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Glasgow Rangers have sacked their second manager within a year, as Michael Beale exits the club after just ten months in charge.

The 43-year-old arrived following the sacking of Giovanni van Bronckhorst last November and was tasked with returning the Gers to the summit of Scottish football, which would ultimately prove to be too much of a challenge for the former QPR boss.

With any managerial departure, the volume of names linked with the vacant job seem to rise every day and this is no different, with a plethora of managers, both in and out of work, seemingly showing interest in the role.

AZ Alkmaar coach Pascal Jansen appears keen on speaking with the Ibrox club with regard to the role, while former Gers defender and current Yokohama F. Marinos boss Kevin Muscat would also like to speak to the club ahead of a potential return to Ibrox, this time as manager.

There have been a number of other names touted, yet there is one who James Bisgrove must steer well clear of if he harbours any ambition of ending Celtic’s hegemony of Scottish football anytime soon – Frank Lampard.

What happened to Michael Beale?

Despite failing to win any of the domestic prizes on offer during the second half of last term, Beale was backed by the board during the summer transfer window, and he gave the club a massive shake up, which in all honesty, should have occurred a season or two prior.

Out went stalwarts such as Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent and Allan McGregor as their contracts expired, while the 43-year-old sold Antonio Colak, Fashion Sakala and Glen Kamara in order to balance the books.

This led to nine new arrivals coming to Glasgow as Beale sought to freshen up his first team, and it looked as though the rebuild could be a turning point with regard to giving Celtic a proper challenge for Premiership honours.

Unfortunately, it was a false dawn. Several summer signings have failed to hit the ground running during the embryonic stages of their stints at the club and this has led to lacklustre performances on the field.

Indeed, the Gers won only four of their opening nine matches of the 2023/24 campaign until the international break, being defeated by PSV Eindhoven and Celtic within the space of five days to practically derail their season before it even got off the ground.

Four wins from four offered a brief respite to the long-suffering supporters, but last weekends 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen proved to be a defeat too far for Beale, and he was dismissed on Sunday evening.

The managerial search begins again and this seems to be a recurring theme over the previous few years. This deadly precedent must be avoided which makes the hunt for the next manager even more important if the club are to gain some stability.

Will Frank Lampard be the next Rangers manager?

Along with the aforementioned names linked with the Ibrox hotseat, the former Chelsea midfielder has reportedly shown interest in returning to the dugout and Rangers could be his next move.

According to The Telegraph, Lampard is open to speaking with Bisgrove and the board with regard to taking the role as manager, having been out of full time work since departing Everton earlier this year.

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He was placed in temporary charge of Chelsea when Graham Potter was sacked back in April until the end of the 2022/23 season, but the 45-year-old is chasing another permanent position.

Its safe to say, the former Derby County manager hasn’t had the most successful managerial career to date and Bisgrove should be doing all he can to avoid appointing him as the new Light Blues boss.

Is Frank Lampard a successful manager?

In short, no. Lampard secured his first managerial position at Derby in the summer of 2018, signing a three-year contract, and he sounded keen to finally get going, saying: “This is my first job as a manager but I’ve been working towards this for a long time. I’ve worked closely with some of the best coaches in the game and I’m confident in my own abilities and those of the team around me.

“I know it won’t be easy – managing a football team never is – but I’m here to work hard. I’m really looking forward to getting started and to the challenge ahead."

Utilising his Chelsea connections, he signed Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori on loan deals, and they sparkled in the Championship, ranking second and third across the squad for overall Championship rating.

Lampard led the club to an unlikely playoff final appearance, yet they were defeated by Aston Villa before Chelsea came calling and this was too hard a call to ignore.

With a transfer embargo in place, the former England midfielder gave opportunities to players such as Mount and Tammy Abraham, yet he managed just 84 games during his first spell, failing to win any silverware and was sacked in January 2021.

He spent a year out of the game before becoming the new Everton manager in January 2022 yet recorded a rather dismal one point per game average while winning only 12 of his 44 matches in charge. The Toffees narrowly avoided relegation in 2022 yet were dragged into another dogfight at the bottom of the table last term, and he was sacked just a year into the role.

His temporary spell at the Stamford Bridge outfit did nothing to improve his reputation, as he led them to just one win over their final 11 fixtures and his spell was criticised by writer Casey Evans, who said Lampard’s interim spell was a “disaster class”.

During his relatively brief managerial career, Lampard has averaged just 1.47 points per game, while he has won only 83 of the 196 matches he has taken charge of, hardly numbers which will spark excitement among the Ibrox faithful.

Bisgrove will need to make the correct choice this time or the club will continue to repeat their hire and fire policy which has occurred over the previous two seasons.

Lampard isn’t the answer however and there are far better candidates out there who would do a much better job than the 45-year-old.

Paul Horton has been named as his replacement across all formats

ESPNcricinfo staff and ECB Reporters Network25-May-2018Michael Carberry has been removed as Leicestershire captain with immediate effect following a review by head coach Paul Nixon and will take a small break from the game. Paul Horton has been named as his replacement across all formats.Carberry was named captain in October having joined the club late in the 2017 campaign but has not lasted half a season in the role despite Leicestershire securing their first Championship win since September 2016 when they beat Glamorgan by three runs earlier this month.When the announcement was made, a brief statement said there would be no further comment but after the Royal London Cup match against Derbyshire, in which Carberry was absent and Leicestershire lost by five runs, Nixon expanded on the outcome.”It was a huge decision, the toughest decision of my career but the management team felt Michael was just slightly more reactive than proactive,” Nixon said. “Michael is a fantastic man with great integrity and is a massively valued member of this team and we are desperate to get him back. He’s going to have a little break, get his head clear and round it, and maybe it was us asking too much of him in the first place.”But he’s taken this club forward already with the things he’s done and his attitude and it was a very tough decision to make but we think the right one moving forward.”Carberry has averaged 32.16 in four Championship matches this season.

Manchester United appeared to have finally found the true heir to Sir Alex Ferguson’s throne when they appointed Erik ten Hag last summer, especially following a solid debut campaign.

The former Ajax boss secured a top-four finish in the Premier League during 2022/23 – securing a Champions League berth – while also winning United’s first silverware in six years by defeating Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.

All signs looked promising for the Dutchman, yet he has been brought down to earth so far this term, winning only five games from 11 while suffering defeats in the opening two Champions League group stage ties, becoming the first United manager to experience this.

A lengthy injury list hasn’t helped his cause while the manager failed to land several of his top targets during the summer transfer window – like Harry Kane – yet there can be no excuse for their performances as of late, and it looks as though they are already out of a title race before Halloween.

Missing out on top targets didn’t impact Ferguson too much during his tenure at Old Trafford, and over the course of 26 and a half years, he missed out on several players who went on to bigger and brighter things.

He could have spearheaded his side to even more trophies had he signed Alan Shearer before Newcastle came calling, while Paul Gascoigne was even a target during his embryonic spell in Manchester – how different Gazza’s career could have been had he been bossing the United midfield we will never know.

'Fergie' was even linked with a talented youngster around the turn of the century, yet he eventually moved to Chelsea and became a Premier League icon in the process – Frank Lampard.

Did Man Utd nearly sign Frank Lampard?

Having enjoyed talents such as Bryan Robson, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes starring across his midfield during his reign at Old Trafford, Ferguson was also keeping an eye out for the next big thing which could revamp his starting XI.

Lampard was making waves during his early spell at West Ham and United had shown interest, with the legendary Scot explaining that he should’ve followed up with a more concrete move for the player.

“Lampard has been unbelievable,” said Ferguson. “I don’t think a midfield player will be able to do that figure again. It’s quite phenomenal.

“Like Bryan Robson, he has had a great knack of timing his runs into the box at the right time. John Wark was another one at Ipswich.

“The guy has had a great career. I must say we looked at him when he was at West Ham as a young player and I maybe regret not having done it.

“Where else could I get 200 goals?”

It’s safe to say United may not have had their dip in form between 2003 and 2006 had they been able to call on the goals of Lampard, especially considering how effective he was in front of goal for the Stamford Bridge side during those years.

What happened to Frank Lampard?

The Englishman joined the Blues for £11m and enjoyed a sparkling spell at the club. During 13 years in London, Lampard not only spearheaded Chelsea to three Premier League titles, but also won a Champions League crown and claimed four FA Cup winners medals as the club enjoyed the most productive spell in their history.

Indeed, Lampard even arguably made a bigger impact in the top flight than David Beckham did during his spell at United. On the surface, this sounds like a strange suggestion as 'Becks' won double the amount of titles than Lampard, yet he was a key member of Fergie’s side, while Lampard was often the catalyst for Chelsea during their period of success.

During his nine seasons where he made a Premier League appearance for United, Beckham scored ten goals in a single term just once – finding the back of the net on 11 occasions during the 2001/02 season.

In comparison, Lampard featured for Chelsea in 13 league seasons and scored ten or more goals in all but three of these, with 2009/10 proving to be his most impressive campaign, netting 22 goals and grabbing 16 assists as the club won their third Premier League title.

Overall, Lampard made 429 top flight appearances for the Blues compared to the 265 games played by Beckham and it is evident who had the bigger impact on their respective team's success.

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Lampard was able to dictate the play from the heart of the midfield while also proving to be a dangerous threat in the opposition box and if it weren’t for his goals, it is unlikely the Blues would’ve enjoyed the same sort of success.

Beckham on the other hand, was also a sensational footballer and is perhaps overlooked due to his off-the-field image and worldwide fame following his move to Real Madrid in 2003. Aside from Eric Cantona during the 1990s and early 2000s, United tended to operate with a wonderful team spirit that spurred them on to glory.

Removing Beckham would have weakened them, but Ferguson ultimately replaced him rather quickly and moved on – signing Cristiano Ronaldo soon after. Lampard wasn’t as replaceable for Chelsea, especially at the peak of his powers.

What is Frank Lampard doing now?

After hanging up his boots, the former midfielder took up a managerial role with Derby County and after finishing runners-up in the Championship playoff final, he landed his dream job – managing Chelsea.

It didn’t work out at the Blues for Lampard while he also struggled during a year-long spell in charge of Everton, and it certainly proves that having an excellent playing career doesn’t necessarily suggest that a solid managerial career will follow.

Fergie missed out on quite a few world-class talents during his stint at United and Lampard was definitely up there as one of the best in the business, especially after he joined Chelsea.

It's hard to compare the careers of Lampard and Beckham due to them playing in different positions and different leagues for vast spells, but the statistics determine that the former Blues star had a bigger impact in the Premier League and could’ve taken United to a different level.

Australia now head to Zimbabwe for a T20I tri-series that also includes Pakistan but perhaps the most significant tour will be when Australia A and South Africa A play a tri-series in India in August

Melinda Farrell at Edgbaston27-Jun-2018The Australian squad may be leaving England without a win but Justin Langer believes they won’t be carrying any mental baggage either, despite a disappointing tour. After the 22-run loss in the standalone T20I at Edgbaston, Langer said he believes the tough lessons learned will benefit the younger players in the squad.”Light at the end of the tunnel, there’s no doubt about that,” said Langer. “We knew it was going to be a big job knowing where we came from in South Africa.”There’s been some great learning and some real positives that have come from this trip. On the surface it looks like a complete disaster but we have talked about a team for the World Cup and the Ashes and I think we have unlocked a few answers, but it hurts when you get beaten, particularly in England.”My first Test match was against the West Indies and it was pretty scary. You faced four fast West Indians and you are a skinny kid. I remember David Boon saying ‘Test cricket will never get tougher than this’.””I thought he was just being nice to me but it was so true. I learned something from it and I was tougher from it. When you look at Trent Bridge for our young blokes to get hit for 480-something, it doesn’t get tougher. Hopefully it will add some layers to their character and not scars.”Langer pointed to the lack of experience in the squad, the absence of several first-choice players as well as Australia’s long-standing battles to master spin as key reasons Australia had struggled throughout the tour. But he was full in his praise of England’s prowess in the short forms of the game.”I have been blown away by how well England are playing but they have got 880 games between them, they’re all in good form, they’re at the peak of their powers right now and we’ve come up against them,” said Langer.Justin Langer talks to his players at practice•Getty Images”There’s so many people talking about our style of play at the moment. When I started playing Test cricket I could not hit them off the square. I could hit them to third man and hit them to fine leg and I didn’t have much else, but by the end of my career I would come out and I would be swinging, I would be playing cover drives and pull shots and I’d be hitting the spinners over their heads.”My point is, we talk about England now and they are guys playing brilliant cricket. They are confident, they’re scoring hundreds and they’ve been playing together for a long time. They have the core together and they take confidence from it, at the moment we haven’t got that. What I do know is we will learn lessons from how England are playing at the moment but it is hard to compare us because we are at such a different stage of our journey.”The journey for both teams, in the one-day format at least, leads straight back to England and Wales next summer, and while there may have been valuable lessons learned by this group of players, Langer made it clear he is expecting to come back for the World Cup with a more experienced squad.”If Steve Smith and David Warner and Mitch Marsh, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc come back in, all of a sudden you’ve got 800 games of experience again and we’ve got a lot more experienced team,” said Langer.”And if some of these young guys who are gaining some experience here, or the guys who have taken it up – Shaun Marsh in the one-day series, he scored two hundreds. Ashton Agar has been really good with the ball and shown a lot with the bat.”Billy Stanlake has had some good games. If we can get some of those guys learning and growing and if some of the other guys are available, who knows what could happen in 12 months’ time?”It’s a fact of life, we don’t know what’s going to happen in 12 months. That will just be natural if some of those more senior players come back in the team, that’s just reality.”Australia now head to Zimbabwe for a T20I tri-series that also includes Pakistan but perhaps the most significant tour will be when Australia A and South Africa A play a tri-series in India in August. A number of players in and around the Test side will be in that squad and, while Langer won’t be present, performances in India could have a significant impact on the make-up of the Australian Test side during the home summer, when they host India and Sri Lanka.”It’s huge,” said Langer. “We’ll probably pick the Test team after the Australia A team. It’s a great opportunity, particularly for our young batsmen, or any batsman in Australia.”It’s very, very rare to pick a Test squad after something like that. We’ve got a short period so it’s going to be a huge tour. It’s exciting. I won’t be at that tour, because from about the end of September, we’re not going to go home for about 18 months. So I probably won’t go to India for that tour.”I’ll certainly be watching it closely because we have to start building the top six in the Test team.”

Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic claimed that Jadon Sancho was 'dissatisfied' even after scoring his maiden goal of the season.

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Terzic revealed he spoke to SanchoSancho was 'dissatisfied' after scoring maiden goalSancho returned to Dortmund on loan in JanuaryWHAT HAPPENED?

The English winger netted his maiden goal since returning to Dortmund on loan from Manchester United as he scored in the club's 2-1 win over Werder Bremen during the weekend. After the game, manager Terzic addressed Sancho's issues as he claimed that the player was 'dissatisfied' even after picking up his first goal.

AdvertisementWHAT EDIN TERZIC SAID

Speaking to reporters, the Dortmund boss said: "In the last few days and weeks, I’ve gotten many, many questions about why he isn’t where he was yet. For us, it makes complete sense if you take into account what his last 12 months looked like, and yet last week he was very dissatisfied and there was a long conversation.

"After the game, he was dissatisfied because he said he lost the ball too many times, especially in the second half, and that’s what I like about him. He is not just focusing on his goal but taking in the entire performance. Even though he hadn’t scored in the last few weeks, we’ve seen that he’s well on his way there. We know he’s not 100 per cent yet but we’ll get him there."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Earlier, Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl had blamed Manchester United for Sancho's poor run of form while praising the player's performance against Bremen. Kehl claimed that getting banished from the squad earlier in the season had affected the 23-year-old performance and went on to compare his absence from the pitch to suffering an ACL injury.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR JADON SANCHO?

The Red Devils loanee will be next seen in action in the Champions League on Wednesday as the Bundesliga side take on Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven in the second leg of their round of 16 clash.

Following his 200 runs in the first Test against England, the India captain has pushed past Steven Smith to become the No. 1 ranked batsman

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2018Virat Kohli’s 22nd Test century and his 200-run tally in the Edgbaston Test has vaulted him to the top of the ICC Test rankings for batsmen. He has dethroned Steven Smith, the former Australia captain, and is the first Indian to be No. 1 since Sachin Tendulkar in June 2011.Kohli joins a select club, comprising Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsakar, Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir – the only other India batsmen to have reached the top spot in the Test rankings. He currently has 934 rating points, the most by any India batsman ever, and 14th on the all-time list. Donald Bradman, who reached 961 points in 1948, leads the list. Kohli is also ranked No. 1 in ODIs at present.At Edgbaston, Kohli’s remarkable efforts helped keep India in the Test despite top-order collapses in both innings. His first-innings 149 helped minimise the damage after India slipped to 100 for 5 and then 182 for 8 in response to England’s 287. Kohli was the last man out, having got through a stern examination from James Anderson before opening up, leaving India with only a 13-run deficit. In the second innings, chasing 194, India’s top order failed once again. Kohli was unbeaten on 43 overnight, and completed a half-century the next morning. However, he was lbw to Ben Stokes for 51, and India were eventually defeated by 31 runs. Kohli had tallied 200 runs in the match overall, while India’s four other top-order batsmen – M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane – mustered just 99 runs between them.For a second straight overseas tour, Kohli has single-handedly carried India’s batting line-up. So far in 2018, he has tallied 486 runs at 60.75. The other top-order batsmen – the four who played in the Edgbaston Test and Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma, who were part of the series against South Africa at the start of the year – have scored 809 runs between them at 21.86.

Credit where it's due, Arsenal have once again got off to a flying start in the Premier League to put to bed any doubts that last season could have been a one off. Mikel Arteta has transformed the Gunners from lost failures into serious title challengers – the job that the Spaniard has done so far has been impressive.

The North London side have also improved off the pitch, with their transfer business ending in success more often than not, putting to bed the era of transfer flops that included the likes of Nicolas Pepe. Instead, this is the era of impactful additions, and that could include the potential arrival of one particular Turkish Super Lig player.

Arsenal transfer news

The Gunners spent well in the summer, refusing to take their foot off the gas ahead of their return to the Champions League this season. In the end, Arsenal's summer spending reached as much as the €235m (£205m) mark, and Arteta has been rewarded for his club's spending ever since.

Player

Price

Declan Rice

€116m (£101m)

Kai Havertz

€75m (£65m)

Jurrien Timber

€40m (£35m)

David Raya

€3.4m (£3m) loan fee

With a long title race ahead, too, Arsenal could yet return to the transfer market when the January window opens, with the latest Sacha Boey transfer news suggesting that he could be among their targets. According to Fotospor, the Gunners have sent scouts to watch the right-back in Galatasaray's recent defeat over Besiktas.

Boey, of course, was the subject of Arsenal transfer interest throughout the summer, with reports in Turkey claiming that the Premier League giants made a £12m bid for the full-back, who had an asking price of £17m, leaving Arsenal to pursue and seal a deal for Timber instead. As Timber recovers from an ACL injury, however, the Gunners may need another right-back, which has seemingly turned their attention back to Galatasaray and Boey.

Sacha Boey's stats

So far this season, Boey's stats prove just how important he is for Galatasaray these days. The 23-year-old has started in every single game for Okan Buruk's side this season, who have even got a win at Old Trafford against Manchester United under their belt.

It's no surprise, given his importance, that Boey has been at the centre of praise during his time in Turkey, including from former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna, who said: "Galatasaray’s Sacha Boey is a player I really like. I think he will fit perfectly into Arsenal. As a right-back too, I have to say I think he’s great. I’m sure many clubs have Sacha Boey in mind.“There is a contract to sign.”

Whilst Timber remains on the sideline, it could be a wise move from Arteta to secure another right-back option, creating plenty of competition for both Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu. As the Champions League fixtures begin to come thick and fast, too, and injuries inevitably fall the way of those at The Emirates, the greater squad depth that Arsenal have, the better that they may cope.

USWNT captain Lindsey Horan says “you don’t get sick of winning trophies”, with that relentless drive seeing more medals being targeted in 2024.

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Gold Cup triumph already enjoyed this yearWorld Cup winner wants even moreOlympic dream to chase down in ParisWHAT HAPPENED?

The 29-year-old midfielder, who has over 140 caps for her country, recently lifted the W Gold Cup as skipper after netting the winning goal in a final showdown with Brazil. That success has got the United States back on track following a forgettable showing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT HORAN SAID

Horan, as a World Cup winner with countless trophy triumphs to her name with club and country, could be forgiven for slowing down in a career-long pursuit of success. She says there is no chance of that happening, telling FIFA’s of ambition that will never burn out: “For me, the desire doesn't stop. Your career is short, so you just want to do as much as possible and be the best you can be. You don't get sick of winning, you don't get sick of the trophies, you don't get sick of the time with your team-mates and playing in front of such incredible fans. I just love the game. I want to keep getting better and keep entertaining.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Horan has one obvious target for the rest of the calendar year, with the USWNT squad now readying themselves for the Olympic Games in Paris. Horan helped to land a bronze medal in 2021, but her sights are now locked on gold. She added on bettering efforts from Tokyo: “It was really cool to stand on that podium, but we wanted so much more. This team always strives for greatness, and we're winners. We want to go for gold. The World Cup is obviously the pinnacle, but winning a gold medal at the Olympics… that's something that you just can't describe. It would be a huge moment in my career.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR HORAN & THE USWNT?

The USWNT will have current Chelsea boss Emma Hayes at the helm by the time they head to France, with Horan preparing to grace that competition in a country that she knows well as she currently plies her trade for Lyon.

West Ham United look to be on the route to brighter days under David Moyes, after their struggles during the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

Last season, the Hammers flirted with relegation at times, however the lows of their league form were quickly forgotten thanks to their historic win of the Europa Conference League in May.

Moyes delivered the east Londoners their first European title since 1965, which seems to have subsequently inspired the squad to take the path to better days, as highlighted by their encouraging start to the 2023/24 season.

The Irons have recorded four wins from their opening eight games, only losing twice so far to portray their progression over the summer, assisted by the impressive business that was orchestrated in the transfer window.

From Mohammed Kudus to James Ward-Prowse, West Ham’s new arrivals have settled in swiftly to life at the London Stadium, however it wasn’t just the incomings that caught the headlines this summer.

Unfortunately for some, adapting to the Premier League and Moyes’ style of play didn’t come so effortlessly, as the Hammers prematurely bid farewell to one of their blockbuster signings of 2022.

When did West Ham sign Gianluca Scamacca?

In July 2022, West Ham announced the signing of Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca, arriving from Sassuolo on a five-year deal with the option to add a sixth year.

The Irons handed the Italy outfit a hefty fee of £35.5m for the 23-year-old, who had shown blistering form in his homeland that prompted Moyes to get a deal for the bright prospect over the line.

At the point of his arrival, Scamacca admitted his excitement to join the east Londoners, saying that he felt that West Ham was the “perfect team” for him to develop and impress at.

Why did West Ham sign Scamacca?

As quoted by Moyes, relayed by Sky Sports, the Irons had been “looking to add more strength” to their attack, which is where they found the services of Scamacca “well recommended”.

The 2021/22 campaign was a decisive factor in the Italian’s move to the Premier League, as he made his presence in Serie A known by scoring 16 goals in 36 appearances for Sassuolo, placing him at sixth in the scoring charts alongside company such as Lautaro Martinez and Dusan Vlahovic.

Scamacca's Serie A record (before joining West Ham)

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2

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Figures via Transfermarkt

While that season was integral to him taking the career path he did by joining West Ham, the forward’s ability was highlighted in the year prior to his 16-goal streak, with talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbing him a “clinical finisher” at the age of 21.

In capturing him at 23 on a five-year deal, the Irons showed a statement of intent to unearth the full capabilities of the striker in the Premier League, however the ideas were far more bright than the action when it came to Scamacca’s development.

How much did Gianluca Scamacca earn at West Ham?

Not only did the forward make a positive career move by flying the nest and joining one of the most competitive leagues in the world, but he also catapulted his earnings by signing his contract at West Ham.

At Sassuolo, Scamacca was earning around £24k-per-week, a salary that amounted to £1.2m-per-year, not a bad wage packet for a 23-year-old to collect, but nothing on the figure he was presented with in east London.

The striker picked up a weekly wage of £90k at West Ham, earning £4.6m-per-year to make him one of the highest-paid players at the club, receiving the fifth-highest salary during the 2022/23 campaign.

Handing Scamacca such wage only reinforced how highly the Hammers valued their new acquisition, but when it came to showcasing how they valued him on the pitch, it was a different matter.

How many goals did Scamacca score for West Ham?

It took Scamacca nine match days in the Premier League to claim his first goal, however pressure was eased thanks to his stellar contributions in the Europa Conference League qualifiers, as he netted two in two.

It quickly became apparent that the Italian was not suited to Moyes’ style of play, with that being little fault of his own, as the move didn’t play out as perfect as he’d first anticipated.

From lack of game time to West Ham not playing their best football in general, it seemed to be a scenario of ‘right player, wrong time’ for Scamacca at the London Stadium, as he scored three Premier League goals in only 16 appearances.

The forward was only selected to start 11 games in the league campaign, as Moyes opted for a different approach which didn’t put the Italian in the picture, as he averaged just 58 minutes per game in the 2022/23 season, via Sofascore.

Matters were intensified in the summer, as favoured striker and West Ham veteran, Michail Antonio, spoke about Scamacca’s situation on the Filthy Fellas podcast, explaining simply that the forward was not the right man for Moyes’ set up.

After a total of 27 appearances across all competitions and eight goals, the Italian found an exit route from east London, signing for Atalanta for a fee of around £21.5m, highlighting just how poor of a deal the entire saga turned out to be for the Irons.

How much did Scamacca cost West Ham in total?

It could be questioned that if West Ham hadn't won the Europa Conference League, would Moyes have received more backlash for his handling of Scamacca both as a player and as a business transaction, as he was given little chance to show his worth.

The misfiring marksman was simply "disappointing" in truth, in the words of The Athletic's Roshane Thomas, as the exciting prospect of his five-year deal was abruptly ended after just 12 months, in a hugely expensive year for the Hammers’ financial department.

Despite not playing anywhere near as much as anticipated, Scamacca received his salary of £4.6m, which when added to his transfer fee, amounted to an eye-watering expenditure of roughly £40m to sign and maintain the striker.

To put things into perspective, West Ham were rinsed for around £5m per goal by the Italian, who did his best to impose himself in what was a hostile and negative time to be a new arrival into a fairly rigid system at the London Stadium.

While it was little fault of the 24-year-old’s own, the deal was an absolute disaster for both player and club, who at the point of his departure, had little to show for the millions lost along the way.

Somerset have announced the signing of seamer Jack Brooks on a three-year contract from Yorkshire

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2018Somerset have announced the signing of seamer Jack Brooks on a three-year contract from Yorkshire. The 34-year-old will move to Taunton at the end of the season.Brooks’ impending departure, first reported by ESPNcricinfo, is a blow to Yorkshire, who face a rebuilding job over the winter. England quick Liam Plunkett has already signed for Surrey – with Mathew Pillans moving in the opposite direction – while opener Alex Lees was granted a switch to Durham.Although Brooks has never quite done enough to win England selection, he is a vastly experienced bowler at county level. A later-starter with Northamptonshire, he soon became a distinctive figure on the circuit, with his long hair, trademark headband and impassioned celebrations. He moved to Yorkshire in 2012, helping the club to win back-to-back Championships in 2014 and 2015. He has also played for England Lions.”I’m extremely excited to be joining Somerset at a time when they are building a special team capable of challenging for trophies,” Brooks said, “I truly believe this Somerset team can create something special.”When I met Andy Hurry, Jason Kerr, Tom Abell and Andrew Cornish I was impressed straightaway with their vision for the team and club. Their togetherness and desire reminded me a lot of Yorkshire when I joined them.”I look forward to continuing my cricketing journey and to the fresh challenges that await. My mum and her family are from Bath and I’ll be nearer to my family in Oxfordshire, so it feels a little bit like I’m coming home. Somerset have a fantastic reputation as a strong family club which I look forward to being a part of.”Although in his mid-30s, Brooks has fine record in red-ball cricket, in particular, taking 291 wickets at 26.56 in six years at Headingley. He claimed 68 wickets to help Yorkshire to their first Championship title since 2001, and was their leading wicket-taker for three seasons in a row between 2014 and 2016.However, while Yorkshire now find themselves battling at the wrong end of the Division One table, Somerset, in their pursuit of a first-ever Championship, have emerged as Surrey’s closest challengers. They also secured a spot in Vitality Blast Finals Day with victory over the holders, Nottinghamshire, on Monday.As well as being closer to home, the prospect of being involved in all three formats was perhaps a factor in Brooks moving to Taunton – he only played in 12 List A and 23 T20 fixtures for Yorkshire.Somerset’s director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said: “We are delighted that we have secured a player of Jack’s proven quality, experience and character to add to one of the most exciting bowling attacks in the country. It’s a great reflection of our ambition, and the progress that the club has made, that a player of his quality sees his ambitions of winning silverware with Somerset CCC.”Alongside his experience of winning silverware, which will add to our ability to achieve our aspirations of winning trophies, he is incredibly competitive, driven and will be a great fit in the changing room. I have no doubt he will become a big favourite with the Somerset membership”.