Tag Futebol

Journalist Greg O’Keeffe believes Dominic Calvert-Lewin may struggle to regain his starting spot at Everton when he returns from injury.

The Lowdown: Calvert-Lewin could be Everton’s saviour

Everton have struggled for goals, managing to find the back of the net just 63 times in the Premier League since the start of last season – only 20 thus far this term alone – which has coincided with Calvert-Lewin’s atrocious injury trouble.

Since the beginning of last season, the England international has managed to start just 24 times in the Premier League, so it’s no surprise that the Toffees are now facing their second successive relegation battle.

Sean Dyche has had to turn to Demarai Gray to lead the line for Everton in the last two games, which has seen him score once and the team net three times, picking up four points in the process – which is some turnaround for the Toffees.

The Latest: Dyche has a section headache

Despite many waiting patiently for the return of Calvert-Lewin to Everton’s starting lineup, O’Keeffe stated on the All Together Now podcast that it’s not a given he comes straight back into the side when fit.

He said: “What I think is really interesting – and we can talk about his more later in the week – is with Calvert-Lewin possibly coming back into contention for the trip to Stamford Bridge, it sounds ridiculous after all we’ve talked about for weeks, but it’s fitting him back in the team.

“At the moment, as you say, Gray probably should’ve had a goal, McNeil took his well – let’s see, we desperately do need, of course, a focal point, but it’s who will make way for him.”

The Verdict: Everton need their star striker back

Even if Gray was in the form of his career playing as a central striker, Dyche would surely not opt for him over the experience of Calvert-Lewin to lead the line in a relegation battle.

Calvert-Lewin boasts a far superior record in front of goal in the top flight compared to Gray, while he can clearly cope with the pressure, having scored the goal that ensured Everton avoided the drop last season.

Dyche has clearly been trying to find a long-term solution to Calvert-Lewin’s injury woes and doesn’t want to rush him back for a few games only to lose him for the remainder of the season, but with the striker now back in training with his teammates, it may not be too long until he’s back leading the line.

Chelsea travel to the King Power Stadium to face off against Leicester City in the Premier League this afternoon, and manager Graham Potter will be hoping for a third successive victory for the first time at the helm of the west London outfit.

With two victories from two matches, against Leeds United in the league and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, there is optimism anew among the Blues after a candidly dreadful campaign has left the proud outfit slumped in tenth and out of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup in the early stages of the respective competitions.

And while Chelsea remain 11 points adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in fourth – though with a game in hand – the ostensible calibre of the extravagant and expansive squad could well forge a momentous surging run toward prominence once again, with owner Todd Boehly having pumped over £550m into the team since the summer.

The Foxes have been battling their own turmoil this term, just two points and three places above the division’s relegation zone having played 25 matches, and could find their current run in the top-flight – an illustrious spell that has left the club league champions, FA Cup winners and Champions League contenders – draws to a resentful close.

Will Benoit Badiashile start vs Leicester?

The 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night to overturn a one-goal deficit against the Yellow Wall was the first truly resounding result under Potter’s wing, an indication that his team can indeed compete at the highest level.

The win was carried out in the absence of £35m winter signing Benoit Badiashile, who was omitted from the Champions League squad due to player congestion, though the ace has indeed been fantastic thus far in the Premier League, and will hope to find a place back among the starting fold against the Foxes.

As per Sofascore, the 21-year-old titan boasts the Blues’ highest average rating in the top-flight this term at 7.32, keeping four clean sheets from six matches, completing 91% of his passes and making 0.5 key passes per match, while also illustrating his defensive aptitude with 1.7 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game, also winning 65% of his gourd duels.

And with FBref ranking the titan among the top 12% of centre-backs for shot-creating actions and the top 10% for progressive passes per 90, illustrating the impact the imposing ace could have in crafting transitional play from the back, pumping life into an outfit that has scored just 24 goals from 25 league games this year.

His dynamic capabilities will indeed be important against Brendan Rodgers’ outfit, who have recently put four past both Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, dangerous as any team in the country when clicking together.

Once lauded as “tenacious” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the French colossus is swiftly becoming imperative to his outfit’s domestic success, and while the attention will be on the effectiveness of the frontline, Badiashile’s passing prowess and steely resolve will be invaluable in crafting a robust base for Potter’s team.

Southampton have held talks with former Rangers and Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard over the vacant managerial role and a decision has been made.

The Lowdown: Saints manager search continues?

The Saints are back to square one in their hunt for a new boss after talks broke down over appointing out-of-work former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch.

Frank Lampard is among the names to have been linked with a move to St. Mary’s Stadium as Sport Republic weigh Southampton’s next move.

Assistant coach Ruben Selles is set to take charge of the Premier League relegation-battlers against Chelsea this weekend but a report has suggested they did hold discussions with another candidate.

The Latest: Southampton hold Gerrard talks…

According to a report by The Daily Mirror, as shared by Hampshire Live, it is believed that Southampton have held talks with Gerrard over the managerial vacancy.

However, a decision has been made on the former Liverpool star, with the Saints board left unconvinced over his credentials and suitability for the job.

The Verdict: Wise move?

Gerrard was a revelation in Scotland, guiding Rangers to their first SPFL title in a decade and restoring the balance between them and arch rivals Celtic.

However, south of the border, it’s been a slightly different story for the England legend who endured a very mixed spell at Villa Park.

By the end of his tenure, Villa supporters were vociferously calling for Gerrard’s exit after a nightmare start to the 2022/23 campaign.

Like Jones, it’s arguable Gerrard’s appointment would’ve been a gamble, and we believe Southampton have made the right call here.

Newcastle United media members have been left buzzing over the news that the club have bought back Strawberry Place.

The Lowdown: Newcastle buy Strawberry Place

As per The Daily Mail, Newcastle have bought back Strawberry Place, the land behind St. James’ Park’s Gallowgate End which was sold under Mike Ashley.

The new ownership plan to expand the stadium in the long-term, and buying back this piece of land will help them in doing that.

There were previous concerns from supporters after Ashley sold Strawberry Place, worrying that the site would be lost to offices and residential apartments, as well as blocking an iconic view of the stadium.

The land can now be used to expand the ground, with every home game being sold out so far this season, and demand for tickets continuing to rise.

The Latest: Media buzzing

Member of the North East media have been left buzzing after hearing the news, with Magpies podcaster Taylor Payne hailing it as ‘incredible’, and Newcastle World writer Jordan Cronin labelling it as ‘massive, massive news’.

The Verdict: Needed

With demands from fans to go and watch the team at St. James’ Park seemingly increasing with every win, an expansion of the stadium is certainly needed in the long-term.

Under the new regime, the club have much loftier ambitions than what they had under Ashley’s ownership, and could even welcome UEFA Champions League football to the stadium next season given their current league position.

Buying back Strawberry Place also wipes out any further tainted memories of the old regime, and shows that the club is continuing to move in the right direction.

Manchester United will traverse towards Nottingham on Wednesday ahead of a Carabao Cup clash that could put the Red Devils one step closer to the desperate return of silverware to Old Trafford, having last lifted a trophy in 2017.

Nottingham Forest will indeed welcome United to the City Ground with the respective Premier League outfits set to contest for a place in the domestic competition’s finale.

Man United manager Erik ten Hag has recently stated that the club’s barren spell regarding major honours has gone on for “too long”, and that he will “do everything” within his power to speckle golden light across the red side of Manchester once again, bringing home a trophy that the club last won in 2016/17 – the last campaign in which the club indeed won silverware.

With newly-promoted Forest on the rise, having only tasted defeat once from six fixtures in 2023, many will turn towards the blistering form of Marcus Rashford to lead the club toward victory, with the 25-year-old England international having scored 17 goals from 28 appearances this season, but it is another frontal figure who might make the most profound impact on the night.

Bruno Fernandes has been a centrepiece to much of United’s offensive vigour since his initial £47m arrival from homeland outfit Sporting Lisbon in 2020, and the attacking midfielder must be utilised during the impending fixture.

The “incredible” Fernandes – as once hailed by international teammate Matheus Nunes – has clinched five goals and six assists this term, including a direct contribution in each of his past five league outings, and Ten Hag will be confident the gem can continue to ride the purple patch and make a definitive impact on the pivotal forthcoming fixture.

While the 53-cap Portugal star no longer boasts the incredible direct output, his influence on the flow and potency of this United side is imperative to the churning of the machine, with Sofascore recording his average Premier League rating this term at 7.36, with his Carabao Cup rating at a remarkable 8.30.

And as per FBref, the £240k-per-week maestro ranks among the top 5% of positional peers for attempted passes, the top 11% for progressive passes and the top 15% for shot-creating actions, with the ingenuity of his work across the offensive third allowing his teammates to subsequently flourish.

The Theatre of Dreams is tantalisingly close to clinching silverware once again, and at this penultimate stage, slip-ups cannot be afforded and victory must be achieved, with the successful campaign in the Carabao Cup the perfect taster for future success under the new, prosperous era with Ten Hag at the helm.

And for this to rise to fruition, the Portuguese “magnifico” – as dubbed by Squawka – that is Fernandes may well have to be unleashing, serving as the catalyst for creativity in order to bypass the resolute Forest backline and silence the swathes of deafening City Ground faithful.

Journalist Alasdair Gold has revealed that other groups have shown interest in investing in Tottenham Hotspur amid recent Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) talks.

What’s the word?

It was recently reported by Sky Sports that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy met with QSI head Nasser Al-Khelaifi in early January to discuss the possibility of investing in the north London club – although Tottenham have since denied such reports.

The same report claimed that QSI are looking to expand their footballing empire in 2023 from PSG and Braga to include a new team.

However, if Tottenham aren’t on the agenda – which is what the club have claimed – that doesn’t mean other groups won’t be considering possible investment in the Lilywhites.

Indeed, in an article for football.london, Gold explained: “My area is Tottenham really and all I know is that QSI kicked off a process with Spurs this month to see whether investment might be possible or not.

“Tottenham deny that was the case and we’ll see whether it ever amounts to anything. I’m led to believe that a couple of other groups have shown interest about investing in the club.

“Of course, the flip-side is that selling a minority stake of shares to a group like QSI, who can’t buy the club outright because of their PSG ownership, makes it less straightforward to then sell the club in future years unless everybody can agree to a sale.”

Time for change

Fenway Sports Group look to be selling Liverpool and so this may leave the door open for QSI to invest in the Reds instead – as certain rumours suggest.

Back at Spurs, though, now might be time for a change too. Indeed, fans certainly aren’t happy with the way things are being run under owner ENIC Group and club chairman Daniel Levy. For instance, earlier in January supporters sang: “Daniel Levy, get out of our club.”

With that in mind, potential new investors may well feel as though they have the perfect chance to pounce and so it certainly is interesting to hear that certain groups have started to show interest.

At this stage, however, beyond QSI, it remains unclear as to what parties have made any kind of contact with Spurs.

The UK media have slammed Tottenham Hotspur’s Oliver Skipp after his latest showing.

The Lowdown: Poor midweek performance

Skipp was handed yet another start by Antonio Conte as Spurs looked to pick up their first win in the Premier League since returning from the mid-season break – and the team duly delivered.

Tottenham eventually ran out 4-0 winners against Crystal Palace despite going into half-time level, but very little of Spurs’ success is going to be credited to the performance of Skipp.

For the second game in a row, Skipp was hooked off by Conte at around the hour mark, suggesting that the Italian doesn’t trust him to go the full distance and carry out his strict instructions.

The Latest: Media slam Skipp’s display

The midfielder was also the first Spurs player to be booked during the first half, which sums up his night and some of the media were left unimpressed.

Alasdair Gold had the following to say on Skipp: ‘Both Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and the rusty Oliver Skipp have struggled against their Palace counterparts, the latter picking up a yellow card after lunging to try to get to a poor pass from Ivan Perisic.’

Whereas, Dan Kilpatrick picked out a particular flaw in Skipp’s game against Palace as he said just before the 40-minute mark: ‘Skipp started the game well but Zaha has already ghosted past him twice and he just lost out to Eze, too.’

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The Verdict: Skipp fails to grasp his opportunity

Given the continued absence of star midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, Skipp will have done himself no favours at Selhurst Park to show why he deserves to keep starting when the Uruguay international returns.

This is because according to Sofascore, the midfielder put in a 6.5/10 performance and also struggled in several key areas of the match, losing possession four times and touching the ball on just 35 occasions, while not managing any key passes or shots at goal.

Therefore, it was no surprise to see him hooked off, and if Bentacur can return for their next crunch clash against Arsenal, it would be no shock if Skipp was the man to make way.

Manchester United are reportedly among the ‘main suitors’ to seal the signing of Atletico Madrid and Portugal superstar Joao Felix.

The Lowdown: Constant United rumours

Erik ten Hag is sure to be considering a number of signings in the coming transfer windows as he looks to continue his promising start to life at Old Trafford, and a marquee attacking signing is surely a must after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

One player who has been linked with a move to United more than most recently is Felix, who looks increasingly likely to leave Atletico either in January or next summer.

The rumour simply isn’t going away, with a fresh claim now emerging from the Spanish press.

The Latest: Red Devils among ‘main suitors’

According to AS [via Sport Witness], Felix has a ‘free path’ to leave Atletico and his agent Jorge Mendes ‘will present offers of around €100m (£86m)’.

United are among the ‘main suitors’ to snap up the 23-year-old and they have shown ‘more interest’ since the huge development of Ronaldo’s departure.

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The Verdict: Feels increasingly likely

This is a transfer that really does feel like it has legs to it and it would have the potential to be a hugely exciting capture by United, given Felix’s potential.

The attacker is a prodigiously gifted footballer who has already scored 53 goals at club level, and while some may argue that he hasn’t kicked on enough recently, he has been playing in an Atletico team hellbent on adopting a defensive approach.

Under someone more attacking like Ten Hag, Felix could absolutely flourish, showing precisely why Alvaro Morata has called him a ‘special’ player and providing much-needed guile and end product in the final third at Old Trafford.

Newcastle United journalist Lee Ryder has shared some behind-the-scenes details regarding the club’s plans for the January transfer window. 

The Lowdown: Newcastle’s season so far

As things stand, with domestic football on hold while the World Cup takes place in Qatar, the Magpies find themselves third in the Premier League table.

After 15 games, the Toon have won eight, drawn six and lost just one, leaving them with 30 points on the board, two behind Manchester City in second.

Now that the January transfer window is on the way, it seems that some behind-the-scenes details have emerged over the Magpies’ stance heading into the winter market.

The Latest: Newcastle’s January stance

According to a recent report by Ryder for Chronicle Live, the Toon are well-equipped to go head-to-head with Europe’s elite clubs on a financial level but will not be pressured into over-spending on players.

The report adds that St James’ Park scouts have looked at full-backs, midfielders and forwards, and that Newcastle don’t have specific positions in mind but are looking to improve across the board.

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The Verdict: Strength in depth

Bearing in mind how Eddie Howe’s side have the joint-best defence in the league, having conceded just 11 goals, it could be said that defence isn’t an area which needs strengthening as things stand.

With only three clubs scoring more goals than the Toon (29), they may not see signing another striker a big priority, especially with three centre-forwards already in the squad.

Taking all of that into account, it could be a case of bringing new players to the squad who can add some strength in depth to Howe’s ranks to either add some competition for places in the starting XI or give some extra cover should any injuries occur.

Given how active the Tyneside club have been throughout the previous two transfer windows, this should fill their supporters with confidence that the same can happen again this time around and push the team forward even further.

Southampton supporters have been handed a big update on their club’s search for a new manager as Fabrizio Romano relays news on target Nathan Jones.

The Lowdown: Hasenhuttl sacked…

On Monday, the Saints and owners Sport Republic relieved former manager Ralph Hasenhuttl of his duties after nearly four years at the helm at St Mary’s.

The Austrian left Southampton after the south coast side suffered a 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United the previous day, a result which took their dismal Premier League record to eight losses in their opening 14 games.

In that time, only Everton, Nottingham Forest and Wolves have scored fewer goals than the Saints, and prospective new manager Nathan Jones – who is currently their top target – will have a lot of work to do on this largely youthful and inexperienced squad if he gets the job.

The Latest: Romano relays big Jones update…

Taking to social media, Romano has relayed some news involving the Luton Town boss.

Writing on Twitter, the reporter says Southampton are ‘getting closer’ to appointing the 49-year-old, sharing a comment from Jones himself that he will speak to the club’s board today.

Romano wrote: “Southampton are getting closer to complete the appointment of Nathan Jones as new manager: he has confirmed that he’ll speak to Southampton board on Wednesday.

Jones added that he feels “ready for PL” but also that departure is “not guaranteed”, told @5livesport.”

The Verdict: Right man?

Luton are currently Championship play-off contenders and it’s safe to say that Jones has done a fine job with them on a relatively shoestring budget – they finished in the top six last season despite having the division’s fourth-lowest squad market value according to Transfermarkt.

Southampton are arguably in need of a manager who has a proven track record of getting the very most out of a squad lacking real superstars, something that Jones seems to have his managerial repertoire from his time at Kenilworth Road.