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Following their spectacular end to last season, West Ham United have been enjoying a brilliant 2023/24 campaign, and at the halfway point, they find themselves sixth in the Premier League and through to the knockout rounds of the Europa League.

David Moyes has got his side firing on all cylinders, and while losing Declan Rice in the summer was a serious blow, the players bought in to replace him have been fantastic.

That said, with a real chance of more European silverware come May, the Hammers must make full use of the January transfer window, something it looks like they're doing, as the latest name touted for a move to the London Stadium could become their own Marc Guehi: Wolverhampton Wanderers' Max Kilman.

West Ham United transfer news – Max Kilman

According to sports broadcaster and journalist Ben Jacobs, Kilman is now a player to watch for West Ham in the January transfer window, especially if the potential exit of Nayef Aguerd is confirmed.

The Wolves stalwart was a target for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, but that interest seemingly fizzled out in August after he signed on to a new deal that does not expire until 2028.

This new contract has given the Old Gold some much-needed leverage in any potential negotiations, and as such, Jacobs expects that it could cost the Hammers up to £45m to secure the Englishman's signature this month.

While that would certainly represent a significant investment from the Irons, it might just be worth it to sign a player who Conor Coady described as "outstanding" when he was Wolves captain.

Max Kilman could be West Ham's Marc Guehi

The Premier League is blessed with an abundance of defensive talent; whether it is William Saliba at Arsenal, Virgil Van Dijk at Liverpool, Rúben Dias at Manchester City or even Sven Botman at Newcastle United, you cannot move for talented centre-backs in the top-flight.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 8, 2024

Yet, one exemplary talent often gets overlooked in such discussions: Crystal Palace's vice-captain, Guehi.

The young Englishman has been instrumental in the Eagles' steady Premier League existence over the last few years and has even won nine senior England caps.

So, the fact that he is viewed as the number one most similar player across Europe's top five leagues by FBref should excite the West Ham faithful, as if the "underrated" Kilman, as described by journalist Jacqui Oatley, ends up performing anywhere close to the level of the Palace star, then they'll have a real gem on their hands.

Position

Player

Club

1

Marc Guehi

Crystal Palace

2

Maxence Lacroix

Wolfsburg

3

Montassar Talbi

Lorient

4

Logan Costa

Toulouse

5

Diogo Leite

Union Berlin

That said, what are the similarities between the pair, aside from the obvious nationality and positional comparisons?

Well, it is in their underlying numbers that you will see most clearly the areas in which they are similar, although the extent to which their numbers match up is quite surprising.

For example, when it comes to non-penalty expected goals and assists per 90, their figures are just 0.01 apart; it is the same story for shots and almost the same for passes received.

Stat per 90

Kilman

Guehi

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.07

0.06

Progressive Carries

0.70

0.58

Shots

0.25

0.26

Passing Accuracy

82.5%

87.0%

Tackles

1.30

1.26

Interceptions

1.00

0.79

Clearances

4.70

4.37

Touches

69.3

67.3

Passes Received

46.9

44.7

Ball Recoveries

5.85

5.42

All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season

Moreover, the statistical similarities carry over to their defensive metrics, with Kilman, whom Jacqui Oatley dubbed as "pure class", producing 1.30 tackles per 90, while his Palace counterpart produces 1.26, and both make over five ball recoveries per 90 as well.

Ultimately, while £45m is undoubtedly a lot of money for a centre-back, his striking similarities to the incredible Guehi should be more than enough to convince West Ham to pull the trigger on this one.

Unai Emery and Aston Villa have thus far been frustrated in their efforts to sign Morgan Rogers from Championship side Middlesbrough. Michael Carrick's side have rejected two offers for the forward, and they're adamant that they won't compromise on a fee.

Rogers himself is thought to be keen on making the move to the Premier League high-flyers this month, and Villa are pushing to make him their main signing of the window after an earlier buy-and-loan-back deal for Red Star Belgrade's Kosta Nedeljkovic. There was a feeling, though, that this could become a saga that runs until the deadline.

Aston Villa could sign Duran replacement who's "out of this world"

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ByTom Lever Jan 25, 2024

As it turns out, Villa may be taking matters into their own hands by running the rule over an alternative who's also been impressing in the second tier.

Villa send scouts to watch Rowe

According to The Telegraph's John Percy, Villa are showing a "strong interest" in Jonathan Rowe at Norwich City. Three of the club's scouts were in attendance to watch him at Elland Road as Leeds beat Norwich 1-0 in midweek.

Percy clarifies that "Villa are still hopeful" of landing Rogers, but Rowe is very much "on their radar" as a possible Plan B after catching the eye with his impressive performances so far this season. After all, they wouldn't be sending multiple members of their recruitment team if they weren't huge admirers.

Rowe edges Rogers for goal threat

Norwich manager David Wagner recently said there are "no indications" that Rowe would be moving on and expressed confidence that he would remain with the Canaries past the winter deadline, but an official bid from Villa would drastically alter the landscape.

A 20-year-old academy graduate, Rowe is one short of 50 appearances for the club, with 31 of those coming this season. He's capable of playing on both wings and has been immensely productive this season, scoring 12 goals without any penalties to rank third in the division. It's worth noting that the England Under-21 international has over-performed his xG by a whopping 6.9, and while this shows that he's been devastating in front of goal, Villa would have to expect an initial regression, especially in a stronger league.

Greg Crane, one of Rowe's former coaches at Carrow Road, says he's a player who's always possessed a certain "wow factor", and he's demonstrating that in the second tier this season. The table below shows how he compares with Rogers as a goalscorer, creator and one-on-one threat:

Goals

0.14

0.57

Assists

0.41

0.09

Successful take-ons

1.86

1.47

Fouls drawn

1.24

2.37

You can see that the only area where Rogers has a standout advantage is assists, and Rowe more than makes up for that by finding the net more often. Fouled 50 times already this season (the fifth-most in the league), he's a player defenders find difficult to stop by fair means.

It remains to be seen how much Norwich will demand for his signature, but if he's available for less than Rogers, then there's a strong case for Villa pivoting away from the Boro man in the final days of the window.

Premier League and La Liga clubs could potentially boycott the expanded Club World Cup in 2025.

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PL & La Liga protest against FIFAWants 2025 CWC to be rescheduledThreaten legal action if demands are not metWHAT HAPPENED?

Leading the charge against FIFA are Premier League chief Richard Masters, Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) boss Maheta Molango, and La Liga president Javier Tebas. These influential figures are set to meet on Thursday at the FIFPRO and PFA Player Workload Conference in London to discuss the future of the tournament and have not ruled out legal action if their demands are not met. They argue that the proposed schedule, which would see the revamped Club World Cup hosted in the USA next summer, places an undue burden on players and clubs.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT MAHETA MOLANGO SAID

Molango has been particularly vocal, expressing his discontent with the current direction of football’s governing bodies. "Football is killing its own product," Molango told

"Those who run the game need to listen. If they don’t, then as unions we have a responsibility to the players to take action — and the legal route is the next step. The governing bodies have had every chance to meaningfully engage with us on this, but they have failed to do so. Current player workloads are unsustainable. People are realising the amount of games being pushed into the fixture calendar just don’t fit."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The crux of the argument against the expanded Club World Cup centres on player welfare. The new format includes three group matches followed by up to four knockout games, all to be played between June 15 and July 13. This tight schedule means players would return to action just two weeks after the Champions League final, leaving insufficient recovery time. International players’ union FIFPRO and the PFA have highlighted that this violates the minimum three-week break stipulated in professional contracts, increasing the risk of injuries and burnout.

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DID YOU KNOW?

While the tournament promises a substantial £600 ($762) million-plus prize fund, critics argue that the financial incentives do not outweigh the physical toll on players. Top clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea are set to participate, along with international stars such as Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich and Jude Bellingham’s Real Madrid. However, the allure of monetary rewards does little to mitigate concerns over player health and sustainability.

Warwickshire and rain spoil homecoming, but not for a grateful crowd who lapped up the occasion

Paul Edwards at York17-Jun-2019
The last time Yorkshire played at York Kent turned up with eight players, Bobby Peel took nine wickets and one of the spectators, Prince Albert Victor, a grandson of Queen Victoria, was later suspected of being Jack the Ripper. No crowd figure survives from that match played at Wigginton Road, 129 years ago, but you could wager Colin Graves’ gross worth that the general enthusiasm did not exceed that shown by spectators on this day of sun and showers at Clifton Park. Neither rain in the morning nor a tumble of Yorkshire wickets in the afternoon could spoil their fun.There were times, though, when Andrew Gale may not have been as sanguine.as the thousands who streamed through the gates this morning. Having seen his team progress smoothly to 93 for 1 by mid-afternoon the Yorkshire coach was troubled to see them lose five wickets for eight runs with only Gary Ballance’s patient 54 preventing a complete subsidence. In the final session, though, as the sun glistened briefly on the meringue roofs of the tented village, David Willey and Steve Patterson mounted a counter-offensive sufficient to disrupt the discipline which had characterised Warwickshire’s attack. Willey’s dismissal for 46, bowled by a fine ball from Craig Miles which scarcely stroked the off bail, still left Yorkshire on 208 for 8 when the last shower of the day sent everyone home. If Patterson and the tail can scramble another 40 or so, Yorkshire will have a defendable total on what looks an excellent pitch for four-day cricket.The crowd appreciated it all and enjoyed most of it. Rarely can spectators have contributed so much to a day’s play. They applauded happily when Adam Lyth glanced the first four of the match off Oliver Hannon-Dalby; they appreciated the bounce and lift which the Halifax-born bowler then extracted to have Lyth caught behind for 7; they retired to the beer tents when the first of the day’s five showers interrupted play. The pavilion bar was as crowded as the Northern Line (Bank Branch) in the rush hour, except that enjoyment rather than profit was the order of the day. But how could this be, one wondered, when only three men and a dog watch championship cricket?The pitch and surrounds were protected although not without hazard. Despite the groundsmen’s best efforts the wind got under the tarpaulins and at one stage there seemed a risk that a young Ebor would be lifted skyward when still clutching a cover and carried off towards Rawcliffe Ings like a latter-day Mary Poppins.But the rain soon abated and the 45 minutes’ cricket before lunch was of high quality. Both Hannon-Dalby and Liam Norwell made good use of the bounce and carry offered by the Clifton Park pitch but were resisted without mishap by Ballance and Will Fraine. The off-drive Ballance played to an over-pitched ball from Hannon-Dalby was the stroke of the morning but the boundary Fraine eased through the covers off Norwell was not far behind. When Jeetan Patel brought himself on at the Shipton End Ballance cut him to backward point for four in his first over and then swept him to the scoreboard in his third.Yorkshiremen around the ground took their lunch with their side on 60 for 1. The pennants atop the corporate hospitality marquee fluttered in the breeze and the pale sunlight gleamed on the roof beneath which the consumption was apologetically conspicuous. And for something like half an hour after the resumption nothing happened to cause the majority of guests any indigestion. Then Yorkshire collapsed and everyone ordered a large one.First-class cricket makes its debut at Clifton Park•ESPNcricinfo LtdWarwickshire’s success was nothing less than they deserved. Having pulled Miles skilfully for four, Fraine attempted to repeat the shot but was brilliantly caught by Matt Lamb, diving low to his left from midwicket. Two balls later Tom Kohler-Cadmore was leg before for a duck when playing a barely descript shot at a straight ball. In the next over Jack Leaning was bowled for nought on his old club ground when Miles speared one between bat and pad.Patel’s attack maintained the pressure, perhaps sensing this was their best chance to justify their decision to field first. Runs were conceded like tips are offered by misers. Only eight had been added to the total when Jonny Tattersall edged Hannon-Dalby to slip. Four balls later Jordan Thompson was leg before when playing too flamboyantly to the same bowler.Ballance and Willey restored their side’s innings with a 44-run stand but the temper of the day’s cricket had changed. Having battled for nearly three hours, Ballance was caught on the crease by a delighted Patel and sent on his way by Jeff Evans. Willey and Patterson’s uncomplicated strokeplay gave home supporters something to warm them as they made their way back to their hotels.And all this took place on a day when many cricket fans were following the dramatic events at Taunton. It is an entertaining paradox that a tournament designed to celebrate cricket across the world has resulted in the game returning to localities whose inhabitants never dreamt their grounds would host first-class matches. Newclose, Newport and Nettleworth have all also hosted championship matches in recent weeks yet nowhere has the attraction of watching first-class cricket been exhibited more powerfully than at York.The crowds filled the bars and when they could find a spare square yard of space they sat with their pints near the boundary edge. Yorkshiremen are infamous for an inordinate desire to get value for money. This is rather a shabby slur; as ever, stereotype is the enemy of thought. Thirty overs were trimmed off this day by rain yet no one complained as they went home after another illustration of the game’s secret truth that if you take championship cricket back to the people, the people will turn up to watch it. Three men and a dog? My arse.

Emma Hayes claims to see a “lot of holes” in the USWNT squad that she has inherited, despite enjoying a winning start to her reign in the States.

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New challenge for ex-Chelsea bossEased past South Korea in opening gameBuilding towards Olympic medal bidWHAT HAPPENED?

The former Chelsea boss, who enjoyed considerable success with the WSL champions in England, has agreed to take on one of the most demanding roles in international soccer. With the U.S. having been a dominant force in the women’s game, the expectation is to maintain that standing.

AdvertisementWHAT HAYES SAID

Hayes saw her side ease to a 4-0 victory over South Korea in her first game at the helm, but the most ambitious of characters sees plenty of room for improvement. Hayes has said of her early work: “It’s been about building trust. It’s been about making sure everybody understands what the expectations are. It’s a process and we’ve got to go one step at a time. I’m doing the job I love. I get to enjoy those amazing players. I don’t feel relief from that. I just feel reenergized and want to coach this group and they want to be coached. You can see we’re building something. There’s lots of work to do, there’s lots of holes in our play, no question. But it was a good start.”

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Mallory Swanson and Tierna Davidson bagged a brace apiece for the USWNT against South Korea, with Hayes impressed by the drive and determination within her ranks. She added on the collective targets that are being set: “Listen, we all know the main ingredients of the American DNA. That will not change under my stewardship. For me the most important thing has been their ability to grasp information really, really quickly and learn. No matter what we’ve thrown at them this week, they’re taking it on, they’re absorbing it. This team is desperate to improve. And it’s focused on the performances and the processes to do that.”

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WHAT NEXT?

South Korea will be faced again on Tuesday, before taking in friendly clashes with Mexico and Costa Rica in July. Those fixtures are intended to help Hayes finalise plans for a gold medal bid at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Australia’s warm-up in England brought three victories, but now Justin Langer has to finally nail down his starting XI for the opening game of the World Cup

Andrew McGlashan28-May-2019Khawaja v MarshBarring injury, Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh cannot fit in the same XI now that David Warner and Steven Smith are back, so one will be carrying the drinks. Each have strong cases to make the cut, although if the most recent success carries weight then that favours Khawaja, who has scored 769 runs in 13 ODIs this year (more than any other player). He was shuffled around in the warm-up matches – batting in an unaccustomed No. 5 against West Indies then opening against Sri Lanka and making 89 – and has shaken off two injury scares (a blow on the head and the knee) during the preparation. The other debate with Khawaja, if he plays, is where he bats – either opening where he has forged a strong alliance with Aaron Finch or at No. 3 to allow Warner to return at the top. Marsh, meanwhile, could rightly feel hard-done by if he misses out having carried Australia’s batting during their one-day struggles with four centuries in eight innings against England, South Africa and India.One spinner or twoThe warm-up matches allowed teams to use more than eleven players so there was a chance for Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon to get a good amount of work. During the camp in Brisbane, Finch said that Zampa was the No. 1 spinner given he provides an attacking option, but the ball has also been coming out nicely for Lyon since arriving in England. However, it’s tough for Australia to balance their side with three frontline quicks and play both frontline spinners – the only way would be to leave out a batsman, play Alex Carey at No. 6 and a collection of bowling allrounders. Glenn Maxwell’s bowling is shaping as an important part of the gameplan – good for a full quota if things go well – and he has previously spoken about the value of his stint with Lancashire earlier in the season. It was also interesting to see Smith given a twirl against West Indies and Sri Lanka, clearly Finch is trying to have as many options as he can. And could the captain be one himself? Remember that ODI against Pakistan in March when he took 1 for 41 off his 10 overs?Who supports Starc and Cummins?The big two are locked in, but in the absence of Josh Hazlewood and Jhye Richardson there remains a jostling for who the third quick will be between Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kane Richardson and Jason Behrendorff. They all bring something a little different; Coulter-Nile offers more batting, Richardson is known for his skills at the death and Behrendorff can be a threat if the new ball moves. Richardson was given both official warm-up matches although he was expensive against the Sri Lankans, Coulter-Nile took a pasting from Jos Buttler before claiming his wicket and Behrendorff collected 2 for 43 in his outing against England. It is likely that all will be needed at some stage of the tournament but it remains tricky to say who is the frontrunner.

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has favoured Pascal Struijk and Spurs loanee Joe Rodon as his centre-back partnership at Elland Road this season, with the duo racking more than 4,000 minutes between them. Club captain Liam Cooper has also played his part, with 637 minutes under his belt, but Charlie Cresswell has effectively been ousted from the first-team picture.

Cresswell hasn't featured at all for Leeds – in any competition – since a late substitute appearance in a 1-0 win over QPR at the start of October, and his last Championship start came in a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City in August. Speaking earlier this month, Farke said that the Englishman had shown a lack of focus and complained about his position in the defensive hierarchy.

The manager has decided not to pick him unless that stance changes, and there's a possibility that the 21-year-old could move on. Farke is "adamant" that Leeds should have four senior centre-backs in their squad, so that could open the door for a new face, and Ben Godfrey has emerged as a possible candidate.

Leeds rival European giants for Godfrey

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Leeds are interested in Godfrey at Everton, as are Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United. Both teams are said to be "on the trail" of the former Norwich man and could swoop in to steal him from Serie A outfit Atalanta.

They face more competition on the continent too from AC Milan, sitting third-place in Serie A and long-term admirers of Godfrey. Milan ideally want to sign Clement Lenglet, currently on loan at Aston Villa from Barcelona, but his salary could be an insurmountable obstacle.

Intermediaries have now offered them the chance to sign Godfrey, who had been "very close" to joining fellow Italian side Atalanta. That transfer was "agreed in detail" but it's now been "ruined" by "soaring costs". Leeds, Sheffield United and Milan all fancy hijacking the deal.

"Tremendous" Godfrey can rediscover top form at Leeds

After coming through at York City, Godfrey joined Norwich in 2016 and spent four years at Carrow Road before Everton signed him in a £25m deal. He's since played 80 games for the Toffees, but he's hardly had a look-in this year with just one Premier League start (in a 2-0 win over Burnley in mid-December).

Frustratingly, he's been fit and healthy too, making the squad for every single top-flight game but simply failing to earn the faith of manager Sean Dyche. From that standpoint, a loan or indeed a permanent exit would make sense.

EFL Championship done deals: Every January 2024 transfer

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ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

If he does move to Elland Road, Leeds would hope he could rediscover the form he was showing in his final stretch at Norwich, which earned him a £25m move, and his first year at Everton. BBC Sport's Phil McNulty said he'd been a "revelation" after his arrival at Goodison Park, while fellow journalist Jonathan Northcroft hailed him as a "tremendous athlete" and pundit Rio Ferdinand applauded his "great" 1 v 1 abilities.

Indeed, Godfrey was successful 65.9% of the time when he went to tackle a dribbler, the eighth-best record in the league that year. His performances earned him the club's young player of the season award, and perhaps he can get back to that level with a needed move.

Without the worry of qualifying, South Africa begin the series of long farewells to Tahir and Duminy from 50-over cricket

Liam Brickhill27-Jun-2019Big pictureIt was only three months ago that Sri Lanka travelled the length and breadth of South Africa, only to be walloped 5-0 in the ODIs and 3-0 in the T20Is. Their bowlers were flayed all around while the batsman were repeatedly tormented by a fiery attack. Lasith Malinga struggled for impact and looked spent, grumpily berating his team-mates’ attitude. What a different three months can make.Malinga might still be the World Cup’s grumpiest uncle, but he’s also fired his team up to keep them still very much in contention for a semi-final spot. The South African camp, meanwhile, have their pride (and jobs) on the line after five defeats in seven games. South Africa’s failure has been as incomprehensible as Sri Lanka’s success, but here we are.For South Africa, this match – and their final game against Australia – will present an opportunity to bid farewell, at least in this format, to JP Duminy and Imran Tahir, who are all set to retire from ODIs after the World Cup. For the moment, they are a team in limbo, with one foot in the past even as they eye the future.Sri Lanka aren’t quite done with the business of this World Cup, and their focus is very much in the present. Their victory over England and England’s subsequent defeat to Australia have opened up the qualification race, and Sri Lanka could still reach 12 points if they win all three of their remaining games, potentially with a little wriggle room in the top four. They may well need it, if their mercurial run through this tournament so far is anything to go by.Their two victories have been counterbalanced by two massive defeats – by 10 wickets and 87 runs – and the weather has also followed them around, with two of their matches rained off. The weather shouldn’t be an issue this time around, and against a team who are out of contention and deep in introspection, Sri Lanka’s biggest challenge could be to overcome their own inconsistencies.Form guide South Africa: LLWLL (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: WLWLWAFPIn the spotlightRassie van der Dussen is possibly the only South African who will leave this World Cup with his reputation enhanced. Van der Dussen has not scored enough runs to outweigh South Africa’s general inadequacies with the bat, but two fifties and an average of 54 in his very first World Cup campaign are not to be sniffed at. He has made a start in every innings, with scores of 50, 41, 22, 67* and 36, and looked to be proactive when set, hitting more sixes (6) than anyone else in his team so far. As South Africa look to move forward after the World Cup, it’s possible that van der Dussen could be asked to play a crucial role – possibly even as a captain, with the incumbent Faf du Plessis suggesting he has “massive leadership potential”.How much does Lasith Malinga have left in the tank? He turned back the clock with the four biggest wickets in England’s top order to help set up a 20-run win in Sri Lanka’s last outing, and in the last two years he has been Sri Lanka’s go-to bowler in every phase of the innings. When Malinga does well, Sri Lanka tend to also, and they need more of the same in their last two group games.Team newsSouth Africa’s selections are somewhat academic at this point, but they may look to give JP Duminy an outing ahead of what could be the final ODI of his career against Australia.South Africa: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Aiden Markram/JP Duminy, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt), 5 Rassie van der Dussen, 6 David Miller, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Imran TahirNuwan Pradeep is down with fever and could miss out. Suranga Lakmal is likely to come in.Sri Lanka: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Kusal Perera (wk), 3 Avishka Fernando, 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Jeevan Mendis, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Suranga LakmalPitch and conditionsThis is Chester-le-Street’s first match of the World Cup, and a fresh pitch could well encourage the bowlers early on. The average first innings score at this ground in the last five ODIs played here is a modest 262, and the team that bowls first has won three of those games and nine times out of 16 overall. Fortunately, the weather is expected to be fine on Friday.Strategy punt Dhananjaya de Silva’s offspin could form the basis of a solid game plan against Quinton de Kock, who walloped three half-centuries and a hundred in the ODI series against Sri Lanka in March. De Kock hasn’t exactly struggled against Dhananjaya in the past, averaging 40.5 against him, but has been out to him twice. On his part, three of the five wickets Dhananjaya has picked at this World Cup have been left-handers. Almost a quarter of de Kock’s dismissals in ODIs have been to offspinners, against whom he averages 38.4 (compared to a career average of 45.23). Against him, Dhananjaya could be Sri Lanka’s secret weapon. Lungi Ngidi is yet to take a wicket in the Powerplay this World Cup, and has conceded runs at 7.2 an over at the top of the innings. Should South Africa consider using him as a first change bowler? While he has been ineffective with the new ball, Ngidi has taken all seven of his wickets at the death, and his economy rate of 6.4 in the last 10 overs is one of the best in the tournament. If South Africa allow Chris Morris, who has an economy of just 3.3 in the first 10 during this tournament, to partner Kagiso Rabada with the new ball, Ngidi could be given an extended spell at the back end of the innings.Stats and trivia Sri Lanka have never lost an ODI at the Riverside Ground, having played here twice. This will be South Africa’s first game in Durham Ngidi has taken 18 wickets in 9 innings against Sri Lanka at an average of 18.8, his best against any top 10 ranked opposition in ODIsQuotes”What’s left to play for is really ourselves. We’ve dedicated the last two years to coming here and winning the tournament. We can’t let two weeks’ work reflect badly on us.”
“We think that we have a good chance because we are coming off two wins and a very good win against England, although we didn’t play our best cricket to win the game in terms of batting. I think we had a perfect bowling display, defending that target.”

The ex-Spurs str had a truly stunning season with Bayern Munich and could not be in a better position to lead his country to glory in Germany

Cast an eye over the list of winners of the European Golden Shoe award and you will come across some of the greatest strikers in football's history, from legends of the past whose mere mention will bring your grandfather to tears, to the modern greats.

The award, given to the highest scorer in European league football each season, was first won by Portugal and Benfica hero Eusebio, while the third edition was won by the legendary German striker Gerd Muller, whose shot was so lethal he was was known as 'the nation's Bomber'.

Thierry Henry, Robert Lewandowski and Luis Suarez have won the prestigious award twice, Cristiano Ronaldo lifted it four times, while Lionel Messi has a record six gongs. But the latest winner is a player who has long been knocking on the door of greatness and has finally been let in: Harry Kane.

Kane did not just win the award, he left his rivals in the dust, scoring a sensational 36 goals in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich, eight more than his closest rival Serhou Guirrassy and nine more in league football than Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. His timing could not have been better as he heads to the European Championship as the continent's top scorer and, by extension, will be the best striker at the tournament.

Yet there is still one thing that continues to haunt Kane: his failure to win a single trophy in his career. And it is a subject that will be discussed throughout the tournament and long after unless he can fire England to glory in Germany.

GettyBreaking records for fun

Kane had long been lauded in England for his heroics with Tottenham, but never quite got the same acclaim in Europe. But that has changed dramatically since moving to Bayern. Despite the challenge of moving away from the club he had been at for his entire life and moving abroad, facing cultural and language barriers, he has exceeded all expectations, sending all sorts of records tumbling.

The striker scored on his Bundesliga debut, having set up a goal within his first four minutes on the pitch. After bagging a hat-trick in a 7-0 rout of Bochum in September, he had scored seven goals in his first five games and made the best start to a season in Bayern's history, surpassing Miroslav Klose, Mario Mandzukic and the legendary Muller. After 10 games, he had 15 Bundesliga goals, toppling the previous record held by Klaus Matischak which had stood for 60 years.

After 11 matches, Kane had scored more goals than the previous season's top scorers in the Bundesliga, Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug. And after bagging back-to-back hat-tricks against Darmstadt and Borussia Dortmund plus a brace against Stuttgart, he became the fastest player ever to reach 20 Bundesliga goals in a season, toppling another 60-year record, this one held by Uwe Seeler.

Kane bettered Erling Haaland by scoring 30 goals after 25 games, with the Norwegian needing 32 games to get to that milestone when he was at Borussia Dortmund. He finished with the fourth-highest goal tally in a season in Bundesliga history, only falling short of Muller's totals of 38 and 40 in 1969-70 and 1970-71, respectively, as well as Robert Lewandowski's record of 41 goals in the 2020-21 season.

If it was any consolation, he at least holds the record for the greatest debut season in the league's history. And there is always next season.

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Kane will be battling other modern greats for the Golden Boot at Euro 2024, but he can comfortably claim to be the best striker at the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo is playing his 11th major tournament and has warmed up for it by scoring 35 goals for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, but his tally has to be caveated by the fact the league is ranked by as the 27th best in the world. The Bundesliga, by comparison, is second. Ronaldo is also nine years older than Kane, and whilst he would never admit it, he is well past the peak of his powers.

Mbappe is his closest challenger and pound-for-pound a better footballer than Kane, but is mostly considered a wide forward rather than a centre-forward like the Englishman. And Kane contributed to more goals than the Frenchman both in the league and Champions League.

Kane's like-for-like rivals at the tournament all had poor seasons compared to his remarkable campaign. Romelu Lukaku scored 13 times in Serie A, Alvaro Morata got 15 goals in La Liga, Fullkrug got 12 in the Bundesliga while Rasmus Hojlund finished with 10 Premier League goals.

Aleksandar Mitrovic, who Kane will come up against in England's opener against Serbia, has had a prolific season, firing Al-Hilal to the Saudi Pro League title with 28 goals, but, as with Ronaldo, that tally is far less impressive than Kane's.

GettyMissed opportunities

But one thing Kane failed to do, in keeping with the theme of his career, was win a trophy. And while his lack of silverware could have been forgiven at Tottenham, it is most damning that he could not win anything at Bayern.

The Bavarians had not failed to win a trophy since 2012, when Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund were in their pomp and swept to the double. They had won 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles since then, as well as five DFB-Pokals and two Champions Leagues.

The fact Bayern could not win one competition after signing the England captain led to predictable talk that they had been struck by the Kane curse. As with most social media discussions, it has mostly been said with tongues firmly planted in cheeks. Dimitar Berbatov put it best when he said: "Harry Kane curse? F*ck off, that sounds stupid and it’s disrespectful! Football can be f*cking cruel."

But jokes aside, the fate that befell Kane and Bayern this season was remarkable. He completed his £82 million ($104m) move from Spurs and signed his contract with Bayern on the same day they faced RB Leipzig in the German Super Cup, a competition the club had won six out of the previous seven occasions. But from the bench, Kane watched his side go 2-0 down, conceding a third goal minutes after he had come on to make his debut.

More strange happenings occurred when Bayern played Saarbrucken in the DFB-Pokal. Kane was part of the squad that travelled to the third-division outfit as Thomas Tuchel heavily rotated his team and saw his side throw away the lead and lose to a stoppage-time goal.

Bayern's 11-year grip on the Bundesliga, meanwhile, came to an emphatic end as Bayer Leverkusen stormed to their first-ever title while remaining unbeaten, hammering the Bavarians 3-0 in February to move five points clear. Xabi Alonso's side finished with a sensational 90 points, 18 more than Bayern, who ended up finishing third – behind Stuttgart – for the first time since 2012.

The biggest disappointment, though, was the way Bayern exited the Champions League in the semi-finals, taking a 1-0 lead in the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu and holding on to it until the 88th minute, when Real Madrid's voodoo in the competition set in and substitute Joselu stepped up to win the tie with two goals in four minutes.

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gettyNot to blame

But the idea that Kane was responsible for Bayern's failings is absurd. He was helpless to stop that disaster against Madrid as he had been taken off by Tuchel while his side were 1-0 up, while he played just 27 minutes against Leipzig in the Super Cup and didn't get on the pitch against Saarbrucken.

Nor could he be blamed for Bayern surrendering the title. With 36 goals and eight assists, he certainly held up his part of the bargain. Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich underperformed in the Bundesliga, while the usually reliable Manuel Neuer was at fault in the Champions League, with a suspect offside call also playing a role in their exit. There is also a sense that Bayern were never the right fit for Tuchel.

Kane's inability to win a trophy was also used against him when he was at Tottenham, although he undoubtedly left the club in a far better place than when he broke through from their academy in the 2013-14 season. Kane had been the talisman in Spurs' greatest era since the 1980s, having left a much bigger mark on the club than their previous trophy wins, the League Cups of 1999 and 2008.

He was the main reason they qualified for the Champions League five times, reaching the final in 2019. He departed as Spurs' all-time top scorer after helping make them one of the most popular teams in the world.

It's injury season at Anfield. Liverpool had largely swerved any big-impact injury blows throughout the maiden phase of 2023/24 but Joel Matip's season-ending anterior cruciate rupture in December opened a cataract of setbacks.

By and large, Jurgen Klopp's side have ensured that any absences have not been detrimental to the club's progress this season, first place in the Premier League, into the Carabao Cup, hosting Championship opposition in the FA Cup fifth round and favourites in the Europa League.

However, Sunday's insipid performance at the Emirates handed Arsenal a major boost in their own title aspirations and leaves Manchester City poised to leapfrog the Reds into top spot, should they win their game in hand.

Fatigue appeared to have crept in and the absences of Mohamed Salah, Wataru Endo and rising star Conor Bradley inhibited the fluency that has been so impressive this season.

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ByAngus Sinclair Feb 5, 2024

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai had just returned from injuries too, with Klopp's woes now compounded by a recurrence of the latter's hamstring issue.

Dominik Szoboszlai injury update

Liverpool started 2024 off with an almighty bang after dispatching Newcastle United 4-2 in the Premier League on New Year's Day, but victory came at a cost as Szoboszlai was withdrawn after the hour mark with a muscular problem, missing the next four matches in all competitions.

Luckily, Liverpool avoided any slip-ups during that period and advanced to the Carabao Cup final after a double-legged victory over Fulham, but Szoboszlai's absence was felt against Arsenal last time out, with his replacement, Ryan Gravenberch, producing an ineffectual display in his stead, taking just 24 touches and failing to make a single tackle.

Klopp seemed to insinuate that the Hungary captain's absence in the capital was a precautionary measure – "we cannot take any risk" – but recent news suggests that he could now face four weeks in the medical room.

Journalist Bence Bocsak, Szoboszlai's compatriot, has since eased fears and claimed that the issue isn't as severe as reports suggest, but a replacement will need to be established regardless.

Szoboszlai's Liverpool career so far

Szoboszlai joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in a £60m deal last summer after dazzling in Germany, winning successive DFB Pokals and posting 42 goal contributions from 91 appearances.

Taking to life on Merseyside seamlessly, Szoboszlai has been instrumental in restoring the engine room, influential and alacritous, both in possession and out.

Crossing

Aerial duels

Key passes

Tackling

Passing

Dribbling

Long shots

Ball retention

Defensive contribution

Concentration

As per FBref, the 23-year-old ranks among the top 16% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for progressive carries, the top 8% for successful take-ons and the top 11% for blocks per 90.

Dubbed the "Hungarian artist" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, he has started 20 matches in the top flight this term, completing 88% of his passes and averaging 1.8 key passes, 1.4 tackles and 6.3 ball recoveries per outing, as per Sofascore.

In all competitions, the £120k-per-week ace has scored five goals and supplied four assists across 28 fixtures, though his import to value within Liverpool's system stretches beyond his direct return.

With fearsome shooting skills and technical brilliance, Szoboszlai won't be easily replaced, as evidenced by Gravenberch's performance in the capital.

That said, Liverpool have largely been fine during the January period, gruelling and a sticking point for many teams each year, and there will be optimism that Szoboszlai's setback does not ravage the upcoming endeavours.

Gravenberch and Harvey Elliott will be hoping to earn starts, but this might present a great opportunity for Klopp to provide teenage talent Bobby Clark with increased responsibility.

Szoboszlai's surprise replacement

Clark made his Liverpool debut off the bench in a 9-0 rout over Bournemouth in the early stage of the 2022/23 season but has started to earn consistent chances this term, featuring four times after the break.

Excelling in the Premier League 2, the 18-year-old has clinched two goals and four assists from just six outings since the summer and is now ready to receive his very first starting berth.

Clark had loan offers on the table from numerous outfits but Klopp decided that the former Magpies starlet was to remain at Anfield for the remainder of the campaign, bespeaking his potential as a starring member of Liverpool's squad down the line.

Just one day away from his 19th birthday, Clark could now start to push for a maiden Premier League start after his appearances thus far.

Previously lauded for his "bags of skill and talent" by The Chronicle's Lee Ryder, the prospect is elegant, intelligent and creative and must harness such qualities and bring them to the fore.

Liverpool's development head coach, Barry Lewtas, has also taken note of his meteoric rise and has said: "He’s extremely talented and his pressing is excellent. He’s been a really good player for us, but I also think he’s made massive strides as well, big improvements, and that’s what he’s going to have to continue to do.”

His excellent pressing ability will undoubtedly be one of the chief reasons behind Klopp's decision to hand him these regular opportunities among the first-team, and with the industrious Curtis Jones alongside him, there is no reason why Clark couldn't produce a good performance in Szoboszlai's position.

Of course, he's still largely untested on the major stage and his manager will be wary of placing too heavy a load on his shoulders, but everyone starts somewhere and Clark is now ready to ascend to prominence at the heart of Liverpool's team.