West Ham United are safe. An inconsistent, erratic, and stressful season has seen the Irons occasionally flirt with the devastating fate of relegation.

However, the Hammers finished relatively comfortably in 14th position and have the Europa Conference final next week.

Whatever the result of that European showdown, the east London outfit will undoubtedly be active in the summer transfer window, especially when considering their £179m outlay prior to this campaign.

For the quality of the squad, their league place was unflattering, and their underwhelming nature in front of goal hindered their progression.

David Moyes’ side netted an uninspiring 42 Premier League goals in 38 outings, drawing blanks in 32% of their domestic fixtures.

Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma were the club’s top scorers, sharing six goals a piece, to underline a mind-boggling lack of potency.

As a result, the Guardian has reported that West Ham are interested in Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes, which would be a huge statement of intent to resurrect their offensive woes.

Why should West Ham sign Harvey Barnes?

The Englishman is deliciously talented and has offered fantastic levels of output in a hideously disjointed Leciester team that suffered relegation back to the Championship after Everton defeated Bournemouth.

The one-cap international scored 13 goals this season, which is more than Phil Foden, Son Hueng-Min, and Roberto Firmino.

From a wider perspective, this is even more impressive as the former West Brom loanee ranks in the top 6% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for non-penalty goals, which begs the mouthwatering question of what the winger could achieve in a more functional team.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has previously heaped noticeable praise on the £35k-per-week star and said: “Barnes is probably one of the biggest talents, I’m not sure if he is respected or appreciated as much as he should be, he is an unbelievable player to be honest, a proper Leicester product.”

Barnes’ explosive style of play, combined with his ruthless productivity and commendable judgement of when to run in behind is reminiscent of Bowen’s feats last term.

Although not exactly at the race this season, scoring just six league strikes, during the 2021/22 season, the 26-year-old was utterly phenomenal, recording 22 goal involvements in 34 starts, as he was an integral part of a Clarets side that came sixth and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League.

For the Irons to produce a more fruitful return in front of goal and reclaim a spot in the top half of the league, then the signing of £35k-per-week Barnes could be a stroke of genius and one that replicates Bowen, just from the opposite flank.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is ready to raid the transfer market for a 'top level' striker this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Aston Villa?

Aston Villa have been linked with several forward players as the forthcoming transfer window draws closer, as they look to complement the example set by Ollie Watkins in 2022/23, who bagged 16 goals and six assists from 40 appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

The Telegraph reported earlier this month that Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic and Barcelona attacker Ferran Torres are both on the radar at Villa Park. Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney is said to be another target in the left-back area.

According to The Mirror, the Villans have also 'registered an interest' in Wolverhampton Wanderers ace Hwang Hee-chan; however, they face competition from Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Roma for his signature.

Real Madrid man Marco Asensio has been mooted with a high-profile switch to Villa Park. Emery is eyeing some 'ambitious' summer arrivals and the 27-year-old could join on a free transfer due to his contract being set to expire at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones believes that bringing in a striker will be a top priority for Emery at Villa Park in the off-season.

Jones said: "Aston Villa can't just rely on Ollie Watkins. He's gone dry over the last five or six games before scoring against Brighton & Hove Albion. For where Emery wants to get to, he can't really afford for that to happen throughout the course of next season.

"We know that definitely a number nine is on his wish list and I do expect him to bring in a top level striker."

Do Aston Villa need to bring in another striker?

It would be wise for Aston Villa to add to their forward line as they will face the exciting burden of juggling domestic and European football next term, having secured Europa Conference League qualification on the final day of the Premier League season.

Of course, Watkins has been in free-scoring form for the Villans this season; however, there isn't much in the way of natural number nines beyond him at the club.

Jhon Duran is on the books at Villa Park, though has yet to register his first strike for the West Midlands outfit from 12 appearances and has been billed as 'one for the future' by journalist Pete O'Rourke in an interview with GIVEMESPORT.

Aston Villa will have aspirations of going one better next campaign and competing higher up the table, which will likely be achieved by conducting some savvy business in the transfer market under Emery.

The ECB has not given up plans of hosting the first day-night Test in England in 2017

George Dobell12-Sep-2016The ECB has not given up plans of hosting the first day-night Test in England in 2017.While plans to host Warwickshire’s final Championship match of the season against Lancashire at Edgbaston under lights have now been shelved – both clubs remain in danger of relegation from Division One and are unwilling to add an element of experimentation into such an important fixture – ESPNcricinfo understands that fixtures in Division Two will be considered instead.Matches at Leicestershire (who host Glamorgan) and Gloucestershire (who host Sussex) from September 20 are deemed especially suitable, with none of the clubs involved in the promotion challenge. All the clubs involved would have to agree before it is confirmed that the match could be held under lights. ESPNcricinfo understands that Leicestershire may be precluded from using their lights for the fixture due to planning restrictions.While sitting outside in the evening in late September might not be hugely attractive to spectators, the ECB feel it is necessary to conduct further tests – not least into the deterioration of the pink ball used in day-night Test cricket – before making a final decision as to whether a floodlit Test could be played in England next year.Edgbaston remains the target venue for the first floodlit Test in England with West Indies the opponents identified. That Test is due to start on August 17. Warwickshire has already hosted a 2nd XI fixture under lights at Edgbaston.”Tickets for that game go on sale in mid-October,” Neil Snowball, the Warwickshire CEO, told ESPNcricinfo. “So we really need to have made a decision before then so people know what they are going to be watching.”I went into that Second XI match open-minded and came out of it very positive about day-night cricket. We would like to make it work and I think the ECB would, too, but we would need to come to a conclusion within the next few weeks.”Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, remains a supporter of pushing the day-night concept forward after the inaugural floodlit match in Adelaide last year.”We are looking at it from a sample size of one at the moment but on reflection that seemed like a good match for Test cricket,” he said. “The question will always be: is that something we can and should replicate in this country, are there other things we can do? What I don’t want us to do is stick our head in the sand and pretend everything will be okay. There will always be people who will saying everything is fine and dandy as it stands, but with the shifting sands of international cricket we need to be proactive rather than reactive.”There remains a chance that one of the Ashes Tests in 2017-18 could be played under lights – Australia have day-night Tests against South Africa and Pakistan in their coming season – and while Strauss said he would ideally want England to play one before an Ashes campaign he would still be open to the idea regardless.”Where I am generally with day-night cricket is that I don’t want to let performance get in the way of taking Test cricket forward, so if Australia want us to play a day-night Test then I think myself, our coaches and players are comfortable with that as a concept. What we’d need to be clear on is how we prepare ourselves properly for that. We’d want to give ourselves the best chance of winning an Ashes series in Australia.”Should the plans for shelved for 2017, it seems unlikely England or Wales would host a day-night Test before the 2020 season. The tourists in high-summer of 2018 are India, where broadcast times would not be suited to later start times, while Australia return in 2019 with little need for any novelty value to assist with ticket sales.

Bad light brought the first ODI to an excruciating end with Hong Kong needing 18 to win off 12 balls with six wickets in hand when the match was called off

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2016
Match called off due to bad light
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHong Kong’s Ehsan Khan became the 23rd man to strike with his first ball in ODIs•Hong Kong CricketBad light brought the first ODI between Scotland and Hong Kong at the Grange in Edinburgh to an excruciating end with Hong Kong needing 18 to win off 12 balls with six wickets in hand when the match was called off. Hong Kong had played 18 overs. If this were a T20, Duckworth-Lewis would have kicked in at this point to decide a winner. But this was an ODI, and both sides needed to have played a minimum of 20 overs for that to happen.With rain delaying the start by five-and-a-half hours, the match had first been reduced to 21 overs a side. Another spell of rain 4.2 overs into the Scotland innings, after Hong Kong had sent the home side in, caused a further reduction to 20 overs a side. This was effectively a T20 game, but not quite.Chasing 154, Hong Kong began briskly, thanks to a 26-ball 43 from Nizakat Khan. They slipped to 64 for 2 in the ninth over after Con de Lange, the left-arm spinner, dismissed both openers in quick succession. Babar Hayat and Anshuman Rath then put on 62 in 8.2 overs for the third wicket, leaving 28 needed off the last 22 balls. Both fell in the 17th over, bowled by Mark Watt, with the aggressive Rath run out. Ehsan Khan, on 2, and Tanwir Afzal, on 7, were at the crease when the umpires decided the light was insufficient for play to go on.”It was the right decision to come off the field but the decision should have been made six overs prior as it was significantly dark then,” Hong Kong coach Simon Cook said. “And that was further away from a result when neither team could claim to be unhappy.”The umpires asked our batters if they could see the ball and our guys said it was tough and then Scotland were told they couldn’t bowl fast bowlers. So towards the end they could just bowl slow to have a shot at getting in to contention and once we hit a boundary and a few singles they brought the fast bowler on. The umpires handled the game brilliantly other than that but they held on for a decision too long with the light.”Scotland’s innings was given a firm foundation by Kyle Coetzer, who struck 53 off 30 balls, with six fours and two sixes, before he became the debutant Ehsan’s second victim. The offspinner had earlier struck with his first ball in ODIs when he dismissed the opener Craig Wallace at the start of the fourth over.Scotland, 96 for 1 after a 58-run second-wicket stand between Coetzer and Calum MacLeod, slumped to 102 for 5. De Lange’s unbeaten run-a-ball 26 stilled the tumble of wickets, but the collapse took all the momentum out of the Scotland innings. Having scored 99 in the first ten overs of their innings, they only managed to add 54 in the last ten.The two sides are scheduled to meet again for the second ODI in Edinburgh on Saturday.

أوضح نادي بيراميدز، موقف ثنائي الفريق المصاب محمد رضا بوبو وكريم حافظ من مواجهة مازيمبي، التي تقام بينهما غداً السبت في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويحل بيراميدز ضيفًا على مازيمبي، في إطار منافسات الجولة الخامسة من عمر مواجهات دور المجموعات للبطولة القارية.

وكان الثنائي كريم حافظ ومحمد رضا بوبو، يعانيان من نزلة برد حالت دون مشاركتهما بشكل طبيعي في التدريب الأول للفريق في الكونغو والذي أقيم بالأمس.

طالع | مايلي: بيراميدز لديه لاعبين على أعلى مستوى .. وقادرون على الفوز أمام مازيمبي

وشارك كريم حافظ في جزء بسيط من تدريب الأمس، بينما لم يتمكن بوبو من المشاركة في التدريب الأول.

واطمأن الجهاز على حالة الثنائي قبل التدريب الأخير الذي يقام عصر اليوم باستاد مازيمبي، وقدرتهما على المشاركة في التدريب بالكامل بصورة طبيعية بعد استجابتهما للعلاج.

ويتواجد بيراميدز في المجموعة الأولى لـ دوري أبطال إفريقيا مع كل من مازيمبي وصن داونز ونواذيبو الموريتاني.

ويحتل بيراميدز المركز الثالث في ترتيب المجموعة الأولي بـ دوري أبطال إفريقيا برصيد 4 نقاط، من فوز وتعادل وتلقى هزيمتين.

Aston Villa are reportedly ready to turn their attention to the summer transfer window, as a winger has been linked with a move to Villa Park.

The Villans still firmly have all their attention on their final game of that season, which could see the club secure European football for next campaign.

Since the arrival of Unai Emery in October, Villa have experienced a complete change in fortunes, ranking second in the Premier League table from games played since the turn of the year.

Despite enjoying success, the Spaniard wants to improve more beyond his strong first season, as relayed through the lucrative transfer links so far and the club’s speculated decision to hand the 51-year-old a £150m budget.

The latest news on the transfer front has linked a former Manchester United academy ace with a move to Villa Park.

What’s the latest on Largie Ramazani to Aston Villa?

As claimed reports in Spain – relayed by Sport Witness – Belgian forward Largie Ramazani could be on the move to the Midlands this summer.

The report states that “several” clubs from the Premier League have scouted the UD Almeria winger with one “precisely” being Aston Villa.

The 22-year-old is contracted to the La Liga club until 2025, with a release clause of €40m (£34m) in place.

It’s reported that the forward has “always made it clear” that he would be in favour of a move back to the Premier League after spending time in United’s academy.

What could Largie Ramazani bring to Aston Villa?

Likened by FBref to Tottenham ace Son Heung-min, the winger has found the net three times in La Liga this season, contributing to one assist in 31 appearances.

Hailed as “explosive” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the young Belgian could provide worthy competition for Villa’s Leon Bailey, who may depart this summer, as per reports.

The two have similarities to their game, with both being influential going forward, as their numbers over the past year show, via FBref.

The Jamaican averages a huge 3.98 progressive carries per 90, followed narrowly by the Almeria ace with 3.74. A similar pattern follows in terms of the duo’s rate of successful take-ons, with the Villa target scoring higher than Bailey with 1.97 to his 1.75 per 90.

Lauded as being a “mini Vinicius” and a “counter-attacking weapon”, the wide-man is a live wire in attack and could be a shining light for Emery in place of Bailey at Villa Park next season.

The Belgian’s counter-attacking prowess is highlighted through his rate of interceptions in comparison to other wide players in Europe, averaging 0.98 per 90, placing him in the top 1% of the attribute – as per FBref.

While Bailey has been a strong player at times when needed by the Villans, the winger’s form tends to fluctuate, as highlighted through his Sofascore average match rating this season of 6.65.

Regardless of the player’s status at the club next season, a forward as promising as Ramazani is a player that could hugely impact Emery’s squad, whether it be through depth or as a figure to replace the likes of Bailey.

Guyana Amazon Warriors and USA fast bowler Ali Khan has suffered a setback in his recovery from a left hamstring injury sustained last month and is now in doubt for WCL Division Four

Peter Della Penna in Los Angeles28-Oct-2016USA fast bowler Ali Khan is likely to miss at least the first two games of ICC WCL Division Four and could be out for the entire tournament after he re-injured his left hamstring in a USA training session earlier this week in Los Angeles. The Guyana Amazon Warriors pacer is an integral part of USA’s bowling plans but USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake tried to remain optimistic about Ali’s possibility to play a part in the tournament.”Ali Khan is one of the best that we have and he actually has the capacity to change a game on his own so we are really looking forward for him to get 100% fit and play for us,” Dassanayake told ESPNcricinfo. “Right now, he is around 80%, still need some more work to be done. I’m not sure about the first day whether he is going to be ready but I’m going to make sure that he’s going to be ready for the last three games where the crucial time comes in this tournament. Right now the target is for him to be ready for next Tuesday.”Ali initially suffered a left hamstring strain on September 20 at a USA national camp in Indianapolis which caused him to miss the Auty Cup against Canada earlier this month. According to a team source, Ali was 100% fit on arrival in Los Angeles on October 23 and bowled six overs without any problems at the start of the team’s training session on Monday. However, it was while running in to begin this second spell, after cooling down, that he re-injured the leg and pulled up.Dassanayake had initially planned to play Ali in USA’s warm-up match against a Southern California Cricket Association on Tuesday as a means of proving his match fitness after missing the Auty Cup. However, that plan was scratched on Monday and the tentative plan is for Ali to sit out USA’s first two games against Bermuda and Italy on October 29 and 30. A rest day follows on Monday before USA’s third match against Oman on November 1.According to a team source, an option has been discussed to possibly give Ali a cortisone injection in an effort to aid his recovery but that is seen as a last resort. Southern California medium-pacer Hammad Shahid, who took Ali’s spot for the Auty Cup and turned in figures of 2 for 36 and 1 for 18 in a combined 18 overs against Canada, is in line to be called up to the USA squad for Division Four if Ali is not passed fit by Monday night on the eve of the Oman match.”If he has to go beyond the Oman game, then we have to make that decision but I’m hopeful,” Dassanayake said. “He was doing some rehab stuff for the last three or four days and now our physio is here. Everything is pretty decently organised and we are putting that effort for him to get better. I’m confident that he’ll be ready for that game but if not, then still we have to make a decision around Monday night.”

Having avoided relegation from the Premier League in dramatic circumstances this past season, plenty of transfer activity is expected at Everton in the coming months.

The latest name to be linked with a move to Goodison Park is talented Sunderland winger Jack Clarke, who scored nine goals and provided 11 assists for the Black Cats in the regular season as they narrowly missed out on promotion to the top flight.

According to The i, Everton are one of a number of Premier League clubs – along with Crystal Palace, Brentford and newly-promoted Burnley – who are tempted to hand over £15m to land the 22-year-old.

Who is Jack Clarke?

It is little wonder Sunderland are facing a battle to keep hold of Clarke on the back of his hugely efficient 2022-23 campaign, one in which the Leeds United academy product directly contributed to 20 goals in 45 regular-season matches – only seven others can boast a higher return.

The £14k-per-week Clarke also ranked second in the division for progressive carries (183), which measures moves that carry the ball at least ten yards towards the opposition's goal, behind only Viktor Gyokeres (198).

The England U20 international has truly kick-started his career across a season-and-a-half at the Stadium of Light, having initially joined on a short-term loan from Tottenham, where he was restricted to just three appearances across three seasons.

It did not take Clarke long to win over Sunderland supporters after signing permanently on a four-year deal last July, with his two-assists-and-a-goal showing in August's 3-0 win over Rotherham United a true sign of what was to come.

"Honestly unreal," football reporter Josh Bunting said of that performance. "He's been incredible so far this season. He's been head and shoulders the best player on the pitch. Stunning performance."

Where would Jack Clarke fit in at Everton?

Everton are not exactly short on players in wide areas, but the Toffees' squad is in desperate need of freshening up, and they could do a lot worse than bringing in a hungry player no doubt looking to prove himself at the highest level.

There is a case to be made that Everton supporters have already seen a player similar to Clarke up close in recent years, with Gerard Deulofeu another skilful ball carrier who was capable of playing out wide or through the middle.

Deulofeu has averaged 0.26 assists per 90 minutes across his career, which is almost identical to Clarke (0.22). The pair are also very alike in other aspects of their attacking game, such as goal-creating actions (0.49 compared to 0.40) and successful take-ons (50% compared to 47%).

While Deulofeu is hardly remembered as a player who truly lit up the Premier League, scoring just eight in 75 for Everton, his performances earned him a return to Barcelona, albeit for just half of the 2017-18 season.

Clarke will be hoping for a similarly bright future, and in the Toffees, he may well be given a similar platform as Deulofeu to further kick on and show Tottenham were wrong to let him go.

As Clarke's agent Ian Harte told The i, "every player has a price". At a reported £15m, that is surely a fee worth paying for an Everton side in desperate need of change.

Having spent over three hours at the crease on his return from a hamstring injury, Shaun Marsh, not only led Western Australia’s efforts against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield but also took strides to retain his spot as Test opener

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2016
ScorecardShaun Marsh spent over three hours at the crease•Getty Images

Shaun Marsh marked his return from injury with a half-century on the opening day of Western Australia’s 600th Sheffield Shield match. Western Australia declared on 9 for 271 and were able to dismiss the South Australian openers cheaply before the close of play.Marsh’s 73 off 151 balls at the top of the order has come as a welcome sign with the national selectors picking the Test squad to face South Africa on Friday. He is the incumbent opener, having scored a century in Australia’s last Test, against Sri Lanka in Colombo, but he had torn his hamstring in a Matador Cup match earlier this month.This day-night Shield game was a way for Marsh to prove his fitness and he felt good having come through it. Besides hitting nine fours, he ran 23 singles, four twos and two threes over 206 minutes at the crease.”I’ve had no issues with the hammy and I ran out there at maximum speed,” Marsh told the . “I was concerned when I did it [injured myself] because I’ve had hamstring issues in the past but I knew it wasn’t that bad and it has come good in the past couple of days.”The first Test against South Africa begins in Perth on November 3. But Marsh wasn’t keen on looking that far ahead. “I will worry about this game first and see where it takes us,” he said.The other notable contribution of the Western Australia innings came from Michael Klinger. His 61 off 97 balls included eight fours but his wicket led to a middle-order collapse. Six wickets fell for 60 runs before the ninth-wicket partnership between Jason Behrendorff and Ryan Duffield, who struck 20 of his 23 runs in fours, frustrated South Australia. The declaration came when the stand was broken in the 80th over, having added 38 runs.Behrendorff continued causing trouble for the visitors, dismissing Kelvin Smith and Jake Weatherald in the third over. South Australia ended the day on 16 for 2, trailing by 255 runs.

With focus now beginning to turn toward the summer transfer window for those at Manchester United, a sense of uncertainty remains at the club amid the ongoing takeover talks, with it yet to be decided just who will replace the current owners, the Glazers.

At present, it would appear that it is a straight fight between INEOS' Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari investor, Sheikh Jassim, albeit with a decision still needing to be made after numerous rounds of bidding from both parties.

In the case of Jassim, reports in Spain have suggested that the interested bidder has already put together a ten-man transfer wishlist should he edge out Ratcliffe and become United's new owner, with it seemingly apparent that the Qatari banker is ready to splash the cash this summer.

Among that reported list of targets is Napoli sensation, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with the Georgian wizard having dazzled during his first season in Italian football, helping Luciano Spalletti's side to Scudetto glory after bagging 12 goals and 13 assists in 33 Serie A games.

Recognised by his club as arguably the "best player in world football" – as per CBS reporter, Ben Jacobs – the 22-year-old is unlikely to come cheap if he is to make the move to Old Trafford, with journalist Ryan Taylor previously suggesting that it could take around £100m to pull off a deal.

While that fee may appear rather sizeable, the signing of the fleet-footed "monster" – as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig – could well prove worth it for Erik ten Hag's side…

How good is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia?

The talent of the former Dinamo Batumi ace can seemingly be best illustrated by his apparent likeness to an iconic figure of Red Devils history, with former Italy international, Christian Vieri having stated that the "days of George Best will return" if Kvaratskhelia is to sign for the club, as the Tbilisi native is the "same" as the late, great Northern Irishman.

Any comparison to Best is likely to catch the eye of United supporters, with the European Cup-winning sensation having arguably been "the greatest talent our football ever produced", according to Sir Alex Ferguson.

Having arrived in Manchester as a teenager from his native Belfast, the legendary wide man would go on to score 179 goals in 470 appearances over the decade or so, establishing himself as a true cult hero due to his instinctive and dynamic brilliance on the pitch, as well as his lavish lifestyle off it.

A true wizard with the ball at his feet, the enigmatic ace had the ability to run rings around opponents with apparent ease, with former teammate Bobby Charlton having stated previously:

"At the time when [Best] first got in the team, no one had seen his like before: someone who was so small and tough, who would go into tackles, but also had the ability to turn people inside out and beat anyone he liked. George was as good as anyone you will see; he used to embarrass players time and time again."

It would appear that Kvaratskhelia also possesses that "untamed" quality – as hailed by journalist Rory Smith – as he notably ranks in the top 6% among his European peers for progressive carries and in the top 3% for successful take-ons, as a marker of his dribbling prowess.

Hailed for his "incredible dribbling ease" by ex-Napoli talisman, Marek Hamsik, the 20-cap menace undoubtedly possesses a likeness to that of Best, with the hope being that is not too long before the emerging superstar is snapped up by the United hierarchy.