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The board’s proposal to shift its headquarters from Mumbai to Bengaluru has met with both support and objection alongside calls for creation of zonal headquarters

Arun Venugopal08-Feb-2018BCCI acting president CK Khanna’s proposal to shift the board’s headquarters from Mumbai to a new facility in Bengaluru has met with a mixed response from different state associations. While the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) and the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) staunchly opposed the suggestion, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) welcomed the proposal and called for the creation of zonal headquarters. It is understood the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association haven’t firmed up their positions on the matter yet.Meanwhile, even as the Cricket Association of Bengal stated it did not wish to divulge its stance, the association’s joint-secretary Avishek Dalmiya said Kolkata wasn’t a “bad location” either for the BCCI’s headquarters to be moved to. “Whatever views we have we will disclose it whenever the issue is deliberated by the BCCI at its general body meeting,” Dalmiya told ESPNcricinfo. “In fact, even Kolkata does not prima facie seem to be a bad option because it will be logistically easier for a lot of units from the north-east as well as the east.”Khanna had sent two letters dated February 6 and 7 to state associations seeking their views on shifting the BCCI’s base. He stated that the 40 acres of land in the vicinity of the Bengaluru airport – originally acquired for the relocation of the National Cricket Academy from its current premises – could be used “optimally” as a multipurpose facility. “This whole land can be used optimally if along with NCA, BCCI also uses a part of this land to build a new state-of-art headquarters as its exclusive administrative office along with provision of allied and ancillary services infrastructure,” Khanna wrote.He also pointed out that the present headquarters, situated inside the premises of the Wankhede Stadium, was a rented facility, and urged that the BCCI shift to its own property. Outlining the other ways in which the proposed new headquarters could be used, Khanna wrote: “In these premises of BCCI, auditorium, conference rooms and meeting rooms for meetings with all the facilities could also be made,” he wrote. “An exquisite club house for visiting guests, cricketers with all dining facilities for their convenience, space for recreational facilities, indoor games, a cricket library, swimming pool and a cricket museum. It should also have adequate storage facility for BCCI documents for future reference and consultation.”Khanna, however, referred to clause 2 of the rules and regulations of the Lodha Committee report that warrants that the board’s headquarters remain in Mumbai. “In light of this fact, it is requested that the proposal of the members be kindly considered by the Hon’ble Committee of Administrators keeping in view the above said clause as enshrined in the rules & regulations,” he wrote in his second letter on February 7. “In case the Hon’ble Committee of Administrators deem it necessary, the proposal may be brought to the kind attention of the Hon’ble Supreme Court they may guide the way forward. It is reiterated herein that the proposal to shift the BCCI Headquarters to Bengaluru is based on the intention to develop a state-of-the-art headquaters for the board to enable it to cater to the growing organisational needs.”The MCA decided to inform the BCCI about the opinion of its managing committee that the board’s headquarters should stay at Wankhede Stadium. “The managing committee met a few days ago and is of the opinion that the BCCI office should remain on our premises,” MCA joint-secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar said. “Since the time of its inception, the BCCI’s office has been located on the premises of the MCA and the managing committee feels it should continue.”The SCA, in its reply to the BCCI, noted that the idea of moving the headquarters out of Mumbai had been floated many times in the past. However, the Cricket Centre at the Wankhede Stadium was found to be most “suitable and appropriate.””We understand that [the] lease agreement between Mumbai Cricket Association and Government of Maharashtra is coming to an end by February 2018 and our agreement with MCA will also end,” SCA joint-secretary Madhukar Worah wrote in a letter, which is in the possession of ESPNcricinfo. “We understand [the] MCA has already applied for extension of the lease agreement. We are confident that MCA will have same terms and conditions as per earlier lease agreement, which have [has] been very suitable to BCCI. Only if MCA comes up with unreasonable demands for renewal of agreement, we should think of shifting BCCI headquarters.”HCA secretary T Shesh Narayan, though, felt there was nothing wrong in moving the headquarters out of Mumbai. “As you know, Mumbai is a congested place and it has been there [as the headquarters] for 70-80 years,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Everybody should be given a chance. My proposal would be that each zone should have a zonal office and, by rotation, the board should function from that zone. Suppose, if the president is from south zone, then the south zone office shall become the headquarters. This is decentralisation that the Lodha [Committee] has talked about. But one logistical problem which will arise is it will be difficult for the staff to move. Since the funds are available in abundance, we can afford to have five offices. Decentralisation is there.”

Ben Duckett will have the operation on the ring finger of his left hand next Monday with the recovery time estimated to be 12 weeks, which also rules him out of the North-South series

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2018Ben Duckett will miss the start of the English domestic season after it was decided he would undergo surgery on a finger injury sustained at the end of the 2017 summer.Duckett will have the operation on the ring finger of his left hand next Monday, with the recovery time estimated to be 12 weeks, after he carried the injury over the last few months.The surgery means that Duckett has also been ruled out of the North v South one-day series in Barbados in late March.It has been a difficult few months for Duckett, who played four Tests for England in late 2016 against Bangladesh and India, after he was caught up in controversy in Australia for throwing a drink over James Anderson in a Perth nightclub when the England Lions squad was alongside the main Ashes party.Duckett was not sent home at the time of the incident – which came just a few weeks after the Jonny Bairstow headbutt affair at the same club – but was suspended and given a written warning at the time then omitted from the Lions squad which is currently touring West Indies.Duckett’s absence will stretch the Northamptonshire squad at the start of their County Championship campaign. A 12-week timescale takes Duckett’s likely absence into May but his return could coincide with the start of the Royal London Cup.He will be replaced in the North’s squad by Adam Hose, the Warwickshire batsman, who impressed during Birmingham Bears’ run to the NatWest T20 Blast final.A change has also been required for the South after England allrounder Liam Dawson signed for the Pakistan Super League as a replacement for Shakib Al Hasan, with Ollie Pope, the Surrey batsman, taking his place.Dawson, who is currently with England’s T20 squad for the tri-series in Australia and New Zealand, had also been set to play in the one-day leg of the Lions series against West Indies A. The selectors have yet to decide whether to replace him for that portion of the tour.

Nike have dropped a bizarre video featuring Richarlison to celebrate the release of the new Tottenham Hotspur third kit for the 2023/24 season.

Are Tottenham out of the Carabao Cup?

It had been an oddly bright start to the campaign for Spurs in the Premier League. After all, despite losing icon Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, the club have looked strong on the pitch.

Indeed, new manager Ange Postecoglou had managed to steer the club to two wins and one draw from their opening three league fixtures.

However, some of the good mood around Spurs evaporated on Tuesday night when they were dumped out at the second round of the Carabao Cup.

Coming up against London rivals Fulham, Tottenham fell behind thanks to an own-goal from Micky van de Ven but Richarlison did equalise as the game eventually went to penalties.

In the resulting shootout, only Davinson Sanchez failed to net his spot-kick, as the Cottagers netted five from five to end Postecoglou's first hope of bringing silverware finally back to their side of North London.

Incidentally, during that defeat, eagle-eyed viewers would have noticed that Tottenham were actually wearing a new kit for the first time this season.

Well, even though it's not quite in the shops just yet, the kit was launched this week but the actual Nike video hasn't gone down too well with fans.

It centres around the idea of some young supporters birdwatching in London before they spot Richarlison – the rare "Brazilian Pigeon" – standing on top of the stadium, doing his trademark celebration and wearing the new Tottenham Hotspur 2023/2024 third kit.

You can watch it via Instagram below:

As per the official Spurs website, the kit's colour is "Taupe Haze, complemented by black trim". This is also the first time in the club’s history that they have worn this colour on the pitch, and it goes on sale next month.

However, after the video release, many supporters might not be flocking to the shops to get the shirts. Indeed, comments under the video were less than complimentary…

One fan said: "It can't get more Spursy than this."

Another added: "Might be the worst thing I’ve ever seen and I’m a Tottenham fan

A third said: "As a Spurs fan that is so cringe."

"That’s embarrassing," someone else wrote.

While another pointed out the irony of it all, writing: "Making a video based around a "trademark celebration" from a player who has scored a single goal for their club."

Even the compliments were backhanded: "So bad it might be good"

How many games did Richarlison play for Everton?

When the Brazilian joined Spurs on a five-year deal last summer, they paid Everton a whopping £60m transfer fee. Evidently, the club felt they were justified in paying so much as Richarlison had been pretty impressive for the Toffees.

Indeed, in 152 appearances for Everton, he scored 53 goals and also bagged 14 assists. However, he has not been able to carry that form over to Spurs.

Indeed, in his debut campaign for the North London outfit, he scored just three goals in 35 appearances. At least he got off the mark for the new season against Fulham in the cup. But with his poor form, it's no wonder the video has come in for a bit of stick as it's centred around Richarlison's rarely-used goalscoring celebration.

The India fast bowler said the team hasn’t been provided with the pitches they wanted in preparation for the South Africa tour, but that they made for a good test of their fitness

Sidharth Monga in Delhi04-Dec-2017For long periods in the Delhi Test, it will have seemed India are not getting what they wanted from it – preparation for the South Africa tour – but there also would have been satisfaction that they could put in long spells in testing conditions and come back with rewards towards the end of the day.”The kind of wickets we wanted to prepare on before going to South Africa, we haven’t been provided with those kind of wickets,” Mohammed Shami, India’s big hope for away tours, said. “So it didn’t go as per our plans. But it’s a good thing that on these kind of tracks, you need to work hard as a bowler. These kind of tracks test your fitness as you get to bowl long spells. Overall as a bowling unit, all bowlers have together bowled more than 100 overs (130 overs). So you can see how much effort we are putting.”For Shami personally, it was a bigger physical test because he had a bit of a cold coming into the Test. However, he did acknowledge – unlike his bowling coach B Arun on day two – that the Delhi pollution can have a serious, adverse effect on those not used to these conditions.”I was a bit under the weather even before the match started,” Shami said. “I had a cold. Yes, pollution is an aspect that we seriously need to think about. But not to the extent that it was being portrayed. Also, it could be that we are more used to it and our ability. I think we need to check what are the reasons of pollution and try to minimise it. Look, we are used to suffering from all these problems.”Then there were dropped catches, all three at second slip, by Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. This will be a big concern for India before the big tour, because slip catching to fast bowlers is crucial in those parts. Shami said it does frustrate the bowlers but it was something they had to put behind them.”Fielders are not machines that they will grab anything that comes their way,” Shami said. “Yes, you might get angry when a catch is dropped but we are a team, and we play together all the year around for the country. You have to ignore and move on.”Asked if the bowlers get a say in deciding the cordon and possibly pick fielders they are confident of, he said it is best if bowlers are kept away from these decisions. “It’s after a long time this unit has dropped so many catches in a match,” Shami said. “You need to take it in your stride and move on. We need to work hard and improve.”

Nottingham Forest have submitted a bid to sign Benfica defender Morato, but a new report has revealed that he is protected by a big-money release clause.

Who is Morato?

Morato is naturally a centre-back who has plied his trade at the Estadio Da Luz since 2019 having initially joined the club’s academy setup from Sao Paulo, but since getting promoted to the first team in 2021, he’s made a total of 51 senior appearances under Roger Schmidt.

Despite still having another four years to run on his contract with the Primeira Liga outfit, the 22-year-old’s performances at the highest level have clearly impressed Steve Cooper who is now considering a late move to bring him to the Premier League.

With Steve Cook having joined Championship side Queens Park Rangers for an undisclosed fee, not to mention that Felipe is currently undergoing a spell on the sidelines with a knee injury, the boss will have to enter the market to find reinforcements at the heart of his backline, with Brazil’s youth international being identified as an ideal candidate.

Are Nottingham Forest signing Morato?

According to Portuguese outlet Mais Futebol (via Sport Witness), Nottingham Forest have “made” a €30m (£25m) offer for Morato and have “joined the race” to secure his services.

Benfica have “no big interest” in selling their prized asset and are definitely under no pressure to let him go due to his €100m (£85m) release clause, but it’s stated that they are to have a “concrete position” to evaluate the proposal.

Therefore, Reds chiefs may find that they could have to significantly increase their bid should they want any chance of prising their target away or risk losing out on him for good.

How big is Morato?

Standing at 6 foot 3, Morato is an absolute colossus at the back for Benfica and holds a real physical presence in ground and aerial duels, so should he sign on the dotted line between now and the end of the window, Cooper could be getting his hands on a fantastic defender for Nottingham Forest.

The Reds target, who is naturally left-footed, averaged 2.1 aerial wins and two clearances per league game last season, alongside recording a 90.3% pass success rate, via WhoScored, which was higher than any of the regular starters managed in the Midlands, displaying his calmness and composure on the ball when pushing up the pitch.

Schmidt’s giant also has the ability to impact the game at the opposite end of the pitch having posted nine goal contributions (seven goals and two assists) in 110 appearances since the start of his career, with his all-round game making him the “complete” centre-back, as hailed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig,

Finally, Morato shares the same agent, Bertolucci Sports, as both Felipe and Danilo, so this existing connection that his representative already has to the club could possibly give the hierarchy a small advantage should they continue to pursue a deal for the giant before September 1st.

Burnley and Aston Villa have been competing against one another for well over a century at this point, with their initial meeting taking place back in December 1882 – a game Villa won 4-2. Football FanCast has everything you need to know about the fixture before the two sides meet once again this weekend in the Premier League.

It would be difficult to assess the form of any teams going into this weekend, with it only being game week three, but it is all the more difficult with Burnley and Villa. In Burnley's case, they fell to a 3-0 defeat at home to treble-winning Manchester City in the season's opening game, but they did so looking genuinely quite threatening at points throughout. Add to that the fact that they couldn't play their second game of the campaign due to Luton Town's Kenilworth Road not being ready, which makes judging where they are a fool's game.

In Villa's case, it's been a few weeks of extremes. Despite coming into the new season surrounded by hype and full of promise, they were humbled 5-1 by a rampant Newcastle United side at St James Park. However, they bounced back the next week to smash Everton 4-0 at home, almost taking their frustrations from the first week out on their unsuspecting Merseyside opponents.

Add to that the Villans thumping 5-0 win against Scottish side Hibernian during the week to all but secure their spot in the Europa Conference League, and things are looking a lot rosier for the West Midlands side compared to just a couple of weeks ago.

It is certainly set up for a tasty encounter at Turf Moor.

Burnley vs Aston Villa: What's their head-to-head record?

Burnley and Aston Villa have met 122 times in their long histories, with the first encounter dating all the way back to 1882, which, for some context, is before clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham United were founded.

There are only four teams, Manchester United, Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, that Burnley have played more often than Villa over the years, with this weekend's encounter taking them clear of Tottenham Hotspur.

That said, it's a fixture that has favoured the Birmingham side, with them claiming 52 victories, slightly more than the Clarets' 41, with draws being a rare occurrence between these two, happening only 29 times thus far.

Burnley wins: 41 Draws: 29 Aston Villa wins: 52 Burnley vs Aston Villa: What's their record at Turf Moor?

So far, these two have played exactly half of their encounters at Turf Moor and half at Villa Park, and whilst Unai Emery's new team have certainly had the better of their Lancashire opponents more times than not over the years, Burnley are, unsurprisingly, the clear winners when playing at home.

In their 61 encounters in the northwest, the Clarets have come out on top 32 times – around 52% of the time – losing only 17 times and sharing the points 12 times.

With this weekend's clash being held at Turf Moor, Vincent Kompany will be hoping that his side can further improve their record.

Burnley wins: 32 Draws: 12 Aston Villa wins: 17 Burnley vs Aston Villa: What's their record at Villa Park?

While Burnley certainly have an impressive home record against Villa, the Midlands side have an even better record when hosting the two-time English Champions at Villa Park.

In their 61 meetings, the Lions have come away as victors 35 times, about 57% of the time. They have only lost nine games, which is considerably better than Burnley's loss rate at home.

That said, draws are slightly more common at Villa Park, with the points being shared on 17 separate occasions or about 28% of the time.

Burnley wins: 9 Draws: 17 Aston Villa wins: 35 Burnley vs Aston Villa: What's their Premier League record?

It might be a bit surprising to hear that despite both sides being massive clubs with long and illustrious histories, they have only met one another ten times in the league since the introduction of the Premier League in the 1992/93 season. Their first encounter in the new iteration of the top flight came in November 2009 at Turf Moor, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

In the resulting nine matches between the teams, Villa have had the slight edge, with them winning four out of the ten games, whereas Burnley have only won two, with the remaining four matches seeing the points shared.

However, whilst the Claret and Blue have a slight edge in terms of wins, there has yet to be any point in which they have been dominant over their opponents, never winning two games in a row in the Premier League.

Burnley wins: 2 Draws: 4 Aston Villa wins: 4 Burnley vs Aston Villa: What's their First Division record?

While the teams may have only met ten times in the Premier League since its inception 21 years ago, they have met 88 times in the old First Division, where the vast majority of their battles have taken place over the years.

Unfortunately for Burnley, it was a similar story here as well, with Villa winning 38 of the 88 games, which is about 43%, while they won 32 times or about 36%. So, whilst it was a more tightly contested affair, the Villans still slightly edged it in terms of wins.

There were periods of dominance for both teams in the old First Division, though, with Villa winning 13 of their 15 encounters between 1893 and 1900. Whereas Burnley won four of the seven games, they played against one another from 1947 to 1950.

Burnley wins: 32 Draws: 18 Aston Villa wins: 38 Burnley vs Aston Villa: Which team has the most goals?

Well, it's Aston Villa who have scored the most goals in the fixture, as you might've guessed, given their tendency to emerge as the victors when coming up against the Clarets. However, the discrepancy between how many either side have scored is perhaps lower than you might've first assumed.

In total, the Midlands side have scored 226 goals in 122 matches, giving them an impressive ratio of 1.85 goals a game when playing the Lancashire outfit. In return, Burnley have found the back of the net 192 times, which still gives them a fairly impressive ratio of 1.57 goals per game.

Interestingly, both sides have scored exactly the same amount of home goals, 133, with Villa being far more lethal away from home and scoring 93 away goals compared to Burnley's 59.

Burnley goals: 192 Aston Villa goals: 226 Burnley vs Aston Villa: What is Burnley's biggest win?

Aston Villa might have more wins than Burnley, but the Clarets have won by the most significant margin. In February 1921 – the year Burnley became champions of England for the first time – the men from Lancashire put seven past Villa, only conceding one in return.

The Man-of-the-Match was unquestionably Joe Anderson, who scored five of the side's seven goals, with James Lindsay and Billy Watson getting in on the action towards the end of the game.

While there have been games with more goals since this drubbing from Burnley, there hasn't been a more one-sided game.

Burnley vs Aston Villa: What is Villa's biggest win?

Villa's biggest win against Burnley came back in December 1891, with the Birmingham side smashing the Clarets 6-1 in the First Division. The Man-of-the-Match in this encounter was Franck Histilloles, who opened the scoring with two quick goals before rounding the game off with another to secure his hat trick.

There have been some other big wins since, like their 5-2 win in February 2010, but they are yet to match or surpass the result from over a century ago.

Burnley vs Aston Villa: What are the recent results?

The last five meetings between the two sides have seen Aston Villa ever so slightly edge it in terms of results, with the Claret and Blues winning two games, drawing two and losing just once to Burnley in January 2021.

That said, the last encounters have all been reasonably close affairs, with the biggest win being Villa's 3-1 triumph over Mike Jackson's Burnley in May 2022.

The teams' last game ended in a 1-1 draw at Villa Park. The visitors opened the scoring in the 45th minute thanks to a spot kick from Ashley Barnes after Emiliano Buendia bundled into Maxwell Cornet in the box.

It didn't take long for the hosts to respond, with the Bunedia making up for his previous foul by scoring in the 48th minute. The game ended with a sending-off for Burnley defender Matt Lowton and was the team's final Premier League game until promotion at the end of last season.

Burnley vs Aston Villa: When is it?

Burnley host Aston Villa on Sunday, 27th August at 2pm British Summer Time. Whilst it may no longer be one of the most notable games on the calendar for the wider audience, there is so much history behind it and a history of being entertaining.

This weekend's clash should be one of the most enthralling for quite some time, with both clubs looking to make a serious impression on the league. Villa will be looking up the table as they bid to disrupt the traditional 'big six' under the stewardship of the tactically astute Emery.

Whereas Burnley will want to maintain the same threat they displayed against City, hopefully coming away with the points this time out.

West Indies’ resistance came undone on the fourth day as they lost eight wickets in under one-and-a-half sessions to lose by an innings

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Neil Wagner rejoices after having Roston Chase caught at leg slip•Marty MelvilleAFP/Getty ImagesThe defiance that West Indies had found on day three wilted, their wickets fell in a heap for the second time in the Test, and New Zealand sped to an innings-and-67-run victory – the hosts’ quicks having wiped the opposition out with the second new ball. Following the top-order partnerships West Indies had mounted on Sunday, it was the rate of their demise on Monday that was dispiriting. They added only 105 to the overnight score, and lost their last seven wickets for 62 runs, in the space of 20 overs.The New Zealand quicks shared the wickets around, as the opposition perished to a series of poor strokes. Matt Henry added the wicket of Roston Chase to the two dismissals he had effected on day three, to finish with figures of 3 for 57. Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Colin de Grandhomme claimed two wickets apiece meanwhile – Wagner’s wickets particularly significant, after he had been clobbered by the top order on Sunday.This result means that New Zealand go to the second Test without having been stretched at Wellington. Although there were difficult moments in the field, particularly while Shimron Hetmyer and Kraigg Brathwaite batted together on the third evening, no bowler was required to deliver more than 45 overs in the Test, and at no point did West Indies muster a century stand.It was the wicket of innings top-scorer Brathwaite – the only dismissal that went to a spinner in this innings – that set West Indies’ slide into motion. Having begun the day on 79, Brathwaite had progressed without incident into the 90s, as New Zealand rested their frontline quicks so they might be deployed only after the second new ball became available. Even before the 80th over rolled around, however, Brathwaite lost his wicket. Having nudged a legside Mitchell Santner delivery to the fine leg boundary, he misjudged the pace of the very next Santner delivery, and it brushed his back pad before it hit his bat. The ensuing lbw appeal was turned down on the field, but the batsman was given out upon review. Only 17 runs had been added to the overnight score at that stage.Then, from the 86th over, came the rapid collapse. Shai Hope, whose innings had been defined by its reticence, was dismissed playing a defensive shot – a Boult lifter finding his outside edge, then Kane Williamson’s hands in the gully. Roston Chase, who had hit Boult for consecutive boundaries to get his innings under way, did not last long following Hope’s exit, inside-edging a wide Henry ball on to his stumps.West Indies went to lunch with five wickets remaining, but New Zealand needed less than an hour after resumption to close the game out. Debutant Sunil Ambris edged de Grandhomme to wide slip, first ball after the break. Then, next over, Shane Dowrich slashed Wagner to point – it was the first ball Dowrich had faced in the session. The tail was in no mood to resist. Kemar Roach, Jason Holder and Miguel Cummins were all out in the space of 28 balls.What was particularly disappointing for the West Indies was that the pitch had long since begun to favour batsman, and though the second new ball offered the New Zealand seamers bounce and carry, there was no dramatic movement. The only positive for the visitors, apart from some decent top-order scores, is that they now have an extra day of preparation for the Hamilton Test, which begins on Saturday.

West Ham United are beginning to spend the £105m that was raised via the sale of homegrown hero Declan Rice as David Moyes looks to strengthen his squad.

Edson Alvarez has already arrived in a £35.4m deal, while Moyes is eyeing up a move for Man United striker Antony Martial in a bid to improve his attacking options.

The Scot could even turn to Serie A before the end of the transfer window.

Who do West Ham want to sign?

According to reports in Italy, West Ham are keen on making a move for Lazar Samardzic before the window slams shut in just under two weeks.

Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE…

Inter Milan are also keen on the Serbian starlet, as per the Calciomercato, and a move looked set to be completed, however, some extra demands were added at the 11th hour of negotiations and the move has stalled.

This could allow Moyes to swoop in and secure his signature in the coming days, beating the Italian giants to the youngster and it would represent a major statement of intent from the club.

Football Transfers currently value the player at £10m, making this move a potential bargain for the Londoners.

Who is Lazar Samardzic?

Although perhaps not as well known on these shores, the 21-year-old has been drawing plenty of praise during his spell at Udinese.

Journalist Bence Bocsak lauded him in April, saying: “7 out of Lazar Samardžić‘s last 10 goals were scored from outside the box.

“Blessed with an abundance of energy, excellent technique and great vision, he’s got the hallmarks of a top midfielder."

Further acclaim was given by Sacha Pisani, who said Samardzic had “ridiculous skill” and it appears, on the surface anyway, that he’d be an ideal signing for West Ham.

Indeed, the 6-foot livewire is also statistically similar to Arsenal talisman Martin Odegaard and judging by his recent form for the Gunners, turning them from European hopefuls to title challengers, it isn’t a bad comparison to have.

According to FBref, the Norwegian gem is the sixth-most similar player to Samardzic across Europe’s top leagues, suggesting he’d be an incredible addition to the West Ham side.

Last season saw the duo register similar statistics with regard to shots per 90 (2.44 to 2.68), pass success rate (80.1% to 80.3%), goal-creating actions per 90 (both 0.49) and tackles (33 to 36).

WhoScored also suggests that Samardzic and Odegaard excel at key passes and dribbling, as both pose a key threat from the midfield and aim to get forward as often as possible.

The Serbia international did register nine goal contributions last term, which was some way down on Odegaard’s total of 23 and suggests he still has work to do in order to become one of the very best, but it's a promising start nonetheless.

If given the freedom of the West Ham midfield, he could thrive in a similar vein to the Norwegian superstar and register double digits for goal contributions in the Premier League.

With Inter still in the hunt, Moyes will need to act swiftly to bring this deal over the line.

The fast bowler has tweaked a problematic action with inputs from coach Ottis Gibson and is ‘champing’ to work his way back

Firdose Moonda08-Nov-2017Chris Morris’ search for speed caused the back injury that has sidelined him for the last four months. As a result, he has had to modify his action.Morris suffered a lower-back problem in England in August, which ruled him out of the fourth Test in Manchester and all action since. He expects to make a return midway through the Ram Slam, for the Titans, and when he does, it will not be at the expense of pace but with a smoother, better approach which the new coach Ottis Gibson has helped him with.”I’ve had a few tweaks in my action that Ottis has changed. I had to iron it out because it wasn’t good enough – simple as that,” Morris said at the Ram Slam launch in Johannesburg. “I think in striving for a bit of extra pace, there was some twisting in my action. I’ve got quite a bad kick-out with my left foot before I land. I was getting lazy and doing quite a lot of twisting, which caused a lot of pressure on my lower back and inevitably caused the injury.”A hallmark of Morris’ performances in England was his pace, particularly when Faf du Plessis gave him freedom to “be aggressive and bowl fast.” The directive paid off in the short term as Morris dismissed Joe Root and Alastair Cook in an impressive spell at Trent Bridge but caused a long-term concern.Though Morris did not break or tear anything, he suffered inflammation and strain in the muscles of the lower back. If left untreated, it could have caused a stress fracture. Part of the treatment was making the changes to his action that should keep Morris symptom-free, though he knows he may respond adversely at any time.”If I didn’t get injured I still would have had to change my action. In bowling, you like to work in straight lines, and I was working along the wrong lines. That’s where the injury came along,” he explained. “We can’t re-scan the same injury because we’d see the same thing the whole time. So we work on symptoms – if there is pain you stop, otherwise you play. I’ve got to trust the gym and rehab, all the things I’ve been doing behind the scenes since my injury happened.”Like Morris, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Wayne Parnell have also been doing undergoing intensive rehabilitation. Philander also had a lower back problem and returned to action in the first-class competition, with good results – he took five wickets and scored 80 for the Cobras. Steyn, Morkel and Parnell will all be back at some stage of the Ram Slam, which means that when the time comes for choosing a Test squad – first to face Zimbabwe in the inaugural four-day Test on Boxing Day and then to play India – there will be competition.Gibson has already flung the door open for Steyn, saying as long as the premier pacer thinks he can make it through a match, he will play. Morris cannot expect the same hospitality, given his relative inexperience especially at Test level. But he was encouraged by Gibson’s approach and is confident he can work his way back.”It’s always good to know that the coach is backing the guys who aren’t playing, especially with injuries because that’s part of the game,” Morris said. “If a youngster is better than me he must play, it’s as simple as that, but I’m always going to be fighting for my spot because playing for South Africa is what I want to do. If I never play for South Africa again it’s cool, but I’m going to give it my best shot. I’m obviously champing at the bit. It hurt me quite a lot to see the guys running around this morning and playing soccer, so I’ve got quite a lot of motivation.”Morris is particularly looking forward to working more with Gibson, whose experience with England he is hoping to draw on.”I’ve only had a week and a half with him and he’s been excellent. In England, he had the fortune of working with the best new-ball attack in the world in my opinion. If they’ve rubbed off on him, as a South African bowling attack we’re going to be richer for it,” Morris said. “He’s been doing this for a long time and has a lot of experience. It’s quite clear what our plans are going forward as a team. We’re in a happy space, and it’s quite exciting.”

Aston Villa are reportedly still in the race to sign Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams, as the club prepare for another turn in the transfer window.

It’s been a busy summer for Unai Emery and Monchi, who have obtained the signatures of Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and smashing the club-record transfer fee to welcome Moussa Diaby in a £51.9m deal.

While the Villans’ transfer news has been heavily revolving the potential and confirmed incomings at the club, however with time left in the window, the club could also expect to see some departures.

What’s the latest on Tyler Adams to Aston Villa?

A report by The Athletic back in June noted that United States international, Adams, is ‘high on Villa’s list of targets’ as part of Emery’s projected squad rebuild.

Such claims have been reinforced this week, with Football Insider suggesting that the Midlands club are ‘ready’ to trigger the 24-year-old’s £20m release clause in the hope to lure him to Villa Park.

Despite only signing last summer for £20m from RB Leipzig, the midfielder has a tempting relegation release clause as part of his contract of the same value, making him an attractive acquisition.

How good is Tyler Adams?

Now could be the perfect time for Villa to make a swoop for the highly-rated American, who has been dubbed an “absolute beast” by members of the media.

Amid the excitement of potential new arrivals, there is some worry over the future of star player Douglas Luiz, who has been linked with a move to north London over the past few weeks.

News reported by Football Insider this week has speculated that Tottenham are ready to close in on signing the Brazilian, who was integral to the Villans’ success last season.

Averaging a Sofascore match rating of 7.10 in the Premier League last term, the 25-year-old topped the charts in terms of the club’s best-performing individuals, making talk of his exit a grey area at Villa Park.

The rumours surrounding Luiz make the pursuit of Adams even more important, in a rare instance that Emery could recruit a carbon copy of his favoured midfielder for a price that could leave the club in profit after the exchange.

Whilst the narrative of both respective clubs' 2022/23 season was contrasting, the two players are identical in their approach to play, both providing a combative yet assured presence in the engine room.

Both averaged a pass completion rate of 82.5% per 90 last season according to FBref, the duo are competent passers of the ball, however, Emery could land a slight upgrade on the Brazilian in Adams, who excelled Luiz in a number of attributes key to the position.

As per FBref, the American averaged 5.68 progressive passes and a monstrous 3.72 tackles per 90 for Leeds last term, with the Villa sensation averaging lower in both decimals with 4.55 progressive passes and 2.24 tackles per 90.

A similar pattern is traceable further in their defensive exploits, with the former Bundesliga gem recording an average of 2.00 blocks and 1.46 interceptions per 90 to the 25-year-old’s 1.11 blocks and 1.23 interceptions per 90.

For just £20m, Monchi could ease the blow should Luiz depart in impressive fashion, however with Chelsea also rumoured to be monitoring the midfielder, Villa must make their intentions clear before it’s too late.