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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.

In a statement, Smriti Mandhana says “it’s time to move forward”

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2025India batter Smriti Mandhana has confirmed that her wedding has been “called off”. She and music composer Palash Muchhal were scheduled to marry on November 23, but it was initially postponed after Mandhana’s father was hospitalised.Mandhana appealed for privacy in her statement on Instagram. “Over the past few weeks there has been plenty of speculation around my life and I feel it is important for me to speak out at this time,” she wrote in her post. “I am a very private person and I would like to keep it that way but I need to clarify that the wedding is called off.”I would like to close this matter here and implore all of you to do the same. I request you to please respect the privacy of both families at this time and allow us the space to process and move on at our own pace.”I believe there is a higher purpose driving us all and for me that has always been representing my country at the highest level,” she wrote. “I hope to continue to play and win trophies for India for as long as possible and that is where my focus will forever be.”She concluded her statement by saying, “It’s time to move forward.”Mandhana was the second-highest run-scorer during India’s successful campaign in the recent women’s ODI World Cup, with 434 runs at an average of 54.25.Her next assignment is the five-T20I series against Sri Lanka at home from December 21 to 30, after which she will lead Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2026 WPL from January 9. RCB play the opening game of the season against Mumbai Indians in Navi Mumbai.

Nottinghamshire head coach had been favourite to succeed Andy Flower in role

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2025Trent Rockets have confirmed the appointment of Peter Moores as their new head coach, following the departure of Andy Flower to take charge of London Spirit.The decision to promote Moores from his role as Flower’s assistant, as reported by ESPNcricinfo, comes as part of the new ownership structure at Rockets, following the purchase of a 49% stake by private equity firms Cain and Ares earlier this year.Moores, who is also head coach of Nottinghamshire, has previous franchise experience in the Big Bash, where he coaches Melbourne Stars, and at the PSL.”It feels like a good time to be taking over the Rockets, and I’m really excited about the opportunity to lead the team,” Moores said. “I see this as a great opportunity to continue on from the strong and successful foundations built by Andy Flower.””The investment and energy that’s coming into the Hundred, and the change of ownership at the Rockets in particular, make it a really exciting time. I’m especially looking forward to the auction, where we’ll be looking to ensure the squad is as strong as it can be as we continue to strive for success.”Rockets finished as runners-up in the 2025 Men’s Hundred, losing in the final to three-time champions Oval Invincibles. Nottinghamshire, meanwhile, won the County Championshp – with Moores becoming the first coach to lift the trophy with three different counties.Rockets were losing finalists in the men’s Hundred in 2025•Matt Lewis/ECB via Getty Images

Trent Rockets director of cricket, Mick Newell, said: “We’re really pleased to promote Peter to the role of men’s head coach. It’s no exaggeration to say he’s one of the finest English head coaches of his generation, and his strong existing knowledge of Trent Bridge will be of great benefit in his new role.”His winning mentality, his strong record of improving players, and the experience he gained last year, all make him a superb fit to take over the role from Andy Flower.”Elsewhere, Birmingham Phoenix have renewed Ali Maiden’s contract as women’s coach on a new two-year contract after he took over from Ben Sawyer ahead of last season, despite their seventh-placed finish.”Ali’s impact in his first year as head coach made the decision to extend his contract a straightforward one,” James Thomas, the Phoenix performance director, said. “His proven ability to develop talented young players fits perfectly with our playing strategy, and he is a key part of a strong leadership team that is shaping the Phoenix brand of cricket.”

Seven-wicket haul sets up hosts only for familiar batting failures to hand back initiative

Alex Malcolm21-Nov-20252:46

Starc: My role is to be aggressive, take wickets

On any other day Mitchell Starc would have been the lone shining star.A wicket in the first over of an Ashes series, again. A career-best 7 for 58 to destroy England, again. His second career-best figures in as many Test bowling innings. His 100th wicket in Ashes cricket. Two stunning deliveries to remove Test cricket’s second-highest scorer for a seven-ball duck and England’s talismanic captain for just 6. His 17th Test five-for, his fifth against England to bowl the visitors out for 172 in 32.5 frantic overs after they had elected to bat.But when he stood in front of the media at 6.20pm local time, his bowling performance felt like it took place a week ago after an Ashes record 19 wickets had fallen. He was instead left to lament a carbon copy collapse to the one Australia experienced 12 months ago on the same ground against India, answer questions on Usman Khawaja’s fitness, and contemplate the prospect of having to carry his team on his shoulders with the ball again day two after a short turnaround.”[The game is] probably [in] fast-forward, I guess,” Starc said. “It’s happening quickly.”Related

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Khawaja back spasm heralds Australia batting chaos

Amid the chaos, Starc deserves his flowers. It was very clear after the interminable build-up that most players on both sides were incredibly nervous. It would have been easy for Starc to fall into that camp, having to lead an attack that had neither Pat Cummins nor Josh Hazlewood in it for the first time at home since 2022. When both men will return remains unknown. Cummins has said he is hopeful to be fit for Brisbane, but Hazlewood is unavailable until further notice, with concerns about his chances of returning at all quietly growing.But Starc said he had no nerves.”Not really actually, strangely quite calm for the week,” he said. “Even till we got to the ground, still had the sense of occasion, but until we were out there for the anthems, and then first ball was when sort of the beans start to go.”He held his nerve when all about him were losing theirs even when the beans started to go. There was no Rory Burns moment, as Zak Crawley defended an excellent first delivery to a groan from the 43,591 who had made it through the gate before the start of play. They witnessed a masterclass with Starc’s next five. Crawley was not given any width or length to work with. He flashed once and missed. He tried again last ball and nicked it to Khawaja at slip. England were 0 for 1 after the first over of the series for the third time in the last five Ashes in Australia.Scott Boland struggled to find his length with new ball at the other end with England, and specifically Ben Duckett, collaring him in prophetic fashion at six-an-over.Duckett looked sharp, but Starc was sharper, zipping through a 142.6kph thunderbolt to pin him plumb lbw.Mitchell Starc made an early impression on the series•AFP/Getty ImagesThen came Joe Root, with so much expectation on him to break his century drought in Australia. Starc ensured he didn’t get off the mark. Using the wobble-seam delivery he’s perfected in the latter stages of his career, he angled into leg on a good length at 142.8kph and nipped it across. One of the greatest players of this generation got turned inside out like a pretzel as he nicked it to third slip.Not a single delivery in the 35-year-old’s first spell was under 140kph, and he had figures of 6-3-17-3. At lunch he had figures of 8-4-24-3, while the rest of Australia’s attack had returns of 15-1-76-1.After lunch he continued his solo carnage. Ben Stokes dropped to one knee, fist on the ground for balance, staring at the pitch in front of him and daring not to look back at his splayed stumps behind. Starc had snaked a ball back through his gate at 140.9kph to spark another almighty roar from the Perth fans. He has now dismissed Stokes 10 times in Test cricket in 22 meetings for a cost of just 190 runs.His fifth was inevitable. Gus Atkinson meekly nicked to slip. He had claimed all five with his wobble-seam deliveries, nicking three right-handers with balls nipping away, and dismissing two left-handers with balls snaking in. It was a showcase of his skill and development across the course of 101 Tests, to have such a huge impact when then was no trademark conventional swing on offer.”[The ball] was a bit like a hockey puck,” Starc said. “It was out of shape pretty early. I don’t think it was going to swing at all. It didn’t really stay on axis. So those wobbles seemed to be the one to work for most guys through the day. I’ve said it before, but two of my best mates are two of the best exponents of it in the world. So to learn off Josh and Pat, I think I said it a while ago, but if I’d listened to those two a bit earlier, might have had it in the repertoire a little bit earlier.”He was gifted the last two wickets for his first career seven-for but it was no less than he deserved. However, by the evening session, his mighty performance had been lost in the chaos of Australia’s batting. Jofra Archer saw Starc’s low-140kph thunderbolts and raised it up towards 150kph. Brydon Carse borrowed the wobble seam and added steepling bounce to make it unplayable. Stokes added the finishing touches to leave Australia 123 for 9 after another Perth collapse. But Starc refused to throw his batters under the bus.Joe Root was picked off for a duck by Mitchell Starc•Getty Images”I think we often sit here and see, last year it was a 17-wicket day, this year it’s 19 wickets, we often sit here and say, it’s the wicket or it’s the batting, but I think both teams bowled really well,” Starc said.”I’m sure both teams probably want to change, perhaps, their approach. But sometimes you can sit there and say, it’s pretty good bowling from both teams.”He’s not wrong. The standard of bowling was exceptional. But some of the batting from Australia deserves to be questioned. The shots of Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey and Starc himself were not mistakes forced by great deliveries. They were perhaps forced by the overall pressure England’s cadre of quicks created. But it was another example of Australia’s batting letting their bowling down. It’s left Starc contemplating another big shift on day two off not much rest.”It is what it is,” Starc said. “Sometimes you’re faced with that. I’ve played long enough to have trained the body to need to do that if I have to. Obviously, you always like to sit back and watch your team bat. Sometimes you have short turnarounds.”It’s just the nature of Test cricket and a tough day’s work for both batting groups.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo teve confirmada uma renovação importante para o projeto da SAF gerido pelo empresário estadunidense John Textor. Alessandro Brito, diretor de gestão esportiva do clube, aumentou o vínculo com o Glorioso por mais quatro anos e seguirá como a principal cabeça do futebol alvinegro.

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➡️ Botafogo encaminha contratação do atacante Lucas Villalba, do Nacional-URU

Alessandro Brito chegou ao Botafogo em fevereiro de 2022, nos primeiros passos da SAF, na função de Head Scout. O profissional, contratado junto ao Atlético-MG, foi o responsável pela mudança de toda estrutura quanto à análise de mercado do Glorioso para elevar o projeto de patamar.

— Acredito que nesses quatro anos que se passaram a gente encerra o
“ciclo olímpico” e agora vamos para os próximos quatro anos para que possamos novamente desfrutar de títulos, desfrutar de atletas da categoria de base no elenco principal. Acho que o Botafogo tem um caminho bonito nos próximos anos — disse Brito, em entrevista à “ESPN”.

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O diretor da SAF recusou propostas do futebol do Oriente Médio, até mesmo mais vantajosas, e esteve na mira de clubes da Série A — o Corinthians foi um interessado para a gestão do presidente Osmar Stabile. Homem forte do Botafogo, Alessandro Brito, no entanto, não pensou em deixar o Rio de Janeiro.

Botafogo mantém a estrutura

Além de Alessandro Brito, John Textor também acenou com a renovação de outros profissionais importantes na SAF, como Raphael Rezende, coordenador de scout, Thairo Arruda, CEO, Danilo Caixeiro, vice-executivo da Eaglae, Deive Bandeira (diretor de negociações) e Léo Coelho, diretor de futebol.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Botafogo

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BotafogoJohn TextorSAF

The former England quick, who will be a pundit in Australia, has joined those making some feisty pre-series comments

AAP15-Oct-20252:00

Why Miller is willing to bet on an England Ashes win

Stuart Broad has lit the fuse for a fiery summer, declaring Australia’s team is the worst they have rolled out for an Ashes series in 15 years.Almost six weeks out from the first Test in Perth, Broad joined the chorus of English voices talking up the tourists’ chances. In the past fortnight, Zak Crawley has claimed the term Bazball “winds” Australia up, while Joe Root has suggested this is his best chance to win Down Under.Former England captain Michael Atherton has suggested Australia are panicking with Pat Cummins’ injury, and Scott Boland no longer creates fear for the tourists.Related

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But amidst all the bravado coming out of England, Broad’s comments will grab the most attention, given he spent 15 years as Australia’s arch-nemesis before retiring after the 2023 Ashes.In the last 20 years, in home series Australia have swept England 5-0 in 2006-07 and 2013-14, as well as claiming 4-0 victories in 2017-18 and 2021-22.The 2010-11 summer is the only blemish on that home record over the past two decades, beaten 3-1 at a time when the Australian team was in a state of transition.Broad claimed the current Australian squad appeared to be in a similar state, having played in the 2010-11 series as well as England’s three series defeats in Australia since then.”It’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010 when England last won, and it’s the best English team since 2010,” Broad, who is now working as a pundit, said on his BBC Podcast hosted with Jos Buttler.”It’s actually not an opinion, it’s fact. So those things match up to the fact it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series.”Broad’s comments came in response to David Warner claiming Australia would win 4-0, because they were playing for the Ashes while England are “playing for a moral victory”.Broad pointed to questions over the make up of Australia’s batting line-up. He also pointed to perceived lack of bowling depth, with Cummins having conceded he is unlikely to play in the first Test.Stuart Broad had a legendary Ashes career•Getty Images”When have we ever, since 2010, been discussing who is going to bat No.1, 2, 3, 6, 8 and who is going to be the spare bowler for Australia,” Broad said. “You’re always go in there going: ‘well,the Aussies, they’re really strong. They’ve just got the same bowlers, the same team’.”But in 2010, when they were trying to replace [Glenn] McGrath, [Shane] Warne, [Matthew] Hayden, [Justin] Langer, they didn’t have a spinner. They changed the seamers all the time, and they had a bit of a mixed match of batters.”So I don’t think anyone could argue that it’s their weakest team since 2010.”Australian players have said England’s team is the best they have sent out in some time, with the high-octane pace duo of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer both fit.Questions do remain over how England will manage that pair, who have spent long stints on the sideline with injuries.Root also arrives as the No.1-ranked batter in the world, but he is yet to score a century or win a Test in Australia across three visits.Harry Brook headlines a list of younger England talents, after scoring 10 hundreds in his first 50 Test innings at a strike-rate of 87.52.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is reportedly facing a significant blow to his January transfer plans after news about a top winger target.

While the January transfer window is set to become a major topic of discussion soon, all attention is currently centered around this weekend’s North London derby clash against Premier League leaders Arsenal.

The statistics paint a pretty bleak picture for Frank’s side, with as many as 11 players either set to miss the clash through injury or are doubts at the very least.

Tottenham absentee list	Problem	Estimated return date (subject to change)
Dejan Kulusevski	Knee	29/11/2025
James Maddison	ACL	01/06/2026
Radu Dragusin	Knee	22/11/2025
Ben Davies	Thigh	23/11/2025
Kota Takai	Ankle/Foot	23/11/2025
Mohammed Kudus	Knock	23/11/2025
Randal Kolo Muani	Jaw	23/11/2025
Yves Bissouma	Ankle/Foot	23/11/2025
Lucas Bergvall	Concussion	23/11/2025
Dominic Solanke	Ankle	23/11/2025
Archie Gray	Calf/Shin/Heel	23/11/2025
via Premier Injuries

Arsenal prolonged their unbeaten run against Tottenham to six matches in January this year, having also done the double over Spurs in 2023. The Lilywhites have also failed to chalk up a single victory against their fiercest rivals in three years, with their last win coming at the end of the 2021/2022 season under Antonio Conte.

Harry Kane’s brace and a goal from Son Heung-min handed Spurs a statement 3-0 victory on their run to qualify for the Champions League that year, but that remains their only triumph over Arsenal in their last nine meetings.

While the Emirates Stadium is a notoriously challenging hunting ground for Tottenham, having failed to win there in the top flight since 2011, Frank could actually be relieved this clash will be played out on enemy turf.

Frank’s side have lost three Premier League matches on home soil already this season, and their record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the last 12 months has been abysmal with just four victories to show from 20 home league games.

They haven’t won at home at all in the league since their 3-1 win over newly-promoted Burnley on the opening weekend, leaving them second bottom of the home form table but sitting pretty atop of the away form standings (Footy Stats).

Tottenham will be handed some encouragement by Sunderland’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal just prior to the international break, but it is safe to say they’re up against it on Sunday, with there still being plenty of work to do on Frank’s squad as the Lewis family look to usher in a post-Daniel Levy era.

According to reports, Spurs are in the market for another winger this winter after missing out on Savinho in the summer, with Ademola Lookman believed to be on their radar as one potential signing.

Frank facing 'big blow' at Tottenham after news on Ademola Lookman

The Atalanta winger appeared to be exit bound last summer and even submitted a transfer request, but an exit failed to materialise. Tottenham were repeatedly linked with the Nigerian at the end of the last window, and those links have remained ahead of January.

Lookman bagged 20 goals in all competitions last season and took home 2024’s African Player of the Year award following his stunning performance in the Europa League final that year, which both won Atalanta the tournament and ended Bayer Leverkusen’s historic unbeaten run.

The 28-year-old, who is also out of contract in under two years, would undoubtedly be a superb signing for Spurs and one who can play in many different attacking positions, including as a striker.

However, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke for Football Insider, Frank faces a ‘big blow’ in his pursuit of Lookman, as it is now believed that new Atalanta boss Raffaele Palladino could now convince the player to remain in Italy.

Also, if Spurs were to lodge a bid for Lookman in January, Atalanta would demand a minimum of £50 million to consider selling, despite the player’s contract length.

All of this makes the prospect of a winter transfer to N17 looking more and more difficult for the ‘world-class’ forward, but there are alternatives.

Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo is apparently tempted by the prospect of a move to Tottenham amid Real Sociedad’s dismal start to 25/26, and he has a release clause in his contract, which means Spurs could bypass club talks and go directly to the player.

Stats highlights from Pune, where India’s right-arm offspinners took all 10 wickets in an innings for the first ever time

Sampath Bandarupalli24-Oct-20241:23

Manjrekar: Washington an inspired pick; New Zealand might miss Henry

1 Washington Sundar and R Ashwin recorded the first instance of all ten wickets in a men’s Test innings being taken by right-arm offspinners for India. Ashwin took the first three wickets to fall, while Sundar took the next seven.4 Instances of right-arm offspinners sharing all ten wickets in a men’s Test innings since Jim Laker’s ten-wicket haul in 1956. Muthiah Muralidaran and Ajantha Mendis shared all ten wickets in India’s second innings in the 2008 Colombo Test, the previous such instance before the Pune Test.Muralidaran also shared ten wickets with Kumar Dharmasena and Jayananda Warnaweera against Pakistan in the 1994 Colombo Test, while Tony Greig employed offspin for his eight-wicket haul in the 1974 Port of Spain Test against West Indies, with Pat Pocock taking the other two.Related

• Washington Sundar's career-best 7 for 59 spins out New Zealand

• Which is the biggest Test upset of the year?

• How lucky were India on their last tour of Australia? A statistical model tells us

61 Balls bowled by Washington between his seven wickets, after being wicketless in the first 13 overs. Only one Indian took seven wickets in the space of fewer balls in a men’s Test innings since 2000 – 60 by Anil Kumble against Australia in Chennai in 2004, after seven wicketless overs.