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Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha and a key development in the saga has now emerged.

What's the links with Joao Palhinha?

The Reds have spent all summer making huge changes to their midfield, having experienced so many issues there last season, from ageing players to individuals who couldn't stay fit.

Fabinho and Jordan Henderson have left for Saudi Arabia while Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo have come in. James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departed when their respective contracts expired back in June.

Liverpool will still hopefully sign another defensive midfielder before the end of the month, as well as a left-sided centre-back, and a host of names have emerged, from new Chelsea signings Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Crystal Palace's Cheick Doucoure.

Palhinha is another player who has been considered as a potential addition, having excelled for Fulham last season, being hailed for his "presence" and as "fantastic" by former Reds midfielder Jamie Redknapp.

FSG reportedly like the Portugal international but are wary of his £60m price tag, and a new update has been revealed this weekend.

What's happening with Joao Palhinha?

According to Football Insider, Palhinha's possible move to Liverpool this summer is now unlikely to develop due to two major issues – his price tag and a recent injury:

"Liverpool's interest in Fulham star Joao Palhinha has stalled after his recent injury, sources have told Football Insider. Palhinha suffered a shoulder injury in a pre-season game last month and is yet to return to action for the Cottagers – missing their opening-day win over Everton last week.

"It is believed Fulham’s price tag for the midfielder is also a problem, with Liverpool feeling the Londoners are trying to price them out of a move."

Palhinha is an excellent player whose energy and quality in the middle of the park stood out so much last season – he made more tackles than any other Premier League player – but he doesn't feel like the best possible option for Liverpool this summer.

Having already signed 30-year-old Endo, a younger option is required in defensive midfield such as Doucoure, whereas the Fulham ace is now 28. He wouldn't represent a long-term signing, so the Reds could find themselves again looking for a new No.6 in a few years, which is far from ideal.

Not only that, but Palhinha's current fitness is clearly an issue, and Liverpool have had such bad luck with injury-prone midfielders in recent times, whether it be Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago or Curtis Jones, that they cannot afford to take a risk with someone who is out of the team currently.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

While the Portugal international could easily come in and be a really good signing for three and four years, adding legs in the middle of the park, it is a move where the negatives slightly outweigh the positives, so it is good to see the Reds moving on.

It should now be a case of trying to nail down Doucoure's signature and completing what has been an enormous midfield rebuild this summer.

Mauricio Pochettino's side were sleepwalking towards another dispiriting result before their key man grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck

Cole Palmer woke Chelsea from their slumber to inspire the Blues to a 2-0 victory over bottom club Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The Blues clicked into gear after a first 45 that will go down as one of the most forgettable in Premier League history, and were rewarded inside 10 minutes of the second period as Palmer rounded off a fine passing move by side-footing home Raheem Sterling's cross.

The lead was swiftly doubled as Palmer turned provider for Nicolas Jackson, pouncing on a goalkeeping error to lay it on a plate for the striker.

Substitute Armando Broja and Jackson both missed gilt-edged chances to put further gloss on the scoreline, but the points were secure.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Djordje Petrovic (6/10):

Completely untested on his full debut in truth.

Axel Disasi (7/10):

Not a natural full-back but performed admirably, growing in confidence and bombing down the right.

Thiago Silva (6/10):

Not unduly bothered by a blunt Blades attack. Needed a strong performance after his error at Newcastle.

Benoit Badiashile (6/10):

A calm display at the back. Passed smoothly and did the basics in a fairly straightforward examination.

Levi Colwill (6/10):

Didn't get forward much which meant he wasn't really involved in the vast majority of the play at the other end.

AdvertisementGettyMidfield

Moises Caicedo (7/10):

Arguably his best performance in blue so far. Mopped up on the rare occasions Sheffield United countered and drove his team forwards.

Conor Gallagher (6/10):

Industrious as ever and his forward thrust was crucial to Chelsea building momentum after the break. Very harshly booked.

Cole Palmer (8/10):

Completely anonymous in the first half, game-changing in the second. Combined excellently with Sterling to open the scoring and was very smart to play to the whistle to assist Jackson.

GettyAttack

Raheem Sterling (7/10):

Worked tirelessly down the right flank and helped to get his team off the mark with a smart assist after a drop of the shoulder.

Nicolas Jackson (6/10):

Another fairly quiet performance but took the one clear opening that came his way so hard to be too critical.

Mykhailo Mudryk (6/10):

Some bright moments and a better striker might have pounced on the chances he created. Subbed with 25 to play.

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GettySubs & Manager

Enzo Fernandez (6/10):

Introduced with the job already done but kept things ticking over. Will be glad to have had a bit of a rest.

Armando Broja (5/10):

Ran the defence hard but will be gutted to have missed an absolute sitter.

Malo Gusto (N/A):

On to see out the game.

Ian Maatsen (N/A):

Subbed on to use up some time.

Mauricio Pochettino (7/10):

Whatever the manager said at half-time, it worked. The Argentine will have been mightily underwhelmed by the first-half display, but his players responded and they simply have to use this as a platform to achieve better things.

Rehan Ahmed is just 13. But such is his talent that, for the second year in succession, he was invited by MCC to bowl at the Test teams as they prepared for the Lord’s Test

George Dobell06-Sep-2017There had been talk going into this Lord’s Test that a young English legspinner might win his chance to impress.But it wasn’t Mason Crane who stuck out in the nets ahead of the third and final Test. It was an even younger legspinner named Rehan Ahmed.Rehan is just 13. But such is his talent that, for the second year in succession, he was invited by MCC to bowl at the Test teams as they prepared for the Lord’s Test.Last year he bowled so well that he dismissed Ben Stokes. But MCC felt that, in light of his age, any media coverage would be unhelpful and politely requested he be given time away from the spotlight. That will come soon enough.But this year he was back and bowled beautifully, troubling several batsmen in the nets.He can bat, too. He recently made an unbeaten 150 in a county game and, given the opportunity to face one ball from Jason Holder in the nets, charged down the pitch and drove him back over his head.”He is an exceptional, precocious talent,” Steve Kirby, the head coach of MCC told ESPNcricinfo. “And one we should nurture and not over-coach.”Nottinghamshire are doing a great job with him at present. We all just want to allow him to play and flourish. We don’t want to do anything to crush the wonderful enthusiasm he has at the moment.”Why is he here? Well, we thought he would enjoy bowling at the England and West Indies players. But more importantly, it’s all part of our attempts to build relationships with the south Asian communities. Hopefully seeing Rehan’s success will inspire other boys and girls to follow in his footsteps.”Rehan came to the attention of Nottinghamshire when his father, Naeem, brought him to open trials at the club as an eight-year-old. He was soon drafted into the Under-10 side and, this season, was deemed good enough to play for the U17s on occasions. He has two brothers, one older who is a decent seamer, and one younger, who is a spinner (he is 10 and bowls a lovely doosra).”Mushtaq Ahmed was just walking past the nets last summer and, when he saw Rehan bowl, he stopped in his tracks,” Naeem says. “He came back to watch and was obviously very impressed.”His advice? “He said ‘Just bowl and don’t take too much notice of what any coaches say.'””There is a perception that we over-coach in England,” Gemaal Hussain, the former Gloucestershire and Somerset seamer who is now working as an MCC scout, agreed. “These boys have learned the game in their garden. They have a natural talent that is born of playing the game they love with fun and freedom.”It took Hussain years to break into the first-class game. He spent nights sleeping in his car and months driving around the country in pursuit of opportunities until finally, aged 25, he got his break with Gloucestershire. Things should be considerably easier for those of Rehan’s generation.

Liverpool are having more luck with injuries in comparison to last season, but one individual has suffered a setback in his fitness battle.

Who is injured for Liverpool currently?

Injuries are a huge part of football, and the Reds' 2022/23 season was hampered badly by having numerous players out of action for lengthy periods.

The likes of Luis Diaz, Ibrahima Konate and Naby Keita were high-profile absentees too often, while in 2020/21 it was even worse, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all missing many months of action.

Thankfully, those injury woes have eased in general at the moment, with Thiago continuing to be out since the summer, but the majority of the squad fit and firing.

One player has now picked up another issue, however, during what is a tough time for him.

Which Liverpool player has had a fitness setback?

According to the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle, youngster Kaide Gordon is now out for another two weeks, as his nightmare with injuries continues:

"Liverpool teenage winger Kaide Gordon has suffered another injury setback having made his long-awaited return to action earlier this month. But his latest issue is not related to the pelvic problem linked to his physical growth that sidelined the youngster for more than 18 months.

"While the issue is not regarded as serious, it is particularly untimely with Gordon having just finally started to regain match sharpness after his lengthy time out."

This is a cruel setback for Gordon, even if his absence should only be short-term, with the 18-year-old going through a dreadful period through injury in the past 18 months or so.

Having burst onto the scene as a prodigiously gifted 16-year-old, becoming the second-youngest goalscorer in Liverpool's history after scoring in the FA Cup in January 2022, the attacker has seen his progress stunted significantly through some awful luck.

While others such as Harvey Elliott and Ben Doak have been able to kick on, he has had to sit and watch his chances of becoming a genuine part of Jurgen Klopp's squad slowly evaporate, having been hailed as "great" by Van Dijk in the past.

Time is still clearly on Gordon's side given his age, but he needs to hit the ground running when he does make his return, with the squad depth in attack arguably at an all-time high at Anfield, with some world-class faces to choose between.

The hope is that the teenage Englishman is back on the pitch as soon as possible, though, potentially getting some minutes at youth level and then making the step up over time. A loan move in January could even be beneficial, allowing him more regular time on the pitch.

The wicketkeeper, who is set to equal Brad Hogg’s Australian record for the most Tests missed between appearances, is eager to use this chance to rewrite the story of his career

Brydon Coverdale in Brisbane20-Nov-2017Tim Paine can’t take a hint. In fact, he can’t take repeated hints over the course of several years.Three summers ago, when Paine was 29, Tasmania looked to the future by choosing the Western Australian import Tom Triffitt as wicketkeeper instead of Paine. Last season, it was the teenage Jake Doran – another import – who took the gloves. And this year, Matthew Wade returned from a decade with Victoria and settled in behind the stumps himself.So where does that leave Paine? In a plot-twist worthy of , it leaves him about to keep wicket for Australia in an Ashes series, seven years after he last wore the baggy green. As head-scratching selections go, this is one of the scratchiest, for Paine has been gloveman in just three Shield games in the past two years and has not scored a first-class hundred since 2006. But there are mitigating circumstances.”It was widely recognised last year in Tasmania that I was the best wicketkeeper in Tasmania,” Paine said in Brisbane on Monday, “it was just that at the time Tasmania had a fair share of battles in Shield cricket and decided to go in a new direction that was clearly a younger direction, so that was just how it panned out.”And the lack of big runs? One contributing factor was the smashed finger that he suffered while batting against Dirk Nannes in an exhibition match in 2010. Rod Marsh was Iron Gloves, but surely no Australian wicketkeeper has had as much metal to contend with as Tim Paine, who now has a plate and seven or eight pins as permanent features of his right hand, repairing the index finger that caused him such trouble after the Nannes blow.”Behind the stumps I was pretty good straight away, it didn’t worry me too much. It hurt a little bit but it didn’t take too much away from me,” Paine said. “But with batting, it really did affect me and you only have to look at my numbers in those few years when I came back. I was battling mentally, I was out there thinking I was going to get hit and if I did get hit I’d never play again. It certainly rattled me a lot.”It was not until he opened up with Tasmania’s sports psychologist, Emma Harris, that Paine was able to move past his batting troubles. And now, a couple of years down the track, he has also found an ally in the new Tasmania batting coach Jeff Vaughan, who has helped Paine rework his batting grip to better suit his pins and plate.”The opportunity has come at a really good time for me,” Paine said. “The past five or six months I’ve really started to bat well again and I’ll go into this Test with some confidence. I played pretty well last week [against England in a tour game], I’ve played Test cricket before so I know what to expect. And I’ve had some success in the few Tests I have played, so I’ll take some confidence from that.”Australia have played 78 Tests since Paine last wore the baggy green, meaning that on Thursday he will equal the Australian record for the most Tests missed between appearances: Brad Hogg also sat out of 78 Tests from his 1996 debut until he returned to the side in 2003.And while Paine admits he was surprised by his recall, he is keen to grab his chance. He turns 33 next month, and if he performs strongly during this Ashes campaign, he could feasibly have several years ahead of him as a Test keeper. Finally, it is a chance for Paine to live up to the high expectations that were placed on him seven years ago.”I’m not here for five minutes, I’m here to make the most of this opportunity,” he said. “To be honest, I’m sick of talking about being the person who hurt his finger and what could have been six or seven years ago. That’s the way I’m looking at this opportunity.”Hopefully I can be sitting in a room like this in two years or three years and we’re talking about the back end of my Test career, not ‘Geez, he could have been a good player back in 2009’. That’s something that’s really exciting for me, is to be able to re-write my story a bit and it’s something I’m really keen to do.”

So far this fluctuating Test match has closely resembled the Centenary Test at Melbourne in March 1977

Steven Lynch23-Jul-2005

Will England find a player to repeat Randall’s innings of 1977? © Getty Images
So far this fluctuating Test match has closely resembled the Centenary Test at Melbourne in March 1977 – which, perhaps not coincidentally, was probably the most-hyped England-Australia encounter until this one.In that showpiece game at the MCG, staged to mark the 100th anniversary of the inaugural Test match, England were cock-a-hoop at bowling the Aussies out for 138 on the first day – until they were rolled over for 95 themselves, with Dennis Lillee taking 6 for 26.Just as in this match, the Australian batsmen then regrouped, scoring 419 to set a massive target of 463. England didn’t make it … quite. A memorable innings of 174 from Derek Randall, his first Test century, took them a tantalising 46 runs short of victory before Lillee (5 for 139) finally ended the fun to exactly replicate the result of the original game in 1877. So who’s going to do a Randall for England this time?

On the Chennai surface that offers true bounce and assists spin, Tendulkar has thrived. It’s no wonder that he has always maintained that it’s one of his favourite grounds

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan in Chennai25-Mar-2008
Sachin Tendulkar puts in some serious time in the nets © AFP
During the first Test, Sachin Tendulkar will most likely get the 12 runs he needs to go past Sunil Gavaskar’s aggregate of 5067, the most Test runs by an Indian batsman on home soil. It will be fitting if he reaches the mark at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, a ground where he has been influential in every one of the nine Tests over the last 15 years.Mumbai may claim complete ownership of Tendulkar, but it’s Chennai that has had a chance to watch him in full splendour. With four hundreds in seven Tests (two of which were almost completely washed out) he’s been near invincible.He has soared against Australia – not once but twice – with epic knocks that turned series. The first, the opening game of the series in 1998, came after India had conceded a first-innings lead and the second, in the deciding match in 2001, set up India’s response to 391. One turned the tide on the fourth day; the other set up a classic on the third.Few will forget the magnificent 136 in the final innings against Pakistan in 1999, a masterpiece which lost a bit of its lustre only because the team tripped at the final hurdle. There was also a controlled 165 against England back in 1993 that shut them out of the contest and a guarded 43 against West Indies, an innings which went a long way in India gaining the upper hand.Take out the the rain-affected match against Sri Lanka in 2005, and you have Tendulkar’s imprint in every game. Few batsmen have handled Chennai’s heat and humidity as well as him. Surprisingly, neither Rahul Dravid nor VVS Laxman have a century at this ground and Sourav Ganguly averages a paltry 16.12 in his six Tests here. On a surface that offers true bounce and assists spin, Tendulkar has thrived. It’s no wonder that he has always maintained that it’s one of his favourite grounds.As if to re-emphasise the point, he flowed freely in Tuesday’s net session, unusual for one who normally prefers to simply knock it around before the big day. Through the Tests in Australia he preferred being low key a day before the match – he would bowl some spin and stretch – but both yesterday and today he got down to some serious business. He patiently waited his turn, standing for a good ten minutes behind the netting, and watched Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rahul Dravid have a hit.Then he spent half an hour smashing the spinners. Piyush Chawla was put to some serious grilling, Harbhajan Singh was slog-swept over the manual scoreboard and out of the stadium and even Anil Kumble was cut away with some degree of violence. It was at this ground that he unleashed the famous slog-sweep back in 1998, smacking Shane Warne’s round-the-wicket ball into the stands. It was as emphatic a statement as any and one from which Warne didn’t recover for nearly six months.Despite the talk usually hovering around the Fab Four, Tendulkar remains India’s premier batsman. Dravid held the mantle for around four years and Laxman leaves a lasting impact on some series but Tendulkar continues to be the first among equals Despite the talk usually hovering around the Fab Four, Tendulkar, even after all these years, remains India’s premier batsman. Dravid held the mantle for around four years and Laxman leaves a lasting impact on some series but Tendulkar continues to be the first among equals. Even in Australia he rattled off gem after gem to allow India a winning chance in three of the four Tests and carried his form through to the one-dayers.Tendulkar will need plenty of support, though, as India prepare for one of the toughest challenges this year and Kumble was clear that it was upto the batsmen to set up wins. “I think whenever we have played at home we have been able to post big scores on the board and that will be the key. Once you do that, our spinners and fast bowlers [get the chance to] put pressure and this is how we won matches and we would like to continue that way.”The Chennai faithful, though, wouldn’t mind watching India riding on Tendulkar. Another hundred here would also fill one blank in his glittering resume – the lack of a home ton against South Africa. It would also give him 17 hundreds at home, going past Sunil Gavaskar’s tally for the most by an Indian batsmen on home soil. Going by his exploits over the last decade and a half, it will be fitting if he brought it up at this venue.

Though he had calmed down somewhat after the match, Steven Smith was far from impressed when given out caught behind at a vital phase of Australia’s innings

Daniel Brettig21-Jan-2018Australia’s captain Steven Smith has called for an end to the practice of on-field umpires offering a “soft signal” to the third umpire on disputed catches, arguing that technology should be arbiter in such cases as the immediate reactions of players in the middle have often proven to be flawed.Smith was given out caught behind at a critical juncture of the third ODI in Sydney on Sunday, edging low to Jos Buttler who immediately celebrated the catch. The on-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Simon Fry then referred the catch to the TV umpire Kumar Dharmasena with the soft signal of “out”, and while replays shrouded the catch in far greater doubt, Dharmasena did not deem it to be enough to overrule the initial impression of his colleagues.In assessing the process, Smith said he felt that the umpires’ signal was often dictated by the reactions – either celebratory or ambivalent – of players in the middle, and carried too much weight relative to the evidence provided by television cameras. He said he would prefer a system where the third umpire made a ruling based purely on the pictures in front of him.”I’m not sure I’m a big fan of the ruling with the soft signal. That’s obviously the ruling at the moment and it’s hard to overturn anything,” Smith said. “We’ve seen a few this summer that have been pretty similar and if the fielder goes up and actually celebrates they usually get given out and if you’re a bit apprehensive of what’s happened they normally get given not out.”It’s hard for them to overturn the decision. I’d actually like for the third umpire to have to make the decision whether it’s out or not. Just them having to do it, if that makes sense.”The soft signal was introduced for disputed catches in part because it was felt that two dimensional camera images and foreshortening often added doubt to catches that all on the field had considered clean, meaning too many were ruled not out as a matter of course. Simon Taufel, the former ICC umpires training manager, has explained the reason for its existence by stating that umpires needed to retain the primary responsibility for decision-making.”It’s part of the decision-making process,” he told the in 2016. “If the third umpire cannot find conclusive evidence to prove that the original on-field decision is incorrect, then it stands. On-field umpires are there to make decisions and answer appeals, not simply to send them upstairs to the third umpire to take the call.”Decision making is an important skill and one that should be applied at the highest level of the game. So, the soft signal maintains the premise that the decision-making happens on field and not just left to technology to provide an outcome.”David Warner fell early in Australia’s chase•Associated PressButtler, for his part, remained adamant he had caught the ball cleanly when queried about it afterwards. “I was pretty sure it was out,” he said. “I think any wicketkeeper would tell you, you know if you get your fingers underneath it. It always looks a bit either way on TV but for me it was out.”Smith made it clear he was not questioning Buttler’s honesty: “He obviously thought it was out, he’s a pretty honest guy, so he thought it was out and it got given out so I had to walk off.”Other questions had been raised about Smith via footage that showed him rubbing the side of his lips before shining the ball during England’s innings – the use of saliva is permitted under the game’s laws but lip balm is not. “It was all spit,” Smith said. “People said something about lip balm. If you look at my lips, they’re pretty dry, I certainly didn’t have any of that on. It’s just the way I get some spit into the side of my mouth and get some spit onto the ball. So there was nothing in it.”As for Australia’s loss, surrendering the series to England in the minimum three matches, Smith said he needed to improve personally alongside a better collective effort from his men. “Five wins out of last 18 games and that’s just not good enough,” he said. “We’ve got to start finding ways to get over the line. Looking at this game I think the first 44 overs was really good and then Jos played particularly well at the end and Woakesy played well as well.”But I don’t think we executed well. We probably just needed to bowl some good balls at the top of the stumps and try to get them swinging across the line; we bowled too full or too short and got hurt. We probably should have been chasing somewhere around 270 or 280 and then if we do that things might have been a lot different.”I’ve got to play some better cricket. It was about me trying to control the middle with the spinners and keep getting off strike. Tonight I wasn’t good enough at that. I should have been up around a run a ball, it would have made things a bit easier at the back end. Not many balls were hitting the middle of my bat, which was disappointing. I don’t know what it is. Maybe I need to watch the ball a bit closer or something like that. It’s something to look at for Adelaide, hopefully I can do it a lot better and start helping this team win some games of cricket.”Fined 40% of his match fee for being deemed two overs behind the required over rate and now facing a ban for a repeat offence over the next 12 months, Smith said that he and the bowlers needed to be more disciplined in the field – no fewer than 13 wides and a no-ball effectively granted England more than two extra overs.”Yeah it’s not ideal, it’s two extra overs and 14 runs or thereabouts,” Smith said. “They’ve got to be a bit better with that as well. I think we were about 27 minutes over time as well so it’s going to cost me a bit, but I don’t mind that. It’s not ideal to have to bowl two extra overs and give away runs against a quality opposition.”

There were a few catches put down during the record-breaking T20 at Eden Park, but one very valuable one was taken

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2018There were a few catches put down during the record-breaking T20 at Eden Park, but one very valuable one was taken.Mitchell Grimstone, a 20-year-old student, earned himself NZD50,000 courtesy of a local drinks sponsor when he leaned over the railing at deep midwicket to pluck Ross Taylor’s penultimate-ball six out of the air with his left hand.His reaction was priceless (or, well, worth 50K) as he was mobbed by those next to him in the stands.”I’m not left-handed,” he said. “But somehow I put it there and it stuck, and then everyone was jumping over me.”After the match, Taylor also presented him with his gloves and the match ball while offering congratulations.Having had a major boost to his bank balance, it’s probably a good thing Grimstone is studying accounting at university.

Congratulations Mitch on a great catch and 50k Enjoy my gloves and the match ball #tuicatchamillion #blackcaps #nzvaus

A post shared by Ross Taylor (@rossltaylor3) on Feb 16, 2018 at 2:25am PST

West Ham are the only Premier League side yet to make a signing in the transfer window.

David Moyes, fresh from a Conference League triumph and preparing for a third consecutive year of European football, needs to act swiftly and add some much-needed quality to the squad.

A phenomenal way to kickstart this would be the acquisition of Hakan Calhanoglu.

Is Hakan Calhanoglu signing for West Ham?

According to Spazio Inter, West Ham are seriously targeting the Inter Milan technician this summer.

The Nerazzurri have endured a damaging summer – the club has already lost Andre Onana, Samir Handanovic, and Marcelo Brozovic, while Romelu Lukaku could be on his way to Juventus.

Therefore, Calhanoglu is thought to be at the centre of Simone Inzaghi’s project, and it would take an outlandish offer for consideration of his sale.

Nevertheless, the Hammers are looking to strengthen their midfield options after the talismanic Declan Rice departed for Arsenal.

The report details that an offer of around €50 (£43m) would force Inter into a decision.

How good is Hakan Calhanoglu?

Last season, the Turk, described as “exceptional” by Stefan Pioli, made 49 appearances across all competitions, including nine starts on Inter’s journey to the Champions League final.

During this period, he has been an integral cog within Inter’s efficient set up, averaging the second-highest rating (7.07) in Serie A.

The former AC Milan orchestrator is a player that excels in defensive and offensive areas. He averaged the third-most tackles last campaign (1.5) in the squad but was the midfielder with the best total.

Most impressively, the 78-cap international recorded the joint-most domestic assists (6) alongside Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella, and Lukaku, but what separates him from the rest is his supreme creativity that wasn’t rewarded.

Calhanoglu registered 64 chance creations last year at a rate of 1.94 per 90, as Barella in second managed just 49, to emphasize how the 5 foot 10 sensation is the chief inventor within the side, whilst also protecting the backline.

Interestingly, as per OPTA’s player comparison tool, Calhanoglu’s style of play has been likened to Joshua Kimmich, with a similarity score of 76.5%.

This model reveals that these players rank within the highest 14% among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues who have played at least 1350 minutes for possession won, the best 18% for touches, and the top 4% for chances created.

The duality of both players to be able to operate in a deep-lying playmaker role, whilst also regularly retrieving possession has moulded them into formidable assets.

Throughout his career, Kimmich has always been known to be a defensive midfielder, renowned for his tough-tackling and technical ability. Meanwhile, Calhanoglu’s positional history has taken a far more unconventional pathway.

Between 2014-2017, the £183k-per-week man was at Bayer Leverkusen, playing 59 of his 115 games for the Germans as either an attacking midfielder or second striker. Since signing for Inter, he has appeared almost exclusively in the 'Kimmich role' as a central or defensive midfield, fielded in a more offensive role just twice.

But to his, and his manager’s credit, it has worked wonders. Calhanoglu’s seamless transition to a deeper role demonstrates his intelligence and adaptability. Moreover, his similar ranking to Kimmich indicates that he is one of Europe’s most accomplished within this framework.

Calhanoglu’s profile speaks for itself and a signing of this calibre would dramatically help arrest West Ham from their summer slumber.