West Ham United are close to reaching an agreement to sign Southampton central midfielder James Ward-Prowse this summer, according to reliable reports.

Is James Ward-Prowse leaving Southampton?

The St. Mary’s Stadium captain firmly established himself as his side’s overall best-performing player last season with a WhoScored match rating of 6.95, but having suffered relegation, he is likely to be one of the several prized assets cashed in on should the right offer arrive, despite still having three years remaining on his contract.

Football Insider claimed that the Irons saw a verbal proposal rejected for the 28-year-old earlier in the window, though the same outlet have since stated that David Moyes was set to formalise his interest by submitting an official opening offer, with a fee between £40-50m expected to be enough to prise him away from their rivals in the Premier League.

Speaking on Sky Sports News on Tuesday evening, reporters Dharmesh Sheth and Kaveh Solhekol confirmed the England international’s absence from his club’s pre-season friendly against Bournemouth detailing the reason as being due to a “precautionary measure due to a knee injury”, before following up with the suspicious line “Where have we heard that before during the transfer window?”, hinting that it was in fact as a result of his ongoing situation behind the scenes.

Are West Ham signing James Ward-Prowse?

According to Sky Sports Transfer Centre, West Ham are “edging closer” to an agreement with Southampton regarding a deal for Ward-Prowse. The E20 side are believed to have held “positive talks” with the south coast outfit and it’s suggested that the player agreeing personal terms is “not expected to be a problem”.

Ward-Prowse may primarily be a central midfielder but it’s obvious for everyone to see that he’s naturally much stronger in the offensive aspect of his game having posted 13 Premier League goal contributions (nine goals and four assists) last season, and should he sign on the dotted line, it would be a massive coup for Moyes and West Ham.

The CAA Stellar client recorded 241 crosses and 127 shot-creating actions over the course of the previous campaign which was more than any other member of his squad, via FBRef, and this kind of top form saw him dubbed a “machine” by journalist Alfie House.

The Portsmouth-born talent, who has the versatility to operate in six various positions across the pitch, is also strong when it comes to set pieces having been named the division’s number one free-kick scorer for the previous campaign with three direct goals, highlighting his ability to deliver under pressure.

Interestingly, Ward-Prowse has secured six victories against the Irons throughout his career so is already used to being successful when facing Moyes and Co, and with the boss having seen first-hand what his target is capable of when being part of the away team, he’ll be excited by the prospect of what he can get out of him should he decide to jump ship and instead be working under the guidance of the Scotsman ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly eyeing a surprise move for Manchester United defender, Harry Maguire, with the England international seemingly in need of a change of scenery following his slide down the pecking order of late.

What's the latest on Maguire to Tottenham?

According to reports in Spain, the Lilywhites are believed to be accelerating their interest in the 30-year-old amid the ongoing search for new centre-back recruits, with the former Leicester City man potentially set to be up for grabs having only recently been stripped of the captaincy at Old Trafford.

This follows previous claims made by 90min following Ange Postecoglou's appointment which suggested that the Greek-Aussie had given his approval of the club's interest in both Maguire and Manchester City's, Aymeric Laporte.

Despite the United man's recent demotion under Erik ten Hag, it looks as if the Red Devils could still demand a fee of around £50m if they are to cash in this summer, with that potentially set to prove a rather hefty sum as far as the north London outfit are concerned.

How much is Harry Maguire worth?

That £50m price tag does appear to be particularly steep considering the Englishman's woes of late at the Theatre of Dreams, with the £190k-per-week dud having started just eight Premier League games last season following the signing of Lisandro Martinez.

Branded a "walking disaster" by journalist Samuel Luckhurst after also enduring a miserable 2021/22 campaign, the Sheffield native hardly looks like a player who commanded an £80m sum four years ago, with United forking out a world-record fee to prise him from the King Power Stadium.

Such has been his decline of late, the 6 foot 3 asset is now said to be worth as little as €20m (£17m) according to CIES Football Observatory, with Postecoglou and co perhaps needing to think again before offering Maguire a lifeline this summer.

Should Tottenham sign Harry Maguire?

If a deal for the 57-cap brute is to go ahead over the coming weeks, it could well see Tottenham simply snap up another version of Eric Dier, with the two compatriots both rather underwhelming figures who have been far from at their best of late.

In the case of Dier, while the 29-year-old played through injury for much of last season, he was still a regular fixture in a side that had the sixth-worst defensive record in the division, having started 31 games in the league in total.

As journalist Ryan Taylor stated, the former Sporting CP man is "just nowhere near the required level for what Spurs are trying to achieve", while the experienced defender was also criticised by pundit Jermaine Jenas earlier this year after failing to deal with a rampant Marcus Rashford, with the ex-Tottenham midfielder stating:

"His obsession to constantly back off, I can only put it down to him thinking he has a lack of pace and he's panicking."

That 'lack of pace' appears to be something that is shared by Maguire, with The Guardian having reported last season that Ten Hag was looking to move on the then-club captain due to his 'sluggish pace', making him something of a liability at times in the backline.

That likeness between the pair can also be seen by their lack of composure on the ball as Maguire ranks in just the top 48% among his European peers for pass completion, while Dier ranks in the top 40% in that regard.

Equally, the latter man is arguably not the most adept at breaking up play and winning back possession as he ranks in just the bottom 11% for tackles made, while Maguire is only just ahead as he ranks in the bottom 14% for that same metric.

With Dier himself having even been linked with a departure from N17 of late – with just a year left on his current contract – it would seemingly make little sense to replace one floundering figure with another, in the form of Maguire.

Luke Wright made his first century since 2015 to give Sussex the advantage on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Gloucestershire at Hove

ECB Reporters Network26-Jun-2017
ScorecardLuke Wright made his first century since 2015 to give Sussex the advantage on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Gloucestershire at Hove.Wright, in only his third game since giving up the captaincy, made 118, his best score since he hit a career-best 226 against Worcestershire in September 2015. It was also his first hundred at Hove for two days shy of two years.With his successor as captain, Ben Brown, making 52 and Chris Jordan 50, Sussex recovered from 69 for 3 to post 358 for 9 declared.They then had seven overs in the twilight with the pink ball but Gloucestershire openers Cameron Bancroft and Chris Dent got through unscathed, reaching 31 for 0 at stumps.A crowd of 2,000 was boosted by around 650 local schoolchildren and they enjoyed an entertaining day with Wright leading an aggressive counter-attack by Sussex during the afternoon session when they plundered 173 runs.Wright was in the mood from the very start, lofting his first ball from off-spinner Jack Taylor for one of three sixes. There were also 14 fours including a straight drive to the boundary which brought up the 17th century of his first-class career.The way Wright, and later Brown and Jordan, stroked the pink ball over a fast outfield was in contrast to what happened at the start of the day and again when Gloucestershire took the new ball and immediately claimed three wickets.Fit-again Liam Norwell and David Payne were rewarded with a wicket apiece as Harry Finch and Delray Rawlins, opening after Chris Nash was struck in practice and suffered a concussion, departed cheaply.Luke Wells hit seven fours in his 36 before Taylor had him caught at slip, after the ball had deflected off wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick.Wright then transformed the day, first with Stiaan van Zyl with whom he added 99 in 19 overs before the South African was held at short leg off Taylor, and then alongside his successor as captain.If anything, Wright and Brown increased the tempo. Both attacked anything off line and the ball had to be changed after 54 overs after Wright had clattered it into the protective covers beyond the boundary.His hundred came up off exactly 100 balls while new skipper Brown, returning after six weeks out with a broken finger, matched him shot for shot as they put on 92 in 18 overs. Brown fell two balls after reaching 50 from 60 deliveries with seven fours and a six and Wright departed after tea to a brilliant one-handed catch at midwicket by Phil Mustard, his 118 coming off 129 balls.David Wiese and Chris Jordan took the attack back to Gloucestershire, adding 57 in 13 overs for the seventh wicket but the new ball swung markedly as the floodlights took effect and Gloucestershire picked up three quick wickets, Craig Miles taking two of them in the same over including Jordan for a 78-ball 50 with eight fours.Sussex declared shortly after claiming a fourth bowling point but couldn’t make a breakthrough before the close.

India captain Mithali Raj has expressed concerns about the lack of opening stands from her batsmen, after they went down against South Africa by 115 runs on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-20172:12

There’s always pressure chasing 270 – Mithali Raj

A lack of strong opening partnerships for India in the Women’s World Cup has become a worrying sign for the team. Captain Mithali Raj said after their 115-run loss in Leicester on Saturday that a strong start is something the team had been looking forward to, especially while chasing 274 against South Africa, as it makes the task easier for the rest of the batting line-up.”Yes, it’s been happening since the West Indies game that the openers have not given us the start that we expect,” Raj said after the match. “The way they (the openers) opened the World Cup campaign for us against England, we were expecting maybe one or two off games but it can’t be four in a row. So that is a worrying factor because whether you bat first or chase, it’s important your top order gives you those runs on the board. I feel that when you are chasing 270 there’s always going to be pressure but you need the opening pair to give us a start so that the batters can take from thereon. Unfortunately, today we didn’t get that.”India’s openers Punam Raut and Smriti Mandhana scored 22 and 4 respectively as their partnership was broken in the second over of the chase when Marizanne Kapp had Mandhana caught at deep square leg. Since their dominating partnership of 144 in the first match against England, India’s openers have produced stands of 0 against West Indies, 7 against Pakistan and 21 against Sri Lanka.India’s task of chasing became tougher when South Africa racked up a challenging total of 273 on the back of a blistering 65-ball 92 from opener Lizelle Lee and a steady 57 from captain Dane van Niekerk. India’s decision to bowl was questioned as Lee started hammering sixes – seven in all – against spinners Ekta Bisht and Deepti Sharma who had troubled oppositions in the last few matches. Leicester, incidentally, is the same ground where England had amassed 377 and Australia had scored a stiff 290, both batting first against Pakistan. However, it is also where South Africa had bundled West Indies for only 48.”We did ask few people here at the ground and they told us that the team that bats second has more percentage wins,” Raj explained after the match. “And our matches with South Africa in the Qualifiers as well as in the Quadrangular Series, we probably have come close to 260, we lost one game though with 10 runs, that also was around 270 target. Considering these aspects, we chose to field first.”I’ve seen the way they have batted and even though they lost a wicket in the early overs, Lee has played exceptionally well for that innings and that is what put them on the track. We did realise that her wicket was important, but I give full credit to her batting because her shots were very clean and she did play one of the best innings I have seen so far in the World Cup against us. The bowlers have done a decent job of holding them in the middle overs, we managed to pull ourselves back into the game and maybe a few shots later in the innings got them to 270.”Dane van Niekerk on Lizelle Lee: “The shots she played was ridiculous and hopefully that form can continue for us”•ICC

Van Niekerk, who was named Player of the Match for her half-century and 4 for 22, dedicated her award to team-mate Lee while showering praises on her.”First of all, this goes to Lizelle Lee,” van Niekerk said. “I think she deserves it a lot more than I do. We said if we get more such trophies in the changing room, we have more better days than bad days. I think Lizelle Lee setup the game brilliantly well and I think she deserved a big hundred today. She’s been brilliant, she strikes the ball as clean as anyone in the world and she showed it today. She stuck to her guns and she found her groove and her rhythm and that’s the way she wants to bat and we back that all the way, it came off today. The shots she played was ridiculous and hopefully that form can continue for us.”Lee’s knock had powered South Africa past 125 in 20 overs before they stuttered a bit around the 150-mark. Van Niekerk’s fifty came in handy when she arrived at 160 for 4 in the 28th over and chaperoned the lower order to help them score 70 runs in the last 10 overs.”Yeah, personally [one of my better performances] I guess, especially against a team like India and the form they are in,” she said of her performance. “Coming into this game I thought they were the team to beat, and Australia, so it’s always great to contribute. I just thought of taking it deep, I know my game well enough to say that I can take it away at the back end, struggled a bit, but I stuck to my plans and today it came off.”While I was in there, we hit a bit of a slump and I said, ‘If we can get 250-plus, we have something to bowl at’. We know how good their batting is but if we stick to our lines and lengths…I spent a bit of time there so I kind of got a feel of where the good lines and lengths were and I said to the bowlers, ‘If we hit that consistently well, and we put them under pressure, hopefully it will go our way’.”The only criticism van Niekerk had for her team was for the bowlers, who dismissed India for 158 in 46 overs. She admitted she was being “harsh” on the bowlers, but only because they had taken seven Indian wickets within the first 20 overs, to set up a big win.”I will probably be a bit harsh on my bowlers but I thought we had to get them out a bit earlier, especially having them seven down for 65,” she said. “At the end of the day you don’t want it to go that long but the wicket died down so you can only do so much on a wicket like that.”We said we wanted all three facets of the game firing and we did that today, it wasn’t as clinical as I hoped it would be, but a win is a win. We came here for two points and we got it. Everyone chipped in and it was a brilliant team performance.”India, placed second with eight points, will face Australia and New Zealand in the remaining matches while South Africa, placed fourth with seven points, will take on Sri Lanka and Australia.

وصلت بعثة الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، برئاسة الدكتور محمد شوقي، عضو مجلس الإدارة، إلى مطار القاهرة منذ قليل، استعدادًا للسفر إلى الكونغو لمواجهة فريق مازيمبي في نصف نهائي بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، المقرر لها السبت المقبل.

كان الأهلي قد خاض تدريباته ظهر اليوم الأربعاء على ملعب الترتان بفرع النادي بمدينة نصر، وذلك بعد انتهاء الراحة السلبية التي حصل عليها اللاعبون لمدة 24 ساعة.

وحرص الجهاز الفني بقيادة مارسيل كولر على إقامة المران الختامي على ملاعب الترتان، وذلك للتعود على حساسية الملعب قبل السفر إلى الكونغو. اجتماع مع اللاعبين

عقد المدير الفني للفريق اجتماعًا مع اللاعبين قبل انطلاق المران، وذلك للحديث عن المرحلة المقبلة، وشحذ عزائمهم لتحقيق نتيجة إيجابية في مواجهة مازيمبي. مران بدني قوي لتحسين اللياقة

خاض اللاعبون مرانًا بدنيًا متنوعًا مع بداية فقرات المران الجماعي تحت إشراف أندرياس أندويا، مخطط الأحمال.

طالع أيضًا | رئيس مازيمبي: لا مجال للأخطاء أمام الأهلي.. وسنتسلح بالدعاء والصيام قائمة الأهلي لمباراة مازيمبي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

في حراسة المرمى: مصطفى شوبير، حمزة علاء، مصطفي مخلوف.

خط الدفاع: رامي ربيعة، محمد عبد المنعم، علي معلول، خالد عبد الفتاح، محمود متولي، أكرم توفيق، كريم الدبيس، محمد هاني.

خط الوسط: أحمد نبيل كوكا، محمد مجدي أفشة، عمرو السولية، أحمد عبد القادر، طاهر محمد طاهر، كريم فؤاد، رضا سليم، محمد الضاوي كريستو، كريم نيدفيد.

خط الهجوم: بيرسي تاو، أنتوني موديست، محمود كهربا، وسام أبو علي.

وشهدت القائمة عودة بيرسي تاو بعد تعافيه من الإصابة التي لحقت به وأدت إلى استبعاده من المباريات الماضية. موعد مباراة الأهلي ومازيمبي الكونغولي في ذهاب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

ويواجه الأهلي نظيره مازيمبي الكونغولي في الثالثة من عصر السبت المقبل الموافق 20 آبريل، على ملعب تي بي مازيمبي.

ويسعى الأهلي لتحقيق الفوز في مباراة الذهاب أمام مازيمبي، لوضع قدم على طريق التأهل إلى نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMeg Lanning’s half-century helped Australia make lightwork of a tricky target•Getty Images

Australia secured a semi-final berth as they overpowered India’s 226 for 7 with consummate ease on a slow turner in Bristol. India’s inability to bring to the fore their power-game at various stages during the course of the 157-run second-wicket stand between centurion Punam Raut and Mithali Raj, who became the leading run-getter in Women’s ODIs, left them shortchanged. They will now have to beat New Zealand in their final group game on Sunday to make it through to the semi-final of an ICC event for the first time since 2010.Beth Mooney and Nicole Bolton added 62 for the first wicket in 15.4 overs to set Australia up. After Bolton bottom-edged a sweep off Poonam Yadav to Sushma Verma, the wicketkeeper, Meg Lanning dug in. Batting with a strapped shoulder, she displayed nimble footwork to negate India’s spin troika of Ekta Bisht, Deepti Sharma and Poonam Yadav, to make 76 not out as Australia eased home with 29 balls to spare. She was complemented by the in-form Ellyse Perry, who finished with 60 not out, her fourth successive fifty to go with two wickets.Where Australia’s spinners wrested control – they combined to take 4 for 129 off 29 overs – partly due to India’s diffidence with the bat, India’s slower bowlers leaked a combined 183 in 34 overs. India’s slow scoring was largely due to the inability of Raj to hit the ball off the square; she consumed 82 deliveries and limped past the 34 she needed to eclipse Charlotte Edwards’ record.Jess Jonassen and Kristen Beams used angles and flight to cut off scoring options for Raut and Raj. Their protection of the leg-side boundary kept teasing the batsmen to work against the turn, making it difficult to maneuver the ball over the off side.Once the record was out of the way, Raj seemed a little more relaxed. The first sign of intent came three balls later as she waltzed down the pitch to hit a straight six to also become the first batsman in Women’s ODIs to cross 6000 runs. By then, Punam was in her 50s. From time-to-time, she resorted to sweeping against the turn and bringing out the delicate paddles to keep the runs ticking. Off the pacers, she was particularly punishing towards Megan Schutt, who she shovelled and lap-swept to pick off boundaries.Yet, at no stage did the pair give Australia any shivers. When Raj mistimed a lofted hit back to Beams in the 41st over, India had barely managed to cross the four-runs per over mark. Over the next six overs, Harmanpreet Kaur brought out the odd big hit to make a 22-ball 23, but Raut’s wicket in the 47th led to a total breakdown. India lost four wickets for 16, with Deepti Sharma, their second-highest run-getter of the tournament, not coming out to bat until the final over.Early in the chase, India kept things tight, conceding just 34 off the first 10. The situation was ripe for their spinners to mount a challenge. But Bisht’s first over that went for three boundaries led to opening of the floodgates. Poonam Yadav looped the ball up, but by not landing it right on a surface where the turn was slow, gave the batsmen enough time to rock back and pull.Lanning showed intent right from the time she walked out, lofting Yadav over her head for six off the fourth ball she faced. To compensate, the spinners resorted to bowling short and kept getting put away square of the wicket through cuts and sweeps. India didn’t help matters by fielding as poorly as they did, runs regularly conceded by letting the ball through their legs at the boundary. All of this meant, the chase went cold at the halfway mark. For large parts of the last 15 overs, it seemed as if an extended net session was on, the sense of helplessness in India’s ranks all too evident as what should’ve been a challenging chase turned into a cakewalk.

Aston Villa still need further additions in midfield this summer and Leeds United enforcer Tyler Adams could be someone that they firm up interest in, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Is Tyler Adams joining Aston Villa this summer?

According to The Athletic, Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams is someone who the Villans are keen on adding to their squad this summer as Unai Emery eyes reinforcements in the engine room.

Aston Villa have been keen on the USA international for 'some time' and he performed well for his current employers last season despite their relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.

In total, Adams made 26 appearances for Leeds United across all competitions last term, as per Transfermarkt. During the campaign, the 24-year-old's ability to win challenges stood out, winning 3.7 tackles per match in the Premier League, according to WhoScored.

West Ham United have been name checked as another potential destination for Adams as the Hammers seek to land a replacement for Declan Rice, with James Ward-Prowse and Denis Zakaria being earmarked as alternative targets by David Moyes, as per The Daily Mail.

Contractually, Adams, who has been hailed as a "leader", is believed to earn around £55,000 per week at Elland Road on a contract that runs until June 2027, as per Capology.

High-flyers Aston Villa have already added to their midfield department this window by bringing in Youri Tielemans from Leicester City on a free transfer.

Nevertheless, journalist Jacobs is of the belief that the Villans will need to add further depth to their options in the middle of the park and wouldn't be surprised if they exploit Leeds United's relegation to try and land Adams.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jacobs stated: "But I think that Villa in particular feel that even though they've brought in Youri Tielemans, the midfield still needs strengthening. And that might well allow them to capitalise on Leeds' relegation and escalate their pursuit of Tyler Adams."

Who else have Aston Villa been linked with this window?

According to The Daily Mail, Aston Villa are keen on both Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby and Rennes man Jeremy Doku as they look to strengthen the flanks this summer.

Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr are 'threatening' to stump Aston Villa in their pursuit of Diaby after the Villans saw an opening bid of £30 million rebuffed by Bayer Leverkusen.

According to L'Equipe, Aston Villa also lead the race to sign Atletico Madrid attacker Joao Felix, who endured a forgettable spell on loan at Chelsea last term.

Marca journalist David G. Medina has followed up on the story, stating on Twitter: "As we have counted in marca there is NO interest from PSG in Joao. The one who DOES love the Portuguese is Aston Villa. L'Equipe, the most reliable medium with PSG and with so many other topics, confirms it."

Telegraph Sport claim that Aston Villa are considering making an approach for Nottingham Forest striker Brennan Johnson; however, the Reds are said to value the Wales international at a fee exceeding £50 million.

In the next few weeks, it wouldn't be surprising if developments occur concerning potential incomings at Aston Villa as boss Emery looks to get his squad in shape for a commanding schedule in 2023/24 that will involve juggling both domestic and European football.

Leeds United return to action with a pre-season friendly encounter with rivals Manchester United in Oslo later today, with new boss Daniel Farke likely hoping to make a positive start to his preparations for the upcoming Championship campaign.

One potential concern that the German tactician will have going into that meeting with Erik ten Hag's side is the club's lack of transfer business so far, with no new faces having arrived at Elland Road following their drop into the second tier.

While that fact was likely impacted by the uncertainty over the managerial role prior to Farke's appointment – as well as the change of ownership – the hope will be that the Whites can now truly kickstart the window by making some much-needed additions in the near future.

According to The Athletic's Phil Hay, one man who has been a "long-standing" target for the Yorkshire giants is Coventry City sensation, Gustavo Hamer, with the former Netherlands youth international having been part of the side that reached the play-off final last season.

While Leeds are likely to face competition from Premier League side, Burnley for the 26-year-old, the hope will be that Farke and co can persuade the 5 foot 7 ace to aid in their push for promotion in 2023/24..

If a deal for the Brazil-born dynamo could be secured, it could well represent an upgrade on the club's midfield options of last season…

How many goals has Gustavo Hamer scored for Coventry?

The diminutive gem enjoyed a sparkling 2022/23 campaign after contributing nine goals and registering ten assists in 41 Championship games for Mark Robins' side, taking his total tally to 41 goal involvements in 130 games for his current club.

Previously lauded as "unbelievable" by Robins following his arrival in England from PEC Zwolle back in 2020, Hamer has no doubt warranted the admiring glances from those at Elland Road, with a high profile switch seemingly richly deserved.

With the likes of Marc Roca and Tyler Adams potentially set to be on their way this summer – according to Hay – and with Adam Forshaw having seen his contract expire last month, there is evidently a need to bolster the midfield ranks prior to the start of next term.

The Whites will also be looking to replace January loan arrival, Weston McKennie following the American's return to his parent club, Juventus, with that short-term move having failed to prove fruitful for either the player or the club.

The one-time Schalke ace was seemingly "out of his depth" in English football – according to pundit Jon Newsome – while journalist Dean Jones also suggested that the 24-year-old looked "slow" and "lazy" at times, such were his midfield woes.

Bringing Hamer into the fold could then represent a much-needed upgrade on the 6 ft dud, with McKennie's attacking shortcomings seeing him register to just one goal involvement in 20 outings in the second half of last season – a huge contrast to the Coventry's man displays in the Championship.

Equally, the Juve asset also failed to create a single big chance and averaged just 0.7 key passes per game after failing to offer much in the way of a creative spark, while Hamer was far more impressive after creating 16 big chances and averaging 1.8 key passes per game from his 41 league appearances.

In a defensive sense, the latter man also appears to offer more to the side having averaged 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game, with McKennie averaging just 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game, from far fewer appearances.

Those contrasting fortunes would suggest that Hamer would be a real improvement as far as Leeds are concerned next season, with the aim now to try and see off the Clarets in the battle for the £5.2k-per-week man's signature.

علق عمر الوحش، لاعب فريق الاتحاد السكندري على مباراة الليلة أمام الإسماعيلي والتي جمعت بينهما ضمن منافسات الدوري المصري.

وكان التعادل السلبي قد حسم مباراة الإسماعيلي والاتحاد السكندري في إطار لقاءات الجولة الـ19 من المسابقة المحلية.

طالع.. فيديو | التعادل يحسم مباراة الإسماعيلي والاتحاد السكندري في الدوري

وقال عمر الوحش في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورتس”: “مباراة ديربي بين ناديين كبيرين، الفريقين أصحاب قاعدة جماهيرية كبيرة، وأشكر زملائي أنهم أعطوني شارة قيادة الفريق قبل المباراة، لأنها أول لقاء لي أمام الإسماعيلي بيتي”.

وتابع: “الإسماعيلي هو المكان الذي تربيت فيه والأمر كان به حساسية، ولكن كان كل تركيزي مع نادي الاتحاد وكان فخر وشرف لي أن ارتدي شارة الفريق”.

وأكمل: “كانت مباراة قوية جدًا، واستطعنا تسجيل هدف ولكن تراجعنا بعض الشيء بسبب الاجهاد”.

واختتم: “بين الشوطين طارق العشري تحدث معنا وأجرى بعض التبديلات من أجل تنشيط الفريق، وأتمنى التوفيق للإسماعيلي في الفترة المقبلة”.

Newcastle United are now showing an interest in signing Blackburn Rovers defender Ashley Phillips, who will be available for just £2m when his release clause kicks in this Friday, according to a report from The Sun.

Who is Ashley Phillips signing for?

Reports from earlier this month indicated that Phillips was closing in on a move to Tottenham Hotspur, with journalist Charlie Eccleshare saying:

"Tottenham set to sign highly-rated 18yo centre-back Ashley Phillips from Blackburn for around £3 million. Understood it won't affect Spurs' plans to try and sign at least one senior CB. Phillips expected to have medical in next 24 hours before hopefully joining the tour."

However, there has been little progress since that point, and now The Sun are reporting that Newcastle could make a late move to sign the 18-year-old, with Blackburn still hoping to receive £9.45m if they are to sanction his departure.

Tottenham's stand-off with Blackburn is set to come to an end this week, as a £2m release clause kicks in this Friday, which would allow Ange Postecoglou to snap up the youngster for a heavily reduced fee.

However, Spurs are waiting to see whether Blackburn find another buyer before that point, with the Magpies showing an interest, although they are yet to make an offer above what their Premier League rivals are currently willing to pay.

As such, a move to north London appears to be the most likely outcome at the moment, however there is still time for Eddie Howe to make a late swoop and hijack the Lilywhites' deal, if he is willing to outbid them.

For now, the Blackburn defender is set to continue training ahead of the Championship opener against West Bromwich Albion, but he is unlikely to be risked in games in case of injury.

Who is Ashley Phillips?

Despite the fact he is just 18-years-old, the youngster has already started to gain some first-team experience with his current club, making 14 appearances for the Rovers, including eight in the Championship during the 2022/23 campaign.

The youngster has predominantly played at centre-back throughout his short career so far, where his 6 foot 4 frame would undoubtedly be useful for Newcastle, and former manager Tony Mowbray has also praised his ability in possession, saying:

"He's 6ft 4', he's fast, mobile and can pass it really well. He can use both feet, he's composed. Ash is just a phenomenal young boy; if you were to create a defender in the mould of how you would want one, this kid has got every attribute."

It is still very early days for the Blackburn starlet, given that he only turned 18 last month, but he is showing all the signs that he could go on to be a top player in the future, and it is exciting news that Newcastle are still in with a chance of signing him.

That said, Tottenham appear to be in pole position at the moment, and the Magpies will need to move swiftly if they are going to hijack the deal for Phillips.

The teenager could be worth a push from Newcastle, though, given his clear potential to be a brilliant defender.