West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo has lavished praise on a Hammers academy graduate who possesses “so much talent”, and one who ex-midfielder Michael Carrick also holds in very high esteem.

Saturday’s clash between West Ham and Burnley at the London Stadium could be seen as a relegation six-pointer already, with just three points separating the two struggling sides as both are likely to be battling the drop come May.

The hosts sit 18th with just two wins from ten matches, while Burnley sit a place above with just one more victory to show for their efforts since promotion from the Championship.

West Ham finally ended their miserable run last weekend with a morale-boosting victory at the expense of Newcastle.

The Hammers came from behind to defeat Eddie Howe’s side 3-1 at home, with Lucas Paqueta, an own goal from Sven Botman and Tomas Soucek securing a much-needed three points and Nuno’s first win since taking charge.

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

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

Remarkably, over half of West Ham’s shots on target since Nuno’s arrival came in that Newcastle win, nine out of 16, while Burnley have attempted the fewest shots out of any Premier League team this season, according to The Analyst.

Nuno’s side will be desperate to claim back-to-back home victories for the first time since February and climb out of the relegation zone, and history actually favours West Ham.

West Ham are unbeaten in their last six top flight meetings with Burnley, three wins and three draws, but more impressively, the east Londoners haven’t lost any of their last eleven top-flight matches against Burnley when scoring at least one goal (11v11).

Away from the stats, Nuno finally found a winning formula against Newcastle that gifts West Ham plenty of encouragement heading into this weekend.

A key part of their impressive performance last time out was the introduction of highly-rated young midfielder Freddie Potts, who was finally handed his first Premier League start after many calls to do so.

The 22-year-old, who spent the last two seasons playing regularly on loan at Wycombe and Portsmouth, put in an excellent display next to Paqueta at the heart of West Ham’s engine room, and he’s surely in line to start again when West Ham meet Burnley.

Nuno praises West Ham youngster Freddie Potts ahead of Burnley

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Nuno was effusive in his praise for Potts after his Newcastle display, but insists the West Ham gem still has some way to go.

Nuno isn’t the only man to stand up and take notice of Potts’ performance either, with Carrick explaining how “massively impressed” he was by the Englishman on Match of the Day.

Potts looks like the latest in a fairly steady line of exciting West Ham talents to come through in recent years, and going by his last outing, 25/26 could be his breakout campaign.

Gulf Giants, the ILT20 franchise, have appointed Jonathan Trott as head coach and Shane Bond as bowling coach for the upcoming season. They replace Andy Flower and Ottis Gibson, respectively.Apart from being Afghanistan’s head coach, Trott was also the head coach of Pretoria Capitals in SA20 and was replaced by Sourav Ganguly there. Bond’s recent stints have been with Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and with Paarl Royals in SA20.”The Gulf Giants have quickly become one of the ILT20’s most successful teams,” Trott said in a statement. “My goal is to empower players to excel and help shape a championship-winning squad through the first-ever ILT20 auction.”Related

• Jonathan Trott to step down as Afghanistan head coach after 2026 T20 World Cup

• Pretoria Capitals name Ganguly head coach, Pollock assistant coach in SA20

The ILT20 auction will be held on September 30 in Dubai for the fourth season which is set to run from December 2, 2025 to January 4, 2026.”The team’s ambition is clear,” Bond said. “I’m excited to sharpen our bowling attack and make a decisive impact this season.”Giants have also added Andrew Puttick as batting coach, Jim Troughton as fielding coach and Nick Lee as fitness coach.Their squad currently includes James Vince, Aayan Khan, Mark Adair, Blessing Muzarabani and Gerhard Erasmus as their retained players. Their new signings are Moeen Ali, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Giants had won the inaugural edition of ILT20 in 2023, were eliminated in Qualifier 2 in 2024, and finished second from bottom earlier this year.

Chelsea got back to winning ways on the weekend.

Enzo Maresca’s side took on Tottenham Hotspur away from home, and as they tend to do in this fixture, left with all three points.

From front to back, the Blues looked back to their best, and more importantly, Joao Pedro got back on the scoresheet.

The Brazilian has the quality to be a hugely important player for Chelsea, and one of the club’s most exciting youngsters could help him one day reach Cole Palmer’s numbers, and no, it’s not Estevao.

Pedro's future at Chelsea

When Chelsea completed the £60m signing of Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion, there was plenty of understandable excitement, as sections of the fan base assumed the club had their new long-term number nine.

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This idea was further reinforced during the pre-season, as Maresca started him up top for three consecutive games during the Club World Cup, during which he scored three goals.

However, things quickly changed once the season began, as following the first game against Crystal Palace, the manager played the 24-year-old as a second striker for two consecutive Premier League games, in which he scored two goals and provided two assists.

Unfortunately, following Liam Delap’s hamstring injury, the former Brighton star was once again forced to lead the line.

So far, in the seven league games he has started there, he has scored just once and provided one assist.

In short, it has become abundantly clear that while hugely talented, the former Watford star is at his very best either as a second striker or a slightly more aggressive ten.

Now, for those fans who watched him on the south coast, this shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise, as while he did make 16 appearances up top last season, he also made 12 between second striker, attacking midfield and left-wing.

Centre-Forward

16

Second Striker

8

Left Winger

2

Attacking Midfield

2

So, if Maresca wants to get the most out of Pedro, he’ll have to start him behind another striker, and fortunately, someone who might help him reach Palmer-levels is joining Chelsea for next season.

The player who could help Pedro reach Palmer-levels

Now, while someone like Estevao could help Pedro up his output in the coming seasons, the 18-year-old is undoubtedly at his best out wide.

Therefore, what the former Brighton ace needs is another prolific forward to come in and start ahead of him, someone who will help not only boost his assist numbers, but also his own goal tally.

Fortunately, Chelsea might have just the young talent to do just that, joining in the summer: Dastan Satpayev.

The Khazak phenom is set to join the Blues at the end of this season, and while he’s still young and therefore a long way from the finished product, he looks like a superstar in the making.

With that said, why could he help Pedro put up Palmer-level numbers, though?

Well, simply put, while he can play in several positions, he is primarily a centre-forward, and a seriously exciting one at that.

For example, despite still being just 17 years old, the “future Ballon d’Or winner,” as dubbed by one analyst, scored 16 goals and provided eight assists in 33 appearances, totalling 2409 minutes last season.

That works out to an incredible average of a goal involvement every 1.37 games, or every 100.37 minutes.

Just imagine a forward as dangerous as that competing for a place with Delap ahead of a Pedro who has had a year to get used to life at Stamford Bridge.

Ultimately, it’s still early in his career, but if Satpayev is even half the player many believe him to be, then he could certainly help the former Brighton man reach the creative and goalscoring levels of Palmer in the near future.

Maresca must drop Chelsea star who had fewer touches than Sanchez vs Spurs

Chelsea just about got over the line on Saturday evening as slim 1-0 victors at London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 2, 2025

The Astros are the latest team to make a splash in MLB Free Agency.

According to multiple reports, Houston is signing first baseman Christian Walker. It's a three-year, $60 million deal per ESPN's Alden González.

In his reporting, González suggested that this could mean the end of long-time Astros third-baseman Alex Bregman's time in Houston.

"The addition of Walker in all likelihood marks the end of Alex Bregman's tenure in Houston…" he writes. "Walker manning first base for the next three years means Isaac Paredes, the 25-year-old corner infielder who was recently acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade, will probably be Bregman's replacement at third base."

Bregman has spent his entire major league career with the Astros, winning two World Series' with the club in 2017 and '22.

As for their newest infield addition in Walker, the 33-year-old spent his last eight season with the Diamondbacks and has won three straight NL Gold Gloves at first base. In 2024, he hit .250/.335/.803 with 26 home runs and 84 RBI.

MLB.com has released its annual Top 100 Players Right Now list and it's a huge thrill for all of the baseball players honored. But because it's a list it means there's controversy. Michael Kay, a staple of New York Yankees broadcasts for years, shared his disbelief that Shohei Ohtani was ranked No. 1 over Aaron Judge during his radio show Friday.

“On what planet can you say that Ohtani is better than Judge?" Kay wondered. "I don’t understand it. Are you projecting in 2025 that you think Ohtani is going to go back to being a dominant pitcher?”

Kay came to the table with a thorough study of offensive stats, which tend to favor Judge. But Ohtani did become the first 50-50 club member in baseball history and has the capacity to be one of the game's best pitchers when healthy.

On one hand it could be a situation where MLB.com got to the top of the list and had to make a call between two incredible players. On the other it could be that pesky and very real anti-Yankees bias that exists.

“I just think, and I hate to admit it, that there is an anti-Yankee bias,” Kay said. "And I think everyone in Major League Baseball is absolutely in awe at the skills sets exhibited by Ohtani. And they should be — he’s one of the best baseball players ever. And so is Judge. So when they’re that close, you have to look at the statistics … Judge’s statistics are far superior to Ohtani’s."

This is why these lists are always tough. Top Players Right Now could not be clearer and yet the results could mean that they're forecasting a stellar return ot the mound for Ohtani. Or, believe it or not, that's he's a better player than Judge even without doing double duty.

One thing we can perhaps agree on is that on a ranking of the best players of a sport in the world, there is never tas meaningful of a gulf between No. 1 and No. 2 as people like to think. It's a lesson that could have been learned among the neverending LeBron James-Michael Jordan debates, but here we are again.

Orla Prendergast claims three wickets as hosts subside once again at Chelmsford

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay13-Sep-2025

Sarah Bryce unleashes a drive•Getty Images

The Blaze 59 for 0 (S Bryce 33*) beat Essex 211 (Smale 41, Prendergast 3-43) by 35 runs (DLS) Orla Prendergast led the wickets charge as The Blaze won a rain-affected encounter with Essex at Chelmsford to book a home semi-final at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.Prendergast took 3 for 43, including a momentum shifting double strike to help bowl out the hosts for 211. Her efforts were ably supported by Lucy Higham’s 2 for 33 and some outstanding out-fielding, typified by Kathryn’s Bryce’s run-out of Ariana Dowse.Six of Essex’s batters reached double figures, but only Sophia Smale (41) got beyond 40, Jo Gardner making a run-a-ball 36. The pair added 52 for the seventh wicket after the hosts collapsed from 104 for 2 to 133 for 6.Blaze openers Sarah Bryce (33 not out) and Georgie Boyce had knocked 59 off the target in 11.2 overs when the weather closed in.Dowse and skipper Grace Scrivens gave the hosts a a solid start, the former caressing one through the covers and driving another square for four. Scrivens reached 16 before mishitting a half-tracker from opposite number Kirstie Gordon to square leg and a brilliant pick up and throw from Katherine Bryce ran out Dowse for 20.The response to the double setback was good with Lissy Macleod (30) and Lancashire loanee Liberty Heap (33) targeting the straight boundaries in a stand of 59 at almost a run a ball. Essex looked poised to push on, but Heath’s demise, top edging a short one from Prendergast to midwicket sparked a mid-innings slump.Flo Miller was another Prendergast victim and when Higham sent Macleod packing courtesy of a stunning caught and bowled, three wickets had fallen for six runs in 16 balls.Higham then bowled Amara Carr with a beauty, before Smale and Gardner rallied the home side’s flagging effort, the latter striking the ball powerfully back past the bowler in the mid-on/mid-off arc.But before they could entertain hopes of a score of 250, Prendergast splayed Gardner’s stumps and thereafter only Smale who was last out held up The Blaze for long.The bad weather was closing in by the time The Blaze began their reply, Sarah Bryce and Georgie Boyce immediately showing aggressive intent. Bryce hit Gray for the only six of the match while Boyce three times struck the ball firmly to the fence along the floor.By the time rain drove the players from the field enough overs had been completed to constitute a match and The Blaze were a mile ahead on the DLS and looking forward to a semi-final.

Leeds United have some very tricky fixtures ahead, away from just their crunch tie with Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest up next.

Looking at their intimidating fixture list, it does appear as if sealing a win at the City Ground for Daniel Farke’s Whites is crucial to fixing the dour mood around the Premier League new boys, with Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool then on the agenda, after this battle near the foot of the division.

Losing to the Tricky Trees and then being faced with that onslaught of tough matches directly after, really could intensify the pressure on Farke’s shoulders, as he attempts to guide his lowly team away from being sucked into a relegation dog-fight.

The German will likely make some changes for the crucial showdown in Nottinghamshire, with Brenden Aaronson one figure who could be fearing for his starting spot down the right wing.

Why Aaronson could be benched

Aaronson has always been a slightly controversial figure at Elland Road, with the American definitely prone to an off-performance or two, away from lighting up the Premier League on occasion.

Against West Ham United to close out October, the ex-Union Berlin playmaker looked at his terrifying best, with a goal put away after three minutes.

That was then backed up by Aaronson winning eight duels and completing all three of his dribbles, as per Sofascore, as a tricky livewire the Hammers just couldn’t contain.

That’s what makes the hot-and-cold number 11’s drop-off against Brighton and Hove Albion so frustrating, with Aaronson only winning a meagre three duels and failing to register a single shot on goal, as the Whites were trounced 3-0 on the South Coast.

After all, Farke has been shoehorning Aaronson into his starting XI this season on the right flank owing to plenty of injury problems in his camp, with the Championship title winner far more suited to a number ten spot.

Aaronson’s numbers for Leeds by position
Position played	Games	Goals + Assists
AM	63	9 + 5
RW	15	1 + 0
RM	4	0
CF	2	0
LM	2	0
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Indeed, that opening strike against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men was actually Aaronson’s first-ever goal for Leeds when not lining up in a more familiar attacking midfield position.

But, with the return of this attacking star from injury, Aaronson’s days as Leeds’ main starter on the right channel look to be numbered, as the ace in question could also finally get a hit-and-miss Dominic Calvert-Lewin firing.

Leeds could now unleash "unstoppable" star

Leeds won’t be giving up on Calvert-Lewin just yet, despite the ex-Everton marksman experiencing a wobbly start to life in West Yorkshire.

He does only have one meagre goal next to his name from eight Premier League outings, but he has also spurned five big chances along the way, meaning he is, at least, getting into the correct positions to try and add to his slim Whites tally.

Farke will desperately be trying to work out a combination that gets the number nine in amongst the goals on a more regular basis, with Daniel James perhaps the winger Calvert-Lewin needs to bounce off of, to finally hit an Elland Road purple patch.

James and Calvert-Lewin, owing to the Welshman’s injury issues so far this season, have only lined up alongside each other for a paltry 34 minutes, with a blistering partnership perhaps now ready to be unearthed, if the former Manchester United attacker is placed into the starting XI in Aaronson’s spot away at Forest.

After all, while James did steal the majority of the headlines last season in the Championship for his bumper 12-goal haul, he did also pick up nine assists, with the £25m trickster amassing a whopping 16 big chances created in total.

That will be music to the ears of the one-time Toffees talisman, who has often cut an isolated figure this campaign next to Aaronson.

Moreover, even though he has been restricted to just 277 minutes of top-flight action so far, James has picked up one big chance created this campaign, too, as James now tries to hit his “unstoppable” best in attack again as a tricky, front-foot attacker, as Statman Dave once labelled him.

The worry will be if Calvert-Lewin sticks to his end of the bargain, but there is an electric presence inside of the ex-England international, too, when he gets into his groove.

With James also victorious the last time he travelled to the City Ground as a Cottagers loanee, standing out as a good omen, Farke will hope this potential change spurs his side on to a rare away win.

"Highly-rated" Leeds gem could now leave "on a free transfer in January"

Leeds United’s rising young goalkeeper could depart the club within the coming months.

By
James O'Reilly

Nov 5, 2025

Fulham are now considering a move for Brendan Rodgers as a replacement for Marco Silva, with their current manager being heavily tipped to join a rival Premier League club.

Silva is under pressure at Craven Cottage, as a result of his side’s poor start to the Premier League season, now sitting in 15th place and just one point above the relegation zone after the 2-0 defeat against Everton at the weekend.

The 48-year-old is the third longest-serving manager in the top flight, behind only Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola, having been in charge since July 2021, but his future is now in doubt, having been unwilling to commit to a contract extension.

Consequently, the club hierarchy may need to start thinking about replacements, and they are weighing up a move for a former Premier League manager…

Fulham considering Brendan Rodgers as Marco Silva replacement

According to 67 Hail Hail’s transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey, Fulham are now considering Rodgers as a replacement for Silva, with the Northern Irishman available after resigning from his role as Celtic manager last month.

Not only is the Portuguese manager at risk of being sacked, but he has also been heavily tipped to take over at Nottingham Forest in the future, given his relationship with controversial owner Evangelos Marinakis.

It is unclear whether the 52-year-old would be willing to make the move to Craven Cottage, but there are plenty of indications that he would be a solid long-term replacement for Silva.

In his most recent Premier League job, the Carnlough-born manager impressed considerably, with Gabriel Agbonlahor describing him as “world-class” courtesy of the work he did at Leicester City.

The ex-Leicester boss led the Foxes to FA Cup glory in the 2020-21 campaign, which he followed up with a victory in the Community Shield ahead of the following season.

Games

204

Wins

96

Draws

37

Losses

71

Points per game

1.59

The former Celtic manager also knows what it takes to win, having led the Hoops to 11 trophies during his two stints at Parkhead, winning two trebles on the spin across the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns.

Silva has arguably taken Fulham as far as he can, given their performances this season, and Rodgers has proven he could be an excellent replacement.

Every current Premier League manager has been ranked by Football FanCast Every current manager in the 2025/26 Premier League ranked

Every current Premier League boss ranked from best to worst.

ByCharlie Smith Nov 8, 2025

Somerset’s Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit a typically aggressive half-century against his old club as only 42 overs were possible on the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship Division One match with Yorkshire at Taunton.The home side had reached 155 for 3 after losing the toss when a thunder and lightning storm engulfed the Cooper Associates County Ground at shortly after 2pm, Kohler-Cadmore having made 76 and James Rew 54 not out. George Hill claimed two of the wickets.Heavy rain left the outfield saturated. Umpires Rob Bailey and Mark Newell inspected at 4.30pm, but decided conditions were not fit for play to resume.Yorkshire’s decision to field first looked set to reap dividends when Hill struck twice in the opening ten overs of the match. Archie Vaughan edged through to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow and departed for 10 with the total on 20. Then Tom Lammonby played down the wrong line to a ball angled into him and saw his off stump sent cartwheeling.That was as good as it got for the visitors in the morning session. Rew overcame a scratchy start, while Kohler-Cadmore was not afraid to advance down the pitch to seam and spin alike in moving to a 55-ball half-century.Twice the former Yorkshire player lofted ex-Somerset offspinner Dom Bess back over his head for six as he and Rew took the total to 114 for 2 off 30 overs at lunch. The shortened afternoon session saw Rew bring up his fifty, off 91 balls, with eight fours.Kohler-Cadmore took one chance too many when advancing to a delivery from Jordan Thompson and edged a sharp shoulder-high catch to Hill at first slip to make 147 for 3. He had faced 110 balls and extended his boundary count to 11 fours and two sixes.Tom Abell made a watchful start and only eight more runs were added before the first crash of thunder sent the players to the pavilion with black clouds closing in.

While their performances last year and at the start of the season suggest otherwise, West Ham United do have a talented squad.

The likes of Freddie Potts, Jarrod Bowen, Mateus Fernandes, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters are all good to great players who will help move the East Londoners away from a Premier League relegation scrap as the season goes on.

However, one area of the team that the Hammers have consistently failed to address is up top, with neither Niclas Füllkrug nor Callum Wilson good enough to lead the line.

Fortunately, West Ham are now being linked with an inform number nine who could end their striker curse and was even linked to Harry Kane as a youngster.

West Ham target Füllkrug and Wilson upgrade

Before his injury, Füllkrug had made seven appearances for West Ham this season, in which he failed to score or assist a single goal, which makes news of his likely departure in January rather welcome to most fans.

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

Wilson, on the other hand, has been able to find the back of the net twice, in fact, but even so, he has hardly blown anyone away in his nine appearances so far this season, and with his injury record being what it is, he cannot be relied upon.

So, with all that in mind, it’s clear that the East Londoners are in desperate need of a new striker once the window opens, and fortunately, that might happen.

According to a recent report from Turkey, West Ham are among several sides interested in man of the moment, Troy Parrott.

Alongside the Hammers, the report claims that Everton, Leeds United and Stuttgart are keen on signing the Irish international from AZ Alkmaar, who want at least €30m for him, which is about £26m.

It could be a tough transfer to get over the line, but with how well Parrott has played in recent years, and how much of an upgrade on Füllkrug and Wilson he’d be, it’s one worth fighting for.

Why Parrott would be massive upgrade on Wilson & Füllkrug

It’s the obvious place to start, but it’s also the most important: Parrott would be a huge upgrade on Wilson and Füllkrug because he’s simply the better goalscorer.

For example, while the two West Ham strikers have just two goals between them this season, the Irishman has already racked up an astounding tally of 13 goals and two assists in 14 appearances, totalling 928 minutes.

That comes out to a sensational average of 1.07 goal involvements every game, or one every 61.86 minutes.

Appearances

14

Starts

11

Minutes

928′

Goals

13

Assists

2

Goal Involvements per Match

1.07

Minutes per Goal Involvement

61.86′

Points per Game

2.21

Such an incredible rate of return makes the claim of one analyst, made over five years ago, that he was “reminiscent of Harry Kane” as a youngster look rather reasonable today.

It’s not just this season that the former Tottenham Hotspur gem has been on fire, though, as he ended last season with an excellent haul of 20 goals and five assists in 47 games.

With that said, the second reason he’d be an excellent upgrade on the Hammers’ ageing forwards is that he’s still just 23 years old, and therefore has plenty left in the tank.

Moreover, while he did have some injury problems early on in his career, he has not missed more than nine games for club and country in any of the last three campaigns.

Finally, as was made quite clear over the last week or so, the Dublin-born game-changer is someone for the big occasions.

For example, he scored both goals in Ireland’s 2-0 win over Portugal, and then followed that up with what is already a legendary hat-trick against Hungary, securing the country’s place in the World Cup play-offs.

Moreover, his third goal was practically the final kick of the game, suggesting he isn’t someone to flap under the most immense of pressure.

Ultimately, while it might be difficult to get ahead of the other interested parties, West Ham should be doing all they can to sign Parrott in January, as he might be the man to end their striker curse.

£67m spent & no Wilson or Fullkrug: Nuno's dream West Ham XI after January

This is the dream West Ham starting line-up that Nuno could build in the January window.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 15, 2025