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Journalist Ben Jacobs of CBS has shared his own update on West Ham United and their chances of sealing a deal for Chelsea striker Armando Broja.

The Lowdown: Hammers eye Broja move…

The Albania international, after spending last season on loan at Southampton, has been heavily linked with a switch to the London Stadium amid manager David Moyes’ search for a top striker.

West Ham reportedly also have their eyes on the likes of Gianluca Scamacca as alternative forward targets but reports suggest that a move for Broja is the more advanced.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, speaking on Tuesday night, claimed to the press that he expects the 20-year-old to remain at Stamford Bridge but reliable journalists followed that up with the reassuring message that West Ham talks are still well and truly on, with Fabrizio Romano even claiming personal terms have been agreed.

The Latest: Jacobs shares Broja update…

Jacobs, sharing news in the last 48 hours, has dropped his own update on West Ham’s chase for the Premier League attacker.

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It appears to be a promising one as he claims the Irons are indeed ‘closing in’ on Broja and he is ‘heading to London’ after agreeing personal terms.

One sticking point – both clubs are still to reach a full agreement over whether he will join on loan or permanently.

He explained (via Twitter):

“West Ham closing in on Armando Broja. Albanian heading to London after agreeing personal terms. Chelsea’s position hasn’t changed. They ideally don’t want to sanction a permanent sale. West Ham trying for an outright purchase for around £30m but may have to settle for a loan.”

The Verdict: Promising…

Broja has been tipped to give West Ham and Moyes different options going forward and relieve the reliance on Michail Antonio.

The 6 foot 3 striker, still very young and with bags of potential, reportedly impressed Hammers players and staff in all three games against the east Londoners for Southampton last year.

Broja proved to be a real menace in both the FA Cup and top flight matches against West Ham, leaving little wonder Moyes is very eager to add the starlet to his roster.

Nottingham Forest are said to be close to securing the signing of Lewis O’Brien this summer, and an update has emerged from a reliable source on the club’s progress in completing a move for the player.

What’s the latest?

According to journalist Jacque Talbot, the signing of the Huddersfield Town midfielder will happen this summer for Steve Cooper’s side.

Talbot told GIVEMESPORT: “I think the Lewis O’Brien one, they’ll get that over the line soon from Huddersfield, that will happen.

“I think Forest must do a few more outgoings to bring anyone in at this point, but the O’Brien one certainly has got legs there. And I imagine that will be sort of done relatively soon.”

Cooper will be buzzing

There is no doubt that Cooper will be buzzing that the deal for O’Brien is close to being completed. It would be Forest’s eighth signing of the transfer window but the first new midfielder to join the squad at the City Ground since they won promotion back to the Premier League.

Forest have pretty much strengthened every other area of their squad so far, from signing goalkeeper Dean Henderson to securing the signature of striker Taiwo Awoniyi, so it’s safe to say that the manager is determined to bolster and improve his squad ahead of their return to the top flight.

O’Brien impressed over the last 12 months with Huddersfield and played a huge part in the Terriers’ successful Championship campaign, which had a bittersweet ending when they lost out on promotion to in the play-off final against… Nottingham Forest.

Over 43 appearances last term, he completed the most tackles (59) of anyone at Huddersfield. Indeed, only two players in the entire division exceeded him in this regard.

The 23-year-old Huddersfield academy graduate has made 130 senior appearances for the Terriers, scoring eight goals and delivering 10 assists for his boyhood club, but could be now given the golden opportunity to take the next step in his career and join Cooper’s team in the Premier League.

Forest are showing no signs of slowing down in their pursuit to build a team which can complete in the top tier next season, and it will be interesting to see who they look to next if, as now seems likely, they complete the signing of O’Brien.

AND in other news: Paul Taylor issues huge transfer claim that’ll excite Forest supporters

Everton have been linked to Levi Colwill for a while now as they attempt to improve their squad ahead of next season, and a new update has emerged from a reliable source.

What’s the latest?

The Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor took to Twitter to confirm that Frank Lampard “wants to land” the signing of Chelsea youngster and Huddersfield Town loanee Levi Colwill.

Taylor tweeted:

“Everton boss Frank Lampard wants to land Levi Colwill from Chelsea this summer – whether loan or permanently. Thomas Tuchel expected to keep him for pre-season before deciding future.”

Everton need him

After a difficult season at Goodison Park, Lampard will surely be looking to take full of advantage of his first full transfer window as Everton manager and there’s no doubt that Everton need to improve their defence, so Colwill could be the perfect signing.

Everton struggled in a relegation battle throughout last season in the Premier League, which led to Jamie Carragher branding the Toffees’ defence a “Championship back four” after a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Lampard’s side conceded 23 more goals than they scored and conceded the fifth-most goals in the entire league (66), so identifying defenders who can come in and make an instant impact on the side to improve their collective defence record next season should be a huge priority.

Colwill who was dubbed “outrageous” and a “huge talent” by scout Jacek Kulig joined Huddersfield Town on a season-long loan deal and made a massive impact on their efforts in the Championship for promotion, with the side only missing out on a rise to the Premier League in the play-off final against Nottingham Forest.

The £4.5m-rated gem scored two goals and delivered one assist, making 1.8 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 4.1 clearances on average per game, winning the majority of his duels and completing the majority of his dribbles in 29 league appearances.

The 19-year-old centre-back has proved in his Championship performances that he is a real solid presence as well as being progressive on the ball in attacking play but now Lampard could offer him the next step in his career to earn Premier League experience.

With that being said, the Toffees boss is clearly keen to sign Colwill at any cost whether that be on loan or in a permanent move so will need to use his Chelsea connections to his advantage this summer to get the deal done.

AND in other news: Moshiri eyes Everton bid for “fantastic” £10.8m-rated “talent”, he’s better than Allan…

Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez could join Tottenham Hotspur this summer, according to journalist Jacque Talbot.

The Lowdown: Previous agreement

As per a report by The Times, the Lilywhites had agreed a £60m transfer fee with the Serie A club last August, only for Antonio Conte’s former side to go back on the proposed deal.

With Romelu Lukaku making a £97.5m return to the Premier League with Chelsea, Inter decided to end negotiations with Spurs over a potential move for the Argentina international.

Whilst the 24-year-old has signed a new contract keeping him in Milan until 2026, The Times have recently reported that Inter have now set a new £70m asking price for the striker.

The Latest: Talbot’s claim on Martinez

With ENIC having announced a £150m investment into the north London club, Talbot believes that some of these funds could be put towards a transfer fee for Martinez.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, he claimed: “I’m told Martinez would be coming into Spurs, and I think it’s good because it’s down to (Daniel) Levy wanting to appease (Antonio) Conte.

“And there was a little bit of concern, would he do it, is he going to invest loads of money? But then they’ve just got Champions League, and now they’ve just got £150 million extra investment.

“And they’ve got Son (Heung-Min), who’s just won the Golden Boot with (Mohamed) Salah, and Harry Kane, who looks to be signing a new contract, then they’ve got (Dejan) Kulusevski, who will be staying as well.”

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The Verdict: Great signing

In 135 appearances in the Italian top flight, the Argentine has netted an impressive 58 goals (via Transfermarkt), illustrating his clinical nature in the final third.

When compared with positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, Martinez ranks in the 99th percentile for total shots taken and in the 90th percentile for non-penalty goals (via FBRef).

With the Inter marksman gaving established himself as one of the best strikers in European football, his international team-mate Lionel Messi piled on the praise, hailing the 24-year-old as a ‘spectacular’ player.

With the acclaim coming from one of the greatest footballers of all time, Martinez certainly must be the real deal. Therefore, this would be a fantastic signing for Spurs if they can get it done.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops significant transfer update on this reported Spurs target

Liverpool have been in contract negotiations with Mohamed Salah for months, and now a reliable source has revealed an update on the Egyptian winger’s future at the club.

What’s the latest?

Journalist and Liverpool reporter for The Athletic James Pearce has revealed that Mo Salah will be staying at Anfield next season despite concerns that he could move on this summer.

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In an article for The Athletic, Pearce relays Salah’s comments ahead of Champions League Final on Saturday in Paris, with the Liverpool star saying;

“I’m staying next season for sure.

“I don’t focus on the contract at the moment. It’s about the team. It’s a really important week for us. I want to win the CL again.”

Supporters will love it

Salah has arguably been one of the best, if not the best player for Liverpool during Jurgen Klopp’s tenure at the club and has been hugely influential in his time on Merseyside so it would come as no surprise that supporters will love that he will be staying next season.

The 29-year-old goal machine has scored 156 goals and contributed 63 assists in 253 appearances and in terms of achievements has won a Champions League, Premier League title, FA Cup and Carabao Cup over the last five years, as well as winning three Premier League golden boots.

The popular winger’s contract with Liverpool ends this time next year and there has been speculation of a move to Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain this summer, which would have been a devastating blow for the supporters and the club, but it will be relieving that he has confirmed his immediate future is committed to Liverpool.

With that being said, it does mean that the Egyptian could leave on a free transfer next summer if he cannot reach an agreement with FSG and the powers at Anfield. It is reported that the club is not willing to break their strict wage structure to meet the demands of the player which could ultimately see the player depart without compensation for Liverpool in June 2023.

Ultimately, Liverpool supporters and Klopp will be pleased that in the short-term they have the opportunity to win more trophies with a player of Salah’s calibre in the side and keeping him at the club for the upcoming campaign puts them in a good position to compete.

AND in other news: Liverpool “will step up” chase to sign £60m “monster”, supporters surely buzzing

Wolves goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts is the latest individual to have tested positive for Covid at the club, according to reliable journalist Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Huge test for Wolves

Wanderers are back in Premier League action on Wednesday evening, as they welcome red-hot title favourites Manchester City to Molineux.

The match is not only important for City, however, with Wolves still in with a chance of qualifying for Europe next season, sitting eighth in the table and five points adrift of West Ham with a game in hand.

Bruno Lage will likely be absent from the game because of Covid – unless he can test negative in the next 24 hours – and now another update has emerged with even more bad news.

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The Latest: Roberts tests positive

Taking to Twitter, Spiers confirmed that Roberts, who filled in for Lage at the weekend, will also be isolating for Wednesday’s game:

“Covid continues to hit the Wolves staff. GK coach Tony Roberts has now tested positive.”

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The Verdict: Another blow for Wanderers

While no players have been affected by Covid ahead of the visit of City, this can’t be helping their preparation ahead of one of the biggest tests they could ask for.

Fitness coach Carlos Cachada is on press conference duty and could, therefore, be in charge in the dugout on Wednesday, being given information by the housebound Lage throughout proceedings.

If Wolves manage to pull off a shock result without both their manager and the fill-in, it would not only keep their European dream alive but also act as a huge boost for Liverpool, who will be willing Wanderers on at Molineux.

In other news, Wolves have been backed to sign one attacking player this summer. Find out who it is here.

The 308-run partnership between Joe Burns and Travis Head, meanwhile, was Australia’s biggest against Sri Lanka for any wicket

Bharath Seervi01-Feb-2019308- The partnership between Joe Burns and Travis Head for the fourth wicket is Australia’s biggest for any wicket against Sri Lanka. The pair eclipsed a nearly 30-year-old record set by Dean Jones and Steve Waugh, who put on an unbroken 260 in Hobart in December 1989. The Burns-Head partnership is also the highest fourth-wicket stand by any pair against Sri Lanka.ESPNcricinfo Ltd13- Tests without a double-century partnership for Australia before this one. The last such stand came in the Perth Ashes Test in December 2017, between Mitchell Marsh and Steven Smith. In 13 Tests in 2015, Australia’s batsmen put on as many as eight 200-plus stands.1- Centuries by Australia batsmen in their last 11 Tests coming into this match. The lone century was by Usman Khawaja in Dubai.384- Australia’s score at stumps is already their highest total since the last Ashes, in 12 Tests. The previous highest was 362 for 8 in the fourth innings of the Dubai Test in October.1- Travis Head scored his maiden Test century, playing his eighth Test and 13th innings. He had made four fifties. It was Joe Burns’ fourth century and his current score is already the highest by a right-handed Australia opener since Michael Slater’s 219 versus Sri Lanka at the WACA in December 1995. Burns has been involved in three of Australia’s last four 250-plus partnerships.5- Tests played by Sri Lanka’s three fast bowlers before this one. Kasun Rajitha had played three, Vishwa Fernando two, and Chamika Karunaratne was making his debut. Fernando and Karunaratne reduced Australia to 28 for 3 in the ninth over, before Burns and Head dug in for most of the rest of the day.

Stats highlights from Day 1 of the Perth Test, where David Warner’s bruising half-century notched his average at WACA to over 100

Gaurav Sundararaman03-Nov-201619 Wickets in the first over of an innings across all formats for Mitchell Starc, the most for any bowler since 2015. Next on the list, with seven wickets each, are Lasith Malinga, Dawlat Zadran and David Willey.18 Number of batsmen Starc has dismissed for a duck in his career. Eight of them are openers.2006 The previous instance of South Africa losing three wickets inside the first 10 overs of a Test match in the first innings, against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval in Colombo. Today they were 27 for 3.0 Number of specialist spinners to debut at WACA before Keshav Maharaj. Before Maharaj, only nine overs of spin was bowled by a debutant in Perth. Dean Elgar was the last one to do it. He bowled one over during the previous Test between the teams here.78.40 Quinton de Kock’s batting average in 2016, which is the highest among all South Africa batsmen. He has scored three fifties and one hundred this year.50 Number of wickets taken by Starc at home. He is the fourth left-arm fast bowler to take 50 wickets at home. Since 2015, Starc has taken 22 wickets from five matches at 23.40. Before that, he had taken 28 wickets at 31.28. Mitchell Johnson leads the list with 171 wickets.106 David Warner’s average* at the WACA from eight innings. He has three hundreds with a highest score of 253. The only instance when he did not score a hundred was against South Africa in 2012.12 Number of times out of 38 fifty-plus scores Warner has made a fifty at under run-a-ball. Ten of those, including today’s 39-ball half-century, have come in Australia. Since Warner’s debut no other batsmen has made as many fifties under a run-a-ball. Brendon Mccullum is next with seven such instances. No other batsmen has had more than three such instances.76 Average opening partnership for Australia at home in the last one year. The next best is New Zealand with 43 runs. Warner and Marsh have added 105 so far.*At end of the first day’s play

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2015Masood and Mohammad Hafeez put on a half-century opening stand…•AFP…before Moeen Ali struck, having Hafeez taken at short leg•Getty ImagesJonny Bairstow is mobbed after his second catch – a brilliant piece of work under the helmet – removed Shoaib Malik•Getty ImagesJames Anderson picked up Masood after lunch to leave Pakistan on 85 for 3•Getty ImagesMisbah-ul-Haq helped steady the innings during a stand of 93 with Younis Khan•Getty ImagesYounis passed fifty and was heading towards another landmark…•Getty Images…only to be caught down the leg side off Mark Wood•Getty ImagesYounis departed for 56. He needs another 47 runs to reach 9000 in Tests•AFPMisbah anchored Pakistan’s post-tea effort during a solid stand with Asad Shafiq•AFPThe captain brought up his century with two sixes in the final over of the day•AFPAt the other end, Shafiq finished on 46 not out and Pakistan could be happy with their position of 282 for 4•AFP

Plays of the Day from the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings at Eden Gardens

Nikhil Kalro20-May-2014The dream ball
Pat Cummins made his debut memorable with a ball that is every fast bowler’s dream. The 21-year-old was up against the daunting combination of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum in his first IPL match, and he swung his first ball away, to beat the bat of Smith. The next delivery was pitched on middle stump and on a perfect length, keeping Smith rooted to the crease. It swung away and beat the bat again, but this time the ball hit the top of off stump to dismiss one of the most destructive batsmen of the season.The first-ball anomaly
The days of using the first ball as a ‘sighter’ are long gone, as Smith exhibited. Shakib Al Hasan bowled the first over of the Chennai Super Kings innings and tossed the first one up, Smith responded by planting his foot forward and smashing the ball to long-off for four. One would have expected Sunil Narine to be treated with caution but no respect was shown to him either, as Suresh Raina dispatched the first ball of his spell over long-on for six.The direct-hit
Piyush Chawla was taken for 19 runs in his third over – 14th of the innings – which handed the momentum to Chennai Super Kings, but he redeemed himself with an excellent piece of fielding in the 17th over. Faf du Plessis struck a ball firmly to midwicket where Chawla was lurking. He picked up the ball cleanly and hit the stumps in one swift motion, to find du Plessis well short.The outside edge
Robin Uthappa has been in terrific form in the last few matches, but today he was reprieved twice within the first 15 balls, in the same position – first slip. Ben Hilfenhaus found the edge of Uthappa’s bat in the first over, but R Ashwin dropped the easy opportunity. Suresh Raina replaced Ashwin at a wide first slip, but he could not hold on either when Uthappa offered a touch chance. Ashwin had dropped AB de Villiers at cover in the previous match, and he went on to make a match-winning 28 off 14 balls. This time was no different; Uthappa went on to make a match-winning fifty.