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West Ham United owners David Gold and David Sullivan are looking to sell part of their shareholding of the Hammers, but they are insisting on asking for sizeable financial gain in order to relinquish some of their control [Football Insider].

Interestingly, the duo are not willing to sell off their entire influence over the club but they are looking at striking an agreement that could see them sell off a combined 30% to 40% of their stakes in the footballing entity [Football Insider].

According to a West Ham source, the Irons need a significant cash flow injection in order to avoid financial irregularities in the months ahead [Football Insider].

In light of this news, it was no surprise to see plenty of West Ham United diehards take to Twitter to vent their frustrations at recent developments.

West Ham United fans react:

Replying to popular West Ham United fan outlet West Ham Fan Zone, here is what some supporters had to say about the update:

“No one would want to buy us, we’re a joke”

Credit: @Hammersboyjoe”Here we go. Rice bid incoming.”Credit: @mansfieldlr”So moving stadiums didn’t help West Ham financially at all?? All roads of unhappiness towards the owners lead back to this disastrous move whether you like the stadium or not. In 2020, David Gold said moving to the Olympic Stadium was the “best thing he has done since coming to the club””Credit: @vinnywhufc”Shambles #GSBOUT”Credit: @Ryan_Watson___”6th best team in the best league in world and these lot saying they’re skint? They’re holding us back massively. They have been asset stripping for years without any real investment. Embarrassing they own a club like ours. This skint lark should be happening to League One teams!!!”Credit: @Brandon_8900″We are being set up for the sale of Rice.”Credit: @jm_ddkIn other news, West Ham United fans react to pre-season action.

A round-up from the latest Championship matches

Cricinfo staff04-Sep-2008Division OneSussex made the most of a window in the weather to take control against Yorkshire at Scarborough. It was a bowler’s day as Sussex lost their last six wickets for 38 before the home side struggled in turn. Jason Lewry claimed three wickets, including Michael Vaughan whose struggles continued when he was caught behind for 19. Jacques Rudolph was the best of a poor Yorkshire effort, reaching 41 before he edged to Andrew Hodd off one that turned and bounced from Ollie Rayner. Robin Martin-Jenkins nipped in late on with two scalps bowling Tim Bresnan, who joined the action today after his England duties, and having Adil Rashid caught at slip. Rashid had helped wrap up the Sussex innings with three of the remaining wickets to fall. He trapped top-scorer Hodd lbw for 81 and added Martin-Jenkins first ball. Corey Collymore fell in freak circumstances when his drive rebounded off Adam Lyth at silly point, back into the stumps with Collymore out of his ground.Will Smith and Dale Benkenstein made Lancashire toil during the 55 overs possible at Chester-le-Street as Durham moved to 280 for 3. The pair took their fourth-wicket stand to 184 with Smith making his third Championship hundred of the season off 217 balls. Since coming into the side at the end of May, Smith has been a revelation, scoring consistent runs at No. 3, often in tough conditions. This surface is easier than some of late and he has made sure of cashing in to put Durham on track for a good first innings and valuable bonus points. Smith had one let-off, on 117, when Paul Horton missed a catch at slip, but Lancashire didn’t bowl well enough to apply pressure. Benkenstein was less fluent and ground to his half-century off 137 balls.Click here for John Ward’s report from the second day between Nottinghamshire and Somerset at Trent BridgeDivision Two3rd dayDaniel Redfern, the 18-year-old batsman, enhanced his reputation with a career-best 69 to steady Derbyshire on another rain-hit day against Glamorgan at Derby. The weather relented enough to allow 43 overs and Glamorgan made early breakthroughs as Adam Shantry – removing Dan Birch through a catch at cover – and Jason Gillespie struck. Redfern arrived at 101 for 4 and stabilised the innings alongside Wavell Hinds (56) with a stand of 79. David Harrison ended the stand when Hinds was caught off the back of the bat trying to pull, but Redfern held firm in just his second Championship game of the season with Tom New for company.Worcestershire were frustrated in their push for victory against Warwickshire at New Road as rain washed out the third day. Worcestershire hold a lead of 133.2nd dayClick here for Martin Williamson’s report on the second day between Middlesex and Gloucestershire at Lord’s.1st dayKent and Surrey were unable to get started at Canterbury as rain forced the opening day to be abandoned at 3pm. For Surrey it was the fifth Championship day in a row they have had washed out following four days without action at Blackpool last week.

According to journalist Mike McGrath of The Daily Telegraph (via Twitter), bringing an update on his previous story, Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic is now the ‘priority’ for Spurs this summer as they look to support Harry Kane up front.

The Lowdown: Spurs in Vlahovic hunt…

Tottenham have been linked with a move for the Serbian for a while and The Times even claimed that talks had already been held over his possible signing this summer.

Claims from Italy have been equally as common with news outlet Fantacalcio recently saying that Vlahovic ‘really likes’ Spurs as a destination.

They also said that Spurs are ‘pressing’ for the player’s signature as McGrath drops his own update, backing these claims.

The Latest: McGrath brings Vlahovic update…

While he doesn’t reiterate talks or anything more advanced of that nature, McGrath does say that Vlahovic is now a ‘priority’ for Spurs and, by extension, managing director Fabio Paratici.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-updates-copy/” title=”Tottenham latest developments…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Spurs didn’t opt to make Carlos Vinicius’ loan deal a permanent one at the end of 2020/2021, leaving Kane without a star striking partner up front.

This has prompted Paratici and Tottenham to look to Italy for attacking support ahead of what could be a gruelling 2021/2022 campaign under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Out of all Tottenham’s striking targets, including the likes of Southampton ace Danny Ings, Vlahovic stands out as the really exciting name – leaving little wonder why Paratici has now made him a priority.

Scoring 21 goals and assisting two others in 37 Serie A appearances last campaign (Transfermarkt), the 6 foot 3 gem has also been dubbed a ‘phenomenon’ by former Italy international Antonio Di Natale (Rtv38 via TUTTOmercatoWEB).

If Spurs can secure him as their striker signing this summer, it would certainly be a contender for one of the coups of the window.

In other news: ‘They might even…’ – Pundit backs Spurs to sign star striker in last minute swoop, find out more here.

Andrew McGlashan reports on the first day of the Championship clash between Somerset and Lancashire at Taunton

Andrew McGlashan at Taunton24-Sep-2008
Scorecard
Peter Trego on his way to a battling 81 © PA Photos
For Somerset, events 150 miles north at Trent Bridge are more important than their own, but all they can do is try and win their final match against Lancashire to keep in the Championship race. When they were 72 for 5 before lunch, on a green seamer hard to distinguish from the outfield, their prospects were fading fast, however Peter Trego hauled them over 200 with 81 before Andrew Caddick and Charl Willoughby ripped out Lancashire’s top order.To have any chance of claiming the title Somerset need victory so couldn’t afford a bland surface. It left Justin Langer a hostage to the toss. He lost it, then had to watch his main batsmen fall apart to a mixture of seam movement and poor shot selection. But it isn’t the first time this season a match has looked like a low-scoring affair early on, only for the surface to quieten down. Peter Walker, the pitch inspector, said he was perfectly happy with the surface and Somerset will hope it remains lively enough to make it a one-innings contest. So far, they have pulled it around admirably.To still be reasonably placed, though, they have to thank Trego who passed 800 runs for the season. Coming in at No. 6, after Somerset opted to strengthen their bowling by replacing Arul Suppiah with Steffan Jones, he played in an uncomplicated manner, adding 41 with Jones and 51 with Caddick, who clubbed 24 to warm-up for his main duties. Trego was dropped at slip, by Paul Horton, on 27, but his driving was strong, while his defence was solid – something not always the case with the top five.The redevelopment of the county ground is rapidly taking shape and the day before this game one of the new stands was named after Marcus Trescothick – who celebrated with a third ball duck. However, while Trescothick is clearly worthy of the honour, so too is Caddick after years of pounding in on some of best batting surfaces in the country.
Tom Smith dismisses Ian Blackwell during the morning session, but Somerset fought back impressively © PA Photos
Presented with a pitch offering plenty of encouragement, Caddick took out Paul Horton and Karl Brown with lifting deliveries outside off stump. He was far from impressed about being left out last week against Yorkshire, and won’t have been shy about saying as much. There are still a number of stands to be named; if Caddick doesn’t get one he will surely let people know what he thinks.To cap Somerset’s fight back Willoughby pushed one across Stuart Law to have him taken at second slip, then removed Mark Chilton’s off stump. Lancashire are by no means safe, yet. Seven points is their magical mark and it will take some batting to reach that in bonuses, but for them events at Hove are important so Yorkshire’s late collapse will have eased a few concerns.Both innings have so far followed similar paths with the top-order struggling. Trescothick paid the price for trying to work through midwicket, making his last three innings scores of 0, 1 and 0. Langer was caught behind when Glen Chapple found his outside edge and any hope Somerset had that the pitch would offer less than it appeared vanished. When Oliver Newby jagged a ball back at James Hildreth, to brush the edge as he tried to leave, Somerset’s batting line-up was starting to look very short.Tom Smith claimed two in the middle order before lunch and after the break, in the same over that Trego was handed is costly left-off, Craig Kieswetter got a top edge to a rash pull off Newby. Alfonso Thomas was trapped lbw by Chapple, who gave him a little send-off after having a previous appeal turned down, but there were signs that conditions were easing.The seam movement was less extravagant, allowing Trego and Jones to get onto the front foot during their stand of 41. Trego went to his half-century off 76 balls before Jones drove to cover as the ball again stopped in the surface. It was Newby’s fourth wicket, due reward for hard-working spells from the Old Pavilion End. But he couldn’t quite claim his first five-wicket haul for Lancashire as Gary Keedy removed Trego to claim his first Championship wicket since August 22. Trego, though, has given his team a chance even if the final outcome is still out of their hands.

Liverpool are still interested in a deal to sign West Ham United winger Jarrod Bowen, according to The Mirror’s David Maddock. 

Bowen has been with the Hammers since 2020, and has gone on to make 53 appearances for them in total since signing from Hull City.

He chipped in with eight goals and six assists for David Moyes’ side last term, as they finished sixth in the Premier League table, qualifying for European competitions in the process.

It appears as though some of Bowen’s strong performances haven’t gone unnoticed though, with it being claimed by The Mirror that there is a ‘chance’ that Liverpool could sign the 24-year-old.

Liverpool finished third in the Premier League table last term, in what was a frustrating league campaign for Jurgen Klopp’s side, who had to deal with a number of injury problems throughout the season.

Klopp is clearly keen to strengthen his attacking options this summer, with the new season set to get underway next weekend and both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane expected to miss time in January due to AFCON.

Plenty of Liverpool supporters were quick to take to social media to react to the club’s rumoured interest in signing Bowen, and you can take a look at the best of the reaction from the LFC Transfer Room Twitter account…

Reds fans erupt

“Please no. Nightmare.”

Credit: @jasonmac58

“Honestly this is just embarrassing right now.”

Credit: @E79Norman

“Lol…. This reminds me of Roy’s reign….”

Credit: @Elaino09

“Awful, simply awful, we aren’t winning anything this season bruh.”

Credit: @Marigold0204

“City signing Grealish and this is our level.”

Credit: @sisenor_9

“When we said sign someone we didn’t mean this.”

Credit: @oIivia66

“Rather sign no one than sign Bowen.”

Credit: @TalkingRed23

Theo Doropoulos got Western Australia home despite a couple of nervous wobbles in their run chase at the WACA, where Tasmania’s injury-depleted attack could not defend 197

Cricinfo staff22-Oct-2008
Scorecard

Theo Doropoulos made his first half-century at first-class level © Getty Images
Theo Doropoulos got Western Australia home despite a couple of nervous wobbles in their run chase at the WACA, where Tasmania’s injury-depleted attack could not defend 197. Doropoulos registered his maiden first-class half-century and struck the winning runs in the four-wicket victory, which gave the Warriors the perfect start to the season – two wins from two games.Brett Geeves did his best to inspire the Tigers with a pair of wickets early and another two strikes late but he was shouldering a heavy burden after Ben Hilfenhaus failed to take the field in the second innings. Hilfenhaus hurt his knee in a batting collision with his fellow tailender Tim Macdonald as the pair added nine in the morning session.It proved to be a big blow for Tasmania as Marcus North and Doropoulos comfortably guided the chase with an 80-run partnership after the openers both made starts. North fell to Geeves for 47 with 21 still needed and if the quick removal of Luke Ronchi gave the Tigers a glimmer, it was quickly extinguished by Doropoulos.His half-century continued his impressive start to the summer and he finished unbeaten on 58, ensuring the task of completing the chase did not fall to the tail. Geeves collected 4 for 62 to add to his five wickets from the first innings but his was a one-man effort and could not stop Tasmania beginning their campaign with two losses.

Rohit Sharma, dropped from India’s squad for the Tests, and Virat Kohli proved they have the patience to play long innings on the first day of the tour match in Hyderabad

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera in Hyderabad02-Oct-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Rohit Sharma cuts loose en route to his hundred © AFP
Rohit Sharma, dropped from India’s squad for the Tests, and Virat Kohli proved they have the patience to play long innings, scoring 105 each to give their team the honours on the first day of the tour match in Hyderabad. Facing their first stern test of the tour, and a flat track, the Australian spinners suffered heavy punishment after the fast bowlers had reduced the Board President’s XI to 59 for 3.Rohit was, without doubt, the star of the day. Two shots showcased his intent. The first came when he was on 67; a long-on had materialised for the offspinner Jason Krejza after Rohit had lofted him over the infield a couple of times. Rohit responded by waltzing down the track to swing the ball over the fielder’s head. The second challenge came on 99. Michael Clarke put on the pressure by firing a few dot balls outside leg stump from over the wicket. Rohit shuffled outside leg and punched it sweetly to the right of mid-off. No violence, just a confident move to get outside the line and find the gap.Rohit took 13 balls before choosing a wide full toss from Krejza to get off the mark, and took a further 33 balls to unfurl his signature cover drive off Peter Siddle. He rushed past his fifty in a Stuart Clark over where he picked up 14 runs with two square cuts and a nonchalant six over long-on. Ricky Ponting immediately attacked with Brett Lee, and Rohit defended. Lee almost broke the stalemate with a lovely slower one that induced a checked drive from Rohit, but the bowler couldn’t hold on despite a lunging effort. When Lee was taken off, Rohit indulged himself against Krejza and Clarke.At the other end, Kohli moved along almost unnoticed. In his last game, the Irani Cup, Zaheer Khan had harassed him by bending back full-length deliveries in the second innings after troubling him with bouncers in the first. In light of that fact, Kohli had it relatively easy today. He crept to 14 from 36 balls against the seamers before hitting his stride against Krejza and Clarke. He created his own length against the slow men – 68 of his runs came against them – by using his feet, and feasted whenever any bowler, seam or spin, erred in line. He played his trademark whips through midwicket, scoring 36 runs in that region, and picked up 35 off cut shots.The wagon wheel also told the tale of Australia’s bowling. Krejza and Clarke were, unsurprisingly, without guile, turn or bite, and erred in line and length as well. Krejza was initially guilty of bowling too full and lost the plot after getting the stick from Rohit and Kohli.The seamers were deployed in a manner that confirmed Ponting’s stated intent of using the game as preparation for the sterner test ahead. Lee bowled only 33 balls against Rohit and Kohli, and Clarke had three balls more at them, while Mitchell Johnson, the man under the most pressure to stake his Test claim, bowled 62 balls against the rampaging pair.Lee was his typical self, bowling with pace in the right areas, and terminated Kohli’s stay with a toe-crushing yorker – though it would probably have missed leg stump. Clark, though, didn’t perform at his optimum level. Admittedly the pitch was not conducive to seam bowling, but he didn’t use the old ball well. While Lee mixed in the slower ones, and even Johnson bowled a slow lifting delivery to get rid of Yuvraj Singh, Clark didn’t revel once the shine went off the ball.
Mitchell Johnson tries to cool off in the blazing heat © PA Photos
The other seamer, Siddle, did what was expected of him. Barring a few times when he was guilty of bowling short, and cut away by Yuvraj and Rohit, Siddle tried to hit the length. He picked up S Badrinath’s wicket with a marginal decision: the ball appeared to be missing leg stump.Johnson had already gone on record with his intent to forget conventional swing and to just stick to “trying to get it through to the keeper”. Unable to bend the ball back in to the right-handers, he bowled fast and straight and punctuated it with short ones. He was perhaps a touch lucky to end up with three wickets. Aakash Chopra was given out lbw when the ball appeared to be missing off stump, Yuvraj was caught in two minds – to pull or not to pull – and Rohit pulled weakly to square leg. But it was a reward for sticking to his original plan of bowling within his limitations.A few Australian strategies did emerge by the end of the day. The stated ploy of setting defensive fields for the Test series was put into operation. A deep point was in place for the seamers for the most part, and a long-on and sweeper cover were stationed for the spinners. Australia showed they had done their homework as well. Two men stood in the deep behind square leg for Wasim Jaffer, who eventually top-edged a hook, and a leg slip materialised for Chopra, who has a penchant to shuffle and tickle short deliveries to fine leg.It worked like a charm in the pre-lunch session before two young batsmen decided to stamp their presence on the proceedings. And how.

AEK Athens are expected to step up their attempts to sign Celtic’s Vasilis Barkas with the Hoops willing to let the goalkeeper leave, according to The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Barkas under Postecoglou

Barkas, who cost the Hoops £4.5m last summer, began Ange Postecoglou’s tenure as Celtic boss as first-choice ‘keeper. He was named in the manager’s pre-season starting line ups against Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Athletic, Bristol City, Preston North End and West Ham.

The £20,000-a-week netminder also started against FC Midtjylland in the first leg of Celtic’s Champions League qualifier, but he made a costly mistake in the second half and hasn’t featured since.

The 27-year-old, who was described as ‘great’ by former Hoops manager Neil Lennon, wasn’t even in the squad for the 6-0 win over Dundee on Sunday, and it seems as if he could return to his native country.

The Latest: Hoops happy to part ways

The Daily Record shared a late-night Celtic story on Monday regarding the Hoops’ interest in striker Thomas Henry.

Within their report, they added that Barkas is edging closer to a Parkhead exit, with AEK Athens set to firm up their interest, while clubs in Italy are also keen.

Celtic are happy for Barkas to leave, even if it is on loan, following his all-too-brief lifeline under Postecoglou.

The Verdict: The right decision

Parting ways with Barkas now makes sense following Joe Hart’s arrival in Glasgow.

The Englishman has instantly become Postecoglou’s number one, starting against Jablonec and Dundee, so having four senior ‘keepers in Hart, Barkas, Scott Bain and Conor Hazard seems to be one too many.

It appears as if the Greece international may well be the man to depart Celtic Park, so his situation could be one to keep an eye on over the coming days.

In other news: Loan to buy: Journalist in Turkey claims Celtic could now move for ‘dangerous’ ace

Dirk Nannes demolished Queensland with a career-best 7 for 50 that set up an easy nine-wicket win for Victoria, the day after he also frustrated the Bulls with the bat

Cricinfo staff23-Oct-2008
Scorecard
Dirk Nannes finished with match figures of 11 for 95 © Getty Images
Dirk Nannes demolished Queensland with a career-best 7 for 50 that set up an easy nine-wicket win for Victoria, the day after he also frustrated the Bulls with the bat. Nannes was not surprisingly the Man of the Match having collecting his first ten-wicket haul in first-class cricket – he finished with 11 for 95 – and his team-mates cruised past their target of 43 before tea on the third day.The result was a formality after Nannes brutalised the Bulls batting line-up. At one stage he was on a hat-trick after picking up Andrew Symonds for a first-ball duck. Symonds, who is trying to return to top form to put himself in the national selectors’ thoughts, tried to clip Nannes to leg but the ball ended up flying straight to gully.With the previous delivery Nannes had removed James Hopes for 32 and although Greg Moller survived the hat-trick ball, there was more devastation from Nannes to come. He eventually ended the resistance of Moller, who top scored with 38, while Clint McKay chipped in with two wickets.McKay trapped Martin Love, who was struggling with a groin injury and required a runner, and then returned to finish the innings when Chris Swan went for 18. The Bulls had fizzled out for 150 and were wondering how they let Victoria’s tail sting them on the second day, when the No. 11 Nannes combined with Rob Quiney for a 79-run stand.Chris Rogers (1) was the only casualty in Victoria’s second innings as Brad Hodge and Nick Jewell saw them home for their first win of the campaign. It was the second consecutive Gabba Sheffield Shield match to finish inside three days.

Leicester City have been linked with a move for Manchester United attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard, but only if one of their prized assets departs this summer.

What’s the story?

The Foxes’ James Maddison has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal in recent weeks, although the capital club have so far been unable to match the 24-year-old’s £60m price tag.

A player-plus-cash offer was reportedly rejected by Leicester, and the club’s hierarchy have wasted no time in identifying their desired replacement should Maddison depart the King Power Stadium, according to Football.London.

Brendan Rodgers has maintained that the former Norwich City ace is happy at the Midlands outfit, but  refused to rule out a possible exit in the current window.

“I know he is very happy here, and he wants to be here. If anything comes to the club, Jon Rudkin (director of football) would tell me straight away, and I would deal with it then, but there has been nothing that’s come my way,” Rodgers said.

“I’ve not been told anything to say (he won’t stay). He is happy in training, and he is working hard, and he is a talented, important member of the squad. He had his season disrupted by injury last year, but hopefully this season, he can show what a real top player he is.”

Imagine him and Patson Daka

Lingard enjoyed a sensational loan spell with West Ham United in the second half of last season, bagging nine goals and laying on a further five assists in just 16 Premier League appearances for the Hammers.

His outstanding displays for the capital club caught the eye and earned praise from several pundits, including Rio Ferdinand.

“I’ve argued with pundit after pundit, on-air, and off-air. He could play in any top team because he’s an intelligent footballer. He can play off one touch or two touch,” Ferdinand said on Five.

“He gets judged on his antics on social media. Some people, it rubs them up the wrong way, and they don’t like him because of it and a lot of the youngster generation love it.

“But if you’re looking at him as just a cold footballer, anyone who knows football surely has to see the kid has a talent.”

As per WhoScored, Lingard recorded a passing accuracy of 83.6% last season and made an average of 1.1 key passes per league game, highlighting his effective use of the ball.

Those assets could see the England international form a deadly partnership with Leicester’s new striker Patson Daka, an electric hitman who thrives on quality through balls to score his goals.

Manchester United’s £30m price tag was reportedly too much for West Ham to stump up, but if Maddison leaves Leicester, Rudkin must use part of the proceeds to bring Lingard to the King Power Stadium, making the transition to life without their No.10 as smooth as possible.

In other news… Rudkin could form a dream duo with Leicester City swoop for £45m-rated “monster”