According to Przeglad Sportowy, Newcastle United have learned that they will have to pay £10m in order to sign Polish international Kamil Grosicki from Hull City this summer.
What’s the story?
Grosicki, 29, joined Hull from Rennes on the final day of the January transfer window, but the midfielder was unable to prevent the Tigers from being relegated to the Championship.
The attacker provided three assists in 15 Premier League appearances last term, however, and a number of impressive showings suggested that he is capable of performing in England’s top division.
Hull are said to be desperate to keep hold of Grosicki this summer, but according to a report from a Polish newspaper, Newcastle have made an approach for the attacker, with the Magpies learning that they will have to pay £10m to release the Pole from his contract at the KCOM Stadium.
It is understood that Grosicki is not due back at Hull for pre-season training until July 11 due to international commitments, but he is hopeful that a deal can be reached with Newcastle before that date rolls around.
Would it be a good deal for Newcastle?
With 50 caps for Poland, there is no question that Grosicki has been around the block.
He started his career with Polish outfit Pogon Szczecin in 2006, and has since represented Legia Warsaw, Sion, Jagiellonia, Sivasspor and Rennes in the professional game.
Grosicki, who is valued at £5.95m by transfermarkt.co.uk, was also extremely impressive for Poland at Euro 2016, providing two assists in the competition, and making an impression with his tricky feet in a wide position.
The attacker actually scored four times and provided three assists in 16 Ligue 1 appearances in the first half of last season, before Hull convinced him to make the move to the Premier League.
For a player at the age of 29, a price of £10m would have previously been deemed unreasonable. Grosicki has already proved his worth in the Premier League, however, and it seems only fair that Hull would look for a small profit on a player that is ready to jump ship following their relegation.
Newcastle have thus far been frustrated in their pursuit of a number of attacking targets this summer, but the arrival of Grosicki would certainly give them a new option entering the new campaign.
Wayne Rooney has had his critics over the last year or so, with many questioning whether he is good enough to still be playing at the top level.
Well, Everton fans think they have the answer after watching the 31-year-old score a wonder goal in his first appearance for the Toffees since returning to the club.
Last week, Rooney signed for his boyhood club from Manchester United, where he spent the last 13 years.
The forward was hugely successful at Old Trafford, winning 12 trophies and becoming the club’s leading goalscorer.
In his final season, he struggled for game time under manager Jose Mourinho, which led to suggestions that his time as a professional is coming to an end.
Rooney may have something to say about that after Thursday’s game, though, as he scored in Everton’s 2-1 win over pre-season opponents Gor Mahia in Tanzania.
As expected, Everton fans were more than happy with his contribution, and some are feeling pretty smug that they have Rooney back in their ranks.
Earlier in the summer, Liverpool somehow escaped transfer sanctions for their illegal tapping up of Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk and publicly ended their interest. Now things have taken a 180, and Jurgen Klopp seems to be back in for the Dutchman after Southampton have reportedly left him to train alone. Van Dijk did not travel with the Saints for their French preseason camp, but Mauricio Pellegrino will be keen to keep his captain and star player.
The Argentine shouldn’t be too worried though. His squad will be fine even if their star joins Liverpool’s ex-Saint contingent, because selling their key player is Southampton do and it always seems to work out .
Since the 2014-15 season, the Saints have had a lot of success replacing their stars and replacing van Dijk shouldn’t be too difficult either. In the summer of 2014, the club sold Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren, Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana and replaced them with Graziano Pellé, Toby Alderweireld, Ryan Bertrand and Sadio Mané. Not bad.
A year later, Nathaniel Clyne, Morgan Schneiderlin and Alderweireld were replaced by European Champion Cédric Soares, Oriol Romeu and van Dijk. Another set of pretty good replacements.
Nathan Redmond still has some time to live up to Mané’s ability and this summer former Lech Poznań centre-back Jan Bednarek has been brought in to replace former captain José Fonte. The club have somehow continued to do what managers across the globe wish they could do consistently in replacing their stars with more stars, whether they come from Chelsea or Red Bull Salzburg. Most clubs these days are determined to keep their star players no matter what, but over the years Southampton has continued to find the perfect player to fill the squad’s newest hole.
It remains to be seen if Mauricio Pellegrino can conjure up the same magic that Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman did before him, and that ability will likely decide his overall success at the south coast club. The Saints have become a Premier League mainstay and solid competitor since their return to the top flight in 2012. Their ability to take advantage of the transfer market has earned them Europa League football and a spot in the EFL Cup final, and their future success will be tied to how well they continue to replace key players.
Holding onto a player of van Dijk’s quality would be vital for most clubs, but not Southampton. They know how to replace a talent of that magnitude. They’ve done it before.
Aston Villa will look to bounce back from their 3-0 defeat to Cardiff City on Saturday when they visit Reading in their third Championship match of the season on Tuesday night.
Villa are one of the favourites to secure promotion to the Premier League this term but their campaign hasn’t got off to the best start with Steve Bruce’s men taking just one point from their opening two matches.
One of the bright sparks of their disappointing beginning to the season has been 19-year-old midfielder Callum O’Hare, who impressed in the 2-1 win against Colchester United in the Carabao Cup last week before he impressed as a substitute against the Bluebirds at the weekend.
However, the teenager played 85 minutes of his side’s Under-23 clash on Monday night which would suggest that he won’t be involved against the Royals on Tuesday.
Aston Villa supporters were quick to have their say on the news via social media, with some saying that “the mind boggles” that he won’t be involved when so many of their senior players are struggling.
Jonjo Shelvey’s inexplicable decision to stand on the ankle of Spurs midfielder Dele Alli and subsequent sending off was the turning point in Newcastle’s opening match of the season.
However, to say that Newcastle wouldn’t have lost the game if Shelvey had remained on the pitch is stretching the bounds of probability somewhat.
Spurs had been poor by their standards in the first half but were still comfortably in control of the game at the time of Shelvey’s dismissal. Newcastle had managed just a single shot during the half while Tottenham fired nine at Rob Elliot’s goal with two finding the target. Mauricio Pochettino’s side had also dominated possession over the first 45 minutes.
So, how could Newcastle have turned those stats and the match in their favour? To find out, we used Football Manager to replay the match and tried out a variety of tactics as the Toon – here’s what worked for Benitez’s side.
Structure, Stamina and Set-Pieces
Newcastle’s best spell in the match yesterday came in the opening 20 minutes when they saw more of the ball than at any other stage of the game and looked lively from set-pieces. Their ability to crowd out the Tottenham midfield without losing their shape amongst the back four gave The Magpies a foothold in the match.
On FM, we tried to replicate this and asked the team to play with a structured shape and tasked Shelvey and Hayden with closing down Dier and Wanyama in order to cut off some of the supply to Eriksen, Alli and Kane.
This was particularly effective in the first half as Tottenham struggled to adapt their tactics around our strategy. Hayden repeatedly harangued Wanyama and restricted his options to playing mainly sidewards passes to Dier, who in turn was pressured into mistakes by Shelvey.
So far, so good but the real Newcastle side wilted in the second half and lost their shape quickly after Shelvey’s red card. We were keen to ensure the same thing wouldn’t happen in the virtual encounter so asked our full-backs to press the Tottenham wide men in case Tottenham attempted to switch their attacking focus away from the centre of the pitch.
Clever movement in midfield allowed Pochettino’s side to occasionally break through the midfield but with Ciaran Clark and Florian Lejeune asked to work together to block service to Harry Kane, Spurs were reduced to shooting from distance. Tiredness across our backline afforded Kane his first real glimpse of goal but Rob Elliot produced a good save to deny him.
Perhaps the biggest problem for Newcastle yesterday was a lack of very little in the way of chance creation. We inadvertently created opportunities for Dwight Gayle as the game opened up and Spurs switched to a more attacking style of play in search of a goal but found that we struggled to create any clear-cut chances – something that could become a regular feature for Newcastle this season.
Newcastle’s biggest threat yesterday came from set-pieces and it proved to be the case for us as well. Our winning goal came courtesy of a Clark header from a corner inside the last ten minutes with Tottenham set up to hit us on the counter. Matt Ritchie also forced Lloris into a good save from a free-kick from just outside the box but our attacking performance was far less satisfactory than our defensive one. Benitez will need to address that if Newcastle are to pull themselves clear of a relegation scrap this season.
FM Score: Newcastle 1-0 Tottenham Conclusions
Benitez certainly sent his team out yesterday with the right mindset and tactical approach as Football Manager proved.
Their pressing of Tottenham on a wider pitch than perhaps Spurs were comfortable with turned the game into a dull stalemate in the first half. Shelvey’s red card left them more vulnerable defensively but the team quickly abandoned their shape as tempers frayed around the Dele Alli incident.
By expanding on the pressing game that Benitez utilised early on in the game we were able to frustrate Spurs and confine the majority of play to the centre of the park as neither side particularly threatened at any point.
We rode our luck at times, grabbed a cheap headed goal and shut up shop to take a narrow but satisfying win. Rafa might have to rely on similar tactics if he wants to secure Newcastle’s survival this season.
After just three games of the new Premier League season, Slaven Bilic’s fate as West Ham manager appears to be balancing on a knife-edge. In fact, The TelegraphÂbelieve the Hammers gaffer has just a few games left to save his job with the Irons currently bottom of the table, yet to claim a single point and accompanied by an incredibly unflattering goal difference.But has Bilic passed the point of no return? Does he deserve more time to turn it around? Is the uncertainty surrounding his future little more than a knee-jerk reaction to an underwhelming start to the season? FootballFanCast are laying out the arguments for and against handing Bilic his P45, and then letting you decide what his fate should be.
Time to go – Chris McMullan
There is, no doubt, enough blame to share around. No-one should get away with it easily. There’s blame for the board, blame for the players and yes, blame for the manager.
It shouldn’t be blame for just one thing, either. There’s both a terrible transfer window, an unprepared squad and a catastrophic start to the season to be accounted for here. It can’t all be laid at Bilic’s door, but then what else can realistically be done?
For a start, if the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over in the hope of a different result, there is at least evidence to suggest that the Hammers board has changed tack this summer. This time last year, the squad was filled with the sorts of new arrivals that only charitably bring the phrase ‘quantity over quality’ to mind. This year, things were at least different, as big name signings came to the London Stadium. Even if a much-needed central midfielder eluded them this window, they’ve tried in other areas. There could well be repercussions for the failures, but we still don’t know who’s fault they are.
Then again, there is also a sense that history is somehow repeating. When Sam Allardyce left West Ham he wasn’t sacked. His contract simply wasn’t renewed. Yet if that sounds like the kind of mutually beneficial sanity that escapes most trigger happy football clubs these days, it shouldn’t. Allardyce wasn’t renewed because it would have cost money to sack him.
Bilic is in a strikingly similar position this year. His contract runs out at the end of the season and it’s looking like he won’t be renewed either. Worse still, the situation looks like it will reach some sort of a climax before the summer, because at the moment, with the politics, the infighting and the leaked details around transfer failures and the terrible results on the pitch, Bilic will either have to be sacked or walk. And at the moment, from the outside looking in, it’s starting to look like the board are attempting to make him walk rather than pay him off.
If that’s the case, then come on lads: just get rid now. Stop these stupid power games and sack the manager like every other football club’s board of directors would. It’s sad that a man like Bilic would have to leave under such a cloud, but the stand-off helps no-one, and as much as some Hammers fans might like to see it, the board won’t sack themselves. So it’s Bilic who has to get it.
It’s time to wield the axe, bring in someone new, and at least try to avoid relegation at some point before Christmas. By which time it could well have become a genuine threat again.
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Have more faith – Christy Malyan
Yes, West Ham’s performances this season have ranged from anonymous to abysmal. Yes, there are many similarities to the Hammers’ erroneous first half of 2016/17. Yes, the Irons often appear to lack the most basic of organisation and have resultantly developed a disturbing knack of conceding the softest and simplest of goals. Whether that’s a consequence of tactics, team selections, training methods, pre-season preparations or all four, responsibility inevitably rests with the manager.
Yet, if you ever needed evidence of English football’s relentlessly increasing short-termism, this is surely it – debates over whether a manager who finished the season previous in eleventh place and the season prior to that in seventh, both with a largely unspectacular team whilst moving to a new stadium, should be sacked just three games into the new campaign.
Three away games, I might add, against a Manchester United side who look set to obliterate everything in their path this term, an ever-solid Southampton outfit who boasted a man advantage for the best part of an hour and a Newcastle team situated in a region West Ham rarely take points back to London from, regardless of who is in charge.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s no guarantee things would have been drastically different if all of those matches had taken place at the London Stadium. But there are still 35 Premier League fixtures to go and even in the space of another three games, West Ham’s season could look wholly different if they take something near maximum points against Huddersfield, West Brom and Tottenham.
Likewise, although Bilic has been left with much better tools to work with than last season following a summer which saw the board make four proven signings for the starting XI rather than the fringes of the squad, that is a challenge in itself. Bilic’s essentially being asked to instantaneously produce results while changing over a third of his usual team. It’s inevitable a few eggs will be broken.
Once again, many of the concerns vastly pre-date the first three games of the current campaign. But Bilic’s had so much to deal with during his time as West Ham manager; the move to the London Stadium, the horrendous transfer window of summer 2016, Dimitri Payet’s mid-season walk-out; it would be unjustifiable to lay all of those problems on his doorstep alone.
Furthermore, the phrase ‘the better the devil you know’ instantly comes to mind. Are there more talented managers out there than Bilic? Most certainly. But are there more talented managers with such a historic and emotional connection to the club, who understand the Irons’ unique, idiosyncratic, turbulent and often demanding fan-base? The board will be hard-pressed to find one.
There is little place for anything but the bottom line in football these days. But amid one of the most unpredictable eras of West Ham’s history, in which they hope the London Stadium can move them to a higher level but will undoubtedly create many debasing problems along the way, a true steward of Bilic’s description can be invaluable.
Of course, results are results and Bilic must face the music if they’re not good enough. But before the Irons dispose of a manager who can act as both the balancing act and the lightening rod amid a period of uncertainty, it’s worth giving him a fair crack of the whip. Show some faith and let Bilic determine his own fate.
Tottenham Hotspur very rarely provide specific timelines of recovery for their injured stars, which leaves fans guessing.
Erik Lamela and Danny Rose have had lengthy spells on the treatment table, and as it stands, it remains unclear as to when the pair will return to action.
Lamela has undergone two hip operations over the past 11 months, while Rose has not played since January due to a knee problem.
It is rather concerning that the club do not know when the pair will be available for manager Mauricio Pochettino to select, and the ongoing uncertainty continues to irk the fans.
Not only that, but Victor Wanyama has joined the pair in the treatment room after hurting his knee at the start of the month.
Ahead of Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup game against Barnsley at Wembley, Tottenham revealed the team news on Twitter.
It is safe to say that the supporters were not surprised by the update as it looked all too familiar.
As reported by The Mirror, Liverpool and Everton are interested in signing one of England’s U20 World Cup winning starlets this January.
What’s the story?
While both clubs haven’t been shy in splashing the cash on established talents in recent transfer windows, it’s always prudent to keep an eye on the upcoming stars of the future and the two Merseyside clubs have both settled on one player in particular.
The Mirror say both clubs are interested in signing Charlton defender Ezri Konsa, a 19 year old who has just completed his first season as a professional for the League One side.
With players like Joe Gomez and Ademola Lookman already moving from the Addicks to the city in recent years, the paper reckon the club are preparing for January offers for their latest talent.
Who is he?
Konsa has limited experience of course, but in his short time playing for Charlton has shown significant potential, even winning their Young Player Of The Season award last term as they finished mid-table in League One.
He was also part of England’s U20 World Cup winning squad, making his youth international debut against Italy in the semi-final of the tournament.
It’s important for Premier League clubs to secure the best young English talent available and Konsa falls into that category in his position.
With the versatility to play at centre-back, right-back and in midfield, he’s shown he has the potential to be a top-flight calibre player, can the likes of Everton or Liverpool help him get there?
Carlos Carvalhal is experiencing a stressful time at Sheffield Wednesday, and it seems that he needs to mend his relationship with the fans.
Last season, the Owls finished 12th and they currently occupy that spot in the 2017-18 campaign having won four, drawn four and lost four.
As it stands, the club are four points off the playoff positions, but the supporters are getting restless due to a string of disappointing results.
The team have managed just one win in their last four Championship outings and it came in the form of a 3-0 thumping over Leeds United.
The players were unable to hold on to that form as they returned from the international break with a 2-1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers, who are at the bottom of the table.
It was a humiliating loss for the Owls, particularly as Bolton’s second went down as an own goal from Sam Hutchinson.
Kieran Lee pulled a goal back in the 68th minute but it was not enough to inspire a comeback.
It is safe to say that the fans are ready to see a change in management.
Belgium rounded off their extremely impressive 2018 World Cup qualification campaign with a 4-3 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday night.
A late effort from Atletico Madrid attacker Yannick Ferreira Carrasco proved to be the difference between the two teams as Roberto Martinez’s side finished on a high.
It was a special night for Belgium’s Jan Vertonghen, who drew level with Jan Ceulemans on 96 appearances for the national team.
The Tottenham Hotspur centre-back also got his name on the scoresheet – netting Belgium’s third of the night in the 68th minute, which sent the visitors 3-2 ahead.
Vertonghen, who is valued at £25.2m by transfermarkt.co.uk is still only 30, and will soon set a new record when it comes to appearances.
He has developed into one of Europe’s finest centre-backs since joining Tottenham from Ajax in 2012, and as expected, the Spurs supporters have been out in force to pay tribute to the defender as he reached a very special milestone.
A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be found below: