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Journalist Paul Brown has backed West Ham to make a move for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse in the summer transfer window.

Is Ward-Prowse leaving Southampton?

The 28-year-old has endured a tough season in the Premier League, being part of a Saints team who will finish bottom of the table. Relegation to the Championship has looked on the cards for some time, and it has become increasingly inevitable as each month has passed.

Ward-Prowse has done his best to keep his team in the division, scoring eight goals and also chipping in with four assists, with a free-kick winner away to Chelsea arguably the best moment of his campaign. There simply hasn't been enough quality around him, however, and Southampton have paid the price.

The £100,000-a-week midfielder has been a great servant at St Mary's, making 408 appearances along the way, but it now seems certain that he will leave this summer, with a player of his calibre not wanting to be playing Championship football.

West Ham are one of the clubs who have been linked with a move for Ward-Prowse and it is a rumour that is refusing to go away, ahead of what is sure to be his final Saints appearance at home to Liverpool on Sunday.

Could West Ham sign Ward-Prowse?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Brown talked up the Hammers' chances of sealing the signing of the Southampton captain at the end of the season:

"I think he's a leader, someone you can rely on, a great trainer, brilliant professional. I think he'd be a great signing for West Ham, and if Rice was to go, that would certainly sugar the pill a little bit."

Granted, the fact that Ward-Prowse is part of a relegated team doesn't necessarily reflect brilliantly on himself, but he could still be an inspired signing by West Ham this summer.

At 28, he is in the career sweet spot of being very experienced but also young enough to be at his best for a number of years to come, and he has been hailed as "world-class" by former Saints manager Nathan Jones during their time together.

Ward-Prowse's all-round quality and bite in midfield could help fill the likely void left by Declan Rice at West Ham, with an average of 1.7 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game coming his way in the Premier League this season, as well as two key passes per match, showing that he can be a force both on and off the ball.

Manchester United are now targeting Juventus keeper and former Arsenal star Wojciech Szczesny this summer, according to reports.

Could Wojciech Szczesny leave Juventus for the Premier League?

That is from Calciomercato, who have reported in the last 48 hours that Szczesny is the subject of interest from the Premier League as United register their interest with the Serie A outfit.

The 33-year-old has one year remaining on his contract and earns €7m per season (£6m/season). For this reason, Juve are reportedly satisfied to let the goalkeeper leave to eliminate his wages (£115k/week) from their wage bill.

Should a suitable offer be received, it will apparently be considered. Manchester United have "have registered some movement" behind the scenes as they jostle for the 6 ft 4 star's signature.

Former coach Guido Nanni told Tutto Juve that although the goalkeeper is "world class", he should extend his terms with the Italian outfit.

He said: “He is a world-class goalkeeper, he has already worn the jerseys of top European clubs and can safely continue on this road. He would be up to Barcelona, Real, Atletico or even Bayern.

“I advise him to renew, why shouldn’t I do that? Especially if Juventus were to rebuild a very important team.”

Why do Manchester United want to sign Wojciech Szczesny?

David De Gea has come in for a lot of criticism this season despite winning the Golden Glove. The Spaniard was blasted by the merciless Roy Keane, who thinks Erik ten Hag's praise for the award is "ridiculous."

Keane told Sky Sports: "They’re all patting De Gea on the back there… I’d move him on quickly. He wouldn’t be for me, he’s not going to get Manchester United back winning trophies, absolutely not.

"The idea that the players are patting him on the back is ridiculous, that’s his job."

Szczesny has been identified as an alternative option to De Gea after his strong showing this season in Serie A. He has Premier League experience from his time with Arsenal and if ten Hag pushes for him, he would make a fine alternative to De Gea.

Man United conceded 43 Premier League goals this season. Defence is an area that needs to improve hugely next season if the Red Devils are going to challenge Arsenal and Man City for the title.

New Zealand allrounder Jimmy Neesham has been ruled out of the second Test “at least” because of his rib injury that had kept him out of the Kanpur Test too

Sidharth Monga in Kolkata28-Sep-2016Allrounder Jimmy Neesham has been ruled out of the second Test “at least” because of his rib injury that had kept him out of the Kanpur Test too, but that’s not the end of New Zealand’s problems. The flight supposed to carry Mark Craig’s replacement, offspinner Jeetan Patel, was cancelled, and he will now arrive only after midnight of Wednesday, which gives him a little over 24 hours to acclimatise before becoming New Zealand’s third spinning option. New Zealand will play three spinners unless the pitch is dramatically different from the one in Kanpur or the ones India have been using recently. The second Test starts on September 30 in Kolkata.”Jimmy Neesham’s injury will rule him out of at least this Test,” coach Mike Hesson confirmed. “That takes away options in terms of changing our balance a bit. But that’s okay. We are not able to get any replacement in time who is a batting allrounder. Unfortunately, we have got a few other injuries at home as well, which makes that really challenging.”Neesham, who suffered the rib injury batting in the nets in Delhi, is not the first man to be ruled out on this tour. Tim Southee injured his ankle even before the three-day warm-up game in Delhi. Craig suffered a side strain bowling in the second innings of the Kanpur Test. He came out to bat, but could not resist for long. Of the three New Zealand spinners, Craig was the closest to bowling the optimum pace on Indian pitches, and was the most accurate, especially in the first innings when New Zealand competed more on even terms.If the Kolkata pitch is similar, New Zealand will at least get a like-for-like replacement in Patel, no matter how little acclimatised to the conditions. He is flying from England where he was the leading wicket-taker in the County Championships, with 69 scalps for Warwickshire. New Zealand also have decisions to make in the batting department. Martin Guptill came here under pressure, and with scores of 21 and 0 in Kanpur and 15 and 0 in the warm-up in Delhi, he hasn’t done much to free himself of that pressure.With Neesahm out, New Zealand have only one option left should they leave Guptill out, Henry Nicholls, the left-handed batsman who averages 27.62 from six Tests. He had scored a half-century in his last Test, against South Africa in Centurion last month. As New Zealand opted not to train on Wednesday, that decision is likely to be made only on Thursday, the day before the Test.”We are restricted in some of our options,” Hesson said. “We have got Henry Nicholls in our group. Once again he has never played in India but played really nicely in South Africa in conditions that once again are distinctly different. He is a smart lad. He spent the last week trying to keep evolving his game plan. He is an option for us. And we will look at the conditions first before making a call.”

Celtic could turn to Manchester City assistant coach Enzo Maresca as an alternative to Ange Postecoglou if the latter is appointed as Tottenham Hotspur manager amid speculation over his future, journalist Dean Jones has suggested.

What's the latest on the manager situation at Celtic?

As per The Independent, Postecoglou is said to be under 'strong' consideration for the vacant managerial position at Tottenham following the Lilywhites' failure to land Feyenoord's Arne Slot as their new manager.

Sky Sports cite that Postecoglou has commented on speculation linking him with a move to N17, stating: "I think anyone who knows me – and I've been asked about this kind of things plenty of times – knows that what's important for me is the here and now."

Celtic have just sealed back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles under the Australian boss and have the chance to secure a historic eighth treble in their history against Inverness Caledonian Thistle this weekend, something that the 57-year-old has indicated he is fully focused on, saying: "It's not every year you get the opportunity to win a treble and if anyone thinks I'm thinking anything other than that, they don't know me."

Football Insider have claimed that Celtic are 'keeping tabs' on Manchester City assistant manager Enzo Maresca in case Postecoglou does choose to seek a new challenge south of the border.

The 43-year-old Italian was previously linked to the managerial role at Celtic back in 2021 before Postecoglou was eventually appointed later in the year while both men have well-publicised links to the City Football Group.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones reacted to the rumours involving the Man City man and thinks that Maresca may be a rout that Celtic would consider going down if they were faced with the challenge of having to replace Postecoglou.

Jones told FFC: "Maresca is definitely an interesting option for them to look at and I think from a fan point of view, they'll be keen to explore more of that profile of manager."

Will Celtic be able to keep hold of Ange Postecoglou?

Celtic will hope they can keep Postecoglou at Parkhead for as long as possible and will take hope from his words following their 2-1 Viaplay Cup final victory over Rangers earlier this year.

As per KeepUp AU, the former Australia boss stated: “I am still here even though people have been getting me out the door and I think you will be surprised how long I am here. All that I do when I am here is just be consumed by what I do and try to make this football club the best it can be and enjoy every minute of it."

Nevertheless, Hoops fans will be aware that the lure of the Premier League is always there when managers succeed in Scotland, which is a path that Brendan Rodgers chose to go down in 2019 when he swapped the Glasgow giants for Leicester City.

Postecoglou will have a big choice to make if he is earmarked as the man to take Tottenham forward by Daniel Levy; however, it doesn't look like too much will be given away surrounding his future until after the Scottish Cup final this weekend.

High levels of pollution and smog have forced the cancellation of the Group A clash between table toppers Bengal and Gujarat, and the Group C fixture between Hyderabad and Tripura to a later date

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2016High levels of pollution and smog have forced the cancellation of two Ranji Trophy fixtures in Delhi: the Group A clash between Gujarat and Bengal and the Group C fixture between Hyderabad and Tripura.Both matches will now be played after the league phase, the BCCI announced, without mentioning specific dates or venues. With the league phase ending on December 10 and the quarter-finals scheduled to begin on December 17, it is unclear if the knockouts will be pushed back by a few days to accommodate these rescheduled games. The status of the next round’s games in Delhi, between Odisha-Assam and Hyderabad-Services, scheduled to begin from from November 13, also isn’t clear yet.Not a single ball was bowled in either game, at the Feroz Shah Kotla and the Karnail Singh Stadium. Play was called off on the second afternoon after there was no improvement in the air quality.”The teams were informed around 3.15 in the afternoon that the match was called off,” Sairaj Bahutule, the Bengal coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “Our eyes were burning. Some of the guys had headaches. Pollution was at the highest level. This is the first time in my cricketing life I have come across such a scenario.”

precaution is the best medicine #dressingroom #DelhiSmog #delhipollution #RanjiTrophy pic.twitter.com/eJWtHRnp2U

— R P Singh (@RpSingh99) November 6, 2016

At the Karnail Singh Stadium, Hyderabad and Tripura had a meeting at 11.30am, along with the match officials, and upon further inspection, the game was called off. “We could not even stand outside as our eyes started burning. It was impossible to run in or do anything,” Bharat Arun, the Hyderabad coach, said.The players had complained of burning eyes on the opening day as well. Although the sun came out, it failed to penetrate the thick layer of smog that has enveloped the national capital, resulting in poor visibility. The smog is believed to be an after-effect of Diwali fireworks, as well as the burning of paddy stubble in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.”Yesterday, in the afternoon, when light improved, we went out to toss. But the dust and pollution was so bad that our eyes started to water,” Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary told ESPNcricinfo. “In consultation with both captains, it was decided that we’ll call off play. But today, when the same situation persisted, the match referees decided it was unsafe to even attempt to play. It was called off a little after 3pm. We’ve played a lot of cricket in the north, especially Delhi, in winter months in the past. But I haven’t seen anything like this.”

After sealing promotion to the Premier League with plenty of time to spare, Burnley must now compile a squad strong enough to remain in the division.

A new full-back is said to be on Vincent Kompany's list of targets, with The Sun reporting that he may just get a helping hand from Manchester City in a possible transfer merry-go-round.

City are said to be interested in signing Raphael Guerreiro, who is out of contract at Borussia Dortmund this summer, which would pave the way for Sergio Gomez to depart for Burnley.

Who are Burnley looking to sign?

Burnley have been linked with a whole array of players since earning promotion nearly two months ago, including the likes of Cody Drameh, Jack Clarke, Habib Diallo and now Gomez.

Having completely transformed the club's style of play since taking charge 12 months ago, Kompany has also shown he can spot a talent when he sees one.

Indeed, from the £11m earned from Nick Pope's sale to Newcastle United, the Clarets recruited seven players in his place who played their part in a sensational campaign.

Kompany has put his City links to good use, too, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis coming in on loan last season – and possibly staying on this term – and CJ Egan-Riley arriving permanently.

Furthermore, Kompany managed Gomez during their time at Anderlecht, so it is a transfer that would make sense in more ways than one.

How has Gomez performed at Man City?

After being brought to the Etihad Stadium from Anderlecht for a fee of £11m, Gomez has frustratingly been restricted to just ten starts in all competitions this season, only two of those in the Premier League.

In classic Pep Guardiola fashion, the £50k-per-week earner has showcased his versatility across those matches by appearing at left-back six times, as per WhoScored, as well in a left-sided forward role and central midfield.

It is that ability to play comfortably not just at full-back but also further forward, even in a central position, that led to Guardiola hailing Gomez as a "perfect" player for City and likening him to Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has continued to show his versatility at Arsenal.

It would be fair to say Gomez has not exactly had a proper chance to demonstrate his talents at City, reflected by his solitary assist and no goals across 23 appearances, the vast majority of those from the substitutes' bench.

But it was the six goals and 13 assists Gomez managed in 26 games for Anderlecht in 2021-22, and his seven direct goal involvements for Spain at U21 level, that persuaded City to splash out an eight-figure sum.

Described as a "full-back, playmaker, king of assists and winger" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the 22-year-old – who has also previously represented Barcelona B and Borussia Dortmund – will no doubt be eager for more regular football in order to hit something close to those figures again.

It is at Burnley under Pep protégée Kompany that his chance to truly shine in English football may arrive.

The batting frailties that have dogged England’s women throughout their tour of the Caribbean resurfaced with a vengeance once again in the fourth ODI at Sabina Park

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2016West Indies Women 223 for 6 (Taylor 85, Quintyne 41) beat England Women 181 (Beaumont 57, Winfield 51, Taylor 3-29) by 42 runs
ScorecardStafanie Taylor produced a superb all-round performance to defeat England•Getty Images/ICCThe batting frailties that have dogged England’s women throughout their tour of the Caribbean resurfaced with a vengeance once again in the fourth ODI at Sabina Park, as West Indies squared the five-match series at 2-2 with the decider to come at the same venue on Wednesday.Chasing 224 to win after Stafanie Taylor’s 85 from 129 balls had laid a strong total for the hosts, England appeared to be well placed on 133 for 1 in the 29th over. However, they lost their next nine wickets for 48 runs in 16 overs, five of them to run-outs, to slump to defeat by 42 runs.England’s chase could hardly have started with more intent, as Lauren Winfield and Tammy Beaumont added 95 for the first wicket in 19 overs to break the back of the run-chase.However, Beaumont was caught and bowled for 57 by Taylor to inject a hint of anxiety, and when Winfield followed nine overs later, run out for 51, England’s momentum shuddered to a halt.Nat Sciver departed six balls later to become Taylor’s second victim, and before the over was out, England had lost their third wicket for four runs in the space of 10 balls.After a brief rally through Heather Knight and Georgia Elwiss, the second wave of England’s collapse was even more dramatic – four wickets for four runs in 19 balls – with Taylor’s second caught-and-bowled accounting for Knight for 36 and ending England’s meagre hopes.Hayley Matthews chipped in with two wickets to account for Amy Jones and Jenny Gunn, and fittingly it was left to Taylor to wrap up an astounding allround performance with her second run-out of the innings to remove Laura Marsh for 13.Earlier Taylor’s innings of 85 had featured six fours and two sixes, and included a second-wicket stand of 69 with Shaquana Quintyne, who made 41.

Khulna Titans captain Mahmudullah took three wickets to help his side defend six in the final over against Rajshahi Kings

The Report by Mohammad Isam09-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMahmudullah scored 32 and took three wickets in the final over•BCBKhulna Titans left it until the last three overs to launching a stunning comeback that gave them a three-run win over Rajshahi Kings. Junaid Khan took four wickets but it was Khulna captain Mahmudullah, who took three wickets in the final over to help his side clinch a thriller.In their chase of 134, Rajshahi needed 23 runs off the last three overs with six wickets in hand. However, Shafiul Islam broke the 52-run fifth-wicket stand between Mominul Haque (64) and Darren Sammy (31). He had Sammy bowled and Mominul caught behind in the same over, the 18th of the innings. Rajshahi’s chase got worse when Farhad Reza hacked at a wide delivery from Junaid and Mahmudullah took a tumbling overhead catch at cover.Mahmudullah on …

Bowling the last over: “I used up our strike bowlers like Shafiul and Junaid because we needed wickets so since I had few alternatives, I stepped up to bowl the last over.”
Bowling under pressure: “I was only under pressure while bowling the last ball. I was banking a bit on luck and my ability to land the ball in the right place.”
His plan for the last ball: “My plan was to bowl outside off stump since Nazmul has a good slog sweep. That’s why I stopped before bowling the last ball, to see what he would try to do. I took out the extra cover fielder just in case but he missed the last ball, and we won.”

Mahmudullah then brought himself on to defend seven runs in the final over. After conceding three runs off the first two balls, he removed Abul Hasan and Mohammad Sami off consecutive deliveries, leaving Rajshahi with four to win off the last two balls. No. 11 Nazmul Islam attempted a switch-hit and a slog, but connected with neither and was stumped off the last ball.Junaid had earlier ripped through the Rajshahi top order, taking the first three wickets to fall. He removed Nurul Hasan in his first over and got two in his second: he went through Sabbir Rahman’s wild slog and had Umar Akmal caught behind. Samit Patel and Mominul Haque added 35 runs for the fourth wicket, but the England allrounder fell for a 21-ball 10 in the 11th over, with Rajshahi still needing 75 runs to win.Mominul, who was dropped on 7 and 24 by Kapali at slip and Ariful at long-off, held up one end and struck six boundaries in his 64, his third T20 fifty.Earlier in the day, Khulna were limited to 133 on the back of right-arm medium-pacer Abul Hasan’s 5 for 28. He was introduced in the 10th over and broke a 47-run second-wicket stand between Rikki Wessels (32) and Abdul Mazid (15). Brought back to bowl in the end overs, Hasan duped Mahmudullah (32) and Alok Kapali (11) with slower balls off consecutive deliveries: both skied catches to long-on and deep midwicket in the 18th over.In the final over, Hasan removed Ariful Haque and Shafiul Islam – between a six and two fours – to become only the second Bangladeshi bowler to take a five-wicket haul in the BPL.Mehedi Hasan set the tone early in the innings and had opener Nicholas Pooran bowled behind his legs with his third ball. He finished with 1 for 15 from three overs. Patel was also economical, returning fugures of 1 for 18 from his four overs.

Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the release clause of believed Newcastle United target Arda Guler.

According to Turkish outlet Karar, the Toon are interested in bringing the 18-year-old to St James' Park this summer.

Newcastle United transfer news – Arda Guler

Having qualified for the Champions League last season, Newcastle will likely be looking out for potential upgrades to bolster Eddie Howe's side.

The teenager has more than impressed the Fenerbahce fans, with the Super Lig club revealing a banner, which labeled Guler the "Turkish Messi".

At just 18, Guler scored six goals last season and recorded a further seven assists to tally up a total of 13 goal involvements in all competitions.

At such a young age, the sky seems like the limit for Guler right now after such a stellar campaign in Turkey.

The same could be said for Howe's Newcastle side. The Magpies were a side transformed last season as they went from relegation contenders to finishing inside the Premier League's top four.

It is a project that looks destined to eventually lead to trophies, which could attract young players such as Guler.

What did Fabrizio Romano say about Arda Guler?

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said (2:15): "This is one of my favourites around the world, fantastic creative midfielder, playing for Fenerbahce. And so, for Arda Guler, from what I heard there is important information.

"This is an incredible opportunity, and many clubs in Europe know that, because they are prepared to pay the clause, but the crucial point is to convince the player."

Are Newcastle United signing Arda Guler?

As of right now, Guler's future remains unclear with plenty of the summer transfer window left for deals to happen.

As Romano said on his YouTube channel, the midfielder has attracted interest from a number of destinations around Europe, meaning that if Newcastle do want to sign him, they may need to act fast, especially given his €17.5m release clause.

A player for both the present and the future, Guler could make an incredible impact wherever he ends up, should he decide to leave Fenerbahce this summer.

South Africa have named the uncapped middle-order batsman Theunis de Bruyn in their squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka

Firdose Moonda14-Dec-20161:14

Moonda: Questions over Morkel’s long-term availability

Theunis de Bruyn, a top-order batsman and current captain of the Knights franchise, was named as the only new cap in South Africa’s 13-man squad for the first two Tests against Sri Lanka, which start on Boxing Day. De Bruyn was added as the reserve batsman in place of Rilee Rossouw, who traveled with the squad to Australia but is nursing a foot injury.South Africa Test squad changes

In: Theunis de Bruyn, Wayne Parnell
Out: Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Rilee Rossouw (all injured), Tabraiz Shamsi

South Africa could also not consider Morne Morkel – yet to recover from a back injury that has kept him out for all but one first-class match since the CPL – Dale Steyn or AB de Villiers in their squad. Left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell has recovered from a rib injury sustained during the one-day series against Australia in October to return to the squad but there is no room for reserve wicketkeeper Dane Vilas or left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi. Keshav Maharaj has been included as the lone specialist spinner. Dwaine Pretorius, who was called up when Steyn was injured in Australia, is also not part of the squad.Stephen Cook, who scored a century in the Adelaide Test after a poor tour of Australia, has been retained to open the batting with Dean Elgar and the rest of South Africa’s line-up takes on familiar look. Batting coach Neil McKenzie has tipped the out-of-form Hashim Amla to turn things around in this series while JP Duminy and Temba Bavuma will make up a top six headlined by new Test captain Faf du Plessis.Should de Bruyn be needed, he brings fine form with him. The right-hander, who played for South Africa at the 2012 Under-19 World Cup and began his career with Titans, was eighth on last season’s first-class run charts and is third this season, with 423 runs at 60.42. He was preferred over Colin Ackermann – who has signed as a non-overseas player for Leicestershire from next season – and Khaya Zondo, who sits second on the run charts.Parnell’s inclusion is more curious. He has not played a first-class match this season but has turned out for the Cobras in their last seven T20 matches. Parnell last played a Test for South Africa in February 2014, against Australia, but was included in the squad that played New Zealand in August. He did not play either of the two Tests and is likely to act as back-up to a pace attack that will comprise Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Kyle Abbott.South Africa’s pace pack takes on a new look from the three prongs of old – Steyn, Morkel and Philander – and this squad will doubtless raise questions about Morkel’s future. He suffered a bulging disc in his back earlier in the year and has been struggling to return to full fitness since then. Morkel played one first-class match for his franchise, Titans, and in all three of South Africa’s practice matches in Australia but was not cleared to play a Test. After the first Test in Perth, South African team management said Morkel was “90-95% fit.”Since the end of that series, Morkel was due to play for Titans in the T20 competition but has been unavailable for selection while his injury continues to be monitored. Unlike de Villiers, who hopes to be fit for the ODIs against Sri Lanka mid-January and Steyn, who is targeting June 2017 for a comeback, there is no word on when Morkel may take the field again.South Africa Test squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Stephen Cook, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada.