Daniel Farke is enjoying a renaissance at Leeds United at the moment, when he once looked almost certain to be sacked.

The once under-pressure German has now spearheaded an unbelievable seven match unbeaten run in the Premier League for the Whites, with Noah Okafor coming out to state that the ex-Norwich City manager is a “top coach” for the swift turnaround in fortunes in West Yorkshire.

This is a complete change of narrative from when Farke was regularly being tipped to be axed in October and November, as the revitalised boss now hunts down some January additions to solidify the feel-good factor and to avoid a slump in form.

Leeds hold talks with La Liga star

Farke has done extremely well to maintain this impressive run of form, with the likes of Joe Rodon out of the side owing to injury.

He could bring in Chelsea outcast Axel Disasi to strengthen at the back, as the commanding Welshman remains sidelined, with a deal reportedly in the advanced stages for the Frenchman to leave Stamford Bridge behind for new opportunities at Elland Road.

Leeds are some way off completing another deal for Real Madrid sensation Gonzalo Garcia, on the other hand, with TEAMtalk revealing that the Premier League newcomers have been rebuffed in their latest approach for the Los Blancos centre-forward.

Indeed, the report states that Leeds have been admirers of the young Spaniard for some time now, having even been noted – back in November – to be planning a £17m bid for the 21-year-old’s services.

Nothing has materialised, though, with the latest set of enquiries from Leeds, and their top-flight rivals in Sunderland, being met with clear rejection, as Garcia fights for a starting place at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Leeds’ long-standing interest means this is a deal that won’t just fizzle out, however, as the Whites could go the distance all window long in trying to tempt Garcia to England, with the Madrid-born striker arguably a bigger talent than the free-flowing Dominic Calvert-Lewin, already situated at Elland Road.

Why Garcia is a bigger talent than Calvert-Lewin

Of course, when initially taking this statement at face value, this does feel like a ludicrous comment to make, with Calvert-Lewin deep in a purple patch of form in the Premier League, which has seen him power home eight top-flight goals donning Leeds white.

But, there will be a worry lingering at the back of everyone’s minds at Leeds, that Calvert-Lewin is prone to a slip-up in form, as evidenced by the ex-Everton marksman only powering home three top-flight goals all of last season, as his injury difficulties took a firm grip.

At 28 years of age, as well, it’s clear that Calvert-Lewin will be winding down his playing days in the near future, even with the Sheffield-born striker now sticking out as an arguable late bloomer, having been a largely inconsistent scorer of Premier League goals since a very early age.

It would take the 11-time England international 43 outings at the very pinnacle of English football to reach five league strikes.

On the contrary, Garcia is already eight goals down for Xabi Alonso’s men from 30 senior appearances, with his manager hailing him as an “unbelievable” and “aggressive” attacker to work with, when making considerable strides in the men’s game in Madrid.

Garcia’s last run-out in La Liga versus Real Betis saw him power home a sensational hat-trick, with Alonso and Co. not put off whatsoever in their aims to win, even as Kylian Mbappe was missing from the starting lineup.

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Thankfully, their homegrown sensation stepped up and delivered the goods, instead, with the red-hot striker showing why he’s been hailed as “incredible” in the past by scout Jacek Kulig, when putting away a stunning four goals in Club World Cup action in pre-season – even when facing the likes of European giants Borussia Dortmund and Juventus.

Garcia’s Real Madrid record

Age bracket

Games

Goals + Assists

RM Castilla

73

30 + 7

Real Madrid

30

8 + 3

Madrid Youth League

16

6 + 3

Sourced by Transfermarkt

With his blistering goalscoring record clear for all to see in the table above, it’s not the wildest shout to suggest that Garcia could surpass Calvert-Lewin’s long-standing career at the very top in time, with the 21-year-old also boldly dubbed as a “world-class” finisher by journalist Zach Lowy.

For now, Leeds will bask in the glory of Calvert-Lewin’s goalscoring prowess.

But, in the long term, landing Garcia’s services, against all the odds, could put them in an even better position for success, as the Spain U21 regular is already a feared goal machine on some grand stages, at just 21 years of age.

Related Deal in advanced stages: Leeds well placed to sign Ampadu 2.0 this month

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Sunderland are pushing for a top-half finish at a minimum in the Premier League table. However, they are now targeting a January arrival who could put them in the picture for continental qualification.

Sunderland look to build on excellent Premier League form

Undoubtedly, Sunderland have been the surprise package of the campaign under Regis Le Bris and have proven that their form isn’t just a flash in the pan after being able to sustain some consistency during the Christmas period.

Sitting comfortably in the top half of the table, they are feasibly a few victories away from mathematically securing safety and have exceeded expectations, albeit with the help of some fantastic summer recruitment.

Now, the question will be centred around how far Sunderland can push expectations. Clearly, the Stadium of Light is an appealing destination for players, so it is almost a certainty that fresh faces will come in to add further squad depth.

It remains to be seen where fresh reinforcements are added, though Roma’s Artem Dovbyk is reportedly a target for the Black Cats, illustrating that their forward line may be subject to change between now and the end of the window.

Brentford, Everton, Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Burnley represent some welcome upcoming fixtures for Sunderland in the next few weeks, potentially offering the ideal breeding ground for prospective new arrivals to get their first taste of action in the North East.

In what has become a really exciting period at the Stadium of Light, there is a feeling that they may be set to achieve something special this campaign, which a player currently starring at the African Cup of Nations may be about to experience.

Sunderland eyeing move for Paris FC winger Ilan Kebbal

According to Football Insider, Sunderland are in the mix to sign Paris FC winger Ilan Kebbal, who is also wanted by Fulham and Crystal Palace during the mid-season window.

Currently at the African Cup of Nations with Algeria, the 27-year-old has registered six goals and four assists in 16 appearances across all competitions this campaign, earning plaudits in the country of his birth.

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Predominantly a right winger, Kebbal has created 40 chances in Ligue 1 this term and is capable of going in either direction, regularly beating his marker as proven by his tally of 18 successful dribbles.

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Of course, his presence in Morocco for now wouldn’t help Sunderland in the immediate term as Algeria fight it out for tournament glory, but he may be someone who is worth investing in after a series of superb performances in France.

Sunderland could also sell Paddy Roberts to Birmingham permanently, according to the outlet, offering a small cash boost that could help to see a deal for Kebbal over the line.

The three nominees appointed by the government of Delhi last year to look into Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) matters have proposed a selection committee to end the controversy around three different squads named by Delhi officials, and have also proposed and approved Ajay Jadeja’s name as the coach of the Ranji Trophy team for 2015-16.In the last week Delhi cricket has been mired in controversy, with nobody to oversee the preliminary nets at Feroz Shah Kotla and nobody sure of who is to run the team. Virender Sehwag has already left Delhi for Haryana. Kotla has already given up South Africa’s practice Twenty20 match it was scheduled to host because it won’t be ready in time.In a letter sent to the DDCA executive board, the government nominees have asked all parties concerned to get around their problems and approve the selection committee named by them, which includes former India cricketer Rahul Sanghvi. If the committee is approved by the board, Vinay Lamba and Hari Gidwani will join Sanghvi on the committee. Sunil Dev will be the convenor with no voting powers, and the captain and the coach will be invitees to selection meetings.Captaincy has been a thorny issue with different factions in the DDCA preferring Unmukt Chand and Gautam Gambhir. While Chand is away playing for India A against Bangladesh A in Bangalore, Gambhir has attended only one of the first three days of preliminary nets.The first list, issued by DDCA vice-president Chetan Chauhan, included 45 players. The next list, released by Anil Jain, joint secretary (sports), named 53 players, included the 45 originally named. A third list, this one named by Ashok Sharma, a DDCA director, added three more names. One of the lists named Chand as captain, the other two didn’t have a captain. Two lists nominated Madan Lal as chief mentor, the third had Surinder Khanna.The first three days of the nets have been a shambles according to reports, with no one to co-ordinate what goes on. The pitches were wet, and it was said even basic facilities were missing. There weren’t enough cricket balls, the reported. Former Delhi medium-pacer Amit Bhandari, assistant coach last year, attended the camp on day two on DDCA’s request, but he too stayed away on the third day. Gambhir, being the senior-most member in the squad, and almost forced to supervise the nets on day one, has stayed away since.Chauhan has said Jadeja’s appointment is more or less final, but there is resistance to his nomination in certain quarters.

Finance expert Kieran Maguire believes that Celtic will be happy to pay for VAR in the Scottish Premiership, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Vote expected

Reports last month suggested that both the Hoops and their Glasgow arch-rivals are pushing for VAR to be introduced in Scotland.

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It is thought to cost each club close to £100,000 per season, or around £1.2m combined, with a vote expected to take place in the spring. That figure has increased from £60,000 per season, and Maguire has been having his say on the now seven-figure total cost.

The Latest: Maguire’s comments

Maguire, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider, who led with a title suggesting that the rest of the league will ‘hate’ VAR coming into play.

He admitted that it isn’t a surprise to see both Celtic and Rangers pushing for a VAR deal due to their financial power, saying:

“You can understand it from the perspective of other clubs.

“Other clubs are operating on total revenue of around about £5m per season.

“That means £100,000 would be two per cent of total revenue going towards VAR, which isn’t insignificant.

“But Celtic and Rangers are generating much more than that, meaning it is less significant.

“For them, VAR could be the difference between coming 2nd and winning the title.”

The Verdict: The right move?

You can see why both Celtic and Rangers are pushing for VAR, especially following the Hoops’ impressive financial figures in 2021.

As Maguire mentions, the implementation of the technology could prove to be the difference in who wins the title in subsequent seasons, with the current campaign showing how close the two sides are now.

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Hopefully, other top-flight clubs will vote in favour of the technology, despite the £100,000-a-year cost, and this topic could be one to keep an eye on over the coming months.

In other news: Devlin reveals that Celtic ‘definitely want’ to sign ‘incredible’ £22k-p/w international

Ibrox giants Rangers have been dealt a late quadruple injury setback as Gio van Bronckhorst’s Glasgow giants prepare to play in the Premiership tonight.

What’s the latest?

The manager has revealed the players who will be absent for the Gers as they return to action away from home this evening.

We covered the news that Aaron Ramsey is set for a return from injury “soon” after missing the last few matches through injury, but four more players have sustained knocks to join him on the treatment table.

The club’s official Twitter account quoted him as saying: “Ramsey, Davis, Amad, Jack and Helander are not available for tomorrow.”

He added: “Helander and Jack should be back for the weekend, Amad next week.”

Fuming

When it rains it pours…

Rangers fans will surely be fuming with this update as it is another frustrating development and major blow that will compound their misery after recent results in the Premiership.

The Gers have failed to win either of their last two matches in the division after drawing with both Dundee United and Motherwell. Van Bronckhorst’s men dropped a two-goal lead in the latter as they failed to capitalise on holding a healthy advantage at half-time, with these matches allowing Celtic to maintain their three-point lead at the top of the table.

They will now face St Johnstone with a depleted squad as these fresh injury blows have left the club without four more of their first-team options along with Ramsey, which is why this is a major blow to the side. This will, therefore, leave supporters fuming as the injuries have come at the same time as a frustrating run of results.

The fans will also be livid with some of the players who are out. Filip Helander made his return in the draw with Dundee United and showed some signs of promise despite looking rusty, as he won four of his five aerial battles in the match. Instead of being able to build up his fitness and return to his best, he will now be watching on from the sidelines again.

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Ryan Jack being out is also a major blow as he has been in excellent form of late. He has recorded a SofaScore rating of 6.9 or higher in four of his last five appearances as the central midfielder looked to be getting back to 100%.

Now, much like Helander, he has suffered a setback and may have to work his way back to those level upon his return, which is another reason why fans will be fuming with this update.

AND in other news, GvB must unleash “outstanding” £14k-p/w Rangers gem who plays with “smile on his face”…

Celtic will be entitled to some of the money if Manchester United buy Moussa Dembele from Lyon, Football Scotland’s Matthew Elder writes.

The lowdown

Celtic signed Dembele on a free transfer from Fulham in 2016 and he went on to make 94 appearances for the club, scoring 51 goals and providing 18 assists.

In 2018, they agreed to sell him to Lyon for £19.8million, a deal that remains one of the most lucrative in their history.

The Daily Mail reported this week that Manchester United are now eyeing the Frenchman, with no guarantee that Marcus Rashford, Cristiano Ronaldo or Anthony Martial will be at Old Trafford next season.

United are aware that Dembele would qualify as a homegrown player following his stint at Celtic, offering another incentive.

The latest

Elder says that Celtic insist on sell-on clauses when they sell players, and they could now see the benefit of that strategy.

He thinks Lyon may be inclined to cash in on Dembele this summer because he’ll be entering the final year of his contract.

The portion of the proceeds which The Hoops are due to receive isn’t specified.

The verdict

The Mail claim that Lyon could ask for £25million for Dembele, and so Celtic would be in line to bank a fairly considerable amount of money, even if the clause is only along the lines of ten per cent.

The club can be very pleased with their transfer dealings in this instance, having banked a huge sum in the first place for a player who didn’t cost them a penny.

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And now they’re due to reap the rewards of some long-term thinking and firm negotiation.

With Jeremie Frimpong, who also has a sell-on clause, a target for Bayern Munich, Celtic’s coffers could be nicely boosted by external dealings this summer.

In other news, Celtic have received a fitness boost. 

Rangers have been dealt a concerning blow over Ibrox midfielder Joe Aribo’s injury situation…

What’s the latest?

Gio van Bronckhorst has admitted that the Nigeria international is a doubt ahead of their Scottish Cup quarter-final clash today, with the club set to make a late call on his availability.

On Friday, Rangers’ official Twitter channel quoted the manager as saying: “Physically it was a tough match last night, we have a couple concerns with Lundstram’s ankle and we have to assess Aribo also before Sunday.”

Sweating

The knock to the ex-Charlton man will surely leave Van Bronckhorst sweating, as the 25-year-old has been a crucial player for the club throughout the campaign. He has proven himself to be an integral member of the squad and it will be a big blow to lose him for any period of time.

Rangers are three points behind Celtic in the Premiership table and remain in the Europa League and the Scottish Cup, so there is still plenty to play for between now and the end of the campaign. Therefore, the Dutch head coach will surely want as many of his top players available as possible, and Aribo fits into that description.

In the league this season, the midfielder has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.11, placing him sixth out of all the outfield players. He has chipped in with seven goals and five assists whilst mainly being deployed in a number 10 role or out wide, showing that he has the quality to make a difference in the final third for the Gers.

He has also averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.92 in the Europa League, creating 1.3 chances per game and registering one assist so far. This may not be as impressive as his ratings domestically, but he is ranked above the likes of John Lundstram, Ryan Jack, Scott Arfield, Borna Barisic and Glen Kamara in the Rangers squad, which shows that he has been one of the Gers’ better performers in Europe.

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The 25-year-old’s statistics in Europe and in the Premiership illustrate why Van Bronckhorst will be sweating over this latest injury issue. The Gers boss will surely be hoping that it is only a minor issue which will not leave the Nigerian out of action for an extended period of time, as Aribo has proven how important he is to the team.

For now, though, this is looking like a big blow to the squad for the clash against Dundee today and potentially beyond…

AND in other news, Rangers dealt another concerning injury update which will also leave Van Bronckhorst sweating…

Liverpool pair James Milner and Kostas Tsimikas have been out of the Reds’ crucial Premier League clash with Arsenal because of illness.

The Lowdown: Reds face huge game v Arsenal

Jurgen Klopp’s men face one of their biggest matches of the season on Wednesday night, making the trip to face a Gunners side who have taken control of the battle to finish fourth.

Manchester City’s 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Monday means that Liverpool can get to within one point of their title rivals with a win at the Emirates Stadium, although it will be no easy task.

Mohamed Salah looks set to be available for the game despite suffering a knock away to Brighton last weekend but two other players are missing for the trip to north London.

The Latest: Milner and Tsimikas ruled out

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, journalist Carl Markham confirmed that Milner and Tsimikas have been ruled out of tonight’s clash in north London.

He tweeted: “Klopp says Konate is back fit. Milner and Tsimikas are out with illness.”

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The Verdict: Milner’s experience will be a miss

While neither Milner nor Tsimikas are regular figures in this magnificent Liverpool team, they have been important squad members this season, starting seven league matches apiece.

In terms of who will be the biggest miss, the English veteran’s vast experience could have been so important in a match of such magnitude, coming on in the second half to help manage the game, especially if the Reds are winning at that point.

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The hope is that Liverpool still have enough midfield depth to alleviate that issue, both in terms of quality and nous, while Andy Robertson is clearly first-choice over Tsimikas at left-back, so the Greek might not be a devastating miss for one game.

In other news, Liverpool have been linked with a hugely exciting move for one midfielder. Read more here.

Rangers’ January signing Amad Diallo may not be ‘up to it’ at Ibrox, Frank McAvennie has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

With three days of the January transfer window remaining, Rangers signed Diallo on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst inherited the squad of his predecessor Steven Gerrard in the autumn, but this was one of four incoming deals he sanctioned in January as he looked to put his own stamp on the squad.

Diallo made a flying start for the Gers, scoring just five minutes into his debut against Ross County on 29 January.

But Van Bronckhorst then substituted him at half time against Celtic, with Rangers 3-0 down, after he lost five of the six duels he contested and conceded possession 12 times.

He’s only played 22 Scottish Premiership minutes since, and has watched all the Europa League knockout action from the sidelines.

The latest

McAvennie stressed that Diallo has the ability but says he may have encountered something of a culture shock.

And he feels it’s fair to question the wisdom of the signing in light of what we’ve seen so far.

“It’s a different game up here,” he said. “In England, players will take the ball. In Scotland, you take the ball and the man.

“It’s frantic, you get no time on the ball. Diallo doesn’t have the time to run with the ball, it can be a shock to a player.

“He’s only a young boy and he has bags of talent but maybe Van Bronckhorst doesn’t trust him.

“There are loads of options for Rangers in that position so if you aren’t up to the job, you won’t play.

“It just makes me wonder why they signed him if he’s not up to it.”

The verdict

This was a signing that felt like it could go either way.

Diallo had showcased his immense potential at youth level, notching 28 direct goal contributions in 46 appearances for Atalanta’s Primavera side.

But, on the other hand, he’d only made 14 senior appearances for La Dea and Manchester United combined.

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Rangers haven’t committed to an expensive mandatory purchase option, so from that point of view it was still perhaps a risk worth taking, but it hasn’t paid off so far.

As McAvennie says, Van Bronckhorst simply seems to have very little trust in him.

After all, BBC Sportsound pundit Derek Ferguson has accused him of looking ‘half-hearted’, while journalist Andrew Dickson described his attitude as ‘really poor’ after he allegedly backed out of a challenge against Dundee United.

If the commitment isn’t there, then he can’t expect to play in important games.

In other news, this BBC man drops a transfer claim on Cedric Itten.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte must make a ruthless decision ahead of their Premier League encounter with Newcastle United this afternoon.

The Italian head coach is facing plenty of selection decisions as his side looks to maintain ground in the race for a top-four finish and with teams slipping up around them, there won’t be a better chance to solidify their claims.

Eddie Howe has turned things around at the Magpies, winning three of their last five in the competition – a run of form that has seen them rise from the brink of an end-of-season relegation battle to near-enough survival.

And he has quite the threat upfront in Chris Wood, who swapped Turf Moor for St James’ Park during the January transfer window. Perhaps not the big-name signing many expected under their new Saudi backers but quite an astute addition, all things considered.

The 30-year-old marksman hasn’t scored as many goals as he’d have liked in the black and white, with just one goal from ten appearances, but having played 100% of minutes in those matches, it’s clear that Howe trusts him and his attacking credentials.

He has won a whopping 8.8 aerial duels won per game since signing for the northeast outfit, which is the most in the Premier League but quite some margin, eclipsing his 5.5 headers won at Burnley and far exceeding anyone in the Spurs squad, as per WhoScored.

This aerial threat will be something of a problem for Conte, even with three centre-backs being deployed, and at 5 foot 11, Ben Davies could be at risk from facing the axe.

The Welshman, dubbed “perfect” by ex-Lilywhites man Michael Dawson, withdrew from the Wales squad during the recent international break and whilst he is available for this clash, it may be wise to hold him back in case any lingering injury gets worse, whilst last time out, he was rated as one of Spurs’ worst-performing players in their 3-1 win over West Ham.

Those factors, combined with the fact that he’s a full-back playing out of position, should be enough for Conte to make a brutal and ruthless call to drop him from the starting XI when the two teams go head-to-head later today.

The 28-year-old star has won an average of only 2.2 headers per league outing this term, a mere fraction compared to the aerial threat of Wood, and last time out, he won only one of his three duels, failed to register a single tackle and lost possession eight times – and that was up against an out-of-sorts Michail Antonio.

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A bit lightweight, in comparison to Howe’s big target man.

Therefore, it would be wise for Conte to ruthlessly axe the £18m-rated defender, who Jose Mourinho once lauded as “intelligent”, for this fixture, as he could well be dominated by the threat of Wood and co amid recent domestic form struggles and potential injury concerns.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt huge blow as early team news emerges ahead of Newcastle clash…