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West Ham United appear to be leading the Premier League pack in the pursuit of Yunus Musah – and he could soon decide on his future, according to a report from AS, via Sport Witness.

Are West Ham United signing Yunus Musah?

The 20-year-old is already a Valencia regular despite his age and was initially thrown into the first-team fold at just 17-years-old. Despite being just a teenager at the time, he went on to play 32 times in La Liga that campaign and has gone from strength-to-strength ever since. In 2022/23, he managed a further 33 outings – meaning he has very nearly closed in on 100 league games for the club already.

He's also a regular for his country already too. He plies his trade for the USA and has 24 caps to his name so far, with the youngster already featuring heavily as part of their 'new-look' team in the middle of the field.

It's no surprise either when you consider how he compares to some of the other names in his position amongst the Men's 'Top Five' big leagues in Europe. With 3.07 progressive carries per 90 for example, he ranks within the top eight percent for that stat. It shows just how adept Musah is at being able to take the ball and drive up the field – the possibly outgoing Declan Rice ranks just below him in the top 15 per cent for that metric.

Now, according to a report from AS, via Sport Witness, the player could be about to get a chance in England and the Premier League. It states that West Ham are keen to do business for the player and that Valencia themselves are looking to sell him on to raise funds – which means that a deal to send him to the Hammers could happen.

No official bid appears to have been made yet but Musah himself is set to decide on where he will play next season very soon.

What is Musah's transfer value?

No official fee is mentioned in terms of what Valencia might want for Musah but CIES Football Observatory estimate this his value is around the 30 million Euros mark (or £25.7m). With the Spanish side desperately looking to raise money then, a fee of that amount or perhaps even less could well tempt them.

The signs are that he would most definitely be worth that fee too. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig called Musah the USA player with "the highest ceiling" in terms of his potential and added that he has an "elite engine" and that he is a "high-quality box-to-box midfielder".

It sounds as though he could tick plenty of boxes for the Hammers then and considering his talents, it could be worth the club forking out the money and brining him in this window.

Manchester United are reportedly interested in a Serie A ace, as Erik ten Hag aims to bolster his squad in the direction of challenging at the top next season.

The Red Devils showed signs of reaching the heights of Manchester City and Arsenal last campaign, however, were unable to keep their momentum which saw them finish third in the table.

The Dutchman impressed during his first season at Old Trafford and could push the club to greater heights next term by recruiting smartly this summer, which is something he could accomplish by signing the latest individual linked to the club.

What’s the latest on Federico Dimarco to Man United?

As reported by The Independent, Manchester United have shown interest in Inter Milan defender Federico Dimarco.

The report states that the Premier League giants are ‘set to rival’ Real Madrid for the Italian, claiming that both clubs have ‘spoken’ to Inter about the full-back.

While no estimated asking fee for the defender is reported, the 25-year-old is valued at €40m (£34m) by CIES Football Observatory.

What could Federico Dimarco offer to Man United?

Described as having ‘immense versatility’ by journalist Miguel Delaney via The Independent, the Milan-born gem has shone this season in what has been a memorable campaign for his boyhood club.

In a year that saw Inter make the Champions League final, Dimarco cemented himself as a firm starter on the back of his breakthrough season with I Nerazzurri, making 33 Serie A appearances and recording an average match rating of 7.17, via Sofascore.

Hailed as a “beast” by one Serie A expert on Twitter, the 25-year-old could elevate the performance level at United, in a move that could prove to be bad news for Luke Shaw.

While the Englishman has performed highly under Ten Hag towards the end of the season, displaying skills in playing at centre-back when called upon, the 27-year-old could be forced to lose his position at left-back to the expertise of Dimarco.

This season’s top two managers in the Premier League have found success in deploying their full-backs in an inverted role, allowing for increased impact offensively while maintaining defensive stability.

Ten Hag could replicate the influence Pep Guardiola has passed to Mikel Arteta in playing Dimarco over Shaw, whose statistics prove him to be one of the best attacking full-backs in Europe.

As per FBref, the Italian leapfrogs Shaw in terms of attacking play on the flank, ranking in the top 1% of full-backs in Europe with reference to total shots, averaging an impressive two per 90 to the Englishman’s 0.41, showing his impact in the final third.

A similar pattern is evident in his overlapping play, receiving 7.98 progressive passes per 90 to the United ace’s 3.03 to further communicate the threat he could add in wide areas to Ten Hag’s side from defence.

The two have similar averages in defensive duties, with Sofascore revealing that both players won an average of 56% of their total duels, with Shaw coming out marginally on top making 1.91 tackles per 90 to the Inter gem’s 1.29.

The league has seen this season just how potent it can be having full-backs with competency in the final third, adding a new dimension to gameplay in an area that could bolster Ten Hag’s chances to take United back to the top. It may well relegate their current option at left-back, but United's manager it would surely be worth it.

Assured of winning the ODI series, South Africa captain AB de Villiers said they looked to not miss out on the opportunity at hand to complete a 5-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka

Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg05-Feb-20171:52

Target of 250 would have been tough on this pitch – De Villiers

After a few questions about South Africa’s continued swarming of a Sri Lankan side with little sting, AB de Villiers suddenly could not believe where his post-match conversation was actually going.”Guys, we are talking about bees,” the captain balked. And they were.Some asked how de Villiers knew the bees had arrived at the Wanderers? “When the slips went down,” was the answer. Others wondered whether the break in play affected concentration? “It was annoying,” de Villiers said, while Niroshan Dickwella offered a much more stern assessment. “Our momentum was taken away by that break,” he lamented. The rest of the reporters may have opted to skip the player interviews in search of the beekeeper who saved the day. Requests to talk to him were coming in even as play continued.But novelty aside, South Africa had something really sweet to enjoy afterwards.They have now won their sixth successive ODI series at home and have racked up a record 12 wins since beating England last February. Their previous best – 11 victories in a row in their own conditions – came in the 1996-97 season. They are stacking up well ahead of the Champions Trophy and de Villiers’ only hope is that they keep on winning, especially over the next week.Sri Lanka appear unable to keep up, which has given South Africa a chance at a whitewash, even though de Villiers is wary of putting too much pressure on the side too soon. “There were too many 3-2 results in the past and we’ve had many opportunities to win series 5-0 and 4-1. We are all a bit sick and tired of not taking our opportunities and we are sitting here with another opportunity,” he said. “We try to be clinical about every game we play, with a bit more emphasis and importance on getting results in every single game we play and not just trying to win a series. Having said that, I don’t want to mention it too often and I don’t want to make it our main thing that we play for 5-0 whitewashes, because that can backfire quickly.”Dwaine Pretorius, who replaced Wayne Parnell, took three wickets in his seven overs•AFPAs much as winning is a priority, South Africa may also use the next two matches to experiment because “we are trying to give the whole squad a chance of playing,” de Villiers explained. They’ve already been forced to use bench strength in the batting department because David Miller was ruled out of the series with a finger injury. Farhaan Behardien, who replaced Miller, was not needed at the Wanderers but he will hope for some time at the crease in Cape Town and Centurion. The other player South Africa may want to look at is chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, who is being kept out by the evergreen Imran Tahir, but has a reputation for being a secret weapon. But the real battle will be between the allrounders.Wayne Parnell, who played in the first two matches and did “fantastically well” according to de Villiers, was left out in Johannesburg in favour of local lad Dwaine Pretorius and de Villiers liked what he saw. “He is pretty accurate. He is consistent in his areas and is open for advice from some of the senior players. It’s an open door to chat to him, I always like to work with bowlers like that,” de Villiers said.Pretorius’ tight line and effective use of the short ball saw him finish with a career-best 3 for 19 and stake a claim for a more regular spot in the XI. It’s little wonder that he, too, could not stop buzzing. “This is the biggest crowd I have played in front of and it was amazing. It was a great atmosphere the whole time. I know there were bees on the field but it sounded like bees were everywhere,” Pretorius said.

West Indies batsman Darren Bravo will continue to be omitted from selection until a dispute between him and the West Indies Cricket Board is resolved

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2017Darren Bravo will not be considered for West Indies selection until he settles an ongoing dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board according to Courtney Browne, the West Indies’ chairman of selectors. Bravo, 27, was forced to return home from Harare on the eve of the November tri-series in Zimbabwe after the WICB cancelled his match contract reacting to his criticism of board president Dave Cameron.Bravo, who declined a WICB central contract, was also not picked in the Trinidad & Tobago squad for the Regional Super50, the domestic limited-overs tournament that got underway on Tuesday. Bravo recently had a Skype meeting with WICB officials, but details of the meeting have not been made public.In the current circumstances, Browne said that Bravo could not be selected despite being “one of our better players”. West Indies’ next international assignment is a three-match ODI series at home against England in early March followed by a full series against Pakistan beginning on March 31 in Trinidad & Tobago.”At this stage all I know is there is supposed to have been some discussion between Darren’s team and WICB,” Browne told , a Barbados-based TV station. “Until that is settled, I don’t think there will be much going on in terms of Darren playing cricket. He is a talented young man, one of our better players. Obviously it was sad to lose him but at times these things happen, you just need to deal with it and see how you can get him back on the field playing cricket.”Former West Indies wicketkeeper Browne, who took over as chairman of selectors last June, said that his panel will be monitoring the performances of players over a period of time. He said tournaments like the Regional Super50 were very important as the selectors were looking towards building a squad keeping the 2019 World Cup in mind.Browne said the key for young West Indies players, which formed the bulk of the ODI team that played in the tri-series in Zimbabwe, was to gain as much experience as possible and the Regional Super50 offered just that.”This [Regional Super50] is going to be very important for us,” Browne said. “Coming after the Zimbabwe tri-series, we saw some good signs there. Obviously we have a young team. Our captain Jason Holder has played around 50 ODIs, while the others have played 20-22, quite a few are below 10 ODIs.”It’s a young ODI team for us. So we are looking forward to the Super50 to see the incumbents continue to do the good work, and then those other players who are challenging for a place. We have a lot of ODI cricket coming up this year. We’re building up towards the World Cup. So all the players coming in to get runs, wickets can show us they have the attitude not just to be part of the team, but the kind of attitude that makes West Indies people proud.”Browne also pointed out the selectors would not consider age as a deterrent. Consistency was what they were after.”Age is just a number as the old saying goes,” Browne said. “People need to perform and perform consistently. We are trying to look at players over three seasons. What we are trying to do is not pick players after just one season. At times that will happen. But if we can get a guy performing consistently for two or three years, then you know he is deserving of an opportunity at the senior level or at least be considered.

Daniel Farke is in talks to take the vacant Leeds United job, but he has some concerns about the structural issues at the club, presenter Conor McGilligan has claimed.

Who could Leeds appoint as their new manager?

The Whites were relegated from the Premier League following a turbulent season which saw them go through three different managers, Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce, and they face a tough season ahead back in the Championship after three seasons in the top flight.

Leeds have gone through changes off the pitch, with the San Francisco 49ers agreeing a takeover, and sporting director Victor Orta leaving the club, and the chaos behind the scenes may be off-putting for any manager who chooses to take the head coach role.

Speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, McGilligan claimed that Farke, who was last seen at Borussia Monchengladbach, is a strong candidate for the role, but he may have reservations about joining.

"From what I've been told today, from someone who is close to Angus Kinnear, what is happening with Daniel Farke, from what I understand is not a massive development, but what I've been told is he's still massively in the mix. Leeds have been talking to him all week. This isn't something that's false, they've not just got rid of him off the database," he stated.

"He's very, very close. Farke is very aware of the structural side of things at Leeds United, the framework in terms of the ownership model, and who's where, and the enterprises' strand of it, and I think he's very aware of it, but he's not completely sold on it, from what I'm told he's not completely sold on the structure."

Should Leeds appoint Farke?

Farke would arrive with a lot of experience in the Championship, having helped Norwich City achieve promotion twice, and has shown he can work on a limited budget, with none of his signings whilst in the second division costing more than £4m.

He typically employs a high-intensity style with his sides, and this could help Leeds return to the style which made them successful under Marcelo Bielsa before.

Farke managed Norwich in both the Premier League and Championship, having both suffered relegation and achieved promotion twice within three years, and if he is willing to take the job, he could be the ideal candidate to galvanise a Leeds side that has struggled with both results and their identity in recent seasons.

Steven Smith’s new tally of 939 rating points puts him at sixth in the all-time list of highest points, behind Don Bradman, Len Hutton, Jack Hobbs, Ricky Ponting and Peter May

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2017Australia captain Steven Smith reached a career-high 939 points to extend his lead at the top of the ICC Rankings for Test Batsmen after the first Test between India and Australia. His new tally of 939 rating points puts him at sixth in the all-time list, behind Don Bradman (961), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs and Ricky Ponting (both 942) and Peter May (941). Smith surpassed Garry Sobers, Viv Richards and Kumar Sangakkara, who all had career-high ranking points of 938.Smith, who struck crucial knocks of 27 and 109 in the Pune Test, has a 66-point lead over second-placed Virat Kohli and leads third-placed Joe Root by 91.A strong outing for Josh Hazlewood – who went up to 860 points – moved him to joint-second in the rankings for Test bowlers with Ravindra Jadeja. R Ashwin remained at the top with 878 rating points.Matt Renshaw’s gutsy knocks of 68 and 31 saw him move by 18 places to 34, his career-best ranking, while Steve O’Keefe’s career-best performance of 12 for 70 in the Pune Test saw him climb to a career-high ranking of 29.Mitchell Starc, who struck a crucial first-innings half-century and took two wickets in Pune, moved three spots up to fourth in the rankings for Test allrounders, where Ashwin leads the pack as well.

Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale appears to be building a team of players who could form the crux of the side over the next few years, with Jack Butland being his only signing over the age of 26.

This is an exciting thought for the Ibrox faithful, as over the previous few years, faith was trusted in players who had clearly moved on from their peak years, as the likes of Allan McGregor, Scott Arfield and Steven Davis were used on a regular basis.

Beale appears to be moving away from sentiment and building a team which could challenge Celtic for the Premiership title over the coming seasons and hopefully progressing in Europe.

With this new-found transfer policy in full swing, the Gers have been linked with a move for Leeds United defender Charlie Cresswell and have even had a bid rejected by the Elland Road side.

Securing the centre-back could turn into a shrewd investment by the 42-year-old, especially as he could begin to forge what might turn out to be a future defensive pairing for the Gers in the future of Cresswell and Leon King.

Could Rangers sign Charlie Cresswell?

With one bid already rejected for the 20-year-old starlet, it remains to be seen whether Beale will go back in for him, but signing another young defender could be a stroke of genius.

King made his debut for the club aged just 16 back in 2020 under Steven Gerrard, and he has made rapid progress ever since. Promoted to the senior squad in 2022 having signed a new contract, the defender got his big break during the first half of the 2022/2023 season, featuring 26 times in all competitions, including six appearances in the Champions League and this experience will stand him good stood for the future.

He didn’t see much action under Beale during the second half of the season, yet it’s clear he is the future for the Ibrox side and will surely see more game time during 2023/2024.

Cresswell enjoyed a solid loan spell at Millwall last season, playing 28 Championship games for the club while underlining his importance by ranking second across the whole squad for overall Sofascore rating and clearances per game, while finishing in the top three for interceptions per game suggests he more than exceeded expectations.

The £2k-per-week gem could become a mainstay in the defence in the coming years should he move to Glasgow and with Gary Rowett claiming the player has “amazing attributes” a future duo of him and King could nullify opposition attackers in the Premiership within the next five years.

Another new era at Chelsea is now firmly up and running following the official unveiling of Mauricio Pochettino at the weekend and the arrival of another new player.

With Nicolas Jackson joining Christopher Nkunku in making a move to Stamford Bridge, the Blues could be about to land another talented attacking player in Flamengo teenager Matheus Franca.

Will Chelsea sign Matheus Franca?

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are looking to sign Franca this summer as part of a £25m deal with Brazilian heavyweights Flamengo.

The 19-year-old is no stranger to being linked with big-name clubs, having previously been touted as a target for La Liga's big two Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Newcastle United, West Ham United and Crystal Palace are also said to have shown an interest in Franca, but Chelsea could get there ahead of their Premier League rivals.

Who is Chelsea target Matheus Franca?

Franca is a versatile attacker who can play across the forward line and in central attacking midfield, which is where most of his appearances have come this season, as per WhoScored.

Chelsea are not exactly short of attacking midfielders, though that is likely to change as Mason Mount is on the verge of joining Manchester United, while Christian Pulisic is unlikely to stay at Stamford Bridge.

Mykhailo Mudryk looked set to capitalise on those exits, having struggled for any sort of rhythm since arriving in an £88.5m deal in January, but Franca's mooted arrival could spell further bad news for the Ukraine international.

Like Franca, Mudryk also operated in a number of positions last season, including central attacking midfield. Chelsea will want to get their money's worth from Mudryk, but Pochettino will not be afraid to bench the 22-year-old in favour of Franca should the Brazilian be better suited to his system.

There are similarities between the two players, as you would expect given they take up similar positions, but it could be argued that Franca is showing even more potential than Mudryk did prior to his Chelsea switch.

Taking Mudryk's figures from his final season with Shakhtar Donetsk, which ultimately paved the way for his move to Stamford Bridge, he scored 0.22 goals per 90 minutes, which compares to 0.64 for Franca at Flamengo in the 2022 season.

Franca also had a better pass-completion percentage across those respective seasons (75.1 v 70.5), as per FBref, and also played more passes that led to a shot attempt (2.56 v 2.50), which highlights his ability to link play high up the pitch.

Interestingly, the Brazil U20 international also ranked higher for tackles (2.05 v 1) and ball recoveries (3.59 v 3), showing he is also able to get stuck in if required.

More than that, though, it is his ability to find space at such a young age that has most caught the eye. "He has a very good understanding of the game, Flamengo U20s coach Fabio Matias told GloboEsporte, via Goal. "He also has the ability to be decisive in front of goal and is a great finisher."

That sounds like the player Chelsea were signing in Mudryk. While that could still be the case, it may well be that Pochettino turns to a different talented attacking midfielder in his first season at Stamford Bridge.

The much-anticipated early-season match-up between Alastair Cook and James Anderson has been scrubbed with Cook ruled out of Essex’s opening Specsavers Championship match

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-20172:21

Cook ready for next phase

The much-anticipated early-season match-up between Alastair Cook and James Anderson has been scrubbed with Cook, the former England captain, out of Essex’s opening Specsavers County Championship match against Lancashire with a hip problem.A scan on Cook’s left hip has ruled out a serious injury but he will undergo an injection to try and ease the problem he has been managing for “several weeks” according to an ECB statement and will therefore sit out the first round of the Championship.The match against Lancashire would have been Cook’s first first-class outing since the Test series against India in December after which he stepped down as England’s Test captain in January.”I’ve got a sore hip, which is not getting right,” Cook said. “We’re going to go for a different bit of treatment and hopefully it will be all right for Somerset. It’s just frustrating to miss the first game.”Even though his next England assignment is three months away, Cook added he did not want to risk making the problem worse. “That’s the key in one sense [not taking chances], the first Test match is in July. Ultimately the hip’s not quite right, so it needs to get right before you can play. It’s been going for a month or so now.”Earlier this week, Cook spoke to ESPNcricinfo about the transition from being a captain back to a player and said it was taking some adjusting to. “I won’t miss going into all the extra press conferences, he said. “But being at the centre of it, being involved in a lot of decision-making, was the excitement of the job. Not doing that any more, will probably take a while to get used to.”Ultimately I know it was the right decision for myself and the team but that doesn’t make it any easier. It has been time to move on as a person and a player.”He added that he was eager to return to the middle for Essex ahead of the resumption of England’s Test cricket in July when they face South Africa. “It’s the next phase of my career,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed playing for Essex in pre-season and that’s the most important thing. I’m refreshed and raring to go. It’s time to move on.”

West Indies coach Stuart Law said the lack of bounce in Bridgetown was “heartbreaking”, given his side’s fast-bowling talent

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-2017West Indies coach Stuart Law is deeply disappointed with the Bridgetown pitch, on which his team registered a stirring 106-run victory against Pakistan this week. The track, Law said, suited Pakistan more and left him “heartbroken” for his quick bowlers. Praising his side for winning convincingly despite that, he said the victory came as a result of the hard work they put in but do not often get credit for.”I wasn’t expecting what we turned up to see,” Law said. “If we can’t get a good coverage of grass in a tropical climate, there is something wrong. It wasn’t the sort of pitch we would have liked, I know that Pakistan were licking their lips when they saw it because it was a bit like a Pakistani pitch.”Day two when we were bowling, bouncers were landing five metres short of the keeper. We’ve got boys who bowl 90 miles an hour, and to see the ball do that is heartbreaking, particularly on day two. You expect it on day four, day five, no problem. But to get through the game the way we did, in those conditions, which suited the opposition more so, very proud of the effort.”West Indies’ victory brought the series level at 1-1, with one Test left to play. In the first Test, they fell to a seven-wicket defeat after collapsing in their second innings to 152. Here, they conceded the first-innings lead, before a second-innings seven-for from legspinner Yasir Shah left Pakistan chasing 188. Shannon Gabriel, with help from 20-year-old Alzarri Joseph and captain Jason Holder, made sure they did not get close.Law said the work Gabriel puts in behind the scenes to be fit and ready for the games needed applauding. “He just improves every time he goes out there. Not [just] his effort on the field, that’s unquestionable, but behind the scenes, which people don’t see. He goes to lengths to see he’s right and in perfect physical condition every time he goes out on the field.”He has had injury problems, but physio CJ Clarke is working tirelessly with him. Even away from the Test-match scene, he gets in early, works hard with him. And Shannon is very diligent with his preparation. When you’ve got a guy who can bowl 90+, you want to make sure you’re looking after him, and then he produces like he did this Test, that was just outstanding work.”Much like Gabriel, Law said many in the team put in a lot of hard work away from the public eye. He said there was no shortage of talent, but improvement would only come with more exposure to Test cricket – of the playing XI in Bridgetown, only Kraigg Brathwaite has played more than 30 Tests. “They’ve got the talent, that’s for sure. It’s one thing having talent, but when you couple that with experience, you become a formidable opponent. At the moment there’s not a lot of experience in our dressing room.”The experience is coming. We’ve seen in difficult conditions, playing against the best legspinner in the world [we won]. He got seven wickets but a lot of boys coped with him pretty well. To keep him out for as long as we did, I think [it] shows that we are learning.”From the first Test match we changed a few technical things with our batsmen, it seemed to work for the right handers. The work ethic…if someone says the West Indies boys don’t work hard enough, they don’t know what they’re talking about. The boys are pretty proud of their effort, leading up to this Test match and during it, to strive for that perfect game, to strive for errors to be eradicated… We’re going in the right direction.”The series decider will begin on May 10 in Dominica.