Tottenham are interested in signing Scott McTominay from Manchester United, according to a new report.
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes Gabriel Jesus has a newfound hunger ahead of the beginning of the new Premier League season.
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Leeds United could well err on the side of caution when it comes to playing Georginio Rutter today, the exciting Frenchman undergoing a hernia operation in the international break and could be deemed too fragile to start away at Watford consequently.
The Whites should still have enough explosive talent at their disposal to get the better of a Watford side now managed by Tom Cleverley on an interim basis regardless, with the Hornets dismissing yet another manager recently in the form of Valerien Ismael.
Daniel Farke could decide to chop and change his XI not just to accommodate for Rutter being rested however, with Daniel James clamouring for a place back in his manager's lineup after a lively cameo against Millwall last time out.
James' goal late from off the bench ensured Leeds didn't fall victim to any late scares at Elland Road against Neil Harris' away side, cruising to a 2-0 win over the Lions in the end.
But, it wasn't just his strike in isolation that caught the eye from his impactful 21 minutes on the pitch.
James would manage to pull off two key passes from just six attempted when coming on in place of Wilfried Gnonto, on top of hitting the woodwork with another effort to nearly hand himself a brace from so little time in the thick of the action.
It feels like a no-brainer to give James a run-out from minute one away at Watford therefore, with Gnonto failing to impress against the Lions away from his blinding strike that opened the scoring.
The ex-FC Zurich man would just register 31 touches, eight fewer than Whites goalkeeper Illan Meslier in the 2-0 win, and so could be axed for James to put in a lightning-quick shift against Watford to try and catch the Hornets out instead.
Joel Piroe could also have the reward of being drafted into Farke's XI for the trip to Hertfordshire, with the ex-Swansea City man fading into the background in recent weeks despite starring in patches this season for his title-chasing side.
If Rutter is told to sit out the trip down to Vicarage Road, Farke could do far worse than reintroducing Piroe into the first team fold in his place.
Surprisingly, despite having 11 goals next to his name for the season and boasting the tag of being "clinical" by football journalist Josh Bunting, the 6 foot 1 attacker has found himself out of his manager's first-team plans as of late owing to a revitalised Patrick Bamford becoming key again.
Yet, although his goal record suggests he's more of a prolific striker than a number ten, Piroe has excelled in this spot behind the striker this season for Farke's men away from being just a conventional centre-forward presence.
One of the last times the Dutchman played in this attacking midfield slot was against Ipswich Town in December, where Piroe got in on the goalscoring act in a comprehensive 4-0 drubbing of Kieran McKenna's men.
Away from that strike, Piroe was calm and measured on the ball at points too with one key pass managed in the big victory.
|
Joel Piroe's stats by position this season – 2023/24 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Games played |
Goals |
Assists |
|
CAM |
21 |
8 |
1 |
|
ST |
10 |
4 |
1 |
|
SS |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
|||
Looking at the table above, despite the £15k-per-week man playing 74 of his 96 games predominantly as a striker at former employers Swansea, he excels being played in a more creative role for Farke's men.
With the season hurtling towards a number of crucial contests, every player will have to be at their peak for the run-in which could see Farke make changes accordingly to keep his impressive Whites side fresh and up for the task of returning straight back to the Premier League.
Newcastle United have been through somewhat of an injury crisis this campaign, with numerous key first-team members spending long periods on the sidelines.
The midfield department has been the most depleted after injuries to the likes of Joelinton and Lewis Miley, whilst big-money signing Sandro Tonali has missed the vast majority of the campaign after being suspended for breaching the FA's and Italian Federation's betting rules.
In recent weeks, the Magpies' defence has taken a severe hit after ACL injuries to Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles, which has seen forgotten defender Emil Krafth being handed a rare spell in the starting lineup.
However, the club's problems don't stop there, with goalkeeper Nick Pope still out with a shoulder problem after picking up the issue in the 1-0 victory over Manchester United back in December.
Given everything that has occurred in recent months, boss Eddie Howe is looking to strengthen multiple key areas this summer with the boss looking at one player in particular to potentially add needed depth or push for a starting role.
Given the injury situation at St James' Park, the club need to invest this summer to help improve their lack of squad depth that has seen the squad look thin on multiple occasions.
According to The Telegraph's Mike McGrath and John Percy, the Magpies are interested in signing Middlesbrough goalkeeper Seny Dieng, with Howe's side not the only side looking at the 29-year-old.
The former QPR 'keeper is believed to have caught the eye of numerous Premier League clubs, including Crystal Palace, while Championship leaders Ipswich Town are also interested.
Dieng would surely jump at the opportunity to move to Newcastle, given their status as an established Premier League side.
Whilst he would likely be playing second fiddle to Pope – an undoubted favourite of Howe – the Senegal international would certainly be pushing him for playing time given his displays in the Championship this season.
After joining Michael Carrick's side for a fee in the region of £2m last summer, the "sensational" Dieng, as dubbed by the Second Tier Podcast's Ryan Dilks, has proven himself as one of the best shot-stoppers in the division.
The 29-year-old has achieved a tally of ten clean sheets in his 30 league appearances this season and has been particularly influential for Boro in recent weeks, as they mount a late charge for a play-off place.
Indeed, the goalkeeper has made 69 saves this season, with the former QPR man boasting a 65% save percentage.
|
Seny Dieng's stats in 2023/24 |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Appearances |
30 |
|
Saves |
69 |
|
Save percentage |
65% |
|
Pass completion rate |
77% |
|
Clean sheets |
10 |
|
Stats via FotMob |
|
The Senegalese shot-stopper is just as impressive with the ball at his feet, with Dieng managing to complete 77% of the passes he's attempted in the league this season.
To put that into perspective, Pope has succeded with 73% of his passes, so there is a slight improvement on a player who Les Ferdinand believes "could be pound-for-pound the best signing that they [Newcastle] have made," during Howe's tenure.
With Loris Karius out of contract in the summer and Martin Dubravka now aged 35 and coming to the end of his playing career, the club should look to invest in a younger 'keeper who could potentially push Pope for the starting role, whilst being a solid backup option to have.
The Boro man has proven he's more than capable in England's second tier, with the 29-year-old now coming into his prime and more than deserving of an opportunity to play in the biggest league in world football.
Cristiano Ronaldo has sent an inspirational message to his Al-Nassr team-mates after they opened their season with a draw against Al-Raed.
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Former Premier League and Ivory Coast defender Sol Bamba has died at the age of 39.
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Glasgow Rangers sealed their place in the final of the SFA Cup next month with a 2-0 win over Hearts at Hampden Park on Sunday afternoon.
Cyriel Dessers scored both goals, with one in each half, to book their ticket to the final, where the Light Blues will take on the rivals Celtic as they bid to win both domestic cups this season.
Philippe Clement's side have already secured the League Cup and the Belgian boss could rake in a second trophy, as well as hopefully a third in the form of the Scottish Premiership title.
There were a number of strong performers for Rangers on the pitch, including Dessers with his match-winning brace, and one player has made himself undroppable – Todd Cantwell.
The former Norwich City attacker, who was given a match rating of 8/10 by the Daily Record, ran the show at Hampden with his energetic display and quality on the ball to create both of the goals for his Nigerian teammate.
Former Celtic man Brian McLaughlin hailed the English whiz's link-up play as a "key factor" in Rangers' success during the game, as the talented gem buzzed about the pitch to bring his teammates into the match to create chances.
Ex-Hearts striker John Robertson also described – speaking on BBC Sportsound – Cantwell as a "big problem" for Steven Naismith's team, as they could not get to grips with the mercurial playmaker, who he later hailed as "the difference" between the two sides.
Cantwell was as effective and dominant as those comments from McLaughlin and Robertson suggest, as he was directly involved in both of Dessers' goals.
Rangers' opening goal came when the 26-year-old wizard took a positive touch forward and slotted the ball into the path of the ex-Cremonese marksman, who fired a low shot in.
The attacking midfielder then drove forwards with the ball from the halfway line, evading multiple challenges, before laying the ball off to Dessers in the box, who scored after his initial effort was parried back to him.
Clement should consider Cantwell undroppable, barring an enforced change, ahead of the crucial run-in in their bid to win two more trophies this season.
The creative maestro has been used off the bench in six of his 26 Premiership appearances so far this term, most recently against Celtic earlier this month, but should be kept in the starting XI for the big matches to come between now and the end of the campaign.
|
23/24 Premiership |
Todd Cantwell |
Tom Lawrence |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
26 |
20 |
|
Goals |
5 |
1 |
|
Assists |
4 |
3 |
|
Big chances created |
5 |
4 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.6 |
1.2 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, Cantwell offers more at the top end of the pitch than his closest competitor for a spot in the lineup – Tom Lawrence – and that was further illustrated with his difference-making display against Hearts.
The ex-Canaries star provides dynamism, drive, and quality, in the number ten position, which was highlighted by his heroic performance at Hampden on Sunday against Hearts – setting up both goals.
Clement must now consider him to be undroppable and hope that Cantwell continues to deliver brilliant showings on the park over the weeks to come.
A pundit has suggested that Timo Werner could be on the way out of Tottenham if Spurs go for a "statement" £42.8 million signing this summer.
Fabrizio Romano has backed claims that Ange Postecoglou is keen to add more goals from out wide, as Spurs target the likes of Pedro Neto and Raphinha as options for later this year.
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It's one of the many positions which Spurs are keen to strengthen ahead of the summer, despite possessing an option to buy Werner outright for around £15 million, as widely reported.
The German has scored two goals and assisted three others since joining on loan from RB Leipzig in January, but there have been some concerns over whether he is really the player to improve Spurs long-term as they eventually look to challenge towards the foot of the table.
|
Timo Werner's league stats since joining Tottenham |
Total |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
12 |
|
Goals |
2 |
|
Assists |
3 |
|
Shots at goal per 90 |
2.4 |
|
Key passes per 90 |
1.3 |
“I can’t help, but I have to be critical of Timo Werner," said pundit Jay Bothroyd to Optus Sport earlier this week.
"I’m sorry, he misses so many good chances. And those chances that he missed, they can change games. Technically, he’s one of the worst players in the Premier League. I’m going to say that, because I honestly believe that.
"He doesn’t cross the ball well, he hits it as hard as he can across the face of the goal all the time. He never picks anybody out. His finishing’s poor. His passing’s poor.
“And yes, you can say that he’s effective. But then I’m saying, okay, he’s an athlete. In this day and age, I look at him and I say he’s effective because of his athleticism. As he gets older and he loses that athleticism, how effective is he going to be then?”
In terms of new wingers who could come in this summer, a name who's been mentioned for Spurs regularly is Atheltic Bilbao winger Nico Williams.
The Spaniard, who's registered more than 10 goal contributions in La Liga alone this season, is steadily garnering a reputation as one of Spain's most exciting young players.
Spurs are one of the sides targeting him ahead of this summer, and pundit John Wenham has claimed that Werner could be gone if Tottenham look to seal a "statement" signing of Williams.
“If Spurs were to spend the £42.8million on Williams, that wouldn’t be good for Werner’s future at Tottenham,” Wenham said.
“In that situation, the club are likely to thank Werner for the season, what he has done for the team and wish him well and use the money that would go toward him to sign Williams. Williams would be an outstanding signing and a real statement of intent.”
Burnley striker Wout Weghorst is reportedly set to join Jordan Henderson at Ajax before the transfer window deadline on Friday.
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Glasgow Rangers got back to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership with a hard-fought 2-1 victory away at St Mirren on Sunday afternoon.
An own goal from James Bolton and a second-half winner from Cyriel Dessers secured all three points for the Gers, who had failed to win any of their previous three outings in the league.
While Philippe Clement will be delighted with the victory and another step in the right direction as they battle it out with Celtic to secure the title, there were some worries to come from the match.
One player who may have just played himself out of the starting XI is winger Fabio Silva, who must finally be binned from the lineup after another unimpressive showing.
The Portuguese forward endured a rough afternoon on the left flank as he struggled in and out of possession throughout the game for the Gers.
Rabbi Matondo and Abdallah Sima were out injured but the manager did have Ross McCausland, who eventually replaced him, and Scott Wright on the bench as options to play out wide.
The Belgian boss kept faith in the Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee but was not rewarded with an impressive performance on the pitch from the attacker.
|
Fabio Silva |
Vs St Mirren (28/04/24) |
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
56 |
|
Goals + assists |
0 |
|
Pass accuracy |
71% |
|
Dribbles completed |
0/2 |
|
Duels won |
1/7 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, Silva did not make a big contribution in the final third with one key pass, zero goals, zero assists, and zero 'big chances' created.
He also struggled to deal with the physicality of the match, losing 86% of his duels in 56 minutes, which meant that the opposition defenders, notably Alexander Gogic who stopped the forward from chopping past him in the box during the first half, were able to subdue him with ease.
The former Anderlecht loanee was handed a 4/10 match rating by Glasgow World writer Lewis Anderson, who stated that the lightweight 'offered little' and was 'unconvincing', which appears to be fair based on his lack of quality at both ends of the pitch.
Along with this most recent display, Silva must be dropped by Clement because his performances in recent weeks as a starter have not been good enough.
Speaking on the Open Goal Podcast earlier this month, as relayed by The National, former Gers man Derek Ferguson claimed that the attacker offers "absolutely nothing", and described him as "woeful" over the past five or six matches.
He has started the last five Premiership matches for Rangers but has not contributed with a single goal or assist for the Light Blues in that time, and the dud has not registered a goal contribution in any of his last seven league outings.
Since his move to Ibrox on loan at the start of January, the 21-year-old flop has scored two goals, registered zero assists, and created zero 'big chances' in 14 Premiership appearances, which includes nine starts.
Therefore, the Portuguese dud has offered very little in the final third, to go along with his weak play out of possession with a duel success rate of just 39%, and should now be ditched by Clement against Kilmarnock next weekend, and by Rangers when his loan comes to an end in the summer.