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West Ham United are still on the lookout for Declan Rice's midfield replacement, two weeks on from their captain departing for Arsenal in a British-record deal.

Who are West Ham signing to replace Declan Rice?

David Moyes' side have been linked with countless midfielders in the weeks before and since Rice's exit, namely Fulham's Joao Palhinha, Everton's Amadou Onana and Juventus' Denis Zakaria.

Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse is another name that refuses to go away, even if the England international is not strictly a like-for-like replacement for Rice in terms of their playing style.

According to The Guardian, West Ham are looking to bring in two midfielders with the windfall they received through Rice's sale, and have now stepped up their interest in Ward-Prowse.

How many free-kicks has James Ward-Prowse scored?

Southampton are said to value Ward-Prowse in the region of £40m, which is a large fee on the face of it considering the Saints were relegated to the Championship last season.

The 28-year-old boasts plenty of Premier League experience, however, having played 343 times at that level since making his Southampton debut in the competition on the opening day of the 2012/13 season.

Ward-Prowse has also played 11 times for England – though not since last year – and has scored a couple of goals in heavy wins over Andorra and San Marino in 2021.

With nine goals and four assists in a poor Southampton side last season, Ward-Prowse ranks in the top 13% of all midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for goals scored, as per The Analyst.

The Portsmouth native is also in the top 15% for chances created, showing that he is more than capable of doing a job in the Premier League, even if he was captain of a relegated side last time out.

Three of those nine goals were scored via direct free-kicks – the most of any player in the Premier League last season. Indeed, only Manchester United legend David Beckham (18) has scored more than Ward-Prowse in the competition's history.

That ability to both score and pick out a team-mate from set-pieces would be a major asset for Moyes, and would also bring back memories of fan favourite – at the time, at least – Dimitri Payet.

Payet has scored 14 direct free-kicks in his career, as per Transfermarkt, six of those during his 18 months at West Ham.

Indeed, after a run of netting via that method for club and country in 2016, Payet revealed he had stopped practising them on the training ground as there was no way to further improve his technique.

It is not too dissimilar in the case of Ward-Prowse, with former Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl previously hailing the midfielder as a "quality" player whose set-piece prowess was – and is, for now – "such a good weapon" for the Saints.

That is not the only similarity between the two players, either. Taking Payet's only full season at West Ham in 2015/16 and potentially Ward-Prowse's final season with Southampton last time out into account, the pair each scored nine Premier League goals.

The only notable difference is in attitude, with Ward-Prowse very much a team player. While he may not be able to replace Rice on his own, the Englishman can at least bring a bit of the past back to the London Stadium should he arrive.

Oman avenged twin defeats at last year’s WCL Division Four in Los Angeles with a four-wicket win via D/L Method over United States of America in Entebbe. On an overcast morning with wet weather expected, Oman won a key toss and sent USA in.USA made it to 31 for 0 when rain interrupted play after 7.4 overs, causing nearly a two-hour delay. Seven overs were shaved off and Oman struck a major blow on the first ball after the restart when medium pacer Mohammad Nadeem pinned USA captain Steven Taylor on the crease with a good length ball ball that kept low. Ibrahim Khaleel arrived and helped construct two half-century stands on his USA debut but his wicket in the 33rd over, lofting legspinner Khawar Ali to long off for 48, was the catalyst for Oman to take control of the game.Jamaica Tallawahs allrounder Timroy Allen was promoted to No. 5 at the fall of Khaleel and Oman responded by bringing back left-arm swing bowler Bilal Khan, whose took 0 for 15 in his opening four-over spell. Oman’s counter worked to perfection as Bilal troubled Allen before a thin edge was snapped up by Sultan Ahmed behind the stumps on the final ball of the 34th over for a six-ball duck to complete a wicket maiden. Alex Amsterdam slogged Khawar to deep midwicket for 25 to complete a ten-ball collapse of 3 for 0 to make it 137 for 5 and from there USA scratched their way to end on 180 for 7. Khawar claimed innings best figures of 3 for 27 in nine overs.A D/L adjusted target of 184 in 43 overs was set and USA got an early breakthrough when Allen had Khawar caught at backward point for 5 in the third over. But the afternoon sun helped flatten out the pitch and next man Aqib Ilyas took the wind out of USA’s sails, striking his second ball for four in a harbinger of the assault to come.Ilyas seized on anything overpitched and regularly drove USA’s bowlers over the infield in the Powerplay, scooping legspinner Timil Patel for six over wide mid-on to bring up his half-century off 26 balls. Ilyas, who collected the Man-of-the-Match award, eventually fell for 55, caught at extra cover off Taylor, but by that stage Oman needed 100 off 27 overs and they cantered the rest of the way before clinching victory with 20 balls to spare.File photo – Rizwan Cheema clattered 10 sixes and three fours in his 44-ball 91 as Canada trounced Uganda by 66 runs•Associated Press

Canada upended hosts Uganda by 66 runs at Lugogo Stadium courtesy a vintage blitz from Rizwan Cheema. In a 42-over match delayed by two hours at the start, Canada made reasonable progress after choosing to bat, reaching 74 for 1 before left-arm spinner Henry Ssenyondo sparked a collapse of three wickets in four balls, which included the run-out of captain Nitish Kumar for 43.Cheema arrived in the 29th over at 105 for 5 and immediately released all the pressure built up by Uganda’s spinners, clattering 91 off 44 balls, including 10 sixes over the short boundaries at Lugogo, making Uganda pay dearly for dropping him three times along the way. Canada ended on 234 for 8 and Uganda never threatened to chase the runs after Cecil Pervez wiped out the top order with three wickets in his opening spell. Pervez finished with 4 for 44 as Uganda was bowled out for 168.Singapore thrashed Malaysia by seven wickets via D/L Method at Kyambogo Oval. In a match reduced to 45 overs, Anish Paraam put on an all-round show, spinning out the Malaysia tail to take 4 for 10 in 4.3 overs before striking an unbeaten 50 to chase down an adjusted target of 123 with 13.4 overs to spare.Allrounder Khizar Hayat top-scored with 32 in Malaysia’s total of 121 but they were bowled out in 35.3 overs. Selladore Vijayakumar fell on the third ball of Singapore’s reply, but Paraam and Chaminda Ruwan added 51 for the second wicket to get the chase back on course.Oman faces Canada on Wednesday at Lugogo in an early battle of unbeatens. USA takes on Malaysia at Kyambogo Oval with both teams seeking to bounce back after first-day losses while Uganda takes on Singapore at Entebbe.

Delhi Daredevils travel to Hyderabad to try and return to winnings way, but the Sunrisers are yet to lose a game at home this season

The Preview by Varun Shetty18-Apr-2017Match factsSunrisers Hyderabad v Delhi Daredevils
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Start time 2000 IST (1430 GMT)
3:18

Hogg: Daredevils among the best bowling attacks in IPL

Head to headLast season: Delhi Daredevils beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in both matches they played last season. They were the only team Sunrisers didn’t beat during their title campaign.
Overall: Sunrisers lead 5-3 on wins overall against Daredevils. At this venue, the teams have both beaten each other once.
Recent form

Sunrisers: (third) beat Kings XI by five runs, lost to Knight Riders by 17 runs, lost to Mumbai Indians by four wickets

Daredevils: (fourth) lost to Knight Riders by four wickets, beat Kings XI by 51 runs, beat Rising Pune by 97 runs

In the newsCorey Anderson made way for Angelo Mathews in the last match because he was unwell. The New Zealand allrounder had won the Man-of-the-Match award in Daredevils’ previous win against Kings XI Punjab. He is understood to have recovered and is available for the game. We might see a reverse-swap from the Daredevils.Likely XIsSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 David Warner (capt), 3 Moises Henriques/Kane Williamson, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Naman Ojha (wk), 7 Mohammad Nabi/Bipul Sharma, 8 Siddarth Kaul, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Rashid Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra/ B Sran/ Mustafizur Rahman
Delhi Daredevils: 1 Sanju Samson, 2 Sam Billings, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Karun Nair, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Angelo Mathews/Corey Anderson, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Zaheer Khan (capt), 11 Mohammed Shami/Shahbaz Nadeem
Strategy punt- Sanju Samson has scored 125 runs against pace at a strike-rate of 176.05 this season. In contrast, he has scored only 48 runs off 47 balls against spinners. Sunrisers legspinner Rashid Khan has taken eight of his nine wickets this season in the first half of the innings. Four of those are inside the Powerplay. We could see him bowl early in the match as Sunrisers look to stop Samson’s destructive form in the Powerplay.- Daredevils might perform another reverse-swap in their XI to bring back Shahbaz Nadeem in place of Mohammed Shami. He will better suit the conditions in Hyderabad.Stats that matter Sunrisers (39) and Daredevils (33) are among the top teams on the table for most wickets taken this season. Daredevils’ position is especially impressive considering they have played only four games so far this season Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s ‘worst’ spell this season has been 2 for 27 in the first match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Since then, he has conceded fewer than 21 runs in all matches. For further context on his impact – 19 out of his 20 overs this season have been bowled inside the Powerplays or in the slog overs Shikhar Dhawan has the lowest strike-rate among openers to have faced fifty balls this season – 112.50. The next lowest is Parthiv Patel’s 121.33 Daredevils have been the most effective bowling side this season – 20 of the 26 wickets they’ve taken are top-order wickets, at an average of 17.50 and an economy of 7.31 Dhawan has managed only 43 runs off 42 balls against Zaheer Khan across IPL seasons, and has been dismissed by him on four occasions The match against Kings XI on Monday was the first occasion in this season when Rashid Khan did not get a wicket off his first over of a spell Sunrisers have not lost a single game at home this season

It could be a painful summer for West Bromwich Albion this year as the club is embroiled in financial turmoil due to owner Lai Guochuan seeming to disappear after taking a £20m loan to help the club with running costs.

This situation is made worse by the fact that the club will no longer receive Premier League parachute payments from now on.

This has meant that a summer of selling key players now looks to be a necessity, and it seems like Dara O'Shea will be the first to depart.

West Brom transfer news – Dara O'Shea

According to Sky Sports News, "a contact" has revealed that the Bagglies and recently promoted Burnley are in "advanced negotiations" for the transfer of Irish international and club vice-captain.

It appears the deal is much further ahead than people might have expected, with one Sky Sports reporter adding: "We understand a medical could take place as early as tomorrow [Thursday]"

The 24-year-old had another great year at the Hawthorns last season, making 37 appearances in the Championship, producing three goal involvements and helping the team keep 16 clean sheets.

How good has Dara O'Shea been for West Bromwich Albion?

Considering that the team managed to pick up the Dublin-born defender on a free back in 2015 from Irish side St Kevin's Boys, he has been a massive success in blue and white.

Before making it into the first team at West Brom, he would spend time on loan with National League North side Hereford FC before spending a second, more substantial loan spell with League Two outfit Exeter City.

It was with the Grecians that the 6 foot 1 titan would develop his game, playing 33 times for the club across the league FA Cup and EFL Cup.

City manager Matt Taylor was a massive fan of the player, telling The Athletic:

"If we'd got up to League One last season, we would have been straight back in for him.

"Wherever Dara ends up, I think he will be a success and that will be as much down to character as to ability."

Upon returning to the Midlands in the 2019/20 season, he quickly established himself in the team and has made 107 senior appearances to date.

It was during this time that former Baggies manager Valerian Ismael lauded the defender, saying: "He has the mentality, he's a warrior."

The campaign just gone has been his best yet for the side, and according to WhoScored, he averaged an impressive rating of 6.97 across his 37 league appearances.

Vincent Kompany has certainly got his hands on an excellent player, and West Brom will be worse off without him.

Newcastle United are reportedly one of several Premier League clubs who are in the mix to sign Flamengo youngster Matheus Franca this summer.

Who is Matheus Franca?

The 19-year-old is an exciting young player back in his homeland of Brazil, producing numerous eye-catching performances for Flamengo currently.

Franca has already scored nine goals in 53 appearances for his current club, despite still being so young, and he is also a six-time capped Brazil Under-16 international.

The attacking midfielder's displays don't appear to be going unnoticed across Europe, meaning he could potentially move on for a fresh challenge during the summer transfer window.

The next few months are crucial for Newcastle, as they look to kick on after a superb 2022/23 season that saw them finish fourth in the Premier League and reach the Champions League, and it looks as though Franca could be a strong target for them.

Could Newcastle seal Franca signing?

According to Globo Esporte [via Sport Witness], The Magpies are one of three top-flight English clubs who are interested in signing the Flamengo man this summer. The other two teams in question are Crystal Palace and West Ham, with bids expected to be tabled in the near future and the Brazilian side ready to "listen" to offers.

Brighton and Arsenal also get a mention, as do Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, with the amount of interest seemingly highlighting what a talent Franca is.

Signing a young Brazilian footballer always has an element of intrigue to it, considering the likes of Pele, Ronaldo and Neymar have all burst onto the scene as superstars down the years, and the flair and fearlessness they possess can make them immediate favourites among supporters.

For that reason, Franca, called a “sensation” by journalist Aaron Stokes and a “great midfielder and great striker”, who “can play almost everywhere” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, could be a really eye-catching signing for Newcastle, not being considered an immediate key starter, but coming in as a long-term prospect with great potential.

Granted, he isn't yet remotely proven in Europe, but if Eddie Howe believes he has the attributes to shine in England, the manager should be trusted in the transfer market.

It has been claimed in the past that Flamengo have slapped a €200m (£171.9m) release clause in Franca's deal, which shows how highly they value him, but the hope is that the Brazilian outfit are willing to accept an offer way below that amount, with the funds there for Newcastle to go fairly big this summer.

أوضح أحمد الشناوي المحلل التحكيمي، مدى صحة قرارات حكم مباراة الزمالك والجونة، التي أقيمت أمس الثلاثاء، ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

الزمالك خسر أمام الجونة، بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما، ضمن منافسات الجولة الـ 15 لمسابقة الدوري بملعب خالد بشارة بالغردقة.

وقال الشناوي خلال تصريحات عبر قناة أون تايم سبورت: “هدف الجونة الملغي، كان هناك تسلل واضح على لاعب الجونة، القرار صحيح بإلغاء الهدف”. هدف الجونة الملغي أمام الزمالك

طالع | حمادة عبد اللطيف: هزيمة الزمالك أمام الجونة استمرار لـ “العكننة ووجع القلب”

وأضاف: “توجد ركلة جزاء لم تحتسب لصالح نادي الزمالك، المخالفة تمت داخل منطقة الجزاء وليست خارجها كنت أتمنى من تقنية الفيديو أن تتدخل في هذه اللعبة”.

وكان ناصر ماهر لاعب الزمالك تعرض للشد من جانب لاعب الجونة وسقط داخل منطقة الجزاء ولكن الحكم احتسب المخالفة من خارج منطقة الجزاء.

وتلقى فريق الزمالك الهزيمة الرابعة له في الدوري المصري هذا الموسم، حيث يحتل المركز الثالث عشر في جدول ترتيب المسابقة برصيد 15 نقطة من 11 مباراة.

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic is now open to joining Chelsea this summer and incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino thinks he's the ideal fit, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

What's the latest Chelsea transfer news?

The Blues are currently planning for next season behind-the-scenes have reportedly earmarked a number of transfer targets, coming after a disastrous 2022/2023 Premier League campaign.

Chelsea finished in the bottom half and Pochettino won't benefit from the financial luxury of European football, making the summer window an imperative opportunity to strengthen and rebuild.

Owner Todd Boehly has been linked with swoops for star players in a variety of different positions, with Barcelona defender Jules Kounde, Napoli's Victor Osimhen and Sporting Lisbon star Manuel Ugarte among the names mentioned recently.

To balance the books and ensure Chelsea are operating within Financial Fair Play regulations, they will also need to offload certain players, with midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek being one of the squad members who could depart.

Going back to potential incomings, the signing of a star striker is believed to be a real priority for the west Londoners, leading to links with Juve forward Vlahovic recently.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, reporter Galetti has shared an update on the matter, claiming the Serbia international is open to joining Chelsea when the window opens.

Pochettino also personally thinks Vlahovic is the "ideal" fit, and reaching an agreement on personal terms apparently won't be too much of an issue.

"The Blues could make a concrete move for the Serbian," said Galetti."Especially because the next manager, [Mauricio] Pochettino, considers Dušan the ideal striker for his tactical idea."The player likes the destination and reaching an agreement on personal terms wouldn't be a problem. Let's keep an eye also on Bayern Munich, who have Vlahović at the top of their list along with Harry Kane."

Who is Dusan Vlahovic?

The 23-year-old has been one of Juve's more prolific players, having registered their joint-highest number of goal contributions alongside midfielder Adrien Rabiot (WhoScored).

Vlahovic has bagged 10 Serie A goals in total over 22/23, and while that doesn't compare to other Chelsea targets like Osimhen, the Serbian has averaged more attempts at goal per 90 than any other Juve player in the Italian top flight (WhoScored).

The former Fiorentina marksman will cost a sizeable fee, though, with reports in Italy having suggested that Juve won't part ways unless they receive a minimum of €90 million (£78m).

انتقد رودري، لاعب فريق مانشستر سيتي، جائزة الكرة الذهبية الشهيرة، الخاصة بمجلة “فرانس فوتبول”، حيث يرى أنها تُحسم بناءً على التسويق وعوامل أخرى.

كان ليونيل ميسي قد حصد الكرة الذهبية الثامنة في تاريخه، نهاية العام الماضي، بعد تفوقه على إيرلينج هالاند وكيليان مبابي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تقارير: التحقيق مع ناصر الخليفي بسبب فوز ميسي بالكرة الذهبية

وتسبب فوز ميسي بتلك الجائزة في إثارة حالة من الجدل خاصة في ظل الموسم الرائع الذي قدمه هالاند مع مانشستر سيتي.

وقال رودري في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية: “أنا لست مندهشًا، هذا أمر طبيعي، أتفهم جيدًا كيف تسير الأمور على صعيد الجوائز الفردية”.

وأضاف: “الأمر يعتمد على التسويق والمال والإعلان، كان هناك لاعبي خط وسط من قبل، كانوا إسبان أيضًا، ولم يحصلوا على ما يستحقونه، هل تفهم ما أقصد؟”.

وواصل: “ما يهمني في نهاية المطاف في كرة القدم هو ما حققته بشكل جماعي”.

الجدير بالذكر أن رودري جاء في المركز الخامس في جائزة الكرة الذهبية لعام 2023، بعدما ساهم في تحقيق ثلاثية تاريخية مع نادي مانشستر سيتي.

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford missed a crucial penalty against Newcastle United this afternoon, and journalist Joe Donnohue has queried the decision to let him take it.

What was the Leeds vs Newcastle result?

Leeds drew 2-2 against Newcastle this afternoon, which leaves them one point from safety in the Premier League, having also played one more game than Everton and Leicester City, meaning they are now in real trouble.

On paper, a point against a team fighting for the Champions League places is by no means a bad result, but the Whites may be a little disappointed, considering they could have taken so much more, if Bamford was able to convert from the spot.

Sam Allardyce's side were 1-0 up courtesy of an early goal from Luke Ayling, and they had a golden opportunity to make it two after a clumsy challenge from Joelinton inside the penalty area, but Bamford's tame effort was saved by Nick Pope.

Just minutes later, Callum Wilson fired past Joel Robles down the other end of the pitch, before adding another in the second half, and although Rasmus Kristensen fired home an equaliser, Leeds were left to rue Allardyce's decision to allow the Englishman to take the penalty.

Taking to Twitter during the game, journalist Joe Donnohue said: "If you took a straw-poll of Elland Road before that Leeds spot-kick, I wonder how many would have gone for Bamford over Rodrigo, or vice versa. Can't fathom why the Spaniard didn't take it."

Should Rodrigo have taken the penalty?

As we approach the business end of the season, Bamford has not been in the best of form, missing a sitter against Leicester City, with former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson claiming he was "lacking in confidence".

The forward has scored just two goals in his last eight games, and that poor record, coupled with his lack of confidence in front of goal, means it was a bizarre decision to let him take the penalty, especially considering Rodrigo was on the pitch.

The 32-year-old is the Whites' top scorer this season, scoring double the amount of goals of any other player, indicating he would have had a far better chance of scoring from the spot.

If Leeds had built up a two-goal lead, then it would've been very difficult for Newcastle to get back into the game, so Allardyce's decision to allow Bamford to take the penalty may ultimately end up costing Leeds their Premier League status.

حقق مانشستر سيتي فوزًا قاتلًا ضد توتنهام، مساء يوم الجمعة، في إطار منافسات بطولة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي 2023/24.

واستضاف ملعب “توتنهام هوتسبير” مباراة الفريقين في إطار منافسات دور الـ32 من بطولة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي، حيث فاز مانشستر سيتي بهدف دون رد. هدف فوز مانشستر سيتي على توتنهام

وشهدت المباراة إثارة بين الفريقين، حيث سنحت لكليهما فرص عديدة، خاصة لـ مانشستر سيتي في الشوط الأول، وبعض دقائق الثاني.

وأشهر حكم المباراة بطاقتين صفراويتين في المباراة لصالح ثنائي مانشستر سيتي، ماتيو كوفاسيتش وروبن دياز، في حين حصل لاعب توتنهام ينوما أودوجي على بطاقة صفراء.

ودخل لاعبو الفريقان في عدة مواقف شديدة الضغط، وسط أجواء تنافسية مثيرة، وكذلك تحصل بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي على بطاقة صفراء في الشوط الثاني من عمر اللقاء.

وشارك النجم كيفين دي بروين في المباراة كبديل، في الدقيقة 65، حيث كاد أن يسجل هدفًا في الدقيقة 82 بعد تسديدة قوية من داخل المنطقة.

ونجح مانشستر سيتي أخيرًا في فك عقدة ملعب “توتنهام” في الدقيقة 88 بعدما سجل هدفًا عن طريق ناثان آكي.

الهدف جاء بعدما نفذ كيفين دي بروين ركلة ركنية، حيث أخطأ حارس توتنهام فيكاريو في التعامل معها، ووصلت الكرة إلى آكي الذي هز الشباك بها.

ويُعد ذلك الهدف هو الأول لـ مانشستر سيتي على ملعب توتنهام بعد إعادة افتتاحه في عام 2018، أي بعد مرور خمس سنوات وشهرين و29 يومًا.