Pune’s bowlers have been the reason for their 3-0 head-to-head against Mumbai. They have only allowed one half-century to the most prolific middle-order in the tournament

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu20-May-2017Match factsFinal, Mumbai Indians v Rising Pune Supergiant
Hyderabad, May 21, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)2:45

Agarkar: Mumbai have gained from lesser-known players

Form guide

Rising Pune Supergiant: beat Mumbai by 20 runs; beat Kings XI by 9 wickets; lost to Daredevils by 7 runs.

Mumbai Indians: beat KKR by six wickets; lost to Rising Pune by 20 runs; beat KKR by 9 runs.

Head-to-headOverall: It’s 4-1 to Rising Pune Supergiant. Mumbai Indians’ most recent win against their opponents in the final came last year.This season: Rising Pune won home and away in the league stage, and then shocked Mumbai again at the Wankhede in the first qualifier.Big pictureIt’s groundhog day in the IPL, and Mumbai have gone to great lengths to make it happen. Now all they have to do is figure out a way to end the loop and get the girl. But if not that, then at least the trophy.Twice in the league, and again in the first qualifier earlier this week, Rohit Sharma and his men have come up against Rising Pune, done everything they can, only to wake up and see its still February 2. Bill Murray’s character – spoiler alert – eventually escaped his fate by accepting his curse. While that makes rom-com fans go “aww”, those that frequent the Wankhede would go “&^%$*”. Mumbai are two-time champions. Rising Pune won’t even exist in the IPL after Sunday. They want a win before this rivalry ends.Krunal Pandya was seen receiving treatment to his groin during the second qualifier but Rohit has said he should be okay to play. Mitchell McClenaghan, who did not play that game, will be assessed on the morning of the final in Hyderabad.The likely XIsMumbai Indians 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Rohit Sharma (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Karn Sharma, 9 Mitchell Johnson/Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Jasprit BumrahRising Pune Supergiant 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Dan Christian, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Adam ZampaStrategy puntThere are statistics to suggest the legspinner Karn Sharma, Mumbai’s unexpected trump card, and left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya, should be saved for the Rising Pune middle order. They have been hit for 20 runs off nine balls by Rahul Tripathi and 25 runs off 13 balls by Steven Smith. But they have managed five dots in nine balls to MS Dhoni and 11 dots in 22 balls to Manoj Tiwary, at an economy rate of six or less.Stats that matter Rising Pune have kept a lid on Mumbai’s power players. Rohit and Kieron Pollard average 20.66 and 14.33 against them this season. In three matches, Rising Pune have only allowed Mumbai to hit 23 sixes and 35 fours. In comparison, Mumbai thrashed 29 sixes against Kings XI after only two meetings, and 47 fours after three rounds against Knight Riders. One of Rising Pune’s biggest strengths is their ability to strangle teams in the middle overs. They have taken the most wickets – 41 – established the lowest run-rate – 7.16 – and accumulated the most dots – 321 – between overs seven and 15 this IPL. Mumbai, with 10, have the record for the most fifty-plus scores from the middle order in 2017. But only one of them has come against Rising Pune. Rohit’s batsmen from No. 3 to No. 7 average only 13.86 and strike at 113 against Smith’s bowlers. Dhoni, who will be playing his seventh final in ten IPLs, averages 64.66 and strikes at 161.66 against Mumbai in IPL playoff and knockout matches. Among those who have bowled at least six overs against Mumbai in this IPL, offspinner Washington Sundar’s economy-rate of 5.25 is the second best, behind Rashid Khan’s 5.12. Ajinkya Rahane has struggled all season, but he has contributed two of the four fifties Rising Pune have against Mumbai. No other team has managed more than two 50-plus scores against Mumbai. These statistics indicate how Rising Pune have kept the head-to-head in their favour so far, but Mumbai are big-match specialists. Lendl Simmons had three successive fifties in IPL play-off and knockout games before this year. Jasprit Bumrah has bowled more deliveries (152) in the last five overs than anyone else, and was resplendent when he bowled the first Super Over of his career earlier this season. He will go into the final on the high of recording his best figures in T20s – 3-1-7-3 – in the second qualifier against KKR on Friday. Pollard has faced 273 balls in the 2017 season – his second-highest tally in 10 IPLs. Nine more and he’ll eclipse his personal best. But here’s the kicker: Mumbai have won the title in two out of three previous seasons that he has batted more than 200 balls. In 12 innings this season, Krunal has conceded runs at only 6.72 per over. Here are the strike-rates of batsmen who have faced at least 10 balls from him. Tiwary (83), Manish Pandey (117), AB de Villiers (118), Hashim Amla (133), Rahane (135) and Suryakumar Yadav (161).

Inter have approached Feyenoord over a possible move for star striker Santiago Gimenez, according to a report.

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Gimenez in awesome form for FeyenoordInter make approach for Mexico starTop teams across Europe after strikerWHAT HAPPENED?

The San Siro side are the latest to show interest in the Mexico international, according to Inter want to sign younger attacking options to replace Marko Arnautovic and Alexis Sanchez as both are now 34 years old.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Nerazzurri are not the only team from Serie A to show interest in the 22-year-old, however. City rivals AC Milan, reigning Italian champions Napoli and Turin giants Juventus are all said to be eager to bring him to the Italian top-flight.

There is even stronger interest in the attacker, though, as Real Madrid and Barcelona are both said to be keeping an eye on him.

DID YOU KNOW?

The interest in Gimenez is no surprise given his impressive form in Netherlands with Feyenoord. He has scored 13 goals in 10 Eredivisie games this season and fired two past Lazio in his Champions League debut as the Rotterdam side ran out 3-1 winners against the Roman club.

He ended his debut season in the Eredivisie with 15 goals in 32 matches in the top-flight and added another five in nine Europa League appearances.

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Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The 22-time Mexico international will look to add more goals to his record on Saturday when Feyenoord visit RKC Waalwijk.

Harry Maguire has received a new date for his retrial for alleged assault and bribery, but it may never go ahead, per a new report.

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• Maguire receives fresh trial date
• Was set to plead innocence after Mykonos incident
• Trial may never actually happen

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per , Maguire's retrial for alleged assault and bribery in Mykonos was set to be held this week, but it has now been delayed due to legal action and it is not set to take place until March next year. However, the report makes clear that the trial may never happen, following his arrest in 2020.

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• WHY HAS THE TRIAL BEEN MOVED?

  The England defender was set for a hearing on Wednesday but a lawyer's strike in the country has meant that the trial has been delayed. This is the second time that the trial has been delayed, and Maguire must now wait to plead his case.

• WHAT IS MAGUIRE ALLEGED TO HAVE DONE?

  The defender was arrested whilst on holiday with his wife Fern Hawkins, his sister, Daisy, and his brother, Joe. It has been alleged that Daisy was injected with an unknown substance after being approached by Albanian businessmen. Maguire has claimed that in the aftermath of the event, he was taken to a police station and assaulted by authorities. He attempted to flee, and his defence is that he believed he was being kidnapped.

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  WHAT SENTENCE DID MAGUIRE RECEIVE?

  Maguire was initially found guilty in 2020 and was handed a 21-month suspended sentence. The United ace appealed that decision and has been awaiting the retrial ever since.

Quinton de Kock has been named South African Cricketer of the Year and also picked up four other titles at the annual awards.De Kock’s haul was one short of the six prizes handed to Kagiso Rabada last year. As well as being named Test Cricketer and ODI Cricketer of the Year, de Kock also earned the Players’ Player of the Year and the Fan’s Player of the Year. Imran Tahir was named the T20I Cricketer of the Year.

Award winners

• SA Cricketer of the Year: Quinton de Kock

• Test Cricketer of the Year: Quinton de Kock

• ODI Cricketer of the Year: Quinton de Kock

• T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Imran Tahir

• SA Players’ Player of the Year: Quinton de Kock

• SA Fans’ Player of the Year: Quinton de Kock

• Award of Excellence: Temba Bavuma

• Delivery of the Year: Kagiso Rabada

• International Newcomer of the Year: Keshav Maharaj

• Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Sune Luus

• Women’s Players’ Player of the Year: Lizelle Lee

• Women’s Newcomer of the Year: Laura Wolvaardt

• First-class Cricketer of the Season: Duanne Olivier

• List A Cricketer of the Season: Henry Davids

• T20 Challenge Player of the Season: Farhaan Behardien

• Coach of the Year: Mark Boucher

• Domestic Players’ Player of the Season: Colin Ackermann

• Domestic Newcomer of the Year: Aiden Markram

• Africa T20 Cup Player of the Tournament: Patrick Kruger

• SACA Most Valuable Player Award: Colin Ackermann

Sune Luus was named Women’s Cricketer of the Year and their Players’ Player award went to Lizelle Lee. The international newcomer awards went to Keshav Maharaj and Laura Wolvaardt.De Kock’s year included a career-best ODI score of 178 against Australia as well as his Test century in Hobart which helped clinch the series victory last November. Tahir’s T20 exploits included a career-best 5 for 24 against New Zealand at Eden Park.Temba Bavuma and Rabada earned acknowledgment for individual moments of brilliance, which both came in the same match: Bavuma for his run out of David Warner at Perth and Rabada for the delivery which bowled Usman Khawaja.”What a year Quinton has had,” Haroon Lorgat, the CSA chief executive, said. “He has shown the maturity of a seasoned campaigner with performances that have really counted when needed most, often blowing away the opposition in the process.”It is encouraging that for the second time in a row our premier award has gone to one of our young stars who is shining with distinction alongside our world-class senior players.”The way the Proteas have come through to rise up the ICC rankings, in meteoric fashion, has been quite brilliant and we now have a real team in the true sense of the word.”Our domestic cricket remains blessed with great talents. Congratulations to all the winners in those categories as well.”I warmly congratulate all our winners, both at international and domestic level, and I also wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge our umpires, grounds staff and scorers, too.”On the domestic scene, Duanne Olivier, who made his Test debut against Sri Lanka, was named Sunfoil Series Cricketer of the Year, Henry Davids took the one-day award and Farhaan Behardien the T20 honour.

Stephen Fleming was proud of the planning and execution by Pune this IPL season, and the one-run loss in the final did not change that he said

Arun Venugopal in Hyderabad22-May-2017The one run that separated Mumbai Indians from Rising Pune Supergiant is an accurate representation of the way the IPL 2017 final played out. Both teams scrapped hard on a sluggish surface and made mistakes in turns. However, when it came to the final act, Pune, as their coach Stephen Fleming put it, couldn’t “kill the game”.”It was a game of inches and metres,” Fleming said after the match. “Steve Smith came very close to winning it in the last over and it could have been a much different story. But that was the nature of the game. It was very ebb and flow on what was quite a tough wicket to score on. We knew that it was going to be tough. We knew their bowling attack was top class. We fell behind a couple of times. We lost wickets at key times. They just hung in and created enough pressure to get across the line but it was just a great final. It was full of pressure, full of mistakes and it was full of great performances. It was a grand finish to a good competition”.After Rohit Sharma had opted to bat, Pune’s bowlers largely neutered whatever advantage Mumbai may have hoped to gain from winning the toss with tight spells at the top. While the fielding – right from Jaydev Unadkat’s return catch to send back Lendl Simmons to Smith’s direct hit that caught Ambati Rayudu short – was first-rate, there was no shortage of tactical smarts as well.Against Kieron Pollard, Pune replicated the field they had for him during the league game at the Wankhede Stadium and almost immediately found success. Manoj Tiwary was stationed on the boundary right behind the bowler, and Pollard holed out to him with unerring accuracy off the third ball he faced.”We were happy. The way we bowled and went about our work was very good. One-hundred and twenty-nine, if you asked us that as a score in a final to chase down, you would take it every time,” Fleming said. “We were calculated in the field. Some of the outs were very pleasing in terms of field positioning and tactics we used. Batting wise, it was always going to be a grind.”We were a batter short with Ben Stokes not being here. We were playing an extra bowler and we were a little mindful of that. The best way was a couple of partnerships and gain momentum. We saw Smith and [Ajinkya] Rahane come close to that. We just lost wickets at key times and it kept them just in the game, and then they came home with a real rush.”While Pune had a decent start in the Powerplay to score 38 for 1, they could make only incremental advances as they scored 27 runs in the next five overs. Fleming, however, maintained there was no other way they could have approached the chase.”If you lose three for 20, then it’s game on. It was always going to take us a partnership to get close but we just could not get the one or two overs when we were close to putting the game away,” he said. “We lost wickets, or they bowled a good over. It was never going to be a wicket where they could blast your way through. When we played against [Sunrisers] Hyderabad, we found that as well. Just batting deep was the best opportunity and we could not get over the line [tonight].”The wicket was two paced. Both teams struggled to play aggressively on it. The number of boundaries that were limited and the mis-hits that came along suggested inconsistent bounce and reverse swing. It was a tough track to score on, but the bowling on both sides was outstanding. We have some good bowlers who have performed well in that type of conditions for most of the tournament and we were at it again today. They have some good pace bowlers who did a great job, especially in the last four or five overs.”Fleming, said the result wouldn’t gloss over the advances made by Pune in IPL 2017 after finishing second from bottom on the points table last year. What pleased him most was the contribution made by relatively low-key players like Jaydev Unadkat, Rahul Tripathi and Manoj Tiwary.Stephen Fleming: ‘Steve was the captain this year and MS Dhoni slotted in to the role of a senior player very easily’•AFP

“I don’t think we are the most skilled side in the IPL. What we have had is players stand up from nowhere. We take real pride in that,” he said. “We have created an environment where some players have been able to excel. Jaydev has been extraordinary again today, so has been Rahul Tripathi and Tiwary. Big stars have stepped up at key times as well. Ben Stokes was fantastic for us.”Steve was the captain this year and MS Dhoni slotted in to the role of a senior player very easily. He is a proud man but he is humble man. We saw the interaction between the two and other leaders, Faf du Plessis as well. So leadership was never going to be a weakness for us. It was a case of making sure all our leaders were contributing in the right areas.”I am very proud of the combination we put together and the campaign we ran. We would have loved to have sat here and had the icing on the cake but it does not change the feelings about the work that we put in during the year to get to this point.”As part of the two-year agreement, Pune have possibly played their last game as an IPL franchise as Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are set to return in IPL 2018. What does the future hold for Fleming and the team?”We concentrated on getting this game through and finishing as well as we could and then whatever happens after this, I am not sure anybody knows about it to be honest,” he said. “We didn’t spend a lot of time on working out what-ifs. It was purely what we could control and that was getting into the final. Secondly, we lost some players on the way to the final so that was a big goal to get here [to the top two] and then hopefully play two good games. And we came pretty close”.

Manchester United tying down Marcus Rashford to a new deal at Old Trafford will be an 'exception to the rule' regarding any notion of a salary cap at the Red Devils, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Marcus Rashford?

According to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano writing in his exclusive column for Caught Offside, Rashford is now close to finalizing new terms at Manchester United.

Romano detailed: "I can confirm that Marcus Rashford is really close to signing new long term deal at United, though when it’ll be announced is up to the club. It’s technically not done yet, some details have to be clarified soon but talks are very advanced. Man United believe this is like a new signing because Rashford was out of contract in 2024 and many top clubs including PSG were keeping close eye on Marcus’ situation."

The Daily Mail also report along similar lines, revealing that Manchester United are in the latter stages of being able to tie Rashford down on a new deal and that discussions between the club and Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund are continuing to take place.

Capology understand that Rashford earns around £200k-a-week on his current terms at Old Trafford that are set to run until June 2024.

Back in January, The Daily Mail indicated that Manchester United had introduced a new salary cap dubbed the 'Ronaldo rule' that would forbid playing staff from earning over £200,000 per week.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones believes that any notion of a salary cap would exclude Rashford due to his importance at Manchester United.

Jones said: "I was always told as part of this is the general salary cap, yes, will be £300,000, but there always has to be, one, two or three players that are an exception to the rule.

"Marcus Rashford is absolutely an exception to the rule. This is a player that you can't allow to leave the club."

Should Marcus Rashford be excluded from Manchester United's salary cap?

In short, Rashford, who has been hailed as a "standout" player by Declan Rice, is too important to Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag to have any limits bestowed upon his attempts to make sure the England international stays at Old Trafford for the long term.

Last campaign, Rashford racked up 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils, as per Transfermarkt.

The 26-year-old was also Manchester United's third most consistent performer during the season gone behind Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, picking up an average match rating of 7.08/10 for his exploits on the field, according to WhoScored.

FBRef illustrate that Rashford played a crucial part in chance provision for the Red Devils as well, successfully carrying out 120 shot-creating actions in total.

Manchester United fans will be relieved to see Rashford being on the verge of signing a new contract at his boyhood club, as his goals proved vital to their eventual qualification for Champions League football in 2023/24.

All focus at the club will now be on trying to improve on their efforts in the 2022/23 campaign and seeing how close they can push their rivals for the Premier League crown.

Australia’s vice-captain David Warner has stuck firm to his assertion that the players are prepared to be absent from this summer’s Ashes if the current pay dispute drags into the six months beyond the June 30 expiry of the MOU between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association.”I stick firm behind it,” Warner said in London. “If we are unemployed we have no contracts, we can’t play. So, from my point of view and speaking to the guys, we would love to see something happen between now and July 1 and I am sure that it is in the capable hands of the ACA to get to the table with CA and come to some form of an agreement.”Warner was subjected to plenty of criticism in the wake of his earlier comments about the possibility that CA “might not have a team for the Ashes” if they continued to take a hardline stance on their efforts to break-up the fixed revenue percentage pay model that has existed for the past two decades.Subsequent reports focused on Warner’s handsome pay packet and its attendant extravagances of property and cars. He noted that a prickly past had prepared him for being able to brush those barbs aside while pushing to ensure that domestic and international players are not divided into separate camps as per CA’s current pay offer.”It comes with my background and my history with that kind of stuff. So you know, it is water off a duck’s back,” Warner said. “I have a verbal stance, to stick up for all our players, and we are always talking about a fair share and equality. And that’s what we are sticking to.”People have their own opinions and they can have those opinions, and for me, what has been written about me in the past or what gets written now, I don’t take any notice of that. My full support is with all the guys, and we’re all together.”We’ve always said from day one that all the support is behind the ACA 100%. They are doing a great job for us. Obviously, from a players’ point of view, we are pretty vocal and upbeat about it. We are pretty sure that they will come to an agreement. But as you know, we are going to be unemployed come July 1. So we have to wait and see and play it out from there.”In refusing to back down from his words about the Ashes, Warner said that the players were committed to letting the ACA act as their collective bargaining agent and were not entertaining the thought of any direct negotiations with CA. Instead, he said, members of the Champions Trophy squad were hearing of CA’s tactics via media reports.”Not really. It is only what we hear in the media and that’s how CA have been driving it the whole way,” Warner said. “They have been using the media as a voice and we get that message from there. As you said, we get a couple of emails.”A rusty display in the rain-curtailed opening match against New Zealand suggested Australia’s players may struggle to keep their minds focused in the midst of the dispute over their futures. However, Warner was adamant that events between the two negotiating teams over the next four weeks would not divert from efforts to win in England.”For us, we galvanise all the time – it doesn’t matter what is going on outside of the game,” he said. “It is a big thing that we could be unemployed but from us, our job is to play cricket and focus on winning the tournament and not letting our country down in that respect. So as I said, our full mental frame is toward the tournament.”

Heather Knight termed the last 18 months “manic” as England turned around their fortunes following last year’s World T20

Melinda Farrell at Lord's22-Jul-2017England will go into the Women’s World Cup final with a line-up unchanged (unless bad weather forces a rethink) from the previous few games.England will go into the Women’s World Cup final with a vastly different team to the side that slumped out of the Women’s World T20 last April.For the road to Lord’s didn’t start with England’s first match loss to India, it began in the throes of a defeat in Delhi, when Australia beat England by five runs. Their inability to chase down Australia’s score of 136 led to a scathing judgment of their fitness by coach Mark Robinson and the ensuing shake up saw the forced retirement of captain Charlotte Edwards. Lydia Greenway followed and, while others remained, they were left in no doubt that expectations would rise under the new regime.It’s not that the team is unrecognizable on paper from the line-up that took to the field in Delhi. Five of the players are batting in the same position while Nat Sciver and captain Heather Knight have swapped batting at four and five.Robinson has brought opener Lauren Winfield and, more recently, Fran Wilson and Alex Hartley into to the side and all three have repaid his trust.Perhaps most significantly, Knight has embraced the new standards and improved on her own form in what she describes as a “manic 18 months.””It wasn’t a nice day, that semi-final back in Delhi, but I feel it’s helped us as a team to be better equipped to deal with days like that,” said Knight, on the eve of the final.”The improvement the girls have made is testament to them and the work they have put in. The coaches have pushed us hard at times and challenged us but I think that’s really helped us develop.”The players have undoubtedly improved their fitness but it is the dynamic within the squad that has changed most dramatically, according to Knight and Robinson, with a more level playing field in the dressing room.”I just didn’t really know we were going to respond,” said Robinson. “I had great belief in the team and the potential and the feeling to grow, but it was handling the occasion.”The bowling attack was reasonably experienced but the batting, they’re all fresh and green to a degree. Watching Nat Sciver announce herself as a world class player, not just an international player, with two hundreds. It makes me feel really proud, proud of them all, such as young Alex Hartley who has only played a handful of games.”We’re probably ahead of schedule if we’re really honest but when the teams are as honest as they are and they play together and fight together, it’s always a good point. We’ve got some real talent there and it’s just beginning to blossom now.”In Delhi England couldn’t turn ones into twos and accelerate the run rate under pressure. But the difference in this new-look England can be seen in the two tight matches they won leading into the final; holding off a late charge from Australia and then chasing down South Africa’s total in the first semi-final with just three balls remaining. Knight believes the honesty Robinson speaks of has driven this change.”It’s been really pleasing, I think, that we’ve shown that sort of fight over the tournament and got over the line in those really tight games that have been great to watch as a neutral I guess but quite hard to watch as a captain and I’m sure a coach,” said Knight.”We’re a lot more honest as a squad in terms of how we approach games, how we deal with international cricket and also we’re better at telling team-mates when something is not quite right.”That’s been quite key. We’re a tight group and that means we enjoy spending time with each other but it also means we can challenge each other and pull someone up when it’s not quite going right.”It’s something that I think has made us tough and in general we are a tougher team. I think you’ve seen that throughout the competition. We haven’t been perfect, we’ve never said we are the finished article. We’re definitely not that. We’re not the perfect team. But we are a team that functions really well and plays for each other.”Ahead of schedule and not the finished article, perhaps. But the turnaround from Feroz Shah Kotla to Lord’s has been a significant one. And, win or lose on Sunday, there is a feeling within the England camp that this side’s rise has just begun.

West Ham United can be forgiven for being distracted by negotiations with Arsenal over a payment structure for £105m midfielder Declan Rice, but David Moyes' side are at risk of being left short come the start of the new Premier League season.

What new players have West Ham bought?

With five weeks to go until their trip to Bournemouth to kick off the 2023-24 season, West Ham have yet to make any signings this window.

That will surely frustrate manager Moyes, who will be fully aware that his squad is in need of freshening up, with May's Europa Conference League triumph papering over the cracks of a poor Premier League season.

A new central midfielder is top of Moyes' list of targets – or indeed a couple if a like-for-like Rice replacement cannot be found – with Ajax's Edson Alvarez, Manchester United's Scott McTominay and Everton's Amadou Onana all rumoured targets.

According to The Guardian, West Ham also hold an interest in Bristol City's Alex Scott, who is on the radar of fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

How much is Bristol City's Alex Scott worth?

Scott may have spent his senior career to date in the Championship, yet he is reportedly worth at least £20m to Bristol City due to the fact he has two years to run on his Ashton Gate contract.

Despite being just 19 years old, Scott already has 81 Championship appearances under his belt, having been a regular for the Robins over the past two campaigns.

The teenage midfielder rose to prominence earlier this year after impressing Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola in an FA Cup tie, with the Catalan describing him as an "unbelievable player".

As pointed out by football talent scout Jacek Kulig after Scott was named the Championship's Young Player of the Year, he has a "big future ahead" of him.

Scott cannot be expected to slot straight in and take over the role of Rice, of course. Then again, who could?

Instead, the Guernsey native can provide some versatility for Moyes, given he featured in defensive midfield, central midfield, attacking midfield and on both flanks last season, as per WhoScored.

Versatile he may be, but it is as a pure central midfielder that Scott thrives. The Englishman ranks in the top 11% of all midfielders in the eight competitions most similar to the Championship for progressive carries (2.34 per 90 minutes), as per FBref, and in the top 16% for successful take-ons (1.22).

In that aforementioned FA Cup tie with Man City last season, which Bristol City lost 3-0, Scott's five dribbles were the joint-most of any player on the field, level with opponent Phil Foden – quite the company.

As per WhoScored, Scott's pass accuracy of 83.3% that day was also the third-most of any Robins player to attempt 10 passes or more, which is made all the more impressive when you factor in he was playing as an attacking midfielder.

Scott is not exactly a hidden gem, which explains his price tag, but he could be a very smart option for West Ham to kick off their transfer business in the post-Declan Rice era.

Arsenal fans finally returned to the Premier League’s top four last season after six years outside of England’s elite. They pulled up the chair to the big table once again under Mikel Arteta, next to some familiar faces and some pulling up a seat for the first time.

That’s where the Gunners are out. And they deserve credit for that. They took Manchester City all the way in the title race, that cannot be disputed. What Arsenal are not, however, is in a position to be negotiating for Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, with all due respect.

One season back in the Champions League pulls up a chair to England’s elite, not Europe’s, where the North London club have never won that specific trophy. That’s without even speaking about the financial ramifications, too.

This hasn’t stopped some Arsenal fans from getting ahead of themselves, however.

What’s the latest on Kylian Mbappe?

Strap yourselves in, because the Mbappe transfer saga is set to go around the rollercoaster of the transfer window yet again this summer, with the Frenchman refusing to sign a new deal at PSG, making him a free agent next summer.

The forward has reiterated his desire to see out his contract at the French club, who would like to cash in on the player they initially splashed out a reported £166m for back in 2017. According to Fabrizio Romano, unless Mbappe signs a new deal, he will be on the market this summer.

Leading the way for his signature, as has always seemingly been the case, is Real Madrid, according to Romano, as the Spanish giants wait and see if they’ll be forced to wait a year for his services, or pick the World Cup winner up for a hefty price in the coming months.

Still, a report by FootballTransfers recently linked the Gunners with what would be an outrageous move for the Frenchman, claiming that Mikel Arteta might look to try and land him for free in 2024. While sporting director Edu Gaspar has even responded to some of the wild claims on Instagram too.

AFTV make outrageous Mbappe claim

Speaking on AFTV main man Robbie Lyle seemed to be reading an awful lot into all these recent rumours too.

Indeed, he said: “Is it too far-fetched to say that Arsenal could make a move for Kylian Mbappe. They’ve got a lot of money, Arsenal, they’ve got the wage bill right down at the club.

“If they have a good run in the Champions League and a good run in the league, they’ll have additional funds, they’ll be more attractive again to a player like Mbappe.

“His number one destination’s always been Real Madrid, but what I’m talking about, could Arsenal be in the conversation for a player like Kylian Mbappe come next season?”

It’s fair to say that Premier League fans have disagreed with the claim, too, taking to Twitter to react: