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Gabby Agbonlahor thinks that Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch may now lose Raphinha after some footage emerged from Thorp Arch.

The Lowdown: Raphinha greets Marsch

After Marsch was confirmed as the successor to Marcelo Bielsa following the Whites’ 4-0 loss at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League over the weekend, Raphinha was spotted warmly embracing him on his first day at Thorp Arch in a video released earlier this week.

Unfortunately for Marsch, the Brazil international has been strongly linked with a move away from Elland Road this summer, and with them lurking just above the relegation zone, it is hard to envisage him staying.

Agbonlahor certainly doesn’t think that footage is reason to believe the Brazil star will stay, as he dropped some worrying comments for the Elland Road faithful.

The Latest: Agbonlahor reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Aston Villa and England striker, who features regularly as a pundit on talkSPORT, still thinks that Raphinha will go in he summer, even if Marsch is now in charge:

“Raphinha is gone no matter what.

“You could bring in Pep Guardiola and he would still go.

“He is a regular in the Brazil squad now he will want to be playing regularly in the big boy competitions like his Brazil teammates.

“He’s been disrespected by Bielsa recently. Leaving him on the bench, bringing him off at half-time. He’s your best player, you shouldn’t be doing that.

“If I’m Raphinha, I’m 100 per cent looking to leave in the summer.”

The Verdict: Inevitable

Unfortunately for both Marsch and the Peacocks fans, it is inevitable that Raphinha will leave, probably this summer.

A player of his quality will not want to be fighting down the bottom of the top flight, and in a World Cup year, he may want to be performing for a team at a higher level, in order to guarantee his place on the plane to Qatar.

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As per WhoScored, Raphinha currently ranks as their best player in the division so far this season, and his total of nine goals is far more than any of his teammates have managed.

He also averages more shots, key passes and dribbles per game than any other LUFC player, and is clearly the standout in the side.

Nonetheless, at 25 years of age, the winger has another big move left in his career, and that could well be taken this summer.

In other news, find out who Marsch has now brought in to work with him here!

From South Africa, to England…and back again © Getty Images

Warwickshire have released Vaughn van Jaarsveld, five months after he signed a two-year deal and pledged his allegiance to England.His relationship with Warwickshire became increasingly difficult when, earlier this month, it was reported that van Jaarsveld decided to return to South Africa and his club, Gauteng. According to the county, not only did he breach his contract but he also failed to speak to his superiors directly and Warwickshire’s directors were left to discuss the situation with their opposite numbers at Gauteng.”We are disappointed by the way Vaughn has conducted himself but once he returned to South Africa for the winter he clearly had a change of heart over his long term plans,” Colin Povey, Warwickshire’s chief executive said.”He will be missing out on a fantastic opportunity here with Warwickshire but we only want players who are fully committed to the [club’s] cause. Having agreed the appropriate compensation with Vaughn and Gauteng Cricket we will now move on.”Van Jaarsveld, one of South Africa’s brightest batting hopes, denied he was using English cricket to further his career when he signed with Warwickshire in June. “I’m here to qualify as an Englishman,” he said. “I’m going to be spending at least 210 days a year here and the aim is to play for England. I just want to play cricket at the highest level possible and there are more opportunities here.”This development is the latest to fuel the argument that there are too many Kolpak players in county cricket.

Scorecard

Ryan Austin bowled very tidily to pick up 6 for 86 © The Nation

Barbados gained a first-innings lead of 27, with Ryan Austin, the offbreak bowler, taking 6 for 86 as Leeward Islands were bowled out for 236 on day two of their second-round Carib series match at Crab Hill in Barbados.Resuming at their overnight score of 250 for 9, Barbados tail-enders Tino Best and Corey Collymore added only 13 more before Best was dismissed by Adam Sanford for 22.Austin dismissed both Leewards openers for 41 but then Steve Liburd and Sylvester Joseph added 85 for the third wicket. Liburd was the top-scorer of the Leewards innings with 55 before he was trapped leg-before by Dwayne Smith who ended with figures of 3 for 32 from his 12 overs. No other Leewards batsman got to even 40.The Barbados openers played out an over for one run before stumps were drawn.
Scorecard
Windward Islands managed to reduce Jamaica’s lead to 93 – losing four wickets in the process – and got to 196 on day two of their second-round Carib series match at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia.Once the Windward bowlers had dismissed the last four Jamaican batsmen for 58 their openers raced to 66 before Devon Smith was run out for 26. Heron Campbell, the other opener, made 48 before he got out lbw to Nikita Miller, Jamaica’s slow left-arm bowler. At stumps Darren Sammy was batting on 69 alongside Hyron Shallow on 27.
No play was possible on day two of the second-round Carib series match between Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana after heavy showers overnight as well as in the morning left the outfield of Guaracara Park waterlogged. The umpires called off play at 1.15 pm. Day one of the match was abandoned for the same reason.

Cricket may not actually be the new football afterall, but one man who knows a thing or two about the other game is Yorkshire’s new chief executive, Stewart Regan. He joins the county from the Football League, where he has been the director of the Championship division for the past two years.Regan, 41, will succeed Colin Graves in the role, with Graves continuing to serve on the board. His exact start date is yet to be confirmed, although the club say that they are hoping Regan will be in the job before the season begins.”We were looking for someone with a strong business background who could lead this club as we enter a new phase in its development,” explained the club’s chairman, Robin Smith. “Stewart’s extensive experience, both in corporate business and football, will be invaluable. I am delighted he has accepted the role.”Regan brings with him experience from the brewing industry; he is a former director of strategic planning for Coors Brewers, owner of the Carling and Worthington brands.”I am delighted and honoured to be joining one of the biggest names in the world of cricket at such an exciting time in the club’s history,” said Regan. “Yorkshire has a huge potential to grow on the back of its acquisition of the Headingley cricket ground, promotion to the First Division of the County Championship and the securing of a 15-year staging agreement to host Test Cricket in Yorkshire.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

Nathan Astle produced a fine hundred but New Zealand eventually went down by three wickets at Wellington© Getty Images

The inclusion of Matthew Elliott and Andy Bichel boosted the FICA World XI as they completed a three-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second match of the three-match series at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium.After taking a battering in the first encounter, when lack of familiarity as a unit and jetlag cost them, the World XI scripted a splendid comeback with Elliott and Bichel leading the way. Bichel snapped up three wickets and clattered 37 in quick time at the end of the game while Elliott set the platform with a steady 57 off 67 balls.New Zealand too put in a strong batting performance with Nathan Astle getting them off to a flier before going on to make a superbly-controlled 109 not out. Astle lost partners at regular intervals and was forced to change the rate of scoring as New Zealand ended with 256 for 9, a total they would have surely been dissatisfied with.Stephen Fleming wasn’t able to recapture his blistering form that he displayed at Christchurch, and fell cheaply for only 14. Mathew Sinclair made 30 before perishing to Lance Klusener. Chris Cairns was elevated to No.4 but Klusener andShane Warne, the World XI captain, thwarted his attacking intent with some clever field placements and it eventually resulted in his dismissal, caught at close cover, for just 9. Hamish Marshall followed for 6 and it took a typically bullying innings from Craig McMillan, who carted 33 off 35 balls, to lift New Zealand past 250.Both Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan were unable to weave their magic but it was Bichel who shone for the World XI. He took 3 for 56 from his 10 overs and and his crucial triple strike, when he nailed Brendon McCullum for a duck before dismissing both Astle and Jeff Wilson, frustrated New Zealand at a point when they were preparing to launch the assault.

Andy Bichel: shone with both bat and ball© Getty Images

Warne had earlier suggested that 250 would be gettable for the team batting second and Elliott and Nick Knight, who added 65 for the opening partnership, began the pursuit in rapid fashion. But they soon slumped to 111 for 3 and it got worse when Graeme Hick was trapped lbw to Daniel Vettori for 24. Jonty Rhodes had the misfortune of being run out while attempting a third run with Kumar Sangakkara, his partner, blocking his path.Sangakkara, though, went on to score 51 in what was a vital contribution and helped swing back the momentum. He was undone by an excellent diving catch by Hamish Marshall, turning and catching the ball over his shoulder, but Bichel and Chaminda Vaas charged towards the finish line as the World XI won with 13 balls to spare.The series decider will be in Hamilton on Wednesday with $739,189 already in the coffers as New Zealand Cricket got closer to achieving their target of $1million mark.Meanwhile Paul Wiseman has been included in the New Zealand squad for the third match after Daniel Vettori was ruled out with a back injury. The injury will be given 48 hours to settle before it is reassessed, after which time a course of action and appropriate treatment will be determined.

The already high security for the South African cricketers was further reinforced after the assassination of a religious leader prompted violent riots, with fears that the South African team could be targeted. Azam Tariq, a Sunni extremist leader and an MP, was murdered on Monday in Islamabad, an incident which has inflamed tensions between the Sunni and Shi’ite Muslim sects, especially in cities like Faisalabad where sectarian rivalries exist. South Africa are currently in Faisalabad to play the third one-day international.According to an AFP report, Sunni mobs rampaged through Jhang, Tariq’s hometown, where five Shi’ites were stabbed and their mosque set on fire, and in Islamabad, where a man was killed when a cinema was set alight by mourners at Tariq’s funeral. Around 3000 policemen and 150 commandos were deployed in and around Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium, where the ODI was being played, and along roads leading to the ground.”We have alerted police to avert any possible reaction on the incident,” Arif Rahim, the chairman of the series organising committee, told AFP. “We have electronic gates at all nine entrances to the stadium to scan all spectators before they enter.” Two commandos were posted outside both teams’ dressing-rooms. The South African team management refused to comment on the situation, saying that they were following the advice of their own security personnel travelling with the squad.South Africa initially cancelled their tour citing security worries after a bomnb-blast in Karachi, and only went ahead with a shortened trip after a revised itinerary was drawn up, in which the matches scheduled at Karachi and Peshawar – considered high-risk venues by South Africa – were shifted to safer venues.

A five-wicket haul from India seamer Iqbal Siddiqui helped Maharashtra reduce Saurashtra to 288 for nine on the opening day of the West Zone Ranji match between the two sides at the Nehru Stadium, Pune.The fact that most of the visiting batsmen failed to build on their starts after Maharashtra had put them in proved to be the former’s undoing. RV Dhruv who made 50 off 82 balls and opener PP Joshi who made 47 off 64 balls were the top two scorers for Saurashtra.For Maharashtra, Siddiqui, a left-arm seamer who made his Test debut for India in the recent Mohali Test, claimed 5 for 92, while Hrishkesh Kanitakar, claimed 2 for 41, with his gentle off-spinners. Suyash Burkul, the 20-year-old right-arm medium-pacer making his Ranji debut claimed the other wicket to fall on the day.Bahatule and Agarkar rescue MumbaiA 97-run seventh wicket partnership between Sairaj Bahatule and Ajit Agarkar saw the powerful Mumbai Ranji team recover to 286 for eight at the end of the first day of their Ranji four-dayer against Gujarat at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel stadium, Bulsar.Bahatule made 69 and Agarkar 34 to help the former Ranji champions gain some respectability after they had been reduced to 134 for six in the 45th over. An unbeaten 43-run partnership between Paras Mhambrey and Ramesh Powar then saw Mumbai end the day on a hopeful note.Most of Mumbai’s early woes were inflicted Gujarat’s right arm medium-pacer Shyamlal Bhatt who claimed the first four wickets to fall. He also returned later in the day to snare Ajit Agarkar to end up with excellent figures of 22-8-40-5. His fellow right-arm medium-pacer Lalit Patel provided admirable support claiming three for 56.

Andhra Cricket Association skipper Amit Pathak won the toss andelected to bat first against Indian Oil Corporation in their fourthround clash. However, things did not go too well for them as theskipper was trapped in front of the stumps by left arm seamer ZaheerKhan. With just 23 on the board, LN Prasad Reddy and Gnaneshwara Raocame together and steered the hosts towards a good total. Prasad Reddycompiled a steady 59 (114 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) while Gnaneshwara Raopicked the bowlers off for runs.Rao made a 78 ball 60 that included two hits that cleared the ropesbefore being caught behind off Iqbal Siddiqui. The pair had takenAndhra Cricket Association to a position of relative stability, beforethey were separated with 140 on the board.Stumper MSK Prasad, recently discarded by the national selectors,cracked an unbeaten 39. Perhaps he was making a point or two to theselectors. Young all rounder Venugopal Rao missed a half century byjust 3 runs as he became Zaheer Khan’s second victim. The speedstermade it a 3 wicket haul when he got rid of YS Ranganath before hecould open his account.At the end of their allotted 50 overs, the Andhra Cricket Associationside had compiled a more than useful 249. This left Indian OilCorporation chasing 250 at an even 5 runs an over.They were however not up to the task. Despite a 100 plus partnershipfor the second wickets, Indian Oil Corporation could manage only 221.Promising young opener from Karnataka, Mithun Beerala helped himselfto 52 as Abbas Ali hurried to 51.After the fall of the Beerala and Ali, no one stayed at the wicketlong enough to score more than 36. Raj Mohan snared 3/48 and sawIndian Oil Corporation slip to a 28 run loss.

Manchester United will have to compensate both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund to sign Robert Lewandowski, according to The Daily Star.

United would have to pay the Champions League winners to rip up their agreement with Lewandowski, before then paying Dortmund the striker’s transfer fee.

It was believed that Lewandowski agreed to join Bayern Munich last summer, but Dortmund have refused to sell the striker to their rivals, after already losing Mario Goetze to the Bundesliga champions.

That’s opened the door for United, who are looking at Lewandowski to possibly replace Wayne Rooney, who handed in a transfer request before the end of the season.

Dortmund are asking for £25.5million for the forward, despite him having just one year left on his contract. That fee won’t include the compensation that United would need to pay Bayern Munich.

But the Bavarian club could reject any compensation from United, which would open the door for Lewandowski to move to the Allianz Arena for free next summer.

United have been involved in a similar deal before and therefore know what it may take to seal the striker’s signature. After an incredibly confusing saga, John Obi Mikel had initially agreed to join Manchester United, but ended up moving to Chelsea after the Blues paid United £12million in compensation.

Mikel claimed he was pressured into signing a deal with United without his agent present but actually wanted to join the Blues.

United will be hoping they can sign Lewandowski before their pre-season tour of Asia, which starts with a friendly against Bangkok on July 13th.

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Will United sign Lewandowski? Should Bayern reject the compensation offer?

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Kumar Sangakkara’s century gave Sri Lanka an outside chance © Getty Images

Kumar Sangakkara, whose magnificent unbeaten century has ensured Sri Lanka are still in the hunt in the second Test, admitted that the contest was not over yet.Sri Lanka set an improbable fourth innings target of 507 for victory finished the fourth day promisingly placed at 247 for 3. They require 260 runs with seven wickets in hand going into the last day to pull off an upset win and level the series.”You’ve got to be realistic that 507 is a massive ask. The direction in which we will go tomorrow is basically up to us,” Sangakkara said. “If we can get through to lunch without losing a wicket depending on the amount of runs we get it becomes a lot clearer.””I really don’t want to be a soothsayer and say what will happen tomorrow but we always go into the middle with a lot of belief and we try our best. The bounce is just starting to get lower it would be a bit of concern for the batters. Other than that it is pretty much straight line with the ball. They probably bowl very good reverse [swing] at the end but if we can get through that again, the batters coming in will back themselves and be confident to get runs on this track.”It would have been nice if we could have finished with one wicket or two wickets less. We were in a position to do that when Marvan [Atapattu] was batting pretty well, but we are still in it with a fight. We’ll see how the first session goes tomorrow, if we can fight through that without losing a wicket then the day will look much better.”Without the likes of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath and a out of sorts Stuart MacGill whose 16 overs cost 93 runs without success, Australia depended heavily on the pace of Brett Lee. He obliged his captain with two successive wickets in one over getting rid of Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene.”The period leading upto Marvan’s dismissal was probably one of the toughest that I’ve played with Brett running in and probably giving everything he had in that spell,” said Sangakkara. “Australia was desperate for a wicket and Ricky [Ponting] turned to him. He managed to deliver what was asked of him. That was a magnificent contest between bat and ball unfortunately Marvan lost out at that point.”One of the most enjoyable things was to be out there in a contest like that, battling it out and trying to get on top of a bowler like Brett. That was possibly the best passage of play of the Test match.”The batters will always feel a lot more confident against any side that does not have Warnie and McGrath. When they were playing the batters enjoyed the contest, but to be fair we know what we are up against. But it’s going to be one of those days where we try to bat all through an hour at a time and start reassessing every time we go through a tough period.”Sangakkara missed out on the first Test through a hamstring injury and showed how much the team missed him when he followed his first-innings knock of 57 with an unbeaten 109 today.” I was a bit more fluent in this innings than the first where I was scratching around a bit and had a lot of luck getting to 57. I was pretty cut up that I threw it away. It was a good enough start to go and get more runs. Mahela showed everyone how to apply themselves and bat on the track. This innings was getting to little landmarks like 20s and 30s forgetting about everything and battling through sessions and through tough bowling.”He admitted that the team was disappointed they could not help Muttiah Muralitharan get the nine wickets he required to break Warne’s record of 708 Test wickets. Muralitharan picked up just four wickets in the series conceding 400 runs.”We always have an enormous amount of love and respect for Murali. He is champion enough to understand that his efforts are to help the team win. We are very disappointed for him. He’s disappointed with himself but it’s not the end of the world for him.”He’s got many more years to go and he’s got three Tests coming up against England. The record for him is given. Unfortunately we couldn’t do it in Australia which would have probably been the ideal way for him to achieve it. Our focus was on trying to win a Test match and if we were going to focus entirely on the fact that this is Murali’s record that would have probably taken something away from the team focus.”