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Nottingham Forest have scheduled imminent medical tests to finalise a summer deal for Manchester United star Anthony Elanga, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Who is Anthony Elanga?

Elanga is primarily a left-sided winger who has played his football at Old Trafford for the past eight years having graduated from the club’s academy to get promoted to the first-team fold back in January 2022, as per Transfermarkt, but there’s a chance that he could be on the move during the present window.

During the 2022/23 Premier League season, Erik Ten Hag only handed the 21-year-old five top-flight starts and he was reduced to coming off the bench as a substitute on 11 occasions, via WhoScored, showing how out of favour he is and highlighting that he needs to leave should he want to receive more regular game time elsewhere.

The Telegraph have reported that despite interest from West Ham United and Everton, the Sweden international turned down the chance to join David Moyes’ and Sean Dyche's sides and instead has opted to make the switch to Steve Cooper’s men, with The Athletic revealing that the Reds have had a £15m offer for the attacker accepted in M16.

So far this summer, the Midlands outfit have finalised a permanent deal for Chris Wood who initially joined on loan from Newcastle United and most recently they confirmed the arrival of defender Ola Aina from Torino, and the club’s third recruit could be about to walk through the doors at The City Ground.

Are Nottingham Forest signing Anthony Elanga?

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Nottingham Forest have already agreed with Manchester United for a medical to take place for Elanga, whilst also providing an update on their pursuit of goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who Cooper is keen to secure following his successful loan spell last season.

“Nottingham Forest are insisting on Dean Henderson as negotiations are ongoing with Manchester United after loan bid sent earlier this week. Medical booked for Anthony Elanga after permanent deal agreed on Friday.”

How many goals has Anthony Elanga scored?

Whilst Nottingham Forest will know that Elanga wasn’t given a fair chance to prove what he was capable of last season, the left-winger has racked up a total of 50 goal contributions (30 goals and 20 assists) in 124 appearances since the start of his career, so should he put pen to paper, he could be reborn under Cooper.

The CAA Stellar client can pose a huge threat in the final third having ranked in the 92nd percentile for most attacking touches in the opposition’s penalty area, whilst averaging 3.59 shot-creating actions per top-flight match last term was also impressive even though he was a bit-part player, as per FBRef.

The Malmo native, who has the versatility to operate in five different positions across the pitch, including everywhere across the frontline, also has bags of experience under his belt having previously played in both the Champions and Europa League competitions, so he would be able to instil a much-needed winning mentality and increase the level of performance in the Midlands.

ScorecardA match that might have finished in an historic tie just went the way of Middlesex after a tense and absorbing conclusion, providing the defending champions with only a second win of the season and the hope that they might yet claw back more of the space that opened up between them and leaders Essex with last week’s thumping defeat at Chelmsford.None of the ties in first-class cricket has featured identical totals in both innings, yet that prospect was on the cards here as Middlesex, who had looked as though they would reach their target comfortably while Nick Compton and John Simpson were together, began to lose wickets with disconcerting regularity in the post-lunch session.Warwickshire fought as you would expect from a side desperate for a win and stand-in captain Jonathan Trott was never without an idea that might make something happen, but they are now 48 points adrift from safety,They gave themselves a substantial shot of hope and adrenalin before lunch when Jeetan Patel managed, seemingly against all probability, to draw Compton out of his crease and had him stumped.Until that moment, Middlesex looked in command, needing 112 with six wickets in hand. Yet Warwickshire, who have not enjoyed too many good moments in a largely dismal season, used that wicket as a motivational factor and had a fresh determination as they emerged for the afternoon session.Ryan Higgins at first maintained Middlesex’s momentum but Warwickshire somehow kept themselves in it. A fine catch by William Porterfield, diving forward from gully, removed Simpson off Rikki Clarke. And from 170-6, needing 64, Middlesex stumbled three more times.James Harris was unable to get out of the way of a super ball from Boyd Rankin – among a mixed bag of a performance, it has to be said – and gave a catch behind at 193-7, Higgins popped up a bat-pad short-leg catch off Patel at 210-8 and, tantalising Warwickshire fans even more, Ollie Rayner stepped across one from Rankin to be leg before, leaving his side nine down with seven still required.Tim Murtagh and Tom Helm kept their nerve admirably, however, taking four singles off Clarke before Murtagh found a gap on the offside against Rankin and took three runs to the longer boundary.Dawid Malan, Middlesex’s acting captain, believed the key phase of the match had been the last session on day three, when Tom Helm dismissed Trott for 99 and rapidly cleaned up the tail, leaving Warwickshire at least 20 or 30 runs short of where they had hoped to be.”I think the way Tom plus Tim Murtagh and Ryan Higgins bowled at the end of day three – their spell set it up for us because at tea they had been in the driving seat and we probably bowled them out for a lot less than they should have got,” Malan said.”We desperately needed that win. We haven’t been playing our best cricket so far and have not been able to string four good days together.”We have won two and lost two of our last four which is disappointing on the loss side because we pride ourselves on being hard to beat, but positive on the winning side.”To get a win moving forward with guys due to come back from injury and England duty when the Championship starts again we are in a good position to get a few wins in a row and be pushing for the top.”The concern for Warwickshire, of course, is about finding a way somehow to get away from the bottom, although with only six matches left time is running out.Yet coach Jim Troughton still believes his team’s character remains intact, even though results suggest that time is catching up with some of the senior members of their dressing room.”Yes, we probably need to win at least half our remaining games but in 2010 we needed to win four out of five and if there is one thing you can always say this team has been good at, over the years of winning trophies and getting to finals and bringing this club a lot of success, it is being up for it in the big games that matter.”We always knew that we were hitting a period of transition and that this season was going to be tough and we’ve had some performances this season we have not been proud of, where we have crumbled under pressure or drifted through sessions.”But this is a league in which anyone can beat anyone. Somerset have shown that up at Scarborough. And in this game we have gone toe to toe with a good side so we have to take positives from that.”We need to keep asking questions of the older players. We need to compete over all four days of games and to walk off at the end of the game knowing we have given everything and (on this occasion) I don’t need to question that.”He could not question the passion of some of those players, either, as was evident in the scenes on the third evening, before and after Stevie Eskinazi was dismissed for a duck – the score at which Warwickshire had been convinced he was out in the first innings before going on to score the match-winning individual score.The umpires had to intervene, asking Rikki Clarke and Keith Barker in particular to calm down, giving Trott another challenge as captain he might not have bargained for. Troughton admitted the incident had been a cause for concern.”We had a chat with the umpires and recognised that the passion probably bubbled over a little bit,” he said.”Our members maybe sometimes ask where’s the fight, where’s the passion in our team. They definitely saw it there but to people watching without knowing the context it does not look great. So we talked about being competitive and hitting them hard but not stepping over the line.”

Durham are hoping to complete the signing of Imad Wasim as an overseas player in the NatWest T20 Blast. Imad, who is currently rated as the best T20 bowler in international cricket, will join for five matches before departing for the Caribbean Premier League.Imad, who was born in Swansea, made his international debut in 2015 and was recently a member of the Pakistan team that won the Champions Trophy, playing in every game at the tournament.He has impressed with his left-arm spin in the Pakistan Super League, as well as during stints at the CPL, and will bring something extra to a thin Durham squad, who have lost two from two in the competition so far. Tom Latham, their main overseas signing, is currently out of action with a foot injury.Imad’s signing is subject to him receiving a work permit.

Part-time legspinner Joe Denly was the unlikely bowling hero as Kent opened their Royal London Cup win account with a 46-run victory over South Group rivals Middlesex in Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network07-May-2017
ScorecardSouth Africa’s Wayne Parnell was Man of the Match•AFP

Part-time legspinner Joe Denly was the unlikely bowling hero as Kent opened their Royal London Cup win account with a 46-run victory over South Group rivals Middlesex in Canterbury.Having failed to defend 330-plus scores in their previous two games, Kent managed to protect a modest all out total of 200 with Denly bagging 3 for 20 to secure his side’s first win in four starts and inflict a third defeat on Middlesex. Needing to score at a shade over four an over to record their second win of the campaign, Middlesex committed cardinal one-day errors in losing cheap wickets at regular intervals to fall woefully short.The visitors lost Dawid Malan in the third over when the left-hander sparred outside off against Wayne Parnell to nick to second slip. Four balls later, Parnell, in his last home game of his current spell as Kent’s overseas allrounder, ran one back up the Canterbury slope to trap Nick Gubbins lbw for a single.Adam Voges and Nick Compton added 47 before Kent struck through Darren Stevens, who belied his 41 years by taking a stunning return catch from a Voges’ drive to make it 49 for 3. Eleven runs later and Kent were celebrating again when a direct hit from 12th man Will Gidman, substituting for the injured Matt Coles, ran out John Simpson after Nick Compton had called for a sharp single to the cover fielder.Coles returned after treatment for a sore shin to pocket a comfortable catch off the bowling of James Tredwell that ended Compton’s 85-ball stay for a painstaking 37 and left Tredwell with 1 for 29 from his 10 overs.Keeping pace off the ball, Denly struck to have Ryan Higgins caught behind and then, in his next over, he trapped Toby Roland-Jones lbw when working across the line. Middlesex, with only three wickets remaining, still required 78 going into their final 10 overs when Denly, leaping full-length to his left caught a rasping James Franklin drive one-handed to send the visiting skipper packing for 33.Mitch Claydon replaced Denly to have James Fuller caught off a skier leaving Parnell to finish it with another reflex return caught-and-bowled catch that accounted for Ravi Patel and gave Parnell, the Man of the Match, deserved figures of 3 for 33.Kent’s day started badly when they again lost the toss in overcast conditions and were duly invited to bat with the floodlights already on. Their gloom deepened after only two deliveries when Daniel Bell-Drummond, fresh from scoring back-to-back hundreds in losing causes, feathered a defensive push against Roland-Jones into the gloves of Simpson to depart without scoring.Home skipper Sam Northeast and second-wicket partner Denly, batting against his former county, steadied Kent with a stand of 52 that ended in the 13th over when Denly pulled a short one to midwicket where Voges held a stinging overhead chance.Northeast, who enjoyed a life when on 24 after Voges downed a regulation slip chance, posted his 13th List A half-century from 73 balls and with six fours. He and Sean Dickson added 44 before the latter miscued his attempted pull against Franklin to mid-on to go for 29.Northeast followed, sweeping against Patel to give a catch to the keeper for 55, having spent almost two hours at the crease. Alex Blake lasted only five minutes, tamely hanging his bat out to dry against Franklin, the left-hander went for 2 after edging a third catch to Simpson behind the timbers.The procession of Kent batsmen to the pavilion continued when Stevens miscued to extra cover to gift Patel a second scalp, bringing together Adam Rouse and Parnell for a face-saving seventh-wicket stand worth 34. .With little to lose Parnell went for his strokes only to smear Malan’s first ball of the day, a low full-toss, straight into the hands of Tom Helm at deep midwicket.Coles edged an attempted drive against Helm to slip where Voges took off to hold a stunning overhead catch diving to his left, then, to the first ball of the third and final Powerplay, Rouse nicked an attempted cut to his Middlesex counterpart Simpson to give Helm a second wicket.With four of their 50 overs still to be bowled, Kent’s last man Claydon, who had just hooked the only six of his side’s innings, was yorked by Roland-Jones, the pick of the Middlesex attack with 3 for 35 from his 10 overs.

The two midfielders dominated the lacklustre Eagles as the Red Devils began their Carabao Cup defence in style

That was more like it from Manchester United. Erik ten Hag earned lots of goodwill by winning the Carabao Cup last season and his side made an emphatic start in the competition with a dominant 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

Alejandro Garnacho got United off on the right foot by scoring the opening goal following a sweeping team move although Casemiro was the star of the show, heading in the second goal then setting up the third for Anthony Martial.

Sofyan Amrabat had a brilliant home debut, appearing all over the pitch and playing some wonderful passes, while Mason Mount had a strong return from injury and even Harry Maguire gave a solid performance.

GOAL rates Man United's players from a smiling Old Trafford…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Andre Onana (7/10):

Had a quiet night but did well to beat away two shots from Jean-Philippe Mateta, using his feet and then his chest.

Diogo Dalot (8/10):

Had a brilliant first half, flying up and down the right wing and also dropping into midfield. Combined well with Facundo Pellistri to set up Garnacho's goal.

Raphael Varane (7/10):

Lead a very solid defence as captain for the night and looked sharp after recovering from injury.

Harry Maguire (7/10):

An accomplished performance, seeing plenty of the ball and comfortably nullifying Mateta and Jordan Ayew. Will do his confidence a world of good.

Sofyan Amrabat (8/10):

An excellent full debut for the Moroccan. Rotated between left-back and midfield and oozed class as he sprayed long passes across the pitch.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Mason Mount (6/10):

An encouraging return after a month out injured. Launched the move for the opening goal then got his first assist for United by teeing up Casemiro. Rested at half-time.

Casemiro (8/10):

After showing signs of recovery against Burnley this was the Casemiro United fans fell in love with last season. Physically dominant and classy.

Hannibal Mejbri (7/10):

Energetic and influential. Helped the team in attack and defence although had to be careful after getting booked in the first half.

Getty ImagesAttack

Facundo Pellistri (7/10):

Linked up well with Dalot down the right hand side and worked hard defensively.

Anthony Martial (6/10):

Got his first goal of the season which will help his confidence. Important that he took his chance in the Cup as he won't be starting much in the league ahead of Rasmus Hojlund.

Alejandro Garnacho (7/10):

Got the ball rolling with his first goal of the season but crucially showed he can perform well from the start and not just when coming off the bench.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Victor Lindelof (6/10):

Brought on for Mount at half-time to shore up the defence and did just that.

Jonny Evans (6/10):

The hero of Turf Moor got a rousing reception from the home fans when he came on and helped United stay in command.

Dan Gore (6/10):

A bright debut for the 19-year-old, did not look overawed by the occasion at all.

Donny van de Beek (5/10):

Made his first appearance of the season. Is unlikely to get many more but did little wrong.

Rasmus Hojlund (6/10):

When he came on the job was already done and didn't really get involved.

Erik ten Hag (8/10):

Did not mess about with his team selection and used his substitutions early to make sure players for some rest while giving others the minutes they needed.

South Africa regained the one-day series lead with the kind of showing that coach Russell Domingo believes typifies their new style of play

Firdose Moonda25-Feb-20171:21

‘We expect New Zealand to bounce back’ – Parnell

In their most dominant performance on the tour of New Zealand so far, South Africa regained the one-day series lead with the kind of showing that coach Russell Domingo believes typifies their new style of play.It is a brand of cricket built on shared responsibility with new members of the squad as able to contribute as some of the stalwarts. Dwaine Pretorius’ career-best 3 for 5 from 5.2 overs on the back of a maiden half-century in Christchurch is the best example of it.”It’s been a feature of our side’s performances over the last year that the younger players have all come in and put in performances straight away which speaks a lot about where the team is at the moment and the culture of the group,” Domingo said. “It’s always pleasing when some new players are stepping up nor relying on one or two players.”And Pretorius is not the only one. Twenty-year-old Andile Phehlukwayo has emerged as a long-term all-round prospect and in the batting department, Quinton de Kock is one of the leading players in the world.Although AB de Villiers, who became the fastest to 9000 ODI runs, was the man of the moment in Wellington, South Africa’s recent ODI successes have been built on the foundations de Kock has laid. As he did in Test cricket last year, de Kock has reeled off five consecutive fifty-plus scores in ODIs. He has yet to convert one of his three in New Zealand into a century, but Domingo brushed that off as part of the game.”He has got a phenomenal rate of transferring those fifties to hundreds so I’m sure he’d be disappointed he hasn’t got a hundred because he is playing as well as he has ever played. I suppose he would feel a little disappointed in the manner of some of his dismissals. That’s the nature of how he plays.”He is such an aggressive player and I by no means want to curb his natural instinct. He is an x-factor player and some days he is going to get it wrong and that’s okay but on the days he gets it right, he is going to win the game for you. He is still a baby, its hard to believe he is only 24. We’ve had some great players play international cricket for South Africa, who’ve got 10 or 11 hundreds in 200 games. He has got 12 in 77. That’s a phenomenal return for a young player like that.”At this early stage of de Kock’s career, he already lies sixth on South Africa’s ODI century-makers’ list above a big name like Graeme Smith. The former captain played 196 ODIs and scored 10 centuries, de Kock could go on to double or even treble that. Also below de Kock is JP Duminy, who has played 170 ODIs and only has four hundreds to his name, three against Zimbabwe and one against Netherlands.Duminy has not registered three figures in two years, since the 2015 World Cup. In that time, he has managed just four fifties. Although he can cite limited opportunity – Duminy usually bats at No.5, behind players who don’t often leave him with many overs to face – by his own admission, there have been chances wasted.After the Christchurch ODI, where he was given a chance at No 4, Duminy explained he understood he needed to step up. “A lot of us got in but we didn’t take it home for the team. That’s something we need to look at – especially myself, getting in and not taking it home for the team,” he said.He was unable to in Wellington, where he was run-out and his string of low scores – only one over 30 in seven innings – could raise concerns, especially with Farhaan Behardien waiting on the bench.Some pressure for his place may be just what Duminy needs to kickstart a change in fortunes, as it did in Tests. After being dropped last summer during the series against England, Duminy returned with a much improved mindset and scored two important hundreds, in Perth and in Johannesburg, to prove he still has plenty to offer. The upcoming Tests will be another chance for Duminy to build on that progress.Eight members of the Test squad, who are not part of the limited-overs outfit, will arrive in Auckland on Sunday, where they will begin a week-long camp. Batting coach Neil McKenzie and fitness trainer Greg King will break away from the ODI group to oversee the Test players’ preparations. South Africa do not have a warm-up match before the series starts in Dunedin on March 8 but all their players have been in action in the domestic one-day cup.Among them are the two senior seamers, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, who are the favourites to make up a pace pack with Kagiso Rabada, although South Africa have three other quicks in reserve. Rabada will be the most worked of all of them, with South Africa well aware of his importance to every XI. Rabada was left out of the Christchurch game with a knee niggle and returned in Wellington and Domingo has explained that its unlikely Rabada will be given time off with the series still on the line.”It’s a fine line between resting players and trying to win series. You’ve got to try and and manage that process quite carefully, particularly for a guy like KG. I read the other day that he bowled 200 overs more than anybody else in the last year. He is only 21,” Domingo said. “But its hard to leave KG out of the next game in Hamilton. He is a seriously good bowler and it’s no coincidence that when he is back in the mix, we look a seriously good side.”

Kristen Beams will look to return to cricket for the Melbourne Stars in the Women’s BBL, after being ruled out of action with a finger fracture

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2016Australia women legspinner Kristen Beams has been ruled out of the remainder of the home ODIs against South Africa due to a finger injury. She had fractured her right little finger during the third match on Wednesday in Sydney and parted with the squad on Friday.While the Australia squad headed to Coffs Harbour for the last two ODIs of the series, which they lead 3-0, Beams returned to Melbourne after undergoing surgery. Beams had bowled six overs for 35 runs and one wicket on the day.”You never want to see one of your team-mates get injured,” seamer Rene Farrell said before training at Coffs International Stadium on Saturday. “We’ve all been there and we’ve all had finger injuries before. Hopefully she’ll be right around the middle of the WBBL season. I know she’ll come back stronger, she’s a tough character.”Beams had broken her finger after bowling four overs on Wednesday and received medical treatment near the boundary line before returning to bowl another two and dismissed centurion Lizelle Lee in her final over.”Her finger was still dislocated and she bowled her last two overs for us,” Australia opener Nicole Bolton said. “That shows the strength of character of someone like Beamsy, who we heavily rely on with the ball, and for her to come out and do that for us was just incredible.”Beams had a terrific tour of Sri Lanka in September, across four ODIs and the lone T20I. She was the leading wicket-taker in the ODI series, which Australia whitewashed, with 13 scalps at a stunning average of 5.92 and took two four-fors. In the T20I, her figures of 3 for 11 from four overs restricted the hosts to 59 for 8. She had bettered her career-best figures in both formats on the tour.She is also Australia’s leading wicket-taker (18) in ODIs this year, behind South Africa legspinner Suné Luus (30), England’s Katherine Brunt (21) and Luus’ team-mate Ayabonga Khaka (21).

Prague has a proud history of producing supremely talented footballers, with stars going through the doors at Sparta and Slavia

The Czech Republic is frequently described as a 'Dark Horse' in European football thanks to its long history of nurturing quality footballers. The capital city, Prague, is a hotbed of talent, with an ever-growing list of stars emerging from the city.

Clubs such as Sparta Prague and Slavia Prague (read more about them here!), as well as Bohemians, have all played their part, though, very often the best players are snapped up quickly and ushered off into the arms of Europe's elite teams.

Here, GOAL takes a look at some of the best footballers who come from or are indelibly associated with Prague.

Prague is one of GOAL's Soccer Cities 23 – find out more here!

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  Tomas Rosicky

  Affectionately known as 'Little Mozart', Tomas Rosicky is one of Prague's most famous and talented football sons. The diminutive playmaker comes from a soccer family, with his father Jiri playing for Sparta Prague in the 1970s, while his brother also spent time at the club.

  Rosicky broke into the Sparta Prague first team as a teenager and played a part in securing back-to-back league titles in 1999 and 2000, but his ability was such that Europe's elite were forced to sit up and take notice.

  Borussia Dortmund came knocking and made him the most expensive player in Bundesliga history when they forked out DM 25 million (equivalent €12.7m today) for his services in 2001. Arsenal was Rosicky's next port of call in 2006 and he earned cult hero status with the Premier League club, helping them to FA Cup glory in 2014.

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  Pavel Nedved

  Pavel Nedved may not be a Prague native, but his performances for Sparta Prague, and indeed the Czech Republic national team, in the 1990s were the catalyst for his future career success. Czech fans of a certain vintage will fondly recall his pivotal role in the national team's run to the final of Euro 96.

  A truly complete midfielder, capable of playing anywhere across the line, Nedved played a part in three league titles for Sparta between 1992 and 1995 before moving on to Serie A, where he shone first for Lazio and later Juventus.

  Indeed, his displays for Juve earned him the Ballon d'Or in 2003 as he saw off challenges from the likes of Thierry Henry and Paolo Maldini. He remains, to this day, the only Czech player to win the prestigious accolade.

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  Vladimir Smicer

  Vladimir Smicer is a Premier League legend for Liverpool fans, but he is also a heroic figure in Prague, where he dazzled in the red and white of Slavia. The 80-cap Czech international began his career in the capital at Slavia and helped them to a league title in 1996.

  His career subsequently took him to France and England – he enjoyed a trophy-laden six years at Anfield, even winning the Champions League – but he made a triumphant return to Prague in 2007, helping Slavia to two more titles.

  Smicer was born in Decin, but is now an adopted son of Prague having lived there for the last quarter of a century and he proudly showed the city off to us ahead of the 2023 Europa Conference League final – check it out below!

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  Petr Cech

  Petr Cech is one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time and Sparta Prague played their part in his remarkable journey when they signed him from Chmel Bisany.

  Indeed, while Cech's time in the capital was brief – just one season – his contribution was strongly felt as he went 903 competitive minutes without conceding a goal, setting a new record in the process.

  Cech left Sparta Prague for Rennes, joining the French club for a reported €5.5 million and his career went from strength to strength, first at Chelsea, where he won four Premier League titles and the Champions League, then at Arsenal, where he secured an FA Cup.

  With 124 caps for Czech Republic, he is the most-capped player in the history of the national team and his status as a legend is unquestioned.

Leeds United face an uphill task to stay in the Premier League, and new manager Sam Allardyce will surely have to improve the defence if he is going to keep the Yorkshire outfit in the Premier League.

What changes must Allardyce make to Leeds' defence?

The 4-1 defeat against Bournemouth ensured that Leeds now boast the worst defensive record in the division, with a remarkable 67 goals shipped in the top flight, which has also included heavy defeats against Liverpool and Crystal Palace in recent weeks.

Fingers have naturally been pointed at both the goalkeeper and the defence after Leeds bested their own record of goals conceded in a calendar month, and huge changes must be made by Allardyce if he wants to avoid similarly disappointing defeats against the high-flying Manchester City and Newcastle United in their next two games.

Despite the number of goals conceded, three of Leeds' defensive options rank in their top six players this season according to WhoScored, with Pascal Struijk, Max Wober and Liam Cooper all performing to a fairly consistent level in the Premier League.

Should Robin Koch be dropped by Leeds?

This begs the question therefore of why Robin Koch has been the main man for Leeds at centre-back so far this term, with the 26-year-old featuring in 33/34 Premier League games, with a shocking WhoScored average rating of 6.52.

Signed from Freiburg in 2020, the Germany international has struggled throughout his time at Elland Road, failing to average above a 6.6 rating from WhoScored in any of his seasons in the Premier League.

Speaking on a Leeds United Live Facebook stream following a 5-1 defeat against Manchester United in 2021, Beren Cross was less than complimentary of Koch's performance.

He said:

“Koch and Struijk today, not good enough at all, for me. I think I gave them 3s in the ratings.

“I mean, Fernandes almost retired Robin Koch, it was just horrible to watch, at times, because he just could not get a handle of him."

As a former defender, Allardyce will surely appreciate the need to have his best-performing centre-backs on the pitch for the final four games, and the stats certainly suggest that the £40k-per-week liability shouldn't be anywhere near the starting side.

He ranks 14th for tackles and sixth for interceptions per game in Leeds' squad, while his pass success rate of 77.6% is worrying considering he completes the second-most passes per game at Elland Road, which suggests that he often has the ball but doesn't know how to effectively use it.

Therefore, with defensive security a must for the tough upcoming fixtures, Allardyce must surely consider finally dropping Koch from the starting team.

ScorecardBen Raine top-scored for Leicestershire and then took three wickets•Getty Images

Yorkshire Vikings were never in the hunt against Leicestershire Foxes who beat them by 54 runs with eight balls remaining in the NatWest T20 Blast at Headingley.It was a disappointing start to the campaign for Yorkshire, who are desperate to do well in the competition this season under a new young captain in Alex Lees, but who drew only 6,000 to Headingley.Leicestershire could feel delighted with the result after opening with a defeat to Northamptonshire last week.Chasing a 175 victory target, Yorkshire failed to put a substantial stand together in a game which was dominated by Ben Raine and the O’Brien brothers, Kevin and Niall.Raine top-scored with 48 before opening the bowling and capturing 3 for 7 in his 3.4 overs. Niall O’Brien powered his way to 39 while Kevin hit 21 and then took three for 27.Yorkshire lost wickets at regular intervals and openers Adam Lyth and new one-day captain, Alex Lees, were both out inside the first five overs, Lyth driving Raine to mid-off and Lees turning Kevin O’Brien to leg-gully.Only Will Rhodes showed any real form, coming in at 32 for 4 and smacking 45 with three fours and two sixes before departing at 109 for 9 by driving Neil Dexter to Tom Wells at long off, by which time the game was well and truly lost for Yorkshire.A late flurry of sixes had revitalised the Foxes’ innings with 102 coming off the final ten overs. It was off the fourth delivery of the 14th over that Niall O’Brien straight drove Lyth for the first six of the match but another eight were to clear the rope in the remaining overs for Leicestershire to close on a competitive 174 for seven.All four of Niall O’Brian’s boundary shots in his 39 off 21 balls came from six hits while Raine included two fours and two sixes in his 48 from 43 deliveries.But Lewis Hill was responsible for the final flourish with three mid-wicket sixes in the last over from Ben Coad who gave away 22 runs, Hill ending unbeaten on 24 from just nine balls.Yorkshire did not have their best night in the field as three catches were put down, the easiest being when Raine, who had just pulled Adil Rashid for two sixes, survived a simple chance to Liam Plunkett on the mid-wicket boundary.Things began encouragingly for Yorkshire as Tim Bresnan, in his first appearance of the season after being sidelined with a calf muscle tear, started with a wicket maiden, Pettini forcing his fifth ball straight into the hands of Rhodes at point.Bresnan’s new ball partner, James Wainman, also enjoyed an early success on his T20 Blast debut. In Wainman’s second over, Mark Cosgrove, who had struck 20 from 11 balls, was caught at deep square leg by Coad.Bresnan and Plunkett each claimed two wickets but Leicestershire kept battling away and their destructive hitting late on proved to be decisive.