All posts by n8rngtd.top

Newcastle United spent much of the summer window chasing Leicester City playmaker James Maddison, with the Magpies having seemingly identified the Englishman as a top target as they looked to bolster Eddie Howe’s midfield ranks.

The Tynesiders reportedly made an offer of around £50m in order to prise the 25-year-old from the King Power Stadium, albeit with the Foxes said to be holding out for more than £60m, with manager Brendan Rodgers seemingly reluctant to sell despite the player having just under two years left on his existing deal.

While there has been talk of another swoop for the former Norwich City man in January, at present the northeast side have been left to rue their failure to get a deal over the line, with the one-cap menace having started the new campaign in stunning form for the Midlands outfit.

The creative gem notably showcased his brilliance in the crucial 4-0 triumph over fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest on Monday evening, easing the pressure on the aforementioned Rodgers to help steer the club to just their first win of the season following a convincing home display.

Maddison had set his side on their way to victory after netting a deflected effort past a helpless Dean Henderson early on, before doubling his tally just ten minutes later with a curling free-kick from just outside the box which again evaded his compatriot.

The £110k-per-week sensation then capped a fine outing by teeing up teammate Patson Daka with a clever pullback late on, ensuring that he now has five goals and two assists from his opening seven league games of the season.

That “flawless” performance – as described by Statman Dave – has seen the £45m-rated ace continue the form he has showcased over the past year or so, having scored 18 goals and laid on 12 assists in all competitions last term.

Such has been his remarkable consistency, only Manchester City starlet Erling Haaland (17) has provided more goal contributions in the top-flight than the Coventry-born gem since 11 May, with his tally of 14 on par with Kevin De Bruyne and one ahead of Three Lions skipper, Harry Kane.

Equally, the midfielder has also outperformed the latter man with regards to non-penalty goals, as he notably ranks in the top 4% in Europe’s top five leagues in that metric, while the Tottenham Hotspur man ranks in just the top 25%, while he also betters the striker with regards to assists, ranking in the top 8% in that regard, while Kane is only in the top 12%.

To think that Maddison has still been unable to force his way into the international set-up under Gareth Southgate is still something of a headscratcher, having been given the backing of Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville to secure a place in the England squad moving forward.

As for those at St James’ Park, the Magpies have been left to watch the dynamic ace thrive after he had seemingly “wanted” to leave his current club in the recent window – according to pundit Ian Wright – with that failed pursuit no doubt a real source of frustration for both Newcastle and their supporters.

Newcastle United will reportedly make an offer for Trabzonspor goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir at the end of the season.

The Lowdown: Goalkeeper conundrum

The St. James’ Park outfit have a bit of a goalkeeper conundrum at the moment, with Martin Dubravka allowed to leave on loan to Manchester United in the summer, while Loris Karius was signed as a free agent and Nick Pope was brought in from Burnley.

Should Dubrvaka return to the North East, it would leave them with four senior goalkeepers in the squad if Karl Darlow is also in the mix, meaning there may need to be a bit of an overhaul behind first-choice Pope.

The Latest: Cakir offer ready

As per Sabah (via Sport Witness), the Tynesiders ‘will make an offer’ for Cakir at the end of the season, after ‘closely following’ his recent performances.

A player that was linked with a move to Manchester City in the summer, Trabzonspor are aiming for a fee of €20m (£17.6m) in order to prize him away.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-7/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Not needed?

As good of a goalkeeper Cakir is, having played 171 times for Trabzonspor and boasting 21 caps for Turkey (Transfermarkt), the Magpies should not be looking to sign the six-foot-three colossus this summer.

They will need to sort out Dubravka’s future first of all, and have already signed Pope to cement himself as Eddie Howe’s number one.

Having played in European competition this season, added to the fact that he is captain of his club, Cakir would likely not want to leave to play second fiddle anyway, and so this is a move that seems unlikely to happen unless at least one of the other goalkeepers are moved on.

To quote the theme tune of famous sitcom FRIENDS, West Ham have felt like they’ve been “stuck in second gear” this season, with the Irons never truly setting the world alight during the course of the opening few months of 2022/23.

It marks a stark contrast to last term when David Moyes’ men were firing on all cylinders. European football was the ambition and they achieved that for another year while reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League in the process.

The task to qualify again is a tricky one, though, particularly with the Hammers now sitting in 13th on just 11 points.

Their new signings haven’t quite fired but there have been more encouraging signs in recent weeks. Indeed, Gianluca Scamacca had scored in consecutive outings before taking on Southampton and then losing 1-0 to Liverpool on Wednesday evening.

Although the Reds have been below par this campaign, Anfield was always going to be a difficult place to go, particularly after their revitalising 1-0 triumph against Manchester City last Sunday.

Moyes’ side could easily have left with a share of the spoils, however, after Jarrod Bowen saw a penalty saved excellently by Alisson.

That miss and indeed Scamacca’s anonymity were big negatives but there was one positive; the performance of Flynn Downes.

There have been several calls for the summer signing to start of late and after a run on the continental stage, he was finally given his first Premier League start against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Although he was substituted with 16 minutes still left to play, it was still a superb performance from the 23-year-old who has already earned comparisons to Declan Rice since his arrival.

Downes was able to mop up play astutely with his all-round attributes firmly on show against one of the best sides in the division.

From a defensive point of view, the midfielder made an impressive four ball recoveries, while making one headed clearance. Clearly hard-working, the former Swansea technician played two passes into the final third as he looked to put his team on the front foot, while he also had one shot blocked after finding room inside the penalty area.

It felt like Downes, who took 32 touches, was everywhere on what was a “massive night” in terms of his West Ham career – as per journalist Malik Ouzia.

Given an opportunity to finally impress from the off in a top-flight encounter, he evidently grabbed the chance with both hands and staked his claim for a regular spot in the starting XI.

When they face Bournemouth next Monday, the all-action midfielder simply has to be unleashed again.

Arsenal have had a wonderful start to the season so far. The club are currently sitting top of the Premier League table, qualified for the Europa League knockout stages, and had a brilliant summer transfer window.

The positive results this season appear to be bringing the feel-good factor back to the Emirates and Mikel Arteta has a squad of genuine talent that, with a bit of luck and the right attitude, can win some silverware.

One of the brightest sparks this season has been Frenchman William Saliba, with Arteta getting the best out of him in an Arsenal shirt and it looks like the club have hit the jackpot with the defender.

Arsenal have struck gold over William Saliba

Saliba actually joined the club under former manager Unai Emery back in 2019 from Saint-Etienne for a fee of £27m, a big risk for an unproven 18-year-old, and he was sent back to the French club for a season-long loan.

Another loan move to Nice for the 2020/2021 campaign followed but his stint at Marseille last season was arguably his breakthrough season.

The centre-back averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.06, playing in 36 league matches while averaging a staggering 95.5 touches per game, showing that he wanted to get involved as much as possible.

Saliba even won the Ligue 1 young player of the year award for his performances with Marseille and his next step was slotting into the heart of the Arsenal defence.

His ever-growing maturity has continued into this season, starting all ten Premier League matches for the club, with a 7.08 rating via SofaScore, chipping in with two goals and winning 64% of his total duels.

Following Arsenal’s match against Tottenham Hotspur at the start of the month, Rio Ferdinand praised the 6 foot 4 titan in the BT Sport studio (via Teamtalk) saying:

“He was the most composed centre-back on the pitch today – especially for Arsenal.” Ferdinand explained, and subsequently, his performances have led to his value rising.

The CIES Football Observatory now values Saliba at €60m (£52.2m) and it’s fair to say that this will keep on rising with every excellent performance.

Arsenal have certainly struck gold over the Frenchman; the onus is now on them to hold onto him for as long as possible.

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to bounce back from their midweek disappointment when they welcome Newcastle United to north London in the Premier League later this afternoon.

Antonio Conte is once again without the services of Dejan Kulusevski for what will be the seventh successive game, whilst fellow attacker Richarlison has joined him on the treatment table, as revealed by The Athletic.

The Italian is, therefore, likely to remain with the 3-5-2 system he used in Wednesday’s frustrating 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Emerson Royal is back from suspension, though Matt Doherty has done more than enough to warrant the starting spot at right wing-back but there should still be a defensive change as that’s where Spurs looked most woeful against the Red Devils.

The trio of Eric Dier, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies were pretty abysmal and a similar sort of display would result in another failure as the Magpies are a side that Conte views as fierce competition in the race for a top-four finish, as he claimed during his pre-game press conference.

“We have a tough game against a team that is in a good period of form. Newcastle drew at United, played a good game, then won against Everton. They’ve started very well and at this moment, they want to be a protagonist in the Premier League. For sure, in the present [and] the future, they will be a danger for everyone,” the 53-year-old said.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what changes the Italian head coach will make. It seems viable that FC Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet comes in for Davies, considering he is the more natural centre-back and is a far greater prospect on the ball.

Despite being lauded as a “reliable” option by the Lilywhites boss, the Wales international trails the Frenchman for passing accuracy, as per WhoScored, whilst FBref highlight further defensive attributes in which the 27-year-old also leads the way – including successful tackles, successful pressures, blocks and interceptions per 90.

Newcastle travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the back of three wins in four outings and in two of those, they netted a whopping nine goals. For context, Conte’s men have found the net seven times in their last six matches in all competitions, so it’s clear that Eddie Howe’s side pose a threat in the final third.

Indeed, the northeast giants are fourth for total shots per game (15.3) – ahead of Spurs (13.9) – and have scored the fourth-highest number of goals from open play (12) – also ahead of Spurs (nine) – in the Premier League this campaign, via WhoScored.

As such, Davies could get eaten up by the goalscoring exploits of Callum Wilson or the commanding physical presence of Chris Wood.

That is why a more solid switch at centre-back must happen this afternoon, so for Conte, it is surely an easy, albeit brutal, decision to ditch his £80k-per-week regular – who Bundesliga statistician Ben Griffis once dubbed a “beast of a player” – in favour of Lenglet, who is just the better fit for the system, this game and the position today.

It could prove to be the game-changing spark that Spurs need to get back on track in N17.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt huge injury blow ahead of Newcastle clash, it’s terrible news for Conte…

Tottenham Hotspur head into Saturday afternoon’s Premier League clash with AFC Bournemouth in something of a dip in form, with Antonio Conte’s side having lost two and drawn one of their last three fixtures in all competitions.

The latest of these results was a controversial 1-1 draw with Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, a game which Spurs thought they had won with the last kick of the game after Harry Kane turned home from close range – only for the 29-year-old’s strike to be ruled out for offside by VAR.

However, while Conte and his side undoubtedly felt the decision to chalk their winner off was a harsh one, in truth, it was the performances of a number of the Tottenham team that ultimately cost the north London outfit all three points on the night – and particularly that of second-half substitute Emerson Royal.

Indeed, despite only being introduced to the game in the 81st minute, the Brazilian continued an unwanted trend of wastefulness in the final third, completing just four of his eight attempted passes – a success rate of just 50% – including a now infamous no-look pass in the closing stages of the game that went out for a Sporting goal-kick.

The £34m-rated wing-back also ceded possession a whopping seven times over his limited time on the pitch, with his total of 12 touches meaning he gave away the ball with every 1.7 touches he had on Wednesday evening.

This is something that football.london’s Rob Guest picked up on in his player ratings, with the journalist awarding the £40k-per-week flop a five, as well as stating of the defender’s display: “Wasted some good chances down the right when more quality was needed.”

However, Emerson’s poor showing against the Liga Portugal side was far from his first of the season, with Josh Bunting slamming the 23-year-old in a post on Twitter after his performance in the 2-1 loss to Newcastle United earlier this month:

“Emerson Royal just isn’t good enough at all, he’s not Premier League quality whatsoever. Dreadful performance again today, decision making and just general football intelligence is simply dreadful. Maybe the worst player to play for Tottenham in my lifetime and I mean that.”

As such, should Conte wish to give Spurs the best possible chance of returning to winning ways against Bournemouth this afternoon, it would appear clear that the 53-year-old simply must avoid selecting Emerson in his starting XI at the Vitality Stadium – as a repeat performance of Wednesday from the right-back could well cost Tottenham dearly again today.

Everton have struck gold by appointing Frank Lampard, a manager who has not only improved the performances of the first team but has an eye for young talent that have become superstars in their own right.

Reece James, Mason Mount, Tariq Lamptey and Marc Guehi are just some of the hottest young English prospects the former Chelsea boss gave Premier League debuts to when he was managing the squad at Stamford Bridge.

James and Mount have gone on to be regular England internationals featuring in the squad that were the first to reach an international final since 1966 last year at the Euros, and both played a crucial part in Chelsea’s Champions League victory just six months after Lampard was sacked.

As a result, the promising prospects in the Everton academy on Merseyside will surely be hoping that they can become the manager’s next big breakthrough and there is one youth player in particular who could be Lampard’s next Mount.

Everton U21 star Charlie Whitaker signed a brand new contract yesterday, agreeing a three-year deal that keeps him at the club until June 2025.

The talented attacking midfielder – who was dubbed an “undoubted talent” by Kevin Thelwell – name-dropped Lampard as one of his inspirations for the way he plays upon signing his extension on Tuesday:

“As a kid, Frank Lampard was someone I looked up to and to learn from him now has been terrific.”

Just like Mount, Whitaker is an attacking midfielder with an eye for goal and a creative mindset that allows him to be a versatile threat in his advanced role on the pitch.

The 19-year-old has scored 20 goals and registered nine assists over his 64 appearances across the Everton U18s and U21s with a goal contribution every 154 minutes.

This season over his three appearances in the EFL Trophy, Whitaker has been a standout performer, scoring one goal and delivering one assist, as well as averaging 2.7 tackles, 2.3 key passes and 2.7 shots per game, proving that he is becoming a player Lampard will struggle to ignore as he continues to flourish.

Whitaker is comfortable operating in all three positions across the front three as well as the attacking midfield role and could be the perfect answer to Everton’s much-needed refresh in the forward line and has already had the opportunity to train with the first team on many occasions.

With that being said, the future is looking bright for Whitaker and if he continues to flourish in the Everton U21s and first-team training sessions, there is no doubt that the talented midfielder will catch Lampard’s eye in no time at all.

West Ham United will today face up for their final Premier League match before the enforced World Cup break, with the east London outfit hosting a resurgent Leicester City.

The Hammers head into the fixture off the back of what has been a torrid run, having won once in their last five in the league, and dropped as low as 15th, with just two points separating them from the relegation zone.

Whilst their European form has been nothing short of sensational, it seems that manager David Moyes seems incapable of translating their six wins from six into domestic success.

They were also knocked out of the EFL Cup by Championship side Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday too, further compounding the misery.

Following what was expected to be a transformative summer of big spending, it appears that the Irons have regressed with their early season form and will be hoping that a win at the London Stadium could bring the feelgood factor back with a lengthy break inbound.

To give themselves the best possible chance of this, the Scotsman must consider dropping the consistently underwhelming Tomas Soucek from the starting side, given how he has scored just once all season despite joining as a forward-thinking midfielder.

The 27-year-old titan had initially been an instant hit in the capital – with his debut season boasting a tally of ten league goals across the season – although the Czech Republic international’s drought has drawn questions about his benefits outside of scoring.

It is not just his lack of goals that has provoked his critics, however, but the 6 foot 3 goliath’s overall displays have not been good enough., with journalist Alan Rzepa outlining his “awful mentality” after his shocking display in their loss against Everton.

Another journalist in Josh Bunting took to Twitter to critique the midfielder at the back end of October, stating: “West Ham need to take Tomas Soucek out of the team for a period, has struggled all season.”

With fewer goals and little defensive security in midfield, as he is dribbled past 1.1 times a game, the £65k-per-week dud has had his opportunities over the last season and a half.

His time is now up, and he must be dropped for this all-important clash with the Foxes.

Chelsea attacker Kai Havertz has been criticised by journalist Ben Jacobs for his display in the west London club’s 1-0 defeat against Arsenal in the Premier League. 

The Lowdown: Another league defeat for Chelsea

Last weekend saw Graham Potter’s side lose 4-1 against Brighton & Hove Albion away from home.

Their latest league outing has seen the Stamford Bridge outfit lose 1-0 to their London rivals, Arsenal, as a second-half goal from Gabriel Magalhaes was enough to see Mikel Arteta’s side get all three points.

Now that Chelsea have fallen to another defeat, it appears that Havertz, who started the game, has been on the end of some criticism for his efforts in the match.

The Latest: Criticism for Havertz

As the Gunners took the lead by Gabriel turning the ball in past Edouard Mendy from a corner struck by Bukayo Saka, Jacobs had this to say about Havertz’s role in the goal and his overall display.

In a Twitter post, Jacobs had this to say.

He said: “Arsenal have a deserved lead. Gabriel turns in Saka’s enticing corner. Havertz, who has been poor, will be disappointed not to have cleared it at the near post.”

The Verdict: A poor showing from Havertz

With 64 minutes under his belt, the German had 35 touches of the ball in total, which is fewer than Mendy had in goal (42).

The £150k-per-week attacker also gave possession away 13 times for his side before being replaced by Conor Gallagher, as well as giving two fouls away.

The Evening Standard also picked up on Havertz’s poor performance by giving him a match rating of 4/10 and highlighting how “wasteful” he was throughout the game.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that the Chelsea attacker had a rather poor outing against Arsenal and barely helped his side out in terms of helping them score goals and avoiding conceding them.

Leeds United centre-forward Mateo Joseph is set to be called up for England U20s.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication AS (via Sport Witness), who claim that Ian Foster’s side are ‘very close’ to calling the forward up ahead of the U20 World Cup in Indonesia in May of 2023, with the Whites said to be expecting a phone call from England in order to request permission to speak with the 19-year-old.

The report goes on to state that the Leeds U21 sensation looks as if he could represent the latest talent Spain end up missing out on, with Manchester United’s recent breakthrough starlet, Alejandro Garnacho, having also declared for Argentina ahead of La Furia Roja earlier this year.

England’s next star

Considering the remarkable rise Joseph has enjoyed since his £900k move to Elland Road back in January – when Barcelona, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City were reported to be keen on the attacker – the argument that the teenager could become both a future star of Leeds and England is becoming easier to make with each passing day.

Indeed, after scoring 44 goals in 56 appearances across the various youth age groups for Espanyol, the youngster enjoyed a decent debut campaign with the Whites in the second half of 2021/22, bagging one goal and registering one assist over four U18 Premier League fixtures and notching one goal over seven Premier League 2 outings last term.

However, the forward has truly exploded this season, with Joseph scoring 11 goals and providing one assist over his eight Premier League 2 fixtures and netting one goal over three outings in the Papa John’s Trophy.

These returns saw the player who Michael Skubala dubbed a “threat for any defence” earn a call-up to Jesse Marsch’s first team for the 1-0 Carabao Cup loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this month – a game in which, despite failing to score, the attacker looked “really bright” – as well as making his Premier League debut in the 4-3 loss to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

As such, should Marsch keep the faith in the £1.9k-per-week Joseph over the months ahead, as well as the Santander-born starlet agreeing to a switch to the Three Lions ahead of the U20 World Cup next May, Leeds could not only possess their next star in the forward, but also one of England’s next big attacking talents – something that is an incredibly exciting prospect.