed dramatically.At the other end, Bamber bowled a tight, consistent spell, and deservedly collected the wicket of first-innings centurion Matt Critchley, pinned in front of his stumps for eight as the visitors slid to 123 for 5.Gary Wilson proved slightly harder to dislodge, sharing a sixth-wicket partnership of exactly 50 with Godleman before Harris sent his off stump flying with the next delivery.With Derbyshire 189 for 6 at tea, every result remained possible heading into the final session – but Middlesex soon cemented their advantage by capturing the remaining four wickets inside half an hour.Murtagh’s first delivery of the session proved lethal once again, with Anuj Dal leg before for 14, and Bamber (3-35) then removed Hardus Viljoen and Tony Palladino in rapid succession.Godleman did manage to complete the 12th century of his Derbyshire career in style, advancing down the wicket to drive Murtagh for a six over long-off.But Derbyshire’s cause was well and truly lost by then and Murtagh sealed the result by bowling last man Lockie Ferguson.