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With the January transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though Leeds United are in the mix to sign another young prospect that could well become a future star at the Yorkshire club.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Leeds are one of the clubs keeping an eye on Arsenal U18 striker Khayon Edwards amid concerns over his future at the north London club.

The report also claims that fellow Premier League clubs Chelsea, Southampton, Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion are interested in Edwards as well as a number of clubs in Germany, showing how much of an exciting prospect he is to have so many clubs circling him.

Gelhardt 2.0

As a product of Arsenal’s youth academy, Edwards has scored 16 goals and provided eight assists in 35 appearances for their U18 side, as well as making two appearances for the north London club’s U23s, which just goes to show how much the club rates him by giving him the chance to show what he can do with the U23s.

So far this season, Edwards has managed to score nine goals and provide five assists in 12 outings across the U18 Premier League and EFL Trophy, not only highlighting his attacking talents but why the north London club would presumably be reluctant to let him leave, especially to another Premier League club. In total for the U18s, he’s racked up as many as 16 strikes in his career to date.

With that in mind, it’s clear to see why young Spurs forward, Dane Scarlett, called him “sharp.”

This swoop could see Victor Orta replicate the same sort of transfer masterclass that he delivered by signing young striker Joe Gelhardt from Wigan Athletic back in August last year.

Also incredibly young, he has gone from strength to strength since arriving at Elland Road, scoring 18 times in 27 games for Leeds’ U23 side and netting his first senior goal for Bielsa’s side in their recent 3-2 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Moving forward, if Leeds do manage to sign Edwards, they will undoubtedly be hoping that he can be their next version of Gelhardt by starting off in the academy and then progressing to the senior side if he impresses.

In other news: Orta must seal Leeds swoop for 20-goal monster who’ll still be scoring “when he’s 60” – opinion

Newcastle United could attempt an ‘ambitious’ January move for Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, according to Scott Wilson for The Northern Echo. 

The lowdown

The Ukrainian has only played 56 minutes across City’s first 12 Premier League fixtures, although that’s partly down to injury.

In total, he has made 105 appearances for the Cityzens, collecting three Premier League winners’ medals among the 10 trophies he has won at the club, and he was named Ukraine’s Footballer of the Year in 2019.

It’s therefore clear to see that the 24-year-old, who has been labelled ‘incredible’ by his manager Pep Guardiola, isn’t short of pedigree.

The latest

Sharing a link to his article for The Northern Echo (in which he linked Zinchenko) on his Twitter profile, Wilson wrote: “#NUFC stepping up plans for January – which increasingly looks like being make or break for the season. Proven Premier League players will be the order of the day”

The Manchester City defender fits Eddie Howe’s criteria in that he is proven in the Premier League and he also ticks an important box for the new PIF ownership, who are keen to scope out players who are struggling for game-time at their current clubs.

According to Wilson, there has been ‘talk’ that the Magpies will attempt an audacious swoop for Zinchenko if he can’t break into Guardiola’s first team on a regular basis.

The verdict

Newcastle operated with wing-backs during the first game of Howe’s reign last weekend, with Matt Ritchie on the left and Jacob Murphy on the right.

One player who watched on from the bench was Jamal Lewis, with the £15m signing being tipped to benefit from Howe’s arrival ‘given his engine’. However, this report is a worrying development for the Northern Irishman, who has played a mere six Premier League minutes this season and may struggle to dislodge a player of Zinchenko’s calibre and CV.

Lewis needs to prove to his new manager in the coming weeks that Howe doesn’t need to look elsewhere for a left-back when the next transfer window opens.

In other news, the Magpies are also lining up a move for another Premier League winner

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have erupted over a fresh transfer claim involving FC Basel forward Arthur Cabral.

The Brazilian has emerged as a transfer target for both Irons manager David Moyes and new recruitment chief Rob Newman in recent weeks as they expand their search for more attacking options.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-developments-2/” title=”West Ham developments” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Cabral has been in red-hot form for the Swiss giants over 2021/22 so far, racking up an incredible 17 goals and four assists across 19 appearances in all competitions (Transfermarkt).

This has attracted West Ham’s interest amid their year-long search for a replacement for Sebastien Haller, with journalist Andre Oechsner now sharing an update on their bid.

Speaking to Hammers News, the correspondent for Swiss media outlet 4-4-2 explained that a €20m (£17m) offer has come from the Premier League and his ‘sources’ tell him its ‘probably’ West Ham.

West Ham fans erupt…

Taking to social media, it’s little wonder so many Irons supporters are excited about this reveal, taking into account Cabral’s prolific goalscoring record, age and his inclusion in the Brazil squad in recent months.

The 23-year-old earned his first Selecao call-up in October, with his electric form attracting the attention of Brazil general manager and former Middlesbrough star Juninho (TEAMtalk).

As their club potentially make an offer, there have been no shortage of reaction from West Ham fans – check out some of the best responses below:

“Begging it’s us! He’ll add so much to the side… The only other players who I think may be as good of a signing for us are either unproven as forwards (Thuram & Barrow) or x2 the price Watkins & Toney”

Credit: @WhufcSloth

“Il have some of that”

Credit: @JayThorogood19

“Different class on comparison to Ajeti mate. Ajeti small and not strong enough for Prem. This lad is big, quick and can finish. Hopefully the right attributes to be successful. Only time will tell”

Credit: @SamiDennis

“Fingers crossed.”

Credit: @Kenness

“Looks awesome on YouTube. Like Haller but with more personality and pep. Could be the new Frank that I’ve been hoping for for so long.”

Credit: @tw25rw

“Rob Newman finally doing his job”

Credit: @arrrrrrchie

“It’s a yes from me, assuming it is a) true, and b) actually us. I’ll link a clip below to whet your appetite, this is an exciting rumour.”

Credit: @WHU_Analytics

In other news: Newman now also eyeing bid to sign 129-goal ‘big name’ striker for West Ham, find out more here.

West Brom are challenging for promotion back to the Premier League this season, but have got stuck in a rut when it comes to scoring goals and not doing enough to win games.

The Baggies are attempting to chase down Bournemouth and Fulham for an automatic promotion spot, and luckily the gap wasn’t widened too much after both sides drew last night, but there is work to do for West Brom to catch up.

Albion could potentially look to the upcoming transfer window to add goals and get back into the title race with their competitors.

According to TEAMtalk, there is one player that Ismael is checking on along with a number of other clubs.

What’s the word?

Rhys Healey has been tearing it up at Toulouse this season so far, with eleven goals and three assists for his club so far, and his overall record at the club over the last 16 months so far being 26 goals and six assists.

The former MK Dons player had a notable performance for Toulouse most recently against Sochaux in a 4-1 win where the striker scored all four goals for the French side.

Burnley, Brighton, Norwich, Sheffield United, Blackburn and of course, West Brom were all reportedly checking in on him last weekend and they would not have been disappointed with the goal grabbing display the forward put on.

Ex-Cardiff boss, Neil Warnock, was once full of praise for the 26-year-old:

“He’s what I call a little rash because he never leaves defenders alone,” Warnock said.

The attacker moved on a permanent deal to the Ligue 2 side from MK Dons, who reluctantly sold the player in 2020.

Now the forward is reportedly on the radar of many clubs looking to add goals to their side.

Should West Brom make a move?

Besides Karlan Grant on eight strikes, West Brom’s forward line are struggling to get going with only a handful of goals between them this term. The likes of Grady Diangana, Jorgan Hugill and Callum Robinson, for instance, have only beaten the goalkeeper on five occasions.

Thus, if they can’t establish themselves as prolific in front of goal, Ismael will have a challenge on his hands to get the team promoted this season.

Fulham have scored 48 goals, and Bournemouth have scored 34, whilst West Brom have only put away 27 goals in the Championship this season so far, and with the Cottagers at the top of the table, it would suggest that goals scored are setting them apart.

Albion have failed to register a win in their last three games and none of their forwards have scored more than three goals for the side in their Championship campaign so far, something which Ismael will need to take a closer look at if they want to compete for the top spot this season.

The signing of Healey, however, could help them correct their flaws. His ruthless streak his term is exactly what the Baggies need.

In other news: Losing Johnstone could be Ismael’s biggest mistake

Plays of the day from the third day between Australia and West Indies in Adelaide

Alex Brown at Adelaide Oval06-Dec-2009Oh no, Watto
Even the most hardened of West Indies fans would have felt a pang of sympathy for Shane Watson. Resuming play just four runs short of his maiden Test century, Watson attempted to swipe the second ball of the day through midwicket, only for Sulieman Benn to breach his defences and hit the top of off stump. A disconsolate Watson kicked at the air and trudged from the field, aware that he had missed a prime opportunity join the Test centurion ranks. No word yet on whether Watson offered to assist the South Australian Cricket Association by bringing forward the planned demolition date of the Adelaide Oval dressing rooms.No Siddle in the middle
Australia need to knock West Indies over cheaply in their second innings, so it was a concern for the home fans when Peter Siddle didn’t take the field when Chris Gayle and Adrian Barath walked out to bat. Siddle had a tight hamstring and is no certainty to bowl on the fourth day, but Michael Hussey was confident he would take his place at some point. “I certainly hope so,” Hussey said. “I think it was more precautionary tonight, just leave him out of tonight so his leg has got another 12 hours or so to try and give him a good go tomorrow. I’m pretty confident that he’ll be out there tomorrow for us.”Conversion tables
Ricky Ponting has long emphasised the importance of batsmen converting 50s to 100s, but his calls have failed to inspire his troops of late. Of the last 12 Australian batsmen to pass the half-century mark, only one, Hussey at The Oval, has reached triple figures. Simon Katich is most culpable, having scored 80, 92 and 50 in his last three Tests, while Ponting himself has twice fallen short of a century after passing 50 in that time.Wise Sulieman prediction
Prior to the Brisbane Test, the West Indies interim coach David Williams touted Benn a likely trump card for the three-Test tour. Benn may have possessed a Test average nudging 50, but Williams felt the bounce of Australian wickets would suit the 200cm Bajan against a batting line-up that has seldom looked comfortable facing quality finger spin. Having performed solidly in a losing cause at the Gabba, Benn arrived at Adelaide Oval with much to prove. And so it transpired. Watson, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke, Marcus North and Siddle formed the hit-list for Benn’s maiden five-wicket haul in Tests, handing West Indies a 12-run first-innings lead. The last time West Indies held a first-innings advantage on Australia was the Perth Test of 1996-97. They went on to win the match by ten wickets.What are the odds?
Punters have taken a dim view of West Indies since their arrival on Australian shores. With the Australians two wickets down in pursuit of the tourists’ first-innings total of 451, betting agencies were offering A$21 on West Indies breaking their nine-Test losing streak on Australian soil. That reduced to $17 at the fall of Ricky Ponting’s wicket, and $7.50 by the time the tourists headed to stumps with an overall lead of 35 and all second-innings wickets intact.

Injured New Zealand opener Jesse Ryder has come out in support of his limited-overs opening partner Brendon McCullum.

Cricinfo staff27-Oct-2009Injured New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder has come out in support of his limited-overs opening partner Brendon McCullum. McCullum recently lost the vice-captaincy against calls for him to move down the order – he averages 26.10 with just two half-centuries in 20 innings – but Ryder believes he should be persisted with at the top.”I think he should stay up there and I don’t see why people are saying put him back to seven because the records show that we do pretty well together up the top of the order,” he told tvnz.co.nz. “It’s not very often that we fail as a partnership and at this stage I think it’s been really good.”Daniel Vettori, New Zealand’s captain and a selector, has expressed his desire to push McCullum down the order in future in order to exploit the batting Powerplay.Ryder and McCullum have opened together 19 times and have added a century on five occasions and the left-handed batsman was keen to continue his alliance. “It’s good for both of us because our personalities combine well when we bat with each other out and he really is a calming influence on me,” said Ryder, who has been ruled out of the upcoming limited-overs series against Pakistan in the UAE.Ryder is undergoing rehab for his abdominal injury and is aiming to return to action for Wellington before Christmas.

A round-up of the third day’s play of the third-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff19-Nov-2009Group A

Scorecard
Wicketkeeper-captain Parthiv Patel led from the front with a scintillating century as Gujarat pocketed first-innings points against Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Right-arm fast bowler Siddharth Trivedi finished with a five-for as the home team could add 27 to their overnight score of 209 for 7. After Alfred Absolem had sent back the Gujarat openers during the reply, Parthiv and Niraj Patel took control with a 135-run stand for the third wicket. Parthiv struck eight fours and a six during his 142-ball stay, but fell shortly after Gujarat had taken the lead. Bhavik Thaker and Digant Popat were the two not out batsmen as Gujarat ended with a slender lead with six wickets in hand.
Scorecard
Tamil Nadu were on course for a win against Punjab after a brilliant all-round performance in Amritsar. Captain Dinesh Karthik led from front with a brilliant hundred, which helped the visitors post a huge 293-run first innings lead as they declared on 521 for 9, after resuming at 340 for 6. Karthik batted beautifully with support from the lower order – his century comprising 13 boundaries. He found able allies in Chandrasekar Ganapathy (44) and Ravinchandran Aswhin (22) and took the hosts beyond 500. They then had Punjab struggling at 114 for 5 as Aushik Srinivas and Ravinchandran Ashwin dented the top order. Pankaj Dharmani and Gaurav Gambhir were at the crease, and the will aim to avoid an innings defeat first up.
Scorecard
A much-improved batting performance in the second essay kept Mumbai’s hopes alive against Himachal Pradesh at the Bandra-Kurla Complex. Ajit Agarkar was their star with a confident unbeaten century, as Ajinkya Rahane and Wasim Jaffer weighed in with solid half-centuries. Agarkar, who scored seven fours and a six during his 194-ball innings had good support from Iqbal Abdullah, who scored a well-paced half-century, coming in at No. 9. The two put on an unbeaten stand of 91, to set Himachal a target of 252. HP negotiated the one over in the day, to take stumps at 4 for no loss. A tantalising day is on the cards tomorrow.
Scorecard
Overnight rain ruled out play in Bhubaneswar as the umpires called off the day’s play after five pitch inspections.Group B

Scorecard
If Piyush Chawla was Uttar Pradesh’s star the previous day with the ball, his well-compiled fifty ensured they took first-innings points against Baroda in a nervy first-innings reply. Irfan Pathan worked with Munaf Patel in tandem to wreck UP’s top order, condemning them to 89 for 5 from their overnight score of 36 for no loss. But Chawla’s vigilant effort, and a 44-run partnership for the ninth wicket with Praveen Gupta, proved crucial as they nosed ahead. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar was on song during Baroda’s second innings, picking up all three wickets that fell, as Baroda’s lead increased to 54.
Scorecard
KB Pawan and Amit Verma hit classy hundreds, and wicketkeeper Muralidharen Gautam followed up the act as Karnataka took an emphatic lead against Bengal in Mysore. Resuming on 186 for 2, Karnataka steadily closed in on Bengal’s first-innings score of 326 with the overnight batsmen, Pawan and Verma piling up 249. While Pawan finished with 14 fours and a six, Verma smashed 17 boundaries. Both batsmen were sent back by Ranadeb Bose, as Bengal looked for a way back through Saurasish Lahiri’s five-for. But Gautam, playing his fifth first-class match, rose to the occasion, hitting 14 fours en route to his hundred, as the hosts finished on 523 for 9.
ScorecardIt was slow going for bottom-placed Maharashtra as they looked to avoid a first-innings deficit against Saurashtra in Rajkot. But the persistency of the home team bowlers paid off, as they picked up seven Maharashtra wickets in the day after they had resumed on 53 for 1. Rohan Bhosale held firm at the top of the order with a fluent fifty but it was the left-arm spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Rakesh Dhruv who picked up two wickets apiece to tighten the noose on Maharashtra with over 250 still to get.

They will play a Zimbabwe XI side from October 8 to October 11 at the Kwekwe Sports Club. That will be followed by one-day matches on October 14, 16 and 18 at the Harare Sports Club

Cricinfo staff13-Sep-2009Kenya will tour Zimbabwe for a four-day Intercontinental Cup match and three ODIs next month. They will play a Zimbabwe XI side from October 8 to October 11 at the Kwekwe Sports Club. That will be followed by one-day matches on October 14, 16 and 18 at the Harare Sports Club.Kenya are second on the Intercontinental Cup points table, behind Scotland, after beating Canada by 247 runs in their second game of the tournament in in Toronto in August. Zimbabwe drew their only match so far against Afghanistan and are sixth on the table.

Many West Brom fans have been left fuming as some transfer news emerged on Ahmed Hegazi.

As per The Express & Star, the Midlands club have now lodged a complaint to FIFA in relation to unpaid fees following the sale of the central defender to Al-Ittihad Jeddah.

Hegazi left The Hawthorns back in October of last year, initially on a loan deal with an obligation to buy.

Al-Ittihad had agreed to pay £2.5m to sign the Egypt international, but the Baggies believe that they have not yet received the full amount.

Of course, any extra money can help towards new signings in the January transfer window, renewing a contract or improving facilities around the stadium and training ground, and so it is no surprise at all to see so many Albion supporters left fuming over the news.

West Brom fans on Hegazi transfer news

These WBA fans were left fuming as the transfer news on Hegazi was shared on Twitter:

“What is it with our club? Ferguson and Barrie still no money now Hegazi. Promising youngsters been watched by big clubs as not signed pro terms. We don’t help ourselves”

Credit: @PORTZD2

“At this stage our club just gets pushed over at every opportunity.”

Credit: @Jack_J_Lewis

“Add them to the list what a shambles, never would have happened under Peace”

Credit: @scottwjones1988

“Once again, West Brom get walked over, surprise surprise…”

Credit: @JonW1995

“We are so weak behind the scenes it’s unreal…”

Credit: @Richbut

“It’s actually becoming a joke we are the biggest push overs in football, let Pereira got for £17m in instalments, received nothing for Hegazi and still haven’t received anything for Nathan Ferguson!!!”

Credit: @Nichola60335296

In other news, find out which former player Baggies want back here!

A round-up from the latest County Championship matches as Joe Sayers puts Yorkshire in command and Kent sense victory after Azhar Mahmood’s three wickets

Cricinfo staff02-Jul-2009Division OneJoe Sayers’ century and substantial contributions from Yorkshire’s middle-order batsmen put them in an extremely strong position against Somerset at Taunton as the home side paid for a poor fielding display. Sayers, who was dropped at slip off Andy Caddick when he had 30, scored 152 after losing his opening partner Jacques Rudolph for duck, while Adam Lyth, also given a life, made 71 and Jonathan Bairstow 54 not out to take Yorkshire to 329 for 5, leading by 441 runs heading into the final day. Earlier Matthew Hoggard had Charl Willoughby caught behind to ensure that Somerset made no addition to their overnight score of 326 and secured a 112-run first-innings lead for Yorkshire.Click here for John Ward’s report from the third day between Durham and Worcestershire at Chester-le-Street.Click here for Jon Culley’s report of the third day’s play at Trent Bridge between Nottinghamshire and Lancashire.Division TwoDerbyshire’s bowlers limited the damage caused by a first-innings stumble to set up an intriguing final day against Leicestershire at Derby. Derbyshire resumed on the third morning at 188 for 2 and progressed to 207 before Garry Park was caught off George Walker for 72. Iain O’Brien then hit his stride, ripping out six Derbyshire batsmen for 87 runs and helped Leicestershire dismiss the hosts for 365, clinching a handy 47-run lead in the first innings. O’Brien’s spell brought 5 for 13 in 23 balls while Tom New continued to impress with six catches. Leicestershire’s batsmen failed to capitalise on that slender advantage, though, and they slumped to 92 for 5 before a valuable sixth-wicket partnership worth 51 between Jim Allenby and New. Allenby was eventually dismissed for 52 but New remained unbeaten on 63 to steer Leicestershire to 209 for 7 at stumps, leading by 256 runs with three wickets in hand.Mark Ramprakash scored the fourth century against his former team to lift Surrey’s hopes of a sizeable first-innings lead against Middlesex at Lord’s but they were dashed by the left-arm spin of Murali Kartik. Surrey began the day on 186 for 2, trailing Middlesex by 199 runs, and Ramprakash moved on from 64 to 136 before he was lbw to Kartik, who operated for much of the day with a negative leg-stump line. It took his tally against Middlesex since leaving 10 years ago to 1009 runs. Usman Afzaal chipped in with 58 before being caught at deep square-leg, but there were no contributions from the lower-order batsmen as Kartik ran through them to finish with 5 for 65. Surrey eventually managed only 392, ahead only by seven runs. Middlesex’s openers, Billy Godleman and Nick Compton, wiped out that deficit and progressed to 38 for 0 at stumps.Gloucestershire’s lower-order batsmen will have to play remarkably in order to pull off a victory – they need 201 more with five wickets in hand – against Kent at Beckenham. Kent began the day on 146 for 6 in their second innings, ahead by only 214 runs, and started badly by losing three quick wickets to slump to 179 for 9, with Steve Kirby completing his five-wicket haul. They were revived, however, by their last pair, Ryan McLaren and Simon Cook who scored 42 and 40 respectively to push the score up to 266, with an overall lead of 332. Azhar Mahmood and James Tredwell consolidated Kent’s position by striking regularly to deny Gloucestershire momentum in their chase. Mahmood took 3 for 11 in 11 overs, including the key late scalps of Hamish Marshall caught at slip and Craig Spearman leg before, while Tredwell picked up 2 for 50 off 20 to limit Gloucestershire to 131 for 5 at stumps.