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Bjorn Fortuin and Tabraiz Shamsi strangled the Giants with two wickets apiece, as the hosts lost their first match of the season

The Report by Sreshth Shah27-Nov-2019It took a team performance, in the truest sense of the phrase, for the Paarl Rocks to beat the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants and go on top of the points table in the Mzansi Super League. The Rocks’ top-scorer made only 37 before each of their bowlers took two wickets to bowl out the Giants. The result was a comfortable 31-run win to silence the home crowd.The Giants had done well with the ball to restrict the Rocks to 166 for 7 with four wickets in four consecutive overs when the death overs started to avoid what could have been a bigger total. But barring Ben Dunk, none of their batsmen made use of their starts, and they fell prey to the spin attack of Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin under the lights to fold for 135.Spin rocks the Rocks earlyAsked to bat, the Rocks began slowly after Beuran Hendricks delivered two tight overs, but openers Henry Davids and Cameron Delport shellacked Chris Morris and Junior Dala for plenty. Dala’s first over went for 19 as Delport struck a hat-trick of boundaries to end the fourth.Imran Tahir then struck within three balls of the fifth over when Delport flat-batted one to mid-off. Faf du Plessis, who has had a lukewarm season, ramped Morris in the next over for four over fine leg and followed it up with a six over long-on.After two quiet overs, du Plessis also smashed Onke Nyaku over long-on but a two-wicket over from the Giants captain JJ Smuts turned the tide. Off the first ball of Smuts’ second over, Davids holed out to long-off and five balls later, a miscommunication between the new man James Vince and du Plessis saw the latter depart for 27.The Rocks finish strongThe run-out may have played a part in Vince taking on the anchor’s role thereafter. He struck boundaries in the next three overs to take the Rocks past three figures before they lost four late wickets, including that of Vince for 37 and the hard-hitting Isuru Udana. But No. 8 Ferisco Adams struck 23 in 12 balls to lift the Rocks to a respectable score.Bravery favours FortuinLeft-arm spinner Fortuin was handed the new ball in the chase, and a full drifting delivery saw Jason Roy bowled for a golden duck as he made room to smash the ball but missed it completely. Smuts and Matthew Breetzke then kept the score ticking, but Hardus Viljoen broke the partnership in the fifth over by knocking over Smuts. He was timing the ball well, but Smuts found Vince at mid-on while trying to flick one.No. 4 Dunk didn’t let the intensity drop by slogging Shamsi for six, but Breetzke couldn’t get the same result off Fortuin as he mistimed one to du Plessis at long-on for 22. Although Dunk then whacked Fortuin for a six in the final over of his spell, he finished with 2 for 28 in four overs. When Fortuin’s spell ended, the Giants required 89 from 54 balls, at nearly 10 runs per over, with seven wickets in hand.Bizarre Dunk dismissal ends Giants’ hopesTill Dunk was in the middle, the home crowd had hope even though Heino Kuhn and Marco Marais fell cheaply to Shamsi in the 14th over. With No. 7 Morris, Dunk struck a few boundaries off the pacers, but the required run rate kept rising. Two balls after Morris’ dismissal to a yorker from Adams, Dunk was adjudged hit wicket after replays showed his heel had knocked the bails off. With 49 still required from 17, the Giants never recovered and the Rocks missed a bonus point by not being able to restrict the Giants to 132.

The current international break will allow Glasgow Rangers the ideal chance to rest and recover ahead of the final few weeks of the 2023/24 campaign.

The break should give Philippe Clement time to assess his squad ahead of the summer transfer window, looking to see what positions he needs to improve, while figuring out the players who are surplus to requirements.

The previous few weeks saw the first team squad stretched to the limit due to the hectic schedule, meaning the Belgian manager had to pitch in players from the cold in important matches.

One notable example was Scott Wright starting against Benfica. The winger has featured sporadically under Clement since last October but was given a chance to impress against the Portuguese giants.

The Scot did show a glimpse of his talent, but will this be enough to keep him at Ibrox next season?

Scott Wright’s season in numbers

The winger was close to sealing an exit from Glasgow last summer, as Turkish side Pendikspor made a £500k bid for him when Michael Beale was still in charge of the Light Blues.

A few weeks later, however, the move ground to a halt over wage demands, with Wright remaining in Scotland to fight for his place in the first team.

He made four appearances – totalling just 97 minutes – before Beale was dismissed after the 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen in September.

Goals

0

Assists

0

Key passes per game

0.6

Successful dribbles per game

0.4

Big chances created

1

Via Sofascore

The emergence of Ross McCausland saw Wright bench-bound under Clement and, at the time of writing, he had made only six starts for the Gers since mid-October.

Against Benfica, Wright did show plenty of attacking intent, constantly running at full-back Fredrik Aursnes, succeeding with three of his five dribble attempts while winning four of his six ground duels, and it was a mature performance at perhaps the right time.

McCausland has, however, established himself as the de facto number-one choice on the right wing under the Belgian and with Wright's contract expiring in 2025, this summer is the ideal chance for the club to move him on for some sort of transfer fee.

The 50-year-old tactician could delve into the transfer market this summer for a replacement, or he could utilise a player who Rangers sent out on loan last summer – Ianis Hagi.

How Ianis Hagi is doing out on loan

Hagi’s spell at Ibrox was going swimmingly until January 21st, 2022. During a Scottish Cup tie against Stirling Albion, Hagi suffered a serious knee injury in the early stages of the match, eventually forcing him to miss the rest of the season.

He made his comeback during the second half of last season, but was restricted to just 11 appearances, scoring once for the Gers as he was looking to bounce back to full fitness.

Beale ended up sending the Romanian dynamo out on loan to Spanish side Deportivo Alaves with the hope that regular game time would allow him to return to Glasgow in a better physical condition.

So far during the 2023/24 campaign, Hagi has played 22 games for the club, scoring twice, and registering an assist, a decent, if slightly underwhelming return, since arriving in Spain.

Despite starting only six matches in La Liga, Hagi has created three big chances, averages 1.1 key passes per game and succeeded with 59% of his attempted dribbles, showing glimpses of his ability.

Although typically an attacking midfielder, Hagi has operated on the right wing numerous times during his career, especially at Rangers, where he sometimes played in a front three alongside Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent, to devastating effect.

There is no doubt he would be a better option for Clement to call upon than Wright on the flank, given his return to playing on a more regular basis, and it could be like having a new signing in the team.

Ianis Hagi’s Rangers statistics

The playmaker arrived in Glasgow to much fanfare in January 2020 as Steven Gerrard secured his signature on a loan deal until the end of the season.

Of course, at that stage, no one knew that the Covid-19 pandemic was going to halt proceedings, yet Hagi did not take long to introduce himself to the Ibrox faithful.

On his first start for the club against Hibs, Hagi scored a late winner to seal all three points before surpassing that just two weeks later.

In their Europa League last 32 clash against Braga, the Gers were trailing 2-0. Step up Hagi. The then-youngster scored a wonderful effort to make it 2-1 before Joe Aribo scored a stunning solo goal to level things up with just over ten minutes remaining.

When Rangers get a freekick on the edge of the Braga box, there is only one outcome, as Hagi scores his second of the night and secures a famous comeback win.

Gerrard – who described him as an “absolute dream to work with” – secured Hagi on a permanent deal ahead of the 2020/21 season.

The Romanian scored eight goals and grabbed 15 assists as the Light Blues won their first league crown in a decade and his performances were vital in them achieving success.

There is no doubt his presence in the starting XI could benefit certain players, with Danilo being one.

During that title-winning season, Hagi created six big chances and averaged one key pass per game, showcasing his creative abilities.

This could allow him to work well with the Brazilian striker – who looks set to make a comeback from his knee injury next month – by providing him with plenty of chances during games, with Danilo netting four times from just 12 league outings this season.

If given a consistent run of matches, Hagi could certainly get back to the form he displayed prior to suffering that horrendous knee injury two years ago. The question is, will Clement want to bring him back into the fold?

Rangers could have replaced Dessers with a striker who left in 2023

The former Light Blues academy star decided to leave Ibrox ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

ByDan Emery Mar 22, 2024

The midfielder signed an extended contract with the Gers back in 2022 and if the Belgian manager wanted to sell him, he could secure a respectable transfer fee for him.

Following his injury, however, Hagi could return and target a first team spot ahead of next season, and he could work well with the current players in the squad.

Andre Onana is convinced that Leny Yoro will provide value for money at £52 million ($67m) as Manchester United have “very good scouts”.

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Red Devils spent big on promising defenderPromise of more transfer business to comeGoalkeeper looking forward to new seasonGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Eyebrows have been raised after the Red Devils invested heavily in a teenage defender who has just 60 senior appearances to his name at club level. Yoro caught the eye in his native France with Lille, but United have taken a calculated gamble on his potential.

AdvertisementWHAT ONANA SAID

Yoro made his bow for the Premier League giants in a 2-0 friendly victory over Rangers, with Cameroonian goalkeeper Onana telling of the youngster operating just in front of him: “When you have the opportunity to be a Manchester United player that's when you have a lot of quality. He already showed this in the first half. Great guy, very young player. Good on the ball. We will enjoy him this season. We are here to help him, no matter what is going on. Us as leaders, he's a young player, we're going to give him time. He's going to be alright because we have very good scouts here, so if they made him come that means he has a lot of quality.”

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United are now heading to the United States for meetings with Arsenal, Real Betis and Liverpool, with Onana looking forward to the 2024-25 campaign as fresh faces join the ranks at Old Trafford and Erik ten Hag remains at the helm. He added: “It’s very exciting, not only for the coming games in pre-season but for the rest of this season. It’s going to be difficult but we are well prepared, we are preparing well this season and it’s going to be really nice. We are going to fight for everything this year, last season we already know what happened and of course we ended very good but it was a difficult season for all of us. So this year, nice things are coming.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

The Red Devils ended last season with an FA Cup final win over arch-rivals Manchester City, with Ten Hag claiming his first piece of silverware as boss. More money is being invested now that INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a part-owner, with there the promise of more transfer business to come before the deadline.

NZ drew the MCG’s biggest non-Ashes Boxing Day crowd in cricket’s professional era

Daniel Brettig in Melbourne26-Dec-20190:37

Boult thanks ‘amazing’ fans for Boxing Day support

New Zealand drew the MCG’s biggest non-Ashes Boxing Day crowd in cricket’s professional era as its chief executive David White suggested they would happily be more regular guests for the showpiece day of the Australian Test match calendar after a 32-year wait for this opportunity.Australia last hosted New Zealand for a Test match on Boxing Day in December 1987, and despite that match’s healthy attendance of 51,087 on day one and 127,184 for five days, the trans-Tasman neighbours had been relegated to early season Test series for the intervening years as Cricket Australia chased fixtures against countries that offered more lucrative overseas broadcasting deals.ALSO READ: ‘I’m still having therapy from that Boxing Day Test match in 1987’However, the roll up of 80,473 to the MCG was the most sizeable Boxing Day attendance outside of England visits since 85,661 turned up to see Greg Chappell’s team face the West Indies in 1975 – two years before the World Series Cricket split. It made a compelling visual and financial case for New Zealand to be invited to play Test matches during the holiday season more often.Biggest non-Ashes Boxing Day crowds

85,661 v West Indies, 1975

80,473 v New Zealand, 2019

73,812 v South Africa, 1997

73,516 v India, 2018

“It’s an event that’s always been held in high regard by both Australians and New Zealanders, and I know a lot of Kiwis have been looking forward to being at the MCG today,” White said. “The NZC and CA boards have an excellent relationship with a lot of bilateral exchanges in recent years and we’re confident that will continue into the future.”The MCG crowd was not only large but also lively, with the vast New Zealand presence bringing plenty of extra noise and life to the occasion, from the playing of the national anthems and the roar when Trent Boult bowled Joe Burns in the day’s opening over, to the chorus of boos that greeted the exit of David Warner and the entry of Steven Smith late in the morning session.”I thought he crowd was amazing really, 80,000 I saw come up on the total tally there in that last session,” Boult said. “The Kiwi support was pretty cool, a lot of teal, a lot of black caps, and some good support from back home. I’m sure they had a good day, but we’ve got a lot of work still left in the match.”I was actually quite nervous before the whole start of the match and I don’t remember the first ball, but it was nice to get that one [to Joe Burns] right and full and straight and to see it swing back – of course [it would be the same] in any Test match, but with 80,000 people watching you it was pretty exhilarating.”The spectators were treated to an absorbing contest between bat and ball on an MCG surface that offered significantly more bounce and marginally more seam movement than those prepared for the past two years.According to CricViz, the amount of seam movement on offer over the first two sessions of day one stood at 0.58 degrees, compared to 0.52 degrees for the same sessions of Australia’s Test match against India in 2018 and 0.47 degrees against England in 2017. Overcast and somewhat muggy conditions also aided the New Zealand bowlers in their pursuit of bend through the air, fetching 1.7 degrees of swing in the first 30 overs versus 0.9 degrees of swing for the corresponding period of the India Test.Whether this was enough movement to ensure a result remained up in the air by the close of day one, as the Australian top order fought their way into a decent position through the efforts of Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, David Warner and Matthew Wade remained to be seen. Even so, there was still useful movement on offer for the likes of Colin de Grandhomme with the old ball late in the day.Stuart Fox, the MCC chief executive, has stated bluntly that the pitch needed to reap early wickets because it was unlikely to deteriorate. “Ours haven’t shown that [deterioration], so that’s why we’re trying to liven up things at the earlier stages of the game – the lateral seam movement is quite important,” Fox said recently. “Age has been a bit of a factor with the pitches. As we move forward the next three years we’ll have new pitches here, then hopefully there might be a new brand of cricket for the MCG.”Warner, who had started his innings fluently, was noticeably discomforted towards the end of his innings when he was struck on the chest by a prancing delivery from Boult, and he did not look comfortable again before edging a full delivery from Neil Wagner into the slips cordon six balls later.

Manchester United are trying to see the positive side of Leny Yoro's three-month injury lay off, it has been revealed.

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French teenager ruled out for three monthsUnited hope he can settle more easilyPSG were wary of defender's frailtyWHAT HAPPENED?

The French teenager signed for United in an eye-catching £52m ($66m) move from Lille but disaster struck in only his second game for the Red Devils. He broke his metatarsal in the pre-season friendly defeat by Arsenal in Los Angeles, ruling him out for three months.

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While the injury to the club's biggest signing of the summer is far from ideal, insiders are hoping the time out of action will help him settle in Manchester and adapt to life at United, according to . There is also hope that he will be 'fully up to speed' when he returns in November and gets ready to make his Premier League debut.

DID YOU KNOW?

Yoro is thought to have injured his foot in an innocuous tangle with Gabriel Jesus. The club are not citing the condition of the SoFi stadium pitch as a factor for the injury. However, it has been revealed that Paris Saint-Germain had concerns about Yoro's vulnerability to injury and that was why they pulled out of a potential move for the defender.

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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

United finish their USA tour against Liverpool on Saturday in South Carolina. In the mean time, the club are hoping to sign two more defenders before the season starts. The Red Devils have reportedly made opening bids for Bayern Munich duo Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.

Manchester United are thought to be in pole position to sign a new English gem as Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks to unearth the next big thing at Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe’s Man Utd to-do list

After taking control over sporting decisions, new co-owner Ratcliffe, alongside Sir Dave Brailsford, have got straight to work, bringing in Omar Berrada as CEO from rivals Manchester City.

A sporting director is also wanted at Old Trafford, with Newcastle United’s Dan Ashworth the top target. A decision may also need to be made on manager Erik ten Hag ahead of the 2024/25 season, and there haven’t been a shortage of possible replacements.

At this moment in time, Ten Hag’s future at United appears to be 50/50, with Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, England boss Gareth Southgate, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil all linked with a move to the red side of Manchester.

Ratcliffe will also be preparing for his first transfer window at the club, and he has recently hinted that he may not be splashing the cash. Asked about moves for superstars Jude Bellingham or Kylian Mbappe, Ratcliffe said:

“He’s a great footballer (Bellingham) but it’s not where our focus is. The solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They’ve done that, if you look at the last 10 years. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes, managing and organising the club. We must make sure we get recruitment right, such a vital part of running a football club is getting recruitment right, finding new players.”

On the idea of signing Mbappe, who is on course to join Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, Ratcliffe added:

“I’d rather find the next Mbappe, rather than spend a fortune to buy success. It’s not that clever to buy Mbappe, anybody could figure that one out.”

Possibly looking to invest at youth level, it appears as if the Red Devils are keen on an up and coming English attacker.

Man Utd leading chase to sign Baylee Dipepa

According to The Sun, Man Utd and Ratcliffe are ‘leading the chase’ to sign Port Vale teenager Baylee Dipepa. Those at Old Trafford are keen to do business soon, with Ratcliffe and co looking to unveil the next Mbappe instead of throwing money around.

Dipepa, just 17 years of age, has enjoyed a breakthrough season in League One with Port Vale, scoring two goals and providing two assists in 16 third-tier games.

He netted a brilliant solo goal on Good Friday against Bristol Rovers and prior to that, scored in both Euro qualifier appearances for England Under-17s.

A move over the coming months could therefore be one to keep an eye on, and it looks as if the Red Devils are currently in a good position to seal a deal.

Says it is the best way to protect a fragile middle order, which has been prone to collapses

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2020From the outside, it looks like India’s women’s team has a problem with its middle order. The team is gearing up for the T20 World Cup – the preparation included playing the favourites Australia and England recently, and a theme that emerged from that tri-series is that they are prone to collapses.Playing on one of the grounds which will host those World Cup matches in a few days’ time, India were on course for victory in the final, until they lost seven wickets for 29 runs. The collapse began with Smriti Mandhana’s wicket in the 15th over and led to a stinging critique from former India captain Diana Edulji, who called the players “lazy”.On Saturday, Mandhana admitted the collapses – there was one against England as well, when India went from 78 for 3 to 99 for 9 – were a cause for concern but that there was a way around it.”The middle order could definitely improve,” she said. “There are some things we still have to figure out with our batting and we are trying hard to do that.”The best way to support the middle order is for the top order to bat 20 overs. I think we need to try and bat long as a top four. We must try not to get out in the 16th or 17th over and the problem will be sorted if we can stay until the 20th over.”India do contain players capable of pulling this off. Mandhana herself is a prime candidate alongside the captain Harmanpreet Kaur and the two teenagers Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma. This too was readily apparent in the tri-series when India chased down a target of 174 against Australia.ALSO READ: ‘Even if the top order is firing, the winning runs will be the 20-odd from the lower order’ – India women’s coach WV RamanAustralia had put up what seemed like a winning total riding on Ash Gardner’s 93 off 57 balls but India were able to cruise the chase, losing only three of their wickets. Mandhana held the innings together with a steady half-century while Verma (49 off 28) and Rodrigues (30 off 19) had the liberty to clatter the ball to all parts. That game exemplified why Australia coach Matthew Mott rated India as having the most feared batting line-up in the world.”We can be very unpredictable on our day, but I’d like to agree (with Mott),” Mandhana said in response. “We have some great batters and our order is very balanced. The top four or five are quite settled. We’ve had the same top five for the last year and that’s been a good thing for us.”

Benfica reportedly have a plan to pip Aston Villa and Barcelona to signing former player Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid.

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Felix not played for Atletico since 2022Linked with Barcelona and Aston VillaBenfica prepared to wait for ex-playerWHAT HAPPENED?

Felix has been looking for an exit from Atletico Madrid for nearly two years after falling out with manager Diego Simeone. Now, according to , Benfica hope to bring the 24-year-old back to the club where he began his career. However, Aston Villa are interested in recruiting him, as are Barcelona – where he spent last season on loan.

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The report adds Benfica can't afford to pay the £28 million ($35m) for 50 per cent of the Portuguese international's transfer fee. However, if nobody signs Felix by August 30, the Portuguese giants will try to sign him on loan with an option to buy.

DID YOU KNOW?

add that Benfica could raise funds for a Felix deal by selling Napoli target David Neres for just over £25m ($33m). Despite selling Joao Neves for £60m ($76m) to Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica's finances are still, seemingly, quite tight.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

With just a few weeks left of the transfer window, it remains to be seen where former Chelsea loanee Felix will end up this season. It seems, however, that he has no future at Atletico – five years after he signed for £113m ($144m) from Benfica.

West Bromwich Albion will aim to get over their recent slump of form in the Championship, which has only seen them win once in their last five second-tier encounters, when they travel to title-chasing Leicester City this coming Saturday.

The Baggies will prey on the Foxes going through a dreadful patch of results themselves near the top of the table when they travel to the King Power Stadium, in a contest that could have huge potential ramifications on who lifts the title at the start of next month.

Tom Fellows could be a difference maker for Carlos Corberan's men away at Leicester, despite largely putting in an anonymous display against Sunderland last time out with the 21-year-old an exciting future talent at the Hawthorns.

On the contrary, one ageing winger's time in the West Midlands could be over this approaching summer with his contract up and his value falling below that of Fellows.

Matt Phillips' future at West Brom

Once purchased for a bumper £6m when the Baggies were still competing in the riches of the Premier League, it's fair to say Matt Phillips – now 33 years of age – is now nowhere near worth that lump sum.

It's been a frustrating season in truth for the experienced attacker, who has only just returned to the side recently after missing the end of 2023 and the first few months of 2024 owing to injury setback after injury setback.

Away from his agonising miss against Ipswich Town, Phillips has shone in spurts this season when fully fit, however, by amassing three goals and three assists from 23 appearances.

But, with the emergence of talents such as Fellows breaking through when Phillips has been sidelined on top of Celtic loanee Mikey Johnston setting the second tier alight since joining in January from down the channels, it looks as if his place in the Baggies camp is no longer so solid.

With the veteran's contract up in the summer too, West Brom could even up losing their distinguished servant for free.

Even with his transfer value taking a significant tumble since joining for £6m eight years ago, this would be a major blunder on West Brom's behalf to see him walk out of the building for nothing.

Matt Phillips' transfer value in 2024

Phillips' worth in 2024 now comes in at a far lesser €1m (£853k) – according to Football Transfers – which sees breakout sensation Fellows boast a higher worth now at €1.4m (£1.1m) despite only bursting onto the scene this campaign.

The homegrown Baggies star does also better Phillips' numbers for the season however, benefitting from the 33-year-old's frequent nature in the Hawthorns treatment room by helping himself to a superior five goals and four assists from 34 games in all competitions.

The future looks bright for Fellows in a Baggies strip, whilst Phillips looks to be staring his exit from the club straight in the face as Corberan looks to potentially clear out a number of the more veteran members of his squad soon.

Adam Reach, Erik Pieters and Yann M'Vila to name a few all come in as being 30 years and older like Phillips, with that trio all out of contract in the summer as well.

Player

Age

Contract end date

Adam Reach

31

June 2024

Erik Pieters

35

June 2024

Martin Kelly

33

June 2024

Yann M'Vila

33

June 2024

It looks very likely there could be a clear out of these old heads therefore, with Phillips' exit stinging the most as the £20k-per-week winger has had a long and celebrated career in the West Midlands.

But, with Fellows only going to get better, this could be the correct call even if it's a tough one to make.

West Ham United are preparing for life without David Moyes in the hotseat after reports claiming that they were "one step away" from landing his replacement on Sunday were followed by another twist on Monday morning.

Moyes hanging by thread after Palace humiliation

It was another disastrous afternoon for West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday, as they fell three goals behind to Crystal Palace inside 20 minutes on their way to a 5-2 defeat at Selhurst Park.

Torn apart on a regular basis, they looked a shadow of the side that lifted the Conference League trophy just 12 months ago, and the result leaves them with just one win in their last five Premier League games, form which has seen their chances of European football next season take a massive hit with four games left of the season.

The race for European football

Position

Club

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goal Difference

Points

6th

Newcastle United

32

15

5

12

17

50

7th

Manchester United

32

15

5

12

-1

50

8th

West Ham United

34

13

9

12

-9

48

9th

Chelsea

31

13

8

10

9

47

After the game, Moyes didn't hold back on his side: “The first half was as bad as I have seen us play. We have had three or four of these incidents this season, games very similar, where I could not believe the team.

"I have got to say I have not had many teams who have played like that in my whole career.”

West Ham make Lucas Paqueta decision as transfer stance made clear

The Brazilian could be their next high profile departure after Declan Rice.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 19, 2024

When quizzed on if his future will be taken out of his hands, Moyes was similarly abrupt: "If it is, then it is, fine – no problem."

West Ham new manager update

As per reports coming out of Italy on Sunday evening [via Sport Witness], West Ham are closing in on recruiting a new manager for next season. That boss comes in the form of ex-Real Madrid, Sevilla and most recently Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui, who the club reportedly held fresh and positive talks with on Sunday after the defeat at Palace.

So much so, in fact, that a move was considered just "one step away" from being confirmed, which would see Lopetegui pen a three-year contract with the Hammers. However, The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg took to X on Monday morning to dispute the rumours about the Spaniard, albeit he did confirm Moyes is probably finished.

Lopetegui has not been in work since leaving Wolves over a transfer policy dispute (amid severe financial fair play concerns) just days before the new season started, but managed ten wins during his spell at Molineux (in 27 games), including one over West Ham.

With Moyes seemingly captaining a sinking ship, a change is best for all parties come this summer. Lopetegui has the experience step into the void, but there appears to be plenty of twists and turns to come yet.