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West Ham face an urgent crisis in the striker position as the January transfer window approaches, with manager Nuno Espírito Santo reportedly identifying a new centre-forward as the absolute priority if the club hope to swerve relegation.

The Hammers sit 18th in the Premier League table with just 13 points from 18 matches, having scored the joint-fourth fewest goals in the top flight this season.

Relegation is staring them in the face right now as West Ham sit five points adrift of safety, and pressure is mounting on Nuno after a barren run of seven games without victory.

West Ham host Brighton this evening with Nuno desperately in need of three points to both restore faith in him and their hopes of Premier League survival.

Nuno made the controversial decision to drop striker Callum Wilson, who has been in good form lately, in their last outing against Fulham — instead opting for Jarrod Bowen as the makeshift number nin

Related "Could happen" – Player admits he may join West Ham as agent works on transfer

He’s made a January admission.

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Niclas Füllkrug’s departure to AC Milan also means that Nuno has been left with very few natural options up top bar Wilson and the inexperienced Callum Marshall, so reports are suggesting that a striker is top of the agenda next month.

West Ham have already made an approach to sign Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, as first reported by the reliable David Ornstein, and it is believed that the Norwegian is open to an east London move.

However, the asking price for Strand Larsen also sits at around £45 million, which presents a roadblock to West Ham as they reportedly scour for cheaper alternatives.

According to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee recently, one of the other strikers on their radar is Viktoria Plzen star Rafiu Durosinmi.

Even though Nuno is prioritising domestic options right now, the Nigerian is one to watch if he abandons that approach.

Now, as per Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke, West Ham have moved in with an offer.

West Ham submit bid for Viktoria Plzen star Rafiu Durosinmi

Indeed, it is now claimed that a £12 million bid has gone in from West Ham for Durosinmi, with both Stuttgart and Lazio making identical offers for the African ahead of January.

The 22-year-old has been on fire for Plzen since returning from a serious ACL injury, bagging 22 goals in all competitions across 2025, with former Plzen boss Miroslav Koubek praising his ‘high level’ form this year.

West Ham have enjoyed real success shopping in the Czech top flight in recent years, with Tomas Soucek, Vladimir Coufal and even El Hadj Malick Diouf impressing at the London Stadium.

Subscribe to the newsletter for striker-transfer insight Want detailed transfer analysis? Subscribe to the newsletter for focused coverage of West Ham’s striker options: from reported £12m offers for Rafiu Durosinmi to scouting assessments and how each target could reshape the club’s attacking prospects.

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Durosinmi’s form both domestically and in Europe has caught the attention of West Ham talent-spotters, and he could well be a solid outside option to bolster Nuno’s attacking line.

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	Mickey Arthur remains on South Africa’s national selection panel based on a technicality © AFP

Gerald Majola, the chief executive of Cricket South Africa (CSA), has confirmed Mickey Arthur, the South African coach, cannot be axed from the national selection panel as he is under a contract. The board’s general council, which reaffirmed its stand on the transformation policy, had “removed” Arthur from the panel on Saturday. However, only the board’s professional arm, headed by Majola, had the power to remove him.”Mickey Arthur is contracted by Cricket South Africa (Pty) Ltd, and his contracted duties include being a national selector,” Majola said in a statement. “Only the board of directors of CSA (Pty) Ltd can change this, and therefore the resolution taken at General Council’s teleconference on Saturday to remove Mr Arthur from the selection process is unconstitutional.”I have been in contact today (Sunday) with the convenor of selectors, Joubert Strydom, and have informed him that the same selection panel will finalise the team to tour Bangladesh. The panel comprises Joubert Strydom (convener), Mickey Arthur (national coach), Vincent Barnes (assistant national coach), Graeme Smith (captain), Mustapha Khan (selector) and Shafiek Abrahams (selector). The team will be announced tomorrow (Monday) after three players have undergone fitness tests, namely Hashim Amla, Andre Nel, and Neil McKenzie.”With any luck, Arthur and Norman Arendse, the CSA president with whom he has been having a running battle, will bump into each other in a deserted parking lot sometime soon. Maybe then, with no one watching and nothing more lethal than a pair of jabbing index fingers, we might get to the bottom of this week of Monty Python mayhem. Until then, let’s try and make sense of what has happened.On Tuesday Arendse rejected the squad selected for South Africa’s imminent tour to Bangladesh. He did so, we believe, on the grounds that only four black players were included in the squad and not seven as called for in terms of CSA’s plan for the ongoing racial transformation the game. It doesn’t matter if we euphemise that bit of legislation as a policy or a target: what matters is the number. And that number is seven. Four isn’t even close.Where was Herschelle Gibbs in the wake of his spectacular century in the last one-day international against West Indies, Arendse wondered. And didn’t Monde Zondeki deserve some recognition for the 54 wickets he took in 10 SuperSport Series matches this season? Both are black, which would leave us just one short of the required number.Arthur countered with a similarly sharp perspective. The South Africans return home briefly from Bangladesh before returning to the subcontinent for what is sure to be a challenging series against India. Arthur wanted his best team on the field in Bangladesh to ensure they hit the ground running when they encountered the big brothers next door.Arendse countered that, with a lengthy tour of England looming after the Indian venture, South Africa needed to find out whether players like Zondeki – and other bowlers – were up to international standard.At this point, non-South African readers might wonder what all the fuss has been about. Even allowing for what in other countries would be the novelty of a racially based selection policy, this is the stuff of the average committee meeting, surely. Why all the acrimony?The upshot was that Arendse laid disciplinary charges against Arthur, who duly fired back a salvo of charges of his own against the president. Except that Arendse, as an elected official, was not subject to the same set of rules and regulations as CSA employees like Arthur. So the coach’s charges are unlikely to stick. Instead, Arthur is likely to find himself on the carpet on charges of bringing the game into disrepute in the next day or so, and he might well find himself out of a job shortly after that.

Time to retire for Sachin Tendulkar? Ian Chappell thinks so © Getty Images

Ian Chappell, the former Australian captain, has come down hard on Sachin Tendulkar, saying the time had come for him to consider quitting the game. Chappell said that the Tendulkar decision would be crucial as India try and rebuild after their shocking first round exit from the ongoing World Cup.Tendulkar managed only 64 runs in India’s three first-round matches of the World Cup, and couldn’t make much of an impact against Bangladesh (7) and Sri Lanka (0), the two games India lost.”Before anybody else makes a decision on what will happen to Tendulkar the player himself has to have a good long look in the mirror and decide what he’s trying to achieve in the game,” Chappell, 63, wrote in , a Mumbai-based tabloid. “At the moment he looks like a player trying to eke out a career; build on a glittering array of statistics. If he really is playing for that reason and not to help win as many matches as he can for India then he is wasting his time and should retire immediately.”Chappell went on to compare Tendulkar with Brian Lara, the West Indian captain, and pointed out how the latter hadn’t changed his style of play over a 17-year career. “This is a credit to his technique and mental strength, as the aging process generally makesa player more progressively conservative,” Chappell wrote of Lara. “Tendulkarhasn’t worn as well; his last three or four years have been a shadow of his former self.Chappell took into consideration the slew of injuries that Tendulkar had suffered during his career, a factor that had forced him to miss a number of matches in this decade. “Tendulkar hasn’t been as lucky as Lara,” Chappell wrote, “the Indian batsman has suffered a lot of injuries in this period where his play has deteriorated and there is nothing that melts your mental approach quicker than physical handicaps. Lara has been relatively free from injury and he certainly doesn’t have the weight of numbers riding on his shoulders that Tendulkar does. However, the population of the Caribbean might be small but they are extremely demanding.”Despite all the fuss and the odd controversy that has surrounded Lara’s career he has remained himself; this is my game and that is how I play. For whatever reason Tendulkar hasn’t been able to maintain his extremely high standards for the last few years and unless he can find a way to recapture this mental approach he’s not doing his team or himself any favours.”If Tendulkar had found an honest mirror three years ago and asked the question; ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the best batsman of all?’ It would’ve answered; ‘Brian Charles Lara.’ If he asked that same mirror right now; ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall should I retire?’ The answer would be; ‘Yes.’

Scorecard

Roger Fouhy started the slide © Getty Images

It was just about honours even at the end of a low-scoring second day of the State Championship final between Wellington and Central Districts at the Basin Reserve. At the close, Wellington had reached 93 for 2 in reply to Central Districts 312.It was a day for the purists as Central Districts, who resumed on 184 for 2, barely managed two an over in the face of a far more spirited performance from Wellington’s bowlers. Scott Rasmussen, who took the only two wickets to fall on the opening day, added two more to finish with 4 for 67, as Central Districts lost their last 8 wickets for 106 inside two sessions.Roger Fouhy started the slide with the important wicket of Mathew Sinclair, caught behind by Stu Mills for 67, and although the inexpereinced middle order all got starts, none went on to play a big innings. Tim Weston was bowled by Dewayne Bowden for 14, and then Bowden ran out Ross Taylor for 25 with a direct hit.Bevan Griggs and Ewen Thompson then looked to have stemmed the slide with a sixth-wicket stand of 48 before Rasmussen removed Griggs and Brendon Diamanti in the same over. Thompson remained unbeaten on 36 as Jesse Ryder polished off the tail.Wellington lost Luke Woodcock to the first ball of the second over, and Michael Parlane for 17, but their innings was anchored by a two-and-a-half hour unbeaten 51 from Matthew Bell. With Ryder, he had added 46 for the third wicket by stumps.

Pakistan 570 (Younis 267, Inzamam 184, Harbhajan 6-152) and 261 for 2 dec (Younis 84*, Hameed 76, Afridi 58) beat India 449 (Sehwag 201, Laxman 79*, Kaneria 5-127) and 214 (Gambhir 52, Afridi 3-13) by 168 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

For once, Rahul Dravid failed in a crunch situation, falling to Arshad Khan for 16© Getty Images

On a thrilling final day that went all the way down to the wire, Pakistan defied the odds at Bangalore and pulled off a magnificent series-levelling victory, taking all ten Indian wickets – the last one falling with just six overs left in the day – and winning by 168 runs. Shahid Afridi was the star performer with the ball for Pakistan, taking three middle-order wickets for 13, but every member of the team played his part in a famous victory.It was Pakistan’s second remarkable fifth-day effort of the series, after the staunch resistance offered by Kamran Akmal and Abdul Razzaq at Mohali, and the 1-1 result was just reward for the fighting qualities displayed by Pakistan all series. It is a result that is likely to have a far-reaching impact on Pakistani cricket.A draw was still the most likely result when the day began, with Pakistan not appearing to have the ammunition to bowl the entire Indian line-up out in 90 overs. And when India went to lunch at 103 for 1, they were comfortably placed to save the game. But Pakistan struck just after lunch, claiming the wicket of Gautam Gambhir for 52 (108 for 2). And then Arshad Khan, recalled to the team for this series after more than four years out of Test cricket, claimed the most important wicket of his career, having Rahul Dravid snapped up at silly point (118 for 3).All this while Afridi, who produced an incendiary half-century yesterday to set up the declaration for Pakistan, had been straining at the bit, firing in his mixture of legbreaks, offbreaks and topspinners and from time to time advertising his impatience with these subtleties with a faster ball that made Akmal wince with pain every time it beat the bat.Now he struck two decisive blows to break open the Indian batting, trapping VVS Laxman in front with a quick skidding delivery (127 for 4), and then comprehensively bowling Sourav Ganguly with a breakback that beat Ganguly’s optimistic drive (135 for 5). Ganguly, stunned, hung around the crease for quite a while, as if wishing to turn time back one ball and not play the same stroke this time around.India’s hopes now rested on Sachin Tendulkar, the last man left from the top six, and for a while Tendulkar batted magisterially. Neither Afridi’s variations, nor the varied words he let the batsman hear after each ball, seemed to trouble him, and he struck majestic poses in defence, offering a dead bat to virtually everything. But almost on the stroke of tea Mohammad Sami surprised Tendulkar with a short ball that he fended off his face, and the heart of every man on the field was in his mouth as Asim Kamal at short leg reached for the ball, seemed to pouch it in one hand, and then juggled it and spilled the chance.Pakistan must have gone into tea with a sinking feeling in their hearts, but on resumption their spirits seemed to have flagged not one jot, and Sami quickly struck again by uprooting Dinesh Karthik’s offstump with a full inswinger (164 for 6).But it was in the next over that Pakistan struck the killer blow, Afridi getting one to lift on Tendulkar and loop to short leg off the inside edge. This time Kamal made no mistake (164 for 7).

Gautam Gambhir batted well for his half-century, but his dismissal sparked off a collapse© Getty Images

If India succeeded into taking the game as far into the evening as they did, it was because of some staunch resistance from Anil Kumble, who rounded off a wonderful series with the bat – he was dismissed just once in five innings – by making an unbeaten 37. Kumble managed to play out nine overs with Irfan Pathan and another five overs with Harbhajan Singh, and Pakistan were just beginning to worry again after he saw out another five overs with Lakshmipathy Balaji when Balaji padded up to Danish Kaneria and was adjudged lbw.When all was over, it seemed remarkable that there was one stage in the morning when Virender Sehwag and Gambhir skipped along at four an over, and Sehwag seemed to be entertaining thoughts of actually going for the target. This remote possibility was shut out when he was run out in a misunderstanding with Gambhir, and after that, as has happened so often this season, the runs dried up completely and Pakistan were able to surround the batsmen with close fielders.India could be justifiably criticised for going too much on the defensive after lunch and playing into Pakistan’s hands, but it has to be granted that runs by this stage had ceased to matter – in fact, this was precisely for this reason that Inzamam-ul-Haq delayed his declaration yesterday and let his batsmen amass such a big lead.The truth was that Pakistan wanted victory urgently, pushed for it on every day of this Test match, and finally – after five days of sapping, often nervewracking cricket, and with shadows falling on the final day – left the field with their heads held high.How they were out
Responded to Gambhir’s call for a single and was left stranded when his partner changed his mind.
Played across a full-length delivery from Sami.
Played forward to a sharp offbreak and was well-taken at silly point off pad and bat.
Was caught half-forward by a full delivery that skidded on.
Was suckered into a drive at a wide ball that turned and bowled him through a yawning gate.
Failed to bring his bat down on a late inswinger that sent his off-stump cartwheeling.
Could not keep down a ball that kicked a little and was caught at short leg.
Played the ball down defensively but it popped off his boot and was caught at silly point.
Jabbed at a legbreak and was caught at silly mid-off.
Offered no stroke to Kaneria and was given out, though the ball seemed to be heading past off stump.

Andrew Caddick has requested to be allowed to join the England Academy tour to Malaysia and India at the end of January in a bid to prove his fitness for the main tour of the West Indies in March. Caddick is reported to be recovering well from an operation to remove a bone spur on his back after sustaining a stress fracture.”I’m feeling good and am stepping up my schedule slowly,” said Caddick. “But I don’t want to make predictions. The tour is still a long way off. I’m on a gruelling regime and I will be fit. Anyone who knows me knows I mean it. I want to play at least for another year.”But Peter Gregory, the ECB’s chief medical officer, sounded a note of caution which appeared to make Caddick’s participation in the Academy tour unlikely. "Andrew is nowhere near being able to bowl again, " he said. "He will not be for perhaps another six weeks."Gregory was more upbeat about the rehabilitation of England’s other sidelined fast bowlers. "Simon Jones has done fantastically well. He is fitter than ever and will go on the Academy tour. Steve Harmison’s recent progress has been very encouraging and he’s nearly there. Low back injuries like his are hard to pin down but he should be fit if he is picked for the Caribbean."

A devastating spell of five for 10 from seven overs from Michael Mason provided the most exciting cricket of this State Championship match and has left Central Districts expecting to win the game tomorrow.Northern Districts finished the day on 45/5, an overall lead of only 19. They began the day expecting to push for a win by its end. Instead, only the weather can save them from a defeat that will effectively end their season.Mason took a wicket with the first ball of the second over of ND’s second innings, trapping Matthew Hart leg before wicket as he played half forward. It should have been two from two, but Campbell Furlong could not hold on to a low chance at second slip offered by Joseph Yovich.Instead, James Marshall became Mason’s second victim. He was controversially caught at short leg by Peter Ingram. There was doubt about whether or not the ball had carried. Umpire Peter Wright consulted with his colleague Mike George at square leg before sending a disappointed batsman on his way. Marshall scored two from 13 balls.Yovich was next to go, bowled for four by a beauty that clipped the top of off stump as it swung away from him. ND were 12/3.They slithered to 26, of which Michael Parlane contributed eight from two edged fours before he fell lbw to Mason. With the aggregate scores level, ND were effectively nought for four.Scott Styris completed the quickest five-wicket haul of Mason’s career. Extra bounce tempted Styris to cut, but the pace of the ball meant that he could not keep the ball down. David Kelly took a brilliant catch in the gully.Mason got more out of the pitch in seven overs than the quicker ND bowlers had in more than two sessions. He richly deserved his haul, which currently betters his career-best of five for 44. He was most unlucky to finish wicketless in the first innings when ball after ball found the edge but did not go to hand.CD coach Dipak Patel told CricInfo that Mason’s performance was down to bowling a good line and length and his ability to swing the ball late. He believes that Mason and the other members of the CD pace quartet of Andrew Schwass, Lance Hamilton and Brent Hefford should be in the minds of the selectors.”We’ve got quite a few who have been knocking on the door, but they never seem to get a mention. I’d like to think that all four of our fast bowlers are very close, but I don’t know that the selectors think the same way. No selector was here to watch.”Earlier, Furlong and Bevan Griggs were CD’s batting heroes with a stand of 180, beating the CD seventh-wicket record against ND of 133 by Martin Crowe and Ian Smith in 1983/84. Both men achieved career-bests. They batted from the start of play until Griggs was leg before wicket to Simon Andrews half an hour before tea. Griggs made 76 from 297 balls with eight fours.Furlong followed soon after, leg before wicket attempting to sweep Hart. He fell 12 short of a deserved century, having faced 231 balls with nine fours and two sixes.Both innings were memorable more for their concentration and longevity rather than their strokeplay, though both men had their moments. Furlong’s two sixes came in the same Yovich over, an effortless flick of the pads followed by a hook to the longest boundary.Patel described the performance of Furlong and Griggs as a “fantastic effort”.”The two batsmen were told ‘be as positive as you can on this wicket’ and not to play across the line. The first target was to save the follow-on. Then we wanted to get to 200. After that it was just a case of batting.”Both of them played very sensibly and showed a lot of guts and determination in fighting through some difficult periods.”Some effective swiping by Schwass (30) and Mason (18) gave CD a lead of 26 that appeared to be of no significance until Mason began to charge in from the city end.The ND bowling was tidy and economical, but questions will be asked about why they needed almost five hours to take the last four CD wickets when Mason needed only seven overs to remove ND’s top five.Patel believes that batting will remain a challenge for the rest of the game.”It’s looking a very tired wicket. It’s the second four-day game on it. It’s one of those where you’re never really in, but if you’re prepared to play straight and be patient not many bowlers will be able to get you out.”A win for CD would keep them three points short of Auckland and Wellington in the State Championship table, with a home game against Auckland coming up next week.The weather could be a problem tomorrow, with patchy rain forecast.

Riding on the good form of Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Abijit Kale and Kaushik Aphale,Maharashtra piled up 320 runs while losing four wickets at the close of play onthe opening day of their last league match of the West Zone Ranji trophy matchagainst Mumbai at the Shivaji Stadium in Kolhapur on Friday.Opting to bat, Maharashtra lost veteran opener Surinder Bhave (0) caught behindoff Sameer Dighe off Swapnil Hazare in the sixth over of the innings. But thisushered in the Maharashtra skipper Kanitkar (61) to join the other opener DhirajJadhav (31). The two added 100 runs for the second wicket in 21.5 overs. Jadhavwas the next to depart giving a return catch to Ramesh Powar.Abijit Kale (87) then replaced Jadhav but four balls later Kanitkar returned tothe pavilion after giving a catch to Sachin Sawant off Powar. During a 105-minute stay at the crease, Kanitkar faced 82 balls and found the boundary ropes10 times. Then Maharashtra recovered well from the double blow as Kake andKaushik Aphale (69) forged a 111-run partnership for the fourth wicket.Aphala, who fell for a catch by Sawant off Powar, had stayed at the centre for106 minutes and faced 106 balls and hit eight fours and two sixes. Thereafter,Kale found able company in Sagar Shah (43 not out) to take the home team tostumps without any further hiccups. The unbeaten partnership was worth 99 run.Ramesh Powar was the most successful bowler for Mumbai with figures of 3 for 79in his 15 overs.

Newcastle United journalist Dominic Scurr has noticed something major involving both Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier.

The Lowdown: Injury setbacks

Unfortunately for the Magpies, both players continue to suffer from injury setbacks.

The striker has been struggling with a calf injury since January, while the right-back suffered a metatarsal fracture in February.

The Latest: Dubai trip

As per The Shields Gazette journalist Scurr, Wilson and Trippier have joined the squad for their trip to Dubai, suggesting that they will now train with their team-mates in the hope of stepping up their respective recoveries.

Taking to Twitter, the reporter said that it was ‘good to see’.

The Verdict: Big boost for Newcastle

The fact that Wilson and Trippier have joined up with the rest of the squad is a big boost for Eddie Howe and Newcastle.

They are two hugely important players to the team, with the ex-Spurs defender currently ranking as their best player in the Premier League according to WhoScored, while the former Bournemouth striker remains their top scorer in all competitions this season despite being out injured for a couple of months.

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Nonetheless, the trip to Dubai could really help aid to aid their recovery, and Howe will no doubt want to have both plauers available for the latter end of the campaign, especially if Newcastle find themselves in need of points to stay up.

In other news, find out what significant financial loss NUFC are now set to make here!

	Adam Gilchrist sees no obstacles to a short-term Twenty20 stint in India © Getty Images

Cricket Australia is likely to allow Adam Gilchrist to play in the IPL despite an agreement between organisers and boards forbidding players to join until two years after their international career is over. While the move could set a precedent for others who may be lured to the league by the cash, the argument is that the cooling off period is designed to stop young players quitting early for a long career in the Twenty20 competition.Gilchrist is 36 and will retire from internationals in March, but is still contracted to Cricket Australia. CA is keen to use him as a coach and in promotions, but again this isn’t seen as an obstacle because the IPL lasts for only two months.Gilchrist did not foresee any problems with the deal. “The IPL is moving quickly and we’re just trying to get a gauge on what the restrictions are,” Gilchrist told . “As far as I know at the moment, Cricket Australia haven’t given me any indication they wouldn’t want me to part of that, but I’m not 100% sure. We’re just trying to confirm that.”Lalit Modi has said no player could retire early to sign an IPL deal without permission from his national board.Gilchrist will meet with CA’s chief executive James Sutherland soon to discuss the options. The board may not be so lenient in other instances, as it is understood to be considering using its powers of veto for contracted players.Before the IPL begins, however, there is the small matter of the CB Series to complete and Gilchrist is not concerned about Australia’s fielding of late. “As long as cricket’s played there are going to be dropped catches,” he said. “Sometimes they come in little patches, little clumps, and at other times you go through many, many games without dropping one and no-one writes a story about how great the catching’s been. All we can do is keep working hard at training and make sure we’re as sharp as possible come game day.”