All posts by h716a5.icu

Lee Johnson’s Sunderland side head into their upcoming League One fixture on Tuesday evening in fantastic form, with the Black Cats remaining unbeaten over their last seven fixtures in all competitions, as well as currently sitting second in the third tier standings.

However, while the visit of 14th-placed Cheltenham Town should not cause Sunderland too many problems on paper, the Mackems boss has a number of fitness concerns in his first-team squad at present, something which could well pose the 40-year-old with something of a selection headache against the Robins.

So, will Johnson make any changes to the team that started last time out against Bolton Wanderers? Here’s how we think Sunderland could line up against Cheltenham, along with the latest team and injury news…

With both Callum Doyle and Dennis Cirkin appearing to be doubts for the Cheltenham fixture due to injury, Johnson may well be forced into at least two changes from the side that defeated Bolton last weekend, however, we predict the 40-year-old will make one further adjustment to his starting XI on Tuesday.

Regarding Doyle and Cirkin, the two players who replaced the stricken duo against the Trotters, Bailey Wright and Niall Huggins, come into the side to face the Robins, with the 20-year-old Leeds United loanee playing on the opposite flank to his natural position at right-back.

Elsewhere, the duo of Luke O’Nien and Dan Neil retain their spots in the middle of the park, while Elliot Embleton, who started on the left-wing in place of the sidelined Lynden Gooch last time out, moves into central attacking midfield.

As such, the £2.25m-rated Alex Pritchard could be set for a return to the Sunderland bench, with 20-year-old Bayern Munich loanee Leon Dajaku staring on the left-hand side of the Black Cats’ attack, while Ross Stewart retains his place up top ahead of Nathan Broadhead.

In other news: Johnson must unleash “fantastic” £180k-rated SAFC ace vs CTFC, could be a game-changer

A round-up from the latest matches in the Twenty20 Cup

Cricinfo staff25-Jun-2009North DivisionAndrew Flintoff smashed 93 from 41 balls•Getty ImagesAndrew Flintoff stormed back into form with 93 from 41 balls, along with two economical wickets, to help Lancashire wallop Derbyshire at Derby. Lancashire got off to a brisk start with VVS Laxman stroking 63 from 45 balls, but it was the impact of Flintoff which turned the tide. Cracking 9 fours and 6 sixes, he boosted Lancashire to the tournament’s second-highest total of the season. No Derbyshire bowler was spared the punishment, and Nantie Hayward was severely punished, conceding 52 from his four overs. Derbyshire, bottom of the table, made a good fist of the chase, as Chris Rogers and Greg Smith each cracked fifties, but Flintoff picked up 2 for 32 – both victims bowled – as Derbyshire’s pursuit ran out of steam, falling 56 runs short.

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against

Lancashire 8 7 1 0 0 14+1.126 1168/150.2 1063/160.0 Leicestershire 84 4 0 0 8 +0.0841188/160.0 1100/149.5 Durham 8 44 0 0 8 -0.017 1128/158.01139/159.1 Yorkshire 8 4 40 0 8 -0.288 1016/154.0 1065/154.4 Nottinghamshire 8 3 5 00 6 -0.086 1210/149.4 1291/158.0 Derbyshire 8 2 6 00 4 -0.823 1167/159.0 1219/149.2 South DivisionAlastair Cook is not renowned for his cavalier batting, but he warmed up for the Ashes with a bullet of an innings to help Essex crush Surrey at The Oval. Cook cracked exactly 100 from 57 balls, the third-fastest this season, as Essex compiled the third-largest total, 210 for 3, before rolling Surrey for just 126. Cook and Mark Pettini, who made 87 from 53, flayed Surrey in an opening stand worth 169, with Cook carrying his bat. Graham Napier then made two early breakthroughs to leave Surrey tottering on 12 for 2, a position from which they were unable to recover, in spite of 23 from Mark Ramprakash and Usman Afzaal’s 16-ball 30. Napier (2 for 19) was well supported by Danish Kaneria, James Middlebrook and Ryan ten Doeschate, each of whom also took two wickets.

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against

Sussex 9 6 3 0 0 12+0.293 1146/159.5 1129/164.1 Kent 85 2 0 1 11 +0.5681011/126.2 974/131.0 Essex 8 52 0 1 11 +0.440 1153/138.51088/138.2 Hampshire 8 5 30 0 10 +1.110 1331/156.1 1165/157.1 Surrey 8 2 6 00 4 -0.623 1228/160.0 1300/156.4 Middlesex 7 0 7 00 0 -1.890 906/140.0 1119/133.5 Midlands, Wales, West DivisionHeavy rain prevented Somerset and Northamptonshire’s match from concluding at Taunton, with both teams taking a point each to share the top spot in the table. Northamptonshire made a rapid start, reaching 49 without loss, before thunder and lightning ended proceedings in a hurry.

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against

Northamptonshire 8 5 2 01 11 +0.490 1096/139.0 1034/139.5 Somerset 8 5 2 01 11 +0.455 1073/133.2 1063/140.0 Worcestershire 8 5 3 00 10 +0.890 1348/160.0 1178/156.2 Warwickshire 8 5 3 00 10 +0.208 1191/151.3 1222/159.4 Gloucestershire 8 2 6 00 4 -0.667 1148/159.5 1218/155.1 Glamorgan 8 1 7 00 2 -1.252 1094/160.0 1235/152.4

Joshua Cobb, playing his first youth Test for England Under-19s, compiled an outstanding double-century to put the hosts in a commanding position against Bangladesh Under-19s at Scarborough

Cricinfo staff06-Jul-2009
ScorecardJoshua Cobb hit 29 fours and four sixes during his 290-ball stay•Getty ImagesJoshua Cobb, playing his first youth Test for England Under-19s, compiled an outstanding double-century to put the hosts in a commanding position against Bangladesh Under-19s at Scarborough. Cobb, who plays for Leicestershire, scored 220 off 290 balls as England finished the first day on 422 for 8.Cobb had scored only one first-class century – an unbeaten 148 – in 24 innings for Leicestershire and he, along with Jaik Mickleburgh, provided England U-19 with a superb start after the hosts chose to bat. The openers added 139 for the first wicket before Mickleburgh was out in unorthodox fashion, hit wicket to Shabbir Rahman for 57.None of the other batsmen made substantial contributions but they didn’t collapse either. They hung around long enough to support Cobb, who did the bulk of the scoring. He hit 29 fours and four sixes, holding up one end spectacularly as wickets gradually fell at the other and was the seventh man to be dismissed when the score was 409.Bangladesh used as many as nine bowlers but few apart from Rehman and Alauddin Babu had much success. They picked up three wickets each while Shaker Ahmed and Mominul Haque took one apiece as England raced along to a formidable total, virtually erasing the visitors’ hopes of victory.

After securing a 2-1 win over Mansfield Town in the Papa John’s Trophy in midweek, Sheffield Wednesday are back in League One action this weekend with a showdown against Bolton Wanderers.

A late injury-time goal from Theo Corbeanu secured the victory for Darren Moore’s side in midweek after Lewis Wing opened the scoring in the second half, only for the visitors to equalise a few minutes later.

On the chalkboard

One player that played in midweek that failed to impress was Owls attacker Sylla Sow, who we feel should be dropped from the team to face Bolton at the weekend.

Wednesday signed Sow back in August from Dutch club RKC Waalwijk on a free transfer. Since then, the winger has made just two appearances for the Owls in League One, coming off the substitutes bench on both occasions.

During the match against the League Two side in midweek, Sow, who played through the entire game, only managed to rack up one shot at goal which was off target.

Furthermore, he won just four out of the ten duels he was involved in and lost possession on 12 occasions. That ultimately earned him a rather uninspiring overall match rating of 6.2/10, making him the lowest-rated Wednesday player on the day according to SofaScore.

Combine that with the fact that Wednesday’s previous league game lose at home to Oxford United left them in 12th place in the league table with 15 points, we feel that Wednesday need to make a change and do all they can to beat Bolton. That includes dropping Sow from the team.

In terms of who could replace the 25-year-old, we feel that Moore should bring either Lee Gregory or Callum Paterson back into the team who both have two league goals to their name for the match against Bolton.

Either way, we feel that Sow should return to the substitutes bench for this upcoming clash with the hope that he can make the most of his opportunity if he comes on at any point.

However, thinking about his long-term future at the club, the fact that he has only been there for a few months should be taken into account given his lack of regular playing time in the league. At the moment, there should be no concerns about his progression.

In other news: Possession lost 19x: Moore must ruthlessly axe “unbelievable” Sheff Weds ace v MTFC – opinion

The IPL has come under heavy criticism from the Gauteng Cricket Board, which manages the Wanderers Stadium, over issues surrounding the hosting of matches at the ground during the league’s second season in South Africa early this year

Ajay S Shankar22-Jul-2009The IPL and its commissioner, Lalit Modi, have come under heavy criticism from the Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB), which manages the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, over issues surrounding the hosting of matches at the ground during the second season of the Twenty20 league in South Africa early this year.In a strongly-worded internal document (dated June 16) that has been circulated among members of the Gauteng board, Ray Wentzel, the GCB treasurer, has accused the IPL of violating various norms, especially for the semi-finals and final on May 24, including attempts to forcibly take over all stadium operations, such as ticketing and parking systems.The issue has ramifications beyond the IPL and beyond sundry matters such as parking spaces and ticket prices; at stake is the future of the Wanderers, one of cricket’s most famous and historic grounds. The CSA board’s members’ forum has refused to allot any international matches to the Wanderers until the GCB apologises for its allegations and submits its match hosting conditions and, as a result, Wanderers has been stripped of a Test, an ODI and a Twenty20 game it was due to host during England’s tour later this year. This ban will not affect the Champions Trophy in September as it is an ICC event involving separate agreements but the tournament schedule released on Monday has only three matches at the Wanderers – which won’t host the final either.Barry Skjoldhammer, the GCB chairman, said the document is “only a draft” and not the final report and hence cannot be treated as an “accepted official document”. However, he said it had been circulated among members of the GCB. “We have certain reservations about the conduct of the IPL,” Skjoldhammer told Cricinfo. “But these are not so much against IPL as with Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the way in which they left us to deal with IPL on our own. We are in discussions and I am confident that the issue will be resolved.”The disputeJune 4: Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB) asks Cricket South Africa’s (CSA’s) audit and risk committee to investigate complaints regarding the contract between CSA and BCCI/IPL for hosting the Indian leagueJuly 10: CSA members forum warns that the South African board will not allot any international matches to Wanderers unless GCB apologises for allegations against BCCI/IPL July 15: Gauteng asks CSA to reply to the letter sent to its audit committee and seeks a meeting with CSA on the issue before July 24. It also raises the possibility of independent arbitrationJuly 17: CSA shifts one Twenty20 international, an ODI and a Test for the upcoming England tour from WanderersJuly 18: GCB claims that the matches cannot be shifted unless the dispute between CSA and Gauteng regarding the IPL is resolved.When contacted, Modi dismissed the GCB’s allegations as “completely baseless” and referred to the “clean stadium agreement” that the IPL had signed, which gives the league complete control of the venue, including ticketing and parking. “The IPL has enjoyed close and wonderful cooperation with CSA and officials in the seven other provinces in the country where our matches were staged,” he told Cricinfo.Gerald Majola, the CSA chief executive, said the South African cricket board has dismissed Gauteng’s allegations against the IPL and are awaiting an apology from the GCB in this regard.The Gauteng document, which runs to 35 pages including annexures, points to a series of disagreements between the GCB and IPL on a number of issues, ranging from parking spaces, pouring (alcohol) rights, hospitality requirements and ticket prices. “We have been exposed to multiple threats and accusations of dishonesty and lying,” it says. “The IPL’s total disregard of ethics, manners and responsible negotiations protocols reflects an arrogant disregard of their status as guests in South Africa and guests of the South African cricket community.”The document claims that “the most serious of all issues” was “Modi’s attempts to take control of the entire Stadium operation for the Semi-Final and Final, regardless of the cost or disruption”. It thanks the Gauteng provincial government and Johannesburg City Council for “assisting in what was a potentially catastrophic situation around the parking allocations, which had the potential to spill over into major tragedy along the lines of the Ellis Park disaster… if we had not been able to deal with this threat, GCB would have had no option but to have refused to allow the Semi Final to take place.”The document suggests, for instance, that the tussle for parking space between Gauteng and the IPL was yet to be resolved with just hours to go for the semi-final between Bangalore Royal Challengers and Chennai Super Kings at the Wanderers on May 23.The GCB’s biggest complaint against the IPL appears to be the manner in which it claims it has been misled on the requirement of parking during the semi-final and final. The internal document reproduces detailed email exchanges between Sundar Raman, the IPL CEO, and GCB in this regard and concludes: “When their demands for a re-allocation of the parking to which they had previously agreed in writing were rejected, the IPL initially put forward patently false claims that their demands were necessary for security reasons arising from the visit to the Final of President (Jacob) Zuma.”When these claims were refuted by GCB on the strength of information given to us by the Presidential Security Unit and by the responsible arm of the SAP, the IPL simply persisted in its demands and threatened to disrupt the operational security and efficiency of the semi-final and the final unless its demands were met.”The document ends with what appears to be a direct, personal attack against Modi. “With specific regard to any future dealings with the IPL and Commissioner Modi, in whatever capacity, the Board should be mindful of his unacceptable personal behaviour in a variety of different ways.”The GCB document also accuses Majola of adopting “a consistently sycophantic attitude towards the IPL’s demands and his total disregard of the rights of the provinces and their supporters”. “We have also been dismayed by the politicizing of the IPL and GCB disagreements by the President of CSA Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka,” the document states.Majola said the CSA’s members forum, comprising all CSA affiliates, dismissed the criticisms by GCB against the management of the 2009 IPL by CSA, the IPL and the BCCI. “They [GCB] were instructed to apologise to all these parties and as yet no apology has been forthcoming,” he told Cricinfo. “GCB has called for a dispute with CSA to be declared, and this has pushed the matter into the legal arena and will be dealt with by CSA’s management committee.”Wentzel, the GCB treasurer, says in the document that the purpose “of this report is to give Board members an overview of our dealings with the IPL and CSA over the period leading up to and during the hosting of the IPL tournament in South Africa. Many issues have arisen in regard to which the Board will need to make policy and operational decisions for future events of this nature where cricket is played at our Stadium outside the control of existing national and international structures.”

The previous summer transfer window saw Liverpool say goodbye to players such as Harry Wilson, Xherdan Shaqiri and Taiwo Awoniyi who have all left the club on permanent deals.

One player that left the club over the summer that Reds boss Jurgen Klopp was particularly sad to see leave Anfield was midfield star Georginio Wijnaldum, who joined French club Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after running down his contract with the Merseyside club.

Despite the club not replacing the Dutchman over the summer, opting to just sign defender Ibrahima Konate instead, it seems as though the club have got their eyes on a potential new midfield star.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Sportime (via Liverpool Echo) have been monitoring Olympiacos midfielder Aguibou Camara with a potential future transfer move on the cards.

The 20-year-old, who is currently valued at £270k according to Transfermarkt, signed to Olympiacos back in July from LOSC Lille’s youth team.

Since then, the midfielder has made 10 appearances for the Greek club across all competitions in which he has managed to score two goals and provide one assist in the process.

In Olympiacos’ previous Europa League clash that saw them beat Turkish club Fenerbahce 3-0, Camara played the full 90 minutes of the match and managed to have two shots on target, complete 29 out of the 35 passes he attempted, complete all three dribble attempts, make three interceptions and two tackles, showing how much of a balanced midfielder he is in both attacking and defensive situations.

The performance earned Camara a respectable overall match rating of 7.0, according to SofaScore.

Wijnaldum replacement?

Taking all of this into account, we feel that Camara could be a good fit at Liverpool as a potential Wijnaldum replacement if the Merseyside club decides either in the upcoming January transfer window or the next summer window that they want to add a new and young midfielder to their squad.

Given how Klopp said that Wijnaldum’s contribution for the Reds on the pitch was “off the scale” during his time at the club, and the fact that Camara has shown that he has defensive and attacking qualities during his short time at Olympiacos so far, we feel that this is a player Liverpool should definitely consider adding to their squad at some point if they see an opportunity to do so.

Camara was dubbed “solid” and “versatile” by former Lille boss Christophe Galtier during his time at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy and that’s coming from a manager that sealed the French title over Paris Saint-Germain last season, so his words cannot be taken lightly.

Wijnaldum himself was a reliable and solid option for Klopp, so perhaps the 20-year-old gem is exactly what he needs in the engine room.

The Dutch dynamo could finally be replaced if the Reds launch a swoop for the dynamic 5 foot 6 Olympiacos star, he may well be an absolute bargain.

In other news: £180k-p/w Liverpool “problem” sees his value crash £45m in nearly 2 years under Klopp – opinion 

The Pakistan captain has refuted claims that ‘groupism’ within the team had resulted in a below-par performance during the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka

Cricinfo staff04-Aug-2009Pakistan captain Younis Khan has rejected claims that ‘groupism’ within the team has led to below-par performances during the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka. Instead, the poor structure back home is to blame, Younis said. “The problem with Pakistan cricket is that our domestic structure is flawed,” he said.The visitors lost the three-Test series 0-2 and surrendered the ODI series with a six-wicket defeat – their third consecutive loss in the five-match series – yesterday in Dambulla. “The players produced have flawed techniques,” Younis said. “They only manage to overcome it once they start playing for the national team.”Younis said that he faced similar problems as well early in his career. “When I made it into the Pakistan team, my technique was not so good. It took me two years to get it right,” he said.Some experts have blamed the lack of unity in the Pakistan team for its poor showing in Sri Lanka, with some claiming that a few senior players like former captain Shoaib Malik and vice-captain Misbah-ul-Haq had intentionally under-performed to cause Younis’ downfall.Younis, however, rejected such claims and said he had an excellent rapport with all his players, including the seniors. “I’m not a mad man. I don’t go out fighting with everyone,” he said. “I have a perfectly fine relationship with the players.”

Speaking in a Leeds Live Q&A session, journalist Beren Cross has shared what he knows on star midfielder Kalvin Phillips and a possible new deal.

The Lowdown: Phillips exit rumours…

Due to his stellar performances at club and international level last season, the Leeds favourite has been linked with a move away from Elland Road all summer until now.

Indeed, the Englishman has attracted interest from Manchester United amid their search for central midfield alternatives in what could be a future worry for manager Marcelo Bielsa.

Now, in an update, Cross has shared what he believes involving Phillips and his future at the club.

The Latest: Cross makes Phillips claim…

Speaking in the Q&A, Leeds reporter Cross refuses to rule out an exit for the 25-year-old in future but has made an exciting contract claim – and one which could ensure the Whites get the ‘best deal possible’.

When asked about the Phillips situation, he replied: “There would need to be some eye-watering bids for Leeds to even contemplate selling Raphinha or Phillips in January, especially if they’re still in the bottom quarter of the table at that time.

“Next summer is a more realistic time for those bids to come in and Leeds cannot stop other clubs bidding for their players. Sporting directors would not be doing their jobs properly if they did not take a look at talents like those two who, currently, do not play European football with their club.

“Leeds may not want to sell next summer, but they will surely be realistic enough to know every player has their price. Do not be surprised to see Phillips sign a new contract in the near future.

“That will boost his transfer value even higher and as Bielsa said recently, if and when he decides to go, he will ensure Leeds get the best deal possible from it.”

The Verdict: Smart move…

If Bielsa and Leeds do have to surrender one of their best players in future, the least they can do is recuperate as much money as possible from any deal.

Lauded as an ‘unbelievable’ player by pundit Kevin Phillips, the tenacious midfielder should have no trouble attracting big bids considering his age, form, performances and the fact he is homegrown.

Adding a new contract on top of that would only better Leeds’ chances to really make a profit.

ONGC got Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina out for next to nothing, but they couldn’t get through a tenacious and a slightly fortunate Sushant Marathe

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga at the Chinnaswamy Stadium05-Sep-2009
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
ONGC got Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina out for next to nothing, but they couldn’t get through a tenacious and a slightly fortunate Sushant Marathe, who carried Air India Red through a tricky chase and into the final of the BCCI Corporate Trophy. Ishant Sharma and Sarandeep Singh bowled their hearts out to take quick middle-order wickets, but Marathe, promoted ahead of Raina, kept his cool.During those middle overs, Air India Red went from 98 for 1 to 148 for 5, but that stumble paled in comparison with ONGC’s, who were well placed at 160 for 3 but couldn’t even play the whole 50 overs in setting a below-par total. Gautam Gambhir, the ONGC captain who scored 63, would have hoped for a similar collapse when he brought Ishant Sharma back soon after Amit Mishra finally got Robin Uthappa for an unconvincing 45.These are no friendly matches, proved Ishant. First Raina got a sharp lifter that he fended. Clearly he didn’t want any more of that, and went to try and disperse the close-in fielders in the next over. Sarandeep saw him step out early, and pushed in a straighter one to get him. Yuvraj, though, got the real mean one from Ishant, a vicious bouncer he top-edged even before he could look back. When Sarandeep changed ends and got Hrishikesh Kanitkar on the sweep, Air India Red still needed 66, and all their star players were back.Marathe had already had a life by then. When on 29 he had lobbed Sarandeep to slip and not walked. The umpire concurred with the batsman, who got a mouthful of secrets from Gambhir. It also led ONGC coach AN Sharma to call the umpiring “poor”.The outpour from Gambhir showed that Marathe was playing well, and foiling their plans. In the second over of the chase he walked out instead of Raina, and busily started taking Air India Red close. After that altercation Marathe continued in the same vein, even though more illustrious names fell in tame fashion at the other end.On a turning pitch, Marathe did play and miss a bit but wasn’t unsettled enough to play a false shot. The required run-rate at that time was not an issue, thanks to the quick start he and Uthappa had provided. Marathe’s maturity showed in that he didn’t go for the boundaries during the last 20 overs of his stay. Ankeet Chavan’s chancy but effective 45-ball 41 with six boundaries helped, as their unbeaten 67-run stand took Air India Red home.How Gambhir would have hoped for Marathe-like resistance in his line-up. His openers – a strange choice, really – were not going to stick around anyway. Praveen Kumar and Sandeep Sharma, opening the innings for a team that had Gambhir and Tanmay Srivastava, were a risk that didn’t pay off. When Dhawal Kulkarni did away with them in consecutive deliveries, in the seventh over, it was down to Gambhit and Kohli to set up a decent total.And they threatened to do so during a 92-run third-wicket partnership. But Air India Red came back through two part-time spinners and India players, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina.The main feature of both Gambhir and Kohli’s innings was their use of feet on a pitch that is not conducive to strokeplay. They both looked to come forward, often step out to spinners, and then also use the depth of the crease to nudge or dab off the back foot for singles. They also had to rebuild the innings after a poor start.But with Kohli and Gambhir looking good, Yuvraj had to fall back on his and Raina’s bowling. They went for 41 for 2 in nine overs between them. Yuvraj got a return catch with one that stopped on Kohli, who had looked more assertive and confident of the two in getting to 46. His inside-out six off Yuvraj in the previous over had been a treat. He came down the track, made room too, and lofted over wide long-off. It was sweet revenge, and Yuvraj didn’t hide it, prolonging his celebration. Kohli, on his part, didn’t even look at Yuvraj and waited for the celebration to subside before he walked off.Gambhir, though, continued playing solidly, and crossed his half-century before playing an ambitious inside-out shot against Raina and holing out to Uthappa. Yuvraj saw the opportunity there, and went on the aggressive, bringing back his faster bowlers. Even without the Powerplays in place, he kept only three fielders outside the circle for the rest of the duration, and the first slip became a fixture. Mun Mangela started the slide with the wickets of Ajay Ratra and Mayank Tehlan, and left-armer Saurabh Netravalkar got Amit Mishra and Sarandeep Singh. Five wickets fell for 21 runs, and only a 20-run last-wicket partnership took ONGC beyond 200.

If Thursday night was a trial, then mooted West Ham target Paul Onachu would have hardly passed with flying colours.

In fact, his performance may be enough to put new Irons head of recruitment Rob Newman completely off making a move as the 27-year-old struggled against the east London outfit in the Europa League.

The Hammers dominated Belgian outfit Genk and came out on top with a 3-0 victory at the London Stadium to maintain their 100% record in the competition.

According to the Daily Mail, West Ham are among many clubs interested in a move for the Nigeria international, who is thought to be valued at around £20m.

There is said to be competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton, whilst Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid have also been linked by the report.

Well, luckily for David Moyes and co, they got to witness his credentials firsthand, and on that basis alone, he could struggle to have much of an impact in England as the Irons absolutely silenced him with their two backup central defenders.

Onuachu may have bagged 11 goals in 15 appearances beforehand, providing a total of 56 goals in only 85 games for the Jupiler Pro League outfit, but there is a vast difference in the quality of opposition.

The £19.8m-rated forward, who was once dubbed a “goal king” by former Wimbledon star John Fashanu, looked rather poor against the Irons.

Both Issa Diop and Craig Dawson dealt with his 6 foot 7 stature and usually impressive aerial ability (he has won 3.6 aerial duels per league game this term) with aplomb.

Onuachu was hooked after 73 minutes, having failed to make any sort of impact. As per SofaScore, his two attempts on goal were fired off target, with one of those a particularly weak effort with what was a golden chance for the visitors, whilst the towering striker also won only 50% of his battles in the air and managed just one successful dribble from three attempts.

It’s no secret that Moyes needs another frontline addition to help provide backup to Michail Antonio, who was not even in the squad on Thursday night, but on that midweek showing, the answer may not be the Genk talisman.

Newman must steer West Ham clear of the 27-year-old or else risk making a major transfer blunder.

AND in other news, Moyes handed fresh injury blow to key West Ham star ahead of Spurs…