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Newcastle United will be looking to continue their unbeaten start to the 2022/23 Premier League campaign as they travel away to face Wolves this afternoon.

They have picked up five points from their first three matches in the division and now come up against a team without a win.

Eddie Howe’s side come into the game off the back of a 3-3 draw with champions Manchester City, along with a 2-1 win over Tranmere in the League Cup in midweek.

The Magpies were dealt an injury blow in their last top-flight outing, though, as Callum Wilson suffered a knock that will keep him out of action for a couple of weeks.

One player the head coach must now unleash for this match against Wolves is centre-forward Alexander Isak, who signed from Real Sociedad earlier this week.

The Sweden international is set to be eligible to face Bruno Lage’s team and the injury to Wilson could open the door for him to make his full debut.

Chris Wood is the only other natural striker option but his record of two goals in 20 Premier League appearances for the club since joining from Burnley in January, with one of those coming from the penalty spot, and only created one ‘big chance’.

Isak could come in and offer more in front of goal at the top end of the pitch. Radio presenter Kev Lawson recently claimed that the attacker has been described as a “unicorn” because of his mixture of size and quality.

Howe also hailed the attacker in the announcement of his arrival at St. James’ Park, saying: “He is an outstanding talent who is capable of making a big contribution to the team. He is technically very good, with a mix of attributes that will complement us, but he is also at a great age to grow with this club.”

The striker, as club legend Alan Shearer put it, can “cause havoc” with his movement and has shown that he can produce quality in the final third.

Isak scored seven goals and created seven ‘big chances’ in his last 28 La Liga starts for Sociedad since the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign. That came after he found the back of the net 17 times and provided three ‘big chances’ in 2020/21.

These statistics suggest that he could be a big upgrade on Wood in terms of both scoring goals and creating opportunities for his teammates, which is a view that may also be shared by the club given that they have lavished out a record £63m fee for his services.

Therefore, Howe must unleash the £120k-per-week menace to replace Wilson as the starting number nine for this match.

Arsenal could potentially be in line to make a late swoop for Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, with the Ivory Coast international having been a long-term target for the north London club.

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth – speaking to GIVEMESPORT – who said of the Gunners’ interest in the 29-year-old: “There’s a lot of talk right now about Wilfried Zaha, not just Arsenal but with Chelsea as well. I just wonder what the situation is going to be as we get to the final hour simply because Zaha’s entered the final year of his contract – one to keep an eye on.”

Transfer insider Dean Jones has previously stated that the winger is a player on whom Arsenal have been keeping tabs of late, with the Eagles potentially willing to cash in for around £30m with just a year remaining on the 28-cap gem’s contract.

Better than Martinelli

Although interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea is also mounting in the explosive forward, those at the Emirates Stadium will no doubt be hoping to finally get their man after repeated links over the years, having notably been interested in a deal prior to Nicolas Pepe’s arrival in 2019.

Zaha has no doubt warranted that interest due to his talismanic form at Selhurst Park over an extended period of time, with the one-time Manchester United man potentially set to slot into Mikel Arteta’s side on the left flank, ahead of promising talent Gabriel Martinelli.

While the Brazilian has sparkled in the early weeks of the new season – with three goals in just five league games thus far – he simply does not have the wealth of experience that the Palace man possesses, nor can he contend with the level of consistency that the 29-year-old has shown over the years.

So often the shining light at his current club, Zaha has now scored 87 goals and provided 73 assists in 434 games across all competitions, including a haul of 65 goals and 27 assists in 282 matches in the top flight to date.

Equally, as good as Martinelli has been in recent weeks, the £34.2m-rated sensation has seemingly been even better, having scored four goals in as many games so far this term, including a stunning strike against Brentford on Tuesday night.

Capable of producing something out of nothing, the £130k-per-week ace no doubt deserves a second chance at an elite club after his brief Old Trafford stint, with Martinelli likely to be the man who makes way to accommodate him under Arteta.

Cardiff City are thought to be fans of MK Dons manager Liam Manning, according to Darren Witcoop.

The Lowdown: Manning profiled

Manning has been in charge of MK Dons for just over a year now and took the club to the League One playoffs in his first season.

The 36-year-old was previously in charge of Belgian side Lommel SK and before that was the assistant manager for West Ham’s U21 side.

He likes to play a 3-4-3 system and has a 52% win record as a first-team manager, and it looks like he is of interest to Cardiff chiefs.

The Latest: Witcoop’s post

Welsh journalist Witcoop took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to share news about Cardiff’s search for a new manager.

He stated that Mark Hudson is ‘expected to be given a run of games as it stands’, but there are two managers in League One rated highly by Cardiff officials.

“Understand that MK Dons’ Liam Manning is one of them,” he said.

The Verdict: Interesting

Manning enjoyed a successful first season as a first-team manager in England, with MK Dons narrowly missing out on promotion to the Championship. He has a ‘unique’ style of play that focuses on controlling possession and being aggressive when pressing.

A bit of second-season syndrome could be kicking in for Manning, though, with his side sitting in 18th with three wins from their opening nine games.

It could well be a gamble by Cardiff, then, but that risk could prove to be an inspired decision should he move to Wales and put his youthful exuberance to good use with the Bluebirds.

Manchester United are ‘expected’ to make a fresh push for the signature of Jude Bellingham next summer, according to Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic.

The lowdown

The 19-year-old left Birmingham City to join Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund in 2020 in a £25m transfer. He has since established himself as a regular starter for both the Champions League club and for his country.

Bellingham, who featured in the Bundesliga Team of the Season in 2021/22, is reportedly valued at a whopping £131m.

The latest

Whitwell took to Twitter to rave about Bellingham’s display in England’s UEFA Nations League game against Germany on Monday night. He says that United have received ‘unanimously positive’ reports after seven years of scouting, and that should lead to an attempt to sign the teenager next summer.

He wrote: “Jude Bellingham gave another example last night of why so many clubs have chased him for so long.

“#MUFC watched him 46 times since age 12 – reports unanimously positive. United expected to try again next summer. Liverpool seen as current frontrunners.”

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The verdict

Like Whitwell says, Bellingham once again proved his worth in England’s 3-3 draw against Germany.

He earned a SofaScore rating of 7.6/10 – the highest in Gareth Southgate’s side – after winning a penalty, completing 41 out of 45 passes (91%), prevailing in eight out of 14 ground duels, drawing three fouls and making seven tackles and interceptions. It was truly a brilliant all-round display, and it led to an array of plaudits.

Andros Townsend said that it was ‘a pleasure to witness’ the ‘special talent’ produce a ‘brave’ display, while The Mirror journalist Colin Millar dubbed him ‘genuinely outstanding’ and a ‘generational talent’, and Liam Tharme of The Athletic described him as ‘absolutely phenomenal’.

Based on those rave reviews and the teenager’s obvious high ceiling, why wouldn’t United make an approach for him in 2023, particularly given their extensive long-time scouting of the youngster?

Everton have been a side that has suffered when it comes to dealing with set pieces under seemingly every manager since David Moyes, with often little threat going forward and even less defending when facing them.

Carlo Ancelotti employed his son Davide to fix the issue, which he did to great effect from an offensive point of view, with Patrick Boyland suggesting they were “elite” when it came to attacking set-plays in the early stages of 2021.

Now, following their half a season under Rafa Benitez where this structure was dismantled, Frank Lampard has been left picking up the pieces of a side that, as of March 2022, had conceded the fourth-most goals from set pieces in the league.

In the past, it was Anthony Barry who shouldered the burden of set pieces for the former Chelsea manager, but at Goodison Park he has had to rely on Paul Clement to complete this task.

They have now had the summer to further implement their tactics, and the Toffees are reaping the rewards under their new management with the Toffees coach a dab-hand when it comes to this area of the game.

Lukasz Fabianski had been full of praise for the tactical know-how of Clement at the time he led Swansea City to safety.

He claimed: “He has a really good eye for football. He gave us confidence and demands a lot of hard work on the training ground. His work ethic is pretty amazing. And he is always very well prepared when it comes to the tactical side of the game.”

This praise can certainly be found in his work on Merseyside, where he has helped turn Everton from a side that last season conceded 66 goals into the best defence in the league with James Tarkowski and Conor Coady’s additions proving game-changing.

Indeed, they have both made this side more resilient but they could not have done it without the work of Clement on the training pitch.

Against West Ham United, a team renowned for their set-piece prowess, they faced 14 corners and yet still kept a clean sheet, a marker of a team who have come far since the days of Ancelotti, where they were conceding above the average number of goals expected for a Premier League side from corners and free-kicks.

Huge improvement has been made under Lampard, with Clement the man to thank. The decision to add him to his backroom staff was game-changing for the 44-year-old, whose experience is clearly invaluable.

Following Thomas Tuchel’s sacking last month there may have been calls for Everton to appoint Barry to their backroom staff, but with their upturn in form and improvement with set pieces, many will wonder whether he is needed at all.

This culminated in Saturday’s well-worked free kick which drew them level after Southampton had taken the lead, as Amadou Onana ghosted into the back post and headed down for Conor Coady to tap home.

Set pieces play a huge part in the modern game, and now that the Blues seem to have got it right, they are on track to go somewhere really special under this leadership.

Frank Lampard has confirmed that James Garner is ‘completely ready’ to play for Everton in their game at home to Manchester United in the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Calvert-Lewin back in contention

The big news to come out of Lampard’s pre-game press conference was that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is ‘better’ and ‘in contention’ to play at Goodison Park, after a long injury lay-off which has not seen him feature at all so far this season.

Lampard also gave an update on Garner, who again has not featured this campaign since his move from Sunday evening’s opponents in the summer transfer window.

The Latest: Garner ‘ready’

As shared by Toffees reporter Patrick Boyland, Lampard has confirmed that Garner is now ‘completely ready’ to play, having had to get used to the squad and build up his sharpness:

“Lampard says James Garner ‘completely ready’ to play now and he is excited to see what midfielder can bring to team.”

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The Verdict: Huge boost

Not only is the return of Calvert-Lewin a huge boost for the Merseyside club, but Garner could also be in line to make his full debut.

The 21-year-old is an exciting signing, having impressed on loan at Nottingham Forest last term, scoring four goals and making ten assists on the way to helping them win promotion up to the top flight (Transfermarkt).

He will no doubt have some extra fire in his belly coming up against his old club as well, and so Lampard should consider utilising him from the start if he is fit enough.

Liverpool host long-time Premier League rivals Manchester City at Anfield this afternoon, and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that his team can translate their confidence and performance from their 7-1 over Rangers earlier this week into their clash against Pep Guardiola’s side.

The Reds are suffering their worst start to a league season for a decade, currently 11th in the table and level with local rivals Everton on points, a full 13 adrift of today’s opponents.

Taking all three points against Man City could spark the resurgence of the Merseyside giants with the table still incredibly tight. A win will put Liverpool up to eighth following yesterday’s results and potentially take them to within three points off the top four, depending on how today’s matches materialise.

In terms of injuries, Klopp has decided to play his cards close to his chest in terms of who will be available for selection, remaining coy in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

The Liverpool boss told the media: “We still have to figure out who is available after the Rangers game for the City game. We have to see, there are no final decisions yet. We have to see.”

What we do know is that Luis Diaz will definitely not be available, as he is set to be sidelined for several weeks yet, and Arthur Melo is also set to be out for an extended period.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Joel Matip, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are all unconfirmed as to whether they will be available for selection, but have all sustained injuries and were not part of the squad in the Champions League in midweek.

With that being said, this is Football Fancast expects Liverpool to line up against Manchester City today…

We predict there will be three changes to the team which beat Rangers in midweek, with the German coach continuing his formation change in a 4-4-2.

The first change we expect to see is Andy Robertson reprising his role at left-back after recovering from a knee injury over the last five weeks, replacing £65k-per-week gem Kostas Tsimikas and getting his first start since the defeat to Napoli in early September.

The 28-year-old has faced Manchester City 19 times, winning six, drawing five and losing eight of those meetings. He has one goal and four assists to his name against the Premier League champions, so it would be a no-brainer to start Robertson at left-back this afternoon.

The second change we predict is Thiago Alcantara starting alongside midfield partner Fabinho, replacing Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson in the team.

The Spanish midfielder started on the bench in the Champions League, only playing 23 minutes in a second-half appearance at Ibrox, so it would be no surprise if Klopp was resting Thiago on Wednesday ahead of the difficult challenge against Man City this weekend.

The third and final change we expect is Mohamed Salah joining Roberto Firmino in the more central role that he adopted against Rangers, which led to the Egyptian winger scoring the fastest hat-trick in Champions League history on Wednesday night.

Liverpool’s goal machine could replace Darwin Nunez in the starting XI as we predict that Klopp will lean on his more experienced players to open up the game against Guardiola’s side. However, it would be no surprise if the manager does give the 23-year-old some minutes as an impact substitute later in the game, especially if the Reds are in need of a goal or two.

West Bromwich Albion, following their sensational 2-0 victory on Saturday, could soon be set to name their new manager…

What’s the latest?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Ron Gourley is considering a highly-rated up-and-coming coach.

Having impressed whilst at Plymouth Argyle, Steven Schumacher could be the man set to make the step up to Championship football.

With it being exactly a week since Steve Bruce’s dismissal, plenty of names have been in circulation regarding the vacant manager spot.

The report names plenty of them, with Roy Keane, Chris Wilder, Leam Richardson, Gary Rowett and Carlos Corberan all mentioned.

He can be a huge success

It is clear that with the vast majority of the names aforementioned, the Baggies are planning to take the club in a new direction.

That direction would be progressive, fresh, and hopefully possessing a plan to build for the long term.

Given his age, Schumacher instantly fits this bill.

Not to mention he already has the experience and incredible recommendations from the EFL, having nearly taken the Pilgrims to playoff glory last season.

However, he has started this campaign looking to bypass the playoffs completely as his side sits top of the league having lost just twice. They already have established a four-point gap from second place, and are twelve points clear of seventh.

He is a tactically adept manager who admitted to admiring and changing his shape in the image of the MK Dons side that thrashed them on the final day of last season. His claim supports this, and also belies a humble manager willing to alter his principles for the benefit of his team: “I think it is important to be adaptable”.

It is this kind of adaptability, combined with his philosophy that prioritises “better data analysis” and “better recruitment processes” that underline his talents as a manager.

He is current and uses his knowledge of the modern game to great effect.

Perhaps this is exactly the kind of manager West Brom needs, especially following the often-archaic principles of the previous tenure.

Also, he would be walking into an impressive side who have featured in the 3-4-3 formation that he likes to employ.

It would mark a big step up for Schumacher, but the 38-year-old has already proven with Plymouth that he deserves to be given recognition for his performances. His fresh thinking could be perfect for the Midlands club, who are crying out for something new to freshen them up.

West Ham United are back in action at home to newly-promoted Bournemouth this evening, with David Moyes’ side seemingly in need of a positive result having failed to win their last two Premier League games.

A return to the London Stadium should well spark an improvement for the Hammers having recorded two of their three top-flight wins this season on home soil, with their most recent league triumph having come against Fulham just over two weeks ago.

Since then, while the east Londoners have maintained their perfect start to life in the Europa Conference League, they have since been held to a draw by Southampton and narrowly suffered defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in midweek, ensuring that Moyes’ men are now 12 points worse off than they were at the same stage last season.

That is a rather damning statistic considering the extensive recruitment that the former Everton boss oversaw in the recent window, with the 59-year-old potentially in need of a new solution to truly kickstart his side’s domestic campaign.

One possible answer to their current woes could well be that of veteran defender, Angelo Ogbonna, with the Italy international seemingly an ideal figure to strengthen the backline, particularly with teammate Craig Dawson still something of a doubt at present.

The 34-year-old has endured his own injury woes of late after limping off in the recent home win over Anderlecht, having previously been sidelined for much of the 2021/22 campaign after suffering a cruel ACL blow.

Moyes has since admitted that losing the centre-back in the early stages of last term was a notable blow as the club were enjoying their “best form” with the 13-cap brute partnering Kurt Zouma in defence, having subsequently “started to dip a little bit” following the ageing gem’s absence.

As the Scotsman also suggested, Ogbonna provides a “left-sided balance” in the backline, with the current side having been missing that left-footed presence of late, as stricken summer signing Nayef Aguerd still waits for his first appearance for the club.

Turning to a “leader” such as the former Juventus colossus – as described by journalist Sam Delaney – could well help to stabilise the defensive unit, with the £70k-per-week menace having thus far made just two substitute appearances in the league this season.

It could then well be a timely decision to thrust the one-time Torino man into the fray for his first Premier League start of the campaign tonight, with the Hammers potentially in need of a calming, experienced head to provide a rock-solid presence in the side.

There is less than a month until the transfer window slams shut for Premier League clubs, and as things stand, Tottenham Hotspur haven't done enough business.

The signings of Archie Gray and Yang Min-Hyeok are certainly exciting and show the club is thinking long-term, but with the renewal of Timo Werner's loan move the only other significant incoming thus far, the needle hasn't really moved regarding the first team.

Fortunately for Ange Postecoglou, Daniel Levy and Co appear to be working to bring in some level-raising players.

Based on recent reports, the latest star touted for a move to N17 could be the perfect Werner upgrade.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano via his show on Playback, Tottenham have maintained their interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers star Pedro Neto.

The Italian journalist claimed that the winger is "a player really appreciated and very highly rated by Tottenham" and that he is waiting to see "if they will decide to accelerate" in their pursuit of him.

However, it could be an expensive deal to complete for the North Londoners as, according to a separate report last week, the Old Gold value the Portuguese international at £60m.

That said, while securing Neto's services would cost a pretty penny, his ability may well justify the price, especially as he would be an instant upgrade on Werner.

How Neto compares to Werner

So, if Spurs can get their hands on Neto this summer and see him as a potential long-term upgrade for Werner on the left, where he has started 44 games before, how does he compare to the German?

Well, from an output perspective, it is an easy win for the Old Gold star. In 24 appearances last season, he scored three goals and provided 11 assists, equating to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.71 games.

In contrast, the former Chelsea ace scored two goals and provided three assists in 14 appearances for the Lilywhites, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 2.8 games. When you include his 14 appearances, two goals, and one assist from his time with RB Leipzig, that average falls to a goal involvement every 3.5 games.

Okay, so how about their underlying numbers? Is it another easy win for the former Lazio winger there as well?

Indeed, it is, as in most relevant metrics, the 24-year-old "beast", as former teammate Diogo Jota dubbed him, comes out on top, including actual non-penalty goals plus assists, key passes, passes into the final third, passes and crosses into the penalty area, carries into the final third, shot and goal-creating actions, successful take-ons, ball recoveries and even aerial duels won, all per 90.

Neto vs Werner

Stats per 90

Neto

Werner

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.47

0.69

Non-Penalty Goals + Assists

0.68

0.49

Progressive Passes

3.21

3.95

Progressive Carries

5.83

7.73

Shots

1.98

2.79

Passing Accuracy

74.5%

74.6%

Key Passes

2.26

1.43

Passes into the Final Third

1.37

0.84

Passes into the Penalty Area

1.73

1.68

Crosses into the Penalty Area

0.71

0.42

Shot-Creating Actions

4.45

3.54

Goal-Creating Actions

0.83

0.67

Successful Take-Ons

2.20

1.43

Carries into the Final Third

3.87

3.11

Ball Recoveries

4.70

2.94

Aerial Duels Won

0.24

2.94

All Stats via FBref for the 23/24 Season

In his defence, the German international does come out on top in a few metrics, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, shots and passing accuracy per 90, but that is about it.

Now, the one issue with signing the Wolves star is his injury record – he missed 23 games last season – but with the number of wingers already on the books at Tottenham, Postecoglou would have the luxury of resting the talented dynamo when he's not needed, which should hopefully keep him fresh and ready for the big games.

Related Spurs track "world-class" £109m goal machine who'd make Maddison unplayable

The incredible poacher would be a total game-changer for the Lilywhites.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 31, 2024

Ultimately, if Spurs want to reach another level next season, they need to improve their first team in the remaining weeks of the window, and while he's a pricey option, adding Neto into the mix might be just what the team needs to secure Champions League football come May.