West Ham United are increasingly likely to lose Gianluca Scamacca this summer, amid growing interest in the striker from several Italian clubs, according to a report.

The Lowdown: Summer rebuild needed?

West Ham may be in need of a significant rebuild in the summer transfer window, given that several key players are now being linked with a move away from the London Stadium.

Declan Rice’s departure has been much-discussed in recent months, with it recently emerging that Arsenal are in pole position to land the midfielder, amid interest from the likes of Chelsea.

The Hammers being able to keep hold of their key players is likely to hinge on whether they are able to retain their Premier League status, with Lucas Paqueta tipped to quit if they go down, despite only joining the club last summer.

There have also been recent reports that the club’s hierarchy are looking for a manager to replace David Moyes, being linked to Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri, as well as Reims’ Will Still in recent days.

The Latest: Scamacca to depart?

As per a report from Football Insider, the Irons are becoming increasingly likely to lose Scamacca in the summer, with several Italian clubs, including Juventus, looking to sign the striker.

Like Paqueta, the Italian is unlikely to stay at the London Stadium if West Ham are relegated, and Juventus are one of the clubs actively monitoring the situation.

However, the Serie A club are currently being investigated for their financial practices over the past few years, which could have a significant impact on their ability to bring in new signings.

The Verdict: Major blow?

There have been some promising signs from the Rome-born marksman this season, scoring a total of eight goals in 27 appearances, which is a decent enough record, however it would not be a major blow if he left the club.

Moyes has clearly been unimpressed by the 24-year-old who Trevor Sinclair called ‘superb’ in recent weeks.

Scamacca’s ‘physical data’ is apparently not up to scratch, according to Moyes, which has led to a period of exclusion from the first team, being benched for the last four Premier League matches.

Sky Sports presenter Joe Thomlinson has compared the forward’s situation to that of Sebastian Haller, who was unable to make an impact at the London Stadium, but has since gone on to be a real success elsewhere, scoring 21 goals in 31 league games for Ajax last season.

Scamacca may be given a new lease of life next season if Moyes leaves the club, however it is very hard to envisage him going on to reach his potential under a manager that is clearly unimpressed by him, and it may be best for all parties if he moves on.

Steven Smith interspersed an effective tap-and-run routine with creative big shots to direct Rising Pune Supergiants’ batting effort against Gujarat Lions

Arun Venugopal in Pune30-Apr-2016Steven Smith’s batting can look like a revved-up remix of a Michael Bevan special. Revisit a Smith innings and you will find that your brain hasn’t registered many breathtaking shots – all you may see are images on loop of his restless twitching at the crease, wristy bunts to the leg side and borderline-crazy running. But when you look up the scorecard, there’s a dandy 54-ball 101 staring you down in all its cold authority. How cool is that?Against Gujarat Lions, Smith only had to wait till the third over to unleash his coolness. When he joined Ajinkya Rahane, his fellow busy accumulator at Rajasthan Royals in the past, Rising Pune Supergiants were scoring at a below-par rate. It took Smith only two overs to crank it up. After flicking a first-ball four and loosening up with a few singles, he shot out of the crease to bash the medium pace of Praveen Kumar through the covers. Next ball, Praveen attempted to swing it in to catch him out on the shuffle, but couldn’t beat Smith’s late leg glance, which gave him four more.Smith broke his tap-and-run routine again in the next over by charging seamer Dhawal Kulkarni, who spotted the movement early and bowled a slower ball wide of off. But Smith waited and, with his back leg in the air, stretched out to give the ball a meaty thunk. Four more to the score. From 22 for 1 in four overs, Supergiants had reeled in 26 more in two overs to end the Powerplay at 48 for 1.

Steven Smith on Pune’s bowling.

“I thought we were a bit disappointing with the way we bowled. I think we chopped and changed a little bit too much, rather than being nice and patient and hitting a good line and length, and making them go after the good balls. Any time you do that your chances of taking a wicket [increase] and if you take a wicket up top when you’re chasing 195, it makes things very difficult.”
On Supergiants’ two wins coming in away games
“Usually it’s the other way around isn’t it? In a tournament like this it doesn’t really matter where you play; it’s about going out there on any given day, giving it your all. It’s obviously about winning more to get yourself into that top four and, at the moment, we’re not doing that and we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Rahane, meanwhile, was on 23 off 23 balls and might well have stagnated under pressure, or hit out rashly, had Smith not taken it upon himself to ensure the run flow remained fluent. Supergiants scored 37 in the next four overs, despite the field being spread and only three boundaries hit. There were only four dot balls in this period, as Smith pushed himself and Rahane to race through for singles and twos, mostly after cleverly placed dabs and nudges to the leg side – overall, 39 of Smith’s runs came in this fashion.Smith did enjoy a bit of good luck in the tenth over when debutant chinaman bowler Shivil Kaushik overstepped while forcing Smith to sweep one on to his stumps. Smith merrily carted the free-hit over long-off for six; the no-ball, he said, switched him to attack mode.”Probably around [that] point when I said to Rahane, ‘I will go [after the bowling] and you keep batting as you are doing,'” Smith said. “It was nice batting with Ajinkya. He is very quick between the wickets. That’s the kind of player I like to bat with. I like to hit the gaps and run ones and twos.”Lions’ captain Suresh Raina then engaged his death-over specialists – Dwayne Bravo and James Faulkner. Smith was Jackie Chan-esque in response, slipping in a boundary amid a sequence of singles like a punch following pokes to the eye. In the 13th over, he swivelled into a sweep-hoick to put away Faulkner’s slower one for six, before clipping the next ball – a low full toss – wide of long-on and bolting with two runs in mind. Under pressure to prevent the double, Ravindra Jadeja failed to gather the ball which hurried to the fence.While he shuffled around to the seamers, Smith remained still in the crease against slow men Jadeja and Kaushik, getting underneath their fuller deliveries to dispatch them for three straight sixes. All the while he never missed an opportunity to pinch a run, which explained why he finished with just 10 dots. Even when Rahane was about to be run out after backing up too far, Smith was ready for the overthrow in case Bravo missed the stumps. He and Rahane formed a dynamic pairing at long-off and long-on as well but, unfortunately for him, like Virat Kohli, his first T20 century coincided with a mediocre bowling effort from his team.

Match facts

March 28, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1400 GMT)1:52

Manjrekar: Back South Africa to win this one

Big Picture

There were no visible tears when Sri Lanka were knocked out of the World T20, but to see Angelo Mathews and his men speak, and to read their tweets the next day, there is clearly some hurt. More than one member of the team has expressed a feeling of letting “the whole country down”. As doomed as this Sri Lanka campaign had always seemed, pain still struck when failure became tangible. For someone like Mathews, this is the first time in his career the team is exiting a world tournament before the knockouts have begun.South Africa’s exit was not as dramatic as their penultimate-ball loss to New Zealand in the World Cup last year, but they will be no less affected. Players like Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers are into their 30s now, and have limited chances to taste big-tournament glory – particularly now that the World T20 has switched to a four-year cycle. This time, at least, they will be saved the “chokers” tag. Despite their hoard of monumental talents, South Africa just did not get going in this tournament.As each team attempts to pick itself up to play for pride, South Africa do appear the better team. Sri Lanka’s top order did not play seam well against England, which is a weakness the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris, and – if he gets a game – Dale Steyn could exploit. With so many South Africans in the IPL now, it is difficult to say which team will be more comfortable in these conditions.Sri Lanka also have a little more than their self-esteem on the line: they are looking to snap their seven-match losing streak against Full-Member opposition.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: LWLLL
Sri Lanka: LLWLL

In the spotlight

In an up-and-down few months for South Africa, Imran Tahir has been among their most consistent performers. He has taken five wickets in his three games this tournament, and was excellent against West Indies, returning figures of 13 for 2. Sri Lanka’s right-handers have not fancied legspin in recent months, and what’s more, some of the players in this team will have bad memories of last year’s World Cup quarter-final in Sydney, which Tahir had excelled in. His bowling may define Sri Lanka’s middle overs.Picked, then dumped, then picked again, Jeffrey Vandersay has come into the side and been perhaps the find of Sri Lanka’s woeful tournament. He was outstanding against West Indies, delivering four gripping overs on a turning track. Though his control was slightly wonky in the next match, he still took 2 for 26, and showcased a venomous googly. A third good performance in a row will give the team and its fans hope that the future can be brighter than the present.

Teams news

South Africa may give Farhaan Behardien a match, with Aaron Phangiso also likely to retain his place. David Wiese could be rested.South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis (capt.), 4 Rilee Russouw, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 David Miller, 7 Farhaan Behardien, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Aaron Phangiso, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir.With Angelo Mathews likely to be ruled out with a hamstring injury and Dushmantha Chameera also having sustained a blow to a finger, both are likely to be left out for the dead rubber. Dinesh Chandimal is the likely replacement captain. Suranga Lakmal and Shehan Jayasuriya are likely to come into the XI.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dinesh Chandimal (wk)(capt.), 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Milinda Siriwardana, 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Chamara Kapugedara, 6 Shehan Jayasuriya, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Dasun Shanaka, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Jeffrey Vandersay, 11 Suranga Lakmal

Pitch and conditions

There was a little slowness to the Kotla surface on Saturday evening, but batsmen who had their eye in were also able to play their shots. The weather is not expected to impede play.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have won three T20Is and lost two against Sri Lanka. Their World T20 head-to-head is even, at 1:1.
• Of batsmen who only played in the Super 10s stage of the tournament, Quinton de Kock has the third-highest run-tally, of 144 from three innings.
• This is only the second time in six World T20 tournaments that Sri Lanka missed out on a knockouts spot. The other occasion had been in the inaugural tournament in 2007.

Quotes

“We’ve got a lot to play for. You never want to leave the World Cup on a bad note. We are hoping we put things back together and come up with a good victory.””This year it was helpful for spinners. A lot of spinners have done well – especially the leg-spinners. Though we are out of the competition, we fight hard – that’s the Sri Lankan spirit.”

Newcastle United are now ready to make a move for Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, and he would be keen on a move to the Premier League, according to reports in Italy.

What's the latest Newcastle transfer news?

With Newcastle currently third in the league and destined to be playing European football of some description next season, Eddie Howe has begun to run the rule over players to strengthen his squad in the summer transfer window.

The Magpies are in pole position for Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, who is "eager to test himself" in Europe, which could give them an advantage in the race for his signature, ahead of West Ham United, who are also interested.

Joao Pedro is another player Howe has concrete interest in bringing to St. James Park this summer, and the manager could give the green light for a new offer, having failed with a £30m bid just under a year ago.

According to a report from Milan Web (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are ready to make an offer worth up to €30m (£26.4m) for Brozovic, which could well be accepted by Inter, who are planning to reinvest in their squad.

The player himself is seemingly keen on the idea, as the report states he "could be very attracted" by a move to the Premier League, particularly if the Magpies manage to qualify for the Champions League.

The Serie A club aren't expected to make a big effort to keep the 30-year-old, as he has fallen down the pecking order somewhat at the San Siro, and Newcastle are strong contenders to win the race for his signature.

Should Newcastle sign Brozovic?

Howe has mainly focussed on bringing in young players since taking the reins at St. James' Park, with goalkeeper Nick Pope the only signing from last summer who is now at the age of 30.

As such, it is unusual for the Magpies to be linked with Brozovic. However, the manager may be keen on bringing in players with European experience ahead of next season, with the Croatian making 36 appearances in the Champions League throughout his career.

The maestro also demonstrated his ability to perform at the top level during the 2022 World Cup, being hailed as "incredible" by members of the media for his performance for Croatia against Canada.

As such, the former Dinamo Zagreb man could be a very astute signing for Newcastle this summer, although due to his age, he should probably only be brought in on an initial two-year deal, with the option of an extra year.

Just when it seemed reliable pitches were now the norm, Edgbaston turned nasty, 18 wickets fell in the day and batsmen took some painful blows

Jon Culley at Edgbaston09-May-2016
ScorecardIan Bell’s hamstring injury seems to make him a non-starter in the first Test•Getty ImagesSo much for flat pitches. Just when it seemed batsmen might be able to look forward to some good old-fashioned shirt fronts, thanks to the decision to allow visiting teams to bowl first if they fancy it, the one cut for this match has been a proper package of unpredictability, and painfully so at times.There were 18 wickets on the second day and at least six instances of players being hit on various parts of the body. Tom Abell, Peter Trego and, earlier, Keith Barker, were all left with throbbing fingers, Chris Rogers took blows to the ribs and midriff and Lewis Gregory had to have treatment as a ball from an apologetic Boyd Rankin reared up and struck him on the helmet.It was a wonder Ian Bell’s hamstring, which has almost certainly ruled out any possible Test recall against Sri Lanka next week, was not superseded as the injury story of the day.If Somerset were left a little battered and bruised, Warwickshire look like being on the wrong end of the result. Bowled out for 152 in reply to 295, their tall pace quartet in turn shot Somerset out for 178 but a target of 322 to achieve a first win of the season looks a tall order, unless the pitch flattens out appreciably.Trego’s 51, which supplemented his 94 on day one, was by some margin the best Somerset score and its merits were applauded with gusto on the visitors’ balcony. It was a characteristically aggressive innings from the combative all-rounder, and though he described the pitch as “scary” he confessed to enjoying the challenge hugely.”There are some quite decent sized cracks so there is a little bit of uneven bounce and sideways movement and when someone is bowling a very hard projectile at you at 85mph and you don’t really know how it is going to behave off the pitch, that’s a pretty scary proposition,” he said.”When a few of the guys get hit on the gloves and hit in the body, that sets the batsmen on the back foot and creates a little bit of doubt and mistakes creep in.”But to be honest I quite like playing on wickets like that. It gets the juices flowing and you know there is going to be a potential result. Wearing a couple is part of the gig. A couple of guys who ducked into some relatively full deliveries that were not played particularly well but some balls bounced alarmingly and that’s fantastic for me.”Abes (Tom Abell) played magnificently well on day one with support from myself but we played and missed at a lot of balls and it was one of those wickets where you could easily be rolled for 150 and that played out in Warwickshire’s innings.”In fairness, it could be argued that the behaviour of the pitch was a factor in no more than a handful of dismissals. Rogers, never comfortable, fended a short ball to short leg and the one that had Jim Allenby caught at second slip climbed on him but the full, straight ball was as effective a weapon as any. It was too good for James Hildreth, for example, who had his middle stump uprooted first ball by Chris Woakes.There were a few batsmen, too, who were architects of their own demise.Bell, who had missed the whole of the last session and a little more after feeling his left hamstring in the field on day one, came in unaccompanied at five down but never looked comfortable and the immediate thought was that it would not be long before he asked for a runner. In the event, he did not need one. After despatching a glorious cover drive for four off Trego, he attempted to dab the next delivery to third man but was never in control of the shot and instead gave Allenby a low catch at first slip.The diagnosis on the ground was that Bell had a grade one tear. He was due to have a scan after close of play but even if the damage is revealed as no worse, he can expect to miss next week’s match against Nottinghamshire at the very least. A recall to Test match duty seems therefore to be ruled out, at least in the short term.Bell was the fourth man out in the morning session as Warwickshire stumbled from 27-2 overnight to 107-6 at lunch. Jonathan Trott had pulled Gregory loosely to midwicket, Sam Hain was undone attempting to play across one from the same bowler and Tim Ambrose thin-edged a cut, Ryan Davies, the England Under-19 wicketkeeper recruited from Kent, taking a good diving catch.Varun Chopra played soundly for his 56 but only Chris Woakes was able to stick with him for more than a few overs.Somerset’s batsmen looked hardly more secure. Abell, after his first-day hundred, was gone for just two this time and after the departures of Marcus Trescothick and then Hildreth left them 23-3, there seemed to be a nervousness about the batting that suggested the pitch was playing on a few minds.Trego countered this with aggression and for him it paid off. After Allenby was dismissed at 53-4, Somerset’s progress to 151-8 would not have happened without it. Trego struck sxi fours before top-edging a pull as Jeetan Patel claimed the 28th wicket of the match, and the 16th of the day, and the first to fall to spin.Useful runs from the Overton twins swelled Somerset’s lead and Warwickshire were left to negotiate two overs before the close. But for the forecast of rain, a three-day finish would be guaranteed.

Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club prevailed in a four-run win (Duckworth-Lewis method) over Gazi Group Cricketers as the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League match finished on the reserve day in Mirpur

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2016Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club clung on for a narrow four-run win (Duckworth-Lewis method) over Gazi Group Cricketers as the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League match finished on the reserve day in Mirpur.When play was called off on Wednesday, Gazi Group were 83 for 3 in 16.1 overs, chasing a D/L-adjusted target of 196 in 38 overs and they had to wait for 2 hours and 15 minutes on Thursday morning for the match to begin.The chase went down to the final over, bowled by Mahmudullah, with Gazi Group needing 10 runs for their fifth win of the tournament. Farhad Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman ran hard to take five runs off the first four deliveries but, off the penultimate ball, Farhad meekly pulled a half-tracker down Sohag Gazi’s throat at short midwicket and was dismissed on 53. His wicket ended Gazi Group’s innings at 191 runs in 37.5 overs. Anamul Haque also made 53 while medium-pacer Muktar Ali finished with 4 for 37.Earlier, Mohammad Sharif got his first hat-trick in the Dhanmondi innings, which was limited to 168 for 9 in 38 overs on the rain-hit day. The medium-pacer became the third bowler after Rubel Hossain and Tapash Baisya to achieve the feat since the tournament was granted List A status in 2013. Abdullah Al Mamun top-scored for Dhanmondi with 69 off 86 balls.

Ten days from now, a Yorkshire crowd could again witness Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow batting together, this time for England in the first Investec Test against Sri Lanka

David Hopps at Headingley09-May-2016
ScorecardJoe Root and Jonny Bairstow shared a magnificent stand, worthy of re-writing record books•Getty Images

Ten days from now, a Yorkshire crowd can again expect to witness Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow batting together, this time for England in the first Investec Test against Sri Lanka. But even if consumed by unknown levels of optimism, they will not dare to dream they will witness the delights witnessed today at Headingley. This was the grandest of days.On the safe assumption that a Yorkshire heaven would have cricket in it somewhere, washed down by curd tarts and Taylor’s Landlord, the entertainment provided by Root and Bairstow was something akin to divine. Even the Yorkshire chaplain was on hand to bless it. It is to be hoped that he popped into the away dressing room because for much of this bountiful batting day Surrey’s bowlers could barely rustle up a prayer between them.Two England batsmen at their height of their game – one who should already be recognised as a world star worthy of this or any other age, one still mostly treasured in his native Yorkshire but surely bursting with potential for the summer ahead – smashed the record stand for Yorkshire on this famous old ground, and the Yorkshire record against Surrey for good measure. But this was not just two England batsmen, but two Yorkshire batsmen who have taken guard together since childhood and who steal runs and strike boundaries and gain impetus from each other in a fashion that says much about the true essence of partnership.Their stand of 372 in 68 overs rushed along at around five-and-a-half runs an over. They made the Headingley surface look benign (Surrey’s second innings will be the truth of that) and played with glorious enterprise, not just making runs but responding to their supremacy by stretching their horizons.When the stand ended – Bairstow cutting James Burke to Kumar Sangakkara at slip with what appeared to be considered precision – even the most self-conscious Yorkshire salts joined the happiest of ovations. The fact it was against Surrey, second in rivalry only to Lancashire, made it sweeter.Bairstow savours Root partnership

Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root had just the audition they needed as two Yorkshire batsmen about to face Sri Lanka in the Headingley Test with county records freshly bagged.
“It is great to be batting with Joe,” said Bairstow. “When you have grown up with someone all through the age groups and are summoned to bat with him he is not the worst partner to have at the other end.
“It is fantastic to be out there with people who know how you work and how you tick and that you trust with your calling. That strike rotation is important. The strokeplay comes with that.”
Yorkshire, still seeking their first win, must manage without Root and Bairstow next week – and Bairstow has repeatedly rescued a struttering top order over the past year. This time it was 45 for 3. “Not the position we want to be getting ourselves into on a regular basis,” he said.

Bairstow missed his double century by two runs and, after searching for an acceptable expletive, pronounced himself “cheesed off”. Root closed the day 10 runs short and, after his usual regime of morning back exercises, will be eager to avoid cheese. There were 471 runs in the day, and might easily have been 500 if the second new ball had not demanded a little decorum. Yorkshire lead by 156.Root and Bairstow possess such an appealing contrast that their complementary ingredients might have been brought together by a head chef. Even when Root pushes himself to the limit, there is a sense of clinical excellence, such as the back-foot cover drive against Ravi Rampaul which took him to 150 in which his left elbow seemed to cleave the air. Alongside him, Bairstow pulverised the bad balls, immense when he hit on the up through extra cover, commanding on the pull.In many ways this was a day that underlined the divide between England ambition and England status. Adam Lyth, Alex Lees and Gary Ballance all have designs on an international place but all fell within 11 overs as Yorkshire subsided to 45 for 3. Surrey must have imagined their 330 might be defendable after all. But from the moment that Root and Bairstow joined forces, batsmanship had an international presence. Bairstow has spent much of the past year on such rallying calls. If Yorkshire go 45 for 3 against next week, the red fire engine will be otherwise occupied.Rampaul had Lyth lbw with one that swung a shade and cramped Ballance with a similar delivery to cause him to poke onto his stumps: it is impossible to imagine that England will pick Ballance while his tortuous form persists. Lees, who had shown up well in the televised match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, got out weakly against Tom Curran.Rampaul and Curran stuck at it. Rampaul has been a good signing, a bowler of nous and more eager than many imagined. Curran, learning how to handle the step up in class, has a stooping start to his run which, as the stand swelled, suggested he was auditioning for a role in the annual Gawthorpe World Coal Carrying Championships: he will take to first division life The back-up seamers, though, were dispelled with ease and the spin of the captain Gareth Batty, when it appeared, held no threat.Reports from London that Matt Dunn has real pace will not be taken seriously this far north on this evidenc. Burke looked particularly vulnerable, but somehow figured in Root and Bairstow’s most anxious moments. Before he claimed Bairstow’s wicket, he almost dismissed Root, on 20, at second slip – a glimmer of a chance at best as Jason Roy flung himself to his right, and had Bairstow dropped at mid-on at 134, a full toss which Arun Harinath was unable to turn into a bonus wicket.For all those with a sense of history the celebration of records comes with a vague sadness about those expunged. The greatest records should fall in memorable circumstances. This was a stand worthy of displacing the best. It has become a particularly beautiful Yorkshire spring, so late that all the colours are together at once, and even Headingley, with its traditions of burnt treacle, was at its most lightsome as the boundaries rained down.You had to go back to 1899 at The Oval for Yorkshire’s previous best stand against Surrey: 340 by Ted Wainwright and George Hirst. Wainwright holds the record for the lowest bowling average in Championship history – 97 at 10.17 apiece in 1894, a wet summer. His batting potential is less revered. Asked for the secret of batting, he once remarked: “Play back – and get thi legs reight.” Well he did according to Cardus, who was not afraid of touching up a quote.Yorkshire’s record stand at Headingley, though, before Root and Bairstow gatecrashed it, was in the hands of Darren Lehmann and Michael Lumb. Lehmann’s 339 fell just short of Hirst’s individual record that day and, supping a pint when it was all over, suggested that as an Australian, second place felt about right. Great moments – and Root and Bairstow have added another one to the annals.

Leeds United slipped to a 4-1 defeat against Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday afternoon as the Whites' defensive issues once again came to the fore in north London.

A brace from Gabriel Jesus and one from Ben White had put the Gunners in total control before Rasmus Kristensen gave the Yorkshire outfit hope by pulling one back.

However, Granit Xhaka made it 4-1 not long after to consign Javi Gracia's side to a disappointing defeat which leaves them teetering above the relegation zone once again.

One man who disappointed in the game at the Emirates was summer signing Luis Sinisterra, as the Colombian winger once again failed to have any real impact on the game.

How did Sinisterra play against Arsenal?

Following a period on the sidelines through injury, the 23-year-old was handed his first start since February but failed to win over Gracia with another fairly anonymous display.

As per Sofascore, the former Feyenoord man would earn a 6.7/10 rating for his performance but struggled to get involved during his 65 minutes on the pitch, registering just 32 touches of the ball, which was one fewer than goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

Sinisterra would also complete just eight of his 16 attempted passes with a woeful success rate of just 50%, which is far from good enough, especially when Leeds needed to be clinical and concise in their attacks against the league leaders.

Considering he has averaged an 80.8% pass success rate across his 14 Premier League appearances so far this term, it seems clear that the Colombia international was way below his best on Saturday afternoon.

The winger also failed to contribute a single shot or successful dribble, which again is disappointing for a player that Leeds spent £21m on last summer, following a phenomenal campaign in the Eredivisie which produced 12 goals and seven assists.

Leeds were perhaps never going to create too many attacking openings against Mikel Arteta's side but on the occasions that they did get forward, Sinisterra often let them down, with Leeds Live reporter Beren Cross summing up best, writing:

"Sinisterra far too lax with a countering opportunity and gives the ball away with a poor backheel attempt."

The young wide man, who earns £65k-per-week at Elland Road, was brought in as a replacement for Raphinha but has so far failed to fill the Brazilian's boots at Elland Road, with just two goals and no assists in the Premier League this season, with a woeful WhoScored average rating of 6.43.

It seems clear that the attacker needs to do a lot more if he is going to keep his starting spot in Gracia's side for the rest of the season, with improved performances a must if Leeds are going to avoid relegation.

Liverpool have already made contact with the agents of the Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch over a potential summer swoop.

Will Liverpool sign midfielders in the summer?

In what has been a season which has failed to deliver for the Reds, their midfield has been an area which has come under specific scrutiny over the course of the campaign.

There are a number of ageing players in the middle of the park for the Reds with Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho holding a combined average age of just over 32.

Adding to this, there are reports suggesting one of their young prospects, Fabio Carvalho, could be set for a loan move away from Anfield in the summer.

One player who has been linked to the Reds is the Dutchman, Gravenberch, who is currently spending his time watching Bayern play from the bench.

The 20-year-old has only been able to amass a mere 333 minutes of action in the Bundesliga with only 27 of them coming under Thomas Tuchel (via Transfermarkt).

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the Merseyside club have now made contact with the Dutch midfielder's representatives over a potential switch to Anfield:

(3:10) "I wanted to clarify that yes Liverpool approached the agents of Ryan Gravenberch, they had a direct contract, they want to push.

"So Liverpool are still there for Gravenberch They are not giving up they want Gravenberch, they consider Ryan Gravenberch as a perfect signing, young, talented, prepared to play a lot of games."

Could Gravenberch succeed in the Premier League?

There have been reports suggesting the Reds could also look to the likes of Matheus Nunes from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Conor Gallagher from Chelsea over the summer.

And this all comes on the back of the suggestion that Liverpool have been forced to withdraw from the race to potentially sign Jude Bellingham over the summer.

Gravenberch is a player who has been labelled "special" by talkSPORT's Mark Goldbridge in the past and he has shown his ability to drive with the ball during his time in the Eredivisie with a 67.4% take-on success rate last season (via FBref).

However, he would potentially arrive at Anfield in the summer on the back of a season where he has not played regular football for Bayern.

And this does raise its own questions surrounding the player given the only examples of his success coming in the Dutch league which many will take with a pinch of salt.

This season, the Dutchman has averaged 2.96 per 90 minutes which is an impressive return and higher than that of Fabinho for the Reds (via Fbref).

But ultimately, there will be an element of risk in potentially signing the 20-year-old given his lack of exposure to one of Europe's top leagues.

However, it is also apparent there is a lot of promise surrounding this player with reports suggesting Bayern are not keen to part ways with him just yet.

Chris Adams, the former England batsman, has withdrawn from the role of manager at Cricket Ireland’s academy, which he accepted two days ago, due to family reasons.Adams, 46, had been announced in the position on Wednesday but has decided he does not want to be away from his young family or uproot them to Ireland.”I have children who are at important stages of their life and education and I realised that a move as a family would cause major disruption,” Adams said.”On reflection and through further discussion with my family over the last 24 hours it has become clear to us that the situation is not going to be manageable. I really don’t wish to put distance and time spent apart between myself and family, so I’ve unfortunately had to withdraw from the position.”I am very sorry to Cricket Ireland for the inconvenience, but I’d like to thank them for their complete understanding, sympathetic approach and wish them a very successful future”Cricket Ireland Performance Director Richard Holdsworth said: “Naturally we are disappointed with Chris’ decision but understand his concern. Moving a family to a new city and country is never an easy matter and he’s obviously done some soul searching before making a difficult decision. We will reflect on the best way forward for getting a suitable replacement.”After retiring from playing in 2008, Adams became Surrey’s professional cricket manager which he held until being sacked in 2013 and has since had roles with Sri Lanka and Netherlands.