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Leeds United have Glasgow Rangers defensive midfielder Glen Kamara back "on the radar", and a reliable journalist has delivered an update on the future of two senior players at Elland Road.

How much did Rangers pay for Glen Kamara?

Back in 2019, Rangers purchased Kamara from Dundee FC for a reported £50,000 which is an absolute bargain and it’s fair to say that they have definitely got their money’s worth with the talisman having made a total of 193 appearances since putting pen to paper.

However, the 27-year-old was extremely out of favour last season having been handed just 12 starts in the Scottish Premiership which shows not only how low down in his manager’s pecking order he is but also that he’ll have to consider a move elsewhere should he want more regular game time, and his potential availability has alerted chiefs in Yorkshire.

Read The Latest Leeds Transfer News HERE…

Football Insider previously reported that the Whites had entered talks regarding a swoop for the Finland international, before the Daily Mail’s Transfer Confidential claimed that Daniel Farke’s side were weighing up an offer, though since then, speculation has been extremely quiet from the Championship outfit's point of view.

When asked about his star potentially completing a switch to LS11 during a recent public interview, Beale responded:

“There’s nothing in that, not at this moment”, and it looks like he left the door open to a future move for a reason if the following update is to be believed.

Are Leeds signing Glen Kamara?

Taking to X, Graham Smyth revealed that Leeds have reignited their interest in Kamara, whilst also delivering a brief update on the future of two first-team players at Elland Road. He wrote:

"Leeds United still hopeful of keeping Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra, despite the weekend's events. Glen Kamara back on the radar and an offer in for a striker."

Expanding in his column for The Yorkshire Evening Post, the reporter claimed that the 49ers are once again "exploring" the possibility of a swoop, because despite Adams looking like he'd stay, Bournemouth are believed to have since triggered his £20m release clause following his collapsed move to Chelsea.

How many goals has Glen Kamara scored?

Since the start of his career, Kamara has posted 31 goal contributions (20 assists and 11 goals) which is the aspect of his game he’s least strong in considering that he’s a defensive midfielder, but his natural role sitting in front of the backline previously saw him dubbed a “monster” by his former manager Steven Gerrard.

The StormSportsX client, who earns £21k-per-week, last season recorded an 89.4% pass success rate which was higher than any of the regular starters managed at Leeds, displaying his calmness and composure on the ball, not to mention that he also averaged one key pass per league game.

Kamara, sponsored by Nike, has additionally been recognised for his individual efforts on the international stage having been named Finland’s Footballer of the Year for 2022, so for someone who has proved themselves for both club and country, he could be a fantastic addition for Farke, and it looks as if it will be a deal to keep an eye on before the deadline.

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir insists the new 10-over format being piloted in Sharjah will have a positive effect on his bowling skills.Amir was the first player picked in the draft for Ten10 League in November, signed up Maratha Arabians. He has bowled six overs across the three matches for his franchise so far in the four-day competition at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. In that time, he has picked up just one wicket, but his economy-rate of 8.83 is relatively favourable. His two overs, which were worth 1 for 14 as Maratha Arabians defended 130 against Punjabi Legends on Saturday, were crucial to earning a semi-final place for the side.Amir reckons bowling 12 balls per game in T10 matches will make the other formats seem easy by comparison.”Definitely it will,” Amir said. “It is all about dot balls in this format. The more dot balls you bowl, the better your confidence gets. If you are not leaking runs in T10 cricket, then T20 cricket will seem like a very long format.”This is a high-pressure format, and if you do well here, you will feel less pressure in T20 cricket. In one way it is a very testing format for the bowlers.”It is very important to test your skills, because you have to think of every ball. So it is very important to bowl your yorkers and slower balls very well, because the batsmen are hitting the length balls very well.”A fast bowler has to use his pace very well and I am doing just that. I am also trying to bring in every possible variation in my bowling.”The fact Amir was the first player selected for the tournament was driven largely by Wasim Akram, who is the franchise’s mentor and coach. Ahead of the competition, Amir said he was looking forward to working with and learning from the former Pakistan left-arm quick, who is his idol.Wasim, too, backed Amir to be a match-winner in T10, and also said he expected Amir’s extended fallow spell in Test cricket to be only temporary.”As long as he has got the pace, and he is still only 25, I reckon he can get back into gear with one spell, a couple of quick wickets,” Wasim said last month. “I am not worried about him at all.”Amir, too, is optimistic about the future: “Test cricket is a totally different format. You have to bowl longer spells. Then you have the red ball to consider. Swinging conditions have to be considered. You cannot compare T20 cricket and Test cricket.”But as a professional you have to adapt to every possible condition. For Test cricket you have to have a different frame of mind, and you have to think differently in T20 cricket. Right now I am doing well thanks to Almighty Allah. My performance is getting better day by day. In cricket you have both good and bad days, but you have to keep the learning process going.”Maratha Arabians will will play their semi-final fixture against a Kerala Kings side that includes Eoin Morgan, Kieron Pollard and Shakib Al Hasan at 5.30pm on Sunday.In the other semi-final, starting at 7.45pm, Shahid Afridi’s Pakhtoons, the only undefeated team in the competition so far, will take on Punjabi Legends. The final is scheduled to start at 9.30pm. National.

West Ham United will "step up their interest in a range of players now" as they start to "make moves" in the transfer market following the sale of Declan Rice, claims journalist Paul Brown.

West Ham transfer news, what's the latest?

It was a hectic start to the transfer window this year for West Ham, not because they were signing players, but because they were negotiating the sale of club captain Rice to Arsenal for a new British record fee of £105m.

It would appear that this deal was taking up most of the East Londoners' resources as they haven't signed a single player yet, something that surely has to change going forward.

With the club now without their midfield lynchpin and flush with cash, it's hardly surprising to see that most of the players they're linked to occupy the space vacated by Rice.

A name that has followed them all the way through the Rice saga has been Fulham's Joao Palhinha.

The Portuguese international has had an unbelievable debut season in the league for the Cottagers and, because of that, has become a player that the Irons would very much like to buy as a replacement for their departed star.

Unfortunately, potentially knowing the kind of money the Hammers have, the West London side reportedly valued their star player at an eye-watering £60m, which might prove too much for West Ham, even with the Rice money burning a hole in their pocket.

Although, the Hammers have bid for Conor Gallagher, though it was rejected by Chelsea.

Earlier this month, the Guardian reported that the Conference League champions were keeping tabs on several midfielders, notably Scott McTominay, Denis Zakaria, Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse, and Amadou Onana.

That said, the club wants to target other areas of the squad over the coming weeks.

What did Paul Brown say about West Ham's transfer business?

Brown outlined the areas he believed would be targeted by the Irons before saying he expects them to up their activity in the market as we advance.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "I think West Ham want two midfielders, a defender and a forward if at all possible. Wherever the money stretches to buying four players, this window we'll see.

"But I think that's the ideal outcome really for West Ham and I think you'll see them start to make moves in the transfer market and step up interest in a range of players now."

Who have West Ham been linked to this summer?

On the striker front, Football Insider have reported that the Hammers have placed Armando Broja and Youssef En-Nesyri on a shortlist of forwards that they could try to sign.

It wouldn't be the first time the club have tried to bring Chelsea's Broja to the London Stadium, having had a £30m bid rejected in July 2022, per the Guardian.

The Albanian international had a quiet year compared to 2021/22 as he stayed in West London, playing just 12 Premier League games, 1 EFL Cup game and five Champions League games for the Blues.

With a contract set to last until June 2028, it would likely take much more than the £30m offered last year to convince the Pensioners to sell their young striker.

On the defensive side of things, Football Insider also reported that the Hammers are currently in the 'lead' in the race to sign former Manchester United captain Harry Maguire as he's deemed excess to requirements at the Red Devils.

However, the main stumbling block for all interested parties is the player's mammoth £190,000-a-week wages, which would be more than the Irons would be willing to pay.

Whatever happens, it'll be interesting to see just how much of the Rice money West Ham reinvests into their squad this summer, but they better get a move on as they have just over a month left.

Newcastle United's summer transfer is up and running, with Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes enriching the ranks at St. James's Park; now, Southampton's Tino Livramento could be the next to make the move to Tyneside.

Does Tino Livramento have a buyback clause?

According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are preparing to re-enter negotiations for the starlet after failing with their first offer, though Southampton are believed to be reluctant to sell one of their most coveted assets.

talkSPORT have also claimed that Saints will demand £50m for the 20-year-old full-back after turning down an initial £30m approach from the Magpies, and the completion of the deal now lies in whether a happy medium can be found between the respective clubs.

Having arrived at St. Mary's from Chelsea for just £5m in 2021, Livramento spent the majority of the 22/23 campaign on the sidelines, but with the Blues holding a £25m buyback clause, Southampton are demanding any further bids to eclipse that price

How good is Tino Livramento?

The five-cap England U21 international was a consistent performer for Southampton across the 21/22 campaign, earning an average Sofascore rating of 6.85 across his 28 Premier League appearances, completing 79% of his passes from his marauding role, averaging 1.9 tackles and 1.7 clearances and interceptions, and succeeding with 62% of his ground duels.

This level of precocity is exactly why Newcastle are so desperate to acquire his services, with England manager Gareth Southgate even heralding his "excellent" start to the campaign.

Livramento's former Saints teammate Theo Walcott was also left astounded by his development, even likening him to Gareth Bale, who came through the Saints youth academy before signing for Tottenham in a £12m deal in 2007.

Walcott said: "Do you know what, he reminds me a little bit of Gareth Bale when he came through as a full-back. That's a big statement of course to compare him to someone like that but just feel like his presence and the way he drives and the pace and the power and it's no surprises that you know what he's going to do."

Bale would go on to sign for Real Madrid in an £85m transfer in 2013 – a world record at the time – plundering 173 direct contributions from 258 matches and notably winning five Champions League trophies and three LaLiga titles.

It's a big call from Walcott to predict Livramento could emulate the former Wales international, but he boasts the skills to cement his stature as a "top-class" – as he has already been called by talent scout Jacek Kulig – flanker over the next decade.

Bale averaged 1.7 dribbles and 1.5 key passes per match across the duration of his career, as per WhoScored, and while Livramento only averaged 0.7 key passes and 1.1 dribbles across the 21/22 league term, there is clearly a base to his skill set that can be enhanced and shaped over the coming years.

Indeed, like the Saints youngster, Bale also started as a flying full-back becoming one of the game's great wide players. That is a path well trodden for players of a similar ilk in modern football, and Livarmento will hope he can tread along a similar path to success.

indeed, under Howe's wing at Newcastle, he could be placed into a thriving crop capable of unlocking his potential and guiding him into the top stratosphere of talent on the European stage.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has recalled Raphael Varane to his starting XI for Tuesday's crunch Champions League tie with Bayern Munich.

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• Varane back in from the cold
• Starts alongside Harry Maguire in defence
• Will come up against Harry Kane at Old Trafford

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ten Hag has raised a few eyebrows with his team selection for United's must-win Champions League tie against Bayern Munich. The Dutchman has recalled Varane to his starting XI for the first time since United's 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on October 24. The Frenchman starts alongside Harry Maguire in the heart of the Red Devils' defence. Ten Hag has opted to use Jonny Evans, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof ahead of Varane recently and has previously said he has dropped the World Cup winner for "tactical reasons."

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• THE EXPLANATION

  Ten Hag explained his decision to bring Varane back in from the cold in an interview with TNT Sports before kick-off. He said: "You see his quality. We need strong defending today. He's very experienced. Together with Harry [Maguire] he will be playing in the centre-half positions. Especially against Bayern, we need to defend very strongly and as we all know, he's a very strong defender."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Kane has been involved in nine goals in his last 11 appearances against United in all competitions (five goals, four assists). He could become the first English player to score a Champions League goal at Old Trafford for a team other than Manchester United.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR VARANE?

  United's clash with Bayern offers Varane a great opportunity to try and force his way back into the team. The defender has been linked with a move away from the club in the January transfer window but is believed to be in no rush to leave. Varane will certainly have his work cut out against Bayern, with the Bavarian giants naming a strong team including Harry Kane, Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman.

Joe Root admitted England had let a ‘golden opportunity’ to claim a first global one-day title slip away when they slumped to defeat against Pakistan

Andrew McGlashan15-Jun-20172:35

Agarkar: Pakistan bowlers’ lengths made the difference

Joe Root admitted England had let a huge opportunity to claim a first global one-day title slip away when they slumped to defeat against Pakistan, but coach Trevor Bayliss believes that finishing in the semi-finals reflected where the team currently stands.Having completed the group stage as the only unbeaten side, England were brought crashing to earth by a superlative Pakistan bowling performance on a pitch which pushed their batting order out of their comfort zone. From the moment of Root’s dismissal in the 28th over, they lost 8 for 83 in 22 overs, hitting just three boundaries after the 30-over mark.For Root, this was the third near-miss of his career, following the 2013 Champions Trophy final against India and last year’s World T20 final against West Indies, leaving England to focus on the 2019 World Cup – also on home soil – to break their duck in 50-over tournaments.”It was a golden chance for us to win something and all we can do now is keep looking towards that World Cup and use this as a really good platform,” Root said. “Throughout the whole time, Morgs [Eoin Morgan] and the rest of the guys know that we’re not the finished article but we have made huge steps and huge strides.”We’ve got to continue to do that and we’ve got to work out ways where we can get on the right side of these results and in scenarios when things aren’t favourable to us. It is a good learning curve for us but we’ve got to keep the same drive that we’ve had over the last 18 months to keep getting better so that, when that World Cup does come round, we’re in the best shape possible and give ourselves the best chance of really contending that final.”Bayliss, who took charge in the summer of 2015, following England’s embarrassing group stage exit at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, was more sanguine about the exit despite his team’s most laboured effort with the bat since they threw caution to the wind two years ago.”I know you guys had us down as the favourites here, but that certainly wasn’t out of the team or from my point of view. Where we finished, third or fourth, is probably about right at the moment, we’ve still got a lot of work to do and we know that, but it is what we’re building towards.”I’m still very disappointed we didn’t win against Pakistan, I thought we’d been playing well enough to win, but we came up against a good side that played well.”The issue of whether England had lost their home advantage due to the abrasive nature of the used pitch at Cardiff did not come into the players’ minds, according to Bayliss. Though he did cite conditions as one of the key factors in the match, he also credited the way Pakistan’s bowlers hit the correct lengths for the pitch.”It is just the way it is, you’ve got to play on different wickets wherever, sometimes at home and sometimes away,” he said. “It is just one of those areas where we’ve got to improve at.”I think the conditions did have a part to play and I thought the Pakistanis used them extremely well. I thought the lengths they bowled were what most teams try to achieve, there was very few half-volleys and very few long-hops, and that is something that we’ve spoken about.”Bayliss backed his team to brush off their disappointment over the next few days and focus on the second half of the season. There are three T20s against South Africa next week – the squad featuring a new of new names – leading into a four-Test series. Then, in August, West Indies arrive for a multi-format tour.”One of the good things with this team is that we have played worse than this over the last couple of years, been knocked over easily in games and it doesn’t seem to affect them,” he said. “That is one of the reasons why we will keep competing at this level because they can put it to the back of their minds and go out and play their natural way the next time.”For Root, there is an immediate challenge to focus his mind as he prepares to begin his England Test captaincy. He was handed the job in February, but with the focus on one-day cricket, it has taken a back seat until now. Root is rested from the T20s against South Africa so the next time he pulls on an England shirt it will be the Lord’s Test against South Africa.”That is exciting, but I haven’t really thought about it too much over the last week or so,” Root said. “Certainly over the next couple of weeks I’ll get my head around that and all the challenges it will bring. More importantly the opportunities it will bring as well. There is plenty to look forward to and plenty to play for.”

Manchester United manager Marc Skinner will explore the transfer market in January to bolster their squad.

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• Skinner vows to explore transfer market in January
• Will raid NWSL for quality players
• Man Utd seven points behind leaders Chelsea

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United manager reassured fans that the club will explore the transfer market in the January transfer window and will try to sign the "right players". Skinner even claimed that they are planning to raid the U.S. market in search of quality players as they are trying to bridge the gap with league leaders Chelsea.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  A disappointing defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Manchester City in the first derby of the season further increased the gap between the Red Devils and the Blues. Meanwhile, Chelsea's 4-1 win over Liverpool took their points tally to 19, seven more than Skinner's side.

• WHAT MARC SKINNER SAID

  Speaking to reporters, Skinner said: "For sure, we'll be exploring, whether it's the NWSL or other areas also out of season. I don't think I've stood still ever since I've been here. If you look at my recruitment, we've moved every season because we have to bridge this gap that we've been put into based on only being around five seasons. We don't use that as an excuse. We're building and bridging, trying to invest and progress. Yes, we're looking in this window. If the right players become available, hopefully, we can do the business we need to, to bring them in.

  "It didn't help at the start of the year we took three ACL injuries. I think you'd have really enjoyed watching Emma Watson this season. I think she would have played a lot and excited fans. Obviously Gabby [George] gives us a balance in the back-line. We've gone down to five defenders with Aoife [Mannion] and Evie [Rabjohn] also being out. It is tougher and that's the rationale of where we're at. We do need to look at areas to invest and grow the squad out and compete."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  United will aim to get back to winning ways against Liverpool in the FA WSL Cup on Wednesday, before their focus shifts to a clash with rock-bottom side Bristol City in the WSL four days later.

Australia are gearing up for Tests against a team that has not lost at home in over four years – India; England are undergoing generational change as Joe Root takes over from Alastair Cook; South Africa’s preparations for the Champions Trophy have seen them reach No.1 on the ODI rankings and they are now fine-tuning against the No. 3 side – New Zealand; Pakistan are in the midst of their T20 showpiece, and Zimbabwe? Zimbabwe are about to play Afghanistan for the fourth time in three years. Welcome to the future of cricket.This is what things could look like post the current FTP, when, if the 9-3 Test split is agreed upon, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan will become even more familiar with each other than they already are. Ireland will join their club, and although all three of them should be able to look forward to regular fixtures against their other nine Full Members, they will have to get used to forming a second tier of sorts. Afghanistan and Ireland won’t mind too much – it is their chance to play with the big boys – but Zimbabwe are understood to be more than just a little put out by the prospect.They already feel like outsiders looking in, and their fixture list will keep them that way. Zimbabwe are not due to play anyone until July, when they should visit Sri Lanka. They host West Indies before heading into the World Cup qualifiers next March, and unless their fixture list fills up fast, they will be woefully short of match time. That is why they are reaching out to Afghanistan – and are also reportedly in talks with Scotland – and why they are trying to play against as many A teams as possible.Zimbabwe need matches, and they need them desperately if only to figure out who their best are. To say they have very little idea of that is putting it mildly. To that end, Zimbabwe have named a squad that includes six changes from the one that played in a triangular series against Sri Lanka and West Indies in November. That’s almost half the squad that is different, and it suggests they are still very much in a look-and-see phase.The most notable exclusions are Hamilton Masakadza, Tinashe Panyangara and Sean Williams, who all failed fitness tests. Williams has a back injury and should be recalled upon recovery, provided he passes a second test while Panyangara, who has not played any cricket since the tri-series, will retake his test on Friday. Chamu Chibhabha and Brian Chari have struggled for form, although Chari scored an unbeaten 84 in the most recent round of List A matches.In their places, Zimbabwe have picked from some of their most in-form players from the series against Afghanistan A. Although they lost 1-4, Ryan Burl was the highest run-scorer with 266 runs at 53.20 and could not be ignored. Burl notched up over 100 runs more than his nearest challenger, Innocent Kaia, also from Zimbabwe, who was not selected. Instead, Zimbabwe looked to add bowlers who performed against Afghanistan A despite an obvious lack of penetration. Tendai Chatara and Nathan Waller were their joint highest wicket-takers with six each, and fourth overall. They were picked alongside Wellington Masakadza, 19-year old left-arm seamer Richard Ngarava, and Solomon Mire, whose return is the most interesting.Afghanistan have proven that they can challenge established international outfits, and this series will give them the chance to make another case for more matches•Peter Della Penna

Mire was talked up as the next big thing – a Lance Klusener of sorts – ahead of the 2015 World Cup. He played five matches and did not make anything like the impact he was expected to before choosing to stay in Australia and play grade cricket. He has only recently returned to Zimbabwe and made himself available for international cricket.The indication is that Zimbabwe need someone (else) in the Elton Chigumbura mould so that if Chigumbura, who has most recently played as a batsman only, needs to be dropped, they don’t lack a seam-bowling allrounder. Mire’s worth is chief among all the things Zimbabwe want this series to reveal.So is appeasing the country’s sports minister, who has voiced his disapproval with the state of Zimbabwean cricket to the point where he has asked for “something drastic” to take place to improve things. “We are extremely worried by the performance of our cricket teams, especially when they are playing Associate nations,” Makhosini Hlongwane, the sports minister, was quoted as saying in . “Zimbabwe should work hard to improve its rankings among Test-playing nations and should move away from being the whipping boys of cricket.”That’s not an exaggeration, and Afghanistan are the best evidence of it. Zimbabwe have played Afghanistan in three ODI series since July 2014 and not won any of them. They drew the first, 2-2 at home, lost the second 3-2, also at home, and were then defeated 3-2 in Sharjah in the third. Zimbabwe may take heart from the level of competitiveness they showed in all those rubbers – they came back from 2-nil down to draw level in the UAE – but the fact that even their A side has struggled against Afghanistan’s next-best does not bode well for World Cup qualification, especially as Afghanistan will be one of the teams they will be up against.Afghanistan have already shown they have enough in the tank to challenge some of the more established international outfits and recently narrowly lost a series to Bangladesh 1-2. They don’t even need the A sides and their international outfit to overlap as much as Zimbabwe do and could leave out the top three wicket-takers from the A team’s recent win in Zimbabwe – Nawaz Khan, Abdullah Adil and Fazal Niazai – for the series proper. They have called on Aftab Alam and Samiullah Shenwari to join the ranks.With recent history on their side, Afghanistan can only look to this series as another opportunity to make a case to be considered for more matches. They already have recent developments at the ICC on their side. If the ODI league and new Test structure materialise, Afghanistan and Ireland will be the greatest beneficiaries, and unless Zimbabwe step up soon, they may find that even those two countries don’t want to have too much to do with them.

Tottenham Hotspur could well be set to rekindle their interest in Eintrach Frankfurt defender, Evan Ndicka, with the Lilywhites having previously been linked with the Frenchman back in January.

What's the latest on Ndicka to Tottenham?

According to journalist Fabrice Hawkins, the north London outfit are seemingly set to rival the likes of Roma and AC Milan for the signing of the 23-year-old, with the promising centre-back set to be a free agent when his contract expires later this month.

Writing on Twitter, the transfer insider revealed: "AC Milan has made a contractual offer to Evan Ndicka, 3 M € / year over 5 years. Scalable salary.

"Roma offers 4 M € / year over a period of 5 years. For the moment the Italians are in the best position to sign him. He also had contacts with Tottenham."

This follows reports from Germany back in the winter window that suggested Spurs had held talks regarding the signing of the Paris-born rock, with the 6 foot 4 ace having spent the last five years with the Bundesliga outfit.

Who is Evan Ndicka?

The former Auxerre ace could well represent a real upgrade on Clement Lenglet at N17 for new boss Ange Postecoglou, with recent reports suggesting that the on-loan Frenchman is unlikely to be signed on a permanent deal this summer.

Having been snapped up on a temporary basis from Barcelona ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, the 27-year-old formed part of a defence that shipped 63 league goals in 2022/23, an increase of 23 goals in contrast to the previous season.

While the one-time Sevilla man can not be solely blamed for those woes, it is telling that Tottenham were only able to keep one league clean sheet from his 26 Premier League outings, having notably been described as an "imposter" by ex-Spurs midfielder, Jamie O'Hara.

The addition of Ndicka then could well represent a dream replacement for the £145k-per-week dud, with the "phenomenal" talent – as previously hailed by former boss Adi Hutter – notably helping to keep six clean sheets from his 30 league appearances.

A left-footed option, like Lenglet, the younger man appeared to enjoy a far better season than his compatriot having achieved an average match rating of 6.81, as per Sofascore, while the Spurs loanee was only able to average 6.65 – ranking 20th among his teammates.

The Frankfurt ace appears to offer greater quality at defending his own box as he ranks in the top 17% for clearances and the top 20% for blocks made among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues, while Lenglet, by contrast, ranks in just the bottom 19% and the bottom 40% for those same two metrics, respectively.

According to journalist Christopher Michel, Ndicka also represents an "exciting complete package" as he is also "extremely goal-threatening", having scored 12 goals and provided ten assists in 183 games for his current side, while Lenglet, by contrast also boasts a tally of 22 goal involvements throughout his club career, albeit from over 350 appearances.

That would indicate that the signing of the £20k-per-week sensation could be the defensive upgrade that Postecoglou is in need of.

Everton defender Conor Cody has admitted he shied away from a confrontation with Erling Haaland during a Premier League game.

What happened between Conor Cody and Erling Haaland?

It looks as though this is destined to be a pretty amazing debut season in English football for the prolific goalscorer.

Indeed, Haaland has won the league, the FA Cup, and could make it a treble if Manchester City beat Inter in the Champions League final this week.

In that period of 52 games, the 22-year-old also happens to have scored 52 goals as well as provided nine assists – remarkable stuff really.

It’s no surprise then, that he’s scored one goal each time he played Everton this term, netting both home and away this term. However, in the match at the Etihad, you could say Ben Godfrey rattled Haaland somewhat.

Indeed, the defender opted to be rather physical on the day and succeeded in getting under his skin – as shown by this footage of the City striker pulling a funny face during the game.

While talking about the match on BBC Sounds recently though, Godfrey’s teammate Coady has now spoken about the incident from his point of view.

The Englishman said: “What was funny about it, there’s a little story to that. So we obviously said Ben’s a big strong lad, isn’t he?

“And we obviously said we’ll try and get into him [Haaland] a little bit. Do you know what I mean? Make him feel that he’s in a game. And so Ben, about 30 seconds in gave him a bit, stood on the back of his foot or whatever it was and Haaland stayed down for a little bit.

“So Haaland didn’t know who it was, right? So I’m stood in the middle of a back three and I’m trying to talk, next minute he’s walking towards me.

“Big massive fella, isn’t he? So as he’s walking towards me, I’m looking at him, and he went: ‘was that you?’ and I said ‘no, it was him’ [pointing at Godfrey] and he went ‘ok’ and walked off!”

What did Godfrey say about his fight with Haaland?

It’s clear from Cody’s facial expression that he wanted absolutely no part of any sort of fight with the sizeable Haaland at that particular moment.

You can hardly blame him either as the Man City star has bullied defenders up and down England this term, breaking the Premier League record for the most goals scored in a signed season with his 36 strikes.

At least Godfrey enjoyed the ball, telling TV after (via TalkSport): “Godfrey also said he enjoyed the battle, commenting: “I don’t need to tell you Erling Haaland’s a good player. I just had to do my job.

“Yeah of course he was [upset]. You could see his reaction. He got his goal and is always causing people problems and it’s those challenges you have to look forward to.”