All posts by n8rngtd.top

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has done a wonderful job since taking over from Steve Bruce during the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

The Magpies boss led the team to safety in his first season at the club and currently has them competing for a place in a European competition for 2023/24 – sitting sixth in the table.

His excellent coaching work has been supplemented by his superb transfer business, alongside PIF and Dan Ashworth, over the last 13 months or so.

Howe has brought in the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman, Kieran Trippier, and Nick Pope to bolster the squad but has not had a 100% success rate.

One signing who flopped at St. James’ Park was New Zealand international Chris Wood. The forward arrived in a £25m deal from Burnley in January 2022 and failed to make a significant impact in the team.

Newcastle now risk repeating their disasterclass with the attacker as they are reportedly pursuing a swoop to sign Renan Lodi from Atletico Madrid, who is on loan at Nottingham Forest with a £25m option to buy.

How did Chris Wood perform at Newcastle?

The Magpies must learn from their mistake with Wood, who struggled badly in the Premier League for the club, by avoiding a move for the Brazilian left-back.

Two of the centre-forward’s four goals came from the penalty spot and these statistics show that the forward offered very little to the team in possession, with his goal return, his non-existent assists, and woeful passing leading to him being sent out on loan to Nottingham Forest, which has since become a permanent switch.

The warning signs were there for Newcastle as the striker had managed three goals and zero assists, whilst completing 58.6% of his attempted passes, in 17 appearances during the first half of 2021/22 for Burnley.

He must keep his error with Wood fresh in the memory when considering whether or not to go through with a deal for Lodi as the 24-year-old has been less than impressive in the Premier League this season.

The Brazilian defender, who journalist Conor Keane said had a “nightmare” earlier this term, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.65 across 17 appearances in the division. He has made 0.5 key passes per game and won 58% of his duels, whilst completing 76% of his attempted passes.

Meanwhile, current Toon left-back Dan Burn has averaged a score of 6.84 and created 0.4 chances per match whilst winning 54% of his battles and completing 79% of his passes.

These statistics do not suggest that Lodi would be an upgrade on Howe’s first-choice left-back and would, if anything, be a downgrade on the Englishman based on their respective performance levels.

Therefore, Newcastle would be running the risk of repeating their Wood blunder by swooping for the Atletico Madrid full-back as the dud has not done enough in the English top-flight this season to suggest that he would be a good addition to the squad, particularly for £25m.

Leeds United came from behind twice to salvage a home draw against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, but results elsewhere have left Javi Gracia’s outfit mired in the relegation zone.

Wins for Bournemouth and Everton against Liverpool and Brentford respectively ensured that both teams will spend the week outside of the bottom three, with the Whites now facing the onerous task of searching for a route out of the dreaded drop zone in the table.

With Brighton chasing European football next season, currently in seventh place and nine points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with three games in hand, the away side were always going to be favourites, but Leeds demonstrated their grit and tenacity in clawing back from conceding, also offering far more offensive promise than much of their miserable campaign has displayed.

Having fallen behind in both halves, Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison netted to restore parity and ensure that Leeds have a foundation to build from over the business end of the campaign, and it was the enterprising Harrison who took home the plaudits for his well-taken late finish, having supplied an assist for his talisman beforehand.

How did Jack Harrison perform against Brighton?

It has not been plain sailing for Leeds this season, and Harrison has certainly found himself in turbulent waters for large portions of the campaign, failing to replicate the clinical consistency of the past few years.

Before his performance against the Seagulls, the former Manchester City youth prospect had only found the back of the net once in the Premier League all season, in the third match-week against Chelsea, but now boasts two goals and six assists from 22 starts in the division.

As per Sofascore, the 26-year-old recorded a match rating of 7.8, the highest of any Leeds player on the pitch – including Bamford, and complemented his direct contributions with 60 touches, a 74% pass success rate, three key passes, two tackles, and two interceptions.

Hailed for his “cracking” strike by journalist Joe Donnahue, the £50k-per-week ace will have a big part to play in the closing phase of the season, and his goal will perhaps lead him to rekindle his scoring touch and replicate past feats in scoring eight times in each of the past two league terms.

His second-half strike will be especially pleasing given that he turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Solly March after the hour mark, with Leeds squandering the lead and looking destined for further misery before the wily winger rectified his misfortune.

Therefore, the gem was the star player for Leeds, ahead of Bamford, as his wizardry earned the side a valuable point as the maestro proved to be a menace to the opposition throughout the match.

With United only one point adrift from safety, there will be cautious optimism from Gracia’s camp that the situation can be turned around, preserving coveted top-flight status after so many years languishing away from prominence.

And if Harrison can continue his good form in front of goal, the Whites are in good stead to chip away and clinch further points, with the forthcoming away trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers not looking like a genuine six-pointer at the bottom of the table.

Journalist Dominic Scurr has claimed that work on Newcastle United’s training ground is pretty much finished.

The Lowdown: PIF continuing to work off the pitch

Since taking over the club, PIF have set out to totally overhaul what had been a dormant outfit under Mike Ashley with a brand new playing squad on offer to Eddie Howe, which has enabled them to challenge for the top four and hand the players a redeveloped training ground.

Work started over the summer to improve Newcastle’s Darsley Park training base, which hadn’t been touched for several years and wouldn’t have done anything to help persuade players to join the club.

Now that the bulk of the work has been completed at Benton – which was on show when Anthony Gordon signed for the club – it should be a more enjoyable place for the players to be and could help them take that next step up.

The Latest: Newcastle’s updated training ground is pretty much complete

Scurr was asked on the Loaded Mag YouTube channel how the work was coming along at Newcastle’s training ground, and he shared the positive news about developments now being close to completion.

He said: “To my knowledge, the actual building work’s done, there’s just a few internal things there that still need sorting as well. But the restaurant side of things, the stuff that will impact players – the changing rooms and stuff like that – has been completed. There’s just a few more things left to do, as far as I’m aware, anyway.”

The Verdict: Work continues to go on behind the scenes

While making big-name signings is what will get fans and the media excited, the fact that PIF are doing more work behind the scenes to improve Newcastle as a football club – not just the men’s first-team squad – is equally as impressive.

Newcastle have already improved their training ground and announced that they will be creating a new fanzone in the near future behind St James’ Park, which only goes to show how the club’s owners have the fans’ interests in mind.

However, PIF bought Newcastle to win silverware and become a dominant force within football, so they’ll want to see a material return on their investment in the form of trophies or Champions League football as well as improving fan satisfaction.

Sir Alex Ferguson led Manchester United to extraordinary heights during his 26-year tenure at the Old Trafford side.

He could barely do a thing wrong between 1993 and 2003, winning eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups and a Champions League crown, while also enjoying success in the transfer market.

The start of the 2003/2004 campaign – although no one knew at the time – would prove to be the start of a barren period for the Red Devils, both in terms of trophies won and successful signings.

Indeed, that summer saw the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, David Bellion, Tim Howard, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson, with only Ronaldo going to be a success for the club and these were hardly players who could continue United’s dominance in England.

Kleberson was arguably the worst of the lot, especially with his established pedigree beforehand, winning the World Cup with Brazil in 2002, proving to be a key member of the side that triumphed in the far East.

He couldn’t replicate that form in Manchester however, rinsing the club in the process.

How much did Kleberson cost Manchester United?

The Brazilian midfielder cost the club £6.5m when he joined from Atletico Paranaense ahead of the 2003/04 season and having enjoyed success in his homeland, winning the Brazilian league title along with the aforementioned World Cup triumph, he arrived to much fanfare and Fergie was looking to plug the gap that Juan Sebastian Veron had left following his move to Chelsea.

He played just 16 times during his debut season, scoring twice and grabbing a further two assists, yet it was hardly the form of a player who was expected to bolster United’s starting XI.

Things didn’t exactly get much better in his second campaign, making even fewer appearances (14) and registering just three assists, and it was evident his future lay elsewhere.

Kleberson finally left United in August 2005, joining Besiktas, but his signing will surely go down as one of Fergie’s worst and Dave Phillips even dubbed him as “terrible” along with other players who failed to make an impact such as Bebe and Bellion.

Across his underwhelming 103 week spell at the Red Devils, Kleberson rinsed the club for a total of £11.5m (his transfer fee along with reported £5m in earnings over his two-year spell), which to United isn’t an earth-shattering sum of money, yet it may have been spent elsewhere or invested in a couple of youth prospects instead.

The Old Trafford faithful haven’t had to see too many flops over the years compared to some other clubs, yet Kleberson was arguably one of the worst players to pull on a United shirt in the previous 20 years.

Liverpool have submitted a bid nearing £100m for Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, according to agent Haydn Dodge, who recently spoke to CaughtOffside.

Will Liverpool sign Jude Bellingham this summer?

Bellingham is one of the most sought-after young talents in world football, with several of Europe's top clubs lining up to secure his signature this summer, although some recent reports have indicated that the Reds are leading the race.

Potential new Manchester United owner Sheikh Jassim is a "huge fan" of the 19-year-old, and is already believed to be plotting a move, while the likes of Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid also cannot be discounted.

Liverpool being able to compete for the youngster's signature is likely to come down to whether they are able to finish in the top four, with the guarantee of Champions League football said to be a key factor in his choice of club. According to Dodge, who spoke to CaughtOffside, the Reds have already formalised their interest in the midfielder with a massive out-of-window bid.

The agent said: “It’s known that a bid [from Liverpool] just shy of £100m has been submitted for Jude Bellingham ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

“A revamp in the middle of the park is exactly what Liverpool, their fans and Jurgen Klopp need so it is not surprising to see them going all out for Bellingham.”

How much will Jude Bellingham cost?

It is exciting news that Liverpool appear to have made an approach for the Englishman, however he is likely to cost far more than £100m, with it recently being reported that Dortmund are going to stand firm in their valuation of €150m (£133m). As such, while it is a good statement of intent from the Merseyside club, their current offer will not be enough to win the race, particularly if the starlet continues his sensational form.

Hailed as "incredible" by Trent Alexander-Arnold, the central midfielder has established himself as a key player for England, making 24 caps for his country, while he has already hit double figures for goals in a Dortmund shirt this season.

In order to put themselves in a strong position to win the race for Bellingham, Klopp's side will now need to focus on finishing the season strongly, currently sitting seven points off the top four with two games in hand.

Leicester City have been dealt an immediate blow in their search for a new manager, as Graham Potter has rejected the opportunity to take charge, according to a recent report from talkSPORT.

Who could Leicester appoint as manager?

Leicester confirmed the sacking of Brendan Rodgers on Sunday afternoon, with the Northern Irishman leaving his role after four years at the King Power Stadium, and there have already been a plethora of names linked with the vacant job.Rafa Benitez has reportedly been made an offer, with the Spaniard having been out of work since leaving Everton, however, the Foxes are yet to receive a response, meaning they have continued to run the rule over other potential options.

The Daily Mail claimed Leicester would be interested to know Potter's plans after being sacked by Chelsea, as he was admired by the hierarchy at the club long before he moved to Stamford Bridge, but they have now received a very disappointing response.According to a report from talkSPORT, the Englishman has rejected an approach from the Foxes, as he is set to take a break from the game after his recent sacking.The east Midlands club reached out to representatives of the former Brighton & Hove Albion boss, but he has decided against making an immediate return to management.As such, Leicester will now need to turn their attentions elsewhere, and whoever takes over has a very difficult task on their hands, with the club currently sat 19th in the Premier League table.

Would Graham Potter have been a good appointment?

Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha will consider it a real blow to have missed out on the 47-year-old, as although his time at Chelsea was short-lived, he did an excellent job in his previous role with Brighton & Hove Albion.Hailed as "brilliant" by members of the media, the Solihull-born tactician left the Seagulls fourth in the table upon moving to Stamford Bridge, with chairman Tony Bloom claiming: “He leaves an excellent legacy for his successor with the club in its highest-ever position, and on the back of leading us to our highest finish in the club’s history last season.” Although they may have missed out on Potter for the time being, he could still be tempted by a move to Leicester at the end of the season, should they make a short-term appointment to see them through, akin to Crystal Palace hiring Roy Hodgson.

Tottenham Hotspur sealed three points on Saturday afternoon, but their fans were heard loudly singing the name of Mauricio Pochettino.

Do Spurs need a manager now?

Spurs did secure maximum points on the weekend against Brighton & Hove Albion, however, it was not exactly done in a convincing fashion.

The game will be remembered for the referee's controversial decisions and the use of VAR which saw Brighton on the end of a number of questionable decisions.

"Brighton have been robbed this afternoon… at least two horrendous decisions go against Mitoma…Howard Webb will be apologising to them once again… of that I’m sure! Truly awful," said Chris Sutton after the game.

But the performance from the hosts only summed up the current struggles they're currently experiencing with Brighton having a majority 65% of possession (via SofaScore).

In the process, they also lost their interim manager, Cristian Stellini, to a red card following issues on the touchline which were bubbling away from the first minute.

Tottenham have some huge games coming up in their quest for a top-four finish but no permanent resolution seems to be nearing before the end of the season in the dugout.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold claimed the Spurs fans made their thoughts known as they sang out loud renditions of their Pochettino chant:

(53:25) "Mainly there was one moment for me that was like: 'wow that's really interesting'. I know Daniel Levy has been away. I don't know whether he was back. There was some indication that he was going to be back for this match.

"But there was a moment just in the aftermath of Stellini going off when just this kind of noise started to come from the south stand, this chant started to form. And in the press box, we were a bit like [what's going on]. We suddenly realised it was the Mauricio Pochettino, he's magic, you know [song].

"So it started in the south stand and it just started to filter in pockets around us in the other standards."

Would Pochettino be the right appointment?

There will be natural question marks over what has changed with the north London club since the Argentine was sacked back in 2019.

And there are certainly some fair points to be made with a number of the players still there that he left behind just over three years ago.

However, the main concerns will likely be surrounding the club's defenders with the likes of Eric Dier still starting week in and week out.

But there is the belief that this summer will see Spurs make a number of additions to their defence with two new centre-backs said to be on their to-do list.

A new goalkeeper is also expected to come through the doors over the summer with Hugo Lloris' time in north London potentially coming to an end.

So in that sense, concerns over the current crop of players could be eased with changes believed to be on the radar for the summer.

Spurs have also been heavily linked with a potential move for James Maddison, and Pochettino is a manager who could certainly unlock the Englishman's full potential in north London.

Under the Argentine, Christian Eriksen returned 58 goals and 76 assists for Spurs and it would be expected Maddison would be placed in a similar role to what the Dane held in north London.

A big section of the Spurs fans made their voices heard on the weekend so it will be interesting to see if that may swing Daniel Levy's decision-making.

Arsenal can extend their lead at the top of the Premier League standings with a win at West Ham United this afternoon.

The Gunners threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Liverpool last time out, though it's been over a decade since they last picked up three points at Anfield, so it was probably a point gained in the grand scheme of things.

Mikel Arteta's side are being hunted down by defending champions Manchester City, who remain three points behind and will have a game in hand after this weekend's fixtures.

There are no new injury concerns for the Spaniard, though it's unlikely that he has William Saliba back, whilst Eddie Nketiah could be involved – at least off the bench – having recovered from an ankle issue that has kept him out for six weeks.

With that in mind, here's how Arsenal could look at the London Stadium…

How will Arsenal line up against West Ham?

Aaron Ramsdale, who has arguably been one of the goalkeepers of the season, will continue his no.1 duties, whilst the back four behind him is likely to remain much the same, though not without consideration.

Kieran Tierney could be vying for a start at left-back, whilst Rob Holding was hardly convincing against the Reds, though neither has mid-season signing Jakub Kiwior. It should see the Englishman continue to partner Gabriel Magalhaes, with Oleksandr Zinchenko – at fault for one of Liverpool's comeback strikes – also retaining his place, with Ben White at right-back.

In midfield, the usual trio of Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka should also continue but it would not be a surprise to see Jorginho come in for either of the latter two, given just how big a part they'll need to play during the run-in.

On the flanks, there is a case for Leandro Trossard to return to the starting XI but it's hard to ignore the form of both Gabriel Martinelli – who bagged a goal and assist on Merseyside – and Bukayo Saka, so the £23m-rated Belgian "wizard" – as lauded by reporter Charlie Haffenden – misses out once again.

It leaves Gabriel Jesus to spearhead the attack, with Nketiah returning to the bench, where he'll sit alongside the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson.

Predicted Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Ramsdale; Zinchenko, Gabriel, Holding, White; Xhaka, Partey, Odegaard; Martinelli, Saka, Jesus

Liverpool became one of the most feared opponents in world football when Jurgen Klopp built his powerhouse squad at Anfield alongside former sporting director Michael Edwards more than half a decade ago, going on to dominate in every competition that faced them.

The Reds have reached three Champions League finals in the last five years, winning their first since 2005 when they beat Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 final, quickly followed by the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup, League Cup and most importantly, the first ever Premier League title in 2020.

However, since the start of the new season late last summer, things have not been the same at Anfield, with poor performances aplenty and non-stop injury problems plaguing the side's dreams of continuing their dominance in both domestic and European football.

Not only that, a lack of reinvestment and development of key areas on the pitch has seen the club fail to keep the squad fresh, which has heavily contributed to their inability to compete with their rivals who have continued to strengthen over Liverpool's period of success.

The panic signing of Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo on Deadline Day in September 2022 set the tone for the season ahead, with FSG failing to deliver on the new and permanent midfield prospects needed after missing out on Aurelien Tchouameni following their defeat in the Champions League final to Real Madrid.

Since then, the 26-year-old has been rarely seen with just 13 minutes tallied up and, for large parts of the season, has been unavailable due to a long-term injury that has left Liverpool without that extra pair of legs in the centre of the pitch that they signed up for.

The acquisition of Arthur has been met with a fair amount of criticism over the last few months and journalist Peter O'Rourke recently gave his assessment of the Anfield flop, telling Football FanCast:

"I think it's pretty fair to say it's been an unmitigated disaster, he has only played a few minutes as a sub against Napoli."

Will Liverpool sign midfielders this summer?

There is absolutely no doubt that the powerbrokers at Anfield won't be able to ignore the much-needed breath of fresh air the squad is crying out for this summer and, specifically in midfield, there will be high expectations for high-quality and hungry players who fit the profiles needed to be brought in.

Indeed, the forward line has been replenished healthily over the last few transfer windows with Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo making the move to Merseyside to form the next generation of the club's famous front three alongside mainstay Mohammed Salah.

However, with several players either out of contract or in the latter stages of their careers at this point, it will be incredibly important to inject energy and fresh perspectives to ensure that this season is regarded as a blip instead of a long-term transition period that leaves them without Champions League football and even further behind their rivals.

As a result, having a strong short-list of transfer targets will be a must, with Matheus Nunes, Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister, Mason Mount and many more midfielders already being touted as the midfielders who could turn things around at Anfield.

FSG must in some respects abandon the strict and frugal model that has served them well in the past as the market is moving on without them and so will their targets who could easily find moves to other Premier League clubs, which only strengthens their competitors and leaves Liverpool trailing behind again.

With a move for Jude Bellingham now off the table, echoes of that failed pursuit of Tchouameni have reared their head. This time, the Liverpool owners must learn from the 'disaster' that has been Arthur and invest wisely in the playing squad this time around.

A failure to do so could well leave the Reds in trouble again next term.

Tottenham Hotspur manager target Julian Nagelsmann is thought to be 'very tempted' by the prospect of joining Spurs, according to reports.

What's the latest on Nagelsmann to Spurs?

The 35-year-old is rumoured to be high on the agenda of Spurs chairman Daniel Levy after he chose to mutually part ways with former boss Antonio Conte.

Since the latter manager's departure, things haven't exactly been going well in north London, with Tottenham's latest 6-1 hammering at the hands of Newcastle costing interim boss Cristian Stellini his job.

The Italian was handed his P45 after Tottenham were dealt a major blow in their pursuit of a top four Premier League finish – and it is now the task of Ryan Mason to see them through to the finish line.

Nagelsmann, out of work after his shock Bayern Munich dismissal last month, is a candidate to succeed Conte permanently this summer. Reports have suggested that he is warming to the idea of an approach from Spurs, something which will encourage supporters amid a turbulent time at their club.

Now, according to reliable German news publication Bild, there has been a development from Nagelsmann's side. Indeed, the tactician is apparently 'very tempted' to take over at Spurs next season, with the ex-RB Leipzig boss now 'concentrating' on this option.

If Levy meets his demands, Nagelsmann could 'work on the island' for 2023/2024, coming as the Spurs chief is 'desperately looking' for a new manager.

What could Nagelsmann bring to Spurs?

The young tactician stands out as, arguably, the most exciting junior head coach in world football – having already clinched a league title and the admiration of elite bosses like Pep Guardiola.

The Man City boss, commenting on Nagelsmann all the way back in 2018 before a Champions League group stage encounter with Hoffenheim, explained:

“I’m really, really impressed [with Nagelsmann]. Taking over Hoffenheim in such a bad situation so young. He will have a lot of success in his career. He’s already at a good team in a top competition. It’s the first time we meet, but hopefully it won’t be the last.”

Former Man City defender Angelino even likened Nagelsmann to Guardiola, saying their attacking philosophies and style are 'very similar'.

This could be an enticing draw for Spurs supporters who are eager for their side to play open, expansive football – with BBC Sport writer Raj Chohan weighing in and calling Nagelsmann an 'unreal attacking coach'.