Glasgow Rangers could be set for a busy final 24 hours of the January transfer window as Philippe Clement aims to add another player or two to his squad.

Deals for Fabio Silva and Mohammed Diomande are the only ones that the Light Blues have completed so far, and it could lead to a very nervy final day of the winter window.

Another centre-forward is required in order to aid Silva and Cyriel Dessers, while there may even be a departure or two along the way as Clement seeks to free up some funds.

One player who looks to be leaving Glasgow is Jose Cifuentes, with the player failing to settle in Scotland following his move from Los Angeles FC last summer.

Jose Cifuentes appears to be leaving Rangers

According to reports, the Gers accepted a loan offer for the midfielder from Turkish side Rizespor, with the club having the chance to purchase the player for £2m during the summer and this looked like a solid deal considering he cost £1.2m just a few months ago.

Rangers Review journalist Derek Clark revealed at the start of the week that Cifuentes did not fancy a move to Turkey, despite their interest, and it now looks like he is on the move to another continent.

The saga has taken a new twist as it looks as though the 24-year-old could now be set to join Brazilian side Cruzeiro before the end of the transfer window, as a move closer to home certainly appeals more than moving to Turkey.

The Ecuadorian failed to really hit the ground running at Ibrox, making just 14 starts for the Gers since joining last summer, registering only two assists during that time, and he was never really given consistent game time, which would have allowed him to forge his way into Clement’s future plans.

The late transfer Rangers could seal to instantly replace Cifuentes

Rangers could be close to losing Jose Cifuentes this month

ByRoss Kilvington Jan 29, 2024

While Diomande has arrived at the club this month to add some depth to the midfield area, the Belgian manager will be looking at bolstering this area ahead of next season and beyond with a focus on signing young, dynamic talent.

Could he then, make a move for a Scottish youngster who is out of contract at his current club at the end of the season?

Rangers search for new signings

Ryan Jack and John Lundstram are both out of contract following the end of the 2023/24 season, and it remains to be seen whether Clement will offer them extensions.

It looks as though the former Club Brugge manager is moving away from the philosophy held by previous managers of signing older players with limited shelf life by attempting to lure youth talent who could be sold for a profit.

With Cifuentes close to leaving and the futures of both Lundstram and Jack still unclear, this is where Connor Barron could enter the equation.

His name was mentioned in a press conference as the manager discussed potential incomings, but according to Football Scotland, he remained coy on the midfielder regarding any potential interest.

The Aberdeen starlet has entered into the final few months of his contract and he could follow in the footsteps of Jack, who found himself in a similar situation back in 2017 before eventually joining the Gers on a free transfer.

Clement could certainly forget all about Cifuentes by securing a pre-contract agreement with Barron before any other team enters discussions with him and there is no doubt he has what it takes to make an impression in the first team at Rangers.

Connor Barron could be an ideal signing for Rangers

The 21-year-old has already made 56 appearances for the Dons since breaking into the first team during the second half of the 2021/22 season after two impressive loan spells at Brechin City and Kelty Hearts.

These temporary stints in the lower leagues allowed him to gain vital senior experience, and it has allowed him to develop into a wonderful midfield prospect, that, in all honesty, has been underused by Aberdeen this term.

The youngster has played only 22 times for the club since the start of the season and out of those appearances, the Dons have won nine games and drawn five.

1

0

2

1

0.5

0.7

1

2

2.9

2.8

In the games he didn’t feature, the Pittodrie outfit won just twice, suggesting he made a positive difference in the starting XI rather than wasting away on the bench, and this lack of game time could potentially be down to his contract situation.

The 21-year-old currently ranks fourth among the squad for big chances created (two) in the Premiership this term, along with ranking fifth for accurate long balls per game (1.9), fifth for interceptions (0.7) and seventh for accurate passes per game (21.5), yet it is evident that these figures would be much higher if he was offered more minutes in the league to showcase his talents.

Analyst John Walker profiled the talented Scot on X as he approaches the final few months of his current deal and he claimed his key qualities were “passing and moving” while he is “always looking forward” in order to create chances for his teammates.

Walker also analysed a Scotland U21 fixture against Belgium in which Barron starred, stating that the 5 foot 9 dynamo is “relentless” and a “tough tackler” and these attributes could allow him to easily fit into the current Rangers side.

It is clear that the Ibrox side require more homegrown players in order to comply with UEFA regulations and making a move for Barron would certainly help in that regard.

He has the potential to reach the very top and Aberdeen’s loss will be another team's gain, that’s for sure.

Hopefully, Clement has been monitoring the youngster since joining the club in October as he could offer a plethora of skills which would allow the 49-year-old to forget all about Cifuentes, unearthing a future Scotland international in the process.

While a move during the current transfer window is unlikely, making an effort to tie him down to a pre-contract agreement would allow Clement to tick one box off the list of the positions he needs to fill ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Tottenham "officials" are said to have "prepared a positive report for the transfer" of a title-winning forward as their summer plans continue to take shape.

Lange preparing Spurs summer target list

New technical director Johan Lange, who has been working under chairman Daniel Levy and chief football officer Scott Munn since his arrival in November, is already at work on who to sign later in the year.

Tottenham now willing to back Ange with transfer bid for £79m "magician"

Spurs are prepared to make an offer.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 10, 2024

Reliable Spurs insider and FA registered intermediary Paul O'Keefe has explained that Barcelona star Raphinha is among a host of potential targets who Spurs are exploring right now, coming after they enjoyed a very impressive January window.

Manager Ange Postecoglou's brilliant debut season at N17 was highlighted by Tottenham beating both Bayern Munich and Barcelona to the signings of Radu Dragusin and Lucas Bergvall respectively, which comes as very impressive for a club trophyless since 2008 and not in the Champions League this season.

However, Postecoglou's style has won over plenty of admirers at Spurs, and they're now fierce contenders for a spot in Europe's most prestigious competition next campaign.

Timo Werner

Arrival

Radu Dragusin

Arrival

Lucas Bergvall

Arrival

Djed Spence

Exit (loan)

Japhet Tanganga

Exit (loan)

Eric Dier

Exit (loan)

Ivan Perisic

Exit (loan)

Alejo Veliz

Exit (loan)

Sergio Reguilon

Exit (loan)

Ashley Phillips

Exit (loan)

The positivity surrounding north London at the moment will do wonders in tempting some of the club's summer targets, who will be watching on with keen interest. Alongside Raphinha, the likes of Genoa star Albert Gudmundsson, Bologna's Riccardo Calafiori, Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo, Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners and Brentford star Ivan Toney have been linked in the past week alone.

New names are also appearing on a regular basis, as Lange and co cast the Tottenham net wide.

Tottenham set sights on Baris Yilmaz

If reports from Europe are to be believed, Galatasaray midfielder Baris Yilmaz is now on Spurs' radar as well.

The international ace, who won Turkey's Süper Lig crown with Galatasaray last season, has impressed club scouts with his performances this campaign. Yilmaz has bagged three goals and an assist so far, but the versatile winger has become a mainstay and their "star player" overall.

That is according to Sabah, who also claim Spurs officials are said to have "prepared a positive report for the transfer" of Yilmaz. The 23-year-old, who can play centre-forward, has also featured as a right-back and left-back for Galatasaray in what is a pretty enticing draw.

The outlet states he'd cost around £17 million to prise away from Turkey, so the price would also be pretty affordable from a Tottenham perspective. However, perhaps most interestingly, it is believed Spurs discovered Yilmaz almost entirely by accident.

Indeed, the club started taking real note of the player's exploits after first going to check on Tanguy Ndombele's progress on loan at Galatasaray. It will be interesting to see what comes of this, as Yilmaz looks like a really promising asset.

Manchester United are a club that prides itself on developing their own talent.

From the likes of Paul Scholes and David Beckham during the class of 92 to the more recent heroes of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, providing the youth with an opportunity has continued under Erik ten Hag's reign.

The Argentine and English gems are relishing their chance and slowly becoming irreplaceable in the starting XI, with the boss putting his trust in them to perform.

Man Utd's 8/10 sensation just delivered a Pogba-like display vs Luton

Manchester United’s quest for Champions League football is on.

ByTom Lever Feb 18, 2024

The aforementioned duo will certainly hope to follow in the footsteps of the United greats and become heroes for the club, with one particular player in the current United squad serving as the perfect role model in terms of his journey through the academy to stardom.

The early days of Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford instantly cemented himself as a Man United hero on his debut, where he scored a brace in the Europa League against Midtjylland, despite only featuring in the starting lineup due to Anthony Martial dropping out minutes before kick-off.

Having progressed through the academy and being a local lad, scoring on his first start will have been a dream come true, but to then net another brace and get an assist in a 3-2 win over Arsenal three days later was insane. Indeed, according to journalist Rob Dawson, Rashford was absolutely "frightening" as an 18-year-old due to his pace and movement.

That was eight years ago this month, and since then, the now-26-year-old has played 338 games for the Red Devils, boasting an impressive record of 128 goals and registering 74 assists.

The number ten has been a key player for every single manager over his United career, and although he has performed to an extremely high level on the whole, his current teammate Casemiro believes that "he can be one of the top five players in the world." Fine praise indeed from a player who has featured alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Marcus Rashford's market value in 2024

The arrival of Ten Hag last season saw Rashford's performances go up to an entirely new level of class, with the winger taking on more goal-scoring responsibility than ever and becoming one of the deadliest attackers in the Premier League.

After the World Cup in Qatar, the England star really began to hit peak form, and he ended the season with 17 goals and five assists. This was the best campaign of his career to date.

However, he has struggled to regain that form this season, with the inconsistencies in the United team hardly being ideal for high-level performance.

That said, we are slowly starting to see that Rashford of last season return, but he has still only netted five goals and provided two assists in 24 matches.

Premier League

24

5

3

Champions League

4

0

2

FA Cup

1

0

1

EFL Cup

1

0

0

Total

30

5

6

Nonetheless, as of today, Rashford is estimated to be worth £86m by CIES' Football Observatory, which makes him the most valuable player in the United squad.

Despite his struggles on the field this season, the winger is still regarded as one of the best left-sided attackers in the Premier League, and due to his perfect blend of technique, athleticism, and pace, along with his proven track record of scoring goals, his value hasn't seen a huge decrease.

Man United did truly hit the jackpot with Rashford, who cost the club nothing as an academy product, and to have a player who has shown his loyalty to the club and been one of the best players over the last decade of frustration isn't something that should be classed as the norm.

Celtic's search for a centre-forward during the recent January transfer window went down to the wire as they secured a number nine on deadline day.

The Scottish giants brought in Ireland international Adam Idah from English Championship side Norwich City on loan until the end of the season.

Interestingly, reported Hoops target Sydney van Hooijdonk turned out to be the Canaries' replacement for the Irish forward as they snapped him up from Bologna on loan with an option to buy.

Idah has already enjoyed a terrific start to life at Parkhead with two goals and one assist in his first two Scottish Premiership appearances for the Bhoys, which means that he was directly involved in all three of the side's goals in those outings.

The Norwich academy graduate will be hoping for a successful end to the season and establish himself as a memorable striker for Celtic, even if his spell does not extend beyond the summer.

When Celtic missed out on Ivan Toney

One centre-forward who could have become an icon at Parkhead had the club secured a deal for his services back in the summer of 2020 is England international Ivan Toney.

The prolific marksman was plying his trade for Peterborough in the third division of English football at the time and was set to make a move away from the East Anglian side.

Speaking on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast last summer, the impressive attacker revealed that he went up to Scotland to hold talks with Celtic over a potential move to Glasgow ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.

However, Toney claimed that a desire to be the main man for his next club caused him to decide against a switch to the Scottish giants, who wanted him to be one of three possible first-choice options for them at the top end of the pitch.

The English gem went on to say that Thomas Frank confirmed that he would be the main man and go-to number nine for Brentford straight away, which is what convinced him to pick the Bees ahead of Celtic, and Rangers who were also competing for his signature.

A then-Championship side, Brentford snapped him up for a fee of £5m, rising to potentially £10m with add-ons, after his prolific spell with Peterborough.

2019/20 League One

Ivan Toney

Appearances

32

Sofascore rating

7.64

Goals

24

Assists

Five

Duel success rate

48%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Posh star was heading into the summer of 2020 off the back of a sublime campaign in League One for his club, as he showcased his quality as a scorer and a creator of goals on a regular basis.

Celtic, managed by Neil Lennon at the time, were not willing to put faith in him to be their main man for goals off the back of that impressive season, though, and that led to him rejecting the Hoops to sign for Brentford.

Ivan Toney's goal record at Brentford

The 27-year-old sensation, who recently returned from an eight-month ban for 232 breaches of the Football Association's betting rules, has scored 71 goals in 128 matches for the Bees to date.

He hit the ground running with Frank's side in the Championship during the 2020/21 campaign and proved that Celtic made a mistake instantly.

Toney racked up a staggering return of 33 goals and ten assists in 47 league appearances, including the play-offs, for Brentford to help them achieve promotion to the Premier League.

It was then down to the former Celtic and Rangers target to prove himself in the top-flight of football in England and the superb gem has done exactly that over the last three seasons.

The experienced striker produced 12 goals and five assists in 33 matches in his first campaign with the Bees at that level before firing in 20 goals in 33 Premier League games the following term.

Since his return in January, Toney has scored three goals in four league appearances for Brentford so far this season, which takes his tally to 35 goals and nine assists in 72 top-flight outings.

The one-time England international, who was once described as a "monster" by his manager Frank, is now being looked at by huge clubs and valued at a staggering price.

Ivan Toney's current market value

According to the Evening Standard, back in January, Premier League giants Arsenal and Chelsea both have a long-standing interest in the attacker.

The report added that Brentford want a whopping fee of up to £100m for their star striker, who has proven himself to be a reliable scorer at the top level.

This means that his value has soared by a mind-blowing 1,900% from the initial £5m that the Bees paid Peterborough to secure his services less than four years ago. It would still be a huge increase of 900% if all of the add-ons to take it to £10m have been activated.

Brentford took a gamble on Toney and placed their faith in him to be the main man straight away, after his impressive form in League One, and they have been richly rewarded for that decision over the subsequent years.

His goals led them to promotion and have helped to keep them in the Premier League for two years and counting, whilst they could now make a sensational profit in the summer transfer window if a team comes in and meets their valuation.

Perhaps the most damning part of all of this is that no Celtic player, in any position, scored more than 18 Premiership goals during the 2020/21 campaign or more than 13 throughout the 2021/22 season.

Meanwhile, Toney scored 33 league goals in the 2020/21 term and hit 20 goals in the Premier League for Brentford last season, which has contributed to his soaring market value.

This is all with the benefit of hindsight but, ultimately, Lennon's reluctance to promise the Peterborough star that he would be the main marksman for the Hoops has turned out to be a huge blunder on his part.

Celtic fumbled an opportunity to sign a now-Premier League sensation, who is currently valued at £100m, for just £5m, rising to £10m, in 2020 and this is a cautionary tale that they should heed if they discover another emerging talent like him in the future.

Half-centuries for Heather Knight and Fran Wilson backed up by Freya Davies four-for

ECB Reporters Network20-Aug-2019Western Storm 170 for 3 (Knight 61, Wilson 50*) beat Southern Vipers 155 for 9 (Wyatt 56, Davies 4-18) by 15 runsHeather Knight and Fran Wilson scored half-centuries and staged a magnificent stand of 115 for the third wicket as Kia Super League title favourites Western Storm defeated nearest rivals Southern Vipers by 15 runs at the Bristol County Ground.Knight won the toss, elected to bat first and top-scored with 61 from 48 balls, while England team-mate Wilson contributed 50 not out as the hosts posted a formidable 170 for 3 in 20 overs.Danni Wyatt played an explosive innings of 56 and dominated a stand of 73 for the second wicket with fellow England batsman Tammy Beaumont to keep Vipers in the hunt. But consistent off spinner Claire Nicholas claimed the key wickets of Wyatt and overseas star Stafanie Taylor to turn the game in Storm’s favour, while England seamers Anya Shrubsole and Freya Davies weighed in with figures of 3 for 39 and 4 for 18 respectively as Vipers came up short.Still unbeaten this season, Storm have now registered seven straight wins, lead second-placed Vipers by 10 points with three group games to play and are now guaranteed a place at Finals Day in Hove on Sunday, September 1.Their latest victory was founded upon a superb partnership between the experienced Knight and Wilson, who came together at 54 for 2 in the seventh over and took the game away from the Vipers.They were afforded a solid platform by in-form openers Rachel Priest and Smriti Mandhana, both of whom posted 24 runs from 18 balls in a stand of 43. Priest was pinned lbw by Lauren Bell having accrued five boundaries and Mandhana fell to Amanda Wellington’s legbreaks, held at long-on in the act of trying to clear the boundary.If Vipers believed that double breakthrough would herald a spell of dominance, they were made to think again as Knight and Wilson combined deft placement and frenetic running between the wickets to keep the scoreboard moving.Having advanced the score to 104 for 2 by the end of the 14th over, the third-wicket pair launched a concerted assault which yielded 66 from the final six overs as Vipers, under sustained pressure, wilted in the field. Knight was first to reach 50, attaining that landmark via 40 balls with seven fours. The England captain then carved Bell high over midwicket to register the only six of the innings as she sought acceleration in the closing overs.Wilson was still there at the end, scampering a quick single off the final ball to raise an unbeaten 50 from 36 balls, an innings adorned with 7 fours. Of the bowlers, only offspinner Taylor emerged with credit, the former Storm allrounder having Knight caught at long-on to finish with 1 for 20 from four overs.Storm struck a crucial blow in the second over of the chase, England seamer Davies inducing Suzie Bates to edge a catch behind for 2.Unperturbed by the loss of her skipper, England opener Wyatt took the game to Storm, adopting the aerial route to smash eight fours and two sixes in a whirlwind innings of 56 from 32 balls. While she remained at large in a stand of 73 with Tammy Beaumont for the second wicket, Vipers were in with a chance.Urgently requiring a breakthrough, Knight called Nicholas back into the attack to bowl the tenth over, with immediate results. The wily Welsh offspinner forced a mistake from Wyatt and Deepti Sharma, stationed at backward point, took a brilliant diving catch to dismiss the England opener and reduce the visitors to 76 for 2.Taking the pace off the ball proved an effectove tactic during the middle overs as spinners Knight, Nicholas and Sharma sought to restrict the run rate and build pressure from both ends. Beaumont succumbed when, having raised 25 from 31 balls, she hoisted England team-mate Shrubsole to Sharma at long-on with the score on Nelson.Heavily depndent upon the experienced Taylor, Vipers suffered a further blow when the West Indies international played across the line to Nicholas and was caught by Wilson on the midwicket boundary for a 24-ball 28 with the score on 120 in the 16th over.The game was effectively up when Davies and Shrubsole combined to remove Maia Boucher, Marie Kelly, Paige Schofield and Wellington in quick succession as Vipers’ reply lost crucial momentum at the death.

انضم محمد شوقي رئيس الجهاز الطبي لـ منتخب مصر لكرة اليد، للجهاز الطبي لفريق برشلونة الإسباني لكرة اليد، وذلك خلال بطولة العالم للأندية المقامة في مصر.

وتقام بطولة كأس العالم للأندية في مصر، على صالة استاد العاصمة الإدارية خلال الفترة من 27 سبتمبر حتى 3 أكتوبر.

ويرأس شوقي اللجنة الطبية بالاتحاد المصري لكرة اليد، وشارك مع المنتخب الوطني في العديد من البطولات الإفريقية والعالمية والدورات الأولمبية، وآخرها أولمبياد باريس 2024.

برشلونة حقق الفوز على الأهلي، في مباراة الجولة الثانية ضمن مرحلة المجموعات في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية، بنتيجة 31-23، أمس الأحد.

وتأهل برشلونة للدور نصف النهائي متصدرًا المجموعة، الثانية، ليواجه فريق فيزبريم المجري غدًا الثلاثاء.

ويشارك في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية، 9 أندية وهم الأهلي والزمالك والخليج السعودي وبرشلونة الإسباني وجامعة سيدني الأسترالي وفيزبريم المجري وتوباتي البرازيلي وكاليفورنيا إيجلز الأمريكي وماجديبورج الألماني.

طالع | موعد مباراة الأهلي القادمة في نصف نهائي كأس العالم للأندية بعد الخسارة من برشلونة

وتم تقسيم الـ9 أندية على 3 مجموعات، حيث أن كل مجموعة يتواجد بها 3 فرق، على أن يتأهل صاحب الصدارة في كل المجموعة إلى دور نصف النهائي مع تأهل أفضل فريق يحتل المركز الثاني. الأندية المتأهلة إلى نصف نهائي كأس العالم للأندية لكرة اليد

1- الأهلي (مصر)

2- ماجديبورج (الألماني)

3- برشلونة (إسبانيا).

4- فيزبريم (المجري). مواجهات دور نصف نهائي كأس العالم للأندية

الأهلي يواجه ماجديبورج الألماني.

برشلونة الإسباني يواجه فيزبريم المجري.

West Indies have won only two of their last 11 completed ODIs. It’s an alarming stat on paper, but the team, according to Carlos Brathwaite, isn’t doing as badly as those results might suggest.”I don’t think we are that far away,” Brathwaite said after West Indies’ training session on Tuesday, ahead of the final ODI against India, which his team must win to prevent conceding the series. “We just continue to miss key points in the game. If we look back at the World Cup, it is the same thing. If we look at the game the other day, we weren’t cruising, but we were in a good position, and then we lost three or four quick wickets.”We are just missing a few key moments that could have turned one or two loses into wins and make us look a little better, give us a little momentum, and start to try to win series more consistently.”Chasing 270 in 46 overs in Sunday’s second ODI – after the first game was abandoned – West Indies slipped from 179 for 4 to 182 for 8 before going down. Brathwaite felt it wasn’t a lack of belief or skills that was causing West Indies to let such key moments slip, but a failure to execute those skills.

Rishabh Pant on…

The No. 4 question:: “We are just giving chance to everyone in the team and hopefully everyone is getting the proper chance and proper treatment before going in and everyone is confident of their position because the team management is supporting them.”
His mindset while batting for India: “Obviously as an individual I would like to have a big score on my back, but every time I go in I am not focusing on [the fact] that I am getting out after I get settled. I just want to play normal cricket, positive cricket. Every year and every match is crucial for me. Every day of my life is crucial. I want to improve myself as a cricketer, as a person, that’s what I am looking forward to.”

“I don’t think it is belief per se,” he said. “I think if you ask the guys in the dressing room if they believe they can win – I think they do believe they can win. The execution of that belief is lacking in key moments, like I said. So, I don’t think it’s a lack of belief or a lack of passion and in most cases it’s not even a lack of skill, but just executing what we want to execute the key moments of the game, which was the case in majority of the World Cup and this series so far.”As to what the players need to do in order to become more consistent, and not repeat mistakes, Brathwaite said they would not find time in the middle of international series to work on their games, and would need to put in that work at the levels below, with their respective domestic teams.”It’s practice. It’s conversation,” Brathwaite said. “If I am being brutally honest, there is not much we can change on the international tour. That is the challenge for the [domestic] franchise to be able to do enough work, get enough information from the guys at the top. And start implementing stuff. On the tour, we try to get the mind right, we try to, as a group, have conversations and honest conversations – not just patting them on the back but having honest conversations, sometimes even being harsh and try to become better players eventually.”Speaking about his own game, he said he’s been focusing on his fitness, and his mindset as a batsman.”We are having a lot of honest conversations with the coaches and the staff and I think one thing that’s kept me back is my fitness. I am working very, very hard in the past 12 to 14 months on my fitness – I believe I can get a bit stronger as well.”I think batting-wise, I have to reprogramme my thinking in thinking about hitting and swiping and batting properly. I think there has been a conscious effort for me to try to help the team as a batsman and a bowler and try to give myself the best chance for the team and try to help West Indies win cricket games.”Carlos Brathwaite guides a ball through the offside•Getty Images

Going back to his 82-ball 101 against New Zealand at the World Cup, Brathwaite said he had walked in with time to build his innings – a rarity for a lower-order batsman like him – and that his challenge would be to perform consistently even without that luxury.”I had a lot of time to bat. I had a clear thought process,” he said. “I was working very hard off the pitch, as I am now, with the bat, in trying to do the right things and the simple things as long as possible. I had enough time so I could play myself in getting so at the back end when I normally come in to bat to start my innings I already had [faced] 40-50 balls.”The challenge for me is that that situation won’t always present itself. Obviously, being at home, we have changed the combination a bit. There I played at seven [six], here at eight, nine or maybe seven – the thing I take away from that innings is the way I structured and built the innings which allowed me to kick off at the back end.”With a full training session under their belt, Brathwaite said West Indies were in good spirits for the third ODI, and were confident of squaring the series.”We drew the last series against England at home as well,” he said. “And then going into the last game it’s for us to get the batting in order – if we get good starts going into the back end that’ll give us a good chance.”I think the batting has much improved especially since the T20s and from the overall batting performance in the World Cup as well. But, we didn’t close it off. We batted well in the second game as well, it was about closing it off – hopefully that happens in the next game as well and for the lower half to close the game.”

While their last four results have been less than ideal, West Ham United are quietly having a brilliant season in the Premier League and Europa League.

David Moyes may have got it wrong in the FA Cup, but his side currently sit sixth in the league, are through to the knockout rounds on the continent and have just added Kalvin Phillips to the mix – the future looks bright for the Eastenders.

Things could be about to get even better as one of the latest players touted for a move to the London Stadium could further challenge the side's midfielders and potentially become the perfect partner for the on-loan City man.

The Hammers look to Germany for Phillips' ideal partner

According to a report from German publication BILD earlier this week (via TEAMtalk), West Ham are among several clubs 'converging' on Borussia Mönchengladbach's star midfielder Florian Neuhaus this month.

The report has claimed that there is a 'good chance' that the German international could leave the Bundesliga giants this month or, failing that, in the summer, with the Hammers, Liverpool, Aston Villa, and VfB Stuttgart all keen to land his signature.

While there hasn't been a reliable report into how much the 26-year-old might cost this month, it was reported in the summer that a fee of around £35m would be enough to seal the deal.

While that's not cheap, it could prove to be value for money for an experienced midfielder with ten international caps and 163 Bundesliga appearances to his name.

How Neuhaus compares to West Ham's central midfielders

Now, unless Phillips arrives in East London with zero match fitness and makes several horrific appearances in a row, he's likely to take one of the starting spots in central midfield. After all, he wouldn't swap a place on Manchester City's bench for a place on the bench somewhere else, and the Hammers wouldn't pay a loan fee and cover his £140k-per-week wages to use him as a backup.

With that in mind, Neuhaus' best way into the starting XI relies on him being able to displace the other starting central midfielder, be that Edson Alvarez or Tomas Soucek.

The former 1860 Munich star is a versatile player and has been used all as a ten, eight and a six in the past, but with James Ward-Prowse being one of the first names on the teamsheet in that ten position – he has started 100% of the Hammers' league games – it seems ludicrous that the German would take his place.

So that leaves the Czech and Mexican internationals as his most significant competition in East London, and from an average league goal and assists front, he has them beaten, scoring three goals in 703 league minutes this season, to Alvarez's one assist in 1344 minutes, and Soucek's five goals and one assist in 1620 minutes.

His superiority goes beyond just goals and assists, though, as when comparing the trio's underlying numbers from this season, the "complete midfielder", as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, comes out on top in the vast majority of relevant metrics.

For example, in every attacking statistic, the "top-class" German, as dubbed by Kulig, dominates his potential competition, especially regarding progressive passes, progressive carries and shot-creating action per 90.

Florian Neuhaus vs Tomas Soucek vs Edson Alvarez
Stats per 90	Neuhaus	Soucek	Alvarez
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists	0.33	0.29	0.03
Goals	0.38	0.28	0.00
Progressive Passes	4.87	2.50	2.75
Progressive Carries	3.31	0.54	0.28
Shots on Target	1.02	0.56	0.07
Passing Accuracy	85.1%	75.0%	85.4%
Shot-Creating Actions	3.46	1.17	0.87
Tackles Won	1.15	1.00	1.34
Interceptions	1.41	1.22	1.28
Ball Recoveries	6.15	4.61	5.84
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season

Moreover, while he wins fewer tackles per 90 than Alvarez, he makes more interceptions than both players and with Phillips next to him, Neuhaus may well have more licence to influence things further up the pitch as well.

West Ham eyeing late move to sign their own version of Konate

David Moyes would sign a real “soldier” in this Premier League player.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jan 31, 2024

Ultimately, if the fee of £35m is accurate, or even close to the actual cost of signing the Mönchengladbach star, then Moyes and Co should be pushing hard for this deal as he could help push the club further up the table and genuinely challenge for the Europa League.

Jofra Archer tuned up for a likely Test debut at Lord’s next week with a six-wicket haul for Sussex’s 2nd XI in his first red-ball appearance for nearly 11 months, before hitting a 99-ball 108 for good measure.In the bucolic surrounds of Woodmancote, in rural West Sussex, Archer took two early Gloucestershire wickets with the new ball, before adding four more across two further spells in the morning session to end with 6 for 27. In all, he bowled 12.1 overs, and looked fully fit, coming in off his full run-up with good pace and hostility.Archer came in at No. 6 with Sussex teetering at 52 for 4, but after being dropped at slip on 13, he punished George Drissell’s offspin and scored freely off the seamers to reach his first hundred in a Sussex shirt.ALSO READ: England hoping pace of Archer can provide cutting edgeHe suffered a glancing blow from an Adrian Neill bouncer after reaching his hundred, but continued batting after a quick concussion test from Sussex’s physio.Archer missed out on the England XI for the defeat at Edgbaston, having been named in the 14-man squad despite playing through the pain of a side strain for the majority of the World Cup. With James Anderson ruled out of the second Test, he is now in line to make his debut.Captain Joe Root said before the Edgbaston Test that Archer’s omission would “give him time to get absolutely ready and fit”. But Jason Gillespie, Sussex’s coach – who was not present, instead preparing for the evening’s Blast game against Glamorgan – said that Archer “has to play” at Lord’s.”I was surprised he didn’t play the first Test, to be perfectly blunt,” Gillespie told TalkSPORT radio. “It’s easy to say that in hindsight, but he’s 100 percent fit, ready to go.”He had to start the first Test, but the powers that be decided he wasn’t quite ready. They thought he’d not played enough red-ball cricket … but the same people were saying he hadn’t played enough 50-over cricket and he’s gone and been the leading [England] wicket-taker in the World Cup.”He adds another dimension to this England bowling attack – he’s got pace, bounce, movement off the seam, through the air. Four or five-day cricket is his best format, so appreciate how good he is.”England coach Trevor Bayliss had said he hoped Archer would “just get through a number of overs” in the game, and Archer bowled eight with the wind behind him in his first spell. He struck twice, first removing Tom Price, a 19-year-old opener who feathered an edge to wicketkeeper Joe Billings – no relation of Sam – before Gareth Roderick, Gloucestershire’s usual Championship keeper, fished outside his off stump and fended a catch to third slip.Archer also hit Milo Ayres, another of seven teenagers in the Gloucestershire side, on the grille with a back-of-a-length ball that rose sharply off a noticeably quick, hybrid wicket, and despite batting on Ayres was visibly shaken.Archer’s second spell, which came after an end change, lasted only two overs. His first ball was driven down the ground by Matt Brewer, the No. 8, but Archer uprooted his off stump with a perfect outswinger three balls later.In his final spell, back at the end he had started at, he removed Nos. 9 and 10 in quick succession – caught in the slips and clean bowled – before getting rid of top-scorer Greg Willows to finish with 6 for 27 in his 12.1 overs, Gloucestershire bowled out for 79.Jofra Archer glides in to bowl•Getty Images

Chris Jordan, Archer’s close friend and team-mate, arrived at the ground just in time to see him walk off for lunch, and said that he was “more than ready” to play in the second Test.”He’s been good ever since the end of the World Cup,” Jordan said. “He had that week break which did him a lot of good, freed his mind, rested his body, and as you can see in the couple of T20s he’s played, and the session here today, he’s more than ready.”You’ve seen that every time a challenge is put in front of him he seems to rise to it. He’s very competitive, and he sets himself high standards more than anything and he’ll be looking to live up to those: going into the second Test he’ll be a big, big asset for England.”That this was Archer’s first red-ball game since a Championship appearance for Sussex last September is telling for two reasons.Firstly, it demonstrates just how hectic Archer’s schedule has been. Since the end of the county season last year, he has played almost non-stop in the T10 League, Big Bash, and IPL, before going straight into the England side for the World Cup warm-up series against Pakistan. It was, perhaps, no surprise that he found himself in “pretty excruciating” pain by the end of that tournament.Secondly, it demonstrates the extent to which England have found themselves reliant on Archer so early in his international career.Root and Bayliss have both highlighted their desire for a “point of difference” bowler in their attack, and Archer, Olly Stone, and Sam Curran all fit into that category. But with his World Cup showing counting in his favour, it seems that he is the most likely candidate to replace Anderson at Lord’s, despite his opening burst here representing his longest competitive spell in almost a year.As if to highlight Archer’s rise, he was warned off speaking to the media present, and Sussex even hired a steward to ensure he remained off-limits.His effort with the bat, for all its flamboyance, is unlikely to count too much in his favour, given the opposition as well as the number of allrounders already in England’s lower middle order. His innings combined fluency and fortune: there were elegant cover drives and lusty blows over long-on, as well as an early chance put down at slip. He reached his hundred off 84 balls to put Sussex firmly in the driving seat.Billings, Sussex’s keeper, said that he was stood “certainly a bit further back than normal” to Archer, and that this was the quickest spell he had kept to in his brief career.”I kept to Tymal [Mills] last week up at Horsham,” he said. “That was pretty similar, but I think [this] wicket had a bit of extra pace and carry in it.”

Didn’t see necessity of sending Sunil Narine to bat at 8 for 2, says West Indies captain

Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill03-Aug-20192:03

Our shot selection needs to be addressed – Brathwaite

Most of the attention after India’s victory in the first T20I against West Indies in Lauderhill was lavished on debutant Navdeep Saini, Man of the Match for his three-wicket haul that helped restrict West Indies to 95 for 9. The hidden brilliance of that effort, however, was that it nullified an opportunity for West Indies to combat the left-arm spin threat of Krunal Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, according to Carlos Brathwaite.Speaking after his side’s four-wicket loss, the West Indies captain credited Saini and the new-ball pair of offspinner Washington Sundar and fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar for wiping out a left-handed-heavy top five in the Powerplay, thus heaping pressure on the right-handed batsmen in the West Indies middle order. With the side reeling at 33 for 5 after the Powerplay, the right-handed duo of Brathwaite and Kieron Pollard were left to grind runs with the ball spinning away from them when Krunal and Jadeja did finally arrive in the ninth over.Evin Lewis lost his stumps to a knuckle ball•Associated Press

“We’re very aware that it was a possibility that they would play two left-arm spinners or a left-arm spinner and a legspinner, hence the batting order was set the way it was set,” Brathwaite said. “However, none of the left-handers got out to left-arm spinners, so the match-up eventually didn’t happen. But we were cognizant of that fact and we tried to set the team and the line-up in such a way that we can combat that in the middle overs.”Brathwaite also defended the decision to keep Sunil Narine down the order at No. 8. In the time since Narine last played for West Indies in any format – a T20I against England at Durham in September 2017 – he has transformed himself, gaining legitimate all-round credentials with explosive batting on the T20 franchise circuit. That transformation has been seen most notably with Kolkata Knight Riders and Trinbago Knight Riders, and more recently with Montreal Tigers in the Global T20 Canada, where he smacked 59 off 30 balls on July 26. Against India, Narine ended up with 2 off 4 balls, out caught on the boundary.Brathwaite, however, said the team’s plan was to bat Pollard at No. 4, and he saw no reason to change that plan, with West Indies 8 for 2 after two overs and Sundar turning the ball away from left-handers at one end.”Would you send in a pinch-hitter at 12 for 2?” Brathwaite responded when asked why Narine was not brought in sooner. “Pollard was always slated to bat at four. As we mentioned, with them having two left-arm spinners, the next top-order batsman is Hetmyer, who is also a left-hand batter and Washington Sundar was on.”So to expose all four left-hand top-order batsmen to the offspinner and then expose all three middle to lower-order right-handers to the left-arm spinners wouldn’t have been smart in our opinion, hence why we stuck with Pollard at four. I honestly don’t see the necessity of sending Narine at 12 or 10 or 8, however much it was for 2.”Washington Sundar had a successful day out•Getty Images

Brathwaite praised Pollard and Narine as the duo made their return to maroon colours. Playing his first match for West Indies since the tour of India in November 2018, Pollard top-scored with 49, on the same ground where he scored his career-best 63 not out against New Zealand in 2012.”Today, Pollard had enough time to bat himself in and get to a well-played fifty in my opinion,” Brathwaite said. “As we can see, the top order from India, I don’t think they got to fifty between the three, four or five of them. So I think we must give Pollard credit as opposed to thinking what we could have done differently. Sometimes you just got to hold your hand up. We weren’t good enough. I don’t think we were. They bowled better on the pitch than we did and we didn’t get enough runs.”It was brilliant to have them both back and obviously you see what they bring to the team, Pollard with the bat, Sunil with the ball. That experience is invaluable. He’s [Pollard] been doing it in IPL at all numbers from four straight back down to eight, sometimes nine, and it just goes to show he was able to exude batsmanship. He rebuilt it in the Powerplay. Then once the spinners came on, he stroked the ball up and down and got some boundaries in between as well. So it was a fantastic knock by him.”If the team had supported him a bit more, we’d have gotten to a bigger total and probably he’d have been able to put in a better personal performance. But congrats to him, very very well played and then to Sunil, to come with the ball and do what he did. Obviously we must commend the pacers for setting up the Powerplay the way they did and then building the platform for Sunil to do what he did with the ball.”Brathwaite pointed to shot selection and assessment as factors behind West Indies’ defeat, but insisted the side would not give up on attacking, positive cricket.”We are going to play with positive, aggressive intent, as our instinct as West Indians allows us to play. So the message will continue to be to keep the intent,” he said. “However, we need to assess better and be a bit smarter in shot selection. So it’s not about not trying to get boundaries, but knowing that if you get a boundary early in the over on a tough pitch, you can settle for 6-7-8 an over. Get deeper (into the innings) and then our power at the back end – myself, Pollard, (Rovman) Powell coming in at the back end in the last five overs or so, we can probably get up to 150 today.”