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Arsenal’s hunt for a new winger could soon take them to Holland and it wouldn’t be for the first time.

The Gunners have been linked to several names in recent weeks, having missed out on Raphinha after technical director Edu Gaspar admitted that he had an interest in the former Leeds United star but he had his sights set on FC Barcelona instead.

Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo of PSV Eindhoven is one player to have been mooted with a switch to the Emirates Stadium and it’s thought that the north Londoners are leading the race for his signature.

“Arsenal are favourites to sign Gakpo for sure,” revealed transfer insider Dean Jones less than two weeks ago.

It’s thought that the Eredivisie outfit could cost in the region of €40m, which would set the Gunners back around £34m, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The last time Arsenal went shopping in the Netherlands, it paid serious dividends as ex-Feyenoord striker Robin van Persie was not only a prolific goalscorer but he also took the captain’s armband, too.

Gakpo has been compared glowingly to the Dutch sensation.

“I always refer to Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie – he’s not at that level yet. But they came into the Premier League as left wingers and were turned into strikers under Arsene Wenger and did very well,” claimed Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan to Sky Sports News. “He is slowly being transitioned into a striker because he has had some good coaching from [Ruud] Van Nistelrooy.”

Last season, the 23-year-old put up some remarkable numbers in what was his best season in a PSV shirt. He found the net 21 times and also put up 15 assists – such form being comparable to the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in terms of young talent in Europe.

Whether manager Mikel Arteta wants Gakpo to play on the wing or up top remains to be seen but this versatility is a key attribute of his and only adds to the attraction of signing him before the transfer deadline on September 1st.

Once lauded as “phenomenal” and “special” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the Netherlands international could well become the ‘next Robin van Persie’ at the Emirates Stadium.

Only Ajax’s Dusan Tadic registered more big chances created than the 6 foot 2 machine, whilst his expected goals and assists saw him rank fifth overall in the Eredivisie, as per Fotmob.

Edu must now look to close a deal for the Dutch sensation in the coming weeks as he looks to hand his manager a new threat in attack.

AND in other news, Arsenal could secure £34m “enormous talent”, may be bye-bye to Emery’s “utter disaster”…

Leeds United are thought to be interested in signing Los Angeles FC midfielder Jose Cifuentes.

The Lowdown: Cifuentes profiled

Cifuentes, an Ecuador international, is primarily a central midfielder but can also play in holding or attacking roles.

The 23-year-old is valued at a career-high £5.85m by Transfermarkt and is under contract with LAFC until the end of 2023.

Cifuentes, described as a ‘dynamic’ player with an ‘eye’ for goal by LAFC general manager John Thorrington, has scored 13 goals during his career, six of which have come in 2022.

The Latest: Leeds links

Sports Witness relayed an update from Ecuadorian journalist Andres Ponce, who provided an update to Radio Diblu FM regarding Cifuentes.

He claimed that Europe is chasing the midfielder, name-checking Leeds and Brighton as sides who are ‘interested’ in his services.

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The Verdict: 49ers to lay the groundwork?

Cifuentes is plying his trade in the MLS, so the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers could help lay the groundwork over a potential transfer.

They hold a 44% stake in Leeds and have an option to buy the club outright from Andrea Radrizzani until 2024 so may well look at Cifuentes as a potential signing for their future.

Of course, it would need to be green-lit by Jesse Marsch, but with Mateusz Klich’s future up in the air, Cifuentes could prove to be a shrewd replacement as he can play in a variety of midfield roles and has good ‘mobility’.

Tottenham Hotspur do not appear to be finished when it comes to attacking reinforcements…

What’s the word?

According to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, the Premier League outfit are keeping tabs on the progress of RB Salzburg forward Benjamin Sesko ahead of a potential move.

The Slovenia international is thought to be the next big talent to come through the system at the Austria side and is set for further minutes due to Karim Adeyemi’s switch to Borussia Dortmund.

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Sesko is widely regarded as the ‘next Erling Haaland,’ as per the report.

AC Milan are also said to be keen and sporting director Fabio Paratici is set to continue to scout him over the coming months.

Next Erling Haaland

If the Italian chief likes what he sees, then he could well secure Spurs a top future talent, one to rival Manchester City’s move for the aforementioned Norwegian colossus.

Valued at just £9m by Transfermarkt, Sesko is already thought to be a serious player, having provided ten goals and seven assists in 36 appearances last season, in which only 15 were starts.

At 6 foot 4, he is certainly in the Haaland mould but he’s also quick on his feed, registering speeds similar to that of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe (36.1km/h), who is some five inches shorter.

“My teammates at the club tell me that Haaland and I are very similar, especially in terms of speed. Most of them even tell me that I’m better than him!” the striker himself once told reporters in his home country (via Goal).

With his towering frame and explosive pace, there’s no denying that Sesko is a mouthwatering prospect and one that Spurs should really try to secure for their long-term ambitions.

Harry Kane, whilst still at his peak, isn’t going to be around forever and the Salzburg gem could well be the ideal candidate to take his place one day.

It’s easy to see why scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed the 19-year-old as “the new Erling Haaland” and a “killer in the making,” given his attacking exploits and physical attributes.

Spurs fans may have to wait a while for this transfer to come to fruition but it’s surely one that leaves many around N17 absolutely excited. Sesko would be a top acquisition for the north Londoners.

Paratici can certainly seal the new Haaland with a move for Sesko.

AND in other news, Paratici in talks to sign “extraordinary” £17m Spurs target, it’d be an “unreal” coup…

West Ham United may be about to hatch a plan B in terms of midfield recruitment after seeing a bid for Lille’s Amadou Onana rejected. 

The lowdown

As per the Daily Mail, the Hammers offered the Ligue 1 side £20m for the defensive midfielder, but they were rebuffed. Lille, who finished 10th in the French top flight, are said to be adamant that the 20-year-old is not for sale this summer.

Les Dogues have already lost Sven Botman to Newcastle United in a £33.3m deal, while right-back Zeki Celik has been lured to Roma (via Transfermarkt).

Another midfielder in Renato Sanches could also be set to leave the club after agreeing terms with Paris Saint-Germain.

The latest

The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones reported that West Ham are ‘considering other midfield options’ after Lille dismissed the Irons’ offer for Onana.

It seems that, rather than testing the French club’s resolve with an improved fee, the Premier League outfit might instead turn their attention to a different target in that position.

The verdict

Who else might interest West Ham in terms of defensive midfield acquisitions?

It’s certainly an area that they need to address, with Alex Kral leaving the club following his season-long loan spell and Mark Noble hanging up his boots. Cover and competition for Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek is required.

They could look at a player who is stylistically similar and has Premier League experience in Brentford’s Vitaly Janelt. The German may not be quite as young as Onana, but at the age of 24, he is still only at the beginning of what should be his peak footballing years.

Valued at £12.6million by Transfermarkt, he might prove to be a more achievable acquisition.

Nottingham Forest are looking to improve their squad ahead of their long-awaited return to the Premier League next season, and now a new potential transfer target has been named by a reliable source.

What’s the latest?

According to Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Forest are now interested in signing Crysencio Summerville this summer.

Romano tweeted: “Nottingham Forest and AZ Alkmaar are interested in Crysencio Summerville with many clubs exploring this possibility, but Leeds are busy trying to keep the player at Elland Road by extending his contract.”

“Negotiations ongoing to decide his future as soon as possible.”

Supporters will be excited

There is no doubt that supporters will be excited at the prospect of a potential new signing, especially a move for a youngster who can not only offer longevity for the future of the team but Premier League experience too.

Summerville was hailed a “raw talent” by Chris Powell who give a glittering assessment of the young Leeds United winger in an interview with The Yorkshire Post;

“You could see the raw talent he had.

“He’s only tiny, he’s like five foot nothing but he’s got wonderful balance.

“One v one is his strength, against players. He’s quite a free spirit out on the wing, in a good way. He’ll excite you, he’s a bag of tricks, there’s some talent there.”

The 20-year-old made his Premier League debut for Leeds last season under Marcelo Bielsa in a draw with Newcastle United, and tallied up six appearances in the league but is yet to make it into a starting line-up, nevertheless, Summerville certainly gave a glimpse of his talents in his limited game-time for the Yorkshire club.

The Dutchman was successful in completing the majority of his dribbles (57%) and won the majority of his ground duels (59%), as well as successfully delivering 100% of his long balls despite averaging 22 minutes per game, and now Steve Cooper could give the player his next step in his development by offering more game-time at The City Ground.

Summerville also made 12 appearances in the Premier League 2 last season where he scored an impressive six goals and delivered one assist, with a goal contribution every 103 minutes.

Ultimately, Summerville is a rough diamond that could be polished up by the Forest boss and could follow in the footsteps of Brennan Johnson – who is the perfect example of a young player that has thrived in Cooper’s forward line over the last 12 months.

AND in other news: “Deal will..”: Sky Sports journo drops major NFFC transfer news that’ll excite Cooper

Everton are renowned for their transfer disasters since the arrival of Farhad Moshiri back in 2016, and after spending over £500m the club found themselves battling with the chance of being relegated from the Premier League this season, so there is a lot that needs to change going forward to improve the stability.

Frank Lampard joined on Deadline Day and made two signings in Donny van de Beek on loan from Manchester United and a permanent move for Dele Alli, both of which have made little to no impact since arriving at Goodison Park, proving there is still room for improvement in identifying players even with a new manager in charge.

Dele will remain in Merseyside next term but he will need to drastically improve on his tally of zero goal involvements for the Toffees.

With that being said, Everton could repeat their disastrous trick of bringing a Tottenham outcast to the club this season. That’s because they’ve now been linked with a move for Harry Winks this summer, who is reportedly valued at £20m by his current club.

To put things simply, it’s another transfer the club should be looking to avoid.

The Spurs midfielder was blasted by Graham Roberts for his performances at his current side, with the former Spurs defender claiming:

“He’s gone Mr Conservative, he plays simple, and if I don’t give the ball away, I’m a great player.

“You’re not, he’s become an average player, and that’s being fair.”

According to SofaScore, Winks ranks 15th out of 23 players in the Tottenham squad this season and it’s no surprise when you look at his overall output in his 19 Premier League appearances.

The 26-year-old who was dubbed “sloppy” by Alasdair Gold has committed two errors that have led to shots, has only made 0.6 key passes, 0.8 tackles and interceptions, and is dribbled past 0.7 times on average per game. That proves that he lacks effectiveness and coasts through games with a mediocre output in defensive and attacking play.

Everton are in no position to add more players who are anonymous and lack dominance in the midfield at Goodison Park, and are desperately in need of adding more leaders in their team who can be direct and work hard to make sure the Toffees don’t find themselves in the same position as they did this season.

Lampard and Farhad Moshiri must work together to identify players who can come into the club and make an instant impact that can make drastic changes to the current team to inspire better results in the Premier League, Winks is not the player they should be spending their tight transfer budget on.

AND in other news: “Speechless”: Big Finch Farm transfer development will worry Everton supporters

Leeds United have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to secure Premier League survival.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Leeds Live, Frank Lampard revealed that he will be able to call upon each of Michael Keane and Donny van de Beek – both of whom missed the 3-2 defeat against Brentford last weekend due to injury – for Everton’s fixture against Crystal Palace on Thursday evening.

The 43-year-old also revealed that Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ben Godfrey will be available for selection at Goodison Park, however, the former Chelsea boss claimed that it is currently unclear as to whether Godfrey will be fit enough to feature from the off.

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Concerning the current state of his squad, Lampard said: “Ben may be in the squad and that more a testament to him as he’s striving to get fit. He is in the squad but I will make a decision on whether he is involved at all. Michael Keane has recovered and Donny van de Beek will also be in the squad. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is fine too.”

Supporters will be gutted

With Leeds’ hopes of securing survival on the final day of the season – something which FiveThirtyEight predict there is currently a 40% chance of – being severely dented should Everton pick up all three points against Palace tomorrow evening, the news that Lampard looks set to have all of Keane, Van de Beek, Calvert-Lewin and Godfrey available is sure to have left the Elland Road faithful gutted.

Indeed, according to SofaScore data, Keane, Calvert-Lewin and Godfrey currently rank as the Toffees’ fifth, ninth and 14th-best performers in the top flight of English football, while Van de Beek proved during his time at Ajax – scoring 41 goals and registering 34 assists over 175 appearances in the Netherlands – that he is a talent who can always provide a moment of inspiration for his team.

As such, the news that the quartet all look as if they will play some sort of role on Thursday night is undoubtedly awful news for the Whites’ survival hopes this season – as an Everton win, coupled with a Burnley victory over Aston Villa tomorrow evening, would all but represent the final nail in the coffin for Jesse Marsch and his side this term.

AND in other news: Orta now plotting Leeds bid for “incredible” £40m target, he’s “one to keep an eye on”

The West Indies Under-19 wicketkeeper is yet to make his mark in the World Cup, but don’t bet against him just yet

Sreshth Shah29-Jan-2020When Leonardo Julien, the West Indies U-19 wicketkeeper-batsman was growing up, he would play backyard cricket with his two brothers. But they wouldn’t go easy on young Leonardo, who was the youngest of the trio. The brothers would bowl at him with the hard rubber ball, and one day a delivery hit him so hard that he remembers throwing his bat away and running back into his house.”Come back”, Julien remembers his father shouting at him. “Only babies cry.”It was at that very moment that Julien’s perspective as a cricketer changed.”That incident toughened me up,” Julien tells ESPNcricinfo. “After that, I realised I need to be stronger. I developed my game such that no one could beat me for pace moving on. No one could make me cry.”Julien’s love for the game began when he was six, watching his two brothers leave for training while he was left behind at home. It was the main reason why they would entertain him with some backyard cricket in the first place, to pacify him. By the age of seven, Julien was padding up at a local cricket academy in Trinidad trying to emulate them.While the careers of his brothers faded away, Julien took giant strides on the cricket field. Originally, just like the other kids of his age, Julien wanted to try everything, but he especially wanted to bowl off-spin.But what made Julien switch to being a wicketkeeper was his curious soul. When he was nine, while training one day, he found the wicketkeeping gloves of Bryan Christmas – who earned fame as a 14-year old playing the 2011 U-19 World Cup – lying around. Julien picked them up and wore them. Within two years, he was the designated wicketkeeper for the Trinidad youth team.”I wanted to do everything when I was smaller, so I used to bowl,” Julien says. “My first choice was bowling and then batting. When I wore Christmas’ wicketkeeping gloves one day, I liked the feel of it on my hands.”The next year, in a game where the keeper got injured, a coach asked the team ‘who wanna keep?’ I screamed, ‘me!’ I’ve been a keeper since.”These days, when Julien isn’t representing West Indies U-19, he plays for the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force. His batting inspirations are Michael Hussey – because of “how aggressive he was in running between the wickets” – and Virat Kohli, for the way “he maneuvers the game.””The way Kohli grabs the game with his hands, that’s how I want to be,” Julien says. “My playing style is like him – aggressive, but at the same time I can also stay in the wicket for a long time because I love scoring runs. I want to own all three formats – T20s, ODIs and Tests – like him.”Julien has always been a prodigy. When he won the West Indies Regional U-17 championship in 2016, he was only 14. But he doesn’t regret his formative years playing cricket instead of indulging in childhood mischief. He finds inspiration in video games, especially Fortnite, the first-person-shooting multiplayer game with more than 250 million players worldwide, and draws some parallels that it has with cricket.”Fortnite is a game that inspires me,” Julien says. “It’s entertainment but it also helps me think. Fortnite is all about strategising, on how to get on top of your opponent. You need to have a strategy with a clear plan. It has helped me think on my feet.”Julien has had a quiet World Cup in South Africa. He has made only 82 runs in four games, with a high score of 40. But West Indian wicketkeepers have traditionally transitioned successfully into the senior sides in years to come. The 2008 alumni Devon Thomas has played for West Indies. The 2010 runner-up Shane Dowrich did too. From the 2012 squad, wicketkeeper Sunil Ambris made his international debut two years ago, and the two wicketkeepers in the squad from 2014 – Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran – are now regulars in the country’s white-ball set ups.Can 2020’s Julien do the same?

Virat Kohli has joined a small group of cricketers who have married celebrities in other fields

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2017Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi – Sharmila Tagore, 1968
When Mansur Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi, married the actor Sharmila Tagore, the event caused both excitement and debate. Pataudi was not only captain of India and a style icon; he was also royalty, and at the time it was frowned upon in conservative India for a royal to marry someone from the film industry, especially someone who had donned a bikini in a photoshoot. Add to this, the two were from different communities. Nonetheless, the pair were married at the Pataudi palace in 1968 in a well-documented ceremony and have since become symbols of modernity. They had three children, two of whom – Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan – are famous actors.Mohammad Azharuddin – Sangeeta Bijlani, 1996
With his upturned collar and passion for watches, Mohammad Azharuddin, the former India captain, was clearly someone with a penchant for the glamorous life. Sangeeta Bijlani had won the Miss India contest in 1980 and moved on to acting in films. There were rumours about the two dating through the early 1990s, made all the more scandalous because Azharuddin was then married with two children. The gossip took an ugly turn when people began postulating that his relationship with Bijlani was affecting Azharuddin’s form. He eventually divorced his first wife, Naureen, and married Bijlani in 1996.Kevin Pietersen – Jessica Taylor, 2007
Before his autobiography-writing days, Kevin Pietersen was considered the new saviour of English cricket. So, when he began dating pop singer Jessica Taylor, a former member of the group Liberty X, the media were all over the story. The two were married in an intimate function at the Manor House Hotel in Wiltshire. Fast bowler Darren Gough was Pietersen’s best man.Shoaib Malik – Sania Mirza, 2010
Sania Mirza became the most searched-for woman tennis player in the world in 2010, a year in which she won no Grand Slam titles. Such was the buzz around her wedding to Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan allrounder. Given the political tensions between India and Pakistan, two high-profile sportspersons from either side of the border getting married was always going to attract attention. And there was more to gossip about when a woman named Ayesha Siddiqui claimed she was still married to Malik and said she was suing him for mistreating her. The Malik-Mirza wedding, which took place in Hyderabad, became international news. The two now live in Dubai.

Early inroads, a dropped catch (or sometimes more than one) and then the opposition middle order leading a recovery. It’s a familiar script for Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Lord's09-Jun-2016From a pitch expected to be lifeless, Sri Lanka’s working-class attack squeezed three first-session wickets out. On a first day some suspected might be fruitless, six batsmen were wangled back to the pavilion, and Sri Lanka were occasionally strutting about.But then, at some point in the day, their outlook changed. An easy catch was spilt. Chances were missed. Balls scooted into fielders’ hands, then accelerated out, as if having got a second wind. And an opposition batsman in the lower middle order made a smart hundred. He strung hefty partnerships together along the way.Hang on, hasn’t this happened already? Three weeks ago, Sri Lanka had had England 83 for 5 before the hosts surged to 298, Jonny Bairstow helping himself. Oh wait, but that was in a colder crosswind, and in front of a sparser crowd, at Headingley.Although, 12 days ago, didn’t Sri Lanka have their opposition five down again, before England eventually went on to more than double their score – a No. 7 romping to triple figures? Oh, but that was in the even colder crosswind, and in front of the even sparser crowd, at Chester-le-Street.In Bairstow’s 107 not out at Lord’s, the ghosts of many lower middle-order tormentors of Sri Lanka were invoked. When he cracked Nuwan Pradeep to the square-leg boundary in the 32nd over, he was Sarfraz Ahmed, who leapt around the crease to cut and pull, rescuing Pakistan from a big first-innings deficit and delivering them instead a lead, first at the SSC in 2014, then in Galle less than a year ago.When the catch off Bairstow dribbled onto the turf in the 36th over, he was Kane Williamson being shelled at fine leg in 2015, en route to a match-upending double ton. Or Moeen Ali being let off at gully at Chester-le-Street, en route to 155 not out. Or Bairstow being put down by the bowler at Headingley, on his way to 140.And when Moeen and Chris Woakes played good supporting hands, in partnerships worth 63 and 52 unbroken respectively, they were Zulfiqur Babar hitting a half-century from No. 10, or Morne Morkel scratching out an important partnership alongside JP Duminy.To say Sri Lanka have opponents by the shirt collar then let them go is, by now, an understatement. They’ve let go of the collar, apologetically smoothed out any crinkles they may have caused, then asked any more shirts that needed ironing. They’ve taken the foot off the pedal, sprinted out to the front of the slowing car, and then got themselves run over.At the end of the day, they sent the same player they had sat in front of the media inside the first two days of the first two Tests. He answered in the same old way, the same old tired questions the same old boring journalists asked of him.”We dropped crucial chances in Durham and here as well,” Rangana Herath said when asked about Sri Lanka’s difficulties with the lower middle order. “Throughout the series the catching has cost us big time. Catching is one discipline that we need to improve a lot. But then it’s part of the game. The important thing is tomorrow morning we need to come back and do well. The first hour tomorrow is going to be very crucial. We need to bowl them out as soon as possible.”In some ways, Sri Lanka are like the has-been band, still touring around the world, playing the same set-list. Only, they have been on the road so long, they’ve forgotten they have played this same concert at this venue before. In their most recent Lord’s Test in 2014, they had had England at 120 for 4 on the first day. England wound up eventually declaring on 575 for 9.The problems for this young team are many, but among the most familiar is this propensity to leak runs. Since the start of 2015, they have surrendered 30.12 runs to the last five partnerships in an opposition innings, on average. No team has been worse.A scoreline of 279 for 6 on an unhelpful surface, after losing the toss, represents good returns when taken in isolation. In the greater scheme, it is another revolution on a merry-go-round of middling days that could have been outstanding ones.