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Ahead of West Ham United’s big Premier League clash against Manchester United on Saturday afternoon, David Moyes will have some major calls to make about his line-up.

The Hammers were on the wrong end of a 3-2 score-line against Leeds United last time out at the London Stadium, and know that in the battle for the top four, suffering back-to-back defeats, and that too to a Champions League rival in the Red Devils would be a damaging blow.

One man who looked all at sea in that game against the Whites last week, was Issa Diop.

The Frenchman was at the heart of defence for the Hammers, but got dragged this way and that by Leeds’ dynamic front three of Dan James, Raphinha and hat-trick hero Jack Harrison.

As per Sofascore, Diop was dribbled past twice over the course of the 90 minutes, the most of any player on the pitch, while he also looked extremely shaky on the ball, losing possession ten times and completing just one of his four attempted long passes.

It was no surprise that he duly came in for some big criticism from some sections of the Hammers fan-base, with a few calling for him to be dropped and pining for the return of his fellow Frenchman Kurt Zouma.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for Football.London, Tom Clark gave him a three, saying: “Should have done better with Leeds’ second goal where Luke Ayling ran off him and nodded down an assist for Harrison. Fortunate Mateusz Klich’s goal was disallowed after letting Raphinha get away from him too easily.”

With such a crucial game against Ralf Rangnick’s side on the horizon, Moyes desperately needs his back-line to be as reliable as ever, and Diop just hasn’t shown he can be the man to provide that in such a crunch clash.

The £16m-rated defender simply needs to be dropped for the trip to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, West Ham have identified this striker as their main target…

Tottenham Hotspur have received a frustrating setback ahead of the north London derby…

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge, Spurs will be without central defender Cristian Romero for their Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday evening, despite the Argentina international making good progress on his return from injury.

“He’s obviously going to miss the derby, which is a real blow. I thought he might be back for that,” he revealed to GIVEMESPORT.

A little over two weeks ago, Romero was spotted back in first-team training, which was well ahead of his scheduled return in February, at the very earliest.

Meanwhile, in midweek, manager Antonio Conte revealed to the club’s official website that the 23-year-old was ” very close to coming back.”

Huge blow

The Atalanta loanee has proven to be an important member of the starting lineup, providing the backline with a ruthless edge alongside the more error-prone Eric Dier and full-back Ben Davies, who has looked decent out of position.

That much has been reinforced by Conte recently.

“We are talking about another important player for us. We lost him for almost two months, and I think we faced this situation in best possible way because Cristian, for sure, is an important player for us,” he added before their Carabao Cup semi-final with Chelsea.

The £31.5m-rated colossus has featured only 13 times for Spurs since arriving in the summer, largely due to persistent injuries but whenever he’s played, he has excelled.

Indeed, his average WhoScored rating exceeds that of the two aforementioned Lilywhites defenders, whilst no other centre-back averages more tackles per game (2.4) and he also leads the squad for interceptions per game (1.7).

Arsenal have been in better form this season and are actually ahead of Spurs in the race for a top-four finish, so to not have Romero available, as Bridge thought he might well be, will certainly come as a huge blow to Conte and the fanbase.

You’d imagine that the Spurs faithful may be getting a little annoyed by these continuous setbacks, too.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops worrying behind the scenes Antonio Conte claim…

As Ricky Ponting walked through the MCC Museum at Lord’s on Monday, he passed within metres of the Ashes urn

Brydon Coverdale at Lord's12-Jul-2010As Ricky Ponting walked through the MCC Museum at Lord’s on Monday, he passed within metres of the Ashes urn. He was on his way to face the TV cameras ahead of a neutral series against Pakistan but in an Ashes year, how could he not have one eye on regaining the greatest prize in Australian cricket? The tiny trophy was right there in front of him, taunting him, yet he must wait four months before it is up for grabs.Between now and November, Australia have four Tests to put themselves into an Ashes-winning frame of mind. They have made a good start, having won seven of their eight Tests since leaving England empty-handed last year. Stumbling against Pakistan, who haven’t beaten them in a Test in nearly 15 years, would be a massive snag in their plans.For that reason, Ponting has his sights set firmly on stopping Shahid Afridi, the new Pakistan captain, from having any influence on the game. In a side without Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, Afridi is the undisputed leader of a young group. He claims to have restored the unity of the team but Ponting knows that if Afridi fails on the field, so might his colleagues.”From an outsider’s point of view at the moment it looks as though they’re sort of running a bit off him,” Ponting said. “I think a lot of their younger blokes look up to him and he’s their leader, the bloke they go to when they need something to happen, so it’s pretty much like every captain of every side is. We always talk about trying to nullify the captain and take the captain down early and we’ll try and do that in this series as well, there’s no doubt about that.”Equally, while Australia are keen to shut down a new-look Pakistan, they also want to try some fresh ideas themselves. Steven Smith will audition for an Ashes role, Tim Paine will gain valuable experience in case he is required again in the near future and Michael Clarke will be promoted to No. 4, a shift that will remain in place for the Ashes.The move up the order for Clarke is a significant step for the man most likely to be Australia’s next Test captain, and potentially their No. 3 when Ponting eventually retires. Over the past year, Clarke has been Australia’s leading Test run scorer while Michael Hussey, who is heading down to No. 5, has sometimes looked scratchy when exposed to the new ball.”It’s just about how well he’s played,” Ponting said of Clarke. “I think his game is very well suited to higher up the order against the new ball, probably a bit more than what Hussey’s is right at the moment. That’s the reason. He has been our most consistent player and that’s been in pretty much all conditions around the world.”The last Ashes series over here he showed that at different times and in challenging times when the ball was moving around quite a bit, that he can do the job up the order. He has developed his game nicely over the last couple of years and hence when you have those guys who are playing that well, we all know they need to be batting as soon as possible, so that’s why he’s moved up an extra spot.”It’s a change that was made with the Ashes in mind. In England last year, Clarke was comfortably Australia’s leading scorer and not surprisingly, they want to get the most out of him in the return battle. The two Tests at Lord’s and Headingley, in addition to the two Tests in India in October, will also provide some insight into Australia’s bowling ahead of the Ashes.Ben Hilfenhaus is back after a long bout of knee tendonitis, which kept him out of all but the first Test of Australia’s home summer, while Smith’s ability as a Test-class spinner will be closely monitored. If he shows enough promise in England, and in India if given the chance, he could threaten Nathan Hauritz come the first Test at the Gabba. All in all, Ponting sees the next two weeks as a valuable building block towards Ashes redemption.”It absolutely is,” he said. “But we’re not solely focused on November. We’ve got a lot of cricket to play before then. I see this as a great opportunity for the young guys to gain some more experience about Test cricket. It’s the true form of the game, it’s the game that tests you out the most, so we’re going to be learning a lot about our players in not only this game but every game we play before the start of the Ashes.”Australia should remain too strong for Pakistan but if they cast their gaze too far ahead, their building block could turn into a stumbling block.

Leeds United are one of many teams interested in Rob Dickie ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Athletic, who claim that the Yorkshiremen are among several sides keen to sign the Queens Park Rangers defender. Many of their Premier League rivals, including West Ham, Southampton, Wolves and Burnley are also mentioned.

Whilst no asking price is specifically mentioned by the report, it’s believed that the Championship outfit would command at least eight figures – give or take £10m – though Transfermarkt value him at just £2.7m.

QPR managed to squeeze nearly £20m out of Crystal Palace for Eberechi Eze last summer, so they are capable of driving a hard bargain.

Bielsa needs him

On the face of it, another centre-back addition is perhaps the last thing on Victor Orta’s agenda but given the injury nightmare that manager Marcelo Bielsa has suffered, it wouldn’t go amiss to add a talent like Dickie.

The likes of skipper Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente have all faced time on the sidelines since the start of the season. It’s gotten so bad that Luke Ayling had to partner the German in the middle against Arsenal last time out, despite both only just returning from their own injuries.

Standing at a whopping 6 foot 4 and right-footed, the 25-year-old would hand the Argentine a very reliable option to his backline, especially as he’s equally adept in a four and a three.

“Rob is so comfortable on the ball. Physicality, aerially strong, passing: his technical base is so sound. He’s a very talented player,” claims his manager, Mark Warburton.

The Athletic go as far as comparing him to Manchester United defender Harry Maguire in terms of playing style.

Currently, Dickie ranks as the Rs’ best performer on the season so far, averaging a 7.16 rating on WhoScored. An average of 3.9 aerial duels won, 1.8 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 82.2% passing accuracy, via WhoScored, would certainly back up the aforementioned praise and likeness.

Also lauded for his leadership and being an “unbelievable man” by his former Oxford boss Karl Robinson, the QPR star would surely be a player that Bielsa would love to have at his disposal.

For a little over £10m, it could be quite the steal.

AND in other news, Bielsa dealt gutting Leeds United transfer blow ahead of January…

A number of Liverpool supporters have laughed off claims that the Reds will have to pay £50m to sign Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma this summer.

Jurgen Klopp didn’t make any midfield additions in the summer transfer window last year, instead persevering with the options already at his disposal.

However, Liverpool have struggled in the middle of the park at times this season, with age arguably catching up with the likes of James Milner and Jordan Henderson.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

In addition, Thiago, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott have all been out injured, highlighting the need for reinforcements to be made in midfield in the near future.

Bissouma is one player who Liverpool have been linked with signing in recent months, and according to The Athletic [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], he could be available for £50m this summer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-16/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans react to Bissouma update

These Reds fans have reacted to the news on Twitter, saying it is too much to spend on the Brighton midfielder, especially given FSG’s reputation for frugality in recent transfer windows and that Transfermarkt value him at just £22.5m.

“£50million is an absolute joke”

Credit: @robertorebelo_

“Would rather spend that kind of money on Diaz”

Credit: @SivoriJoshua

“Non-news. FSG won’t pay even if the asking price is £15m”

Credit: @JamesHoffman88

“£50m? No thanks”

Credit: @LewYNWA

“FSG won’t pay that”

Credit: @97_BOSS_97

“Yeah, not gonna happen”

Credit: @LFCAJ_

In other news, some Liverpool fans are fuming at a Fabrizio Romano transfer claim. Read more here.

Habibul Bashar, the former captain of the Bangladesh team, today announced his retirement from all forms of cricket

Cricinfo staff22-Mar-2010Habibul Bashar, the former Bangladesh captain, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.”It has been a terrific journey for me and after two decades of international, first class and cub cricket I feel I have reached the end of the road. The Port City League (PCL) T20 in Sharjah next week will be my last competition as a player,” Bashar wrote in his letter to the Bangladesh Cricket Board.”I thank the BCB for giving me the honour of captaining Bangladesh and for the support throughout my career,” Bashar wrote. “I will cherish the memories of my time in the Bangladesh dressing room and my heartfelt gratitude goes out to all the players, coaches, team officials and staff I have had the privilege of knowing and working with.”As I bid bye I also feel excitement at the way the Bangladesh cricket team is progressing. I wish them every success.”Bashar played fifty Tests for Bangladesh, including their inaugural Test in 2000. He went on to lead the side in 18 Tests, including one victory and four draws. His most memorable moments as captain came in 2005 when Bangladesh stunned Australia in an ODI in Cardiff, and in the 2007 World Cup where his side relegated India to enter the Super Eights.As a batsman, Bashar massively under-achieved for a man of his talent, often succumbing to a propensity to hook, and finished with a Test average of 30.87. He was dropped from the national side after a protracted run of poor form and headed to the ICL in 2008, where he captained the Dhaka Warriors.The BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal led the tributes in praise of Bashar. “We are indebted to this fantastic cricketer who had instilled belief in the players and inspired them to perform.”Under his able leadership Bangladesh had tasted the first Test victory and had progressed to the Super Eight stages of the 2007 Cricket World Cup. With his batting he showed others the way to dominate and score at international level. We hope that he will continue to be associated with Bangladesh cricket after his retirement,” he said.

Rangers travel to face Motherwell on Sunday as they look to retain their lead at the top of the Premiership table.

They are two points ahead of their nearest rivals heading into the gameweek and play a Motherwell side sitting sixth in the league after 11 games. The Steelmen have won four, drawn three and lost four of their matches, but have only won one of their last six.

Steven Gerrard’s side come into the game off the back of a 2-2 draw with Aberdeen on Wednesday night. They fought back from a 2-0 deficit to pick up a point, with Alfredo Morelos and James Tavernier netting the goals.

One player who let the 41-year-old down against the Dons was wide midfielder Ianis Hagi. The Romania international struggled throughout the match and it could be time for Gerrard to ruthlessly axe him from the starting XI.

With games coming thick and fast in the Premiership and Europa League, players are not going to be at the very best of their abilities every single time, and that was highlighted in Hagi’s display against Aberdeen.

As per SofaScore, he lost possession of the ball a whopping 23 times and failed to create a single chance for his teammates or register a shot on goal. He also completed just one of his 13 crossing attempts and had a 0% dribble success rate. The winger failed to impose himself on the match and lost the ball far too often, allowing Aberdeen to create more chances for themselves.

This display was not reflective of his overall performances in the Premiership this season. The £5.85m-rated midfielder has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.10, creating 1.1 chances per game and completing 50% of his attempted dribbles, and losing the ball 13.9 times per match. This suggests that he is capable of much better than what he showed on Wednesday, which is why a rest could be beneficial for him.

Hagi’s off-colour showing against Aberdeen should lead to Gerrard axing him from the team as he was not sharp enough to be at his best. The Romanian needs a rest to focus on getting himself 100% ready in training ahead of the European clash with Brondby on Thursday, as his manager will surely not want to overplay him and end up getting another poor performance out of him against Motherwell.

AND in other news, Gerrard could unearth Charlie Adam 2.0 in Rangers gem with “great future in the game”…

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left bemoaning some injury news involving Ryan Jack.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match away at Hearts in the Scottish Premiership at Sunday lunchtime, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed (via Planet Radio) that Jack went off their last training session with a ‘problem’, and confirmed that he will ‘not be available’ for the clash.

It is a real worry that the central midfield player has picked up yet another injury, given the problems that he has had in the past while at Ibrox.

Nonetheless, Jack is still a important member of the squad, and played in title-winning season, but the fact that he has picked up another injury has supporters fearing the worst, with some even going as far as to suggest to move him on.

Rangers fans on Jack injury news

These Teddy Bears bemoaned the injury news as it was shared on Twitter, with one Ger even going as far as to claim that it is ‘tragic’:

“Think he’s finished”

Credit: @stu644

“Think his career is done.”

Credit: @ssaunders92

“Tragic. When fit, by far the best midfielder in Scotland. Get better soon Ryan”

Credit: @coo56734508

“Love Jack but his time might be coming to an end at Rangers, been injured for far too long”

Credit: @gaz_hamilton97

“Sad to say but he’s finished”

Credit: @N18721

“As much as I love Jack, if this is another long-term injury we need to think of moving on and replacing him unfortunately.”

Credit: @jordorobinson98

In other news, find out what contract claim by this ‘quality’ ace RFC fans have flocked to here!

Shaun Tait believes he has made the right decision to abandon first-class cricket and focus on the shorter formats after delivering the fastest ball ever recorded in Australia on Friday night

Brydon Coverdale05-Feb-2010Shaun Tait believes he has made the right decision to abandon first-class cricket and focus on the shorter formats after delivering the fastest ball ever recorded in Australia on Friday night. Tait’s third delivery in Australia’s Twenty20 win over Pakistan hit 160.7kph, a speed that has only been bettered by Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee since measurements became common.Tait had clocked 160kph before but this was his quickest ball and he maintained a consistent pace – he didn’t drop below 150kph in his opening two-over spell. The record on Australian soil was a fullish ball that Imran Farhat missed, and Tait expended such energy that he stumbled and nearly fell over in his follow-through.He picked up Farhat with a 152kph ball that was edged to slip and for the rest of his overs hovered in the low to mid 150s. He said he would love to break Akthar’s mark of 161.3kph, set during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, but Tait believes the effort required means that his speed peak can only last for a couple of balls per match.”It’s not something that I think about all the time but there’s only certain moments when you’re bowling, maybe even in your career, when you’ve probably got a chance to do it,” Tait said after the win. “Today it was my third ball and I had a crack the next ball after that just to have a go and I think after that it’s hard to get back up to that pace.”I think when everything’s feeling really good and your timing is right, I think you’ve only got two deliveries in a game to try and break a record like that. It’s a pretty hard task. That’s an amazing record. But anyway, I’ll see how I go, keep pushing. Shoaib bowled whatever he bowled and that’s amazing. I almost killed myself out there tonight.”Most importantly, Tait’s pace didn’t bring with it an erratic line. He was accurate, hard to get away and was named Man of the Match for his 3 for 13 from four overs. At his best, Tait can be one of the most dangerous Twenty20 bowlers in the world and he could be a valuable weapon for Australia at the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies in May.Tait has had his problems over the years, including a series of injuries and a self-inflicted break from the game due to physical and mental exhaustion in 2008. But by giving away four-day cricket – he hasn’t played a first-class match since December 2008 – and playing only Twenty20 and 50-overs games, he has allowed his body to deliver super-fast balls in short, sharp spells of severe impact.”I think it’s freshness, to be honest,” Tait said. “Looking back on it now, the decision that I’ve made at this stage to play the shorter form of the game has been a pretty solid one. I’ve been fresh for the majority of the games this season, apart from a couple maybe. I’m really enjoying the shorter form, the Twenty20s.”If Tait does head to the World Twenty20, he could form a fearsome and very fast attack along with Dirk Nannes, who hovered in the low 150s on Friday, and the proven danger-man Mitchell Johnson. Until then, Australia will hope for four more Twenty20 assaults from Tait to warm-up for the global tournament.

Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst is in for a busy summer transfer window as he looks to shape his squad ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

With the Gers currently sitting six points adrift of the Premiership leaders, the Dutch head coach is set to head into next season with the aim of winning the title back from their Glasgow arch-rivals – unless of course there is a very late twist in the current campaign.

This means that the club will have an extra edge in their transfer dealings, as they will be motivated to improve their squad to a point where they will be confident of finishing above the Hoops.

One player who must be brutally axed from the Rangers squad in the summer is Finland international Glen Kamara, as the timing is perfect for him to leave.

Ibrox chief Ross Wilson can seal a masterclass by cashing in on the 26-year-old, whose form has nosedived of late. He has only started one Premiership match since 5th March as John Lundstram and Ryan Jack have been preferred to him in the two deep-lying midfield roles.

In all competitions since that date, he has recorded a SofaScore rating of 6.8 or lower in each of his appearances, while he has struggled in the Europa League all season. He has averaged an underwhelming SofaScore rating of 6.68 in Europe across 11 appearances, showing that he has not been one of the key players in their charge towards glory in that competition.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the club value him at £15m. It would be a stroke of genius from Wilson if he is able to sell Kamara for that amount, as it would generate significant funds for Van Bronckhorst to strengthen the squad in other positions without weakening the club’s best XI.

In his last Premiership start, the Finland midfielder was culpable for Motherwell’s goal and was dubbed an “all-round shambles” by Andrew Dickson for his involvement in that play. The 26-year-old was given the opportunity to show Van Bronckhorst that he can be a reliable, regular starter for him in the middle of the park, but instead he let the manager down with a poor mistake.

Kamara has struggled to get into the team of late and has not been able to catch the eye whenever he has played, so that is why this summer will be the perfect time for him to be sold. Wilson must cash in on the player whilst his value is still reasonably high, whether that is the £15m previously quoted or a similar fee, and then use that money to reinvest in the team.

If he can pull that off, then it will be a transfer masterclass from the former Southampton chief…

AND in other news, Rangers now plot exciting bid for £1.8m-rated sensation, it’ll leave Van Bronckhorst thrilled…