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Leeds United target Lewis Pirie is set to travel to Yorkshire for a medical imminently, as reports in Scotland reveal further details on the 16 year-old's agreement with the Whites.

Who are Leeds signing in 2023?

Daniel Farke looks set for an extremely busy summer once the takeover is officially signed and sealed, with the new boss sure to want to overhaul the squad and reshape it in his image.

The Elland Road outfit have brought in Nick Hammond as interim football advisor to dictate transfer activity this summer, and a number of outgoings are expected in Yorkshire to start with, as centre-back Robin Koch has already secured a move away after joining Eintracht Frankfurt, while Brenden Aaronson and Marc Roca are not thought to be too far behind.

In terms of potential signings, Phil Hay reports that a new goalkeeper, left-back, centre-back, midfielder and forward could all arrive, and the reliable reporter revealed that Newcastle United’s Karl Darlow is a possible target between the sticks.

Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips seems to be the main target to reinforce the centre of defence, and Coventry City’s Gustavo Hamer has long been linked as a possible midfield addition, as per Hay.

Up front, Aberdeen starlet Pirie is clearly first up on the agenda, with reports of a move emerging during the week before Fabrizio Romano revealed a breakthrough in talks on Friday morning, sharing that a deal had been agreed at around £200,000.

Now, in an update from sources north of the border (The Daily Record print edition, July 8, page 50) and thus likely more in the know, it seems Leeds fans have plenty of reason to be excited about this deal.

That is because not only is the fee cheaper than first reported, with the initial cost just £150,000, but Pirie has actually rejected an offer of fresh terms with current club Aberdeen, so it seems the striker is really dead set on becoming a star at Leeds – the sort of thing all fans want to hear about their new arrivals.

Pirie is now booked in for an imminent medical, and is thought to be travelling down to Yorkshire as we speak, with the signing likely to be officially announced next week.

How good is Lewis Pirie?

Pirie’s record at youth level makes for some reading – he scored 51 goals for club and country last season, as per Romano – so this looks like an incredibly exciting capture for Leeds. You’d expect that the teenager will initially slot into the youth sides at Thorp Arch, perhaps with a view to getting some minutes in the cups this season or even embarking on a loan spell to a lower division.

Leeds have proven to be one of the best in the land for offering chances to youngsters though, becoming the first team in Premier League history to hand eight teenagers their debuts in one season back when Marcelo Bielsa was at the helm, so don't be surprised to see Pirie in the first-team on a regular basis before too long, such is his prolific form at academy level.

The likes of Joe Gelhardt and Crysencio Summerville have thrived since making that step up from academy level to senior football in Yorkshire, and hopefully Pirie can follow in their footsteps or be even better.

The inquiry into a suspicious first-class match in January will take “two to three” more weeks, SLC has said

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Mar-2017The inquiry into a suspicious first-class match in January will take “two to three” more weeks, SLC has said.SLC had appointed a committee to head an inquiry into a Premier League Tournament match between Kalutara Physical Culture Club and eventual Tier B winners Panadura Sports Club, when a rival team made allegations that the result of that match had been artificially engineered. Though it was hoped that committee would produce a final report on their findings within a few weeks, with the case having since become more complex, further time was required.”The inquiry might take a little longer – maybe two or three weeks,” SLC vice-president K Mathivanan said. “There are so many witnesses who have to be heard from. Also, they will be allowed to be examined by the Panadura and KCC lawyers. Then there will be natural justice. It’s like a court scenario, but justice will be done.”That match had drawn suspicion primarily because of the nature of the third and final day’s scoring rates. Panadura, who were still making their first-innings response to Kalutara’s 390, hit 223 at a run rate of 10.34 to begin the last day, and the scoring continued at this breakneck pace. Kalutara were all out for 197 in 22.5 overs, in their second innings; Panadura then chased down the target of 165 inside 14 overs. All told, a staggering 587 runs were scored in a single day.The result proved to be pivotal to the league’s outcome, as Panadura went on to beat Sri Lanka Ports Authority Cricket Club to the Tier B title.

An ECB delegation has spent time in Australia this month assessing the Big Bash League as they step up preparations for a high-powered tournament of their own.Anthony Everard, the league manager of the Big Bash, said the delegation, led by the ECB’s head of commercial partnerships, Mike Fordham, “asked all the right questions” when they met. Fordham was joined by Gordon Hollins, the ECB’s chief operating officer, as well as two county cricket chief executives, Somerset’s Guy Lavender and Nottinghamshire’s Lisa Pursehouse.The travelling contingent are representing the “T20 working group”, which was established in December and also contains Rob Calder, the ECB’s head of marketing, and Tom Johnson, the head of business support as well as the chief executive of the PCA, David Leatherdale.It is understood that they are not looking to file a formal report from the BBL, but are observing and researching the way Cricket Australia and the clubs have pulled off the highly successful competition.Anthony Everard, league manager of the Big Bash League•Getty Images

ECB delegations have become a regular feature of the Big Bash as the future of T20 in England remains undecided. “There is a mutual curiosity,” Everard told ESPNcricinfo. “We welcome the ECB, we spent the morning with them, and they asked all the right questions. There is common ground, but also apples and oranges.”The BBL model has effectively tapped its target market: anybody who had not been to a cricket match before. The ECB appreciates that due to a differing population spread and starting point (18 counties, rather than six states) they cannot simply replicate but they do seem increasingly determined to hold a comparable eight-team competition from 2020.Last year, ECB’s market research suggested that only 13% of fans at NatWest T20 Blast games were under 16, and that the average was between 48 and 49, prompting fears about where the next generation of fans would come from and strengthening determination that a shake-up was required.Progress on the project – which has received significant opposition from county members – is expected when the county chairmen and CEOs meet at the end of March.This is not the first time the ECB have visited the BBL – which is averaging 29,875 fans per match this season, as well as free-to-air TV ratings of more than 1m people per night – for inspiration for their own competition. Last year Sanjay Patel, the chief sales and marketing officer, travelled to Australia to assess the competition. Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, travelled to the USA in November to meet with Twitter, Facebook and other social networks to research how the competition’s media rights package could work.The ECB are not the only overseas board in town to pick the BBL’s brains. Damien O’Donohoe, the Caribbean Premier League’s chief executive, has also met with his Australian counterparts this week.

A round-up of the third day’s play from the quarter-finals of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Dec-2016
ScorecardAbhishek Nayar rattled Hyderabad’s top order•PTI

For large parts of the day, there wasn’t much to choose between Mumbai and Hyderabad, although the defending champions enjoyed the first-innings honours on a topsy-turvy day in Raipur. Towards the end, though, they steered clear of choppy waters courtesy an unbroken 50-run fourth-wicket stand between Praful Waghela and Aditya Tare, the captain, to end with a lead of 116.Hyderabad, who resumed on 167 for 3, needing another 127 to wipe out the deficit, came within 15 runs of the lead. A lower order collapse resulted in them slipping from 255 for 5 to 280 all out. K Sumanth, the wicketkeeper, battled through to make 44; he was the last man to be dismissed. Vijay Gohil, the left-arm spinner, picked up three of the five wickets to fall. Abhishek Nayar, who made 59 in the first innings, took 4 for 60.Mumbai were rattled early as they slipped to 52 for 3, with Mohammad Siraj dismissing Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav. They had Waghela and Tare to thank as they steered them to safety.
ScorecardSamit Gohel’s third first-class ton put Gujarat in a commanding position•ESPNcricinfo

Gujarat continued to gain a foothold after their strong comeback from 71 for 6 on the first day, as they finished day three with a lead of 310 runs in the second innings with seven wickets still in hand.Odisha’s first innings ended early on the third day, with Jasprit Bumrah adding one wicket to his overnight burst through the middle order to complete his second five-wicket haul of the season. He finished with 5 for 41, as Odisha were shot out for 199 in response to Gujarat’s 263.Gujarat capitalized on their 64-run lead through an opening stand of 149. Priyank Panchal, the season’s top-scorer, got 81 of those before he was dismissed by left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh. His opening partner, Samit Gohel, built stands of 49 for the second wicket with Bhargav Merai, 40 for the third with Rujul Bhatt, and batted through to stumps with Manpreet Juneja with a career-best unbeaten 110 off 291 balls. Gujarat finished the day on 246 for 3.
ScorecardIshank Jaggi (in pic) and Virat Singh helped build Jharkhand’s lead•K Sivaraman

Virat Singh’s second first-class century steered Jharkhand to a comfortable first-innings lead before they were bowled out for 345. In reply, the Haryana top order wiped out the deficit and ended the third day with a lead of 59 runs for the loss of two wickets.Ishank Jaggi, the other overnight batsman apart from Virat, could not score on the third day when he was bowled for 77 by Harshal Patel, and Ishan Kishan and Kaushal Singh fell for ducks. However, Virat batted with the tail to nearly take them to 300 in the company of Shahbaz Nadeem (34) and Rahul Shukla (28). Once Virat fell for 107, Jharkhand added another 45 to the total.Haryana openers Nitin Saini (41) and Shubham Rohilla (43) put on a strong stand of 79 but Samar Quadri dismissed both before Shivam Chauhan (22) and Chaitanya Bishnoi ended the day unbeaten on 22 and 33 respectively.

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed the green light from Ange Postecoglou that he is keen to take on the vacant managerial role in north London.

Who is Ange Postecoglou?

Daniel Levy saw Antonio Conte leave the club back in March following a run of underwhelming results amid the Italian's ongoing issues off the pitch.

But the off-field issues did not end there for Spurs with Fabio Paratici also leaving the club after the director of football was caught up in legal issues from his past.

However, Tottenham could now be heading in the right direction to get their plans for the future underway with the managerial vacancy expected to be filled in the coming days.

Indeed, it is believed the Celtic manager, Postecoglou, will take the reins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having completed the Scottish treble on the weekend with the Bhoys.

The 57-year-old has never managed in one of Europe's top five leagues with the opportunity at Parkhead presenting him with his first role in the United Kingdom.

However, the Australian is seemingly keen to make the step up to the Premier League with Alex Crook telling TalkSPORT the Celtic boss has informed Spurs of his desire to take the job:

"What I was told last night [Sunday] by sources close to Postecoglou, that it's pretty much a done deal, but he's already given Tottenham the indication that he wants to job obviously still have to formally approach Celtic. They were holding off out of respect until after that cup final at the weekend.

"But it won't be a complicated one because Postecoglou has a 12-month rolling contract, so compensation won't be an issue for Spurs."

Where has Postecoglou managed before?

The Australian has a very short history of managing in Europe with the job at Parkhead marking just his second role on the continent having previously managed Panachaiki in Greece.

Prior to taking the role at Celtic, Postecoglou had mainly managed in his homeland and Japan with Yokohama but it is apparent he has made a positive impression on those within the Premier League.

Indeed, it is believed Spurs were not the only side to have looked at Postecoglou as a potential option with Leeds United and Leicester City – prior to the relegation – both linked with the Australian.

Although some Spurs fans may not look at these links as positives, it is worth mentioning that Postecoglou was also a serious candidate for the job at Brighton & Hove Albion when Graham Potter left.

Again, the Seagulls who many may view as the best-run club in the league, are believed to be seriously keen on one of the Asian stars which Postecoglou has introduced to Europe in Reo Hatate.

Postecoglou may not be a familiar name with some just yet, however, Spurs fans could take a lot of optimism from the attention he has received from the likes of the Brighton board.

After all, Spurs have tried the big names with the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, perhaps it is now time to try a manager who could bring the fanbase back together.

Liverpool have 'high confidence' that they can conclude a deal to bring in Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister in the forthcoming transfer window, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

What's the latest transfer news involving Alexis Mac Allister?

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has recently dropped an update on the state of play surrounding Mac Allister's future, stating on Twitter: "Alexis Mac Allister, expected to bid his farewell to Brighton fans after final game after his fantastic experience at the club since 2020. He’s prepared to leave the club in June with Liverpool frontrunners — close to complete the deal, waiting on final details."

Football Insider claim that Brighton's impending capture of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud has increased the likelihood of the Argentina international moving to Anfield in the off-season.

The report states that the Seagulls are 'resigned' to losing their prize asset to Liverpool and plan to use the funds recouped from his sale to bolster their engine room.

One outlet in Argentina has signalled that a deal to take Mac Allister to Merseyside has already been ratified and will cost the Reds £61 million.

Mac Allister earns £50,000 on his current contract at Brighton, which runs until 2025 on the South Coast, according to Capology.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs has revealed that there is a 'form of exit clause' in Mac Allister's present terms at Brighton, though they still have some details to thrash out to make the transfer official.

Jacobs told FFC: "Mac Allister also does have a clause in his current deal, which was signed just before the World Cup. It can be referred to as a form of exit clause, but it isn't a traditional release clause and it helps facilitate a move and allows Liverpool to do a lot of legwork on the player side, but they will still have to agree a fee with Brighton. This is one that Liverpool have got high confidence in, they have done for quite some time, but Brighton always do things on their terms and usually at their valuation as well. That club-to-club aspect would still need to be completed, but this is one that Liverpool feel has a high likelihood of coming off."

Would Alexis Mac Allister be a good signing for Liverpool?

Mac Allister, who was hailed as Brighton's "golden boy", has been a joy to watch in the Premier League this campaign and would enrich Liverpool's midfield if he is to complete a switch to Anfield this summer.

In 2022/23, the 24-year-old has made 39 appearances in all competitions for Brighton, registering 12 goals and three assists, as per Transfermarkt.

The playmaker has also illustrated his inventiveness on the field for the Seagulls this term, racking up 1.4 key passes per match in the English top flight, according to WhoScored.

FBRef shows that the Argentine has been a prevalent chance provider this campaign, successfully performing 105 shot-creating actions in total.

With Liverpool seemingly in the market for midfield reinforcements in the upcoming window, Mac Allister would be a very intelligent signing by Jurgen Klopp as he looks ahead to 2023/24.

Sri Lanka Cricket will invite Muttiah Muralitharan to present awards at the conclusion of the ongoing series against Australia, SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala has said

Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Aug-2016Sri Lanka Cricket will invite Muttiah Muralitharan to present awards at the conclusion of the ongoing series against Australia, SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala has said. The move is ostensibly an attempt to repair the board’s relationship with Muralitharan, following the war of words between the two parties that preceded the series.”I have asked the secretary Mohan de Silva to invite Murali to give away the awards on the last day of the final Test match,” Sumathipala told . “Murali is welcome to witness the entire Test. At least we want him to remain present on the last day of the match on August 17, or on the day if the Test finishes early.” The third match of the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy begins at SSC on Saturday.Tempers had flared ahead of the series when Murali took on a ten-day consulting role with Australia, which ended just prior to the first match. Sumathipala had originally said he was not opposed to Murali’s consulting with Australia, but later suggested that the spinner had made an ethical breach by working in opposition to Sri Lanka, citing in particular the trials he had endured regarding his action, in Australia. Murali had then slammed the board for, among other things, its treatment of local coaches.Now, however, there is an appetite to patch up the relationship and move on.

Colin Ingram led Glamorgan to a trouble-free victory after Surrey capsized in Cardiff

ECB Reporters Network24-Jun-2016
ScorecardColin Ingram helped Glamorgan stroll to an easy victory•Getty Images

A brilliant display with the from Glamorgan saw them bowl Surrey out inside 20 overs for the second time this season in the NatWest T20 Blast as they continued their fine form in this competition. They dismissed Surrey out for just 110 with two wickets from Dale Steyn in his final game for the county before he departs for the Caribbean. It took just 15.5 overs for Glamorgan to overhaul that Surrey total with Colin Ingram scoring his fifth successive half century in the process.Surrey started well enough with Steven Davies and Gary Wilson opening the innings with Jason Roy away on England duty. They had reached 19 without loss in the third over when Dale Steyn had Davies strangled down the legside. From there it became a procession of wickets for the visitors who stumbled to 36-3 at the end of the six over PowerPlay.The wickets were shared around by the Glamorgan bowlers and while Steyn was the most impressive of those on display the most significant scalps were picked up by 38-year-old Dean Cosker. Having been left out of the red ball side this season Cosker has been a limited-overs specialist this year. Here he took two for 23 to become the first Glamorgan bowler to reach 100 Twenty20 wickets.Some credit needs to go to Glamorgan wicket-keeper Chris Cooke who took four catches and a stumping. He has been in fine form with the gloves since taking over the wicket-keeping duties from Mark Wallace in white ball cricket, and his two handed catch high above his head to dismiss Kumar Sangakkara off the bowling of Michael Hogan was the highlight of an excellent display.Once it was Glamorgan’s turn to bat they could not have got off to a worse start, Sam Curran dismissing David Lloyd for a three ball duck to leave them one wicket down without a run on the board. From there it was incredibly straightforward as Ingram continued his ridiculous form that has seen him score 377 runs from his last five visits to the crease. He has now hit 16 sixes in six innings in the T20 Blast, more than all other Glamorgan batsmen combined.It was Ingram that hit the winning runs, cutting Dwayne Bravo behind square for four, but there was a welcome return to run making for Glamorgan captain Jacques Rudolph who made a well-judged 40 not out from 43 balls. The South African has been struggling for runs throughout 2016 and he will be hopeful of this effort kick-starting his season.This was a top of the table clash with Glamorgan in first place in the South Group and Surrey in second going into this match. It did not seem that way as Glamorgan brushed aside the visitors with ease to further cement their place as group leaders.For Surrey they will be a quick turnaround, their next match in this competition is tomorrow against Essex. They will be hopeful of an equally quick turnaround in performance.

Former India team director Ravi Shastri has applied for the post of national head coach

PTI06-Jun-2016Former India team director Ravi Shastri has applied for the post of national head coach. Shastri, who worked with the team from August 2014 to April 2016, confirmed his application to on Monday. His contract as team director had ended with India’s exit from the World T20 in March.”Yes, I have applied for the chief coach’s post today morning. I have e-mailed all the requisite documents that were asked for in the advertisement,” Shastri said.Asked if he had prepared any presentation or roadmap, Shastri said: “Whatever is required by the BCCI, I have provided them. If you ask me whether I am confident or not, all I can say is that my job was to apply for the post and I have done that. I cannot comment on anything else.”Under Shastri, who had taken over as director in 2014, India made it to semi-finals of successive global events – the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20, and also climbed to No. 1 on the Test rankings for a period of eight weeks until Australia took over in February 2016. In this period, India also won their first limited-overs bilateral series in Australia, by whitewashing the hosts 3-0 in a T20 series.Apart from Shastri, current chairman of selectors and former India coach Sandeep Patil has also thrown his hat in the ring. Patil had earlier coached India back in 1996, taking over from Ajit Wadekar who stepped down after India’s semi-final loss to Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup semi-final. Patil’s tenure was a forgettable one; he was replaced within six months.However, Shastri’s team of support staff – Sanjay Bangar, R Sridhar and B Arun – have not yet applied as BCCI sources believe that they would like to continue in their earlier roles depending on the requirements of the board.

Journalist Alasdair Gold has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur have made "zero contact" with Mauricio Pochettino about becoming their new manager.

What is the latest on Mauricio Pochettino and Spurs?

The Premier League side are currently on the hunt for a new boss having fired Antonio Conte, with Cristian Stellini being placed in charge until the end of the season.

London rivals Chelsea are in a similar position and they seem to be seriously considering a move for former Spurs boss Pochettino.

With that being the case, we might expect to soon learn that Tottenham have also reached out to the 51-year-old in an attempt to get him back on board before the Blues can make him one of their own.

However, when talking about this on his YouTube channel, Gold revealed the surprising news that Pochettino has not had any contact with the north London outfit.

He explained: "Spurs have shown zero interest in reappointing Mauricio Pochettino.

"They haven't. I've been asking around, asking people around Poch and everything, and from what I understand – and also, this is kind of coming from people within the club as well – there has been no contact made by anyone from Spurs with Mauricio Pochettino at this point.

"I double-double-checked before starting this video, but there's been no kind of feelers put out to him from Spurs of whether he'd be interested in coming back, which is huge, really, when you see the calls for him to come back from the fans, the chants at the stadiums."

Will Pochettino want to join Spurs?

It certainly is surprising that Spurs and Daniel Levy haven't made any contact with Pochettino yet. After all, Gold has explained in the past that the club's own fans have been chanting the Argentinian's name at games.

Most recently, during a fortunate win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the home crowd were signing: "Mauricio Pochettino, he's magic, you know."

Seeing as the 51-year-old oversaw 293 games with Spurs, averaging 1.84 points per game and taking them to a Champions League final along the way, it's not hard to see why plenty would love to see him back in north London.

And in some sections of the media, Pochettino has been touted as a leading candidate to make a return – which is why it's so surprising Levy hasn't even reached out to the manager.

With that being the case, it seems as though Chelsea are now in which a great chance of hiring him when many could have predicted a return to Spurs as being far more likely.