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As per 90min, a shock transfer claim has come out of West Ham United involving former Liverpool star and Paris-Saint Germain midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.

The Lowdown: Agents approach Moyes…

As confirmed by the boss himself, agents have already been attempting to offer their top players to both manager David Moyes and West Ham United (football.london).

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The Scotsman’s candid admission in a recent press conference perhaps exemplifies his side’s season so far and how they’re continuing to defy expectation, with West Ham currently still fighting on all fronts.

As the January window looms, the Hammers’ top priorities appear to be an emergency centre-half and the continued pursuit of a back-up striker to Michail Antonio (The Daily Mail).

However, that hasn’t stopped them from being tipped to bolster their midfield too, with 90min now sharing some surprise news.

The Latest: West Ham approached over Wijnaldum…

As per the outlet and reporter Graeme Bailey, West Ham and Moyes have been ‘approached’ by representatives of PSG player Wijnaldum just months after his move to the Parc des Princes from Liverpool.

His agents are apparently ‘working on finding him a potential loan move in the new year’ with West Ham among those to have been offered the 31-year-old alongside ‘more than half the Premier League’.

The Irons’ stance is not yet clear as they have allegedly refused to rule out the possibility of signing him temporarily in January.

The Verdict: Get it done?

Capable of playing further forward in the attacking midfield positions, Wijnaldum is arguably proven in the English top flight and could come as a cheaper alternative to target Jesse Lingard – especially on loan.

The 85-cap ace, called ‘sensational’ by Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, has scored an impressive 26 goals over those appearances for the Netherlands – potentially highlighting his threat going forward.

Despite playing a bit-part role under Mauricio Pochettino this season, he’s still managed to make his mark in the Champions League group stages with two goals, all while averaging an impressive 91% pass accuracy in midfield – more than any West Ham regular domestically with over two starts (WhoScored).

The only big caveat could be his reported £165,000-per-week wages, over £40,000 more than what West Ham’s current highest earner, Kurt Zouma, is taking home (spotrac).

In other news: ‘Oh my’, ‘Yes yes yes’…ExWHUemployee news on ‘perfect’ striker has these West Ham fans talking, find out more here.

Despite all the changes at The Oval over the winter there was one very familiar sight on the second day against Derbyshire – Mark Ramprakash making effortless runs

Andrew McGlashan at The Oval10-Apr-2010
ScorecardDespite all the changes at The Oval over the winter there was one very familiar sight on the second day against Derbyshire – Mark Ramprakash making effortless runs. Surrey will need plenty more from him, too, after Greg Smith’s three-wicket burst built on Chris Rogers’ double hundred to leave the visitors in charge, although the fifth-wicket stand of 109 between Ramprakash and Steven Davies averted an imminent collapse.Ramprakash’s pre-season was a disjointed affair as he spent time on the road with the tour, then helped himself to some runs in Dubai before missing the MCC match against Durham for personal reasons. But Ramprakash has been doing this job for so long that he just slots straight back in. Although he had an escape on 10 when Graham Wagg overstepped and the ball seemed to take an edge down the leg side he barely looked in trouble.By the close he had registered the first of what will be many fifties this season from 94 balls and alongside Davies had steadied the innings from a precarious 74 for 4. Davies, after spending the winter as a drinks waiter for England, played positively for his 70-ball half century although had a few uncomfortable moments against Robin Peterson’s left-arm spin out of the footmarks. And three overs before the close it proved his downfall as he pushed forward and got a low edge to slip, a wicket that confirmed Derbyshire’s position of strength.The Surrey openers had a fair degree of luck in a stand of 44 as both Arun Harinath and Matthew Spriegel were given lives. Tim Groenewald dropped a tough return catch from a leading edge off Spriegel when he had 10 and Harinath was missed off a much simpler chance by Peterson at first slip. So it didn’t come as a complete surprise when Spriegel pushed outside off to give a regulation catch to the keeper and Smith his first wicket.Smith, a versatile cricketer who also bowls offspin, bustled in from the Pavilion End and found a hint of movement with his skiddy action to take 3 for 4 in 14 balls. An over after dislodging Spriegel he ended Harinath’s fidgety innings when the left-hander skewed a catch to gully and Surrey were really in the mire when Usman Afzaal offered a simple edge to first slip.It meant a daunting position of 53 for 3 greeted Rory Hamilton-Brown as he joined Ramprakash, someone who hasn’t been overwhelming in the support of his captaincy appointment. Despite one pleasing cover drive Hamilton-Brown couldn’t stop the slide when he was trapped on the crease by Groenewald so it was left to the man who made his first-class debut in the year Hamilton-Brown was born.When play resumed the main interest was whether Rogers could register another double century and he duly reached the milestone from 318 balls – but not before a second let-off by Stuart Meaker who dropped a sitter a deep square-leg, then gave away four overthrows next ball. It was Rogers’ third double in his last four Championship matches for Derbyshire, a conversion rate that most English batsmen can only dream of. However, he couldn’t add to his tally before being trapped lbw sweeping at Gareth Batty.Peterson had already departed when he was beaten for pace by Meaker to partially atone for his poor fielding, but Derbyshire’s lower order frustrated the home side. Wagg struck the first six of the match during his 37, but Andre Nel finally found some deserved reward when he took the off stump and also added Groenewald.Still, though, there was no swift finish as wicketkeeper Lee Goddard and last-man Mark Footitt added 51 in nine overs with some merry stroke play including a reverse sweep from Goddard. But despite their large total, Derbyshire missed out on full batting points which this season have to be collected within 110 overs of the first innings. Surrey, too, missed out on a point, but that soon became the least of their concerns.

Celtic are finally back in action tomorrow evening with an SPFL clash against Hibernian at home for their first league match of 2022.

Speaking to the media ahead of the match, Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou shared some injury news that will surely have a lot of Celtic fans pleased and excited to see their team playing again.

What’s the news?

Postecoglou revealed that Celtic winger Jota could make a return to action on Monday after being out injured since early December with a hamstring issue.

He is back in training and now very much ready to join up with the squad again. Whether he starts, however, is another matter.

Fans delighted

Since joining the Parkhead club on a loan deal from Benfica, the 22-year-old has managed to score eight goals and provide six assists in 18 appearances across all competitions, showing just how much of a useful attacking outlet he has been for the team this season and why the fans would be delighted to see him back in the side on Monday if he’s fit enough.

In addition to his goals and assists this term, Jota’s performances in the SPFL have been very impressive as well with WhoScored listing him as Celtic’s fourth-highest rated player with an overall rating of 7.48/10, highlighting just how well he has settled into the team and got to grips with the Scottish Premiership.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Celtic would have a great chance of beating Hibs on Monday if they have Jota in their team.

However, given how long it’s been since he last played for the Hoops and how important he’s proved himself to be for the team, it may not be worth Postecoglou taking the risk of putting the Portuguese winger back in the team straight away unless he’s 100% fit and ready to play with no risk of further injury to his hamstring.

Although, with Celtic currently six points off the top spot in the SPFL table, it could be worth taking a gamble with the forward if that will give them the best chance of securing all three points and moving further up the table.

Either way, this match will be a great way for the Hoops to get back into the swing of things and start their year off positively.

In other news: Postecoglou must finally sanction Celtic swoop for “strong” £3.7m beast, he’s the next Fred

For most parts of the day, Saurashtra’s batsmen were comfortable in the middle before ending the day at 272 for 5 in the second quarter-final in Rajkot

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran in Rajkot06-Jan-2013
ScorecardA man in a Narendra Modi mask was among the spectators who turned up•ESPNcricinfo LtdAll the pre-match talk had centred on how the pitch would behave at theSaurashtra University Ground in Rajkot. With no first-class matches playedat the venue so far, neither captain knew how the track would behave. Theground had been used so little that even the scorers didn’t know what thetwo bowling ends are called, and the Karnataka manager wondered whether itwould be an under-prepared wicket.All those worries proved unfounded as though the outfield was a bit bumpyand the dressing rooms were pretty basic, the surface had little in it totrouble the batsmen, and Karnataka’s bowlers struggled to maintain anysustained pressure through the day. Still, they managed to prise out fivewickets and kept Saurashtra to 272 for 5, a total that will not worry thevisitors too much.Sheldon Jackson, the 26-year-old batsman who has finally established himself in the Ranji side this season nearly seven years after making his domestic one-day debut, made his fifth fifty-plus score of the campaign to lead Saurashtra’s effort. He pounced on the many short balls offered to him by the spinners, regularly picking boundaries with powerful cut shots. When the quicks pitched it short, he was quick to pull, as he showed Abhimanyu Mithun in the first over after lunch.After tea, with the sun out, a pleasant breeze blowing across the ground,and Jackson’s partnership with Aarpit Vasavada for the fifth wicket nearinga century, Saurashtra’s batsmen had little to worry about. Jackson himselfwas closing in on his second hundred for the season, and with KP Appannabowling defensively at his pads with six men on the leg-side, a bit ofpatience would have got him there. Instead, he swung Appanna towards widelong-off; Lokesh Rahul sprinted back and to his left from mid-on and with the high ball swirling in the wind, completed a superbly judged tumbling catch that had the entire Karnataka team running towards him in joy.It was Rahul’s fourth catch of the day, and sucked the momentum out of the innings for the final 45 minutes of the day. Vasavada remained unbeaten on49, shelving the strokes he displayed before Jackson’s dismissal to ensureSaurashtra lost only five wickets on the day.For most parts of the day, Saurashtra’s batsmen were comfortable in the middle. Their most important player, Cheteshwar Pujara, who delivered victory in their must-win final league match last week with an aggressivedouble-century began in the same vein today. He took Stuart Binny for 14 inthe over before the first drinks break, with two cuts behind point and awhip off the pads. He had sprinted to 37 off 48 when he flicked K Gowthamto leg slip, to the elation of Karnataka’s fielders.The day’s play took place with the players aware that India’s ODI squad forthe England series would be picked in the evening, with Pujara and perhapsMithun standing a chance of selection. Pujara had only a cameo role, afterMithun provided one for the highlight reel by breaking Sagar Jogiani’s offstump into two in the ninth over of the day. Mithun returned to get thewicket of captain Jaydev Shah as well, who poked a catch to gully.The other opener was Saurashtra’s most experienced player, Shitanshu Kotak,who played a typically patient innings, leaving plenty outside off. He usedhis feet well against the spinners, skipping down the track often as heprogressed to 46 before he too gave a catch to Rahul.It was a day both teams won’t complain too much about, and with the pitchplaying true on the first day, the focus over the next few days will shiftto the actual cricket instead of the nature of the surface.

Tottenham Hotspur would have felt disappointed to only come away from Southampton with a 1-1 draw after the hosts were reduced to 10 men in the first half.

Mohammed Salisu was sent off for two bookable offences after James Ward-Prowse had given the Saints the lead, before Harry Kane dispatched his penalty to bring the scores level before half-time.

Antonio Conte’s team probed in the second half, but they did not do enough to take all three points, as The Transfer Tavern use statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) for the visitors were on the day…

Dele Alli

Alli was given a 6.6 overall rating by SofaScore, and so was ranked as Spurs’ third-worst player on Tuesday afternoon.

The Englishman lost out on six of his duels in total, and failed to record a single shot on goal or successful dribble throughout the entire match.

His 71% pass accuracy was the second-lowest out of his teammates, while the midfielder only managed a mere 42 touches of the ball, giving it away on no fewer than 12 separate occasions.

Hugo Lloris

Although some statistics are different for goalkeepers, Lloris was given a 6.5 rating by SofaScore.

The captain managed just one save from Southampton’s nine shots at goal, while his 23 touches were the lowest out of any Lilywhite to have played the whole game.

Lloris also lost possession three times, and made no key passes.

Sergio Reguilon

Perhaps harshly given that he only played one half, Reguilon was only given a 6.4 rating from SofaScore.

Of course, part of the reason he was withdrawn early was that the left wing-back was one of two THFC players to find themselves cautioned, while he lost two duels, and made no successful dribbles, interceptions, tackles, key passes or accurate crosses.

Reguilon managed just 31 touches in the first half, while he also lost the ball 11 times in total.

All in all, the trio surrendered possession 26 times from just 96 combined touches, turning the ball over on 27 per cent of the occasions they had the ball.

In other news, find out who Tottenham have now ‘launched’ themselves to sign here!

Since current Aston Villa owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris took over from Tony Xia for ownership of the Midlands club back in 2018, they have seen Villa rise out of the Championship and back into the Premier League with the managerial guidance of Dean Smith and now Steven Gerrard.

In that time, the Villa owners have not been shy in splashing the cash to bring players into the club, for example, in the previous summer transfer window, they spent a total sum of £89.84m on the attacking trio of Danny Ings, Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia after selling Jack Grealish to Manchester City for a fee of £100m.

However, not all of the players that Edens and Sawiris have brought into Villa have been successful, one example of which is their Brazilian striker Wesley, who Villa signed back in the 2019 summer transfer window from Belgian side Club Brugge in a deal worth a reported fee of £22m.

In that window, after winning promotion from the Championship in May, Villa also struck deals for the likes of Tyrone Mings, Douglas Luiz, Trezeguet and Matt Targett among plenty of others.

In his first season at Villa Park, Wesley was labelled as a “horrible” player to come up against in training by Villa defender Kortney Hause, but the striker only managed to score five goals in his first 21 Premier League injury that kept him out of action for a significant period of time.

Fast forward to the previous summer window and Villa gave Wesley the opportunity to get his career back on track by loaning him back to Brugge. However, with just six appearances and no goals or assists under his belt during his time back in Belgium, the 25-year-old returned to Villa early and is reportedly now likely to go back to his home country with Internacional on another loan deal.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Wesley’s time with Villa has not been particularly fruitful, especially with the £22m fee that the club paid for the forward. After all, he is now currently valued at £5.4m according to Transfermarkt.

Undoubtedly, his injury was a big blow for him and his development there, but the way his career has panned out since then has not been ideal for anyone, arguably even more so than Trezeguet who joined in the same window as Wesley and also suffered a serious knee injury.

Though, he has at least managed to get some minutes in the team this season.

In other news: Lange could seal Gerrard’s dream AVFC deal with move for “magical” £16.2m-rated dynamo – opinion

Despite a spirited performance, Ireland were unable to deny West Indies XI a clean sweep of the three match Twenty20 series, as the eased to a 16-run win in the curtailed third fixture at Sabina Park on Sunday

Cricinfo staff19-Apr-2010
ScorecardRamnaresh Sarwan eased himself into form ahead of the World Twenty20, with a 27-ball 52•DigicelCricket.comDespite a spirited performance, Ireland were unable to deny West Indies XI a clean sweep of the three match Twenty20 series, as Ramnaresh Sarwan and Ravi Rampaul led the hosts to a 16-run win in the curtailed third fixture at Sabina Park on Sunday.Sarwan, on a comeback trail after a four-month injury break, looked close to hitting top form, smashing four fours and three sixes in his 27-ball 52. His knock was at the centre of the hosts’ recovery after Ireland drew first blood, running out Shivnarine Chanderpaul for a duck in the first over. Wavell Hinds and Andre Fletcher launched the innings with a stand of 39 off 27 balls, with the latter striking six fours in a score of 27. Hinds played second fiddle as Sarwan took over from Fletcher.Sarwan fell in the 13th over to Alex Cusack, and Hinds departed two balls later, when Trent Johnston held a stunner at third man. That gave Darren Sammy an opportunity to finish the innings with an aggressive flourish that yielded 19 off 8 balls.Despite cameos from William Porterfield and Johnston, Ireland were behind the eight-ball throughout the chase, losing wickets intermittently. Rampaul collected 3 for 26, as the visitors were restricted to 136 for 7 in their 15 overs.West Indies XI had easy victories in the first couple of games, by margins of 31 and 18 runs respectively. The 3-0 result gives West Indies the upperhand going into the World Twenty20 that begins on April 30, where they are slotted in the same group as Ireland, with England being the third team.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will not award annual central contracts to its players until the inquiry report into the team’s dismal performance on their tour of Australia is released

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2010The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will not award annual central contracts to its players until the inquiry report into the team’s dismal performance on their tour of Australia is released. A six-man evaluation committee was set up by the board after Pakistan were thrashed 3-0 in the Test series, 5-0 in the ODIs and beaten in the only Twenty20 match; the report is expected later this month.”We will announce the central contracts only after the submission of the inquiry report so that there is no conflict between the two,” Wasim Bari, PCB’s chief operating officer, told .Incidentally, Bari heads both the evaluation and the three-man central contract committees. The evaluation committee met twice last week and discussed reports from team manager Abdul Raqeeb and coach Intikhab Alam.Mohammad Yousuf, Younus Khan, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal and Salman Butt were among the players who were given an audience. Reports were also heard from assistant coach Aaqib Javed and team physio Faisal Hayat.Bari informed the committee would meet again after the team returns from Dubai, where Pakistan will play two Twenty20 matches against England on February 19 and 20. “Our next meeting will be held after the team returns next week and we are due to submit a final report before February 28,” he said.Last year, annual contracts were awarded to 27 players – nine in the top category A, four in category B and 14 in category C. However, fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is likely to be overlooked this time around. He holds an A category contract and last featured in a Twenty20 international in May 2009 against Australia in Dubai.Shoaib had been demoted to a special retainership category for players whose form and fitness were in doubt. He refused to take it and instead responded angrily, sparking a sequence which eventually led him to be banned and fined by the board. He missed the bulk of Pakistan’s international commitments through injury or the ban.Fellow paceman Mohammad Asif, who was ignored last year due to a ban imposed for a failed drug test in the IPL, is expected to get a central contract.

Wrexham are already flying high in League Two, but Phil Parkinson believes there is “more to come” from the likes of Paul Mullin and James McClean.

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Bidding to step up into League OneClaimed National League title last seasonExperience being put to good useWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragons have blended potential with pedigree in a star-studded squad, with the backing of Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney helping to entice top talents to North Wales. The likes of Mullin and McClean fall into that category, having taken professional steps backwards in order to race forwards again.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Wrexham claimed the National League title in record-breaking style last season and have got a taste for promotion parties. The hope is to see another one thrown in 2024, with Phil Parkinson’s side sitting inside the top three of League Two while seeing the fourth tier summit loom into view.

WHAT PARKINSON SAID

Parkinson has said of getting over that line, with there a few more gears that his side can move through if needed: “I think we are still growing as a team. The mentality is so strong; James McClean, Steven Fletcher, Paul Mullin and people like that in the team are real strong characters and you can see that in our performances. I so pleased with the group. They are great to work with and we are going to keep driving on. We are going to give it everything we have got to try and get in that top-three come the end of the season. I still think there's players with a bit more to come, I really do. But we have got players who are big-match players and historically they produce when it matters the most.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham have shown that they can handle pressure and expectation, while performing in front of documentary cameras, and Parkinson should have few concerns regarding the ability of his troops to maintain a surge towards the finishing post in 2023-24.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left slamming the display of Ianis Hagi despite their 3-1 win away at Livingston in the Scottish Premiership.

Goals from Scott Arfield, Joe Aribo and Fashion Sakala were enough to give Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team all three points in the end, but Hagi would surely not have been too pleased with his own individual performance.

The Romania international lost out on three of his duels, and also failed to score with both of his shots on goal, while he was also unsuccessful with five of his crosses and two of his long balls in the game (SofaScore).

Hagi was guilty of losing possession of the ball on no fewer than on 13 separate occasions in the match, the sixth-most out of any of his teammates (SofaScore), in what pretty much summed up a frustrating afternoon for the midfield player.

Rangers fans on Hagi display

These members of the Ibrox faithful slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Teddy Bears supporter even going as far as to claim that he was ‘hilarious’ in some of his play:

“Forgot Hagi was playing”

Credit: @douglaspark92

“The thing is Hagi and Morelos are anon again! Both look like playing with lead boots”

Credit: @Shodan47

“Hagi so far is not in the game”

Credit: @cameron1701

“How bad has Hagi been again today?”

Credit: @Kjrocket80

“Need more from Morelos again. Hagi also not contributing hugely. Need them to show something or I’d be getting the subs on.”

Credit: @AMcKellar89

“Some of this play from Tavernier and Hagi is hilarious. Not in a good way.”

Credit: @BMCRangersRants

In other news, find out what official club post has Gers buzzing here!