West Ham United are still on the lookout for Declan Rice's midfield replacement, two weeks on from their captain departing for Arsenal in a British-record deal.

Who are West Ham signing to replace Declan Rice?

David Moyes' side have been linked with countless midfielders in the weeks before and since Rice's exit, namely Fulham's Joao Palhinha, Everton's Amadou Onana and Juventus' Denis Zakaria.

Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse is another name that refuses to go away, even if the England international is not strictly a like-for-like replacement for Rice in terms of their playing style.

According to The Guardian, West Ham are looking to bring in two midfielders with the windfall they received through Rice's sale, and have now stepped up their interest in Ward-Prowse.

How many free-kicks has James Ward-Prowse scored?

Southampton are said to value Ward-Prowse in the region of £40m, which is a large fee on the face of it considering the Saints were relegated to the Championship last season.

The 28-year-old boasts plenty of Premier League experience, however, having played 343 times at that level since making his Southampton debut in the competition on the opening day of the 2012/13 season.

Ward-Prowse has also played 11 times for England – though not since last year – and has scored a couple of goals in heavy wins over Andorra and San Marino in 2021.

With nine goals and four assists in a poor Southampton side last season, Ward-Prowse ranks in the top 13% of all midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for goals scored, as per The Analyst.

The Portsmouth native is also in the top 15% for chances created, showing that he is more than capable of doing a job in the Premier League, even if he was captain of a relegated side last time out.

Three of those nine goals were scored via direct free-kicks – the most of any player in the Premier League last season. Indeed, only Manchester United legend David Beckham (18) has scored more than Ward-Prowse in the competition's history.

That ability to both score and pick out a team-mate from set-pieces would be a major asset for Moyes, and would also bring back memories of fan favourite – at the time, at least – Dimitri Payet.

Payet has scored 14 direct free-kicks in his career, as per Transfermarkt, six of those during his 18 months at West Ham.

Indeed, after a run of netting via that method for club and country in 2016, Payet revealed he had stopped practising them on the training ground as there was no way to further improve his technique.

It is not too dissimilar in the case of Ward-Prowse, with former Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl previously hailing the midfielder as a "quality" player whose set-piece prowess was – and is, for now – "such a good weapon" for the Saints.

That is not the only similarity between the two players, either. Taking Payet's only full season at West Ham in 2015/16 and potentially Ward-Prowse's final season with Southampton last time out into account, the pair each scored nine Premier League goals.

The only notable difference is in attitude, with Ward-Prowse very much a team player. While he may not be able to replace Rice on his own, the Englishman can at least bring a bit of the past back to the London Stadium should he arrive.

Liverpool are continuing their midfield rebuild at Anfield this summer following the imminent exit of more players, and now a fresh update has emerged from a reliable source on the club's next transfer target.

What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Marco Verratti?

According to Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol, Liverpool have been linked with the signing of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti.

Kaveh revealed on Sky Sports News: "We’ve also been told that two Premier League clubs are interested in signing him.

"We’ve been told that those clubs were Liverpool and Chelsea.

"We haven’t been able to confirm that, it could just be a case of he’s a player that has been offered to Liverpool and Chelsea by intermediaries, by agents, by representatives who are trying to make some money from the deal, and they know that Chelsea and Liverpool are potentially looking for midfielders this summer."

How good is Marco Verratti?

Jurgen Klopp and sporting director Jorg Schmadtke have had to change their strategy for the remainder of the summer transfer window due to the unexpected departures of two of his most experienced midfielders in Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed yesterday that a full agreement was in place for the Liverpool captain to join Al-Ettifaq, whilst a move to the Saudi Pro League was also in the works for his Brazilian teammate.

As a result, there is now a real opportunity for Klopp to finish what he has started in his midfield refresh ahead of next season, by snapping up the services of Verratti to add even more fresh quality and talent into the centre of the pitch without compromising experience.

The PSG star has the much-needed winning mentality that has driven the success at Anfield over the last half a decade – collecting nine Ligue 1 titles, six Coupe de France trophies and the European Championship back in 2021 with Italy when they beat England in the final at Wembley.

Verratti – hailed "extraordinary" by Thomas Tuchel – is one of the most highly rated midfielders in Europe, ranking in the top 5% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues over the past year for passes attempted, pass completion, progressive passes and tackles per 90, as per FBref.

Not only that, but FBref considers the Italian machine's most comparable player over the last 12 months to be none other than Liverpool whiz Thiago Alcantara, with the pair sharing many similarities in their strengths and style of play.

In fact, the 30-year-old outperformed the Spaniard in a number of key attributes last season, including pass completion (92.6% v 86.2%), shot-creating actions per 90 (3.41 v 2.94), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.37 v 0.14) and aerial duels won (45.8% v 36.8%).

Unfortunately, their similarities don't end at their output, as Verratti is also extremely injury-prone – something that has also been a nightmare for Klopp when it comes to Thiago's availability over the last two seasons.

Since September 2021, the 32-year-old has had seven separate instances of injury amounting to 45 fixtures missed, whilst the Italy international has also had seven injury issues in the same period, though he has missed just 14 fixtures for the Ligue 1 champions.

It has been claimed that PSG will command a fee of €80m (£69m) to part ways with their midfield dynamo this summer – an expensive price tag that will require careful consideration from the powerbrokers at Anfield, taking into account both his age and injury record.

With that being said, there is no doubt that Verratti would bring huge quality to the Liverpool squad if a deal can be done with the French giants, however, it would be a huge investment on a player who doesn't offer reliability in fitness.

Players will have to maintain minimum fitness standards set by the team management if they are to be considered going forward, says Pakistan coach

Umar Farooq03-Aug-2017

Mickey Arthur has urged the Pakistan players to return to training from August 22, ahead of a full series against Sri Lanka in October. Pakistan have not played any cricket since the Champions Trophy, which they won in June, but Arthur believes four months without top-level cricket will not affect the side as they prepare for the new season. Since their return from the Champions Trophy, a few players have been on holiday while others, like captain Sarfraz Ahmed, are in the middle of county stints.”I’ve sent emails out to the players. They deserved everything they got after the Champions Trophy,” Arthur said. “It was a phenomenal achievement by all of them and I’m so proud of the way they fought back, their commitment, their work ethic – everything was outstanding, but it’s finished now, it’s gone, that’s done. We come back here for the camp from August 22.”Arthur made it clear that players will have to meet a “minimum standard” of fitness to be considered for selection. “There’s no comfort zone for anybody,” he said “The celebrations are now over, it’s now time to get back to work, get back to the hard work. We have had eight guys here over the last couple of days working extremely hard. We’re under no illusion that the Champions Trophy was just the start of the journey, we’ve got to keep pushing to keep getting better and better, and that we’ll only do with real hard work. There’s not going to be any hangover from the Champions Trophy, I can assure you that.”According to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, Pakistan were scheduled to tour Bangladesh in August, but the tour was called off after talks between both boards failed. To counter the dry spell, the Pakistan Cricket Board has organised a conditioning camp, not just to enhance fitness levels of players but also help the team management identify players who can fill the void left by the retirements of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq.Arthur believes competition for places should spur the contenders. “We can keep Azhar Ali opening the batting or we can move him to three. If we do that, we are looking for two opening batsmen,” he said. “Shan Masood started the last Test, Ahmed Shehzad was in the West indies but didn’t play in the last Test. Sami Aslam is playing particularly well at the moment, so there’s good competition for the opening spots.”If Azhar Ali bats at three, we’ve got Asad Shafiq and Babar Azam. We took Usman Salahuddin with us to the West Indies, he impressed with the way he worked and the way he trained. His technique was good. Haris Sohail has come back really well, he offers us left-arm spin, so we are looking for a fifth bowler and he becomes an option. Basically, we’ve got strength and depth. We’ve started moving into a position where we can play players and give them extended runs because we’ve got enough pushing through in order to keep our standards high, in order to do the job that’s required.”Arthur was also forthcoming on the controversy surrounding Umar Akmal. Umar had been axed from the Champions Trophy squad after failing two fitness Tests and was also omitted from the list of central contracts. “Umar Akmal failed several fitness tests, what do you want us to do?” he asked. “I would have thought if you’ve failed one or two you would never put yourself in that position again. Well he’s had several opportunities and hasn’t passed one, so that’s up to him.”We’ve got enough in order to move on without any player that doesn’t fit into our standards and requirements. All the balls are in his court (now), I can’t stand here and say anybody is excluded from playing for Pakistan, it’s up to him. What I do know is anybody coming into the team needs to have minimum standards.”

Stuart Meaker bowled quickly to claim three wickets but Middlesex’s seemingly under par 247 was looking a little better by the close

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Kia Oval28-Aug-2017Stuart Meaker took two wickets in two balls•Getty ImagesA bank holiday crowd filed into the Kia Oval and sunned themselves for 93 overs. Many hit the stronger drinks before midday, safe in the knowledge that only a four-day working week stood before them. All bar a few perambulated during lunch or tea, taking in their historic surroundings. And typically, no one – Surrey or Middlesex fan – left happy.The home fans, satisfied that Middlesex had been bowled out in just over a couple of sessions, were dismayed by losing both their openers by the close. Those who ventured from north London, spiritually if not geographically, felt their experienced batting card should have done a lot better in such favourable conditions.Cricket isn’t played on paper – how amusing would it be if it was? – but when the respective teams were revealed after Middlesex won the toss and elected to bat, it seemed that they held all the aces. The visitors welcomed back Toby-Roland Jones to their ranks after 14 wickets in three Tests for England that has all but assured him of a place in this winter’s Ashes squad.The opportunity to go straight into a game rather than simmer on the sidelines and carry the drinks as Chris Woakes played ahead of him is one he duly took. Two wickets in the dregs of the opening day – debutant Ryan Patel caught superbly by Sam Robson at bat-pad and Rory Burns edging a beauty that nipped away from the left-hander, through to John Simpson – may have tilted the game back to Middlesex. For most of the day, however, a depleted Surrey were on top.Without Tom Curran, whose back is feeling the effects of 237 Championship overs in 11 innings this summer (not to mention his white ball lot), Aaron Finch, who injured his calf in Friday’s T20 Blast quarter-final defeat to Birmingham Bears, and with Mark Stoneman away with England, Surrey were pushed to hand debuts to Patel and Ollie Pope. Yet, with four 19-year-olds in their XI, it was their maturity in the field that allowed them to dismiss Middlesex for 247, with the sun out and a pitch that allowed batsmen to play their shots.Robson did just that. One of the many casualties in England’s haphazard pursuit of an opening partner for Alastair Cook, Robson has been one of the few to return to county cricket and continue on, seemingly unscarred by the experience. Whether that is totally the case, only Robson can tell you, but his game has taken on a free-flowing quality that has not impinged on the resilience that saw him earn his debut call-up. Without wishing to sound churlish – he is much easier on the eye.His third half-century of the season, from 107 balls with eight fours, felt like it would develop into his third century. By that point, Surrey had removed Nick Compton and Stevie Eskinazi during a morning session in which Gareth Batty cycled through six bowlers as both sides tried to get a measure of each other. Then, with Middlesex steady on 131 for 2, Stuart Meaker happened.Bowling as quick as he has done this season, Meaker used the end of the 44th over sear one late into the shin Robson’s off stump before bruising the top of it with his very next delivery, to Paul Stirling. The hat-trick ball, at the start of the 46th, was kept out by John Simpson, who then edged the final ball of the over through a recently vacated third slip.That Meaker was able to concentrate on being the X-Factor bowler, when he might have been required to do some donkey work in the absence of Tom Curran, spoke volumes of those around him. Rikki Clarke’s two wickets – Adam Voges trapped lbw for 40 and James Franklin caught in the cordon – came in frugal spells, eventually seeing him go at an economy rate of under two across 16 overs.Patel’s right-arm seam, usually a sideshow to his classy left-handed batting, only gave away 22 from 11 overs, while the even share of four wickets from 28 overs between offspinners Gareth Batty and Amar Virdi came for just 40 and 38 runs, respectively. Backed up by some solid fielding, such as Scott Borthwick taking two excellent catches at second slip, Surrey could well have called this day their own, even if the last three Middlesex wickets added 84 runs.How things changed when boos scored the final over of the day, with Meaker and Borthwick refusing to run when edges flew past second slip and then through the keeper as Ollie Rayner got his favourite county surface to talk dirty to him. “That’s four runs we could have had,” raged a Surrey fan in the lower deck of the OCS stand. Surrey closed on 26 for 2, Meaker slightly bemused that the crowds who had early roared for him were now wailing against him for doing his job. It summed up an absorbing if slightly baffling day’s play.

Manchester United are believed to be showing an interest in Nice defender, Jean-Clair Todibo, with the Frenchman having been mooted as a new centre-back recruit for the Red Devils this summer, amid the uncertainty surrounding Harry Maguire's future at the club.

How much would Todibo cost?

According to Daily Mail journalist, Simon Jones, the Old Trafford outfit are likely to make 'further moves' after having agreed a £72m deal for Atalanta's Rasmus Hojlund, having reportedly been 'courting agents and players' in their search for a new midfielder, a new goalkeeper and a new central defender.

With regard to their interest in strengthening the heart of the defence, Todibo is said to be among the targets being considered by manager Erik ten Hag, having 'come back into the reckoning' amid his strong showings in Ligue 1 of late.

Read the latest Manchester United transfer news HERE…

If United are to make a move for the former Barcelona asset, prior reports in Spain – via Football365 – have indicated that the 23-year-old could command a fee of around £26m, having spent the last two-and-a-half years back in his native France.

How good is Todibo?

Having begun his career on the books at Toulouse, it is fair to say that the 6 foot 3 titan's subsequent move to Camp Nou in 2019 failed to bear fruit, with the young defender having been restricted to just five first-team appearances for the Catalan giants, after spending much of his time at the club out on loan.

As Jones indicated in his report above, however, the £20k-per-week ace has been 'much-improved' since making the move to Nice in February 2021, with talent scout Jacek Kulig lauding him as "one of the most underrated CBs in Europe at the moment".

Also tipped to be "a big bargain" for any potential suitor this summer, as per Kulig, Todibo could represent a dream option for Ten Hag in front of recent arrival, Andre Onana in the sticks.

The demanding stopper only recently caught the headlines as a result of his rant towards former skipper, Maguire during the 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund, with the former Inter Milan star having seemingly been unhappy with a 'slack pass' from the struggling Englishman, as per BBC Sport's Simon Stone.

A notable issue with the former Leicester City man in recent times has been his shortcomings in possession, with The Athletic's Adam Crafton notably stating during the FA Cup win over Fulham last season that the 30-year-old was "slow to release the ball" .

Onana – and the rest of United's defensive unit – should not face the same problems with Todibo, with the one-time Benfica and Schalke loanee particularly comfortable at playing out from the back as he ranks in the top 12% among his European peers for progressive passes and in the top 5% for successful take-ons, while Maguire ranks in just the bottom 47% and the top 38% for those same two metrics, respectively.

With United's new 'keeper seemingly "exceptional" with regard to his distribution – according to Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola – the 27-year-old will love the chance to be able to link up with a player like Todibo who will take the ball without hesitation.

Equally, the latter man also boasts the benefit of his ball-winning prowess which could help to ease the pressure on Onana between the posts, with the former France U20 international ranking in the top 8% for tackles made – a greater record than both Maguire (bottom 15%) and Raphael Varane in that regard (bottom 16%).

With that man Varane – who has endured repeated injury woes – also not particularly adept at playing out from the back as he ranks in just the top 48% for progressive passes and the top 28% for successful take-ons, it would be no surprise if Todibo was to quickly cement himself as the long-term partner to Lisandro Martinez, ahead of Onana.

Arsenal have reached an agreement on personal terms with Brentford goalkeeper David Raya and talks are now expected to accelerate, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Who will Arsenal sign?

Despite spending north of £200 million already this summer, there have been reports of Mikel Arteta's side potentially making even more moves before deadline day.

Arsenal weren't expected to enter the goalkeeping market, but as sporting director Edu and co eye an alternative to current number one Aaron Ramsdale, they're now chasing a deal for Raya from Brentford.

Even the likes of Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who starred for the Serie A champions last season, are now being linked with a move to north London as we enter the final stretch of the transfer window.

This comes after Arsenal sealed a trio of marquee moves over what was, perhaps, the most ambitious showing from them in recent campaigns.

Midfield general Declan Rice cost a club-record £105 million from West Ham, while Germany international winger Kai Havertz and versatile defender Jurrien Timber also put pen to paper on moves to Arsenal.

Following a summer of lavish spending thus far, Arsenal may need to balance the books quickly and consider selling players, as only Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari have officially departed thus far.

Folarin Balogun is one player who could bring in an influx of cash after his stellar season on loan at Reims, with Arsenal thought to be demanding around £50 million for his signature.

Despite the lack of player sales, Brentford shot-stopper Raya is a player of serious interest, and Arteta's men are moving pretty quickly for him.

According to renowned transfer reporter Romano, sharing an exciting update on Twitter, it is now believed that the Spaniard has reached an agreement on personal terms to join Arsenal.

As a result, club-to-club talks with Brentford are set to accelerate, with Raya and his entourage informing the Bees of his desire to make a move across London.

"Understand David Raya has reached an agreement in principle with Arsenal on personal terms," wrote Romano.

"Brentford have been informed by player side that he wants to join Arsenal — and talks between clubs over formula/price are now expected to accelerate."

How good is David Raya?

The 27-year-old, as per WhoScored, was a mainstay and undroppable member of Thomas Frank's starting eleven – having been selected over more league minutes than any Brentford player.

This is for good reason, with Raya standing out as one of their best-performing players by average match rating in the top flight (WhoScored).

The Spain international is a top-performer for Brentford, and those displays earned Raya his first-ever call up to his country's senior squad last year.

Frank, commenting on his deserved nod for Spain, revered the shot-stopper for his "very aggressive" style of goalkeeping.

"You can't have a strong mentality if you don't have any setbacks," said Frank.

"I know setbacks are different to a lot of people, but his clear and obvious abilities in terms of playing with his feet, high position, very aggressive in terms of his positioning and going for crosses, he definitely deserves this."

Keaton Jennings enjoyed more success with the ball than the bat on his return to the Durham side in a 13-run win at home to Worcestershire in the NatWest T20 Blast.Available for the first time in the tournament after being dropped from the England Test side, the left-hander continued to look out of touch as he scored 4 from 10 balls.But his gentle medium-pace earned 2 for 7 in his first three overs, stifling the Rapids after they had reached 78 for 1 after ten overs in reply to 165 for 5.Once Jennings had Ben Cox caught at long-on for 34 Worcestershire were under pressure and three more batsmen quickly followed. Mitchell Santner, who had driven Ryan Pringle for an imperious straight six, lifted the offspinner to deep midwicket, Brett D’Oliveira was bowled off his pads by Jennings, and Ross Whiteley clubbed Barry McCarthy to long-on.It was left to Daryl Mitchell and Ed Barnard to score 41 off the last three overs, but the Rapids finished on 152 for 5.In the clash of the north group’s bottom two teams, Durham produced a spirited display despite their hopeless position, while Worcestershire included four young seamers in the absence of John Hastings, who has returned to Australia with a foot injury.Barnard did not get on until the final over, but showed his prowess with the bat in making an unbeaten 34.The other three youngsters, Josh Tongue, George Scrimshaw and Alex Hepburn, were entrusted with only five overs between them as Mitchell’s gentle medium-pace, like that of Jennings, proved more effective.For Durham, Usman Arshad shrugged off his second reprimand in three years for bowling two balls above waist height at Trent Bridge last Saturday with some skilful bowling.With 21 needed off the final over, he conceded only six runs and a bye, his opening two overs having cost only seven.A classy innings of 62 off 40 balls from Tom Latham, plus a decisive unbeaten 49 off 30 balls by Michael Richardson, lifted Durham to their competitive total following Jennings’ slow start.He faced five dot balls from Tongue before cutting the sixth for four, then failed to score from three more balls from 19-year-old Scrimshaw, playing his second senior T20 game, before driving without conviction and edging behind.Latham greeted Santner by sweeping him over square leg for six and, after reaching 50 off 33 balls, he pulled Hepburn for six and drove him for four before slicing to backward point, where Mitchell held a good low catch.With a little help from Stuart Poynter, Richardson took 49 off the last four overs, hitting four fours and a pulled six.

Manchester City may find it hard to top last season’s incredible treble success, yet Pep Guardiola is not sitting still ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

With a Champions League title to defend and the chance to stamp their authority as one of the finest-ever club teams in England, City are seemingly interested in signing Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella.

Are Man City interested in Nicolo Barella?

According to 90min, Guardiola has done work on Barella ahead of a potential move as he looks to bolster his midfield options.

The Italian could cost the club around £69m, per reports in Italy, and a potential switch comes amid the uncertainty surrounding the future of Bernando Silva.

Silva informed Guardiola that he wanted to leave City once the 2022/23 season had finished and with Paris Saint-Germain keen on luring him to France, it certainly appears as though the Spaniard is preparing for life without him.

Will Bernando Silva leave Man City this summer?

Despite this reported interest from PSG, Guardiola has made it clear he wishes to keep the Portuguese star at the Etihad, particularly with the departure of Ilkay Gundogan already this summer.

If he digs his heels in over a move away, however, the club might have no choice but to sell him and this is where a move for Barella would come into play.

The 26-year-old is hitting his peak years and enjoyed a fruitful campaign for Inter Milan, registering 19 goal contributions – nine goals and ten assists – from a central midfield slot as he won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana along with reaching the Champions League final.

The eventual 1-0 defeat to City may well have been an audition for Barella and his eye for goal has no doubt grabbed Guardiola’s attention.

How good is Nicola Barella?

He has been lauded as a “genius” by journalist Mike Piellucci previously and there is no doubt the midfielder is going from strength to strength, and not just in goal-scoring terms either.

In Serie A, Barella ranked third in the Inter squad for key passes per game (1.6), while also topping the pile for successful dribbles per game (1.1), demonstrating that not only did he exude his creative juices and create chances for others, but his ability to motor past defenders is also particularly impressive.

In contrast, Silva managed just 0.9 key passes per game for City in the Premier League, ranking him sixth in their squad, while completing just 0.8 successful dribbles per game too, suggesting that Barella would be a more than adequate heir to the 28-year-old should he leave Manchester this summer.

The Italian also registered more non-penalty goals (0.22 to 0.2) and progressive passes (6.62 to 5.37) per 90 than Silva across the previous 365 days, certainly underlining his vast attacking qualities.

There is still plenty of time left in the current transfer window and Silva may well end up staying at the club. Guardiola has clearly been preparing for his departure by looking at Barella and the former Barcelona boss could take the Inter gem to the next level should he move to England.

Sethi, the only member in the Board of Governors to file nomination papers, was voted in unopposed

Umar Farooq09-Aug-2017

The PCB’s new Board of Governors (BoG) has picked the Prime Minister of Pakistan’s direct nominee Najam Sethi as board chairman for the next three years. Sethi was unanimously elected from within the 10-member BoG as no other member of the BoG filed nomination papers for the post.Sethi’s chances of taking over as chairman were very high after he was named on the PCB’s BoG on July 8 by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif – who was later disqualified by the country’s Supreme Court – as one of two direct nominees along with Ariff Ejaz, a prominent corporate figure. According to the PCB constitution, the chairman has to be elected from among those persons on the BoG.Members present at the BoG meeting where Sethi was elected

Najam Sethi, Ariff Ejaz, Muzamil Hussain (WAPDA), Nauman Dar (HBL), Miftah Ismail (Sui Southern Gas), Mansoor Masood Khan (UBL), Murad Ismail (Quetta), Muhammad Numan Butt (Sialkot), Nadeem Ahmed (Lahore), Amjad Ali Khan (IPC, non-voting member). The FATA representative was not present at the meeting.

The previous three-year tenure ended when chairman Shaharyar Khan resigned, aged 83, citing personal and health reasons. Ejaz will be his replacement on the BoG, with representatives from the Lahore regions, Quetta, Sialkot, FATA, Peshawar, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Among the other four members, Water and Power Development Authority and United Bank Limited will retain their seats while Habib Bank Limited and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited have replaced Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and National Bank of Pakistan.”I want to thank the new board of governors who have elected me unanimously today,” Sethi said, after being elected. “It’s a big responsibility on me and with their cooperation we will move forward. Secondly, I want to thank Shaharyar Khan also. It was a very good journey along with him. Lots of people thought there will be a gulf between us, but it never happened and he was a gracious and wonderful man to work with.”There are challenges but the main target is to make domestic cricket much stronger and keep tapping into the talent. The other major issue is that our all hard work will go in vain if we are not able to bring international cricket back to the country. Moreover, I am disappointed with [Pakistan’s progress in] women’s cricket. There are few good ideas and we will look to implement some reforms. We have done a lot of work and doing much more to make this possible .. lots of people are disappointed and I request them to show some patience. There are security issues. One day we decide that a team will come and then something happens. Over the next 2-3 months you will hear some good announcements.”This is Sethi’s second term in charge after the long battle over the leadership of the PCB between Zaka Ashraf and Sethi, which ended in May 2014; there had been multiple leadership changes in the PCB, after Ashraf became the first elected PCB chairman in May 2013.The Islamabad High Court termed those elections “dubious”, and Sethi was put in charge by the government. Ashraf and Sethi were then alternately reappointed and sacked from the post several times, before Sethi eventually filed a written statement before the court that he will not contest elections for the chairman’s post.Sethi, however, remained on the PCB’s BoG and head of the Executive Committee (ExCo) to control cricket affairs in Pakistan. In that period, Sethi was involved in the day-to-day functioning of the PCB and became an influential board member with signing authority. Although the PCB did not reveal the ExCo’s functions, it is understood that the committee holds significant influence in the board.Apart from the ExCo, five other committees – cricket, domestic, HR, Audit, Game Development – were formed with the previous BoG members dissolved with immediate effect. The new committees will be formed with newly inducted members on the Board in due course though Sethi confirmed that the ExCo would disband once and for all during his term as chairman.The entire national coaching staff will remain in charge, he said, with physiotherapist Shaun Hayes the only member whose contract will not be renewed. He will be released with the PCB paying him his salary for the remaining three months of his current contract. The national selection committee led by Inzamam ul Haq will stay in place along with National Cricket Academy director Mudassar Nazar.Sethi, 69, a former caretaker chief minister of Punjab, comes from a journalism background. He has also been a driving force behind the Pakistan Super League.

Leeds United have reportedly made an offer for Fenerbahce goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, as they look to bring in a potential long-term replacement for Illan Meslier.

Who is Altay Bayindir?

The 25-year-old has matured into a strong 'keeper for his current side in recent years, having arrived at the club as a youngster back in 2019. Last season, he started 26 matches in the Turkish Super Lig, as well as starting eight times in the Europa League, proving to be a key man.

Bayindir has also made his mark at international level, winning five caps for Turkey to date, and given his age, it would be a surprise if that tally didn't increase as the years pass. Back in March, he signed a new deal with Fenerbahce lasting until 2027, suggesting that the club want to retain his services moving forward.

As Leeds get ready for life back in the Championship in 2023/24, there is a chance that they could be looking to bring in a replacement for Meslier, should their current No.1 look for a move away during the current transfer window. Joel Robles has also moved on, further showing why reinforcements are needed.

That's where Bayindir comes into play, with the Whites seemingly looking at him as a potential option to snap up before the new season gets underway.

Could Leeds sign Altay Bayindir?

According to Marca on Twitter [via MOT Leeds News], Leeds have tabled a £4.3m bid for Bayindir, although Fenerbahce are demanding £6m for his services, which would trigger his release clause:

"Leeds United made an official offer of €5m to Fenerbahce for 25-year-old goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. Fenerbahce requests the player's €7m release clause to be paid."

Bayindir could be such a strong replacement for Meslier at Leeds this summer, coming in as an eye-catching addition, considering he is an international 'keeper who would be willing to drop down a level and play in the second tier of English football.

The Whites will need a formidable presence between the sticks if they are to be one of the Championship promotion favourites in 2023/24, with that area of the pitch so priceless. The Fenerbahce ace could be that man for Daniel Farke, already having plenty of experience under his belt and tasting Turkish Cup glory last season.

At 25, Bayindir would also be considered a long-term signing who could develop further in the coming years, rather than a quick fix who can do a job in the latter part of his career. The ideal scenario would see him join Leeds in the coming weeks, help inspire them to a fast return to the Premier League, then be their undisputed No.1 for the foreseeable future in the top flight.

The fact that his release clause is relatively low does act as a boost to the Whites, assuming they are willing to raise their bid, so it is a transfer where the positives comfortably outweigh the negatives, given the impact he could potentially make at Elland Road, having once been dubbed "one of the most interesting U-23 goalkeepers in Europe" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.