Over the years, Tottenham Hotspur supporters have had numerous opportunities to witness numerous elite-level forwards in their first-team squad in North London.

Harry Kane will undoubtedly be the first that springs to mind, after the Englishman netted a total of 280 goals during his decade-long spell as a regular starter.

His tally is the highest in the Lilywhites’ history, but he will no doubt have to hand a huge amount of credit to the direction of former teammate Heung-min Son.

The South Korean often featured alongside Kane in the final third, which saw the duo register 47 goals in the Premier League for one another – a tally making them the best pair in the division’s history.

However, Thomas Frank has been unable to call upon either of the aforementioned talents, with the Dane currently facing a struggle with the options at the top end of the pitch.

Spurs number nine struggles under Thomas Frank

Before a single ball was kicked in 2025/26, many of the Spurs supporters would have anticipated Dominic Solanke to be the club’s starting centre-forward under Frank.

However, it’s been a season to forget for the Englishman to date, with the 28-year-old massively struggling with an ankle issue – even going under the knife to fix the issue.

As a result, he’s been restricted to a total of just 31 league minutes to date, with his last senior appearances for the Lilywhites coming back in August.

Due to the injury issues of Solanke, Richarlison has been handed the responsibility of leading the line in recent months, with the Brazilian making a phenomenal start to the season.

He netted a double in the opening day victory over Burnley in North London, but he’s since only found the net twice in the following ten outings in England’s top-flight.

Prior to netting against Manchester United, the 28-year-old was on a run of ten games without a goal in all competitions, with his previous effort coming way back in the 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion in September.

His lack of form has allowed Randal Kolo Muani to have the opportunity to stake his claim at the top end of the pitch, with the PSG loanee starting in all of the last three outings, including in the meeting with United.

However, he’s also struggled to make the desired impact, with the Frenchman yet to find the back of the net in any of the eight games he’s played in under Frank.

Frank clearly needs to address the issue in such an area of the pitch, but elite-level talismen certainly don’t come cheap in the current climate – with the boss potentially wishing he had his own version of one other Premier League forward.

The Spurs star who is becoming their very own Haaland

Erling Haaland is a player who has constantly tormented countless backlines in the Premier League, often leaving supporters wishing they had a player of his calibre in their side.

The Norwegian international has registered a staggering record of 142 goals in his 160 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s men – cementing himself as one of Europe’s deadliest talismen.

He’s scored four goals in his seven appearances against the Lilywhites, often coming up with the goods and getting one over Spurs since his move to England.

This season alone, the 25-year-old has taken his goalscoring prowess to the next level, already finding the net on 21 occasions in just 18 appearances for the Citizens.

Should Spurs want to land their own version of Haaland, it would cost a small fortune in today’s market, with very few players able to replicate such levels.

However, Frank may already have a similar player in his ranks in the form of centre-back Micky van de Ven – a claim that may come as a surprise given the difference in position.

The Dutch international has been a key member of the Dane’s squad in 2025/26, featuring in every single Premier League and Champions League outing to date.

However, despite his defensive role, he’s thrived in attacking areas, as seen by his tally of six goals in 15 appearances – a tally which has made him the club’s top-goalscorer.

His latest strike came against FC Copenhagen on Tuesday night, with the 24-year-old running the entire length of the pitch before firing home expertly – just as Haaland would do at the Etihad.

Van de Ven’s performance led to one analyst dubbing him the “Haaland of centre-backs”, something which is surprisingly accurate given the Dutchman’s freakish pace and power.

The defender, who’s been labelled “world-class” by another analyst, clocked the fastest speed of any player in the division – which is similar to the Norwegian, with the forward having bags of pace despite his huge frame.

Games played

16

Goals scored

6

Pass accuracy

92%

Chances created

0.6

Tackles won

1.1

Aerials won

1.3

Dribble success

50%

Recoveries made

3.6

His aerial ability has also made him a force to be reckoned with at both ends of the pitch, with his tally of 1.3 aerials won per 90 helping him score a double against Everton earlier this season.

Players like Van de Ven don’t come around very often, with the Lilywhites hierarchy conducting phenomenal business, landing the centre-back for just £40m.

His comparisons to Haaland in 2025/26 are there for all to see, with the Spurs star the closest thing Frank currently has to the Premier League’s leading goalscorer.

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Manchester United academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo has found himself in a difficult position under head coach Ruben Amorim this season.

The England international has not started any of his seven appearances in the Premier League in the 2025/26 campaign, as Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and Manuel Ugarte have all been preferred ahead of him in the XI.

Mainoo started 19 Premier League games last season and 24 in the 2023/24 campaign, per Sofascore, which shows that he has been far more integral to the side in previous terms.

On top of his current struggles for game time, the Red Devils and the INEOS regime are reportedly interested in signing another midfielder who would also be ahead of him in the pecking order.

Man Utd eyeing move for Premier League midfielder

The January transfer window is eight weeks or so away from opening for business, and the Premier League giants are looking at possible targets to bolster their squad.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to Football Insider, Manchester United are one of the clubs eyeing up a move for Nottingham Forest central midfielder Elliot Anderson ahead of the January window.

The report claims that the England international, who has emerged as a key player for Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions, is United’s number one midfield target.

It adds that Liverpool are also interested in the £120m-rated midfielder, which shows that there will be competition for his signature at the turn of the year.

However, it now remains to be seen whether or not United or Liverpool are willing to pay the money that it would take to sign him from Forest in January.

Why Man Utd should sign Elliot Anderson

The Red Devils should push the boat out to sign the England international because he could arrive at Old Trafford as a big upgrade on Mainoo in the middle of the park.

The chart above shows that Anderson has outperformed Mainoo in a host of metrics over the past 365 days, particularly as a defensive force and as a progressive passer.

Whilst the counterargument to that would be that Mainoo has not had enough minutes on the pitch to showcase his quality this season, England boss Tuchel has also decided to go with Anderson over the United man in his midfield at international level.

On top of that, the Nottingham Forest star, who was hailed as “incredible” by journalist Miles Starforth, also outperformed the Red Devils academy graduate in the Premier League last season, when the midfielder started 19 of his 25 appearances.

As you can see in the table above, Anderson provided more quality to his team in the middle of the park with both his play in and out of possession for the Tricky Trees, offering more protection to his defence and making a bigger impact in the final third.

These statistics, on top of the aforementioned statistics over the past 365 days, suggest that he would be a better option for Amorim than Mainoo in the middle of the park in the second half of the season.

This means that a move for Anderson in the January transfer window could leave the English midfielder in a precarious position at Old Trafford, because he could be behind Bruno, Casemiro, Ugarte, and Anderson for two midfield positions.

That could then force the academy graduate to consider his long-term future at the club under Amorim and INEOS, as he may not want to sit on the bench at United when he could be playing regular games elsewhere.

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Teenager gives glimpse of potential to leave Derbyshire winless in thriller

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 24-Aug-2025

Teenager Ben Mayes gave a glimpse into the future with a match-winning 62 not out as Hampshire kept Metro Bank One-Day Cup men’s competition progression in their own hands.England Under-19 star Mayes, just 17, mesmerised with a catalogue of power, guile and switch hits for his second List A fifty.Mayes put on 111 in 72 balls with James Fuller (54 off 39) to take Hampshire to their fifth win in the competition, after fifties for Fletcha Middleton and Ben Brown.Derbyshire Falcons had been in control after posting 339 thanks to 98 for Caleb Jewell and 76 for Brooke Guest but they were eliminated from the One-Day Cup, and are still yet to win a List A match at Utilita Bowl in seven attempts.Hampshire now know a final fixture win over Gloucestershire will see them into the knockout stage for a fourth straight season.Mayes and Fuller had joined at 206 for five, with Derbyshire boasting a tight grip on the match.Ali Orr and competition top-scorer Nick Gubbins had leaned into the chase with relish, finding boundaries with glee to put on 55 in the first seven overs.But fell in quick succession to Aitchison. Gubbins ended a 257 run, across three innings, without being dismissed when he was bowled and two overs later Orr chopped on.Middleton and Brendon McMullen straightened things back out with a flowing 66-run stand, but McMullen tamely chipping back to Joe Hawkins, drew the Falcons back to favourites.Middleton and Brown both posted their first fifties in the One-Day Cup but neither kicked on but just as Hampshire’s hopes were fading, their wonderkid arrived at the crease.Having scored four off his first 11 balls, he got moving with a cut boundary before a ludicrous reverse paddle found his groove.Mayes scored a fifty on his debut against Glamorgan to stick his name in the limelight, and played off that with a masterclass of modern shot-making. His second half-century came in 39 balls.At the other end, Fuller used brute power to clear the ropes four times in his 38-ball fifty before he was caught and bowled by Hawkins and Felix Organ was bowled.Andrew Neal took out the jitters by middling through midwicket as the hosts took the four points with five balls to spare.Derbyshire were given the first go on a batting paradise, and despite Kyle Abbott’s miserly opening spell, found runs flowed easily throughout.Jewell was the sparkle in the innings as he lusciously and repeatedly drove through the covers during a 99-run stand with former Hampshire batter Harry Came.It was just the start of a series of bulky partnerships that underpinned the visitor’s hefty 339 – stands of 46, 44, 94 and 39 all delivered in quick time.Wickets came in decade intervals, and when they did it often required either magic, or batter error.In the former category, Came was sensationally caught at midwicket by Nick Gubbins and Matt Montgomery had his off-stump glanced by an Abbott pearler,Jewell looked on course for a second century in the competition as he strode through 400 runs in the One-Day Cup.But having been fluently batting at a strike-rate around 120, he slowed up with the milestone in sight, and on 98 he missed a paddle sweep and was bowled by Felix Organ.Brooke Guest and Martin Andersson regained the sweet-striking momentum, the latter with an excellent eighth List A fifty but for the eighth time he couldn’t convert.Any chance of Derbyshire flittering at the end of their innings was kyboshed by Amrit Singh Basra – with 90 runs coming off the last 10 overs. The SACA graduate who signed a two-year contract this week showed off his range of shots in a breathless 15-ball 34 – but it wasn’t to be enough.

Leeds United travelled to the City Ground on Sunday with just one away win under their belt this season in the Premier League.

Thankfully, they were about to do battle with a Nottingham Forest side who had only won once on their patch all season long in league action.

But, come the end of the frantic affair, the Tricky Trees collected their first home victory since August, as Sean Dyche’s men comfortably got the better of Daniel Farke’s visitors in a 3-1 win, having notched up 14 efforts at Lucas Perri’s shaky goal.

Journalist Graham Smyth labelled Leeds’ overall performance at the final whistle as “desperately poor” as the West Yorkshire side now hang precariously above the dreaded relegation zone.

Jaka Bijol – in particular – had another afternoon to forget in the heart of the away team’s leaky defence.

Bijol's poor performance vs Forest

Bijol’s day wasn’t completely pitiful, with the Slovenian centre-back coming away from the 3-1 defeat with four of his six duels being successfully won.

Unfortunately for the £15m summer recruit, regardless of having some positives to latch on to, he was still caught out by a moment of ball-watching to hand the hosts the decisive 2-1 lead, as Morgan Gibbs-White evaded his marker to head home.

It was a nicely executed move by Forest, with Omari Hutchinson getting the better of Gabriel Gudmundsson’s lax marking, before putting it on a plate for Gibbs-White.

But, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers playmaker was given far too much room to head past Perri, off the back of Bijol being caught in no man’s land.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

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Having also struggled against Brighton and Hove Albion on the road, before this slip-up in Nottinghamshire, when winning zero tackles and just one duel, it could well be time for Farke to move the former Udinese man back to the bench, for the more Premier League-ready Pascal Struijk to take over.

Bijol isn’t the only defensive option who could now be dropped by Farke, however.

Leeds dud had his worst game of the season

In all fairness, nobody donning Leeds’ changed strip of blue was trudging off at the end of the 3-1 loss, overjoyed with what they offered up.

Ethan Ampadu definitely won’t have been thrilled with what he conjured up as Farke’s supposed midfield anchor, with the Welshman both uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball at his feet and surprisingly weak when launching himself into duels.

Ampadu’s performance in numbers

Stat

Ampadu

Minutes played

90

Shots

2

Key passes

0

Dribbles

0

Touches

57

Accurate passes

31/41 (76%)

Possession lost

15x

Tackles won

1/2

Fouls

3

Total duels won

4/9

Stats by Sofascore

The promotion-winning captain fell way below the standards he had previously set when lining up for the West Yorkshire giants, with Ampadu coming away from the 3-1 loss with only 76% of his passes reaching their chosen target. On average, this season, so far, he typically completes 86% of his passes.

Moreover, the below-par number 4 would lack his usual bite and drive, with only one of his tackles being successfully won, which led to Ampadu barely laying a glove on the tricky Dan Ndoye early on, before his quick feet down the flank led to Ibrahim Sangare firing home the equaliser.

Ampadu also didn’t help Bijol out when Gibbs-White sent the City Ground into raptures, with the former Chelsea midfielder also guilty of idly watching the ball, before the match-winning effort was prodded home.

For a defensive option that usually prides himself on winning duels and being energetic – as seen in him averaging 4.3 duels won this season – it really did feel like a low point for him against the Tricky Trees on Sunday afternoon, as Farke now contemplates whether dropping one of his “indispensable” promotion heroes, as he was once labelled by scout Jacek Kulig, is the correct call.

Ampadu faced the media after, calling for togetherness as Leeds attempt to navigate the choppy seas of a relegation battle, with his concrete starting spot now up for grabs, as the likes of Ao Tanaka and Ilia Gruev eye up a spot in defensive midfield, instead.

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Rockets still in with an outside chance of a top three finish after convincing victory over Welsh Fire

ECB Media24-Aug-2025Trent Rockets 145 for 6 (Sciver-Brunt 39, Davies 3-26) beat Welsh Fire 122 for 9 (Dunkley 26, King 3-17) by 23 runs Trent Rockets produced a clinical all-round performance to overcome Welsh Fire by 23 runs at Sophia Gardens and keep themselves in the mix for progression to the Eliminator.Aussie all-rounder Ash Gardner starred with bat and ball, hitting 36 from 26 and taking 2 for 28 with her off-breaks, as the Rockets claimed a victory which leaves them four points behind third-placed Manchester Originals with one game still to play. They will need to win their final group match against Birmingham Phoenix on Wednesday and hope other results go their way to secure a top-three finish.Bryony Smith (38 from 27) laid the foundations for the Rockets’ 145 for 6, the opener hitting Freya Davies for three boundaries in the second set and then finding the ropes from three consecutive Jess Jonassen deliveries in the fifth.Hayley Matthews was next in Smith’s sights, the Bajan off-spinner dispatched over mid-off for four and then swatted for six, but Davies (3-26) ended her entertaining knock when a top edge flew to Georgia Elwiss at short third.A third-wicket stand of 67 from 45 balls between Nat Sciver-Brunt (38 from 26) and Gardner built on Smith’s good work, the England skipper stroking five fours while Gardner showed off her powerful strokeplay with three maximums.Jonassen broke the partnership when she trapped Sciver-Brunt lbw and Gardner fell six balls later, nicking off to a surprise bouncer from Matthews, but a bright cameo from Heather Graham, who hit two boundaries in her unbeaten 13, took the visitors to a competitive total.In reply, Tammy Beaumont’s lean trot continued when she was bowled by Alexa Stonehouse for 5 before Sophia Dunkley (26 from 23) and Matthews (18 from 12) moved the Fire on to 57 for 1. But when Gardner took the key wicket of Matthews, bowled by a nicely flighted delivery, the hosts lost their momentum.Aussie leg-spinner Alana King turned the screw, returning figures of 3 for 17, while Gardner made another telling intervention when she had the dangerous Dunkley caught and bowled.The Fire eventually subsided to 122 for 9 from their 100 deliveries, their sixth defeat of a disappointing season.Gardner, the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “I think that was probably our first well-rounded performance. I think we did all three disciplines really well. Obviously we need to keep winning and for others results to go our way but we’re just trying to control what we can, and that’s winning games of cricket.”I was happy with parts of my innings. There were a few dot balls in there where I was trying to hit it too hard but the wicket was quite tricky at times when the bowlers took pace off the ball, and when the quicks bashed a length it was tough to find the boundary. But if I had a ball in my zone, I tried to clear the fence.”

أجرى كريم بنزيما مهاجم اتحاد جدة السعودي، مقابلة صحفية مطولة مع صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، وتحدث خلالها عن منتخب فرنسا وإمكانية إسناد مهمة المدير الفني لزين الدين زيدان، وعلاقته برئيس ريال مدريد، فلورنتيو بيريز، وموقفه من أن يصبح مدربًا يومًا ما.

وبشأن إمكانية تولي زين الدين زيدان مهمة تدريب المنتخب الفرنسي خلفًا للمدرب الحالي ديشامب، قال بنزيما: “أعتقد أنه يمتلك كل المقومات اللازمة، لقد أثبت جدارته في ريال مدريد، هناك مدرب آخر الآن، لكنني أعتقد أن زيزو ​​هو المدرب الأول”.

وبشأن إمكانية عودة بنزيما إلى المنتخب الفرنسي، رد: “الأمر لا يزال بعيدًا بعض الشيء، لكن من يدري؟ أنا أركز على ما لدي الآن”.

وحول إمكانية رؤيته كمدرب يومًا ما، أفاد بنزيما: “لا أعرف، لدي أصدقاء يعملون في مجال التدريب، وهم يتحدثون معي دائمًا عن ذلك، لكن الأمر صعب، يبدو أن كونك لاعبًا أو مدربًا مختلفًا، لكن الضغط واحد، الأمر معقد”.

وانتقل للحديث عن فريق ريال مدريد الذي أصبح الآن بدون نجومه السابقين توني كروس، مودريتش، كاسيميرو، راموس، وبنزيما، وعلّق: “صحيح، بدا فريقًا أبديًا، يضم العديد من اللاعبين الجيدين”.

وأكمل: “كرة القدم مختلفة الآن، إنها شيء مختلف تمامًا، لا داعي للمقارنة، قد يكون لدى ريال مدريد الحالي مزايا أكثر، لكنه يفتقر إلى قائد، مع أن القائد أحيانًا في مباريات اليوم ليس ضروريًا”.

اقرأ أيضًا | بنزيما يفتح باب العودة إلى ريال مدريد ويقدم نصيحة لـ فينيسيوس للتتويج بـ الكرة الذهبية

وواصل: “إنهم شباب، وكثيرون منهم يلعبون مع منتخباتهم الوطنية وهم القادة هناك، ولديهم خبرة في دوري أبطال أوروبا… عليهم أن يجدوا ما يقدمه القائد”.

وحول رئيس ريال مدريد فلورنتينو بيريز، شدد بنزيما: “إنه القائد، يقوم بعمل رائع، يتعاقد مع لاعبين لم تتوقع قدومهم، ما يفعله مع الفريق، مع النادي… إنه الأفضل”.

وعن عام 2009 حين زار بيريز منزل بنزيما لإقناعه بالانضمام لريال مدريد، أوضح: “أتذكر اليوم الذي زارني فيه في ليون، في الأوقات الصعبة، وفي الأوقات الجيدة، وفي حفل الكرة الذهبية… لطالما كان لطيفًا معي، لا يمكنك رفضه أبدًا، فلورنتينو هو الأعظم، مستوى ريال مدريد بكل معنى الكلمة بفضله”.

وشدد: “لقد منحني كل شيء، منحني ثقة كبيرة، كان دائمًا يتحدث معي ومع والديّ، في السراء والضراء، طوال مسيرتي المهنية، هناك أيضًا لحظات وأيام صعبة، وأحيانًا لا أحد يساعدك في تلك الأوقات الصعبة، لكنه كان دائمًا موجودًا”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Santos e Cuiabá não saíram do 0 a 0, em jogo da 32ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, e ficaram longe de rechear os melhores momentos da partida com jogadas especiais e perigos de gol. Após o duelo repleto de erros, as equipes somaram um ponto cada na briga contra a zona da degola. Veja os lances do confronto no vídeo acima!

+ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Santos

FICHA TÉCNICA
SANTOS 0 X 0 CUIABÁ
CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO – 32ª RODADA

Local: Vila Belmiro, Santos (SP)
Data e hora: 6 de novembro de 2023, às 21h (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Savio Pereira Sampaio (Fifa-DF)
Assistentes: Rodrigo Figueiredo Henrique Correa (Fifa-RJ) e Alex dos Santos (SC)
VAR: Daniel Nobre Bins (VAR-Fifa-RS)
Público e renda: 12.923 pessoas / R$ 525.085
Cartões amarelos: Dodi (Santos); Denilson e Fernando Sobral (Cuiabá)
Cartões vermelhos: –

SANTOS

João Paulo; João Lucas (Júnior Caiçara), Joaquim, Messias e Kevyson; Tomás Rincón, Jean Lucas (Dodi) e Lucas Lima (Nonato); Mendoza (Maxi Silvera), Soteldo (Furch) e Marcos Leonardo. Técnico: Marcelo Fernandes.

CUIABÁ

Walter; Matheus Alexandre, Marllon, Alan Empereur e Rikelme (PK); Allyson, Fernando Sobral, Denilson; Clayson (Wellington Silva), Jonathan Cafú (Derik Lacerda) e Deyverson (Isidro Pitta). Técnico: António Oliveira.

Former Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford has made a bold claim about the way Daniel Farke’s side have started the season, but insists he’s “not delusional”.

Leeds four clear of the drop after solid start

Leeds’ number one priority this year will be to avoid the drop, considering just how much the teams that have recently been promoted to the Premier League have struggled, with no newly-promoted sides avoiding the drop over the past two seasons.

Farke’s side have started relatively well, picking up eight points from their opening seven games, which leaves them four points clear of the bottom three, although the German may be frustrated his side aren’t further up the table.

The Whites had more shots on target and possession against Tottenham Hotspur last time out, but ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat, while they will also be very disappointed to have dropped points after conceding late goals against AFC Bournemouth and Fulham.

In an interview with The Yorkshire Evening Post, Beckford has now made it clear he is happy with how his former side have started the season, and made the bold claim they should be near the Champions League places based on their performances.

The 41-year-old said: “I think every game we’ve been in – the Fulham game, I thought we were unfortunate not to come away with a point.

“I think the same with the Spurs game, we should have come away with a point in that one, and Bournemouth we should have walked away with all three.

“If we look at it from that perspective, that’s an extra five points on top of where we are currently in the league. And that puts us level on points with Man City and fifth place.

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“We’ve not been outplayed by many teams this season, we look like we belong so from that perspective I have been impressed, I have been happy.

The Leeds icon also went on to say: “I’m not delusional. The manager is not delusional. All it is, it’s just the fine margins.”

Leeds' slip-ups could be costly in May

Beckford is right to assess that Farke’s side have largely been competitive, with the 5-0 defeat against Arsenal the only game they have lost by more than one goal, but they cannot afford to continue throwing away points the way they have.

While it is understandable to be frustrated that Leeds aren’t further up the table, they only really have themselves to blame, with Gabriel Gudmundsson, who has otherwise been impressive, scoring a bizarre own-goal to cost them a point at Craven Cottage.

Beckford’s comments also don’t acknowledge that luck, or lack thereof, is something that affects every team, with the Whites’ 1-0 victory against Everton in their opening match coming as a result of a debatable penalty decision.

That said, Farke should take some confidence from the solid performances thus far, with the 3-1 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers particularly impressive, and the manager will be hoping his side can put in a similar display at Burnley this weekend.

This season has started about as poorly as it could have for West Ham United.

As things stand, the East Londoners are stuck in the Premier League relegation zone, and while Nuno Espírito Santo earned a point in his first game, he’s overseen three losses since.

However, there is a chance for the Hammers to steady the ship at home to Newcastle United this weekend, in a game that’ll see Lucas Paqueta take one of his closest friends in Bruno Guimaraes.

West Ham would love a player of his quality in their side, and while that is a pipe dream, they might have the next best thing.

Paqueta & Guimarães' relationship

Speaking ahead of the game, Paqueta did the usual of telling the West Ham website that the team are “all ready for a big battle,” but he also went on to explain his relationship with Guimarães.

Chalkboard

He revealed that the two of them are “like brothers” and that, thanks to their time on and off the pitch together, they are “best friends.”

It’s not all that surprising that the pair are so close, as on top of representing Brazil, they also spent time playing for Lyon.

In fact, between the 20/21 and 21/22 seasons, the duo made 42 appearances for the French side, in which they combined for one goal, but maintained a healthy average of 2.00 points per game.

On the international front, the duo have played 24 matches with both of them on the pitch, in which they’ve combined for two goals.

However, with 13 wins, six draws and five losses in those games, they’ve only averaged 1.88 points together.

You can only imagine how much better West Ham would be if Bruno were starting just behind Paqueta.

However, while that is a dream, the club might have found their own version of the Toon star who could end up forming a similar relationship with Paqueta.

Paqueta's new Guimarães

While there are some talented midfielders in West Ham’s squad, like Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa, it’s Mateus Fernandes who could end up being Paqueta’s new Guimarães.

Now, while he isn’t Brazilian, there are a few reasons why he fits the bill, with the first being that, like the Newcastle star, he is more than comfortable playing in central midfield.

Therefore, while he can play in the ten, he’d be just as happy to sit that bit deeper and allow the Hammers’ Brazilian maestro to remain as the most attacking midfielder.

However, the most concrete reason why the “exceptional” former Southampton star, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, could become the new Guimarães is that he was one of the most similar players to him last season.

Yes, according to FBref, the Toon ace was the ninth most similar midfielder to the Irons’ summer signing in the entire Premier League last season.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals

0.12

0.12

Shots

1.30

1.24

Shots on Target

0.43

0.36

Expected Assists

0.11

0.15

Crosses into the Penalty Area

0.19

0.17

Switches

0.31

0.39

Shots Blocked

0.25

0.28

Interceptions

0.87

0.80

Aerial Duels Won

0.46

0.50

To gain a better understanding of how such a conclusion was reached, it’s worth examining some of the underlying numbers that led to the pair ranking so closely.

In this instance, these include specific attacking metrics, such as non-penalty expected goals, shots, shots on target, crosses into the penalty area, switches, and more, all per 90 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, given that they are both central midfielders, they also rank closely for more defensive metrics, such as interceptions, aerial duels won, and shots blocked per 90.

Now, with all that said, it would be foolish to expect the former Saints ace to match the performances of the Newcastle star, but the fact that they are so similar, and he’s six years younger, is certainly encouraging.

Ultimately, it may take some time for them to build a proper understanding, but so long as Nuno plays them both, there is every chance Paqueta could develop a similar understanding with Fernandes that he has with Guimarães.

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A 19-ball half-century from Hilton Cartwright led Southern Brave to victory over Welsh Fire in a tight game in The Hundred.Cartwright made an unbeaten 51 to help Brave rally to 129 for 8, before Brave’s bowlers closed the game out with the ball in a topsy-turvy chase.Electing to bowl first in helpful conditions, Welsh Fire’s new-ball pairing of David Payne and Matt Henry were exceptional, bowling 20 of the first 25 deliveries.Henry in particular was relentless, dismissing Leus du Ploy and Jason Roy on the way to a remarkable return of 2 for 5 from 20 balls – the second-most economical figures in the short history of the Hundred.Brave skipper James Vince dug in, helping his side recover to 53 for 3 at halfway before eventually falling when he pulled a short ball from Chris Green straight down Saif Zaib’s throat at deep midwicket for 29.Enter Cartwright. The Aussie big-hitter went on the attack immediately, hitting five sixes, mixing power and innovation, as he reached a 19-ball half-century, finishing 51 not out as the Brave made 129 for 8.Jonny Bairstow’s lively start was not enough for the Fire•ECB/Getty Images

In the run chase, Jonny Bairstow came out swinging, hitting Craig Overton for two fours and a six in the first set. He then smashed Reece Topley for two fours as the Fire raced to 23 for 0 from the first 10 balls before he fell for 22, skying Overton to du Plooy in the ring.The chase ebbed backwards and forwards and with 20 balls left, Fire needed 27 to win with three wickets in hand and just the tail for company for Tom Kohler-Cadmore.Five wides from Jordan took some of the pressure off before four were taken from Jofra Archer’s final five, including Laurie Evans putting down David Payne behind the stumps to leave 16 required off 10.Kohler-Cadmore (25) then found Cartwright in the deep off Coles, leaving Payne and Henry – Fire’s heroes with the ball at the top of the day – to find the crucial 12 runs to take Fire to victory, from final five to be bowled by Jordan. He delivered a fine last five to ensure it was the Brave who got over the line.”That was an absolute thriller. It ebbed and flowed that whole second innings. The crowd got a bloody good game tonight,” Cartwright said. “I took the game on and it paid off, thankfully… It was an all-round team effort tonight. I thought the bowlers did an outstanding job to defend a small total.”