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Leeds United are eyeing a late move for Sheffield United defender John Egan, according to The Daily Express.

The Lowdown: Egan profiled

The 26-cap Republic of Ireland international has been with the Blades since 2018 and is under contract until 2024.

The 29-year-old is primarily a centre-back but can also play as a full-back and has lined out on 174 occasions for his current employers.

Labelled by Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny as someone who could “play in the Champions League”, Egan has previous Premier League experience, and it looks as if Leeds are keen on a late move.

The Latest: Leeds interest

According to The Daily Express, Leeds are pushing to bring Egan to Elland Road before tonight’s deadline.

The Whites are thought to be considering an offer and feel they could prise him away from Bramall Lane.

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The Verdict: Not needed

Jesse Marsch’s side are well-stocked at centre-back at this moment in time with four senior options.

One area where they are fairly light is in attack, especially following an injury to Rodrigo on Tuesday, so it would make sense for a new forward to arrive today instead of a defender.

Only time will tell if Victor Orta has one last summer window deal in him, and if he does, supporters may be hoping it is for an attacker, even though it won’t be Cody Gakpo, rather than Egan.

Former Premier League goalkeeper now pundit Paddy Kenny has been left reacting to some Glasgow Rangers news that he has heard on John Lundstram.

The Lowdown: New deal?

As per The Daily Record, the Ibrox outfit will ‘almost certainly’ try to get Lundstram to sign a new deal, as he has become a ‘cult hero’ at the club.

His current contract with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team expires in 2024, so they will want to protect his value with only two years left to run.

The Latest: Kenny reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Kenny has since given his reaction to the news that he has heard on Lundstram, with the 44-year-old claiming that a new deal would be deserved for him:

“He has done so well, hasn’t he?

“He started so well, and he has already scored some really important goals for Rangers. It’s a no-brainer. That is the term I would use.

“It makes sense to get him onto a longer deal. They don’t want to lose him as he is a key player. I saw a lot of him at Sheffield United.

“I say I saw him, that last season was during lockdown, so it was all on the TV. I still watched every week, and he always impressed me.

“I was gutted to lose him as a Sheffield United fan, but I’m pleased to see he is thriving up in Scotland.”

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The Verdict: Get it done

With just two years left remaining, a new contract is simply a must for Lundstram.

The central midfielder has not missed a single game in the Scottish Premiership or UEFA Champions League so far this season when he has been available (Transfermarkt), highlighting how key pf a player he is for Van Bronckhorst.

Nonetheless, he has also ranked highly among his teammates in the league for average tackles, interceptions, clearances, shots, key passes and dribbles per match (WhoScored), showing that he contributes heavily both in attack and defensively, and so the Gers will want to make sure that he stays at the club for as long as possible.

Nottingham Forest are in pole position to sign Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi in January, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Second attempt considered

The 29-year-old has now entered the final 12 months of his deal with the Italian side, meaning that a move in the New Year could be an option if he fails to renew his contract before that time.

The Reds were credited with an interest in the Ukrainian over the summer, alongside Premier League rivals West Ham, but decided against their pursuit due to the €50m (£45m) asking price.

However, Evangelos Marinakis could now be looking to take a second bite of the cherry in the winter market, and it’s sounding positive for Steve Cooper’s side.

The Latest: Forest in pole position

According to Italian journalist Paolo Bargiggia, speaking to 7 Gold (via Area Napoli and Sport Witness), Forest are currently leading the race for Malinovskyi.

He said:

“Malinovskyi, in all probability, will leave Atalanta. His future could be in England. 60% he will go to Nottingham Forest, 30% to West Ham, another club interested in the player. 10% for other possible destinations.”

The Verdict: No brainer

Cooper already has the likes of Jesse Lingard and Morgan Gibbs-White at his disposal, but should a cut-price deal become available, Malinovskyi is surely a no-brainer of a signing to make.

Possessing a ‘weapon’ of a left foot, as explained by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the attacker is a huge threat in the final third having netted 30 goals and registered 27 assists during his time with Atalanta (Transfermarkt).

Forest’s new signings aren’t yet gelling given they are second from bottom in relegation, but Malinovskyi could be just the man they’ve been looking for to improve their record in between the posts.

Glasgow Rangers roared back from a terrible September where the Ibrox outfit lost three out of their four matches, to briefly go top of the Premiership table on Saturday afternoon.

A 4-0 away win at Hearts was an excellent way to bounce back following the international break and will give Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men confidence heading into tomorrow’s trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Champions League.

There are still a few problem issues, however, with constant changes to the right-wing position, despite signing Rabbi Matondo in the summer.

A former Rangers favourite and Pedro Caixinha signing would certainly help solve this ongoing problem.

Daniel Candeias would be ideal in 2022

Scott Wright has been deployed out on the right at times this season to no avail, with the 25-year-old making only one goal contribution in six matches while failing to secure himself the position permanently.

Even Matondo, with three league assists, hasn’t quite lit up Ibrox as of yet, playing just 292 minutes of league football. It is still early days for the Welshman, but Van Bronckhorst needs his wingers to be on top of their game in order to fit with his playing style.

Candeias, who signed for the Light Blues in the summer of 2017, would certainly shine in this current Rangers setup, especially with his work rate and eye for goal.

The Portuguese winger scored goals in important matches for the club, netting against Spartak Moscow in the Europa League and against Celtic domestically, proving he had that big game mentality.

Overall, he scored 14 times and grabbed a further 25 assists in just 97 matches for the club, a more than respectable record, especially from a wide position.

Former Rangers first-team coach Michael Beale, who worked with Candeias for a season, praised him when the winger left the club, saying that “he had a few big moments in a Rangers shirt” and he certainly lit up Ibrox with some wonderful pieces of wizardry in offensive areas.

It’s that kind of dynamism out on the right that hasn’t been forthcoming regularly from Wright or Matondo this term, so how they must dream of a Candeias-shaped player in that role.

He eventually left the Ibrox side to move to Turkey in 2019 and is currently playing for Alanyaspor in the Turkish top flight and still performing at 34 years of age, grabbing a goal and assist in just seven matches this season.

The winger perhaps moved on from the Gers far too soon, but his time in Glasgow was a memorable one and he could certainly fit well into Van Bronckhorst’s current system with a lack of numbers from those on the flanks.

Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth was a busy man throughout the summer transfer window as he attempted to improve Eddie Howe’s squad.

The former Brighton chief brought in Alexander Isak, Sven Botman, Nick Pope and Matt Targett on permanent deals to bolster the manager’s options across the park.

However, the Magpies chief did not manage to recruit any players in the attacking midfield or wide areas despite targeting talent in those positions.

One player the club were reportedly interested in signing was Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, who Graeme Bailey claimed was Newcastle’s number one attacking target.

Ashworth was unable to secure a deal for the France international as the attacker ultimately opted to remain in Germany to compete in the Bundesliga this season and the club did not bring in an alternative before the window slammed shut.

The Frenchman has gone on to score one goal and provide three assists in nine appearances for Leverkusen in the German top-flight this season, after producing an eye-catching 13 goals and 12 assists in the division last term.

Newcastle’s failure to sign a winger may have left supporters worrying about a potential lack of end product from the existing options in that area of the pitch.

In the 2021/22 campaign, Jacob Murphy, Miguel Almiron, and Ryan Fraser produced four goals and five assists from a combined 90 appearances in the Premier League.

However, Howe has worked his magic on the training pitch and has struck gold by unearthing the best of Almiron for Newcastle in the top-flight.

The Paraguay international has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.16 in the division across nine appearances and has found the back of the net four times, whilst winning 55% of his individual duels.

Reach editor Adam Musgrove recently claimed that the £42k-per-week gem is “riding on a wave of confidence” and that he “looks like a totally different player” for the Magpies this season.

Almiron’s statistics back that up as he only scored once in 30 Premier League outings last term and averaged a dismal, in comparison to his current form, SofaScore rating of 6.68.

The difference in his form between last season and this campaign is night and day and a credit to him and Howe for the hard work that has seemingly gone on behind the scenes to extract the best out of the former MLS man on the pitch.

He has as many goal contributions (four) as Diaby in the same number of league matches (nine) so far this term and his transformation under Howe should be allaying any fears supporters had when the club failed to sign a winger in the summer.

Celtic have been blessed with a plethora of elite talent over the years, although few names have captured the imagination quite as successfully as that of cult figure, Lubomir Moravcik, with the former Slovakia international having gone from puzzling acquisition to instant hero.

The Hoops – then managed by the playmaker’s compatriot Josef Venglos – had made what at the time appeared something of a bizarre move to sign the ageing menace, with the Old Firm outfit forking out a reported fee of around £300k to land the 33-year-old from German outfit MSV Duisburg in 1998.

That addition had memorably been questioned by pundit Hugh Keevins in his column for the Daily Mail at the time, as he wrote that it was ‘laughable’ that the Glasgow side had splashed the cash on the ‘unknown’ veteran.

Keevins – who later admitted his fault – would be made to eat his words, however, as Moravick went on dazzle in the green and white jersey, proving something of a bargain despite the initial reservations of his arrival, with journalist John Traynor also noting the “embarrassment” of making such a move at the time.

The fleet-footed forward would make an instant impression in his new surroundings to help quash the doubters, stealing the show on his derby debut against bitter rivals Rangers at Parkhead in November 1998.

That outing against the Gers saw the one-time Bastia man sparkle as the midfielder netted a brilliant brace in what was a thumping 5-1 victory, producing a stunning strike from just outside the box, before adding to his tally with a powerful, bullet header.

Something of a “maverick” figure – in the words of former teammate Chris Sutton – the 5 foot 8 genius reportedly celebrated that clinical display in amusing fashion, with Mark Burchill stating: “Who’s standing on the corner waiting for a taxi eating the biggest burger I have ever seen? Lubomir Moravcik. On his own, no family. He’d walked out the stadium, walked 150 yards and bought this burger.”

That tale seemingly epitomised the down-to-earth and nonchalant manner of the player, with the one-time Saint-Etienne man having unsurprisingly become a much-loved figure at Paradise, even being dubbed a ‘gift from God’ by some quarters.

The affectionately named ‘Lubo’ would go on to enjoy four sparkling years in Scottish football, scoring 35 goals and winning two league titles in that time, proving a constant thorn in the side of the club’s Ibrox foes as he also netted another brace in the Glasgow derby in April 2001.

The creative genius would bring to an end his time at Parkhead a year later after making a move to Japan to reunite with the aforementioned Venglos, although the club’s love affair with Moravcik still lives on today.

In truth, Celtic truly did strike gold with their initial, low-cost investment.

West Brom have held at least two interviews with Carlos Corberan, according to journalist Alex Crook.

The Lowdown: Manager search accelerating…

The Baggies appear to have picked up the pace when it comes to bringing in Steve Bruce’s successor following Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat to Bristol City.

Simon Stone stated on Wednesday that West Brom are closing in on a new manager, with Corberan the first to be interviewed for the vacancy. An update has now emerged on the attacking 4-3-3 style boss, who is currently out of work.

The Latest: Crook’s update

Crook took to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon to share an update from West Brom.

He said that ‘Corberan has had at least two interviews’ and added that Plymouth Argyle’s Steven Schumacher is ‘also admired’.

The Verdict: Corberan the man?

It looks as if Corberan could well be leading the race to take over at The Hawthorns, with club officials speaking with the Spaniard on more than one occasion.

The Baggies won’t have to worry about a compensation fee as the 39-year-old is out of work, so a move could go through relatively quickly.

If he does make a return to England with a move to the Midlands, West Brom will be hoping he can replicate his work at Huddersfield after he took the Terriers to the Championship playoff final last season, and not his time at Olympiacos where he lasted just 11 games in charge.

Astle suffered a groin injury during the New Zealanders’ warm-up match against Board President’s XI on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2017

A groin strain has ruled Todd Astle out of New Zealand’s squad for their ODI and T20I tour of India. Fellow legspinner Ish Sodhi, who was initially only named in the T20I squad, will replace Astle in the ODI squad.Astle suffered the injury during the New Zealanders’ tour game against Board President’s XI at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday, walking off the field after bowling just three balls. According to an NZC release, a scan confirmed Astle had suffered a tear to his right side, which would rule him out for around three weeks.The ODI series begins on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.ODI squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, George Worker.

One observation from Southampton’s promising summer transfer window is the relative lack of attacking additions by Ralph Hasenhuttl, but the Austrian could find the missing piece of the jigsaw in Chris Wood in January.

The New Zealand international looks set to be surplus to requirements at Newcastle United following their club-record signing of Alexander Isak, with Callum Wilson also ahead of the former Burnley man in the pecking order.

This could open the door to a move to Southampton, who are struggling for goals once again this season in the top flight, with just 11 to their name so far.

In a recent interview with GiveMeSport, journalist Dean Jones suggested that Wood could be an option for the Saints in the January transfer window.

He said: “I guess it will depend on the type of manager they end up getting in if Hasenhuttl does go. But there’s no doubt that this team lack goal threat and Chris Wood might fit the bill.”

The 30-year-old would surely provide a goal threat in Hasenhuttl’s side, having scored 138 senior goals in his club career so far, including 52 in the Premier League with Burnley and Newcastle United, who he joined in a £25m deal last season.

During his time at Leeds United, for whom he scored 44 goals in just 88 appearances, former Whites manager Garry Monk described Wood as a “natural goalscorer”, which could be the difference this season if the Saints find themselves in another relegation battle.

Che Adams is currently Southampton’s top scorer with three in the Premier League, but the Scotland international has never hit double figures in the top flight, which suggests that Hasenhuttl needs reinforcements in attack if his side are to start picking up more wins.

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Southampton have the top-flight’s second youngest squad and Wood could provide some much-needed experience in the front line. He would also add an aerial presence that the Saints arguably lack, as his 6.6 aerial duels won per game with Newcastle last season is significantly better than the 2.6 per game for Adams this term, which is the best of any Southampton player.

Therefore, if Wood is available in a potential cut-price deal during the summer, then he is certainly someone that Southampton should consider bringing in, as Hasenhuttl arguably needs a goalscoring focal point in his team.

West Ham United have been handed a huge injury boost ahead of their Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace this weekend.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Claret & Hugh, with the West Ham insider revealing in a recent post that, after missing the Hammers’ last eight fixtures in all competitions due to a lower leg injury, Maxwel Cornet is finally back in contention for a place in the first-team squad for the visit of the Eagles on Sunday.

In their post, the club insider wrote: “Maxwel Cornet has a chance of returning to the Hammers squad for the match against Crystal Palace at the weekend.

“The former Burnley winger was injured in the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on October 1 and his recovery has been delayed from the two weeks put on his [layoff] soon after. However, we understand that the 26-year-old has a chance of returning to the squad for the Palace game.”

Big boost

Considering just how stuttering Cornet’s start to life at West Ham has been since his £17.5m move to the London Stadium this summer, the news that the winger could be back in contention for the visit of Palace this weekend will undoubtedly come as a big boost to David Moyes.

Indeed, despite having only started one Premier League fixture in 2022/23 – largely as a result of injury – the £32m-rated talent has shown glimpses of his ability in the Europa Conference League, registering one assist over his two appearances in the competition, as well as making an average of 3.0 key passes – the second highest tally in the entire competition – and taking 0.5 shots per game.

These returns have seen the 26-year-old average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Moyes’ fifth-best performer in the European competition.

Furthermore, the Ivory Coast international also caught the eye over his 26 Premier League appearances for Burnley last term, scoring nine goals, providing one assist and creating two big chances, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots, making 0.6 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the attacker average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.84, ranking him as the Clarets’ 11th-best performer in the top flight of English football last time out.

As such, it is clear to see that a fully fit and firing Cornet is an extremely useful option for Moyes to be able to call upon, leading us to believe that the winger’s return for the meeting with Palace would come as a big boost to the 59-year-old manager – especially with two winnable fixtures prior to the World Cup break.