Division Two leaders lose Hameed in daunting fourth-innings target
ECB Reporters Network13-Jul-2022 Nottinghamshire 285 (Montgomery 80, Hameed 70, James 50, Hogan 4-47, Harris 4-65) and 19 for 1 need another 436 runs to beat Glamorgan 318 and 421 for 5 (Byrom 144, Northeast 105*, Lloyd 60)Centuries from Eddie Byrom and Sam Northeast put Glamorgan in the driving seat as they set Division Two leaders Nottinghamshire a formidable 455 to win in 105 overs at Sophia Gardens.Notts start Thursday 19 for one after Haseeb Hameed’s wicket on day three. Byrom’s 144 was his second major century in three Championship matches.Meanwhile Northeast, 105 not out, recorded his first hundred for Glamorgan, as David Lloyd and Billy Root both hit fifties.Promotion challengers Glamorgan, the only side to defeat Nottinghamshire in this campaign, started the day leading by 86 runs and quickly pushed on as they posted only their second century opening stand of the season.With Lloyd working hard to re-establish his red-ball form, Byrom reached his century just before lunch off 154 balls, a lofted straight six off Liam Patterson-White the highlight.Notts finally got some reward in the over before lunch as Lloyd edged a drive off Brett Hutton to slip for 60 with the partnership worth 172.Colin Ingram (33) and Byrom added 76 before Notts finally stemmed the flow as both fell in successive overs to Patterson-White.Byrom’s innings, including 21 fours and with a healthy strike-rate of 70 runs per 100 balls, followed his recent 176 against Sussex to continue his solid start in a new role at the county.However the stylish Northeast and busy Root made sure the punishment continued despite ultra-defensive tactics from the visitors in the final session, putting nine men on the boundary and bowling wide of the stumps.Northeast added two sixes to his eight fours with his innings coming off just 137 balls, putting on 147 for the fifth wicket before Root (53) top-edged Luke Fletcher to Clarke.Lloyd’s declaration challenged Notts to make their second highest run chase ever, and Michael Hogan claimed an early wicket as he bowled Hameed for one, beating his defensive shot.Middlesex’s defeat at Worcester gives Glamorgan the incentive to go second in the table if they can force home their advantage at Sophia Gardens.
West Bromwich Albion will hope they can get back to winning ways in the Championship this coming Sunday after falling to a narrow 2-1 loss to Watford last time out.
Winning their next clash versus Bristol City at the Hawthorns would set them up nicely for two away days in quick succession before 2024 is out, with a tough tie against table-toppers Sheffield United closing out the busy year.
Even as the fixtures come thick and fast around this bumper Christmas period, Carlos Corberan will likely keep selecting Josh Maja to lead the line, who has more than turned around his Baggies career this campaign.
Maja's heroics at West Brom
Although he has fired blanks across his last five games in the tricky league, the Spaniard has continued to select the former Sunderland man, knowing he can rifle the back of the net with an effort in the blink of an eye.
After all, the clinical 25-year-old has only averaged a mere 26 touches per Championship clash this season, but still has a very impressive goal haul of ten from 20 games to boast about.
Even as his output in front of goal has dried up of late, he still managed to pick up an assist towards the start of the month when the Baggies valiantly rescued a share of the points versus the Blades, having linked up with assist king Tom Fellows well to level the game at 2-2.
Whilst Maja’s space in the side is understandably concrete, the same cannot be said for Grady Diangana anymore, who had started to fall way down Corberan’s pecking order even before his recent injury troubles popped up.
Diangana's future at West Brom
With his contract up next summer, the time could soon be coming for West Brom to have a conversation with Diangana about his future at the second-tier outfit.
Just glancing at his high wage in Corberan’s camp is enough to think a parting of the ways will soon happen, with the Congolese winger earning a steep £20.3k-per-week pay packet, which makes him a higher earner than even Maja who rakes in a surprisingly lesser £17k-per-week salary.
West Brom winger Grady Diangana.
At least with Maja, it’s been well-documented how excellent he’s been this season, whereas Diangana was struggling even before injury disaster struck for him in November.
Last season in the Championship, the ex-West Ham United attacker picked up a sublime seven goals and eight assists, but he has nothing to show for his efforts during a dismal 2024/25 campaign to date.
Stat – per 90 mins*
Diangana
Games played
12
Games started
5
Minutes averaged*
44
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Shots on target*
0.1
Touches*
27.7
Accurate passes*
14.6 (81%)
Looking at the table above, Diangana has suddenly become a reserve figure for the Baggies, with no goals and zero assists to shout about when he is unleashed into the action by Corberan.
Of course, the experienced forward hasn’t been helped by his luck with injuries – having now been absent since West Brom’s trip to Hull City last month – but his lack of game time hasn’t really impacted his side in their pursuit of promotion.
Once dazzling his adoring set of supporters with showboat-laden displays, with one of his West Brom teammates, Jed Wallace, even labelling him as “unbelievable” in the past, Corberan just isn’t that reliant on the 26-year-old to be a bright spark anymore, when you also consider he has Fellows and Mikey Johnston to call on down the channels.
This January could be the perfect opportunity for West Brom to cut ties with their loyal servant, therefore, before he is allowed to leave for nothing, managing to perhaps recoup a fee before going full steam ahead to try and return to the Premier League.
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West Ham United have now joined the race to sign a cut-price defender in the January transfer window as they look to bolster Julen Lopetegui’s ranks, it has been reported, though they will face competition from Newcastle United.
West Ham splash the cash
It was an expensive summer for the Hammers, with the club spending lavishly in a bid to rejuvenate their squad following the departure of David Moyes. Lopetegui was given command of the side, and the club added nine new faces to their squad in a major overhaul of the side, spending around £132m in the process, the fifth most in the Premier League.
Player
Club signed from
Fee (via Transfermarkt)
Max Kilman
Wolves
€47.5m
Crysencio Summerville
Leeds United
€29.3m
Niclas Fullkrug
Borussia Dortmund
€27m
Luis Guilherme
Palmeiras
€23m
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Manchester United
€17.6m
Jean-Clair Todibo
OGC Nice
Loan (with option to buy)
Carlos Soler
PSG
Loan
Guido Rodriguez
No club
Free
Wes Foderingham
Sheffield United
Free
However, early form has seen those hopes of potential European football tempered, and there is an expectation that the club will continue to be active in January no matter who is in the managerial hotseat amid reported pressure on Lopetegui.
One position that they will need to strengthen is at striker, with Michail Antonio having been involved in a horror car crash and likely to miss the remainder of the campaign, while summer addition Fullkrug has managed just four Premier League appearances to date, scoring just once. Now, they could also look to strengthen elsewhere.
West Ham want to sign Manchester United defender
That comes with the Hammers reportedly eyeing up a bargain deal to sign Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof. The east London side have previously been interested in teammate Harry Maguire, but never managed to get a deal over the line for the England international.
Instead, they now appear to have pivoted to his teammate, a player who Maguire himself dubbed “technically brilliant” and a “great footballer”.
The Swedish defender is heading into the final six months of his £120,000 a week deal at Old Trafford, but has played just a single minute of football since the arrival of Ruben Amorim at the club and is likely to depart in the coming months.
As per Caught Offside, West Ham are among the sides showing interest in a cut-price deal to sign him in January, with the Red Devils reportedly ready to let him leave for around £6m rather than lose him for free at the end of the season.
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They claim that “Newcastle, West Ham and Everton” are all “among his suitors”, alongside sides across Europe. Though West Ham splashed out on two new centre-backs in the most recent transfer window, they have looked anything but assured at the back and have only Konstantinos Mavropanos as a recognised alternative to their first choice pairing as things stand, which could explain why they are eyeing up a potential bargain deal to sign Lindelof.
With plenty of Premier League experience under his belt, he could be a very shrewd signing in the short-term for the east London side.
South Africa seamer Anrich Nortje is only a couple of spells away from being available for Delhi Capitals at IPL 2022, the franchise’s head coach Ricky Ponting said on Saturday. There has been a lot of mystery around Nortje’s back and hip injury as the seamer hasn’t played competitive cricket since the T20 World Cup last November.Ponting also confirmed that David Warner would be available for Capitals’ next game, and hoped for Mitchell Marsh to be there for the one after that. Warner was rested for Australia’s ongoing limited-overs series in Pakistan but, along with other Cricket Australia-contracted players, was not available to play in the IPL till April 6. Marsh, meanwhile, is nursing a hip strain.Related
Gill and Ferguson make it two in two for Gujarat Titans
“Nortje bowled at 100% this morning in the warm-ups,” Ponting said after the match against Gujarat Titans. “I think he has to get through another maybe four- or five-over spell at 100% capacity and then if he gets clearance from Cricket South Africa, he should be ready to go. We have got a few more days before our next game [against Lucknow Super Giants on April 7], so hopefully he is available for selection for that one.”I think David Warner has arrived in Mumbai. He left early yesterday morning I believe, so he should be there when we get back to Mumbai tonight. Mitchell Marsh has been in Mumbai for a few days, obviously getting his quarantine done. I think he might be out of quarantine tomorrow actually.”We are hoping that he [Marsh] is gonna be available for the game on 10th [against Kolkata Knight Riders]. He picked up that slight hip flexor strain in Pakistan. So we need to get a lot of treatment work into him and obviously a few good training sessions before he is available for selection. But fingers crossed, Davey should be there for the next game and Mitch Marsh for the game after.”Ponting on Nortje: “I think he has to get through another maybe four or five-over spell at 100% capacity”•BCCI
Talking about the defeat to Titans, Ponting said the early wickets cost them. Chasing 172 at the MCA Stadium in Pune, Capitals fell to 34 for 3 inside five overs. In their opening game against Mumbai Indians as well, they had lost three wickets inside the powerplay but there Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel had helped them pull off a coup.”On this wicket, on this ground, we thought it was a very, very chaseable total,” Ponting said. “Unfortunately for us, for the second game in succession we were behind the eight-ball early. There were a few too many quite soft dismissals from our batsmen tonight.”If you are losing three wickets in the powerplay, it’s really hard to win games from there. We know that, the stats say that, they have said that right through the history of T20 cricket. That’s certainly one area that we got to get better at, getting through that powerplay. None or one down would be a nice start to a run chase.”Despite the early wickets, Capitals were in a comfortable position at the end of 14 overs. They needed 54 runs in the last six overs with Rishabh Pant and Rovman Powell in the middle. Losing from there, Ponting said, was more disappointing.”There probably was a little bit of panic,” he said. “At no stage tonight did the run rate go out of hand and that’s what probably makes it a more disappointing loss than it probably looks on the scoreboard. We went down by 15 [14] runs but the [required] run rate never got above 9.5.Ponting felt there was a “little bit of a panic” in the way Capitals approached their chase against Gujarat Titans•BCCI
“We had Rishabh in the middle of a really good innings. Rovman Powell had just gone out. If those two had been out to bat together for two-three more overs, I think we would have won the game. But we were not good enough to do it.”Titans’ bowler who dealt Capitals telling blows was Lockie Ferguson. He sent back Prithvi Shaw with his very first ball in the match. In the same over, he dismissed Mandeep Singh, too. Later, he came back to get rid of Pant and Axar in another, decisive double-wicket over.Talking about Shaw, who has been out to the pull shot twice in two games, Ponting said: “I thought he played beautifully in the first game. I think he got 38 off 24 balls and got us off to a good start in the powerplay. He didn’t go on to capitalise as you would have liked but because of that start, we were good enough to go ahead and win that game.”Unfortunately today Ferguson comes into the attack and probably gets Prithvi out exactly the way they would have planned. Unfortunate for him but we will have a good chat with Prithvi. He has been out twice now playing that pull shot, so we might have to do a little bit of work on that with him over the next few days.”
West Ham currently sit 14th in the Premier League after ten games played, winning just three times, drawing two, and losing five.
Julen Lopetegui’s men are currently averaging 44.9% possession this season (the fifth lowest in the division), whilst they are conceding 16.1 shots per game (fourth most in the league).
After a 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, Lopetegui could find himself in big trouble, with Everton coming up next, and another loss potentially taking them into the bottom five.
Why West Ham hired Lopetegui
The 58-year-old Spaniard took over from David Moyes, who managed to lead the Hammers to European success in the 2022/23 season, winning the UEFA Conference League and delivering European glory for the first time since 1965.
However, after West Ham finished ninth last season, conceding 74 goals, the board deemed it the right time to move on from Moyes and look to employ a new manager to take the project forward. But why did they go for Lopetegui?
West Ham manager David Moyes
In his final season at Sevilla (2021/22), Lopetegui’s side averaged 59.9% of the ball, the third-highest figure in the league behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. The season before (2020/21), the Spaniard’s side averaged 58.7% possession, the highest in La Liga.
Then, in his first and only Premier League term managing Wolves, Lopetegui’s men were averaging 50.1% possession per game, the eighth highest across the league. On the flip side, in 2022/23, West Ham averaged 41.4% possession which was awfully the 3rd lowest, and in the 2023/24 season, they had 40.5% of the ball, which was the fourth worst record.
So clearly, West Ham wanted to undergo a playstyle change, leaving behind their low possession numbers, which led to them conceding 74 goals by inviting pressure in 2023/24, and entering a new era of trying to get their best players on the ball, and control games.
This season, Lopetegui’s side has registered 44.9% possession, which is better than they have managed in the past two seasons. However, whilst this has improved, the results have not, instead they have got worse, with the Hammers now 14th in the top-flight.
Now, with pressure mounting after that 3-0 thrashing against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, Lopetegui’s job looks to be on the line, with the club already looking at alternatives in case they decide to pull the trigger.
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West Ham could hire former academy player
Speaking on talkSPORT, Jeff Stelling urged West Ham to look at the possibility of hiring Chelsea legend, Frank Lampard should Lopetegui get sacked.
Lampard, of course, made 179 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 33 goals, providing 17 assists, and totalling 14,703 minutes before making his move to Chelsea.
Chelsea managerFrankLampard
The 46-year-old is currently out of work, having already managed Derby County, Chelsea, and Everton in his short career as a head coach so far. Lampard tends to switch between a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1, and has even been praised by Anthony Gordon during his time at Everton, who labelled him a “tactical genius”.
His first job came at Derby from 2018-2019, taking charge of 57 games. Considering this was his first job in management, many regarded this as a successful spell for the Englishman, who averaged 1.63 points per match and guided Derby to the play-off finals, where they lost 2-1 to Aston Villa.
Off the back of his job at Derby, and the fact Chelsea had just been handed a transfer ban, Lampard took the job as the Chelsea head coach in 2019, providing them with a familiar face, getting the fan base on side early and bringing academy talents through, as he could not use the transfer market.
Lampard’s academy success at Chelsea
2019/20 season
Mount
James
Abraham
Tomori
Appearances
53
37
47
22
Goals
8
2
18
2
Assists
5
3
5
1
Minutes Played
3,742
2,392
2,960
1,868
Stats taken from Transfermarkt
This included the likes of Mason Mount, Reece James, Tammy Abraham, and Fikayo Tomori, who all played big parts in Lampard’s first season at the club. In his spell between 2019-2021 as Chelsea manager, Lampard averaged 1.75 points per game, after taking charge of 84 fixtures.
Lampard later returned to Chelsea on an interim basis from April 2023 to June 2023, taking charge of 11 games, and averaging 0.45 points per match.
The other job he had between those two Chelsea stints, was the manager of Everton where he registered just 1one point per game during his 44 outings in the dugout. That said, he did achieve what he was bought in during the 2022/23 season to do, which was to survive the drop, and avoid relegation.
But who could the appointment of Lampard benefit most at West Ham? Many fans will be wondering how he would set things up, due to having three very different jobs, all of which he applied different tactics and ideas with, reflecting on the state of that club at the time.
West Ham players who would benefit from Lampard
The obvious choices for players that could benefit from the appointment of Lampard are the youngsters around the squad, who are very highly rated and could provide in-house solutions to problems that Lopetegui has already found this season.
One of those is Lewis Orford, the 18-year-old midfielder who has made 11 appearances for the U21 side this season.
In those 11 games, the Englishman has four assists, bringing ball security in deep areas of midfield, defensive stability in front of the defensive line, whilst also having the ability to attack the box and be involved going forwards, exactly the type of player Lampard would take a liking to.
Another youngster who is catching the eye, and could therefore be an option for Lampard to freshen things up should he get the job is 19-year-old left-winger, Sean Moore. Like Orford, Moore has been playing for the U21 side this season, making ten appearances, and scoring three goals.
Moore has been dubbed the next Bowen, and Lampard could integrate both of these youngsters immediately if given the job, in an attempt to win over the fans and freshen things up.
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Master of the dark arts. That’s a phrase thrown Arsenal’s way over the season so far. More dark arts were certainly employed by Mikel Arteta and Co this week.
Will Bukayo Saka be fit? Will Jurrien Timber feature? The Gunners boss even managed to keep them away from the Sky cameras during a Friday training session. There were worries, understandably so, that neither would make it.
With Riccardo Calafiori also not being seen in those pictures, it looked like Arsenal had somewhat of an injury crisis.
Well, Saka and Timber both made the starting XI for the visit of Liverpool on Sunday and boy did the former make an impact.
It’s tricky to know how Arsenal will feel after that one. They drew 2-2, they led twice and could, perhaps should have taken all three points. Liverpool, you sense, might be the happier of the two sides being the away team.
Alas, it was more dropped points for the Gunners even if there were plenty of positives to take from the game, notably Saka’s performance.
Arsenal's best performers vs Liverpool
All of the debate pre-game concerned Saka’s potential absence. Last weekend against Bournemouth the 23-year-old was sorely missed as they slipped to a rare Premier League defeat in 2024.
As if we needed any clarity, he showed just why he’s so important with an incredible display, particularly in the opening half, against Arne Slot’s men.
Within just nine minutes, the winger had the ball in the back of the net after a sensational piece of play. Stand-in centre-half Ben White – who was excellent in place of the suspended William Saliba – picked up a delightful assist, looping the ball in behind Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson.
Saka raced onto it, nutmegged the Scottish defender and then lashed a rasping left-footed effort past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. It was unstoppable, it was brilliant.
Saka wasn’t the only key performer, however. Fellow goalscorer Mikel Merino proved exactly why Arsenal wanted to bring him to the club this summer and alongside Declan Rice, they were marvellous in the centre of the pitch. Between them, they won a whopping ten duels.
However, special praise must be reserved for makeshift right-back Thomas Partey too.
Thomas Partey's performance in numbers
There were several key battles during the game on Sunday and one of them was always going to be Partey against Luis Diaz.
Arsenal’s number 5 was forced to play at right-back due to mounting issues at the back for Arteta and Co.
With Saliba suspended and Calafiori out with injury, it meant normal right-backs White and Jurrien Timber had to play at centre-back and left-back respectively. So, there was naturally a worry when a central midfielder had to start on the right.
How did Partey do? Well, in the words of Arsenal content creator Bhavs, he was “monstrous” in defence, perhaps surprisingly so too.
The Ghanaian was going to have no problems adapting to the role of an inverted full-back role but it was actually in defence where he impressed most.
Liverpool winger Diaz got little change from the former Atletico Madrid man and was actually substituted just after the hour mark having completed just nine passes and succeeded with only one of his four dribble attempts. That was largely thanks to the excellent Partey.
Minutes played
90
Touches
79
Accurate passes
39/45 (87%)
Clearances
3
Interceptions
1
Tackles
5
Ground duels won
9/16
Aerial duels won
4/5
Possession lost
17x
Fouls
2
Was fouled
4x
Dribbles
0
As you can see, he was particularly astute at the back, winning a colossal 13 duels and five tackles. He may have ceded possession on 17 occasions but still managed to end the game with an impressive 87% pass accuracy.
Partey didn’t offer much in forward areas, not registering a key pass or having a shot but that was not his duty today. His duty was to keep Diaz quiet and he did an admirable job.
This certainly isn’t a long-term fix but it was good to know either way that the 31-year-old can do a job in that position when required.
The top 8 goals from Arsenal v Liverpool matches
This fixture has produced some unforgettable strikes.
Leeds United bounced back from their dismal defeat in London against Millwall by securing all three points against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
The Whites returned to Elland Road and returned to winning ways with a 2-0 win over Marti Cifuentes’ men, thanks to goals from Jayden Bogle and Joel Piroe.
Daniel Farke’s side had lost 1-0 to Millwall in their previous match in the Championship, with a first-half goal from Japhet Tanganga sealing all three points for the hosts.
It was important for the West Yorkshire outfit to bounce back and avoid heading into the last international break of the year with back-to-back defeats, or two games without a win.
Leeds have now won each of their last five games at Elland Road, conceding one goal in that time, and will need to maintain that strong form in order to push for automatic promotion from the Championship this season.
Despite claiming all three points against QPR on Saturday, there were a few players who did not showcase the best of their abilities this weekend.
Mateo Joseph's performance against QPR
Farke handed Mateo Joseph a huge opportunity to stake a claim for his position in the team moving forward by naming him in the starting XI ahead of Piroe.
His previous start for Leeds came in the 1-1 draw at Carrow Road against Norwich City at the start of October, with six outings as a substitute between the draw with the Canaries and the win over QPR.
Piroe had enjoyed a run of starts up front and the clash with the West London side provided the Spain U21 international with the chance to show the manager that he should be playing over the Dutchman.
Unfortunately, Joseph did not do enough in his 72 minutes on the pitch against QPR to suggest that he should remain in the starting line-up on the other side of the international break.
The 21-year-old marksman struggled in and out of possession for the Whites in the clash and should now be in danger of being axed from the team, as he did not make an impact in the final third and was a liability off the ball.
Vs QPR
Mateo Joseph
Minutes played
72
xG
0.33
Goals + assists
0
Pass accuracy
73%
Duels won
3/13
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Joseph failed to score or provide an assist and gave the ball away far too often with his passes, only completing 73% of them.
His three duels won from 13 contested also show that the QPR defenders found it far too easy to get the better of the centre-forward in physical battles, which shows that the attacker struggled both in and out of possession.
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Joseph should now be in danger of being dropped, because he did not take his chance to shine, but he is now the only Leeds forward who may be in danger, as Wilfried Gnonto was far from being at his best.
Wilfried Gnonto's performance in numbers
The Italian whiz did not enjoy his best afternoon against QPR at Elland Road on Saturday, with an underwhelming performance that left plenty to be desired.
He has now gone eight games without a goal in the Championship for Leeds and has only registered one goal contribution in his last six outings, an assist against Plymouth.
Gnonto played 89 minutes on the right flank and found the target with one of his three efforts on goal, but failed to find the back of the net, whilst he also ended the game without an assist to his name.
The former Zurich star lost possession 12 times in the match without recording a goal contribution to assist his team on their way to all three points, as he was not directly involved in either the first or second goal.
He did create one ‘big chance’ but the context of that opportunity does not favour the former Inter gem. The Italian winger burst through the middle of the pitch on the counter-attack and had a relatively simple pass through to Manor Solomon to his left, but bobbled and overhit the pass.
That meant that the goalkeeper was able to come out and block the shot from a yard away by the time the Spurs loanee got to the ball, so it registered as a ‘big chance’ due to Solomon making first contact on a one-on-one, but the pass from Gnonto meant that there was little he could do but hit it straight at the body of the ‘keeper.
The 21-year-old attacker, who was described as “wasteful” by Farke because of that incident, should now be in danger of losing his position in the team.
Why Wilfried Gnonto could be dropped
Along with his poor performance against QPR, Gnonto’s recent form in the Championship has not been good enough for him to nail down his starting XI spot without question.
As aforementioned, it has now been eight matches since the winger found the back of the net, whilst his only goal contribution in the last six games was a pass to Dan James on the edge of the box, who scored from distance – hardly a contribution of high-quality.
In the 1-0 defeat to Millwall in midweek, Gnonto only won six of his 15 duels and failed to create a single ‘big chance’ for his teammates, whilst completing just 76% of his attempted passes and losing possession 18 times.
No player should be undroppable and the attacker’s recent performances have surely put him in danger of being axed from the starting XI, particularly when you consider the quality that Farke has at his disposal.
Dan James
23/24 Championship
24/25 Championship
Appearances
40
9
Starts
28
6
Goals
13
2
Assists
7
0
Big chances created
13
3
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, James has been a reliable source of goals and creativity on the wing at Championship level for the Whites since the start of last season.
He was a substitute against QPR on Saturday and this means that there is a quality option for Farke to replace Gnonto with, should he decide to drop the forward.
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Sheffield Wednesday picked up their first win in the Championship since the opening day last time out, surprisingly beating West Bromwich Albion 3-2 in an action-packed affair at Hillsborough.
The Baggies remain at the top of the table despite this blow to their ego in South Yorkshire, as both Josh Windass and Anthony Musaba found the back of the net, alongside a slice of fortune from Darnell Furlong, to gift Danny Rohl’s men a much-needed three points.
The victory would have obviously pleased the German in the dug-out, but he could make a couple of tweaks to his lineup anyway when Wednesday face off against Bristol City later on, with Ike Ugbo in danger of being potentially axed.
Ugbo's performance vs West Brom
It has arguably been an underwhelming start back at Wednesday for Ugbo, who was a firm fan’s favourite last season as an exciting loanee, with the ex-Chelsea youngster helping himself to an impressive seven goals from 18 second tier games as the Owls beat the drop.
Now, however, the Canada international only has one goal and one assist from eight appearances on his return, with his showing against Carlos Corberan’s Baggies somewhat forgettable.
The below-par Wednesday number 12 was barely involved throughout, as other attacking stars such as the aforementioned Windass and Barry Bannan took centre stage over the quiet 26-year-old.
Ugbo would only muster up 12 touches of the ball throughout his flat 71 minutes on the pitch, with James Beadle in the Owls net even beating this amount of touches himself at 31.
Thankfully for Rohl’s side, Musaba would pop up with a crucial goal at the death away from Ugbo’s off-day, with the lacklustre 26-year-old also failing to even register a single shot at Alex Palmer’s net.
Ugbo was handed out a low 6/10 rating by Sheffield Star journalist Alex Miller after the game subsequently, with the potential now for the Owls boss to freshen things up top away from relying on their number 12 to come good.
Canada international Ike Ugbo.
The players who could replace Ugbo
The first shout that could replace Ugbo this Wednesday night is Michael Smith, who was substituted on in place of the Canada international late on versus West Brom.
Smith couldn’t really leave his mark on the contest, as Musaba ended up being the late goalscoring hero, but the experienced centre-forward did manage to throw himself about as a lively presence with all four of the aerial duels he went in for successfully won.
Smith’s numbers this season vs Ugbo’s
Player
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Smith
9
1
3
Ugbo
8
1
1
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The 32-year-old – who has been dubbed a “game-changer” by former boss Darren Moore – has actually bettered Ugbo’s numbers this season so far too, with two more goal contributions in all competitions, and could feel he’s worthy of a starting spot away at Ashton Gate consequently.
Smith also has three goals from nine games across his career when facing off against Bristol City, with the hope of adding another to his Wednesday goal tally this evening if he is selected over an underperforming Ugbo.
Jamal Lowe will also feel he’s in for a credible shout to start over the ex-Troyes attacker too, having impressed in spurts since joining the Owls in the summer, with a debut goal against a hapless Plymouth Argyle on the opening day sticking out.
Yet, he has had to make do with a spot just on the substitutes bench in the last two clashes, with a need perhaps for Rohl to freshen his side up in attack away from Ugbo.
Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl.
The Owls manager will want his team to press on now and pick up another three points – away from who does end up leading the line – and with the Robins’ form this campaign so far very up-and-down, Wednesday will hope they can catch the hosts on a bad day.
Sheffield Wednesday dud who left for £0 is now outperforming Ugbo
Sheffield Wednesday dropped a clanger letting go of this former player when they did.
A Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF) divulgou todas as sedes e horários das primeiras partidas da segunda fase da Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, que acontecem na próxima quarta-feira (12). Classificados, clubes como Botafogo, Corinthians, Fluminense, Grêmio e Santos já sabem quando e onde serão seus jogos.
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+ VEJA ONDE ASSISTIR AOS JOGOS DA SEGUNDA FASE
Confira abaixo as sedes e horários das partidas da segunda fase da Copinha do dia 12 de janeiro (quarta-feira):
11h – Grêmio Novorizontino x Castanhal-PA Sede: Iacanga
11h – XV de Piracicaba x Taubaté Sede: Guaratinguetá
11h – Botafogo x São José Sede: Taubaté
11h30 – Fortaleza x Resende Sede: Suzano
15h -Votuporanguense x Guarani Sede: Votuporanga
15h – Vila Nova x Bahia Sede: Tanabi
15h – Fluminense x Francana Sede: Matão
15h – Nova Iguaçu x Ferroviária Sede: Cravinhos
15h – Athletico-PR x América-MG Sede: Araras
17h15 – Grêmio x Santa Cruz Sede: Jaú
18h – Mirassol x Atlético-MG Sede: Bálsamo
18h – Linense x Sport Sede: Lins
18h – Falcon-SE x Velo Clube-SP Sede: São Carlos
19h30 – Santos x Chapadinha-MA Sede: Araraquara
20h – Ponte Preta x Jacuipense Sede: Franca
21h45 – Corinthians x Ituano Sede: São José dos Campos
Newcastle United are eyeing up a move to sign a new attacker for Eddie Howe at the end of the current Premier League season as PIF look to make progress towards their goal of becoming the best side in world football.
Newcastle endure tough summer
Despite high hopes heading into the transfer window, Newcastle fans were left disappointed when the window ultimately slammed shut, having failed to make any major signings. After balancing their books through the sales of highly-rated pair Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson, the Magpies tried to pull off a £70m move for Marc Guehi, only for Crystal Palace to reject their multiple advances.
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It meant that Lloyd Kelly on a free transfer was their only defensive addition, with two goalkeepers signed as well as young attacking talent William Osula.
Having kept their powder dry this summer though, there is plenty of scope for future investment, and Howe's side are thought to be keeping tabs on a new forward.
Magpies eye up cheap deal in 2025
Now, it has been reported that Newcastle are keeping an eye on the situation of Leroy Sané at Bayern Munich as they look for a potential cheap deal. Sané is down to the final 12 months of his £325,000 a week deal in Bavaria, and is yet to pen fresh terms with the German giants, for whom he has featured 175 times.
Leroy Sané at Bayern Munich
Appearances
175
Goals
48
Assists
50
Minutes per goal/assist
118
He is yet to play for them this season though, having undergone groin surgery over the summer and only returning to training just before the international break. There are longer term concerns over his position at the Allianz Arena too, with Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, Mathys Tel and summer addition Michael Olise all fighting it out for the two wide spots for Vincent Kompany's side.
Now, GiveMeSport claim that Newcastle are one of the sides keeping a close eye on his situation, and are ready to offer the German a route back to the Premier League "within the next 12 months", either on a cut-price January deal or as a free transfer in the summer.
It is added that for Sané to remain at Bayern, "he will have to take a pay cut" on his current salary, while there are also "plans" in place "to bring in further reinforcements" in the wide areas after missing out on Desire Doué over the summer.
A move to Tyneside would certainly offer Sané regular first team football, with Newcastle still in the market for a right winger to mirror the performances of Anthony Gordon on the opposite flank. Still just 28-years-old, Sané is still one of the top wingers in world football, and was hailed by both England captain Harry Kane and former Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel across the past 12 months.
"I love playing with Leroy. We have a very good connection – on and off the pitch. He's a fantastic player and a fantastic guy," Kane told Sport1 after a win over Heidenheim in 2023.
Meanwhile, in the same month Thomas Tuchel explained: “Physically he’s a machine. He can implement our instructions like almost nobody else. As well as his talent, his physical condition is top-class."
For now, it remains a case of waiting to see how contract talks unfold, but were he to become available then Newcastle would be ready to make a statement signing, and bring in the first already world-class signing of Howe's reign.