West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo has been dealt another injury blow ahead of their crunch clash with newly-promoted Leeds United on Friday, and one which will force the tactician to play around with his starting eleven yet again.

Nuno slammed after controversial West Ham line-up against Brentford

Nuno faced the wrath of critics after he named what was a bizarre starting eleven to play Brentford on Monday.

The Hammers, who fell to their fourth home league defeat of the season — an all-time club record at this stage of the campaign — deployed Olly Scarles and Kyle Walker-Peters on their opposite sides, with Tomas Soucek and Andy Irving chosen in midfield ahead of the more dynamic Soungoutou Magassa and Freddie Potts.

After Niclas Fullkrug’s thigh injury was confirmed by Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann, plenty of debate surrounded who would play the striker role against Brentford.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Despite an expectation that Nuno could hand Callum Marshall his first ever Premier League start against Brentford, or play Jarrod Bowen in that role as the England international has done before, West Ham’s boss instead opted for Lucas Paqueta as a makeshift number nine.

The Brazil international was sloppy in possession and often left isolated, with the experiment ultimately failing to pay off.

West Ham legend Tony Cottee was among the critics to blast Nuno’s “awful” team selection after their uninspired 2-0 defeat, but the former Nottingham Forest boss moved to defend his choices.

Now, as per Nuno himself, he’ll have to tinker with the team once more, with defender Konstantinos Mavropanos now joining Fullkrug and George Earthy on the treatment table.

West Ham dealt Mavropanos injury blow with Igor Julio in line for recall

Speaking to reporters before West Ham’s trip to Leeds, Nuno confirmed that Mavropanos will miss their imminent clash.

The Greek international was forced off against Brentford and unable to finish the 90 after coming on as a substitute, and Mavropanos will be absent from West Ham’s matchday squad for the trip to Elland Road as a result.

The 27-year-old’s unavailability means that summer signing Igor Julio, who was left out of the squad entirely to play Brentford, is surely in line for a recall.

According to reports, Julio has been impressing in West Ham training as he fights for a place in Nuno’s starting eleven, and the Hammers hardly have anything to lose by giving him a shot.

Both Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo really struggled to contain Brentford on a night to forget for the pair, with West Ham also conceding more league goals than any other side in the top flight so far.

Described as a strong one-v-one defender with “excellent” technique by members of the press, the Brazilian has also been called an “animal” by former Seagulls coach Inigo Calderón.

Julio hasn’t been given a chance to stake his claim in the squad this term, playing just one league minute so far, but the time could be now as Nuno looks for inspiration from somewhere.

Chelsea are now frontrunners in the race for an “incredible” new defender, with a January move on the cards, should they be willing to shell out at least €30m (£26m).

Blues looking to strengthen defence amid Richards criticism

The Blues rose to fifth in the Premier League table courtesy of a 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, but Micah Richards wasn’t overly impressed with the overall performance.

During the second half, the pundit told BBC Sport: “Chelsea have been terrible at the back, they haven’t had a clean sheet in the Premier League since August. You can tell something isn’t right there, they’ve been making too many mistakes.

“Forest look better than they have been and they’ve had the clearest chances. But I worry for them that missing those chances could come back to bite them as Chelsea take the lead.”

Ultimately, the three points are the most important thing, but Enzo Maresca may be slightly concerned about his side allowing Forest to create so many opportunities, with the hosts squandering four big chances and hitting the woodwork.

According to a report from Caught Offside, Chelsea have now joined the race for a new defender, with it being revealed they are frontrunners to sign Strasbourg’s Guela Doue, who could be in line to join as soon as the January transfer window.

The French side are planning to cash-in for a fee north of €30m (£26m), given his importance to the side, which would be affordable for the Blues, and the fact both clubs are under BlueCo ownership could feasibly make everything easier to orchestrate.

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Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford are also keen on Doue, who is currently contracted until 2029, but the west Londoners are now in the strongest position to get a deal done.

"Incredible" Doue would be versatile option for Maresca

The 23-year-old, who is the brother of Paris Saint-Germain star Desire Doue, is capable of playing at both right-back and centre-back, meaning he would be a versatile option for Maresca, and the defender has displayed his ability to contribute on the front foot this season.

Indeed, the Angers-born ace has one goal and two assists to his name in four Ligue 1 outings, while also showcasing his passing ability and defensive talent on a regular basis over the course of the past year, placing in a high percentile on several metrics, compared to other full-backs.

Statistic

Average per 90

Clearances

4.95 (99th percentile)

Aerials won

1.97 (97th percentile)

Passes attempted

66.67 (90th percentile)

Progressive passes

6.32 (93rd percentile)

Having been lauded for his “incredible character” by Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior, Doue could be a solid addition for Chelsea, who definitely need to improve their defensive depth, having been left light on options following injuries to Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile.

Aston Villa's Europa League clash with Young Boys was disrupted by ugly scenes on Thursday night at Villa Park. Donyell Malen was hit on the head by an object thrown from the crowd after scoring his side's opening goal of the match, while the game had to be halted for several minutes just before half-time after violence broke out in the stands among the away supporters.

Getty Images SportUgly scenes at Villa Park

Malen headed Aston Villa into the lead on 27 minutes but was pelted with missiles from the crowd as he celebrated his goal. One of objects hit Malen on the head and appeared to have caused a cut. The Dutch star bagged another goal just before half-time which brought more ugly scenes and caused the game to be stopped for several minutes as trouble broke out in the away end. Television footage showed seats being ripped up and fans clashing with police. Young Boys captain Loris Benito was seen running over to the stands to plead with fans to behave, with the game eventually restarting after a five-minute delay.

AdvertisementWatch the clip

Malen in great form for Villa

Malen's goals continue his fine form for Aston Villa. He now has six goals so far this season for Unai Emery's side, three of those have come in the Europa League and the other three in the Premier League. Emery had hailed Malen before the game, telling reporters: "Everything he's achieving now you can see it before in the training session. He is helping the team in the structure we have, tactically to do our tasks. He is very important for us."

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Getty Images SportAston Villa enjoying Europa League life

Aston Villa have certainly been enjoying life in the Europa League this season. Emery's side came into Thursday's game having won three of their four matches in the tournament so far. After taking on Young Boys, Villa wrap up their group phase with fixtures against Basel, Fenerbahce and RB Salzburg.

The San Francisco Giants pulled off the biggest trade of the season so far by acquiring slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox on Sunday evening, trading away pitchers Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, Jose Bello and outfielder James Tibbs III. San Francisco will take on the remaining roughly $250 million of Dever's $313.5 million deal with Boston.

Following the trade, Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey broke down how the blockbuster move came into place. Per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Posey shared that he first reached out to Red Sox executive Craig Breslow a few weeks ago to talk about Devers.

Posey shared Monday on KNBR that he initially thought it was a low possibility the trade would come into place, but after he reached out, Giants general manager Zak Minasian remained in touch with the Red Sox about the trade. Posey and Breslow hammered out the final details, and as the trade approached, ownership got involved, with the Giants' owners agreeing to take on the remainder of Devers's massive deal to bring him to the Bay Area.

The trade notably took place in June, adding to the surprise of the move, but Posey said to KNBR that when he and Breslow became aligned on a deal, they didn't feel the need to wait around until closer to the trade deadline.

"We didn't need to wait around," Posey said. "Craig and I talked a lot about trying to make a good baseball deal. At that point there was no need to wait for another six weeks."

Posey also touched on the decision to acquire Devers, noting that it was tough to give up several talented pitchers and take on as large of a contract as Devers's.

"I believe the foundation to success is pitching and defense," Posey told KNBR. "We had to give up a promising young starter in Kyle Harrison, which is not an easy thing to do. Another big arm in Jordan Hicks and our first-round pick last year and another intriguing arm in Bello."

Ultimately though, the Giants didn't want to pass up the opportunity to acquire a batter like Devers, especially when it's been tough for them to sign great hitters in free agency.

"The bat is so special," Posey said Sunday of Devers, via Pavlovic. "It's just really hard to acquire this type of talent at this point of his career. We're obviously taking on a lot of money. We're giving up some pitching, we're giving up our first-round pick last year, so it didn't come without a cost. It felt like this was a chance to take a shot."

The Giants are thrilled about the addition of Devers, who will make his debut for San Francisco this week.

Mike Shildt was absolutely furious with umpires and MLB replay officials Monday night.

The San Diego Padres manager ripped a decision from the league's replay hub that overturned a home run by Xander Bogaerts due to fan interference. It was a shocking call that cost the Padres a run in a game they eventually lost 4-3 to the San Francisco Giants.

The incident came in the bottom of the second inning when Bogaerts took a Robbie Ray fastball deep to left center. Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos drifted back to the wall and reached up to catch the ball, but it bounced out of his glove and over the fence. As he had reached up, two fans reached out to catch the ball as well.

Initially ruled a home run, it was overturned after a lengthy review. It was stunning that the league was able to find clear evidence of interference, as it certainly wasn't obvious on replay.

Video is below.

Shildt left the dugout to talk to the umpires after the call was overturned and was immediately ejected as rules prohibit arguing after a replay ruling.

After the game, he was still fuming.

"With the angle of the ball coming, where it went and where it landed, there was not anybody who was impeding with him," Shildt said. "And if it's so clear, how come it takes two minutes and 40 seconds to figure it out, if it's that clear? Why are we sitting there for two minutes and 40 seconds? We have 15 seconds to review a call in the first place. We got two minutes and 40 seconds to sit there.

"What are you looking for? If it's that clear, then overturn it early. If it's not, then it's a home run," he continued. "That's just really disappointing that we go that long and have to come up with a conclusion that's not conclusive to overturn a home run that ends up costing us an opportunity to win a baseball game."

Yeah, I'd say he's still pretty hot. That call is going to sting for a while.

The next two weeks could define the Sri Lanka captain’s growth trajectory in a role he has no option but to grow into

Shashank Kishore25-Oct-20232:42

Maharoof: ‘Hope Mendis the captain remains the same batter’

The earliest memory Kusal Mendis has of watching cricket is the 2003 men’s World Cup. As an eight-year-old, he had heard tales of the magic Aravinda de Silva weaved with the bat. Aravinda was well past his prime by then, but he had done enough to fuel Kusal’s burning desire to emulate him.A few months short of his 18th birthday, Kusal won the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award. The recognition that came along with it helped him meet his boyhood hero, who is believed to have told him he should aspire to be the captain one day.When Kusal burst onto the scene at the Under-19 World Cup in 2014, he was earmarked for big things including captaincy. It has taken nearly a decade for Kusal to get that job, but it has come under circumstances he wouldn’t have envisaged.Related

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As such, international cricket can be a hard place to learn on the fly and Kusal perhaps had valid reasons for not wanting the job in the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup. Far from a sustainer of good form, he had only slowly been emerging from that frustrating ‘one step forward, two steps back’ pattern that has been a constant in his seven-year international career.But amid an ordinary start to a campaign many were cautiously optimistic about, largely because of the conditions, Kusal has been thrust into the role. Dasun Shanaka, an admirable leader who had backers for his style of rallying a team in doldrums together, had been ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a quadriceps injury.As such, Shanaka’s batting had tailed off so alarmingly that even a late surge against South Africa in chase of 429 merely seemed to limit damage than offer hope of him returning to his ferocious ball-striking ways. That he was a reluctant bowler didn’t help.Kusal Mendis has the captaincy added to his batting and wicketkeeping duties•ICC via Getty ImagesSo, two losses in – the one against Pakistan deflating them, one where they failed to defend 345 – there were rumblings of a potential change. As it turned out, Shanaka’s injury may have saved the selectors from a tough call. It’s under this backdrop that Kusal led Sri Lanka for the first time last week, against Australia in Lucknow.It is an understatement to say he has had to hit the ground running. It is not quite a dreamy scenario. These are difficult circumstances that will need Kusal to not just manage his own form and expectations around his batting, but also figure out plans and work around all the other external challenges that come with the captaincy.His spontaneous response at his first press conference after captaincy on what he expects from the team was a giveaway of how quickly things have unfurled. “I hope the bowlers know their roles,” Kusal had said when asked about formulating specific plans. He wasn’t feigning ignorance. He had barely had a few days to settle into the job, forget about easing into a role or building a team with the players he’d seen or backed.It has been a week since that game. Sri Lanka have since gone on to scrap a win against Netherlands and find themselves in a logjam for points in the middle. On Thursday, they play England, who are equally desperate for two points. It is only bound to get tougher and Kusal knows there’s only so much wriggle room. If he wants, Kusal has plenty of sounding boards in the dressing room, like Dimuth Karunaratne or Angelo Mathews. But in the heat of the battle, he will have to be his own man.On Tuesday during Sri Lanka’s first training session in Bengaluru under lights, Kusal was largely by himself, focused on his own idiosyncrasies – like his shadow swing, playing an imaginative forward defence, ducking and weaving bouncers, playing a straight drive. In his own little bubble, or the ‘zone’ as they say, until he was tapped by the team manager.Then he walked across to observe proceedings from a little close, joining head coach Chris Silverwood to watch Mathews go through the motions. Mathews, of course, was Sri Lanka’s captain when Kusal debuted as a precociously talented batter in 2015. How the wheels had turned now. Here he was assessing Mathews from the eyes of a leader, not the boy-wonder who could barely mumble a few words to him.

“We all get into that cycle and then we come in, we go out and then the next generation comes in. So, playing under Kusal, where he started when I was the captain, it gives me pleasure because he’s come a long way and I’ve seen him grow as a person and also as a batsman over the years.”Angelo Mathews on playing under Kusal Mendis’ captaincy

That small moment encapsulated Kusal’s challenges. Of someone keen to work on himself in bringing out his best to now having to look beyond just his own goals for the team’s sake. There are five league games left, and each one a must-win for Sri Lanka. There are bowlers to manage, plans to formulate with coaches, senior players to hand-hold, handling media and the scrutiny that comes with the job.It helps that there’s warmth and mutual admiration among the leaders within the group. For someone as senior as Mathews to swallow his ego, and be part of the group as traveling reserve tells you of his keenness to contribute. For him to sit with Kusal and ease him into a role he is still getting used to – he’s captained at the Lanka Premier League, but not at any other level of senior cricket prior to this – must help.”He has evolved so much over the last five-six years,” Mathews said when asked about his assessment of Sri Lanka’s current captain. “And now he’s showing his maturity playing fearless cricket and leading from the front. And yes, I mean, playing under him, I’ve played under so many different captains and they’ve also played under me, so, it’s a cycle.”We all get into that cycle and then we come in, we go out and then the next generation comes in. So, playing under Kusal, where he started when I was the captain, it gives me pleasure because he’s come a long way and I’ve seen him grow as a person and also as a batsman over the years which is very fantastic to see.”There is striking simplicity to Kusal’s see-ball-hit-ball approach as a batter. Captaincy may not be so simple. But the key for Kusal will be in how he manages to channel his batting without allowing the rigours of the job to affect him. It’s easier to do so perhaps in a bilateral series. But with the stakes high, the next two weeks could define his growth trajectory in a role he has no option but to grow into on the toughest stage.

Leeds United’s start to the 2025/26 Premier League season has been impressive. The Whites have begun strongly in their return to the top flight, after two seasons in the Championship.

Of course, their promotion campaign last term was one of complete dominance under Daniel Farke.

They’ve already picked up eight points this season, which, according to Understat, is actually below the number of expected points. That tally sits at 9.96xPTS, which places the West Yorkshire outfit 10th in the table for that specific metric.

After a big summer transfer window, this Leeds side has a new look, with a few of their integral player from the Championship success struggling to get into the side this term.

The Leeds promotion stars who can’t get into team

It might be strange to see a couple of players from Farke’s dominant side last season, now struggling to get any sort of regular gametime this term. One of those is midfielder Ao Tanaka, who was a key cog in the middle of the park in 2024/25.

Yet, the Japanese international simply can’t get a look in, with Farke’s midfield signings of Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach preferred.

Last season, he played 43 times in the Championship, chipping in with seven goal involvements. So far this term, he’s only played 181 minutes of top-flight football.

Midfielder Tanaka is not the only player who falls into this category. Centre-forward Joel Piroe was a key player for Farke last season, scoring 19 times in 43 games, backing up his 13 goals from the season before.

He even bagged four goals in a single game against Stoke City.

After signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha, however, Piroe simply can’t get a look in. He’s played fewer minutes in the top flight than Tanaka, racking up 147 across just three appearances this season.

He hasn’t scored yet, either.

There is one Leeds player who has played even fewer minutes this season, despite an important role in the 2024/25 campaign.

Why Leeds need to sell the "best in the league"

The start to the new season has shown that Farke is not afraid to make some big calls and replace the players who were so integral last season. You could call it a lack of loyalty, although it is a decision that is proving to be correct so far.

Another player who falls into the same category is goalkeeper Illan Meslier. Once described by Farke as “the best goalkeeper in the league,” he’s now fallen down the pecking order and can’t get into the Whites’ starting lineup.

Last term, the 25-year-old was, for much of the season, Leeds’ first-choice shot-stopper. He played the first 39 games of the season, but for the last seven, he was dropped from the side, following a string of mistakes.

That included his remarkable error against Sunderland.

It was not just that moment against the Black Cats, but “numerous monumental errors,” that cost him his place, according to Jonathan Buchan, BBC Radio Leeds Sports Editor.

As a result, Meslier has not played a single minute this season.

There are stats that back up this poor form on display from the goalkeeper, who was born in Lorient. For example, last season he averaged minus 3.11 goals prevented, meaning he conceded three extra goals than he should have.

Goals conceded

0.7

27

Saves made

1.7

65

Long balls completed

98

2.5

Goals prevented

-0.08

-3.11

Perhaps it is time for Leeds to move on from the Frenchman. He is the second choice behind Karl Darlow at the moment, and when summer signing Lucas Perri returns, it is surely safe to assume he will become Farke’s third choice.

It is a sad fall from grace for a goalkeeper once so highly rated by Farke. Yet, with the number of mistakes made by Meslier over the last 12 months in particular, it is understandable why he has been dropped, especially in the pressure cooker of the Premier League.

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She will remain in India and will support Mandhana whose wedding was postponed due to her father’s health issues

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2025

Jemimah Rodrigues played three games for Brisbane Heat this season•Getty Images

India batter Jemimah Rodrigues will miss the rest of the WBBL season, with her club Brisbane Heat agreeing to her request to remain in India.Rodrigues had returned home after playing three games for Heat, the last of which was against Hobart Hurricanes on November 15, as part of a pre-arranged commitment. She was set to be part of her India team-mate and close friend Smriti Mandhana’s wedding last weekend. But the event was postponed at the last minute because of a health issue with Mandhana’s father. Rodrigues will stay back in India to support Mandhana.”It has obviously been a challenging time for Jemi, so while it is unfortunate that she will take no further part in the WBBL, we were more than willing to agree to her request to remain in India,” Heat CEO Terry Svenson said in a statement. “The Heat club obviously wish her and Smriti Mandhana’s family all the best for the future.”Jemi told us she was disappointed not to be coming back and has passed on her appreciation to the club and the Heat fans for being so understanding of the circumstances. She has been in touch with the players and wished them all the best for the rest of their games.”Rodrigues, 25, scored 37 runs at an average of 12.33 and a strike rate of 102.77 in the three WBBL matches, after helping India Women clinch their maiden ODI World Cup title earlier this month.Heat, though, will be bolstered by the return of allrounder Grace Harris for the match against Sydney Sixers on November 28. Harris will replace seamer Lily Bassingthwaighte after she missed the last fixture as part of her workload management plan.Heat are searching for their first win this season, having lost all their six matches so far.

MatériaMais Notícias

da fezbet： O goleiro Weverton, do Palmeiras, se manifestou em entrevista ao LANCE!/NOSSO PALESTRA nesta quinta-feira (04) reclamando do preço dos ingressos para a final da Libertadores, que será disputada em no dia 27 de novembro, em Montevidéu, no Uruguai, diante do Flamengo.

Ferramenta aponta os 10 jogadores mais valiosos do Brasileirão; veja o ranking

Para o arqueiro palestrino, o preço da entrada não condiz com a crise financeira que o Brasil vive atualmente. Ainda na visão do arqueiro titular da equipe comandada por Abel Ferreira, o torcedor precisa ter o direito mínimo de lutar pelo ingresso para uma partida de final da competição mais badalada do continente Sul-Americano.

– Lamentamos muito. Chegar em um jogo desse tamanho, o torcedor tem que ter no mínimo o direito de lutar por esse ingresso. Não concordo com o preço. Tudo está muito caro. Vivemos uma crise – analisou.

Veja a tabela completa do Brasileirão

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasFernando Prass relembra passagem pelo Palmeiras e revela ‘desagrado’ por saída do clubePalmeiras04/11/2021PalmeirasJorge treina em dimensões reduzidas e Palmeiras segue preparação para enfrentar o SantosPalmeiras04/11/2021PalmeirasWeverton fala sobre quebrar recordes no Palmeiras e projeta decisão no Uruguai: ‘Vale até cabeçada na trave’Palmeiras04/11/2021

da spicy bet： Ainda sem saber se vai levar a família para a decisão, destacou o medo com a insegurança de uma final entre dois clubes brasileiros ser disputada fora do país, lembrando que o Uruguai foi palco de uma grande briga entre torcedores do Peñarol e do Palmeiras na Libertadores de 2017.

– Só quem tem dinheiro vai para a final, mas o Palmeiras é de todos. Até para a gente (jogadores) é ruim tirar nossa família daqui para levar para Montevidéu. Não sabemos se terá segurança total. Esse jogo poderia ser aqui no Brasil, tudo seria muito mais fácil – concluiu.

Veja no aplicativo do LANCE! o resultado dos jogos da rodada

No Palmeiras desde 2018, a conquista da Libertadores marcaria ainda mais a trajetória de Weverton com a camisa palestrina. Já multi-campeão e nono goleiro com mais partidas pelo clube, o camisa 21 foi peça fundamental para a conquista do Campeonato Brasileiro de 2018 e os títulos do Paulista, Copa do Brasil e Libertadores na magica campanha da tríplice coroa em 2020.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aF042rwDfg

da esport bet： Everton are reportedly exploring a move to sign James Ward-Prowse, who has been frozen out at West Ham United ever since the arrival of Nuno Espirito Santo.

da brwin： The Toffees are making a habit of offering transfer lifelines, having welcomed Jack Grealish on loan from Manchester City in the summer and since been linked with Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee.

Their decision to sign Grealish on loan in the summer has so far gone as well as they could have wished. The Premier League winner has been back to his very best form for the most part and is likely to play a crucial part in the outcome of Everton’s season.

Full of praise for his summer arrival, Everton boss David Moyes recently told talkSPORT: “Jack’s been really good. He’s helped us maintain the ball more, we’re up on numbers in terms of possession.

“His goals have been huge, I’m sort of driving home to him that it’s good being an assist maker but it’s even better being a goalscorer. He’s given us a real strength in how he plays.

“He and Iliman Ndiaye have played really, really well and probably changed the way we are, we wanted to evolve and become better and both those players give us that opportunity.

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“He’s an incredible character, loves his football, watches and listens, which a lot of the modern players don’t so much, but Jack loves his football and Tuchel’s got a really difficult job [picking the squad].”

With Zirkzee already linked with a similar move from Man United and now Ward-Prowse emerging as a target, 2026 could be all about the revival of impressive players in Merseyside.

Everton now exploring Ward-Prowse move

As reported by TeamTalk’s Dean Jones, Everton are now exploring a move to sign Ward-Prowse in January. The midfielder has been given the cold shoulder by Nuno ever since the manager arrived at West Ham and is now almost “certain” to move on from the London club.

A reunion with Moyes could, therefore, be on the cards. Ward-Prowse played 51 games under the Scot during their time together at West Ham, scoring seven goals and assisting another 11 in an impressive run. Now frozen out in London, his former manager could hand him a much-needed lifeline.

It’s easy to forget the quality that the former Southampton star can offer these days, but it’s worth remembering that Ward-Prowse is only one free-kick goal away from equalling David Beckham’s Premier League record of 18 direct goals. That’s the unique quality that he could offer Everton, who would suddenly take their set-pieces to a whole new level.

Moyes knows all about Ward-Prowse’s specialty, having been full of praise for the midfielder at West Ham – telling reporters in 2023: “We could have scored four or five from corner kicks.

“We’ve been a decent side from set pieces, maybe without the word “specialist”, but I think we’ve got a specialist now in Ward-Prowse. He’s contributing to us and our results at the moment.”

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