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For all intents and purposes, Liverpool are the Champions Elect at the top of the Premier League table, but Newcastle United can upset their party both this week and in three weeks.

Anfield awaits for Eddie Howe’s men, whose shaky form in recent weeks was epitomised during Sunday afternoon’s thrilling win over Nottingham Forest, winning 4-3 in a game that highlighted strengths and exposed flaws.

Liverpool are ruthless, but they aren’t perfect. The Magpies earned a draw at St. James’ Park in December and have ample firepower to strike a blow to Arne Slot’s high-flying season, indeed making themselves known ahead of next month’s Carabao Cup final.

Howe’s dealing with a few injuries, but it’s largely positive news for the travelling Toon.

Newcastle team news

Joelinton remains sidelined after sustaining a knee injury at the beginning of the month. He won’t be fit for this one but Howe remains adamant the Brazilian is in contention to play at Wembley in three weeks.

Newcastle’s depleted backline remains without Jamal Lascelles for most of the campaign, but Sven Botman is looking to return from his latest setback. Albeit, this one might come a tad too soon.

Newcastle’s gaffer revealed he reluctantly replaced Joe Willock with Sandro Tonali against Forest at the weekend, initially unwilling to make the change after the silky midfielder felt a twinge in his hamstring earlier in the week. As it is, he’s in contention for Anfield.

Luckily, it’s a clean bill of health for United’s ferocious frontline – and it’s a good thing too, for the Magpies will need all their firepower to overcome the unstoppable Mohamed Salah.

Howe must unleash his own Mohamed Salah

Salah has scored 30 goals and provided 21 assists from 38 matches in all competitions for Liverpool this season, and while the Merseysiders have a range of dangerous forwards, he is the chief sharpshooter and supplier, all wrapped into one.

The only forward to outscore Alexander Isak in the Premier League this season, Newcastle’s defence will need to be on their a-game, but Howe must also meet fire with fire in some instances, and may want to consider unleashing his own version of the Egpyt star.

As such, this might be a good game for Harvey Barnes to make a rare start in the Premier League, having last been unleashed from the outset against Brentford in December – it was a chastening 4-2 defeat for Howe’s men, but Barnes scored.

His clinical edge can rival Salah’s. As per FBref, Barnes ranks among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals scored (0.57) and the top 9% for touches in the attacking penalty area (6.90) per 90.

Such skills have seen Salah drawn by FBref as a player of statistical likeness, curiously. Pundit Matthew Upson has even praised Barnes for his “razor-sharp” finishing.

Anthony Gordon has wheels and multi-dimensional wide qualities, so he could play on the right flank in place of Jacob Murphy, to allow the right-footed Barnes space and positioning to arc inside and strike past Liverpool’s redoubtable goalkeeper.

Barnes is also something of a secret weapon, with five of his last six Newcastle goals coming on the road. The England international’s pace and potency in the final third could see Liverpool come unstuck, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate going to have an eye on Isak at all times.

It’s a move that would be somewhat contentious, moving Murphy to the bench after such committed and balanced attacking performances, but he flattered to deceive during December’s 3-3 draw, withdrawn after 74 minutes having completed only seven passes, missed a fantastic chance to score in hitting the woodwork and lost all three ground duels, squandering possession 12 times, as per Sofascore.

Against Liverpool’s mean defence, Newcastle need something more deadly to alleviate Isak’s workload, and Barnes might just be the man for the job.

Newcastle must rue selling world-class star who will be better than Gordon

Newcastle were forced to sell off two of their most prized assets in June to avoid a PSR breach, and one in particular is starring on the South Coast.

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By
Ben Gray

Feb 24, 2025

Aston Villa appear to be going through something of a goalscoring crisis at the moment. Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins have netted just three times between them all season, with Villa scoring only six times in the Premier League.

Steven Gerrard will now surely be regretting not bringing in another striker during the summer transfer window, and this could come back to haunt the 42-year-old if Villa’s form doesn’t pick up soon.

If the Englishman could turn back time, he might wish he could have a former Villa hitman leading the line in his current team…

Juan Pablo Angel would star under Gerrard

In December 2000, Villa manager John Gregory splashed out a then-club record transfer fee of £9.5m to bring Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel to the Premier League.

He had shone at River Plate, scoring 36 goals for the Argentine club, and this prompted Gregory to make a move for the player.

Angel struggled initially in the Midlands, not scoring his first goal for the club until May 2001, but this proved to be the catalyst which endeared the striker to the Villa faithful over the next six years.

The Colombian eventually went on to score 62 times in a Villa shirt and became quite a fan favourite in his seven-year spell with the club.

He was extremely strong and clinical once he got into the penalty box and these attributes enabled him to shine in the Premier League. His best season was 2003/04, when he scored 23 goals and led the club to a sixth-place finish and a League Cup semi-final.

His later years at the club weren’t as prolific, and he moved to the MLS, playing for New York Red Bulls, LA Galaxy and Chivas USA before retiring at his first club Atletico Nacional in 2014.

A total of 72 goals during his time in MLS proved that he still had the finishing touch, and he will surely go down as one of the finest Villa strikers of the 21st century.

Angel would star in this current squad, especially with creative talents such as Philippe Coutinho and Emiliano Buendia supplying him with plenty of goalscoring opportunities.

Aston Villa’s official Twitter channel still regularly posts videos of his goals and have dubbed the striker as “vintage” in one of their goal-of-the-day videos.

He would terrorise defences in the current top flight and who knows how many goals he would score. One thing seems for certain – if he were leading the line for them this season, Villa would have scored more than six league goals by now.

West Bromwich Albion are looking at bringing former Everton midfielder Fabian Delph to The Hawthorns.

The Lowdown: Delph’s release

Delph, who shares the same agent as Baggies defender Semi Ajayi, was released by Everton over the summer. The 32-year-old had been with the Toffees since 2019 and made 11 of which came last season.

The former Leeds United, Aston Villa and Manchester City midfielder failed to find a new club during the summer window, but he is still able to sign terms as a free agent.

The Latest: West Brom links

A report from Football League World ahead of West Brom’s trip to Norwich City claims the Baggies are one of five Championship clubs looking at a potential move for Delph.

The report adds that Rangers are also keen on the midfielder, however, a move to the second tier in England is looking more likely.

The Verdict: Another one…

The Baggies have made brought in six players in recent months on free transfers, two of which have been out-of-window moves for Tom Rogic and Erik Pieters.

Steve Bruce has two defensive midfielders and two central midfielders to pick from at this moment in time, so you could make an argument for Delph being a smart addition.

However, the Englishman, who has scored twice against West Brom during his career, may take time to get up to speed in the Championship, especially after only making £80,000-a-week wage with his former employers.

Manchester United are ‘interested’ in a move for Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Trapp profiled

Trapp, labelled as ‘magnificent’ in this year’s Europa League final by journalist Josh Bunting, is 32 years of age and has been with Frankfurt since 2019. The Germany international, sponsored by Adidas, is under contract until 2024.

He has previously plied his trade with Paris Saint-Germain and has made 261 appearances for his current employers across two separate spells.

The Latest: United interest

Sky Sports provided an on-air update regarding United’s transfer business on Tuesday morning.

They said that the Red Devils are ‘expected’ to go back in with a new offer for Ajax winger Antony and added that the club are ‘also interested’ in Trapp but haven’t held formal talks or made an official offer so far.

The Verdict: Needed

Erik ten Hag could do with bringing in a new goalkeeper to rival David de Gea after allowing Dean Henderson to join Nottingham Forest on loan earlier in the window.

Trapp has plenty of experience in Germany and France, so providing he is willing to play second choice to De Gea initially, could be a perfect addition at Old Trafford.

De Gea hasn’t had the best of starts to the current campaign with a big error against Brentford, so Trapp could feel there’s a chance for him to get plenty of game time, especially with United in a number of different competitions.

An update has emerged on Sunderland and their pursuit of Jan Paul van Hecke in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Blackburn Rovers reporter Rich Sharpe has claimed that the Black Cats are set to beat their Championship rivals to the signing of the 22-year-old.

The Dutchman is expected to put pen to paper on a new deal with Premier League side Brighton before arriving at the Stadium of Light.

Sharpe Tweeted: “Rovers’ hopes of signing Jan Paul van Hecke set to be dashed, as expecting him to sign a new contract with Brighton and then join Sunderland on loan… …better news in that there’s an expectation the Sepp van Berg deal will go through.”

Dream Daniel Ballard replacement

By securing this deal for the defender, Sunderland could be bringing in a dream replacement for injured centre-back Daniel Ballard.

Alex Neil recently confirmed that the former Arsenal man is facing a spell on the sidelines, saying: “Dan has a small fracture in his foot. He’s going to be out for the foreseeable future, but it is difficult to put a timescale on it.

“We have a few other scans to undertake – and a couple of specialists to see – to fully understand the severity of it, but that process is underway to ensure he then receives the necessary treatment to get him back as soon as we can.”

This has left the club without the player they brought in to start on the right of their back three and van Hecke can now come in to fill that void.

The £4.1k-per-week gem is a right-footed centre-back, which suggests that he would be comfortable on that side of the defence, and he has proven that he has the quality to be a solid player in the Championship.

In the second tier last season, van Hecke averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.00 across 31 outings in the division compared to Ballard’s score of 6.95 on loan at Millwall.

Defensively, the Dutchman – who has been dubbed “highly regarded” by Josh Bunting – caught the eye with 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game and a 60% win rate in his individual duels.

Meanwhile, the former Gunners gem made 3.5 tackles and interceptions per match and won 64% of his battles against opposition players.

These statistics suggest that the two players, who are both 22, have a similar skill level in the Championship as their defensive numbers are not vastly different, whilst van Hecke has the edge when it comes to the average standard of his performances.

Nottingham Forest have had an exciting summer in terms of their transfer window with 12 new signings secured already, and now they could be set to make their 13th with a new update on a potential target reported.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports Transfer Centre, Nottingham Forest remain interested in signing Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis this summer.

As per the report, the newly-relegated club value their player at £20m but Forest would prefer a deal to loan the player with an option to buy at the end of the season.

Following the story from Sky Sports,  The Athletic journalist Adam Leventhal reported that Forest have now made an opening offer for the player.

Leventhal tweeted this morning:

“Breaking: @TheAthleticUK understands #NFFC have now made opening offer for #WatfordFC’s Emmanuel Dennis. Reported last month re interest, understand that is now developing.”

A big Surridge upgrade

Following the departure of Lewis Grabban and Keinan Davis, there is definitely an opportunity for Forest to strengthen their striker position this summer despite already capturing the services of Taiwo Awoniyi.

Awoniyi was one of the very first signings made this summer by the club, however, Dennis can offer the side some valuable Premier League experience in their pursuit to retain their top flight status this season, and would be a big upgrade on fellow centre-forward Sam Surridge.

Despite both strikers having the exact same number of shots (44), Dennis outperformed Surridge in front of goal in almost every key attribute in the position last season.

Dennis scored more goals (10 v 9), delivered more assists (6 v 3) and created more big chances (33 v 17), as well as having a higher goal conversion rate (22.73% v 20.45%), all whilst playing seven less games than the 24-year-old Forest centre forward, according to Squawka Comparison Matrix.

As a result, the Nigerian sensation who was dubbed “very talented” by Claudio Ranieri could provide a fantastic improvement in Forest’s attacking threat, something Steve Cooper will want to address following the side’s lacklustre attacking performance against Newcastle United in their first top flight game last weekend.

Cooper’s team suffered a 2-0 defeat on their visit to St James’ Park, but it wasn’t the score-line that is a cause for concern because Forest failed to register a single shot on target and created no big chances throughout the game, which will be a big problem should it continue into the upcoming fixtures.

With that being said, the signing of Dennis would be a major coup for the club, as he is not only an improvement on their current starting striker, but can add some great experience on coming up against many of the well established Premier League sides this season.

Newcastle United journalist Aaron Stokes has been left stunned as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) eye up a move for Moussa Diaby.

The Lowdown: On the radar

As per Sky Sports journalist Pete Graves, the 22-year-old is on the Magpies’ ‘radar’ ahead of a potential move to St James’ Park this summer.

However, PIF have an ‘extensive’ list of attacking targets, and it is unclear where the Bayer Leverkusen winger falls on that.

The Latest: Stokes stunned

Taking to Twitter, Stokes was left stunned by the prospect of Diaby moving to Newcastle, claiming that the Frenchman would be a ‘marquee’ signing and that the Tynesiders would be hitting the ‘jackpot’ if they sign him.

The Chronicle reporter tweeted: “When it comes to marquee signings, #NUFC would be hitting jackpot with Moussa Diaby. 31 G/A in 42 games last season, electrifying pace, good with both feet + fearless on the ball. A remarkable deal if they persuade Bayer to sell + the player to join.”

The Verdict: Sign him

Of course, a player of Diaby’s quality would likely not come cheap, but he could be the marquee signing to take Eddie Howe’s team to the next level.

France Football magazine journalist Christophe Larcher has suggested that the 22-year-old is even better than Allan Saint-Maximin, who was yet again one of Newcastle’s key players last season, ranking as their second-best performer in the Premier League with five goals, five assists and six man-of-the-match awards to his name (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, Diaby is three years younger than the 25-year-old, so his potential is quite riveting to think about if you are a Newcastle supporter.

Nottingham Forest are reportedly eyeing a move for Manchester City right-back Issa Kabore, according to The Guardian.

The lowdown: Career so far

Signed from Belgian outfit KV Mechelen in 2020, Kabore was immediately sent back on a season-long loan deal before spending the 2021/22 campaign at Ligue 1 side Troyes.

The 21-year-old Burkina Faso international, named the best young player at AFCON earlier this year, has been a long-standing target at the City Ground and could be the alternative option to the seemingly Tottenham-bound Djed Spence.

Now, it appears as though the Forest hierarchy have stepped up their pursuit of Kabore as Steve Cooper’s squad begins to take shape…

The latest: ‘In talks’

As per The Guardian, Nottingham Forest are believed to be ‘in talks’ with the 27-cap star regarding a potential move.

It’s claimed that Kabore has ‘attracted interest from several Premier League clubs’, as well as Ligue 1 outfit Nice.

The report confirms that the two clubs are ‘yet to reach an agreement’ over a transfer fee for the youngster hailed as a ‘fantastic talent’ by journalist Zach Lowy earlier this year.

The verdict: Make it happen

Under contract at Man City until 2025 (Transfermarkt), if the Reds were able to reach a permanent transfer for Kabore then it would be a superb piece of business instead of using up another loan spot on the talented full-back.

Last season, the marauding sensation – who is equally adept as either a conventional right-back or as a right-sided midfielder – earned a 6.60 Sofascore rating whilst winning 4.7 duels and completing 1.5 successful dribbles on average per game in the French top-flight.

With the likelihood of a move for Spence scuppered by the admiration from Tottenham and a swoop for Liverpool starlet Neco Williams seemingly some way off, bringing Kabore to Trentside is certainly a viable option for Forest.

Liverpool’s incredible history has almost always included a serial goalscorer in their side, from Ian Rush, King Kenny Dalglish and Fernando Torres, to Luis Suarez and Mohamed Salah. Where there is a Liverpool squad there is a world class striker, a couple of anomalies aside.

In the last decade, the Reds have been particularly blessed, having had the privilege of watching Suarez torment the rest of the Premier League, with Norwich City feeling the most of his wrath, before Salah followed in his footsteps a few years later.

Of course, there was a brief spell in which Brendan Rodgers lined up the likes of Rickie Lambert, Mario Balotelli, and Fabio Borini. But that has been discreetly put into the past now, never to be seen again, with Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal football writing a new chapter in the Liverpool history books.

It has been a chapter full of success, too, and a front three worthy of the number of honours. The transition from Lambert, Balotelli, and Borini to Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane epitomises just how far Liverpool have come since 2015.

Stats from TransferMarkt revealed one dominant attacker when it comes to goal contributions since 2012, however. Below we’ve listed the player with the most goals and assists from the last ten Liverpool seasons.

12/13: Luis Suarez – 43

When Fernando Torres left on Deadline Day of January 2011, not even the most optimistic of Liverpool fans would have expected a quick fix. Yet, in came Luis Suarez – an unfamiliar name at the time that would soon become the thorn in every Premier League team’s side.

The 2012/13 season is when things really began to take off, with the forward scoring 30 goals, and assisting a further 13 in all competitions.

13/14: Luis Suarez – 50

If the 2012/13 version of Suarez was impressive, then the Suarez we saw a season later was out of this world. After missing the first five games through suspension for biting Branislav Ivanovic, the Uruguayan went on to score 31 goals in 33 league games to pick up the Golden Boot, and assist 17 goals in all competitions.

With 48 goal contributions in the league, Suarez single-handedly dragged Liverpool into the title race at times, before eventual heartbreak, with Manchester City winning the title following Steven Gerrard’s famous slip against Chelsea.

14/15: Jordan Henderson – 22

Can you tell that this is the season after Luis Suarez left? Because we certainly can. Jordan Henderson is by no means a goalscoring midfielder, either. Yet, with an impressive 15 assists and seven goals, topped Liverpool’s goal contributions list in a campaign to forget.

It’s no surprise that the Reds finished sixth, with their highest contributor going from 50 to just 22 in the space of a year.

15/16: Roberto Firmino – 22

Back to a more positive outlook, the 15/16 season saw the arrival of Klopp and the beginning of turning the doubters into believers. And what better player to highlight that change in attitude than one of the best to play for Klopp? Firmino proved an instant hit in his first season, with 11 goals and 11 assists.

16/17: Philippe Coutinho – 24

Speaking of Liverpool’s Brazilian players, Philippe Coutinho had a season to remember under Klopp in 2016/17, with 24 goal contributions.

With Mane and Firmino alongside him, the midfielder flourished, with particularly impressive performances against Arsenal on the opening day and West Ham away, in which he scored two braces.

His last full season at Liverpool, it’s fair to say that he went out with a bang, having helped Klopp’s side to a Champions League return.

17/18: Mohamed Salah – 60

If you’re not a fan of Mohamed Salah, it’s probably best to look away now, because from 2017 onwards, he has been dominant in a Liverpool shirt.

Starting with his debut campaign, the Egyptian instantly proved any doubters wrong, and in some style, too. By the end of the season, he had broken the record for most goals in a 38-game Premier League season by scoring 32 to seal his first Golden Boot.

A season of 44 goals and 16 assists led Liverpool to the Champions League final, where they suffered heartbreak against Real Madrid, as Salah was forced off with injury early in the first-half.

18/19: Mohamed Salah – 39

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Here’s Salah once again at the forefront of Liverpool’s attacking exploits. This time, there may have been no record for the former AS Roma man, but he did, at the very least, end the season with another Golden Boot to his name, with 22 league goals.

In all competitions, meanwhile, Salah netted a total of 27 goals, and assisted a further 12 as Liverpool bounced back from Champions League heartbreak the season before to defeat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the final, partly courtesy of Salah penalty in the first minute.

19/20: Mohamed Salah – 36

Guess who? Yep, the Egyptian King is out of this world, isn’t he? And, this time, his contribution led to Liverpool’s first-ever Premier League title. With 23 goals and 13 assists in all competitions, Salah once again shone at Anfield.

Salah’s Most impressive performances came in the 3-1 win over Manchester City and the 2-0 win over Manchester United, in which he scored late on to cue the famous celebration at the Kop end and all but confirm the title.

20/21: Mohamed Salah – 37

Now onto Salah’s most difficult season yet in a Liverpool shirt.

With the Covid-19 pandemic forcing games to be played behind closed doors, and Klopp left with Nat Phillips, Ozan Kabak, Rhys Williams and makeshift centre-back Fabinho to turn to after a flurry of injuries, it was Salah’s goals, at times, which kept Liverpool in the hunt for top four.

31 goals and six assists in all competitions gave the Reds hope. And, by some miracle, an Alisson Becker header put them on course for a third-placed finish to end a nightmare campaign.

21/22: Mohamed Salah – 47

Salah’s best season numbers wise since his debut campaign, there was a period of time throughout last season when a Salah goal became an expectancy rather than a possibility.

He ended the season with disappointment, of course, having lost the Champions League final after missing out in the title race. But with a Golden Boot, Playmaker award, League Cup and FA Cup medal to provide comfort, we think he’ll be alright.

With 31 goals and 16 assists in all competitions, Salah was more than worthy of the PFA Premier League fans’ Player of the Year.

Liverpool are expected to pip Leeds United to the signing of Aberdeen youngster Calvin Ramsay, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Ramsay heading to England

The 18-year-old has emerged as one of the Scottish Premiership’s brightest young players in the last 12 months or so, shining with his performances for the Dons.

Ramsay made a total of 33 appearances for the first team this season and has not looked out of place at right-back, with chairman Dave Cormack describing him as an ‘elite’ level talent.

The teenager has been linked with a move to Liverpool a number of times and a fresh update has now acted as a further boost.

The Latest: Liverpool favourites for move

Writing for The Athletic, Leeds journalist Hay claimed that the ‘high likelihood’ is that the Reds will pip the Whites to Ramsay’s signature this summer.

He has made 39 appearances for Aberdeen in total, scoring once and registering an impressive nine assists.

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The Verdict: Great long-term prospect

Bringing in emerging talent is vital for Liverpool in the coming years, allowing Jurgen Klopp to build another great squad and ensure that the team doesn’t all go past their primes at once.

Ramsay fits the bill to perfection and he could come in as an ideal understudy to Trent Alexander-Arnold, learning from arguably the world’s best right-back.

It would also mean Liverpool would be able to offload Neco Williams permanently, bringing in more funds for new signings in the summer window.

In other news, a fresh Liverpool transfer rumour has emerged. Read more here.