All posts by h79snht.top

Jon Holland will join Australia’s squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle after a hamstring injury ruled Steve O’Keefe out of the remainder of the series

Daniel Brettig in Pallekele29-Jul-20162:01

Who is Jon Holland?

Left-arm spinner Jon Holland will join Australia’s squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle after a hamstring injury ruled Steve O’Keefe out of the remainder of the series.Having been chosen for Australia A off the back of an eight-wicket haul in the Sheffield Shield final, Holland is a likely inclusion for Galle opposite Nathan Lyon, as the pitch is expected to take plenty of turn.”Steve injured his right hamstring while chasing a ball in the field during the second session yesterday,” team physio David Beakley said. “Initial assessment indicates a moderate grade hamstring injury which means it is highly unlikely that he will be available for the remainder of the Test series.”Steve will remain with the squad in Kandy until the end of the Test and will undertake imaging on the injury upon his return to Australia.”Holland has been Victoria’s second spinner behind Fawad Ahmed in recent times, but has specialised in bowling well on helpful pitches whenever the Bushrangers have chosen two tweakers. He has toured with Australia once before, on a 2009 ODI tour of India.”It is incredibly disappointing for Steve to get this injury and I really feel for him,” national selector Rod Marsh said. “He was bowling well in the Test and had caused some trouble to Sri Lanka’s top order.”The selectors have decided to go for a like-for-like replacement for Steve, in Jon Holland. Jon had a good end to the Sheffield Shield season and is currently in Brisbane with Australia A as they prepare for a four-day match against South Africa A.”He will be on a plane as soon as possible and is a strong chance to make his debut in the Galle Test.”An injury to Ashton Agar had been the cause for Holland’s call up to Australia A, in addition to his exceptional record when called upon by Victoria. In three Shield matches over the past two seasons he has claimed 22 wickets at 16.41. Holland’s place in the Australia A squad will be taken by Glenn Maxwell.The Australia A captain Peter Handscomb spoke warmly of Holland, a Victoria team-mate. “Awesome to see a Victorian get called into the Australian squad,” he said. “Jon’s been toiling away for years, he’s been up there with the best spinners in the country for a long time now, and it’s great to see him get that opportunity. I have no doubt he’ll take it with both hands and do really well over there.”

Tottenham Hotspur have "sent their scouts" to watch Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba, however there are "several" clubs interested in his signature, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

Tottenham are set to battle north London rivals Arsenal for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi this summer, as per the Evening Standard, with Clement Lenglet set to return to Barcelona, and Davinson Sanchez facing an uncertain future.

In recent days, it has emerged that Spurs are also keen on bringing in Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah, who has a €18m (£15.5m) release clause, which would need to be activated before the beginning of July.

Tah is not the only Leverkusen defender the Lilywhites have set their sights on, however, as Romano has recently told GiveMeSport that they hold an interest in Tapsoba, who is also a target for Arsenal.

The transfer expert details that a number of teams are interested in the defender, while he also claims his big price tag could also be a stumbling block for Tottenham, saying: I think it will be a tough race and situation because several clubs are interested. Also, Tottenham sent their scouts, and there is interest in Tapsoba. But also, because Bayer Leverkusen will only let him go for big money, more than €50m-€55m (£43m-£47m).”

Who is Edmond Tapsoba?

Tapsoba has made a total of 137 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen since transferring to the German club in January 2020, and he played a vital role in the Bundesliga this season, missing just one game.

The Burkina Faso international has established himself as a key first-team player for the German side, commonly playing alongside Tah at the back, and considering Spurs are weighing up a move for both players, it is worthwhile to compare them.

Over the past year, the 6 foot 4 giant has averaged more tackles and blocks per 90 than his teammate, however he ranks lower for interceptions and aerials won during the same timeframe.

Not only that, but there is very little separating the two players, in terms of their average WhoScored match rating this season, indicating they are similar in quality, but Tah will be available for a fraction of the price, so he could well be the better purchase.

Despite Tapsoba being lauded as "solid as a rock" by football scout Jacek Kulig, if Tottenham are to make a move for any Bayer Leverkusen player this summer, it should be Jonathan Tah.

يستعد فريق ريال مدريد، بقيادة المدرب كارلو أنشيلوتي، لخوض مباراة جديدة في بطولة الدوري الإسباني اليوم الأحد.

ويواجه ريال مدريد نظيره رايو فاييكانو، عصر اليوم، في إطار منافسات الجولة الخامسة والعشرين من الليجا، موسم 2023/24.

ويتصدر ريال مدريد حاليًا جدول الدوري الإسباني 61 نقطة، في حين أن رايو فاييكانو يمتلك 24 نقطة في المركز الخامس عشر.

ويفتقد ريال مدريد العديد من اللاعبين بسبب الإصابة، وعلى رأسهم النجم الإنجليزي جود بيلينجهام. تشكيل ريال مدريد المتوقع أمام رايو فاييكانو اليوم في الدوري الإسباني

حراسة المرمى: لونين.

خط الدفاع: داني كارفاخال، تشواميني، ناتشو، فيران جارسيا.

خط الوسط: فيدي فالفيردي، توني كروس، كامافينجا.

خط الهجوم: إبراهيم دياز، رودريجو، فينيسيوس جونيور.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

Hampshire were relegated as Scott Borthwick and Mark Stoneman – both bound for Surrey – left Durham with a victory farewell at the Ageas Bowl

Will Macpherson at the Ageas Bowl23-Sep-2016
ScorecardScott Borthwick left Durham with a departing gift•Getty Images

For Hampshire, the equation was simple, but the task was not. They had 78 overs to take 10 Durham wickets, but managed just four. As a result, they will play their cricket in Division Two in 2017.The Ageas Bowl pitch, spitting and spiteful on day one, had not deteriorated enough, and Durham’s departees Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick signed off in style, with 137 and 88 respectively, in a simple six-wicket win.In the latter part of this partnership, the remaining Hampshire fans – so full of optimism after an outstanding opening day – were thumbing their Who’s Whos and their Playfairs researching which of the second tier’s delicious outgrounds (will we get Arundel? Or Tunbridge Wells? Or even Cheltenham?) they could visit next year, and trying to work out how a 10-team Division Two will even work.Either way, they will be back: “See you in spring,” they said on the final shirt-sleeve day of the summer, and off they went, having been wished a Happy Christmas by the ground announcer. What a world.How Hampshire toiled, but to no avail. They began the year unable to score runs, and end it still beset by injuries and still struggling to take 20 wickets. Mason Crane took the only wicket of consequence, Keaton Jennings’ famous season ending trapped plumb in front by a turner, before Stoneman and Borthwick bedded in to add 162.There were chances, but they were hardly clearcut: lbw appeals turned down, and edges not finding the men round the bat, while Stoneman twice – to reach 50, then on 67 – drove millimetres over James Vince’s head peddling back from mid-off. The pair’s method was to bat time and frustrate Hampshire, and slowly but surely Hampshire’s vim and vigour evaporated.Eventually Stoneman, having cut and driven beautifully, and swept the spinners – both reverse and orthodox – gloved Liam Dawson to short-leg, before Graham Clark, skipping down and stumped, then Borthwick lbw, both fell to Crane with the finishing line in sight. Ben Stokes and Paul Collingwood – who else? – were on hand to finish the job off.Surrey-bound Stoneman and Borthwick have both received abuse for their decisions to leave. Watching them accumulate steadily but stylishly must have been a slightly melancholic experience for Durham fans, purely serving as a reminder of quite how much they will be missed, even if Clark and Michael Richardson enjoyed fine games. They take 27 Durham centuries with them, and four consecutive seasons of more than 1,000 runs each. Having enjoyed a farewell dinner on the second evening, they sang the team song one final time.”It was a little bit emotional,” said Borthwick, “I knew it would be, especially if we won and sung the song. It’s been a fantastic game of cricket for four days, and it was a nice send-off. We needed a good partnership and it was good that it was me and Mark doing it, it was a nice way to finish my career with Durham.”I’m sad because I’m leaving the club I have loved and played for since the age of 10 but it’s a new challenge, I’m excited for. It’s not just team-mates that I’m leaving behind but my best mates, and even the coaching staff are great friends. That said, it’s really exciting to have a new chapter and Durham have some top players coming through.”Oddly, Hampshire’s future – personnel-wise, at least – is a touch more certain. This season has seen the emergence of Lewis McManus, whose excellent 67 set up the target Durham knocked off, Brad Wheal – who has an excellent short ball – and the classy top order bat Tom Alsop, as well as the continued development of Crane. A decent squad remains – if a touch light on bowling, although Reece Topley, the 12th man here, should help that – and an immediate return to the top flight seems likely.”If we had taken early wickets today we might have been able to put them under pressure,” said the director of cricket, Giles White. “But they played with a lot of skill and a bit of luck and the breakthrough didn’t come until it was almost too late.”We’ve got a good group of players and a very good spirit. We’ve had a difficult season and maybe not coped with the injuries as well as we might have done. We’ve got four really good young players and we decided to go that route. We want to bring through our own players and surround them with quality. Those four are a major positive. If the story had been different they may not have played as much.”Ultimately, however, there have been too many injuries, and too much incident to overcome: it seems no coincidence that both relegated sides have seen a key player suffer life-threatening illness (Michael Carberry for Hampshire and James Taylor for Notts). These are occurrences that shake dressing rooms. For Hampshire’s there’s been more still, in the death of prospect Hamza Ali, and the comparatively trivial departure of coach Dale Benkenstein.”The dressing room is very disappointed, deflated,” said White. “It’s very tough on the players. They’ve had a pretty tough year. It’s been exhausting for them. We’ll let the dust settle and go again.”

Aston Villa have been linked to a playmaker ahead of the transfer window, as Unai Emery aims to bolster his impressive side this summer.

The Spaniard has transformed the club since his arrival in October, and with European football confirmed, the Villans are the talk of the pending transfer market so far.

What’s the latest on Pedro Goncalves to Aston Villa?

As reported by Portuguese sports news outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness), Sporting CP forward Pedro Goncalves is wanted by Villa this summer.

The report states that the Midlands club have ‘advanced with approaches’ for the star, with no concrete offer made as of yet.

The 24-year-old has an €80m (£69m) release clause at Sporting, with the report claiming the club will ‘demand’ such a fee to be paid.

What could Pedro Goncalves bring to Aston Villa

Praised by scout Jacek Kulig for being "incredible", the 24-year-old has had an electrifying campaign in Portugal.

As per FBref, in a total of 44 appearances in all competitions this term, the winger has contributed to a remarkable 32 goals, scoring 18 and assisting 14 across three competitions.

In the league alone, the Chaves-born ace has scored 15 goals and assisted 11, making him an integral part of Sporting’s attack – as per Sofascore.

With such numbers alone, there’s little to debate as to why Emery is keen to get his hands on the forward, who in his Villa squad, could be his next ‘big thing’.

The Spaniard has worked with a number of hot prospects over the years, not many as prolific as Bukayo Saka, who has shot up the ranks at Arsenal since being handed his debut by Emery in north London back in 2018.

Highlighted by One Versus One as being the best player statistically in the Premier League this season, Saka has been hailed as being “dangerous” by former Arsenal legend Ian Wright for his form and rise to fame at the club.

The youngster may not have had a rise so fast had it not been for Emery’s decision to grant him the freedom to bloom, and now the Spaniard could have his next version of the ace at Villa with Goncalves.

As tricky forward players, the two are similar in how direct they are on the ball, as shown by their statistics over the past year, with the Portuguese star averaging 1.41 successful take-ons per 90 to Saka’s 1.96 per 90 – as per FBref.

The 24-year-old could be Villa’s “superstar”, as lauded by pundit Jack Collins, and would undoubtedly be a significant upgrade on the club’s present options on the left wing, with the forward humiliating Leon Bailey with his averages per 90.

While his ability to score and assist is his most impressive trait, the Sporting gem is influential in build-up play and creating chances, as shown by FBref, with him averaging 5.26 progressive passes per 90, and 4.55 shot-creating actions per 90.

To highlight the magnitude of quality that the Portuguese could bring to the current Villa squad, Bailey averages just 1.28 progressive passes and 2.84 shot-creating actions per 90 – as per FBref.

While Saka is his own player, as is Goncalves, who could present Emery with a player that could follow in the England star’s footsteps in excelling in the Premier League under the watchful eye of the Spanish coach.

Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin took nine wickets between them as India bowled New Zealand out for 262 before building a commanding lead by stumps on day three

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy24-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:11

Agarkar: Ashwin showed he is a quick learner

A roughly even contest through its first six completed sessions, the Green Park Test swung emphatically India’s way after lunch on day three, as Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin ran through New Zealand to earn India a 56-run first-innings lead. By stumps, they had swelled this to 215 thanks to unbeaten half-centuries from M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, who put on their second century stand of the match.India, well ahead at tea, pulled away rapidly thereafter. With Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig serving up a feast of short balls, Vijay and Pujara hit seven fours in the first three overs of the final session. Then, after four relatively quiet overs, Vijay played two of the shots of the match, off Mitchell Santner, an inside-out drive to the left of extra-cover and a late cut with bat meeting ball inches in front of off stump.By the end of the day, India’s run-rate had slowed to normal Test-match proportions, but the economy rates of Craig (4.36) and Sodhi (4.14) told a story. On a pitch where Ashwin and Jadeja were causing all kinds of problems, India’s batsmen had shone an unforgiving light on the inadequacies of New Zealand’s spinners.New Zealand’s only wicket came in the last over before tea, when KL Rahul late-cut Sodhi straight into slip’s hands. As he had done in the first innings, Rahul had shown plenty of attacking enterprise – in this instance using sweeps, reverse-sweeps and lofted drives to move along at a 70-plus strike rate – before falling in the 30s.Wickets often fall in clusters in India. One brings many. There were two such clusters in New Zealand’s innings. First, they lost three wickets in 23 balls at the start of the morning session. After lunch, even more damagingly, they lost their last five in the space of 29 balls, for the addition of only seven runs. In the process, Jadeja picked up his fifth five-wicket haul in Tests, and Ashwin swelled his Test wicket count from 193 to 197.The two teams’ first innings almost mirrored each other. India had gone from 154 for 1 to 318 all out. New Zealand had lost their second wicket with their score 159. The magnitude of India’s lead was probably down to lower-order contributions: Jadeja had scored an unbeaten 42, and added 41 for the last wicket with Umesh Yadav. Not for the first time in home Tests on turning pitches, he had played a vital role with both ball and bat.New Zealand went to lunch 238 for 5, and had moved to 255 for 5 when Ashwin came back into the attack to bowl the seventh over of the session. From over the wicket, his first ball was a well-flighted offbreak that brought Mitchell Santner on to the front foot and turned just enough to take a thin edge through to Wriddhiman Saha.Santner, out for 32 off 107 balls, had defended resolutely till that point, and featured in partnerships of 49 with Luke Ronchi and 36 with BJ Watling.Three overs later, New Zealand felt the full force of Jadeja. He had Craig and Sodhi lbw off successive balls, both caught shuffling across the crease rather than going forward or back, though the ball that dismissed Sodhi may have been sliding down leg. Trent Boult survived two balls, and then, defending his third onto his boot, was caught brilliantly by Rohit Sharma diving forward from silly point.The innings ended in the very next over, Watling looking to drive a teasing Ashwin offbreak down the ground and ending up offering a return catch.The day began much like day two had prematurely ended, with Ashwin and Jadeja causing plenty of discomfort with their turn and bounce. They beat the outside edge four times in the first five overs before Ashwin struck the first blow. He got the ball to drift into the left-handed Tom Latham, causing him to play down the wrong line as he pressed forward to defend. By the time he realised this, it was too late, and ball straightened to hit front pad right in front.Four balls later, 159 for 2 became 160 for 3. Ross Taylor’s bat tends to come down from gully towards wide mid-on while he defends, and such a technique can leave a batsman vulnerable against a left-arm spinner as relentlessly stump-to-stump as Jadeja. The ball went with the arm, and Richard Kettleborough did not hesitate to uphold Jadeja’s lbw appeal. Replays suggested it was a tight call on whether the ball would have carried on to hit or miss leg stump.For most of day two, Kane Williamson had been able to trust the slowness of the Green Park pitch and play comfortably back to good-length balls. But in the half-hour or so before tea, the ball had begun spitting and hissing with greater frequency. On one occasion, an Ashwin offbreak hurried into him when he sat on the back foot and produced a loud lbw shout.In the ninth over of the morning, he went back again to Ashwin, possibly shaping to cut or punch through the off side, and this time the ball turned extravagantly, like one of Muttiah Muralitharan’s specials, zipping in to breach the gap between bat and body and clip the top of the stumps. It had perhaps needed a special delivery to get Williamson out in the form he was in, and Ashwin had produced just that.New Zealand were 170 for 4 at that point, 148 adrift and rocking unsteadily. They repelled India for the next 23.3 overs, with Luke Ronchi and Santner putting on 49 and bringing a measure of calm to proceedings before Jadeja struck again, six overs before lunch.Ronchi was the batsman dismissed, and India would have been relieved to see him walk back. Showing excellent footwork, particularly while going on the back foot, he had cut and driven Jadeja and Ashwin for four fours in the arc between point and extra-cover while moving to 38. Then, looking to sweep Jadeja, he misread the trajectory of a dipping delivery that hit him on the back leg. Rod Tucker gave him out, but replays suggested that the ball, bowled from left-arm over and spinning sharply, would probably have missed off stump.Tucker, though, did not see any replays; what he saw was a batsman sweeping from the stumps, a ball pitching fairly close to the batsman, and dust flying everywhere. At first glance, there was even the suggestion – dispelled by later viewings – that the ball may have hit Ronchi’s front pad. It was one of those errors that slow-motion replays tend to magnify. Likewise with the Taylor and Sodhi decisions. Unfortunately for New Zealand, all three went against them.

استقر الجهاز الفني لـ منتخب مصر لكرة السلة بقيادة هنريك رودل، على قائمة اللاعبين المشاركة في المرحلة الأولى من تصفيات بطولة إفريقيا 2025 الأفرو باسكت.

ومن المقرر إقامة بطولة إفريقيا في صالة حسن مصطفى بمدينة السادس من أكتوبر خلال الفترة من 23 وحتى 25 فبراير الجاري.

وتتواجد مصر في المجموعة الرابعة مع: “كوت ديفوار وإفريقيا الوسطى ومدغشقر”.

طالع | مواعيد مباريات الأهلي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا لكرة السلة

وتعد هذه التصفيات مؤهلة إلى نهائيات أمم إفريقيا 2025، وتصفيات كأس العالم 2025.

وشهدت قائمة مصر غياب إيهاب أمين بسبب معاناته من الإصابة. قائمة منتخب مصر لكرة السلة

أحمد عادل، يوسف رفعت، كريم الجيزاوي، يوسف شحاتة، عمرو الجندي، سيف هنداوي، هيثم كمال، أحمد ياسر، باتريك يوسف، أنس أسامة، عمر طارق، وخالد عبد الناصر. مواعيد مباريات منتخب مصر في تصفيات أمم إفريقيا لكرة السلة

منتخب مصر ضد إفريقيا الوسطى يوم الجمعة الموافق 23 فبراير الجاري في تمام الساعة السابعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.

منتخب مصر ضد مدغشقر يوم السبت الموافق 24 فبراير الجاري في تمام الساعة السابعة مساءً.

منتخب مصر ضد كوت ديفوار يوم الأحد الموافق 25 فبراير الجاري في تمام الساعة السابعة مساءً.

أفادت تقارير صحفية أن نادي تشيلسي الإنجليزي استعلم عن إمكانية التعاقد مع أحد مهاجمي فريق ليفربول، في الصيف الماضي.

وسعى تشيلسي لبحث إمكانية ضم داروين نونيز من ليفربول، حيث تعاقد معه الريدز من بنفيكا مقابل 85 مليون جنيه في عام 2022.

وفقًا لصحيفة “تايمز”، كانت هناك شائعات عن إمكانية بيع ليفربول لنونيز بعد الموسم الأول غير المتسق للاعب.

ويقال إن ليفربول بحث إمكانية إجراء صفقة تبادلية مع أتلتيكو مدريد على سبيل الإعارة، تشمل جواو فيليكس والذي يلعب الآن معارًا إلى برشلونة.

يشير التقرير إلى أن المدير الرياضي لتشيلسي، بول وينستانلي، تحقق من مصير نونيز، لكن ليفربول أوضح أنهم لم يقدموا عروضًا للمهاجم.

اقرأ أيضًا | بعد تشابي ألونسو.. مدرب جديد على قائمة اهتمامات ليفربول لخلافة كلوب

وسبق وأعرب وينستانلي عن اهتمامه بضم نونيز خلال فترة عمله كرئيس للتعاقدات في برايتون، عندما كان المهاجم لا يزال لاعبًا في بنفيكا.

نونيز البالغ من العمر 24 عامًا أنهى موسم 2022/23 برصيد تسعة أهداف فقط في الدوري الإنجليزي مما عرضه للانتقادات.

ولاحقًا تمكن المهاجم من تسجيل 26 هدفًا في 28 مباراة خلال موسم مميز بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وسجل في أول ظهور له في فوز الفريق بدرع المجتمع على مانشستر سيتي.

Essex have turned to South African Simon Harmer to answer their spin weakness

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2016

Essex have signed Simon Harmer, the South Africa offspinner, on a one-year deal as they prepare for life in the first division of the Championship.Harmer will qualify as a Kolpak registration and will help address a glaring Essex weakness. They won the second division title largely without a specialist spinner – Ashar Zaidi played only two matches – even in a season when changed toss regulations encouraged spinners back into the domestic game.Harmer made his Test debut for South Africa in January 2015 and has five Test caps, with 20 wickets at an average of 29.40 with best match figures of 7 for 153. He will be available in all competitions next season.Chris Silverwood, Essex’s coach, said: “Simon is an exciting cricketer who has played at the top level of the game for his country. He will give us another high quality spin option in all formats.”Harmer said: “Playing county cricket has always been a boyhood dream of mine and to have the opportunity to fulfil that dream at Essex is very surreal.”I am really looking forward to adding as much value as I possibly can to the team and making sure our time in the Specsavers County Championship Division One is a long one.”Harmer has had a satisfying month. He was also appointed as Warriors’ captain in the Sunfoil Series when Colin Ingram stood down after knee surgery.Harmer is the second South African to win a non-overseas contract in county cricket in successive days, following Colin Ackermann’s signing for Leicestershire.

West Ham United finally ended their 43-year trophy drought on Wednesday night with a thrilling victory against Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final.

However, in the game's aftermath, chairman David Sullivan confirmed that Declan Rice has the club's blessing to leave in the summer.

The likely destination at this point is Arsenal, who have been linked with the England international for months now.

The Hammers will look to use the windfall from that deal to fund a series of summer transfers, with Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez one of their priorities, per the Telegraph's reliable journalist, Matt Law.

What's the latest on Edson Alvarez?

The versatile machine has shot to the top of the Irons' wishlist this summer, but bringing him to the London Stadium might prove challenging.

The 6 foot 2 colossus was close to completing a move to Chelsea last summer, but the Dutch club refused to budge, leaving the player to spend another season in Amsterdam.

West Ham will have to act quickly if they're keen on the player as, according to 90min, Borussia Dortmund are 'confident' that they will sign the player this summer.

With no official bids yet, we can only speculate that the money needed to secure Alvarez's signature will be close to the £43m offered by Chelsea last September, whilst FootballTransfers currently estimates his worth to be around £25m.

Would Edson Alvarez be a good signing for West Ham?

By all metrics, the Tlalnepantla-born "monster", as dubbed by The Athletic's Felipe Cardenas, looks like he would be an excellent signing for the Hammers.

According to WhoScored, Alvarez has averaged a seriously impressive rating of 7.34 across 31 Eredivisie appearances this season.

The underlying numbers also paint the picture of an all-action defensive midfielder.

As per FBref, who have compared players in a similar position across their 'next 8 competitions', he sits in the top 1% for passes attempted, clearances, and aerials duals won per 90. Alvarez also ranks in the top 5% for pass completion, 6% for shots, progressive carries, no. of touches in the opposition's penalty area, and 9% for progressive passes per 90.

Another facet of the Mexican's game that could prove invaluable to the Hammers is his positional versatility.

Across the last 50 matches, the Ajax man has played as a central midfielder 23 times, a defensive midfielder 15 times and a central defender 12 times. This ability to fulfil several roles across the pitch and fulfil them capably would be a huge benefit to David Moyes' team.

Whoever the club sign in the summer, it is unlikely that they will be able to replace Rice on their own, but Alvarez certainly looks like he could get close.