West Ham have now moved into pole position to re-sign a former star after holding talks with him, according to a report today.

West Ham set for crucial January transfer window

West Ham face a make-or-break January transfer window as they battle relegation, with manager Nuno Espírito Santo prioritising striker reinforcements while they simultaneously negotiating Niclas Fullkrug’s departure to AC Milan.

The Hammers currently sit three points adrift of safety, and their attacking shortage has exposed severe deficiencies up front, placing enormous pressure on the club’s recruitment team to identify immediate solutions.

Advanced negotiations are also ongoing with AC Milan over Fullkrug’s exit, with representatives from the Serie A club even flying to London this week for face-to-face discussions.

The 32-year-old is said to have already agreed personal terms with Milan and given the San Siro move total priority despite Bundesliga interest.

Taking this into account, West Ham will need a replacement for the departing German, who is now set to end his disastrous 18-month spell in east London which has yielded just three goals.

34-year-old Callum Wilson currently leads West Ham’s attack, with captain Jarrod Bowen occasionally deployed in an unfamiliar striker role.

Related West Ham exploring deal for 'phenomenal' ex-PSG striker amid dressing room bust-ups

The Hammers sense an opportunity.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini

Survival arguably hinges on January recruitment in that area, but according to insider Claret & Hugh, they could also turn back to a familiar name.

Indeed, C&H report that former West Ham attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard is back on the club’s agenda after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract with FC Seoul in South Korea.

West Ham in pole position to re-sign Jesse Lingard after talks

According to their information today, West Ham have positioned themselves as the frontrunners to sign Lingard in January, after holding talks with him about a sensational return to the London Stadium.

Sources close to the ongoing transfer negotiations have claimed that the Irons are currently leading the race despite interest from one other unnamed Premier League club.

The 33-year-old is also eager to reignite his English top-flight career after spending nearly two years in Korea.

Lingard’s spell in Asia produced respectable returns – 19 goals and 10 assists across 67 appearances in all competitions – yet he has grown increasingly determined to prove himself back in familiar surroundings.

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His previous loan stint at West Ham during the 2020-21 campaign remains fondly remembered by supporters, with nine goals and five assists in 16 league appearances that helped the club secure a spot in the Europa League.

Lingard’s experience, technical ability and capacity to operate in multiple attacking positions align with West Ham’s desperate need for creative spark and goals during their survival battle.

His potential return would offer Nuno additional depth behind Bowen while providing competition for places across the forward line.

However, it’s been a long time since Lingard was truly tested in an elite division like the Premier League, so this could still be a risky move by chairman David Sullivan and co.

Related West Ham now make enquiry to sign "unbelievable" £35m Premier League striker

The Hammers are stepping up a move for a new centre-forward.

Posts 1 ByDominic Lund

Manchester United have been linked with Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld all summer with the latest reports indicating that the Red Devils will have to wait until after the World Cup to land their transfer target.

Although the central defender has gained a reputation for being a reliable and consistent performer, United fans won’t have been particularly impressed by his latest showing in the World Cup, where Belgium emerged as lucky 3-2 victors thanks to a last minute Nacer Chadli goal.

Tottenham are reportedly seeking a huge fee for the 29-year-old, but his performance last night won’t have done Daniel Levy any favours as he struggled against an inventive Japanese side who punished Belgium for their complacency and were unfortunate not to progress.

Alderweireld didn’t make a single tackle in the whole 90 minutes and only managed to register one clearance and one block during the game.

In the Premier League last season, he averaged 3.6 clearances and 1.4 tackles per game.

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It is perhaps worth mentioning that Alderweireld has not yet returned to full match fitness as he was sidelined for most of last season.

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He has certainly shown enough over his last three seasons in the Premier League for Manchester United fans not to worry about their potential new defender.

However, it is worth mentioning that at 29, United will be forking out a lot of money for someone who has struggled with injuries when they could invest less on someone who could form the bedrock of their team for many years to come.

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have cast doubt on a story linking them with a move for Paraguayan youngster Julio Cesar Torres.

Sport Witness have reported that Torres – whom reportedly plays for Blooming de Santa Cruz – could be set to link up with Spurs’ reserve squad.

Per the report, the player’s agent, Gonzalo Anciar, has claimed that the deal is initially a loan, with an option to buy at the end of the season.

A picture doing the rounds on the internet appears to show Torres signing a contract with the club, according to the Sport Witness report.

Anciar is also said to have claimed that a number of English clubs have made offers for his client, who has ultimately chosen to move to north London.

Fans, though, are doubtful over the deal, particularly given the obvious difficulty in Spurs obtaining a work permit for a player from South America, particularly one who does not appear to be playing regularly.

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Add to that the fact that Tottenham have not signed a new player since January 2018, when they secured the better-known Lucas Moura from PSG, and the picture appears all the fuzzier.

Take a look at some of the best reaction on Twitter below!

After two sessions of dour batting, which left Zimbabwe at 105 for two attea after 69 overs, the batsmen began to come to life after the break, withAndy Flower leading the way in an all too brief cameo. They finished theday on 185 for four (Campbell 37, Wishart 10).Zimbabwe made a cautious start to the day, the first run coming in thefourth over, and after ten overs they had only eight runs on the board. Nodoubt in view of Zimbabwe’s recent failures at the top of the order it wasfelt that caution should prevail.Grant Flower enjoyed three boundaries through extra cover during McMillan’s spell as first-change seamer, while Rennie concentrated only on survival, no doubt following instructions. Vettori finally broke the stand with a ball that spun sharply to take the shoulder of Flower’s bat to be very well caught by Parore at the second attempt. He scored 24 and Zimbabwe were 40 for one. Carlisle, replacing Goodwin at three, settled in for lunch, when Zimbabwe were 51 for one.After lunch the pair continued steadily, with Rennie progressing to 36 in 207 minutes before he drove at Wiseman and was well caught low down by the diving McMillan at short extra cover; 91 for two in the 59th over. Campbell continued the war of attrition, despite looking a far more confident batsman in Test cricket than he has done for over a year.The waiting game eventually eroded Carlisle’s concentration when on 38, after tea, as he went on a big hit against Wiseman without getting to the line, and skied a catch to Horne at extra cover; Zimbabwe 120 for three.Andy Flower obviously decided that the time had come to carry the attack to the tourists. After playing himself in for a few minutes, he swung Wiseman over midwicket for two successive sixes. New Zealand responded by taking the second new ball, but Flower switched his assault to Cairns, taking ten off an over. Cairns got revenge, though, by having him caught at second slip by Astle for 29, driving outside off stump, and Zimbabwe were 157 for four. Once again a batsman had laid a firm foundation but failed to build on it; nevertheless he had raised the tempo of the game.Wishart looked positive from the start and survived with Campbell to the close. Zimbabwe’s position was perhaps no better than average considering the excellence of the pitch.

Steven Smith has named Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen as two of his chief verbal tormentors on Australia’s last Ashes tour to England, and is determined to silence any remaining doubters with a pile of runs from No. 3 this summer.Speaking frankly about the treatment he received from England in his earlier years, when he was derided for an idiosyncratic technique among other things, Smith said he hoped he had changed some views by surging up the world rankings to be the No. 1 batsman in the game entering this series.However it is clear that plenty of scepticism about Smith is still evident in English ranks: the former spin bowler Graeme Swann and current paceman Stuart Broad have spoken publicly about his move to No. 3 being a possible advantage for England, while Pietersen made a point of rating Joe Root a better player of pace and spin in his head-to-head assessment of the two young batsmen.”I remember Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell getting into me quite a bit,” Smith said of the 2013 tour, when he was goaded by predictions he would be dropped for the home series in Australia until he carved out a century at the Oval. “I don’t think they really rated the way I played. But maybe I’ve changed their views now perhaps a little bit.”When I came back into that side I’d played two Tests since I’d been back in the side and they were both in India, so it was different conditions coming over here against the Dukes ball. I’d never had any real success against England before, so now they might view me a little bit differently.Smith rejects any suggestion that his rise to the top of the rankings has come with a reassessment of his batting style.”People might say my technique’s a little bit different. I don’t see it that way; I think all my fundamentals are all the same. The thing for me is my defence: as long as my defence is in good order then I feel the rest of my game can expand from there. Particularly over here I think your defence is key against the newer ball.”A key part of Smith’s success in recent times has been a well-developed sense of self-knowledge. He pores over footage of his own methods and has become adept at self-correcting, rather than relying on any coaches or mentors to advise him. In the midst of his current run glut, he was even able to recognise a flaw that crept in during the World Cup and then make an adjustment that kept him ahead of the world’s bowlers.”I got bowled around my legs in the warm-up game against India in the World Cup in Adelaide,” Smith said. “I was going too far across my stumps. I was taking leg stump guard at that point, I now take about an inch or so outside leg stump, so I’m stepping to where I want to.”I haven’t looked at it and said ‘this is what I’m looking for’. I don’t think it is ever finished. You want to keep getting better every day. I go back and look at footage quite a bit, make sure I’m doing certain things I want to be doing. I haven’t got to a point where I say ‘this is the perfect way to do things’.”When you’re in good form and hitting the ball well you want to keep playing as much as you can and not have too much of a break. That’s how I think about it mentally. If I have a break I might come back and there may be a few things that aren’t quite right so it’s been nice when I’m on a run of form to continue playing and try to maintain it.”Perfection may be elusive, but Smith has been getting closer to it than most other batsmen lately. In the hyped-up surroundings of an Ashes series, he said his major priority was to stay true to the routines that have served him so grandly over the past two years – more or less since Bell and Pietersen loved to sledge him.

Former Derbyshire batsman Hamza Siddique is forging a new career as an actor with the help of the Professional Cricketers’ Association.Hamza Siddique says cricket hindered his need to show emotion•Getty Images

The 24-year-old, who had two seasons on Derbyshire’s staff and played three first-class matches for Cardiff MCCU, is currently completing a one-year Masters degree in acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.Siddique’s course has been part-funded by the PCA as part of the Association’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme educational funding.The PCA have also part-funded a short film ‘Glow’ which Siddique and three other students have just written and filmed as part of their final assignment.Siddique stars in the film as Elijah, who is taken to see the Northern Lights by his friends after he has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. The film will be shown at festivals around the country which Siddique hopes will help him land acting jobs when he completes the course later this year.”Ultimately this project is going to be shown at festivals and going to be a massive kick-start to our careers as actors,” Siddique said”The PCA’s willingness to help out with the funding was a massive help to us and we are very appreciative of their support.”We are now in the process of meeting with agents. We had our final showcase a few weeks ago and agents came to watch. That is what it is all about, getting an agent and starting to get paid professional jobs in acting.”Siddique studied philosophy and theology at Cardiff and only decided to switch to acting after he was released by Derbyshire three years ago.”From the age of nine all I had wanted to do was to play cricket. I got contracted to Derbyshire at 19 and it was amazing,” he said.”But I did feel there was a gap in my life and, for one reason and another, I felt that I needed to try something else.”I studied philosophy and theology at Cardiff and played on the MCCU scheme there but I started thinking that I would really like to give this media thing a go.”I decided to give it a really good crack. I stopped playing cricket for a while to give acting a go. The whole thing was pretty alien to me. I locked myself in my room and put my cricket stuff away and learned some Shakespeare monologues and some more contemporary pieces and auditioned to a number of drama schools”I had never done drama at school or acted so I had no idea what it meant to get into one of these drama schools To me it was: ‘wow, this is different to facing 90mph balls coming at my head.'”I thought: ‘great, let’s give it a go and see what happens’. It was only when I realised that people were flying in from South Africa and India for a 40 minute audition that I realised what a big deal it was.”Siddique opted for a place at Central, an acting school that includes Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones), Riz Ahmed (Four Lions) and Andrew Garfield (Spiderman) among its recent alumni.Although he initially struggled with aspects of acting, Siddique has found that his experiences in professional cricket have helped him in his new career.”I am actually writing an essay for my thesis titled In What Way Does Conditioning Inhibit an Actor’s Ability to be Spontaneous?,” Siddique said.”It’s amazing how conditioning , nurture and my sporting environment massively hindered me early on because when you are playing sport at the top level you are taught not to be vulnerable and to have this self-assurance and to absolutely back your skills.”But starting drama school was something bizarre to me because whatever emotions you have been taught to shut off in front of people you have to get rid of. There were times in class when I struggled with that early on.”To have to portray emotions to people in a classroom I found really tough but the dedication, the commitment and the work is absolutely comparable to that of professional sport. If you do not put in the hours you will not get the best out of it.”But I feel like I am a step ahead and I felt a step going into it because of cricket. Because of what I learnt in a team environment and the pressure of going out to bat on my first-class debut for Cardiff MCCU I have no qualms about going out and pretending to be someone else.”The stakes in professional sport are comparable to very little else. The things that go through your head, what it means to each person, the preparation that goes into the competition it’s a really great thing and I am really grateful to the part cricket played in helping me in this industry.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:20

By the Numbers – Anwar Ali a lethal No. 9

Anwar Ali, Pakistan’s No. 9 batsman, waltzed into the belly of a baying Premadasa with 66 required from 35 balls, and produced a cataclysmic 46 from 17 balls, to help prise stunning victory from the clutches of almost-certain defeat. He brought the chase of 173 to sudden life when he plundered two sixes and a four off debutant Shehan Jayasuriya in the 17th over, before treating Thisara Perera and Lasith Malinga with almost as much disdain to send Pakistan to within eight runs of victory.Malinga had Anwar caught behind in the penultimate over, and another wicket would also fall two balls later, but Imad Wasim was on hand to provide the finish. Binura Fernando had the task of defending six runs in the final over, but Mohammad Irfan pinched a single first ball, then Wasim socked the next delivery over the wide long-on rope to spark celebrations in the Pakistan camp.Long before even Anwar’s innings, Pakistan appeared to be tumbling to a heavy loss at 40 for 5 in the eighth over. It had been Shahid Afridi’s brutal 22-ball 45 that lit the flame that Anwar stoked into the inferno that devoured Sri Lanka. The hosts have now lost all three series in this tour, though in mitigation, they were fielding six players with two T20 international caps or fewer, in this match.Perhaps it was the inexperience that saw Pakistan gain a foothold in the match. Afridi kept making room against the spinners early in his innings, but instead of darting it at his body, Milinda Siriwardana sent two balls at the stumps, which Afridi swung away for a four and a six to get his assault in motion, in the tenth over.More huge strikes would follow from Afridi’s blade soon after. Malinga was tonked over deep square leg in the eleventh over, and Jeffrey Vandersay was blasted over the leg-side rope twice. Sri Lanka may have felt they had quelled the Pakistan surge when they got rid of Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan within five deliveries, and the required rate had crept up to 12, by the end of the 15th over, but Anwar had the measure of the pitch and the bowling almost from the beginnings of his innings.His fifth ball, from Jayasuriya, was swatted over cow corner for six, another slog-sweep carried the ball over deep square leg, before the over was finished with a searing drive to the long-on fence. Next over he walloped two Thisara Perera full-tosses to the fence. Then with 20 runs needed from 12 balls, he carted the first three balls of Malinga in the 19th over for 12. Only towards the end of this barrage did victory even seem possible for Pakistan. They ended up getting there with four balls to spare.All this after the young Sri Lanka bowlers, backed by an enlivened, youthful fielding unit had gutted Pakistan’s top order. Binura dismissed the openers, Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Akmal were run-out thanks to some sublime work in the field, and an advancing Shoaib Malik was beaten comprehensively by Siriwardana, in his first T20 international over.Sri Lanka will feel 172 for 7 was a score they should have defended on a slow surface. Earlier, Chamara Kapugedara eased years of frustration and sent a packed Colombo crowd into raptures as he blasted 48 not out from 25, after Sri Lanka had themselves been in some bother at 90 for 5 in the 13th over.Kapugedara built gradually to the crescendo, missing an attempted glide to third man first ball, before squeezing a few runs into the outfield to get himself to 11 off 13 balls. His charge began in the 17th over when he skipped down the track to send a Sohail Tanvir delivery over the long-on rope first, before repeating the stroke off Anwar Ali next over.He hit Irfan for a four and six successively, but saved his most winning shot for the final over. Anticipating a ball on the stumps from Tanvir, Kapugedara shuffled across to the off side and whipped the full-length delivery high over deep square leg for his fourth six of the innings. Though he didn’t quite manage a fifty, he left the field bat raised, soaking in rousing applause.The rest of the Sri Lanka innings had mostly been built piecemeal by the young batsmen. Jayasuriya’s 40 from from 32 balls was the most substantial top-order contribution. Siriwardana capped a fine first international tour with a useful 23 off 19.Pakistan’s one-wicket victory places them third on the T20 rankings. Sri Lanka, who are still top-placed, have some difficult issues to grapple with. Malinga’s depleted menace after surgery is chief among them.

England have beefed up their spin department by picking offspinners Danielle Hazell and Danielle Wyatt in the 14-member squad for the three-match Women’s Ashes T20 series. Left-arm spinner Rebecca Grundy has also been included in the squad. Seamers Kate Cross and Fran Wilson, who were part of the Test squad, have been left out of the T20 series, which starts at Chelmsford on Wednesday.Hazell is currently the top-ranked T20 bowler in the ICC Rankings while Wyatt has also featured in more than 50 T20s, claiming 46 wickets and scoring 395 runs.”We have called-up Danielle Hazell and Danielle Wyatt for the three must-win Women’s Ashes NatWest IT20s,” England’s head of performance, Paul Shaw, said. “Together they offer us a lot of international T20 experience, with well over 100 caps in this format between them, and Danielle Hazell currently topping the ICC T20 bowling rankings.”We know that we face a huge challenge to get back into this Women’s Ashes contest, but there is a lot of pride and fight within this England women’s squad, and I know that the players will give it everything in these last three matches.”The hosts, trailing 8-2, need to sweep the T20 series if they are to mount a successful defence of the Ashes. Australia, on the other hand, need only one win (or a no result) to reclaim the Ashes, after clinching the solitary Test and sealing a 2-1 victory in the ODI series.England squad: Charlotte Edwards (capt), Katherine Brunt, Georgia Elwiss, Lydia Greenway, Rebecca Grundy, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Heather Knight, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Lauren Winfield, Danielle Wyatt

ScorecardCenturies from Tanmay Agarwal and Hyderabad captain Hanuma Vihari took the side to a strong position against Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala. Hyderabad finished the day at 252 for 3, with Agarwal and Vihari sharing a third-wicket partnership of 205 runs which helped them tide over early wickets. Vihari, who had scored a double-century the last time the two sides met in February, scored 101 and was dismissed a few overs before the close of play. Agarwal, on the other hand, remained unbeaten on 104, his fourth first-class century. Ronit More, Himachal’s latest recruit, had two scalps, including that of Vihari.
ScorecardAs many as 15 wickets fell on a manic day in Porvorim, but hosts Goa, who bowled Tripura out for 61 in 31.5 overs, ended the day with a commanding 100-run lead despite a batting collapse of their own. Medium-pacer Rituraj Singh led the bowling honours for Goa with figures of 3 for 17, before the spin pair of Shadab Jakati and Darshan Misal dismantled the tail. Goa’s top order floundered and slipped to 68 for 3, but the side recovered through solid knocks from Sagun Kamat and Snehal Kauthankar, who made 45 and 30 respectively.
ScorecardFile photo: Saurabh Tiwary top-scored for Jharkhand with 75•Getty Images

Sandeep Warrier, the Kerala pacer, helped justified Sanju Samson’s decision to bowl, taking 4 for 56 to skittle Jharkhand out for 202. Only two of Jharkhand’s top seven got into double figures – Prakash Munda, the opener, made 54, while Saurabh Tiwary chipped in with a 145-ball 75. Jharkhand, who were tottering at 114 for 6 at one stage, received a late fillip courtesy Varun Aaron’s 37, which helped them move past the 200-run mark. Aaron returned to dismiss opener Akshay Kodoth as Kerala ended the day at 3 for 1.
ScorecardServices medium-pacer Raushan Raj picked up his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket as Jammu & Kashmir were dismissed for 85 in Jammu. Save for Parvez Rasool’s unbeaten 24, there was hardly any resistance from the J&K batsmen. Diwesh Pathania picked up the three remaining wickets before Services were driven forward by two of their most experienced batsmen, Rajat Paliwal (70) and Yashpal Singh (47*). Services ended the day at 152 for 4, the lead standing at 67.

For once, Steven Smith had other people to talk about. Joe Burns, tick. Usman Khawaja, tick. David Warner, tick, tick, boom. So much went perfectly for Australia in this win over New Zealand that it was easy to overlook one thing that didn’t: Smith himself didn’t so much as score a half-century. It mattered not. In fact, it was kind of a good thing. It meant others had carried the batting load.This was Australia’s tenth Test victory since the start of last year, and just the second time in those ten games that Smith had failed to pass fifty – the lowish-scoring win over West Indies in Dominica last year was the only other. In fact, in seven of them, Smith had scored first-innings hundreds that helped set up the wins: 115, 100, 162*, 133, 199, 215, 143.It was not surprising, then, that Smith’s decision to move down the order from No.3 to No.4 for this series was a subject of much debate. The lack of experience in the top three could have been the source of some hope among the New Zealanders: Burns opening in a Test for the first time, Khawaja having a third crack at Test cricket at first drop.The result? A first-innings ton for Khawaja, a second-innings hundred for Burns. Not to mention a century in each innings for Warner. It meant there was little for Smith to do except suffer a case of pad rash. He came to the crease at 2 for 311 in the first innings and struck 48, and walked out at 2 for 254 in the second and fell for 1.”They did a terrific job,” Smith said. “It was tough early on day one and for Davey and Joe to get through that period was really crucial for us. The partnerships we had in the top three were crucial to our success for this Test match. It enabled me to come out and play quite freely at No.4. I thought they really set the game up for us.”The numbers were quite staggering. It was the first time in Australia’s 781-Test history that they had raised century opening partnerships in each innings of a Test. More than 80% of Australia’s runs in the Test came from their top three batsmen alone. Life without Chris Rogers and Michael Clarke could hardly have started in a more positive fashion.Of course, it will not always be this easy. More revealing will be the future occasions when Burns and Khawaja have to scrap against an attack on top of its game. Here, they faced a New Zealand attack lacking any sort of bite. Tim Southee’s new-ball spell on the first day featured a few good balls that beat the edge, but that was about it. It did not help that Southee later sat out with a back injury.New Zealand’s lack of fight was not the only disappointing thing about the match. Australia’s fielding was sub-standard, with catches dropped at slip, point and short leg. And although Australia had no trouble claiming 20 wickets, their work with the new ball was also inconsistent. New Zealand’s opening batsmen were able to allow too many deliveries to sail by without using their bats.”I think we improved this morning on our line and length,” Smith said. “I thought our new-ball bowling in this game needs a bit of improvement. I thought we bowled a little bit too short. That’s what we normally don’t do out here, we usually get the ball up and make the batters drive and I think that is going to be important for us leading into Perth, which are probably going to be similar conditions.”Crowd numbers at the WACA will also be closely watched; a record crowd attended for Australia-New Zealand contests at the Gabba but the numbers became lacklustre as the game wore on. The 1373 who attended the final day – which began with New Zealand still having seven wickets in hand – was the size of a Sheffield Shield crowd, not a Test attendance.”There wasn’t many out there today, it’s obviously disappointing as we would like everyone coming out and watching us play,” Smith said. “Both sides play a very aggressive brand of cricket and a good brand to watch, so it was disappointing not to have the crowds out here and hopefully we get a bit more support at the WACA.”