Manchester United have joined the race to sign Borussia Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck, and the Bundesliga club’s stance on cashing-in has now been revealed.

Man United have taken major strides over the past month or so, having taken 11 points from their last five matches, but it would be fair to say their defensive record still needs major improvement.

Ruben Amorim’s side have shipped 18 goals in their opening 11 games, the joint-highest number of any side above 16th in the Premier League table, failing to keep a clean sheet since the 2-0 victory against Sunderland at the beginning of October.

Both Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt have impressed in an attacking sense, with the former scoring the winner at Anfield, while the Dutchman recently received high praise from Rio Ferdinand, who said: “De Ligt’s been our best defender this season”

“I think he’s been outstanding for us. He’s even adding goals like the last-minute equaliser the other day.”

That said, Amorim clearly needs to tighten things up at the back, given the sheer number of goals his side have conceded, and the Red Devils have now set their sights on a new target.

Man Utd join race to sign Nico Schlotterbeck

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Man United have now joined the race to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Schlotterbeck, who is about to enter the last 18 months of his contract with the German club, meaning a bidding war could be on the cards.

Liverpool have also emerged as potential suitors for the centre-back, who has earned comparisons to Virgil van Dijk, in light of his composure under pressure, which has been on display in the Champions League.

Dortmund may need to cash-in due to their financial situation, as they are currently at risk of losing the 25-year-old on a free transfer, and there is no shortage of interest, with Barcelona currently believed to be leading the race for his signature.

The defender’s ball-playing ability, coupled with the fact he is left-footed, is said to make him perfect for Amorim, and the Dortmund star has earned high praise from former Premier League chief scout Mick Brown.

Brown said: “He’s a dominant centre-back, a regular for Germany, and a very defensive option who likes to win tackles, win headers and take charge of the back line.”

Impressively, the German is also very comfortable in possession of the ball, as displayed by his performance across some key passing and dribbling metrics over the past year.

Nico Schlotterbeck’s passing and dribbling statistics

Average per 90

Passes attempted

84.06 (97th percentile)

Progressive passes

7.43 (99th percentile)

Progressive carries

1.29 (89th percentile)

Successful take-ons

0.48 (92nd percentile)

Schlotterbeck is experienced at the top level, having amassed 22 caps for Germany and 35 Champions League appearances, and he could be the ideal option for Amorim at left centre-back.

What Man Utd plan to do to hijack Real Madrid's move for Marc Guehi What Man Utd are ready to do to hijack Real Madrid's move for Marc Guehi

He could be a superb signing for the Red Devils.

ByHenry Jackson Nov 4, 2025

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Com aporte milionário da 777 Partners, o torcedor do Vasco sonhava com grandes contratações e estabilidade no retorno à Série A. Contudo, o Cruz-Maltino teve temporada conturbada e flertou até a última rodada contra o rebaixamento. Abaixo, o Lance! relembra o melhor e o pior momento do Vasco em 2023.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

ELIMINAÇÃO PRECOCE NA COPA DO BRASIL

Antes da semifinal do Campeonato Carioca, o Vasco enfrentou o ABC pela segunda fase da Copa do Brasil. Em pleno São Januário, a equipe de Maurício Barbieri empatou em 0 a 0 com uma atuação tecnicamente muito ruim.

Nas penalidades, Orellano e Pedro Raul, dois dos principais e mais caros reforços da temporada, desperdiçaram suas cobranças e o Cruz-Maltino foi eliminado, protagonizando mais um vexame na competição.

NO VA A BAJAR!

A virada de chave do Vasco na temporada veio em julho, com a chegada do técnico Ramón Diaz. Com o treinador argentino, o Cruz-Maltino melhorou em campo e passou a ser um time aguerrido, mesmo sem conseguir se distanciar da zona do rebaixamento.

+ Veja como ficou a tabela do Brasileirão após a última rodada

Em 25 partidas, Ramón somou dez vitórias, seis empates e oito derrotas, com aproveitamento de 50% . A equipe vascaína não encantou, mas fez o necessário para seguir na Série A, e o mantra de Ramón Diáz, “no va a bajar”, foi o elo que uniu a torcida ao elenco na luta contra o rebaixamento.

A diretoria do Vasco decidiu renovar o contrato com o treinador, e o novo vínculo de Ramón com o Cruz-Maltino vai até dezembro de 2025.

South Zone were on 129 for 2 at stumps, still trailing by 233 runs

Ashish Pant13-Sep-2025

Yash Rathod missed out on his maiden first-class double ton, but his 194 was enough to give Central Zone a firm hold on the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy final in Bengaluru.Resuming the third day on 384 for 5, ahead by 235 runs, Central Zone stretched their lead to 362, with useful contributions from Saransh Jain (69) and Deepak Chahar (37) alongside Rathod’s ton. Left-arm seamer Gurjapneet Singh and left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma took four wickets apiece, but Central Zone racked up 511 in 145.1 overs.In reply, R Smaran and Ricky Bhui maintained a positive approach as they took South Zone to 129 for 2 at stumps, still trailing by 233 runs.Related

'I love playing risk-free cricket' – Rathod extends dream red-ball run

Saransh Jain, Kumar Kartikeya hand Central big advantage

How Kartikeya turned the Duleep final on its head

The morning session on both days of the final had plenty for the fast bowlers. That wasn’t the case on day three, though, with the pitch flattening out. Rathod clipped Gurjapneet through midwicket early before Jain reached his second successive fifty with a cut through point. Rathod, too, reached his 150 after the lead crossed the 250-mark.South Zone missed a chance to send back Jain on 61 when he seemingly played and missed a flatter delivery from Ankit. Replays confirmed Jain had got a thin nick through to the wicketkeeper but none of the fielders appealed. The miss didn’t cost South Zone much with Jain missing a reverse sweep off Ankit and getting bowled for 69.Deepak Chahar cracks a cut•PTI

Rathod, meanwhile, picked up pace. He drove V Koushik past mid-off and lifted Bhui over long-on. South Zone burnt their final review when Ankit pinned Deepak Chahar on the back foot with a quicker delivery, but the ball was sliding down leg.Having defended and prodded enough, Chahar took on Ankit, depositing him over long-on and then slashing him through point before going after Gurjapneet through mid-off and cover in an over.Rathod looked fidgety after lunch, and his luck ran out when Gurjapneet got a length ball to nip back sharply into the batter, breaching his defence to end a 286-ball knock. Central Zone lost their last four wickets in 11 runs as Ankit wrapped up the innings. He toiled 44.1 overs and took 4 for 180, while Gurjpaneet picked up 4 for 124 in 28 overs.With no major alarms in the pitch, South Zone started their second innings confidently. Chahar and Aditya Thakare got a hint of movement, but Tanmay Agarwal and Mohit Kale kept things steady. Kale was circumspect initially, but back-to-back flicks for four against Chahar got him going. He reeled off four fours in the next three overs as South Zone went into tea on 57 for 0, trailing Central Zone by 305 runs.Jain got Central Zone the first breakthrough after tea, trapping Kale lbw with a quicker delivery. Smaran, in at No. 3, pulled and drove Kuldeep Sen twice in three balls, but the fast bowler struck at the other end. Agarwal shouldered arms to Sen, only to find the off bail getting dislodged.With the ball gripping and turning, Bhui and Smaran counterattacked against the spinners and found the boundaries regularly. Smaran had a close shave when he was given out lbw to Jain, but a tiny inside edge onto the pad saved him. The duo added an unbroken 53-run stand for the third wicket before bad light ended the third day 25 minutes early.

أصدر مجلس إدارة نادي الاتحاد السكندري برئاسة محمد أحمد سلامة، بيانًا يعبر فيه عن استيائه من أداء طاقم تحكيم مباراة الفريق أمام الجونة في الدوري الممتاز. 

وكان فريق الاتحاد السكندري قد خسر أمام الجونة بهدفين دون رد، في الجولة الـ14 من بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز. 

طالع.. فيديو | زد يتعادل مع كهرباء الإسماعيلية وبتروجيت يخطف فوزًا بثلاثية أمام حرس الحدود

وجاء بيان نادي الاتحاد السكندري على النحو التالي: 

يعرب مجلس إدارة نادي الاتحاد السكندري عن استيائه البالغ مما شهدته مباراة الفريق أمام نادي الجونة، التي أقيمت اليوم على استاد الإسكندرية تحت إدارة الحكم محمود وفا من قرارات تحكيمية مثيرة للدهشة أثرت بشكل مباشر على سير ونتيجة المباراة، ووضعت علامات استفهام عديدة حول آليات اتخاذ القرارات من جانب حكم المباراة.

على سبيل المثال لا الحصر قام مدافع الجونة باستخدام مرفقه بشكل مباشر داخل منطقة الجزاء، ما أدى إلى إصابة مهاجم الاتحاد السكندرى فادى فريد بشكل واضح في وجهه، ورغم وضوح المخالفة وشدة الالتحام قرر الحكم تجاهل الموقف وعدم احتساب ركلة جزاء لصالح الاتحاد السكندري ولم يحاول مراجع تقنية الفيديو.

عقب دقائق فقط تكرر المشهد بصورة مطابقة تقريبًا عندما تدخل لاعب الاتحاد السكندري كريم الديب، مستخدمًا مرفقه في لعبة مشابهة، ليقرر الحكم احتساب مخالفة وإشهار بطاقة صفراء ثانية وطرد اللاعب، وهو تناقض حاد لا يمكن تفسيره أو تبريره، خصوصًا أن القرارين صدرا من الحكم نفسه وفي المباراة ذاتها وفي لعبتين لا تختلفان عن بعضهما سوى في لون قميص اللاعب. 

تزداد علامات الاستفهام مع احتساب الحكم ركلة جزاء مشكوكاً في صحتها لصالح فريق الجونة في الوقت بدل الضائع من الشوط الأول، رغم أن مدافع الاتحاد السكندري محمود شبانة نجح بوضوح في لعب الكرة قبل حدوث أي احتكاك مع مهاجم الجونة، إلا أن الحكم أصر على احتساب الركلة بصورة تثير التساؤلات، وهو قرار أسهم بشكل مباشر إلى جانب الطرد، فى تغيير شكل المباراة ووضع لاعبي الاتحاد السكندري في موقف صعب وغير عادل.

ويعبر مجلس الإدارة عن دهشته الشديدة من غياب أى رد فعل من الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم ورابطة الأندية تجاه ما تتعرض له الأندية من أخطاء تحكيمية مؤثرة ومتكررة، ورغم المناشدات المتكررة بضرورة إصلاح منظومة التحكيم، إلا أن الواقع يشير إلى استمرار نفس المشكلات دون أي تغيير، وهو ما يضر بعدالة المنافسة ويمس مصداقية المسابقة بأكملها.

ويؤكد مجلس إدارة نادي الاتحاد السكندري، أنه في حالة انعقاد دائم لدراسة كافة الإجراءات التي تضمن الحفاظ على حقوق النادي وحمايته من التأثيرات السلبية لمثل هذه الأخطاء التحكيمية التي لم تعد مقبولة بأي شكل، كذلك اتخاذه عدد من القرارات الحاسمة تهدف إلى إصلاح مسار فريق الكرة.

Lamine Yamal sent another message to Barcelona fans ahead of the club’s long-awaited return to Camp Nou, promising that “history will be written” at the renovated stadium. The teenager has been building excitement all week, sharing new images and captions as Barca prepare to host Athletic Club in their first match at their iconic home in over 900 days.

Yamal fires up with ‘history will be written’ Camp Nou message

Barca sensation Yamal has intensified the anticipation surrounding Barcelona’s return to the Camp Nou by posting another rallying message ahead of Saturday’s La Liga clash with Athletic Club. The 18-year-old winger, who has been sidelined from international duty due to treatment for pubalgia, is expected to feature this weekend despite his recent fitness concerns.

Barca have been preparing for their long-awaited return to Camp Nou after more than 900 days away, and Yamal has become the unofficial face of the excitement. Earlier in the week, he had shared a photo of the renovated stadium with the caption “Special nights are coming.” Now, he has doubled down on the sentiment.

On social media, Yamal changed his Instagram profile picture to an image of him clutching the Barca badge and added a powerful line: “Montjuic was the beginning. Camp Nou is where history will be written.” The message has gone viral among supporters eager to see Barca back at their famous home.

This will mark Barca’s first match at Camp Nou since May 2023, with the club playing at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuic during the extensive renovations. Despite being only 18, Yamal has already featured once at the old Camp Nou, his 2023 debut against Real Betis, and he now returns as one of the club's biggest stars.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportCamp Nou reopening creates historic moment

Barca’s return to their home has captured global attention, after receiving a new license from the local council, Barca are now cleared to host matches with a capped capacity of 45,401 fans while construction continues. Originally planned for late 2024, the return was delayed multiple times, but the club finally received approval on Monday to stage league matches.

The reopening comes after a successful test event in early November, where nearly 23,000 supporters attended an open training session inside the partially completed stadium. President Joan Laporta labelled the event “a success,” and the club filed the necessary documents shortly after to extend capacity for competitive fixtures.

Yamal's message reflects both personal ambition and the symbolic meaning this return carries for a young squad that includes several players yet to play a senior match at Camp Nou. The list of first-teamers awaiting their Camp Nou bow includes Fermin Lopez, Marc Casado, Dani Olmo, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Joan Garcia, Marc Bernal, Roony Bardghji and Dro Fernandez. For them, Saturday’s match represents a landmark moment in their careers.

How Barca prepared for their historic return

Camp Nou has been closed since 2023 while renovation works transformed the arena into one of the most advanced stadiums in world football. Barca’s temporary move to Montjuic saw fluctuating attendances, and club officials maintained that a minimum capacity threshold was required for a return to be financially sustainable.

The initial permit granted in October would have allowed only 25,991 spectators, far too low for the costs involved. After the successful open training session and revised safety reports, the club finally secured approval to host over 45,000 fans, a number that allows them to generate significant matchday revenue once again.

The reopening arrives at a critical point in Barcelona’s season, and with the team chasing momentum in La Liga and still navigating complex squad-building challenges, returning to Camp Nou is expected to provide a psychological and competitive boost.

Yamal, one of the symbols of this new era, has become the emotional bridge between the old and new Camp Nou. For a player who made his debut at Camp Nou aged 15, stepping back into the stadium as a global star brings emotional weight.

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AFPCamp Nou return sets stage for crucial run of fixtures

Barca’s upcoming clash against Athletic Club marks the start of a demanding stretch for Blaurana. After their La Liga return to Camp Nou, the team travels to Chelsea for a Champions League showdown, before hosting Alaves and Atletico Madrid, matches now confirmed to be played at Camp Nou under the expanded capacity.

However, uncertainty remains over the Champions League home tie against Frankfurt on December 9. UEFA rules differ from La Liga’s on mid-season stadium changes, but Joan Laporta has expressed confidence that the match can be played at Camp Nou, with plans in motion to meet all required infrastructure standards, including covered areas for the directors’ box.

As the squad prepares for a busy run of fixtures and the emotional homecoming, all eyes will be on Camp Nou, and on the young winger who has positioned himself at the centre of Barcelona’s new era.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has sent out a strong message on talk of a potential blockbuster £100m Spurs transfer. Since the Lewis family took full control of the Premier League side from former chairman Daniel Levy, they have pumped in funds of £100 million to demonstrate that they are aiming to achieve sustained success at the north London club.

• New ownership, renewed hope at Spurs

  The financial boost from the Lewis family came at a time when Tottenham are fighting for a top five finish this season, and have suffered only three Premier League defeats in 11 matches under new boss Thomas Frank, a considerable improvement from where they were under Ange Postecoglou last season. While £100m might not stretch far in today’s highly inflated football economy, many are calling it "the beginning, not the end" of a new financial drive at Spurs. Behind the money is a new face of Tottenham power, Vivienne Lewis, daughter of the late billionaire patriarch Joe Lewis. Alongside her brother Charles and son-in-law Nick Beucher, Vivienne has taken personal charge of the family’s football jewel, regularly attending matches and meetings to steer the club’s new direction. 

  Since ousting long-serving chairman Daniel Levy in September, the Lewis family has tightened its grip, rebuffing three separate consortium offers from Saudi, Chinese, and American investors. A source close to the family had earlier told , "This is initial additional funding. As the club's management decides what's needed to deliver success, more money will be available. The Lewis family is committed to backing the club to be successful."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  'They definitely said they are all in for the club'

  Speaking on the new club owners, Frank told reporters: "They [the Lewis family] definitely said they are all in for the club, that they want to be here for the long term and they want to have success. That’s, of course, a little bit big headlines. We’ll see what happens in the future, but I’m confident they will back us to do everything we can to build a successful club.

  "I’m very good at talking up here [to the media], but it’s about showing it out there on the pitch consistently and after setbacks. The same with them. In the best positive way, that’s what we need to do together."

• Will Tottenham spend £100m on one player?

  Addressing the club's plan for the January transfer window and whether they would spend the entire £100m on one player, Frank added: "In the next 50 years? Then yes! It’s very evident that every successful club, not for one year. Over five, six, seven years, to build, you need a combination of time and processes. Then, of course, investment. If you want success in football, you need to invest in players. Hopefully, do it cleverly and we want to do it smart, so we don’t invest too much on the wrong players. But you need to invest… £100m? I don’t know. Let’s see. I don’t think we are close to spending £100m, put it that way. But I don’t know, let’s see what happens in the future.

  "So you need to be good at developing the players, which I believe we are and we will be very good at. But then you also need to invest in the right potential of a player. He could be 22, or 26. Declan Rice is a good example. How old was he when he joined Arsenal? 24? That’s important. Nobody achieves the top without investing."

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• Getty Images
  

  Spurs eye win in North London derby

  At the moment, Spurs and Frank remain focused on maintaining consistency on the pitch and remain among the top five teams in the Premier League. Up next is the north London derby on Sunday, where Frank's side will lock horns against arch-rivals and league leaders Arsenal. Spurs will hope to win the season's first derby and reduce their gap with the Gunners. 

West Ham are scouring the market for a new striker as Niclas Füllkrug prepares to depart the London Stadium in January, and a former Tottenham forward has now entered their radar.

Nuno Espirito Santo has called upon Callum Wilson and Lucas Paqueta to play the striker role in Fullkrug’s latest injury absence, but even once the Germany international returns, he won’t be donning Claret and Blue for long.

The 32-year-old’s disappointing spell at the London Stadium is set to end after just 18 months, with trusted sources like Fabrizio Romano confirming that Fullkrug plans to seek a new challenge as soon as the transfer window reopens.

Discussions have already been initiated and the player’s representatives are said to be in contact with potential suitors from Germany and beyond.

Fullkrug has made just 27 appearances for West Ham since his arrival on a four-year contract in August 2024, scoring only three goals, with his first season heavily disrupted by two long-term injuries that saw him miss a combined 28 games for club and country.

Niclas Füllkrug’s missed games for West Ham and Germany — 2024/2025

Injury

Missing from

Missing until

Games missed

Achilles tendon

08/09/2024

02/12/2024

16

Hamstring injury

11/01/2025

01/04/2025

12

Romano revealed in his GiveMeSport newsletter this week that West Ham are hopeful of finding a striker who would be a better fit than Füllkrug, with the club already considering options.

West Ham have Man United’s Joshua Zirkzee on their list of targets, with the Dutch striker struggling for regular opportunities under Ruben Amorim. The Hammers are also reportedly quite interested in signing Ivan Toney on loan as the England striker looks to battle his way back into Thomas Tuchel’s squad.

Nuno’s side explored the possibility of signing Real Madrid’s Endrick on loan too, but the Brazilian teenager is now on the verge of a move to Lyon instead.

Reports in Italy suggest AC Milan striker Santiago Gimenez will cost around £21 million to sign in January, amid reports that West Ham are keen on handing the Mexico international a fresh start in the Premier League after a tough time at the San Siro.

While January is a notoriously difficult window, the east Londoners do have options on the table, and one of them is now former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott.

West Ham eyeing former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott

According to Turkish media, West Ham are eyeing a move for Parrott amid his scintillating Eredivisie campaign so far, as Fullkrug also ‘prepares to leave’.

The Republic of Ireland international left Spurs permanently in 2024 to join AZ Alkmaar in a deal worth just under £7 million, and he’s since found a new home in the Netherlands.

Parrott’s racked up 13 goals in 14 appearances for AZ already this season, with six of them coming in the Dutch top flight.

The 23-year-old has also fired them to third in the table and four wins from their last five games, with Parrott’s form now attracting West Ham’s attention as AZ make his price tag known.

They want at least £26 million to consider parting company in January, and such a fee would mean they make a near-quadruple profit off hs sale.

Parrott heroically guided his country to the World Cup play-offs after scoring a hat-trick in their 3-2 qualifying win over Hungary on Sunday.

It’s turning out to be quite the year for him, and a return to London could be on the cards if he wills it and West Ham are prepared to pay AZ’s asking price.

The Philadelphia Phillies lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, falling 3-1 at Citizens Bank Park. It wasn't all bad for a select few Phillies fans, though, thanks to second baseman Bryson Stott.

In Stott's first at-bat he stepped into the batter's box with a new piece of equipment—a pink armband on his left arm. As the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast would later reveal, it turns out Stott was part of a gender reveal for a friend of his and the armband was, in fact, the gender reveal.

Stott donned the pink armband for Ryan Stevens and his wife. Stevens designs custom shoes for Stott, among other Philadelphia athletes. And he's having a girl!

Not bad for a gender reveal. Not bad at all. Most couples can't say their gender reveal was seen by an audience of thousands, but the Stevens sure can.

A cool gesture from Stott.

On Saturday the San Diego Padres defeated the Atlanta Braves, 1-0, to stay undefeated and sweep the Braves for their first series win of the young MLB season. Jake Cronenworth was the winning run, getting driven in by Yuli Gurriel in the bottom of the seventh inning. Cronenworth was in a position to score thanks to one of the strangest doubles you'll ever see.

In the bottom of the seventh Cronenworth was at the plate facing a full count with two outs. He swung at a sinker from Braves reliever Aaron Bummer and got just enough wood on the ball that it flew off the bat as a low liner. Then things got weird.

The ball hit Bummer and careened off the field of play past the third-base line into the dugout. Cronenworth was rewarded with a double. It was a ridiculously unlikely sequence.

It was already very unlikely that Cronenworth hitting a ball off the pitcher would result in a hit. It's even more unlikely that the ball would hit off the pitcher and end up going down the dugout stairs. It's not a very wide entrance to the dugout! But that's exactly what happened. Cronenworth got just enough contact to get the bounce he needed, got himself in scoring position, and wound up the game-winning run.

Baseball is back.

While their start to the season might suggest otherwise, West Ham United do have some seriously talented players in their squad.

For example, the likes of Freddie Potts, Lucas Paqueta, Mateus Fernandes and El Hadji Malick Diouf are all quality options.

However, when it comes to the Hammers’ most crucial player, it’s impossible to ignore Mr West Ham himself, Jarrod Bowen.

At his best, the Englishman is a force of nature, and so fans should be excited about reports linking the club with someone who could be Bowen 2.0.

West Ham target their next Bowen

Since moving to West Ham in 2020, Bowen has made 251 appearances for West Ham.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

In that time, he’s provided 53 assists and scored 77 goals, including what will probably be the most important he’ll ever score, the winner against Fiorentina in the Conference League Final.

There can be no doubt that the Leominster-born international has been one of the greatest transfers the club have made in the modern era, and so it’s exciting to see that they might be about to make a similar one.

At least, that is according to a recent report from Sports Boom, which claims West Ham are interested in Scott Twine.

The report goes further, revealing that the Irons are in fact plotting an £8m swoop to sign the Bristol City star as soon as January.

However, the East Londoners are unlikely to get a free hit at the Englishman, as the report has also highlighted Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers as interested parties.

With that said, even if it’s not a straightforward deal, West Ham should pursue Twine, as he could be a Bowen repeat.

Why Twine could be a Bowen repeat

Now, the first thing to point out is that, yes, Twine is primarily a midfielder and therefore plays a very different role and style compared to Bowen.

However, where he plays is not what makes this a potential repeat of the move for the 28-year-old.

Instead, one of the main similarities is that, were this deal to go through in January, it would be another example of the Hammers signing one of the most interesting English players from the Championship.

For example, in the half-season before his move to East London in 2020, the former Hull ace had racked up a monstrous tally of 17 goals and six assists in 32 games.

Appearances

17

Starts

17

Minutes

1318′

Goals

6

Assists

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

131.8

Now, the Bristol star hasn’t been that much of a goal threat, but considering he is a midfielder, his tally of six goals and four assists in 17 appearances is still hugely impressive.

Moreover, while it would be foolish to expect the Swindon-born ace to be as good for the Irons as their captain has been over the years, there is at least one area of the game in which he’s arguably world-class: free-kicks.

For example, four of his 11 goals over the last two years have come from them, and when you see the quality of them, it’s hard to disagree with one content creator who has dubbed him “the best free kick taker in the world.”

With that said, Bristol’s manager, Gerhard Struber, has made clear that the 26-year-old “is not only a free-kick monster; he is also a really good transition player.”

Ultimately, while he isn’t going to be as transformative as Bowen has been, Twine could be another excellent signing from the Championship for West Ham, and given his price tag, a bit of a no-brainer.

Wilson upgrade: West Ham hold talks to sign new CF who "can't stop scoring"

The inform striker could be the perfect addition to Nuno’s West Ham squad and a dream upgrade on Wilson.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 26, 2025