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Maiden half-century provides silver lining despite India’s emphatic win

Valkerie Baynes14-Sep-2022India and England have both found something they’ve been looking for ahead of their deciding T20I in Bristol on Thursday.For the visitors it was victory to draw level at 1-1, built on the back of Sneh Rana’s 3 for 24 and Smriti Mandhana’s unbeaten 79 which overhauled a modest target of 143 in Derby on Tuesday night. For England it was a rarer discovery, a left-handed teenager who made history with her maiden international half-century.Freya Kemp became the youngest England player, female or male, to score fifty in a T20I, at 17 years and 145 days, and the second-youngest to reach the milestone for England in international cricket after Sarah Taylor.Picked as a left-arm seamer earlier in the summer, she had shown hints of what she was capable of with the bat in domestic cricket. Kemp’s 24 off 16 formed part of a crucial 45-run partnership with Georgia Adams as Southern Brave defeated Oval Invincibles during this year’s Hundred, and she scored 14 off six in Brave’s victory over London Spirit.In her debut season in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, she was Vipers’ second-highest wicket-taker behind Charlie Dean with nine at 17.66 and an economy rate of 6.11. Her 21 not out off 13 balls in an unbroken 45-run stand with Dean for the sixth wicket as Vipers beat Lightning early in their title campaign was another indication of her batting abilities.But none of it quite added up to the impression she made in Derby. Kemp cleared the rope three times in her unbeaten 51 from 37 balls against India alongside her three fours and, in an England batting line-up stacked with right-handers, her presence in the lower middle-order can add another dimension.”She’s a cool character, nothing really fazes her,” said England’s vastly experienced left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone. “She has a 25-year-old head on herself. It’s really nice to see her do well – I’m so pleased for her.”When we’re playing against a team with a left-hand-right-hand combination – like Smriti, for example – it’s so hard to bowl at. It’s great to have a left-hander in our squad, and it’s nice to have her in the nets to bowl at, to be honest.”England lost their other left-arm seamer who bats left-handed, Tash Farrant, to a stress fracture at the start of the summer.Ecclestone, who bats right-handed, played a match-shaping knock last time England were in Derby, her unbeaten 33 – including 26 off the final over of the innings setting up victory against South Africa in July before her 2 for 24 helped seal a 3-0 series sweep. That match also marked Kemp’s international debut and she slotted right in with an important 2 for 18 as England embarked on their succession planning by introducing a clutch of youngsters to their ranks.In the absence of the resting Katherine Brunt, injured Heather Knight and Nat Sciver, who withdrew from England’s pre-series camp in Durham for mental-health reasons, those youngsters have had to take on added responsibilities.Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur added an unbroken 69 runs for the third wicket to take India home•ECB via Getty ImagesAhead of a crunch match in Bristol, Ecclestone backed the likes of Kemp, fellow teenager Alice Capsey and young seamer Lauren Bell to keep playing their part, but said it was crucial that England retain the fun factor despite the fact the series is in the balance.”I think it’s massive to keep enjoying ourselves,” Ecclestone said. “When we’re enjoying our cricket, we’re amazing. That gives us the best chance of us winning.”I think they need to take a bit more responsibility. The young ones can come in and get told what to do a little bit, so it’s quite nice for them to have a little bit of their own responsibility over their fields and how they bowl.”Kemp put on 65 runs with Maia Bouchier on Tuesday evening to lift England from a dire predicament at 54 for 5. As it turned out, it wasn’t enough and the home side will have to find a way to revert to their success in the first game. There, legspinner Sarah Glenn set them up with a career-best four-for to restrict India to 132 for 7 and a more solid batting display saw them home, led by Sophia Dunkley’s 61 not out.Related

• Smriti Mandhana: 'I'll be thinking about pulling out of WBBL'

• Captaincy takes Amy Jones right out of her comfort zone

• Sarah Glenn reaches second spot in ICC women's T20I bowling rankings, closes in on Ecclestone

• Smriti Mandhana 79* sees India run down England to level series

“We would have liked 20 or 30 more on the board,” Ecclestone admitted on Tuesday. “Hopefully next time we can go out and get a series win. It was amazing to see Kempy and Bouch bat so well together, which is great to see for the future.”For India, their latest performance represents a vast improvement on their showing in Durham, where they struggled with the bat and were ragged in the field as England overhauled their target with ease to win by nine wickets.Mandhana, who made 23 in the first match, was pleased her side had turned things around to remain in contention. “After the last match we needed to come back stronger and level the series,” she told Sky Sports. “I found my touch back, timing the ball the way I want to. You go out as an opener and try to give your team a good start.”Now all eyes turn to who’s going to finish the best.Meanwhile, the ECB has confirmed that the points for next week’s rounds of Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy matches will be shared, after a decision was made to cancel the games due to a clash with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. With the final at Lord’s scheduled for September 25, it was decided there was not enough room in the calendar for a re-arrangement.

All of them approach batting differently and have thrived without the fear of consequences

Sidharth Monga19-Jan-20212:34

‘This win would mean the world to Pant’ – Aakash Chopra

If this series so far had been an esoteric Bob Dylan song, here is a more straightforward one for the man who laid the finishing touches.For a day, it would appear Dylan might have had Rishabh Pant in mind when he wrote ‘. Just as this team had doubters after 36 all out, Pant has had doubters within the team and outside it for playing a game they don’t really understand.Imagine – he is coming off a Test when he got out on 97 trying to hit a six with India fighting to somehow stay alive. He has been nearly stumped trying to hit another here in Brisbane, when India are thinking of the unthinkable on the final day with much more in the pitch than at the SCG. Then he sees a ball turn more than a metre. And jumps out next ball to hit a six against the turn.There will be many waiting to take credit for the way Pant has “matured”, but he played the way he has always played. His childhood coach, Tarak Sinha, told last week that more than fitness, more than “maturity”, Pant needed his bat swing back. If he gets out, he will live with the consequences. If he gets out blocking a ball he could have hit, it will be tougher to live with it. That’s batting for him.In Sydney, and in Brisbane, Pant just batted. In a 16-Test career — 14 of them played away from home, three as the third-choice keeper and three as the second choice — Pant is already among the top-15 six-hitters from India, with 23 such hits. Nineteen of them have come off spinners, including his first runs in Test cricket. He can get out playing any of those shots, and people wouldn’t be talking of the mature Pant then, but he knows the percentages are with him. He knows he is that good.Just imagine being the Australia captain and bowling unit. What do you do when a man simply refuses to care the way you want him to? A man who just bats. Doesn’t think of win, draw, loss on the final day of an epic series. This is not the beat Test cricket is played to. There are cracks on the pitch, you are up against a tiring but excellent attack, you know wickets can fall quickly, you know one shot can undo 17 days of incredibly hard work that has brought you this far, within a shot of history. You know what happened in Adelaide in 2014-15. You know what happened at The Oval in 2018.You should take a draw that is greater than a win, but you just want to bat. You want to back yourself. You are a madman. You are on the verge of securing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy if you just bat out 12 overs. It is going to be the greatest comeback ever, but you risk it all by playing a reverse-sweep? You see, it is not a risk for Pant. He backs his reverse-sweep with that field set. He knows all these incredible chases over the last two-three years – Ben Stokes, Kusal Perera, Jermaine Blackwood – have been sealed by batsmen just batting the way they do. And you can’t bat if you are clouded by consequence.After it was all done, Pant was hugged by every Indian team member, from teammates to coaches to the other support staff. The batting coach and the coach held on to him, the throw-down expert probably received a big thank you with the hug, R Ashwin was like a big brother, but as Pant reached Cheteshwar Pujara, everything went into slow motion. Pujara didn’t want too strong a hug. He had worn so many blows – head, side of the neck, forearm, ribs, gloves, all told 10 in one innings on a pitch increasingly uneven in bounce – that a half-decent squeeze from Pant would surely have hurt him.Shubman Gill batted with calmness and poise•Getty ImagesIf Australia couldn’t force Pant to care enough to doubt himself, they couldn’t get Pujara to care less than enough to make a mistake. Session after session, day after day, match after match, Pujara makes them bowl their best ball to get him out. If it is not good enough, it will not get Pujara out. And it takes Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Not even Mitchell Starc.And when Cummins bowls that unplayable ball to get him lbw by the barest of margins on the tracker, he is bowling his 157th over of the series, more than he has ever bowled in a series of four matches or fewer. Pujara has faced 42.5 overs of those from this incredible bowler who hardly gives a freebie and has a habit of bowling unplayable deliveries. Overall he faced 928 balls, close to a fourth of the balls faced by India in the series. And yet everyday he must get to hear how he doesn’t hurt the bowlers no matter how long he plays, how he is responsible for others getting out, how the game needs to keep moving.Despite all that is happening around him, Pujara does so almost in trance. Even when he is getting hit, the hands holding the bat are always going down. Even when he is hit on the bottom glove, it is in the process of going off the handle. This is survival batting but Pant and Shubman Gill can keep attacking because they know Pujara is there. If someone needs to shut shop, Pujara can do so even if he is staggering and stumbling. And no amount of blows can push him back to a ball he should be forward to. In fact he goes on to target Starc and upper-cut him, unsurprisingly so. In doing that Pujara is lending a hand to the new one. This old road is not rapidly agin’.One of the new ones is Gill, representing the depth in Indian cricket. Debuting after 36 all out, at a position where batting has never been tougher in the history of the sport, Gill has announced himself regally. In him and Mohammed Siraj lie the riches of Indian cricket. Just as Siraj, Gill has shown he has come ready for the highest level and format of the game. Siraj lost his father during the tour, Gill must be worried about his, given the farmers’ protests in the biting cold of northern India. The personal challenges these players are facing can’t be overlooked.Can you imagine a tougher initiation into Test cricket than the first two overs Gill spent in the middle? From the non-striker’s, he saw Starc swinging it back in to Mayank Agarwal at 145-plus, seam one away, and then rip the pad off with the inswinger. At the striker’s, he saw Cummins continuously seam it this way and that. Yet he never looked out of place, never late, never rushed into playing a shot he doesn’t want to play.All the series’ hard work – for returns of 45, 31*, 50, 31, 7 – finally, for a change, brought him easier batting conditions on the final morning. No one deserved the harvest more than Gill. The morning session was perhaps the easiest for batting all series, likely because of the moisture from the overnight rain, which can tend to re-bind the surface. You need someone to cash in on these conditions without getting out and thus nullifying the advantage of the conditions.Gill has the game for it. He batted with a control percentage of 95, which is scarcely believable for this series. So good is his stroke-play he scored at a strike rate of 62 without taking risks. Batting is an imperfect art. It yo-yos from Pant to Pujara, who bring their own unconventional survival tools, but Gill gets as close to perfection as might be possible when accounting for all the vagaries you have to deal with in Test cricket. Foot movement is precise, defence is solid, the shots are all there, and the eye is quick. If you are a batting enthusiast, this is what you dream of watching on a mildly cold Sunday morning.Even when the ball started to misbehave around lunch and Australia went short, Gill moved his guard towards off, and didn’t give up hooking. He knew he couldn’t control them all, but scored 34 runs off 26 short balls.Between them, Gill, Pujara and Pant represent the might of Indian batting. This is a side that was bowled out for 36 a month ago. Now it has breached Fortress Gabba with a chase of 328. These are chases that will come off only once in a while, but if the batting riches of India find a way to just go out and bat the way they know best, India will keep putting them in positions to pull them off. Tim Paine and Justin Langer perhaps knew it all along or they would have declared sooner.

Josh Naylor and the Mariners agreed to a five-year contract in what is the first major splash of this year’s MLB free agency, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Seattle made it a top priority to keep Naylor in the organization after acquiring him at the trade deadline in a deal with the Diamondbacks. He played a key part in the team’s run to the ALCS, their longest stay in the postseason in franchise history, and now he’ll be sticking around for at least another five seasons.

Naylor played in 54 games for the Mariners after the mid-season trade. He slashed .299/.341/.490 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 19 stolen bases, racking up an impressive 2.2 bWAR in that span. He was also a key postseason contributor. In October, Naylor had 16 hits in 12 games and recorded three home runs and five RBIs.

The financial terms of Naylor’s new contract with the Mariners have not yet been reported.

Naylor likely had plenty of suitors in free agency, but Seattle moved quickly to ensure they were able to keep him in town. He immediately emerged as a fan-favorite at T-Mobile Park, and he’ll now be part of a formidable lineup alongside Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez for the foreseeable future.

Luke McCowan says Celtic need to show their character in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren at Hampden Park.

Wilfried Nancy became the first Hoops manager to lose his opening two matches when Italian giants Roma won 3-0 at Parkhead in the Europa League on Thursday night, which followed on from a 2-1 home defeat to leaders Hearts in the William Hill Premiership last weekend.

Celtic fans, some of whom booed at the end of the defeat by Roma, are approaching the final against the Buddies with more nerves than they would have done before the Frenchman took over from interim bosses Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney, who in turn had taken over from Brendan Rodgers.

McCowan calls for players and fans to stick together

McCowan, the 28-year-old midfielder, who joined from Dundee in August 2024, called for unity and a demonstration of the traits that have made the Parkhead club so successful in recent times.

He said: “I can’t really talk for the fans, but we are fully bought-in. We need to buy-in, it’s kind of non-negotiable.

“We need to back everyone in this building, regardless of who’s been playing well, who’s not.

“We are a team and we need to back each other through the good and the bad because everybody’s all high-fives and cuddles when we are winning but this team doesn’t go through two or three bad results and this is where the true characters are shown.

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“So we need just to be together and I know I’ve said so many times, stick together.

“It’s when you go through bad spells – personally I’ve done it with Dundee and Ayr – then we just need to kind of have that same attitude of work hard, move on to the next game.

“The games are coming thick and fast in this period and it’s a good thing that if you get one win it can propel you to get a few hopefully and we just need to start with that on Sunday.

“We just need to get on top of it again.”

The year 2024 was a difficult one for Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman and his family.

In the summer of the Dodgers' World Series-winning campaign, Freeman briefly stepped away from the team as his youngest son, Maximus, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome. The rare autoimmune condition landed Maximus in the hospital, and Los Angeles rallied around Freddie as his son recovered.

Now, a year later, Freddie is giving back. The 2020 National League MVP is donating $1 million to the Children's Hospital of Orange County in California, he told ESPN's Jeff Passan Monday afternoon.

"Getting to know the doctors, nurses and care teams and seeing how they show up each day to bring healing and hope to kids and their families was inspiring," Freeman said. "CHOC saved Maximus's life."

Freeman, 35, is in his fourth year with the Dodgers. He currently leads the NL in batting average (.357) and OPS (1.063).

Manchester United are now keen on signing Santos forward Neymar, following a recent update from Carlo Ancelotti on whether the “legendary” forward will go to the 2026 World Cup with Brazil.

The Brazilian has been playing outside Europe since leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, spending an injury-ridden campaign with Al-Hilal before moving back to his native country and signing for Santos.

Consequently, the former Paris Saint-Germain man hasn’t featured for his country since appearing against Uruguay over two years ago, with the likes of Vinicius Jr, Estevao and Rodrygo emerging as the new star players.

However, Ancelotti recently revealed the Brazil record goalscorer’s international career may not be over just yet, suggesting he could still take the Santos star to the upcoming World Cup if he has a strong end to the campaign.

Man Utd keen on signing Neymar

According to a report from Spain, Man United are now keen on signing Neymar, with the superstar’s chances of going to the World Cup on the line if he doesn’t put together a good run ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which starts on June 11th.

Ruben Amorim’s side are looking for a fresh spark in attack, and there is a belief the 33-year-old would fit the bill, given that he is proven at the top level, and a deal may be there to be done, as United would be able to afford the ex-Barcelona man’s wages.

That said, there are doubts over whether the Santos legend would be able to adapt to the Premier League, given his age, and he hasn’t exactly set the world alight since returning to Brazil.

The 128-time Brazil international is undoubtedly a modern-day icon, having been lauded as “legendary” by journalist Luis Cristovao, but his best days are clearly behind him, having contributed just three goals in 16 appearances in the 2025 Brazilian Serie A.

In his prime, the Man United target was one of the best players in the world, enjoying four amazing seasons with Barcelona and amassing 43 Champions League goals across a hugely successful career, during which time he was described as a “great player” by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Neymar’s attacking output by season

La Liga appearances

Goal contributions

2013-14

26

19

2014-15

33

31

2015-16

34

40

2016-17

30

27

Having suffered with injuries, gone are the days when Neymar used to terrorise defences alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and it is debatable whether United even need to sign a forward, having brought in Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha in the summer.

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MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos definiu que continuará com Tomás Rincón para a temporada 2024 por meio de uma nota oficial. Para prosseguir no clube, o atleta venezuelano aceitou uma redução salarial.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Santos

Para definir a permanência ou a saída dos seus atletas, o Peixe precisa que muitos jogadores readequem seus salários para prosseguir na equipe do litoral paulista. 

➡️ Juventude tem interesse na contratação de dois jogadores do Santos; confira situação

Na visão da diretoria do Santos, o ato de Rincón aceitar a diminuição do seu salário comprova o ímpeto do atleta com o clube e o projeto esportivo previsto para a próxima temporada do clube, que foca no retorno do time para a Série A do Brasileirão.

Apesar do pouco tempo de casa, a postura do volante venezuelano agrada internamente. O jogador foi titular desde a sua chegada e conquistou a braçadeira de capitão da equipe.

A vontade do atleta de seguir no Peixe não é segredo. Logo após a queda do clube para a Série B, Rincón firmou a vontade de permanecer no time e o ímpeto por ‘resgatar o sorriso do torcedor santista’. Veja a nota oficial do jogador abaixo:

– Procurei dar tudo que tinha com muita dedicação, responsabilidade e comprometimento para ajudar o clube a sair dessa situação, aqui estou mostrando a cara porque infelizmente não conseguimos atingir o objetivo e os 8 milhões de santistas não mereciam passar por isso. Obrigado pelas muitas mensagens de solidariedade e apoio, agora para recuperar de uma nova recaída da lesão e preparar-me para 2024, de cabeça erguida porque dei tudo este ano e porque ainda sinto que tenho um longo caminho a percorrer e realmente quero trabalhar. O Santos voltará a sorrir – declarou o atleta.

تحدث علي ماهر المدير الفني لفريق سيراميكا كليوباترا، عن مواجهة فريقه أمام بيراميدز، في إطار مباريات كأس السوبر المصري للأبطال. 

ويواجه فريق سيراميكا كليوباترا نظيره بيراميدز، في مباراة تحديد المركزين الثالث والرابع من بطولة السوبر المصري غدًا الأحد، في تمام الساعة الثانية والنصف ظهرًا بتوقيت القاهرة. 

طالع.. يورتشيتش يستقر على حارس بيراميدز أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا

وكان سيراميكا كليوباترا قد خسر في المباراة الماضية امام الأهلي بهدفين مقابل هدف، في المقابل خسر بيراميدز من الزمالك بركلات الترجيح. 

وقال علي ماهر في تصريحاته بالمؤتمر الصحفي: “سيراميكا كليوباترا تجاوز الخسارة أمام الأهلي وعازم على حسم مباراة المركز الثالث لصالحه”. 

واختتم: “نمتلك عددًا كبيرًا من اللاعبين الكبار القادرين على نقل خبراتهم لزملائهم الصاعدين، لحسم المركز الثالث أمام بيراميدز”. 

Leeds United fans have been blessed with some outrageous attackers to cheer on over recent years.

The obvious names that immediately spring to mind here are the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, and Raphinha, but Pablo Hernandez is also deserving of equal levels of adoration from the Elland Road masses for the magic he regularly conjured up during his time in West Yorkshire.

Hernandez would notch up a stunning 36 goals and 39 assists for the Whites in the Championship during Marcelo Bielsa’s heyday at the helm, with the much-loved Leeds boss even going out of his way to laud his Spanish playmaker as a “silent leader” who can “harm the opponent” at a moment’s notice.

Unfortunately, though, the silky attacking midfielder would only go on to collect a measly two assists for the West Yorkshire titans in the Premier League.

Noah Okafor has already matched that same amount of goal contributions for the newly promoted Whites in the here and now, as the electric Swiss international attempts to go down in his new club’s history books as a similarly entertaining spark.

Okafor's promising Leeds start

Much like Hernandez, too, Okafor has already been showered with plenty of lavish praise when pulling on Leeds white.

Leeds-based content creator Oscar Mario has dubbed the ex-AC Milan attacker as a “difference-maker” for Farke’s side, with the two goals that he’s already confidently put away this season, undoubtedly placing him in the same bracket as the captivating Spaniard before him.

With Okafor also constantly looking to bomb forward with pace to carve out an opening – as seen in him ridiculously completing six successful dribbles versus Wolverhampton Wanderers – it’s very clear that he could go on to be a fan favourite in the same ilk as Hernandez, only this time, with the talent to be a success in the top-flight.

Yet, with no assists next to his name as of the time of writing, he hasn’t quite hit the same creative peak as the former Leeds number 19 just yet, with an unexpected creative force elsewhere in Farke’s camp perhaps more in line to be viewed as a Hernandez-type talent, with the star in question boasting league-best numbers in this regard.

The Leeds star showing shades of Hernandez

While Hernandez was known for firing home an audacious strike or two during his five-season stint in England, he is definitely more commonly remembered as an ace who could “change the course of a game” with an “exceptional” assist, as former Leeds player Noel Whelan once put it.

His 2018/19 offering in the second tier for Bielsa’s Whites saw the quick-witted midfielder create a mammoth 16 big chances in total, with Sean Longstaff potentially heading towards the same jaw-dropping numbers in the Premier League for Farke’s men this campaign, if his early scintillating form in the tough division is anything to go by.

Longstaff’s PL numbers for Leeds (25/26)

Stat – per 90 mins*

Longstaff

Games played

9

Goals scored

1

Assists

2

Touches*

46.2

Accurate passes*

27.1 (85%)

Key passes*

2.0

Big chances created

5

Tackles*

3.0

Ball recoveries*

3.0

Total duels won*

5.0

Stats by Sofascore

Indeed, Longstaff has looked a man reborn since leaving boyhood employers Newcastle United behind this summer for a modest £12m, with five big chances already created by Leeds’ new star man, putting him at the very top of the list of the Premier League’s most effective playmakers.

If he can keep this unbelievable run of form going, he could give Hernandez’s Championship peak a run for its money.

The “outstanding” number eight – as Farke has also already lovingly labelled him – further has the necessary bite in his game to be a long-term success at the very pinnacle of English football, with tackles and duels also won aplenty this season, when looking at the table above, away from just offering up an incisive pass.

Ultimately, Farke will just want all of his troops to come together and battle hard to ensure relegation is staved off.

But, with Longstaff in the same conversations as Bruno Fernandes in what he offers going forward, he will hope his unbelievable start in West Yorkshire can be kept up, as he strives to be the driving force that pushes his new side way away from the relegation zone come next May.

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Despite being the top scorers in the Championship last season, Leeds United put a real focus on strengthening their attack. The Whites found the back of the net 95 times in 2024/25, far more than any other side, but still brought three new forwards to the club over the summer.

They only paid for one of those attackers, with the versatile Noah Okafor joining from Serie A giants AC Milan for £18m. One of their free signings was former Manchester City academy player Lukas Nmecha, who moved to Elland Road from Wolfsburg. Both Okafor and Nmecha have already scored this season.

The same can be said for their other attacking addition this summer, Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Calvert-Lewin’s start to life at Leeds

The signing of former Everton star Calvert-Lewin was certainly a huge coup for the Whites. He will bring Premier League experience to a team that need to cement themselves as a Premier League side.

Already, the former Toffees number nine has found the back of the net.

He’s played four times across all competitions for the club, and scored in their 3-1 triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend to get off the mark.

Yet, his start to life in Yorkshire has not been as simple as that for Leeds’ new number nine. His debut against Sheffield Wednesday, which saw the Whites crash out of the Carabao Cup, was disappointing. Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Lee Sobot described it as a “debut to forget” for the England striker.

His stats from the 2025/26 Premier League season so far also leave a bit to be desired. In 178 minutes so far, Calvert-Lewin has had four shots, with three of those on target, and missed one big chance.

Whilst he is only a short way into his Leeds career, the former Everton star will be hoping his goal against Wolves can be a catalyst for his form to improve. If not, they may have an academy star waiting in the wings to steal his number nine shirt.

Leeds’ potential future number nine

The Whites’ most exciting academy star in recent seasons is surely Archie Gray. The 19-year-old played 52 games for his boyhood club before moving to Tottenham Hotspur last summer, where he became a Europa League champion.

Well, the midfielder might have some competition when it comes to the best talents at Leeds. His younger brother, Harry Gray, is also on the club’s books and is another highly talented prospect to come out of his family.

Unlike his brother, 16-year-old Gray is a centre-forward and has shone for the club’s academy, leading the line at both under-18 and under-21 level.

He’s also made his first-team debut, with his sole appearance coming last season off the bench against Stoke City in the Championship.

This season, the youngster has been on fire already. Representing Leeds in the Premier League 2, he’s found the back of the net four times in just three games.

He’s also chipped in with two assists, one in the league and the other in the EFL Trophy. Gray even bagged a hat-trick against National League side Scunthorpe United.

Indeed, his record across both the Premier League 2 and the Under-18s Premier League shows the killer instinct Gray has in front of goal. In both divisions combined, he’s scored 15 goals in 21 games.

If Gray continues on his trajectory, it is easy to see how he can snatch the number nine shirt from Calvert-Lewin at some stage. He’s already played for his boyhood club, and if he can carry that academy form into first-team football, he could be a deadly centre-forward at the top level.

With his older brother Archie now plying his trade down in North London, there is certainly an argument to be made that the striker is Leeds’ most exciting talent.

Leeds star was an "underrated" talent, now he's Farke's own Phillips

Daniel Farke could now have his new Kalvin Phillips at Leeds United in this underrated star.

By
Kelan Sarson

Sep 21, 2025