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It wouldn’t be hyperbolic to suggest that West Ham United are in the midst of a crisis.

What little hope emerged before Christmas has all but disappeared, as Nuno Espírito Santo seems incapable of getting a positive result with this team.

The Portuguese manager has overseen one win in the last nine games, and worse than that, handed Wolverhampton Wanderers their first win of the Premier League season last time out.

Fortunately, the powers that be are seemingly trying to save the season by going big in the transfer market, and if reports are to be believed, West Ham could still bring in someone who’d be an even better addition than Taty Castellanos.

West Ham target better signing than Castellanos

While some fans might argue that it’s too little too late, West Ham are doing what they can to avoid relegation this season by going big in the January transfer window.

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So far, the Hammers have signed Pablo Felipe from Portuguese club Gil Vicente on a four-and-a-half-year deal and Lazio striker Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos on a four-and-a-half-year deal.

There is no denying that the club needed reinforcements, and the two forwards could certainly make a difference in the second half of the season.

However, other areas of the team feel more in need of reinforcing, which might explain why the club continue to be interested in another potential star, someone who’d be an even better addition to the team than at least the former Lazio ace.

At least that is according to Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, who claims that West Ham are still interested in English defender Charlie Cresswell.

The £17k-per-week 23-year-old has been impressing for French outfit Toulouse, and while no contact has been made between the two clubs, the Hammers “are keeping a close eye” on the promising talent.

Were the East Londoners to make a move before the window slammed shut, then, according to older reports, they might have to cough up around £18m for the former Leeds United ace.

It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Cresswell’s ability and potential, it’s one West Ham should pursue, especially as he’d be a better signing than Castellanos.

Why Cresswell would be a better signing than Castellanos

Okay, fundamentally, there are two key reasons why Cresswell would be a better signing than Castellanos, and the first is what the team needs.

While they certainly haven’t been great, West Ham have not been dire in attack this season.

As things stand, the Hammers have scored 21 goals in the league, which is as many as Sunderland and just one fewer than Crystal Palace and Everton.

Moreover, new signing Pablo has already scored ten goals and provided one assist in 14 games this season.

Therefore, with the former Gil Vicente ace now in the team as well, it seems bizarre to spend so much on the Lazio star who has just two goals and three assists to his name in 12 games this year.

Now, in contrast to the attack, the Irons’ defence has been diabolical so far this year.

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For example, as things stand, the club have conceded a whopping 41 goals, which is unsurprisingly the worst record in the league bar none.

That brings us to the second reason Cresswell would be a better signing: in addition to simply reinforcing a weak point in the team, the Englishman also appears to be a quality player.

Don’t just take our word for it, though, as respected analyst Ben Mattinson described the 23-year-old as a “proper leader at the back” during the summer when he helped England win the U21 Euros.

Moreover, as his underlying numbers make clear, the 23-year-old is a brilliant combination of a modern ball-playing and no-nonsense old-school defender who isn’t afraid to get stuck in.

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 1% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for actual and expected non-penalty goals and for touches in the opposition’s penalty area; the top 5% for aerial duels won; the top 12% for clearances; and more, all per 90.

Cresswell’s Scout Report

Statistics

Per 90

Percentile

Non-Penalty Goals

0.18

Top 1%

npxG: Non-Penalty xG

0.12

Top 1%

Shots Total

1.21

Top 1%

Touches (Att Pen)

2.44

Top 1%

Aerials Won

3.71

Top 5%

Clearances

7.03

Top 12%

Assists

0.06

Top 16%

Blocks

1.50

Top 17%

All Stats via FBref

Ultimately, while their attacking additions might prove helpful, West Ham should go all out to sign Cresswell, as he would be the most crucial bit of business they do this month.

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Manchester United are now reportedly eyeing a deal to sign a 19-year-old midfielder who’s been compared to Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton.

Man Utd plotting key midfield addition

It’s becoming an open secret that Man United are after a key midfield reinforcement this month and potentially in the summer transfer window. The Red Devils have been caught short in the middle of the park in recent weeks, leaving Ruben Amorim with little choice but to play Lisandro Martinez out of position.

Now, with the winter window open, they’ve already reportedly made enquiries over the possibility of signing Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba. The Cameroon star was a summer target and United’s interest has not gone away. Brighton, however, are not keen on selling the 22-year-old midway through the campaign.

Brighton’s stance could force United to look elsewhere if they want to strengthen this month and that could see them turn towards the likes of Ruben Neves.

The Al-Hilal star is likely to be on the move this year after opting out of signing a new deal in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to complete a return to the Premier League.

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With Man United reportedly among the clubs lying in wait, Neves could provide Amorim with a much-needed solution for his midfield problems. Although, it must be said that United would need to find a way past his potential salary demands fresh from Saudi luxury.

There’s also a number of younger stars on United’s reported shortlist, who would offer more long-term solutions either this month or in the summer.

Man United eyeing move to sign Christos Mouzakitis

According to Sky Sports, Man United are now eyeing a move to sign Christon Mouzakitis. The 19-year-old Olympiacos star may well be a cheaper alternative to the likes of Wharton this year, whilst providing a similar solution at the heart of Amorim’s side.

Como scout Ben Mattinson even went as far as to compare Mouzakitis to Wharton last February in what should only be seen as good news for those at Old Trafford.

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The scout described the teenage star as “powerful” and “tenacious” in a raving review of one of the most promising young midfielders in Europe.

If INEOS can avoid splashing out on Wharton and still sign a similar profile this year, then it would be incredibly solid business. Whether Mouzakitis emerges as their leading target remains to be seen, however.

ScorecardFile photo: Kamlesh Makvana picked up 7 for 100 to run through Jammu & Kashmir’s line-up•K Sivaraman

Saurashtra wrapped up an innings and 63-run victory against Jammu & Kashmir to book their spot in the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals, thanks to a seven-for from offspinner Kamlesh Makvana. Saurashtra, who had ridden on a century from Sheldon Jackson and fifties from Samarth Vyas and Jaydev Unadkat, eventually ended their innings on 497, earning a lead of 359 runs. J&K, who had folded for 138 in their first innings, once again lost wickets in a hump in their second, falling to 89 for 4. Ian Dev Singh held the innings together by scoring a brisk 127, but no other batsman gave him company at the other end to forge a threatening partnership. Makvana collected 7 for 100 to run through the line-up and bowl J&K out for 296.
ScorecardJharkhand were on course to qualifying for the knockouts, as Saurabh Tiwary’s unbeaten double-hundred earned the team a big lead, before the bowlers reduced Hyderabad to 169 for 6 in their second innings. Four more wickets on day four in Uppal will mean Jharkhand will join Saurashtra from Group C in the knockout stage. Jharkhand, who began the day at 360 for 6, declared for 388 for 8 soon after Tiwary, the overnight batsman, reached his double-hundred, meaning that Hyderabad needed to score at least 243 to make the visitors bat again. Those plans were thrown into disarray, as Hyderabad lost wickets at key intervals. Despite a half-century from Bavanaka Sandeep, three blows towards the end of the day meant the team was staring at defeat. Rahul Shukla and Shahbaz Nadeem picked up two wickets apiece.
ScorecardServices took firm control of their clash in Tripura, after bowling Tripura out for 229 and enforcing the follow on, though they are now out of the running for a place in the knockouts. Tripura, who began the day at 45 for 1, failed to gather any momentum in their innings and lost wickets at regular intervals, with Diwesh Pathania (3 for 49), Muzzaffaruddin Khalid (2 for 62) and Anshul Gupta (2 for 11) making key strikes. Saurabh Das, the No.8 batsman, was the team’s highest scorer with 53, but it was not enough to drag Tripura anywhere close to Services’ first-innings total of 512, as the hosts folded for 229. After being asked to bat again, Tripura saw out the last three overs of the day in their second innings without any damage.

The Rubies, captained by Gill Richards, claimed the Super 4s title after completing an unprecedented clean-sweep throughout the competition, their second title since the inaugural victory in 2002.In the final round of matches, which were held at Loughborough University on July 7 and 8, the Rubies finished unbeaten, claiming their sixth victory in a row as they brushed aside the Emeralds and Sapphires.”It’s an awesome achievement to win the Super 4s trophy. We worked hard as a team throughout and it has paid off,” said Richards. “Players like Lydia Greenway and Holly Colvin have played particularly well. Lydia finished as top run scorer and Holly took three marvellous five-wicket hauls. But it is a team game and all of us showed great team spirit all the way through””To remain unbeaten for the whole competition is a tremendous achievement. The players can be really proud of themselves and I am sure many of them will be back next year for another season at Super 4s. I am so happy for all the team.”On Saturday they took on the Emeralds, their then closest rivals for the title. Colvin took another five wicket haul as they bowled out the Emerald’s for a paltry 69. In reply, the Rubies knocked the runs off with the loss of three wickets. The victory ensured the title for the Rubies who then completed a clean sweep by beating the Sapphires by 15 runs.In the other matches, England captain Charlotte Edwards returned to action with an unbeaten 69 as the Diamonds beat the Sapphires by eight wickets, then followed this with 94 not out as they beat the Emeralds by nine wickets.

Gayle: ‘I try to aggressive at the start of my innings, whenever I’m aggressive I’m in control of the game more’ © AFP

The blush was unmistakable. Chris Gayle, when asked about his “relationship” with St Kitts, couldn’t hide a naughty smile. Gayle had played a first-class match in St Kitts only once before, scoring 78 in two innings, but the questions were obviously pointed references to Natasha Berridge, Gayle’s Kittsian girlfriend. Gayle said that he wasn’t showing any “favouritism” to the ground but his quickfire 83 definitely made the first day of Test cricket at Warner Park a memorable affair for the locals.Think Gayle, and you think spontaneity. The ease with which he carries himself, the lilt with which he jives, the calm shouldering of arms, the sudden burst of power, all appear impromptu. Yet, there’s a calculated streak that adds to the danger and Gayle admits to a certain level of premeditation. He’d decided to bide his time – in the first eight overs, even loose balls were only tapped or flicked; he’d decided to take the “fight” to the “aggressive Sreesanth” – in the eighth over, with clouds hovering over the ground, he punched a four to long-on and upper-cut, in true Sanath Jayasuriya-style, over point; he wanted to take on Harbhajan Singh – “He was playing his first Test of the series and I tried to put the pressure on him as early as possible” – and soon had the commentators running for cover.Rahul Dravid recently compared Gayle to Virender Sehwag, for being able to start with an impact. Both can demoralise, make good balls look ordinary and generally leave the whole place in a total mess. But one area where Gayle falls short is with regard to conversion. While Sehwag manages a hundred every other time he gets a fifty (12 hundreds, 11 fifties), Gayle has missed out on a hundred 24 times after crossing 50. Gayle admits it’s a concern, as does Lara. “It was another excellent knock by Chris,” said Lara, “but I don’t know if I’m more disappointed or he is [at the end].”I think he’s played four out of five very good innings and hasn’t gone on to get a triple-figure score. That’s unfortunate but I suppose when it comes the flood-gates are going to open … But Chris is improving and personally I would like to see him go on to get big scores. That’s the trademark of an opener – you get rid of the new ball, get to 30-40 and then go on to get a big score.”It’s been more than a year since Gayle’s reached a three-figure score – in May last year he amassed a monumental 317 against South Africa. Gayle knows it’s a problem. “I’m very disappointed with not being able to get the big scores. It’s been a while since I have a Test century and I really work hard to achieve it. I’m a strong guy and next innings or next game I can achieve it. You never know. One of the things that’s worked is that I’ve tried to be more consistent with my batting. I try to aggressive at the start of my innings, whenever I’m aggressive I’m in control of the game more.”Gayle and Daren Ganga might sound like a duo specialising in fusion music, but Lara pointed out their effectiveness by pulling out a telling stat. “I don’t know if you guys heard, but Chris and Daren has a partnership of 43, compared to Desmond and Gordon who average 47.” Of course, these two have walked out to open in only 31 innings – compared to the 148 that the legendary Greenidge and Haynes managed – but the start’s been promising.”Myself and Daren talked a lot and tried to utilise the wicket,” said Gayle of their collaboration. “The first hour was very important and we tried not to lose a wicket as much as possible and communicate well between the wickets as well … Daren and I are very close, good friends off the field as well. We really communicate and share a joke with each other while batting out there. He always tells me to look to drop the ball and run. If I have a problem with a bowler, we communicate that as well and he tries to take more strike. And I might do it as well.”Going by today’s evidence, Ganga had slightly more problems – facing 105 balls compared to Gayle’s 127. Yet, one wonders what strike rotation Gayle was talking about. Having got 19 singles, one double and 13 boundaries, he didn’t need to. He was in St Kitts, remember.

The England & Wales Cricket Board are hopeful that the forthcoming NatWest Challenge matches at Lord’s and The Oval will not be affected by Thursday’s terrorist attacks on London.”We are certainly not complacent about the threat from terrorism,” said an ECB spokesman during England’s nine-wicket win at Headingley. “We are expecting the NatWest Challenge to proceed as planned, but we shall be guided by police advice.”The four bomb blasts, which crippled London’s tube network during the morning rush-hour on Thursday, are sure to have spill-over effects into the weekend. The entire system was closed for the remainder of the day, and with full houses expected to descend on Lord’s on Sunday and The Oval on Tuesday, access to the grounds may prove tricky.Michael Vaughan admitted after the Headingley match that it had been hard to focus on the game at hand, given the distractions in the capital. “It’s difficult,” he said. “It certainly puts cricket and sport into perspective.”Yesterday we were celebrating London getting the Olympics and then you put the telly on this morning and you see those kinds of things – it just puts sport and life into perspective. If our win today can go any way towards making a few people happy, that’s fantastic.”

Scotland 314 for 7 and 130 for 2 lead Netherlands 257 (Zuiderent 78, Watson 5-74) by 187 runs
ScorecardAt the close of play on the second day at Aberdeen, Scotland were 130 for 2 after bowling Holland out for 257. Scotland lost Steve Knox quickly, bowled by Edgar Schiferli in the first over for a fifth-ball duck (1 for 1), but Bruce Patterson and David Watts added 115 for the second wicket to cement Scotland’s advantage.Holland had been a healthy 209 for 4 at tea, but the tide turned soon afterwards as Ryan Watson and Paul Hoffman skittled their lower order. Hendrik-Jan Mol was the first to go, caught by Fraser Watts off Watson for 13 (230 for 5), and none of the lower order reached double figures. Adeel Raja departed for 3 (237 for 6), caught by Craig Wright off Hoffman, before Watson removed Jacob-Jan Esmeijer for 8 (246 for 7).Bas Zuiderent holed out to Majid Haq at deep midwicket for 78 (251 for 8), and Schiferli did not last long, trapped lbw by Hoffman for 4 (252 for 9). Watson returned to take his fifth wicket – Sebastiaan Gokke stumped by Colin Smith for 3 – and Holland had lost their last six wickets for 48, to hand Scotland an unexpected 57-run lead.Earlier, the afternoon session had belonged very much to Holland, as Zuiderent and van Troost (71) put on 137, before van Troost was dismissed by Wright just before tea. Wright’s allround contribution included the wickets of Tom de Grooth, lbw for 14, and Daan van Bunge, stumped by Smith for 19, as well as a catch and an unbeaten 88 in Scotland’s first innings.Earlier, some aggressive lower-order batting from Scotland boosted their total before the declaration came. Wright, Scotland’s captain, added 112 in partnership with Cedric English (65) before Gokke bowled English (255 for 6). Greig Williamson came in and played an aggressive cameo, batting for the declaration. He hit five fours in a 19-ball 26 before being caught by Gokke off the bowling of Schiferli. Scotland had started the second morning on 197 for 5 after a rain-affected opening day in which only 67 overs were bowled.The early wicket of Knox gave Holland some hope after their batting collapse, but Scotland go into the third day hoping to build a substantial lead.

The West Indies Cricket Board has re-scheduled the outstanding fixture between West Indies B and India A in the Carib Beer 2003 Cricket Series, as well as the semi-finals and final.The first round match between West Indies-B and India-A that had been postponed because of the visitors’ late arrival in the Caribbean will now be played at Kensington Oval, starting on Friday."The WICB did not feel it was fair for India-A to forfeit the points for missing the first round match and, now that they have a chance to make it in to the semi-finals for the Carib Beer International Challenge Trophy, we had to shift our dates around," remarked Michael Hall, the Chief Cricket Development Officer of the WICB.The staging of the West Indies B/India A fixture means that the semi-finals and final of the Carib Beer International Challenge will be delayed by one week. They semi-finals will now start on March 28 and the final on April 4.Meanwhile, the WICB has confirmed that Mervyn Jones and Dalton Holder will umpire the West Indies B/India A fixture with Halley Moore, the reserve umpire.

Shiv Sunder Das has been left out of the Indian one-day squad thatwill play in the triangular series with Zimbabwe and West Indies butthe diminutive opener is hardly complaining.With the best average and highest run aggregate in the Test seriesagainst Zimbabwe, the technically sound Das has certainly proved hismettle on fast and bouncy tracks too.And as he leaves for India today, Das has already identified the areashe needs to work upon ahead of the tours of Sri Lanka and SouthAfrica.”I need to improve upon my backlift. I will be practicing on cementwickets with plastic balls,” said the affable Das in an interview toPTI.Das realises the importance of hard work and extensive practice andbefore coming to Zimbabwe, he had practiced playing outgoingdeliveries and learnt from the experiences of his seniors.”I practiced a lot about the deliveries leaving outside the off-stump.I also practiced how not to play on the rise and I spoke a lot toseniors like Sourav (Ganguly) and Rahul (Dravid) in the Chennai camp(ahead of the tour),” he says.The preparations paid rich dividends as Das notched up 239 runs fromfour innings at an average of 79.67 with a highest score of 82 notout. The effort got him the man of the series award in just his thirdTest series.Success did not come easily to him, though. Das admitted he haddifficulty in putting all his preparations into practice straightawayand he struggled in the first few innings in the tour matches.”I really struggled in the first game of the tour at Mutare. I didn’tplay well. I realised I was not really moving my feet in line with theball. I corrected it and the hundred against CFX Academy (in the nextgame) really gave me confidence,” he said.Such constant reviews of his performance have helped Das in improvinghis already solid technique which many experts believe is similar tothe legendary Sunil Gavaskar. Das most certainly is the first genuineTest opener for India after Gavaskar left the scene in 1987.And he echoes the master batsman when he says, “As an opener, you mustwatch for balls outside the off-stump all the time. You must knowwhere your off-stump is.”He certainly knew where his off-stump was on this tour with homecaptain Heath Streak saying that only if the other Indian batsmen hademulated Das, India would have put up a much better fight in thesecond Test that the visitors lost by four wickets to see their dreamsof a series win being dashed.”Das was among the few Indian batsmen who showed the patience requiredon wickets with a little bit of extra bounce. He knew exactly wherehis off-stump was and he didn’t play unnecessary shots. And the rewardwas there for him,” Streak said.Das says he has acquired the correct technique while playing on unevensurfaces in Orissa. “Playing on matting wicket at home has reallyhelped. For one, it has helped me play bouncing deliveries well. Ithas also improved my backfoot play which is essential for an opener,”Das said.Das still had some problems against the rising deliveries during thehome series against Australia when he took a lot of body blows fromthe pace battery of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Damien Fleming.”I was having a few problems against the Australians. When the ballwas bouncing, I was not watching the ball, but later I think I playedthem well. Getting runs against the likes of McGrath, Gillespie and(Shane) Warne was really encouraging,” he said.The patience which he has displayed in his batting is evident in hisoverall approach to the game and future plans too as he dismissessuggestions that he was prone to getting out just when he seemed to beset.”I may have missed out on hundreds, but they were not bad efforts. Thebig hundreds will come. After all I have played just seven Testmatches,” said Das, whose only Test hundred came in the second matchin the home series against Zimbabwe last year.Keen to contribute something more than the runs he scores, Das hastaken some brilliant catches at forward short leg, a position hespecialises in while fielding. “I just love fielding. I used to do alot of catching when I was a kid. I was inspired to stand in thisposition because of a few outstanding catches I have seen being takenin that position, I get hit sometimes but it doesn’t deter me,” hesaid.His captain Sourav Ganguly was all praise for him but said Das shouldnow be ready to handle the growing expectations of his fans. “Thepressure will now begin for him. People will start expecting runs fromhim, every time he goes in. It will altogether be a differentpressure,” Ganguly said.But physical and mental toughness is something Das has acquired rightfrom his childhood. “It’s because things don’t happen easily inOrissa. You don’t get things easy out there. It makes you very tough,physically and mentally,” he said.

Of recent, Manchester United are known to take an age when pondering important decisions.

Though, with Ralf Rangnick’s interim managerial contract expiring in late June, the Red Devils have a chance to act fast and appoint a manager who could oversee their summer rebuild.

What’s the word?

For those who want to see 52-year-old ten Hag takeover the United helm next season, the latest reports will be very much welcomed.

According to Fabrizio Romano, who spoke on his YouTube channel:

“He would be super happy to be the new Manchester United manager. The feeling was positive even on Erik ten Hag’s side during the meeting with Man United.

“He wanted to know budget, potential signings and how they would back him in the market. This is a key point.”

Fabrizio also addressed the logistics behind the potential deal.

“A key point, on compensation, from what I’m told on Man United’s side they don’t see a problem for compensation. They are ready to pay what is right to Ajax.

“The conversation between the club has always been good. The relationship is fantastic due to Edwin van der Sar.”

Great news for Man United

The latest reports from super-journalist Fabrizio Romano will please the alleged 87.9% of United fans who want ten Hag to take over as manager next season.

Although it is worth noting that whilst these discussions between Erik and the Old Trafford side are positive, nothing is guaranteed until the agreements have been made and the contract has been signed.

Though, the discussion of details in this depth does mean that talks are moving in the right direction, with ten Hag showing his eagerness and commitment to the cause by wanting to understand more on the intricacies around how the club is run and the type of resources that he will be equipped with.

As Romano points out here, the relationship between Manchester United and Ajax is strong.

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With their shared link with van der Sar, who is the CEO of the Amsterdam outfit, the Red Devils are in the best decision to appoint the Dutchman who worked with Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich.

The Red Devils should act as fast as possible with ten Hag, who can then begin the rebuild process at the club.

All in all, the news that compensation won’t be a problem is particularly good news for the club. They appear to be a step further towards appointing him which given his winning mentality, securing several major honours in his homeland, he’d be a wise hire.

In other news – Man Utd now plot bid to sign £31.5m dynamo, he’s ever better than Rashford – opinion