England showed little mercy as they tore Wales apart in a 3-0 friendly win at Wembley on Thursday. The Three Lions destroyed Craig Bellamy's side in a frantic opening 20 minutes which all but put an end to any hope of the visitors securing an unlikely upset between World Cup qualifiers, even despite the hosts leaving some key players on the bench and out of the squad completely.

A fine evening for England saw Morgan Rogers break the deadlock inside the opening two minutes, taking advantage of a Wales defence that switched off after Marc Guehi kept a loose corner alive, with the Aston Villa man rolling his effort past a helpless Karl Darlow between the sticks.

Before too long, it was 2-0. Rogers and Guehi were both involved again, with the former's speculative cross flicked on by the latter and into Ollie Watkins, who was waiting at the far post to convert and had time to take a couple of touches, such were Wales' horrendous defensive instincts.

Home supporters were soon cheering and revelling in their rivals' misery again soon after when Bukayo Saka found the top corner with an outrageous strike from the edge of the box, and though England could have had five or six on the night, that proved to be the end of their scoring, much to the relief of Craig Bellamy and his men.

GOAL breaks down England's winners and losers from Wembley…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WINNER: Thomas Tuchel

  OK, it's too soon for Thomas Tuchel to start doing victory laps as England boss – and knowing his career to date, he won't – but this was another statement of intent from a manager who will take the full brunt of criticism at the first possible opportunity when he's in this job.

  The English public have long been demanding their team to play fast, energetic football. They have always wanted to see them take the game to whoever the opposition may be. On Thursday, the Three Lions were so rampant in this regard that if anything, they killed the excitement of the game – it was the first time they had scored three goals inside the first 20 minutes since November 1987 against Yugoslavia, who at that point were still five years away from splitting.

  Tuchel's mission to build on the club-style feel of the England camp led him to making only one change from the September squad to this one, with the injured Noni Madueke making way for club team-mate Saka. The connections and partnerships all over the Wembley pitch were clear to see here, with the hosts quicker, stronger and smarter than Wales in every department, irrespective of the gap in technical quality.

  Despite the win, Tuchel has still managed to make a rod for his own back by criticising the home crowd in a post-match interview with , claiming his players didn't receive the support they deserved and bemoaning how quickly the stadium emptied during a pedestrian second half. He'll soon come to learn that England matches at Wembley will never see a rip-roaring atmosphere, with the demographic of those who follow them abroad and to major tournaments being far more boisterous.

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• AFP
  

  LOSER: Jude Bellingham

  When the England squad was announced last Friday, the most startling omission was that of Jude Bellingham, who has returned to action with Real Madrid after a two-month layoff following shoulder surgery. This was initially put down to the midfielder receiving only a smattering of minutes since taking to the pitch again, but Tuchel was blunt with his principles of team-building before Thursday's visit of Wales.

  "We are not collecting the most talented players, we are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else," the German said. "That's how it is in international football. But the thing you are playing [back to me] is not what I am saying. You are playing the game that says: 'He [Tuchel] is saying the others who aren't in the team, you cannot build a team with them'. It's not like this. We built a team with the players who were available and they did so well so we go again with them. Nobody said we can't do the same with them. Or even better, or maybe the same level, with the others.

  "For this moment we stick with our choice and the radical statement is that we don't collect the most talented players. We collect the guys who have the glue and cohesion to be the best team. Because we need to arrive as the best team. We will arrive as underdogs at the World Cup because we haven't won it for decades and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time. So we have to arrive as a team or we will have no chance."

  The door is open for those who missed out on this camp to return in the future, but time is already running out for them to make an impression, with only two more international windows coming before the end of the club season. Bellingham is the headline loser, but the likes of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden should also be concerned of how they fit into this team.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WINNER: Bukayo Saka

  One man whose place in the England fold isn't in doubt is Saka, whose super strike rounded off the scoring on Thursday. It was trademark from the Arsenal winger, coming inside onto his left foot and letting fly a la peak Arjen Robben. This also made him the highest-scoring Gunner in the history of the men's national team, with his 13 strikes now the number to beat.

  Since breaking into the Three Lions side at Euro 2020, Saka has consistently proven one of the team's most reliable performers. It's to his credit that his England naysayers barely get a chance to voice that opinion before he shuts their mouths again, usually in the most emphatic of ways. After Harry Kane, he's probably the outfielder who's most likely to definitely start for England when fit, on par with vice-captain Declan Rice.

  Saka also welcomed Tuchel's message from the top that he will pick players to form the best team, rather than 'collecting the most talented players'. "What he's setting is very healthy competition, it's fair," Saka told . "Everywhere I look I see quality, whether it's in my position or in other positions, whoever it is we have to perform. When you have the shirt, you have to perform whether you're starting or coming in. At the end of the day we're all doing our best so England can win, that's what it's about."

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• AFP
  

  WINNER: Morgan Rogers

  For whatever reason, Rogers hasn't found his best form for Aston Villa this season. Then again, nor has anyone else in Unai Emery's squad, so that suggests the problem lies within the walls of Villa Park. Rogers' superb showings in an England shirt only add to that theory.

  The attacking midfielder has quickly become one of Tuchel's 'dependables', and if anything he is the one player most likely to prevent Bellingham from winning his place back as a starter. There isn't any need to drop Rogers at the moment, even despite his indifferent performances at club level. Some players are just better suited to the international game.

  A maiden goal for England set the 23-year-old and his team-mates on their way. With Wales' defenders sleeping from a corner, Rogers peeled away from centre-back Joe Rodon into a pocket of space inside the 18-yard box, affording him ample room to sweep a low shot into the net.

  Speaking to , Rogers said of his first international goal: "It's a proud moment to do it at home in a home nation derby. A dream come true. The quality of players we have with people here and not here, you can never be too comfortable, or else people will take your role."

Tawanda Muyeye and Ben Compton both hit centuries as Kent coasted to an eight-wicket run win over Middlesex in the Rothesay County Championship at Canterbury on Sunday.Muyeye made a fluent unbeaten 125 and Compton a stylish 124 not out in a record-breaking partnership worth 225, after England’s Zak Crawley showed a glimpse of form with 58, having being dropped on nought.Earlier Middlesex were all out for 311, setting Kent what looked like a stiff target of 316 to win. Ben Geddes made 75 and Zafar Gohar contributed 57 down the order, but Gohar was the only visiting bowler to enjoy any success, claiming two wickets in two balls to reduce Kent to 91 for 2. That, however, was as good as it got for the visitors and Compton hit the winning single with 5.4 overs of day three remaining.Middlesex began the day in a strong position on 222 for 6 and with a 226-run lead in the bank, but they lost Geddes early when he pulled Jack Leaning to the backward square leg boundary and was caught by a tumbling Joey Evison, having added just two to his overnight score.Blake Cullen made a useful 22 and saw off eight overs of the new ball before he edged Grant Stewart to Daniel Bell-Drummond at first slip.Stewart then got Toby Roland-Jones lbw for a fifth-ball duck but the last wicket duo of Gohar and Henry Brookes milked the bowlers for 39 runs.Gohar pulled Gilchrist for a huge six to take the lead past 300 and only perished when he cut the same bowler to Jas Singh on the backward point boundary.There was an eerie silence when Crawley, on nought in the first over, edged Roland-Jones to Geddes, who dropped him at third slip. He then drove Roland-Jones for successive fours, edged one through gully, clipped a six over midwicket and looked largely unmolested on his way to the fifty he reached by sweeping Gohar to third man for four.Gohar, however, undid him in his next over, with a ball that pitched near middle and spun back to hit his off stump. Bell-Drummond went to the very next ball, bowled by a delivery that pitched outside and hit off. Yet Muyeye blocked the hat-trick ball and at tea Kent looked favourites on 164 for 2.A pitch that looked so demonic on day one seemed to have been exorcised. Gohar switched ends and switched back again. Muyeye creamed Brookes for a six over square leg that ended up in the car park and drove Gafar through mid-off to reach his hundred.Bowling at Compton’s head proved futile and he cut Gohar through point for four to reach three figures, by which stage Middlesex seemed drained of hope.Muyeye seemed in a hurry to get it done in three days, dumping Gohar into the upper deck of the Cowdrey stand for a huge six.It was the highest ever third-wicket partnership for Kent v Middlesex, eclipsing the 196 made by both Bob Wilson and Colin Cowdrey in 1954 and David Fulton and Matt Walker in 2004.Compton staked his claim for a place in Kent’s Blast side by hitting the same bowler for a maximum over long-on, for only the sixth six of his career and he had the honour of hitting the winning run when he nudged Nathan Fernandes through mid-off.

B Sai Sudharsan’s 39 took him back to the top spot on the run-getters’ list during the IPL 2025 game between Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-20255:32

Aaron: Sai Sudharsan ‘definitely’ in if there’s vacancy in India’s T20I side

Orange Cap tableB Sai Sudharsan, the Gujarat Titans (GT) opener, is back where he was before Suryakumar Yadav of Mumbai Indians (MI) toppled him and then Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) got past both of them on Sunday. Sai Sudharsan is back at No. 1, with 456 runs from nine innings, following his 30-ball 39 against RR. Not his best innings of the tournament, but enough to go 13 runs clear of Kohli (443) and 29 ahead of Suryakumar (427).By the end of RR vs GT, two other batters had firmed their positions in the top five too. RR opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is at No. 4 with 426 runs after scoring 70 not out in 40 balls, and Jos Buttler, the GT No. 3, is at No. 5 with 406 runs after scoring 50 not out in 26 balls.Nicholas Pooran of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) is the only other batter to have crossed 400 runs this season so far.Purple Cap tableA total of 421 runs were scored off 35.5 overs in Jaipur on Monday, so not much joy for the bowlers. But the one wicket Prasidh Krishna took – of wonderkid Vaibhav Suryavanshi after he had plundered 101 at a strike rate of over 260 – took him to 17, and just one behind RCB’s Josh Hazlewood, the leader at this stage.Related

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Noor Ahmad of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is at No. 3 with 14 wickets, followed by Harshal Patel of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), RCB’s Krunal Pandya and MI’s Trent Boult, all with 13 wickets to their names.Meanwhile, here’s what the ESPNcricinfo MVP table looks like at this stage.And some other tables that might interest you.Highest batting strike ratesBest bowling economy ratesMost sixesBest bowling figures in a match

Aston Villa star Ezri Konsa has claimed Unai Emery was right to call the players “lazy” after the draw against Sunderland, and revealed what was said in private by captain John McGinn.

Emery under pressure amid "lazy" comments

After Villa surrendered their one-goal lead and drew against newly-promoted Sunderland last weekend, it would be fair to say Emery was left very disappointed, saying: “As well, we were lazy sometimes defensively. For example, the way we conceded, we were lazy.

“When we are playing here, we have to fight in the duels and we were not fighting in all duels. I watched the goal we conceded and we were lazy.”

The comments have sparked a mixed reaction, with Danny Murphy querying why the Spanish manager doesn’t rotate his starting XI, if he believes the current crop aren’t giving maximum effort.

With the Villans without a win in their opening five Premier League games, pressure is starting to mount on Emery, who will be looking for a reaction from his players in the Europa League tie against Bologna this evening.

It is a bold strategy for a manager to be so publicly critical of his players, but Konsa has since leapt to the 53-year-old’s defence, insisting he was right to make the comments.

Deeney slams Aston Villa's "ego" issue and rips into star who "looks off it"

The talkSPORT pundit has given his thoughts on Villa’s start to the season.

ByDominic Lund Sep 23, 2025

The centre-back said: “Yeah, it’s a fair comment. I think everyone has seen the picture, seen the goal.

“Here we pride ourselves in trying to play a high line, it is something the boss has instilled since he first came. We didn’t quite get it right. Things have not been good for us so far this season. But there are blips in the season and we are going through that now. Hopefully we can move on.”

When asked whether Emery had made the comments privately, the defender said: “No. The boss is not a big speaker. Sometimes he keeps himself to himself.”

Konsa reveals that the Villa captain, on the other hand, did try and motivate the squad, saying: “People will talk about crisis meetings and things like that but we have got a great captain in John McGinn, who really takes the lead in stuff like that.

“After the game, he said a few words to keep us going, to keep encouraging us.”

Villa must respond against Bologna

There can be no denying that Aston Villa’s start to the campaign has been worrying, having scored just one Premier League goal, while also struggling to create chances despite scoring against Sunderland.

Moreover, the 3-0 loss against Crystal Palace is likely to be particularly concerning, with the defeat ending their imperious record at Villa Park, having previously gone 19 Premier League games undefeated on home soil.

Emery should be safe for the time being, given that the Spanish manager is responsible for transforming Aston Villa from a relegation-threatened side into Champions League quarter-finalists, but results must start improving soon, starting this evening against Bologna.

West Ham have a new preferred choice to take over from Graham Potter, with the Englishman’s dismissal appearing inevitable after a poor start to 2025/2026.

Graham Potter on the verge of leaving West Ham

Potter’s nine-month tenure in the Hammers dugout has been one to forget so far.

Under his leadership, West Ham have recorded their second-worst win percentage of the Premier League era, behind only Avram Grant, who led them to relegation in 2011.

Worst West Ham managers in the Premier League

Win percentage

9. Sam Allardyce

30.7%

10. Julen Lopetegui

30%

11. Gianfranco Zola

27.8%

12 Graham Potter

26.1%

13. Avram Grant

18.9%

via StatMuse

The mood around East London is already sour, with supporters poised to stage protests against West Ham’s ownership at every Saturday home game this season (The Telegraph), and Potter’s side aren’t exactly helping matters.

Their hugely frustrating opening five Premier League games are best summed up in one word — fragile.

They’ve leaked 13 goals already, more than any other Premier League side, with seven of them coming directly from corner kicks. Rivals are taking serious advantage of West Ham’s set-piece weakness right now, and that is on the manager to fix.

Whether that be Potter, or far more likely a replacement, West Ham are staring relegation in the face if they cannot plug their gaping holes – a fact not lost on critics like Wayne Rooney.

Reports suggest Potter could stay on at West Ham until after the Arsenal game, depending on how they fare at Everton, with ExWHUemployee suggesting that the hierarchy want to give any new boss the best possible chance of a good start at home to Brentford on October 20.

Out of every linked manager, Nuno Espírito Santo has been tipped as the favourite to take over from Potter at West Ham, and there are suggestions that he’s “close” to agreeing a potential deal if the latter does depart (ExWHUemployee).

However, while Nuno is most likely as things stand, insider Claret & Hugh has claimed that they’d actually prefer someone else.

West Ham would prefer Marco Silva over Nuno Espírito Santo

Indeed, that man is Fulham boss Marco Silva, who has done an excellent job at Craven Cottage with very limited resources for years.

The former Everton and Hull City manager had Fulham briefly contending for a European spot last season, with Silva’s side also making a solid start to 2025/2026 — losing just one of their opening five Premier League matches.

The Whites have won three games on the bounce in all competitions, and Silva is yet again doing very solid work in West London despite spending the least money of any Premier League side last summer.

Premier League’s lowest summer spenders

Team

Money spent

Money received

Net spend

Wolves

£121,000,000

£119,000,000

£2,000,000

Bournemouth

£120,000,000

£207,000,000

-£87,000,000

Everton

£112,000,000

£3,500,000

£108,500,000

Burnley

£111,000,000

£31,000,000

£80,000,000

Leeds

£98,000,000

£7,000,000

£91,000,000

Brentford

£85,000,000

£134,000,000

-£49,000,000

Brighton

£69,000,000

£133,000,000

-£64,000,000

Crystal Palace

£47,000,000

£63,000,000

-£16,000,000

Aston Villa

£37,500,000

£47,000,000

-£9,500,000

Fulham

£34,500,000

£15,000,000

£19,500,000

via BBC Sport

Now, C&H report that Silva is West Ham’s preferred managerial choice over Nuno, but the latter is still in pole position.

Sullivan and Karren Brady aren’t too keen on paying up to £10 million in compensation to take Silva off Fulham’s hands, meaning that Nuno is still the favourite to replace Potter as things stand.

This search for a new manager also comes amid increasing concern from West Ham shareholders over a potential drop to the Championship, so whether they move for Silva or Nuno, the board needs to get this appointment spot-on — especially amid growing unrest among the fanbase.

West Ham United have made another disastrous start to the season, with under-fire manager Graham Potter at the centre of reports that he could be sacked after just nine months in charge of the east London club.

Graham Potter's terrible West Ham start in numbers

Numbers never lie, and the statistics from Potter’s tenure at West Ham so far make for pretty grim reading.

Potter’s men have shipped 11 goals already this term, and out of every West Ham side in Premier League history, only Avram Grant’s Hammers from 2010/2011 have conceded more at this stage of the season — they were relegated.

Potter has also recorded the second-worst Premier League win percentage of any West Ham manager since the competition’s inception, behind only Grant, and even the maligned Julen Lopetegui fared better last season.

9. Sam Allardyce

30.7%

10. Julen Lopetegui

30%

11. Gianfranco Zola

27.8%

12, Graham Potter

27.3%

13. Avram Grant

18.9%

via StatMuse

West Ham’s losses so far have all come by a three-goal margin too, and it’s the joint-earliest a Premier League team has lost this many games by such a score since Bournemouth in 2022/2023 — who eventually avoided a drop to the Championship by the skin of their teeth.

To make matters even less flattering for Potter, he also boasts the worst overall record of every single present Premier League club since his appointment in January.

Taking all of this into consideration, alongside the lack of a real playing identity under the 50-year-old, it is hardly surprising that West Ham are backing Potter for now but have a number of managers on their shortlist in case they decide to part company.

According to reliable media sources, like GiveMeSport’s Ben Jacobs, West Ham have internally discussed hiring Sean Dyche, Nuno Espírito Santo and former boss Slaven Bilic.

The latter, who was a fan favourite and managed the Irons from 2015 to 2017, took charge of 109 games before David Sullivan and the board replaced him with David Moyes on an interim basis.

Now, Bilic is emerging as a favourite for the potential West Ham job, as Sullivan apparently favours re-hiring the Croatian over alternative candidates (Ben Jacobs).

The 57-year-old’s stance on a return to east London has now emerged too, courtesy of Jack Rosser in The Sun.

Slaven Bilic would love to re-join West Ham amid Graham Potter uncertainty

According to Rosser, Bilic would be open to a West Ham comeback as senior figures present him as an option, but there is an err of caution as it is also believed that the tactician has offers from elsewhere.

In his opening season, Bilic guided the club to one of their highest ever league finishes, seventh, which also earned them a place in the early Europa League qualifying rounds.

West Ham finished 11th in his second campaign before Bilic was shown the door early in his third season, having left with the club sitting in the relegation zone, but Rosser also reports that Bilic would come in on an initial caretaker basis.

Matches

109

Wins

42

Draws

30

Losses

37

Goals scored

160

Goals conceded

167

Points

156

Average points per game

1.43

via Transfermarkt

Amid the fierce backlash from West Ham supporters, who are planning protests this Saturday before their home game against Crystal Palace, the board is under mounting pressure, and it is vital they get their next appointment right if Potter does leave.

Bilic has been out of management for well over a year, departing Saudi side Al-Fateh in 2024, and it is very debatable whether the ex-Hammers defender is really the right man to take them forward, especially with Nuno also readily available.

That being said, Bilic was once a popular figure, with Aaron Cresswell hailing his passion.

لا يزال محمد صلاح في مقدمة خطط آرني سلوت مدرب ليفربول، ولا يبدو أن الشخصيات المؤثرة في أنفيلد قلقين حول ما قام به صلاح بحذف كل ما يتعلق بأنه لاعب الفريق من حساباته على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي.

وكشف الصحفي “فابريزيو رومانو” الحقيقة وراء مستقبل محمد صلاح وكل ما كان يثار حوله من تكهنات خلال الفترة الماضية.

أقرأ أيضاً.. محمد صلاح يتعرض لضربة قوية قبل مباراة ليفربول وبرينتفورد

وكان ليفربول قد حقق فوزا ساحقا ضد آينتراخت فرانكفورت بخماسية لهدف واحد بعد سلسلة من أربع هزائم متتالية، وشارك المصري كبديل في هذه المباراة.

وذكر رومانو: “لا توجد أي مشاعر سلبية على الإطلاق، يبقى محمد صلاح جزءا أساسيا من الفريق والمشروع، ليست هذه أفضل لحظاته لكن ليفربول يواصل دعمه وثقته به، لا توجد أي مشاكل على الإطلاق”.

وكان محمد صلاح قد جلس على مقاعد البدلاء في مباراة دوري أبطال أوروبا أمام آينتراخت فرانكفورت، وقد اختار سلوت المداورة في هذه المباراة، وينتظر المصري التسجيل منذ 17 سبتمبر.

Pep Guardiola has named the one player that he'd "love" to have back at Manchester City. City have previously shown a ruthless streak when it comes to cashing on players who no longer wish to play for the club, notably Leroy Sane who left the Premier League side for Bayern Munich in 2020. However, Guardiola has revealed that one "performing unbelievably" he'd welcome back.

Getty Images SportStriker left City last summer

Julian Alvarez left Manchester City for Atletico Madrid last summer having become frustrated at a lack of regular game time for the Premier League powerhouse. The 25-year-old started 31 league games in his final season at the Etihad Stadium, but a bulk of those came as a result of absences to either Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne.

With both fit, Alvarez was often dropped to the bench despite scoring 11 goals and providing nine assists in the 2023/24 campaign. As such, the 2022 World Cup winner pushed to leave with Atletico winning the race to secure his services.

While City were keen to retain the forward, they were willing to sanction his exit and the striker shone in his debut campaign with Atletico. While Aleti finished the league season in third, Alvarez still scored 17 times and laid on a further four assists.

Advertisement'I'd love to have him'

And Alvarez has started the season strongly, scoring six times in his opening eight league outings though Atletico have made a sub-par start to the campaign, winning only three times. However, Alvarez's performances for the Spanish side have not gone unnoticed, with Guardiola admitting he's one he'd "love" to have back at the Etihad.

Ahead of City's game against Everton, Guardiola said: "Julian had to compete with Erling (Haaland), which was something extraordinary for us.

"Julian Alvarez is top. That's why now he's at one of the best clubs in the world, Atleti, playing for a top class manager, players, performing unbelievably. Maybe I'd love to have him… but I understand why he left."

Alvarez wasn't the only player who left City recently as Aymeric Laporte departed for Al-Nassr in 2023, another who was keen on more playing time under Guardiola, who added: "The Treble year, do you remember the players I left on the bench? Aymeric Laporte, an incredible central defender and a regular for the national team, Julian and others who I would love to have now, but they wanted to play more and left."

Getty Images SportDid Man City replace Alvarez?

City were caught short in attack when Alvarez left last summer as the Premier League powerhouse failed to sign a replacement for the Argentina international. The Manchester side only spent on winger Savinho from Girona and re-signed Ilkay Gundogan following his Barcelona release.

However, after a disappointing start to the season, which wasn't helped by the absence of midfielder Rodri, City splashed the cash back in January, signing Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Nico Gonzalez and, crucially, Omar Marmoush, the Egyptian joining from Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt to replace Alvarez.

Marmoush scored seven league goals following his move to City though has endured an injury-hit start to the Premier League season having made just two league starts, though he made the bench for Saturday's game against Everton.

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Atletico looking to get back on track

Atletico will look to get their season back on track when they face Osasuna on Saturday night. While Diego Simeone's side have lost just one league game this season, they returned to league duties eight points behind league leaders Real Madrid, who they demolished at home 5-2 last month.

Alvarez is expected to lead the charge for Atleti, who are without the suspended Clement Lenglet for this must-win meeting in the capital. And the former City hitman is looking to add to his six league goals of the season when Osasuna make the trip to the capital.

However, Alvarez has scored in just three of his eight appearances in 2025/26 having bagged a hat-trick against Rayo Vallecano and a brace in the Madrid Derby triumph at the end of September.

Alvarez also drew a blank over the international break as he failed to score in Argentina's 1-0 win over Venezuela in Miami. Lionel Messi sat out the narrow victory but played the full 90 as the world champions eased to a 6-0 win over Puerto Rico, a match Alvarez watched from the sidelines while Lautaro Martinez bagged a brace from the bench.

While success hasn’t always followed, West Ham United have had some genuine world-beaters represent the club over the years.

For example, the likes of Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst are more than just club legends; they are true icons of the English game.

Then, in the modern day, while he’s not quite matched their achievements, Jarrod Bowen is in with a real chance of being the club’s greatest ever Premier League player.

However, there is another man who might have an equal shout for that title: Dimitri Payet.

The Frenchman was utterly incredible during his time with the club, and in great news, Nuno Espírito Santo has someone in his current squad with shades of the midfielder in his game.

Payet's West Ham career

West Ham signed Payet from Marseille for a fee of around £10.7m, and while the move received little media attention at the time, it would soon be looked at as one of the best deals that summer.

It didn’t take long at all for the mercurial midfielder to make his mark, as on his debut, against Arsenal, he provided an assist for Cheikhou Kouyaté from a well-taken free-kick.

From that point onwards, the Saint-Pierre-born genius would continue to turn up for the Hammers, and by the end of the season, he had racked up a brilliant haul of 12 goals and 15 assists in 38 games, totalling 3223 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, such an incredible debut campaign for the club saw him named the Premier League Player of the Year at the 2016 London Football Awards, shortlisted for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and named West Ham United Player of the Year.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and after telling the club he didn’t want to play for them anymore, he left for £25m in January.

Appearances

60

Minutes

4981′

Goals

15

Assists

22

Points per Game

1.52

It’s hard to overstate how brilliant Payet was to watch at West Ham, and while there isn’t anyone just like him in the current squad, there is someone with shades of him in their game.

West Ham's star with shades of Payet

Now, there are a number of players in this current West Ham side who could go on to do great things at the club, as Bowen already has.

Chalkboard

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

However, when it comes to someone who has shades of Payet in their game, it’s hard to look past Crysencio Summerville and the potential he has.

It’s important to say the word potential, as it would be crazy to suggest that the former Leeds United star has reached the levels the Frenchman did at the club.

However, that is not the point, as this isn’t a comparison to say he will be as good as the 38-year-old; it’s to point out the elements of his game that feel Payet-esque.

One such element is his brilliant ability with the ball at his feet, specifically when it comes to dribbling and beating opponents.

This was on full display in his Man of the Match-winning display against Everton on Monday night, as the Dutchman was able to complete three of five dribbles, which was the most of anyone on the pitch, including Jack Grealish.

More than that, he utilises this ball-carrying ability to create numerous chances for his teammates, whether through winning fouls or outmanoeuvring opponents.

SCA (Fouls Drawn)

0.52

Top 1%

Fouls Drawn

2.58

Top 3%

Penalty Kicks Won

0.10

Top 4%

Pass Completion % (Medium)

88.1%

Top 5%

SCA (Take-On)

0.72

Top 7%

GCA (Fouls Drawn)

0.10

Top 8%

For example, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for shot-creating actions coming from fouls won, the top 4% for penalties won, the top 7% for shot-creating actions coming from take-ons and more, all per 90.

Finally, while his output hasn’t been ideal since his move to East London, there is undoubtedly a star waiting to come out in the “unstoppable” game-changer, as dubbed by Statman Dave.

This was on show in his final campaign with Leeds, when he racked up 21 goals and ten assists in 49 games and won the Championship Player of the Year.

Ultimately, Summerville isn’t as talented as Payet, but with his ability on the ball and dynamism, there are certainly shades of the Frenchman in his game.

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