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West Ham United have received an encouraging injury update ahead of their return to Premier League action today…

What’s the latest?

David Moyes has been without the services of several players in recent weeks, notably first-choice right-back Vladimir Coufal, his backup Ryan Fredericks and summer loan signing Alex Kral.

However, it appears that all three are back in contention as the Irons head to the Midlands to face Aston Villa this afternoon.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference, via the club’s official website, the Scotsman commented on the situation.

“In the main, we’re getting better,” he said.

“Vladimir Coufal, who had been out previously, got some minutes [against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday].

“Ryan Fredericks is making progress after having a couple of injuries.

“Alex Kral has returned after isolating, so we’re pretty good at the moment, I’ve got to say. We’re in a good place.”

Major boost

The Hammers will be looking to make it five successive wins across all competitions when they head to Villa Park today, so to have these three players available is certainly a massive boost to their chances of success.

Following the international break, Moyes’ men defeated his former club, Everton 1-0, before sealing another three points against local rivals Spurs by the same scoreline. They also picked up another impressive win in Europe over Genk and knocked trophy holders City out of the Carabao Cup on penalties.

A win today could see West Ham move level on points with the Premier League champions, who currently occupy third place, having been defeated by Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The 58-year-old now has an interesting call to make at right-back as Ben Johnson has deputised ever so well, keeping a clean sheet in every appearance this season.

But at the end of the day, Coufal remains his star man and a crucial player in both defensive and attacking transitions – only Aaron Cresswell provided more assists in the league last term.

Kral, on the other hand, was signed with a view to a permanent move and will provide crucial backup to the industrious engine room of Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice – an injury to either could see his game time increase tenfold, so to have him back involved is certainly a positive.

Overall, this latest update should leave Moyes absolutely delighted heading into kickoff as he practically has a fully-fit squad available at his disposal, meaning their chances of picking up another win are bolstered even more.

AND in other news, David Moyes must unleash West Ham’s “complete monster” today, he could destroy Villa…

Rangers chief Ross Wilson could face a difficult decision in the January transfer window over the future of Alfredo Morelos.

Last month, the Colombian admitted that he is eyeing up an exit from Ibrox after he failed to secure a transfer in the summer window, despite interest from Porto.

He said: “I am calm and I am a young player, I hope that soon the opportunity to leave will be given.

“Here at Rangers I have already been champion, I have made history and we hope that it will happen; the opportunity to come out in the best way.”

This suggests that Rangers could need to go into the market to find a replacement for Morelos in forthcoming transfer windows, potentially in January, if a club comes in with a serious offer for him. His comments intimate that he will be desperate to explore an opportunity to leave if one arises, and that could result in Wilson needing to cash in on him rather than keeping a potentially disruptive influence in the dressing room.

The Colombia international has enjoyed a terrific spell with the Scottish giants and proven himself to be a reliable goalscorer. To date, he has 99 goals and 45 assists in 196 competitive matches for Rangers, which means that he has been directly involved in a goal for the club in every 1.36 games.

Steven Gerrard could make a key decision which could save Wilson from splashing out millions in the transfer market. He could unearth Morelos 2.0 by unleashing 19-year-old academy striker Juan Alegria, who joined from FC Honka in the summer.

Former Gers defender Alan Hutton claimed that Rangers see Alegria as a ‘big talent’ and has put his faith in the club’s scouting system.

He said: “I think we all know that the scouting system has worked well at Rangers so they obviously see a promising, big talent and he’s only 18 so it’s going to be one to bring in and develop within the squad.

“He sounds a decent prospect and I trust the Rangers scouting team because they’ve done so well in the past. It’s not been bad so far so we’ll have to back them.”

The teenager scored seven goals in 28 matches for Honka’s senior and youth teams, with 24 of his appearances coming in the senior squad. He is also a Colombian youth international, which also highlights his potential as a player, while he has followed in the footsteps of compatriot Morelos by swapping Finland for Ibrox.

Therefore, Gerrard could potentially save millions in the transfer market by replacing the 25-year-old with his fellow countryman. He could unleash Alegria in the first team and develop him into a natural replacement for Morelos, which would mean that Rangers do not need to invest a sizeable fee in bring in a new signing to take the latter’s place.

AND in other news, Gerrard masterclass: “Special” Rangers beast has seen his value soar 1,233% since 2019…

Celtic midfielder Tom Rogic is a doubt for the Hoops this weekend against Livingston, according to Football Scotland reporter Jack Thomson.

The Lowdown: Rogic a regular

Rogic, who Ange Postecoglou called ‘brilliant’, has been a regular for the Hoops this season. He’s featured in each of Celtic’s 22 games so far, scoring once and registering four assists.

The Australian had to be replaced just before the interval against Hibernian on Wednesday through injury, with Postecoglou fairly coy over the extent of his hamstring problem following the win at Easter Road.

However, Football Scotland believe the 28-year-old is doubtful as Celtic look to make it six wins from six in October.

The Latest: Rogic a doubt

Thomson shared a story on Football Scotland on Friday morning, sharing numerous details regarding the Celtic Park clash this weekend.

When it came to team news, he claimed that Rogic is a doubt for Saturday and will more than likely join Greg Taylor on the sideline, with Christopher Jullien and James Forrest still looking to return to full fitness.

The Verdict: Hopefully nothing serious…

Rogic has been a mainstay in Postecoglou’s side this season in what has been a busy few months, so it might not be the end of the world if he does miss one game to recover and ultimately have a rest.

However, it would be bad news if Rogic was sidelined for a long period of time, as Postecoglou has relied on his fellow countryman for a creative spark through the middle – nobody in the squad is completing more than his 2.3 dribbles per game.

Rogic, Callum McGregor and David Turnbull have been Postecoglou’s go-to midfield three for large parts of the campaign, so losing one of the trio for a long period of time could be a blow just as the Hoops started to gather some momentum.

In other news: ‘That has been alleged’ – Devlin’s worrying answer on ‘quick’ Celtic signing and Dermot Desmond. 

While Celtic’s academy does not produce quite as many stars as it used to, the Parkhead side’s youth setup has nevertheless continued to churn out a number of highly impressive talents in recent years – with Kieran Tierney, Aaron Hickey, Callum McGregor and Jack Hendry being some of the Bhoys’ more notable recent graduates.

However, aside from the £24.3m sale of Tierney, the Hoops have not always profited from their more talented youngsters as often as many would like, with two of the previously mentioned graduates, Aaron Hickey and Jack Hendry, having both left the club for nominal fees.

Another player who would certainly fall into this category is central midfielder Liam Henderson, who, since his £108k move to SSC Bari back in 2018, has proven that Celtic once again undervalued a very exciting talent.

Indeed, during his time with Bari, the 25-year-old made 19 Serie B appearances, scoring two goals, registering two assists and helping his side reach the play-offs in the league.

These performances led to Hellas Verona snapping the midfielder up the following summer, where the former Scotland U21 international would make 30 appearances in all competitions in his first season at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, scoring three goals and providing three assists along the way – as well as helping his side to secure promotion via the Serie B play-offs.

Henderson was once again on the move in the following campaign, as, after featuring just four times in Serie A for Hellas in the first half of the season, the club decided to loan the 25-year-old out to Serie B side Empoli, where he would score one goal and register four assists over 16 league fixtures.

This led to Lecce splashing £450k on the midfielder in the summer of 2020, where the Scot enjoyed what could easily be viewed as his breakthrough season.

Indeed, over his 40 Serie B appearances last term, Henderson scored three goals, provided seven assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns saw the player who Lecce president Saverio Sticchi Damiani dubbed as “exemplary” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.95, ranking him as his side’s joint 10th-best performer in the second tier of Italian football.

However, once again, the 25-year-old was on the move this summer, linking up with a former side once more in the shape of Serie A side Empoli, where, over his eight top-flight appearances so far this season, Henderson has averaged a highly impressive SofaScsore match rating of 6.89.

And, as a reflection of his ever-improving displays, the player Celtic sold for £108k three and a half years ago is now worth £1.98m – leaving the Parkhead side not only roughly £1.9m out of pocket but also without an extremely talented midfielder, and proving that the club’s former CEO Peter Lawwell endured something of a nightmare when selling the youngster.

In other news: 61 game-changing actions prove Ange is finally living up to his biggest Celtic promise

Eoin Morgan has been included in England’s one-day squad for the series against West Indies alongside his selection for the ICC World Twenty20. Ian Bell has been recalled, while Matt Prior retains his 50-over wicketkeeping role and Tim Bresnan follows Tes

Cricinfo staff01-May-2009Eoin Morgan has been included in England’s one-day squad for the series against West Indies alongside his selection for the ICC World Twenty20. Ian Bell has been recalled, while Matt Prior retains his 50-over wicketkeeping role and Tim Bresnan follows Test selection with a call-up.Andrew Strauss leads what is a far less adventurous squad than the Twenty20 party announced earlier today, with Morgan the most eye-catching name. Andrew Flintoff has been ruled out after knee surgery although the selectors are confident he will be fit for the ICC World Twenty20.Ryan Sidebottom, who has recovered from his Achilles operation, replaces Steve Harmison from the squad that won 3-2 in West Indies while a fit-again Graeme Swann is back in place of Gareth Batty.The wicketkeeping position continues to be a hotly-debated position and Prior has been retained ahead of James Foster who got the nod for the Twenty20. It looks likely that Prior will bat in the middle order after Strauss and Ravi Bopara formed the opening partnership in West Indies.Squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell, Owais Shah, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson

Speaking to Football Insider, Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has blasted an ‘under the radar’ summer transfer gaffe at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Paratici era underway…

Since the club announced his appointment in mid-June, a lot of eyes have been directed at new transfer chief Fabio Paratici as chairman Daniel Levy takes a back seat from transfers.

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Over his first summer window, the Italian oversaw a plethora of incomings and outgoings at N7 but only time will tell whether his deals will come to fruition.

One area he didn’t gain much luck in was signing a back up striker to superstar Harry Kane, with former England international Robinson now dropping a claim.

The Latest: Robinson blasts ‘under the radar’ transfer gaffe…

Speaking to Football Insider, the ex-Tottenham man has blasted Spurs for their failure to land another forward in the summer.

Robinson also believes the transfer gaffe has gone ‘under the radar’ and lots of people ‘have missed’ this blunder.

“It’s gone under the radar [the failure to sign a striker],” he explained.

“A lot of people have missed the fact that Spurs have not signed another striker.

“Vinicius has gone back because he was only on loan last season. To let Vinicius go without replacing him could be an oversight by Spurs.

“All of the talk in the last window was about – what if Harry Kane gets injured? When he was injured last season they struggled and they did not score goals.

“Yes, Son and Bergwijn can play there but they are not out-and-out number nines like Kane.

“People have forgotten about that because of all of the hype surrounding the potential Kane transfer and other deals. There is no direct cover in that area.”

The Verdict: Bang on the money…

Even though Paratici finally signed Spurs a star centre-half, brought in a couple of future stars, a goalkeeping alternative and very exciting right-back (Transfermarkt), we believe the failure to land an out-and-out centre-forward could indeed come back to haunt them.

Nuno is just one or two injuries, specifically to Kane or Son Heung-min, away from a real first team crisis with the only other natural option being teenager Dane Scarlett.

The last thing Spurs will want is to rely on the dazzling but inexperienced youngster and Paratici may have missed a trick in his failure to land a striker.

In other news: ‘Finished article’…Sky pundit in awe of Spurs starlet who’s an ‘improved version’ of Ndombele, find out more here.

Amid all the impressive signings that Aston Villa have made over these past couple of summers, arguably their best bit of business remains their deal to sign John McGinn.

Signed for a reported £2m by Steve Bruce back in the summer of 2018, Villa’s signing of the Scotland international was made all the more sweeter by the fact they did it right under the noses of Celtic, who appeared to be in pole position to land him from Hibernian.

Speaking after his signing, McGinn himself said: “It’s been a crazy few days, but I sat in the stand at Villa Park and I could imagine myself playing out there. It felt right,” he said.

“It’s a Premier League club and deserves to be there. Everyone in the Championship has that aim. For some of them, it’s a fantasy, but here there is a real ambition that it could happen. We’re under no illusions, but the way the club is going is something that’s great to be a part of.”

A mainstay of Dean Smith’s side in the Premier League, the 26-year-old enjoyed a fine campaign last season, with Sky Sports and Match of the Day pundit Micah Richards waxing lyrical about him.

He said: “This season he’s been absolutely incredible, back to the John McGinn I know. A lot of shine goes off of him because of Grealish because Grealish does the little bits that make people stand up on their chairs, but in terms of hard work, putting in tackles, goals and assists, John McGinn is a top, top player.

“Villa have been a successful side largely down to him as well and his work-rate in there.”

And, speaking last summer, former Villa man Allan Evans raved about what the Scottish ace brings to the table, saying: “John has really been a saviour for Aston Villa. They were in a difficult situation and he was exactly the kind of guy they needed to get out of trouble.

“John has been a real star for the club. It was a disaster for him and Villa when he broke his leg. He is the type of player who can make a huge difference to a side. There are not too many like him around.”

Now valued at £43m by CIES, McGinn has enjoyed a meteoric rise both at domestic and international level, and that’s a real testament to the kind of work ethic he has in trying to be the best he can be.

And Villa have been the biggest winners of the lot.

Meanwhile, Villa made an approach for this “phenomenal” star…

The Ranji Trophy final battle promises to be interesting, says Sriram Veera

The Preview by Sriram Veera in Hyderabad11-Jan-2009
An in-form Wasim Jaffer and the presence of Sachin Tendulkar are just two daunting factors UP have to contend with © Cricinfo Ltd.
Mohammad Kaif had just finished addressing the press when he exclaimed in jest, “, no one asked me about my plan for Sachin! I had prepared the answer so well”. After the laughter subsided he went on, “Australia, Africa, Pakistan all have made plans and this man keeps scoring hundreds, what can we do extra special?” Indeed.To state the obvious, Sachin Tendulkar’s shadow threatens to engulf the Ranji Trophy final. That a big ton from the little big man could bring Mumbai their 38th Ranji title is almost considered a given. The last time he played in a Ranji final, two years back, he hit a hundred and Mumbai won. Who will stop him? The pitch offers hope.It sports a greenish tinge and the curator promises not to shave off the grass before adding the cliché of “a sporting wicket”. Uttar Pradesh’s hopes rest on that. If it turns out to be a batting paradise, Mumbai’s strong batting line-up that includes Wasim Jaffer, the prolific Ajinkya Rahane – both of whom have crossed 1,000 runs this season – and Rohit Sharma apart from can be expected to score more runs than UP. Ashish Winston Zaidi, the former domestic bowler and now UP’s manager, is pinning his hope on the pitch.”It looks like it would help the seamers initially before getting slow,” he said. “The curators have said they won’t remove the grass. Our bowlers, like Praveen Kumar and RP Singh, will be the key.” However, in India, grass on a pitch doesn’t necessarily translate to seam movement. Dead grass is usually rolled and what little left is cut on the morning of the game. Kaif knows it only too well. “This [talk of sporting tracks] has been said for a while now but the pitches have been dead and have not helped spinners as well. What we need are sporting wickets that help the spinners as the game goes on.”Throughout this season, unlike the previous few years, UP have rode on their batting to get the first-innings lead to move ahead in the tournament. Tanmay Srivastava has got the most runs (654 at 54.50) with Kaif, Suresh Raina, and Shivakant Shukla pitching in with vital contributions. UP have just one outright win largely because the bowlers haven’t fired on unresponsive pitches. It is not as if Mumbai, unbeaten this season, will lose any sleep if the pitch plays sporting. They have one of the world’s best seam bowlers in Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and the useful Dhawal Kulkarni and would expect their batsmen to handle anything that UP throws at them. The other question is will Mumbai get complacent with the presence of heavyweights? Jaffer asserts they won’t be and revealed that Tendulkar addressed the team strongly on the same issue.”We were a bit flat and complacent on the third day of the semi-final against Saurashtra and Sachin spoke to the team, warning us about complacency. We are all keyed up for this final,” he said. “UP have a bunch of match winners and they have beaten us in the recent past. We know that they can do it again. We can’t relax just because Sachin and Zaheer are in the team.”Mumbai haven’t yet determined a final XI, though they have retained the same 12 from the semi-final. It could be a three-way contest for two spots between Amol Muzumdar, 31 runs short of becoming the highest Ranji run-scorer but struggling this season, Sairaj Bahutule, who hasn’t been very successful with his legspin, and Abhishek Nayar, the promising allrounder. UP have more or less decided on their composition. A fit RP Singh is set to replace Imityaz Ahmed.Both teams had a vigorous nets session today. All eyes were on Tendulkar, who as ever, didn’t face any bowlers on the day before the match. Instead, he faced some throw downs and concentrated on his back-foot play. Time and again, he asked the bowlers to throw shorter for the “cut shot” and practiced quite plenty punchy on-the-up drives. One can only guess whether it gives any indication of what he thinks the pitch will do.The battle promises to be interesting. UP, the Pakistan of domestic cricket, thrive on passion and instinct while there is more method in Mumbai’s approach. “We don’t have the infrastructure or the history that Mumbai have,” said Kaif. “We have the passion and the confidence that we can do it. I feel very proud that despite the lack of resources, we have reached the final three times in the last four years. We will give it our all. Let’s see what happens.”Let’s indeed see.

Liverpool extended their unbeaten start to the new Premier League campaign after seeing off Leeds United 3-0 at Elland Road.

The Reds took control of proceedings on the 20th minute after a frantic and open start to the game when Mohamed Salah scored the 100th Premier League goal of his career.

Brazilian international Fabinho then poked home a close-range finish following a Virgil van Dijk flick-on from a corner, putting the 19-time English champions firmly in the driving seat just five minutes after the half-time interval.

However, a serious-looking injury to 18-year-old midfielder Harvey Elliott tarnished the game soon after.

What appeared to be an innocuous-looking challenge from Pascal Struijk saw the teenager leave the field on a stretcher, with several teammates looking on in horror.

The incident led to Struijk receiving a red card from referee Craig Pawson, and Liverpool saw the remaining half an hour out with ease against the 10-men of Leeds.

An injury-time goal for Sadio Mane rounded off a convincing 3-0 win for the Anfield outfit as they kept pace with Manchester United and Chelsea at the top of the Premier League standings, capping an afternoon full of mixed emotions for Klopp.

And despite Salah’s landmark strike, the German tactician will have been especially pleased with the performance of Thiago in the Liverpool engine room.

As per SofaScore, the Spain international received a match rating of 7.9 out of 10, the joint-highest total for any player on the pitch in south Yorkshire.

The 30-year-old had a stellar afternoon for the Reds, providing one assist and two key passes for his colleagues as he controlled proceedings in the middle of the park.

Thiago also achieved a passing accuracy of 90%, pulling off all of the four long balls he attempted during his time on the pitch and only losing possession nine times, highlighting his influence over Liverpool’s play.

But the technically gifted maestro also put in a solid defensive shift as well, winning six of his seven duels while making four tackles and two interceptions.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich ace put in a fantastic display on his first start of the season, and he’ll be hoping to feature from the off on a regular basis in the weeks and months to come.

And, in other news…Konate starts, £13.5m-rated gem axed as Klopp makes three changes: Predicted LFC XI 

Tottenham Hotspur are confident of bringing Barcelona defender Emerson Royal into the club today, whilst are ‘pushing for more’ signings, as reported by talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook on Twitter.

The Lowdown: Nuno and Paratici add final pieces to new-look squad

Set for a busy day in north London, Nuno Espirito Santo will no doubt be looking to spend his transfer kitty wisely between now and the deadline, with a focus on building a squad challenging for Champions League qualification this campaign after a strong start to the season.

Despite losing some experienced figures this summer, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss has bolstered his roster considerably, signing Bryan Gil, Cristian Romero, Pierluigi Gollini and Pape Matar Sarr, who will stay on loan at FC Metz [Transfermarkt].

With Barcelona ace Emerson expected to be next through the door, Nuno and director of football, Fabio Paratici, who has played a key role in recruitment this summer, look hungry for more additions.

The Latest: Spurs still ‘pushing for more’

Relaying information to his large audience on Twitter, talkSPORT’s Crook claimed: “THFC confident of making at least one signing today (Emerson Royal) but I’m told they are pushing for more.”

There are no clear indications as to who Paratici’s next target could be, while the likes of Ruben Neves and Adama Traore are perhaps the most recent links [The Sun].

The Verdict: Spurs fans will be pleased with transfer activity this window

In what is an exciting update for Lilywhites’ supporters, concerns about the amount of financial backing Daniel Levy may give the new manager will have been slightly allayed in what has been a positive transfer window for the club.

Solving the right-back area will have been a key priority for Nuno and Paratici in recent months, which looks to be nearing completion in the form of Brazilian talent Emerson, whilst another body in midfield would go a long way to appeasing the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium faithful.

Only time will tell with regards to whether Spurs make any further captures, however at the very least they seem to be moving in the right direction to doing so.

In other news, Spurs face a transfer blow for a reported target. Find out more here.