West Ham could be set for a real struggle without star winger Jarrod Bowen after news on his injury, says journalist Paul Brown.

Moyes loses Bowen to injury

The England winger returned home from international duty early last week after picking up a knee injury with Gareth Southgate's side.

Bowen, who has starred under manager David Moyes this season, even playing more centrally at points as a makeshift Michail Antonio alternative, is a sore miss on the field.

West Ham could sell "wonderful" talent in "surprise" January transfer move

He’s attracting great interest from abroad.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 28, 2023

West Ham just about scraped past struggling Burnley at Turf Moor last weekend, with dramatic late goals from Dara O'Shea (OG) and Tomas Soucek sealing all three points in Lancashire.

The Hammers arguably lacked a cutting edge at points. Striker Antonio was also absent following his injury, forcing Moyes to start the out-of-favour Danny Ings up front before he opted to bring on promising young forward Divin Mubama.

Bowen could've been a viable option to lead the line place of both Mubama and Ings, but his knee injury ultimately forced him to sit out in a blow for Moyes.

West Ham's boss, sharing an update on Bowen in his pre-match press conference before Backa Topola, said the 26-year-old is still unavailable through injury and hasn't travelled to Serbia. Moyes said (via The Standard):

"Jarrod hasn't travelled and we have another couple who have some illness who haven't travelled, but I am not prepared to say who they are."

West Ham "will struggle" without Bowen

Bowen has racked up eight goals and one assist in just 12 Premier League starts this season, with the former Hull City star really proving his worth after being awarded a new long-term contract recently.

Journalist Brown, speaking to GiveMeSport this week, claimed that West Ham will struggle without Bowen and his presence going forward – calling the player's absence a "big deal" for Moyes.

"Yeah, I think Jarrod Bowen has already proved just how important he is to West Ham," said the reporter.

"West Ham are going to struggle to be as creative without him. He's a good finisher. He advances the ball up the pitch, his movement causes teams problems, and losing him is a big deal for West Ham. They lose a lot of cutting edge without him and they don't really have a whole lot of options in forward areas which makes his absence even harder to bear.

"I just think Bowen is a really good player who deserves all the plaudits he gets. He's moved up a division and thrived under David Moyes and he's becoming one of the best forwards in the Premier League. So I think any team would miss him when he's out."

Likes to cross

Counter attack threat

Gets fouled often

Does not dive into tackles

The attacker is a vital piece of the West Ham jigsaw and Moyes will want him back as soon as possible, especially considering the pressure surrounding his position right now.

As things stand, Moyes looks set to leave West Ham in 2024 and is very unlikely to be offered a new contract.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na noite de domingo, o Bragantino encara o Palmeiras pela 27ª rodada do Brasileirão e precisa somar pontos se quiser se afastar de vez da zona do rebaixamento e consolidar a briga por uma vaga na Sul-Americana.

+ TABELA DE CLASSIFICAÇÃO DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO

Apesar de não ter tido um bom retrospecto diante dos paulistas no Brasileirão, pelo menos um fator positivo o torcedor do Massa Bruta se apega.

No Paulistão, o Bragantino conseguiu vencer os gigantes do estado em duas oportunidades. Uma delas foi contra o Verdão, no Nabi Abi Chedid.

+Dicas para mitar! Confira como ficou o time LANCE! para a 27ª rodada do Cartola

Naquela tarde de domingo, Uillian Correia e Ytalo anotaram os dois gols na vitória por 2 a 1.

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The Mzansi Super League attracted a live television audience in excess of 3.4 million South African viewers during it’s opening weekend that featured four matches. The league is only just starting to gain traction and attract fans to matches as summer sets in, but TV figures suggest the league has already struck up significant interest from viewers watching at home.Iffy weather, a cold snap on the opening weekend and the introduction of new teams perhaps resulted in the tournament failing to attract huge number of fans to the ground. Only around 7000 fans turned up for the first match between Cape Town Blitz and Tshwane Spartans at the 25,000 capacity Newlands, while 4896 were at Wanderers for the game between Jozi Stars and Nelson Mandela Bay Giants. At the same time, the match attracted 16,65,546 unique TV viewers in South Africa alone.An audience analysis carried out independently by Nielsen Sport revealed that a unique TV audience of 34,18,594 viewed the first four matches in the league. The Saturday night fixture between the Jozi Stars and Nelson Mandela Bay Giants drew the biggest audience, with all four matches going beyond the 1.3 million mark.SABC-3, the channel the games have been broadcast on in South Africa, typically attracts around 21 million South African viewers in a month. The top rated show on the channel is the soap opera Isidingo, which has been running for 20 years and attracts around a million viewers per episode, to which MSL’s viewership figures compare favourably.For further comparison, the T20I against Zimbabwe on 12 October attracted 6,07,948 viewers to the channel. Outside of South Africa, a broadcast deal with Sony means that the MSL is also being screened in India on the channels Sony Six and Sony Six HD. CSA also have a deal with UK-based channel FreeSports, which is available in 18 million homes in the UK. FreeSports also aired live coverage of the 2017 Bangladesh Premier League.”This fully justifies our decision to take the SABC on board as our domestic host broadcast partner,” Cricket South Africa Chief Executive Thabang Moroe said . “This is truly a product for the people and has helped us achieve one of our key objectives not just to attract traditional cricket fans but to open up a new market as well.”It is a win-win situation for all our stakeholders whether they be administrators, players, coaches, fans or our commercial partners. The MSL can only go from strength to strength as it will continue to grow while establishing itself alongside various T20 leagues around the world. The most watched sporting event in South African television history was the opening match between South Africa and Mexico during the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, with a combined 10,146,793 viewers watching the match on SABC 1 and SuperSport 3 on the satellite DSTV network.While figures for match attendances are starting to rise, with the game between Cape Town Blitz and Paarl Rocks last weekend close to sold out, the television viewing figures are an even more positive sign for CSA after their initial attempt at a homegrown league – the defunct T20 Global League – failed.

Alisha Lehmann reached a significant milestone for Switzerland as she appeared in her 50th international match against Azerbaijan.

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• Lehmann reached a milestone in international football
• Luiz shared a supportive message for his girlfriend
• Switzerland beat Azerbaijan 4-0 in Euro qualifiers

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Aston Villa women's star appeared in her 50th international match for Switzerland on Tuesday as her team picked up a comfortable 4-0 win over Azerbaijan in a Euro 2025 qualifying game.

  @swissnatiwomen/IG

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• WHAT DOUGLAS SAID

  Lehmann's fellow Aston Villa player and boyfriend Douglas Luiz marked her special occasion with a touching supportive message as the Brazilian uploaded a photo of his partner on his Instagram story and wrote, "Let's go my love".

  Douglas Luiz Instagram

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  The Swiss women's national team had a fruitful campaign during the April international break as they registered back-to-back wins over Turkey and Azerbaijan in the Euro qualifiers. Switzerland are taking part in the Euro 2025 qualifying process despite already being guaranteed a place at the tournament as hosts.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ALISHA LEHMANN?

  The 25-year-old will be back in action for her club on April 17 as The Villans take on Chelsea in an important Women's Super League fixture.

It's been reported that West Ham could consider making a "surprise" move by cashing in one of their senior squad members this January.

Hammers seal dramatic win 2-1 away to Burnley

This time last month, the pressure was seriously on manager David Moyes who had just come off the back of a dismal 1-0 defeat at home to struggling Everton. Since then, West Ham have won four out of their last five in all competitions, with impressive victories over the likes of Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Olympiacos and the Clarets.

By all accounts, their latest Premier League three points was a real smash and grab. Promising young striker Divin Mubama, who is being offered a new West Ham contract, played a heavy hand in Dara O'Shea's own goal before Tomas Soucek's acrobatic volley sealed the game in added time.

However, Moyes, speaking after the contest, was adamant his side can play better. "We were really disappointed with our performance in the first-half. We needed to do better – we never played any forward ball or put them under any pressure," said Moyes on West Ham's win over Burnley (via BBC).

"Second-half we did. I thought we got into some areas, got some good chances, attempts at goal. In the end we nicked a win, in the Premier League that's the way it is. There's very little between a lot of the teams, even Burnley, and that's the way it is today.

"Getting back with a couple wins on the trot and a good win away from home – we want to play better but we're in a good league positions, still in the League Cup, top of our group in Europe. We musn't forget the good things we are doing as well."

With the January transfer window looming, there could be a chance to better West Ham's chances of more eye-catching performances with star signings. They're sorely lacking a proven goalscorer, for instance, and reports suggest technical director Steidten is desperate to sign a striker.

However, it is believed January funds are actually pretty limited (ExWHUemployee), so the club may well need to consider a sell-to-buy approach.

West Ham could sell Benrahma

According to a report by Football Insider and journalist Pete O'Rourke, winger Said Benrahma could be a candidate for the Irons chopping block.

Indeed, West Ham could consider selling Benrahma amid interest from Saudi Arabia, which O'Rourke claims would come as a "surprise" move given his starring role in the Europa Conference League last season.

The Algerian has started four of their 13 league games this term, though, and is believed to be eyeing more first team football for 2024. Benrahma has also been called a "wonderful, wonderful talent" by former striker Frank McAvennie, who told West Ham Zone that he was wrong to doubt the winger's signing back in 2020.

“At the time I thought it was stupid because there was a young player everyone was raving about in the exact same position, and they sold him and brought in Benrahma and I’m thinking really," said McAvennie.

Said Benrahma's strengths (via WhoScored)

Long shots

Direct free kicks

Through balls

“But he proved me wrong, he’s a great talent, a wonderful, wonderful talent. So it just shows you David Moyes knows what he’s doing.”

Manchester United could be set to lose one of their first-team stars next year, with a fresh report revealing that they’d be keen to join one of their main admirers in January.

Man United's summer departures

The Red Devils sanctioned the sales of 11 players in total over the summer, with eight of those being on a permanent basis, while the remaining three were sent out on loan for the rest of the season in order to increase their game time.

Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace)

Brandon Williams (Ipswich Town)

Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest)

Alvaro Carreras (Granada CF)

Fred (Fenerbahce)

Mason Greenwood (Getafe)

Matej Kovar (Bayer Leverkusen)

Alex Telles (Al-Nassr)

Zidane Iqbal (FC Utrecht)

Eric Bailly (Besiktas)

Teden Mengi (Luton Town)

The Old Trafford outfit have Victor Lindelof, Anthony Martial, Hannibal Mejbri, Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton who will have reached the expiration of their deals upon the conclusion of the current campaign (Manchester United contracts), so they could also be heading for the exit door in the coming weeks and months.

Another player who will have seen out his terms at the end of the season is Aaron Wan-Bissaka, so with just one more window available to cash in should he not want to lose his prized asset for free, Erik ten Hag will soon have to make a decision over the future of his right-back.

In the Premier League, England’s former international has made just five starts and one substitute appearance due to being out with a hamstring injury for a large period (WhoScored – Wan-Bissaka statistics). However, the 25-year-old is still attracting interest from two top-flight rivals.

West Ham plotting swoop for Aaron Wan-Bissaka

According to Football Transfers, Wan-Bissaka is of interest to West Ham and Crystal Palace, though it’s believed that he would prefer to make the switch to the London Stadium instead of his former club.

"West Ham are looking at Manchester United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka as a possible target amid Vladimir Coufal’s uncertain future at the club.

"A January move for Wan-Bissaka could be on the cards despite interest from his former club, Crystal Palace.

"It is thought that a move to West Ham is a more enticing prospect for Wan Bissaka than a return to the Eagles, where he spent three seasons."

Man United need to keep "monster" in Wan-Bissaka

Whilst Wan-Bissaka hasn’t been available for selection throughout the season, Man United will know that he’s still capable of performing at a high standard when he is fit. Therefore, the hierarchy need to do everything they can to retain his services beyond January.

The Croydon-born talent, who pockets £90k-per-week (Manchester United salaries), is currently averaging 2.8 clearances and 2.3 tackles per game in the Premier League, highlighting how solid he is at getting stuck into challenges and clearing the danger from the backline.

Ten Hag’s “monster”, as dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, also likes to burst down the flank and create chances in the final third, where he’s posted 14 contributions – 12 assists and two goals – during his time at the club (Transfermarkt – Wan-Bissaka statistics), so even the thought of losing him will be of great concern.

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No Beira-Rio, o Internacional venceu o Fortaleza por 4 a 2 e está a apenas um ponto do líder São Paulo (57 a 56), que empatou na rodada com o Athletico-PR. Foi a sexta vitória consecutiva da equipe comandada por Abel Braga. O Fortaleza, por sua vez, é o 16º colocado, com 32 pontos, a uma posição da zona de rebaixamento.

+ TABELA DE CLASSIFICAÇÃO DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO

Na quarta-feira, o Colorado irá encarar justamente o Tricolor paulista, no Morumbi, podendo, portanto, assumira ponta da competição. Já o Fortaleza recebe o Santos, na Arena Castelão, no dia seguinte.

O jogo

O Internacional entrou avassalador na partida. Com sede de vitória, o Colorado empurrou o Fortaleza para o campo defensivo e com 10 minutos vencia por 2 a 0, com gols de Yuri Alberto e Rodrigo Dourado.

A resposta do Fortaleza veio na cobrança de pênalti. Wellington Paulista bateu firme no canto direito e recolocou o Leão na partida.

Mesmo com o gol sofrido, o Colorado permaneceu no ataque e desperdiçou algumas chances. Em uma delas, Cuesta bateu falta e carimbou o poste.

O segundo tempo começou elétrico. Yuri Alberto teve a chance de marcar, mas Paulão salvou em cima da linha. Pouco depois, Romarinho aproveitou a sobra na área do Inter e de voleio mandou para dentro da rede, 2 a 2.

Válvula de escape do Inter, Patrick assumiu a responsabilidade, driblou o marcador e cruzou para Peglow entrar de carrinho e mandar para o fundo da rede, 3 a 2.

Aos 31 minutos o Internacional sacramentou o triunfo. Praxedes bateu cruzado, Felipe Alves defendeu e Carlinhos, ao tentar cortar, jogou contra o próprio patrimônio.

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Former England striker and current Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has revealed how much the criticism of one "world-class" Liverpool player irritates him.

Liverpool in Premier League title race

The Reds earned one of their most important and thrilling victories of the season so far on Sunday afternoon, winning 4-3 at home to Fulham in the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp's side were trailing heading into the dying minutes at Anfield, but Wataru Endo equalised with a long-range curler, before Trent Alexander-Arnold sent the home crowd wild with a brilliant winning strike.

It was the latest example of what a huge influence the 25-year-old is having this season, as he matures as a player after being made vice-captain by Klopp during the summer. It follows his vital equaliser at Manchester City the previous weekend, and he continues to grow into his hybrid right-back role.

Despite Alexander-Arnold's vast footballing ability, there always seems to be a determination from some to overly focus on the Liverpool star's supposed weak defending, with endless criticism coming his way in recent years, in particular.

Gary Lineker defends Trent Alexander-Arnold

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards [via Rousing The Kop], Lineker explained how much the negativity towards Alexander-Arnold's defending annoys him.

"It irritates me a little bit when people say he’s not very good at defending and every slight error or any goal that goes in on that side of the pitch against Liverpool.

"People have a pop at him but I think the positives of his forward play and his passing, I think he is certainly the best passer of the ball in the English game at the moment. And probably in a much bigger area than that, maybe even Europe. His range of passing, outside the foot, inside the foot, long passes and short passes and crosses, of course."

Liverpool fans will love to hear this support for Alexander-Arnold from Lineker, who does appear to be the target of a witch-hunt at times, given the level of focus on his defending – something that the Reds hero has called "lazy" in the recent past.

Meanwhile, many of his contemporaries seem to get away with plenty in comparison, with little made of Aaron Wan-Bissaka switching off to allow Anthony Gordon to score in Newcastle United's win over Manchester United over the weekend, for example, or Kyle Walker letting Raheem Sterling get in front of him and score in Manchester City's 4-4 draw with Chelsea last month.

Liverpool star who lost possession 18x almost cost them alongside Kelleher

The attacker produced a disappointing performance against Fulham on Sunday.

ByDan Emery Dec 3, 2023

Granted, there are times when Alexander-Arnold's defending can be disappointing, with a little more aggression and focus sometimes required in that area of his game, but the positives outweigh the negatives by a huge amount, with Barcelona legend Dani Alves describing him as a "world-class" player, which speaks volumes. Alexander-Arnold is a special footballer who should be a mainstay of Liverpool and England's team for years to come, and it's nice to see Lineker defending him.

Tottenham are reportedly keen on signing a £34 million star from abroad as a replacement for midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in January.

"Important" Hojbjerg could still leave Spurs

Injuries and suspensions have hampered manager Ange Postecoglou over what has been a disastrous last nine days. Summer signings Micky van de Ven and James Maddison, who've starred since joining the club, won't be seen again until 2024 – with Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero also suspended.

Postecoglou is missing his entire favoured backline right now, and the lack of Maddison's creativity in midfield was on full display during Spurs' dramatic 2-1 loss to Wolves last Saturday. Hojbjerg slotted in for the England international in a more advanced role but couldn't quite replicate his attacking influence, and reports suggest the Dane could still leave in January despite Postecoglou's lack of squad depth.

The 28-year-old is reportedly attracting interest from Juventus and Atletico Madrid, with Hojbjerg's agent already reaching an exit agreement with these two sides. Postecoglou, though, is of real belief that Hojbjerg is still a "very important" player.

“It is obvious someone that has played regularly would have wanted to play more but ultimately our performances have been strong and he has had to bide his time," said Postecoglou on Hojbjerg.

“He has also been very important in a lot of the games that we’ve won late or had to shore up late. He has been one of the people who has helped us and it is not like he hasn’t contributed at all. He’s been a really important part for us. We wouldn’t be in this position if we were just reliant on our starting XI.

“With Pierre, he is professional and very determined."

Spurs eye Andre to replace Hojbjerg

Regardless of Postecoglou's statement, Hojbjerg's future appears far away from north London as there is still plenty of noise surrounding his future.

Before Spurs' succession of absences, the former Southampton star failed to start a single league game, with his first nod coming in a win against Fulham to replace the suspended Yves Bissouma.

Now, according to a report by 90min, Tottenham and sporting director Johan Lange by extension are keen on signing Andre but must first sell Hojbjerg before making a move.

The Fluminese star would act as his replacement, but Spurs face competition from up and down the Premier League for his signature. Andre, who has a £34 million release clause in his contract, has also been called the "best midfielder" in his country right now.

"Pressure and playing with the confidence of someone who knows they are different," said South American journalist Fernando Campos on Andre.

"Get out of the way and make the team work. André Trindade is the best midfielder in the country and is a monster of a player."

Andre strengths
Passing
Dribbling
Through balls

Andre has attracted more praise from fellow reporter Nathan Joyes, too, who called him an "unbelievable talent". The Brazil international made 26 league appearances for Fluminese over their latest campaign, amassing a pretty impressive 94.7% passing accuracy (WhoScored).

West Ham were close to signing Cole Palmer from Manchester City before Chelsea swooped in to snap up the attacking midfielder, Karren Brady revealed.

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• West Ham made bid to sign Palmer
• Chelsea swooped in to snatch him
• Enjoying awesome season at the Blues

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Palmer has been a revelation at Stamford Bridge since joining the Blues from City last summer. He has scored an impressive 23 goals in all competitions despite the London team's underwhelming season, marking a rapid rise to superstardom in the Premier League.

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  However, his career could have taken a different turn as West Ham vice-chairman Brady says the Hammers had made a bid for Palmer that was accepted by City. Sadly for the east London team, though, Chelsea nipped in and lured him away in a deal worth £42.5 million ($54m).

• WHAT BRADY SAID

  Brady wrote in : "From all the newsreels I’ve seen, Cole is as cool a dude in front of goal as Jimmy Greaves himself. Which is probably why David Moyes tried very hard to sign him. We even had a deal agreed with City until Chelsea swooped."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR PALMER?

  Palmer will hope to upset his former team on Saturday when Chelsea meet City in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday. The winner of the tie will go on to face either Manchester United or Coventry in the final at Wembley.