West Ham United may have invested heavily in the summer transfer window, mainly utilising the £105m freed up from the sale of Declan Rice, but David Moyes is still in need of January reinforcements.

Despite reaching the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and coming to within touching distance of the Europa League knockout stages, fixture congestion has taken its toll on their squad.

The Hammers have won just one of their last five matches in the Premier League and although they stopped the rot with a 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest last time out, the squad could do with more competition for places as Moyes eyes up a new right back to challenge Vladimir Coufal.

West Ham transfer news – Aaron Wan-Bissaka

As relayed by Football Transfers earlier this week, West Ham could go back in for Aaron Wan-Bissaka in January, after failing to secure a deal for the 25-year-old in the summer.

It is reported that the Irons are looking at the Manchester United star as a possible target following the news of Coufal's uncertain future with the club unwilling to extend his contract beyond the summer.

Negotiations with the club's other right-back, Ben Johnson, have also hit a stumbling block, as the club and player remain some distance apart in agreeing terms of the deal.

That said, West Ham could launch a bid for Wan-Bissaka, who is valued at £17.5m (€20m) as per Football Observatory, and land an upgrade on Coufal.

The stats that show Wan-Bissaka would be an upgrade on Coufal

This time last year, it looked as though Wan-Bissaka would be departing Man Utd in January after being overtaken by Diogo Dalot in the pecking order at right-back, but the Englishman fought for his place and thanks to some solid form, won the starting berth back from Dalot.

With the Red Devils more interested in extending his one-year option as opposed to entertaining talks for a long-term renewal, his future is once again up in the air, which suggests he is not guaranteed to be a key part of their plans moving forward.

At West Ham, however, he would likely play a pivotal role in Moyes' starting XI, returning to his home city where his attributes as an all-encompassing full-back would be allowed to flourish.

Described by James Maddison as a "ridiculously good" one vs one defender and the "best in the world bar none" for how difficult he is to get past, Wan-Bissaka has reined in the plaudits for the fundamentals of his defensive work, prioritizing his ability to tackle and pocket opposing wingers as opposed to marauding up the pitch.

For a Hammers side that are tasked with doing a lot of defending, having a full-back capable of doing the above is imperative, with the 25-year-old boasting the physical attributes and defensive statistics that demonstrate he's an upgrade on Coufal in that area.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka vs Vladimir Coufal in the past year
Statistic	Wan-Bissaka	Coufal
Tackles won	1.64	1.46
Interceptions	1.60	1.33
Blocks	1.49	1.03
Progressive carries	2.63	2.39
Pass completion	84%	66.3%
Successful take-ons	1.07	0.20
All stats via FBref

Although Coufal eclipses Wan-Bissaka for his attacking output, posting four assists this season compared to the Englishman's one, the Man Utd titan is better than his compatriot in every other department, offering added strength in the tackle, explosive ball carrying and better accuracy with his passing.

With Wan-Bissaka open to leaving Old Trafford, Moyes should pounce at the opportunity to sign the former England under-21 star and solidify a position that is in need of surgery.

Melbourne Stars took the honours in the derby clash against Melbourne Renegades at the MCG, comfortably chasing down 149. Marcus Stoinis produced a superb all-round display, capped by his unbeaten 78 to ensure the Stars had a few concerns in reaching the target with 13 balls to spare.The Renegades made a strong start having been put into bat, but that was as good as it got for them after the opening stand of 52 was broken. The Stars’ bowlers shared the plaudits, though the pace trio of Stoinis, Scott Boland and Dwayne Bravo claimed seven wickets between them. There was a prime scalp for Sandeep Lamichhane before he departs for the BPL to give the throng of Nepalese supporters plenty to cheer.After a solid start to the chase, the result rarely looked in doubt, although Ben Dunk and Nick Larkin were dismissed in quick succession, a stand of 65 between Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell getting the job almost done. The win leaves the Stars in the clutch of teams on four points which also includes the Renegades, although they have lost their last two matches.False dawnFlexibility in T20 is important, but uncertainty is a problem. The Renegades are not the only team still trying to work out their top-order combinations but have tinkered in each of their matches so far. Tonight it was the young pair of Sam Harper and Mackenzie Harvey, and for a little over four overs, all went swimmingly as they added 52. Harper, who has been up and down the order so far in the tournament, has now managed three scores between 28 and 36. Harvey, a player of much promise, made 30 on his debut against Sydney Sixers and again played nicely here before falling to an excellent catch running backwards by Maxwell. It was a turning point of the innings as Harper was bowled by Adam Zampa next over: 52 for the opening stand, 9 for 96 for the rest of the innings. After making 9 for 99 in their chase against Sixers, there will be a few batting concerns growing with no one yet to register a half-century.Eye’s on spin, up steps seamersMuch attention was on the spinners, and they certainly played an important role with Zampa’s strike and Lamichhane producing a lovely googly to defeat Tom Cooper, but this was also an innings for the seamers. Maxwell was smart in his use of his attack as he went back to all pace after the Powerplay when Mohammad Nabi – a player more comfortable against spin than pace – was at the crease and the move worked when Nabi top-edged a hoick off Stoinis. Bravo then struck in his first over, albeit with a full-toss clipped to midwicket, and the Renegades were 4 for 76 at halfway, in the midst of a slide they would be unable to stop.Edge? What edge?When a batsman is in a bit of a slump, a touch of luck can help. When Dunk was on 1, the Renegades were convinced he had edged Usman Shinwari to the keeper but the umpire was unmoved. Dunk had made 2, 10 and 4 at the start of this edition of the tournament, but now began to find his feet. By the time he was stumped, missing a slog-sweep against Cameron Boyce, 32 was Dunk’s highest T20 score in 10 innings since making 47 against the same opponents on January 6 last year. It was just the fifth time he had reached double figures in T20 in 14 innings since he last played for Australia in early 2017. The opening stand of 67 with Stoinis was the Stars’ best in 15 matches.Stoinis’ chance up topTwo wickets, a good catch in the deep and then 78 to guide the run chase. It was a handy night for Stoinis. It was the batting that was arguably the most significant as it was the first time this season he had opened the innings – a role he has not held consistently in T20 cricket since 2016. He certainly made the most of his chance to build an innings from the outset. The most noticeable feature was his power down the ground: he pulled Nabi straight for six, deposited Dan Christian over long-on with a shot that left the bowler wondering what had happened, and finished the game with a pull over deep square-leg for his fourth six of a very fine innings.

Ponting’s advice followed time-honoured lines of Perth – leaving the ball on length, being selective on balls to drive and cashing in on the cut and the pull

Daniel Brettig in Perth13-Dec-2018

Tim Paine chats with Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer•Getty Images

Australian cricket’s fundamentals will be on trial at the new Perth Stadium over the next five days, as an undermanned team led by Tim Paine will seek to level the series with an Indian side traditionally all at sea in fast and bouncy conditions but now increasingly sure of themselves on days when the red ball flies.Searing first day temperatures, in excess of 35C, will complicate the decision for either captain at the toss, but Paine was clear that whichever way it fell, his team would need to start as strongly as they did in Adelaide before sustaining their efforts more coherently thereafter. To that end, former captain Ricky Ponting joined the team for their final training session, offering advice to the batsmen that followed the time-honoured lines of Perth – leaving the ball on length, being selective on balls to drive and cashing in on the cut and the pull.”I know he’s always in and around our group, I know he has been for the last six to eight months to be fair, and he’s working with Channel Seven so he’s around the venues. And one of the things we’re trying to do is get our ex-players back, so he’s just another one when he’s around we try to tap into,” Paine said of Ponting. “Him in particular i think, he makes our batting group walk a bit taller and fills them with confidence, so I’m sure they were all speaking to him today at certain periods.”You want to be judging the length of balls well but we know in Perth traditionally, and even at this venue, in the short amount of time it’s quite quick and bouncy, so it’s one of the things we’ve spoken about, something you speak to all the time when you come to Perth, it’s just about adjusting to different conditions. All our guys have had experience doing it at first-class level so this week will be no different.”In declaring that Australia’s batting lineup would be unchanged in addition to the playing XI itself, Paine delivered a strong vote of confidence in both Aaron Finch and Mitchell Starc, the opening batsman and pace bowler who both had indifferent matches in Adelaide, the former against the moving ball and the latter struggling to control the sort of swing he had been trying to regain for some time. As an aggressive batsman and a piercing fast bowler, Finch and Starc are the sort of players who could quickly swing a match on a pacy pitch.Aaron Finch was left with one stump standing•Getty Images

“Finchy’s been successful at international cricket, I think he played really well in the UAE, he’s like any other player, he just needs that one score to get that little bit more self-belief at Test level that we know he’s got at international T20 and one-day cricket,” Paine said. “Finchy’s no different to any other player. You’re not going to succeed at international cricket unless you stick to your strengths, and Finchy knows the best way he goes about his batting. We’ve just got to keep him on track and make sure he keeps trying to do that. If he does, he’ll come good for us.”I think [Starc] will swing it out there, the conditions are going to suit him down to the ground and one thing I know about Starcy is when he cops a bit of criticism normally he takes it pretty personally and that sometimes gets the best out of him. So pretty pumped to see him go tomorrow or the next day and see what he can produce. We know his best is the best, so really excited to have him in our team and we realise how lucky we are to have him.”We’ve got a really settled and experienced bowling attack, so I don’t think we’ll have to say too much. They know what works at Test cricket, they’ve done it before and played on all types of surfaces and adapted really quickly. So this wicket might play really well, we don’t know, it’ll just be about having a look in that first half an hour and whatever team can settle and adjust to the conditions better are going to get well ahead of the game.”Paine conceded he had been in a state of some emotional anguish at the end of the Adelaide Test when he questioned the accuracy of ball-tracking, leading to the Virtual Eye operator Ian Taylor to reiterate his open invitation to the players to see how the technology worked, based on picking up the ball at numerous fixed positions on its way down the pitch. But he was also hopeful for better policing of no-balls in Perth, after Ishant Sharma’s transgressions for one wicket and another lbw appeal were shown to be only two of many by the broadcasters.”No I haven’t [taken up the offer] but I have thought about it,” Paine said. “It was at the end of a pretty close Test match and I was probably a little bit emotional or upset that a couple of things didn’t go our way, but I certainly understand how it works and understand the technology. It was more a bit of frustration coming out that we got a few wrong and we thought a couple might’ve been hitting the stumps that weren’t. Can it get better? Yep. Do I have the answer? No.”I spoke to them [the umpires] on one of the days really quickly [about no-balls], because I was watching the telecast in the change room, so just to get an idea of whether they were communicating to the umpires in the middle which they said they were. What I do know is, it’s not an easy job, they’re standing two or three metres away and the guys are running in fast and it all happens pretty quickly. As long as we’re aware of it and looking at solutions that can help that process then I’m all for it. But I hope this Test match it is done a little better.”ALSO READ: Under-scanner Ishant works hard to rectify no-ball problemAs for his battered finger, Paine again insisted he was “fine”, but reflected on what may unfold in terms of the vice-captain Josh Hazlewood taking over in the event of a further injury. In addition to Hazlewood, the likes of Finch, Travis Head and Usman Khawaja all have extensive captaincy experience, either in domestic or limited overs international matches. “I’m sure he’d sneak himself up to mid off or mid on there somewhere, but no I don’t think it would change a great deal,” Paine said. “Josh is certainly a very level and experienced cricketer and highly respected in our group. We’ve got a number of guys who’ve captained a lot of teams in Australian domestic, BBL, that sort of stuff, so I’m sure we’d be fine if something did happen.”We’ve got an inexperienced group in terms of Test matches played, but quite an experienced group in terms of age and first-class games and captains. There’s a number of guys you can go to and our bowling attack is really experienced. There’s certain periods where I’m bouncing things off a lot of the guys to be fair. One of the things we’re trying to do is develop a lot of leaders. It doesn’t happen overnight, but the more responsibility and the more you can involve other people, the more they’re going to develop and the quicker they’re going to develop.”

Newcastle United are interested in signing a player seen as one of the "most interesting" in his position, with plenty of interest from Premier League clubs.

Newcastle's January transfer business

Eddie Howe has had a tough season to date, following such a positive campaign last time around, with a combination of injuries, relentless fixtures and dips in form all having a negative impact on his team.

Newcastle are still in the top-four picture in the Premier League thanks to their weekend victory over Chelsea, but performances and results need to become far more consistent, while a huge Champions League clash away to Paris Saint-Germain awaits on Tuesday evening.

Howe will be buoyed by the fact that the Magpies will be able to make new signings in the January transfer window, meaning he only has just over a month to get through with his injury-ravaged squad.

There have been lots of recent transfer reports linking Newcastle with new players, with Kalvin Phillips arguably emerging as their No 1 target in midfield following Sandro Tonali's 10-month ban for breaching betting rules.

While a midfield signing has taken precedence due to Tonali being unavailable for the remainder of the season, Howe could also look to add further depth in defence and attack moving forward. A new transfer claim suggests that the former area could be being looked at by the Magpies, with an impressive player seen as a target.

Newcastle want Julian Ryerson

According to a new update from TuttoMercatoWeb [via Sport Witness], Newcastle are interested in completing the signing of Borussia Dortmund right-back Julian Ryerson.

He is described as one of the "most interesting full-backs" in the Bundesliga currently, and the Magpies are believed to have been tracking him "for some time". They are not alone in their pursuit, however, with other Premier League clubs "constantly" monitoring his progress.

That being said, there is "nothing concrete" from Newcastle at the moment, with no bid on the table, but they have seen him up close in action for Dortmund in the Champions League, with the 26-year-old starting his side's 2-0 win over Howe's men earlier in the campaign.

Ryerson could be an intriguing option for the Magpies in January should he become available at that point, with the Norwegian proving to be a strong performer for Dortmund so far this season.

The Newcastle transfer target has made nine starts in the Bundesliga in 2023/24 to date, scoring twice and assisting once in that time, and also started three Champions League games.

Julian Ryerson's Borussia Dortmund record	Total
Appearances	34
Goals	3
Assists	2

In the Bundesliga, the 22-cap Norway international has enjoyed an 87.3% pass completion rate, while his versatility means that he has played at right-back, left-back and in midfield this season, although the right side of defence is his preferred position.

Ryerson could come in and provide competition for the likes of Kieran Trippier and Tino Livramento, as well as give Howe depth in other areas of the pitch, and at 26, his best years could still be ahead of him – and be spent at St James' Park.

The hosts have spent 167.2 overs on the field but their batsmen still have to dig deep and show character if they are to survive in Sydney

Alagappan Muthu03-Jan-2019
4:44

Martyn: Pujara’s centuries take the pressure off Kohli

Sydney offered runs to India and misery to Australia as Cheteshwar Pujara amassed 193, Rishabh Pant cruised to 159*, Nathan Lyon complained about his team’s tactics and the three 140 kph quicks were bowled into the ground.So complete was India’s hold over the final Test match – and by extension the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – that they had Usman Khawaja – a man who’d only ever bowled one over in his life as an Australian cricketer – lobbing his harmless offspin soon after the tea break.Mitchell Starc was stuck on 199 Test wickets. Pat Cummins was down on pace. Josh Hazlewood was left waiting for the third new ball. And Australia suffered an 11th instance of being out on the field for 100 overs or more since January 2018. That is not a nice stat. The key stats on the day, anyway, seemed reserved for India, from Pujara facing 1258 deliveries – the fourth-highest by any batsman in a series not longer than four Tests – to Pant becoming the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a century down under.Rishabh Pant congratulates Cheteshwar Pujara after the latter’s 193•Getty Images

Even the man who didn’t trouble the number crunchers did well. Hanuma Vihari looks a safe bet at No. 6 for India, scoring 42 off 96 balls, and was only dislodged from the crease after a slightly contentious catch at short leg. He was judged out on the field. His review was immediate. He indicated the ball had gone off the forearm. The bowler Lyon too appeared to agree as he joined his team-mates to wait on DRS but snicko suggested a spike as the ball passed the top edge of the sweeping bat.Those kinds of shots were more the norm on the second day of the New Year’s Test. Even the phlegmatic Pujara began with an expansive cover drive and later went past 150 with a down-the-track lash through the same region. India’s No. 3 made 51 runs in 82 deliveries this morning and looked set to make his third double-century against Australia but Lyon managed to hoodwink him as he came out of his crease to secure a return catch.That left the stage open to the antics of a 21-year old in his first year of Test cricket. Pant has found stardom with his stump mic cameos. He may also be the most famous babysitter in the world – without actually doing any babysitting. And the day job’s going pretty well too. India already had 329 runs on the board when he came to the crease. He could easily have started throwing his bat around for some quick runs. No one would have blamed him; they might even have celebrated it as the perfect kind of innings from a No. 7.But that only applies to wicketkeepers for whom batting is their second string. Pant doesn’t belong in that box. He has all the shots. Too many shots. There have been times in the past when he indulges once too often and gets out. Remember the two 92s against West Indies last year? So – as if his resolution for 2019 was to show more responsibility – he played like Pujara with Pujara at the other end. Sure, the runs came at rapid pace, but there weren’t too many risks. In fact, through the first 100 deliveries that he faced, there were only five shots hit in the air.That restraint has served Pant well. He now has 350 runs in this series – which is more than Virat Kohli’s tally. It is more than MS Dhoni’s tally combining all three of his tours to Australia.There was plenty of merry-making in the last session of the day with Ravindra Jadeja participating in a seventh-wicket stand that produced 204 runs in only 224 balls, the peak of which was an over when the left-hander crashed Cummins – bowling at 130 kph – to the boundary four times in a single over. His dismissal for 81 off 114 deliveries triggered India’s declaration. With 622 on the board, their bowlers had 10 overs to further torture Australia before the safety of stumps. They would have struck in the third over, with Mohammed Shami drawing Khawaja’s outside edge, but Pant dropped a straightforward catch.Australia managed to keep all their wickets but very little is well with them. Simon Katich said the system was setting players up to fail, pointing to the case of Aaron Finch having to open the batting at Test level when he doesn’t do so for his state. Shane Warne rubbished the team they had picked to play the one-day series against India. Discontent appears to be brewing even within the team with Lyon questioning why the team had to bowl bouncers soon after drinks on the first day when the pitch – at least back then – had enough moisture to keep pitching it up.There are still three days left in the Sydney Test. Conditions are glorious for batting. Australia’s batsmen have to stand up and show their character and earn a draw. Only a draw won’t be enough for them. It would still mean they’d lose their first Test series at home to India.

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo vai em busca de muitos objetivos diante do Coritiba, neste sábado (23), às 19h, no Morumbi. As principais, claro, são a retomada da liderança do Campeonato Brasileiro e trazer de volta um clima mais ameno, principalmente depois da goleada sofrida para o Internacional por 5 a 1.

São Paulo diminui chances pela taça: veja as contas atualizadas para título, G6 e rebaixamento no Brasileirão

Logo depois dessa dura derrota, o São Paulo viu o ambiente chacoalhar. Na quinta-feira, um dia depois do revés, o diretor executivo Raí e o capitão Daniel Alves concederam entrevista coletiva para tentarem explicar os motivos da queda brusca. Eles trataram de acalmar os ânimos e garantir confiança no trabalho do técnico Fernando Diniz.

SIMULE OS PRÓXIMOS JOGOS DO SÃO PAULO NO BRASILEIRÃO

RelacionadasSão PauloTorcedores do São Paulo protestam em frente ao CT e pedem saídas de Diniz e Daniel AlvesSão Paulo22/01/2021São PauloDiretores de organizada explicam protesto: ‘Queremos saber o que está acontecendo no São Paulo’São Paulo22/01/2021São PauloDaniel Alves elogia trabalho de Diniz no São Paulo: ‘Espetacular’São Paulo21/01/2021

O treinador inclusive, parece depender de um bom resultado contra o Coritiba para se manter no cargo. Uma derrota, ou até mesmo um empate, pode significar sua saída do São Paulo, faltando sete rodadas para o final do Campeonato Brasileiro. Diniz está no comando desde setembro de 2019.

Já na sexta-feira, foi a vez da principal torcida organizada do São Paulo, Independente Tricolor, protestar na frente do CT da Barra Funda. No protesto, eles jogaram milho na entrada do centro de treinamento e estenderam faixas pedindo a saída de Diniz e também de Daniel Alves.

– A nossa indignação é com o time, com o técnico e com a diretoria. Ontem, o Daniel Alves deu uma entrevista falando que o grupo não gostou que saiu um diretor. Mas como que um diretor mexe com um ano todo de trabalho do time? Os jogadores pararam de correr, o treinador não consegue ter o time na mão… Queremos saber o que está acontecendo com o São Paulo – afirmou Gersinho, um dos diretores da Independente, ao programa ‘Os Donos da Bola’, da TV Bandeirantes.

Caso vença o Coxa, o São Paulo retoma a liderança com 60 pontos, ficando a um de distância do Internacional, que tem 59. Porém, o Colorado enfrenta o Grêmio, no domingo, e pode voltar a liderar a competição nacional.

Portanto, o Tricolor vai viver mais uma ‘final’. Se vencer, ficará em primeiro lugar momentaneamente e aliviará a pressão. Se perder, pode instaurar de vez a crise e ver até mesmo o segundo lugar em perigo. Clima decisivo no Morumbi para esta noite.

The Riders decimated the Victorians batting line-up for the second time this season, and also displaced them at the top of the table

The Report by Sruthi Ravindranath02-Feb-2019How the game played outRangpur Riders decimated the Comilla Victorians batting line-up for the second time this season and also displaced them at the top of the table with a crushing nine-wicket win in Dhaka. Victorians put up a reckless batting display as they folded for 72, which AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle then chased down within 10 overs.Victorians, who made as many as three changes to their side in their last game ahead of the play-offs, lost five wickets inside Powerplay, mainly due to poor shot selections by their top-order batsmen. A mini revival was scripted by Ziaur Rahman, before he fell flat-batting a Ravi Bopara full toss to a leaping Rilee Rossouw at long-on in the 12th over. Bopara was on a hat-trick at the end of the over after castling Abu Hider with a yorker, leaving Victorians reeling at 56 for 7. It did not take much time for Riders’ bowlers to clean up Victorians’ tail after that.Riders lost opener Mehedi Maruf early in the small chase, but a 67-run stand between de Villiers and Gayle took them to a thumping win. Bopara was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his incredible figures of 3-0-7-3.Turning points Riders’ disciplined bowling was backed by some brilliant effort by their fielders. Rossouw’s brilliant catch at long-on to dismiss Ziaur thwarted Victorians’ attempt to recover. Following his maiden over to Gayle, Afghanistan’s 17-year-old Waqar Salamkheil was punished by the big-hitter for two sixes and a four in his third over.Star of the dayAB de Villiers, who will not be a part of Riders’ play-offs campaign, finished his BPL stint on a high. Apart from his 22-ball 34, his efforts on the field during Victorians’ innings – two catches and electric fielding – added to Riders’ collective performance.The big missVictorians batsmen’s poor shot selection. There were four ducks in their innings. Even their senior batsmen played impatiently, with Tamim Iqbal falling for a mistimed loft and the captain Imrul Kayes throwing his wicket to a miscued pull.Where the teams standA dead rubber it may have been, but the Riders will walk into the play-offs with confidence, finishing on top of the table having displaced Victorians.

Daniel Farke does not have long to wait until he can bolster his Leeds United squad by dipping into the market during the January transfer window.

The German tactician may want to improve his options in order to provide the Whites with a boost ahead of the second half of the Championship campaign.

Ipswich Town and Leicester City are currently ten and 13 points clear of Leeds, who are third in the table, respectively in the race to land automatic promotion.

Finding an upgrade on back-up centre-forward Patrick Bamford could be on the agenda for the Yorkshire-based side as the former England international has endured a poor start to the season.

The 30-year-old marksman has made 13 appearances in the Championship during the 2023/24 campaign and is yet to contribute with a single goal or assist.

He has failed to find the back of the net from 1.53 xG worth of chances, which includes the penalty the forward missed in the 1-0 defeat to Stoke, and has made 0.2 key passes per game.

These statistics show that the former Middlesbrough star has not been a useful option for Farke and has, therefore, not provided the likes of Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter with any competition for their place.

Leeds could now use the January transfer window to identify and sign another number nine and FFC have looked at three dream signings the club could make to land an upgrade on Bamford next month.

1 Ali Al-Hamadi

The South London Press reported in November that the Whites are keeping tabs on AFC Wimbledon centre-forward Ali Al-Hamadi as they eye up a possible swoop for his services.

It was claimed, at the time, that the League Two outfit are seeking a club-record fee, which means a figure in excess of £1.2m, for their star marksman.

The Iraq international, who was hailed as a "threat" in behind defences by manager Johnnie Jackson, has been in terrific form so far this season for the EFL outfit.

He has racked up an eye-catching ten goals, five assists, and five 'big chances' created in 19 League Two appearances, which has come off the back of ten goals and one assist in 15 starts at that level during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.

Minutes played

63

Goals

Two

Assists

One

Chances created

Three

Pass accuracy

92%

Al-Hamadi has also contributed with two goals and one assist in two FA Cup outings for his club, which takes his tally to 13 goals and six assists in all competitions.

The 21-year-old EFL star has 19 goal involvements for Wimbledon and could have the potential to make the step up to Championship level as he has proven himself to be too good for his current environment.

Meanwhile, Bamford has zero goal involvements for Leeds this season and is now on the wrong side of 30, which means that there is not too much room left for him to improve, and this is why Al-Hamadi could come in as an upgrade on him.

2 Ben Brereton Diaz

Journalist Ben Jacobs recently claimed that Ben Brereton Diaz is 'one to watch' for Leeds ahead of the January window as they are long-time admirers of the Chile international.

That came after TEAMtalk revealed that Villarreal are now prepared to sanction a temporary exit for the former Blackburn Rovers star next month.

Crystal Palace, Burnley, Leicester, Southampton, and West Brom were also named among the English teams keeping tabs on his situation.

The 24-year-old whiz has endured a tough time in Spain so far this season with zero goals and zero assists in two LaLiga starts and 13 appearances in total.

However, his struggles in a major European league should not detract from his success at Championship level for Blackburn over the last two seasons before the current campaign.

The right-footed ace, who can play through the middle as a striker or out wide, produced an exceptional 36 goals, seven assists, and 11 'big chances' created in 80 league outings.

Brereton Diaz showcased his goalscoring and creative exploits throughout the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns for Blackburn before his free transfer to Villarreal over the summer.

Leeds could now offer him a chance to return to the EFL to dominate the second tier once again as their upgrade on Bamford, as he could provide Rutter and Piroe with real competition for their places whilst also being an option out wide when needed.

3 Joel Pohjanpalo

Tutto Mercato Web reported over the summer that Leeds, Norwich, Blackburn, and West Ham were all interested in Venezia centre-forward Joel Pohjanpalo.

It was also claimed that the Finland international has a release clause in his current contract worth around €4m (£3.5m) and that means that the Whites could activate that in January to secure his services if they decide to reignite their interest in him.

The 29-year-old marksman is the most experienced option on this list, as he is five years older than Brereton Diaz and eight years older than Al-Hamadi, and could come in to hit the ground running during the second half of the season.

He has been in fine form for Venezia in the Serie B since the start of last season and could offer a greater goalscoring threat than the underperforming Bamford.

Pohjanpalo plundered 19 goals and seven assists in 37 league matches for the Italian side throughout the 2022/23 campaign, which worked out as a goal or an assist every 1.42 outings on average.

He has followed that up with four goals and three assists in 13 Serie B appearances during the current season, which is a return of one goal involvement every 1.86 clashes on average.

His form has dipped slightly this term but is still far more impressive than what Bamford has managed in recent seasons. The English forward has four goals and two assists in 41 league matches since the start of last season.

Therefore, Pohjanpalo could be an upgrade on the former Chelsea prospect due to his impressive goalscoring record for Venezia, which could provide Leeds with a boost at the top end of the pitch as they aim to win promotion back to the top-flight.

تمكن فريق مودرن سبورت من التقدم أمام الأهلي، في المباراة الجارية الآن بينهما من منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

الأهلي يلاقي مودرن سبورت، ضمن مواجهات الأسبوع 34 والأخير من عمر بطولة الدوري المصري هذا الموسم 2023-2024.

طالع..فيديو | عمر كمال يسجل هدف الأهلي الأول أمام مودرن سبورت

وسجل عبد الكبير الوادي الهدف الأول في الدقيقة 84 من عمر المباراة، بتسديدة قوية من داخل منطقة الجزاء سكنت الشباك ليتعادل لفريقه.

وجاء الهدف الثاني عن طريق أرنولد ايبا في الدقيقة 88 برأسية رائعة من داخل منطقة الجزاء.

وسجل عمر كمال عبد الواحد هدف الأهلي في الدقيقة 53، بعدما استلم كرة عرضية متقنة من الناشئ محمد رأفت ليضعها بسهولة في الشباك.

الأهلي حسم لقب بطولة الدوري قبل نهاية المسابقة بـ3 جولات كاملة، ويتصدر الآن الترتيب برصيد 85 نقطة.

وعلى الجانب الآخر، يتواجد فريق مودرن سبورت في المركز السادس بجدول ترتيب الدوري برصيد 51 نقطة. هدف عبد الكبير الوادي أمام الأهلي

هدف ارنولد أيبا أمام الأهلي

Paul Mullin says there has been no talk of back-to-back-to-back promotions as Wrexham seek to deliver on Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s ambition.

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• Welsh outfit surged out of National League
• Bounced straight through League Two
• Hollywood owners intend to reach top-flight

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Hollywood co-owners at SToK Racecourse have made no secret of the fact that they want to guide the Red Dragons into the Premier League. Positive progress is being made down that path, with Wrexham bouncing out of the National League and straight through League Two.

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• WHAT MULLIN SAID

  They are back in the third tier for the first time in 20 years, but Mullin has told when asked if any thought has been given to a hat-trick of promotions: “No, it would be miles too soon for that. Back-to-back wasn’t mentioned until it was achieved. We never get ahead of ourselves, that is one thing about this group – anything can go on around us, anything can happen, but we will always remain humble and know that hard work is what is going to get us to the next level. Come the start of pre-season it will be straight at it, working as hard as we can to finish as high as we can. That is something we won’t talk about until it is achieved, if it is, because it’s going to be unbelievably difficult – more difficult than this year and the year before. That’s what happens when you go up the levels, but we’re willing to put up a fight to try and be as successful as we can.”

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mullin has played League One football before, while on the books at Tranmere, and is looking forward to testing him at that level again after passing 100 total goals for Wrexham in the current campaign. He added: “I’m looking forward to going back and playing in League One and hopefully finishing as high up the table as possible. We haven’t discussed next year yet, but I’m looking forward to it. I always want to challenge myself and I’m looking forward to trying to do what I’ve done this season and last season next year – keep taking it forward. The owners have said that their dream is to get to the Premier League – not something realistic to us at the moment, but the aim is to keep climbing the leagues, they’ve always outlined that to us and hopefully come the start of the season we will be in a position where we feel like we can challenge again.”

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• WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Wrexham are in the process of piecing together plans for the summer transfer window, as they look to further bolster Phil Parkinson’s squad. Another trip to Las Vegas is also on the cards, while a second pre-season tour of the Americas is being lined up that could pass through Reynolds’ home town of Vancouver.