Nottingham Forest’s revival since Sean Dyche’s arrival at the club has been nothing short of sensational, with the 54-year-old having an immediate impact at the City Ground.

He’s led the Reds to four wins out of a possible five in the Premier League, taking the side out of the relegation zone and now looking upwards rather than over their shoulder.

Dyche has allowed numerous players to recapture their best form in the East Midlands, but none more so than Morgan Gibbs-White, as seen by his form in November.

The Englishman scored three times in his four appearances last month, resulting in the 25-year-old being nominated for the division’s Player of the Month award.

He could be joined by multiple other attacking options after the January window, with owner Evangelos Marinakis once again preparing to invest in the first-team squad.

Forest’s hunt for added reinforcements in the January window

Over the last couple of days, Forest have been just one English side touted with a potential move to land Lyon star Tyler Morton in the upcoming transfer window.

It’s been reported that Dyche’s side could see the 23-year-old as a possible replacement for Elliot Anderson should the England international leave in the winter market.

However, it’s also been reported that Marinakis is unwilling to sanction a January exit for their star player, with a £100m valuation already being slapped on his head.

Morton isn’t the only player on their shortlist at present, though, with Parma striker Mateo Pellegrino another option currently being considered by the hierarchy.

According to Sport Witness, the Reds are just one of multiple Premier League sides considering a move for the 24-year-old forward, who’s already netted seven goals this season.

The report also states West Ham and Spurs have also tracked his progress, with an unnamed English outfit already making a £13m bid for his signature in the summer.

Why Forest’s latest target would be an upgrade on Jesus

During the recent spending in the summer, Forest completed a deal for Botafogo striker Igor Jesus, after the Brazilian impressed at the Club World Cup during the summer.

Such a move generated huge excitement among the fanbase, with the 24-year-old already making an immediate impact in England after his transfer during the off-season.

He’s already found the net on six separate occasions to date, with three of his efforts coming in the Europa League during the club’s first European campaign in 30 years.

Jesus finally netted his first Premier League goal of the season against Wolves on Wednesday night, with his effort hopefully the first of many during the 2025/26 campaign.

However, he could find himself further down the pecking order after January, especially if the hierarchy complete a deal for Pellegrino during the upcoming window.

When comparing the pair’s respective stats from the ongoing campaign, the Argentine has outperformed him in key areas, showcasing why he would be an upgrade in the Brazilian.

Pellegrino, who’s been labelled a “freight-truck” by Serie A commentator Jose Rodriguez, has registered more league goals in 2025/26 to date, whilst also achieving a better goal per shot on target rate.

Games played

13

13

Goals & assists

4

1

Shot on target accuracy

38%

25%

Goals per shot on target

0.4

0.1

Passes into final third

1.1

0.6

Take-on success

64%

27%

Fouls drawn

2.3

1.4

Aerials won

4.6

3.9

Aerial success rate

55%

41%

Such numbers showcase his incredible ability when in front of goal, whether that be in the air or on the ground, with the Argentine possessing serious quality in the box.

He could be the perfect Dyche centre-forward, as seen by his tally of 4.6 aerials won at a success rate of 53%, potentially offering the focal point, an area in which Jesus has struggled.

The Parma talisman has also completed more of the take-ons he’s attempted, whilst making more passes into the final third, arguably being a better all-round option than the Brazilian.

It’s unclear if the player himself would be open to a winter switch to the Premier League, but it’s clear Pellegrino would be a perfect fit for the current system at the City Ground.

He and Jesus are two players who could certainly share the responsibility at the top end of the pitch, with the former of the pair the best option to lead the club into the unknown.

The new Milenkovic: Edu chasing move to sign "sensational" CB for Forest

Nottingham Forest look set to target a top European talent in the January transfer window.

ByEthan Lamb Dec 3, 2025

The black-soil pitch is already devoid of any live grass four days before the first Test

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Nov-20251:43

Can Rabada make an impact in India?

Reverse swing will potentially play a key role in the first Test between India and South Africa starting November 14 in Kolkata. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the surface at Eden Gardens, which will host a Test match for the first time in six years, will have good bounce but is expected to start slowing down by the halfway mark.It is understood that the black-soil pitch is already devoid of any live grass four days before the Test with the grass cover expected to be barely a couple of millimetres by the time the match begins. While the second Test of the West Indies series, played in Delhi, was also a black-soil pitch, it is understood the Eden Gardens surface will not be a docile track like the one at the Arun Jaitley Stadium where India won by seven wickets on the fifth day.West Indies played the two-match series on completely contrasting pitches with the first match, in Ahmedabad, played on one of the greenest strips in India in recent times with four mm of live grass on a red-soil pitch with good bounce. The match finished inside three days as West Indies suffered a bruising innings defeat, lasting 44.1 and 45.1 overs in their two innings.Related

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In the wake of India’s 3-0 whitewash last year at home against New Zealand, India will be wary of preparing rank turners both in Kolkata and Guwahati against South Africa. It is understood that the Eden Gardens pitch is expected to roughen up quickly facilitating reverse swing for the fast bowlers. There is another encouraging fact for the quicks there: in the last 15 years, it is Kolkata where fast bowlers have recorded the highest wicket percentage (61%) with 97 wickets in six red-ball Tests.Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir visit the Kolkata playing surface•Associated PressAnother factor that is likely to be favourable to seamers is the cooler temperatures both in the first hour of the morning and final hour of the evening which could potentially aid lateral movement. All these factors combined could amount to the toss not playing a defining role. Also, while the outfield at Eden Gardens is among the quickest owing to the black soil (different from the one used for the pitch), the batters are likely to face the challenge once the pitch starts slowing down as the Test progresses.South Africa arrived in India on the back of their series-levelling Test win in Rawalpindi recently against Pakistan. The Pakistan series, which was played on spin-friendly pitches, saw South Africa’s trio of slow bowlers – Senuran Muthusamy (Player of the Series), Keshav Maharaj (Player of the Match in Rawalpindi) and Simon Harmer (second-highest wicket-taker in the series) – excel before arriving in India.This will be the fourth Test for South Africa at Eden Gardens where they won on their first visit in 1996 but lost the last two – in 2004 and 2010. The last Test played at the venue was in 2019 when India defeated Bangladesh under lights in a pink-ball Test. The last red-ball Test played in Kolkata was in 2017, against Sri Lanka, which ended in a draw.

John Campbell scores West Indies’ first Test century of the year, while Shai Hope ends 2968 days to move from century No. 2 to century No. 3

Shubh Agarwal14-Oct-202510 – The number of consecutive series wins for India against West Indies, starting in 2002. India have now levelled the record for most successive series wins against an opponent alongside South Africa, who have the same 10-0 record against West Indies starting 1998.This was also India’s 27th Test in a row without a defeat against West Indies, the most for them against a single opposition. The last time they lost a Test to West Indies was in 2002.14 – India’s unbeaten Test-match streak in Delhi. The last time India lost a Test in Delhi was in 1987 against West Indies. Since 1993, India have played 14 Tests in Delhi with 12 wins and two draws.With the latest result, Delhi went past Mohali (13 Tests since 1997) and Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium (13 Tests between 1948 and 1965) for India’s longest unbeaten streaks.7 – The number of Test wins Dhruv Jurel has been a part of in his brief international career, the most for any Indian cricketer from debut. Jurel made his debut in the Rajkot Test against England in early 2024 and has been on the winning side in each of his seven Tests. Earlier, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was part of the winning camp in his first six Tests.13 – The number of wickets India lost in this series, the joint-lowest for them in a series win of two matches or more. Earlier, India defeated Zimbabwe 1-0 in the two-match home series in 2000 losing only 13 wickets.122 – Number of Test wins for India at home. India have now gone third on the tally for most home Test wins, going one above South Africa (121) and are only behind England (241) and Australia (262).390 – West Indies registered their first 300-plus total in 2025. The last time they crossed the 300-run mark in an innings was eight Test matches ago – in the first Test against Bangladesh in 2024. It was also the last time they batted more than 80 overs (which they also did in the first innings of this Test), had a 100-run partnership, and a century-maker in an innings.50 – It took John Campbell his 50th Test innings to mark his first Test hundred. Only Ridley Jacobs (56) and Denesh Ramdin (52) had taken more innings among West Indies cricketers to score their first Test centuries. Among all opening batters in Test history, only South Africa’s Trevor Goddard had a longer wait for a maiden century – 59 innings.More notably, Campbell is also the first West Indies batter to score a hundred this year. Justin Greaves scored the last hundred for West Indies in the North Sound Test in 2024. The last West Indies batter to score a Test century in India was Shamarh Brooks, but not against India – 111 vs Afghanistan in Lucknow in 2019.2968 – The number of days Shai Hope had to wait for his third Test century. Since his twin hundreds in Leeds in 2017, Hope had been in and out of the side. Returning to the Test team after a four-year gap, Hope finally got into the three-digits again. Creating an unwanted West Indies record, he went past Gordon Greenidge’s wait of 2204 days for a Test hundred between April 1977 and April 1983.

“Eventually the pressure kept on building in the second innings and we couldn’t capitalise,” says India’s stand-in captain Rishabh Pant

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-20253:22

Philander: Bavuma ‘a wonderful inspiration’

“I am not a stats man, I am a win man,” Simon Harmer said when asked by Murali Kartik in the post-match presentation about his returns: his 8 for 51 is the best by a South Africa spinner in a Test in India and second only to Dale Steyn’s 10 for 108 back in 2010.The other South Africans at Eden Gardens could say the same. They started the third day staring at a crisis. They fought their way out of it with the bat, led by Temba Bavuma and Corbin Bosch, and then had Marco Jansen first and then Harmer running through the opposition.All India had in front of them was a target of 124. They only got 93.Related

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“A game like this, you can’t dwell into it too much, because… we should have been able to chase this score, but eventually the pressure kept on building in the second innings and we couldn’t capitalise,” Rishabh Pant, standing in as captain in Shubman Gill’s absence, said. “Definitely there was help in the wicket, a [target] of 120 can be tricky on these kinds of surfaces, but at the same time, as a team we should be able to soak in the pressure.”He pointed to the morning session when South Africa, resuming on 93 for 7, added 60 more runs. “That was the turning point,” Pant said. “Temba and Bosch had a brilliant partnership in the morning and that got them back in the game and that hurt us too much at the end of the game.”Bavuma isn’t the sort to talk big, so he kept it simple.”It was about awareness. Second innings, I didn’t change too much. Fortunately I have played in India before, so I kind of understand the little bit of adjustment that you need to make, and luck also plays a part,” he said of his innings of 55 not out, the only half-century in a game where no innings touched 200.”The captaincy, you are only as good as the players. That I give it to them. Batting, I am just comfortable with myself. And technique: not to worry about trigger and all those types of things. I stand as still as I can, watch the ball. I have a decent understanding of my game. I have come here to India wanting to do well. Not the greatest of records when it comes to these conditions. There’s a bit of that exuberance from my side to see myself doing well in these conditions and implement all the little things that I’m trying here, and keep contributing for the team.”The partnership with Bosch, I think with Marco as well at the end of the day [yesterday], just gave a little bit of impetus. The wicket played a bit better this morning, wasn’t as extreme. We tried to stay in the game as much as we could. It is not all the time that you score 120-125 and that’s a winning score. I think it was a case of staying in the game and keep believing.”Contribute he did, and then turned to his bowlers.3:40

Did India let South Africa off the hook in the morning?

“Very exciting. We want to be a part of these games and be on the right side of the result. We tried to hold on to our nerves as much as we could,” Bavuma said. “It was tough for us and we needed the bowlers to exploit what was there and the guys did that beautifully. We were able to change our bowlers frequently and that worked for us.”If Harmer is to be believed, the conditions got a bit tougher for him on the third day.”Today, I felt it probably got a little bit flatter as the ball got softer. It wasn’t exploding as much. I was asking myself some really hard questions,” he said. “Nice to contribute. I have been here before and it was a dark place, losing [three out of four Tests in 2015]. So to get here, to be behind the eight-ball again, and for the team to fight the way they did, shows where this group is and what they are capable of and the belief that they have.”I knew I needed to bowl well. I think it was the same when we were batting – it felt like we were one partnership away from getting ourselves into the game. It was the same with ball in hand. We knew we were one partnership away from getting really close. I just needed to try and put as many balls in the right areas and trust that the wicket would do its bit.”

A number of Sheffield Wednesday’s takeover candidates are now reportedly considering a fresh move to get the sale of the club over the line.

Sheffield Wednesday dealt fresh point deduction

Despite the fact that Dejphon Chansiri is no longer at the club and Sheffield Wednesday are in administration, they’re still facing the consequences for the actions of their former owner. The EFL confirmed earlier this week that the Owls have been dealt a further six-point deduction on top of the initial 12 points that they had deducted.

It’s frustrating news for Wednesday, who were already destined for League One. Administrators will now be hoping to hand supporters some better news regarding the club’s takeover process.

So far, bids have arrived and been rejected from the likes of Mike Ashley, who is looking to get back into English football for the first time since leaving Newcastle United.

Administrators initially set a soft deadline of December 5, but it remains to be seen whether they can actually stick to that on Thursday. Instead, the Owls’ pain may be prolonged as candidates prepare to take a new approach to takeover attempts.

Sheffield Wednesday candidates considering joint bid

As reported by City AM, a number of candidates are considering a joint bid to buy Sheffield Wednesday to get the takeover across the line. The Championship club reportedly have six bidders on the table, but could see some of those opt to join forces to match their £30m valuation.

Sheffield-born takeover candidate makes key contact in race to buy Sheffield Wednesday

He could buy his local club.

By
Tom Cunningham

Nov 26, 2025

As things stand, there is no clear favourite to buy the club and Begbies Traynor’s initial deadline is likely to be pushed back until at least next week.

In the meantime, the Owls could continue looking at the free agent market. Although they are yet to welcome new owners, those at Hillsborough have already signed both Nathan Redmond and former Leeds United man Liam Cooper.

Whether it’s joint-bidders or just the one candidate in the coming weeks, Sheffield Wednesday’s new owners will instantly have their eye on success in League One next season following the club’s inevitable relegation.

Earning instant promotion back to the Championship whilst finally adding financial stability to the club should be top of the wishlist of the new owners.

Simon Jordan reveals Sheffield Wednesday "consortium" as next takeover step shared

McBrine resisted with fifty but it wasn’t enough as Ireland folded for 254 in the second innings

Mohammad Isam14-Nov-2025

Bangladesh sealed an innings-and-47-run win over Ireland inside four days in Sylhet, a victory built on Hasan Murad’s four-wicket haul and commanding centuries from Mahmudul Hasan Joy and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. It was a team effort with almost everyone contributing to the win.Ireland’s only solace, perhaps, was keeping the home side waiting until 45 minutes after the lunch break on the fourth day, particularly after having lost half their side on the third evening. Andy McBrine struck a patient half-century, adding 66 runs for the seventh wicket with Andy Balbirnie, who came in at No. 8 due to a finger injury.Nahid Rana gave Bangladesh the breakthrough they wanted with the second ball after lunch. He banged one in slightly short, which McBrine went to pull, only to find Murad at midwicket. The left-hander fell for 52, having struck five fours in his 106-ball stay.Barry McCarthy and Jordan Neill kept the visitors alive briefly with a 54-run ninth-wicket stand. Neill made 36 with seven fours, while McCarthy, the last man out, struck a six and two fours in his 25.Earlier, the first session revolved around reviews that ultimately went Ireland’s way. It began with Matthew Humphreys in the day’s first over, overturning a decision through DRS. Taijul Islam removed him soon after, caught off a top edge at backward square-leg.McBrine survived twice in the same over against Mehidy Hasan Miraz, both by slim margins. Balbirnie enjoyed similar luck, though Murad eventually trapped him lbw for 38, the dismissal upheld on umpire’s call as the ball was projected to partially hit leg stump.McBrine reached his fifty just before lunch, capping off a fine session for the visitors.Ireland began their second innings facing a deficit of 301 runs. They lost five wickets on the third afternoon, although Paul Stirling fought hard for his 43, which included seven boundaries. But when the experienced right-hander was run out following a moment of hesitation, Ireland slipped further in the final hour. Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker were trapped lbw by Taijul and Murad respectively, while Shadman Islam’s excellent catch at cover ended Curtis Campher’s stay. It left Ireland with a mountain to climb on the fourth day.

Liverpool have reportedly opened talks this week to sign a key reinforcement who Arne Slot loves ahead of Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2026.

Slot urges Liverpool to "remain humble"

Sunday’s 2-0 victory against West Ham United simply cannot be a false dawn for Liverpool or record signing Alexander Isak. After a disastrous run of form, the Reds must make it back-to-back victories by defeating Sunderland this evening.

Anything but three points would only spark further concerns about Slot’s tenure, as reports continue to suggest potential managerial candidates such as Ange Postecoglou.

Ahead of Liverpool’s clash against the Black Cats, Slot told reporters: “The challenge now will be to build on this win. We do not get to believe that a corner has been turned or that a recovery is under way.

“We have to remain humble, work hard and continue to fight. If we do this then maybe we can continue taking the small steps forward that are very much required.

“I would like to welcome Regis Le Bris, his players and staff as well as the supporters and directors of Sunderland to Anfield for tonight’s game. What they have done in the Premier League already this season reflects incredibly well on all at the club having earned promotion back in May.”

FSG could see £75m bid accepted to sign Liverpool their best LW since Mane

Liverpool are in the market for a left-sided winger this winter.

2 ByAngus Sinclair Dec 3, 2025

It’s been the type of run that sparks serious questions about the January transfer window and the need for reinforcements – particularly on the defensive front. As things stand, Liverpool have just two senior centre-backs available, but have been linked with moves for the likes of Castello Lukeba and, of course, Marc Guehi.

Liverpool open talks to sign Marc Guehi

According to TeamTalk, Liverpool have now opened talks to sign Guehi this week in an attempt to get their deal back on track and land their No.1 defensive target ahead of Real Madrid.

The Reds came within hours of signing the Crystal Palace star in the summer, only for the Eagles to pull the plug on the deal at the death. Now, they’re attempting to jump ahead of the chasing pack by making their move as early as the January transfer window.

Those at Anfield are reportedly willing to offer a deal worth around £30m next month, whilst others wait in line to secure Guehi’s signature as a free agent in the summer.

Not even Slot could hide Liverpool’s admiration for Guehi when they missed out on his signature in the summer, telling reporters: “It would be ridiculous if I were to deny we were close to signing him.

“That is so out in the open. These things happen in football. We would have liked to have signed him, of course. If we feel we can strengthen the team, we never hesitate to do so.”

Whether Crystal Palace willingly part with their defender, who was described as a “monster in defence” by Palace reporter Bobby Manzi, remains to be seen, however.

Liverpool star is now very quickly becoming "the next Diaz" at Anfield

Meghalaya’s Akash Choudhary made history on Sunday, becoming only the third player in first-class cricket to smash six sixes in an over and scoring the fastest fifty in the format. He did so by hitting an unprecedented eight sixes in a row, en route to his 11-ball fifty.Primarily a seamer, Choudhary achieved the feat on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group match against Arunachal Pradesh in Surat. Coming in at No. 8 with Meghalaya 576 for 6, he began his innings with a dot and two singles before smashing six sixes off left-arm spinner Limar Dabi in the 126th over of the innings. Thus, he joined an elite club that previously included only Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri. Mike Procter had also hit six consecutive sixes but across two overs.Choudhary continued his onslaught in the next over as well, hitting offspinner TNR Mohith for two back-to-back sixes to bring up his fifty. He broke the previous record – off 12 balls by Leicestershire’s Wayne White against Essex in 2012 – by one ball. Choudhary’s was also the second-fastest fifty in first-class cricket in terms of time taken (where data is available). He took nine minutes. The record belongs to Clive Inman, who took eight minutes for his 13-ball half-century for Leicestershire against Nottinghamshire in 1965.