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West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Sven Botman to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed in a recent post on The West Ham Way that David Moyes’ side have made an enquiry with LOSC Lille ahead of a potential move for the centre-back in the winter window.

The Hammers insider went on to claim that the French market is one that West Ham will be looking to take advantage of in January, as a number of Ligue 1 sides are suffering from considerable financial difficulties this season.

In his post, ExWHUemployee said: “We have made an enquiry [to] Lille [for] 21-year-old centre back Sven Botman. As revealed previously we are very much looking at the French market as there are a number of clubs suffering financial difficulties.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the sheer amount of potential Botman quite clearly possesses, in addition to the fact that both Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna look set to spend a considerable amount of time sidelined due to injury, the news that West Ham are interested in a move for the 21-year-old defender is sure to have left fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his 37 Ligue 1 appearances last season, the £27m-rated centre-back helped his side keep a whopping 20 clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 60.6 passes and winning 68% of his duels per game.

These returns saw the Netherlands U21 international who Kevin Phillips dubbed a “Van Dijk-like signing” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.08, ranking him as Lille’s joint third-best player in the top flight of French football on their way to securing the Ligue 1 title.

As such, should West Ham be able to get a deal for the £18k-per-week defender over the line this January, it would undoubtedly be a major coup for the Hammers, as well as a signing who would greatly increase the club’s chances of securing a top-four finish in the league come next May.

However, with it being reported that Lille are demanding a figure of around £40m in order to part with the youngster this January, whether or not the West Ham board cough up the funds very much remains to be seen.

In other news: Forget Ogbonna: WHU must seal swoop for £65k-p/w “monster” who’s “absolutely insane”

حرص مارسيل كولر، المدير الفني للنادي الأهلي على الاجتماع مع اللاعبين والجهاز المعاون قبل انطلاق المران الجماعي للفريق، الذي أقيم اليوم السبت على ملعب التتش بالجزيرة.

وتحدث كولر مع اللاعبين عن المرحلة المقبلة وما تتضمنها من مواجهات ودية للفريق، أعقبها عددًا من الفقرات التدريبية للكرة الطائرة بالقدم، فضلا عن جانب من التمرينات البدنية.

وفي سياق متصل، حصل كل من محمد شريف ومحمد مجدي أفشة، لاعبا الفريق على راحة ‏اليوم من المران، وذلك وفقًا للبرنامج التأهيلي الخاص ‏بالثنائي والذي يشتمل على المشاركة في أجزاء من التدريبات الجماعية لتجهيزهما للعودة ‏الكاملة.

ومن جانبه قال أحمد أبو عبلة، رئيس الجهاز الطبي للأهلي في تصريحات للموقع الرسمي: “حالة شريف وأفشة مطمئنة من الناحية ‏الطبية وحصلا اليوم على راحة، على أن يعودا غدًا للمشاركة في التدريبات والاطمئنان ‏بشكل كامل على جاهزيتهما”.‏

طالع أيضًأ.. موسيماني يدعم فينيسيوس ضد العنصرية: الكرامة أكثر قيمة من المال

وكان أفشة قد أجرى عملية “فتق في جدار البطن”، وخضع بعدها لبرنامج تأهيلي في الفترة الماضية، بينما قام محمد شريف بتنفيذ برنامج تأهيلي، بعد تعرضه ‏لإصابة في العضلة الضامة.

ويستعد الأهلي لخوض 3 مباريات ودية أولها أمام بتروجت يوم 21 سبتمبر، ثم أسوان يوم 25 سبتمبر، على أن يخوض الودية الثالثة أمام طلائع الجيش يوم 29 سبتمبر الجاري.

According to a report by Milan Live, West Ham United have now got Lille forward Jonathan Ikone in their sights as they eye more attacking additions for manager David Moyes.

The Lowdown: West Ham in forward hunt…

Over the summer, Moyes made no secret of his desire to add more forward additions to his ranks and bolster West Ham’s chances for 2021/2022.

As he candidly admitted, the Scotsman was ‘desperate’ to sign a striker in particular and it isn’t difficult to see why when taking into account star man Michail Antonio’s concerning injury history.

The Jamaica international has started this season in sublime form; bagging six goals and three assists in just nine Premier League starts whilst also winning the English top flight’s Player of the Month award for August.

Moyes has had to manage him carefully, though, with the Hammers boss electing not to use the 31-year-old at all in the Carabao Cup for example.

He has even sent club doctors abroad to monitor Antonio when the player goes touring on international duty.

An injury to Antonio, which is always a lingering possibility, would spell disaster for West Ham and Moyes – leaving little wonder why they are currently weighing moves for new attacking additions like Andrea Belotti and Jesse Lingard.

The Latest: West Ham set sights on Ikone…

As per Milan Live, West Ham have now set their sights on another forward in Lille star Ikone who has featured in the Champions League this season.

A key player for the Ligue 1 title-winners over 2020/2021, he has been attracting attention from Serie A giants AC Milan, but as they apparently pull out of the race, the Hammers and Everton swoop in.

West Ham, alongside the Toffees, are now in contention to sign the 23-year-old and are ‘seriously considering buying the player’ for Moyes.

The Verdict: Underwhelming?

Lille apparently value their man at around €40 million (£34.2m) according to an exclusive Anfield Central, and for that price, we believe Ikone should be strongly avoided.

The summer signing of Nikola Vlasic and links to Lingard, who could leave Manchester United in January for half of Ikone’s reported price (The Sun), arguably render the Frenchman’s addition unnecessary.

Going by his numbers, he doesn’t exactly stand out as a must-have target for Moyes either.

According to WhoScored, Ikone’s averages of 1.3 shots, 1.1 key passes and 1.1 completed dribbles per 90 don’t measure up to that of key West Ham first teamers.

The likes of Said Benrahma, Jarrod Bowen and Antonio have all racked up superior numbers to Ikone in terms of these attacking aspects, leaving one to wonder what he could add under Moyes.

A ‘very sought-after’ player before signing for Lille, we believe he shouldn’t be anywhere near the top of Rob Newman’s transfer wish list for January.

In other news: ‘Woohoo’, ‘Going for the title’…ExWHUemployee’s transfer claim has many West Ham fans buzzing, find out more here.

West Ham fans no longer have to fear the worst after one of the most reliable sources around the London Stadium delivered an update on manager David Moyes and those links to Manchester United…

What’s the word?

Reports emerged over the weekend suggesting that the Red Devils hierarchy had asked Irons co-owner David Sullivan for permission to speak to the Scotsman after they axed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following their 4-1 defeat at Watford on Saturday.

However, trustworthy insider ExWHUemployee has poured cold water on such claims in a recent post on ‘The West Ham Way’ Patreon website.

“There are reports emerging today that David Sullivan has turned down an approach from Manchester United to talk to David Moyes about the vacant manager post at Old Trafford. I can confirm that this is rubbish and no such approach has been made to the club.”

Going nowhere

It is easy to see why United would be keen on their former manager, even despite his disappointing spell at Old Trafford during the 2013/14 season, but he has arguably been the main man behind the Irons’ incredible transformation in recent times.

He was handed some of the severest pressure a manager could ever imagine in replacing Sir Alex Ferguson in the dugout for the very first time. You’d think that had that not happened, then he would surely be a front-runner for the vacancy right now.

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Not to mention his transformation of Jesse Lingard last season – he’s gone from nine goals and five assists in 16 appearances to warming the bench once more.

And the fact that he signed a length contract extension in the summer.

Despite, arguably, their worst performance of the season against Wolves this weekend, the Hammers still find themselves in the running for a top-four finish, having secured Europa League qualification last term – a competition they have since made the knockout stages in.

It was only around 18 months ago that they avoided relegation with one game to spare, so that shows you how much the 58-year-old has changed their fortunes in such a short space of time.

Losing Moyes would certainly be a devastating blow to their ever-improving fortunes. That said, it’s hard to envisage him wanting to leave considering he’s on a club rising on an upward trajectory, whereas United have gone from the most-feared team in the division to one that relegation favourites Watford can beat on their day.

All in all, these promising claim from Ex is sure to leave everyone around east London absolutely delighted, though it could be a matter of time before other teams come calling, given his impressive recent track record.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee delivers major Jesse Lingard update that’ll leave West Ham fans buzzing…

John Dyson, the West Indies coach, has said his team played well against Bangladesh but lacked the experience to push for wins

Cricinfo staff31-Jul-2009

John Dyson, the West Indies coach, has said his team played well against Bangladesh but lacked the experience to push for wins. West Indies lost the Test series 2-0 and are also down 2-0 in the one-day series, looking to avoid a series whitewash when they play the third ODI in St Kitts.”I’d like to have a win and I’m sure the boys would as well,” Dyson said. “I think they’ve actually played some good cricket over the series but we just did not have the experience to get a win.””Bangladesh batted well. I think we saw our inexperience come through in Dominica.” West Indies had scored 274 but Bangladesh chased it down with three wickets in hand and an over to spare. “When you have a group of guys who have only played a handful of games between them, it’s a real pressure cooker in 50-over and Twenty20 cricket,” Dyson said.Dyson said Bangladesh had played very well over the series and it wasn’t fair to say they had got success only because they were playing a weaker team. “Everyone seems to ignore the fact that they have played good cricket. They aren’t as weak as some people seem to think they are.”West Indies were delivered a scare in the second ODI when Darren Sammy picked up a groin injury but Dyson was confident he would be fit for the final game. “He [Sammy] bowled today [in the nets], he had two spells and he showed no signs of any problems from that. He’s batted extremely well in the nets, so at the moment he’s showing no signs of any problems at all. I expect him to be 100% fit.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O volante Felipe Melo pode ser reintegrado ao elenco do Palmeiras. O assunto foi pauta de conversas entre diretoria, comissão técnica e até lideranças do grupo de jogadores nos últimos dias. O martelo ainda não foi batido, e a posição oficial do clube é de que o atleta seguirá afastado.

De acordo com o Globoesporte.com, o diretor de futebol Alexandre Mattos e o gerente Cícero Souza intermediaram uma conversa direta entre Felipe Melo e o treinador na última quarta-feira.

A assessoria de imprensa do Palmeiras diz que este encontro não aconteceu e que o jogador pediu dispensa de treinos desta semana e da próxima para resolver problemas particulares.

Uma pessoa do clube ouvida pelo LANCE! diz que há chance de Felipe Melo voltar à rotina dos outros jogadores, mas com poucas perspectivas de ser aproveitado por Cuca nesta temporada. Para jogar, seria necessário convencer o comandante não apenas em termos técnicos e táticos, mas também de comportamento.

Felipe Melo e Cuca não se dão bem. O jogador foi afastado depois de fazer um comentário ofensivo sobre o técnico no vestiário do Mineirão, após a eliminação da Copa do Brasil, diante do Cruzeiro. O vazamento do áudio em que ele chamava Cuca de “mentiroso e mau caráter” agravou a situação e fez com que ele passasse a treinar em horários alternativos.

Questionado na terça-feira sobre a possibilidade de voltar a aproveitar o camisa 30, Cuca disse que esse assunto não cabe a ele, mas à diretoria.

Mattos chegou a ter uma reunião com os advogados do jogador para discutir a possibilidade de rescindir o contrato – que vence no fim de 2019 – de forma amigável. Não houve acordo. Felipe Melo não se interessou pelas sondagens que recebeu de outros clubes e chegou a notificar o Palmeiras extrajudicialmente, alegando que não estava recebendo as mesmas condições de trabalho dos outros jogadores e solicitando sua reintegração. Até poucos dias atrás, o clube tratava esta possibilidade como impossível.

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England have recalled Ian Bell and Ryan Sidebottom to their squad for the second Test against West Indies at Chester-le-Street. Monty Panesar’s omission is the only change from the first Test squad with the ground not favouring spinBell started the season with scores of 172 and 108 for Warwickshire, after being told to go back and score big runs following his axe on the tour of the Caribbean, but was overlooked for the No. 3 spot. Ravi Bopara seized his opportunity with his second Test century, but Bell has been called up on the back of 320 runs in seven first-class innings.After being left out before the first Test, Bell was told by national selector Geoff Miller to show even more passion about earning a recall although since his early-season centuries he has managed scores of 27 for the England Lions and 37, 30 not out in first-class cricket.Bell’s inclusion means there is the option of playing an extra batsman at Chester-le-Street should conditions seem heavily in-favour of the bowlers, but Andy Flower has made it clear that he is keen on a five-man attack. England’s middle order wobbled at Lord’s with Kevin Pietersen making a first-ball duck and Paul Collingwood falling for 8.Sidebottom returns after recovering from surgery on a chronic Achilles injury after the West Indies tour. He has played two Championship matches, claiming seven wickets at 31.42 and will give Flower another seam option. If England make a change to the winning eleven from Lord’s – either for Sidebottom or an extra batsman – Tim Bresnan would be the player to drop out after being restricted to seven overs on his debut.”Both Bell and Sidebottom have been in form in the early part of the season and have been a part of the England set-up in recent years,” said Miller. “Ryan Sidebottom has recovered from surgery and reports that he is now bowling pain-free.”The inclusion of Bell and Sidebottom in the squad gives the selectors, the coach and the captain several options going into this game. Monty Panesar is unlucky but it was always highly unlikely that we would play two spinners at Chester-le-Street.”England squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Graham Onions, Ryan Sidebottom

Rangers reclaimed their place at the top of the Scottish Premiership table on Sunday as they came from behind to beat St Mirren 2-1.

Connor Ronan handed the hosts the lead with a sensational effort from distance, giving Jon McLaughlin no chance with a thumping shot into the top corner.

The Gers then piled on the pressure throughout the first-half before scoring twice inside two minutes at the end of the half, with Kemar Roofe dispatching a penalty before Alfredo Morelos nodded a James Tavernier cross in at the back post.

Although Roofe and Morelos scored the goals to seal the win, another player stole the show for Steven Gerrard’s side – Connor Goldson.

The centre-back was immense throughout the game as he helped Rangers to win the match with his stoic defending alongside Leon Balogun to prevent Jon McLaughlin from being tested too much in the Gers net. Whilst he did not keep a clean sheet, there was nothing he could have done to stop Ronan from scoring a world-class goal from distance after John Lundstram was found wanting in midfield.

Defensively, he was almost perfect. Per SofaScore, he won nine of his 11 (82%) duels on the pitch. He also made four clearances and one tackle, whilst no St Mirren players were able to dribble past him in the entire match.

This means that his two duels lost were the only times in the 90 minutes where he could have been faulted, which is an impressive feat by the central defender as their opponents fought to equalise throughout the second-half.

On the ball, he was composed. Per SofaScore, he completed 72% of his attempted passes and had 75 touches of the ball. The defender found a teammate with six long passes, which helped to bypass the St Mirren press and get Rangers up the pitch when they needed an out ball – stretching the opposition defence in the process and creating space in the middle of the park.

Therefore, he played a huge role in Rangers ultimately winning the match.

Whilst the goalscorers will, deservingly, take the credit for the result, Goldson was just as important at the back to ensure that their two goals were rewarded with the three points. Gerrard will surely be delighted with the defender’s display and will be hoping that he can maintain this level of performance throughout the rest of the campaign as they attempt to win a second title in succession ahead of Celtic.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Kamara: Rangers could seal dream midfield with “exciting talent”…

Newcastle host Tottenham at St. James’ Park today in what could be Steve Bruce’s final match in charge of the club following the takeover by PIF.

The 60-year-old is reportedly facing the sack after Mike Ashley sold the club to the Saudi Arabian consortium, with a number of managers being eyed to replace him.

This should not detract from the special achievement that this game brings Bruce, as it will be his 1000th match in management. Irrespective of what the fans may or may not think about his time at the club, he should be praised for reaching this milestone and will, hopefully, mark it with a win.

The Magpies head into this match off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Wolves in the top-flight. How many changes will Bruce make from the team that lost to Bruno Lage’s side? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three changes to the side, along with moving to a back-three/back-five formation to face Spurs.

First of all, the formation could alter to deal with the attacking threat Tottenham pose. Nuno Santo’s side could line up with Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane up top, with the pair managing 40 goals and 24 assists between them in the Premier League last season.

This means that a wide player must be cut from the side to bring in another centre-back. With Miguel Almiron having been away on international duty in South America, we are predicting that he will be given a rest and Jamaal Lascelles will return from injury to start in the middle of the defence.

In midfield, Sean Longstaff could be axed from the team to make way for Jeff Hendrick. The £18k-per-week beast could be sacrificed in order to get the Irish midfielder in, as Hendrick scored against Wolves and may have played his way into a starting role. Longstaff lost ten of his 14 duels against Wolves and was dribbled past an unbelievable seven times, suggesting that he deserves to drop to the bench.

Finally, we think that Bruce will go with Callum Wilson up front alongside Saint-Maximin, with Joelinton coming out of the team. The striker is back from injury after scoring two goals in his first three appearances of the season, having netted 12 goals in 23 starts last term in the top-flight – showing that he has the quality to find the back of the net at this level.

AND in other news, “Definitely”: Journo claims NUFC want £49.5m-rated star, he’s a huge Joelinton upgrade…

Simon Katich, the Australia opener, will drop down the order for New South Wales to allow Phil Jaques and Phillip Hughes to have the best chance of enhancing their claims to partner him in the Test side. Hughes, Jaques and Victoria’s Chris Rogers are the leading contenders to replace Matthew Hayden, who retired on Tuesday, and each batsman will have one Sheffield Shield game to impress ahead of the announcement of the squad for South Africa.New South Wales play Tasmania in Newcastle on January 30 while Victoria host South Australia in Melbourne. “Just having looked at it, I realise that scenario will present itself and I would be happy to do that,” the captain Katich told the Sydney Morning Herald about allowing Hughes and Jaques to open. “Hughesy has been great there for us all season, and that’s obviously where Jaquesy bats. Hopefully, both guys can score some big runs and help us climb the Sheffield Shield ladder.”It’s pretty simple [as to who should get chosen for South Africa], it’s about runs. When you are picking a batsman, it’s all about runs and it doesn’t matter how you get them.”Katich did not feel his demotion would disrupt his preparation for South Africa, where he will be the senior opener. “It’s not like I’m dropping from opener to No.6,” he said. “I will still be at the top of the order and see the new ball. The way I view things, that will have the least disruption on the team. Those two obviously open, last year I batted at No. 4 and having batted all around, I am comfortable moving down the order.”Jaques, who scored a century in his last Test for Australia in the West Indies, is due to return from back surgery in a Sydney club game on the weekend. Hughes, who is carrying a leg injury, and Rogers, who played for Australia in Perth last year, have each scored three Sheffield Shield centuries this season.Mark Waugh has pushed for Hughes to be promoted because he is the youngest at 20. “Jaques hasn’t played a lot of Tests and hasn’t done anything wrong, but I would be inclined to take the gamble and pick Hughes,” Waugh told the Daily Telegraph. “He looks a young tough player who puts a high price on his wicket and can score runs in tough conditions.”