Brendan Taylor nearly walked out on Zimbabwe cricket last month after being refused permission to play club cricket in Europe
Cricinfo staff01-Jun-2008Brendan Taylor nearly walked out on Zimbabwe cricket last month after being refused permission to play club cricket in Europe, according to a report in the Zimbabwe Independent.Taylor’s father, Graham, said that the board’s refusal to allow his son to play overseas was unfair. “It’s a bad business decision not to allow these kids to go overseas,” he said. “It’s beneficial to the player and to Zimbabwe cricket at large. Everyone knows India are not coming and we don’t know when the next series is, so it makes sense for the guys to go overseas.”Brendan understands that his country comes first, he is a patriotic young man. But he is keen to go and play overseas and should have been at his club by now. The people there have been patient about his delay. We are not making threats, but if he can’t get leave he will be forced to resign.”Taylor found himself in hot water last year when he defied the board and played in Europe, and he has also had previous run-ins with officialdom.Some players, including former captain Terry Duffin, have already turned their backs on Zimbabwe cricket in recent months and opted to play club cricket in Europe.
Stoinis scored his third consecutive fifty this Shield season, leading Western Australia’s strong reply to Victoria’s 341
ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2019Shaun Marsh followed up his half-century against Tasmania last week with an unbeaten 101 in Perth on Saturday, while Marcus Stoinis scored his third consecutive fifty this Shield season, leading Western Australia’s strong reply to Victoria’s 341.Seamers Matt Kelly and David Moody allowed Victoria to add just 64 runs to their overnight score. Sam Harper contributed 55 of those runs on the day, as he went on to score 72, and became the last man to fall after Moody cleaned up the tail.Western Australia lost Cameron Bancroft within the first five overs, following which Marsh joined Sam Whiteman. The duo put on a steady 47-run partnership before Peter Siddle struck in his first over of the day to break the stand. This brought together Marsh and Stoinis, who combined to make a strong 115-run stand. Stoinis smashed nine fours in his 76-ball 56 before he was bowled by Glenn Maxwell.Hilton Cartwright at No. 5 kept the momentum going with a 62-ball 42 while Marsh played cautiously to bring up his 27th first-class century during the course of their 69-run stand. Cartwright became Siddle’s second close to the end of day’s play, leaving Marsh and Josh Phillipe unbeaten at stumps at 256 for 4.
A look back at the horrific events of May 19 at a club game in Jalalabad
Sharda Ugra10-Jun-2018An innings has ended. The floodlights, shipped in from overseas, are working well over the compact Spinghar Cricket Ground. Speeches by local dignitaries ring out from the loudspeakers. The 1500-odd men milling about soak in the breeze coming off the Kabul river that runs alongside. Many head to the canteen, which serves tea, juice, ice cream, chips and local meals. It is close to 11:30pm. A post- snack is most welcome. After all, Ramadan fasting in Jalalabad lasts a faint-inducing 16 hours or so.Karim Sadiq wonders if his team’s 140 is enough. Karim is the vintage Everyskill Allsorts cricketer: opening batsman, wicketkeeper, offspinner. He will always be cap No. 5 and shirt No. 10 in Afghanistan cricket history, a member of Afghanistan’s first ever first XI in his country’s ODI debut, versus Scotland in Benoni in 2009.It is May 19, 2018, and Karim knows the Test team is going to be announced in about ten days for the first Test in Afghanistan’s history. He has been going to the gym, he says, scoring runs (1300 in the season, he says) and taking wickets (35-40, he says). He hopes he will get a chance to play his first Test in India.For the moment, though, his attention is on the match between his side, the Karim Sadiq Foundation, and Watan Pala Zwanan (Youths Serving the Nation), a group working towards a civil society, which has a cricket club. It is a warm-up game for the Ramadan Cup, a T20 competition under lights for local clubs, set to begin the next day. There’s a group of young cricketers in the crowd, including left-hand batsman Ikram Ali Khil, who was in Afghanistan’s team for the Under-19 World Cup.Hidayatullah Zaheer, the 32-year-old head of Watan Pala, and a respected regional social activist is present. People are shaking hands near the commentary box area – a small raised platform with a gazebo-style asbestos roof near the third-man boundary.It is the kind of local cricket event familiar to everyone in south Asia. The actual match is played in full seriousness, with the important personages in the locality getting the best view and the most attention. Everything earnest and also slightly informal.Then it happened.Karim seems to know the time – 11:28pm, he says. He remembers the deafening blast of sound. “I’ve never heard such a noise in my life.” Smoke is billowing, fires have started, the ears are ringing, there is shrapnel everywhere.Crowds at a game at the Spinghar groundThis is Afghanistan. People immediately know what has happened.Bashir Umar, 27, is about 30 metres away from the explosion. He is one of the co-owners of the ground and lead organiser of the event. He realises his younger brother, Hamayun, also a cricketer – first-class, List A, Afghanistan-A – was standing much closer to the blast.He hears men in pain, men in shock, and then Hamayun’s voice calling his name. Bashir starts running towards his brother, and finds him alive but very badly injured. Bashir and their cousin, Musafar, carry Hamayun towards a gate near which cars and pick-up trucks are parked.Elsewhere, Karim rushes into the smoke, and the sight of the dead and the wounded wrench anguish from his soul. ” [I cried out loudly and wept] Then I was only thinking, I have to help people, I have to help,” he says. “There were about 50 people injured. I saw my friends covered in blood. I saw sportsmen, who play cricket for peace, I saw them injured, dead…” His voice, at the other end of a phone line, is still shaking.The injured were being put into vehicles outside the ground and taken to nearby hospitals. As Bashir moved away, having taken his brother to safety, two more blasts rang out, near the exits, as people tried to escape. The force of one of them caught Musafar, injuring him severely.An innocuous cricket venue had turned into hell, as a blurred photograph of Karim carrying the injured to safety, which made its way onto social media showed.He remembers five explosions, one of which turned an autorickshaw inside the ground into a mangled mass of metal. Along with Bashir’s brother and his cousin, the blasts leave another cricketer, Zamir Khan, badly wounded. One of the owners of the Spinghar ground, Rokhan Shirzad, loses his eight-year-old son, Khatir, and is himself seriously injured. Hidayatullah was killed instantly.The news of the attacks soon reached the most famous son of Jalalabad, Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan, in Hyderabad with this IPL team.
You will be missed bro #RIP you did lots of hard work always tried to make Nengrahar shining City Allah De Tolo shahedano ta janatona naseeb kre Aw Zakhmyano ta de rogh sehat pe dua yma #nangrahar #Blast #RamadanCup pic.twitter.com/p00P0Elsmb
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) May 19, 2018
Hidayatullah, popularly known as Zee, was a pivotal figure in grass-roots activism in the eastern province of Nangarhar, which shares a border with Pakistan, working with young people, marginalised refugee communities, and women, in the areas of humanitarian assistance, education, culture and sport. He understood the energy and goodwill that could be generated from cricket. It was Zee’s idea, Bashir says, to have a cricket event under lights.The Ramadan Cup was to be the highlight of the most holy month of Islam in Jalalabad.It is an old, old town on the Grand Trunk Road, nestled between two mountain ranges, the Hindu Kush and the range after which the cricket ground gets its name – Spinghar (White Mountains). Seventy-odd kilometres from the Pakistan border, Jalalabad is the first big town in Afghanistan you reach after travelling through the Khyber Pass. The town is also, Karim says, “the home of cricket” in Afghanistan, where, according to his count, last year’s tally of registered clubs was in the thousands.Spinghar, privately owned, privately funded, was the most luminous of those clubs. It took six months’ preparation to get things in order for the Ramadan Cup, including importing the floodlights. “But this incident has happened,” Karim says. “It destroyed our plans and killed our people.”The Spinghar ground was constructed three years ago, and its owners wanted to match international standards. Bashir, formerly marketing head of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, is proud of what they achieved. “No one helped us. We started out on our own. We stood up and said, ‘We will try and do this.’ The cricket board doesn’t have a ground like ours. It didn’t have floodlights and facilities like ours.”Spinghar has six pitches – two centre-wicket turf ones, and four (of which two are turf) at the Spinghar Cricket Academy, which has pulled in close to 750 boys, who train in three batches every day under two coaches.***The attack was unexpected but there had been a warning of sorts three months earlier, when a group of unknown gunmen came into Spinghar late at night and dug up the academy’s pitches and nets areas, threatening the ground’s security guards – who, Bashir says, do not carry weapons. The ground is now locked up and a government investigation is underway.The land on which the Spinghar club’s cricket ground was built•Getty ImagesSpeaking on the phone a few days after the bomb attacks, he is distraught. “I am still in shock,” he says. “It is like they destroyed our sentiments.”The Ramadan Cup was not an officially sanctioned event but the explosions of May 19 were heard by the country’s cricketing fraternity everywhere, the grief shared.Karim called cricket, “our only entertainment”. His charity foundation raises funds to help the poor, and uses cricket to involve the young in a country where 57% of the population is under the age of 18. The sport does divert the mind from the daily wire-walk of living in a country plagued by war, but cricket is more than mere entertainment. It has put down new but deep roots into Afghanistan’s ethos.For centuries, the violent history of the region was twisted into a mocking, epithet – “the Great Game”. Cricket became Afghanistan’s only true game; its most beloved. It is why the Jalalabad attack has shaken everyone, because no matter what the government or the warlords fight over, cricket was cordoned off. Secure. Bulletproof.Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Shafiq Stanikzai is sure the terrorists were not Afghans. “Afghans cannot target cricket.” According to him, cricket is “the only thing which is loved by every single Afghan”. He points out that the Jalalabad match lacked familiar terrorist targets – government officials, army men, police. “It is the biggest setback, and for the first time I see that cricket was targeted by terrorists.” He says it over and over: an Afghan cannot do this.”It is through cricket that we show love,” Karim says.” We want to live properly, live life for real, like it is meant to be lived. We want peace, we need peace. We have suffered so much. This war has been going on for 40 years. I want the bloodshed to stop. I want to tell all the presidents of the world: leave Afghanistan alone.”It is over three weeks since Jalalabad. Karim is crushed that he will not make a Test debut; he was not picked. Musafar is much better, and Hamayun and Rokhan are recovering in hospital. Grief has seeped into the walls of the home where eight-year-old Khatir’s energy once did. Bashir now has problems sleeping at night. The number of deaths is estimated at eight; the injured number more than 45.Yet the idea of cricket is alive, and will stir again, and it brings thousands of dissimilar people around the world together – to play, to compete, to watch, to argue, to laugh and to sigh. Whatever is predicted about the life or death of the game in some parts of the world, it belongs to the landscape. In Afghanistan it has taken on a truth like the country’s unshakeable mountains.Bashir and I have been talking for a while. He takes a deep breath. “We will keep working,” he says, “This is our country. We are not going anywhere… even if there’s only one drop of blood left in us, we will work for cricket.”A week after Jalalabad, Rashid dedicated an IPL Man-of-the-Match award to the memory of those who had died on the cricket ground. In four days, Afghanistan will become the 12th Test-playing nation in cricket, when Rashid and his team-mates step onto the field at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. In Kabul and Kandahar, in Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kunduz, most certainly in Jalalabad, they will be watching. With the knowledge that despite the centuries of violence, death and sorrow, they have in cricket a thing of beauty, which no matter what, will never be surrendered.
Victoria have recalled legspinner Fawad Ahmed for the Sheffield Shield final against South Australia, which begins in Alice Springs on Sunday
ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2017Victoria have recalled legspinner Fawad Ahmed for the Sheffield Shield final against South Australia, to be played in Alice Springs from Sunday. Ahmed has replaced fast bowler Jackson Coleman in Victoria’s 12-man squad for the decider as they aim to win the Shield title for the third consecutive summer.Ahmed has played only one match in this year’s Shield campaign, taking five wickets against Western Australia at the same ground earlier this month. However, the conditions at Traeger Park could favour slow bowling, in which case Ahmed could form a twin spin attack with Jon Holland, who is third on the wicket tally this summer with 42 Shield wickets at 21.11.The Victoria side will be captained by Cameron White in the continued absence of regular skipper Matthew Wade, who is with the Test squad in India.”It’s an amazing achievement to be involved in a third straight Sheffield Shield final, and it’s also a golden opportunity to make history as the first Victorian side to go back-to-back-to-back,” Victoria chairman of selectors Andrew Lynch said.”Everyone from the players to the coaches have worked incredibly hard to get to this point again, and we also can’t wait to take the final to Alice Springs for the first time. The squad we’ve named will thrive in the conditions at Traeger Park, and hopefully can bring home another title to Victoria.”Victoria squad Travis Dean, Marcus Harris, Rob Quiney, Aaron Finch, Cameron White (capt), Daniel Christian, Seb Gotch (wk), James Pattinson, Chris Tremain, Scott Boland, Jon Holland, Fawad Ahmed.
Pierre de Bruyn has warned his Leicestershire players that complacency will not be tolerated under his leadership
George Dobell09-Feb-2017Pierre de Bruyn has warned his Leicestershire players that complacency will not be tolerated under his leadership.De Bruyn has ruffled a few feathers at Grace Road since his appointment as the county’s new head coach following the departure of Andrew McDonald at the end of 2016 season. But he is unapologetic about challenging attitudes at a club he feels has been coasting for too long and said he is prepared to deal with some unhappy senior pros as a consequence of producing more opportunities for younger players.”The club has underperformed massively,” de Bruyn said. “The fact is, we’ve been at the bottom of the Championship for a few years and, though we showed some signs of improvement in red-ball cricket, we’ve been very poor in white-ball cricket. We can’t accept that. It’s time to take a look at ourselves. We owe the supporters better.”If we are serious about taking the club forward, we are going to have to have some tough conversations. If any of the senior players are complacent, I don’t mind challenging them and I don’t mind putting myself under pressure.”If you have a squad of 25 players, more than half will not be playing and that means that some of them will be unhappy. But I want to focus on this club producing England players again and, in the likes of Zak Chappell and Ned Eckersley, we have guys with the talent to do that. We can’t be accepting batsmen averaging in the mid-20s any more.”That would appear to be a reference to Angus Robson. He was the club’s highest Championship run-scorer in 2014 and second highest in 2015, but endured a tougher 2016, averaging 27.11 with a top score of 84. As a consequence, it seems he can no longer be assured of his place.”I don’t blame him if he feels his position is under threat,” de Bruyn said. “We have a big squad and competition is fierce. He has played more than 50 games and only made two centuries. He has had more than fair opportunity and there’s no doubt he had a poor season. Averaging 27 in Division Two is not getting us promoted. I told him to go away and focus on making hundreds. I hope it drives him to work harder. I hope he comes back motivated and ruthless.”But it’s not just him. Our top order – the likes of Paul Horton and Mark Pettini – failed to score the runs we needed in limited-overs cricket and we need to do better.”I am keen to create opportunities for younger players. Lewis Hill made a century at The Oval a couple of years ago [in his second first-class game], Harry Dearden is young and promising and we’ve signed Callum Parkinson, who is another who could go a long way in the game.”Senior players will be treated fairly and respectfully, but places are up for grabs and that’s exciting.”Leicestershire’s first-class performances actually improved in 2016. After three successive seasons in which they had finished bottom in Division Two, they rose to seventh (and, but for a late season slide, it could have been better), though they continued to struggled in the shorter formats. They were bottom of the North Group on the NatWest T20 Blast and second from bottom of the North Group in the Royal London Cup.
The pressure is off under-fire Rangers manager Philippe Clement, for now at least.
On Thursday night, his team booked their place in the Europa League round of 16 by beating Royale Union Saint-Gilloise 2-1 at Ibrox, with Nicolas Raskin heading in the opener, before Václav Černý stroked home the all-important second shortly after half time.
Rangers
The Light Blues ended the league phase with an impressive points tally of 14, despite, as Clement himself noted, the fact they faced four of the seven sides who finished above them.
The Gers’ Europa League form is once again keeping spirits high, in spite of their, at best, patchy domestic results, but could they sign one of the Scottish Premiership’s best young talents before Monday’s transfer deadline?
Rangers seeking to sign young Scottish talent
As reported by Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Rangers have ‘held talks…over a pre-contract agreement’ with Dundee midfielder Lyall Cameron.
Cameron is out of contract in the summer, meaning Rangers would only have to pay compensation for his services, with his manager Tony Docherty describing him as “extremely talented”, adding “it is no surprise when a player like that is out of contract… there will be interest”.
However, there is speculation that the Gers could push to get this deal done in January, with new CEO Patrick Stewart stating the club plan to “accelerate the signing of a player that we were planning anyway”, so could it be Cameron he is referring to?
Transfer Focus
Meantime, speaking on the Scottish Football Social Club on Premier Sports, former Hibs and Hearts midfielder Michael Stewart described Cameron’s potential move as financially low-risk, both in terms of compensation fee as well as wages, while Scottish football writer Kai Watson believes he “has the potential to play at a higher level than the Scottish Premiership”.
Where Lyall Cameron would fit in at Rangers
The 22-year-old has proved to be very versatile this season, deployed all across midfield, although he has particularly shown in the centre of the park.
Well, as it happens, Rangers may have a vacancy in that position because Ianis Hagi, who’s started 11 of the last 12 Premiership matches, is out of contract in the summer and, according to Sahil Jaidka of Sky Sports News, the Romanian is “yet to be offered” a new one.
So, let’s assess how the pair compare.
Statistics
Lyall Cameron
Ianis Hagi
Appearances
29
17
Minutes
2,368
1,203
Goals
8
2
Assists
7
5
Big chances created
4
5
Dribble success %
41.9%
52.6%
Average Sofascore rating
7.16
7.36
Of course, Hagi has played around 1,000 fewer minutes this season, as he recovered from long term injury, hence why he wasn’t included in Rangers’ UEFA squad.
His two goals this season have come in rather contrasting circumstances, scoring against Stenhousemuir in the SPFL Trust Trophy, in front of 525 fans at Forthbank, before netting from distance in front of 100 times that number during a famous Glasgow derby victory in early January.
Cameron does though compare favourably to the Romanian international, scoring more goals and providing more assists, creating just one fewer chance, while playing for a substantially worse side; Rangers average 62.29% possession this season, while Dundee average 45.26%.
All of these statistics suggest Cameron is ready to make the step-up, and would be an excellent, low-cost signing for Rangers, while representing the dream replacement for Hagi should he depart.
Better than Cerny: Rangers' 35-touch dynamo may have saved his Ibrox career
Rangers secured a spot in the last-16 with a 2-1 win over USG.
Vishmi Gunaratne sidelined due to a stress fracture on her back while Ama Kanchana and Udeshika Prabodhani have been dropped
Madushka Balasuriya21-Sep-2022Sri Lanka have made three changes to the side that travelled to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games in July-August, as they named their 15-member squad for next month’s Asia Cup.Wicketkeeper-batter Kaushani Nuthyangana, left-arm seamer Tharika Sewwandi and allrounder Madushika Methtananda come in for the veteran pairing of Ama Kanchana and Udeshika Prabodhani, and 17-year-old Vishmi Gunaratne.Twenty-year-old Nuthyangana, who will deputise for Anushka Sanjeewani behind the stumps, has been earmarked as a talent for the future, as has 21-year-old Sewwandi who will take up the left-arm seamer spot vacated by Prabodhani. Methtananda, meanwhile, is in line to make just her second appearance for Sri Lanka, having made her first back in 2019.Of the changes, the only enforced one is that of the highly-rated allrounder Gunaratne, who is suffering from a suspected stress fracture on her back. Sri Lanka Cricket would have ideally liked to have included her, but a recent MRI had highlighted the injury; SLC decided rather than risk aggravating the injury, to instead focus on having her fit for the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in January in South Africa.Both Kanchana and Prabodhani meanwhile have been omitted as a result of poor recent form, though the latter’s game time is also understood to being managed with her having turned 37 just this month.The rest of the side remains unchanged, with Chamari Athapaththu leading a squad consisting of batters Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama, and allrounders Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Malsha Shehani and Methtananda, as well as Sanjeewani and Nuthyangana.Sewwandi will be the lone frontline seamer in the squad, with the likes of Achini Kulasuriya, Methtananda, Nilakshi and Shehani able to chip in with their medium pace.It’s on the spin-bowling front though that Sri Lanka are relatively well covered, as they will be able to call on veteran left-arm spinners Inoka Ranaweera and Sugandika Kumari, as well as all-round options in the form of Athapaththu, Dilhari and Ranasinghe. There is also Rashmi Silva, an exciting 21-year-old right-arm leg spinner, who is in line to make her T20I debut during the tour.The Women’s T20 Asia Cup will take place from October 1 to 15 in Bangladesh, with Sri Lanka set to take on India on the opening day.Sri Lanka squad: Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kaveesha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Kaushani Nuthyangana, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Malsha Shehani, Madushika Meththananda, Inoka Ranaweera, Rashmi Silva, Sugandika Kumari, Achini Kulasuriya, Tharika Sewwandi.
Lionel Messi remains the “greatest” showman and “will do the impossible” in pursuit of more trophies, says Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano.
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More match-winning heroics from Herons captainHas helped to secure Champions Cup semi-final berthRemains a source of inspiration to those around himFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi already has a historic haul of major honours to his name, with that record-breaking collection taken to 46 during the 2024 MLS campaign – as he helped to deliver Supporters’ Shield success in South Florida.
AdvertisementImagoTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Inter Miami are competing on multiple fronts in 2025, with a run to the semi-finals of CONCACAF Champions League competition already being enjoyed. Messi bagged a stunning brace in the second leg of their quarter-final clash with LAFC in order to keep the Herons in the hunt for a continental crown.
WHAT JAVIER MASCHERANO SAID
Mascherano told reporters afterwards of his fellow Argentine: “Messi is the soul of this team. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable talking about him because I've known him for 20 years now, and I have to help him in this stage of his career.
“He's a guy who has everything in football. He's the greatest in history, and he's still making the path and guiding the new generations beyond having won everything until the last day he plays on the pitch.
“He wants to win and will do the impossible. Football is just about wanting, but you have to be able. And he has that ability because he is the greatest of all.”
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LAFC boss Steve Cherundolo admitted that, after keeping Messi quiet in California, his side found it impossible to contain the GOAT. He said: “Look, you're talking about one of the greatest to ever play this sport. And from my liking, the second half, you had a little too much freedom.
“We couldn't get enough pressure on him. I thought in the first leg we did an excellent job. In the second, I think it was a little too much freedom. We couldn't get enough pressure on the ball, and you know he's going to punish you as well as his team-mates. I think that's part of what makes him so good. He makes his team-mates better.”
The Premier League table clearly demonstrates Nottingham Forest’s unexpected success in the 2024/25 campaign, and their impressive performances have earned them their current position as they aim to secure a European spot for next season.
The Reds have won over half of their league fixtures so far, making them one of the in-form sides and one of the outside contenders in the Premier League title race.
As well as the Premier League, Forest are also into the fourth round of the FA Cup, and Nuno Espirito Santo will be hoping his side can go far in that competition as they look to end their wait for a major trophy, which last arrived in 1990.
Forest have had some luck on their side this season as they are yet to pick up any major injuries or suspensions, but Espirito Santo will know they could bite eventually, and be hoping it doesn’t affect his team’s performances.
Nottingham Forest and 8 other Premier League surprise packages
The Premier League has had plenty of surprise packages over the previous 30 years – here are some of the best.
1 ByRoss Kilvington Nov 5, 2024
As the second half of the campaign gets underway, the Portuguese boss may have his eye on a few arrivals before the transfer window closes, as he will not want his side to fall away after what has been an excellent season so far.
It is unclear how much money the club has in the bank, but with a top-four spot in their sights, adding one or two players before the deadline could help them get over the line.
Here, we have taken a look at five players Forest should be looking to sign in this January transfer window to ensure of success this term.
1 Evan Ferguson Brighton
Brighton strikerEvan Ferguson.
It looks very likely that Evan Ferguson will leave Brighton & Hove Albion before the transfer window slams shut on 3rd February, even if that is only on loan.
There are several Premier League teams interested in signing the Republic of Ireland forward, but the Seagulls are yet to give the go-ahead for a deal to go through.
The Reds currently have Emmanuel Dennis, Taiwo Awoniyi and Chris Wood as their centre-forward options. Wood is obviously their leading man with 14 goals in the Premier League this season, and his place in the team is not going to come under threat for the rest of the campaign.
However, Awoniyi is attracting transfer interest himself, and Forest are possibly open to the pair leaving in this window. Therefore, a replacement will be needed, and Ferguson could be the perfect player to come to the City Ground and support Wood.
The 20-year-old has 13 Premier League goals to his name in over 50 matches, and will be eager to prove himself having only been given limited opportunities under Fabian Hurzeler.
This would be a low-risk signing for Forest, as Ferguson, who has been dubbed a “superstar” by Danny Murphy, would be joining on a loan deal, so the Reds would not be tied to the player or spending a huge amount on his services.
2 Yoane Wissa Brentford
Signing a new attacker could be on Forest’s agenda in this transfer window, as Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi have all been heavily relied upon this season, leading Espirito Santo to add more depth and quality to that area of the team.
One player the Reds could look to bring in is Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, as Forest may look to “explore” a move for Wissa if Awoniyi leaves the City Ground. The 28-year-old has been in tremendous form for the Bees this season, scoring 11 goals in 19 Premier League games, and that has now put him on Forest’s radar.
Wissa can play anywhere across the frontline, meaning his arrival would not just help out Wood up top, but also the likes of Elanga and Hudson-Odoi.
Wissa is a firm favourite at Brentford and is under contract until 2026, so Forest and Nuno could find it hard to prise him away from a team that is also fighting to finish in a European spot, and the Bees have even rebuffed their initial approach.
3 Douglas Luiz Juventus
Nottingham Forest already have some good options in the middle of the park, but just like other positions, they could look to freshen things up, and Juventus’ Douglas Luiz has already emerged as a player they are interested in signing.
It’s been claimed that Forest have made contact to sign the Brazilian from Juventus in this transfer window, with a loan move being the most likely outcome. Luiz has struggled in Turin since his move from Aston Villa, and given how well he did in the Premier League, he could be an excellent addition for the Reds.
Appearances
175
Goals
20
Assists
18
The £135k-per-week midfielder was a key player for Villa during his time at the club, scoring 22 goals and recording 24 assists in over 200 games. His eye for a goal while being a more defensively minded player makes him someone who Espirito Santo would love in his midfield.
Ryan Yates and Elliot Anderson have done well in that midfield alongside Nicolas Dominguez, but Luiz’s potential arrival could just add a bit more steel and quality to ensure they finish in the top four.
Danilo has only just returned from the serious injury he picked up on the opening weekend, and Ibrahim Sangare is out injured, so options in that area of the team are quite short at the minute. As Luiz did at Villa Park, he could become a real favourite at the City Ground, especially if he helps the Reds reach the Champions League.
4 Stefanos Tzimas Nurnberg (on loan from PAOK)
Stefanos Tzimas is a player who has really impressed during his loan spell at FC Nurnberg and has now emerged on the radar of several Premier League teams. The 19-year-old has nine goals in 15 games in the German second tier, and even though he has done so well, his club have made it clear they are going to trigger their loan-to-buy clause before selling the player for £25m in the summer.
However, Forest are in need of a new striker, and will be even more so if Dennis or Awoniyi leave this month. Therefore, the Reds should look to get ahead of the rest and make a move for the young striker now instead of waiting until the summer like the rest.
Tzimas is still young and will need time to adapt to the Premier League, but instead of getting a more experienced, older backup to Wood, they could look to get a younger striker who can learn from the New Zealand international and be his ready-made replacement in the long term.
5 Rayan Cherki Lyon
Lyon's Rayan Cherki
Espirito Santo may have his eye on adding more attacking quality to his Nottingham Forest side this month, as he will want to make sure his side can keep up with the race at the top of the league, all while having options should the club suffer any injuries or suspensions.
One player who could be a good purchase for the Reds is Rayan Cherki, who looks set to leave Lyon in this transfer window. The Frenchman has a verbal agreement with the Ligue 1 side that he can leave in this transfer window for €22.5m (£19m).
Cherki’s availability should alert Forest, as he is a player who can again improve their wide options, but he is also someone who can provide competition for Morgan Gibbs-White, as the Englishman is Forest’s only real No 10 in their squad.
Cherki has been a very good performer for Lyon, getting among the goals and assists, and given he is only 21, he would surely be a worthy investment for the Reds as someone who improves their squad immediately.
The attacker could also be a player who could get so much better in a year or two’s time. Cherki has been described as an “outrageous” player, and his price tag means that, for someone of his quality, he is available on the cheap, and he could be a difference-maker in terms of where the Reds finish this season.
The fast bowler’s international career will be reduced, as he opts for family time and T20 leagues
Alex Malcolm and Andrew McGlashan09-Aug-20220:58
Looking forward to moving into ‘life after cricket’ – Trent Boult
New Zealand Cricket has agreed to release Trent Boult from his central contract after the fast bowler requested to spend more time with his family and to make himself available for T20 leagues. His international career is now likely to be “significantly reduced”.Boult, 33, had held several conversations with NZC prior to Wednesday’s announcement. The move could have huge ramifications for New Zealand given the proliferation of T20 leagues that are popping up within the time period of their summer domestic season.An announcement is expected soon about Boult’s involvement in one of the new T20 leagues in either the UAE or South Africa, but NZC chief executive David White told ESPNcricinfo that he was still “highly likely” to be selected for the T20 World Cup in Australia, with planning well advanced for that competition. He will also complete the ongoing tour of West Indies.NZC released a statement explaining that Boult had made it clear to White that his appetite for touring had diminished and he wished to spend more time with his family.”This has been a really tough decision for me and I’d like to thank NZC for their support in getting to this point,” Boult said. “Playing cricket for my country was a childhood dream and I’m so proud of everything I’ve been able to achieve with the Black Caps over the past 12 years.”Ultimately this decision is about my wife Gert and our three young boys. Family has always been the biggest motivator for me and I feel comfortable with putting it first and preparing ourselves for life after cricket.”Boult has not retired from international cricket but he is likely to play a lot less for New Zealand. White confirmed that Boult was aware of the ramifications of his decision and that NZC would prioritise contracted players.”We’ve had several conversations and I know Trent understands that, in terms of selection, NZC will continue to make a priority of those players with either central or domestic contracts,” White said.Boult understood that his decision would affect his selection for New Zealand.”I still have a big desire to represent my country and feel I have the skills to deliver at the international level,” he said. “However, I respect the fact that not having a national contract will affect my chances of selection.”Having said that, as a fast bowler I know I have a limited career span, and I feel the time is right to move into this next phase.”White said he was sad to be losing Boult as a centrally contracted player but understood his decision.”We respect Trent’s position,” White said. “He’s been completely honest and up-front with us about his reasoning and, while we’re sad to be losing him as a fully-contracted player, he leaves with our best wishes and our sincere thanks.”Trent’s made a massive contribution to the Black Caps since his Test debut in late 2011 and is now considered one of the best multi-format cricketers in the world. We’re very proud of what he’s achieved.”Earlier this year, Boult went straight from the IPL into the Test series against England. He played 16 games for Rajasthan Royals, including the final in Ahmedabad on May 29, before playing in the Test match at Lord’s just five days later on June 2 where he bowled nearly 38 overs. However, he was then rested from New Zealand’s limited-overs tours around Europe.Boult has represented New Zealand 215 times across all three formats after debuting against Australia in the famous 2011 Test victory in Hobart. He is one of only four men to have taken 300 Test wickets for New Zealand, having taken 317 scalps at 27.49 with 10 five-wicket hauls and one ten-for. He also has 169 ODI wickets and 62 in T20Is. He is currently the No.1 ranked ODI bowler in the world and is ranked 11th on the Test rankings.