اختار قائد منتخب الأرجنتين ونجم فريق إنتر ميامي، ليونيل ميسي، اللاعب الأعظم في تاريخ كرة القدم، من وجهة نظره.

ودائمًا ما يُطلق على ليونيل ميسي الأعظم على الإطلاق، أو ما يُعرف باسم “goat”.

وأجرى ميسي حوارًا مع شبكة “nbc” الأمريكية، حيث قال له المحاور: “أنت الأعظم على الإطلاق”، ليرد النجم الأرجنتيني بابتسامة تعبر عن خجله تجاه الثناء.

“Então, você é um GOAT, né?”

o Messi: 😁 pic.twitter.com/0i6kMb0137 — Portal Messi (@PortalMessi) October 27, 2025

وسُئل ميسي عن اللاعبين الأعظم على الإطلاق في باقي اللعبات، حيث رد: “في كرة القدم، بالنسبة لنا نحن الأرجنتينيين، كان مارادونا دائمًا هو الأعظم، أعظم أسطورة على الإطلاق، أعظم لاعب لما مثّله لنا جميعًا”.

وأضاف: “على الرغم من صغر سني، تجاوز مارادونا كل شيء، كان شيئًا أكبر من أي حدود”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ميسي يراوغ مجددًا بشأن مشاركته مع الأرجنتين في كأس العالم 2026

وواصل: “إذا تحدثنا عن رياضات أخرى، أعتقد أن الأمر كان مشابهًا لـ مايكل جوردان، أنا أيضًا معجب جدًا بلاعبي التنس مثل رافائيل نادال، أعتقد أن الثلاثة – نادال، فيدرر، ديوكوفيتش – جعلوا المنافسة أعظم بكثير مما كانت عليه”.

واسترسل: “أنا متأكد أنني نسيت ذكر العديد من الرياضيين، ولكن لأختار بعضهم، أعتقد أنني سأذكر هؤلاء، في كرة السلة، على سبيل المثال، ليبرون جيمس وستيفن كاري لاعبان أعجبت بهما كثيرًا، وأعتقد أنهم (الذين اختارهم) ساهموا كثيرًا في مجال لعبه”.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed how captain Harry Kane delivered a rousing speech to his team-mates after Tuesday's emphatic 5-0 win over Latvia in World Cup qualifying. Kane scored twice in the win as the Three Lions booked their place at World Cup 2026 with two games to spare. Tuchel's side also have a perfect record in qualifying so far, winning all six games and are yet to concede a single goal.

• England heading to the World Cup

  England became the first European nation to book their spot at World Cup 2026 after beating Latvia in Riga. Tuchel has enjoyed a flawless start as England boss since taking over from Sir Gareth Southgate and will now be targeting glory in North America, Mexico, and Canada next summer. Captain Kane will likely be key to England's hopes of success after adding two more goals to his international collection on Tuesday. That's now 76 from 110 appearances from Kane for England, with his two goals also ensuring another slice of history for the captain as he's now scored more than once for the Three Lions for the 13th time in his career. 

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  Kane's World Cup speech revealed

  Kane has been leading by example in World Cup qualifying, scoring six goals in six games for England, but also had some motivational words after his team clinched their spot in next summer's tournament. Tuchel revealed how he spoke to his team-mates after the victory: “I need to enjoy this moment. I can feel it in the dressing-room. It is a very special moment. It’s not daily business that you qualify for a World Cup. We will then think about how this affects our next camp. Harry just gave a speech when he said that everyone will be ready to keep this thing going in November, that no-one will step back and take this thing for granted. They feel they’re building something. Maybe it will give us the chance to try some stuff and manage minutes, but I can assure we will stay competitive no matter how we organise these two (qualifying) matches."

• England to experiment ahead of World Cup?

  England still have two more games to play in Group K but qualification may allow Tuchel to experiment and rotate his squad. Big names including Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish all missed out on the latest call-up and Tuchel has previously warned his players he is willing to leave some of his most talented players at home as he aims to find the best mix. England's penultimate World Cup qualifier is due to take place on November 13th against Serbia at Wembley before the Three Lions wrap up their campaign away to Andorra three days later.

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• Kane looks ahead to World Cup 2026

  Kane has already looked ahead to next summer's tournament and feels Tuchel is building an exciting team. He told the : "We’ve had a great start to the qualifying campaign. People just expect us to qualify but you still have to go out there and do it. The performance against Serbia (a 5-0 win in Belgrade last month) was at a really high level and that’s the standard we have to set for all the games going forward. Of course there’ll be tougher games on hopefully that run to winning the World Cup. We’re at the start of a mountain – there’s a long way to climb and there’ll be a lot of ups and downs along the way. What we’re building with the new coach (Thomas Tuchel) is that togetherness because once you get to that tournament, you’re going to be with each other for six, seven weeks so you have to be able to get along with each other.

  "Tuchel has a great record in major tournaments. That’s what it comes down to. There’s a lot of great teams – us being one of them – but ultimately it’s about who can pull it together at the right time. Tournaments are about moments. We got to two finals through big moments and stepping up and obviously we fell short in the final moment but that gives us confidence that we can be there and just take that extra step."

West Indies posted their second-highest ODI total, 385 for 7, before bundling out Ireland for 165

Abhimanyu Bose25-May-2025Keacy Carty’s career-best 170 and supporting acts from Shai Hope and Justin Greaves helped West Indies hammer Ireland by 197 runs via the DLS method in the third ODI to draw the three-match series 1-1.Carty hit his second hundred in as many games while Hope and Greaves scored half-centuries to power West Indies to their second-highest ODI total before a fiery opening spell from Jayden Seales all but sealed the win for West Indies in the first eight overs of Ireland’s chase, which was shortened to 46 overs due to rain delays, with the target reset to 363.Barry McCarthy was once again the star with the new ball for Ireland as he removed both openers by the fifth over. But Carty and Hope, for the second match in a row, stood firm for West Indies. Carty began with a flurry of confident cover drives and flicks, in contrast to his nervous start a couple of days ago.Once the first ten overs were done, Carty was happy to slip into a support role, with Hope the aggressor in their 137-run partnership for the third wicket. Hope and Carty brought up half-centuries in consecutive overs, picking regular boundaries off debutant seamer Jordan Neill, before rain stopped play.Neill, meanwhile, injured his shoulder while trying to make a diving stop at the boundary a couple of overs before the rain break, cutting his debut short.When play resumed after a short rain delay, Harry Tector was brought into the attack and Hope welcomed him with a six over square leg.Liam McCarthy created a few chances with his extra bounce. Carty’s cut off him went low to Tector at backward point but he was slow to react. Two balls later, Hope got an outside edge through the vacant slips cordon.Hope kept the tempo up during his run-a-ball 75 before he tried to pull one that wasn’t short enough from McBrine and substitute fielder Thomas Mayes took a good catch diving in front from long-on.Shai Hope made a run-a-ball 75•Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty ImagesThere was a period of pressure from Ireland that saw them give away just 18 runs in five overs. But Amir Jangoo, who was stuck on 7 off 23 till then, lofted Liam McCarthy over his head for a six to release some pressure before Carty top-edged a pull for a six that took him into the 90s.A cover drive off Tector in the next over took him to 97 before he edged a cut to bring up his hundred in the 38th over.Carty kept going and milked Barry McCarthy for two boundaries in the next over. But Jangoo’s struggles came to an end as he tried to take on an arm ball from George Dockrell and holed out to long-off.There was another rain delay with eight overs left. When play resumed, Carty dispatched Dockrell back over his head for a six first ball and lofted the next ball over long-on to reach his highest ODI score.McBrine nearly had Greaves caught at deep midwicket, but Dockrell lost his balance and went over the boundary rope as he grabbed the catch. A sliced boundary over short third rubbed salt in the wound for McBrine.A pulled four from Greaves took West Indies to 300 with five overs to go. Carty reached 150 off the first ball of the 46th over as Greaves kept attacking from the other end with two more boundaries off Liam McCarthy.Carty smashed sixes off three consecutive legal deliveries off Barry McCarthy after Greaves hit one of his own in a 28-run 47th over. The last of those, by Carty, injured a cameraman at long-off, forcing another break in play.When play resumed, Carty tried to go big again but picked out the deep-midwicket fielder, giving Liam McCarthy a much-deserved wicket.Matthew Forde and Jayden Seales celebrate Andy Balbirnie’s wicket•Sportsfile/Getty ImagesGreaves continued to attack, reaching his half-century off 22 balls but chipped one to cover next ball to give Barry McCarthy his third wicket. While Barry McCarthy finished the series as the leading wicket-taker, he became the first Ireland bowler to concede 100 runs in a men’s ODI.From there, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase delivered a few more blows to take West Indies to a mammoth total. West Indies scored 132 runs in the last eight overs, the third-most by any team in a men’s ODI, where ball-by-ball data is available.More rain delayed the restart, but once the chase did begin with a revised target, Seales made immediate impact. With movement on offer, he got an inswinger to sneak in the gap between Andy Balbirnie’s bat and pad to crash into the stumps.Paul Stirling continued to attack, hitting Forde for two sixes in the fifth over amid a flurry of boundaries, reaching 6000 ODI runs in the process.Two overs later, however, Seales drew a top edge off an attempted cut to end Stirling’s cameo before getting the ball to seam in from well outside off as Harry Tector looked to leave, only to hear the death rattle. The double-wicket maiden all but ended any hopes of a fightback from Ireland.Cade Carmichael and Lorcan Tucker put on a 72-run stand, with the former impressing in his second ODI innings, and he looked especially good pulling away the short balls, but Alzarri Joseph and Greaves sent them both back in the space of ten balls. From there on, it was just a formality for West Indies as they avoided back-to-back series defeats against Ireland, who were also two batters short with Neill and Little injured during the first innings.

“I do like experience though, experience has served us really well over the proud years that we’ve had”

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-20253:14

Cricinformed – CSK’s worst top-order show

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have had a strange season in IPL 2025. Their success in this tournament – five title wins and 12 playoff appearances – was built around having a core group of experienced players who could navigate the ups and downs of T20 cricket. Even when they were on a winning run, that philosophy was brought into question. Now that they’re losing – and have had to turn to their youth to see if their fortunes might turn around – coach Stephen Fleming was asked if there has been a strategy shift. He was emphatic there wasn’t.”No, I don’t care how old players are,” Fleming said on the eve of CSK’s game against Rajasthan Royals in Delhi. “I do like experience though, experience has served us really well over the proud years that we’ve had. It hasn’t worked out quite well for us this year and that could be a bit of form. It can be strategy, it can be a number of things, that just don’t quite work out.”The competition is very even, so the fact that we’ve been so consistent over a number of years, to have a poor year has sort of shaken everybody, but it’s understandable given that, the excellence in which the franchises are operating in.”Related

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Fleming could see that CSK were off the pace early this season. The bets they made at the auction table last November did not come off. They brought back R Ashwin. He had been a proven performer for them before and he continued to do well after he left them. They hoped to revive Rahul Tripathi or Deepak Hooda or Vijay Shankar in the same way they did Shivam Dube and Ajinkya Rahane but that didn’t work out either. The collective failure of players who have been around the IPL for years caught them off guard. But that hasn’t yet pushed them to re-evaluate their whole way of doing things in T20 cricket. Over the last five seasons, CSK have either missed the playoffs, or won the title. It’s been a bit of a see-saw.”The challenge for us is making sure out of this that we do go over everything that we are doing [now] and have done in the past to make sure we are keeping up with the philosophies [of the time], but also identifying talent.” Fleming said.”It’s one thing to say we want a team full of young players, but you’ve got to find them. So it’s identifying talent and making sure they fit in. To the experience which I’ll say again, I do like [it] and you have a look at the, the top run-scores and wicket-takers and you see there’s a fair bit of experience there, but what it’s sprinkled with is some amazing performances by young players who are playing sort of fearless cricket.”B Sai Sudharsan, who is yet to play 50 IPL games, has the Orange Cap. Prasidh Krishna, who missed the last two IPLs, has the Purple cap. The past couple of seasons have revealed that lesser-known players have been able to make the step up. Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh have been a compelling opening combination for Punjab Kings who qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Digvesh Rathi, playing his first IPL, has more wickets than Kuldeep Yadav.Fleming has seen this and believes some of the people they’ve brought in – like Ayush Mhatre, Noor Ahmad and Dewald Brevis – have a future with them but he isn’t ready to burn the CSK playbook yet.”They have certainly had an impact which is positive from a season that has been a challenge,” he said. “But we realised that early on that we were off pace. So to be able to introduce these players, they are definitely in line for the future as we regenerate the team and redevelop or reconfirm our philosophy of how we want to play,”So it’s getting that balance right. But most importantly, it’s getting the player and the person right, and that’s what we’ve been looking for.”CSK have two matches left this season. After playing RR on Tuesday, they go to Ahmedabad to face Gujarat Titans on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur are now racing Arsenal for the signature of a £130m+ attacker, who’s been described as a “true icon in the making”.

Tottenham eyeing new attacking midfielder amid Simons' slow start

It is still very early days, but Xavi Simons hasn’t exactly set the world alight since his arrival from RB Leipzig, most recently failing to create any big chances and completing just one of the four dribbles he attempted in the 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

In fairness, the Dutchman is arguably being deployed out of position, having predominantly been given the nod at left-wing by Thomas Frank up to this point, and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes the 22-year-old will be a success in north London long-term.

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The former striker said: “Simons has only just started, but I like Simons. I really like him. I think he’s going to be a big, big, big success at Spurs. He can play on the left or as a No. 10, but he’s also not scared, and that’s why I like him.”

Lucas Bergvall started in the number 10 role against Wolves, but given that the Sweden international is only 19-years-old, it would make sense to bring in another attacking midfielder.

According to a report from Caught Offside, Tottenham have now joined the race for Real Madrid star Arda Guler, having sent scouts to watch the youngster in action, but there could be competition for his signature, with a number of other big clubs also keen.

Arsenal, Newcastle United, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund are also named as potential suitors for the attacking midfielder, but any of the interested parties may have to shell out a huge fee to get a deal done, with it previously being revealed he is valued at over £130m.

The report makes it clear that Madrid are reluctant to sanction a departure, given that Guler has emerged as a crucial player since the arrival of Xabi Alonso.

Guler living up to his potential at Real Madrid

After impressing at international level in the summer, scoring against the USA and Hungary, scout Jacek Kulig suggested the Turk could go on to be a future star.

Since then, the 20-year-old has gone from strength to strength, picking up three goals and three assists in his opening seven La Liga games, with the starlet establishing himself as a key player for Real Madrid.

Having also been lauded as a “special talent” by scout Ben Mattinson, Guler could be a fantastic signing for Tottenham, but it seems very unlikely that a deal will be possible, given his astronomical price tag.

Manchester United have been known to splash the cash over the last couple of years, spending over £800m on new additions for the side since the summer of 2022.

Erik ten Hag was responsible for the vast majority of such spending, having five windows to make the additions he thought would transform the club’s fortunes.

The likes of Casemiro, Antony and Rasmus Hojlund were all brought in under the Dutchman’s guidance, with the latter two departing the Red Devils in the closing stages of the recent window.

However, current boss Ruben Amorim has also spent in the region of £200m alone this window, securing the signatures of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko.

Such funds are way higher than any supporter would’ve expected, but it may have been an even bigger shopping spree had they completed a deal for Carlos Baleba.

Man Utd’s hunt for Baleba this summer

In an attempt to bolster the midfield department, United targeted various options in the Premier League, with Adam Wharton just one name on their shortlist.

However, Brighton star Baleba was undoubtedly the biggest target, with Amorim’s side making an approach for the Cameroonian international’s signature ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

While at one stage the player himself seemed keen on a switch to Old Trafford, a move failed to materialise as the Seagulls were reluctant to offload the 21-year-old talent.

Fabian Hurzeler’s side stated that they wanted a fee in the region of £100m to part ways with Baleba, but such a figure was out of the Red Devils’ budget after their previous dealings in the window.

It remains unclear whether the hierarchy will return for his services in 2026, but it’s clear that the board have been targeting added reinforcements in the middle of the park.

However, despite their attempts in the market, United already have a hugely talented player in their ranks – with his recent rise now seeing his value soar over recent months.

The United talent who’s worth more than Baleba

Over the last couple of years, United have shifted their focus to recruiting younger talent to try and decrease the age of the current first-team squad.

The side for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign currently has an average age of 25.6, with the age range in the side having players placed between 17 and 39.

Casemiro is currently one of the midfield options currently at Amorim’s disposal, but the Brazilian, who is now 33, is entering the final years of his career and desperately needs to be moved on in the near future.

Youngster Kobbie Mainoo is another player who is available to Amorim in that department, but despite his success on the field in recent times, he’s fallen down the manager’s pecking order.

After his dream 2023/24 campaign, which saw an FA Cup final goal and a late strike against rivals Liverpool, many supporters would’ve expected the 20-year-old to be a first-team regular by now.

The 20-year-old, who’s been labelled “generational” by teammate Hojlund, only made 25 league appearances last season, 19 of which were from a starting role, with the likes of Casemiro often being selected ahead of the academy graduate.

His only start in 2025/26 so far came in the Carabao Cup defeat against Grimsby Town – leading to the player himself asking for a loan spell away from his boyhood side.

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

25

Pass accuracy

87%

Tackles won

1.6

Interceptions made

1.1

Blocks made

0.9

Take-on success

46%

Carries into 18-yard box

0.6

Recoveries made

4.8

Tackle success rate

60%

However, such a request was immediately dismissed, resulting in the player needing to fight for a place within the first-team squad – until January at the earliest.

Despite his recent lack of action, Mainoo has seen a swift upturn in his market value, with FootballTransfers now valuing the Englishman at a staggering £57.8m.

Such a figure is now higher than the value of Baleba, who’s now valued at just £49.1m by the same site despite his recent valuation by the club in the summer window.

Given the aforementioned price tags, it’s clear that Mainoo is still a young talent with huge potential, with Amorim desperately needing to hand him consistent minutes in the months ahead.

He’s already showcased he’s capable of thriving at Old Trafford, but he needs the manager’s backing to do so, which could potentially put a permanent end to their hunt for Baleba.

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MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta terça-feira (29), o anúncio de James Rodríguez pelo São Paulo completa um mês. O colombiano estava livre no mercado após deixar o Olympiacos (Grécia) e assinou um contrato válido por duas temporadas, até o final de 2025. Mas como foi esse um mês do jogador com a camisa do Tricolor?

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Embora tenha sido anunciado no final de julho, estreou somente contra o Flamengo, no dia 13 de agosto, após o São Paulo ter algumas dificuldades para resolver as burocracias pendentes. Na ocasião, esteve em campo por 36 minutos. Mesmo que tenha começado a partida sem ritmo, quase deu uma assistência para Wellington Rato, que só não deu certo porque não foi aproveitada pelo companheiro.

Além do duelo com o Flamengo, foram mais três jogos. No caso, contra o Botafogo, a LDU e o América-MG. Mas a primeira vez de James como titular aconteceu contra o Botafogo, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro. Mas mesmo sendo a maior novidade, se contentou com um empate por 0 a 0.

Mas de todos os jogos que James Rodríguez participou, ainda não venceu nenhum. Foram dois empates e duas derrotas até o momento.

+ Renove o seu estoque de camisas do Tricolor com o cupom LANCEFUT 10% OFF

Neste um mês, James Rodríguez ainda não se consolidou nas escalações de Dorival Júnior. Muito se justifica pela questão do ritmo, tendo em vista que o colombiano ficou praticamente quatro meses sem entrar em campo. Neste contexto, o treinador destacou: está levando tudo com calma.

-Temos que ter calma, tudo vai ser construído com tranquilidade desde nossa chegada, estamos buscando um reposicionamento para eles – disse após o confronto em LDU.

Com preparo e mais minutos em campo, James Rodríguez pode ser uma das peças-chaves para a sequência de decisões do São Paulo. Nesta semana, define seu futuro na Copa Sul-Americana, e em setembro, tem o desafio da final da Copa do Brasil contra o Flamengo.

Tottenham Hotspur have come on leaps and bounds over the last couple of years, as seen by some of the achievements on the field under various managers.

Ange Postecoglou may have been handed his marching orders over the summer window, but he managed to achieve something which various managers have failed to do in North London.

The Aussie claimed the Europa League title with a victory over fellow Premier League side Manchester United in Bilbao, subsequently ending the 17-year trophy drought.

However, it wasn’t enough to keep his job, with the 60-year-old replaced by Thomas Frank, with the Dane tasked with the responsibility of taking the Lilywhites to the next level.

Their ability to win the Europa League has allowed the club to feature in the Champions League, whilst also recruiting some top-level talent in the process.

How Spurs struck gold in Daniel Levy's final window

During the recent summer window, Frank made a beeline to improve his forward line, subsequently making a move to land Mohammed Kudus from rivals West Ham United.

The Ghanaian cost a reported £55m during the off-season, but he’s already shown glimpses of being a shrewd addition for the Lilywhites in 2025/26 and beyond.

He’s registered five assists in his first ten outings in North London, as per Transfermarkt, with the forward also getting off the mark during the recent 2-1 win over Leeds United, lashing home from just outside the box.

Kudus wasn’t the only big-money addition during the off-season, with the hierarchy also forking out £52m for the signature of attacking midfielder Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.

A new number ten was on the agenda all summer long, subsequently landing the Dutchman after missing out on the likes of Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White prior to his arrival.

The 22-year-old has so far made seven outings across all competitions, but unlike Kudus, he’s failed to find the net and has also only registered one assist in the process.

Despite the aforementioned additions, one other player in the first-team is rapidly becoming a better signing than the pair after establishing himself in Frank’s plans.

The Spurs star who’s becoming a better signing than Kudus & Simons

Over the last couple of years, Spurs haven’t been afraid to splash the cash to help them achieve their goals on the pitch, with the hierarchy spending well over £400m in the last three years.

Numerous areas of the pitch have been subject to investment, as seen by the additions within the final third, but the defensive unit has also been bolstered in recent years.

The partnership of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero at the heart of the backline has already contributed to Frank’s side keeping five clean sheets in 2025/26 to date.

However, the middle of the park is arguably one of the most important, with Lucas Bergvall already making huge strides after the Dane took the reins during the off-season.

The Swede was an unknown quantity to many a little over 12 months ago, when the hierarchy forked out a fee in the region of £8.5m for his services from Djurgarden.

Yet, swiftly said to possess “a first touch like Modric” by the Athletic’s JJ Bull, at the age of just 18 when he moved to England, the midfielder made an immediate impact during his debut campaign – racking up 45 appearances across all competitions.

Whilst he’s primarily a deep-lying option, he managed to net his first goal for the club in the Carabao Cup semi-final over Liverpool – but it was unable to catapult the side to the final.

The 2025/26 campaign has seen the youngster go from strength to strength, already featuring in ten outings under Frank and leading to Squawka describing him as “incredible”.

Bergvall has already added to his goalscoring tally, netting his first English top-flight effort in the recent 3-0 triumph over West Ham at the London Stadium.

Games played

6

Goals & assists

2

Pass accuracy

84%

Dribble success

70%

Tackles won

2.2

Duels won

5.2

Recoveries made

3.9

Shots taken

1.5

His underlying stats this season are just as impressive, making 2.2 tackles per 90 and winning 5.2 duels per 90 – subsequently showcasing his excellent ability to regain possession for the side, before transferring the ball into attacking areas for the likes of Kudus and Simons.

The Swede has also achieved an 84% pass completion rate, whilst also completing 70% of the dribbles he’s attempted – arguably being the perfect box-to-box option at the heart of the team.

At just 19, it’s scary to think about how impressive Bergvall can become in the years ahead, especially if he continues on the trajectory he’s put himself on in recent months.

There’s no disputing that Kudus and Simons will be excellent additions in the near future, but the move for Bergvall was a bargain and one that could go down as one of the best in their history if he reaches his full potential.

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It feels like it’s a bit late to say the wheels have come off for West Ham United.

The Hammers were knocked out of the League Cup in the second round and have lost four of their five Premier League games, by a combined score of 5-13.

It felt like it was more a matter of when, rather than if, Graham Potter was replaced in the London Stadium dugout.

Lo and behold, despite being put in front of the press on Friday afternoon ahead of their clash with Everton on Monday, he was given the boot on Saturday morning.

Nuno Santo was quickly announced as his replacement but with only a couple of days of training before the clash with the Toffees, it will be interesting to see if the Portuguese makes many widespread changes.

James Ward-Prowse could be one player who drops out as Nuno chases a debut win.

Why Ward-Prowse has to be dropped

West Ham spent around £30m to bring Ward-Prowse to the London Stadium in the summer of 2023, and considering he was sent on an unsuccessful short-term loan to Nottingham Forest last year, it’s been a failure of a move.

However, while the fans were desperate for Potter to drop the former Southampton star from the lineup, he continued to persist with the Englishman, something that arguably played a hand in his sacking.

The 11-capped Englishman has had a brilliant career in the top-flight, and there was a point at which his deadball abilities made him a genuine threat for the Saints, but those days are long gone.

Instead, the 30-year-old is now more of a hindrance in the middle of the park than anything else, unable to offer much in attack and not being anywhere near mobile enough to help out in defence.

We saw this duel problem on full display against Crystal Palace, as even though he took 61 touches and completed 41 passes, he amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of just 0.25.

Minutes

90′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

61

Accurate Passes

41/48 (85%)

Crosses (Accurate)

5 (1)

Shots on Target

0

Ground Duels (Won)

6 (1)

Aerial Duels (Won)

3 (0)

Lost Possession

14

Fouls

3

Dribbled Past

2

On top of that, he lost five out of six ground duels, all three aerial duels, was dribbled past twice, lost possession 14 times and gave away three fouls.

It was a horror show, and one that should see him nowhere near the starting lineup for quite some time, especially as West Ham have a new midfielder who could come in and surely do a better job.

West Ham's ideal Ward-Prowse replacement

While there are a few options Nuno could go with on Monday evening, he has to start Soungoutou Magassa in place of Ward-Prowse.

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The former AS Monaco ace is certainly still young and somewhat inexperienced compared to the Englishman, but he deserves a chance to show the fans what he can do tonight.

More importantly, though, he offers something the former Saints star no longer can: dynamism and quality.

According to respected analyst Ben Mattinson, the 21-year-old is blessed with a combination of “pure athleticism” and an ability to “spray passes wide out to the wings” because his “passing range is top.”

Moreover, Mattinson has claimed that “defensively there’s a high potential” in the youngster, which is borne out in his underlying numbers.

According to FBref, he ranked in the top 1% of midfielders in Ligue 1 last season for dribblers tackled, tackles plus interceptions, and ball recoveries, as well as the top 5% for tackles won and more, all per 90 minutes.

He also put up some promising attacking numbers as well, ranking in the top 9% for successful take-on percentage and the top 17% for passes into the final third, also per 90.

Tackles (Mid 3rd)

2.37

Top 1%

Dribblers Tackled

2.20

Top 1%

Dribbles Challenged

4.04

Top 1%

Tkl+Int

5.97

Top 1%

Ball Recoveries

7.90

Top 1%

Tackles

4.13

Top 2%

Interceptions

1.84

Top 4%

Tackles Won

2.20

Top 5%

Successful Take-On %

65.2%

Top 9%

Touches (Mid 3rd)

45.57

Top 12%

Tackles (Att 3rd)

0.53

Top 16%

Passes into Final Third

5.88

Top 17%

Switches

0.61

Top 17%

Aerials Won

1.14

Top 12%

In short, while he is nowhere near the finished product, the “elegant” Frenchman, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, already appears to be a better player than Ward-Prowse.

Therefore, for Nuno to elevate the chances of claiming all three points, he should drop the 30-year-old and start Magassa.

A manager who Jurgen Klopp once described as “incredible” is now the leading contender to replace Graham Potter at West Ham United.

Potter under serious pressure after Crystal Palace defeat

Potter would’ve been hoping the 3-0 victory at Nottingham Forest could be a turning point in the season, but there has been a return to the mean since the end of the international break, with West Ham suffering defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace.

Fabrizio Romano has since confirmed that the West Ham hierarchy have started looking at new managers, saying: “Internal talks are taking place with eventual replacements being assessed. Decision could follow soon.”

A number of managers with Premier League experience have been identified as potential targets, including Gary O’Neil, Slaven Bilic, and Sean Dyche, but it has since emerged that a different manager is now the frontrunner for the job.

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That is according to a report from The Mirror, who reveal that West Ham are seriously considering parting ways with Potter, following their terrible start to the Premier League season, collecting just three points from their opening five games.

Nuno Espirito Santo is named as the leading contender to replace Potter, with the former Nottingham Forest boss being dismissed by Evangelos Marinakis earlier this month, despite leading the Tricky Trees to Europe for the first time in 30 years.

The upcoming fixture against Everton is likely to be crucial in deciding Potter’s future, with the Toffees set to travel to the London Stadium next Monday night.

"Incredible" Nuno could be major upgrade on Potter

Potter has experienced success in the Premier League in the past, impressing enough at Brighton & Hove Albion to get the Chelsea job, but the 50-year-old’s performance in his last two roles leaves a lot to be desired.

During his time at Stamford Bridge, the Englishman averaged just 1.42 points per match, lasting less than seven months, before going on to struggle considerably at West Ham, receiving widespread criticism from the fans after the recent defeat against Spurs.

Nuno, on the other hand, is vastly more experienced in the Premier League, with Klopp once praising the Portuguese manager for the work he did at Wolverhampton Wanderers, saying: “Nuno’s doing an incredible job. They are a talented team, the quality is big. It’s really rare, but apart from two or three games they played exactly the same three players in the last line the whole year, that’s unbelievable.”

The Sao Tome-born manager, who favours a 4-2-3-1 system, subsequently went on to be a success at Forest, averaging 1.48 points per match and guiding the Tricky Trees to a seventh-placed finish in the Premier League last season.

West Ham have spent a number of seasons in Europe in recent times, winning the UEFA Conference League in 2023, and there are clear indications Nuno could be capable of bringing European nights back to the London Stadium.