All posts by h716a5.icu

Saudi Arabian consortium PIF have not been shy about splashing the cash for Newcastle United in the transfer market since they completed their takeover.

They have brought in the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, and Alexander Isak in their two windows in charge of the club so far.

One of the signings they made in the recent summer window has been a roaring success so far and that is goalkeeper Nick Pope, who was snapped up from Burnley.

The England international has kept four clean sheets in ten Premier League matches and saved an impressive 79% of the shots on his goal so far.

He is well on course to become yet another great goalkeeper that the St. James’ Park crowd has been able to enjoy over the years, joining the likes of Shay Given, Tim Krul and Martin Dubravka.

Given, in particular, was an icon between the sticks for the Magpies as he enjoyed a sublime career on Tyneside. Kenny Dalglish brought him in from Blackburn Rovers for a fee of £2m in the summer of 1997 and the Liverpool legend ended up playing a masterclass by signing the shot-stopper for Newcastle.

Whilst Dalglish left the club in 1998, the Irish goalkeeper ended up playing for the Toon Army for a whopping 12 years as he established himself as the number one for over a decade.

The 134-capped Republic of Ireland international racked up 463 competitive appearances for the club in that time and kept 132 clean sheets, playing in the UEFA Cup and the Champions League in that time.

Shields Gazette editor Richard Mennear previously described him as a “legend” for the Magpies, whilst The Chronicle has also given him that same status in the past.

This illustrates his contributions on the pitch for the Toon over the years as he played almost 500 matches and kept over a century of shutouts, earning him iconic status.

He eventually moved on from Newcastle in 2009 as he completed a £6m move to fellow top-flight side Manchester City. This means that the club raked in a £4m profit on the initial £2m they paid for him, whilst also getting 12 years of superb service out of him.

Therefore, Dalglish played a masterclass by signing him from Blackburn in 1997 as the shot-stopper ended up being a huge success from a financial and footballing perspective during his time at the club.

Glasgow Rangers stuttered to a 1-0 victory in their League Cup quarter-final tie on Wednesday evening against Dundee.

After a positive start which saw Steven Davis score what turned out to be the only goal, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men couldn’t find the right intensity or composure to break the Championship side down.

There were few positives to take from the match and Livingston awaits at Ibrox tomorrow in what will be a chance for the home to make amends and put on a display for the impatient Gers faithful.

The Dutchman will make some changes to his starting XI ahead of the tie, but Scott Wright must be unleashed again as he was one of his only bright sparks against Dundee.

On the chalkboard

Wright joined Rangers in February 2021 from Aberdeen and his Rangers career hasn’t really taken off. Before the start of this season, the 25-year-old had won Premiership and Scottish Cup winners medals (scoring the second goal in the final) while registering 13 goal contributions.

The winger has struggled this season, averaging a SofaScore rating of 6.81, grabbing just one assist, and taking just 31.4 touches per match.

Due to the poor performances from Ryan Kent – who has scored just once in the league this term, the £5.6k-per-week man was deployed on the left wing against Dundee, unfamiliar territory for him although he could cut in onto his right foot with good effect.

Wright started off quite well, constantly creating problems for the Dundee right-back and his shot in the tenth minute was parried by the goalkeeper from which Davis headed into the back of the net.

He combined with new signing Ridvan Yilmaz fairly well and was one of the only shining lights from a generally disappointing team performance under the Ibrox floodlights.

Football Scotland journalist Mark McDougall has dubbed Wright “impressive” in the past and while inconsistent at times, he more than deserves another spot in the starting XI against Livingston, this time, unleashed in his usual right-wing role.

Leeds United have been dealt a considerable injury blow in the run-up to their clash with Liverpool, as Jesse Marsch revealed that Tyler Adams is a doubt for the Whites’ trip to Anfield this evening.

This is undoubtedly a big setback, as the central midfielder has impressed since moving to Elland Road, however, perhaps he and Marc Roca stole the shine from another of their midfield summer signings who might now have to step up.

Signed for £5m from Manchester City this summer, the acquisition of Darko Gyabi was one which quietly drew praise given his standing in the youth game.

Having featured 11 times in the Premier League 2 last season, he displays incredible quality and maturity far beyond his youth. He also managed to score once and assist three more during this time from central midfield.

The 18-year-old has recently been earning plaudits for his subsequent performances for the Whites, where he once again already has one goal and one assist in eight league appearances for the under-21s.

Displays such as this have understandably led to his head coach Michael Skubala leading the charge.

He said: “I think we have a really good, young, competitive midfield group at the moment within the 21s and you’ve seen Darko get good minutes in there. I think his performances are getting better and better and I thought against Forest he was really strong.”

If he was to be selected, Gyabi would have big shoes to fill. Adams has boasted an average SofaScore rating of 6.98 this campaign despite the Whites’ poor form.

The 23-year-old has been key both going forward and breaking up attacks, with 1.3 key passes per game alongside an astounding 4.1 tackles.

It might be tough, and to make a full debut at Anfield might be a frightening prospect, but for a youngster inundated with such talent, he might possess a fearlessness that could see him terrorise the Reds’ threadbare midfield.

He will likely be paired up against one of Harvey Elliot or Fabio Carvalho, who are both young and were playing Championship football not too long ago.

Marsch might be forced into taking a chance on Gyabi, but should he perform to the best of his abilities, there’s no reason why he can’t repay the faith with a fine midfield showing.

He has already proven throughout the various youth teams how he mixes creativity with a strength and toughness that lets him adapt to each new challenge. Senior football is the next natural step up, and one which he will likely excel in.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has given the green-light for an "exemplary" Spurs player to leave, with journalist Pete O'Rourke sharing an update on Hugo Lloris' future at the club.

Who has left Tottenham this summer?

The departure of star striker Harry Kane, who signed for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in a multi-million pound move this summer, is definitely Spurs' most headline-grabbing exit of the year

Joining Kane, the likes of Sergio Reguilon, Joe Rodon, Djed Spence, Harry Winks, Alfie Devine, Troy Parrott and Dane Scarlett all departed either on loan or permanently before September 1.

The north Londoners have even managed to seal a few transfers away past the window deadline, as Turkey's clubs can carry on conducting their business until September 15.

As a result, both defender Davinson Sanchez and midfielder Tanguy Ndombele managed to complete transfers to Galatasaray; ridding Postecoglou of deadwood as he trims down what he called a bloated squad.

These decisions have proved spot on so far, as Tottenham are flying high near the top of the table with three wins from their opening four Premier League matches.

However, despite admitting he wanted to go, one player who hasn't managed to leave thus far is Lloris.

Speaking to Nice-Matin early in the summer, Tottenham's long-serving keeper admitted it was the end of an era for him in north London.

"We are arriving at an important moment, whether for the club or for me," said Lloris.

"It's the end of an era. I want other things, I'm going to sit down quietly to study what will be possible. But I don't forget that I still have a year of contract with Tottenham and that in football it is always difficult to predict what will happen.

"What is essential at the moment is to recover well from my injury. I'm on vacation but I continue to maintain myself and do my workouts. My goal is to be at the top in July, then we'll see what the future has in store for me."

Is Hugo Lloris is leaving Spurs?

The 36-year-old remains at Tottenham for the time being, something which may not be the case for long, as reporter O'Rourke drops an update on his future.

Lloris has just one year left on his current deal, and reports suggest he is taking home around £100,000-per-week sitting on the sidelines.

Writing for Football Insider, O'Rourke says the Frenchman could even see his contract terminated, despite making 447 competitive appearances for Spurs in all competitions over the last 11 years (Transfermarkt).

In further detail, Postecoglou has apparently "already made up his mind" on Lloris leaving Tottenham as he gives the green-light for him to depart N17.

The veteran shot-stopper captained Spurs for a period last season, but both fitness issues and poor form saw him relegated to the bench in favour of Fraser Forster.

Despite his recent woes, Lloris is an arguable legend for his country, having usurped Les Bleus icon Lilian Thuram to become France's all-time most-capped player.

Deschamps, speaking after the former Lyon star broke that record in 2022, called Lloris an "exemplary" player.

Newcastle United host Aston Villa at St James’ Park this afternoon, and Eddie Howe will be hoping that his side can continue their incredible run of form in the Premier League when the Villans come to visit.

The Magpies are currently fourth in the table, matching Manchester United on 21 points, and taking all three points from today’s clash could see them push up into third depending on Tottenham Hotspur’s result against Bournemouth.

In terms of injuries, Alexander Isak, Karl Darlow, Matt Richie, Emil Krafth and Paul Dummett remain unavailable for selection today, although Howe has revealed a promising update on both Allan Saint-Maximin and Elliot Anderson.

During his pre-match press conference on Friday, the manager gave an update on the talented French winger, saying: “We’ll see how training goes today. He’s made really good progress, and I’m very pleased with how he’s attacked his rehab and the work he’s put in, so there’s an opportunity to hopefully get him fit and available.”

Howe confirmed that Anderson would also be fit, stating: “He’s OK. He had a minor niggle [before Spurs]. It was nothing serious, so he’s back in the squad for this week.”

With that being said, this is how Football Fancast expects Newcastle to line up against Aston Villa…

We expect to see just two changes to the side which was victorious over Tottenham last weekend, with Howe opting for his trademark 4-3-3 formation.

The first change we expect to see is Jonjo Shelvey reprising his role in midfield alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton, replacing Sean Longstaff in the central role against Villa.

The 30-year-old ace – who was hailed as “incredible” by his current manager – could make his first start in the team since sustaining a hamstring injury in pre-season and undergoing surgery.

Shelvey has a wealth of experience in taking points off Aston Villa – winning seven, drawing five and losing just four of his 16 meetings against the Midlands club, scoring one goal and delivering two assists against them – so he could be Howe’s secret weapon in the heart of the team this afternoon.

The second change we expect to see is Ryan Fraser starting in the front three to replace Joelinton, who we predict will return to the midfield in favour of Longstaff after Howe’s tactical masterclass which saw the Brazilian successfully fend off Spurs’ wing-backs in an advanced role.

The 26-year-old’s move back into midfield means that Joe Willock could also miss out on a starting role in the team in order to accommodate Shelvey’s inclusion. Like Longstaff, the former Arsenal man earned a relatively low SofaScore rating of 6.4 against Spurs, which in turn could see the duo being omitted today.

It would come as no surprise if Saint-Maximin does pick up some minutes on the left wing in the second half, but Howe may not be keen for the injury-prone maverick to be thrown straight back into the deep end just yet.

On Tuesday, Carlos Corberan secured his much-needed first win as manager of West Bromwich Albion, as they cruised to victory over Blackpool.

Boasting 64% of the ball and having had 11 shots, it was a perfect all-around display that also saw them hold their opposition to zero shots on target.

Whilst Okay Yokuslu might steal the headlines with his late winner, the match marked yet another creative masterclass from John Swift in the number ten role.

The Turkish stopper was equally involved and offered a calming presence, but on another day his teammate might have got an assist or two from his important passes.

An ever-present figure over the three managers who have held the position this campaign, the 27-year-old had featured in all but one of their Championship fixtures.

However, having started the match against Sheffield United on the bench, it seemed to have provided the necessary spark to see Swift shine once again.

Recording a solid 7.3 SofaScore rating, his incredible involvement is exemplified through a whopping 79 touches across the full 90 minutes.

With the ball, he then managed to complete four key passes as well as fire off two shots.

Had his pinpoint balls been converted, it would have surely fired his rating up even higher, but as is the way with the mild-mannered midfielder, he will likely not have been seeking acclaim.

His willingness to get stuck into the dirty work stands as proof of this, as despite losing the ball a whopping 26 times, he also competed in an astounding 17 duels, making one tackle and two interceptions.

Journalist John Drury of the Express and Star had admitted that the Englishman had gone through a “bad run of form”, but “looked more fluid” in his display.

 This denotes the improvement the Spanish manager has made in such a short space of time, with his appointment confirmed just over a week ago.

Swift should hope to continue this form that sees him ranked atop the SofaScore ratings for West Brom, as his performances, which have the tendency to “make people look silly” – in the words of Mark Cooper – could be crucial to any success Corberan hopes to have at the Hawthorns.

Glasgow Rangers endured another rough weekend in the Scottish Premiership as their 1-1 draw with St Mirren left the Ibrox giants nine points off the top of the table heading into the World Cup break.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side have only won two of their last seven matches in all competitions and struggled to break their opponents down on Saturday as they were held to a draw.

The Light Blues had one more shot on target than St Mirren and both missed one ‘big chance’, which suggests that either team deserved a point.

Meanwhile, Rangers B thrashed Bo’ness United 4-1 and mercurial midfielder Alex Lowry caught the eye with two of the four goals on Saturday.

This comes after the first-team manager decided that he was not ready to be involved in the senior squad. Ahead of the clash with Hearts in midweek, van Bronckhorst explained why the youngster was not going to be in contention to feature:

“Alex Lowry is not in the squad. He is fit to play but not in the squad.

“Well, I can only pick 20, it’s very simple. I hope he will be back soon because it’s a long time ago last season.

“He’s been out for how many months…so for me, it is just a case of seeing the players I have, the players I will need, that’s all I think about. All the players who are in the 20 squad at the moment deserves to be in that squad.”

Lowry was then left out of the matchday squad again as Rangers failed to beat St Mirren and responded to that disappointment by scoring a brace for the B team.

The teenager proved van Bronckhorst badly wrong as he showcased his attacking quality from midfield. He has the ability to provide a spark in the final third and that was something that was clearly missing in the Premiership clash on Saturday, given the aforementioned statistics from the game.

Van Bronckhorst’s quotes on Lowry indicate that he feels the options he has ahead of him are better than the academy graduate but Scott Wright’s performance at the weekend suggests otherwise. The Scottish forward lined up out wide on the right and missed a ‘big chance’ whilst losing six of his eight individual duels.

He has zero goals and one assist in ten appearances in the Premiership this season and his lack of end product has had a negative impact on the side, with his big miss against St Mirren ultimately costing them two points.

Lowry, meanwhile, has scored three goals and assisted four goals in three Challenge Cup matches.

This means that he has registered eight goal contributions in ten B team games this season, whilst Wright has managed just one in 14 Champions League and Premiership clashes combined.

These statistics suggest that Lowry, who coach Andy Goldie dubbed “care free” and a “master” of the ball, has the potential to be a better option than the former Aberdeen winger.

Therefore, he has proven van Bronckhorst wrong for not selecting him in the squad against St Mirren as he could have made a big impact at the top end of the pitch. Instead, Wright continued to struggle with his end product and Rangers fell further behind in the title race.

Sunderland played their final match before the break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Friday night and ended the first portion of the campaign on a high by beating Birmingham 2-1 away from home.

They do not have another Championship fixture until December and Tony Mowbray now has his first chance to have a few weeks to work with the team on the training pitch, having being thrown in at the deep end in August after Alex Neil’s departure.

However, he will not have a full squad to work with as two of his players are jetting off to Qatar to represent their countries at the tournament.

Jewison Bennette and Bailey Wright are in contention to feature at the World Cup for Costa Rica and Australia respectively with Mowbray saying this about the former:

“Jewison is a young boy who has got wonderful talent. It will be an amazing experience for him and he should go along, enjoy it and see what happens.

“There are some amazing teams in his group but try and do your country proud when you get an opportunity.”

The 18-year-old has a fantastic opportunity to showcase his talents on the world stage and he could return to the Stadium of Light as a player full of confidence heading into the second half of the campaign if he enjoys his time at the tournament.

Bennette, who journalist Josh Bunting called a “star boy”, is a promising young player with plenty of potential to grow and Mowbray could look to develop him into becoming his next Adam Armstrong for Sunderland.

The Black Cats boss worked with the current Southampton attacker at Coventry and Blackburn earlier in his career and developed him into being an attacker who regularly provided quality at the top end of the pitch.

Armstrong, who 84 goals and provided 24 assists in 200 appearances whilst working with Mowbray over the course of five seasons with the two aforementioned clubs.

Bennette has shown promise as a goalscoring winger and could be utilised in a similar role to the Englishman by playing as an inside left forward or as a striker in a front two, like the current Saints man.

In the 2022/23 campaign, the 18-year-old has scored two goals in two caps for Costa Rica.

Therefore, Mowbray, who previously dubbed the gem “electric”, could unearth his next Armstrong by helping Bennette to add consistency to his game over the course of an entire season, allowing him to rack up big goalscoring numbers for the Black Cats.

He could develop into being a lethal scorer, who can also create for his teammates, as he gains more experience and adapts to life in England but it is now down to him and the Sunderland manager to ensure that he progresses in the coming months and seasons to come.

Arsenal right-back Cedric Soares is attracting interest ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by football.london, who claim that the 31-year-old is a target for Fulham, Villarreal and Bayer Leverkusen this winter, all three of whom were also believed to be keen on a move for the defender in the summer.

However, with the Portugal international having hardly featured for Mikel Arteta’s side in the current campaign, the interested trio are believed to have reached out to the full-back’s agent regarding the possibility of a January exit from The Emirates.

Cedric must go

While it is true that Arteta views Cedric as a valuable member of his first-team squad – with the Spaniard claiming that the right-back is a “player who deserves to play” last month – considering just how little the 31-year-old has featured this season, coupled with his hefty weekly salary, the argument that Edu should cash in on the defender this winter is an easy one to make.

Indeed, despite the fact that a series of recurring injuries have limited the £75k-per-week full-back’s availability in 2022/23, it is undeniable that the 31-year-old’s 119 minutes of first-team football – made up of 27 in the Premier League, two in the Europa League and 90 in the Carabao Cup – does not represent good value for money for the Gunners.

And, with Ben White having highly impressed when filling in at right-back so far this season, as well as Takehiro Tomiyasu being ahead of the £4.4m-rated defender in Arteta’s pecking order, it would appear as if Cedric’s chances of picking up more first-team minutes at The Emirates upon the turn of the year look extremely slim.

Furthermore, with the north London side also having the likes of 18-year-old Brooke Norton-Cuffy – who is catching the eye on loan at Rotherham United – and 17-year-old Reuell Walters coming through at right-back, both youngsters would also benefit from the 34-cap international’s departure, as his exit would mean one less blockage in the route to the first team.

As such, with it looking likely that the 31-year-old – who Japheth Mutinda dubbed “shocking” and Amara Nwankpa claimed “is just not good enough” – would receive more game time at any of Fulham, Villarreal and Bayer Leverkusen, a departure would very much appear to be one that would suit all parties – leading us to believe that Edu simply must bin the full-back this winter.

Liverpool are interested in a deal to bring Adrien Rabiot to Anfield in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet CalcioMercatoWeb, who claim that Julian Ward is plotting a move for the Juventus central midfielder this winter, with the Reds sporting director toying with the idea of offering the Serie A side Konstantinos Tsimikas in a direct swap for the France international.

From the Italian club’s perspective, the report goes on to state that Massimiliano Allegri’s side are evaluating whether or not to offer the 27-year-old a new deal at the Allianz Stadium – with Rabiot’s current contract set to expire at the end of the season – while it is also said that Tsimikas could be a player who would tempt the Old Lady.

Imagine him & Thiago

Considering just how impressive Rabiot has been in a largely underwhelming Juventus side this season, coupled with the midfielder playing a starring role in France’s World Cup victory over Australia on Tuesday evening, it is not difficult to understand why Ward would be keen on a deal to bring the 27-year-old to Anfield in January.

Indeed, over his 11 Serie A appearances so far in 2022/23, the £22m-rated talent has been in sensational attacking form, scoring three goals, registering two assists and creating one big chance, in addition to taking an average of 1.2 shots, making 0.9 key passes and completing 0.9 dribbles – at a success rate of 91% – per game.

The £151k-per-week midfielder has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, enjoying 49.5 touches of the ball, completing 29 passes – at a success rate of 86% – and playing 2.0 long balls per fixture, as well as making an average of 1.9 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and winning 5.1 duels – at a success rate of 55% – per game.

These returns have seen the player who Simon Austin claimed possesses “exceptional” technique average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.29, not only ranking him as Allegri’s best performer in the league but also as the joint tenth-best player in the Italian top flight as a whole.

The playmaker also stole the show during France’s 4-1 comeback victory in Qatar yesterday night, with Rabiot turning in a devastating attacking performance, bagging Les Blues’ equaliser with a fantastic header before setting up Olivier Giroud for his side’s second after some brilliant pressing to win possession in a dangerous position.

The 27-year-old also caught the eye in more workman-like metrics, making five tackles and one interception, completing 57 of his 63 attempted passes – a success rate of 90% – and winning seven of his 12 duels, in addition to finding his man with his two attempted long balls and one attempted cross, making one key pass and creating one big chance for his side.

These metrics saw the 27-year-old earn an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 8.5, ranking him as Didier Deschamps’ third-best performer on the night – not a bad feat for his World Cup debut.

Furthermore, with Rabiot used to playing in a three-man midfield at Juventus, it would appear likely that the 30-cap international would have no problem slotting in alongside the defensively-minded Fabinho and the free-flowing Thiago in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield, with the Frenchman looking to be the perfect forward-thinking partner for the Spaniard either side of the Brazilian.

Indeed, considering Thiago is equally as steady with the ball at his feet as Rabiot – completing over 86% of his Premier League passes – this would certainly be a fine duo in the centre of the park.

As such, should there be an opportunity for Ward to move for the Frenchman this winter, it would indeed appear extremely wise for the Liverpool sporting director to launch a bid for the 27-year-old, as Rabiot would very much look to make an exceptional addition to Klopp’s current options in the middle of the park.