India captain also throws weight behind Harshal and Bumrah, and is confident the team will get over their death-over woes

Shashank Kishore26-Sep-20228:05

Rohit: ‘We still need to be more aggressive and clinical’

Rohit Sharma would like to see India’s death bowling “come to the party” but isn’t worried about Harshal Patel’s indifferent form or Jasprit Bumrah’s poor execution in the Australia series.Harshal and Bumrah have both missed close to two months of top-flight cricket to nurse injuries that have required rehabilitation. Harshal is returning from a rib injury, while Bumrah has had to overcome a lower back problem.On Sunday, Bumrah’s introduction at all stages was met with a fierce counterattack from Australia. While Cameron Green took him apart in the powerplay, Tim David, his team-mate at Mumbai Indians, launched into him in the final overs. Bumrah’s figures read 4-0-50-0, his most expensive in T20Is.Related

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Harshal, meanwhile, went for 49 in four wicketless overs in the series opener, bowled two overs that went for 32 in an eight-overs shootout, and then bowled just two overs in the final T20I. Barring the final over of Australia’s innings, where he got his execution spot on to concede just seven runs and get a wicket. Overall, he finished the series with an economy of 12.37.Amid talks of loss in confidence, Rohit has firmly backed Harshal to rediscover his old form that made him the MVP for Royal Challengers Bangalore for the past two IPLs. Rohit made it clear one bad series won’t leave them second-guessing, and that as a team management, they were firmly confident of Harshal returning to top form.”Coming back from an injury is never easy,” Rohit said. “He missed cricket for close to two months. Whenever bowlers go through an injury phase and come back, it’s never easy, so we’ve not really judged him on how he has performed in these three games because we know his quality.”He has bowled some tough overs for us in the past, and also for his franchise. We believe in his quality, whatever he has as a bowler. It’s important to keep showing that faith and I’m pretty sure he’s also trying to rectify those mistakes. He’s working hard on his bowling.”As I see, in the nets, whenever we do have our training sessions, he’s always working on his skills which is what you want. You want players to go out and keep improving. We talk about it all the time; we can see that happening. So, I’m pretty sure he’s not far from his best.”Rohit – “We’ve been working on some execution plans and hopefully we can give him more options to bowl in the death and then he’ll be as good as he was before”•BCCIRohit was then asked about Bhuvneshwar Kumar, another bowler whose death overs execution has “seemed a bit off.” Over the last three weeks alone, twice at the Asia Cup and once here, he had conceded 15, 14 and 19 runs in the 19th overs with India defending scores of 208, 173 181 respectively. On Sunday, Bhuvneshwar was tasked with the 18th over that went for 21. Twice he missed his lengths to be clobbered for sixes by David, and the follow-up, a predictable slower ball, was walloped to the boundary. He ended without bowling his full quota of overs.”It’s important we give him that space,” Rohit said. “Because when you gave a guy like him in the team and the quality that he brings, we know that he’s had more good days than bad days honestly speaking, in the last so many years we’ve seen. Yes, of late it’s been not the kind of performance that he would want, but that can happen to any of the bowlers.”You can see the opposition as well, it’s not easy to bowl at the death. But we’ve been working on some execution plans and hopefully we can give him more options to bowl in the death and then he’ll be as good as he was before. I don’t think he’s short in confidence, whenever I speak to him the confidence is there, you can have bad games but it’s important to come back from that, and we want him to come back as quickly as possible, because he’s bowled those difficult overs for us in the past.India have three more games against South Africa before they fly out to Australia for the World Cup. With Bumrah and Harshal backed to man the death overs, it could mean a return to familiar new-ball duties for Bhuvneshwar. There’s also an extra death option in Arshdeep Singh, whose confidence Rohit has been impressed with, if required. Rohit hinted at a slight shift in Bhuvneshwar’s role going forward but didn’t give away much.”From our side we’re trying to work out what other things we can do,” he said. “Because when you’re bowling in the death you can’t be predictable, you need to have options to bowl on both sides of the ground and sort fields accordingly. Those are the things we’re talking to him about. Someone with that experience, it’ll be easy for him to grasp all the knowledge that is out there.”He’s done it, it’s there in his mind, it’s not that he will completely forget what he’s done as a bowler in the past, it’s just that he needs to bring that out confidently and things will happen for him. As a team, as management, we believe in his ability, we know a guy like him who more often than not has done the job for us can have a few bad games. It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have quality anymore. He definitely has it in him, just that for us it’s time for us to show faith in him and keep backing his skillset, what he wants to execute.”

Chelsea continued to saunter through a poor vein of form, losing 3-1 to Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday, leaving them sixth in the Premier League after 23 games played, one point off of their most recent opponent, Manchester City, who sit in fourth.

Enzo Maresca’s side took an early lead through Noni Madueke, with City debutante Abdukodir Khusanov making a costly error to gift Chelsea a 1-0 lead. However, goals from Josko Gvardiol, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden secured the Citizens all three points.

The Blues had 43% possession in the game, creating three big chances from their ten shots. However, their inability to finish their chances after going 1-0 up cost them, with City equalising before half-time, and taking the ascendancy in the second half.

Chelsea have been scouring the market for striker opportunities for a while now, looking to provide Nicolas Jackson with competition, and this poor run of form could fast-track those plans, should the opportunity aise in the final week of the January window.

Chelsea searching for Nicolas Jackson upgrade

According to reports from Caught Offside this week, Chelsea face new competition for the signing of Jhon Duran having made new contacts with Aston Villa earlier this week.

The report states that French giants PSG are now in the race and are willing to pay £59m for a player the Villans value at around £76m. A sticking point for the Blues is that the Ligue 1 side are also happy to offer players in the deal.

Duran has made 28 appearances for the Midlands side this season, scoring 12 goals in 1,019 minutes played. The youngster has already scored 20 goals in his Aston Villa career, having only played 2,248 minutes in total, showing his clinical ability at such a young age.

How Duran compares to Nicolas Jackson

Chelsea’s main man upfront this season, Jackson, has scored nine goals and provided five assists in 23 appearances, starting the campaign in red-hot form and contributing to all phases of play. This saw the striker become a favourite of Maresca, but in recent weeks, the Senegal international has struggled to find the back of the net, now not scoring since the 15th December.

In this time frame, Chelsea have dropped from second in the Premier League to sixth, showing the magnitude of his dip in form, and further highlighting the need for competition upfront to offer the squad another option when things aren’t going well.

Goals

1.04

0.48

Assists

0.00

0.27

xG

0.59

0.60

Progressive Carries

1.05

2.14

Progressive Passes

1.89

1.34

Shots Total

4.70

3.26

Goals/Shot

0.20

0.16

Key Passes

0.63

1.23

Shot-Creating Actions

2.11

3.10

Aerial Duels Won

3.16

0.64

When comparing both striker’s metrics this season, you can see how Jackson contributes to all phases of play, helping to progress via his carrying ability, making key passes and creating shots for both himself and others.

Meanwhile, Duran is much more box-focused, winning more aerial duels, scoring more frequently, taking more shots and finishing at a higher clip (0.20 goals/shot ratio compared to 0.16).

Talent scout Jacek Kulig has stated that the young forward is a “monster in the making” and the 21-year-old has already shown with his limited minutes how he can affect games, and now, due to that, he has many elite European clubs sniffing around for his signature.

In plenty of games this season, Chelsea have taken the lead and have been given the chance to add to their lead, perhaps putting the game out of reach for their opponent, but a lack of clinical finishing has stopped them doing so, thus dropping points on plenty of occasions.

Giving Jackson some competition in this department could go a long way to solving that issue, not only giving Maresca another option but someone capable of pushing him to be better.

So far this season, he has only been competing with Christopher Nkunku upfront, who, despite having a strong scoring record, netting 13 times in 29 appearances, isn’t a natural number nine, who prefers to play behind the striker, much like Cole Palmer.

Bringing a more box-dominant number nine to the club would allow Maresca to rotate Jackson more willingly, make decisions based on the game plan and spark strong competition upfront, which brings the best out of both players.

Who Jhon Duran could improve at Chelsea

Not only could the signing of Duran help to push Jackson and add clinical finishing to the team, but it could also bring another dynamic to the side, which allows the wingers such as Pedro Neto to thrive, using their full creative toolkit to maximum effect.

Since joining from Wolves in the summer for a fee of around £54m, Neto has made 26 appearances, scoring three goals, providing five assists and totalling 1,440 minutes. However, the 24-year-old has often put excellent crosses into the box, worthy of a final touch to award the assist, but lacking the box threat for it to materialise.

By adding Duran, who wins over three aerial duels per 90, it would bring the confidence for the wingers to put more crosses into the box, knowing they have a centre-forward primed to attack the ball in those moments, either providing the final touch themselves or taking defenders away and opening spaces for others, such as the midfielders, to arrive.

Jadon Sancho is another who would profit from this, and by unlocking these creative wingers to their full potential, it could also bring more goals for them, as teams look to cut off their crosses, showing them inside and giving them the best shooting opportunities possible.

Not just Sanchez: Maresca must now drop 4/10 Chelsea star who got 'bullied'

Chelsea were poor defensively against Man City

ByJoe Nuttall Jan 25, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo teve um desfalque no treinamento desta quinta-feira (26), na reapresentação do elenco após a vitória sobre o Ayacucho-PER, por 1 a 0, pela Copa Sul-Americana. O meia Talles Costa, com uma entorse no tornozelo direito, ficou no REFFIS.

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> Veja tabela da Sul-Americana e simule os próximos jogos

Além dele,Andrés Colorado, Nikão e Gabriel Sara, também realizaram atividades internas, dando sequência ao trabalhos fisioterápicos.O lateral-direito Rafinha foi liberado da atividade para acompanhar o nascimento do filho. Já o lateral-direito Moreira segue isolado em protocolo de COVID-19.

Os jogadores foram divididos em dois grupos nas atividades de hoje no CT: os atletas que atuaram diante dos peruanos fizeram exercícios regenerativos, enquanto o restante trabalhou no gramado com o técnico Rogério Ceni – o treinador comandou um treino tático.

Antes de receber o Ceará no próximo sábado (28), às 19h, no Estádio do Morumbi, o São Paulo concluirá os ajustes nesta sexta-feira (27), às 11 horas, no CT da Barra Funda.

Sri Lanka’s Pathum NIssanka moves to ninth, India captain Rohit Sharma jumps to 13th

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2022

Mohammad Rizwan’s form in the Asia Cup has given Pakistan two wins in three matches•AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is the new No. 1 T20I batter in the ICC rankings, ending captain Babar Azam’s reign at the top. Rizwan’s match-winning knocks of 78* off 57 against Hong Kong in the group stage and 71 off 51 against India in Super 4s of the Asia Cup helped him reach his career-best 815 points.Rizwan has claimed the top position for the first time and he is only the third Pakistan batter to top the T20I batting rankings after Babar, who has been at the top of the table for 1155 days in all, and Misbah-ul-Haq, who was at the top for 313 days, from April 20 , 2008 to February 27, 2009.Full rankings tables

Click here for the full team rankings

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Rizwan’s form also coincided with Babar’s slump, with the captain scoring just 33 runs in three matches at the Asia Cup. With 192 runs so far, Rizwan is also the leading run-getter in the competition as on Wednesday, when Pakistan take on Afghanistan. Rizwan has been churning out consistent performances in the shortest format in recent times, scoring a total of 1541 runs in 33 matches, at an average of 73.38 and strike rate of 133.76, since the start of 2021. He is also the top-scorer in T20Is in the period and averages the most among batters who have played at least 15 innings since January 2021.Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka moved up by a place to No. 8, on the back of his impressive run of form in the tournament. He scored 20, 35 and 52 in his last three matches, with the half-century powering Sri Lanka to victory against India in a chase of 174 on Tuesday and taking the team closer to the final spot.Nissanka’s opening partner Kusal Mendis also took giant steps, advancing 63 places to reach 41st spot after a solid 57 off 37 balls. Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka (up 11 places to 39th) and middle-order batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa (up 31 places to 68th) have also made big progress.India captain Rohit Sharma moved to 13th position, a jump of four places, after scoring 72 off 41 against Sri Lanka, while Virat Kohli rose to 29th place after his 44-ball 60 against Pakistan.Afghanistan’s 20-year-old batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who smashed a 45-ball 84, albeit in a losing cause against Sri Lanka in the Super 4 clash, also gained 14 places to move to the 15th position.Among bowlers, offspinner Maheesh Theekshana gained five spots to be No. 8 and Mujeeb Ur Rahman rose three places to sixth. He is the joint highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup along with Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz with seven scalps from three games, as on Wednesday.In the ICC men’s ODI batting rankings, Australia’s David Warner moved from seventh to sixth position while the New Zealand captain Kane Williamson entered the top 10 with a jump of one spot after the first of the three ODIs between the two teams in Cairns on Tuesday.Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc and legspinner Adam Zampa moved to 12th and 18th places respectively among the bowlers.

Essex made heavy weather of chasing 162 either side of tea but Shane Snater’s aggressive unbeaten 65 secured a thrilling one-wicket LV= Insurance County Championship win over Yorkshire inside three days at Headingley.Essex took eight wickets during the first half of the day to bowl Yorkshire out for 252 in their second innings, including three apiece for leg-spinner Matt Critchley and fast bowler Jamie Porter (four for 64).But they later slipped from 51 for two to 64 for six in a crazy 13-ball evening spell, in which veteran seamer Steve Patterson struck three times for the hosts.Patterson, who has not been offered a new contract beyond this season, following 17 years of first-team cricket, finished with a brilliant five for 46, including the ninth wicket with the scores level.But Snater heaved Ben Coad through midwicket to secure 20 points for his side – their sixth win of the campaign.Snater, who also hit 46 in the first innings, successfully turned Essex defence into attack amidst a nail-biting finish. Essex are now four points behind Lancashire with two to play.Battling Yorkshire, meanwhile, lost for the fourth time this season and are not yet out of relegation danger after only taking three points. Their position will be clearer when Warwickshire versus Somerset finishes on Thursday.They started the day on 87 for two in their second innings, trailing by four, and were bowled out for 252 midway through the afternoon, as Critchley and Porter combined to good effect.As impressive as Patterson was with the ball, Coad’s third-day contribution was just as significant in taking this game down to the wire. But perhaps not in the way you would expect.The new-ball seamer, who earlier in this match took his 200th first-class cricket, crashed a entertaining 69 off 70 balls with 10 fours and a six over midwicket to give himself and his bowling colleagues something to work with. He later struck twice with the ball.Five morning wickets, including two for Critchley, left Yorkshire 158 for seven and with a lead of 69 after they resumed on 87 for two.Young opener Fin Bean had been trapped lbw by a Porter yorker for 53, his maiden first-class fifty in only his second game.But Coad changed things. He dominated an eighth-wicket partnership of 80 with Matthew Revis, the highest stand of the match. And his score was the highest individual score of the fixture as well.He played a stand and deliver innings, taking the view, ‘If it’s up, it’s off’.He was then bowled by one that skidded through from Critchley, while Porter claimed two of the last three wickets to fall to leave Essex with 52 overs of batting to do before close.The last of those wickets was Patterson caught behind. He had earlier received a warm ovation from the Headingley faithful as he walked to the crease. But it wasn’t as warm as the one he received as he left the field to get a breather with four wickets under his belt after tea.Given Essex’s caution in the early stages of their chase, Yorkshire’s hopes remained high.Jordan Thompson had Nick Browne caught at third slip before tea and Tom Westley sliced Patterson to backward point shortly after, leaving the score at 35 for two in the 20th over.Then came the turnaround as Patterson wheeled away from the Howard Stand End and Coad from Kirkstall Lane.Patterson yorked Dan Lawrence playing to leg and superbly held a one-handed diving return catch later in the 26th over – 51 for four.Coad then trapped Feroze Khushi lbw and Patterson got a flashing Cook caught at slip. Essex were six down 98 short of their target.By now, Essex had realised they had to break the chain and started to attack. And it worked, but not before George Hill had Adam Rossington caught at short midwicket (93 for seven).Snater powered Patterson for six over long-on and later showed finesse by twice steering Thompson to the third-man fence.Snater, who faced 51 balls, dominated an eighth-wicket partnership of 63 with Allison and reached a 38-ball fifty, by which time Essex needed only 20 and the game was seemingly back in their control.But Coad got Allison caught behind and then Patterson bowled Sam Cook, leaving Essex 161 for nine and scores level. But Snater held his nerve to hit the winning run to cap a remarkable conclusion.

The Scottish Premiership table doesn’t lie, with reigning champions Celtic sitting pretty at the summit courtesy of a commanding 13-point lead over their closest title ‘rivals’.

That said, the shock 3-0 defeat away at Ibrox – as well as Tuesday’s thrilling 3-3 draw at Dundee – has shown that this Hoops side is far from the finished article, with Brendan Rodgers in need of further reinforcements if he is to kick on in the remainder of 2025.

While the midweek trip to Dens Park may have exposed the Glasgow side’s woes defensively, with Auston Trusty notably coming under fire from his manager, the attacking unit could also do with a fresh lick of paint, particularly amid reports that Luis Palma could be on his way before the month is out.

With Adam Idah having now failed to score in any of his last ten league outings – while Yang Hyun-jun has registered a measly total of six goals and assists in 49 total games for the club – the need for additional firepower is evident, with Rodgers far too reliant on the attacking trio of Daizen Maeda, Nicolas Kuhn and Kyogo Furuhashi. That triumvirate have netted 42 goals between them in 2024/25 in all competitions.

Thankfully, it would appear that new signings are set to lie in store for the Parkhead giants, all being well, with Rodgers and co seemingly looking to make a move for what could prove to be their next Jota…

Celtic's attacking transfer target

As reported by Daily Mail journalist Stephen McGowan, the Old Firm side are said to be weighing up a bid for Real Valladolid sensation, Raul Moro, with the 22-year-old also earning admiring glances from Ajax.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

As per the report, the Dutch outfit are yet to firm up their interest in the promising Spaniard despite publicly confirming their admiration for the young winger, thus offering Celtic the chance to pounce should they so desire.

Any deal this month would require a significant offer, however, with Valladolid having set an asking price of around £8.5m.

That figure would be just behind what Rodgers forked out for both Idah (£9.5m) and Arne Engels (£11m) over the summer, as well as with the £9m signing of Odsonne Edouard back in 2018, thus potentially making it one of the biggest deals during his time at Parkhead should it go through.

Celtic could land the next Jota

Whether Celtic can edge the mighty Ajax to Moro’s signature remains to be seen, although it is certainly an encouraging sign for Rodgers and Co to also be in the equation, with the £17k-per-week forward deservedly catching the eye of late.

Indeed, the fleet-footed talent has been earning rave reviews ever since his days in the Barcelona youth set-up, no less, with his agent Junior Minguella having previously said of his time at La Masia:

That likeness to the great Argentine stems most notably from Moro’s diminutive 5 foot 6 frame, as well as his elite dribbling prowess, shown by the fact that he averages 1.9 successful dribbles per game in La Liga this season.

Jota vs Moro comparison – league stats
Stat (*per game)	Jota (2022/23)	Moro (2024/25)
Games	33	18
Goals	11	3
Assists	11	1
Big chances created	13	4
Pass accuracy*	80%	75%
Key passes*	1.9	1.5
Tackles*	1.2	0.8
Interceptions*	0.4	0.5
Successful dribbles*	1.5	1.9
Possession lost*	14.5	11.4
Stats via Sofascore

To put that into context, as indicated above, former Celtic talisman, Jota, was ‘only’ averaging 1.5 in that regard during his final season in the Premiership, indicating just what a wizard Moro truly is down the flanks.

While the former Lazio starlet – who, like Jota, also primarily operates on the left flank – does only have three goals and one assist to his name thus far in 2024/25, it is worth remembering the relatively limited impact of Jota in the senior game, before his move to Glasgow.

The Portuguese sensation had scored just three goals and registered only two assists in 34 games for Benfica, while also, ironically, enduring a mixed loan spell at Moro’s current side, Valladolid, where he scored just twice in 18 appearances.

The 25-year-old would then go on to rip up Scottish football with 54 goal involvements in just 83 games in that famous green and white shirt, with Moro – who has 13 goals and assists in 50 games in total in Spain – boasting all the credentials to potentially emulate his fellow winger.

Rodgers does already have Kuhn and Maeda to call upon in those wide roles, yet, as mentioned previously, quality competition and cover certainly needs to be on the agenda.

Celtic make enquiry to sign exciting star who could be their next Tim Weah

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is seeking to improve his squad in January, so could a 21-year-old star be arriving in Glasgow on loan this month?

By
Ben Gray

Jan 16, 2025

تحدث خالد عبد العزيز، رئيس المجلس الأعلى للإعلام، عن موقف إعلان إحدى شركات الاتصالات (راعي النادي الأهلي) بعد تقديم شكوى من نادي الزمالك ضد هذا الإعلان.

وتقدم نادي الزمالك بشكوى رسمية إلى المجلس الأعلى لتنظيم الإعلام، ضد شركتي “اتصالات” و”كينج توت للإنتاج الفني”، بسبب إعلان “رعاية الأهلي” الذي تم تداوله مؤخرًا عبر مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، واعتبرته القلعة البيضاء مسيئًا ويتعارض مع القيم والضوابط القانونية.

وقال عبد العزيز خلال تصريحات عبر قناة “إم سي مصر” لبرنامج “الحكاية”: “الإعلان يمر بعدة مراحل، يقدم كتابة ثم يتم تصويره، والمنوط بمتابعته هيئة المصنفات، وبعد الحصول على إجازة يتم عرضه عبر التلفاز ومواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، هنا يأتي دور الأعلى للإعلام، بعد عرض الإعلان، إذا رأى المجلس الأعلى للإعلام أن هناك أي شيء مخالف للأكواد الواضحة، يتدخل فورًا ويمكن أن يتم وقف الإعلان”.

وأضاف: “تم تقديم شكاوى، والشركة تستكمل التراخيص المطلوبة من وزارة الثقافة حتى تتمكن من بث الإعلان عبر القنوات الفضائية، أما ما نُشر على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، أعتقد أن الشركة رفعت هذا الإعلان، ويتم تعديله حاليًا، وسيعاد بثه بشكل مناسب”.

وواصل: “ممكن يُعاد بثه أو لا، نحن ليس منوط بنا أن نقول ذلك، هم إذا أرسلوه للقنوات الفضائية أو رفعوه على التواصل الاجتماعي، سنرى إذا كان الإعلان أصبح بالشكل المناسب لن نتكلم، لكن إذا رأينا أي شيء آخر سنخاطب الشركة ونتدخل”.

وأتم: “الإعلان نزل على مواقع التواصل ثم الشركة تداركت وسحبت الإعلان، والنسخ الموجودة حاليًا ليست من عند الشركة، بعض الناس هي التي سجلت، لكن الإعلان غير موجود على صفحة الشركة ولم يبث عبر التلفاز”.

West Ham United have apparently reached an agreement on personal terms for the potential signing of one forward, with an update also coming to light on club-to-club talks, as Graham Potter’s side attempt to bring in a new attacker before the deadline.

West Ham scouring January market for new forward signing

Injuries to Niclas Füllkrug and Michail Antonio have exacerbated West Ham’s need for a quality, fresh option to arrive at the London Stadium and reinforce Potter’s forward line.

£34m forward receives West Ham offer with transfer likelihood revealed

The Euro 2024 attacker appears to be a top target for Graham Potter’s side.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jan 28, 2025

West Ham are also among the Premier League’s lowest-scoring teams, with relegation-threatened Wolves bagging more in the final third than Potter’s side, which partly highlights why the Irons are so keen to get a new centre-forward over the line before February 3rd.

Chelsea (away)

February 3rd

Brentford (home)

February 15th

Arsenal (away)

February 22nd

Leicester City (home)

February 27th

Newcastle United (home)

March 10th

Brighton are set to allow young marksman Evan Ferguson to depart the Seagulls on loan this month, which has sparked interest from West Ham and multiple other sides.

The 20-year-old, who’s been unable to wrestle back his place at Brighton ahead of Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro, is believed to be a top target for Potter, with West Ham hopeful of winning any race for Ferguson ahead of English rivals.

However, the Republic of Ireland international isn’t their only target. West Ham have also held discussions to sign Andre Silva from RB Leipzig, while Ajax forward Brian Brobbey is also high on their agenda.

Dutch media reports shared news last week that West Ham were starting to make a “serious attempt” to sign Brobbey on loan with an obligation to buy, contacting both Ajax and the player himself with a proposal.

However, some reliable journalists have since shared that it may not be that straightforward, and the costs of a potential move are deemed “too high” by West Ham chiefs as things stand – even if a deal isn’t completely off the table (Jacob Steinberg).

Brian Brobbey has agreed personal terms with West Ham

That being said, Potter’s side have still made some serious headway in a move for the Netherlands international. According to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, West Ham have agreed personal terms with Brobbey on a £100,000-per-week contract, so there appears to be no issue in convincing the forward to swap Amsterdam for the English capital.

The broadcast giant reiterates that West Ham and Ajax are yet to come to an agreement on payment, though, which means their pursuit of a new number nine is still wide open. If they can land Brobbey, it is worth taking a look at some of the plaudits he has received.

“He is so fast and strong, he was very annoying for the defenders of PSV and dangerous for Ajax,” said ex-Dutch striker Pierre van Hooijdonk.

“The ball on the post, the ball in front. You can see from those running actions that he is a real striker,” says the former striker. Leave Brobbey alone. In my eyes, he should always play. Otherwise, Ajax will have too many attackers who want the ball in their feet and the team will be too predictable.”

Liverpool have made contact with an “unbelievable” Bayern Munich player over a stunning move to Anfield in the summer transfer window, according to a new update.

Liverpool transfer news

Left-back looks like a key area of the pitch for the Reds to focus on this summer, with Andy Robertson suffering a disappointing season. At 30, the Scot looks past his best, following seven-and-a-half years of intense football at Anfield, while Kostas Tsimikas only feels like a good squad option.

Bournemouth ace Milos Kerkez has been linked with a move to Liverpool, with the Premier League leaders believed to be leading the race to snap him up at the end of the current campaign. The 21-year-old would represent an exciting long term addition, coming straight in as a key player at the same time.

Meanwhile, Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes has been mentioned as an option for the Reds, should Arne Slot demand further quality in the middle of the park in the summer. He has averaged 3.1 tackles per game across 20 Premier League appearances this season.

Speaking of midfielders, Real Madrid ace Aurelien Tchouameni also continues to be linked with Liverpool, being seen as an alternative to Martin Zubimendi, who looks increasingly likely to complete a move to Arsenal. The Reds wanted him back in 2022, but he chose to move to the Santiago Bernabeu from Monaco instead.

Liverpool make contact with "unbelievable" star

According to The Boot Room, Liverpool have made contact with Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies about a switch to Anfield at the end of the season, when he will become a free agent despite his €50m (£42m) transfer value.

Arsenal are in the same position as the Reds, but the Canadian is believed to favour a move to Real Madrid instead, telling them both he plans to move to the Spanish capital when his Bayern contract expires.

Davies is arguably the most exciting possible option to replace Robertson as Liverpool’s first choice left-back this summer, considering he is widely seen as the best player in Europe in his position.

The 24-year-old is a four-time winner of Canada’s Footballer of the Year award, with his electric pace making him such a devastating player to watch. Joshua Kimmich has hailed his £182,0000-a-week Bayern teammate as “unbelievable”, while Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on him.

Sadly, it does look as though Davies has made his mind up when it comes to his future, with the lure of Madrid difficult to turn down for so many players.

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Should the Bayern superstar be off the table for Liverpool, Kerkez should be considered a fantastic alternative, having registered three assists in the Premier League this season, also averaging 2.5 clearances per match, showing that he can excel both in and out of possession.

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O Botafogo tem “atacado” todas as frentes para qualificar ainda mais o elenco. Isso porque enquanto mira reforços para melhorar a equipe, a diretoria trabalha para garantir a permanência de nomes importantes do grupo. Além disso, o Alvinegro tambémjá se mostrou ativo na busca por jogadores para os times B e sub-20.

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>LANCE! faz balanço dos reforços do Botafogo da Era John Textor

Para esta segunda janela de transferências, o Botafogo tem negociações avançadas com nomes já conhecidos da torcida: olateral Fernando Marçal e o atacante Eran Zahavi.

O lateral-esquerdo está livre no mercado depois de não renovar com o Wolverhampton, da Inglaterra, e já acenou positivamente para os contatos feitos pelo Botafogo. O atacante, por sua vez, também tem uma proposta do Alvinegro em mãos e já acenou de maneira positiva ao projeto do Glorioso. Zahavi, inclusive, anunciou que definirá seu futuro “nos próximos dias”.

– Estou voltando aos negócios e na próxima semana já estarei em campo. Nos próximos dias ficará claro para todos e para mim o que acontecerá. Eu queria ver como me recuperaria da cirurgia e agora vamos decidir – disse Zahavi, ao “Canal 13”, de Israel.

Além desta busca por nomes de peso e que ajudarão o time, o Botafogo também tem dado valor aos jogadores que já estavam no elenco antes da Era John Textor. Não por acaso, o Alvinegro renovou o contrato de Kanu até o fim de 2025.

Além disso, a diretoria trabalha para reestruturar o contrato de Erison. O Botafogo já garantiu mais 30% dos direitos econômicos do jogador e aumentou a multa rescisória. O próximo passo é resolver alguns detalhes e estender o vínculo do atacante, que termina no fim de 2023 (clique aqui e saiba todos os detalhes).

Por fim, vale lembrar que o Botafogo também se mostrou ativo na contratação de jovens jogadores para os time B e sub-20. Assim, a diretoria alvinegra garante uma base qualificada que pode dar frutos no futuro tanto dentro de campo quanto no aspecto financeiro.