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Leeds United have seen an offer for Bayern Munich goalkeeper Alexander Nubel turned down, according to fresh reports from Germany.

Who is Alexander Nubel?

Nubel is a goalkeeper who first arrived at the Allianz Arena on a free transfer from FC Schalke back in 2020, but the following term, he completed a two-year loan switch to Monaco meaning that he’s only recently returned to his parent club in the Bundesliga, as per Transfermarkt.

During his time with Adi Hutter’s side, the 26-year-old started all 38 games in Ligue 1 and firmly established himself as their first-choice, a luxury he’s never been used with Thomas Tuchel’s outfit whose official number one and captain is Manuel Neuer, hence why the former moved elsewhere to receive more regular game time.

Bild recently reported that the German doesn’t see his long-term future at the club and has made it clear to them that he wants to leave, and it was stated that Stuttgart want to take him on loan whilst the Whites were more so looking to wrap up a permanent deal.

Sky Sports in his homeland soon after claimed that Bayern were set to make a final decision on his future by Monday, and if the following update is to be believed, Daniel Farke and the 49ers have already learned their fate as to whether they were successful in their pursuit.

Are Leeds signing Alexander Nubel?

According to Kicker (via Sport Witness), Leeds, and by extension new owners the 49ers Enterprises, “made an offer” for Nubel worth in excess of €10m (£8m) plus bonuses after learning that Stuttgart had failed in their opening attempt to land him.

Bayern’s shot-stopper is believed to hold a “negative attitude” towards the project in Yorkshire, with relegation to the Championship having not “helped them”, and therefore, doesn't want to make the move. The German giants are claimed to have since resumed discussions and have reached an agreement over a loan move with Stuttgart, therefore meaning that he won’t be going to Elland Road.

Is Leeds missing out on Alexander Nubel a blow for Farke?

Leeds might have to enter the market for a new goalkeeper this summer should Illan Meslier depart, which there’s a strong chance he will having admitted that he would be open to a move to Chelsea, and Nubel could have been the perfect replacement having been hailed “top class” by journalist Josh Bunting.

At Monaco, the 6 foot 3 colossus kept nine clean sheets from 38 Ligue 1 matches last season and he recorded a total of 140 saves from 195 shots on target against, giving him a success rate of 72.8%,via FBRef, a percentage that’s significantly higher than Meslier’s 59.5%, showing that he could have been an upgrade on Farke’s current number one.

Nubel, who has experience of playing in both the Champions League and Europa League, also has an extremely strong range of passing having completed 99.2% of his short dispatches and 97.5% of his medium dispatches so has an eye for picking passes to his outfield teammates, but this is a quality that the boss will have to do without after seeing his approach turned down.

Vernon Philander has been passed fit for South Africa’s opening Test against England at Lord’s

Firdose Moonda02-Jul-2017Vernon Philander has been passed fit for South Africa’s opening Test against England at Lord’s. Philander sat out the warm-up match in Worcester last week as he recovered from an ankle injury, sustained while on a county stint with Sussex, but has made a full recovery.That means South Africa will have a full-strength attack including Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel, while back-up allrounders Chris Morris and Andile Phehlukwayo will likely have to wait their turns.South Africa are still waiting to confirm Faf du Plessis’ availability for the match after he returned home of the birth of his first child. A difficult birth may keep the captain from joining the camp immediately. A decision is expected to be taken on Monday.Should du Plessis miss the match, Dean Elgar will stand in as captain with one of Theunis de Bruyn or Aiden Markram coming in in du Plessis’ place.

Leeds United's relegation last season was a culmination of numerous failures, from top to bottom.

The hierarchy's questionable decision-making led to three different managers taking the Elland Road dugout in one campaign, and their patience to sack Jesse Marsch arguably outranked all of their failures.

As such, the American was trusted with two transfer windows, of which many of his acquisitions failed him.

However, few proved to be as disastrous as Brenden Aaronson, who was welcomed from Red Bull Salzburg in a deal worth £24.7m.

The USA international was expected to underpin this all-action philosophy of their head coach, with an injection of creativity and goalscoring know-how to get fans off their seats.

However, what they instead received was an attacking midfielder so dreadfully unprepared for the physicality of English football, who was effectively bullied into submission every week.

Daniel Farke will be desperate to ensure that he does not repeat these blunders of the past, with this summer window sure to be imperative if they are to achieve an immediate Premier League return.

They cannot afford to take such lucrative risks when the potential reward is so unlikely, so the addition of some steelier characters is to be expected. That feeds into the recent links that suggest a move for Coventry City's Gustavo Hamer is on the cards, who is reportedly available for just £10m.

Such a swoop would mark a return to sensible business once more, given how the 26-year-old dominated this division last campaign for the Sky Blues.

How many goals has Gustavo Hamer scored?

With Aaronson having immediately been shipped out by the new manager, it is clear that his future lies outside of Yorkshire. The hope will be that his loan spell at Union Berlin can reignite his career, and allow the Whites to recoup at least some of the astronomical fee initially paid.

The sum was made even more embarrassing by the fact that the 22-year-old would score only one senior goal all year, enduring a 33-match run in the league without finding the back of the net as the season concluded.

It was, therefore, no surprise to see pundit Jon Newsome brand him "lightweight" when talking on BBC Radio Leeds.

Meanwhile, Hamer was tearing up defences in the Championship, spearheading his side's unlikely playoff push which was felled at the final step.

The Dutch-Brazilian playmaker scored nine goals and assisted a further ten in the league, not to mention his deciding goal against Middlesbrough in the playoff semi-final as well as his equaliser against Luton Town in the final.

Such imperious form was always sure to draw praise, with teammate Marko Marosi keen to add his opinion on the goalscoring midfielder:

"Gustavo is unbelievable. He is a funny guy as well and a great character."

This year was no fluke either, as the former Feyenoord star had posted ten assists in the Championship the year before for a comfortably mid-table outfit, and a total of 38 goals across a career where he has features in numerous roles.

It seems with each passing campaign Hamer only improves, as he edges closer to that elusive promotion. Perhaps a switch to Elland Road, under the tutelage of a proven winner at this level, could prove to be the catalyst that returns this massive club back to where the fans will feel it belongs and exorcise the demons of last summer's signing within that position.

New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ Watling says the team is not judging its season on the loss to South Africa in Wellington, but might do so on its performance in the final Test in Hamilton

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton22-Mar-2017

As New Zealand enter their final fixture of a summer that began nine months ago in August, wicketkeeper BJ Watling has cautioned against an over-reaction to their three-day defeat to South Africa in Wellington, but admitted the last match of the series could define this season.”It’s not a calamity. There’s a lot of talk about the collapse and these things happen and we are obviously very disappointed but we’re not going to dwell on that,” Watling said. “This is a very important game coming up for us. I don’t think we will judge our season on that last game. But we might on this one.”It has become something of a team mantra to talk of the Wellington woes as “one bad day,” as Kane Williamson described it. They may even be able to distill it down to one bad hour.New Zealand were 139 for 5 at tea on third day and added 16 runs to that score before losing 5 for 16 in less than six overs to set South Africa a modest 81. That four of the five wickets fell to Keshav Maharaj on the most seamer-friendly deck of the series, was of particular annoyance to selector Gavin Larsen and Watling confirmed the squad has been addressing that issue.”It was a pretty good wicket to bat on against spin and we were probably not quite as disciplined as we would like to be,” he said. “We’ve got to take better options and make better decisions than what we did in that last innings.”The Seddon Park surface is expected to take more turn than either University Oval – which was low and slow but not raging – or the Basin Reserve, which only offered a little something out of the rough, so New Zealand need to be even more alert. Watling, a Hamilton local, is also predicting some seam and swing.The former will bring Vernon Philander, who took a series-winning 10 for 114 including 6 for 44 in the second innings, the last time South Africa were in Hamilton, into the game. Philander only has two wickets in the series so far and the statistics might suggest New Zealand have not had to deal with the full might of him yet, but they know that is not entirely correct.The pressure Philander and Morne Morkel created in Wellington was key to Maharaj’s success and Watling wants his team-mates to ride out the quicks better in Hamilton while not letting their guard down at the other end. “They bowled very well and put us under pressure and there were some testing spells,” Watling said. We’ve got to get through those spells and make sure we are not slacking at the other end.”For that, New Zealand need their top six to build on starts and will want to see runs from Tom Latham and Neil Broom, who have yet to contribute, because they feel that is the only way to properly challenge a strong South African attack. “There’s been some glimpses of good batting and we’ve talked about those starts and we need to turn them to bigger scores to really put South Africa under pressure,” Watling said. “We’ve got to be better as a unit, all the way down to 11. We’ve got to build partnerships and take these guys really deep. We saw in Dunedin, that we took them deep and they felt the pressure. We had them in positions we were pretty happy with.”Watling has been one of the key men in counter-attacking in this series. His fifty in Dunedin came alongside Kane Williamson, with whom he shared an 84-run stand to help put New Zealand in a position to take a first-innings lead. Then, Watling spent almost three hours at the crease in scoring 34 in the first innings in Wellington, off 132, balls and he shared in the biggest partnership of the innings, 116 with Henry Nicholls. In the second dig, Watling partnered Jeet Raval in a sixth-wicket stand of 65, New Zealand’s only stand over fifty in that innings.His appetite for a fight may result in calls for him to bat higher up, especially as New Zealand are without Ross Taylor, who is recovering from a low-grade calf tear, but the man himself says there has been no discussion about being promoted mostly because it may affect his wicket-keeping duties. “My role has always been No.7, for the majority of my keeping days,” he said. “Keeping can be quite tough and a mental drain sometimes, focusing on every ball in the field and with batting at No.7, you get a bit of a break.”South Africa use the same argument for not using Quinton de Kock higher up despite his ability to accelerate the scoring rate almost single-handedly. It’s the “almost” that’s important though, because de Kock can’t operate without a partner and he has found a promising one in patient Temba Bavuma. Watling needs someone like that at the other end, otherwise New Zealand may find him trying to do both jobs and that could end in calamity.”I love batting and I hate getting out. You respect each delivery as well and the South Africans bowl a lot of good balls that you’ve got to respect and you’ve got to wait a bit longer to get the balls to put away,” he said. “Some days its about being aggressive and take a lot more positive options and other days you might have to soak it up a bit more.”

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Udinese striker Beto this summer to ease starring talisman Harry Kane's workload, according to recent reports.

What's the latest on Beto to Tottenham?

That's according to one Spanish outlet, who claim that Spurs – alongside Bayern Munich, Napoli and Real Madrid – could secure the services of the formidable forward.

Beto is valued at €30m (£26m) by his Serie A outfit – the fee a clause in his contract – and with I Bianconeri unwilling to conduct business for a lesser fee, the interested suitors are yet to commence negotiations.

With recent reports that Bayern are pushing for the transfer of Kane, reaching an agreement in principle despite facing an obstinate hurdle in Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, the requirement to sign a new first-rate forward is only magnified.

Should Tottenham sign Beto?

While the emphasis at Tottenham this summer will be on bolstering the backline and restoring balance to the squad through eradicating the seasonal issues of a leaky defence, targetting a centre-forward is certainly not a bad shout.

Manager Ange Postecoglou will have his work cut out in replenishing Spurs after an eighth-placed finish confirmed European football to be outside the side's reach next year, and Beto would add a new dimension to the fold.

Standing at 6 foot 4, the £3k-per-week ace has maintained a steady rate of scoring in Italy, bagging ten times in Serie A last term before netting 11 strikes this time around.

The Brazilian menace would also add a new dimension to the fold, offering greater physicality than Kane and perhaps utilising his imposing stature to serve as a conduit, and a focal point from which the likes of Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski could wreak havoc with well-timed inversions.

This is evidenced through FBref, with the 25-year-old ranking among the top 18% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons, the top 11% for clearances, the top 26% for interceptions and the top 25% for aerials won per 90.

The consistency within the top quarter of positional peers across the aforementioned metrics illustrates an aptitude in physicality across the park.

And for all Kane's excellence – having scored 30 goals from 38 league matches this year – he ranks below the bottom 50% mark for each defensive statistic FBref has to offer.

Reporter Sam Tighe even said: "The way Beto spooks defenders is amazing. Chuck a ball into the channel for him to chase and even if he doesn't latch onto it, defenders panic under his pressure and end up making the craziest decisions or panicked clearances."

With statistical likeness to Alexander Mitrovic and Ollie Watkins, with the Fulham striker hailed as a "monster" by Andy Naylor while Aston Villa's goal-happy striker has been dubbed "lethal" by pundit Trevor Sinclair, the Lilywhites would secure a gem with qualities fit for Premier League football.

He would bring a brutish presence and a new angle for the attack, Kane is one of Europe's foremost forwards and deserves all the plaudits for his prolific brilliance and leadership skills, but perhaps what the club needs is a new striker to add something different when the situation demands it.

A summer of transition is under way at Wolverhampton Wanderers, with as many as nine players set to find new clubs in the summer transfer window.

While some players will soon be forgotten, such as striker Diego Costa, it will take far more time and consideration to find a replacement for a player of Joao Moutinho's standing at Molineux.

The Portugal international's five-season stay with the Premier League side came to an end at the conclusion of last season, and it is looking likely he will reunite with former Wolves boss Nuno Santo at Saudi club Al Ittihad.

There are plenty of adequate options available to freshen up Wolves' midfield next season, with Bristol City's Alex Scott among them.

Scott has long been touted as an option for Julen Lopetegui, and CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs reports that Wolves – as well as Tottenham Hotspur – have been boosted in their pursuit as Liverpool are no longer in the running for the midfielder's signature.

What can Alex Scott bring to Wolverhampton Wanderers?

Despite still being aged just 19, Scott has already racked up 89 senior appearances for Bristol City, 81 of which have come in the Championship.

That includes 40 starts in the second tier last season when used in a number of midfield positions. Whether it is as a holder, out wide or just off the striker, Scott has the ability to mix it up.

The teenager is more of a defensive and creative-minded midfielder than someone who gets forward and scores himself, as reflected by his four assists last season and smaller tally of just one goal.

Indeed, the team-high ten yellow cards he received in the Championship last season gives a good indication of what Scott is all about.

That is not to say Scott is dirty – he is someone who was described as "an unbelievable player" by Pep Guardiola earlier this year, after all – but it comes as part of his job as someone in the side to intercept the ball.

Interestingly, Scott's 0.98 interceptions per 90 minutes in the Championship last season, as per FBref, is almost identical to that of Moutinho in the Premier League – 0.91 per 90 minutes.

The pair also committed fouls at a similar rate (1.33 for Scott compared to 1.57 for Moutinho), and likewise when it comes to percentage of challenges won (40.3 and 41.3 respectively).

With 0.19 and 0.15 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes for their respective sides last season, neither Scott nor Moutinho were selected for their goalscoring ability alone (the latter did not find the net all season), but they each bring other vital components that help make a team tick.

If it is a like-for-like replacement of sorts Lopetegui is after to soften the blow of Moutinho's departure, Scott – who will not come cheap at a reported £25m – may be just their man.

A confrontation between James Anderson and R Ashwin provided a “sour end” to the fourth Test in Mumbai, according to Alastair Cook.Anderson, England’s last batsman, received quite the welcome party when he walked out to bat in the dying moments of the match. Ashwin, in particular, appeared to have taken exception to his comments on the fourth evening that seemed, at best, grudgingly respectful of Virat Kohli’s dominance, and accompanied him for much of his walk to the middle. While it is unclear exactly what was said, it seems safe to assume Ashwin was not offering his full support. Play was delayed briefly before Kohli and umpire Marais Erasmus stepped in to ensure order was restored.The England camp felt Anderson’s comments were, in Cook’s words, “blown out of proportion”. But while Cook accepted Ashwin and his team-mates were “sticking up for their captain” he still described the episode as unnecessary and disappointing.”It was a bit of a sour end really,” Cook said. “It was a disappointing end in terms of how well the spirit between both sides has been played.”It was clearly in reference to what Jimmy said yesterday which has kind of been blown out of all proportions, which it can do here. He was just stating a fact which if you asked Virat is probably quite true. But yes, it was obviously just sticking up for their captain which I thought was slightly unnecessary.”Kohli was more relaxed about the incident and confirmed that he had made his peace with Anderson and agreed to “move on”.”For the first time I was trying to calm things down in the middle at a time when [Anderson] is involved,” he said. “Ashwin wasn’t pleased with what he said in the press, but I didn’t even know about it. So I didn’t know what to make of it. I was laughing about it.”Ashwin wasn’t too impressed and he let him know, not using any bad words honestly. I think he told him he was pretty disappointed with what he said and it is important to accept defeat as it is. Things like that. Just general, you know how Ashwin is, he is to the point, he can really strike you well and he doesn’t need to say bad words. Later on I told James these things happen and let’s move on.”While Kohli said he was “not going to sit here and comment about someone else’s faults” he had already expressed his views. Having suggested England’s batsmen lacked “intent” as they battled to save the Test in Visakhapatnam, he told Star Sports after this match that England had played too expansively as they were “not so confident of their defence”.He may well have a point. Just as Anderson may have had a point about Kohli’s record in England and Parthiv Patel may have had a point about the limitations of England’s spinners and the early struggles of Jos Buttler in the first innings of this game. The way in which these views are expressed, which sometimes seems intended to goad the opposition, is the issue.But there is history between these teams. India felt England’s behaviour towards them was poor on the tour of 2014 – in particular, the alleged incident between Anderson and Ravindra Jadeja was never satisfactorily resolved from an Indian perspective – and England can feel their proud record against India crumbling by the moment.Either way, it all seems unnecessary. India have proved themselves the better side. No amount of comment will change the scoreline.

Aston Villa are eyeing an audacious swoop for a Premier League ace, if latest reports are to be believed.

The Villans are expected to have a busy summer both on and off the pitch, with Sevilla sporting director Monchi set to join Unai Emery to bolster the business side of things at the club.

A host of talent has been linked with a move to Villa Park already, with the latest name being one of high potential.

What’s the latest on Jadon Sancho to Aston Villa?

As reported by FootballTransfers earlier this week, Aston Villa have emerged as a potential candidate to sign Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho.

The report claims that Villa are ‘keen’ on the Englishman, who is valued at £60m by his club.

It’s added that, at present, the Midlands club are ‘not willing’ to spend such a figure on the 23-year-old, who has struggled since arriving at Old Trafford.

What could Jadon Sancho offer to Aston Villa?

Despite not thriving as dangerously as he did at Borussia Dortmund, the former Manchester City academy starlet has built a huge reputation due to his thunderous form displayed in Germany.

The left-winger contributed to a monstrous 89 goals in 104 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund, scoring 38 himself and assisting 51 in just under three and a half seasons, via Transfermarkt.

Once lauded as being an “insane talent” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the Londoner could be an emphatic name for Emery to introduce to Villa Park and integrate into his free-flowing attack.

This campaign has been tough for the Englishman, who took some time away from activity earlier in the season due to being not “physically or mentally” fit to be among his teammates, as revealed by Erik Ten Hag.

Ending the term with 26 appearances, the 23-year-old contributed six goals and three assists for the Red Devils, showing the gap he finds himself at to being close to his best.

The youngster could reach such levels once more if given the chance to thrive, something he could do by joining Villa, who have been presented with an exciting project thanks to the work of Emery.

Deployed on the left flank, the right-footed ace could be provided with a strong outlet in new arrival Youri Tielemans, who has been praised as a “phenomenon” for his play-making ability by former Anderlecht midfielder Par Zetterberg.

The two could form a dangerous combination in Emery’s attack, as suggested by their statistics gathered, piecing them together as the perfect pair to partner at Villa Park this off-season.

As per Sofascore, the Belgian created 10 big chances, as well as averaging one key pass per game in what was a hugely underwhelming Leicester City side that was relegated from the Premier League.

Most notably, the 26-year-old dynamo averaged 6.95 progressive passes per 90 which when paired with Sancho’s average of 9.23 progressive passes received per 90, proves for exciting potential between the two.

The numbers show both the Englishman’s ability to be progressive in his play through movement and positioning to get into intricate areas in the final third, as well as Tielemans’ own ability to pick and execute a pass from a deeper role.

With a hefty price tag and a long way to go in the summer transfer window, only time will tell if Villa decide to flex their financial strengths to snatch the 23-year-old but given the evidence above, it could well be a risk worth taking for Monchi and co.

West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan looks unlikely to be backed significantly by owner Guochuan Lai this summer as he looks to build a squad capable of returning to the Premier League.

The Chinese businessman controversially saw his £5m loan from the club written off a few months ago, with the vast majority of the Baggies' signings coming as free transfers in the 2022/23 campaign.

West Brom could find success down that route once again this summer, with reported target Jay Mingi seemingly set to depart Portsmouth on a free transfer.

Would Jay Mingi be a good signing for West Brom?

It was reported back in December by journalist Alan Nixon that the Baggies were scouting Mingi on a regular basis, with the view of bringing him in on a free transfer in the summer transfer window.

While Pompey have offered the 22-year-old a new contract, that has been on the table since January, and he is yet to sign on the dotted line, which suggests that he could be on his way out of Fratton Park when his current deal expires at the end of next month.

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho said: "There was a conversation with Jay in January which went along the lines of 'I think you’re a terrific player with a load of potential.'

"I think there’s still a lot of work to do to get him there and fulfil that potential. There’s a huge amount to work on and I think he knows that as well, but this is a really good football club for him to do that."

Incidentally, the former West Ham midfielder didn't feature at all under Mousinho due to injury, with his last appearance for the club coming on New Year's Day, so it is perhaps a testament to the talent he possesses that he has been offered a new deal despite his lack of game time.

The Englishman possesses very little senior experience, with just 40 appearances to his name across spells with Maidenhead United, Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth.

However, he is clearly highly rated and could be a great signing for the future by Lai, especially if he continues to back his manager with free-agent signings.

Okay Yokuslu, John Swift and Jed Wallace are ranked as the first, second and fifth-best performers in West Brom's squad this season according to WhoScored, having joined without a transfer fee, emphasising how much success can be had with free agents.

If Lai wants to get the summer off to a positive start as West Brom chairman, he must surely consider making an offer to Mingi ahead of his contract's expiry next month. Such an appealing deal doesn't come around very often.

Liverpool are monitoring Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to reports.

Who is Hayden Hackney?

Hackney is an academy graduate at the Riverside Stadium having worked his way up through the various youth ranks, including going out on a season-long loan to Scunthorpe United, before returning to make his breakthrough into the first team last summer, as per Transfermarkt, registering 41 senior appearances during his debut campaign.

The Scotland U21 international still has another three years remaining on his contract in the north-east, but with Michael Carrick’s side having failed to achieve promotion to the top-flight, they could be forced to cash in on some of their prized assets should any sizeable offers arrive during the upcoming window.

The Reds have already confirmed the imminent departures of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, alongside Arthur Melo more recently, so central reinforcements will be needed, and being his side’s second-best performer in midfielder, the 20-year-old has caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

Are Liverpool signing Hackney?

According to 90min, Liverpool, alongside top-flight rivals Arsenal, have both “checked” on Hackney, whilst Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City have also “taken an interest” in securing his services. The Boro starlet could yet still be “rewarded” for his impressive performances with a new contract, but his boyhood club are aware that a “large offer” could be enough to sanction his sale as they are not in a financial position to turn down “reasonable” bids.

Liverpool will know that Hackney is set to be a much cheaper central midfield alternative as a result of him being a less high-profile name compared to the likes of Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister and Chelsea’s Mason Mount, and as a player that can positively impact the game at both ends of the pitch, FSG should definitely consider testing the waters this summer.

The Redcar-born talent, who earns £4k per week, has recorded a total of 67 tackles since the start of the term, which is higher than any other member of his squad, as per FBref, but going forward, he’s posted seven goal contributions (four assists and three goals) in 34 Championship appearances this season.

Middlesbrough’s “quality” academy product, as lauded by journalist Josh Bunting, would also provide Klopp with wonderful versatility having operated in six different positions since bursting onto the scene, including everywhere across the centre and even out wide on the left wing, so he would be a great acquisition for the long-term future on Merseyside.