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Over the course of David Moyes' tenure, West Ham United have become notorious for doing the ugly side of the game well, showcasing their aggression and physicality, defending in a low block and hitting teams on the counter-attack.

While remnants of that game plan still remain, the Hammers are now enjoying more possession of the ball and that is down to the signing of master technician, James Ward-Prowse. Since joining from Southampton, the 28-year-old has scored or assisted in every game he's played, with his technical quality shining through.

Ward-Prowse isn't the only astute signing to have left his mark at the London stadium. Mohammed Kudus, who completed a £38m switch from Ajax this summer, is slowly unleashing his star-like qualities that saw him become one of the hottest commodities in Europe, having scored against Backa Tapola in midweek.

West Ham's astute and accurate transfer dealings have helped stimulate their exceptional start to the season, but it isn't the only time when Moyes has shown ambition in the transfer window.

In January 2022, West Ham launched an ambitious move to prize Raphinha away from Leeds, but their attempts to sign the Brazilian winger – who could have been an upgrade on fellow forward Said Benhrama – were knocked back.

Why didn't West Ham sign Raphinha?

West Ham were determined to strengthen their squad during the 2022 winter window to boost their Champions League qualification hopes. They set their sights on raiding Leeds' two prized possessions, Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, but ultimately failed in their pursuit.

The signing of the latter man, at the time, would have helped provide further support to lone forward Michail Antonio from the right flank while also being able to play in a number of positions.

Although they were prepared to fork out club-record fees upwards of £50m for the pair, as reported by the Guardian, Marcelo Bielsa was adamant that they would be staying put at Elland Road.

During that period, Leeds were fighting for their lives against relegation and selling their best players would have been detrimental to their season, likely resulting in relegation to the Championship.

While the Whites survived by the skin of their teeth on the final day, West Ham dropped out of Champions League contention, finishing in seventh place. The outcome of their season, however, could have been a lot different if they managed to sign Raphinha.

How good is Raphinha?

Praised by former teammate Dan James as a "magician", Raphinha is a fleet-footed winger who catches the eye with his wand of a left foot, using it to devastating effect during his time at Leeds.

He made the £17m move to West Yorkshire on deadline day in 2020 and quickly became a fan favourite at Elland Road, displaying his ability to not only create opportunities for his teammates but also weigh in with several important goals.

The 18-cap Brazil international showcased his vision, skill and mouth-watering technique to drag Leeds through matches on numerous occasions, becoming their match-winner and the one player they could rely on for a piece of individual brilliance, often providing that in abundance.

Raphinha made a sharp rise to stardom following his world-class performances, chalking up 29 goal contributions in 67 appearances, alerting several of Europe's big hitters.

Although many were interested in luring him away, Barcelona would win the race to land the 26-year-old for £55m last year, and he has since become one of the best wingers on the planet.

The £210k per-week wizard, who was described by pundit Graeme Souness as "extremely talented", has demonstrated that talent on the domestic and European stage for Barca.

Last season, Raphinha plundered 10 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, only behind Robert Lewandowski in that regard, which is a testament to how he's seamlessly stepped up to the plate and delivered a glowing indication of his talents.

That is in stark contrast to what Benrahma achieved last term, with the former Brentford man scoring 12 times, yet providing just five assists in all competitions, having been branded something of an "enigma" by journalist Paul Brown.

The Algerian playmaker has also flattered to deceive so far this season with just one assist from his six appearances thus far, while Raphinha, meanwhile, has recorded three goal contributions in just four games for the La Liga giants.

As per FBref, the ex-Leeds ace ranks among the top 10% of wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive passes, non-penalty xG, passes into the penalty area, crosses and shots on target per 90, further illustrating the full array of his devastating brilliance.

Throughout the past few years, the £32m (€37m) valued Raphinha, as per Football Transfers, has taken the responsibility of being a star man – like at Leeds – in his stride, but since moving to Catalonia, has shown he can shine among several world-class stars, emphasizing why Moyes was so desperate to bring him to West Ham previously.

While the documentary implies gambling interests dictated the bowler-friendly nature of that surface, SLC CEO Ashley de Silva emphasised on the cricketing reasons for how that pitch turned out

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-May-2018Sri Lanka Cricket has expressed further skepticism about the parts of the Al Jazeera documentary that implies certain Test pitches in the country were prepared to suit bettors. The surface prepared for the 2016 Test against Australia in Galle, in particular, was defended. Where the the documentary implies gambling interests dictated the bowler-friendly nature of that surface, SLC was at pains to emphasise the cricketing reasons for how that pitch turned out.Sri Lanka had won that match comprehensively, their spinners sharing 18 wickets. Australia had succumbed to 106 all out and 183 all out. ESPNcricinfo can also confirm that the team had requested a turning track for that game. The Al Jazeera documentary makes no allegations about any Sri Lanka players in that match.”It’s true that during that Australia Tests our spinners got wickets,” SLC vice-president Mohan de Silva said. “But quicks actually got the wickets for Australia. Mitchell Starc took the most wickets for them (Starc took 11 wickets, the most in the match). And when you look at Sri Lanka, our strength has always been spin. Muttiah Muraitharan’s got 800 wickets and Rangana Herath’s got more than 400. So the fact that we make spinning wickets is not extraordinary. It’s a normal thing.”The documentary made particular note of the brevity of that game, which lasted less than two-and-a-half days. The alleged fixer in the video is also seen claiming that the game finished so early, “[by the] third day I was in Bombay”. SLC has suspended the assistant manager who Al Jazeera claimed had told them that pitch was fixed, but nevertheless, did not fully buy into the wrongdoing implied. The surface was given a “below average” rating by the ICC – which is on the lower end of the marking scale, but not poor enough for the venue to receive official censure.”What they say about this Test is that it ends in two-and-a-half days, but neither the umpires, nor match referee had given a negative report,” Mohan de Silva said. “It’s hard for us to trust that something wrong has happened there. But the ICC is carrying out an inquiry, and we have no intention of ever protecting a wrongdoer.”The board would not give a firm word on whether they were confident that no tampering of the pitch by those connected to bettors ever occurred, however. When asked that question, SLC CEO Ashley de Silva merely said it would be wrong for the board to comment while the ICC investigation was ongoing.On Sunday, SLC officials had also denied that the person Al Jazeera’s allegations hang upon, was in fact capable of altering the state of the pitch. In general, Galle surfaces tend to be spin-friendly; the three highest wicket-takers at the venue are Muralitharan (111 dismissals), Herath (94 dismissals) and Dilruwan Perera (35 dismissals) – all spinners. There has not been a draw there since 2013.

Highlights of the first round of the Ranji Trophy’s Super League and Plate matches

Sidharth Monga07-Nov-2008
Rohit Sharma scored a fluent third first-class century © PA Photos
Show ’em what they are missing
Had Ranji Trophy cricket been followed in India, this one would have been an equivalent of Wayne Rooney wanting badly to score against Everton. Only that Yere Goud did score a century against Karnataka, that too in his first match against his team from last season. But only a handful watched Goud score a patient 122 not out to help Railways, the team he had left to join Karnataka for an acrimonious one-season stay, gain three points from a first-innings lead over Karnataka.It was a good old-fashioned Ranji innings where you realise the opposition has scored enough to rule out an outright win [Karnataka had scored 365 in more than one-and-a-half days], and you turn it into a one-innings match. Goud found a suitable partner in Sanjay Bangar, the Railways captain: for the fifth wicket they added 75 in 28.3 overs. The partnership ended in a mix-up when Bangar wanted a third, but Goud didn’t. Goud tried to sacrifice his wicket, but was too late, and that denied Bangar a century. Goud, though, took out his anger on Sunil Joshi, hitting him for three sixes in quick time. Then remembering his tag as a stonewaller, he went back to grafting, and made sure Railways recovered from 185 for 5 to 389 all out.A happy divorce
Abhinav Mukund and M Vijay came together as an opening partnership mid-way of last season, and their first association yielded 256 runs against Saurashtra. Vijay got 230 not out then, and Mukund 120 – on debut. In the first match of this season, though, they raised the bar and went for a bigger run-feast. For 107.4 overs, an inexperienced Maharashstra attack struggled for a wicket, as the right-left combination went on accumulating runs. They ended the first day at 377 for 0, needing 88 more to break the record for the highest opening partnership in the Ranji Trophy, previously held by Raman Lamba and Ravi Sehgal.They could get only 86 before Vijay was caught at the wicket off Harshad Khadiwale, but better news awaited both the openers. Mukund went on and score the first triple-century of the season, and Vijay left the match mid-way because an India cap awaited him in Nagpur. Neither will mind the separation.Enamul Haque jnr, Maharashtra’s overseas import, bowled 31 wicketless overs for 171 runs.A timely nudge
This is an important season for the young hopefuls in Indian cricket, because already two of the senior Test players have retired. Keeping that in mind, Rohit Sharma scored a timely century – in one session, against Rajasthan – to add to his impressive century against the Australians in Hyderabad, earlier this year. As Mumbai looked to capitalise on a 103-run first-innings lead, Rohit made the setting of the target easier with a typically fluent third first-class century. His 128 took 140 deliveries, and 94 of those came in 22 fours and one six. As a result of the innings, Mumbai had enough time to bowl Rajasthan out in the second innings, and gain five points.In the same match, Dhawal Kulkarni, who came into spotlight through his IPL performances for the Mumbai Indians, made a solid Ranji debut, becoming only the seventh Mumbai player to take a five-for on debut. “Earlier I used to just run and bowl and even the pace was less. But Mumbai Cricket Association sent me to Brisbane for a camp and once I came back I was a changed bowler. My technique was right I developed more strength and my pace was increased,” he said, and went on to take four more wickets in the second innings to show his gratitude to the team.The comeback
Figures of 34-10-101-2 and 5-2-6-0 do not sound sensational at all, but in the scenario of the Delhi-Punjab match they were significant. For these were Ashish Nehra’s returns, on his first-class comeback after he missed the entire last season. Moreover, the first-innings figures don’t do justice to how Nehra bowled.In his first spell, he got the ball to consistently move away from the left-hand opening batsmen. However, luck deserted him for the first seven overs, during which he kept beating both Karan Goel and Ravi Inder Singh. In the third over of the day, Nehra made Ravi Inder play and miss at three successive deliveries. He finally got his breakthrough in the seventh over of the innings, when Ravi Inder played all over a straight and fast delivery. He then came back for a testing spell later in the day. It was a pleasing throwback: Nehra, his shirt not tucked in, animated, never far away from throwing frustrated tantrums. More pleasing was his perseverance, and one hopes the same is the case throughout the season.The no-show
Playing his first first-class match for Punjab in more than three seasons, Yuvraj Singh didn’t have a favourable outing. With the anticipation around him, he walked in to bat against Delhi minutes before lunch on the first day. He got a bouncer first up from Pradeep Sangwan, which he easily ducked under. That was followed up by five accurate deliveries, the last of which he played at, and guided to Shikhar Dhawan at first slip. On day that eight catches fell short of the slips, Yuvraj’s hard hands made sure that was not an issue when he edged. In the second innings, Yuvraj scored 38 off 44, but by then Punjab had conceded the first-innings lead.The trivia
Abhinav Kumar, the wicketkeeper playing his fifth first-class match, became the first Hyderabad player, and 11th overall, to be stranded on 99 in a Ranji Trophy match, as his team went from 283 for 7 to 296 all out. But his 99 not out proved crucial in Hyderabad’s gaining a first-innings lead over Orissa, and with that three points.Shane Warne’s boys’ corner
In the IPL, Rajasthan Royals was full of Cinderellas, who Warne bound together into a match-winning unit. Cricinfo will keep an eye on those relatively unknown players, and see how they do in their first first-class season after a successful IPL season.Swapnil Asnodkar scored 191 against Kerala, at a whopping strike-rate of 47.04. But Goa managed only one point from the match, as Kerala scored 486 in reply to Goa’s 460.Siddharth Trivedi took 5 for 44 and 2 for 42, including five wickets in the first 34 balls he bowled, to first reduce Saurashtra to 12 for 5, and then push them to an innings defeat. This was some effort by Gujarat, who played in the Plate League last year, to smash the Super League semi-finalists.

It has certainly been a turbulent year for Leeds United fans, with relegation from the Premier League leading to a number of their star players leaving over the summer transfer window.

Making an unwanted return to the Championship brought a lot of change and uncertainty around Elland Road. For one, the Whites appointed former Norwich City manager Daniel Farke to provide a figurehead who had experience of winning in the second tier.

And it is a decision which is seemingly paying off for the West Yorkshire club following a bright first half of the campaign as they eye a spot in the automatic promotion places. On the horizon is the January transfer window, which will provide the Whites with an opportunity to enhance their chances of an instant return to the big time.

With the winter window now a matter of days away, Football FanCast has delved into the recent history books and taken a look at the last 10 January signings made by the Whites and where they are now…

Weston McKennie – 30th January 2023 From Juventus – Loan

Appearances

20

Goals

0

Assists

1

Signing Weston McKennie on loan until the end of the campaign may have come as a shock to many around the league given some of the clubs he had been previously linked to.

But the United States international found himself swapping Turin for Leeds until the end of the season, where he went on to make 20 appearances for the West Yorkshire club in total.

The large majority of those appearances (19) came in the Premier League, where the American failed to provide much of an impact with just one assist and seven yellow cards to his name.

McKennie has since returned to Juventus over the summer and gone on to play regular Serie A football, with 14 starts to his name in the league alone (via Transfermarkt).

Georginio Rutter – 14th January 2023 From Hoffenheim – £35m

Appearances

35

Goals

4

Assists

10

Leeds made a big money signing in January 2023 as their Premier League survival remained in doubt following a shaky start to the 2022/23 campaign.

They certainly rolled the dice in the winter window by spending significantly on the French forward in a deal which reportedly had the possibility to reach up to £35m in total.

Rutter endured some struggles in settling into life in the Premier League as he failed to find the back of the net in any of his 11 top-flight appearances (via Transfermarkt).

However, despite costing so much and Leeds falling down into the Championship, he was one of the few big names the Whites were able to hold onto over the summer.

And it is certainly a decision which has paid off for Leeds, with Rutter netting four goals and providing nine assists inside his first 21 appearances in the second tier.

Maximilian Wober – 3rd January 2023 From RB Salzburg – £11m

Appearances

19

Goals

0

Assists

0

Jesse Marsch's influence saw another of his former players come through the doors at Elland Road – this time in the form of Maximilian Wober from RB Salzburg.

It is reported the defender arrived in West Yorkshire in a deal which cost Leeds in the region of just £11m.

But the defender was unable to help turn around Leeds' 2022/23 campaign in the top flight, with no goals or assists in his 16 Premier League appearances (via Transfermarkt).

And it was apparent he was not keen to hang about in the Championship with the Whites as he left on loan for Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach.

Following his confirmed departure, the Austrian had the following to say on his decision to leave on a season-long loan:

"I totally understand the disappointment with some of you. But for me, it is a necessary step to show myself at the highest level and to be able to secure a spot in the national team of Austria for the Euros in 2024."

Jean-Kevin Augustin – 27th January 2020 From RB Leipzig – Loan

Appearances

3

Goals

0

Assists

0

This is a transfer which Leeds and their fans will not forget in a hurry – although they probably will be trying their best to do so.

Augustin joined the Whites on an initial loan deal from RB Leipzig with the obligation to buy for £18m at the end of the campaign.

The deal was made permanent at the end of the campaign, but having played just 48 minutes of football, Leeds made a £15.5m settlement agreement with Leipzig following a dispute over whether the obligation fee was owed as a result of their promotion in 2019/20 – a season which was impacted by the pandemic.

On top of that, the player's £80k-per-week salary over five years needed to be resolved, which equated to £24.5m – a sum which Leeds were ordered to pay.

Having played just over a half's worth of football for the Whites, Leeds ended up paying in the region of £40m for the player, who is now playing his football in Switzerland with FC Basel.

Ian Poveda – 24th January 2020 From Manchester City – Undisclosed

Appearances

27

Goals

0

Assists

1

Leeds may have thought they had secured a real coup in signing Ian Poveda on a free transfer from Manchester City's U23 side, but it is not exactly a signing which has proven to be a success thus far.

Indeed, Poveda has only made 27 appearances for the Whites across all competitions and the winger is yet to find the back of the net (via Transfermarkt).

The Colombia international has left the club twice on loan, and his recent spell at Blackpool in League One did provide some cause for optimism as he was able to enjoy some bright spells for the Tangerines.

Having returned to Leeds, Poveda has made six appearances this season in the Championship with a total of just 139 minutes on the pitch…

Mateusz Bogusz – 29th January 2019 From Ruch Chorzow – Undisclosed

Appearances

3

Goals

0

Assists

0

The Whites signed Mateusz Bogusz from Polish side Ruch Chorzow in 2019 for a fee believed to be less than £100k.

But it was not a signing which proved to pay off, as he ended up departing the club three times on various loan deals (via Transfermarkt).

Over the course of his time at Elland Road, the Pole was only able to feature on three occasions, with an accumulated game time of just 185 minutes.

However, there was a positive end to his time in Leeds which only came to an end in March when the Whites were able to turn a profit on his departure as he left the club for LAFC in a deal believed to be worth in the region of £1m.

Kiko Casilla – 17th January 2019 From Real Madrid – Undisclosed

Appearances

62

Goals conceded

61

Clean sheets

23

Much like Jean-Kevin Augustin, this is a name which Leeds fans will not forget in a hurry.

The Spanish goalkeeper made a free transfer switch from La Liga giants Real Madrid, with Leeds in the Championship at the time.

But this was a transfer which brought a sour taste, as the goalkeeper was banned for using a racial slur towards Charlton Athletic's Jonathan Leko.

During his time at Elland Road, the Spaniard went on to make 62 appearances across all competitions, where he conceded 61 goals and kept 23 clean sheets (via Transfermarkt).

After a loan spell back in Spain, Casilla made a permanent move to Getafe in 2022, but has since become a free agent, and at the time of writing – remains unattached.

Tyler Roberts – 31st January 2018 From West Brom – £2.5m

Appearances

108

Goals

9

Assists

10

Signing from West Brom's U21 side, Tyler Roberts put pen to paper on a deal to join Leeds which is believed to have been worth around £2.5m.

The Welsh forward went on to rack up the appearances for the Whites after arriving in 2018 – 108 in total across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

However, he had his issues in front of goal for Leeds as he was only able to provide the Whites with a mere return of nine goals in those games.

He did also provide 10 assists, but a return of just 19 goal contributions in over 100 games was nowhere near good enough.

After departing the club last season on loan, Leeds sold Roberts in the summer to Birmingham City.

In what proved to be a real failure of a transfer, Leeds were forced to take a financial blow to get Roberts out of the door as they sold him for around a fifth of what they originally paid for him.

Adam Forshaw – 18th January 2018 From Middlesbrough – £4.5m

Appearances

91

Goals

0

Assists

3

The list of previous January signings is not proving overly impressive, with Adam Forshaw's time at Elland Road also leaving a lot to be desired.

The midfielder made the move to West Yorkshire from Middlesbrough in 2018 for a fee reported to be in the region of just £4.5m.

Forshaw went on to spend over five years with the Whites, before leaving in the summer of 2023 for fellow Championship side Norwich City.

He left at the end of his deal with Leeds, where he had made just 91 appearances across all competitions in those five years.

Despite spending such a long period of time in West Yorkshire, Forshaw's career was seriously hindered by injuries, with numerous setbacks clawing him back from making a long-term impression on the starting XI.

Laurens De Bock – 11th January 2018 From Club Brugge – £1.5m

Appearances

7

Goals

0

Assists

0

Ending this list in style, Leeds signed Belgian left-back Laurens De Bock from Club Brugge for around £1.5m in 2018.

Much like a lot of the names on this list, it is a signing which will have left a lot of question marks over Leeds' recruitment strategy.

After signing in the winter window, De Bock was sent out on his first of four loans in the following summer, returning to his homeland with KV Oostende.

And all seven of the Belgian's appearances for Leeds came in the 2017/18 Championship campaign, where he conjured up 630 minutes of football (via Transfermarkt).

The defender left the club in 2022 in a free transfer return to Belgium at Zulte-Waregem, and now finds himself playing his football in Greece with Atromitos.

Manchester United prospective investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe is believed to have already held internal discussions over an unresolved matter at Old Trafford, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe announcement draws closer…

According to Sky News, Manchester United will make an official announcement in the next few days confirming that petrochemicals billionaire Ratcliffe will acquire a 25% stake in the Premier League giants in a deal mooted to be worth in the region of £1.25 billion.

The report states that Ineos Sports will take two seats in the boardroom at Old Trafford, with their sporting operations head Sir Dave Brailsford expected to take up a position on the Red Devils' public company board. Ratcliffe will invest £245 million of his own money into improving the club's current infrastructure, which won't be added to their existing borrowing list.

Truthfully, a culture of toxicity at the English top-flight giants and mediocrity on the pitch at Manchester United has led to a spate of underwhelming league campaigns since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013; however, confirmation of Ineos being set to be installed in the North West may give renewed hope to a fanbase who have become frustrated with the much-maligned Glazer family at the helm.

Erik ten Hag has come under immense pressure this term as his underperforming side continue to produce inconsistent performances, which, in turn, have put their hopes of finishing in the top four and gaining entry to the knockout stages of the Champions League in severe danger.

Manchester United's next five fixtures – all competitions

Competition

Opponent

Venue

Premier League

Chelsea (H)

Old Trafford

Premier League

Bournemouth (H)

Old Trafford

Champions League

Bayern Munich (H)

Old Trafford

Premier League

Liverpool (A)

Anfield

Premier League

West Ham United (A)

London Stadium

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether the Dutchman will be given the full backing of a new regime. In other news away from Ten Hag's situation, reports suggest that Ratcliffe has already held internal discussions at Old Trafford over an unresolved matter.

Romano on internal Ratcliffe discussions

As per Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing via CaughtOffside, Manchester United prospective investor Ratcliffe has already held internal discussions over the future of Mason Greenwood, who left on loan for Getafe in the summer after his well-documented case that dominated headlines for much of this year. Romano said:

"Incoming co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is already discussing Greenwood’s situation internally, and from what I’m told, he’s made no decision at all and nothing will be decided in December. So the idea is to take some time and just let Greenwood play football. Then, based on his performances for Getafe, Man United will discuss their position and that of the player. This will likely take place in March, April or May.

"There will be many different factors to consider, and obviously the new Man United board will have a new CEO and new people in charge of the transfer market, meaning that they will all decide on transfer business together."

Ratcliffe will be expected to have a leading role in many decisions at Old Trafford and this one will be no different as he gets to work at the club.

Moeen Ali persuaded angry team-mates not to lodge an official complaint against the Australia player who allegedly called him “Osama” during the 2015 Ashes.England coach Trevor Bayliss has revealed that Moeen, who has made the comments public in his upcoming autobiography, did not want the matter escalated following the incident during the Cardiff Test at the beginning of the series. Following the publication of the comments, Cricket Australia has said they will investigate the matter.At the time, however, Bayliss spoke to his counterpart Darren Lehmann who approached the player in question and received a denial with the player saying he had said “part-timer” rather than “Osama”. If the matter had been made official the ICC would have launched an investigation – something that could still happen despite the incident being three years ago.”No, he didn’t want it to go any further,” Bayliss told Sydney’s . “He’s a very softly spoken sort of a bloke. He doesn’t want to create too many problems for anyone. There were other players in the team who wanted to take it further but he talked them into not taking it any further.”Bayliss said he did not get any follow-up from Lehmann after he had raised the comments and did not feel there were any other significant issues between the teams.”Well I didn’t get a response. I just left it with Darren to sort out one way or the other. I didn’t hear any response, but everything was dealt with then.”I’m not going to make too much of it. It was bloody three years ago, let’s move on. [Cricket Australia] can do what they like I suppose – everyone has sort of forgotten about it and moved on since then. I don’t see it as any real big deal.”It was a hard-fought series…you’re not party to what goes on out on the field and certainly nothing else was reported or anything through that series so we just left it at that.”In the extract from his book, Moeen went on to explain how England had invited the Australians into their dressing room post-match but the offer was rebuffed until the end of the series.He revealed he approached the player involved in the initial comments who said: “I know what you thought I said, but I didn’t say that. I’ve got Muslim friends and some of my best friends are Muslims.”

Liverpool have reportedly stepped up their efforts as they look to re-sign their former sporting director Michael Edwards.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Liverpool looking to re-sign Edwards
• Held face-to-face talks in Boston
• Was at the club from 2012-2022

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Reds have already held face-to-face talks with Edwards and his according to The Times as they look to bring him back to help the Merseyside giants through the process of Jurgen Klopp's exit from the club. Edwards met with president Mike Gordon and Fenway Sports Group (FSG) owner, John W Henry last weekend in Boston, according to the reports.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After terminating a ten-year relationship with Liverpool in 2022 and being instrumental in the club's transition under Klopp, Edwards has turned down multiple approaches from teams, including Chelsea. As for Liverpool, he declined an original offer from FSG in January to return to his role as Liverpool's sporting director, and if he accepts the invitation to come back, he likely expects full authority in a more senior role, like the head of football operations.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  As per The Guardian, it is anticipated that Edwards will lead the analytics and recruitment divisions. He would likely also oversee the selection of Liverpool's next manager and any other new sporting director. In the upcoming weeks, the club's new football organisational structure should begin to take shape.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  As they prepare for the future, the Reds will also keep their eye trained on the present as they look to end Klopp's tenure at the club on a high note. The club will next be in action on the field when they take on fellow title-contenders, Manchester City on Sunday, March 10.

Opener shows his mettle at the last, but needs to learn the lessons of a tough summer

Vithushan Ehantharajah12-Sep-2022At 11.26am at the start of the working week, Zak Crawley hit a cover-drive off the back foot that took England to a fourth-innings chase of 130 to win the decider against South Africa. The decider was done in two days and 25 minutes – at 909 deliveries, it was the shortest completed Test since 1912 – and capped a three-match series that spanned just nine days, and could easily have fitted into seven.There are a few double-take moments in there, the least of them being a Crawley cover-drive. He hits them well, better than most. Well enough to have some of the best players in this England team fawning over it and telling you about it ahead of each of his 13 innings this summer. Because they had to, until today.With 69 not out in a chase of 130 to close out an engaging Test summer, Crawley finally has something to hold on to this summer. Something more tangible than the consistent praise from those around him that was beginning to sound a little patronising, and not only because of his own slack performance. Since his 121 in the Caribbean back in March Crawley has played 17 innings, of which 10 have been single-figures and none until Monday were over fifty. An eighth score of 50 or more in 51 innings is not much for some. But where Crawley is concerned, it seems not merely to be enough, but an opportunity for a bit of “told you, didn’t we?””I can categorically say that, at no stage throughout the whole summer, have I doubted Zak Crawley opening the batting,” Ben Stokes, England’s captain, said, while Brendon McCullum told : “What we saw from Zak in the last innings is what he’s capable of achieving.”That two of the most powerful people in English cricket are also two of Crawley’s biggest hype-men is not for nothing. And as much as the cute thing to say here is that their faith has been repaid, the truth is Crawley is still indebted to just how much his captain and head coach have invested in him.During a team golf trip last month, McCullum and Stokes decided to rig a three-ball so that they could play alongside Crawley. The 18 holes were basically an unwinding exercise for a 24-year-old player who has long had a reputation for level-headedness. And it was only back in the clubhouse after a few beers that Crawley finally opened up about how he was starting to lose his equilibrium.Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope celebrate the moment of victory at The Oval•Getty ImagesIt was an instructive conversation for both captain and coach, because they each took different things out of it. Stokes saw a young cricketer willing to show a bit of vulnerability. McCullum saw someone on the edge. And while the former was empathetic to his state of mind, the latter saw an opportunity. McCullum, for all his free-spirit encouragement, has one unwavering belief: you see what a person is truly made of when they have nothing left to lose.Maybe it’s a bit excessive, perhaps a bit too “THIS IS SPARTA” for a sport that hides away when it rains. But McCullum, and by proxy Stokes, have spent the past few months waiting for an explosion that came in the last throes of the most engaging summer of the modern era. For the first time this season, Crawley was able to showcase not just the drives but the pull shots, too: off front and back foot, against an attack that should have known better.Kagiso Rabada, a great in waiting and, here, South Africa’s player of the series, was treated with particular disdain. Of Crawley’s 12 boundaries, seven came off Rabada’s 36 deliveries between the two, which were taken for 41 runs. Arguably the heartiest ovation of day four came when he flicked the quick off his toes to pass fifty. Stokes was leading the cheers from the dressing-room. By contrast, that final drive through the off side to win the game less than 24 hours later was given cursory applause, as if we shouldn’t have expected anything less.”What we’ve seen yesterday and this morning of Zak is what we know that he can produce,” Stokes said after the match. “You flip that around to the innings he played in Manchester [38 off 101 deliveries]. He’s someone who can read the situation and know what is required of him in different times, different situations and different conditions.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”For him to walk off at the end of this innings not out, leading us to victory, is something you want to see your younger guys doing. Guys who may feel like they’re under pressure, that innings last night and walking off here would have given Zak a huge amount of confidence within himself. He knows he’s got the confidence and the backing of the dressing-room but there can always be that self-doubt when things aren’t going your way. But the way he went out and played yesterday was just awesome.”There is a bit of mayo on that, of course. As there is when McCullum said he will learn a lot from these innings and develop more consistency, despite having already gone on the record this summer to suggest that Crawley is exempt from such judgment. The upsides, they feel, are worth the lows. After making 46 in a 107-run opening stand with Alex Lees against India in the successful chase of 378, this was a far more assertive, far more alpha flexing in a partnership of 108 with the same partner that, but for bad light, could have finished the chase on Sunday night.Indeed, the red-inker leaves us in an intriguing situation. Because while Crawley has absolutely benefitted from the affections of Stokes and McCullum, along with the presence of long-time confidant Rob Key as managing director of the whole operation, he has, eventually, emerged with a passable set of stats for the summer. His haul of 276 runs at 23 doesn’t stack up too badly against the 23.46 average of all the other openers in England in 2022 (Lees, Will Young, Tom Latham, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sarel Erwee and Dean Elgar, who made 915 runs combined).Related

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That’s not to say we should revere such middling figures, but there should at least be an acknowledgement of a tricky profession in the trickiest environment, whether you think the man himself is equipped enough to do the job in the first place.Neither Stokes nor McCullum were willing to extend summer guarantees into the winter. Both, in their own ways, spoke of the need for flexibility in the different conditions Pakistan will represent. In the meantime, there is scope to de-stress, declutter and reflect on a summer like no other. And, in many ways, it will be a summer from which Crawley needs to learn much about himself, in a bid to put it behind him.

Stuart Board’s unusual action during the Super Eights match against South Africa needs clarification by match officials, Graeme Smith feels

George Binoy at Trent Bridge11-Jun-2009There have been several out of the ordinary moments during the World Twenty20 matches at Trent Bridge, the highlights being Angelo Mathews’ alertness in the field while going over the boundary and Tillakaratne Dilshan’s audacious scoop over the wicketkeeper’s head. While those innovations were widely celebrated, Stuart Board’s unusual action during the Super Eights match against South Africa was more controversial.As Broad approached his delivery stride during the 17th over, he pointed towards his side as if to indicate a fielder was out of position, but carried on with his bowling action without disrupting his own rhythm. AB de Villiers worked the ball behind square for a single so Broad’s antics didn’t bear fruit. It might have been more of a talking point if the ball had brought him a wicket. Broad had done it before as well, during the one-day series at home against West Indies.When asked whether Broad’s pointing was against the spirit of the game, Paul Collingwood defended his bowler and said he was not going to ask Broad to stop doing it. “The game is moving on. People are coming up with different techniques with the bat, different fielding techniques,” Collingwood said. “We saw what happened the other day with the Sri Lankan fielder, jumping outside the boundary and knocking it back in. We’re seeing things audiences have not seen before. As long as it’s within the spirit … people are going to find different ways to unsettle batsmen.”Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, also played down the issue but said that it “needs clarity”. “We saw that from the dug-out and discussed it, but don’t know what the rule stipulates,” Smith said. The umpires and match referee will discuss that, whether it’s in the spirit of the game. It’s a tough one. Bowlers are trying to find different angles to get an edge. It needs clarifying.”Jacques Kallis also said it was better to “leave it up to the guys in charge to sort it out”. “We haven’t been told it’s wrong but until there’s clarity who knows?” England’s next game is against India at Lord’s on Sunday. Keep a close eye on Broad’s run-up if you missed it today.

واصل فريق آرسنال لنزيف النقاط في الموسم الحالي من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز بعدما اكتفى بتعادل مخيب مع خصمه أستون فيلا، مساء اليوم.

واستضاف ملعب “الإمارات” مباراة الفريقين في إطار منافسات الجولة الثانية والعشرين من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث تعادلا بهدفين لمثليهما. أهداف مباراة آرسنال وأستون فيلا اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

كان جابرييل مارتينيلي قد سجل هدف التقدم لصالح آرسنال، في الدقيقة 33 من عمر الشوط الأول، حيث حاول الحارس إيميليانو مارتينيز إبعاد الكرة ولكنها كانت قد تجاوزت خط المرمى.

وتمكن آرسنال من مضاعفة تفوقه على أستون فيلا، بعدما سجل كاي هافيرتز الهدف الثاني لأصحاب الأرض، في الدقيقة 55، بعد عرضية من تروسارد.

ولم يستسلم أستون فيلا حيث سجل يوري تيليمانس الهدف الأول للضيوف، في الدقيقة 60، بعد تسديدة رأسية سكنت شباك آرسنال.

وفي الدقيقة 68، تواصل السيناريو الجنوني، حيث تمكن أولي واتكينز من تسجيل هدف التعادل لكتيبة أوناي إيمري، بعد عرضية من ماتي كاش.

ونجح آرسنال في تسجيل هدف قاتل في الدقيقة 88 عن طريق كاي هافيرتز، ولكن تقنية الفيديو ألغته لوجود لمسة يد على لاعب الجانرز.

واُحتسبت 7 دقائق كوقت بدلَا من الضائع للشوط الثاني، ولكن النتيجة لم تتغير، لينتهي اللقاء بنتيجة 2/2.

بنلك النتيجة، حصل كل فريق على نقطة، حيث أصبح رصيد آرسنال 44 نقطة في المركز الثاني، بفارق 6 نقاط عن ليفربول المتصدر، بينما أستون فيلا يمتلك 36 نقطة في المركز السابع.