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Everton are on a poor run of form at the moment, having failed to win in five games in all competitions, including three consecutive defeats in the Premier League.

The Toffees are lacking goals up top and only five teams in England’s top-flight have scored fewer times than the Merseyside club this term, but manager Sean Dyche may look to rectify this issue before the January transfer window closes.

Nevertheless, having spent £25.75m on Beto in the summer, the Everton board are unlikely to splash more money on a new frontman this winter, although Dyche could add goals elsewhere.

Everton transfer news – Scott McTominay

According to FootballTransfers, Everton are hoping to manoeuvre a deal with Manchester United which would see Scott McTominay moving to Goodison Park, with Amadou Onana heading in the opposite direction. The outlet are claiming that the Merseysiders are hamstrung by FFP regulations so a swap deal may be beneficial for all parties.

It was reported by The Athletic during the summer that the Toffees were interested in signing the Scotland international but the Red Devils were said to be holding out for a £40m fee which made a deal with any club difficult.

Incidentally, McTominay has gone on to become United’s joint-top scorer this season with six goals in what has been a dismal campaign so far for the English giants. However, a move to Everton may now finally be on the cards.

Scott McTominay’s stats this season

Having made his debut in 2017 under Jose Mourinho, McTominay has been a mainstay in Manchester United's first-team under every single manager, making 232 appearances in total for the 13-time Premier League champions. Former head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer even described the academy product as a "physical monster", while Portugal boss Roberto Martinez hailed McTominay as an "all-action" midfielder.

However, McTominay has primarily played in a more defensive role. In his entire career in the first team, the 27-year-old has played 130 times as a holding midfielder whose primary job was to protect the backline.

Nevertheless, United manager Erik ten Hag found a new role for the Scot this season, utilising him in a more advanced position, crashing into the box with late runs to get on the end of crosses which has been relatively successful. From McTominay's 25 career goals for Man United, six have come this season alone and he is just one goal away from equalling his best-ever record for the club.

Everton could sign £30m Harrison upgrade who's a "nightmare for defenders"

The Toffees could bolster their attacking department this winter.

ByAdam Scully Jan 7, 2024

McTominay's newfound role at Old Trafford has been compared to that of his former teammate and ex-Everton star Marouane Fellaini by The Athletic journalist Adam Crafton.

Like McTominay, Fellaini was often used as a focal point inside the opposition's box, where he scored 22 times for United in 177 matches – after plundering 33 goals and 26 assists in 177 games during a particularly fruitful spell at Goodison.

Given Everton's goalscoring issues this season, Dyche could potentially use McTominay in a similar manner to Ten Hag, deploying the midfielder in Onana's position but allowing him to get forward and attack crosses, particularly delivered by Dwight McNeil who is averaging a whopping 6.97 crosses per 90 this season and is the Toffees' top assister with five in total.

Furthermore, McTominay would be a massive upgrade right now on Onana and is outperforming the Belgian offensively and defensively this term, as is indicated in the table below.

Goals

0.34

0.1

Expected Goals

0.3

0.1

Assists

0.06

0.05

Expected Assists

0.06

0.07

Progressive Carries

1.14

0.96

Progressive Passes Received

2.59

2.12

Shots

2.44

1.27

Shots On Target

0.97

0.36

Blocks

1.33

0.89

Clearances

2.17

1.03

Stats via FBref

Onana could be better than his potential successor in the long-term, but right now, McTominay is the perfect player for Dyche in what could be a gruelling relegation dogfight as he can defend as well as score goals. If Everton are to lose Onana, gaining McTominay in his prime won't be the worst deal in the world.

Adam Milne, Corey Anderson and George Worker have been dropped from the 20-player list for the 2019-2020 season

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2019Jimmy Neesham, Tom Blundell and Will Young have been offered New Zealand central contracts as part of the 20-player group for 2019-2020.They replace Adam Milne, Corey Anderson and George Worker from the contracted names in the 2018-2019 list.Allrounder Neesham and wicketkeeper-batsman Blundell have been included in New Zealand’s World Cup squad. Young, the 26-year-old batsman, was set to make his Test debut against Bangladesh in March before the final Test was cancelled following the Christchurch terror attack.Tim Seifert, who narrowly lost out on a World Cup spot when Blundell was preferred, missed out on a contract.For Young and Blundell this is their first central contract while Neesham returns to the list having missed out last year following a struggle for form. He revealed last month that he came close to quitting the sport before being talked around and he made a successful return to the New Zealand one-day side last season.”Jimmy had a very good season and made excellent progress with Wellington, New Zealand A and the Blackcaps. He’s made every post a winning one,” selector Gavin Larsen said. “Will receives an offer on the basis of the sheer weight of runs he scored last season, both for New Zealand A and the Central Stags.”Tom has acted as a back-up for BJ Watling on the tour of UAE, has recently played for New Zealand A and is in the World Cup squad as the wicket-keeping understudy for Tom Latham. We see this offer as a strong vote of confidence in his future.”Of those cut form the list, Milne and Anderson have continued to struggle with injuries which ruled them out of contention for the World Cup squad. Milne briefly returned to the New Zealand side in the T20Is against Pakistan in the UAE last year, but has managed just four matches since and pulled out of the IPL.Last year Anderson, who also played the T20Is against Pakistan, said he would be focusing purely on white-ball cricket to try and make the World Cup but couldn’t do enough to force his way back into the New Zealand one-day side and has recently undergone shoulder surgery.Players have until May 9 to accept to decline the contract offer.Players offered central contracts for 2019-20 Todd Astle, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, James Neesham, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson, Will Young.

The South African Cricketers’ Association addressed a letter to the board regarding alleged breaches of agreement related to CSA’s decision radically restructure domestic cricket

Liam Brickhill04-May-2019The South African Cricketers Association (SACA) has threatened legal action against Cricket South Africa (CSA) over alleged breaches of agreement related to CSA’s decision to radically restructure domestic cricket.From 2021, CSA is planning to scrap the franchise system, reverting to the provincial model in domestic cricket as part of austerity measures designed to offset projected losses of R 654 million (USD 45 million approx) over the next four years. But SACA has repeatedly expressed concerns over the plan, insisting that it had not been properly consulted or given the relevant financial information regarding the challenges CSA is facing.SACA, through its lawyers, addressed a letter to CSA on Friday detailing its grievances, with SACA saying its concerns over the restructuring exercise “have simply been ignored by CSA”.ALSO READ: Explainer on CSA’s austerity measures”We reiterate our concerns around the financial position and around a decision, which has significant consequences both for the game and the players, taken without regard to our agreements and without following the consultation process specifically provided for in our Recognition Agreement,” SACA president Omphile Ramela said.”SACA cares about the financial sustainability of the game, and this is not only about what happens next year but also about the years to come. Our concerns relating to this have simply been ignored by CSA.”We also care about ensuring the best possible domestic structure for the players and the game and believe that this should be the subject of proper consultation and agreement instead of there being a decision, which will have significant consequences, forced on us and the players.”SACA’s statement marks the latest episode in a spat that has rumbled on since CSA announced the restructuring plan in early April.The relationship between the two organisations hit a new low when SACA claimed that its chief executive Tony Irish had been barred from attending a meeting at which the changes to domestic cricket were discussed. While SACA’s latest move has made clear its willingness to take legal action against CSA, Irish said the organisation is still open to engaging CSA on the relevant issues.”Our lawyers have made it clear to CSA that its failure to comply with our agreements may well lead to legal action,” Irish said. “At the same time, we are open to finding responsible solutions to the financial challenges facing cricket and to ensuring the best outcomes from a cricket point of view. We have invited CSA to engage in mediation on the issues. If CSA fails to comply and does not accept our invitation to mediate, SACA will be compelled to take the legal route.”A CSA spokesperson, meanwhile, told ESPNcricinfo it was “unfortunate that SACA chose to issue a press release as a means of communicating with CSA.” The spokesperson added that no letter had yet been received as of Friday evening. “We have noted the same this Friday evening and will respond shortly.”

From a first Women's Super League triumph to three FA Cup titles in succession, this is every trophy the Blues have won under their legendary coach

Emma Hayes' reign as Chelsea manager was nothing short of spectacular, with her helping to transform the club into the dominant side in English women's football following her appointment way back in 2012.

Back then, the Blues had little history of success in the women's game, but that would all change dramatically. Before she departed to become the new head coach of the United States women's national team in May 2024, the club won 16 trophies under Hayes' charge.

The final of that 16 came in the manager's last-ever match in the dugout for the Blues, as they sent her off on an almighty high with a Women's Super League title-clinching 6-0 thrashing of Manchester United, at Old Trafford.

Whether the pair will ever work together again, only time will tell, but with Hayes' time as Chelsea manager certainly over, GOAL looks back on every single triumph they enjoyed in 12 incredible years…

Getty1Women's FA Cup (2015)

Hayes won her first trophy as Chelsea boss back in 2015, when Ji So-yun's strike was enough to defeat Notts County in the 2015 Women's FA Cup final.

It was an historic occasion for many reasons. It was the first Women's FA Cup final to be played at Wembley, it attracted a then-record crowd of over 30,000 fans and it was Chelsea's first major title in the history of its women's team.

The only goal of the game was created by Eni Aluko, named Player of the Match on the day, with the England star's mazy dribble ending with her setting up Ji, who bundled the ball in from close range to win the trophy.

AdvertisementGetty2Women's Super League (2015)

That FA Cup triumph came midway through Chelsea's league season, with the WSL running from spring to autumn until a change in 2017. In 2015, the season began in March and ended in October, and it ended with Chelsea being crowned champions of England for the very first time.

A year earlier, the Blues had suffered heartbreak when they lost the title to Liverpool, on goal difference on the final day of the season, but there was no such drama this time around as Hayes' side comprehensively beat Sunderland 4-0 to clinch the title.

"After the FA Cup final, we have had the confidence of being a winning team. Since the FA Cup final, we've been on a different level," the manager said afterwards. "Tonight was a champions performance, full of character. We looked like champions tonight."

3Women's Super League – Spring Series (2017)

When the WSL season transitioned from a summer campaign to a winter one, the 'Spring Series' was organised to plug the gap. The 2016 WSL season ended in September of that year and the 2017 Spring Series then ran a few months later, from February to May, ahead of the 2017-18 season which began in September.

In the Spring Series, the nine teams in the WSL played each other just once, for a total of eight matches, with there no threat of relegation. There was a trophy to be won, though, and it was one claimed by Chelsea after six wins, one draw and one defeat. Fran Kirby also topped the goal-scoring charts at the end of the competition, with six goals.

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Getty4Women's FA Cup (2018)

Chelsea were eyeing up another league and cup double in the 2017-18 season, and they completed the first leg of that challenge in early May with a 3-1 win over London rivals Arsenal.

Another then-record crowd turned out for the match, with more than 45,000 in attendance as Hayes' Blues won the competition for the second time thanks to two goals from Ramona Bachmann brace and a strike by Kirby.

Bachmann's first goal in particular was a delight, a thumping finish to leave Sari van Veenendaal with no chance, and it set Chelsea on their way to victory, even if Vivianne Miedema pulled one back for the Gunners before Kirby added the third.

Reports now suggest Tottenham are displaying "signals" that chairman Daniel Levy and co will make an imminent bid to sign a new transfer target.

Spurs not finished after Dragusin and Werner signings

The north Londoners have moved quickly in this January window, which is very different compared to previous years.

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ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

Spurs have a reputation, especially in the winter, for moving to sign their desired fresh faces much later in the window – but 2024 is breaking the mould in that respect.

Levy and co have already put pen to paper on deals for defender Radu Dragusin, who joined in a £25 million move from Genoa, and forward Timo Werner on a six-month loan from RB Leipzig.

Both men arrived at N17 before January 12, with manager Ange Postecoglou surely thrilled by Tottenham's real haste in getting him exactly who he requires.

Dragusin's signing comes as a very welcome boost for Spurs, especially after they were forced to deploy both Emerson Royal and Ben Davies as makeshift centre-backs on more than one occasion.

Attention now turns to signing a midfielder. Indeed, it is reliably believed that Postecoglou is keen on Chelsea star Conor Gallagher as he chases a new number eight and running man.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's future also remains up in the air, following a season of barely any Premier League starts.

The Dane has been relegated to more of a squad player, making plenty of top flight appearances, but the vast majority are coming off the substitute's bench.

With both Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr currently at the Africa Cup of Nations, Postecoglou's lack of midfield options behind his traditional starters have been laid bare.

This is something Spurs are looking to rectify with their widely reported interest in Gallagher, but he isn't the only Premier League midfielder on their radar.

Tottenham could make Joao Gomes bid "very soon"

According to South American news outlet Fla Web, Wolves starlet Joao Gomes is very much a player attracting their attention.

The Brazilian, who's started 17 top flight matches as a mainstay under Gary O'Neil, has admirers in north London. It is believed Tottenham are signaling they "will make an investment" in Gomes "very soon", presumably meaning they are set to bid for him.

Signed by Wolves for around £15 million, the Old Gold are looking to double their own investment in Gomes, and apparently won't sell for a penny less than around £30 million.

He's certainly an interesting new target for Spurs, with members of the press like Ryan Taylor hailing him as an "absolute gem" of Wolves' ranks.

Crystal Palace's hunt for a possible Roy Hodgson replacement has taken a twist, as one "strong" manager emerges as a real contender with Steve Cooper.

Hodgson nearing Palace sack

Following a serious nosedive in Premier League form recently, reports suggest that Palace could decide to sack Hodgson soon, just over seven months after reappointing the Englishman.

Crystal Palace leading race to sign "outstanding" player ahead of rivals

The Eagles could receive a January boost…

ByTom Cunningham Dec 24, 2023

Hodgson hasn't won a league game since the Eagles' 2-0 victory away to fellow strugglers Burnley in early November, with Palace losing five out of their last eight top-flight matches.

Only bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United and Burnley have scored fewer goals than the south Londoners so far this season, and Palace's recent form is a clear indication that they're candidates to be relegated.

Palace have survived in the Premier League since being promoted via the Championship play-offs in 2013, but the club's torrid form could result in them dropping back down to England's second tier just over 10 years after escaping it.

Hodgson is under increasing pressure at Selhurst Park, with the former England boss taking a stance of defiance in his latest press conference while insisting talk over his future will be natural.

“It’s a bit of a deja-vu situation for me at the moment, because after the games I find it hard to really accept too much criticism of the team’s performances, but on the other hand I’m talking to people whose judgement has to be from the result backwards, and the results have been poor," said Hodsgson on his precarious position of Brentford.

“So until such time as we can get some better results I would have to accept that (criticism), but I would be more concerned if the team was playing badly, and more concerned if we didn’t have the (Michael) Olises and the Eberechi Ezes to come back and help us out of this situation.”

There has been talk of former Nottingham Forest boss Cooper holding talks with Palace over the potentially vacant role, if Hodgson is indeed sacked.

Lopetegui contending to replace Hodgson at Palace

However, the Welshman is by no means their only candidate to succeed Hodgson, with ex-Wolves and Sevilla head coach Julen Lopetegui also in the frame.

Indeed, according to Football Insider, Lopetegui is a "strong contender" for the Palace job and is set to provide "growing competition" for Cooper.

The Spaniard has also been spotted at Selhurst as he looks to make a Premier League return, nearly five months after parting company with Wolves in August.

A Europa League winner at Sevilla, Lopetegui would bring real credentials, and he's been praised as a "strong leader" by Wolves owner Jeff Shi.

"Julen has a strong personality and he’s a coach with clear leadership, not just with football players but with the clubs he has been at," said Shi to the Wolves official website.

"He has a lot of experience in elite football and his track record is proven. We know we are in a difficult moment as a team right now, so we especially need a strong leader, with a strong personality, more than any other time I have been here. It is because of this that Julen was always our preferred choice."

Ollie Palmer says his “ultimate goal” would be to retire at Wrexham, but the experienced striker is not ruling out a move to MLS.

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Striker joined Red Dragons in 2022Hoping to earn a contract extensionOpen to stateside switch if needs beGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The 32-year-old frontman answered a transfer call from Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in January 2022 when he stepped out of League One with AFC Wimbledon to join a then-National League project in North Wales. Palmer has taken in over 100 appearances for the Red Dragons since then and scored 41 goals.

AdvertisementWHAT PALMER SAID

Palmer is tied to a contract until 2025 and would relish the opportunity to sign an extension. He is, however, aware that he may be put in a position where an American dream could be chased. Palmer has told the : “I will speak the truth, complete facts, because that’s how I always answer my questions. I’d love to play for Wrexham until the end of my career, that would be my ultimate goal. But the honest reality is that it’s growing at such a fast pace and the aim is to get into the Premier League, and there is no time to be sentimental. So my aim is to be there for as long as possible and to deliver the club success. I’ll do that for as long as I’m wanted to. Failing that, because everything does come to an end, I’d love to play in America.”

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Palmer has been spending time in the States enjoying a promotion party in Las Vegas and attending the Met Gala in New York. When it was put to him that he could end up in the Big Apple, rather than follow Manchester United legend David Beckham to Miami alongside Lionel Messi and Co, Palmer added: “He’s [Beckham] bringing much better players over than me, that’s for sure! If I get let go from Wrexham, I’ll see you at the Red Bulls!”

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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Phil Parkinson has Palmer in his plans for now, alongside fellow forwards such as Paul Mullin and Steven Fletcher. There has been talk of Wrexham making a move for ex-England international Jamie Vardy, which may require somebody to move on, but Palmer is hoping to make his mark back in the third tier before mulling over any new challenge.

Fifties from Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Asghar Afghan helped them go 142 ahead before getting the wicket of William Porterfield

The Report by Varun Shetty16-Mar-2019Stumps
Ireland made a brief comeback but the late wicket of captain William Porterfield followed an Asghar Afghan counterattack to dull the effect in a session where six wickets fell. Asghar made 67, batting mostly with the lower order, and helped Afghanistan go 142 ahead. In response, Ireland were 22 for 1 with Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie at the crease.The Afghanistan captain was aggressive as his team fell from 226 for 3 to 280 for 8, before digging into the spinners and switching to a full-blown attack. He hit three sixes and a four – stepping out for each one of them and going straight – as he stretched the score to 311 before edging Stuart Thompson behind. Asghar made 31 off his last 21 balls.At the start of that collapse, Rahmat Shah fell agonisingly short of a historic maiden century – it would have been Afghanistan’s first in Tests – when he chopped Tim Murtagh on for 98, but his 130-run stand with Hashmatullah Shahidi had put Afghanistan firmly ahead by then. The pair, arguably Afghanistan’s best batsmen, used the middle session to dominate an Irish attack that had kept them to 20 off 16 overs in the first hour of the day. That plan from Ireland – full and straight – proved unsustainable as the first session went on, and completely came apart in the second.Rahmat had hit 15 boundaries and looked in complete control before chasing Murtagh’s short and wide ball, following an extended stop in play as Ireland waited for a helmet to come on for their close-in fielder. The inside edge hit off stump, a moment that left everyone in the Afghanistan camp shaking their heads.Rahmat Shah chops on•Getty ImagesJust as Afghanistan had failed to manage the game in the middle session on Friday, so did Ireland on Saturday. And Rahmat made use of that period with efficiency, playing close to his body for the most part, but attacking in bursts as the spinners seemed to lose control. At one point, he hit five boundaries in four overs, including two elegant drives either side of extra-cover – shots that had earlier seemed impossible on this track. Between those cover drives, he smashed a short ball past mid-on to take Afghanistan into the lead shortly after the pair had brought up 100 for the third wicket.It was a dominant phase in the middle of the day, with even the watchful Shahidi opening up to pick up boundaries with ease. Most of these came against James Cameron-Dow who consistently bowled short deliveries through the day, allowing both batsmen to escape any pressure from a pitch that was slowly showing signs of sharp turn. So off-colour was Cameron-Dow that after going steadily for over five an over, he resorted to a leg-side line against Rahmat. In the 79th over, this cost him: umpire Richard Illingworth deemed it negative bowling and called him for wides three balls in a row.But there was an unlikely upside. Afghanistan’s willingness to push the rate opened up a vulnerability and when Andy McBrine was brought on to replace Cameron-Dow, his floaty middle-stump ball caught a sweeping Shahidi on the back leg. Batsmen found it increasingly difficult to get in after that. Immediately after Rahmat’s wicket, Mohammad Nabi flicked a leg-stump half-volley to square leg, and McBrine returned again to completely tie up Ikram Ali Khil. After a lot of indecisive footwork, the left-hander ended up yorking himself against McBrine, who looked by far Ireland’s best bowler on the day with his attacking lines to both right- and left-hand batsmen.Rashid Khan and Asghar made it clear they would look to make quick runs and push the lead up, but George Dockrell stopped Rashid in his tracks. After being hit for 10 off 2, including an inside-out six that was one of the best plays of the day, Dockrell slid an arm ball past Rashid’s inside edge to trap him in front. But Ireland couldn’t stop the bleeding and the lead – just a touch over 100 at that point – grew to an imperious figure.

West Ham United's incredibly inconsistent form reared its ugly head once again on Wednesday night, as after comprehensively beating Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League just a few days prior, the Hammers completely capitulated at Anfield and put in their worst performance of the season – including their 5-0 loss to Fulham.

The Eastenders controlled 33% of the possession, conceded five goals and, possibly worst of all, managed to have just two shots in the entire game, which, compared to Liverpool's 29, is comically poor. Now, David Moyes did make a number of changes to the lineup, but that still can't excuse how abysmally poor the team were.

So, with a far-from-impressive Manchester United coming to the London Stadium on Saturday, the Hammers must respond with a strong performance, one that sees them come away with at least a point if not all three.

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With this in mind, Moyes should be looking to make six changes to the starting XI, as the team that started against the Reds in the League Cup was clearly not good enough.

1 GK – Łukasz Fabiański

The first change comes between the sticks as Łukasz Fabiański comes in for Alphonse Areola. It was Areola who was given the nod against Liverpool after he was deemed fit following the wrist injury he sustained last month.

While the Frenchman can't be totally blamed for the five goals the side conceded on Wednesday – he did make six saves – he was also rather unconvincing, whereas the Polish international has kept two clean sheets in his last two games, so the former Arsenal keeper should be given the gloves for this one – he has earned it.

2 RB – Vladimír Coufal

Vladimír Coufal keeps his place in the starting XI for Saturday despite not having the best of nights against Liverpool.

The Czech international is clearly the number one right-back at the club and has started 100% of the team's league games this season, and he has generally looked good in the process.

There may be games where Moyes can experiment at right-back, but a home tie against a beatable United is not one of them.

3 CB – Kurt Zouma

The second change to the starting XI comes in the right-sided centre-back position, as following the poor showing of Konstantinos Mavropanos during the week, Kurt Zouma simply must be put back into the team.

That said, the Frenchman was always likely to regain his place regardless of the result against Liverpool, as he has started 88% of the team's league games.

4 CB – Nayef Aguerd

Starting alongside Zouma should be fellow regular Nayef Aguerd, as, like the Frenchman, he was spared the shame of being involved in Wednesday's game.

The Moroccan will replace Angelo Ogbonna, as he has already started 94% of Premier League games this term and 67% of Europa League clashes.

5 LB – Emerson Palmieri

Replacing Ben Johnson on the left side of the defence should be Brazilian-Italian full-back Emerson Palmieri, as while the young Englishman wasn't terrible against Liverpool, he did very little to suggest he should maintain a starting place in the team.

Palmieri, on the other hand, has been reliable through most of the season so far and has started 88% of the side's league games this year, registering two assists in the process.

6 DM – Edson Álvarez

Maintaining his place in the midfield is Mexican international Edson Alvarez, who, aside from Wednesday night, has generally been impressive for the Irons and a successful summer signing.

The former Ajax man has picked up one Man-of-the-Match award in the Europa League this season and has started 76% of West Ham's Premier League games.

7 DM – Tomáš Souček

Another midfield survivor from the midweek game is Czech international Tomas Soucek, who, just like Alvarez, has been reasonably reliable this season.

The 28-year-old has started 88% of the team's league games, and his presence in midfield should help the Hammers break up any control that United might try to create on Saturday.

According to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the Czech is in the top 1% of midfielders for aerial duels won, the top 2% for clearances and the top 13% for interceptions, all per 90.

8 RM – Mohammed Kudus

Mohammed Kudus maintains his place out on the right for this one as he has already proven himself to be a match-winner for the Irons, and there really isn't anyone else who deserves to start on the right ahead of him.

The Ghanaian ace has scored five goals and provided one assist in just eight Premier League starts this season, and with how fragile United have looked at points this campaign, there is no reason to suggest he couldn't bag a couple on Saturday.

9 CAM – James Ward-Prowse

Coming in to replace the ineffective Pablo Fornals for this must-win game is the incredibly influential James Ward-Prowse.

The former Southampton captain only joined the side in the summer, but he has already established himself as one of the most important players at the club, starting 100% of league games, scoring three goals and providing five assists in the process.

The "fantastic" midfielder, as described by talkSPORT pundit Jamie O'Hara, simply has to start on Saturday.

10 LM – Lucas Paquetá

Lucas Paquetá will replace Saïd Benrahma on the left of midfield for this game. The Algerian is a talented footballer but provided no threat against Liverpool, whereas Paquetá will practically always be a threat thanks to his incredible talent.

The Brazilian is such a good player that former teammate Declan Rice described him as "mind-boggling", and that is precisely what Moyes will be after on Saturday.

So far this season, the former Lyon man has started 94% of Premier League games, scoring two goals and providing four assists.

Allegations about biased decision-making by on-field officials continue

Mohammad Isam18-Feb-2019Umpiring standards in the Bangladesh domestic circuit continue to be dubious, with questions raised every other day. This, even as the BCB prepares to host a new four-day T20 tournament, followed by the Dhaka Premier League (DPL), scheduled to start on March 8.Over the past few seasons, allegations of biased umpiring in favour of certain Dhaka clubs connected to the cricket board have flown thick and fast. The complaints haven’t stopped even this year, and, what’s worse, there has even been allegations of certain clubs being bullied by match officials in Dhaka’s lower leagues.Following the charges, Kazi Inam Ahmed, chairman of the cricket committee of Dhaka Metropolis, the BCB body that administers all cricket leagues in the capital city including the DPL, has promised to employ cameras in every ground – unlike at only a few matches last year – to oversee the umpiring.ALSO READ: BCB bans Tasnim, Sujon for ten years”There weren’t many complaints about umpiring last season, but whenever there was one, the (committee) has spoken to the [BCB’s] umpires’ committee repeatedly,” Inam said. “We asked the umpires’ committee to give good umpires in every game.”We will be using cameras in all the grounds. The BCB president has said that he wants the league to conclude properly. We will always try to improve the quality of umpiring.”Asked about the fresh slew of allegations, including but not restricted to partial umpiring, Inam only said, “Umpires’ committee investigates any complaint that is mentioned in the captains’ reports.”Despite all the issues, the DPL remains the most important domestic tournament in the country, and the Dhaka league system, currently divided into four grades, financially sustains competitive cricket in Bangladesh to a large extent.On Monday, the 12 DPL clubs picked up 112 cricketers during the players’ draft. Each side is also eligible to retain a maximum of three players from the previous season.Defending champions Abahani Limited roped in five Bangladesh internationals – Rubel Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Jahurul Islam, Mohammad Mithun and Mohammad Saifuddin – to complement retained players Mashrafe Mortaza, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mosaddek Hossain to form the strongest side on paper.According to the data shared by the BCB, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club were the biggest spenders with BDT 19,890,000 (approx. $ 248,625), although the 12 clubs have spent BDT 1,39,65,000 (approx. $ 174,560) on an average.