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Arsenal are allegedly in direct talks with a highly-rated striker, and manager Mikel Arteta has already spoken with him about the prospect of a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal are targeting a forward in January

Following their all-important 2-1 win over Tottenham in the North London Derby on Wednesday evening, Arteta told TNT Sports that the Gunners are indeed in the market for a new forward, after both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus were sidelined recently.

Arsenal have been trying to sign £51m star "for years" and "will" get him

There’s optimism he’ll make a move to N5.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jan 16, 2025

Jesus’ ACL rupture means we won’t see him don an Arsenal jersey again this season, while Saka is expected to be out until March after undergoing hamstring surgery. Arteta is left with just one striker in Kai Havertz as a result of Jesus’ absence, and the Spaniard must also cope without Saka’s incredible output of goals and assists in the final third.

Arsenal’s next five Premier League games	Date
Aston Villa (home)	January 18
Wolves (away)	January 25
Man City (home)	February 2
Leicester City (away)	February 15
West Ham (home)	February 22

Their shortage of quality attackers has prompted credible reports of Arsenal working hard to sign a new forward in January (Sky Sports), and this has now been confirmed by Arteta himself.

“Yes, for sure, because we lost two big players – Bukayo, who could be out for up to three months, and then Gabby, who will be out for a long, long, long time,” said Arteta on Arsenal signing another attacker.

“We are going to try [in this window] for sure. We are actively looking. We will try. Let’s see what we can get.”

This also comes amid concerns about their lack of cutting edge in the final third, with former Arsenal and Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor claiming they should’ve scored far more in the North London Derby.

“I still think they need to work much better on their finishing because they created so many chances today,” said Adebayor.

“The game ended 2-1. It could’ve been 5-1, 7-1. For a team that wants to win the league, if they keep on playing like this. I don’t think it’s going to be possible.”

Arsenal "in talks with" Benjamin Sesko after Mikel Arteta contact

According to Sam C, who works on The United Stand and That’s Football TV with over 147,000 followers on X, Arteta’s side are making serious moves for RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko after missing out on a deal last summer.

Sesko rejected a proposal to join Arsenal in 2024, and it’s been reported elsewhere that they could come back in for the Slovenia international this year.

That time appears to be now, as Sam C claims that Arsenal have opened direct talks with Sesko, and Arteta is said to have personally spoken with the 21-year-old already.

They’re looking to take him on loan with an option to buy before deadline day, but Leipzig want either a straight transfer fee or an obligation to buy inserted into any temporary deal.

Sesko bagged 18 goals in all competitions last season, and has carried on with a similar run of form this term – scoring 13 in 25 games this term. The ex-RB Salzburg sensation signed a new deal last summer, which is rumoured to include a £63 million release clause (BILD).

Will Young makes 91 to lead Northants reply but target of 354 remains out of reach

ECB Reporters Network02-Aug-2022Centuries from openers Will Fraine and Harry Duke underpinned Yorkshire’s convincing start to the Royal London Cup as Northamptonshire were beaten by 33 runs DLS at York’s Clifton Park.Fraine’s all-format career-best 143 was ably supported by Duke’s contrasting 111 as Yorkshire racked up 343 for 5 in 46 overs, also including teenager Will Luxton’s 84. Fraine and Luxton dominated to start a batting day, while wicketkeeper Duke played the supporting role after the Vikings were inserted.In reply, New Zealand opener Will Young, captaining Steelbacks in this opening Group B fixture, kept their hopes alive with a top-score of 91. But he was out with just under 200 runs still required, and they were bowled out for 320 inside 45 overs. Dom Bess finished with 3for 63 off nine.Lewis McManus nearly matched Young with an entertaining, consolatory 82. Four overs per side were lost due to late morning rain.Fraine displayed power on the leg side and touch on the off as he hit 12 fours and eight sixes in 107 balls, usurping his Championship 106 against Surrey at Scarborough in 2019.In posting a second county century in front of a 3000-strong crowd, the 26-year-old made a Northamptonshire attack who erred on a pitch with good pace and bounce pay. Fraine pulled Tom Taylor over the pavilion and later hoisted Nathan Buck over the hospitality marquee at long-on.Duke, 20, also faced 107 balls. Shortly after Fraine had reached his century off 85 balls – at which point Yorkshire were 142-0 after 23 overs – Duke’s fifty came off 62. The busy Duke scooped with increasing regularity as he moved to his second List A century after 125 versus Leicestershire last year.When Fraine sliced Saif Zaib’s left-arm spin to backward point, the damage had been done at 209 for 1 in the 30th. But there was more to follow.England Under-19s batter Luxton followed Fraine’s dominance, hitting well straight for 10 fours and three sixes in 53 balls as the Steelbacks failed to stem the flow of runs until the final two overs when only 11 were conceded.Duke reached three figures off 97 balls, and Luxton’s second career fifty came off 35 a delivery later. Both men were caught in the penultimate over off Buck, the pick of the visiting attack with 2 for 66 from nine, following a second-wicket partnership of 134 inside 15 overs.Northamptonshire slipped to 36 for 2 inside six overs of their reply, including debutant seamer Ben Cliff inducing a leading edge from Ricardo Vasconcelos to wide mid-on after only four balls. Ben Coad also had Emilio Gay caught at slip.Young and Zaib shared 82 for the third wicket to get the innings back on track, though the road ahead remained a long one.Young was strong square on both sides of the wicket in his 64-ball innings, adding two straight sixes off the left-arm spin of debutant Harry Sullivan to a dozen boundaries. But he and Zaib fell in the space of five overs, leaving Northamptonshire at 158 for 4 in the 24th over. Zaib was stumped off Bess and Young miscued a pull at Coad to mid-on.Steelbacks had little option but to plough on. And they did, first through Rob Keogh’s 59.A feature of this fixture was that runs were largely scored with authenticity rather than agriculture. Keogh was no different. But he handed Sullivan his maiden wicket by picking out deep cover, and it was the first of three wickets for 17 runs which all but ended the contest as the score fell from 237 for 4 in the 34th over to 254 for 7 in the 37th.Sullivan also bowled James Sales and Bess had Taylor caught and bowled. Bess struck again before wicketkeeper McManus threatened a late and remarkable heist with four sixes in 62 balls, before falling lbw to Tom Loten.

Manchester City are hoping to make the Premier League pay their massive £20m legal bill after winning their APT battle.

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Man City to force Premier League to pay their legal billPremier League lost the APT disputeCityzens face Crystal Palace on SaturdayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

In February, the Premier League was handed a huge blow after City won their court case disputing the top division's sponsorship rules over the last three years, which have been declared null and void. A tribunal, made up of three senior legal figures in Sir Nigel Teare, Lord Dyson and Christopher Vajda KC, sided in favour of the English champions.

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Per , the Cityzens are now likely to force the Premier League to pay their hefty £20m legal fees, which the club incurred for appointing a legal team comprising of Lord Pannick KC and Paul Harris KC. A separate hearing will now be conducted to determine who pays what amount, although the English top-flight are set to defend the case strongly.

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The reigning champions have been locked in a long-standing battle with the Premier League over at least 115 charges, and as per , City have spent a staggering £30.6million on legal fees.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

Pep Guardiola's side will be back in action in the Premier League on Saturday as they host Crystal Palace in a crucial home fixture.

Celtic are set to take an astonishing lead of 14 points at the top of the Scottish Premiership table into the new year after their 4-0 win over St Johnstone on Sunday.

The Hoops secured a comprehensive victory at Parkhead at the weekend to ensure that they start 2025 in a sensational position in the division, with Rangers dropping points against Motherwell to help extend the gap.

Kyogo Furuhashi scored twice and Nicolas Kuhn and Daizen Maeda both got on the scoresheet, whilst Kasper Schmeichel kept his 15th clean sheet in 18 matches.

The Bhoys have won 16 and drawn two of their 18 games in the league, dropping points away at Dundee United and at home to Aberdeen, so far, and are on course to win a fourth straight title.

Celtic’s immense form in the division, however, does not mean that Brendan Rodgers will not be looking at ways to improve his side in the January transfer window, which officially opens for business on Wednesday.

The Scottish giants will constantly be looking at ways to improve, particularly with the knockout stages of the Champions League potentially to come in 2025, and are reportedly eyeing a new midfielder.

Celtic eyeing English midfielder

According to The Boot Room, Celtic are lining up a swoop to sign Burnley central midfielder Josh Brownhill at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

The report claims that the 29-year-old star has not accepted the new contract on the table from the English Championship side, with his current deal due to expire next summer.

This means that the former Bristol City dynamo is due to become a free agent at the end of the season, and will be available for pre-contract talks with teams from Scotland and Europe – outside of England – in the January transfer window.

The Boot Room adds that Fiorentina and Lazio have already placed their cards on the table with offers to sign the English gem on a free transfer.

It adds that both Celtic and Rangers are also interested in landing the experienced whiz and are considering their own offers to bring him up to Glasgow, although it remains to be known whether or not he would be interested in moving to Scotland.

West Ham, Leeds United, Crystal Palace, and Brentford are among the English sides said to be keen on Brownhill, but they would not be able to negotiate a pre-contract deal in January and would have to wait until the summer, unless they looked to reach an agreement with Burnley for a permanent transfer in January.

Transfer Focus

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

This shows that there is plenty of competition for the Burnley captain’s signature and that it will not be an easy move for Celtic to get over the line, particularly with offers already coming in from the Serie A.

His form for the Clarets in the Championship this season, however, suggests that he is a player worth fighting for, as the English ace could be an excellent addition to Rodgers’ squad and the perfect midfield partner for Arne Engels.

Arne Engels' form this season

The Celtic board sanctioned a club-record deal of £11m to sign the Belgium international from German side Augsburg in the summer transfer window, after Matt O’Riley was sold to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Engels arrived as a young player who needed time to develop and grow before hitting his stride at Parkhead, but has still been expected to deliver on the pitch given the money that was spent on him.

The Belgian starlet has produced five goals and eight assists in 24 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops to date, including one goal and three assists in six Champions League matches.

Appearances

15

Starts

10

Goals

4

Big chances created

4

Key passes per game

1.4

Assists

1

As you can see in the table above, Engels has been incredibly unfortunate with the quality of finishing from his teammates in the Premiership so far this term.

They have only rewarded him with one assist from the four ‘big chances’ and 21 key passes that he has produced for them, which suggests that too many players have been wasteful with their efforts in the final third.

This is why Brownhill could come in as a perfect signing for Engels in the middle of the park, as the pair could combine to lethal effect at the top end of the pitch.

Why Celtic should sign Josh Brownhill

Celtic could land a bargain by securing a deal to bring the English maestro to Parkhead on a free transfer at the end of the season, or in a cut-price deal in January, because his form in the Championship has been outstanding.

In the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, Brownhill produced four goals and two assists in 23 starts as his side were relegated from the top-flight.

That came after the former Bristol City star had racked up seven goals and eight assists in 41 appearances during the 2022/23 campaign, in which Vincent Kompany’s team won the Championship title.

Burnley dropped back to the second tier in England this season and his form has, once again, caught the eye with his contributions at the top end of the pitch.

Appearances

23

xG

4.69

Goals

9

Big chances created

3

Assists

3

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.4

As you can see in the table above, Brownhill has been incredibly efficient in front of goal from a midfield position, with nine goals from just 4.69 xG in the Championship.

The £45k-per-week ace, who was hailed as “fabulous” by pundit Lee Hendrie, has the quality to make the most of the chances that his teammates create for him, with 13 goals from 6.63 xG since the start of last season.

This suggests that the Celtic target would be the perfect signing for Engels, as the Belgian whiz would have another player capable of taking advantage of the ‘big chances’ that he is able to create in the Premiership, making them a lethal pairing.

Rodgers could land big Maeda upgrade in Celtic swoop for £5m talent

Celtic could improve the quality of their attack by making this signing in January.

ByDan Emery Dec 27, 2024

Azhar Ali makes 88 as Derbyshire endure day of toil in the field

ECB Reporters Network12-May-2022Worcestershire 326 for 5 (Haynes 133, Ali 88) vs DerbyshireJack Haynes scored his second consecutive first-class century as Worcestershire edged the opening day of the LV=Insurance County Championship match against Derbyshire at Derby.The 21-year-old backed-up his maiden hundred against Durham on Sunday with 133 from 207 balls out of Worcestershire’s 326 for 5.Azhar Ali made 88 from 192 balls, adding 187 in 56 overs with Haynes to follow the 195 stand they shared to save the Durham match before Derbyshire hit back with the second new ball.Sam Conners removed Haynes before a brilliant catch by Anuj Dal sent back Brett D’Oliveira five overs before the close.Derbyshire’s decision to bowl first on a pitch tinged with green was possibly based on the amount of rain in Derby the previous day but apart from Suranga Lakmal, the bowlers struggled.Lakmal’s opening spell tested the technique and judgement of the batsmen and deserved more than the one wicket of Ed Pollock in the sixth over.Pollock was drawn into pushing forward at a good length ball that moved away enough to take the outside edge which was taken low down by Brooke Guest.Azhar could easily have followed but survived a rigorous examination by Lakmal to bat through the first session and establish a foundation that he and Haynes built on in the afternoon.Haynes joined him in the 13th over after Jake Libby was lbw to one that cut back from Ryan Sidebottom and continued from where he left off at Worcester on Sunday.His driving off the back foot through the covers was a feature of another impressive display of application and selectivity although the top-edged pull that took him to 50 could have easily gone to hand.There were few other mistakes as he and Azhar batted through the afternoon session, adding 120 in 34 overs.Azhar became increasingly fluent after completing his second 50 for Worcestershire and was clearly annoyed when he failed to convert it into a century.His attempt to cut Alex Thomson’s off-spin only gave Wayne Madsen a sharp catch at slip five overs after tea but Haynes did not miss out.Last year at Worcester Haynes fell for 97 against Derbyshire but this time he pulled a short ball from Sidebottom for his 12th four to go to his second hundred in four days.Derbyshire took the second new ball as soon as it became available and struck immediately when Conners nibbled one away to have Haynes caught low down at first slip.D’Oliveira and Ed Barnard took Worcestershire to a third batting point which was the first time in Derbyshire’s history that scores of 300 or more have been posted in five consecutive innings before the home side broke through again.D’Oliveira cut Sidebottom firmly to point but Dal underlined his reputation as an outstanding fielder by leaping high at point to take a superb catch.

Queens Park Rangers are interested in signing a “really exciting” striker in the January transfer window, according to a recent report. The Rs made it five unbeaten and back-to-back wins on Wednesday night, as they beat Oxford United 2-0, a result that sees them climb to 19th in the Championship table, four points adrift of the relegation zone.

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It was another impressive night for QPR in front of their home fans, but it could have potentially come at a cost, as Marti Cifuentes revealed a concerning update on midfielder Nicolas Madsen after the game.

Cifuentes said: “For the second game in a row, he gets a big impact around his ankle, shin, and calf all this area. He was very painful, so immediately when he went out, he told me that he would try but that he was not feeling very confident. Hopefully, it will just be a knock, and he will be ready for Saturday.”

Despite the upturn in form in recent weeks, QPR will still have their eye on potential business for January, as they look to climb the table and not continue this fight at the bottom. It was reported earlier this week that QPR are among the teams interested in signing Louie Barry on loan from Aston Villa.

The forward is expected to be recalled from his loan at Stockport County and then sent out to a higher-level team next month. The Rs could face a difficult battle to win this race, as Middlesbrough are said to be leading this charge, and Leeds United are also interested in signing Barry.

QPR join transfer race to sign Leeds outcast According to Football League World,Queens Park Rangers are interested in signing Joe Gelhardtfrom Leeds in January, which would perhaps pave the way for the aforementioned Barry to move to Elland Road. The 22-year-old looks set to leave Yorkshire in some capacity in January, as he’s fallen way down the pecking order under Daniel Farke.

Gelhardt, who earns £15,000 a week, has played just three times for Leeds this season; two have been substitute appearances in the league, which add up to a total of nine minutes of football, and the other was 63 minutes in the Carabao Cup.

It was reported earlier this week that Gelhardt is keen on joining Rangers after they made their interest clear, but Leeds were undecided as they didn’t know whether to sell the striker or loan him out. But Gelhardt has another option to consider, as QPR are also interested in signing him in January.

Joe Gelhardt’s Championship record

Apps

49

Goals

4

Assists

3

Football League World reports that the 22-year-old, who has been dubbed “really exciting” by Jamie Redknapp, is on the Rs’ radar ahead of next month, but they face plenty of competition to secure a transfer, as a host of other Championship teams are also interested. It is likely that QPR will only be able to afford a loan deal for Gelhardt, so it will depend on what Leeds want to do with the striker.

Ipswich Town have now last back-to-back games in the Premier League by a single goal, as Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace just about got the better of the Tractor Boys on a cold winter’s night at Portman Road.

The 1-0 win was secured in Palace’s favour courtesy of a sumptuous Jean-Philippe Mateta strike, after the number 14 had somehow wriggled free of various Ipswich markers, before then delicately lifting the ball above Arijanet Muric.

Kieran McKenna was crying out for one of his players to come up trumps in a similar way, but in the end it was a drab defeat for his men to take, with a number of Ipswich shirts underwhelming.

Ipswich's underperformers vs Palace

Not even the likes of Liam Delap could spark into life for the Premier League strugglers in order to attempt to pull off a result, with all three of the former Manchester City striker’s shots unfortunately not finding the back of Dean Henderson’s net.

In truth, it was a poor overall showing from the Suffolk side in the forward areas, with Omari Hutchinson lackadaisical in the number ten role just behind a misfiring Delap, as the ex-Chelsea midfielder squandered possession a hefty total of 19 times.

There were some positives to cling onto defensively at least, with Jacob Greaves standing out as a powerful presence in the heart of defence by completing 12 successful duels, but that wouldn’t matter much considering Ipswich lacked end product up the other end.

On top of that, even for all of Greaves’ glowing numbers, Mateta still managed to waltz through and break Ipswich hearts with his solo strike, with the slim defeat sending McKenna’s men all the way down to 19th spot in the league standings.

The frustrated Tractor Boys boss could well need to be more cutthroat with his team selections moving forward to try and get more out of his up-and-down troops, therefore, with Wes Burns in danger of being axed after a poor showing versus the Eagles.

Burns' performance in numbers

Away from Delap regularly fluffing his lines and Hutchinson continually losing possession, Burns really struggled to get going against Glasner’s visitors too, which would act as a detriment to his side attempting to fashion an opening down the right wing.

Only managing one assist to date since making leap up to the Premier League, it could be that the Welshman isn’t cut out for the huge step-up in quality from the EFL, as the lacklustre Ipswich number seven failed to strike any sort of fear into the Palace defence whenever he roamed forward.

Stat

Burns

Minutes played

66

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Shots

1

Touches

33

Accurate passes

8/13 (62%)

Accurate crosses

1/8

Possession lost

15x

Total duels won

2/3

Looking at the table above, not a lot went right for Burns at Portman Road, with his 33 touches coming in at less than Muric’s 51, whilst the experienced attacker regularly failed to beat the first man when firing crosses into the box, resulting in just one accurate cross being tallied up from eight attempted.

Also giving up possession a costly 15 times, it wasn’t a great shock to see East Anglian Daily Times journalist Alex Jones dish out a 5/10 rating to the 30-year-old post-match, as he could now find his right wing spot is taken up by a new face for Ipswich’s next league encounter versus AFC Bournemouth.

Beloved in Suffolk for his heroics last season on the way to promotion being reached, with Burns helping himself to an impressive ten goal contributions in the Championship, it’s clear that the Premier League might just be a bridge too far for the out-of-sorts forward to handle.

Therefore, a fresher option could be thrown into the XI by McKenna next, who will want a reaction from his camp when the Cherries travel to Portman Road shortly.

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India will face Pakistan at the MCG on October 23

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2022

The Australian team goes up in celebration•Getty Images

Australia will start the defence of their Men’s T20 World Cup title against trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand at the SCG in a rematch of last year’s final, while India and Pakistan will face each other at the MCG in their opening fixtures.Those were among the standout contests in the fixtures’ list for the 2022 T20 World Cup, which was announced on Friday. The tournament begins on October 16, with Sri Lanka facing Namibia in Geelong in the first round before the Super 12s start on October 22 in Sydney. While Australia vs New Zealand is the opening game of the round, the India-Pakistan fixture will take place on October 23.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

On three days, during the Super 12s, there will be three games taking place. These are all Group 2 games, which has Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and two teams coming through from the first round of matches. The days in question are October 27, when two matches will be played in Sydney and one in Perth, then October 30, when two matches are scheduled to be held in Perth and one in Brisbane, and finally November 6, when Adelaide will host two matches and Melbourne one.The two semi-finals will be held in Sydney (November 9) and Adelaide (November 10) before the final at the MCG on November 13.In Group one of the Super 12s, Australia are alongside New Zealand, England, Afghanistan plus the winner of the Group A qualifiers and the runner-up in Group B.Australia T20 captain Aaron Finch said knowing the groups so far out does help with planning, but it doesn’t make it any easier as Australia looks to defend their title on home soil.”Our planning was ultra-detailed last time,” Finch said at the MCG on Friday. “Knowing what the groups look like eight, nine months out is really helpful because it can help your level of detail in that planning phase. It’s a tough group though. They’re both tough, and when you throw in qualifiers like West Indies, Sri Lanka, you’ve got to play really well to get out of the group stage.”Two global qualifiers will determine the final teams that will head to Australia. Matches will be played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.Australia won the title for the first time last November when they beat New Zealand by eight wickets in Dubai. Mitchell Marsh was Player of the Match for his unbeaten 77 off 50 balls.

David Moyes time at West Ham United came to an end last season, having spent two spells at the club between 2017-2024.

Moyes took charge of 261 games for the Hammers, having a 1.19 PPM (points per match) in his first spell, and a 1.53 PPM in his second spell.

Despite winning the UEFA Conference League in the 2022/23 season, West Ham’s ninth-placed finish last season was enough for the club to try something new, moving onto Julen Lopetegui.

Lopetegui's time so far

West Ham currently sit 15th in the Premier League after their opening eight games, having won twice, drawn twice, and lost four times. Lopetegui’s men have conceded 15 goals already this season, only scoring 11, and averaging 45.1% possession.

Since the Spaniard took over, the Hammers are averaging 15.5 shots against them per 90 (fourth most in the division), which is actually fewer than they averaged last campaign under Moyes, where they averaged 17.2 shots against them per 90 (fourth most that season).

This was always going to be a hard task for Lopetegui, as he is looking to implement an entirely new style of play, more focused around keeping possession, and playing out from the back, rather than absorbing pressure, and trying to hit teams on the break.

The Hammers board must now ruthlessly sack the former Wolves boss and swoop for another Premier League head coach as his replacement.

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Thomas Frank an option

According to Dougie Critchley, when speaking on the Sky Sports Premier League YouTube channel, Thomas Frank would be a “really, really smart appointment” for West Ham.

Adam Keys described Frank as a “class act” and this is the sort of appointment that could steady the ship for the Hammers, given his experience in the division.

Frank tends to set up in a 4-3-3, but has plenty of versatility, already using other formations this season, such as 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2, and a 5-3-2. This versatility allows Frank to set his side up in the best way for each particular game, tweaking things based on the opposition.

The ability to deploy a five-back could help West Ham initially defensively, looking to tighten things up and stop leaking goals. This would also then allow for their midfield to have a bit more protection, something they have struggled with so far this season, with a lack of mobility hurting them at times.

Jarrod Bowen could get back to his very best too, and begin to replicate the attacking numbers he managed last season, used in a similar role to Bryan Mbuemo, who has already scored six Premier League goals in eight games this season.

Brentford averaged 14.4 shots against them per 90 last season under Frank, which is better than the 15.5 on average so far this season under Lopetegui. This balance of defensive solidity, tactical variance, and platforming your star players in the best way for them to perform, would give the Hammers an uplift going into a busy winter period.

Therefore, West Ham should ruthlessly sack the Spanish head coach and launch an ambitious move for Brentford’s manager to secure an upturn in form.

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The batter died on Friday following a cardiac arrest

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2021Avi Barot, the Saurashtra batter, occasional wicketkeeper and part-time offbreak bowler, died on October 15 at the age of 29 following a cardiac arrest.”Avi was an exceptional and remarkable cricketer,” the Saurashtra Cricket Association said in a statement on its website; Barot had started his domestic career in Gujarat before moving to Saurashtra, and had turned out for Haryana in between too.Related

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Barot played 38 first-class matches, the same number of List A games, and 20 T20s – 21, 17 and 11 of them respectively for Saurashtra. He aggregated 1547 runs at an average of 48.49 in first-class cricket, 1030 runs at 28.61 in List A cricket and 717 runs at 37.73 in T20s.”This is absolutely shocking and painful to learn about Avi’s sad demise,” Jaydev Shah, the former Saurashtra captain who is now president of the association, said in a statement. “He was (a) great team-mate and had great cricketing skill. In all recent domestic matches, he had performed remarkably well. He was very friendly and (a) noble human being. We all at Saurashtra Cricket Association are in deep shock.”

Really shocked to hear of the young Avi Barot passing away. Life can be unpredictable and unfair! I pray for the strength of his family and loved ones to deal with this irreplaceable loss Om Shanti

— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) October 16, 2021