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West Bromwich Albion failed to find a regular source of goals throughout the 2022/23 Championship season as their top scorer ended up with seven strikes.

Brandon Thomas-Asante and Daryl Dike both found the back of the net seven times and Carlos Corberan will be hoping that one of them, or new signing Josh Maja, is able to score with greater regularity this term.

Who are West Brom's most expensive signings?

The Baggies have spent a lot of money over the years in an attempt to find a consistent goalscorer and that is evidenced by four of their five most expensive signings in their history being centre-forwards.

Player

Fee paid

Salomon Rondon

£14.6m

Karlan Grant

£14.1m

Nacer Chadli

£13m

Oliver Burke

£13m

Jay Rodriguez

£11.7m

Fees via Transfermarkt.

West Brom have been willing to shell out significant transfer fees in search of a prolific number nine and one of their failures in that respect was Brown Ideye, who arrived at the club in the summer of 2010.

How much did West Brom pay for Ideye?

Alan Irvine, who was the team's manager at the time, swooped to sign the centre-forward from Dynamo Kyiv for a reported fee of £10m in 2014, which made him the most expensive player in the club's history at that point.

The likes of Rodriguez, Grant, and Rondon have since been bought for more than Ideye but there is little doubt that the Baggies had a shocker with that signing as he ended a rough time in England.

Irvine had described the former Dynamo star as a "powerful" and quality marksman and seemingly believed that the £10m addition would be the go-to man for goals at the top end of the pitch.

He arrived at The Hawthorns off the back of an excellent spell in Kyiv as the Nigeria international plundered 42 goals and 11 assists in 103 matches in all competitions. This included 34 goals in 78 Premier League outings as he showcased his ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis.

Ideye had also enjoyed a strong stint with Sochaux in France prior to his move to Ukraine. The £10m-rated forward had scored 15 goals in 35 Ligue 1 appearances during the 2010/11 campaign, which promoted his transfer to Dynamo.

He started his career, however, with Neuchatel Xamax FCS in Switzerland. The attacker scored 30 goals and provided 16 assists in 61 clashes for the club in all competitions after making the breakthrough from academy football.

These statistics show that West Brom were signing a player who had scored goals for several different clubs in multiple countries, including 15 goals in a major European league in France.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why they were confident enough to splash out a club-record fee to secure his signature as they believed that he would do the same in England.

How many goals did Ideye score for West Brom?

However, that was not the case as the Nigerian finisher struggled throughout his time in English football and left the Baggies after scoring seven goals in 31 appearances in all competitions.

Ideye endured a rough debut season in the Premier League as he only scored four goals in 24 matches after his big-money move from Dynamo, which was considerably worse than the 15 he managed in France for Sochaux.

He averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.36 in that time and that was the 22nd-highest score within the squad, out of 26 players – with three of the four players below him failing to start more than one game – and this highlights how disappointing his performances were.

Ideye also ranked fifth and second within the team for how many times he was dispossessed and gave the ball away through poor control respectively per game.

These statistics show that the former Sochaux star struggled to deal with the quality on display at the top level of English football as opposition players found it far too easy to take the ball off him and he did not make up for it with enough goals at the top end of the pitch.

The Nigerian forward later revealed that he felt "overwhelmed" by the expectation that came with being the club's record signing and lambasted the lack of patience people had with him as he attempted to adapt to life in England and the Premier League.

His struggles may also have played a part in Irvine's eventual sacking in December of 2019 as the Scottish tactician's huge summer signing failed to make the desired impact on the pitch.

Tony Pulis came in to replace him in January but was also unable to get Ideye firing to the best of his abilities and that led to the striker's exit in the summer of 2015 as the Welsh boss opted to allow him to leave instead of attempting to give him another season to find his feet.

How much did West Brom sell Ideye for?

The Baggies reportedly cashed in on him for a fee of €6m (£5m) at the end of the 2014/15 campaign as Greek giants Olympiacos came in with an offer to take him away from The Hawthorns after just one year.

This means that the West Brom flop's market value plummeted by a whopping £5m in just 12 months as his poor Premier League form resulted in his price halving from the £10m that the club initially paid Dynamo in 2014.

Therefore, Irvine had a howler with the signing of the Nigeria international, who scored six goals in 27 caps for his country, as the move did not have the desired effect on the pitch, as evidenced by his aforementioned statistics, and it came at a significant financial loss for the club.

Ideye went on to score 28 goals and assisted ten in 65 appearances for Olympiacos, which included 23 goals in 43 Super League outings, as he rediscovered his form in front of goal.

The 34-year-old marksman was most recently with Al-Yarmouk SC in Kuwait and endured a difficult spell in Turkey with Goztepe prior to that move. He scored three times in 36 matches for the Turkish side and two of those came in his 35 league games between the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns.

Mark Stoneman and James Vince added a century stand for the second wicket as England doused some of Australia’s fire in the opening Ashes exchanges

The Report by Andrew Miller22-Nov-2017England 196 for 4 (Vince 83, Stoneman 53) v Australia
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWhen England’s Ashes tourists were dubbed the “Un-name-ables”, it was the likes of James Vince and Mark Stoneman whom the detractors would have had in mind – if only they could have picked them out of the crowd. Two first-time visitors to Australia, with a solitary half-century from ten previous Tests between them, their reputations were so lowly that they could only get better, or so the selectors’ logic would have you believe.But lo and behold, by the close of another frenetic, absorbing first day at the Gabba, Vince had replaced that blanked-out question mark on his profile page with a perfect array of no-filter cover-drives, while Stoneman – in reaching his fifth consecutive half-century of the tour – had announced himself as the sort of imperturbable left-handed nugget upon whom English Ashes victories Down Under have recently been founded.But before anyone starts to equate Vince’s elegance with Michael Vaughan’s tour de force in 2002-03, or Stoneman’s insouciance with Chris Broad’s and Alastair Cook’s efforts in 1986-87 and 2010-11 respectively, it’s worth taking a second look at a scorecard that confirms how hard England were forced to battle for even a share of the spoils.Despite enjoying periods of rare dominance in the midst of a second-wicket stand of 125 that, remarkably, outshone any England partnership at any stage of their dismal last visit in 2013-14, England started and finished the day in a rare old scrap – first with Mitchell Starc exploiting once again Cook’s weakness against quality left-arm seam to bag him for 2 in the third over, and then in the twilight, as Nathan Lyon in particular backed up his extreme pre-match lippiness with one of the finest wicketless spells of first-day offspin ever witnessed in an Ashes contest.Lyon did, however, produce the single most significant moment of Australia’s day – a pinpoint pick-up-and-shy from the covers to run out Vince for a career-best 83. It was the opening that his side desperately needed, and while it may not have been fully exploited before the close, the loss of Joe Root, lbw to the persevering Pat Cummins for 15, did leave Moeen Ali and Dawid Malan clinging on to the close. They did so in a gutsy 33-run stand, but when play was controversially suspended moments after a tight lbw appeal from Starc against Malan, the day’s honours had been left more or less even at 196 for 4, even if Australia’s second new ball was a mere three deliveries old.How much of a difference would it have made to the balance of power had Vince made it through to the close? It’s not the sort of rhetorical question that had been predicted when he was recalled – amid scenes of barely surpressed mockery – to be England’s nailed-on Ashes No. 3. After all, his Test career had appeared dead in the water when he was dropped after the 2016 home summer, with 212 runs at 19.27 to his name.But the selectors evidently saw something in the quality of his shot-making that deserved a second chance, and in powering past his previous Test best of 42, he returned that faith in spades.Under overcast skies and with palpable humidity in the air, there must have been a temptation for England’s captain, Root, to bowl first after winning the toss – not that such a course of action is remotely acceptable in Ashes contests these days, given what happened when Nasser Hussain went down that route in 2002-03.Mark Stoneman and James Vince take a run•Getty Images

Instead, Root trusted in his untested top order to deliver the goods, and from the moment the shine went off the new ball and the sluggish nature of Kevin Mitchell Jnr’s final Test wicket was fully revealed, any lingering doubts about his wisdom had been vanquished. Not that he really wanted Vince to be involved in the action as early as the third over – but, having avoided temptation in Mitchell Starc’s first over, Cook had no riposte to a perfect off-stump outswinger that kissed the edge through to Peter Handscomb at first slip.But right from the outset, Vince had his game brain in full working order. With Australia’s three seamers favouring a full-length approach, there was ample opportunity for Vince to unfurl his favourite cover drive, and one stroke in particular – off Josh Hazlewood in the 11th over – was pure Vaughan in poise and execution. He had one significant let-off on 68, when Tim Paine, of all people, shelled a snick behind the stumps off Lyon to leave the wicketkeeper’s card marked seven years after his last Test. Fortunately, Lyon himself made sure that the damage wasn’t irreparable.At the other end, Stoneman showed that Cook’s influence persists even when his form isn’t quite as it might be. His judgement outside off was impeccable, particularly against the probing Starc, as the pair’s partnership was stretched across 52 overs plus a lengthy rain delay that pushed the tea interval back by an hour and 20 minutes, and effectively forced them to make two separate starts to their innings.At the culmination of a month of ceaseless Ashes hype, crowned with a week of the purest trash-talk in Brisbane, the manner in which they drew the sting of the most feared Australian venue of them all was inspiring, and at times distantly reminiscent of England’s famous second innings on this ground in 2010-11.But, having nudged coolly along to a Test-best second half-century, it took the ball of the day from the energetic Cummins, a reverse-swinging howitzer that trimmed the top of his bails, to send Stoneman on his way in the closing moments of the afternoon session.It was a telling breakthrough, with Australia just beginning to make the old ball talk, and though that ball did have to be changed after landing in a puddle by the boundary’s edge, Cummins soon found the length and the skill with the replacement to thud a big inswinger into Root’s pad to pin him lbw for 15.At 163 for 4, England were a couple of quick blows from squandering their hard-fought position, and with Lyon settling into a edge-threatening rhythm against the left-handed pairing of Moeen and Malan, the prospect of the Gabba making a Kraken-like awakening could not be remotely ruled out.Both men lived dangerously, beaten time and again outside off, as the floodlights blinked into action to add a further layer of threat to England’s position. But it was Starc’s trio of deliveries with the second new ball that offered the starkest reminder of the threat that persists in Australia’s ranks. Despite being made to toil, they stayed very emphatically in the hunt.

The win, however, could not help Chittagong on the points table, with the Vikings finishing the tournament last out of seven teams

The Report by Mohammad Isam05-Dec-2017
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLuis Reece crunches the ball through the off side•Raton Gomes

Chittagong Vikings’ 45-run win over Rajshahi Kings added some sheen to their BPL campaign, but it still didn’t take them out from bottom place. They finished the 2017 season last, with losers Rajshahi finishing one spot ahead of them at sixth.Chittagong’s unlikely batting hero was Luis Reece who struck a quick-fire unbeaten 80; Luke Ronchi and Sikandar Raza also made contributions with forties of their own to help Chittagong to 194 for 2 in 20 overs.In Rajshahi’s depressing outing with the ball, only Mehidy Hasan Miraz stood out with his 2 for 18 from four overs. Mustafizur Rahman and Mohammad Sami gave away 90 runs in their combined eight overs.Samit Patel’s 26-ball 62 gave Rajshahi some early push but he fell in the 10th over to dash their hopes. Raza starred with the ball, taking his maiden four-wicket haul in T20s and finishing with his best figures in the format.Ronchi’s last flingRonchi capped off his fine BPL season with another brisk start. This time he struck three sixes and four boundaries in his 30-ball 42. The first of those sixes was a lucky break as Rony Talukdar dropped the catch; Ronchi then hammered Sami and Qazi Onik for one six each over extra cover and long-on.Reece fleeces RajshahiHaving made only 61 runs in the previous seven innings, it was surprising to see Reece open with Ronchi. But he did a fine job, hammering four fours and three sixes in his 56-ball knock. It took him a while to get going, as he got his first six in the 12th over, lofting Mehidy over long-off. He struck Mustafizur and Sami for straight sixes in the slog overs. He added 86 runs for the unbroken third-wicket stand with Raza. The Zimbabwean himself struck three sixes and as many fours in his unbeaten 20-ball 42.Patel retaliatesPatel was another under-performing cricketer this season, having made just 38 runs in the five previous innings. Sent to bat at No. 3 after Rony Talukdar fell in the third over, he slammed Taskin Ahmed over square-leg for his first six. In the sixth over, he smashed four boundaries in a row against Rayad Emrit, who conceded 17 in the over.Then he hit Tanbir Hayder for two sixes in the eighth over before doing the same to Al-Amin in the following over. But Patel fell in the 10th over, brilliantly caught-behind by Irfan Sukkur off Reece. He had struck six fours and five sixes in his 26-ball whirlwind knock.Raza strangles with spinIn the 13th over, Raza skidded one through to Mushfiqur Rahim, which he inside-edged on to his stumps. Next ball, he trapped Usama Mir leg-before before James Franklin managed to keep out the hat-trick ball with an inside edge. Franklin struck two sixes before falling for 17 in the 16th over. Raza collected another two scalps – Sami and Zakir Hasan – in the 18th over to finish with four wickets, his highest tally in any T20 match.

West Ham United are now likely to lose Gianluca Scamacca this summer with Inter Milan keen on signing the forward, and now a fresh update from a reliable source has claimed that the club may have already identified his replacement.

What's the latest on West Ham's interest in Folarin Balogun?

According to CBS journalist and transfer expert Ben Jacobs, West Ham are one of the clubs to "keep an eye on" in the race to sign Arsenal's Folarin Balogun.

Jacobs took to Twitter to reveal an update on both Scamacca's future and the interest in Balogun:

"Folarin Balogun has asked Arsenal to drop their asking price. He's already said he won't go out on loan. Inter felt £45m was too high and have now bid for West Ham's Gianluca Scamacca. They haven't entirely ruled out signing Balogun, though.

Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE…

"Balogun feels Arsenal have added £10m extra to [the] fee and it's pricing him out the market. #AFC argue their valuation is more than fair given his 22 goals last season at Reims and [his] potential. Some at the club want £50m as a minimum.

"Keep an eye on West Ham. They haven't moved for Balogun yet but do like the player. Multiple Premier League have enquired."

How good is Folarin Balogun?

West Ham will kick off their Premier League campaign away from home next weekend against Bournemouth, so wrapping up business and resolving the issues surrounding Scamacca's future will be absolutely imperative in the coming days.

Indeed, there is a chance that the 24-year-old will remain at the London stadium next season, but it will be important for David Moyes to have a plan in place to bolster the attacking threat as soon as possible.

As a result, the signing of Balogun would be a great piece of business for the Hammers, and if the former Stade de Reims loanee can emulate his performances in Ligue 1 last season, he could be a fantastic successor to replace Scamacca.

Over 37 league appearances, the USA-born goalscorer scored 21 goals, delivered two assists and created eight big chances, as well as averaging 3.6 shots on goals, – with only Kylian Mbappe, Alexander Lacazette and Jonathan David scoring more over the Ligue 1 campaign.

Balogun's incredible goal-scoring form led to Stade de Reims manager Will Still hailing the player for his influential impact:

"He’s unbelievable, he has real talent, but he is also just a top person."

When comparing Balogun's output with Scamacca's last season, the Arsenal outcast comfortably outperformed his positional peer in a number of key attributes including goal contributions (23 v three), shots on target rate (41.3% v 33.3%), pass completion (70.1% v 66.7%), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.40 v 2.33), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.30 v 0.10) and shots in total per 90 (3.63 v 2.92), as per FBref.

With that being said, if the Irons can offer consistent first-team football to Balogun in the Premier League next season an exit for Scamacca could be a blessing in disguise, as the Gunners ace could significantly improve West Ham's performances in front of goal.

عقد البرتغالي جوزيه جوميز المدير الفني لنادي الزمالك، محاضرة فنية خاصة مع اللاعبين، اليوم بفندق الإقامة في مدينة كوماسي الغانية، استعداداً لمواجهة دريمز.

ويلاقي فريق الزمالك نظيره دريمز، مساء الأحد المقبل 28 أبريل، في إياب دور نصف النهائي لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية، بملعب ملعب بابا يارا.

وشهدت المحاضرة شرح العديد من الأمور الفنية المراد العمل عليها خلال مواجهة دريمز الغاني، بجانب توضيح بعض النقاط التي ظهرت خلال مباراة الذهاب.

طالع | أحمد سليمان: الزمالك جاهز لمواجهة دريمز الحاسمة والتأهل إلى نهائي الكونفدرالية

ووصلت بعثة فريق الكرة الأول بنادي الزمالك إلى غانا مساء أمس الخميس، على متن طائرة خاصة برئاسة حسام المندوه أمين صندوق القلعة البيضاء.

يذكر أن مواجهة الذهاب التي أقيمت بين الفريقين، في القاهرة، الأحد الماضي، انتهت بالتعادل السلبي.

والفائز من مباراة الزمالك ودريمز، يلاقي المتأهل من مواجهة اتحاد العاصمة الجزائري ونهضة بركان المغربي في نهائي بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية.

Leicestershire are the only county without a Championship win but they are giving promotion-hopefuls Kent a fight at Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network29-Aug-2017Sam Northeast kept Kent in contention•Getty ImagesLeicestershire all-rounder Neil Dexter returned to his former home ground to bag 5 for 76 and help restrict Kent to 313 for 9 on a fascinating second day of cut and thrust cricket in Canterbury.The hosts, who still trail Leicestershire – the only side in the county championship still without a win in 2017 – by 37 runs struggled to cope with Dexter’s underrated military-medium seamers.Only Kent skipper, Sam Northeast, who batted almost four-and-a-half hours for his 97, went past 50 for the home side, but he too fell to the wiles of Dexter.Responding to Leicestershire’s dogged first innings of 350, Kent’s opening batsmen Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sean Dickson were both back in the hutch inside 13 overs.Dickson, who looked solid in scoring 19, drove with firm-hands and leaden feet at a full away-swinger from Ben Raine only to edge to second slip. Then, with his score on 17, Bell-Drummond pushed at a gentle Dexter away-swinger and nudged a second catch to Ned Eckersley in the cordon.Northeast and Joe Denly appeared comfortable in adding 39 either side of lunch until Denly, 58 runs short of reaching his 1,000 for the season, tossed away his wicket by wafting off the back-foot against Raine to be caught behind.Sam Billings marched in for only his fourth championship innings ofthe summer to get off the mark with an effortless straight-drivenboundary off Raine. But, having breezed to 16, Billings played looselyacross the line of a shooting off-cutter and appeared disappointedwhen umpire Martin Saggers upheld Dexter’s lbw appeal.Dexter was soon celebrating again when he nipped one down theCanterbury slope to hit the back pad of Old Tonbridgian and Kentchampionship debutant, Zak Crawley, who went lbw for only a single on his championship debut.Northeast and Darren Stevens combined to steady the Kentish ship with a sensible sixth-wicket stand worth 80 either side of tea. Content to wait for the bad ball, Northeast went to a 97-ball 50 with six fours and Stevens was only four runs short of joining him when he played around his front pad to go lbw to a Matt Pillans in-ducker.Left-hander Matt Coles sidled in to launch a one-man boundary spree, hitting seven of them in his 37 before an attempted lap against spinner Callum Parkinson looped up to the keeper seemingly via the gloves. Coles, however, marched off rubbing his forearm.Home skipper Northeast was only three short of his third century of the summer when his 170-ball stay came to an end. Caught on the crease and playing across a Dexter off-cutter, he went lbw after 260 minutes at the crease.Dexter picked up his fifth when Mitch Claydon, with his side 13 shy of a third batting bonus point, drove on the up straight into the hands of short-extra cover.Much to the delight of home supporters, Kent’s last man Imran Qayyum came in to hit his first runs in first-class cricket, including a brace of boundaries, to help Adam Milne steer Kent beyond 300.The second day started as Monday’s play had finished with Leicestershire’s last pairing of Parkinson and Hill making hay.Resuming on their side’s overnight score of 326 for 9, the duo continued to use the long handle and added 24 for a fourth batting bonus point before their invaluable 122-run stand ended when Parkinson (75) edged a Stevens away-swinger to slip to give Stevens a career-best return of eight for 75. Hill was left unbeaten on a season’s best 85.

Leeds United reportedly want to sign Bayern Munich goalkeeper Alexander Nubel this summer on a permanent transfer.

What’s the latest Leeds transfer news?

The Whites and new manager Daniel Farke are currently preparing for the Championship season but are yet to make any senior signings in the transfer market. A number of payers have left Elland Road, either on loan or on a permanent basis, with a takeover involving the 49ers Enterprises still awaiting the EFL green light.

There has been plenty of speculation over new signings, though, with Phil Hay stating that a new goalkeeper, left-back, centre-back, midfielder and forward could be on the agenda in Yorkshire over the coming weeks. One player who could now be targeted in goal appears to be Nubel, with Leeds being named in a recent update.

According to reliable German outlet Bild in the last 48 hours, Nubel doesn’t see his future at the Allianz Arena and seemingly has two options on the table.

The report claims that fellow Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart are looking to loan the goalkeeper, whereas Leeds are interested in a permanent transfer, with Bayern Munich leaning towards a permanent sale. It is believed that a decision could be made regarding Nubel’s future by Monday.

Leeds’ current first-choice goalkeeper has been Illan Meslier, however, Hay believes the club will sell the Frenchman this summer.

Who is Alexander Nubel?

Nubel is 26 years of age and is under contract with Bayern Munich until 2025. The German began his career on the books of SC Paderborn before joining FC Schalke in 2015. Nubel made 53 appearances for the club and signed for Bayern in 2020 on a free transfer.

However, he has featured on just four occasions for his current employers and spent the last two seasons on loan with AS Monaco, where he turned out on 97 occasions in all competitions.

Klaus Thomforde, Germany's U21 goalkeeper coach, once labelled Nubel as an “incredibly talented goalkeeper” who has “extraordinary footballing ability”.

"You can only speak highly of Alex – he's an incredibly talented goalkeeper, with the world at his feet. He's got an extraordinary footballing ability, but he's also very down to earth and is a great lad."

Meanwhile, Eric Kroll, Nubel’s former teammate at Paderborn, has previously hailed the goalkeeper's ability with the ball at his feet.

"Alex was always better with his feet than many of our outfield players – when you had Alex on your team, that was half the job done – you knew you could always pass the ball to him. I can imagine seeing him as Germany number one in future."

As per FBref, Nubel ranks in the top 10% of goalkeepers for saves over the past 12 months (90th percentile), compared to Meslier who sits in the top 62% (38th percentile).

Nubel also holds a better pass completion percentage than the Leeds man and has conceded fewer goals, so it looks as if he could be a sensible option for the Whites to replace Meslier, and by the looks of things, a move could be one to keep an eye on over the coming days.

كشف لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول، هارفي إليوت، عن مستقبله مع الريدز بعد رحيل يورجن كلوب بنهاية الموسم الحالي.

ويحتل ليفربول المركز الثاني في سلم الترتيب العام للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، برصيد 64 نقطة.

اقرأ أيضاً.. جناح ليفربول السابق يعترف: كلوب لم يثق بي وكان يعتمد على أصحاب الخبرات

وألمح هارفي إليوت بشدة إلى رغبته في الاستمرار مع ليفربول بعد رحيل يورجن كلوب، والذي سيرحل بنهاية الموسم الحالي.

وقال هارفي إليوت في تصريحات نقلتها شبكة “Empire Of The Kop”: “أريد الاستمرار في ليفربول والفوز بالألقاب، نحن نريد المزيد، لدي جوع لذلك ويطلق عليه الجشع، لكنني أريد تحقيق المزيد وتجربة كل ما تقدمه هذه اللعبة، خاصة عندما يتعلق الأمر بالألقاب مع هذا النادي”.

وأضاف إليوت: “لدينا لاعبون رائعون في غرفة تبديل الملابس، وهم قدوة يحتذى بها، لذلك أحاول أن أتعلم منهم، أشاهد ما يفعلونه عندما أكون خارج الملعب وأريد تطبيق ذلك في حياتي اليومية”.

وأتم قائلاً: “سنبذل كل ما في وسعنا لمحاولة تحقيق النجاح في كل بطولة، كفريق، لدينا هذا الارتباط حيث نريد جميعًا نفس الشيء والآن أكثر من أي وقت مضى، نحن نصنع التاريخ وعلينا الحفاظ على ذلك”.

An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to add more recruits to their attacking options in the summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Hyun-jun Yang to Celtic?

According to South Korean outlet Sports Donga, the Hoops are pursuing a deal for Gangwon creative midfielder Yang Hyun-jun ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The report claims that the club have already made one offer for the South Korean magician's services but his current side are reluctant to let him go as they battle against relegation from the top flight. It also states that the player is keen on the move and would like to test himself in Europe.

Whilst Gangwon are not willing to part ways with the forward at this moment in time, Sports Donga claims that an upturn in form in July could see them change their stance – and that would allow the Scottish giants to complete a deal for him.

Where would Yang Hyun-jun fit in at Celtic?

The 21-year-old dynamo is a versatile forward who predominantly plays on the right flank, and his arrival could spell bad news for current Hoops attacker Sead Haksabanovic, as it could result in him losing game time.

Celtic's Montenegro international was often deployed on the wing by Ange Postecoglou last season as either a right or left-winger after his permanent transfer from Rubin Kazan last year.

The 24-year-old gem averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.96 across 26 Scottish Premiership appearances in the 2022/23 campaign and contributed with five goals scored to go with six 'big chances' created.

Yang, on the other hand, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.02 across 36 K-League outings in 2022 and chipped in with eight goals, along with six 'big chances' created.

These statistics suggest that the exciting youngster, who was lauded as "special" by journalist Nathan Sartain, could provide a similar level of production in the final third, in terms of both scoring and creating goals.

He also completed 1.2 dribbles per match with a success rate of 61%, which is an impressive achievement in comparison to the Celtic man's 0.5 with a success rate of just 36%.

Of every player with at least ten starts, only Jota (1.5) managed more dribbles per league game last term for the Hoops than Yang produce for Gangwon, which suggests that the South Korean starlet could be an excellent ball carrier to get Brendan Rodgers' team up the pitch.

Therefore, Yang's arrival could be bad news for Haksabanovic as Celtic would be bringing in a player in his position who could offer the same contributions in the final third while also being more direct on the ball.

The Gangwon prodigy is also three years younger than the ex-West Ham attacker, which could be more appealing to Rodgers when the Northern Irishman decides on who he wants around as part of his long-term plan.

With Sean Dyche taking the helm at Everton in January and preserving the endangered Premier League outfit's top-flight status, there is renewed optimism that greener pastures could be found over the coming seasons.

Everton escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth, Abdoulaye Doucoure scoring a thumping strike to secure an invaluable, season-saving victory over Bournemouth on the final day of the campaign, and the requisite moves to veer away from danger must now be made.

Addressing the frontal problems is surely the first port of call for the former Burnley manager, with Neal Maupay scoring once all year since signing last summer and talisman Dominic Calvert-Lewin spending yet another campaign riddled with injury issues.

And the answer could come in the form of Moussa Dembele, with Fabrizio Romano stating that the French talisman is attracting Dyche's attention this summer upon the expiry of his contract with Lyon.

The Merseyside outfit are certainly not alone in their pursuit, however, with Galatasaray and several affluent Saudi clubs all gunning for his signature – but the allure of the Premier League and the role of offensive focal point could well sway the odds in the Blues' favour.

Should Everton sign Moussa Dembele?

Despite not enjoying the most auspicious of terms with his French Ligue 1 outfit, Dembele boasts an impressive goal record throughout his career and there is no reason why he cannot rekindle his prolific edge on Merseyside.

Still only 26-years-old, the Frenchman has posted 70 goals and 19 assists from 172 appearances with Les Gones, previously hailed as "unplayable" by former Celtic teammate Leigh Griffiths.

The £53k-per-week ace only scored three goals this year, starting in the league only eight times, but plundered 21, 15, and 16-goal returns over three of his past four Ligue 1 seasons – certainly unplayable numbers – and remains a fierce forward yearning for a fresh start.

Once dubbed an "exceptional" talent by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, the former France U21 international could look to replicate the success of his compatriot Amadou Onana in joining the club from Ligue 1 and glittering with his performances.

Signing for £33m from Lille one year ago, the 21-year-old midfielder has been "superb" – as stated by Richard Buxton – on English shores despite his club's woes.

Indeed, he averaged 2.4 tackles and 1.1 interceptions in the Premier League, as per Sofascore, impressing so much that he is now earning £55m interest from the likes of Chelsea. Such a successful transfer from France could well provide Dembele with the iron-clad assurance he needs to be a free-firing success with the Toffees.

With a license to forge a prominent attacking role in Dyche's team, Dembele could become a "scoring machine" once again, as he was once called by L'Equipe's Bertrand Latour, and emulate the success of his countryman Onana in entering the fold at Goodison Park and flourishing.