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West Ham United are in talks for an ‘amazing’ player who rejected manager David Moyes just last year, according to a report in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Hammers eye deals…

After sealing a £30 million deal for Morocco international defender Nayef Aguerd from Rennes, it appears the east Londoners are aiming to keep that momentum by landing more of Moyes’ targets.

As explained by Sky journalist Dharmesh Sheth, West Ham are expected to be ‘very busy’ in this summer market and want at least six new signings for the 2022/2023 Premier League season.

They are reportedly closing in on a permanent deal for goalkeeper Alphonse Areola from Paris-Saint Germain, and according to a new report, the Hammers are also locked in other negotiations.

The Latest: West Ham in agent negotations…

Indeed, as per a recent claim from Italy, it appears West Ham are in negotiations with the entourage of Juventus defender Luca Pellegrini.

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Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) state Moyes’ side are ‘in contact’ with the 23-year-old’s agent with discussions ongoing but an agreement is yet to be found on personal terms.

There have also been no talks with Juve over a fee, just talks with Pellegrini’s agents.

The Verdict: Take it further?

Irons left-back Aaron Cresswell is slowly entering the twilight phase of his career and Pellegrini would come as a potentially shrewd heir.

Called ‘amazing’ by Juventus journalist Max Aimé-Thierry, who founded independent club news page ‘Max Statman’, perhaps the Italian could come to the London Stadium as Cresswell’s potential understudy.

Still very young, Pellegrini would have plenty of time to adapt and improve under Moyes in the English top flight.

However, as per Il Bianco Nero, West Ham may have some convincing to do given the player rejected a move to Rush Green just last year.

Much has been made about Alfredo Morelos’ future at Rangers in recent weeks, with the Colombian striker once again linked with an exit from Ibrox ahead of his contract expiry next year.

However, one pundit believes that the 25-year-old could still commit his future to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side.

What’s the word?

Morelos’ contract with the Premiership club is currently set to expire at the end of next season, so Rangers could well be forced to sell him this summer if they want to avoid losing him for nothing in the future.

However, speaking to Football Insider, former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has claimed that the 25-year-old could yet perform a contract U-turn, similar to team-mate Connor Goldson, who committed to a new four-year deal at Ibrox recently despite heavy links with Nottingham Forest.

The talkSPORT pundit said of Morelos: “I think he will explore the offers, similar to Goldson.

“Goldson explored the options and maybe he couldn’t get a better deal than Rangers offered or Rangers put their deal up a bit.

“I’m sure he’ll be looking at different options, Morelos. He’ll maybe want to play in a bigger league.

“But getting to the final of the Europa League, that’s attractive for players to stay at Rangers and maybe do it again.

“It will be interesting. Rangers have got a good core of players so it’s a good club to stay at.”

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Supporters would be buzzing

If Morelos can be convinced to stay at Rangers, then the Ibrox faithful would surely be delighted, considering his superb record with the Light Blues since signing from HJK Helsinki in 2017.

‘El Bufalo’ has hit 113 goals and contributed 51 assists in 224 appearances for the Teddy Bears, while he also broke Ally McCoist’s record to become the club’s all-time top European goalscorer.

Given the Colombian’s immense contributions, Rangers fans will surely be hoping that Agbonlahor is right and he will consider extending his stay at Ibrox, especially after coming so close to winning the Europa League last season.

It would be a big blow to lose the 25-year-old ahead of the Champions League qualifiers next month, so Van Bronckhorst must do all that he can to keep Morelos at Ibrox. If the Dutchman can do just that, the Gers faithful would be buzzing heading into the 2022/23 campaign.

In other news… Rangers could repeat Ryan Kent masterclass with swoop for “bullish” £5.4m-rated gem

Sky Sports journalist Manuele Baiocchini has now made a promising Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving central defensive target Sven Botman.

The Lowdown: Bastoni alternative?

Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni was a top target for Spurs manager Antonio Conte but both the Italian and club chief Fabio Paratici were dealt a major blow on Wednesday afternoon.

The player’s agent confirmed that he seems set to stay at the San Siro with it now seeming like the Lilywhites must turn to alternatives if they wish to back Conte ahead of his first full Premier League season.

One of these possible targets is thought to be Lille star Botman who has been attracting serious interest from Newcastle United, Manchester United and AC Milan.

The Latest: Baiocchini shares promising update…

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Sky Italy reporter Baiocchini, sharing news on Twitter, has made a promising claim involving Spurs – going on to state that the north Londoners have emerged as ‘stronger and stronger’ contenders for Botman.

This comes as Milan fall behind in the race to sign Ligue 1’s sensation but Tottenham will still face competition from Newcastle and The Red Devils.

The Verdict: Battle on?

Still just 22-years-old, Botman has been a colossal defensive presence for Lille in the French top flight – making more clearances per 90 than anyone in their squad (WhoScored).

He also finished 2021/2022 as their third-best performer by average match rating, just behind star men Renato Sanches and Benjamin Andre (WhoScored).

The in-form Dutchman could also leave his current club for the very reasonable price of €40 million (£34m), potentially marking Botman out as a real standout alternative to Bastoni.

In other news: ‘Better and better’ – Insider says Tottenham could make announcement ‘in the coming days’…find out more here.

A huge Rangers update has emerged regarding Ibrox machine Connor Goldson heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Gio van Bronckhorst has revealed that the defender looks set to leave the club upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the month.

The Dutch head coach has not completely ruled out a new contract for the Englishman but is being realistic about the chances of the 29-year-old still being at Ibrox next season.

Van Bronckhorst told the Glasgow Times before the Scottish Cup final: “Regarding Connor, the club has been in talks with him to extend his contract. So far, he hasn’t extended it. The chance he will still be a Rangers player after tomorrow will be small.

“I would love to have Connor in the team next year. But as you see quite a lot, when players are getting out of contract, there are two possibilities – to keep playing or to move on and maybe have another challenge.

“I still have in my mind that he will be part of Rangers next year. That’s my feeling more than the reality. We will have to watch in the coming weeks. But I think Connor has been amazing for this team in all of his years as a Rangers player. Will it be his last game on Saturday? I don’t know right now.”

Supporters will be gutted

Gers supporters will surely be left feeling gutted by these comments from the manager, as they suggest that Goldson will be on his way out of the club this summer.

Van Bronckhorst states that the likelihood of the defender staying at Rangers is ‘small’, and this will be upsetting for fans as the centre-back has been a vital player at Ibrox in recent years.

In the Premiership this term, Goldson averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.18 as he started 36 of the Light Blues’ 38 matches. He produced consistently brilliant performances at the heart of the defence as he made himself a reliable option for the head coach.

Last season, he started al 38 top-flight games and averaged a phenomenal score of 7.39 for the Gers as he helped the team to keep a whopping 26 clean sheets on their way to the title. He won an impressive 71% of his duels and made 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game as he played a pivotal role in their success.

Goldson also showcased his quality on the continental stage as he caught the eye in the Europa League, with an average Sofascore rating of 7.00 across 14 starts as Rangers fell short in the final against Eintracht Frankfurt.

These statistics illustrate how impressive he has been for the Glasgow giants and shows why the supporters will surely be gutted by his potential exit ahead of next season.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson plotting Rangers swoop for 16 y/o “teen talent”, GvB will be buzzing…

The pick of the numbers from an engrossing day’s play at Edgbaston dominated by Virat Kohli’s masterful hundred

Bharath Seervi02-Aug-20181- Number of higher individual scores by India captains in England than Virat Kohli’s 149 in the first innings of Edgbaston Test. Mohammad Azharuddin had made 179 at Old Trafford in 1990 which is the highest. MAK Pataudi and Sourav Ganguly are the only other India captains to hit centuries in England.54.37- Percentage of runs scored by Kohli in India’s innings – 149 out of 274. The second highest scorer in the innings was Shikhar Dhawan’s 26. Kohli’s contribution is the second highest for any India captain in a completed Test innings and also the second highest for any visiting captain in an innings in England. MS Dhoni had scored 55.40% runs – 82 out of 148 – at The Oval in 2014, which is the only one higher than Kohli’s.Kohli outscores his 2014 England tour tally in just one innings of 2018 tour•ESPNcricinfo Ltd134- Runs scored by Kohli in the whole of the last England tour in 2014 in 10 innings. He has managed to better that tally in just the first innings of the series. In the five match series in 2014, his highest score was just 39 and was out for single-digit scores six times.

2- Centuries by India batsmen in Tests at Edgbaston. Before Kohli’s knock, Sachin Tendulkar’s 122 in 1996 was the only century for India at the venue. Tendulkar’s innings was also a one-man show where the second highest score in the innings was just 18. The last visiting captain to bring up a century at Edgbaston was Graeme Smith (154 not out) in 2008. Javed Miandad, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh are the other visiting captains to scored hundreds at the venue.ESPNcricinfo Ltd116- Balls faced by Kohli after the fall of seventh wicket (R Ashwin) in the innings compared to just 37 balls by his partners for the last three wickets. Ishant Sharma faced 17, Umesh Yadav 16 and Mohammad Shami 4. Kohli therefore faced over 75% of the deliveries batting with the tail and struck 92 runs. He faced 3.1 times the faced by No. 9, 10 and 11 batsmen, which is the highest multiple among batsmen who faced at least 100 balls batting along with them since 2001.ESPNcricinfo Ltd73.33- Percentage of fifties that Kohli has converted into centuries in Tests since 2016. He has passed fifty 15 times and on 11 occasions he went to a century. His rate is the best among all 62 batsmen who have crossed fifty on five or more occasions in this period. On the other hand, his opposing captain for the series, Joe Root, has managed only five centuries out of the 29 fifty-plus scores, which is among the lowest. Root’s conversion rate since becoming captain has decreased more than 50% than his rate before captaincy.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2016Gunathilaka and Dhananjaya de Silva added 73 runs together, their best opening stand of the series•AFPHowever, Australia hit back by picking up three wickets in 10 balls and Sri Lanka stumbled to 78 for 3 in the 16th over•Associated PressIn an effort to stabilise the innings, Upul Tharanga and Kusal Mendis added 43 runs for the fourth wicket•Associated PressBut Australia’s spinners – Travis Head and Adam Zampa – would have none of it and ripped through Sri Lanka’s middle order•AFPMitchell Starc nearly picked up a hat-trick in the 38th over. His 3 for 40 helped bundle Sri Lanka out for 195 with 58 balls left unused•AFPDefending 195, Dilruwan Perera kept Sri Lanka in the hunt by removing both Matthew Wade and Usman Khawaja early•AFPDavid Warner, however, stabilised Australia’s innings by making his first fifty-plus score of the series•Associated PressGeorge Bailey and Warner added 132 for the third wicket as Australia cruised towards the target•Associated PressWarner completed his seventh ODI ton, and the first by an Australian in Sri Lanka, but chipped a return catch to Dhananjaya de Silva with seven runs to win•Associated PressAustralia completed a 4-1 series win with five wickets in hand and seven overs to spare. Bailey was awarded the Man of the Series for topping the run-charts with 270 runs at 67.50•AFP

Stats highlights from the first day of The Oval Test

S Rajesh20-Aug-201562.77 The average opening partnership for Australia in this series; England’s average opening stand in the first four Tests is 14.00. The top six opening stands in this series – each over 50 – have all come from Warner and Chris Rogers. England’s best opening stand in the series is 32.2053 Partnership runs between Rogers and Warner, the highest by any pair in Tests since the beginning of 2012. They’ve averaged 51.32 per completed stand, with nine century partnerships, which is also the highest among all pairs.94.42 Australia’s average opening partnership in Tests at The Oval since 2000, easily their highest among all venues in England during this period.87 Balls before Australia got their first boundary of the innings, when David Warner pulled Ben Stokes off the 88th delivery of the morning. Since 2002, there have been only four instances when the first boundary of a Test match has taken longer – by India against West Indies in Jamaica, 2006, (first boundary off the 114th ball), Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in Colombo, 2013, (107th ball), South Africa against England, in Durban, 2009, (95th ball), and India against West Indies, in Barbados, 2011 (89th ball). In the first hour this morning (14 overs), the Australian openers played 70 dots.2006 Rogers’ Test aggregate, with all his runs coming at the opening slot. Among openers who’ve debuted after the age of 30, Rogers’ aggregate is easily the highest – the next-best is 1231, by England’s Brian Luckhurst.6 Fifty-plus scores for Warner in 15 Test innings in England. However, the highest among them is today’s 85; his other 50-plus scores are 64, 77, 83, 52 (all in this series), and 71, in 2013. His previous five half-centuries had all been scored in the team’s second innings. Warner has also achieved the distinction of getting a half-century in each Test of this series.101 The unbroken fourth-wicket stand between Steven Smith and Adam Voges. In seven previous fourth-wicket stands in this series, Australia’s highest was 43, and their average 17.57. This is only Australia’s second century stand for any wicket other than the first in this series.

The World T20 has been simmering during its qualifying round, but the big boys have descended and Bangladesh have almost made the Super 10. It’s about to boil over

Alan Gardner20-Mar-2014The first few days have established the atmosphere nicely, aided by Bangladesh’s sashaying around their own party looking like a million dollars, but the hubbub is about to increase noticeably. The A-listers have arrived, hoovering up the remaining canapés, distracting the snappers and showing off their entourages. Only the bolshevism shown by Ireland looks like preventing the Super 10 stage from resembling a Full Members’ club, as notions of equality and opportunity are replaced by the established batting order.The World T20, in all its unpredictable, telegenic, effervescent glory, has established itself as a tournament that gives with both hands: the games come thick and fast, high in calorie content and E-numbers, but the weight is quickly shed. With a few vigorous blows a batsman is back in form, while bowlers can “leave it all on the field” during a maximum of four overs, safe in the knowledge that they are expected to get tonked anyway. Supporters gorge themselves on boundaries and ambient pop (sic), then go home, move on.Neither is it just a warm-up for the forthcoming IPL. International rivalry has always been cricket’s strongest conduit of support and the near certainty that the hosts will qualify for the Super 10 stage sets up Dhaka as the jumping-est joint in the country. Group 2, while forbiddingly tough, will allow Bangladesh the opportunity to have a fresh crack at snooty neighbours India and Pakistan, who will resume their own argument over the garden hedge in a hotly anticipated opening to the second round on Friday evening.The port city of Chittagong, once known for its Portuguese settlements, will welcome hopefuls from Europe, Africa and Australia, though Sri Lanka’s local knowledge will be expected to help them chart a course through Group 1. At around the same time, an expanded women’s tournament will also begin in the more genteel surroundings of the new Sylhet stadium, located in a tea garden.Bangladesh and Ireland will be making their maiden appearances at the Women’s World T20, with ten teams contesting 27 matches over 15 days. Two-time defending champions Australia are in the opposite pot to England, winners of the inaugural competition in 2009, with West Indies, New Zealand and India likely to also come into contention. The semi-finals and finals will again take place as double-headers with the men’s events, though in a country with a female prime minister and where crowds in the thousands turned out to watch games at the women’s World Cup Qualifier in 2011, healthy attendances will be hoped for throughout.In the men’s competition, it is simpler to suggest who probably won’t win it than who will. In four previous tournaments, there have been four different winners, which is indicative of T20’s capacity for mischief. The specialist planning and bespoke technique teams come up with for the format has made it something akin to hit ‘n goggle but good old-fashioned confidence and momentum will play a key role in whoever carries off the title this time.Of the eight sides entering at the second round, England and South Africa look the most peaky, especially given the conditions. India’s recent results have also been poor and they have only played one T20 international since December 2012. A few weeks ago, West Indies, the defending champions, would have also been bracketed with the long-shots, having suffered a fifth T20 defeat in a row, against Ireland, but the signs in the warm-ups games suggest that they are rousing themselves at the perfect time once again.One of the favourites, Australia, have Aaron Finch, but no Mitchell Johnson. One of their spinners is a veteran, the other is very raw•Getty ImagesSri Lanka, ranked No. 1 in the world, certainly have form. They have an unenviable record of failing in recent finals – including at the last World T20 at home – but will gain confidence from putting away mercurial geniuses Pakistan in the Asia Cup earlier this month. Will the impending retirements of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene inspire a dash to victory or could the emotion cause Sri Lanka to choke up again?Pakistan have been the best team in the World T20’s short history, never failing to make the semi-finals. The charge against them is that they bowl with brio but bat like brioche (soft, light and easy to tear apart). The latter tendency came to the fore again on Wednesday, dismissed for 71 by South Africa in Fatullah. Best get them out of the way beforehand, eh?According to the bookmakers, the mantle of favourites apparently lies with Australia, perhaps draped especially around the broad shoulders of Aaron Finch, one of the few men who can rival Chris Gayle in a destruction derby. The loss of Mitchell Johnson to injury will deny them a valuable weapon on slower pitches, however, and exacting questions will be asked of their spin options, which include 43-year-old Brad Hogg (international debut: 1996) and 20-year-old James Muirhead (international debut: January 2014). Then there is New Zealand, who a wise man never discounts.The Commonwealth Games are known as the “friendly games” and so far Bangladesh has united in a display of colour and confraternity to put on the “friendly T20”. There are likely to be some flashes of enmity on the field but T20’s spirit of hedonism should quickly subsume all other emotions. The first five days of the tournament served something of a noble purpose; now, at least until the knockout stages begin, it is time for guilty pleasures.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the Group C game between South Africa and Zimbabwe in Hambantota

Andrew Fernando in Hambantota20-Sep-2012The delivery
Many of Zimbabwe’s batsmen were inept against South Africa’s pace, but although Vusi Sibanda’s attempted straight drive to Morne Morkel in the second over wasn’t a great example of the shot, Sibanda can at least be comforted by the fact that he was dismissed by a ball that would have had most batsmen struggling to make contact. Morkel fired a full delivery down at 145 kph, and got it to tail in a touch in the air, before pitching and jagging in dramatically. Sibanda’s whoosh found only air, and the ball zipped between bat and pad to flick the off stump.The double-strike
Craig Ervine and Stuart Matsikenyeri had cobbled together the beginnings of a recovery, grinding forward Zimbabwe’s total to 51 after coming together at 16 for 3, but in two balls, Jacques Kallis crippled the rebuild and restored Zimbabwe’s slide. With the score moving at less than six an over, Matsikenyeri attempted an expansive stroke, bouncing down the pitch to Kallis’ fourth ball, but although he managed to connect, he slapped it straight to short cover. Kallis then removed Elton Chigumbura next ball, when the batsman played around an unremarkable full delivery that struck him flush in front of middle and off.The catch
South Africa had appealed twice for caught-behinds down the leg side and had already snared a victim that way, but when another short ball deflected off the batsman’s glove in the 17th over, the deviation seemed to be too great for the wicketkeeper to haul the catch in. AB de Villiers, though, threw himself full tilt to his less-favoured side and pouched the ball left-handed, close to where a leg-slip might have stood.The shot
In a Zimbabwe innings notable for its timidity, Ervine was the only batsman who showed the application and verve that would have seen Zimbabwe provide more of a challenge to South Africa. Ervine trotted down the pitch to the first ball he faced from Robin Peterson, but when that didn’t work, played a terrific reverse-sweep next ball, splitting the fielders at backward point and sweeper to find the boundary.

A selection of tributes on Sachin Tendulkar’s double-century

Cricinfo staff24-Feb-2010″Better than Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting, the other two great players of my era. Better than Sir Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. And I would even say better than Sir Don Bradman himself.”
“Nobody else does deserve to get there. It’s only Sachin who deserves to scale that peak. 200 is a big score in one-day cricket. It’s not easy to get there. It took him 20 long years to get there. He has come a long way. It’s Sachin’s greatness. Records are meant to be broken. I heard somebody [Charles Coventry] equalled my record sometime ago. But I did not know him. It’s great that my friend from Mumbai Sachin broke it. I am very happy for him.”
“He should aim for more. Maybe a Test innings of 450 or an ODI knock of 250. And then he himself wants to win next year’s World Cup. There is a little boy in Tendulkar who wants to keep playing. That spirit keeps him going. It’s absolutely incredible how he keeps going.”
“Come on Sachin my friend get your 200. World record to please! You deserve it… Nervous for my good friend Sachin everything crossed for you mate… Glad I’m not bowling to him today ha ha ha.”
“I thought the way he celebrated when he reached his 200 epitomised the man’s persona. There was no running laps around the field, no aggressive gestures, nothing over-the-top. He did what he always does, raised both his arms, closed his eyes for a moment and quietly acknowledged that it had been done.”
I was very proud to have held the record for a little while but there could be no better man in the history of the game to break through the 200 barrier. Zimbabwe versus Bangladesh … India versus South Africa. Not quite in the same bracket, are they?”
“The unbeaten 200 that Sachin made at Gwalior is a benchmark for others to follow. Now, there will be lot of players who believe that they can also make 200 in an one-day international. We will wait and see.”
that it was a path breaking innings“He has always respected the game and is dedicated to it. But I think this is not enough for him. He is hungry and I am sure he will keep creating new records. He is a dedicated student of the game and is still keen to learn things.”
“I think if you ask Saeed Anwar, he would say he’s happy that Tendulkar broke his record. The reason for his success is that he has a great respect for the game.”
“He has got so much class. His greatest strength is the longevity, to be able to be so successful at a young age and to still be doing the same thing 20 years on. We’re blessed to still have such a great player playing this game.”
“If any person deserved to do better than me it was Tendulkar. I am happy for him, there are no real regrets.”
.”It shows his mental and physical toughness. He’s a player who does not throw away his wicket once he’s set. He always places a huge price on his wicket.”
“Sachin – the greatest ever player ever – without any doubt… I salute Sachin… World’s greatest sportsman. We can see him only rise. (He is an) inspiration to us all. He is the best.”
“What an innings it was. He had come close to achieving it twice. I always felt that Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya are capable of doing that.”
“He is my favourite player. I had said that one day he would go on to break all batting records and now you see him scoring runs and runs.”
“Whatever record is seen to be impossible to achieve, he makes it possible. That’s all I can say. It seems as he’s getting older, he is becoming more and more mature. No wonder Sir Donald Bradman saw himself in the way Sachin bats.”