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It might be a little premature, but there is a slight sense of optimism around West Ham United at the moment.

Granted, they are far from safe, but there was plenty to be encouraged by in the win over Newcastle United in the Premier League last weekend, as well as in the latest victory over Burnley.

For example, Freddie Potts – while knocked back injury – has seized his opportunity with both hands after back-to-back starts in the top-flight, showing Nuno Espírito Santo what he had been missing.

Interestingly, there is another overlooked talent in the West Ham squad who, with the proper coaching, could have a Potts-esque impact on the side.

Potts' journey to the first team

With his father and brother playing for West Ham, and him coming up through the academy, it always felt like a matter of when, not if, Potts would earn his first start for the club.

However, it would be fair to say that it’s perhaps taken a little while longer than most expected, but that is mainly down to him proving himself out on loan over the last two years.

His first move saw him join League One side Wycombe Wanderers for the 23/24 campaign, and to say he did well would be an understatement.

In all, the Barking-born ace made 43 appearances for them across all competitions, in which he scored two goals, provided three assists and was named the Player of the Season.

Then, last year, he joined Championship side Portsmouth, where he made 38 appearances across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing four assists.

Season

23/24

24/25

Team

Wycombe

Portsmouth

Appearances

43

38

Goals

2

1

Assists

3

4

The 22-year-old didn’t win an individual award last season, but he clearly impressed enough to go on the Hammers’ pre-season tour in the summer, and then finally, after a few appearances off the bench, make his first competitive start for the club against the Magpies.

Overall, while it’s taken a while to happen, it’s now undeniable that Potts is one of West Ham’s most exciting players, but there is another underused gem in the squad who could be just as good with the proper coaching.

The West Gem who could be another Potts

West Ham are blessed with several genuinely exciting youngsters in the academy at the moment, like Preston Fearon and Josh Landers.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, there is another young gem in the first team squad who possesses the raw ability to have an impact similar to the one Potts has had of late: Luis Guilherme.

The 19-year-old gem joined the club from Palmeiras last summer, and while he hasn’t exactly hit the ground running since then, he remains a hugely exciting talent.

For example, one of his significant strengths is his ability to play all over the pitch. While he is primarily a winger, he has also spent time playing as a ten, up top, as a second striker, and out on the left.

This ability to play where the manager needs him is just one of the reasons why he could have a real impact on the Hammers this season, and the second is his mercurial style of play.

Described as a “complete” and “electric” attacker with “the world at his feet by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, the youngster is someone who can, at his best, get the fans on their feet, and considering the atmosphere at the London Stadium this season, that sounds like something Nuno could do with.

Moreover, he is not just some one-trick pony either, with Mattinson pointing out that while “shooting from distance is one of Guilherme’s strengths”, he can also “turn past players with ease” thanks to his “elite ball manipulation.”

In more good news for the manager, the teen phenom could also perfectly fit into the counter-attacking style that worked so well at Nottingham Forest, as according to Mattinson, he is a player who “thrives on transitions.”

Ultimately, it’s true that West Ham fans have not seen him at his best, but if Nuno can get the best out of him, then he could have another player capable of impacting the side as much as Potts.

West Ham's "supreme" star is going to be their biggest talent since Kudus

The incredible talent will become more important to West Ham than Kudus ever was.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 7, 2025

Home skipper remains unbeaten on 171 after day one run-fest at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Sep-2025Middlesex 394 for 5 (du Plooy 171*, Cracknell 64*, Geddes 60) vs GloucestershireMiddlesex skipper Leus du Plooy’s 24th first-class hundred gave the hosts the upper hand on the first day of the their final County Championship Division Two clash of the season with Gloucestershire at Lord’s.The South African-born left-hander passed the landmark of the third time this season, remaining unbeaten with 171 in an innings sprinkled with 15 fours as Middlesex piled up 394 for 5.Du Plooy shared stands of 127 with Luke Hollman (55), 121 with Ben Geddes (60), and an unbroken 112 with wicketkeeper Joe Cracknell, who had 63 by the close.Ajeet Singh Dale kept the visitors in the contest with 4 for 88, including wickets with successive balls in the afternoon session, while Graeme Van Buuren bowled a frugal spell of spin to return 1 for 35 from 18 overs.Despite the 10:30am start, du Plooy chose to bat on winning the final toss of the campaign and the hosts made a quick start thanks to some wayward offerings from Gloucestershire’s new-ball attack.It was a similarly innocuous delivery from Singh Dale which brought the breakthrough, a leg-stump half-volley which Sam Robson sent straight to square leg. If that was fortuitous, Singh Dale produced a useful fourth stump ball in his next over that Josh De Caires nicked through to wicketkeeper James Bracey.It would be the last success for some time as the bowlers erred in line and length again and du Plooy and Hollman feasted accordingly. Three Hollman fours in one Matt Taylor over raised the 50, while du Plooy was quickly into stride, driving confidently in the mid-off/extra-cover arc. A back foot drive through cover from the skipper was the shot of the morning and he moved to his half-century from 56 balls shortly before lunch.The hundred partnership came up in the first over following the resumption and while Singh-Dale was finding hints of both swing and seam from the Nursery End, the pair carried the score to 161 relatively untroubled. It took a piece of brilliance from Bracey – who claimed a Gloucestershire record 11 victims against Middlesex in the corresponding fixture last season – to break the stand, grabbing a ball that was dying off the inside edge of Hollman’s bat, giving Singh-Dale a third wicket.Higgins followed to his next ball, harshly adjudged lbw to one heading over the top, but Geddes joined his skipper in the middle as and the hosts quickly regained the upper hand.Geddes, impressive in his first season in Middlesex colours, employed the pull shot to great effect, sending one short one from Singh Dale into the Grandstand, before a square drive took du Plooy to a chanceless century.Van Buuren put the breaks on either side of tea and was rewarded with the breakthrough when Geddes was pinned in front. Du Plooy however, had set his heart on a daddy hundred and while the boundaries briefly dried up he glided his way past 150.Cracknell proved a valuable ally, clearing the ropes with a thunderous pull shot and unfurling some pleasing cover drives in becoming the fourth home batter to pass 50 in the late autumn sunshine.Before the start of play there was a poignant minute’s silence in memory of beloved umpire Harold ‘Dickie Bird,’ who passed away on Monday aged 92.

The Atlanta Braves have placed outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. on the10-day injured list after he was removed from Tuesday night's loss vs. Kansas City with tightness in his Achilles tendon, the team said Wednesday.

Speaking after the game, Acuna didn't sound optimistic about the discomfort he was experiencing.

"It's an injury; I'm worried," he said, per a write-up from . "It's more pain, but it feels kind of, I feel it a lot when I try to put pressure on it."

The outfielder noted that he first felt the pain when running the bases on Monday night.

"It happened when I scored from first to home on that play," he added, via an interpreter. "They are going to examine me tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes."

In their post on Wednesday, the Braves diagnosed Acuna's ailment as "right Achilles tendon inflammation." Though that's better than a tear, any missed time is surely a blow for the 2023 NL MVP, who missed the majority of his 2024 season with a torn ACL.

"It's an Achilles thing, it's going to take a while," team manager Brian Snitker added Tuesday. "He'll go on the IL, and hopefully in 10 days or so it'll clear up."

Liverpool are prepared to splash the cash on two Premier League stars in January in a bid to derail Arsenal's title charge. Defeat at Manchester City last weekend means the Reds sit eight points behind the Gunners after the opening 11 matches of the season. However, the club seem willing to back Arne Slot in the New Year as they look to make up the gap on Mikel Arteta's men.

Liverpool's title defence faltering

Goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku compounded a miserable afternoon for Liverpool as they crashed to a 3-0 loss at Manchester City earlier this month. The result means the Reds have already lost more league games this season than they did last, with their title defence already faltering.

Liverpool spent big to bolster the squad over the summer, signing Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giovanni Leoni. The club also convinced star men Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk to extend their star at Anfield, though were unable to retain Trent Alexander-Arnold's services, the right-back opting to leave his boyhood club for Real Madrid.

Despite a summer of hefty investment, Liverpool are struggling and return to domestic duties this weekend eighth in the table, level on points with rivals Manchester United, having lost five of their last six league matches. Slot will hope to return to winning ways when they welcome Nottingham Forest to Merseyside on Saturday.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportReds no stranger to investing in January window

And while Liverpool were reluctant to splash the cash in the January market following a summer spending spree, the Merseyside powerhouse are prepared to back Slot in the New Year as they look to get their title push back on track and halt Arsenal'w push for silverware. According to DaveOCKOP Liverpool have two Premier League stars on their radar as they seek to close the eight-point gap between themselves and the Gunners.

Liverpool have previously invested in the squad in the winter window, notably signing Van Dijk, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo in 2017, 2022 and 2023. And another winger signing may be on the cards in January.

DaveOCKOP revealed that "Liverpool will conduct preliminary talks with Bournemouth this weekend over the signing of Antoine Semenyo. Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes, who played a key role in signing Semenyo at Bournemouth from Bristol City for a modest £10.5 million back in 2023, is believed to remain a strong admirer of the 25-year-old. It is thought that the Cherries would demand around £75 million for the Ghana international should Liverpool decide to formalise their interest."

Getty Images SportSemenyo and Wharton targets for champions

Semenyo has been a revelation for Bournemouth this season, scoring six goals and providing three assists for the Cherries, though he has failed to directly contribute to a goal in his last four league outings. The Ghana international was linked with a move away from Bournemouth over the summer but instead put pen to paper on a five-year deal with the south coast side.

Liverpool aren't the only side believed to be interested in Semenyo, with Premier League rivals City, Tottenham and United also credited with an interest in the winger. And Semenyo isn't the only top-flight player the Reds are looking into signing in January if reports are to be believed.

"DaveOCKOP can exclusively reveal that Liverpool are holding initial talks to discuss signing Crystal Palace and England star Adam Wharton in 2026," a separate report read. "Just like Semenyo, Wharton has also been a player whose profile has exploded over the past couple of seasons.

"During a period of unprecedented success for Crystal Palace, including both an FA Cup and Community Shield wins for the first time ever, Adam Wharton has been a key part of the club winning those trophies."

Wharton has been a key man for Palace since his arrival from Blackburn Rovers in January 2024 and his form for the Eagles hasn't gone unnoticed. United have been credited with an interest, while City and Real Madrid are also believed to be keeping tabs on the England international, who made just his second senior start for the national team against Albania on Sunday night.

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Liverpool out to bounce back from City loss

Liverpool are back home on Saturday as they take on Nottingham Forest to Anfield in a navigable run of games as the Reds look to build up some momentum. Indeed, they follow up their game against the Tricky Trees with a Champions League tie against Eredivisie outfit PSV before they round off the month with a trip to the capital to take on West Ham.

Slot's side then kick off December with a home game against high-flying Sunderland before back-to-back away games against Leeds and Inter in the Premier League and Champions League, respectively. 

Everton are reportedly pushing hard to complete the signing of Sevilla right-back Juanlu Sanchez, but there is more Premier League interest in him, too.

The 22-year-old is an exciting young talent who has already won an Olympic gold medal with Spain, winning a total of four caps for his country and hoping to be a part of their 2026 World Cup squad.

Juanlu emerged as a target for Wolves during the summer transfer window, with talks opening at one point and a move to Molineux potentially looking on the cards.

In the end, he rejected their advances, however, and decided to remain at Sevilla for the time being, continuing to be an influential player for the Spanish giants this season.

Juanlu has made 10 La Liga appearances in 2025/26 to date, assisting once in the competition, but it looks as though his long-term future may lie away from the club, with Everton seemingly in the mix to acquire his signature.

Everton applying "strong pressure" to sign Juanlu

According to Diario de Sevilla [via Sport Witness], Everton are putting “strong pressure” on to sign Juanlu from Sevilla, with Crystal Palace also in the same boat.

Sevilla’s financial issues could see them forced into selling the wide man, with as much as £17.6m possibly needed to prise him away from Spain.

Juanlu looks like such a shrewd target for Everton, with the Spain international possessing the versatility to add so much depth to David Moyes’ squad, being able to thrive on the wing and even in midfield alongside his natural right-back role.

Still only 22, his best years are ahead of him, with former manager Xavier Garcia Pimienta heaping praise on his qualities as a player in the past.

“He has played as an inside midfielder [before], we were short on space in midfield due to Saul’s [Niguez] suspension and [Albert Sambi] Lokonga’s injury. I spoke to him, I knew he could do well in that position. Juanlu has an incredible present and a better future.”

Aston Villa's move to sign James Garner amid new update on Everton future

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ByDominic Lund Nov 17, 2025

The lure of Palace may be big, given their status as reigning FA Cup holders, but Everton are enjoying life in their sparkly new stadium, with Jack Grealish a big-name loan signing, and Juanlu will hopefully see them as the more exciting proposition.

Everton enter race to sign £88m South American "machine" with Newcastle

The defending champions have lost three in a row, leaving their hopes of a three-peat greatly diminished

Firdose Moonda14-Jan-2025As far as title defences go, it’s fair to say Sunrisers Eastern Cape have gotten off to the worst possible start. They’ve slumped to their three biggest defeats in their history – their largest by runs in the tournament opener against MI Cape Town – and their two biggest by balls remaining in their losses to Paarl Royals and Pretoria Capitals, and thoughts of a trophy three-peat have become ever-more distant.It’s still early in SA20 2025 but the initial indications are that a significant part of the problem is in the top order, where Sunrisers have not fired. Across the three matches, their highest score by a top-three batter is Zak Crawley’s 27 against Royals, and collectively, their top three has scored 85 runs at an average of 9.44. In season 1, the top two averaged over 30 and in season 2, 22.67. There is time to build back up to that but they will need to turn things around quickly and that may start with settling on their opening pair.With Dawid Malan not part of the squad this season, Sunrisers started with Jordan Hermann and Crawley but then played against Capitals with Crawley and David Bedingham. Batting coach Russell Domingo explained that Hermann’s omission was to open up a spot for allrounder Patrick Kruger.”It was just to bring in another option. Patrick Kruger was available for the first time because he had been struggling with a cough and he is a starting player for us,” Domingo said. “David Bedingham’s obviously a quality player so we decided to give him an opportunity up the order where he’s probably best suited.”ESPNcricinfo LtdBut Bedingham has been struggling recently. Since his 59 in the Chattogram Test, he has had 12 innings across formats and been out in single figures six times. On five occasions, Bedingham has been caught by the wicketkeeper or in the slips and there may be concerns around how tight he is outside off stump.The reading is not much better for Sunrisers’s key batter Tristan Stubbs. He was their top-scorer last season but is also in a rut. Since his second-innings century in the Durban Test against Sri Lanka, Stubbs has been out in single figures five times in nine innings. His most common mode of dismissal is with deliveries in line with the stumps, when he has been late on shots and either bowled or lbw, which suggests there’s an issue with the timing of his strokes.Through Bedingham, Stubbs and captain Aiden Markram, Sunrisers will expect to score most of their runs, especially as they carry a fairly long tail. Marco Jansen’s form at No.7 is a welcome bonus though his main job is to operate as their strike bowler, another area they seem to be lacking in.Ottneil Baartman, who enjoyed a breakthrough tournament last year, missed out on the first match, returned with figures of 0 for 33 in 2.4 overs in Paarl and then took 1 for 9 at SuperSport Park. In Craig Overton and Richard Gleeson, Sunrisers have the personnel but the attack needs their batters to give them something to work with, which Markram knows. In the post-match presentation, he acknowledged lack of runs as the main concern but cited the quick turnaround between games as being one of the hurdles that can be difficult to overcome. “When you’re trying to look for form, it can be quite tough,” he said.Zak Crawley hasn’t yet fired as Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s opener•SA 20This is already a slightly different line to the one he had voiced two days ago, when Sunrisers lost to Royals. That defeat came two days after they lost to MICT in the tournament opener and Markram was asked how a team can properly address form concerns in a schedule where matches come thick and fast. His answer suggested they just have to roll with the punches.”You almost get used to dealing with things really quickly and then moving on. I don’t think you have much of a choice nowadays with the amount of cricket that we play,” he said then. “Of course, pay attention to areas that need attention but it’s really important to bank that, make notes of it and then to wake up the next day and either do something about it or play another game of cricket. From an emotional side, I think each person is quite different. I generally don’t try to get too high when things are going well and low when things aren’t going well. I try to stay consistent. Obviously, easier said than done.”That day, Markram also said his is an outfit that “are all not really good at losing” and would be able to pick themselves up quickly. Two more days have gone past and they find themselves at an even lower point.”We know we haven’t played well in these last three games and we need to make our own luck,” Domingo said. “We need to do the basics a little bit better which we’re not doing at the moment. Fortunately there’s still seven games to go. We know it’s a long competition. We haven’t started well in this competition in previous editions and managed to find our way and hopefully we can get into that sort of form, and that sort of confidence in the next couple of weeks because we’re running out of time and we need to make a play.”Sunrisers did not win either of their opening matches in season one or two but this is their third successive defeat in SA20 2025. So they’re already further behind than they have been before. That means the need to turn things around is more pressing and their attempt to do that will take place in three days’ time. They travel to Kingsmead for their next match against Durban’s Super Giants on Friday.

“I think more about the team’s win than about my scores,” he says after scoring second first-class century

Daya Sagar20-Sep-2025Dhruv Jurel, the wicketkeeper-batter, is now a regular in India’s Test squad. But before India A’s ongoing four-day series against Australia A, he had only one first-class century to his name, that too from December 2022, when he scored 249 against Nagaland. And – guess what? – the lack of really big scores doesn’t even bother him.”Honestly, earlier it did matter to me whether my score was 100 or 150. But now I understand that the team’s victory is more important,” Jurel said after scoring 140 in 197 balls in India A’s only innings in the drawn first game in Lucknow. “In first-class cricket, I have seven-eight (he has four) scores in the 90s, which could have been centuries.”One of them was in the Ranchi Test [against England in February 2024], where I became Player of the Match and the team won the match. Cricket is a team game, and we play cricket so that the team wins. Now I think more about the team’s win than about my scores.”Related

Padikkal and Jurel hit centuries in high-scoring draw

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In Ranchi, playing only his second Test, Jurel batted at No. 7 in India’s first innings and scored 90, before scoring 39 not out in the second as India won by five wickets.Jurel, 24, first got into the India A set-up in December 2023 on the tour of South Africa. There, in the second four-day game in Benoni, he scored 69 in India A’s only innings, and was in the Test squad for India’s next home series against England. Just one-and-a-half months later, he had a Test cap to his name in Rajkot. So far, he has played five Tests – usually when Rishabh Pant hasn’t been around – including in Australia and in England, and has 255 runs and 11 dismissals to show for it.”Staying with or around the [India] team definitely gives you confidence,” he said. “I consider myself very lucky and privileged that I got the chance to play Tests for India and to be with the team. Even if you are not playing, when seniors are around. you learn so many things from them. In a country of billions, how many people get this opportunity?”

“I take it one match at a time, and don’t think too far ahead. The more you think, the more pressure you put on yourself”Dhruv Jurel

Curiously, Jurel’s overall numbers with the bat have improved since he started playing Test cricket (he has also played four T20Is). Before his Test debut, Jurel averaged 46 in first-class cricket, and had one century and five half-centuries from 19 innings. Since then, his average has gone up to 54-plus, and he has one century and seven half-centuries in 18 innings. These include valuable innings for India A, and the 93 he scored for Rest of India against Mumbai in last season’s Irani Cup.”Everyone dreams of playing for India. When I got the Test cap, I realised, ‘yes, this can happen’,” Jurel said. “I come from a small city, Agra. It feels really good that I could make my parents and the people there proud. Where I come from, there wasn’t even a proper wicket. I practiced on a cement wicket. So people there should feel that no matter where you come from, you can still make it, as long as you work hard with a true heart.”India will start their home Test season next month, and play two Tests each against West Indies and South Africa. Jurel will most likely be in the squad, whether or not he gets a chance to play, which will be dependent on Pant’s fitness.”I take it one match at a time, and don’t think too far ahead,” he said. “The more you think, the more pressure you put on yourself. Right now, I played a match today, and three days later, the next match [against Australia A] is there. So, I am only thinking about the next match, and only after that will I look further.”