Franco Mastantuono is in absolute awe of fellow Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham, who made his second substitute appearance after returning from a two-month post-surgery layoff last week in Los Blancos' comfortable 4-1 win over Levante on Tuesday. Mastantuono claimed that he has never seen a player quite like the Englishman, showing eagerness to spend more time with him on the pitch.
Bellingham easing his way back for unstoppable Madrid
Madrid continued their flawless start to the 2025-26 season after conjuring their sixth La Liga win in as many games following a hassle-free 4-1 victory over newly-promoted Levante on Tuesday. Bellingham, who underwent shoulder surgery in July and only became available for selection last week, made his second appearance of the season after coming on as a substitute, replacing Mastantuono.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Mastantuono – who got his first Real Madrid goal since his arrival from River Plate – was lavish in his praise for Bellingham, having already expressed his "love" for the 22-year-old in the past.
“Incredible player! If we can play with 12, even better! Bellingham is incredible, incredible," said the Argentine. "A player who impressed me, a wonderful person, and a unique footballer. Honestly, I've never seen a player like him: such hierarchy, presence on the pitch. I hope he can play as soon as possible, because he'll help us a lot.”
Mastantuono continued to express his admiration for Bellingham when asked which player had caught his attention the most. “Bellingham, Bellingham. Because of what I just said: he has a presence and a level of authority I've never seen before. His calmness and determination make him a different kind of player," the teenage sensation added.
Can Mastantuono and Bellingham start together?
In his 23-minute cameo on Tuesday, Bellingham showed what Madrid had been missing. He provided calm in the middle third, showed incredible press resistance, and crashed the box in search of a goal, which he nearly did. While the likes of Arda Guler and Mastantuono have stepped up in the English international's absence, one of them will have to make way.
Aurelien Tchouameni has been labelled by head coach Xabi Alonso as a "pillar", while Fede Valverde is the Steven Gerrard of his Madrid team, in the coach's words. Ahead of the game against Levante, the former Liverpool, Madrid, and Bayern midfielder revealed that Guler – his personal project in central midfield – and Bellingham can co-exist. “They play in a very similar role, but the good thing is they can also play together," Alonso told reporters on Monday. "Arda can link-up from the back, while Jude operates more upfront.”
That leaves Mastantuono as the most likely player to make way for Bellingham's eventual return to the lineup. In all fairness, the Argentine international has been highly impressive, even notching up his first goal for Madrid on Tuesday. It would be unfortunate if he were to be dropped to the bench, having made five starts in Madrid's seven games of the season so far.
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Who are Real Madrid's next opponents?
The upcoming fixture is perhaps Alonso's toughest challenge yet, as Los Blancos take on the underperforming cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano on Saturday. This game will prove to be a litmus test for Alonso and his players, as the outcome will determine just how much progress this project has made.
Fast bowler is confident England can turn their fortunes around as the games begin to come thick and fast in the Women’s Ashes
Valkerie Baynes13-Jan-2025England are looking for a Melbourne re-set after dropping the first game of their Ashes battle on Sunday with Australia.Faced with defending a below-par 204 after being bowled out inside 44 overs amid poor shot selection and some smart Australian bowling led by Ashleigh Gardner’s 3 for 19, England fell short by four wickets as Gardner and Alyssa Healy mowed down the bulk of the target with 67 balls to spare.Lauren Bell, the England seamer who was economical in taking 1 for 25 in her nine overs, believed her team deserved “a lot of credit” for making Australia’s run chase a little harder than the hosts would have liked in the first ODI at North Sydney Oval. It might have been even tougher were it not for a couple of dropped catches at crucial moments.Alice Capsey put down Ellyse Perry off the bowling of Lauren Filer and was probably relieved to see Bell dismiss the allrounder a short time later. Sophie Ecclestone’s bizarre fumble, meanwhile, when Gardner was on 31 and Australia needed 22 more runs with six wickets down was impossible to quantify.”We got 200 on a pitch that I think the par score batting first was about 250, so putting in an effort to almost defend that was, I think you can take a lot of confidence from it,” an upbeat Bell said. “There are a few things that we could definitely work on moving forward. Obviously Australia caught very well and we dropped a few in at important moments. Moving forward, there’s a few places we can work on and really focus on the next game, but I think as a whole we can take a fair amount of confidence from the game.”Filer started England’s defense well with the early wicket of Phoebe Litchfield for just 4 and had in-form allrounder Annabel Sutherland caught in the deep to end the match with 2 for 58 from eight overs. Ecclestone accounted for the key wickets of Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath to finish with 2 for 38. But England will need an improved performance all-round if they are to avoid going four points down in the second ODI at Junction Oval on Tuesday.”We’re one game into a pretty long series and we’re two-nil down, but we’re going to have to start the next game and imagine it’s nil-nil and go again,” Bell said. That is the beauty of these series. We can come back and we’re just going to have to reset and go with our plan and just go again.”We’ll sit down as a team and review. Our batting group will get together and it will obviously be different conditions over in Melbourne, so we’ll have to adjust to them. But we’ll get together as a group and work out the little bits we can tidy up and hopefully put on a better performance.”With such a tight turnaround between matches a theme throughout the series which consists of three ODIs followed by three T20Is and a four-day Test match in the space of 22 days, any adjustments will need to be made almost on the fly.”It’s definitely tough,” Bell said. “We’re just going to have to adapt really quickly, communicate with the girls that maybe have played at Junction Oval and try and get as much information as we can about the pitch. Then the opening batters, if we bat first, or the opening bowlers, it’s just really important to communicate what the pitch is doing as soon as we get there.”One lesson Bell can take from Sydney is having the courage to stand by her convictions. Her determination that she had trapped Perry directly in front of the stumps was crucial after England had burned a review earlier.Bell managed to convince captain Heather Knight and wicketkeeper Amy Jones to again call upon the DRS, which confirmed that she had Perry plumb.”I was obviously really happy to get her and I had to stand my ground a little bit and tell Heather and Amy that I thought it was out,” Bell said. “It was two v one. I really, really thought it was out. Heather and Amy weren’t sure and I didn’t want to be the one to lose our last review, but yeah, I’m really glad I stood firm.”A batting performance in which Knight and Danni Wyatt-Hodge top-scored with 39 and 38 respectively combined with a bowling attack that struggled to combat Healy’s smart innings of 70 from 78 balls and needed more support in the field suggests that if England are to overturn the deficit in this campaign, they will need to stand very firm indeed.
A spectacular day’s play in Bengaluru ended with the visitors 134 runs in the lead
Sidharth Monga17-Oct-20244:49
46 all out: decoding India’s batting collapse
It was well worth the wait for New Zealand. On their seventh day of Test cricket in India this year, New Zealand finally got on the field, on day two in Bengaluru, and lost a good toss. Once they were denied their wish to bat first under overcast skies, on a pitch that was covered all week, New Zealand’s seam bowlers were all over India with deadly accurate bowling, bowling them out for 46, their lowest score at home and third-lowest overall.This was the fourth-lowest first-innings score in Test history after a side had chosen to bat. Riding on Devon Conway’s enterprising 91 in conditions that had quietened down a bit, New Zealand had attained a lead of 134 by stumps. They had seven wickets in hand.There is a good chance both sides misread the conditions. India won the toss, picked three spinners and batted first, trusting the dry nature of the pitch more than the overcast conditions and the wet lead-up to the Test. New Zealand had hedged their bets: even though they wanted to bat first, they played three seamers, including the king of these conditions, Matt Henry, who ended up with a five-for that took him to 100 Test wickets.It was apparent as early as the first two overs that the ball was moving more than either of the sides expected. New Zealand started off with just the two slips but reinforced the cordon. India were now reacting instinctively and not via pre-series mental preparation as they showed in challenging conditions in England in 2021.And the instinct was to counterattack. Jaiswal played the first loose drive to just the 12th ball he faced even while Tim Southee had been challenging him. Rohit Sharma survived an extremely close lbw shout off Henry on umpire’s call but soon tried to charge Southee and loft him back over his head. The wobble-seam ball jagged back in to take the top of leg stump.3:32
Did India err in opting to bat?
With Shubman Gill missing because of a stiff neck, Virat Kohli moved up to No. 3 for the first time since 2016. While it was brave of Kohli to move up, the batter perhaps best suited to seaming conditions is the current No. 6, KL Rahul, who is the only Asian opener with centuries in Australia, England and South Africa.As it turned out, Kohli didn’t get a chance to make a mistake or show application as the ninth ball he faced jagged back in and kicked at him thanks to Will O’Rourke’s height. Glenn Phillips at leg slip took the catch off the glove diving forward, his presence there suggesting a plan.Another batting-order surprise followed as Sarfaraz Khan walked in at No. 4, at least one slot higher than the one he takes in domestic cricket. It took him just three balls to attempt an aerial drive on the up, shanking it for a sensational catch by Conway at mid-off, diving to his right and taking it well behind his body. A just reward for Henry, who drew an average seam movement of 1.3 degrees in the first session.Rain brought a brief halt at 13 for 3 in 12.4 overs without a single boundary. India enjoyed some luck after the break with Tom Blundell dropping a sitter from Rishabh Pant and other loose shots not resulting wickets.Eventually the fourth wicket came not off a testing delivery, but a middled cut shot by Jaiswal, who fell for 13 off 63, out of which he was in control of just 42. The luck had turned, and a flurry of wickets followed either side of lunch. Rahul nicked O’Rourke down the leg side six minutes before lunch, and Ravindra Jadeja followed with an extravagant flick that produced a leading edge to what proved to be the last ball of the session.Henry produced a snorter immediately after lunch, taking the shoulder of R Ashwin’s bat from a good length. Pant survived the hat-trick ball, but two balls later he nicked Henry to second slip. Again Henry was on a good length and managed to draw seam movement. Bowling on a good length was New Zealand’s hallmark: they stayed in the 6-8m about half the time, and while they had incentive to go to 5m, they rarely ever went to 4m from where they could be driven.Matt Henry took five in the innings to complete 100 career wickets•BCCIHenry wasn’t done yet, though. He put in a full-speed sprint to his left from fine leg to give O’Rourke his fourth wicket, Jasprit Bumrah not fancying hanging around after one kicked at him and hit him. Henry had substitute Michael Bracewell to thank for completing his five-for as Bracewell dived to his left at gully to get Kuldeep’s wicket.It was the perfect storm for India. The sun was out as they came out, and while the ball still moved, it wasn’t as threatening as in the morning. India’s innings lasted just 31.2 overs with average seam movement of 0.87 degrees. Their bowlers could extract just about 0.65 degrees in the first 31.2 overs, by which time New Zealand had reached 111 for 1. New Zealand played only 36 false shots in that period; India were bowled out to 75.Conway, especially, drew home the advantage during this period. India’s selection meant they had to go to spin early, and Conway attacked Ashwin before the ball had a chance to start helping the spinners. He drove anything too full from the quicks, and swept, reverse-swept and charged at the spinners. It didn’t help that India missed three chances in the slips: Rahul lost the ball once, and Rohit missed one half chance and one to his right off Jadeja. Pant, too, missed two stumpings. None of the beneficiaries survived till stumps.Rohit made up for it with a gully for Jadeja, which drew a big sweep from Will Young, resulting in a catch at short fine leg. Conway had bossed Ashwin with the new ball, but was bowled nine short of a hundred when trying to welcome him back with a reverse-sweep. The ball was now misbehaving enough for the spinners to provide some justification for India selecting three of them.It also underlined the importance of fourth-innings-proofing the lead for New Zealand. Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell took the first steps towards that by surviving the last 10.5 overs of the day.
Derby County are now interested in signing an experienced defender to add to their already busy summer window, according to a recent report.
Derby announce the signing of Owen Beck from Liverpool
On Friday afternoon, the Rams announced that Owen Beck had joined the club on a season-long loan deal from Liverpool. The left-back becomes Derby’s first loan signing of the summer and their sixth arrival altogether. This is the 22-year-old’s sixth loan spell away from Anfield, after spells at Famalicao, Bolton Wanderers, Dundee on two separate occasions, Blackburn Rovers and now Derby.
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During his time at Ewood Park, Beck worked with John Eustace, and the defender has admitted it was a “no-brainer” to reunite with the Derby boss once again. Beck also went on to add to Derby’s media team that Eustace “got the best out of him” during his time at Blackburn.
“Obviously, I know the gaffer well from last year. I spoke to him with that experience of working with him before in mind. It moved pretty fast and was a no-brainer for me.
“We built a really good connection. I feel like he got the best out of me. When he called up and we had that conversation again where he was looking to bring me in, it was a no-brainer, really!
“I enjoyed playing under him. As I said, I feel like he got the best out of me. I feel like he can get even more out of me this season, and I can push that step further.”
Derby County interested in 32 y/o defender
As the Rams wrap up a deal for Beck, they have now turned their attention to another defensive signing. According to the MailSport, relayed by Football League World, Derby are keen on signing Jake Bidwell from Coventry City.
Bidwell only signed a new contract with the Sky Blues in January of this year, extending his stay until 2027, but the Championship side are open to offers for either Bidwell or Jay Dasilva this summer, after bringing Miguel Angel Brau to the club as their new left-back.
32-year-old Bidwell has been with Coventry since January 2022, when he joined on a free transfer from the Swans. The left-back, who can also play centre-back and left midfield if needed, has been a consistent performer for the Sky Blues. Last season, he started 23 of the 29 Championship games he played, as he featured heavily under Frank Lampard, but it appears as though now he’s fallen down the pecking order.
Jake Bidwell’s 24/25 Championship stats
Apps
29
Minutes per game
72
Goals
1
Assists
1
Big chances created
5
Key passes per game
0.8
Clean sheets
6
Interceptions per game
0.6
Tackles per game
0.7
His potential arrival at Pride Park would be an interesting one, as the Rams have just brought Beck in, and they already have Callum Elder and Craig Forsyth at their disposal.
However, the Rams may hold an advantage in the race to sign Bidwell, as the Englishman is represented by Wasserman, which is the same agency as Andreas Weimann, meaning the club have a familiar path to negotiations on the personal side of things.
England indebted to rookie as Sri Lanka’s bowlers probe away on rain-truncated day
Andrew Miller22-Aug-2024
Asitha Fernando ripped into England’s top-order after a morning rain delay•Getty Images
England 259 for 6 (Smith 72*) lead Sri Lanka 236 by 23 runsAsitha Fernando produced a compelling display of all-purpose seam and swing bowling, while Prabath Jayasuriya chipped in with two bewilderingly brilliant deliveries in an otherwise steady display of left-arm spin, as Sri Lanka fought gamely to stay in touch on a gloomy second day of the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford.By the close, England were indebted to their rookie keeper, Jamie Smith, who justified his promotion to No. 6 with a hard-earned 72 not out, his third half-century in five innings since taking over from his Surrey team-mate Ben Foakes at the start of the summer. Harry Brook added another fifty of his own as England recovered from a dicey 125 for 4 to close on 259 for 6, with a slender lead of 23 in the bank.As had been the case throughout the West Indies series earlier in the summer, the impression after two days of action is that England should yet close out this contest with some ease, but the quality and spirit of the visitors’ bowling has forced them to graft with rather more diligence than might have been the case in previous incarnations of the Bazball era. Asitha in particular was superb throughout his 14 overs, spread across three key spells, including an incisive mid-innings bout of reverse-swing that belied the dank conditions.After sweating under the covers for several hour during a rainy morning in Manchester, the Old Trafford pitch was ripe for seam bowling when play finally got underway at 1.15pm, and Asitha was primed to cash in. With his bustling approach and a commitment to a full length, he posed problems from the outset, under still-dense cloud cover and with the floodlights in full beam.His performance went into overdrive from the first ball of his second over, when Dan Lawrence was pinned on the pad and given out lbw by umpire Paul Reiffel. Although that decision was successfully overturned, with the ball shown to be skimming over the bails, the information was stored away and perfectly processed by the bowler.Two balls later, and now with Ben Duckett on strike, Asitha fired the ball in a good two feet fuller, and was this time the successful reviewee, with the ball shown to be both pitching on and hitting leg stump as Duckett was turned inside-out on his attempted flick across the line.And in his very next over, Asitha served up the piece de resistance of his new-ball spell, an exceptional wobble-seam delivery, pitching half a foot fuller than the Lawrence ball, and straightening off the pitch to smash into the top of Ollie Pope’s off stump. England’s captain was gone for 6, and at 40 for 2 in the ninth over, England had a bit of a rebuild to undertake.Root is no stranger to skinny top-order scorelines, of course, and as he bedded in for the long haul, it was Lawrence who initiated England’s counterattack, with a brace of forceful whips through the leg side as Asitha strayed in length. But, having scored just four of his 30 runs through the off side, his vulnerability in the channel was superbly exploited by Vishwa Fernando, who nicked him off after a change of ends, using the breeze from the James Anderson End to push a lifter across his bows from his left-arm angle.Jamie Smith gets on top of a pull•Getty Images
Despite the conditions, Sri Lanka were able to find some appreciable reverse-swing off a typically abrasive Old Trafford pitch, meaning that Root and Brook had to be on their mettle even as their 58-run stand clipped along at more than five an over. Milan Rathnayake, Sri Lanka’s first-day hero, was picked off for three fours in an over as he strained for that swinging full length, but it was Asitha’s return to the attack that would prise the most vital wicket of the day.Root had reached 42 from 56 balls in another understated display of touch and timing when he was undone in expert fashion, climbing into a wider line from Asitha while still playing for the inswing that had been the feature of his over to that point. This ball, however, held its line and skidded straight on, and Dinesh Chandimal scooped up the low edge to leave England wobbling at 125 for 4.Brook, however, kept the foot down in his familiarly forceful manner, driving with heavy timing whenever the ball was over-pitched, and working the gaps well, with Sri Lanka’s field still veering towards the defensive given England’s reputation for boundary-hunting. He duly rattled along to a 59-ball half-century, his 14th in just 25 Test innings, and if it was beginning to feel as though something special would be needed to dislodge him, then Jayasuriya obliged shortly after tea.Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner had been diligent without being threatening for much of his day’s work, when out of the blue, he served up something unplayable: a perfectly pitched ripper that gripped and bounced on middle and leg to clip the top of off. Brook could only blink in astonishment – as, indeed, would Chris Woakes, some 18 overs later, when he fell in near-identical fashion, to almost the only other spinning delivery to deviate from the straight all day.Between those two moments, however, there was Smith, with the third fifty of his fledgling career, and unquestionably the hardest-earned yet. He was forced to graft against the swinging ball early in his innings, although one massive straight six off Jayasuriya signalled his refusal to be cowed, but it was the mid-point of his innings that displayed his savvy – in particular a relative grind through the 40s, after Rathnayake had induced two inside-edges in the space of three deliveries with his probing fourth-stump line outside the rookie’s eyeline.Woakes was the ideal ally for a defensively minded rebuild, as England – a batter light in Ben Stokes’ absence – focused on batting long, rather than rushing into a lead. Sri Lanka’s tactics arguably failed to adapt to the dominance that their bowlers were exerting in this period, although in reducing the pair to a run-rate of less than three an over in their 52-run stand, they succeeded in keeping themselves in the game.And when the light began to fail, only minutes after Woakes’ extraction, there was never any thought of Sri Lanka bowling spin in the gloom for the sake of filling out the overs, as had been England’s approach at the same stage on day one. Dhananjaya de Silva marched his players straight off for the pavilion, with six wickets in the bank, and the prospect of a night’s rest for his quicks before they continue their quest to stay in touch with a quietly engrossing contest.
Birmingham romp home in chase after spinners strangle Derbyshire batting effort
ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2024
Dan Mousley produced a T20 career-best 66 not out•Getty Images
Birmingham Bears picked up a second win in three days to keep their place among the North Group contenders with a seven-wicket Vitality Blast victory over Derbyshire Falcons at the Incora County Ground.On a used pitch that yielded runs only reluctantly, the visitors restricted Derbyshire to 133 for 7, left-arm spinner Danny Briggs taking 2 for 23 with David Lloyd scoring 50 and Brooke Guest an unbeaten 38. Richard Gleeson took two wickets in the powerplay but it was the Bears spinners largely responsible for tying down Falcons.Derbyshire’s spinners threatened to do a similar job but Dan Mousley and Sam Hain (43) showed considerable patience and eventually reaped the rewards, their 93-run partnership across 13.3 overs effectively winning the match, Mousley closing it out with his seventh four with seven balls to spare.Having opted to bat first, Derbyshire suffered a setback when the in-form Aneurin Donald fell for just 2 but seemed to be heading for a satisfactory start until Gleeson removed Cam Fletcher and Wayne Madsen in the space of three balls in the last over of the powerplay to give Bears an early advantage.A boundary apiece from Guest and Lloyd off Jake Lintott’s opening over hinted at acceleration but Falcons’ progress was unspectacular at 65 for 3 from 10. Lloyd drove a soaring straight six off Lintott and repeated the blow against Briggs to complete a 36-ball half-century but was then caught aiming to clear the midwicket boundary.Samit Patel perished cheaply, pouched at backward point when he skied one from Briggs as the competition’s all-time leading wicket-taker on 229 dismissed his closest rival. At 103 for 5 from 16, Derbyshire had been properly strangled by Bears’ spinners. Mousley’s offspin was wicketless but conceded only 16 in his allocation.Ross Whiteley lifted Chris Woakes into the car park on the leg side but once the ball had been found Woakes promptly bowled him with a full delivery off an inside edge. The over cost 13 runs but was one of only three across the innings to yield a tally in double figures and, after Zak Chappell was run out in the last over, 133 looked too little.Daryn Dupavillon, the South African quick, angled one in to bowl Rob Yates with his fourth delivery. Mousley picked up three quick boundaries but Alex Davies, having uppercut Dupavillon for four and lifted Pat Brown for an audacious six on the leg side was caught at midwicket as Brown exacted instant revenge. Mousley slog-swept Madsen for six and the Bears were 50 for 2 from six.Patel and fellow spinner Mitch Wagstaff applied the brakes, conceding just 29 in six overs bowling in tandem, but with 55 needed after 12 overs, and eight wickets in hand, the Bears were still favourites, more so after Mousley and Hain plundered 21 from the next two before Mousley swept Patel to go to fifty from 42 balls.The requirement was down to six from 17 balls by the time Brown bowled Hain after a 42-ball innings containing only one boundary. Mousley cut Chappell for his seventh four to complete the win.
West Ham United have come forward to sign an “outstanding” striker, who is now likely to leave his club in the summer transfer window, according to a report.
Hammers set sights on striker after Forest defeat
Graham Potter would have been hoping the 2-0 victory over Manchester United would give his side the platform to have a strong end to the Premier League season, but his side fell to yet another defeat on Sunday afternoon, with Nottingham Forest prevailing 2-1 at the London Stadium.
Jarrod Bowen, who has been one of the only bright sparks for the Hammers this season, was once again on the scoresheet, netting his 12th Premier League goal of the campaign, with the England international featuring as a striker.
Bowen’s output this season indicates he could be capable of remaining the first-choice centre-forward in the 2025-26 campaign, rather than moving back out wide, with Potter currently short on options in that area of the pitch.
West Ham United's JarrodBowencelebrates scoring their first goal
However, with Michail Antonio now 35-years-old and Niclas Fullkrug failing to make an impact in his debut Premier League campaign, it could be wise to bring in another striker this summer, and a forward with top-level experience has now entered the frame.
According to a report from Italy (via Sport Witness), West Ham have now come forward to sign AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham, who is set to leave the Italian side permanently this summer, upon returning from his loan with AC Milan.
A deal will not be easy, however, with Abraham setting his sights on a move to a ‘top-tier club’, despite his recent struggles, and there are doubts over whether he would be tempted by a move to the London Stadium.
West Ham now racing to sign £84m striker who's been "blowing teams away"
The Hammers have set their sights on a striker, who is also being targeted by Arsenal and Aston Villa.
ByDominic Lund May 18, 2025 "Outstanding" Abraham could reignite career at West Ham
In truth, the 27-year-old is unlikely to be in a position to be too picky about his next club, given that he has hardly set the world alight in the Serie A this season, picking up just three goals and five assists throughout the campaign.
The Englishman could get his career back on track by moving back to his native country, however, and a move to the London Stadium could be a good fit for all parties, with Potter currently lacking options in the striker department.
Despite his recent struggles, the “outstanding” former Chelsea man also has a lot of experience at the top level, having made 22 appearances in the Champions League, winning the competition during his time with the Blues.
As such, Abraham, who cost AS Roma £34m back in 2021, could be a solid signing for West Ham this summer, should he be willing to change his stance and move to a club of the Hammers’ stature.
Defensively, West Ham United have struggled in the 2024/25 Premier League season.
The Hammers, now led by Graham Potter, have one of the worst records in the top flight when it comes to conceding goals. There are only four sides that have shipped more than the East Londoners, with three of those the relegated sides.
As per Understat, West Ham have let in 59 goals this term, averaging 1.68 goals conceded per game. That overall number is actually more than three better than their expected goals against total, which is currently 62.73 xGA.
With that in mind, it might not be too much of a surprise that the Hammers are chasing some defensive reinforcements this summer.
The latest on West Ham's hunt for new defenders
One of the more ambitious defensive signings West Ham could try and make this summer would be to bring David Hancko to the club.
The Slovakian international seems destined to leave Feyenoord in a few weeks time, and Dutch publication Voetbal International report there is interest from Atletico Madrid, Al Nassr and Chelsea, as well as the Hammers.
Feyenoord'sDavidHanckocelebrates scoring their third goal
The left-footed defender can play both left-back and left centre-back, and would add plenty of experience at the heart of the Hammers’ defence. He has made 44 appearances this term, for a Feyenoord side who have conceded just 33 top-flight goals.
Another defensive player who West Ham seem like they could be in for this summer is Kyle Walker-Peters. The Southampton man was part of a relegated side this season, but has been an important player for the South Coast side.
Southampton'sKyleWalker-Petersapplauds their fans after the match
A report from journalist Greame Bailey suggests the Hammers are one of the sides trying to sign Walker-Peters on a free transfer this summer. However, they will face competition from his former club, Tottenham Hotspur and South London side Crystal Palace.
Despite the leaky defence at St Mary’s, there is no denying Walker-Peters’ quality. Former Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl once said he is an “unbelievably smart footballer”, and compared him to legendary right-back Phillipp Lahm.
The Hammers will certainly need to raise funds to afford the wages of both of these players. There is one obvious candidate who could leave the club to make room in the wage budget.
The defender West Ham must axe this summer
One player who has had no involvement in a Hammers shirt this season is Kurt Zouma. The Frenchman, who hails from Lyon, is currently out on loan at Saudi Arabian side Al-Orobah and has not played for West Ham at all this season.
Kurt Zouma for West Ham
In fact, the former Chelsea player has not had too much first-team football for his temporary side Al-Orobah, either. He has only featured 16 times in all competitions, with 15 of those games coming in the Saudi Pro League.
At one stage, the centre-back was viewed as a vital cog in the works at the London Stadium. He joined the club in 2021 for £25m after leaving Chelsea, and was described as the club’s “first choice” signing at by former manager David Moyes at the time of his arrival.
The 30-year-old made just over a century of appearances in the famous claret and blue shirt, specifically reaching 103 games for the club. Zouma even skippered the club on 37 occasions and scored six times, including one goal in a 2-1 win away to Luton Town last term.
The Frenchman was also an important figure in the Hammers’ Conference League triumph back in 2022. As per Sofascore, he played seven games in that competition, averaging 2.8 aerial duels won and 1.9 tackles won per game.
Zouma stats in 2021/22 Conference League
Stat
Per 90
Total
Minutes played
68.1
477
Pass accuracy
85.5%
85.5%
Long balls completed
1.7
9
Tackles and interceptions
1.9
10
Aerial duels won
2.8
15
Stats from Sofascore
Overall, it does seem as though Zouma’s career has petered out at the London Stadium. His contract will expire in a few weeks’ time, and it seems unlikely to be renewed, given his current loan move to Al Orobah.
Not only will that free up money on the wage budget for the Hammers, but they will also be able to reinvest it into new signings that could include Hancko and Walker-Peters.
It's not Rice: West Ham facing Lampard repeat after losing "serious talent"
West Ham may soon feel the effects of a Frank Lampard repeat…
The footballing gods were in playful mood on Tuesday evening, as Manchester United slipped to a 13th Premier League defeat of the season, having been undone by one of their own academy graduate at the City Ground.
Now plying his trade for Nottingham Forest, Anthony Elanga ripped through the Red Devils at breakneck speed to net what proved to be the game’s only goal, with the fleet-footed Swede having now registered 29 goals and assists since leaving United back in 2023.
Sold for just £15m, the 22-year-old has made that fee look an absolute “bargain” amid his form since – as noted by analyst Ben Mattinson – albeit with new boss Ruben Amorim appearing to refute claims that selling the winger was a mistake.
Speaking in his post-match press conference following the 1-0 defeat, Amorim suggested that in-form players like Elanga – and Marcus Rashford – had been given a fair “chance” to succeed at Old Trafford, while then going on to state that the “pressure is too big” for certain players at the club.
In essence, the 40-year-old appeared to hint that such talents have only been able to flourish after breaking free of the scrutiny that comes with playing for such a historic club like United.
Manchester United manager RubenAmorimduring the press conference
In the case of Elanga, his fruitful stint at Forest has followed a return of just four goals and four assists in 55 first-team games for United – were the club really in the wrong to sell him?
Why Man Utd sold Elanga in 2023
In the view of journalist Samuel Luckhurst, the “only mistake” that the Red Devils – then led by Erik ten Hag – made was “not getting a higher fee” for the Swedish speedster upon his exit almost two years ago, with Elanga hardly setting the world alight prior to that departure.
Onana
Despite scoring his first senior goal away at Wolverhampton Wanderers on the final day of the 2020/21 campaign, it wasn’t until the arrival of interim boss, Ralf Rangnick, that Elanga properly forced his way into the first-team frame the following season.
Much of the winger’s impact came in the final few months of 2021/22, having scored away at Brentford and Leeds United, as well as in the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
Those latter two strikes came in just the space of a few days, although as it proved, Elanga wouldn’t score again for the club after that, having been reduced to a bit-part role following Ten Hag’s arrival.
As the BBC’s Simon Stone has stated, the Dutchman ‘did not feel Elanga had the quality needed to be enough of an influence on his squad’, hence the decision to let him depart.
anthony-elanga-premier-league-everton-transfers
Having failed to score in 26 games in 2022/23, there were likely few objections when the Malmo-born starlet was eventually sold, not least with Alejandro Garnacho having emerged that season.
Hindsight might suggest that Ten Hag was mistaken in his view of Elanga, although it could be argued that United already have a bigger talent on the flanks – he just wasn’t playing on Tuesday…
The Man Utd star who's worth more than Elanga
There were instant comparisons made between the performances of Garnacho and Elanga at the City Ground, with the Argentine perhaps in danger of heading the same way as his former teammate, amid talk of an exit.
Elanga vs Garnacho
That said, it’s worth remembering that as Elanga toiled in 2022/23, a star was born in Garnacho, with the then-teenager ending that campaign with nine goals and assists in the senior ranks.
In a team that looks far too content with playing it safe in attack, Garnacho is, to his credit, a risk tasker – so too, is Amad Diallo.
As previously explored, the Ivorian had fallen behind the likes of Elanga in the pecking order amid a muted start to life in Manchester, with the diminutive left-footer having arrived on a £19m deal from Atalanta in January 2021.
It has arguably taken until this season for the one-time Rangers and Sunderland loanee to truly become a central figure at Old Trafford, but boy, has he taken his chance.
Player
Current club
Market value
Kobbie Mainoo
Manchester United
£46m
Marcus Rashford
Aston Villa
£42m
Alejandro Garnacho
Manchester United
£38m
Scott McTominay
Napoli
£34m
Mason Greenwood
Marseille
£29m
Anthony Elanga
Nottingham Forest
£29m
Dwight McNeil
Everton
£21m
Angel Gomes
Lille
£17m
Andreas Pereira
Fulham
£17m
James Garner
Everton
£17m
Following Ruud van Nistelrooy’s interim spell – which yielded two goals and one assist for Amad – the 22-year-old had been the shining light of United’s campaign, up until last month’s cruel injury blow, having chalked up 12 goal involvements in only 20 games under Amorim.
The wing “wizard” – as previously hailed by journalist James Copley – has nine goals and eight assists to his name in total this season, with Elanga, meanwhile, having contributed six goals and nine assists for Forest.
Currently leading his former colleague for goal contributions, Amad is also deemed to be the higher value asset, according to Transfermarkt, having seen his worth soar to £34m. Elanga, by contrast, is valued at ‘just’ £29m.
That rising valuation has followed the signing of a new long-term contract for the £120k-per-week sensation, with Amorim also providing a boost after suggesting that his rising star is set to return before the campaign is over.
As that bumper new deal has indicated, Amad represents the future of Man Utd. Elanga – for all his positive displays since leaving Old Trafford – is now part of the past.
Man Utd's £50k-p/w star is in danger of becoming the new Anthony Elanga
Man Utd saw Elanga come back to haunt them on Tuesday evening at the City Ground
Nepal’s close defeat to South Africa means there’s only one Super Eight spot left in group D
S Rajesh & Sampath Bandarupalli11-Jun-2024 • Updated on 15-Jun-2024How can Netherlands go past Bangladesh?In group D, one Super Eight spot is still open after Nepal’s heartbreaking loss to South Africa. With Nepal and Sri Lanka out of the reckoning, the battle is between Bangladesh and Netherlands. Bangladesh will seal their slot with a win, but if they lose to Nepal in Kingstown, and if Netherlands beat Sri Lanka (both are Sunday night games), then it will come down to net run rates. Bangladesh have the NRR advantage too – they are on 0.478, compared to -0.408 for Netherlands.For Netherlands to qualify, the combined margins of those results will have to be at least 53 runs, if the teams batting first score 140. That means, if Bangladesh lose to Nepal by 38 runs – that’s the first game of the night – Netherlands will have to beat Sri Lanka by at least 15 runs. A smaller margin in either game will allow Bangladesh to qualify.