Newcastle United are reportedly among the "favourites" to snap up Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby during the summer transfer window.

Is Diaby having a good season?

The 23-year-old is part of a Leverkusen squad currently thriving under Xabi Alonso, proving to be an important figure. This season, he has scored nine goals and registered six assists in 26 Bundesliga appearances, as well as three goal contributions in the Europa League, helping them reach the quarter-finals of the competition.

Diaby's performances have understandably caught the eye of a number of clubs across Europe, with a summer departure potentially on the cards. The Frenchman's current deal expires in the summer of 2025 and it could be that the best chance for Leverkusen to receive big money for his services is at the end of this season.

With Newcastle looking for a memorable summer in the transfer market, more attacking firepower is perhaps required in their squad – particularly with a European campaign next season looking likely – and the Leverkusen star could be just the man to help solve that issue.

Are Newcastle signing Moussa Diaby?

According to SportBILD (via Sport Witness), the Magpies are "among the favourites" to acquire Diaby's signature this summer, seeing him as an exciting option to add more quality in the final third. A number of top clubs are believed to be "getting serious" about signing him, with the player himself also claiming that "it’s fun when many clubs are interested in you".

It is stated that Newcastle were keen on bringing in Diaby during the January transfer window, but a move failed to materialise at that point. Anthony Gordon's struggles are mentioned in the report, having "failed" to make an impression so far – he is yet to get a goal or an assist in seven Premier League appearances, suggesting that Diaby would be considered an upgrade on the former Everton man.

We think Diaby could be a great signing for Newcastle, with his end product speaking for itself this season, while nine caps for a star-studded France team also outlines his pedigree. He has been hailed as "incredibly dangerous" by Freiburg coach Christian Streich, and his overall record of 94 goal contributions (48 goals and 46 assists) in 162 appearances for Leverkusen is highly impressive.

At 23, he also has his best years ahead of him, meaning he could be an immediate key man as well as a future potential superstar at St James' Park.

All things considered, we feel there is every reason for Eddie Howe to splash the cash on the winger this summer.

Chelsea's search for a new manager is already well and truly underway, as Todd Boehly looks to bring in a replacement for Graham Potter as soon as possible.

The former Brighton boss was sacked after last weekend's 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa, with the 0-0 draw against Liverpool on Tuesday leaving the Blues in 11th position in the Premier League table.

It is no surprise that Boehly is keen to bring in a replacement as he looks to salvage an incredibly poor season, and it seems as if he has already made contact with recently sacked Bayern Munich boss, Julian Nagelsmann.

Will Chelsea appoint Julian Nagelsmann?

According to The Telegraph, Chelsea have made contact with the German manager, who departed the Allianz Arena late last month despite leaving Die Roten in the Champions League quarter-finals and still very much in the hunt for another Bundesliga title.

The report claims that Boehly is looking for a manager with experience of managing a top club in Europe and Nagelsmann certainly fits that bill, having managed Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich in his career, despite being just 35.

It is also claimed that the young manager is well-known to sporting director Laurence Stewart and already has a connection with technical director Christopher Vivell, who he worked alongside at Leipzig.

Therefore, it certainly seems as if he could make the move to Stamford Bridge, especially as Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg has suggested that talks are "ongoing and positive."

While The Telegraph suggest that he would be keen on taking the job, previous reports have claimed that he wants to wait until the summer to take over, which makes sense when you consider the mess that the Blues currently find themselves in.

However, that might not be enough for Boehly who likely wants a new manager through the door at Stamford Bridge ahead of the Champions League clash against Real Madrid next week.

Would Nagelsmann be perfect for Boehly?

Boehly has proven with his signings at Chelsea that he wants to build for the long-term future at Stamford Bridge, with young talents such as Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke all joining the club in his tenure.

In Nagelsmann, Chelsea would be getting one of the most talented young managers in world football, as the German was labelled a "genius" for his work at Hoffenheim before he was even 30, with the Athletic's Raphael Honigstein singing his praises after they reached the Champions League in his second season in charge.

He was perhaps harshly sacked by Bayern, having impressively won 60 of his 84 games in charge with the Bundesliga giants, averaging an impressive 2.23 points per game. That represents a significant increase on the 1.42 points per game averaged by Potter at Chelsea this season.

Nagelsmann has a rare blend of top-level experience and youth, which makes him the perfect appointment for Boehly's long-term plans. He has already brought in a plethora of top young talent so why not bring in a young coach too?

Indeed, the outspoken owner will now be hoping that the German manager can be convinced to join now rather than in the summer.

Journalist Charlie Bennett is buzzing over the news that Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak has been nominated for the Premier League’s POTM award.

The Lowdown: Isak nomination

As shared on the Premier League’s official Twitter page, Isak is one of six nominees for the Player of the Month (POTM) award for March, along with Brighton and Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister, Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings, Liverpool’s Mo Salah and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard.

The Sweden international scored two goals in his last match away at Nottingham Forest in the top flight last Friday, which came after a goal at home to Wolves in the previous game week, helping Newcastle win both in the process.

The Latest: Bennett buzzing

Taking to Twitter, Bennett has been left buzzing over the update, claiming that Isak’s nomination is ‘wholly deserved’:

“Alexander Isak nominated for PL player of the month. Wholly deserved. The frustrating – but equally exciting – thing is Newcastle fans have only seen glimpses of his quality.

“Immense quality. Imagine him at 26/27/28.”

The Verdict: Finding his feet

Isak is finally starting to find his feet at St. James’ Park since his club-record £63m move from Real Sociedad last summer.

The striker unfortunately missed a large chunk of the season with injury, but showed early signs of what he is capable of, scoring in two in his first three appearances for the club, including on his debut at Anfield against Liverpool.

Aside from his goals, Isak ranks in the top 11% of all forwards for a number of key metrics for forwards in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year, including progressive carries, successful take-ons, touches and progressive passes received per game.

Nonetheless, if the Magpies want to give themselves the best chance of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the next campaign, then they need to keep Isak fit.

AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli made near-perfect centuries to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to 248 and set up a 144-run victory – a record margin in the IPL -over the shell-shocked Gujarat Lions

The Report by Sirish Raghavan14-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAB de Villiers destroyed the Gujarat Lions attack before Virat Kohli joined in•BCCIWhen AB de Villiers or Virat Kohli brings the entire force of his batting might to bear on an opposition, the result is a particularly brutal form of carnage. When both do so in the same innings, the devastation is nuclear. Such was the case on Saturday afternoon at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The two batsmen made near-perfect centuries to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to 248 and set up a 144-run victory – a record margin in the IPL -over the shell-shocked Gujarat Lions.De Villiers’ unbeaten 52-ball 129 and Kohli’s 55-ball 109 decimated an increasingly feckless and indisciplined bowling attack; they required just 96 balls to put on a T20 record stand of 229. It was also only the second instance of two batsmen scoring centuries in the same innings in 5703 T20s. As the innings unfolded, a stream of boundaries became a raging river, with 15 fours and 20 sixes sinking the rickety boat on which the Lions bowlers were cowering.The result was invaluable to Royal Challengers, for a defeat would have all but eliminated them from the playoffs. This margin of victory, however, ensured they stayed in contention and gave them the best net run-rate in the competition.The onslaught came from nowhere. Brendon McCullum, standing in as Lions captain after Suresh Raina missed his first IPL match in nine years, opted to bowl and his opening bowlers got the side off to an excellent start. Praveen Kumar and Dhawal Kulkarni bowled with impressive control to tie down Royal Challengers’ openers, with Kulkarni dismissing a scratchy Chris Gayle in the fourth over to reduce Royal Challengers to 19 for 1. Gayle had departed for his fifth single-digit score in as many matches, the innings was going nowhere, and the Lions fielders seemed to be buzzing.But when spin was introduced in the fifth over, the game began to change. Chinaman bowler Shivil Kaushik delivered a string of half-trackers to allow Kohli and de Villiers to cut loose. Pravin Tambe, brought on for the next over, faced a similar fate and Royal Challengers were accelerating. In the scheme of things, the fact that those two overs conceded 23 runs turned out to be less relevant than the floodgates that they opened.For much of the innings, de Villiers commanded centre-stage, unleashing his full repertoire of sweeps, lofts and drives. While the midwicket and long-on regions came in for a special peppering, no part of the ground was spared as the ball was regularly send soaring. Kohli played second-fiddle to de Villiers for the most part, but took on the starring role in the last three overs, pillaging 57 off his last 14 balls to bring up his third century of this IPL season – also a record – and lift his side to an imposing 248.After having scored 81 off their first 11 overs, Royal Challengers smashed 167 off the last nine. In the midst of this whirlwind, Ravindra Jadeja was the only one of seven Lions bowlers to escape with an economy rate of under 10.The hammering they had received and the enormity of the task before them weighed heavily on Lions’ batsmen in their reply. The early loss of Dwayne Smith set the tone for a limp innings in which wickets fell at regular intervals and the run rate never approached the levels that were required. Chris Jordan and Yuzvendra Chahal made the most of the situation to bag figures of 4 for 11 and 3 for 19 respectively, before Sachin Baby took two in two to put the finishing touches on a royal spanking.

It’s no secret to say that Chelsea have enjoyed splashing the cash throughout the years in order to generate success. On the whole, it appears to have worked fairly well, with the Blues winning two Champions League titles and five Premier League crowns to go alongside a handful of other honours.

Big-money signings such as Didier Drogba, Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante have all powered the club to glory during their respective spells at the Stamford Bridge side, yet not every transfer has been successful, with some bordering on the wasteful side that rinsed the club for very little impact on the pitch.

Antonio Conte won a league title and FA Cup as Chelsea manager and re-established them following a woeful 2015/16 campaign, yet he had a few shockers in the transfer window.

Shelling out £33m for Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi not long after he took charge in the summer of 2016 would certainly be classed as one of those shockers considering his poor goal return.

Where is Michy Batshuayi now?

On the surface, the 22-year-old looked like an excellent prospect who could further develop at Chelsea and eventually turn into a first-team star.

He had scored 23 goals for Marseille the season before and had even represented Belgium at the European Championships in 2016, scoring against Hungary, suggesting he had a bright future ahead of him at both club and international level.

The striker netted 11 goals during his first campaign at the Blues, scoring the title-winning goal against West Bromwich Albion in May 2017, and it looked as though it was £33m well spent.

He would go on to score just another 16 goals for the club after that title campaign, spending time on loan at the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Crystal Palace and Besiktas while failing to convince the likes of Frank Lampard, Maurizio Sarri and Thomas Tuchel he deserved a place in the starting XI.

Dubbed “ruthless” by BBC Sport football writer Phil McNulty at the 2022 World Cup, he had left Chelsea at the start of the campaign to join Fenerbahçe on a free transfer, meaning the club had lost a staggering sum on the player.

The 50-cap striker enjoyed a strong enough start to life in the Premier League, however, he couldn’t quite force his way into a regular fixture in the starting XI and what looked like a wonderful investment back in 2016 soon turned out to be an expensive nightmare.

Aston Villa's transfer business in the Championship was often erratic and rarely successful, but the signing of Ross McCormack will surely go down in history as one of the club's worst.

Why did Aston Villa sign McCormack?

With Villa desperate to escape the second tier, the signing of McCormack looked to be a sensible one, given his impressive form in spells at Leeds United and Fulham previously.

The Scottish striker had crashed in 21 goals and ten assists in the 2015/16 Championship campaign for Fulham and boasted a superb return of 58 goals and 31 assists in 157 appearances for Leeds.

The Villans had been relegated from the Premier League that season and were keen for an immediate return to the top flight, so were more than willing to spend £12m on the 29-year-old, which saw him become the joint second-most expensive player in the club's history at the time.

How did McCormack perform during his time at Villa?

Unfortunately for the Midlands club, that investment would prove to be a disastrous one, as he mustered just three goals and one assist in 24 appearances for the club, before he was eventually released by the club in 2019 following loan spells at Nottingham Forest, Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne City FC and Motherwell.

McCormack will be remembered by Villa fans not for his performances on the pitch, but for his shocking attitude off it, which was perhaps the main factor behind his demise in English football.

The former Scotland international famously missed training under Steve Bruce due to an incident with the gate at his house, with the experienced manager not holding back in his criticism of McCormack.

He said: “In my opinion, he is not fit enough to play, and he will not play unless his attitude towards training and missing training improves. If that improves then I will reconsider him but if he continues to miss training, as he has done, that will be the situation."

Simon Jordan, who is a regular pundit on talkSPORT, was also less than complimentary of the striker during his time at Villa Park, dubbing him a "lazy slob."

Where is Ross McCormack now?

Villa fans may not be surprised to hear that, at the age of 36, McCormack's time in professional football looks to be well and truly over.

Other than his time at Melbourne City, which returned 14 goals in just 17 appearances, all of his loan spells away from Villa were something of a disaster, so it was not a surprise when few sides were willing to take a chance on him upon his release in 2019.

He did have an extremely brief spell at Aldershot but mustered just 28 minutes of National League action, despite signing a one-year contract with the non-league side.

He hasn't played professionally since departing The Shots and many will look towards his failed time in the Midlands as the beginning of the end for McCormack, in what must surely be considered a transfer shocker by the Villa Park outfit.

The BCCI has convened a special general body meeting on May 22 in Mumbai to elect its new president after Shashank Manohar stepped down earlier this week. According to various office-bearers ESPNcricinfo spoke with, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has emerged as a favourite to replace Manohar.According to the rules, for Thakur to be elected one of the six member associations from the east zone will have to propose the board secretary’s name. If there is more than one nomination, then an election will be held. Thakur has the backing of powerful east zone members including Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Tripura and the National Cricket Club. Thakur reportedly has been calling members around the country to state his interest in the president’s post. The last date for filing nominations is May 21.Thakur will have to resign as BCCI secretary to contest for the president’s post. The newly elected president will then choose the new board secretary, according to BCCI members.Manohar stepped down on May 10 to contest for the post of ICC chairman, to which he was elected unopposed two days later. According to the ICC’s rules, the chairman has to be independent and cannot have a position with the respective home board. Manohar had been elected BCCI president in October 2015 – his second term – after the death of Jagmohan Dalmiya.

Brett D’Oliveira followed his hundred against Essex with another impressive display on the opening day against Glamorgan

ECB Reporters Network08-May-2016
ScorecardJoe Clarke continued his fine start to the season•Getty Images

It was fifty-one years ago to the day that Basil D’Oliveira struck his maiden Championship century against Essex, a feat his grandson Brett repeated last week against the same opposition at New Road. He quickly added a second hundred in Cardiff against a Glamorgan attack who toiled with little reward on a good pitch that did offer something early on to the five seamers they had surprisingly selected ahead of a recognised spinner.D’Oliveira was at the crease throughout the day for his career best 152 not out and his concentration never wavered although he was dropped twice and often played and missed early in his innings. He was well supported by Joe Clarke, who reached his hundred in the penultimate over of the day, as the pair added an unbroken 209.D’Oliveira said: “I had to work hard out there today, probably harder than I did against Essex last week. They bowled well in the morning, and I had to be patient, play straight and keep digging in. We will have to keep on going tomorrow, and hope that the poor weather forecast doesn’t materialise.”Although there was more grass than usual left on the pitch Worcestershire opted to bat after winning the toss, with Daryl Mitchell and D’Oliveira putting on 26, before Craig Meschede trapped Mitchell with one that nipped back in the seventh over.This brought in Moeen Ali, playing his last game for the county before joining the England squad next week, and he unfurled some trademark cover drives as the second-wicket pair added 108. He was dropped on 5 – a difficult caught and bowled chance to Michael Hogan – but then was then rarely troubled until he drove ambitiously at Graham Wagg to give wicketkeeper Mark Wallace a routine catch.Clarke, a talented 19-year-old batsman who played for England Lions last winter, then joined D’Oliveira to share another substantial partnership. D’Oliveira, who reached his 50 from 113 balls, went along at the same pace to reach his century – 114 balls later – and to say that he has come of age at the start of this season would certainly be an understatement. After making his debut in August 2012, until the end of last season he scored only 413 runs at an average of 21, but this year he has already made over 500 runs at an average of over 80.Clarke made a shaky start, but as the pitch got easier and the bowlers lacked the venom they showed earlier in the day, he confirmed his promise and soon reached fifty with some powerful driving both sides of the wicket, and although the second new ball was taken, it made little difference to the scoring rate. Clarke went on to score his third first-class century of the season, although he was badly dropped from a caught and bowled chance on 83 by Wagg.

Nottinghamshire broke the 400 barrier for the second time in 48 hours at Trent Bridge and again had to withstand a spirited retort from the opposition before claiming victory

ECB Reporters Network08-Jun-2016
ScorecardMichael Lumb continued where he had left off with another century•Getty Images

Notts Outlaws smashed the 400 barrier for the second time in the week as they defeated Warwickshire by 36 runs in their Royal London One-Day Cup tie at Trent Bridge.After hitting 445 in Monday’s win over Northants, the home side were at it again with another colossal contribution after being put in, thanks in part to their openers putting on 178 for the first wicket.Michael Lumb made 133 and Riki Wessels hit 76, scores that were then backed up by Greg Smith’s 73 and Dan Christian’s brutal 94 as the Outlaws realised 415 for five after being asked to bat first.Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, said: “We’ve seen a magnificent pitch, so all credit to the groundsman. He’s given us a fantastic surface for one-day cricket and a fantastic outfield. When we rocked up on Monday we had no idea that we were going to score over 440. You look at it, see it’s a sunny nice and a good track and take it from there. We thought 320 was a par score both days but we’ve gone way past that.”Rikki Clarke was the only frontline bowler to spare severe punishment, returning figures of 2 for 45 from his 10 overs. Clarke also sent down the only maiden, something not seen in the 99 overs of mayhem earlier in the week.Wessels hit seven fours and two sixes in his run-a-ball effort, which ended when he tamely miscued Richard Jones to Clarke at mid off.Lumb powered on and followed his 184 against the Steelbacks with an 88-ball century, comprising nine fours and three sixes. He was eventually bowled by Clarke, who swiftly delivered the same fate to Brendan Taylor.Smith and Christian put on 141 together, with the Australian hitting the first two balls of the final over for six before lifting Oliver Hannon-Dalby into the hands of midwicket when looking to reach his century. His 94 came from only 47 balls with eight fours and six sixes. Samit Patel applied the final flourish to the innings, with an unbeaten 17 from only five deliveries.Having conceded their highest limited overs score, Warwickshire fought back bravely to post their own highest total against a first class county, before being bowled out in the final over for 379.Jonathan Trott led the charge, playing a defiant, battling knock of 100. The former England international scored his runs from 93 balls, with nine fours and two sixes and whilst he was at the crease with Ian Bell an unlikely upset seemed possible.The pair put on 95 for the third wicket, with Bell making 60 – but Steven Mullaney removed them both on his way to taking three for 81.Support for Trott and Bell came from Sam Hain, who followed the hundred he had made 24 hours earlier by hitting 69 and Tim Ambrose, who reached 50 in only 28 deliveries before falling for 73.Harry Gurney had Ambrose caught at mid off and also dismissed Ateeq Javid and Jeetan Patel on his way to taking figures of three for 58, the best of the day.Notts have now won both of their opening fixtures and are already handily situated to qualify out of the North Group, whilst Warwickshire’s defeat leaves them with just two points from three matches played.

Arsenal are 'willing to pay' the 'jaw-dropping' price tag to sign Declan Rice from West Ham this summer, according to reports.

What's the latest on Rice leaving West Ham?

The England international has been heavily linked with a move away from east London, with Irons boss David Moyes facing a real battle to keep his club captain. Indeed, Rice is set to be a highly sought-after player when the transfer window opens, as Mikel Arteta, Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool are all apparently set to battle for his signature.

Currently in pole position to clinch their first Premier League title in nearly 20 years, Arsenal and sporting director Edu are already thought to be planning ahead on how best to strengthen Arteta's options ahead of the next campaign.

Rice is thought to be a top target for the Gunners, despite the January signing of midfielder Jorginho from Stamford Bridge – and reports have suggested it is inevitable the midfielder will depart West Ham in 2023.

Now, an update by journalist Pete O'Rourke, writing in a Football Insider column, says Arsenal are absolutely determined to sign the 24-year-old. It is believed that the north Londoners are 'willing to meet' Rice's 'jaw-dropping' price tag of £100 million+, with Arteta being a 'huge admirer' personally.

The Arsenal boss also believes his side have a potential ace up their sleeve – with the theory that clinching this 22/23 domestic crown will put them in the 'driving seat' to capture Rice.

What could Rice bring to Arsenal?

The former Chelsea academy starlet has been a revelation for Moyes and a key, key player in their last two European qualification campaigns. As per WhoScored, Rice is as pivotal as ever to West Ham – standing out as their best-performing player by average match rating whist playing more league minutes than any of his teammates.

Called 'sensational' by members of the media, the Hammers midfielder has also registered more interceptions per 90 in the English top flight than any West Ham player – all while averaging the highest pass accuracy (88.9%) out of any regular in Moyes' side (WhoScored).

Stats like this indicate he could add both composure and an element of defensive solidarity to Arteta's team next season, with defensive midfield players thought to be high on Arsenal's agenda.

Former England star Joe Cole was also ecstatic in his praise for Rice at international level during the most recent break, calling him the 'best player' by a mile against Italy.