All posts by n8rngtd.top

Manchester United are reportedly set to sanction the exit of promising midfielder James Garner, with a handful of Premier League clubs keen on the Englishman.

What’s the word?

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the 21-year-old is likely to leave Old Trafford before the end of the window, with both Everton and Southampton having registered an interest in the former Nottingham Forest loanee.

Writing on Twitter about the youngster’s future, the transfer guru stated: “Everton and Southampton are both showing interest in James Garner. No agreement/decision made, but he’s expected to leave Manchester United in the next days.”

This follows a recent report from The Athletic that revealed the Red Devils were willing to cash in on the playmaker before the September deadline, with a fee of around £14m having been mooted.

The club have already sanctioned exits for the likes of Alex Telles and Dean Henderson so far this summer, while Ivory Coast international Eric Bailly only recently secured a switch to Marseille.

Ten Hag’s first blunder

In a week in which United boss Erik ten Hag is riding high after vanquishing Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side following a drastically improved display on Monday evening, it looks if the Dutchman could well be set to make the first notable blunder of his tenure by letting Garner depart.

The 52-year-old has largely been praised for his bold decision-making while at the helm thus far, having raised eyebrows after dropping captain Harry Maguire and ‘talisman’ Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench for that victory over the Merseysiders.

While those courageous calls were vindicated, it is hard to see how letting the academy graduate move on will constitute a success for the former Ajax head coach, with Ten Hag likely missing a trick by not integrating the highly-rated prospect into his first-team plans this season.

Perhaps hampered by a disrupted pre-season due to injury, Garner has yet to make an appearance in the Premier League so far this term, with even the club’s much-discussed midfield woes not leading to a more prominent role.

Even after the likes of Scott McTominay and Fred were described as “not good enough” by club legend Roy Keane following the opening weekend defeat to Brighton, the £6.3m-rated gem is still no nearer to earning a starting berth – with forgotten man Donny Van de Beek seemingly still favoured ahead of him.

The England U21 international had likely been hoping for a chance under the new manager after his return to the Theatre of Dreams over the summer, having thrived on loan under Steve Cooper last season.

The “incredible” talent – as dubbed by journalist Callum Castel – proved integral to the successful promotion push at the City Ground last term, scoring four goals and providing eight assists in 41 games in all competitions.

Having proven himself more than capable of competing in the Championship, the next logical step would likely have been a return to the first-team fold at his parent club or a loan move to a top-tier side, to help further his progression.

The decision to sanction a permanent exit – as reports have suggested of late – is something of a headscratcher, with Ten Hag potentially set to see the decision come back to bite him in the near future, should Garner go on to thrive elsewhere.

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, Arsenal could seal a deal for Youri Tielemans quickly if they make an offer before the end of the week.

The Lowdown: Tielemans’ uncertain future

The 25-year-old was omitted from Leicester City’s starting XI for their Premier League game against Southampton last weekend, with Brendan Rodgers admitting that the Belgian wasn’t in the right frame of mind to play amid speculation over his future.

Mikel Arteta is believed to have identified the Foxes star as his number one midfield target, though the Gunners are yet to make an official bid.

The King Power outfit put a £40m valuation on the maestro’s head earlier in the window, though this has now been reduced to £38m as a result of entering the final year of his contract, boosting Edu’s chances of securing the Belgium international.

The Latest: Arsenal could land Tielemans

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones revealed that Arsenal could finalise a deal for Tielemans in the next 72 hours if they meet Leicester’s asking price.

“Brendan Rodgers knows that Tielemans is still seeking a move to a bigger club, so he was trying to protect his team by leaving him out.

“It didn’t really work out, but I am told he could still leave this week if the offer from Arsenal finally lands.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Leicester will be under a considerable amount of pressure to sell Tielemans this window to ensure he doesn’t leave for free next summer, so Arsenal should take advantage and put everything they have got into getting this deal wrapped up.

The 52-cap international made 12 goal contributions in all competitions for the Foxes last season, and averaged 1.8 shots and 1.2 key passes per top-flight game, via WhoScored, showing the creative outlet he adds to a team.

Arteta lacks squad depth in the midfield, so the Spaniard will be hoping that an agreement can be reached to bring Tielemans to the Emirates before September 1.

Tottenham Hotspur returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion on Saturday evening, with Antonio Conte’s side managing to put the disappointing midweek defeat to Sporting Lisbon behind them immediately by comfortably beating Leicester City 6-2.

Goals from Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Rodrigo Bentancur and a second-half hat-trick from Son Heung-min were enough to see off Brendan Rodgers’ lacklustre side. The result sees Spurs move to 17 points – level with leaders Manchester City – while the Foxes remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League standings.

However, while it will undoubtedly be the three goals of Son which steal Sunday morning’s headlines, it was another Tottenham player who truly ran the show against Leicester – central midfielder Bentancur.

Indeed, having already enjoyed a spectacular 2022/23 campaign so far – averaging a remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.30, ranking him as the joint 25th-best player in the league – the 25-year-old once again turned in a stellar display on Saturday.

Over the course of his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £35m-rated talent was in imperious form, making three tackles, four interceptions and blocking three shots, along with winning four of his six duels (a success rate of 67%) and not being dribbled past by an opponent at any point in the game.

The Uruguayan sensation was also devastating in possession of the ball, enjoying 62 touches – the second-most in the Spurs side – completing 40 of his 45 attempted passes (a success rate of 89%), taking two shots at goal (both of which hit the target), finding a team-mate with two of his three long balls, completing one dribble and setting up Son for Tottenham’s fourth goal of the evening.

However, the icing on the £75k-per-week midfielder’s cake came in the 47th minute, when he caught out a sloppy Wilfred Ndidi in the middle of the park by nipping the ball from the Leicester man’s toe, before driving at the Foxes backline and coolly slotting past Danny Ward from outside the penalty area – his first-ever goal for Spurs.

These returns saw the 25-year-old earn an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 8.8 – with only Son earning a higher score than the playmaker on the evening – while football.london’s Alasdair Gold awarded the former Juventus sensation a nine in his own player ratings.

As such, while the goals of Son will most certainly steal the limelight on Sunday morning, the show-running performance of Bentancur in the heart of midfield should certainly not be overlooked, as the Uruguay international was incredibly important in keeping Tottenham ticking on Saturday.

Newcastle United enjoyed their first summer transfer window with PIF at the helm this year and made use of it by bringing in four fresh faces.

Dan Ashworth backed Eddie Howe by snapping up the talents of Sven Botman, Nick Pope, Matt Targett, and Alexander Isak, whilst Loris Karius has also been added to the squad on a free transfer after the window slammed shut.

The Magpies also allowed a few players to depart, permanently or on loan, as the likes of Isaac Hayden, Dwight Gayle, Jeff Hendrick, and Ciaran Clark all found new clubs.

One player who could have been on his way out of St. James’ Park over the summer was attacking midfielder Miguel Almiron as he was linked with a move to another Premier League club.

Journalist Dean Jones revealed that Everton had an interest in the former MLS man and went as far as to say that it seemed “certain” that the winger would be leaving Tyneside.

In the end, Almiron stayed at Newcastle and now looks set to remain in Howe’s squad until the January transfer window at the earliest.

However, his lack of productivity in the final third since arriving in England suggests that the club could benefit from replacing him at the next opportunity.

He has produced 15 goals and five assists in 129 matches for the Toon and lost over 70% of his aerial duels in the English top-flight across five campaigns to date, whilst he has only scored two goals and failed to provide a single assist in 36 Premier League outings since the start of last season.

The winter market could allow the Magpies to finally cash in on Almiron, who journalist Tom Davidson once dubbed a “lightweight”, if the interest in his services is still there and Howe could sanction the move by unearthing a gem from the academy – Kyle Crossley.

Bringing through a young player to take the Paraguay international’s place in the squad would mean that selling him would not dent the squad depth, whilst it would also prevent Ashworth from needing to splash out millions on a replacement.

Crossley showcased his potential whilst playing for the U18s in 2021/22 with five goals and four assists from out wide in 25 league outings.

His form led to him being promoted to the U23s, despite only turning 18 in July, and he has made a fast start to life at that level with two goals in four Premier League 2 matches. He had scored for the U23s during their pre-season campaign in 2021 at the age of 16, which shows how quickly he has progressed in his short career so far.

Newcastle reporter Mark Carruthers claimed, back in January, that Crossley is a “real threat” at the top end of the pitch and his statistics back that up as he has shown promise in scoring and creating goals, unlike Almiron in the Premier League.

He appears to be a very promising young talent and that is why Howe should consider unleashing him in the first team in the coming months, to see if he is able to make the next step up.

If he is able to adapt to playing senior football then he could be the replacement that the Magpies need in order to be able to sanction the sale of Almiron in January, which is why unearthing the 18-year-old’s talent could be key for the club’s business in the next window.

West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek desperately needs to recapture his excellent past form to aid the Hammers’ struggles, according to journalist Paul Brown.

The Lowdown: Soucek suffers dip

The Czech has been a superb signing for the east Londoners overall, arriving from Slavia Prague in 2020 and becoming a hugely influential figure. Declan Rice has called him ‘unbelievable’ in the past, such is his quality.

That being said, Soucek’s performances of late have been a far cry from his former displays, with only one goal coming his way so far this season, and his all-round ability flattering to deceive.

It has undoubtedly played a negative role in West Ham sitting 18th in the Premier League table, in what has been a poor start to the campaign.

The Latest: Journalist makes plea

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Brown said Soucek needs to get back to his best in order to help the Hammers get over this current slump:

“He really needs to start producing. Because they didn’t sign a major name in his position, I don’t think his position is too under threat now at West Ham.

“Maybe that’s a bit too cosy and safe for him, but he certainly needs to start performing.”

The Verdict: He will be back

All footballers are only human, so Soucek’s noticeable dip is something that can happen to anyone and it shouldn’t lead to overreactions from supporters.

There is no doubt that the 27-year-old is a shadow of the player who netted 10 league goals in 2020/21, however, with opponents struggling to handle his physicality and aerial dominance.

Soucek is too good a player not to return to his peak level at some point – David Moyes will certainly be hoping it is soon, though, as pressure grows on him by the week.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has shared an injury update on midfield sensation Romeo Lavia ahead of their Premier League clash against Everton.

The Lowdown: Lavia injury woe…

The 18-year-old, who started to dazzle at St Mary’s soon after his summer move from Manchester City, has been sidelined recently with a hamstring problem. Lavia was hauled off after an hour against Chelsea in late August, with Hasenhuttl later confirming the extend of his serious injury.

The Belgian has since missed the entirety of September, with Southampton losing 1-0 to both Wolves and Aston Villa last month.

The Latest: Hasenhuttl shares Lavia update…

Speaking to the media ahead of his side’s clash against Everton on the south coast this afternoon, Hasenhuttl has shared an update on Lavia’s condition.

The Saints boss confirmed, via Daily Echo journalist Alfie House, that today is still too soon for the midfielder’s return to action.

However, the Austrian added that Lavia could be ready to play again in a ‘few more weeks’.

The Verdict: Setback for Saints…

Since joining Southampton in the summer, the teenage talent has seriously impressed with his performances when available, having earned rave reviews from the press for his composure and real potential.

Dubbed a ‘top signing’ by journalist Pete O’Rourke, Lavia’s acquisition has been a sound investment by Saints owners Sport Republic and a perfect example of their ideal sporting model.

It appears that Southampton are keen to buy young and potentially sell on for higher fees, as evident by the fact that they didn’t sign a single player over the age of 25 in the summer.

Chelsea were also admirers of Lavia’s ability, with reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano recently sharing news that the west Londoners made a last-minute attempt to sign him in the summer transfer window despite him only coming to St Mary’s a few weeks previously.

Not having him ready for today’s visit of Evertn is a setback for Hasenhuttl, and Southampton will be hoping that he can rejoin the squad as soon as possible.

Former Premier League striker Frank McAvennie has questioned the decision to send off Tottenham Hotspur right-back Emerson Royal against Arsenal.

The Lowdown: Royal sent off v Arsenal

As pictured by ESPN on Twitter, the 23-year-old Spurs defender was shown a straight red card by referee Anthony Taylor for a high challenge on Gunners ace Gabriel Martinelli during their 3-1 defeat in the north London derby.

After the match, Spurs manager Antonio Conte questioned the official’s decision to show red, claiming that English referees don’t have the “same line” when making decisions (via Sky Sports).

The Latest: McAvennie defends Royal

McAvennie claims there was no malice in Royal’s tackle and that it should not have warranted a red card.

Speaking with Football Insider, the 62-year-old proclaimed: “You don’t mean to do that. That’s my understanding of it.

“Half of ex-players say it was a penalty, half say it wasn’t a penalty. What do you do? You’ve got to make a tackle. There’s a difference between tackling somebody to try and hurt them and tackling somebody who’s a bit quicker than you. They get the ball and you’re a bit late.

“For me it’s not a sending off, it’s just somebody quicker than you and the referees have got to use that interpretation. If it’s meant, yeah it’s a sending off. It just changes the game. If you’ve got ex-players and pundits debating it and their opinions are split, I would say it’s not a sending off.”

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The Verdict: Replacement needs to step up

Royal has emerged as Conte’s first-choice option at right wing-back this season, with the Brazil international featuring in Spurs’ starting XI seven out of eight games in the Premier League since the campaign began.

This is in spite of Matt Doherty’s return to form last season, in which he held the starting role before suffering a ligament tear, and Djed Spence’s arrival from Middlesbrough, having signed for Tottenham this summer in a deal worth £20m.

With 109 Premier League appearances to his name, Doherty is likely to return to Conte’s XI, although this could be the perfect opportunity to give Spence game-time, having played just one minute of football since arriving at Hotspur Way.

Either way, whoever is selected will need to step up to the plate in Royal’s absence, with Spurs now having to accept that they will be without the Brazilian for the next three league games.

The January transfer window is still a number of Premier League matches and a World Cup away from rolling around but that will not stop Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth from keeping his eyes open in the coming weeks and months.

Eddie Howe’s squad was bolstered over the summer as the ex-Brighton chief brought in Sven Botman, Alexander Isak, Nick Pope, and Matt Targett to improve the team.

This came after PIF sanctioned the signings of Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier, and Chris Wood on permanent deals at the start of the year.

Ashworth is now looking to make further improvements to the team in 2023 and one player who is reportedly being eyed up is Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos.

Newcastle have reportedly held talks with the Brazilian side, who value the gem at £30m, ahead of a potential swoop to sign him in the upcoming January window.

The youngster only turned 18 in May and he may not be a signing with the expectation of him coming straight into the first team to start games in the Premier League. However, he could be a player with the potential to be a star for the Magpies in the future if Howe is able to unearth his talent.

Jonjo Shelvey enjoyed a run of games in the number six position for Newcastle prior to his injury last season as he averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.96 – placing him sixth in the squad – in the top-flight. He made 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game and completed 81% of his passes as he caught the eye in a deep-lying midfield role.

In Santos, Howe could find an upgrade on the former England international by easing him into life at St. James’ Park and unearthing the best of his ability.

He has shown great promise for Vasco da Gama in the Serie B in Brazil throughout 2022. The 18-year-old has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.19 across 29 games this year, making 3.9 tackles and interceptions per game and completing 78% of his attempted passes.

Santos, who has been likened to Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets, could be more suited to Howe’s pressing style of play than Shelvey as he has been described as a “pressing machine” by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

The manager wants his team to press aggressively to win the ball back in good areas and the current Toon midfielder does not excel at this part of the game, ranking in the worst 6% for pressures per 90 among players in his position in Europe’s top five leagues over the last 365 days.

This suggests that he is one of the least aggressive pressers in that role in Europe, whilst Santos has been praised for his quality at that part of the game and their respective defensive actions per game illustrate the difference between them in terms of winning the ball back.

Therefore, Howe could land an upgrade on Shelvey if Ashworth signs Santos in January as the Brazilian youngster could slot into that role in the future and offer more to the team’s style of play with his impressive pressing and similar passing quality if he can adapt to Premier League football as he gains more experience in the game.

West Ham United have continually churned out impressive young talent over the years, with the club having become famed for its knack of developing and nurturing exciting academy assets who can go on to thrive in the first-team.

The likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole are some of the more notable success stories in the modern era, while more recent times have seen the emergence of current captain, Declan Rice, as well as versatile defender, Ben Johnson.

The wait is on to see just who will be that next emerging prospect to force their way into David Moyes’ plans at first-team level, with there undoubtedly a number of highly-rated figures just waiting for a chance in the senior ranks.

One such talent who has caught the eye of late is that of midfielder, Patrick Kelly, with the 18-year-old already making waves in east London having only joined the club from Northern Irish outfit, Coleraine, back in July.

The teenager was lauded as a player with “true ability” by Irons academy boss Ricky Martin upon his arrival at the London Stadium over the summer, after previously starring in the senior set-up at his former club, scoring once and laying on four assists in 29 appearances in all competitions.

That brief experience at such a young age has demonstrated the playmaker’s undoubted potential, having shown “so much quality” during his time with the NIFL Premiership side, in the words of journalist Josh Bunting.

The youngster had “wowed” those at his previous club with that quality – as per former teammate Lyndon Kane – with his “technical ability second to none”, according to the aforementioned Bunting.

That glowing praise will likely be of interest to Moyes, with the centre of the park still seemingly an area in need of bolstering for the former Everton boss, particularly after seeing long-serving skipper Mark Noble announce his retirement at the end of last season.

Like the names previously mentioned, the one-club man had been another diamond to have emerged from the club’s youth ranks – racking up 550 appearances across all fronts in a lengthy career at the elite level – proving that there is a clear pathway to the first-team for the current academy gems.

In the case of Kelly, the Northern Ireland U19 international could well be a player to keep an eye on in the near future, with the midfielder possessing the tools to pick up the mantle from Noble having already showcased his creative flair so far this term, with two assists in just five Premier League games at U18 level.

Having only been at West Ham for a matter of months it may take time for the £113k-rated starlet to be handed a chance by Moyes, although it is encouraging for the club to know that they have such a prospect just waiting to be unleashed.

Liverpool took all three points when they hosted West Ham United at Anfield last night, but Jurgen Klopp gave some insight on his substitution choices following the victory that will ring alarm bells for supporters.

What’s the latest?

Speaking on Amazon Prime (via The Rousing Kop) following the 1-0 win, the Liverpool manager detailed injury concerns that led to Thiago Alcantara and Darwin Nunez’s return to the bench in the second half.

Klopp revealed: “Thiago stretched once on the pitch which for me is a warning sign.

“Meanwhile, we pretty much have to react to everything. So it was clear we had to change him.

“With Darwin [Nunez] at half-time, everyone was saying ‘no, it’s fine, it’s fine!’. But when someone is [spending] five minutes on a bed they’re a concern as well. So again, a precaution.”

The manager went on to claim that the pair should be fine for the clash with Nottingham Forest this weekend: “They’re all okay, all okay. I think we picked them all at the right moment.”

It’s a warning sign for Liverpool

Klopp cannot control the mounting fixtures Liverpool face ahead of the Qatar World Cup next month, however, the early substitutions of key players like Nunez and Thiago will be a huge warning sign for the German coach.

Over the next three weeks leading up to the international tournament, the Reds have another seven fixtures to see out including a Champions League group game against Ajax and an EFL third-round clash with Derby County.

As a result, squad rotation has never been more crucial ahead of the break considering Liverpool have already experienced huge problems with fitness and injury problems this term.

Diogo Jota, Arthur Melo, Joel Matip, Luis Diaz, Ibrahima Konate and Naby Keita all remain sidelined, reducing Klopp’s ability to rotate his team and match the quality that exists in his fit starting XI at present.

It’s not all bad news for the Merseyside giants, though, as Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made their return to the bench, with Jones making his first appearance of the season in the 57th minute against the Hammers.

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s experience will be a huge boost to the team in the fixtures ahead too should Klopp feel that he is ready to return to action, and that will give the manager the opportunity to rest some of those key players in the centre of the pitch, like Thiago.

With that being said, it will be a relief for supporters that both Nunez and Thiago were caught just in time and should be available for the early kick-off against Forest on Saturday afternoon. However, in the words of Klopp, it is undoubtedly a ‘warning sign’ that the club need to be incredibly careful about how they manage their players in the coming weeks. They have already suffered far too many worries in 2022/23.