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Speaking to Football Insider, a West Ham United source has lifted the lid on a David Moyes plot involving both Lukasz Fabianski and summer signing Alphonse Areola.

The Lowdown: West Ham swoop for Areola…

Despite their desperate need for another out and out centre-forward, GSB and West Ham’s first major signing of the summer came at the opposite end of the pitch.

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Indeed, former Fulham ace Areola arrived at the London Stadium on a season-long loan deal from Paris-Saint Germain midway through the transfer window.

He looks set to provide some competition for Poland international and West Ham mainstay Fabianski, with a source now lifting the lid on what Moyes is plotting when it comes to the duo.

The Latest: Rush Green source leaks Moyes plan…

As per a Rush Green source, speaking to FI, Moyes is plotting a first team switcheroo over the next few weeks which could break Fabianski’s ‘untouchable’ status.

Barring injury, the 36-year-old has been a mainstay in West Ham’s starting eleven over this past year, making 35 Premier League appearances over 2020/2021 and starting all three games so far this season.

However, Moyes is now planning to replace Fabianski with Areola as his new number one over the coming weeks and ‘intends to phase’ the Frenchman into West Ham’s starting eleven.

That could be more imminent despite the original plan being to make Areola number one after a wait of ‘around five to ten matches’.

The Verdict: Upgrade?

Fabianski has been a wonderful and reliable servant for the Irons since he signed from Swansea City for £7 million back in 2018.

The 56-cap international has managed to keep a clean sheet in just under a quarter of his total appearances for West Ham, shutting out the opposition 25 times in 104 starts (Transfermarkt).

However, as he steadily reaches the twilight of his career, West Ham and Moyes could have a very handy and capable replacement in Areola, who has been described as ‘big’ by Scott Parker (Belfast Telegraph).

The 28-year-old has plenty of years ahead of him and was arguably one of Fulham’s most consistent performers last season despite their relegation.

In other news: Moyes now eyeing ‘unbelievable’ attacker as behind-scenes West Ham talks emerge, find out more here.

The ECB has short-listed Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, as one of the candidates for the top England role, according to reports in the British media

Cricinfo staff26-Mar-2009The ECB is believed to have short-listed Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, as one of the candidates for the top England role, according to reports in the British media.Arthur is one of four contenders for the England coaching job, a list which includes current England coach Andy Flower, who was appointed on a temporary basis, Kent’s Graham Ford, and former Indian mentor John Wright, the and the reported. Former England spinner Ashley Giles was reportedly told by Hugh Morris, managing director of England cricket, that he did not possess adequate coaching experience.However, Arthur told Cricinfo that he hasn’t been approached or interviewed by the ECB in this regard and would like to honour his commitment with South Africa till the 2011 World Cup. “I haven’t had any contact with the ECB on this issue,” Arthur said. “It’s a great opportunity but I still have time left with South Africa and would like to honour that commitment to my country.”Arthur, who guided South Africa to their first Test series win in Australia recently, had his contract extended last October by Cricket South Africa until the end of the tour of New Zealand in April, 2012. He had thanked the South African board for the “great honour” and for “buying into the plan leading up to the World Cup”.England have been without a full-time coach since Peter Moores was sacked in January after the fall-out with Kevin Pietersen, who was the captain at the time. Pietersen was replaced by Andrew Strauss for the West Indies tour.Simon Cummins, who is leading the recruitment process for the ECB’s head-hunting firm, gave no indication as to when a final decision would be made on the England coaching position. “We’re down to the interview stage,” Cummins told Cricinfo. “We will take as long as necessary to find the ideal person for the job. Some of the time issues will be determined by (the applicants’) current commitments, and their geographical whereabouts.”

Leeds United remain interested in signing Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien, with a January move potentially coming to fruition.

The Lowdown: O’Brien tipped to join Leeds

The 22-year-old was linked with a switch to Elland Road a number of times during the summer, but the transfer never materialised.

The Whites even saw a £13million offer for O’Brien rejected, according to Huddersfield chairman Phil Hodgkinson.

O’Brien has stayed put at Huddersfield for the time being, but it appears as though his future could still lie at Leeds.

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The Latest: Deal could still happen

According to Football Insider, a Leeds source has claimed that Marcelo Bielsa is still personally very interested in snapping up the midfielder.

A January transfer is mooted and O’Brien himself is thought to be ‘desperate’ to play for Leeds.

“Talks are set to continue behind the scenes with O’Brien’s agent Kevin Sharp,” the outlet claim, although the Terriers’ asking price could throw a spanner into negotiations.

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The Verdict: One for the future

While £13million is a huge amount to pay for a relatively unproven player, if Bielsa is hellbent on signing him, that alone speaks volumes about his ability, given the Leeds manager’s standing in the game.

At just 22, O’Brien should still be some way from his peak years and he could potentially grow into a formidable midfielder at Elland Road.

The prospect of losing Kalvin Phillips doesn’t bear thinking about it, but realistically, he could leave eventually and O’Brien may be viewed as a long-term replacement, averaging an incredible four tackles per game in two Carabao Cup appearances this season (2.2 p/g in all competitions).

In other news, some Liverpool fans are fuming ahead of Sunday’s clash with Leeds United. Read more here.

Meher Mohammad Khalil, the Pakistani driver of the Sri Lankan team bus that came under fire from terrorists in Lahore last month, was honoured at a ceremony in Colombo today

Cricinfo staff06-Apr-2009Meher Mohammad Khalil, the Pakistani driver of the Sri Lankan team bus that came under fire from terrorists in Lahore last month, was honoured at a ceremony in Colombo today. Khalil had displayed great presence of mind to speed the bus towards the stadium to help the Sri Lankan players reach safety. As a token of appreciation, Khalil and his family were given a sponsored holiday along with a $21,800 reward.Khalil thanked Sri Lanka for having toured Pakistan – the team agreed to visit after India pulled out in the wake of the Mumbai attacks last November. “I did it for Pakistan,” Khalil said. “I did it for Sri Lanka, who were our guests. By God’s help I did not feel scared at all and never thought of jumping out of the bus to save myself.”The horrific attack on March 3 resulted in five cricketers, including Mahela Jayawardene, the then captain, and Kumar Sangakkara, his deputy, receiving minor injuries. Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paravitarana were also injured during the incident which killed six security men and two civilians.Sangakkara said the players were lucky to have an “amazing” driver in Khalil. “We are here to thank one unarmed man for his courage, selflessness and quick thinking that enabled many of us to see another day,” Sangakkara said. “We will always have a special place for you [Khalil] in our hearts.””Khalil, you are our hero. We will always remember you with gratitude. Let’s hope we are not put in that situation again,” said Jayawardene.

Taking to Twitter, journalist Jordan Campbell of The Athletic has shared news involving Rangers star Ryan Jack as manager Steven Gerrard waits on his return.

The Lowdown: Gers without Jack…

The Scotland international has been out of action for Rangers since the end of last season, even undergoing knee surgery and missing the national side’s Euro 2020 campaign.

Recently, Jack suffered a setback in his recovery with Gerrard admitting he had been told to ‘slow it down’.

The 29-year-old’s comeback has been delayed as a result, but Campbell now has some optimistic news on the midfield maestro.

The Latest: Gerrard set for Jack boost in ‘matter of weeks’…

As per reliable reporter Campbell, sharing news from within Ibrox, a timeline has now emerged for Jack’s return to action in a Gers jersey.

The journalist says that his recovery is now ‘a matter of weeks’ after Jack resumed light training.

“Just light training for the time being but a matter of weeks I believe,” he explained on Twitter.

“Nothing more specific than that yet that I know of. Being cautious after the surgery to make sure everything is healed properly, which is understandable.”

The Verdict: Big boost incoming…

News of Jack’s potential return for Rangers within weeks comes as a boost for Gerrard and the champions, especially considering his impact when available.

He adds a degree of real composure to Gerrard’s midfield, evident by his impressive 89.9% pass accuracy over 16 Scottish top flight starts last season.

Out of Rangers’ regulars with over 15 appearances, only Glen Kamara managed a better percentage last season (WhoScored).

In other news: ‘No way’, ‘Will be the end of the season’…BBC pundit drops Gers claim after what he’s seen, find out more here.

Many Wolves fans have ben left fuming as some comments emerged from Bruno Lage on the free agent market.

When asked if he would now look at the market in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match away at Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, the Portuguese manager said (via Liam Keen):

“We are looking at everything but are not looking for players just to fill the squad. We need to bring two or three more players for competition.”

The squad currently looks very thin at the moment, and has not been helped by the news that both Rayan Ait-Nouri and Yerson Mosquera now face spells out injured, adding to the injuries already sustained by the likes of Pedro Neto and Jonny Otto.

It does not help that Lage was not entirely backed in the summer transfer window, as the Midlands club brought in more from transfer fees than they spent, thus they have no choice now but to dip into the free agents.

Wolves fans on Lage comments

These members of the Molineux faithful were left fuming as the comments were shared on Twitter:

“Man he’s been launched so far under the bus it’s unreal”

Credit: @Gary_Poynton

“Leave @JeffShi”

Credit: @_jwynny

“Legit feel bad for Lage. Wolves have left him out to dry.”

Credit: @NJMatt_

“OMG is this the level Shi has brought our club to shopping in the bargain bins? We all know you can’t survive in the Prem with this policy”

Credit: @Ianph61

“@Wolves transfer policy has really shown up for what it is……a tragic comedy.”Credit: @gjp12775″Shambles”Credit: @mptyler_hwcaIn other news, find out what recent update has Wanderers talking here!

The equation for the Deccan Chargers to enter the semi-finals is simple on paper – they need to win two of their last three matches

The Preview by Jamie Alter16-May-2009Match factsMay 16, 2009
Start time 16.45 (14.45 GMT, 20.00 IST)
Big PictureAs the heat gets turned up before the semi-finals, Deccan need Rohit Sharma to click with the bat•AFPThe equation for the Deccan Chargers to enter the semi-finals is simple on paper – they need to win two of their last three matches. Winning against third-placed Rajasthan Royals won’t be an easy proposition but Deccan couldn’t have asked for better opportunity to try and bump into the semi-finals than the Kolkata Knight Riders, whom they thrashed in their earlier meeting in 2009. Deccan’s momentum was hindered by two tense and close losses in the last week, but they shouldn’t be worrying too much ahead of their game against the poorest side in the tournament.Deccan’s self-assurance stems from the showing of a host of players. Adam Gilchrist has been their leading run-scorer and a shrewd captain behind the stumps. RP Singh, with 16 wickets at 16.56, has bowled well with the new ball but has really surprised with his precise death bowling. Rohit Sharma hasn’t clicked massively with the bat but he’s been a real surprise with the ball, even taking a hat-trick. Pragyan Ojha’s left-arm spin has been valuable. Dwayne Smith has turned in a few handy innings and Andrew Symonds’ return has been only good news to a weak middle order. Even Venugopal Rao has contributed cameos and good catches in the field.Conversely, Kolkata have been beaten 10 out of 11 times and have been run ragged by anything from poor form, abysmal fielding, shoddy man management, uninspiring leadership and reported rifts in the camp. You name it, and its gone wrong for them. Despite trying several combinations, Kolkata’s woes have continued and their only incentive to win would be to try and take a few opponents down with them.Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)Deccan Chargers: LWLWL
Deccan have been rather reliant on Gilchrist at the top, but his flops in a few games was masked over to an extent by Symonds, Smith and Rao. Deccan are always best poised to win when Gilchrist gets going early. Rohit has disappointed with the bat, despite being their second-highest run-getter. Only a few points separate the teams on the table, so Deccan really need to get it together and seal their course in the final four.Kolkata Knight Riders: LLLLL
Not much to write about here in terms of positives. The bowling has been a letdown; the batting has relied on Brad Hodge too often. Kolkata have been marred by controversies – the multiple-captaincy hocus-pocus, a fraught captain and even a fake blogger – and on the field they’ve rarely looked cohesive. A couple tough calls, such as that Super Over, but nobody is going to remember that when they look at the results list later.Watch out forRohit Sharma: It really is time this kid stepped up with a strong innings. His 247 runs at 24.70 include just one half-century, and too often Rohit has been out playing indifferent shots, most notably in the last two games. He was Deccan’s brightest star last year and is due to score; he can take confidence that he’ll be up against Kolkata’s rather threadbare attack. Like Ross Taylor, who swatted a barrage of gift-wrapped full tosses from Kolkata recently, Rohit is a keen puller. Kolkata, watch out.TeamsIf at all, Deccan’s change would be to drop D Ravi Teja, whose sluggish 27 from 34 in the last game hurt them and put pressure on Symonds and Smith. His replacements would likely be one of Arjun Yadav or Azhar Bilkakhia. The bowling will in all probability be untouched.Deccan Chargers: (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt/wk), 2 T Suman, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Andrew Symonds, 5 Dwayne Smith, 6 Venugopal Rao, 7 D Ravi Teja/Azhar Bilakhia/Arjun Yadav, 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 RP Singh, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 Shoaib Ahmed.With nothing to gain in the tournament Kolkata may as well hand chances to those who have not featured yet. Brendon McCullum, their beleaguered captain, said he would step down if Kolkata didn’t make the semi-finals. Still he showed up in the last game, hammering an unbeaten 84, taking a blinder, and sinking to his knees when the side vomited another chance to win. Will he at last bow out? Time will tell. The foreign allrounders Moises Henriques and Angelo Matthews have done nothing, so Kolkata could just give Mashrafe Mortaza, valued at $600,000, his first game.Kolkata Knight Riders: (probable) 1 Brendon McCullum (capt), 2 Sourav Ganguly, 3 David Hussey, 4 Morne van Wyk, 5 Yashpal Singh, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 Laxmi Ratan Shukla, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Murali Kartik, 10 Mashrafe Mortaza, 11 Ishant Sharma.Stats and triviaMurali Kartik has the best economy rate of Kolkata’s bowlers – 6.00 after eight games.Henriques holds the record for the most catches of those Kolkata players still in the IPL, with three from four matches.Deccan’s best partnership was the 96 between Symonds and Rao for the fifth wicket versus Kings XI Punjab in Kimberly. Head-to-head recordKolkata trumped Deccan in both their face-offs in 2008. The first match was marred by a floodlight failure and a minefield of pitch at the Eden Gardens but Kolkata snuck home by five wickets in a thriller. In the second match Sourav Ganguly and David Hussey took Kolkata to 204 before their pace bowlers clinched a 23-run win. But in their 2009 opener Deccan thrashed Kolkata by eight wickets and 41 balls in hand at Newlands.

The PCB has filed a case in a Lahore court against the ICC’s decision to move the headquarters of the 2011 World Cup from Lahore to Mumbai

Cricinfo staff13-May-2009The PCB has filed a case in a Lahore court against the ICC’s decision to move the headquarters of the 2011 World Cup from Lahore to Mumbai. This effectively heightens the row over the decision to remove Pakistan as a co-host for the 2011 World Cup.”The (ICC) board has no authority to move the secretariat and that’s why we have filed the case,” the PCB’s legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi told . “We have to fight all out against a decision which is legally flawed and to step up our pressure, we have sued the ICC, IDI (ICC Development International) and the Central Organising Committee (for) World Cup 2011.”The IDI gave the World Cup to four countries… so the ICC Executive Board was not entitled to take a decision on a World Cup move, only the annual general meeting can take such a decision.”Rizvi added that until an ICC dispute committee or the the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) resolve the case, the World Cup Secretariat could not be moved out of Pakistan. “Pakistan can also claim a relief on the relocation of the secretariat,” he said.A civil judge, Mohammad Younis Anis, sent notices to the ICC, IDI – the ICC’s commercial arm – and the tournament’s central organising committee to respond to the PCB’s suit by May 18. “The judge has recorded our preliminary statement, now let’s see how the three parties respond to the notices.”The PCB served a legal notice to the ICC after cricket’s governing body had stripped Pakistan of its rights to co-host the 2011 World Cup, following the terrorist attack in Lahore when gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus. On Tuesday, the PCB sent a letter to Michael Beloff, president of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, to refer the matter to the CAS.

Manchester United will be aiming to bounce back from consecutive defeats when they host Villarreal in Group B of the Champions League this evening.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges suffered a shock loss on the opening day of Europe’s elite cup competition, going down 2-1 against Young Boys following Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s early red card.

And United haven’t responded to that result in the manner that they would have hoped, losing two of their following three fixtures since.

A calf injury picked up by captain Harry Maguire last time out is set to add to the Red Devils’ woes, but the club’s hierarchy are hopeful that left-back Luke Shaw will have recovered in time to feature from the off.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects Solskjaer to line up at Old Trafford, with two changes from the side that started against Aston Villa over the weekend…

In goal, David de Gea’s spectacular return to form sees him keep his place between the sticks, meaning Dean Henderson is set for another frustrating evening watching on from the sidelines.

Ahead of the Spanish shot-stopper is set to be a much-changed back four. Maguire’s injury has ruled the £45m-rated beast out of action, while Wan-Bissaka’s suspension means Diogo Dalot and Victor Lindelof will accompany Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw in the backline.

The engine room will have a much more familiar feel to it, though. Solskjaer is expected to persist with a double pivot of Fred and Scott McTominay, despite recent criticism, in an attempt to provide stability to United’s midfield.

In attack, World Cup-winner Paul Pogba is set to take up residency on the left wing with Mason Greenwood on the opposite flank and Bruno Fernandes just behind compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo.

It’s a front four that should strike fear into any defender’s heart, but they failed to find a breakthrough against Villa and will be desperate to put things right in midweek.

And, in other news…Man Utd suffer major injury blow ahead of Villarreal, Ole will be gutted 

West Ham United could land Aaron Ramsey for nothing in 2022…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, Serie A outfit Juventus are prepared to let the 30-year-old midfielder leave for free this January, despite him being under contract until 2023.

The 67-time Welsh international has struggled for game time since swapping north London for Turin in 2019.

It’s thought that there could be several offers for the former Arsenal star, with Premier League rivals Newcastle United and Everton already on alert, alongside the Irons.

Imagine him and Antonio

Ramsey’s injury record over the last few years is certainly a cause for concern but if the Hammers can get him fit and firing once again, then David Moyes would have one of the Premier League’s best-ever midfielders at his disposal.

He has played only 69 times for the Italian giants, featuring for just 106 minutes in 2021/22, via Transfermarkt.

It’s easy to forget that he’s made 262 appearances in the Premier League and has won multiple FA Cup trophies during his time in England with the Gunners.

The Welshman bagged 65 goals and provided another 65 assists in over 370 matches in north London, in which he recorded a career-best of 13 goals and ten assists during the 2013/14 campaign, as per Transfermarkt.

Such form earned comparisons to the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, all players capable of driving forward to contribute in the final third.

Furthermore, his 77 appearances across the Champions League and Europa League could add some more much-needed experience to this current Hammers squad. It’s only really summer signing Kurt Zouma that has frequently played in Europe.

Ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger once lauded the £13m-rated maestro as the “complete” midfielder, whilst BT Sport pundit Martin Keown has previously described him as a “real leader” and an “outstanding technician” – merely further characteristics to why Moyes might be keen to sign him this winter.

Just imagine the goals he could add to the side from midfield – alongside the talismanic Michail Antonio, he could be a force to be reckoned with, especially as Tomas Soucek’s goalscoring form is yet to hit the same heights as last season.

Wages could well become an issue but considering he may be available for no transfer fee, it could be a very smart move that won’t cost GSB millions.

Ramsey should be seriously considered in the next transfer window.

AND in other news, West Ham could find next Kanoute in 5 ft 9 “goal machine” who’s haunted Moyes before…