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West Ham United have rightly prioritised signing a holding midfielder to replace Declan Rice this summer, but the need for a new striker is surely very high on David Moyes' list of targets.

Who are West Ham interested in signing?

Denis Zakaria appears to be on his way to the London Stadium from Juventus – offsetting the £105m departure of Rice to Arsenal – as does Real Betis centre-back Luiz Felipe.

In terms of attacking players, though, options appear to be few and far between as far as West Ham are concerned. United appear to have missed out to Newcastle United over the signing of Harvey Barnes from Leicester City, whilst links with the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Matheus Franca have gone quiet.

However, according to Football Insider, Moyes is pushing hard for West Ham to sign Strasbourg striker Habib Diallo.

The report suggests that Brentford are also showing a strong interest, with Thomas Frank's side on the lookout for a striker to fill in – and possibly then play alongside – Ivan Toney during his spell in the stands for breaching the FA's betting rules.

Who is Strasbourg striker Habib Diallo?

Diallo is a man in demand after scoring 20 goals in 37 Ligue 1 appearances last season, making him the sixth-highest scoring player in the French top flight, with Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe (29) leading the way.

The 28-year-old was responsible for 39% of all of Strasbourg's Ligue 1 goals last season, as per WhoScored – only Alexandre Lacazette (42%) and Folarin Balogun (47%), for Lyon and Reims respectively, were more relied upon by their teams.

According to FBref's player comparison tool, Diallo's statistical profile is very similar to that of Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic – a player West Ham would no doubt love to have up top next season.

Indeed, the pair scored at the exact same rate of 0.63 league goals per 90 minutes last season – Diallo in Ligue 1 and Mitrovic in the Premier League – while both chipped in with one assist each.

Diallo found the target from more of his shots (40% compared to 31.8% for Mitrovic), though there was very little between them in terms of aerial duels won (46.1% for Diallo, 48.8% for Mitrovic).

Indeed, FBref ranks Diallo in the top 11% of all forwards across Europe's top five leagues for aerial duels won last season (4.22 per 90 minutes), while he is in the top 17% in terms of non-penalty goals scored (0.53 per 90).

To put that in some perspective, Gianluca Scamacca – the flop striker that Diallo would effectively be signed to replace at West Ham – ranked in the bottom 41% in both metrics with 1.65 and 0.29 respectively.

Thought to be available for around £20m this summer, West Ham could bring in a player who boasts similar qualities to Mitrovic – and is therefore a huge upgrade on what they have.

Recently described as a "reliable" striker by Strasbourg head coach Frederic Antonetti, moving for Diallo seems a no-brainer as far as the Irons are concerned.

Leeds United have been keeping tabs on AZ Alkmaar defender Milos Kerkez ahead of a potential move to the Championship, according to reports.

Who is Milos Kerkez?

Kerkez is primarily a left-back who currently plies his trade at the AFAS Stadium having moved there from AC Milan’s U19s back in January 2022. He’s since gone on to become a regular feature of the first-team having made 33 starts out of 34 Eredivisie matches last season.

The Hungary international’s contract isn’t set to expire for another three years, but after emerging as Pascal Jansen’s fourth best-performing defensive player during the previous term, he’s caught the eye of the 49ers, and not for the first time.

Back in April, Portuguese outlet Record reported that the Whites were applying pressure to sign the 19-year-old ahead of the ongoing window, and with Daniel Farke now in charge, it seems that they are still continuing to pursue a deal for their target.

In Yorkshire, Pascal Struijk, Junior Firpo and Leo Hjelde are the boss’ current options at left-back but it’s currently unknown as to which players will be departing over the coming weeks following relegation, so reinforcements may well be needed, which is where the teenager comes into play.

Are Leeds signing Kerkez?

According to The Daily Mail, Leeds have “checked on” Kerkez “over the past year” ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Premier League high-flyers Newcastle United, fellow second-tier rivals Leicester City and Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund are also keeping tabs, but it’s Bournemouth who are the first club to have “opened discussions”.

The Cherries are “in talks” regarding a deal for the defender, who is valued at “over” £20m by AZ Alkmaar, so the Whites hierarchy will have to act fast should they want to beat their competitors in the race for his signature.

Could Kerkez be a good addition for Farke?

Leeds will know that Kerkez would be more of a signing for the long-term future of the club being just 19 years of age, but having been hailed a “high-quality” left-back by talent scout Jacek Kulig, he would be a promising acquisition for Farke to have at his disposal.

Sponsored by Adidas, the left-footed gem won 32 out of his 54 tackles made last season which was the second-highest success rate throughout the whole of his squad, as per FBRef, whilst also averaging 1.5 clearances each outing, so he’s obviously strong in the natural aspect of his game.

The youngster however equally contributed to efforts in the final third having ranked in the 92nd percentile for attacking touches in the opposition’s area by players in his position, which resulted in him clocking up 12 goal contributions (seven assists and five goals) across all competitions, showing his desire to burst down the flank.

Finally, Kerkez would provide the manager with some great versatility with his ability to operate slightly higher up on the left side of the midfield and even on the opposite wing at right-back alongside his usual role in the defensive backline which is yet another attribute that the hierarchy will be attracted to.

Tottenham Hotspur remain focused on their top summer target, with an update suggesting steady progress continues to be made…

What's the latest on James Maddison to Tottenham Hotspur?

Taking to his Twitter, it was once again transfer guru Fabrizio Romano who offered the latest update on Ange Postecoglou's pursuit of James Maddison.

The Leicester City maestro remains embroiled in this transfer tussle between Spurs and Newcastle United, but with the latter having moved on to other targets, it leaves the former in the driving seat for the man valued at over £50m by his club.

The Italian journalist wrote on Saturday afternoon: "Tottenham will push again for James Maddison next week — he remains the priority target for Postecoglou in that position."

Could James Maddison take Heung-min Son's place?

One of the few feel-good stories that have surrounded the Lilywhites in recent years has been the partnership struck up between Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

As a quality creator and finisher, and an often-unstoppable speedy winger, the two struck up a bond that captured the imagination, even surpassing Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba for goals exchanged between the pair.

The South Korean has recorded 225 goal contributions across his 372 games in north London, yet saw a notable downturn last term that will leave Postecoglou with cause for concern.

Having notched 23 goals and a further 17 in the two respective seasons before the last, he would only muster ten league strikes most recently, leaving the England captain to shoulder most of the burden. His 30 goals marked an immense feat, as he took this weak side on his back.

However, he cannot be allowed to continue as the sole offensive threat.

The acquisition of Maddison could supplement his compatriot once again, especially given the 26-year-old managed 19 goal contributions in a Foxes side that fell to the drop. He too has shown his quality in a struggling outfit.

His ability to score and supplement from deep could see him ignite a new partnership in north London, where instead of speed being the main asset, a focus on technical excellence is preferred.

Either of these two creative stars could drop deep to pick out their advancing teammate, with whoever finds themself on the finishing end of the move likely to record an easy goal.

The former Norwich City star would likely prefer the former role, given Statman Dave's suggestion that he is a "magician". With 2.3 key passes and 1.7 successful dribbles per game last term too, a record better than Son's 1.8 key passes and 0.9 dribbles per match, this is a notion only emphasised further.

As the South Korean reaches the twilight years of his career, poised to turn 31 next month, Maddison is instead only just entering his prime years. He and Kane could replace one already legendary partnership with a new, fresh dynamic, to lay the foundations for Postecoglou's hopeful tenure.

Jack Leach, the Somerset left-arm spinner, has been left out of the England Lions team for the first unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A in Pallekele after struggling with his new bowling action.Leach, the second-highest wicket-taker in Division One of the County Championship in 2016 with 65 at 21.88, was thought by some to be unfortunate not to win selection in the England Test squad that toured Bangladesh and India. But his action was found to be illegal during routine tests at the national performance centre in Loughborough after the season and he was obliged to remodel it before departing on tour.While Leach initially thought the remedial work had gone well, the pressure of playing in a match situation and for a national side appears to have exposed some unfamiliarity with the new action. He conceded 68 in 14 wicketless overs in the second-innings of the warm-up match against the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI – the other specialist spinner, Ollie Rayner, took 3 for 55 from 22 overs by comparison – which led to the tour management going into the unofficial Test with Rayner as the only specialist spinner. Tom Westley and Liam Livingstone will provide spin back-up as required.The Lions management have stressed that there is no suggestion Leach has been left out due to any fears of illegality with his new action. It is, they say, to provide him more time to groove it in the nets before testing it under the pressure of a match situation. He has not been ruled out of the second match in Dambulla.While a period of readjustment was probably inevitable for Leach, it may be worth noting his county captain’s views towards the end of the season. Chris Rogers suggested Leach “emotionally… still has a bit of a way to go”, and suggested he may not quite be ready for international cricket where “the challenges… are a lot more difficult.”The ECB is also painfully aware of the case of another left-arm spinner, Simon Kerrigan, who endured a chastening Test debut at The Oval in 2013 and has never fully recovered. England are keen to ensure Leach has a more robust action and, as a consequence, a more robust sense of confidence, before he is thrust into relatively high-pressure situations.

Chelsea could bolster their midfield this summer by signing recently relegated James Maddison.

What’s the latest on James Maddison

With Leicester City resigned to life in England’s second tier, James Maddison looks set to find a new home in the Premier League, with both Arsenal and Chelsea keen on the player, per Simon Phillips’ substack.

Phillips does qualify that whilst the English “monster” – as once described by journalist Josh Bunting – is not the west London club’s primary target, but ‘the interest is real.’

Todd Boehly might need to act quick if he wants to get this deal done, as per Aaron Catterson-Reid of football.london, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested.

The Gunners have been long-term admirers of the Foxes midfielder, reportedly trying to sign him in the summer of 2021, but a price tag of £60m proved too much for Edu Gaspar and the board.

The new price widely reported for the Coventry-born midfielder is around £40m.

Whilst significantly cheaper than just two years ago, that is still a hefty fee for a player that has just been relegated and has just a year left on his current deal.

Would James Maddison be a good signing for Chelsea?

There is very little doubt over the quality of the ex-Norwich City man by this point in his career.

Despite playing for a highly dysfunctional Leicester side this year, he has still managed to perform at a consistently impressive level.

According to WhoScored, the 5 foot 9 maestro has averaged an excellent rating of 7.24 this season.

The underlying numbers also bolster his case.

According to FBref, compared to other midfielders in Europe’s top five divisions, Maddison sits in the top 1% of non-penalty goals, assists, expected non-penalty goals and assists, shot-creating actions per 90 and a plethora of other statistics.

So from a purely numbers perspective, £40m looks to be an absolute steal for a player of his quality, and his former manager Brendan Rodgers would likely agree.

Speaking after Maddison’s England call-up last November, Rogers waxed lyrical about the playmaker: “He’s a fantastic player, one of the best in the Premier League.”

England boss Gareth Southgate has also sung his praises in the past, labelling the Leicester man as “world-class” back in 2019.

With the ringing endorsements he has received from the managers he’s played for and numbers as impressive as they are, it won’t be a surprise to see Maddison leave the King Power in the summer, and Chelsea would be wise to ensure that it’s at Stamford Bridge, given the evidence above.

Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan made history in the FA Cup final against Manchester United on Sunday at Wembley.

Ilkay Gundogan fired Manchester City to an early lead with the fastest goal ever scored in an FA Cup final on Saturday.

The midfielder blasted past Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea from outside the box after just 12 seconds.

That striker broke a record that had lasted for 14 years, so what are the other quickest goals to have been scored in the final of world football's oldest national competition?

GOAL takes a look…

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  1Ilkay Gundogan | 12 seconds | Man City vs Man United | 2023

  Just 12 seconds after City kicked off the final at Wembley, Gundogan fired into the net with a lightning quick goal.

  The ball found its way back to goalkeeper Stefan Ortega and his long ball was nodded on by Erling Haaland.

  A tussle between City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne and United defender Victor Lindelof saw it teed up for Gundogan and he smashed it towards goal, leaving De Gea no choice but to stand back and admire as it went into the net.

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  2Louis Saha | 25 seconds | Chelsea vs Everton | 2009

  Everton were the obvious underdogs heading into their tournament decider against Guus Hiddink's Chelsea.

  The Toffees proved they were well up for the fight, however, when they charged forward immediately.

  Chelsea failed to properly clear Steven Pienaar's cross into the box and Marouane Fellaini beat centre-back Alex to the header, knocking into the path of Louis Saha.

  The French forward unleashed a beauty of a shot to beat Petr Cech and send the Merseyside club into the lead.

  Chelsea managed to fight back, however, and won it 2-1 thanks to goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.

• 3Bob Chatt | 30 seconds | Aston Villa vs West Brom | 1895

  Unsurprisingly for a game from 1895, there is a lot of uncertainty about the goal that went down as the fastest ever to be scored in an FA Cup final.

  The FA states Bob Chatt fired Aston Villa to cup success with a strike just 30 seconds into the clash at Crystal Palace, but some reports list it as late as 39 seconds in.

  That is not the only point of contention, though, as it was claimed that Chatt's half-volley was stopped by a fingertip touch from the goalkeeper, sparking a scramble before it was knocked in via John Devey's knee.

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  4Roberto Di Matteo | 43 seconds | Chelsea vs Middlesbrough | 1997

  Italian midfielder Roberto Di Matteo sent Chelsea on their way to victory in the 1997 final with a goal just 43 seconds in.

  His shot from distance went in off the crossbar, leaving goalkeeper Ben Roberts no chance of stopping it.

  The club legend's effort went down as the fastest in an FA Cup final at Wembley until Saha popped up 12 years later to break that record.

  Chelsea went on to win 2-0, with Eddie Newton doubling the lead after 83 minutes.

TalkSport pundit Jamie O'Hara has claimed that "a lot of billionaires" will want to buy Tottenham Hotspur if they are put up for sale.

What's the latest Spurs takeover news?

It was a terrible final home game of the season for Spurs on Saturday as they were comfortably beaten 3-1 by Brentford in the Premier League.

This means, the campaign will see Tottenham end without any trophies yet again, while the club don't even have a permanent manager or a sporting director in charge.

It certainly is a mess in North London right now and fans have been furious with ENIC and chairman Daniel Levy for some time, protesting against the ​​​​​​ownership set-up with growing regularity.

However, there is no guarantee that they would be bought by someone who would do a better job of running the club if Tottenham was put up for sale.

Even so, while talking about it all on TalkSport, former player O'Hara insisted there would be no shortage of offers for the Premier League asset if ENIC did opt to sell.

He explained: “I can assure you now if Tottenham went up for sale properly – and Joe Lewis did come out and say we're going to sell the football club – there'd be a lot of billionaires who would want to buy it.

"Are you joking? You've got concerts? You've got Formula One there. You've got NFL matches there. It's one of the most sought-after stadiums in the world."

Who wants to buy Spurs?

It's notable that O'Hara doesn't call upon any footballing achievements when listing while the football club would be a good asset for any prospective buyers.

To be fair to him, though the new stadium is a great venue, with deals struck to host music concerts, boxing and rugby in London N17. And the club have even, somewhat spuriously, estimated that 5.9bn people globally will be interested in events held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

However, even if it is a potentially attractive asset, as we've learnt with the saga that has developed after the Glazer family put Manchester United on the market this season, it wouldn't be simple to get ENIC out and someone else (someone better) in charge.

Still, there may already be a leading candidate to takeover Spurs with Iranian-American billionaire Jahm Najafi – chair of MSP Sports Capital – reportedly working with a consortium ahead of a possible £3b takeover in the near future.

It will certainly be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is looking ahead to next season already as he eyes a move for a current Premier League midfielder that can take his team to the next level.

What’s the latest on Kalvin Phillips to Aston Villa?

According to Football Insider, Villa have a ‘strong interest’ in Manchester City midfielder Phillips ahead of the summer transfer window and City could demand a fee of around £45m in order to sell him.

The Citizens would be recouping the fee that they splashed out on him last summer while if Emery manages to sign him, he will break the Villa transfer record.

The Spaniard is aiming to take the club to European football and in order to be successful, he will need to bulk up his midfield options.

Could Aston Villa sign Kalvin Phillips?

The Englishman has endured a tough season at City, getting just 353 minutes of action across 14 matches due to injury problems, yet he could still make a difference to the Villa midfield if fully fit.

Emery will no doubt have a clear out in the summer and one player who could leave is Leander Dendoncker, with Football Insider claiming the 51-year-old is preparing to listen to any offers for him at the end of the season.

If the "outstanding" Phillips – as dubbed by Gareth Southgate – brings the form that he displayed whilst at Leeds United in 2021/22, then he would be a major upgrade on the Belgian ahead of next term.

Indeed, last season, the 27-year-old registered more shot-creating actions per game (1.69 to 1.25), won more tackles (25 to 17), interceptions (24 to nine) and succeeded with more take ons (seven to five) proving that he is a much better option from both a defensive and ball-playing point of view than the Belgian.

Across Europe’s top five leagues, Phillips ranks in the top 21% for defensive metrics including tackles, blocks, and interceptions, suggesting that the Villa boss could be signing one of the finest defensive midfielders on the continent when fully fit.

A fee of £45m, providing Phillips stays fit, could represent an excellent investment by Villa and will give Emery the licence to get rid of a few players in the process, Dendoncker included.

Rain restricted play to only 13.2 overs on the third day of Yorkshire’s Specsavers County Championship match against Surrey at Headingley yesterday

ECB Reporters Network10-May-2016
ScorecardJoe Root reached his double century•Getty ImagesRain restricted play to only 13.2 overs on the third day of Yorkshire’s Specsavers County Championship match against Surrey at Headingley yesterday, so lessening the time available for the title-holders to complete their first win of the season.Given fair weather tomorrow, however, they are still in a good position to force a victory for they lead by 227 on the first innings with four wickets still in hand if they decide to bat on a little longer.And Yorkshire coach, Jason Gillespie, said after the call-off that he was confident Yorkshire could go on and win the match.”We are already over 220 in front and will probably have to bowl pretty soon but it will be up to the captain whether to declare straight away or bat for a bit longer but there is a fair chance to get a few runs as soon as we can.”Gillespie added that he was very pleased with Yorkshire’s form in general and was encouraged with what he had seen so far this season. Although they had yet to win a match they had worked very hard against quality team and he was pleased with the progress. “We have to make sure we keep standards up and stay focussed,” he said.Gillespie also revealed that young fast bowler, Matthew Fisher, had suffered a second hamstring injury following the one he sustained in Dubai and that he would miss the start of the T20 campaign.Surrey wicketkeeper, Ben Foakes, said he thought his side had bowled quite well and had picked up three early wickets but Root and Bairstow were a couple of England players and one just had to accept that they both played a very good innings.”It became a bit easier once the effects of the new ball had worn off but they still made batting look pretty easy.”Foakes felt there was still every chance of Surrey managing to draw the game. “The rain has helped us so far and if we can get over the new ball we have a good chance of getting a draw,” he said.Play began on time in the morning and in just under an hour before the rain came they added 71 to their overnight score of 486 for 5 to leave them on 557 for 6 off 111.2 overs.Joe Root started out on 190 and immediately 500 had been posted he completed his double-century off 232 balls with 20 fours and a six and he moved on comfortably to 213 before the industrious Ravi Rampaul had him aiming to leg only to get a leading edge which sailed straight to Gareth Batty at mid-off.Root finished up with 22 fours and a six off the 242 deliveries he received and he departed to a generous ovation, well satisfied with his dress rehearsal ahead of the Headingley Test match next week.Yet it was Adil Rashid who played most of the stunning shots in the brief passage of play, three consecutive boundaries of vintage quality at Tom Curran’s expense hurrying him on to 55, two of the shots whistling through mid-off and the other being turned backward of square leg.Root’s dismissal made it 547 for 6 in the 108th over to bring the visitors a second bowling bonus point which they hardly merited although both Rampaul and Curran had carried the attack with discipline and control for most of the time.When Matthew Dunn replaced Curran, Rashid drove back his first ball but Dunn was unable to hold on and the rain quickly followed, leaving Rashid unbeaten on 60 from 85 balls with 11 boundaries.

Aston Villa have endured a tumultuous campaign thus far, but new boss Unai Emery's instant impact has led them to finally attaining some degree of comfort as they enter the run-in.

Swanning into a club in crisis, the Spaniard kept a cool head and comfortably guided the Midlands outfit to safety, with an 11-point gap separating them from the rest of the league battling it out for survival.

They too were once firmly entrenched in that relegation scrap, with Steven Gerrard's struggling side seemingly destined for a season of peril.

Whilst the short tenure of the Liverpool legend was largely disappointing, there were admittedly particular facets of his reign that could be deemed a success, particularly in the transfer window where he did add some talent to the squad.

However, last summer it was actually his work in retaining one of his prized assets that was most important, as he fought off numerous advances to retain Douglas Luiz.

Did Douglas Luiz nearly leave Aston Villa?

The Brazilian boasted many suitors throughout a summer of vast change at Villa Park, as Gerrard was backed wholeheartedly to lead the club into a brighter future.

It was clear that Luiz was to play a huge role in any future success though, yet Liverpool, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid all showed interest.

However, it was on deadline day that they endured the toughest battle, rejecting no less than three bids from Arsenal who sought to take the former Manchester City man to the Emirates. With just 12 months left on his contract at the time, this refusal to sell marked a huge show of faith, which the 24-year-old would repay by signing a new long-term deal, estimated at £75k-per-week, in October.

It arguably marked Gerrard's most impressive feat, and whilst he ultimately failed in his task to return Villa to the top he did lay the foundation for future success by retaining one of their most impressive performers.

He has since gone on to feature in all but one of their Premier League games this season, most recently opening the scoring in their 3-0 rout of AFC Bournemouth, and maintaining an average Sofascore rating of 7.05.

This campaign has already marked a creative best for Luiz too, as his three goals and five assists have surpassed any of his previous tallies in the league.

It seems that the midfielder is building upon his good form from around this time last year, where Gabby Agbonlahor praised his attacking impetus: "He’s flying forward and getting into the box. He’s been outstanding and transformed."

Emery has been quick to praise him too, as he recently hailed the silky enforcer: "I am very happy with Douglas Luiz. His skill, characteristic in the squad is very important. He’s important in terms of taking our time with our centre-backs and midfielders and his characteristic is necessary in this team.

“Saturday was the match, I think, overall, his performance was the best with us since I arrived here.”

It is clear that he is now a favourite of the new regime too, with his role playing a huge part in their new way of playing. Should their new boss seek to continue their blistering form and thrive in the future, he will hope to have this midfield magician at the core of it.