Category Uncategorized

West Indies captain Jason Holder said on the eve of the first Test match against India that he was confident in the abilities of the young group he was leading

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Antigua20-Jul-2016Only three members of West Indies’ 13-man squad for the first Test against India have played more than 20 Test matches. Six of them have either played four Tests or fewer, and two are yet to make their debuts. West Indies captain Jason Holder, who has himself played only 13 Tests, said on the eve of the match though that he was confident in the abilities of the young group he was leading.”Most of these guys have performed really well in the domestic competition,” Holder said. “You’ve got young Roston Chase, who’s in the squad for the first time. He averages around 40 in first-class cricket. You’ve got Shane Dowrich, who’s been doing well over the last few seasons. Leon Johnson had a really good season. Those are just a few names who did well back in the first-class competitions. So I think all of them are really eager for an opportunity and I’m very very eager to go into the competition with them.”The players, Holder said, were hungry to make a name for themselves.”I think what motivates this young group is that everyone is trying to make a mark on international scene. It’s a very young team. Many of us are looking at finding our way in international cricket. I think it’s important for the youngsters to just come in, to make their mark and solidify their place in the team, and to make a name for themselves. You know there is a rich legacy in West Indies cricket. Many of the young players are looking to make a legacy for themselves.”A lot of the inexperience in the West Indies team is concentrated in their bowling, following the loss of their long-time new-ball pair of Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach to retirement and non-selection respectively. Holder said he, as one of the four seamers in the squad, did not feel any specific pressure to step up and lead the bowling attack, but reiterated the need for all the quick bowlers to know their roles and perform them well.”You know, if you look at our side, we’ve got Miguel Cummins who’s come into the side, he’s done really well for the last two seasons in domestic cricket. You’ve got [Shannon] Gabriel, who’s been bowling really well, but has been struggling from injuries. He’s fit and ready to go. Carlos Brathwaite and myself, you know, are the two seamers and we are just looking to do what we’re asked to do.”I think it’s important that each one knows their role. You know Shannon’s obviously a fast and aggressive bowler. Miguel similarly. Myself and Carlos, we’re mainly the workhorses in the unit. You just have to know your role. I don’t think there’s pressure really. Once you know understand your role, you perform your role.”West Indies won the World T20 earlier this year, and were impressive in their recent ODI triangular series that also featured Australia and South Africa, beating both teams in the league stage and reaching the final. They have struggled to match that level of performance in Test cricket, with a number of their star players not featuring in the longest format. Holder said it was important for the team to keep improving steadily, while not expecting too much of them too soon.”You know that’s the ultimate aim [to be equally competitive in all three formats]. We’ve got a young side, and it’s good to see we have some young faces. We’re looking to build something. In the last series we played in Australia, we didn’t start really well. Moving on into the Test series, we got significantly better. All I stress and address with the guys is to keep improving. You can’t expect leaps and bounds, too much from a very young side. Once we get the steady progression in terms of improvement, I think we’ll move forward.”The last time West Indies played in Antigua, in April 2015, they saved a Test match against England courtesy an unbeaten fourth-innings hundred from Holder. Batting remains the second string in Holder’s bow, but in the days leading up to the Test against India, he has batted far more than he has bowled in the nets. Asked about this, he said he preferred to conserve himself for the long spells he often bowls in Test matches.”I’ve played a lot of cricket this year already. As I said, it’s about managing your body to get through a four-match Test series. I am a workhorse, so I don’t particularly like to bowl that much leading into a Test match. I like to save my energy for the Test match because I know I’ll be required to bowl quite a few overs. That’s how my preparation goes in terms of my bowling.”I try to bat a lot because I feel as though I need to pay a lot more attention there. That’s more of my secondary part of my training. I try to work really hard to get my footwork going and my balance going which I feel is the key to my success.”Asked about his team’s preparations to bowl against a batting line-up of India’s quality on pitches that are expected to play on the slower side, Holder reiterated what players and coaches from both sides have already stressed: the need for patience.”The name of Test cricket is discipline, when it comes to bowling,” he said. “Where we fell down in the past is not being as disciplined as we would like. We’ve stressed discipline and being patient for longer periods. We come in and string together a good session but we tend to falter or fall off going deeper into the day. So far, what I’ve seen in the nets I’m really, really pleased. The bowlers look good and we need to transfer that into the game.”

South Africa need a win to keep pace with the West Indies and Australia as the triangular series moves towards its pointy end

The Preview by Daniel Brettig14-Jun-2016Match factsWednesday, June 15, 2016
Start time 1300 local (1700 GMT)1:06

Confident West Indies take on shaky South Africa

Big PictureA first-up win by West Indies over South Africa was something of a surprise, but their victory over Australia in St Kitts showed that Jason Holder’s side are genuine contenders for the triangular series title, particularly as injury worries have depleted both opponents. Having squandered a winning position against Australia, South Africa now find themselves in the unedifying position of needing to catch up with West Indies, on a small ground that clearly suits the block-and-bash style of Johnson Charles, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard and others.In defeating Australia, West Indies ran up a mighty differential in fours and sixes – the hosts’ 32 boundaries towered over the 21 managed by the visitors. What’s more, Charles and Andre Fletcher reached the rope seven times inside six overs, before Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch had done so even once. So it is clear that to restrict West Indies, South Africa’s pacemen and spinners need to find the right lines and lengths to jam their big hitters and prevent further barrages.A lack of batting depth and balance has been South Africa’s major worry for quite some time in limited-overs matches. While Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers are undoubtedly world-class players, there is too little behind them to allow for freedom of expression. Amla has been outspoken in stating that the top four need to do the heavy lifting, and it will require partnerships of considerable heft to achieve that against Sunil Narine, who confused South Africa completely in scooping six wickets during their earlier meeting.Form guideWest Indies WLWLL (last five completed games, most recent first)
South Africa LWLWWIn the spotlight Even during West Indies’ warm-up matches for this tournament, Darren Bravo was making starts. Scores of 24, 21, 30, 19 and 39 suggest an engine that is revving up nicely without quite hitting the desired gear. Each of the three most recent innings have included the odd glorious stroke, followed by a dismissal at a time when Bravo should have been about to dominate. No one can question Bravo’s talent or commitment to his side but, after Marlon Samuels’ spinal innings against Australia on Monday night, the bar has been set for the kind of performance West Indies need from their left-handed No. 3.Much like Bravo, Quinton de Kock has made a trio of starts in his matches so far, without going on to anything substantial. Given the slowish conditions faced in the Caribbean, it is quite an advantage to be able to get started against the new ball, and a privilege de Kock has enjoyed without making the most of it. Additionally, given that South Africa’s batting lacks the depth of West Indies and Australia, there is more responsibility than usual on the top four to produce.Team news The combination that restricted and then defeated Australia on Monday should be set to turn out again, though Sulieman Benn did appear to pick up a niggle while fielding.West Indies (probable) 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Andre Fletcher, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Carlos Brathwaite, 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Sulieman Benn, 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Jerome TaylorChris Morris is fit again and may press Kyle Abbott for his place. Morne Morkel is yet to play a game in the tournament.South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Kyle Abbott, 10 Aaron Phangiso, 11 Imran TahirPitch and conditions The Warner Park surface is swifter than that of the Providence Stadium, but it showed signs of tiring during the previous match. It also took some spin in the evening.Stats and trivia West Indies last won consecutive ODIs when they defeated Pakistan and Zimbabwe at the World Cup in February last year West Indies haven’t won consecutive games against South Africa since an ODI series in the Caribbean in 1992Quotes “As a team we have always backed ourselves for somebody in the top six to take it through and bat as deep as possible. Obviously we are very disappointed after our last game. We got ourselves into a very good position to win it and we didn’t quite take it through.
“I think there can be a little bit of improvement. We are always looking to improve our fielding … and I think we are looking to improve on where we bowl in the first 10 overs and things like that.”

Weston McKennie was brought in to strengthen Leeds United's midfield in January but so far it appears the USA international has had the opposite effect, and Javi Gracia must now consider dropping him for the relegation run-in.

Should Weston McKennie be dropped by Leeds?

The 24-year-old would join on loan from Juventus in the January transfer window, with the Yorkshire outfit even having the option to buy him for £30m at the end of the season.

On his current form, with Leeds looking in real danger of dropping back into the Championship, there seems very little chance that he will be signing a permanent deal at Elland Road this summer, with Football Insider reporting recently that McKennie's deal won't be extended, regardless of the division they find themselves in next season.

Saturday's 2-1 defeat against Fulham ensured that the Whites are just one point ahead of the relegation spots, having conceded 13 goals in their last three outings, taking no points.

McKennie, who earns £75k-per-week at Elland Road, has certainly been culpable for those heavy recent defeats, with his 6.46 average rating from WhoScored across his 13 Premier League appearances doing little to justify his price tag.

Gracia has obviously lost the influential Tyler Adams to injury which limits his options in midfield, but McKennie is now ranked as the 18th-best performer in the Spaniard's squad, which suggests that he certainly shouldn't be starting.

Despite his role as a central midfielder, the former Schalke man fails to rank in the top five Leeds players for tackles, key passes or dribbles per game this season, while he is also the third-most dribbled past player in the squad.

Yorkshire Post writer Leon Wobschall accused McKennie and midfield partner Marc Roca of "treading water" during the defeat to Liverpool and it is easy to see why, as the Reds were afforded the freedom of Elland Road, with counter-attacks proving incredibly damaging to the Yorkshire outfit.

It is far too easy for the opposition to run past the two Leeds defensive midfielders, with the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Jack Harrison and Crysencio Summerville not offering much defensive support in the attacking midfield and winger roles either.

Gracia may feel uneasy about unleashing the likes of Archie Gray or Darko Gyabi for the relegation run-in but given the American's awful displays since joining in January, it is surely time that someone else was given a go in the middle of the park.

Alex McLeish must surely go down as a legend amongst the Glasgow Rangers supporters for his four-and-a-half-year spell in charge of the Ibrox side.

He led the team to seven major trophies during that time, all while fighting constant financial restraints which limited his spending severely, meaning he had to largely rely on free transfers and a variety of loan moves.

The likes of Dado Prso, Jean-Alain Boumsong and Nacho Novo all arrived for either nothing or small transfer fees, and contributed towards McLeish’s second title triumph in 2004/05 as they pipped Celtic on the final day of the season in dramatic circumstances.

Along with these aforementioned signings, he also made one of his biggest blunders in the transfer market by shelling out £1.1m on Serbian midfielder Dragan Mladenovic, which proved to be a disaster.

How did Dragan Mladenovic perform at Rangers?

The player arrived from Red Star Belgrade having clearly impressed McLeish to fork out that sum during a time when money was tight, and Mladenovic had also proved his credentials on the international stage, winning seven caps for his country (he would win 17 overall), and it looked as though he could improve the midfield.

Despite the hype and early promise upon his arrival, the Serb went on to make just nine appearances for the Light Blues, failing to record any telling contributions in front of goal.

He moved to Real Sociedad on loan in January 2005, making 12 La Liga appearances for the club in a bid to try and force his way into the Rangers side ahead of the 2005/06 campaign, but it clearly wasn’t enough.

Mladenovic eventually forced a move back to Red Star before jumping ship to join South Korean side Incheon United, where he enjoyed much more game-time compared to his spell in Europe.

Overall, his nine Rangers appearances cost the club over £120k per match – and this was money the club could not afford to throw away.

It was an unmitigated disaster of a signing and one McLeish could look back on and say it was potentially up there as one of his worst while in charge of the Glasgow side.

Mladenovic is currently back in his homeland occupying the role of director of Red Star’s youth academy, and despite injuries not helping his cause, he will perhaps be largely forgettable when it comes to players of that era, as well as a colossal waste of money.

Former Spain star Luis Garcia has backed Luis Enrique to replace Antonio Conte as Tottenham Hotspur manager.

What's going on with Conte and Spurs?

There is a growing expectation that the Italian is to be dismissed from his role as Spurs manager, after a disappointing season and an explosive rant in a press conference.

Julian Nagelsmann has been touted as a possible replacement, with the German now available following his sacking at Bayern Munich, whilst Mauricio Pochettino has also been linked with return to the club.

However, Garcia has suggested that former Spain and Barcelona coach Enrique has the experience needed to succeed at Spurs.

Enrique, a Champions League winner with the Blaugrana, was fired from his role at Spain following the World Cup, but has plenty of knowhow under his belt, and would be another big-name appointment at the club.

Speaking on ESPN FC (1.00), Garcia backed the Spaniard to succeed in North London.

"I think it's a fantastic club and Luis Enrique's got everything to be successful there," he stated.

"He's got that energy, he's got that attitude, he is ready to fight. I think he's got the experience to build something very unique there at Tottenham, so it could be a fantastic choice."

What kind of manager should Spurs go for?

The likes of Conte and Jose Mourinho have been appointed by Daniel Levy in recent years as proven winners with excellent track records, but neither succeeded at the club.

It has been suggested that the problems at Spurs lie in recruitment, rather than with the coaches they hire, and this indicates that Enrique could follow the same path as a big-name appointment who could ultimately fail to deliver on expectations.

Spurs need to rediscover their identity, and a long-term appointment could suit them more than another short-term hire, and perhaps the club need to explore a different route than Enrique.

Vincent Kompany and Michael Carrick have both impressed in the Championship, and a gamble on a younger, promising manager such as one of these two, with a long-term rebuild plan could work better than chasing short-term success with a big-name coach.

With Harry Kane's future up in the air, the job on offer is not an easy one, and it may take a long time for a new coach to rebuild the squad to compete for major honours. Spurs need to show patience with their next appointment, no matter who they choose as Conte's successor.

Newcastle United have reportedly made an inquiry over the possibility of signing Robin Koch from Leeds United this summer.

The Lowdown: Standout performer

In what has proven to be a difficult season for Leeds so far, with the sacking of Jesse Marsch coupled up with them being just outside of the relegation zone in the Premier League, Koch has been one of their standout performers.

No other player in the Leeds side is averaging more clearances per game in the division than he is, while he also ranks highly among his team-mates for a number of other metrics (WhoScored).

The Latest: Newcastle inquiry

As per German news outlet Sport1, Newcastle ‘above all’ are ‘interested’ in signing Koch this summer, but he has also received ‘inquiries’ from the Bundesliga.

His contract at Elland Road is up in 2024, putting Leeds under pressure to cash in at the risk of him leaving as a free agent at the end of next season.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-7/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Shrewd addition

Koch would certainly be a shrewd addition at St. James’ Park, given that he already boasts plenty of Premier League experience.

The six-foot-three colossus is also capable of playing in a number of defensive and even midfield positions, and so his extra versatility would be very useful in the squad.

At 26 years of age, the Magpies would be signing a player about to enter his prime, and so this seems like a smart deal to do if Eddie Howe really fancies the player.

Glasgow Rangers chief Ross Wilson has had his fair share of transfer successes and gaffes over the years since becoming the club’s sporting director in 2019.

He has been responsible for bringing in flops such as Aaron Ramsey and Cedric Itten, although he also managed to secure the astute signings of John Lundstram and Malik Tillman, among others.

The former Southampton executive has had mixed success in the transfer market at Ibrox, but one piece of business that he did get bang-on was the deal to sign Antonio Colak from PAOK last summer.

Has Antonio Colak been a good signing for Rangers?

Wilson hit the jackpot by signing the Croatia international to bolster the Rangers squad, as the centre-forward has been a terrific addition for the Scottish giants.

Then-manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst hailed the transfer by saying of Colak: “He is a very experienced player who has played at high levels and scored a lot of goals for the teams he has played for.”

The striker was valued at £1.2m (€1.4m) by Football Transfers at the time of the move to Glasgow, and his performances at Ibrox have caused his value to skyrocket.

At the time of writing (27/02/2023), Football Transfers value the forward at £2.6m (€3m), which means that his price has soared by a whopping 114% in less than a full season. This shows that the dynamo has been in exceptional form since making the switch to Glasgow.

Colak, who journalist Josh Bunting claimed “has everything”, made a rapid start to life at the club and earned the Light Blues millions by playing a crucial role in the team qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League.

Rangers earned a guaranteed £13.2m by making it through to the group stage of the competition and the Croatian marksman scored winner in the second leg of the play-off against PSV to secure group stage qualification.

This means that Colak’s terrific finishing ability landed the Gers a huge payday, which you could argue made his signing a success irrespective of how the rest of his career at the club transpires. Nonetheless, the Croatian has gone on to be a great success in the Premiership, as he has plundered 11 goals in 15 Scottish top-flight starts this term.

Only four Rangers players have averaged a higher Sofascore rating than Colak’s 7.14, which suggests that the dynamo has been one of the team’s best performers over the campaign so far.

Therefore, Wilson struck gold by signing the 29-year-old last summer, as the attacker’s value has soared whilst delivering brilliant performances domestically and in Europe, alongside earning the club millions by scoring the goal to secure Champions League qualification.

Manchester United hung on to secure a hard-fought victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, with Erik ten Hag’s side sealing a 13th consecutive win at Old Trafford in all competitions despite having been reduced to ten men in the closing stages.

Following what was a rather serene opening 70 minutes or so for the Red Devils – have led courtesy of goals from the deadly duo of Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford – a moment of madness from midfield colossus, Casemiro, ensured a nervy end to proceedings for the home side.

With the experienced Brazilian having been dismissed for seemingly grabbing Will Hughes by the throat amid what was a mass brawl between both sides, United were then forced to dig deep to thwart the visitors from capitalising on their man advantage, particularly after Jeffrey Schlupp had sparked hope of a comeback with a clever, improvised finish.

Despite an agonising finale following a lengthy stint of added time, there was to be no equaliser for the Eagles as the hosts held on to secure all three points, with Ten Hag’s men marching on amid what is a relentless run of games across all fronts.

One notable standout performer on the day for the former Ajax boss was that of midfield machine, Fred, with the 29-year-old having been “particularly superb” in the centre of the park following his compatriot’s early exit, as per Manchester Evening News journalist, Samuel Luckhurst.

While there may well have been a clamour pre-match to see January arrival Marcel Sabitzer come straight into the side from the start, Fred showcased just why he will be no mere pushover in the battle to fill Christian Eriksen’s midfield void, having once again been a relentless presence in the centre of the park.

The all-action gem was at his tenacious best as he notably won six of his ten ground duels, including five tackles, against the south London outfit, having also been rather composed in possession after recording an 86% pass accuracy rate and laying on one key pass from his 63 touches.

The former Shakhtar Donetsk ace – who scored in the midweek victory over Nottingham Forest – also came close to adding to his tally for the season after guiding Wout Weghorst’s pull-back narrowly wide of the post, having illustrated his ability to make an impact in both boxes for his side.

Having so often been a much-maligned figure at the Theatre of Dreams since his arrival in 2018 – notably being described as “not good enough” by club legend Roy Keane earlier this season – the 32-cap dynamo has more than proved his worth under Ten Hag of late, with yesterday’s outing having been another indication of the vital role he can play moving forward.

With the likes of Eriksen, Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek all currently injured – and with Casemiro now suspended – the £120k-per-week “bargain”, as recently lauded by writer Casey Evans, could well be a key figure for United over the coming weeks and months.

Tottenham Hotspur have put a lot of faith in incoming right-back Pedro Porro this month, as Antonio Conte’s side made the decision to loan out Djed Spence to Rennes and remarkably release Matt Doherty on deadline day.

Fabio Paratici was able to get a deal done for the Sporting Lisbon defender with plenty of time to spare, with the Spaniard likely to compete with Emerson Royal for a starting spot at right wing-back for the remainder of the campaign.

So far, Conte has alternated between the Brazilian and Doherty in that position, with Spence failing to get much of a look in since his summer switch from Middlesbrough, so it is a bold decision by Paratici to get rid of the Republic of Ireland international completely.

Although he perhaps hasn’t lived up to expectations since joining from Wolves in 2020, he had still made 12 appearances in the Premier League this season and certainly wasn’t amongst the poorest performers, with WhoScored awarding him a 6.70 average rating for his displays in the top flight.

However, the 31-year-old has now joined Atletico Madrid after his Spurs contract was cancelled by mutual consent, in a move which could see him follow in the footsteps of former Spurs man Kieran Trippier.

The Englishman would swap north London for Madrid in 2019, eventually helping Diego Simeone’s side to the La Liga title during his spell in Spain before returning to England with Newcastle United this time last year.

He has since established himself as one of, if not the, very best right-backs in the division, playing a huge role in the Toon’s drastic turnaround following the Saudi takeover at St James’ Park.

This season has seen Trippier make 20 appearances in the top flight, in which he has contributed one goal and four assists, averaging a phenomenal 7.71 rating from WhoScored for his performances, with the 32-year-old showing no signs of slowing down.

Harry Kane’s 7.49 average rating sees him ranked as the best performer in Conte’s squad so far this campaign, so it could definitely be described as a disaster by Daniel Levy to let Trippier go back in 2019.

While Doherty is also struggling for consistent form at Spurs, he was dubbed “sensational” in 2022 after a superb performance against Leeds United, so perhaps just needed a regular run in the team to find his best form.

If he can impress with Atletico Madrid and see his value increase then the Irishman could well be looking at an Indian summer of his own with Spurs potentially set to repeat their blunder of a decision on Trippier.

Leeds United oversaw a vast summer overhaul, in which Jesse Marsch splashed out €104.3m (£92.4m) to mould the team in his image.

The American clearly focused his attention on midfield, where he added Tyler Adams and Marc Roca to replace Kalvin Phillips, who had departed for Manchester City that summer.

The academy graduate was a stalwart in the engine room for the Whites, having inspired their return to the Premier League and a successful first season back in the top flight. However, his injury issues led to him becoming expendable and unreliable, and as such he was sold.

Leeds could be set to finally get that big upgrade for which they have been yearning, in an effort to find that final piece to add complete balance to Marsch’s midfield.

Having sent Victor Orta to sound out some potential candidates, one of the targets with whom he returned is reportedly Seko Fofana of RC Lens.

The 27-year-old has enjoyed a fine career so far, which surprisingly began at Man City’s academy.

It was during Fofana’s time in England that journalist Rob Dawson highlighted him as “an absolute monster of a player”, clearly envisioning the career that he would have. He has since gone on to star in Italy and France, with his recent performances in Ligue 1 earning widespread praise.

Boasting an eye for goal, immense physicality and a varied skillset, Fofana is arguably everything that Phillips was and more in midfield.

This is highlighted in his underlying statistics, in which he ranks in the top 2% for total shots and the top 3% for dribbles completed among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past 12 months. He pairs this with an 88.2% pass completion rate which suggests that, despite his desire to push forward, he also retains the ball quite well (via FBref).

The Ivory Coast international has translated these attributes into impressive form this season, recording a 7.12 average rating from Sofascore.

On initial glance, his defensive duties could be seen as somewhat lacking, as he has only managed 0.8 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game. The former metric is far outstripped by Adams and Roca, who have recorded four and 2.2 tackles per game respectively, although Fofana’s work rate has still come in for high praise.

Journalist Adam White outlined the 6 foot 1 maestro for praise in that regard, stating a year ago: “He’s also had a series of standout displays against the bigger clubs in the league. He was relentless in the 3-2 win at Marseille earlier this season and his goal and typically all-action display deserved to beat PSG too. 

“He manages to play midfield enforcer, creator and dynamo all at once, it’s quite incredible.”

Although Phillips was exceptional in his first season in England’s top flight in 2020/21, receiving a 7.21 average rating from Sofascore, this was not sustainable given his injury issues. His rating dropped to 6.84 last term and, having barely featured in the current campaign, his current seasonal rating is 6.60.

This season alone has seen Fofana dwarf Phillips’ 85% pass accuracy from 2020/21, and his six goal contributions have already surpassed the 27-year-old’s three from that campaign too. 

In almost every metric, the Lens titan comes out on top. Therefore, it makes perfect sense for Marsch to sign him, no matter the price, and finally move on from Phillips’ exit from Elland Road last year.