West Ham’s appointment of Manuel Pellegrini as manager has set pulses racing not just because of his calibre as a Premier League winner and former Real Madrid boss but also because of his penchant for attacking football.

A sense of adventure is exactly what is needed to lift the mood of the fans in East London and the next step is to use the transfer market to assemble a squad capable of getting the supporters off their seats this season.

As the clock ticks onto five years since Andy Carroll joined the Hammers, it brings into sharp focus just how unreliable the former Newcastle man has been during his time at the club and there is only so long that they can keep waiting for him to come good.

That’s why, when West Ham were linked with a £16m move for Salomon Rondon, we asked their fans whether they want the West Brom hitman to come on board this season.

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The response was fairly positive, with 71 per cent of Hammers wanting the target man to make the move south this summer…

West Ham are negotiating with exciting youngster Declan Rice over a new contract, as covered by Sky Sports.

Rice was a stand-out performer in a tumultuous season for the London club. A measured defender with the ability to play out from the back, many expect to see Rice become an integral part of the new West Ham side under Manuel Pellegrini.

West Ham have the option of triggering a further year on his existing deal, but feel that his performances this season have warranted an increase in wage and responsibility for the 19-year old.

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Even with the purchase of French centre-back Issa Diop, securing the future of one of the hottest prospects to come out of the West Ham academy in years should be at the top of Pellegrini’s wishlist.

Here’s a quick look at how the news of the negotiations went down with West Ham fans on social media…

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255853″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch West Ham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

The Leeds United fans in the Transfer Tavern are feeling excited by the new era under Marcelo Bielsa which promises to be characterised by eccentricity and exuberance, but a recent report from Italy should give them genuine cause for concern about their club’s strategy in the transfer market.

The Breakdown

According to the highly-respected Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Leeds are locked in negotiations with Carpi over a €1.8 million deal for the Nigerian striker Jerry Mbakogu. The Whites have been consistently linked with Mbakogu since the turn of the year, but history suggests that their 25-year-old target is not the man to solve their problems.

Carpi finished the previous Serie B season slap bang in the middle of the table in 11th place with a goal difference of -14 – a fact which illuminates their lack of potency in-front of goal.

Mbakogu was a key part of the Italian side’s struggle to find the back of the net as he notched just 6 goals from 26 appearances, losing his place in the starting eleven towards the end of the season as a consequence of his modest record.

With these statistics in mind, it’s no wonder that Carpi are willing to allow Mbakogu to depart the club for such a measly fee this summer, and their apparent willingness to sell should ring a few alarm bells at Elland Road.

Despite the natural appeal of a cut-price transfer fee, Andrea Radrizzani and Bielsa need to rethink their approach to the hunt for a new striker and hone in on what’s really important: a player with a proven track-record to consistently find the back of the net.

Considering both the quality and competitiveness of Serie B is a level below that of the Championship, signing Mbakogu represents a sideways move at best, and there’s no doubt he would struggle to adapt to the intensity of English football.

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Bielsa’s activity in the transfer market this summer will play a pivotal role in determining his success in masterminding a revolution at a club which is crying out for a long-awaited return to the top-flight, so he must be shrewder with his choices and abandon the proposed move to sign Mbakogu before he makes his first major mistake at Leeds.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Yet another of Australia’s bowlers, Moises Henriques, has been hit by injury and will return home early from the tour

Cricinfo staff04-Nov-2009Moises Henriques has become the latest Australian bowler to be hit by injury and take an early flight home. News of Henriques’ injury – a tweaked right hamstring picked up in the field during Monday’s victory in Mohali – came only a day after Peter Siddle was sent home due to stiffness in his left side, also picked up in Monday’s match.They will be replaced by Victoria all-rounder Andrew McDonald and New South Wales fast bowler Burt Cockley, who will join the squad in time for the sixth ODI in Guwahati on Sunday.The squad has already lost Brett Lee (elbow), James Hopes (hamstring) and Tim Paine (finger), and was without first-choice players Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken and Callum Ferguson when the series began.Henriques himself was a replacement player who joined the group mid-tour when Hopes was ruled out. His departure could mean an ODI debut for either the spinner Jon Holland or the fast bowler Clint McKay, both from Victoria, with Ben Hilfenhaus set to return to the starting line-up for the fifth ODI on Thursday in Hyderabad.”Moises complained of some discomfort after the fourth ODI in Mohali,” team physiotherapist Kevin Sims said. “He had an MRI scan when we arrived in Hyderabad which showed signs of injury to the right hamstring. The medical staff believe the injury will not recover sufficiently for him to participate in the last week of the tour and therefore we have decided he will return to Australia where he will continue his treatment.”McDonald is one of the newcomers in the Australian squad in the last 12 months, having played four Tests. He was very impressive for Victoria in the Champions Twenty20 League in India, taking nine wickets, including a match-winning four-wicket haul against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Cockley is just a season old for New South Wales and in 2008-09, stormed to the top of the state’s Sheffield Shield wicket list.”Andrew played very well for Victoria in the recent Champions League in India, was in very good form in the first Sheffield Shield game, scoring a hundred and bowling impressively on a batsman friendly Adelaide wicket and backing that up with a dominant display in Wednesday night’s Ford Ranger Cup match
,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “We are sure that Andrew will grab his opportunity and perform well in the Australian one-day set up.”Burt is someone who the National Selection Panel has identified in the last 12 months as someone who could have an impact at international level. He performed well in the recent Ford Ranger Cup game against Western Australia (taking four wickets) and we think he will be well suited to Indian conditions.”The captain Ricky Ponting said he felt for the injured players. “It’s disappointing to see these guys go down, because you know how much they want to play and be a part of the series and do the best they can to win games and win series,” Ponting told AAP. “So it’s more disappointing for them moreso than anything. I’m sure everyone who’s returned back home would much rather be here with the series as it is at the moment, but we’ve got what we’ve got.”Coach Tim Nielsen applauded the depleted team for performing above expectations. “In the ideal team, we [first] had James Hopes and [then] Moises batting at No. 7 along the line,” Nielsen said. “We don’t have those players now. The bowling also needs to adjust to the conditions and then we would decide the batting line-up. It is not simple or easy. We have to ensure that we have five bowlers, plus a spare bowler, to ensure one guy doesn’t have an off day.”The most difficult (thing), I suppose, is players getting hurt (so frequently) which means there is a change in the team in every game we have played. Having said that I’m pleased with the way the players have fought hard. The young players have come up to take up different roles.”At least the long-term news for some of the key members of Australia’s side is good. The Cricket Australia physio Alex Kountouris said Lee and Clarke were not far away from playing cricket again, while Paine should be able to start training by the end of the month.”Brett has seen a specialist and CA medical staff in Melbourne,” Kountouris said. “He had a scan that confirmed the cause of the pain as being a long-standing bone spur near the elbow joint. It is felt there is no major problem with the joint and we are optimistic that he may be able to resume bowling fairly soon, possibly some time next week.”Tim Paine saw a hand specialist in Melbourne today and Tim doesn’t require surgery to the fractured ring finger of his left hand. He will recommence cricket training in approximately three weeks time. Michael [Clarke] is making good progress and it’s hoped he’ll play for New South Wales before the first Test against the West Indies.”

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza is set to make his return from injury after being named in the preliminary squad for the tri-series at home featuring Sri Lanka and India next month

Cricinfo staff12-Dec-2009Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza is set to make his return from injury after being named in a preliminary squad for next month’s home tri-series featuring Sri Lanka and India. Mortaza, who picked up the injury in the West Indies, missed the home ODIs against Zimbabwe in October and November after failing to recover in time from a knee surgery. Shakib Al Hasan led the team in his absence.Opening batsman Tamim Iqbal was also included, following fears
that he may be ruled out due a fractured hand. He had injured his left hand while batting against Zimbabwe in an ODI in Chittagong on November 5 but continued playing despite medical advice not to.The squad also featured players who severed ties with the unofficial Indian Cricket League – batsman Aftab Ahmed, opener Shahriar Nafees and Alok Kapali.The original squad featured 26 players, but was subsequently reduced to 18. The final squad will be named on 31 December.Junaid Siddique, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Enamul Haque jnr, Sahagir Hossain, Dolar Mahmud, Robiul Islam, Dhiman Ghosh and Mahbubul Alam were the players dropped from the original squad of 26.Preliminary squad: Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (capt), Shakib Al Hasan (vice-captain), Mohammad Ashraful, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Tamim Iqbal, Syed Rasel, Raqibul Hasan, Mahmudullah, Nazmul Hossain, Naeem Islam, Imrul Kayes, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Alok Kapali

Nine English players will feature in the IPL auction on January 19 after league officials said a dispute over NOCs had been resolved. This takes to 60 the number of players who will be involved in the auction

Cricinfo staff07-Jan-2010Nine English players will feature in the IPL auction on January 19 after league officials said a dispute over NOCs had been resolved. This takes to 60 the number of players who will be involved in the auction.On Wednesday, the IPL had released what it said was the “complete” list of players who would be part of the auction; it featured none of the eight England players who were on the long-list drawn up at the beginning of the month. Those eight were Tim Bresnan, Anthony McGrath, Eoin Morgan, Monty Panesar, Adil Rashid, Jonathan Trott, Usman Afzaal and James Foster; with Graeme Swann now added to the mix in light of his outstanding international form.The point of dispute was the availability of English players outside the IPL season, Sundar Raman, the IPL chief executive, told Cricinfo. “We wanted clarifications specifically related to the availability of players outside of the IPL season so we don’t need to keep going back for the NOCs,” he said. “Franchises then can plan friendlies and practice games outside of the IPL season. That was one of the things that needed to be ironed out.”He also said that only those players available for the full season would feature in the auction. “That is not a condition, that is a preliminary requirement,” he said, adding that the ECB had cleared it.Raman said the IPL would release the names on Friday once it received the NOCs from the ECB. The delay, he said, was because some of the English players like Jonathan Trott were busy with the Test series in South Africa. He implied that the final call on the NOCs rested with the English board. “The ECB might want some of the players to be rested or available on tour or they might want to keep a check on any player who has suffered an injury,” he said.There were reports that the IPL had introduced new changes to the terms and conditions in the NOCs; that is reported to have become a sticking point with the ECB, which wanted to sign an NOC related to the terms negotiated in February 2009. Raman said the NOCs signed in February 2009 applied to “that set of players” at that time. “But our player contracts are undergoing some changes and the new NOCs should reflect those changes in terms of his availability, payment terms and things like that,” he said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has cancelled the no-objection certificates that it had given all its players for the third season of the IPL

Cricinfo staff29-Jan-2010The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has ruled out the participation of its players in IPL 2010 and has revoked the no-objection certificates (NOCs) granted to its players.”No Pakistani player will go to the IPL this time,” Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, told Cricinfo. “Why should we allow them to go? They didn’t pick any of the players and it was an insult to us. Why should we let one or two players go? We will not take this lying down.”Butt’s statement seems to have shut the door on the issue, though a PCB release issued minutes earlier held out some hope.”All NOCs issued to Pakistani players for their participation in IPL 3 stand revoked,” the PCB statement said. “In the future if any player receives an invitation for participation in IPL events, PCB will decide the matter on a case-to-case basis after consulting the relevant government authorities.”The decision came after Pakistani players were ignored at the player auction for the third edition held in Mumbai. Of the 11 players in the IPL’s final auction list of 66, none were bought by any franchise.That sparked outrage in Pakistan and led to statements on both sides – including one from India’s home minister – regretting the blackout of Pakistani players at the auction. There has also been a warning issued by a regional party in Mumbai warning against Pakistanis being hired by the franchises, but recent reports indicated that Pakistani players could play a role in the next IPL season.One player, allrounder Abdul Razzaq, has also been linked to two franchises though officials of both franchises deny any specific deal has been concluded.The participation of Pakistani players in the third IPL season has been a subject of much controversy for the past three months, with some element of confusion over rules and eligibility. It was thought, when their names were included on the auction shortlist earlier this month, that the issue had been resolved but events at the January 19 auction suggest they are taking a new turn.

Harbhajan Singh is likely to miss the first two ODIs against South Africa due to family commitments

Cricinfo staff15-Feb-2010Offspinner Harbhajan Singh is likely to miss the first two ODIs against South Africa due to family commitments. The three-match series begins on February 21 in Jaipur and Harbhajan has his sister’s wedding to attend on February 22.”He [Harbhajan] has sought permission from the BCCI to attend his sister’s wedding on February 22,” Harbhajan’s personal manager told .Yuvraj Singh, who is missing the Test series because of a hand injury sustained in Bangladesh, is also doubtful. The selection committee will meet in Kolkata on Tuesday and a few changes are expected to be made to the squad that lost the tri-series final against Sri Lanka in Dhaka.Yusuf Pathan, who recently guided West Zone to victory in a record chase of 536 against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final, could make his return to the national team. He last played in an ODI during the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy. Tamil Nadu spinner R Ashwin is believed to be in contention for a maiden call-up as well.

South Africa’s cricket structure is set for a major overhaul on Friday
at a meeting of the national board, called after the shock resignation of coach Mickey Arthur

Cricinfo staff19-Feb-2010South Africa’s cricket structure is set for a major overhaul on Friday
at a meeting of the national board, called after the shock resignation of coach Mickey Arthur and subsequent dissolution of the national selection
panel. A source close to Cricket South Africa (CSA) said that three major issues
will be discussed: the selection process, the issue of the national coach and
the lack of black players coming through.Gerald Majola, CSA’s chief executive officer, had dismissed the
Selection committee headed by Mike Procter days before the team set out for the
Indian tour, reportedly telling them their process had become “flawed.” Since
then, Majola has been the interim convenor of selectors, with interim coach
Corrie van Zyl and batting consultant Kepler Wessels comprising the rest of the
selection committee.The previous selection committee comprised Procter and three others, with the final playing eleven decided upon by Arthur and captain Graeme Smith depending on match conditions on the day. It is not clear whether coach and captain will continue to have those powers but it is likely a new convenor will be chosen at the meeting and that Majola will not stay on. It is also unlikely that the selection powers will be vested in one person.As far as the coach is concerned, there are indications van Zyl will be retained in the position until all the structural changes decided upon at the meeting have been put it into action. The administration, it is believed, is unlikely to appoint another head coach just yet, especially as van Zyl has completed a two-Test away series against the top-ranked side and come off with a draw.The biggest structural change is said to be the creation of a specialist committee to deal with development and particularly what is being described as “Africanisation.” This committee will reportedly seek to further the development of black, African players in the national side.There is no indication yet that the quota system will be reinstated, either at national or franchise level. Quotas were scrapped in July 2002 at both levels but remain in place at the amateur level, where at least half of every team has to be non-white. Since Makhaya Ntini’s exclusion from the national side, the lack of an African player has become a contentious issue.Lonwabo Tsotsobe was included in both the South African Test and one-day squad on their current tour to India. He did not feature in the Test series.Rumour is rife that one of the reasons Arthur resigned was because of a dispute with the board over selection issues. In particular, the lack of an African player after Ntini was dropped, reportedly forced Arthur’s hand.The former coach gave the sole reason for his resignation as being that his “vision differed from CSA’s,” at a press conference in East London on January 27.Majola stated, at that same conference, that he felt the structures of the country’s cricket governing body were in need of revamping. This comes after a tough summer in which South Africa lost a one-day series against England and drew a Test series, which they felt they should have won. The team won just one out of five Tests last year and crashed out of both the ICC World Twenty20 and the Champions Trophy.

Members of Pakistan’s senate standing committee on sports believe that “one or more” players in the national side are involved in deliberately underperforming for money

Osman Samiuddin16-Mar-2010Members of Pakistan’s senate standing committee on sports believe, on the evidence of the inquiry committee report they have seen on Pakistan’s tour to Australia, that “one or more” players in the national side are involved in deliberately under-performing for money, though they admit concrete evidence is lacking. The Pakistan Cricket Board said that the conclusions and the comments were made by the senators on their own.The senate standing committee members – Tahir Mashadi, Abdul Ghaffar and Haroon Akhtar – met the PCB at Gaddafi Stadium on Monday afternoon and held a three-hour meeting in which they were given a presentation by board officials on the report. Last week the board acted on the report’s recommendations and punished seven leading players.”We were given a presentation today by the PCB, including video, audio evidence and the matter was discussed thoroughly with them,” Akhtar told Cricinfo. “The PCB has done the investigation well and has been thorough with it. One or more people, we believe, is directly involved in some form of match-fixing and others indirectly.”There is more than just one problem in the team. There is discipline, there are issues of grouping, there are instances of people deliberately under-performing to undermine captains and there are instances of people making lapses clearly where monetary interests are involved. If there is a lapse that nobody can explain or answer and there is no logical reason to it, then the assumption is that these are lapses where monetary interests are involved. There is no concrete evidence because you cannot track money changing hands.”Asked specifically whether the senators’ conclusions were shared by the board, Akhtar said, “Members of the PCB were involved in the investigation. We saw video clips where the investigation was done by the PCB. There were several experts involved in the making of this report and were there in the meeting today and the conclusion that we reached was also reached by some of the experts involved.”Cricinfo understands, however, from officials involved in the committee and the subsequent report that match-fixing wasn’t even within the terms of reference of their investigation. The committee never felt that there was any problem with match-fixing after their investigation, honing in instead on issues of discipline and friction within the side. It is also believed that after the meeting on Monday, board officials specifically and repeatedly requested senators not to go public with their beliefs and conclusions about match-fixing. The senators, however, held a press conference immediately after their meeting in which they made their conclusions public.The board officially refused to comment on the conclusions. “We have done our work, what decisions were made are public, the decisions were taken for the good of cricket and our job is now finished,” Wasim Bari, chief operating officer PCB, told Cricinfo.Bari was head of the six-man committee that compiled the report. “We gave them a presentation on all of this, including a video presentation, of the inquiry we carried out,” he said. “We always said that we’ll give you a frank and honest presentation and they were very pleased with that. What we did we have showed them. The conclusions and comments they have made are their own and we will not comment on that.”