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The batsmen shared an unbroken century stand for the fifth wicket as Rajasthan were left to rue missed opportunities

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2019Karnataka v RajasthanIn a tricky chase, against a bowling attack that asked plenty of questions, the class of Manish Pandey and Karun Nair pulled Karnataka through for a six-wicket win on the fourth day of their quarter-final against Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy 2018-19.Pandey, the captain, had joined Nair when Karnataka lost nightwatchman Ronit More in the fifth over of the day. Karnataka were 56 for 4, and the target of 184 appeared a long way off. But the duo put on an unbroken 129 runs in just 24.5 overs to seal victory in the first session. Pandey’s first few overs were streaky, with boundaries coming off the inside and outside edges against Tanvir Ul-Haq. But he continued to be positive despite that and his shot-making quickly whittled the target down as the pressure shifted onto Rajasthan’s bowlers. Pandey had another slice of luck on 38, when he swiped a looping legbreak from Rahul Chahar straight to mid-on, but Rahul’s older brother Deepak Chahar spilled the most straightforward of chances. Karnataka were then 119 for 4, and neither batsman offered any chance after that.Pandey finished on 87 off just 75 balls, while Nair made a more sedate 61 off 129 – only his second half-century of the season.Rajasthan will rue the dropped catches, but they also had to deal with some questionable umpiring calls. Robin Bist was ruled lbw in the first innings when the ball seemed to strike high on his pads and Mahipal Lomror was given caught behind in the second innings when he didn’t nick the ball. Then during Karnataka’s first innings, Vinay Kumar and More put on 97 for the last wicket from 166 for 9, but two very close lbw shouts against Vinay early in the partnership had been turned down.Uttar Pradesh v SaurashtraHalf-centuries from Saurashtra openers Harvik Desai (83*) and Snell Patel (72) ensured their side were in an advantageous position at the end of day four in their quarter-final clash against Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow. Chasing 372, Saurashtra finished the day on 195 for 2.During their 132-run stand, Snell played the aggressor’s role, while Desai dropped down the anchor. It’s not like the host team didn’t have enough plans but the duo had answers to all of those. When the bowlers pitched it up, they were either driven through covers or flicked through midwicket. Shivam Mavi tried the short stuff but ended up conceding 35 from his first six overs with the batsmen using the pull shot to good effect. Left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar once again remained wicketless.However, it was Mavi only who provided the breakthrough, getting Patel caught-behind with a fuller delivery. Vishvaraj Jadeja, once again batting at No. 3, and Desai then added 55 for the second wicket before a sneaky stumping by Upendra Yadav sent Vishvaraj back. The decision was referred to the third umpire who felt Vishvaraj’s back foot, although well behind the batting crease, was in the air for the exact moment when the bails came out of their grooves.With around nine overs left in the day, Kamlesh Makvana came out as a nightwatchman and ensured there were no further hiccups before bad light forced stumps.Earlier, Jaydev Unadkat didn’t take long to take the remaining two UP wickets to bowl them out for 194.ALSO READ: Kerala vanquish Gujarat, enter maiden semi-finalVidarbha v UttarakhandVidarbha put themselves in a winning position against Uttarakhand in Nagpur at the end of the fourth day of their quarter-final. At stumps, Uttarakhand were 152 for 5, still trailing by 122.Vidarbha’s marathon first innings finally ended on 629, with a lead of 274. Aditya Sarwate resumed from his overnight 57 and became the third Vidarbha batsman to score a hundred. He and Suniket Bingewar added 49 for the eighth wicket but once Sarvate was dismissed, the next two wickets could add only one run to the total. Five Uttarakhand bowlers conceded more than 100 runs.In response, Vineet Saxena and Karanveer Kaushal gave Uttarakhand a steady start of 72 before Umesh Yadav trapped Saxena lbw for 27. Vaibhav Bhatt failed to open his account and was bowled by Umesh.Kaushal and Avneesh Sudha added 40 for the third wicket before Sarwate hurt them again, this time with the ball. Kaushal was on 76 before he was bowled by the left-arm spinner. Sudha and Vaibhav Singh Panwar fell in successive overs, leaving their side staring at defeat.For the hosts, Umesh was the most successful bowler, picking up 3 for 22 from his 11 overs, while Sarwate picked up 2 for 49.

Barcelona fans seemingly mistakenly attacked their team's bus as it arrived for their Champions League quarter-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

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• Supporters throw missiles at own team bus
• The bus was not carrying Barcelona players
• Catalan side face PSG in Champions League

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ahead of the high-voltage clash, local fans gathered outside the Montjuic Stadium to welcome the teams when a section of the supporters seemingly threw glass bottles towards one of the buses as they mistook it for the PSG team bus. However, the transport that was hit was not carrying the players.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Blaugrana fans are expected to jeer their former player Ousmane Dembele who moved to the French side last summer. The winger had scored a goal in the first leg at Parc des Princes last week, though Barca won 3-2.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

  After facing Luis Enrique's side in Europe, the Catalan giants will shift their focus to La Liga where they are all set to take on arch-rivals Real Madrid on Sunday.

MatériaMais Notícias

Depois de sua entrevista para o Zico ganhar uma significativa repercussão, Thiago Maia foi ao Instagram desabafar e explicar que a fala dele sobre jogadores mais experientes não deixarem ele bater no Flamengo não passou de uma brincadeira. E, além de explicar o “tom”, fez um apelo para findar as polêmicas “em cima” do clube: “pelo amor de Deus”.

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– Gente, na minha entrevista com o Zico, em uma das partes que mais rimos foi a das faltas. Eu falei isso em tom de brincadeira, porque no Santos era assim também. Não é que os caras não deixam, eu falei que vejo eles batendo falta e sei que posso bater, mas eu não peço, porque eu respeito. Eu sei que tem caras mais qualificados, com mais tempo de clube, e eu tenho que respeitar – falou o camisa 33, completando:

– Não é que eles não deixam, na verdade eu nunca pedi. E eu brinquei, já que o Zico mandou, eu vou lá pedir. Foi em tom de brincadeira, galera, parem de fazer polêmica em cima do Flamengo, pelo amor de Deus.

+ Olho neles! Veja técnicos estrangeiros que podem pintar no Brasil em 2021

RECUPERAÇÃO NO FLA

Thiago Maia foi operado há 42 dias. Emprestado pelo Lille-FRA até meados deste ano, o meio-campista se recupera de uma grave lesão ligamentar no joelho esquerdo. Ao canal “Zico 10”, ele aindaelogiou o trabalho do departamento médico do Rubro-Negro.

>Ainda dá para o Fla? Confira e simule tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

Nesta quinta, Thiago Maia deu sequência ao processo de fisioterapia no DM do Ninho do Urubu e, em seguida, caminhou no gramado. Cabe destacar ainda que o Fla já encaminhou a prorrogação de seu empréstimo até o fim de 2021.

Tottenham Hotspur have apparently set their sights on one club's "vital" Champions League star for manager Ange Postecoglou, and he's been likened to Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham.

Spurs form this season

On the field, Spurs are currently enjoying an unprecedented start to this new Premier League season. Their latest league win, a 2-1 away to Crystal Palace, makes it eight victories out of a possible 10 in the top flight alone. Postecoglou's side are still yet to taste defeat over what has been their most promising first few games since they won a double in 1961.

"Top of the table is great and the results are great but it's more in the manner we're doing it," said Postecoglou on Spurs' form this season.

"Pretty much from the first game we've had all sorts of different challenges we've had to overcome. Every time there has been a real focus and clear-headedness about the group collectively to deal with that. That has been a really pleasing thing and because they're getting rewards from that then that gives us opportunity to accelerate the growth of giving them more tools out there to help them for whatever we need to overcome."

Despite their incredible run of form, though, it is still believed the Lilywhites could strengthen in January. The winter transfer window represents an opportunity to sign a centre-back alternative to both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. There is a serious lack of cover behind the star defensive duo, so Tottenham are interested in Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah among other options.

An injury to Manor Solomon also leaves Postecoglou short of players who can challenge Dejan Kulusevski out wide, so it has been rumoured that Spurs are keen on Al-Ittihad winger Jota. New names are emerging through sections of the press on a regular basis, and now Real Sociedad midfielder Brais Mendez is a name attracting Tottenham's attention.

Mendez emerges as "main target" for Spurs

Indeed, according to a report out of Spain this week, Mendez is a "main target" for Tottenham as Postecoglou and the club's chiefs plot to sign "high level" players mid-season.

The attacking midfielder, who's been called a "vital asset" for Sociedad by this update, has enjoyed an exceptional start to the campaign and his Champions League performances have sparked interest from many top sides – including Tottenham.

Mendez has scored three goals already in Europe's most prestigious competition, making him a coveted player heading into January. Spurs apparently want to back Postecoglou with his signing, and it is believed he will cost around £26 million. While England may be a tempting destination for the 26-year-old, Sociedad will apparently fight tooth and nail to keep one of their star players from leaving so soon.

Key passes

Through balls

Taking set-pieces

Concentration

Mendez has been called a "bargain Bellingham" by journalist Tom Weber, who also wrote this about the Spaniard for Football Transfers:

"While the San Sebastian outfit have become one of Europe's most interesting and exciting teams since Imanol Alguacil was given the head coaching job, Mendez has quietly become the side's heartbeat – and he should be looked at by some of Europe's elite teams."

SLC

A searing 57 off 40 balls from the 18-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues propelled India to comfortable five-wicket victory in the third T20I in Colombo, as they ran down their target of 132 with eight balls to spare. India’s discipline with the ball, and a tight fielding effort, had helped set the vctory up, as even the set Sri Lanka batsmen routinely failed to clear the field with their more expansive strokes. Seamer Arundhati Reddy was particularly impressive for India. She struck in her second over, and went on to finish with figures of 2 for 19 from her four overs. India now have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the T20I series, with two matches to play. They had won the ODI series 2-1.The visitors lost Smriti Mandhana early in the chase, and would also see Mithali Raj depart soon after the Powerplay ended, but despite having two senior players back in the pavilion Rodrigues continued to make clinical attacks – her first boundary a commanding six down the ground off just the third delivery she faced. Rodrigues’ only error was on 19, when she ran down the pitch at left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari, and should have been stumped had wicketkeeper Dilani Manodara collected cleanly. She regouped after that reprieve, and picked up frequent singles in between the big shots, often dropping the ball into the infield to scamper through.Rodrigues’ 53-run fourth-wicket stand with captain Harmanpreet Kaur – who made 24 off 19 deliveries – formed the spine of India’s reply. Rodrigues was caught at deep square leg with 19 runs still to get, but she had batted so aggressively towards the end of her innings, reaching her half-century with a dismissive six over square leg, that India had 25 deliveries in which to get the remaining 19 runs. This was Rodrigues’ second half-century in T20Is, the first having come against Australia in March. It was also her best score in international cricket.”I was just looking to build a partnership with whoever was at the other end,” said Rodrigues after the match. “Today’s wicket wasn’t such an easy wicket to bat on – it was on the slower side. It’s always good to get a personal best score, but I know I should have finished it off today – there were hardly 20 runs to get. But the innings has boosted my confidence a lot.”Sri Lanka pressed hard in the final overs, but could not prevent Veda Krishnamurthy and Anuja Patil from unfussily knocking off the remaining runs. Captain Chamari Atapattu, who had Rodrigues and Harmanpreet both caught in the deep in the same over, finished with Sri Lanka’s best figures of 2 for 29 – though other bowlers were more economical.Earlier, Sri Lanka’s innings had been prodded forward at first by Atapattu, who made 28 off 32 balls, then later by Shashikala Siriwardene, who made 35 off 32, and Nilakshi de Silva, who struck 31 off 20. At no stage, however, were Sri Lanka able to mount a dangerous partnership. Although Harmanpreet often deployed 6-3 fields, Sri Lanka’s batsmen were unable to successfully target the open side of the ground. At times their attempts to hit across the line to those areas also produced wicket chances.Aside from her excellent bowling with the new ball in particular, Reddy was also good in the field. She made one especially impressive save at the long-off boundary, and also played a part in running out two Sri Lanka batsmen, as the opposition limped to 131 for 8.

St Lucia stumble to their 12th successive loss, a streak stretching back to CPL 2016

The Report by Peter Della Penna09-Aug-2018Ashley Allen – CPL T20 / GettyColin Munro and Denesh Ramdin bookended the Powerplay and end of the innings with half-centuries on the way to the highest ever total at Queen’s Park Oval in the CPL’s six-year history. This helped defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders open the 2018 edition with a thumping 100-run win over St Lucia Stars.Though the team has been rejigged, with a new captain in Kieron Pollard, the results for ST Lucia clearly haven’t taken a drastic turn for the better. They are now on a 12-match losing streak stretching back to 2016, when they were called Zouks.The Curse of the Zouks continues
Two balls into the 2018 season, the Stars showed they have not escaped their woes from the previous season; Darren Sammy shelled a regulation chance at slip off Chris Lynn. It was the first of four drops in the innings. It’s another thing that Lynn didn’t make them pay as he fell soon after.Sunil Narine was reprieved off the very first ball he faced, in the second over, at short midwicket by Kesrick Williams, while Brendon McCullum got a second life when wicketkeeper Andre Fletcher couldn’t latch onto a thin edge off Afghan legspinner Qais Ahmad. To sum up the sorry state of the Stars fielding, the sure-handed David Warner spilled a chance at wide long-on in the 19th over to give Dwayne Bravo a life.TKR’s No. 3 on the Munny
Munro piloted the Knight Riders batting unit in 2017 with 366 runs and picked up right where he left off. Entering five balls into the match after Lynn toe-ended a dipping Mitchell McClenaghan full toss to cover, Munro snuffed out any momentum the Stars hoped to build, stroking a 48-ball 68.Munro reserved his harshest punishment for Qais. The last four balls of the ninth over went: four over extra cover, four edged past Fletcher behind the stumps, four through extra cover again followed by a six slog swept viciously over midwicket.Munro was undeterred as the wickets of Narine, Brendon McCullum and Darren Bravo fell around him, cutting Pollard past a stumbling Sammy at backward point in the 12th over to bring up a 33-ball half-century. He added 51 for the fifth wicket with Ramdin before falling when he walked too far across his stumps to flick Pollard over fine leg. But by that stage the Knight Riders had an excellent platform to launch for a record total.TKR’s battering Ram
When Munro fell, there were only 25 balls left in the innings and Ramdin had only reached 22 off 16 balls. But he scored 28 (off 11 balls) of the final 45 runs for Knight Riders in a furious flurry. The highlight was a gloriously effortless scoop for six over extra cover in the 19th off McClenaghan.Bravo got out two balls later and Ramdin started the 20th on strike to Kesric Williams, who in spite of his second-over drop of Narine had been the standout bowler for Stars until that point. His figures read 2 for 11 off three overs, but it all came tumbling down in his final over.A single by Ramdin was followed by consecutive fours from Javon Searles. Ramdin got back on strike for the fifth ball which was spiked over point for six before a single to end the innings brought up Ramdin’s half-century and set the Stars a target that was 32 runs more than they had ever successfully chased. Just for the record, Trinbago were undefeated at home in 2017, never conceding more than 158 in their five matches at Queen’s Park Oval. Here they had the security of another 37 in the bank.The Khan-can dance
Dwayne Bravo became quite a fan of Ali Khan after the Ohio resident’s fantastic performances with the new ball under Bravo’s captaincy at Winnipeg Hawks in the Global T20 Canada last month. So not only did Bravo facilitate Khan’s call-up as a replacement for Ronsford Beaton in the TKR squad for 2018, he had no hesitation picking him right away in the starting XI for opening night and giving him the first over ahead of Shannon Gabriel.The American justified Bravo’s faith with a tidy six-run first over that ended with a badge-kissing celebration after Fletcher edged an outswinger behind for a regulation chance. But the party had to be curtailed when Ramdin waved to his team-mates indicating that he had in fact dropped the ball behind the stumps.Khan had Fletcher trapped on the toe with a perfect yorker in front of middle in the third over only for the umpire to turn down his appeal for lbw. But Fletcher’s luck ran out on the fifth ball of the over when Khan reached deeper into his bag of tricks to flummox Fletcher with a slower one that had the batsman grope for the ball well out in front of his body resulting in the stumps being knocked back. Fletcher’s 19 wound up being their highest score for the night.Fawad joins the party
Fawad Ahmed was brought in as a like-for-like replacement for Pakistan legspinner Shadab Khan. On the basis of Friday’s performance, there isn’t much to choose between them. Brought on at the end of the Powerplay when the Stars were 47 for 3, Fawad castled Lendl Simmons with a googly first ball, then had Mark Chapman driving to cover three balls later, accelerating a Stars collapse that saw them lose their 10 wickets for 60 runs. It was the worst margin of defeat by runs for the Stars and just the third time in the history of the CPL that a team lost by 100 runs or more.

SLC hoping to convince the ICC to allow the three accused of breaching the Spirit of Cricket to play some part in South Africa Tests

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Jun-2018Sri Lanka hopes to convince the ICC to allow the three men accused of breaching the Spirit of Cricket to play some part in the forthcoming Test series against South Africa. That hearing is due to be held on July 10 – two days before the first Test.On the surface, it appears as if captain Dinesh Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusingha and manager Asanka Gurusinha will be suspended for both Tests against South Africa in July; they have pleaded guilty to a Level 3 offence, the minimum punishment for which four suspension points, which in turn corresponds to two Tests. But although team management has accepted that refusing to take the field on the third morning was a disciplinary breach, they will make the case that the mitigating factors are such that even four suspension points is too serious a penalty.”We are hoping that we can convince the ICC to reduce the punishment,” manager Gurusinha said. “But that will come down to what we can present to the ICC in support of that argument. We are hoping we will have a good case. We have accepted the charge as well. It’s not like we are appealing everything. We are hoping that especially these two guys – Chandimal and Hathurusingha – will be there [for the South Africa Tests].”Among the points the Sri Lanka camp is likely to make is that the entire two-hour delay was not exclusively down to their reluctance to play. Sri Lanka’s team management believe that about an hour into the scheduled morning session, they felt they had come to an agreement with the match officials, whereby the officials would refrain from imposing the five-run penalty and changing the ball, but Chandimal would still have to face a tampering charge at the end of the match.In fact, the Sri Lanka side did take the field at 10.50 am, an hour and 20 minutes past the scheduled start, supposedly on the basis that there would be no further penalties. However, to Sri Lanka’s surprise, the umpires changed the ball at this stage. It was at this point that the Sri Lanka team dug in its heels again. They left the field, further delaying the start.It must be stressed, however, that there is strong disagreement about this sequence of events. There is another suggestion that no deal was actually struck; such a deal, it is felt, would effectively mean there was no charge to be laid, and that umpires were not following playing conditions. In this version of events, the false start is blamed on a misunderstanding between the match officials and the Sri Lanka team.There is also a feeling within the Sri Lanka camp that their protest was prompted by the timing of the charge – Sri Lanka were only told that Chandimal would be charged about 10 minutes before the scheduled start of day three’s play. Sri Lanka’s sports minister Faiszer Mustapha has already characterised the “emotional” decision to refuse to play as wrong but understandable given the camaraderie in the team.Sri Lanka’s planning for the South Africa series now becomes difficult. It is likely that they will plan for the worst. If further suspensions are handed out, Chandimal is allowed to be in the dressing room but cannot enter the field of play at any stage. Hathurusingha and Gurusinha, meanwhile, cannot be in the dressing room on match days – though they can still be at the venue. They are not barred from performing their duties as usual in the approach to games, and in between match days, however.The Level 3 charge carries a maximum penalty of eight suspension points. If the ICC chooses to come down as harshly as possible, the three men also stand to be suspended from the first four South Africa ODIs.

MatériaMais Notícias

Oficialmente aberta, a gestão de Abel Ferreira no Palmeiras é, como de hábito no clube, uma mescla de empolgação e resistência. Reconhecidamente um clube que demite treinadores com frequência, o Verdão quer, por meio de seu presidente, assegurar que o português tenha estabilidade e tempo para trabalhar.

Em entrevista ao “GloboEsporte.com”, o mandatário Maurício Galliote garantiu que a ideia de contratar Abel é para um projeto longo.

– Todos nós, palmeirenses, temos que estar unidos neste momento. O Abel foi contratado para um trabalho de médio a longo prazo. É um projeto muito importante para o futuro do Palmeiras e o apoio da nossa torcida será, como sempre, fundamental. Os recursos têm de ser compatíveis com os objetivos e precisa haver um alinhamento de expectativas. As variáveis contemplam metas, recursos e prazos. A evolução também deverá ser considerada, não apenas os resultados esportivos – disse.

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Diferentemente do que se esperava – que era uma contratação sul-americana, o Palmeiras surpreendeu ao encontrar seu comandante no futebol grego, de pouca expressão. O presidente palmeirense detalhou como chegou até Abel.

– Redirecionamos a nossa estratégia para o futebol. O Palmeiras investiu muito na base nos últimos anos e continuará investindo. Iremos ao mercado para atender necessidades específicas ou aproveitar oportunidades. Assim, procuramos um técnico com experiência na formação e aproveitamento de atletas da base. Outro aspecto considerado foi a intensidade de jogo, que requer uma equipe participativa, com equilíbrio entre os setores e velocidade de transição.

Ainda sobre a escolha, Maurício falou sobre o desejo de implementar uma filosofia que vá além de um trabalho por resultados.

– A escola europeia é referência nisso. Temos também como objetivo implementar um padrão de jogo, não apenas um modelo, mas uma cultura futebolística, o que exige metodologia e didática. O currículo do Abel Ferreira demonstra que ele reúne tais características e competências. As entrevistas com o Abel e as informações coletadas no mercado reforçaram as informações curriculares – finalizou.

Abel Ferreira assinou com o Palmeiras até o final de 2022 e seu contrato tem uma cláusula de renovação automática por mais um ano. O treinador trouxe consigo mais quatro profissionais, que são os auxiliares Carlos Martinho e Vitor Castanheira, o preparador físico João Martins e também o analista de desempenho Tiago Costa.

Eles estrearão no comando do Verdão na próxima quinta (05), no Allianz Parque, pela jogo de volta das oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil, contra o Red Bull Bragantino. No jogo de ida, o Palmeiras venceu por 3 a 1.

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West Bromwich Albion have registered their interest over a loan deal to sign Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden, but a reliable journalist has confirmed that they aren’t the only club in the running to secure his signature.

How much does Isaac Hayden earn?

At St. James’ Park, Hayden currently pockets £22k-per-week but spent last season out on loan at Norwich City, but that could all change should he put pen to paper on a contract at The Hawthorns.

According to Football Insider, Carlos Corberan’s side, Middlesbrough, Queens Park Rangers and Millwall are all interested in a swoop for the defensive midfielder in the Championship, who will be allowed to leave on a temporary basis once again having been forced to train away from the first team in the northeast, as per the same outlet.

England’s former youth international was extremely close to joining Luton Town last month having even travelled to undergo a medical, but with that switch falling through at the last minute, he’s now assessing what other options he has on the table before the transfer window closes tonight.

The 28-year-old still has another three years to run on his deal, but it’s obvious that he’s only likely to receive regular game time should he complete a move elsewhere, and with the first official move having been made, there’s a chance he could be on his way to the Midlands.

Are West Brom signing Isaac Hayden?

Taking to X, Darren Witcoop revealed that West Brom have made contact with Newcastle to discuss the possibility of a loan for Hayden, but admitted that they are set to face stiff competition from Sheffield Wednesday. He wrote:

“West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday among the Championship clubs to have asked Newcastle about taking midfielder Isaac Hayden on loan. Hayden saw a move to Luton collapse this week. Fellow Magpies outcast Jeff Hendrick also heading to the second-tier.”

How good is Isaac Hayden?

Whilst Hayden has posted 26 goal contributions (16 assists and 10 goals) since the start of his career, he’s naturally much stronger in the defensive aspect of his game having been dubbed a midfield “enforcer” by journalist Josh Bunting.

The Chelmsford-born talent ranks in the 99th percentile for blocks and the 98th percentile for aerial wins, showing how strong he is at clearing the danger away from his own area and protecting his backline before it’s too late.

Sponsored by Puma, the central talisman also has the ability to operate in five different positions over the pitch, including three roles in the midfield, at centre-back and even right-back, so his versatility to adapt to various areas will be yet another attractive and useful attribute to Corberan.

Furthermore, Hayden shares the same agent, Unique Sports Group, as Erik Pieters and Josh Griffiths, so this existing connection that his representative already has to the club could possibly give them a small advantage should they push to try and get a deal over the line before the end of play at 11pm this evening.

Leeds United are one of England's finest footballing institutions, and as such boasts a rich history laden with European adventures, trophy-winning exploits and supremely memorable moments.

However, the former two have certainly been in short supply in recent memory, with their 2004 relegation proving to be catastrophic for the long-term future of the club. It would take 16 years for them to return to the top flight, enduring numerous trials and tribulations across that period which caused such misery.

The ever-changing and often dysfunctional hierarchies that oversaw such failure were largely to blame, as it was their financial mismanagement which led to dropping out of the Premier League, but even during their Championship stint and a brief flirtation with League One, the decision-making was torrid.

Even in the modern era, the same foolish errors continue to be made, with Andrea Radrizzani the latest villain to add to the long and ever-growing list. It was his choices which led them back into the second division, with Daniel Farke having been handed a broken outfit with the task of leading them to promotion.

That being said, already the German has taken great strides towards such a goal, having invested with intelligence over the summer to bolster a squad that was ravaged by various questionable clauses left in contracts by the old ownership.

With 15 senior players departing, it remained clear one position that needed particular strengthening: a striker. Fortunately for the former Norwich City boss, he got his man in Joel Piroe.

How is Joel Piroe playing?

Unloading around £10m to tempt Piroe to Elland Road marked an almighty bargain for the Yorkshire outfit, as it saw them instantly attain a proven goalscorer for this level.

Having joined Swansea City from his homeland, the former Feyenoord finisher would score 22 and assist six in his debut term, before recording a further 19 goals the following season.

Such consistency in front of goal is a rare commodity nowadays, with former boss Russell Martin having praised his performances: "If you wanted it to fall to anyone, it is him, he is so clinical with both feet, and he is a great technician.

"But the most important thing he has is the right mentality when he gets around the goal. He shows composure, he is calm, and he just focuses on his technique, something that all top strikers possess."

Despite all of these starring attributes, which were in line to make him an instant hit at his new club, Farke clearly has other ideas. Although the Dutchman fired home a debut goal in their first and only win of the campaign thus far, their most recent fixture saw him deployed in a far deeper role, dropping into midfield at times.

Unsurprisingly, this nullified their attack, and they were held 0-0 by a poor Sheffield Wednesday side.

If the German is so intent on maintaining such a tactical notion, he will continue to draw frustration from fans. Many will likely even be harking back to their elite strikers of the past who could fulfil such a role, with there being one true standout in Jermaine Beckford who would surely fire them to promotion if he were to have his time again in Yorkshire.

How good was Jermaine Beckford?

Beckford is a hero around Elland Road, having come up from seemingly nowhere to fire them out of their darkest period as a club.

Playing non-league football whilst working as a repairman, it was a simple start to life for the now 39-year-old, who would go on to become one of League One's most prolific forwards.

However, that all changed when he heard of Leeds' interest: "Leeds United? Seriously?’ I was on my way. It was a two-second decision. I felt really awkward because I’d told Boothroyd I would sign and he thought I was making a mistake. He told me I’d play more at Watford," he told The Athletic.

Even if they would find their way to the Premier League before he did, he explained his decision with immense passion and a love for the club that few players nowadays would understand:

"The thing is — and it’s hard to explain this unless you saw it through my eyes — but once I played for Leeds there was literally no other club in the world I’d have swapped them for. I embraced everything about it, the club, the city, the culture. I’d got a taste and you couldn’t tell me it was better elsewhere. I wasn’t listening.”

Having made his debut in the Championship, after a couple of loan spells, he returned ready for first-team action despite their relegation. The 2007/08 season would mark his breakthrough, as he started it in blistering fashion before finishing on 20 league goals for the year. However, it would not be enough for promotion.

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League One's All-Time Top Goalscorers

Goals Scored, via Transfermarkt

1

Jamie Cureton

135

2

Ian Henderson

122

3

Will Grigg

116

4

Rickie Lambert

113

5

Paddy Madden

113

6

James Haytor

112

7

Jermaine Beckford

107

The term following he would improve upon those numbers, but again his 27 goals in League One could not push them over the line and they remained in the division. He would even claim the league's Player of the Year award as if to exacerbate his failure to earn promotion.

It would certainly be third time lucky for Beckford though, who added some creativity to his game to forge seven assists alongside his 25 goals. They would go up in second under Simon Grayson's leadership, cementing the forward's status as a "legend" in the eyes of reporter Anthony Lewis and much of the fanbase. 2010 was at last a good year to be a Leeds fan.

However, despite finally triumphing after years of relentlessly pushing, this would mark the end of his journey with the club he had clearly fallen in love with.

The finances looked no better despite moving up a level, and it almost seemed like the club owed something to the six-cap ex-Jamaica international when they cancelled his contract to allow him to move to Everton.

He would never score with the same consistency that he did at Leeds, but it would have marked an impossible task to maintain such ludicrous numbers.

Beckford is still remembered with fondness today, even despite the stain that his transfer requests left at the time, as he was the man who stuck with them despite all their struggles. The free-scoring forward was not to bail out on his club despite their failure to achieve promotion, only leaving once he'd finished what he started.

Grayson owes plenty of his success to the heroic forward, and were he in Farke's team today, Piroe would certainly have to step aside to let the promotion king do what he does best.