West Ham United boss Julen Lopetegui has been clashing with one member of his squad behind-the-scenes on a consistent basis, with the under-fire Hammers manager now attempting to rebuild his relationship with the player.

West Ham prepare for Bournemouth after Julen Lopetegui wins 'El Sackico'

Lopetegui and Gary O’Neil were both involved in a battle of the tacticians when West Ham met Wolves on Monday, as the managerial duo fought to save their jobs in a clash dubbed the ‘El Sackico’.

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The Irons reigned supreme with a narrow 2-1 win in east London, but despite the highly-anticipated P45 for either O’Neil or Lopetegui, depending on who lost the encounter, it turns out neither man was shown the exit door.

Wolves are set to give O’Neil more time to turn things around in the Molineux dugout, while West Ham’s board are against the idea of sacking Lopetegui for the time being (ExWHUemployee).

Match

Date

Opponent

Competition

Result

#17

09/12/2024

Wolves (H)

Premier League

2-1 win

#16

03/12/2024

Leicester City (A)

Premier League

3-1 loss

#15

30/11/2024

Arsenal (H)

Premier League

5-2 loss

#14

26/11/2024

Newcastle United (A)

Premier League

2-0 win

#13

09/11/2024

Everton (H)

Premier League

0-0 draw

#12

02/11/2024

Nottingham Forest (A)

Premier League

3-0 loss

#11

27/10/2024

Man United (H)

Premier League

2-1 win

#10

19/10/2024

Tottenham (A)

Premier League

4-1 loss

Attention has now turned to the latter side’s trip to face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium next Monday, but pressure is still well and truly on Lopetegui, with a number of supporters still disenfranchised by West Ham’s performances as they call for their manager to depart.

West Ham held talks with Edin Terzic last week, among other managerial alternatives, and it is believed former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter is open to replacing Lopetegui on a short-term basis.

There have also been reports that Lopetegui had a recent bust-up with summer loan signing Jean-Clair Todibo, who West Ham have an obligation to buy for around £35 million, so things have been far from harmonious behind-closed-doors at Rush Green.

The Frenchman apparently came to blows with West Ham’s head coach at half-time of their 5-2 defeat at home to Arsenal (ExWHUemployee), following on from Lopetegui’s clashes with Mohammed Kudus earlier this season.

Julen Lopetegui not seeing "eye-to-eye" with Jean-Clair Todibo at West Ham

According to GiveMeSport, shedding more light on the situation, Lopetegui hasn’t been seeing “eye-to-eye” with Todibo at West Ham this season.

It is a tense relationship which the Hammers boss is apparently attempting to resolve behind-the-scenes, and it is believed the 24-year-old could be set for a recall to the starting eleven against Bournemouth next week, after missing Leicester with injury and being benched for their win over Wolves.

Todibo, for his part, has also been attempting to rectify his relationship with Lopetegui and is believed to be working hard on building a better rapport with the tactician – so both men are eager to work together positively moving forward.

Their reported bust-up during the Arsenal game started from concerns surrounding how Todibo would fit into Lopetegui’s future plans in a tactical sense, but it now appears the former Schalke starlet wants to put that to bed.

Cole Palmer’s stunning return to action at Stamford Bridge against Everton has drawn extraordinary praise from inside the Chelsea dressing room. The attacking star opened the scoring for the Blues against the Toffees, and Wesley Fofana later compared his team-mate to his highly successful compatriots, Kylian Mbappe and Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele.

• Palmer shines on return to Stamford Bridge

  Chelsea secured a crucial Premier League victory over Everton at Stamford Bridge, with Palmer marking his return to the club’s home ground in emphatic fashion. The 23-year-old opened the scoring with a composed finish past Jordan Pickford, setting the tone for a performance that underlined his importance to Enzo Maresca’s side.

  The match represented a significant moment for Palmer, who had not featured at Stamford Bridge since the opening day of the season, as injury problems, including groin issues, had restricted his involvement and limited him to just a handful of Premier League starts. Despite those setbacks, Palmer looked sharp and influential from the outset against the Toffees through the first half.

  Although he was withdrawn after 58 minutes as Maresca managed his workload, Palmer’s impact on the Blues' performance was clear. His movement, decision-making and composure in possession consistently unsettled an Everton side that could have posed trouble to Chelsea if they were handed enough opportunities.

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  Fofana compares Palmer with Mbappe and Dembele

  Speaking after the match, Fofana offered glowing praise of Palmer, placing the Englishman among the very elite attackers he has played alongside. He said: “He’s from a different planet. He’s close to the likes of Mbappe and Dembele, very, very close. I play with them for France, and they’re very good players, but he’s right at the top.”

  Fofana also stressed Palmer’s influence, even in a managed appearance. “Everyone can see it, even though he only played 58 minutes; the fans can see his importance,” the defender explained. “He’s the best player in our team when he’s on the pitch. He’s different. He’s a star.”

  The Frenchman went on to reflect on Chelsea’s wider situation during a demanding run of fixtures. “It has been a hard month, and it’s not finished because we have games coming every two or three days,” Fofana added. “We are trying to give everything. The manager and the staff have managed the team well… The most important thing is to keep the guys fit and to try to win games.”

• Palmer's rapid rise at Stamford Bridge after leaving Man City

  Palmer’s rise has been one of the standout stories in English football over the past two seasons. After coming through Manchester City’s academy and contributing in big moments, he moved to Chelsea in search of regular football, and that decision quickly paid off, as he became the Blues’ primary attacking reference point almost immediately.

  During his first full season at Stamford Bridge, Palmer delivered elite-level output, combining goals, assists and match-winning performances. His calmness from the penalty spot and ability to decide games in key moments earned him individual recognition and cemented his status as Chelsea’s most reliable attacking threat.

  This season, however, has tested Palmer in different ways, as injuries have disrupted his rhythm and forced Chelsea to manage his minutes carefully. Even so, performances like the Everton display and his showing at the Club World Cup make it difficult for his name to be ignored in conversations about the best young players in the world.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Palmer not yet fully fit as Chelsea prepare for second part of December

  Chelsea face a relentless run of fixtures, beginning with a Carabao Cup quarter-final away at Cardiff before a packed December schedule continues. Maresca has already indicated that Palmer cannot yet be relied upon for consistent starts, meaning rotation will remain a key part of his management plan.

  For Palmer, the focus will be on building fitness and maintaining availability rather than rushing minutes. Chelsea are acutely aware of how central he is to their attacking identity, and are set to be mindful of the long-term picture. As for Fofana’s comparison, Palmer’s standing in the dressing room and being likened to Mbappe and Dembele sets an significant benchmark, and Chelsea believe he has the talent to justify such lofty company.

Manchester United stunned rivals Manchester City with a late comeback to give United their first win at the Etihad since 2021.

Late strikes from Bruno Fernandes from the spot and an extraordinary last-minute winner from Amad Diallo were enough to hand Ruben Amorim his first three points away from Old Trafford in the Premier League as Man United boss and provide a much-needed morale boost before the busy festive period.

A lot of the pre-match discussions were around the surprise omissions of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from the Man United matchday squad.

Boss Amorim explained to Sky Sports that the pair missed the game due to ‘selection reasons rather than injury or illness’ sparking doubts over Rashford’s future at the club in particular.

Rashford struggling for form at United

Following his omission from the squad against Man City, Rashford has only started three games under new manager Amorim scoring only four times in the league all season.

It has led to speculation that Man United are searching for a new striker and, according to CaughtOffside, United are showing interest in Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen.

A signing like Osimhen could limit Rashford’s game time even more at the club, as the England international has struggled to replicate his scintillating form from the 22/23 season, where he scored 17 times in the Premier League and was part of England’s World Cup squad.

Since 22/23, Rashford has slowly declined in a lot of key attacking metrics at United, something that new boss Amorim has quickly picked up on.

Goals

0.53

0.28

0.37

Assists

0.16

0.08

0.09

Progressive passes

2.75

2.58

1.93

Shots

3.38

2.38

1.47

Expected goals

15.4

7.4

1.7

Pass completion

76.7%

75.3%

73.8%

Successful take-ons

54

48

9

Not only is the attacker decreasing in goals and assists output, but his creativity from open play seems to be suffering from a lack of confidence too. The England forward has declined in pass completion, successful take ons and the number of shots per 90 minutes.

With the January transfer window being notoriously difficult to get big deals like Osimhen over the line, United may struggle to replace Rashford in the current season. It may force Amorim to look to the academy for fresh impetus.

The Man Utd teen who could replace Rashford

Shea Lacey is a name hot on the lips of many inside Carrington and recently signed his first professional contract at Man United.

The young forward, who can play on either wing or behind the striker, has impressed so far in his appearances for the U18 side and has already been dubbed as the ‘new Phil Foden’ by Planet Sport, such is his huge potential. Why? Well, as talent scout Jacek Kulig alluded to, the teen has “incredible quality in tight spaces.”

Lacey has been struggling with injury at the start of this season but has already registered an assist in his four appearances so far.

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It was his form last season, however, that really caught the eye of Manchester United followers and sparked hope that he could be the next Carrington arrival bursting into the first-team squad.

U18 Premier League

7

2

3

UEFA Youth League

3

0

1

While it is early days in the career of Lacey, the above statistics prove he has an eye for goal and can create opportunities for his teammates.

If Rashford does make the move away from Old Trafford, his replacement may not have to cost a penny and yet another Carrington superstar could be about to emerge.

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His decision to move from Mohammedan Sporting to Legends of Rupganj for the Super League phase of the Dhaka Premier League was to help him prepare for Bangladesh’s upcoming games against Sri Lanka, Shakib Al Hasan has explained. Mohammedan, who he was contracted with but didn’t play for in the initial stage of the competition, did not qualify for the Super League, but Legends of Rupganj did, and Shakib had to take special permission from the league authorities, and Mohammedan, to make the move.”I will definitely play [the two Sri Lanka Tests at home],” Shakib said in a press interaction on Wednesday. “I don’t think there was a doubt. I think I took the decision [to play in the DPL] in an hour. I thought it would be a good idea to play a few matches ahead of the Sri Lanka series. There has been a bit of a gap. I haven’t played cricket for a month. These four matches gives me a chance to get back into the game.”Related

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The Super League is contested by the six top clubs at the end of the league stage. Legends of Rupganj, who finished second on the points table behind Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and start their Super League campaign against Prime Bank Cricket Club tomorrow, leapt at the opportunity to have the star allrounder in their ranks. Mohammedan had also released Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz earlier to Dhanmondi Club after the duo returned from South Africa.Meanwhile, the premier Bangladesh cricketers signed their annual central contracts during a meeting at the BCB office on Tuesday. Cricket Operations Committee chairman Jalal Yunus, team director Khaled Mahmud, and BCB’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury attended the meeting.Yunus said later that the players had mentioned their availability for each format over the next 12 months in the contracts. “We discussed cricket among ourselves. We all got together to sign the contracts,” he said. “There were 17-18 of us. I think a few didn’t show up due to personal reasons.”They have signed contracts according to their availability in the different formats. I think it’s time the board tells the player that we want them in a certain format. He can then inform us if he is available or not. The board should decide the format.”

يستعد فريق مانشستر سيتي لخوض مباراة، عصر اليوم السبت، ضد خصمه إيفرتون في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويستضيف ملعب “جوديسون بارك” مباراة الفريقين ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة والثلاثين من الدوري الإنجليزي، موسم 2024/25.

كانت مباراة الدور الأول بين الفريقين هذا الموسم قد انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدف لمثله.

ويحتل مانشستر سيتي حاليًا المركز الخامس برصيد 55 نقطة، حيث يقاتل بكل قوة من أجل التأهل إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا الموسم القادم.

في حين أن إيفرتون لديه 38 نقطة ويحتل حاليًا المركز الثالث عشر في جدول الدوري الإنجليزي. موعد مباراة مانشستر سيتي وإيفرتون اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة 4 عصرًا بتوقيت القاهرة، 5 بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة مانشستر سيتي وإيفرتون اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

تُذاع المباراة عبر قناة beIN Sports HD 1. معلق مباراة مانشستر سيتي وإيفرتون اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

سيعلق أحمد البلوشي على أحداث مباراة اليوم.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا.

Yorkshire’s director of cricket “can’t wait” to have Root available for his county in coming weeks

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-2022Darren Gough was “surprised” by the level of criticism Joe Root faced in his final months as England’s Test captain and “can’t wait” to have him available to play for Yorkshire in the coming weeks.Gough, who became Yorkshire’s director of cricket in December after Martyn Moxon was sacked, was speaking during the club’s first County Championship fixture this season against Gloucestershire in Bristol. He expects Root to play “two or three” games before England’s first Test of the summer against New Zealand and said he had kept in touch with him throughout the winter.”Realistically, with a bit of luck, I’d like to think we’d get him for two or three games before the Test series starts,” Gough said. “Whatever we get Joe Root for is a bonus. He loves playing for Yorkshire.”He’s been on messages and wished everybody luck before this game. That’s the sort of character he is. To get a player of his experience and brilliance – I can’t wait to have him back.Related

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“I’m sure he just wants to get back playing now that he’s got this [his resignation] out of the way. It might have been on his mind for the last month or so since he came back.”Gough said that while Root had “probably done the right thing” in stepping down, he was surprised to see the news break on Friday morning and insisted that he had done “a good job” throughout his five years in the role.”He’s come home, thought about the pluses and negatives and thought, ‘yep, it’s time to go now’. He’s probably thought that now’s the right time to step away, but I was surprised when I was over breakfast this morning and it popped up on the screen.”The problem is that one win in 17 is the one that goes against him, 27 Test victories, though. When you think about it, would you say he’s always had the best players available to him in that last 17 Test matches? I would say not.”I think Joe – and I’ve been in that dressing room environment in New Zealand – is hugely respected by every single player and coaching staff. And he was the perfect man for the job.”Darren Gough, Yorkshire’s interim managing director of cricket, watches players warm up in Bristol•Getty ImagesGough added that Root had fallen victim to English cricket’s blame game, and that he had been “a strong personality” and “a strong leader” who had been hampered by the absence of key players.”He’s had a lot of criticism,” Gough said. “I think what probably hurt him [is that] it’s come from a lot of guys who played the game and captained England as well – some of his closest mates.”I was surprised by the criticism; I think you have to look deeper than that. With everything that has been going on in English cricket, I don’t think you can blame the captain. Unfortunately, we’re always looking for someone to blame.”When you look back in the history of captains, what do we always say? ‘Well, he was a good captain because he won the Ashes or he wasn’t because he didn’t win the Ashes’. But the greatest captain I ever played under was Nasser Hussain, and he didn’t win the Ashes. You have to have the players, and you’re only as good as your players.”Asked if there was a better candidate available than Root, Gough said: “Not at the minute, I don’t think so. Obviously Ben Stokes is a terrific personality, and I would say he’s one of those natural leaders on the field. But unfortunately, he’s had this time out of the game, he’s got these injuries and his workload’s already through the roof. It’s a big decision if he takes it.”And some of the better candidates are not in the England team at this moment in time. They got dropped after the winter. It will be a very difficult choice with who they go for. The natural choice is Stokes – you go with the best player, don’t you? He’s the only one who is secure of a place, so there’s nowhere else to go.”

Everton are now interested in signing an “extremely dangerous” new striker in a bid to stave off the threat of relegation in the winter transfer window.

Everton transfer news

Despite a 4-0 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, it would be fair to say the Toffees’ Premier League campaign has been underwhelming so far, having collected just 14 points from their opening 14 games.

As such, Sean Dyche may be keen to strengthen his squad this January, and there have been reports the manager is now pushing to sign Fenerbahce winger Oguz Aydin, having previously sent scouts to watch him in action.

Dyche may need to strengthen his attacking options this winter, as there have been reports the manager could look to cash in on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has already turned down offers to extend his stay at Goodison Park.

Signing a new striker may then have to become a priority for Everton, as Beto is also now pushing to leave the club due to his lack of game time this season. Torino are now in active talks over a deal which could amount to around £16.5m.

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According to a report from The Boot Room, one new signing the Toffees have in mind is Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto, who has admitted that he dreams of playing in the Premier League. However, there may well be competition for the Brazilian’s signature from a number of other Premier League clubs, with both Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest named as potential suitors, while West Ham United have previously tabled a £14m bid.

A bid of £17m could be enough to secure the 23-year-old’s signature at the beginning of 2024, and he has stated there is a 50/50 chance he leaves Corinthians this January, which could open the door for a move to Goodison Park.

Although the Merseyside derby was postponed due to Storm Darragh last week, Everton’s fixture list still looks extremely tricky this winter.

Everton’s upcoming Premier League fixtures

Date

Arsenal (a)

December 15

Chelsea (h)

December 22

Manchester City (a)

December 26

Nottingham Forest (h)

December 30

AFC Bournemouth (a)

January 5

As such, Dyche may be in a position where he needs to strengthen his squad in January to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle, and Alberto could be exactly the type of signing to propel the Toffees to safety.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has lauded the Corinthians star as “extremely dangerous” in the past, and he was in fine form in front of goal for the Brazilian club last term. The former Santos man chalked up 31 goals in 57 games in all competitions, indicating that he could be ready to take the next step in his career by moving to the Premier League.

The uncertain futures surrounding Calvert-Lewin and Beto make signing a striker a priority for Dyche this winter, and at £17m Alberto could be the perfect replacement.

The threat of rain interruptions hangs over Tuesday night’s Qualifier 1 between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens.Kolkata experienced a brief afternoon shower on the day, and more rain is forecast for the evening, with a nearly 60% chance of precipitation between 6pm and 9pm. The match is scheduled to begin at 7.30pm. Rain could also affect Wednesday night’s Eliminator between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore, with a 50% chance of showers forecast.But Naresh Ojha, the vice-president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, was confident that the match on Tuesday would go ahead, reckoning that play could begin within an hour of the rain stopping. “Our drainage is excellent, and we have full covers for the outfield,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Even if we can start by 10.10pm, we can have a full 20-overs game, or the worst-case scenario is five overs per side with a 11.56pm start.”