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The Northern Echo journalist Scott Wilson has shared a big injury boost for Sunderland before they play Watford away from home in the Championship.

The Lowdown: Simms forced off

Simms was forced off in the first half of the Stadium of Light outfit’s 3-0 win away at Reading in the league in midweek, with Tony Mowbray giving his assessment on the injury after the game.

He admitted that he did not know whether the Everton loanee would need a scan, after injuring his big toe, though the boss didn’t think it was a fracture.

The Latest: Could be involved

Taking to Twitter on Friday morning after Mowbray’s pre-game press conference, Wilson has shared that Simms now has a chance of being involved against the Hornets despite his latest setback, in what is ‘positive injury news’ for the Wearside club:

“Positive injury news for #SAFC on the Ellis Simms front – with the striker even having a chance of being involved against Watford tomorrow.”

The Verdict: Big boost

Of course, potentially having Simms back for the next match after hi injury is a big boost for the Black Cats.

They are already missing Ross Stewart through injury, meaning that Simms is the only recognised senior striker in the squad available at the moment.

With three goals in hist first eight matches in the Championship so far this season (Transfermarkt), the Englishman has gotten off to a decent start in his SAFC career, and will want the chance to carry that on as his side play a Watford team that have only just been relegated from the Premier League.

Leeds United could still sign Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan on deadline day, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

The Lowdown: Approach made

The Whites are desperate to bring in a new forward before tonight’s deadline after Rodrigo dislocated his shoulder against Everton on Tuesday.

Phil Hay shared news of an approach for Hwang on Wednesday, with Leeds keen to bring the 68-goal forward to Elland Road. Wolves turned down a £17m move, which resulted in the Whites moving on to pursuing Cody Gakpo.

They had Victor Orta in the Netherlands on Wednesday evening, but Gakpo is set to stay with PSV Eindhoven in another blow for Leeds.

The Latest: Sheth’s claim

In a story shared by GiveMeSport on Thursday morning, when Orta was on the way back to Yorkshire alone from Holland, Sheth said that Leeds could still go back in for Hwang.

The Sky Sports reporter stated:

“The Wolves striker could be the one that they go for, in Hwang, simply because Sasa Kalajdzic of Stuttgart has completed his move to Wolves. I just wonder whether Wolves will now do business on Hwang.”

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The Verdict: Desperate

It is turning into a disastrous final few days for Leeds in the transfer window, and it appears as if there is a real possibility that the club will fail to bring in a new attacker for Jesse Marsch.

That could prove costly as thee season goes on, especially with Rodrigo sidelined and Patrick Bamford last completing 90 minutes in the Premier League 12 months ago.

As a result, a lot of pressure could be put on youngster Joe Gelhardt, but there is still time for Leeds to get a dramatic forward addition over the line – potentially Hwang.

Sunderland travel away from the Stadium of Light for the second time this week as they face Stoke in the Championship this afternoon.

The Black Cats lost 2-1 to Sheffield United on Wednesday night and will now be looking to bounce back as they face the Potters.

Alex Neil may look to make some changes to his team with the aim of returning to winning ways, and one player he must unleash from the start today is centre-back Bailey Wright.

The Australian came off the bench in the defeat to the Blades and stood out above his team-mates with a SofaScore rating of 7.2 – the second-highest among the away team on the night.

The 30-year-old made five clearances, two blocks and two interceptions in his 36 minutes on the pitch. Meanwhile, Danny Batth and Dennis Cirkin only made seven clearances between them and failed to make a block or interception, playing 86 and 90 minutes each respectively.

These statistics, along with his match rating, suggest that Wright defended to a higher level of quality than the pair, and that is one reason why Neil should start him on Saturday.

Roker Report writer Philip West tweeted earlier this year that the £13k-per-week defender has the “heart of a lion”.

Meanwhile, Black Cats legend Kevin Phillips previously compared him to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, saying: “He’s been a great signing. I don’t know the player, but I just get the feeling that he’s a leader and a voice in the dressing room.

“Sometimes the manager can only say so much and then you want of your senior experience players to pipe up and put a few people in their place and give encouragement and be a leader. He seems like that.

“The stats just show what an important player he is. He’s almost to Sunderland what Van Dijk is to Liverpool at the moment with those incredible stats.”

The Dutch centre-back has won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool, dominating opposition players in the air. He won 77% of his aerial battles in the top flight last term and 76%  in the Reds’ 2019/20 title-winning campaign, winning 63% in the intervening season.

Wright could be Sunderland’s own version of the Dutchman against Stoke as he is also sublime in the air. In the Championship this season, the Australian has won 100% of his aerial battles in two appearances, after winning 67% in both of his League One seasons with the club.

This shows that the 30-year-old has the quality to dominate opposition forwards, in a similar style to Van Dijk, and his ability in the air is another reason why he should start against the Potters today.

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch will have all of his summer signings at his disposal for the trip to Southampton on Saturday, Beren Cross reports.

The lowdown

Leeds travel to St Mary’s for a 15.00 kick-off, looking to start the campaign with back-to-back wins after beating Wolves 2-1 last weekend.

The Whites have spent just over £95million in this transfer window, recruiting goalkeeper Joel Robles, right-back Rasmus Kristensen, midfielders Marc Roca, Darko Gyabi, Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson along with winger Luis Sinisterra.

Kristensen, Adams, Roca and Aaronson all made full debuts against Wolves, while Gyabi was an unused substitute.

Sinisterra was absent for the game, but he’s now recovered from the hamstring problem he sustained in pre-season.

The latest

Leeds Live’s Cross writes that ‘all’ of the new arrivals are ‘finally available to Marsch’ for the clash with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

‘At last’, that should mean that the American has a bench with ‘multiple game-changing options’ on it.

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The verdict

Leeds fans should be excited for their first glimpse of Sinisterra.

The 23-year-old put up outstanding numbers for Europa Conference League finalists Feyenoord last season, scoring 23 times and providing 14 assists in all competitions.

But even beyond those contributions, he looks like he’s going to be an electrifying player to watch.

Indeed, he comfortably led the Eredivisie for successful dribbles per game last season with 3.6, a full 0.7 clear of nearest challenger Cody Gakpo.

The Colombian will want to prove he can fill the void left by Raphinha’s club-record £52.2million move to Barcelona.

Southampton are reportedly looking to secure a deal for Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi before the end of the current summer window.

What’s the news?

In a recent Twitter post, journalist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano had this to say on the matter.

“Excl: Callum Hudson-Odoi could now leave Chelsea for regular game time. Southampton have already asked for CHO on loan, now pushing.”

Could he replace Walcott?

With 187 appearances to his name for the west London club across their senior and youth sides, the 21-year-old has found the net 47 times and delivered 40 assists along the way.

Last season saw the Englishman make 28 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions in which he scored three goals and provided six assists in the process.

In his 15 league appearances last season, the attacker racked up 51 shot-creating actions, which is more than the likes of Romelu Lukaku (44), Christian Pulisic (33) and Timo Werner (26) managed to make, an impressive accomplishment given their respective qualities.

In fact, only Ross Barkley (9.05), ended the campaign with a higher rate of shot-creating actions per 90 minutes than Hudson-Odoi (4.77), which shows just how dangerous he can be in the final third.

Having played in numerous midfield and attacking positions for the west London club last season, this sort of versatility could make him a very useful addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.

Described as a “monster of a talent” by Nizaar Kinsella, it very much appears as if when he’s in form, he has the world at his feet.

Despite this move potentially only being on loan, his potential arrival at St. Mary’s could push one of their current attacking options out the door.

Having been linked with a move away from the south coast club back at the start of the summer, Theo Walcott’s performances last season showed why adding a player like Hudson-Odoi would be a smart move from the Saints.

With no goals or assists to his name in nine league appearances, the £72k-per-week winger ended the campaign as the lowest-rated Saints player in terms of overall performance rating, with WhoScored giving him a measly rating of 6.09/10.

Taking this into account, it could be said that the Chelsea attacker may not have too much trouble in terms of getting regular game time at St. Mary’s.

In comparison to Hudson-Odoi, the Southampton winger lacks any form of threat, ranking in the worst 92% of players in the same position across Europe’s top five leagues for shot-creating actions in 2020/21.

With that in mind, most players would be an upgrade on him, but the lively Chelsea youngster should be the man to finally push him through the exit door for the second time in his Saints career.

Manchester United are closing in on their second summer signing of the transfer window, after a breakthrough in negotiations for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez.

What’s the word?

The Argentina international has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks and it seems as if the Red Devils have finally reached an agreement with the Eredivisie champions.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed this morning that:

“Manchester United are closing on Lisandro Martinez deal: new round of talks scheduled today with Ajax to reach full agreement for €50m plus add-ons, after the meeting in Amsterdam. Payment terms, one of the final steps. Lisandro made his choice: Manchester United.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Erik ten Hag was clearly desperate to reunite with a player that was so vital to his Ajax side over the past two seasons, and supporters will be hoping that he can get the same performances out of Martinez at Old Trafford.

The 24-year-old, who can also play as a defensive midfielder, was one of the top performers for Ajax last season as they won the Eredivisie title.

Only Sebastien Haller and Dusan Tadic would better Martinez’s superb 7.60 average rating from WhoScored, which emphasises just how crucial he was in Ten Hag’s side.

Considering none of United’s centre-back options would average above a 6.8 rating last season, it was clear that Ten Hag needed to strengthen in that position and he is bringing in a player he knows he can trust.

United’s defensive performances were woeful at times last season, as they shipped 57 goals in the top flight, and signing Martinez could be a big way to amend that.

As the Ajax man can also play in midfield, he is extremely good on the ball, and will surely be better at building attacks from the back than the likes of Harry Maguire, which will benefit Ten Hag’s desired style of play.

Therefore, United fans will surely be delighted to hear that the deal for the Argentine is nearly completed.

AND, in other news: Ten Hag can finally axe £50m shocker as MUFC eye “amazing” £30m signing after de Jong

Newcastle United have a track record when it comes to signing players from fellow English clubs during previous summer and winter transfer windows.

One player that made a move to St. James Park from a side that Newcastle will be facing off against in their upcoming Premier League campaign is Callum Wilson.

Back in the 2020 summer transfer window, the Magpies struck a deal with AFC Bournemouth worth £20m for Callum Wilson.

Since then, the Englishman has gone on to score 20 goals in 46 appearances for the Tyneside club, highlighting how useful he can be in front of goal.

With there still being some time left before the current transfer window closes, this period could give the Toon the chance to bring in what could be their next version of the former Bournemouth star.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Magpies have set their eyes on securing a transfer deal for Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Having made 190 senior appearances for the Toffees, the centre-forward has found the net 58 times in addition to providing 18 assists as well.

With 86 Premier League appearances across his previous three campaigns, the Englishman has found the net 34 times, highlighting the goalscoring credentials he has in the top division.

This backs up why he was praised for his “fabulous” goalscoring efforts by Graeme Souness back in November 2020 as well as being described as a “cold” finisher by former Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti.

To compare his previous league campaign with Wilson’s, the pair racked up an almost identical rate for shots on target per 90 minutes, highlighting the attacking similarities between the two and why Calvert-Lewin would be a suitable next version of the current Toon striker.

Despite having a rather hefty reported price tag of £60m, this would be an investment worth making for PIF as not only does the Everton striker have the experience to immediately hit the ground running at Newcastle, but he also has the time ahead of him to a long-term fixture in the squad.

Moving forward, with the Merseyside club having already cashed in on Richarlison this summer, if they could be tempted with a big-money offer for Calvert-Lewin, Newcastle should definitely put themselves at the front of the queue to land him.

AND in other news: Howe can land huge Almiron upgrade with Newcastle bid for “fearless” £18m-rated target

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ proposed signing of RB Leipzig loanee, Hwang Hee-chan will become permanent in the summer.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from Birmingham Mail, who have relayed Lage’s verdict on Hwang ahead of the South Korean’s permanent move to Molineux in July.

The 26-year-old joined Lage’s side last summer and it was announced in January that the club would indeed exercise their option to buy, consequently activating the £14m clause in his contract that would see him become an official Wolves player on July 1st.

Lage, by his own admission, has revealed that he will take inspiration from Manchester United icon Sir Alex Ferguson when he oversees Wolves’ rebuild this summer.

As per Birmingham Mail, he said: “I remember maybe 10 years ago, when I read Sir Alex Ferguson’s book, he said something like that. ‘I love my players as sons, but when they drop their performance I am the first guy to go there, shake their hands, it’s time to move, and we need to replace him to continue.’

“I want that pressure. When the players are there you give him respect and pay the salary, so when they don’t give the same things you need to find solutions. That’s why he was in that position for 20 years and he won titles every time. He did that with a lot of players.”

Wolves’ Ji-Sung Park

With the shared South Korean nationality, esteemed work rate and selflessness for the team in the form of versatility, the comparison between Ji-Sung Park and Hwang writes itself.

It’s of course emphasised further by Lage’s inspiration from Ferguson, who notoriously used Park as a key utility tool in United’s most successful spell.

The Wolves boss has already been waxing lyrical over Hwang as a player, saying this on the eve of the final Premier League game of the season:

“For Hwang, the way he came with the impact he gave us, it was very good. It was so easy for him to fit in the team. After that he had a big injury and stayed out for five or six games. Since then he has had good moments and bad moments.”

Hwang, who was said to have sent Virgil Van Dijk “out for a hotdog”, has made 31 appearances for Wolves this season and is the Old Gold’s second-highest goalscorer with five goals scored.

Though like Park, his game is much more than just end product, with the forward producing 86 pressures in the attacking third this term, the fourth-highest in the Wolves squad.

In other news: In talks: Lage can unearth Wolves’ new Neves & Moutinho in double swoop for £12.8m duo 

Leeds United have reportedly enquired about the availability of Barcelona starlet Ez Abde, according to Spanish newspaper Sport (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Top talent

Signed by Barcelona B in 2019 from Hercules, the 20-year-old winger progressed into Xavi’s first-team plans during the 2021/22 campaign.

Abde ended the season with 11 senior outings for the Catalan giants, having scored twice and provided seven assists in 20 appearances for the B team.

Despite seemingly having a bright future in Spain, it appears that Leeds are keen on bringing the Moroccan to the Premier League…

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The latest: Leeds interested in Abde

As per Sport, translated by Sport Witness, Leeds have ‘mentioned’ the name of Abde whilst discussing other deals with Barcelona – perhaps the widely-speculated transfer of Raphinha to Camp Nou.

It is suggested that Wolves – who loaned Adama Traore to the La Liga club in January – also enquired about the possibility of signing the 20-year-old.

Under contract at Camp Nou until 2024 (Transfermarkt), the report makes no mention of a desire from Barcelona to sell the youngster, who was hailed as ‘extraordinary’ by Xavi following a 2-2 draw against Osasuna in which the versatile attacker scored and also completed five successful dribbles in a 7.2-rated performance from Sofascore.

The verdict: Smart move

Equally adept on either wing, signing Abde amidst the possibility of either or both of Raphinha and Jack Harrison departing would be a smart piece of business from Jesse Marsch and Victor Orta.

The talented starlet completed 3.4 dribbles per game during 10 La Liga outings in his breakthrough season at that level, highlighting a penchant for beating defenders which would be welcomed with open arms at Elland Road, where nobody averaged more than two successful dribbles per match in 2021/22.

Boasting stylistic similarities with the likes of Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, Sevilla ace Lucas Ocampos and the aforementioned Traore (Fbref), Abde is certainly one to watch as the next generation of talent comes through at Barcelona, and Leeds would be wise to remain attentive to the possibility of this capture.

In other news, Leeds are eyeing up another signing after Aaronson. Find out who it is here

Also, have both captains ever bagged golden ducks in the same ODI?

Steven Lynch07-Jan-2020All Pakistan’s top four batsmen made hundreds in the Karachi Test. Has this ever happened before? asked Jamie Stewart from Canada

Pakistan’s innings of 555 for 3 against Sri Lanka in Karachi last month, in which Shan Masood made 135, Abid Ali 174, Azhar Ali 118 and Babar Azam 100 not out, was only the second occasion that the top four all made centuries in the same Test innings. The other instance came in Dhaka in 2007, when Dinesh Karthik hit 129, Wasim Jaffer 118, Rahul Dravid 129 and Sachin Tendulkar 122 not out as India hustled to 610 for 3 against Bangladesh.There was a near miss at Lord’s in 1993, when Australia’s No. 4, Mark Waugh, was out for 99 after the top three – Mark Taylor, Michael Slater and David Boon – all made hundreds.Abid Ali scored a century in his first Test, after making one in his first ODI. Has anyone else done this? asked Ian Hugo from Nigeria

The Pakistan batsman Abid Ali hit an unbeaten 109 on his Test debut, against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi last month, to go with 112 in his first one-day international, against Australia in Dubai in March 2019.Ali is the first man to achieve this double – but a woman did it a few years ago. The England opener Enid Bakewell hit 113 on her Test debut, against Australia in Adelaide in 1968-69, and an unbeaten 101 in her first ODI, against an International XI in Hove during the inaugural women’s World Cup in 1973.After three Test innings, Ali has 321 runs: only two men have made more. Reginald “Tip” Foster of England scored 355 runs (287, 19 and 49 not out) in his first three innings, against Australia in 1903-04, while Lawrence Rowe hit 336 (214, 100 not out and 22) for West Indies against New Zealand in 1971-72.Who scored four Test centuries – and no others in first-class cricket? asked Chris Jackson from Australia

The man with this lopsided record is the former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy, who scored four centuries in his 119 Tests. In 112 other first-class matches, 55 of them for Queensland, he reached 50 on 17 further occasions, but never made it past 90. Curiously, however, Healy averaged 27.39 in Tests, but 34.05 in those other matches.Kieron Pollard had Virat Kohli caught out for a first-ball duck, only to bag one himself during West Indies’ innings in the Visakhapatnam ODI•BCCIBoth captains bagged golden ducks in an ODI at Vizag in December. Was this a first? asked Sourabh Vyas from India

Virat Kohli and Kieron Pollard were both out first ball in the match between India and West Indies in Visakhapatnam in December. This was indeed the first time both captains had bagged golden ducks in the same ODI. It hasn’t happened in T20Is either or, as far as I can see, in Test matches, although we don’t have ball-by-ball data for several early Test matches.Rohit Sharma hit ten international centuries during 2019. Was this the most? asked Gary Dockerty from Jamaica

Rohit Sharma’s ten centuries in all forms of international cricket in 2019 was the most; Virat Kohli came next with seven, while Babar Azam and David Warner both made six. Kohli, though, scored more runs overall, with 2455 to Sharma’s 2442. Babar came next with 2082.Helped by his stellar World Cup, Sharma led the way in ODIs, with 1490 runs and seven centuries (Kohli was next, with 1377 and five). Marnus Labuschagne was first in Tests, with 1104 runs and three centuries in 2019; Steve Smith was next with 965 and three. Azam, Sharma, Mayank Agarwal and Tom Latham also made three hundreds. In T20Is, two Irishmen led the way: Paul Stirling hit 748 runs, and Kevin O’Brien 729. Nineteen batsmen made one century apiece.For the bowlers, Pat Cummins finished with 99 wickets in all formats in 2019, well clear of Mohammed Shami and Mitchell Starc, who both took 77. Cummins took 59 in Tests, with Nathan Lyon next on 45; Shami led the way in ODIs, with 42, with Trent Boult next on 38. Brandon Glover of the Netherlands and the Nepal pair of KC Karan and 19-year-old Sandeep Lamichhane all took 28 wickets apiece in T20Is.Use our
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