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Nottingham Forest are in serious need of investment during the winter window to try and secure survival in the Premier League come the end of the campaign.

Sean Dyche’s men are just a smattering of points above the relegation zone, with a real need to improve the situation within the attacking third of the pitch.

The Reds have only scored just 21 times in the first 21 league outings of the campaign, the third-lowest in the division, with only 19th placed Burnley and 20th placed Wolves having scored fewer.

Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi are the two senior options currently at the manager’s disposal, with Chris Wood on the sidelines and Arnaud Kalimuendo set to leave on loan.

As a result, a new centre-forward will surely be on the cards this January, but completing deals during such a period is notoriously a tough challenge to navigate.

Nottingham Forest making a move to land a new centre-forward

Over the last couple of days, Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen has emerged as a potential target for Forest this month, but they aren’t alone in their pursuit of his signature.

Newcastle United are just one of the other Premier League teams in the race for his signature, with Everton also closely monitoring the Norwegian’s progress.

However, any deal for the 25-year-old would likely be an expensive one, with Rob Edwards’ men currently demanding a fee in the region of £40m to offload their main striker.

He’s not the only option currently in the Reds’ sights at present, with Napoli talisman Lorenzo Lucca another option currently being considered by the hierarchy at present.

According to one Italian outlet, Dyche’s side are just one of a handful of European outfits currently considering a move for the 25-year-old who’s made 14 Serie A appearances this campaign.

The report states that he’s unhappy with his lack of starts under Antonio Conte, which has led to a £30m price tag being mooted for his signature this month.

Why Lucca would’ve a better signing than Strand Larsen

The interest over a deal for Strand Larsen has created intrigue at Forest, especially considering he currently plays for a team within the Premier League relegation zone.

In the 2025/26 campaign, the 25-year-old has only netted one goal, also struggling to find the form that would be needed to get his current side out of any relegation trouble.

However, he’s previously shown he can produce the levels needed in England’s top-flight, as seen by his impressive tally of 14 goals in his 35 appearances last time around.

£40m for a player of his inconsistent nature would be a huge gamble from the ownership, especially when such a deal would break the club’s record transfer.

As a result, a move for Lucca could prove to make more sense, with the striker’s 6’7 frame potentially being the perfect fit for Dyche’s long-ball system in place at the City Ground.

Like Strand Larsen, he’s also only netted one league goal this campaign, but it’s his underlying figures that would make him a better addition during the coming weeks.

When comparing such stats, he’s massively outperformed the Wolves star in various key areas, showcasing why he would be a more suitable signing.

Lucca, who’s been dubbed one of “the best forwards” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has posted a better shot on target accuracy rate in front of goal this season.

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Whilst he’s scored the same number of goals as Strand Larsen, such numbers showcase that he’s more threatening and has more of a nouse to get the ball in trouble areas in the final third.

How Lucca & Strand Larsen compare in 2025/26

Statistics (per 90)

Lucca

Strand Larsen

Games played

14

18

Goals scored

1

1

Shot on target accuracy

39%

29%

Pass accuracy

80%

63%

Key passes

0.8

0.3

Take-on success

67%

38%

Carries into opposition box

0.9

0.2

Aerials won

47%

41%

Fouls won

2.7

0.7

Stats via FBref

Away from his goalscoring exploits, he’s also dominated with his all-round play, as seen by his higher tally of passes completed, with more of which being defined as key passes.

He’s also completed more take-ons and achieved a higher tally of carries into the opposition penalty area, showcasing his ability to create chances out of nothing.

His aerial ability is another important bonus to his game, with the Italian winning more aerial battles and drawing more fouls than Strand Larsen this campaign.

Whilst neither player possesses a hugely clinical skillset, it’s evident that Lucca would be a phenomenal addition and one that could offer Dyche a new dimension.

His height and physicality is something which the Reds have lacked so far this campaign, with such a move handing the side an added boost in their hunt for survival.

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Posts ByEthan Lamb

One of several Glasgow Rangers players who seems to have improved with each passing week at Ibrox is Tottenham Hotspur loanee Mikey Moore.

The 18-year-old attacker started for the eighth time in the Scottish Premiership on Tuesday night against St Mirren, and had three shots on goal and created one chance, per Sofascore.

Moore has scored two goals and provided one assist in his eight league starts for the Gers, with both goals coming under Danny Rohl’s management.

There are more gears for the teenage talent to reach, though, as he keeps improving and getting used to playing for Rangers before his return to Spurs in the summer.

Rangers hopeful of signing new left-back

Something that could help Moore to hit new levels in a Gers shirt could be signing a new partner for him to play alongside down the left, which appears to be on the agenda at Ibrox.

Transfer Focus

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

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According to TEAMtalk, Glasgow Rangers are hopeful of securing a deal to sign Westerlo left-back Tuur Rommens in the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Gers have an advanced interest in the Belgian defender and are making an effort to bring him to Ibrox in the coming weeks.

It states that the Belgium U21 international is a ‘prime target’ for the Scottish giants, who believe that he can be the long-term solution to their problems at left-back.

Currently worth £4m, as per Football Transfers expected transfer value model, it wouldn’t be the cheapest of deals to complete.

Jayden Meghoma, who is on loan from Brentford, is currently the only natural left-back in the squad after former sporting director Kevin Thelwell decided to sell both Jefte and Ridvan Yilmaz in the summer transfer window.

Why Rangers should sign Tuur Rommens

The Gers should push to get this deal over the line in the coming days because he could come through the door at Ibrox as an upgrade on Meghoma, which could allow Moore to play with more freedom down the flank.

A goal and two assists from the Brentford loanee in the last six Premiership matches shows that he can offer a decent threat at the top end of the pitch, but there are still question marks over his defensive quality.

He was notably slammed for his defensive performance against Motherwell. Simply, it was far too easy for the opponents to get in behind the youngster.

Per Sofascore, the English defender has lost a staggering 81% of his aerial duels in the Premiership so far this season, which shows that there is a clear weakness in his game defensively, which places even more of an emphasis on Moore getting back to help him.

Rommens, who writer Kai Watson claimed is “improving” every year, appears to have the quality in and out of possession to offer more for Rangers in the left-back position if they are able to get a deal done for their ‘prime target’.

25/26 season

Rommens

Meghoma

Appearances

15

16

Key passes per game

1.3

0.7

Big chances created

6

3

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.4

2.8

Ground duel success rate

62%

62%

Aerial duels won per game

2.5

0.4

Aerial duel success rate

67%

19%

Error led to shot

1

2

Stats via Sofascore

The statistics in the table above suggest that the 22-year-old star is significantly better than Meghoma in the air. It is not even remotely close when you compare their respective success rates in aerial duels.

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They also suggest that he could offer far more than the Englishman as a creator of goals, with almost twice as many key passes per game and twice as many ‘big chances’ created.

Rommens has a sweet left foot, as shown in the clip above, and his superior creativity in comparison to Meghoma could force defenders to pay more attention to him than they currently do to the Brentford loanee, giving Moore even more space to work with.

As a right-footed attacker who likes to drift infield to make things happen, having a quality attacking left-back like Rommens could be the dream for him, as they could strike up an impressive partnership.

On top of that, the Belgian star’s defensive attributes suggest that he does not need as much help from his winger in defensive situations, which could allow Moore to stay higher up the pitch at times to focus more on making things happen in the final third.

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Therefore, Rommens could be an excellent signing for Rangers both because he could improve the team immediately as an upgrade on Meghoma, whilst he could also help Moore to reach the next stage in his development on the left wing.

Delhi 290 (Chopra 102, Bhatia 139, Praveen Kumar 8-68)and 230 for 1 (Gambhir 130*, Dhawan 54*) beat Uttar Pradesh 342 (Tanmay Srivastava 105, Shukla 96, Sangwan 4-80, Narwal 4-81) and 177 (Raina 85, Sangwan 5-46) by nine wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Delhi secured the Ranji Trophy thanks to Gautam Gambhir’s cracking 130 © Cricinfo Ltd

At 3.03pm, shortly after tea on the fourth day, Delhi’s 16-year wait for the Ranji Trophy ended. Pradeep Sangwan produced a superb spell of seam bowling to bowl out Uttar Pradesh for 177 before their captain, Gautam Gambhir, cracked an unbeaten 130 to lead Delhi’s march to a seventh Ranji title.That march, which began with defiant centuries from Aakash Chopra and Rajat Bhatia in the first innings, quickened this morning when UP lost four wickets for just 23 runs as Sangwan produced a spell of 5-3-5-3.As Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan stole the winning single, the entire Delhi squad rushed to the ground, stumps were uprooted for souvenirs, and the players danced in a huddle of joy.The platform was laid by Sangwan early in the morning. Sangwan struck in his first over, bending the ball back in to castle Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He then cleaned up Praveen Kumar with a peach of a yorker before pushing one across Amir Khan to take the edge. Manoj Prabhakar, Delhi’s bowling consultant, had been working on getting Sangwan’s wrist position right so that he could seam the ball in and that paid off today with Sangwan producing his best first-class figures to date.Without too many runs to play with, UP had to strike with the new ball and for that Praveen Kumar had to repeat his first-innings heroics. However, the Delhi openers played him out with caution – his first nine overs went for 23 – while turning the heat on the others.Gambhir started off like a runaway train, slamming Sudeep Tyagi for three fours in his first over before settling down. Yesterday, Praveen Kumar had bemoaned the lack of support from the other end and he got little of it today too. Tyagi, who picked up two wickets in the first innings to become the highest wicket-taker this season, couldn’t make any headway and with Bhuvneshwar Kumar continuing to be listless, Delhi jogged along towards the target.UP’s fight evaporated with Praveen Kumar’s wicketless opening spell and Gambhir took full advantage. He carved Tyagi for five boundaries, carted the left-arm spin of Praveen Gupta for 49 runs with five sweetly struck fours, and was untroubled by Piyush Chawla. He reached his second ton in successive matches – he had cracked one in the semi-final chase – with a slash over gully off Tyagi and brought up the nine-wicket victory with a push to point.

Scorecard
Shahid Afridi’s second-innings century for Habib Bank Limited (HBL) helped set Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) a target of 393 runs to chase in a little over two days of their Patrons Trophy Quadrangular stage match at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex Stadium in KarachiOn the first day Afridi helped his team raise a first-innings score of 125 with his 55-ball 51. Then as WAPDA were skittled out for 72 he held two catches in the field and got 3 for 18 with his legbreak bowling.HBL resumed day two at 80 for 2 and Afridi got to his hundred from 91 balls with nine fours and five sixes. Coming to the wicket after Khaqan Arsal (87) and Asim Kamal (30) had added 87 for the third wicket Afridi had a crucial 66-run eighth-wicket partnership with Kamran Hussain (32).Chasing this rather steep target of 393 WAPDA had lost four wickets for 107 runs by the end of the day, with Afridi adding another wicket in the four overs he bowled. Mushtaq Ahmed, the former Pakistan legspinner and WAPDA captain, picked up five wickets for 125 runs in his 25.5 overs. His team, however, still requires another 286 runs to win this game with only six wickets in hand.
Scorecard
Zulfiqar Jan and Saeed Anwar jnr cracked brilliant centuries as Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) posted 407 runs in their first innings, on day two of their Quadrangular Stage Patron’s Trophy Cricket Championship match against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the United Bank Limited Sports Complex Ground in.ZTBL in reply were 131 for 3 in their first innings. Afaq Raheem, the ZTBL opener, was batting at 68 and Faisal Naved with eight were at the crease at the close of day two.While Zulfiqar took four and a half hours to reach his third first-class century Anwar made 130 off 219 balls in their 206-run partnership for the third wicket. Yasir Arafat then hit 51 off 80 balls with four fours and a six. Imran Sabir, right-arm fast-medium bowler, picked up four wickets for ZT

Scorecard

Zulqarnain Haider made a solid 35 as Pakistan A defied the Indians on the final day © AFP

India’s openers flayed some quick runs after tea as the warm-up match against Pakistan A ended in a predictable draw. A superb innings of 87 from Faisal Iqbal and a doughty effort from Zulqarnain Haider had ensured that the Indians would be on the field for most of the day, as bowlers on both sides struggled to get any purchase from an unresponsive pitch.Iqbal, who once smashed a superb 83 against Australia in Colombo before slipping down the pecking order, struck 16 fours in his 171-ball knock, including some fabulous strokes through cover and down to the sightscreen. But for an impetuous shot, he might well have got the century that his display deserved. He and Haider added 88 runs as they defied the Indians for over two hours.After a circumspect start following the early losses of Asim Kamal and Mansoor Amjad, both batsmen grew in confidence, blunting the Indian threat with great assurance before and after lunch. On another distinctly chilly morning, it was hard going for the Indians, but RP Singh and Zaheer Khan gave them vital breakthroughs while bowling with far greater control than they had yesterday.Both bowlers were as parsimonious today as they had been profligate yesterday, finally settling on a restrictive line and length. And both were rewarded with a wicket apiece before the pitch lost whatever little juice it might have had first thing in the morning. Iqbal and Haider defended stolidly in that phase, and then opened out with a sparkling stroke or two as the morning wore on. Neither Ajit Agarkar, the pick of the bowlers yesterday, nor Harbhajan Singh could make an impression, and India were left to await a mistake from two batsmen who were looking increasingly well-entrenched.Iqbal played some fluent drives, including one tremendous off-drive when Agarkar came on to bowl, and reached his 50 just before lunch with a risky single to cover. Haider, who tonked Harbhajan over midwicket for four, was content to be the foil, and the runs mounted much to the satisfaction of the few hundred spectators who were huddled up and peering through the pickets.The Indian bowlers lost their discipline after lunch, bowling four-balls at an alarming rate, and Iqbal took full toll before a hook proved to be his downfall. And in conditions where the bowlers would have struggled even to grip the ball properly, even Umar Gul – not known for his batting prowess – helped himself to three fours before Hasan Raza declared to give his bowlers another go at India’s storied batting line-up.There was to be no joy for Pakistan’s emerging pace bowlers though, with Wasim Jaffer playing some stonking drives in a splendid little cameo before play was called off. At the other end, Gautam Gambhir struck two sublime cover-drives off Mohammad Irshad, but only after being dropped twice, off Gul and Rao Iftikhar. It remains to be seen which opener will walk out with Virender Sehwag at the Gaddafi Stadium when the real contest begins.How they were outAsim Kamal c Dhoni b RP Singh 14 (226 for 5)
Mansoor Amjad lbw Zaheer 0 (227 for 6)
Zulqarnain Haider lbw Pathan 35 (315 for 7)
Faisal Iqbal c Harbhajan b Agarkar 87 (337 for 8)
Yasir Arafat c Dhoni b RP Singh 9 (358 for 9)

New Zealand v Australia
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball commentaryNew Zealand have two matches to make an impact in a series that has already escaped them. With the first Test a week away, they need to find some touch immediately, and were given the chance to re-discover some batting form when Adam Gilchrist won the toss and sent them in for the fourth match at Wellington’s Basin Reserve.Both sides were trying new line-ups in cloudy and cool conditions, but New Zealand’s changes were forced and Australia’s experimental. Following a head injury to Michael Papps and the horrible form of Daryl Tuffey, the Kiwis brought in the debutant Lance Hamilton, the batsman Craig Cumming and recalled Jeff Wilson.Australia swept to an unbeatable 3-0 lead at Auckland on Saturday and rearranged at the top and the bottom. Ricky Ponting was rested with a slight thigh strain, James Hopes was handed his first one-day international and a scary pace quartet was chosen. If Australia cleansweep the series they will push New Zealand’s World Cup seeding, which is determined in April, down a place to third.New Zealand 1 Stephen Fleming (capt), 2 Nathan Astle, 3 Hamish Marshall, 4 Craig McMillan, 5 James Marshall, 6 Craig Cumming, 7 Chris Cairns, 8 Brendon McCullum (wk), 9 Jeff Wilson, 10 Lance Hamilton, 11 Kyle Mills.Australia 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt, wk), 2 Simon Katich, 3 Damien Martyn, 4 Andrew Symonds, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Mike Hussey, 7 James Hopes, 8 Brett Lee, 9 Jason Gillespie, 10 Michael Kasprowicz, 11 Glenn McGrath.

Defending champions UCT and WPCA one day champions, Victoria will represent WP at this years MTN National Club Championships which start in Pretoria later this week.The full fixture list is as follows;

MTN CLUB CHAMPS 2003Section oneDATE         HOME TEAM             AWAY TEAM              VENEU19/09/2003   Victoria              Avion Park       Centurion laudiumStellenbosch UNIV     Technikon free state   Hofmeyr ParkSpec Savers UPE       United                 Technikon oval20/09/2003   Technikon free state  Victoria               Technikon ovalUnited                Avion Park             Eersterust ovalSpec Savers UPE       Stellenbosch UNIV      Aloe Park21/09/2003   Victoria              United                 Aloe ParkTechnikon free state  Spec Savers UPE        Technikon ovalAvion Park            Stellenbosch UNIV      Hofmeyr Park22/09/2003   Spec Savers UPE       Victoria               Hofmeyr ParkStellenbosch UNIV     United                 Technikon ovalAvion Park            Technikon free state   Centurion laudium23/09/2003   Victoria              Stellenbosch UNIV      Eersterust ovalSpec Savers UPE       Avion Park             Technikon ovalUnited                Technikon free state   Centurion laudiumSection twoDATE         HOME TEAM             AWAY TEAM               VENEU19/09/2003   Impala                Pirates                 Harlequins ovalSparkport Delta       UCT                     LC ovalYorkshire      Tuks                    Groenkloof oval20/09/2003   UCT                   Impala                  Mamelodi ovalTuks                  Pirates                 LC ovalYorkshire             Sparkport Delta         Irene CC21/09/2003   Impala                Tuks                    Groenkloof ovalUCT                   Yorkshire               Harlequins ovalPirates               Sparkport Delta         Irene CC22/09/2003   Yorkshire             Impala                  Eersterust ovalSparkport Delta       Tuks                    Groenkloof ovalPirates               UCT                     Irene CC23/09/2003   Impala                Sparkport Delta         Harlequins ovalYorkshire             Pirates                 Mamelodi ovalTuks                  UCT                     LC oval

Hampshire all-rounder Alex Morris, belayed any further speculation to his future by signing a new two year contract.Morris (25) was a prominent member of Hampshire’s 2001 promotion winning squad, taking 51 wickets (28.00) and scoring 423 vital runs. Morris saved the day down the order on numerous occasions when the middle order batting had faltered. He played in just five limited overs matches in 2001, the four Benson & Hedges and one Cheltenham and Gloucester trophy game. With his tendency towards shin problems the coaches felt it was better to save him for the 4-day cricket.Tim Tremlett, Hampshire’s Director of Cricket was delighted that Alex had committed his immediate future with the club, “This likable Yorkshire born cricketer, is a popular member of the squad, and he has proved to one of our top all-round cricketers.”Zac Morris, who joined Hampshire at the same time as his elder brother was not retained after the 2001 season.

Wolves could be set for a busy summer transfer window in terms of moving some of their players around that are currently either out on loan or have their contracts running out at the end of the season.

Looking ahead to this period, it seems as though the Old Gold could be in luck when it comes to the future of one of their key players currently in Bruno Lage’s squad.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist and transfer insider Pete O’Rourke had this to say about the future of Wolves defender Romain Saiss, whose current contract at Molineux is set to expire in the summer.

He said: “I know Saiss has had interest from other clubs all across Europe and outside of Europe as well.

“But I think he wants to stay playing at the highest level and the Premier League is probably the best league to be playing in right now, so that boosts Wolves’ chances of keeping him.”

Supporters buzzing

Since arriving at the Midlands club back in the 2016 summer transfer window from French club Angers, the defender has racked up a total of 202 appearances across all competitions, scoring 15 goals and providing three assists along the way.

This season has seen the 31-year-old show how pivotal he is for the Midlands club by starting 27 of their 29 Premier League games as well as racking up more blocks (51), interceptions (69) and clearances (158) than any other Wolves player in 2021/22.

In addition to his impressive defensive capabilities, the Moroccan has also managed to earn himself a solid overall season rating of 6.99, making him the joint-third highest rated player at the club to have started more than two league games in this campaign according to WhoScored.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to suggest that the Wolves fans would be delighted if the defender chose to put pen to paper on a new deal at the club and continued his journey with them, rather than join a club like Sevilla, who have been linked with him previously.

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With O’Rourke now suggesting that Wolves’ status in the Premier League could keep Saiss at Molineux for the foreseeable future, they should definitely offer the centre-back a new deal to keep him out of the clutches of any other club that would almost certainly benefit from having him in their side.

In other news: Fosun must surely regret huge Wolves howler over £67.5m-rated title-winning “rock”

Ireland have announced their 15-man squad for the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia in February.Greg Thompson leads the side in his third World Cup, following the tournaments in Bangladesh in 2004, and Sri Lanka in 2006. Three others have experience from 2006 – James Hall, Richard Keaveney and Gavin McKenna – while of the rest, seven are under 17.Ireland have been drawn in Group D, along with England, Bangladesh and Bermuda and they will be based in Kuala Lumpur. Ireland open their campaign against England on February 17. The last time these sides met in this competition, England won by four runs.The team will have at least two warm-up games prior to the start of the tournament, against Namibia and Nepal.Irish coach Brian O’ Rourke is happy with his squad. “The players have been working hard in training, and are eagerly awaiting the start of the World Cup,” he said. “We have a very strong batting line up, with Stirling and Dougherty being particularly impressive over the past few seasons. Ben Ackland has been over at Northants, while Graham Mc Donnell, Andrew Balbirnie, James Hall, James Shannon and Shane Getkate are all very talented players.”We have plenty of options in the bowling department, and the squad is full of allrounders. We are particularly strong in the spin department, which I feel will be crucial, given the type of pitches we are likely to encounter in Malaysia.””With both England and Bangladesh in our group, the standard of cricket we are likely to face is very high, but it will be the experience of a lifetime for the boys.”Squad Greg Thompson (capt), Ben Ackland, Balbirnie, Andrew Britton, Christopher Dougherty, Shane Getkate, James Hall, Richard Keaveney, Theo Lawson, Graham McDonnell, Gavin McKenna, Lee Nelson, Stuart Poynter (wk), James Shannon, Paul Stirling.