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Nottingham Forest’s season took a worrying turn recently after the devastating news that Chris Wood faces further months on the sidelines.

The New Zealand international underwent knee surgery over the Christmas period and his lengthy absence has forced Sean Dyche into immediate action in the January transfer window.

Wood’s injury could not have come at a worse time for Forest, even if they’ve just put serious ground between them and the bottom three with a stunning 2-1 win at West Ham.

The 34-year-old was the club’s top scorer last season with 20 Premier League goals and provided the perfect focal point for Dyche’s direct style of play, but he is yet to feature under him.

Wood’s physical presence and ability to hold up play created space for attacking midfielders Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga to exploit.

Without Wood, Forest’s attacking options look alarmingly thin. Dyche has been left relying on Igor Jesus and Arnaud Kalimuendo, but the latter could be heading for the exit door with Eintracht Frankfurt still closing in on a loan deal.

Forest were reportedly not planning significant January business before Wood’s injury forced their hand.

The club had stabilized under Dyche following Ange Postecoglou’s brief and unsuccessful spell in charge earlier in the season. However, the loss of their main goal threat has transformed the window from optional to essential, with recruitment now viewed as a risk assessment rather than a luxury.

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As such, the City Ground hierarchy moved quickly to identify potential replacements for Wood.

Nottingham Forest approach Jorgen Strand Larsen over January move

Indeed, according to a report from Pete O’Rourke on X in the last hour, Forest have sounded out Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen over a potential move this month.

As well as this, while the Premier League’s bottom side aren’t exactly itching to do a deal, they are in fact open to selling for the right offer.

The Old Gold striker seems to have emerged as Forest’s number one target to solve their attacking crisis.

Dyche requires a specific profile up front and Strand Larsen could fit the physical requirements perfectly. The Norwegian offers Premier League experience and the necessary strength to occupy defenders, exactly what Forest need to maintain their direct approach.

Forest now sit seven points above the drop zone while Wolves lie at the foot of the table with just one win from 20 matches.

Selling a key asset to a direct competitor makes little sense for Rob Edwards’ side, but their increasingly desperate financial situation could force their hand if the right price arrives.

Strand Larsen’s struggles this season have been remarkable given his excellent debut campaign.

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The forward scored 14 Premier League goals last season after joining initially on loan from Celta Vigo before the move was made permanent last summer.

However, he has managed just one league goal this term, coming from the penalty spot, and his form has nosedived alongside Wolves’ catastrophic campaign.

That being said, the 25-year-old has showcased he can cut it in England based off last season’s heroics, and he’s been called a centre-forward of ‘tremendous’ potential.

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The January transfer window is now officially open for business and Celtic are not wasting any time in their pursuit of additions to Wilfried Nancy’s squad.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph claims that the Hoops have made an approach to Bournemouth in an attempt to sign right-back Julian Araujo on loan for the second half of the season.

However, the reporter adds that the Cherries already have their maximum number of international loans, which means that the Scottish Premiership giants will need to wait for them to recall one of them before they can seal a deal for the Mexico international.

Football FanCast recently published an article explaining how a move for Araujo could end Anthony Ralston’s career at Parkhead, as it could leave him short of game time and left to consider his future at the club.

Celtic showing interest in signing new winger

However, the reigning Scottish Premiership champions are now reportedly keen on a player who could be an even better signing than Araujo this month.

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 journalist Martin Charquero, Celtic are “interested” in a deal to sign Red Bull Bragantino winger Ignacio Laquintana in the January transfer window.

The reporter claims that the Hoops want to bring the Uruguayan attacker to Parkhead this month, and that a transfer could take place before the European window slams shut.

Charquero, however, does not reveal how much money it would take to convince Bragantino to part ways with the 26-year-old forward in the coming weeks.

Laquintina’s current contract with the Brazilian side is due to expire at the end of this year. This means that the Serie A outfit do not have many more chances to cash in on him if he does not put pen to paper on an extension, possibly giving Celtic an advantage in negotiations.

Why Celtic should sign Laquintana

The Hoops should look to get a deal over the line for the Uruguay international because he could be what they have been missing on the right flank, and be an even better signing than Araujo.

Whilst the Bournemouth defender would be a shrewd short-term loan signing to replace Anthony Ralston, Alistair Johnston is set to return from injury in March, which could make Araujo the second-choice right-sided centre-back option at that point.

Laquintana, meanwhile, could come in as the bona fide first-choice option as the right wing-back, which is essentially a right winger role, in Nancy’s 3-4-2-1 system, as the Hoops are still looking for their Nicolas Kuhn replacement.

The German forward, as shown in the graphic above, provided plenty of goals and assists on the right flank during his time at Parkhead, before a £16.5m move to Como in the summer.

Hyun-jun Yang and James Forrest have scored two goals and provided zero assists in 26 combined appearances in the Premiership this season, per WhoScored, after the club opted not to sign a natural right wing replacement for Kuhn.

2025 Brasileirao

Laquintana

Appearances

23

Starts

13

xG

1.66

Goals

4

Key passes

16

Big chances created

4

Assists

3

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Laquintana scored four goals and provided three assists in just 13 starts for Bragantino during the 2025 Brasileirao campaign, which shows that he can offer far more of a threat than Yang and Forrest from a right wing position.

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The 26-year-old star, who has scored one goal in two caps for Uruguay this season, has shown that he can be more productive in the final third than Nancy’s current right wing or wing-back options with his form in 2025.

Laquintana, therefore, could be an excellent and much-needed signing to provide the manager with a genuine threat on the right side of the attack, as opposed to Yang and Forrest, who have failed to deliver consistent quality on that flank.

This means that the international forward would fill a bigger hole than the one that Araujo would, as Johnston is due to return as the first-choice in the right-sided centre-back role, and would be a more important signing for the club.

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On top of that, Laquintana would be a permanent signing who could provide quality over the course of several years, instead of being a short-term loan addition like Araujo, which is another reason why he would be a better signing for the Hoops overall than the Bournemouth defender.

Darrell Hair will make his return to top-level international umpiring in the second Test between England and New Zealand at Old Trafford on May 23.It will be the first Test he has stood in since the 2006 match between England and Pakistan at The Oval. That became the first game in history to be forfeited after Pakistan refused to take the field following Hair’s ruling that they had tampered with the ball.Hair was subsequently stood down from any matches involved full-member nations, although never officially removed from the Elite panel, but continued to stand in associate games. He took the ICC to court claiming racial discrimination, but withdrew his claims seven days into a tribunal in London last October.He moved back to Australia and went on a six-month rehabilitation course before being reinstated at the ICC’s March meeting in Dubai. Hair will stand alongside fellow Australian Simon Taufel at Old Trafford and will remain for the third Test at Trent Bridge when he’ll be joined by Steve Bucknor.It is still unclear where his long-term future lies as Pakistan have made it clear they don’t want him standing in any of their matches. His current contract runs out in March 2009.

Is Salman Butt a popular choice to the post of vice-captain? © AFP

Talat Ali, manager of the Pakistan team, has dampened down rumours of disgruntlement within the side over the appointment of Salman Butt as vice-captain, saying there is “complete harmony” among players.Local reports over the last few days have said that senior members of the team are unhappy with the promotion of Butt to Shoaib Malik’s deputy. The move surprised many when it was announced, given that Butt had only just returned to the side after a spell on the sidelines and also his general inexperience: he has only played 14 Tests and 26 ODIs since his debut in 2003. He replaced Mohammad Asif, who was vice-captain for one series against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi.”There is complete harmony in my team and if some people are saying otherwise then they have malicious intentions,” Ali told . “These are false reports. There have been no revolts and there will be no revolts. Our team is slowly turning into a well-oiled unit and we are looking forward our future assignments,” he added.His comments came a day after it was alleged that the manager had a showdown with Shahid Afridi during the team’s recently-concluded training camp in Abbottabad. The incident is said to have occurred on the team bus after training. Butt entered the bus only to find the best seats already taken up.Ali apparently asked Afridi, one of the most experienced members of the side, to offer his seat to the “new vice-captain”, which led to harsh words being exchanged. Ali said the incident had been blown out of proportion and was “no big deal.””I just said (to some of the junior players) that one of you should offer his seat to Salman, he is your vice-captain. It was Afridi who said that ‘he can take my seat, after all he is the vice-captain’. I told him (Afridi) to stay where he is and that some junior boy would vacate his seat but he was insistent and I had to tell him firmly to stop it. That is all that happened and now people are trying to make stories of it,” he explained.Ali admitted, however, that Afridi sounded a “bit sarcastic” in his offer. “He did sound a bit bitter but that was all.”The incident is the latest in Pakistan cricket’s attempts to wean away the hierarchical structure where seniority, of years and matches, and not always performance holds sway in decision-making. The appointment of Malik as captain was seen as one step and the imminent introduction of central contracts which give heavy weightage to performances in the preceding year is another. The promotion of Butt, still not a regular in either form of the game, is seen by many as possibly a step too far.

Alex Gidman reaches his century against Somerset on a rain-shortened day at Bristol © Getty Images

Division 1

The second day at Old Trafford continued to favour the bowlers as Hampshire fought back from being dismissed for 194 by holding Lancashire to 148 or 6. James Bruce struck twice in his first spell, removing Mark Chilton and Mal Loye, then Sean Ervine collected a brace as Hampshire’s total began to appear more significant. Iain Sutcliffe and Glen Chapple steadied the innings, adding 54, to leave the match fascinatingly poised. Ervine and Bruce had earlier frustrated Lancashire’s efforts to wrap up the tail by adding 41 for the last wicket.Maybe this will be the season that Gordon Muchall fulfils his undoubted talent. It is a point that has been raised at the start of a few recent campaigns, but he began 2006 in the best possible fashion with a career-best, unbeaten 193. Whether this becomes another false dawn remains to be seen but it enabled Durham to make a commanding start against Kent. They are being tipped to struggle as they try to stay in the top division, follow last season’s promotion, but Muchall, along with useful contributions from Phil Mustard and Gary Pratt – who will want this season to be remember for more than just his fielding – showed they certainly won’t be pushovers.Determined batting from the Sussex lower order enabled them to stretch past 300 against Warwickshire at Hove after they’d been in early trouble against Heath Streak. Luke Wright struck an important half-century. For a full report on this match click here.The defending champions, Nottinghamshire, were forced to kick their heels in the dressing-room as the opening day of their clash against Yorkshire was washed out. However, a notable piece of action did take place as Michael Vaughan had his first serious net since leaving the tour of India. He batted in the indoor nets and also jogged around the Trent Bridge outfield with his Yorkshire team-mates.

Division 2

Gloucestershire made the most of what play was possible between the showers on the second day at Bristol, with Alex Gidman scoring a century and John Lewis snapping up two Somerset wickets. Gidman’s 103 off 169 balls enabled Gloucestershire to push their overnight score of 262 for 4 to a healthy 437. In reply, Matthew Wood and John Francis both fell to the accurate Lewis, but Marcus Trescothick managed to survive in his first major innings of the summer.Bilal Shafayat and Lance Klusener took the attack to Essex as Northamptonshire enjoyed a productive opening day at Chelmsford. Shafayat cracked an impressive 118 off 290 balls and Klusener made the same score from 130 deliveries. Contrasting innings, but equally valuable. David Sales, the captain, registered 75 as Northants recovered from 31 for 3 after Darren Gough and Andre Adams had caused problems with the new ball.Derbyshire’s opening fixture against Surrey was meant to have been played at Derby, but the ground was underwater, and they will now be delighted it was switched to The Oval. Derbyshire’s top order took the honours with Travis Birt falling one run short of a century on Championship debut. Fellow Tasmanian, Michael di Venuto, launched the innings in style with a 56-ball 60 – including 13 fours – then Hassan Adnan struck a composed 88. Azhar Mahmood kept Surrey in the game with four wickets after Mohammad Akram was forced out of the attack, in his fourth over, with a groin strain.

The 2006 Twenty20 Cup final will be held at Trent Bridge, the venue for the first final in 2003.”We are absolutely delighted that our bid has been successful and I think it reflects the faith which the ECB have in us to stage big occasions,” said Lisa Pursehouse, Nottinghamshire’s commercial director. “We have a proven track record for filling the ground and running big matches with great efficiency and I’m sure these were key factors in the decision.”It was a magnificent day two years ago when we staged the inaugural Twenty20 final and knowing that other counties were keen to secure the event for 2006, we thought the chances of us getting it again so soon must have been slim. But our proposal has been successful and it’s brilliant news that our members and supporters will have easy access to one of the showpiece sporting occasions of the summer.”The final is provisionally scheduled for Saturday, August 12, with the Sunday set aside as a reserve day should the weather intervene.Trent Bridge will stage the third Test against Sri Lanka which starts on Friday, June 2.

Sri Lankans felt a nation’s honour was at stake© Getty Images

A Sri Lankan government spokesperson revealed today that it had abandoned plans to sue the International Cricket Council for banning Muttiah Muralitharan’s doosra. After consulting its lawyers, the government has decided instead to appeal to the ICC, said Rohan Weliwata, spokesman for Mahinda Rajapakse, the prime minister.Speaking to a news agency, Weliwata said, “Even though lawyers felt there was sufficient grounds to sue, the first step will be to present an appeal on behalf of Muralitharan. The prime minister is getting the support of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in this.”Muralitharan is now the highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket, with 527 wickets, and last week, Rajapakse took the unprecedented step of meeting Nirupam Sen, an Indian diplomat in Colombo, to enlist India’s support for the campaign to allow Murali his doosra.The ICC had threatened him with a one-year ban if he continued to bowl it, saying that he straightened his arm far more than is allowed under the rules of the game. Last week, Ehsan Mani, the ICC’s president, had asked Rajapakse to stay out of the controversy and allow the ICC to find its own solution.Rajapakse’s threat to sue had come in the wake of remarks from John Howard, Australia’s prime minister, that suggested Murali was a chucker. Mani, however, had insisted that there was no basis for legal action. “I don’t know how we’d be sued, but all our regulations are fully supported by all our members.”

The Kensington Stand has not risen to its feet often this season.Yesterday it did so emphatically at 2:11 p.m., and it was in recognition of something special.The 2,000 or so spectators in the stand rose to acknowledge Philo Wallace after he brought up a commanding century in grand style.The big, beefy Barbadian opening batsmen arrived at his second hundred of the season against Trinidad and Tobago, his ninth at the regional level and the 12th of his first-class career, by depositing promising off-spinner Rodney Sooklal over long-on for a towering six that cleared the Pickwick Pavilion.From the time the ball left his rampant bat, the 32-year-old former Barbados captain jubilantly removed his helmet and raised his bat to the delight of the hometown fans.This was a brutal hundred. It required just 131 balls and included five mighty sixes, four of which were reserved for Sooklal, and 11 meaty fours.Wallace dominated proceedings to the extent that his century was almost two-thirds of the 165 runs on the board at the time.Thereafter, he buckled down and his eventual 137 came off 211 balls in more than five hours’ batting.It was a critical innings, after four of his teammates had gifted their wickets to irresponsible strokes on the second day of the Carib Beer International Challenge semifinal in which first innings points could be decisive.By then, Wallace had been joined by captain Courtney Browne and their fifth-wicket century stand lifted the Cup champions to within three runs of the lead.Responding to Trinidad and Tobago’s 258, Barbados closed on 288 for seven.Browne started cautiously before reeling off some fine shots in a polished innings of 67.Once he settled, he played some sweet strokes, including two on-side boundaries in succession off Marlon Black, a lovely extra-cover drive off left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed and a slog-sweep off the same bowler. Those were among his nine fours from 137 balls.Wallace’s onslaught between lunch and tea was nothing short of terrific.There was one over from Sooklal in which he banged 17 runs, courtesy of a six over mid-wicket and fours through long-on and mid-wicket.Even when Daren Ganga opted to back the on-side field with the protection of as many as three fielders lining the fence, Wallace either found a space to get the ball through or carted it over the boundary, mainly with some powerful sweeps.The over in which he completed his century also included a swept six over square-leg and onto the Kensington Stand’s roof.The faster bowlers also came in for stick, and there was a memorable pull off Black that landed full onto the scoreboard.The innings wasn’t without blemish. When Wallace was ten, Black dropped a knee-high return catch from a firm drive, and when he was 107, Dave Mohammed became the centre of amusement by missing a seemingly straightforward chance at point.Both Black and Mervyn Dillon tested Wallace with some accurate stuff and Dillon had the satisfaction of rapping him on the helmet after he had passed his hundred.Eventually, the opener would gift his wicket to a very wide ball which he struck down the throat of extra-cover to provide Sooklal with one of his four wickets.Browne also fell victim to Sookal when he gave a return catch.Twenty-five minutes earlier the slim off-spinner bowled Ryan Hurley in an eventful over in which Hurley was mis-stumped and also played a lovely chipped drive over extra-cover to bring up the first innings lead just before 5 p.m.The partnership of 115 between Wallace and Browne was important after Dillon accounted for three Test players and Sooklal removed Dwayne Smith with the help of a well-judged catch by Dwayne Bravo on the deep mid-wicket boundary.Sherwin Campbell fell to a loose drive which he edged to the ‘keeper 20 minutes into Barbados’ response, which started after Corey Collymore picked up the last wicket to complete a five-wicket haul.After Campbell fell, there was a touch of deja vu about the next two dismissals.Ryan Hinds started solidly but duplicated Campbell’s dismissal and what appeared to be a significant innings in the making was reduced to 26.Floyd Reifer replaced Hinds and was immediately dropped when Bravo got his finger tips onto an offering at cover.It was not costly to the visitors because Reifer soon edged a catch behind.

Somerset Seconds lost their penultimate game of the season against Glamorgan by 4 wickets.After the first two days were lost to the weather the game was transferred to Usk and on Thursday Somerset scored 274 all out, of which James Knott made 74, Tom Webley 37, Joe Tucker 35 and sixteen year old Luke Stokes, who was making his debut, a creditable 22.By the close of play on the first day Glamorgan had made 47 for 1 and declared overnight.The following morning Somerset declared on 36 for 3 leaving Glamorgan needing 263 to win off 78 overs. In the event the Welshmen passed their target for the loss of 6 wickets with 4 overs to spare.Somerset Seconds play their final match of the season when they take on Leicestershire at Hinkley on Wednesday.

ScorecardZimbabwe A rattled the Ireland middle order to give themselves a good chance of taking a first-innings lead, despite Stuart Poynter making his maiden first-class hundred, on the second day in Harare.Poynter’s 125 took only 166 balls and included 18 fours. He was the only Ireland batsman to convert his start; the rest of the top five got past 20 but did not reach a half-century. Poynter added 101 for the second wicket with Andy Balbirnie and 80 for the third with Niall O’Brien, but Ireland then slipped from 212 for 2 to 222 for 5.Gary Wilson, whose 47 was the next best score for Ireland, was out in the final over of the day, after a 70-run stand with Kevin O’Brien. The visitors trailed by 100 at stumps with four wickets in hand. Seamer Brian Vitori claimed two wickets for the home side.Zimbabwe A had begun the day on 352 for 6 and their lower order was mopped up by Craig Young and John Mooney, who finished with four wickets each. Malcolm Waller was the last wicket to fall, for 138, with Niall O’Brien claiming his fourth catch of the innings. The hosts had added 40 to their overnight score to finish with 392.