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Newcastle United are reportedly set to make further efforts this month to complete the signing of an "elite" player, as they look to get a key piece of transfer business over the line.
The Magpies need new signings in the January transfer window, in order to breathe new life into their season, with Saturday's late 3-2 defeat at home to Manchester City their latest disappointing result. There are lots of players who have been touted as possible targets for Newcastle, with Kalvin Phillips perhaps the individual looking the most likely to seal a loan move to St James' Park, bringing an end to his spell at Manchester City.
VfB Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy is someone who the Magpies are believed to be looking at as a strong addition in attack, with the 27-year-old scoring a remarkable 17 goals in only 14 Bundesliga appearances so far this season and has a relatively cheap release clause.
Meanwhile, there is also a chance that Eddie Howe looks to bolster his defensive options in 2024, which is why the likes of Ousmane Diomande and Goncalo Inacio, both of whom are currently at Sporting CP, have been linked with moves to Newcastle.
According to a report from The Mirror, Newcastle arse set to step up their attempts to sign Ousmane Diomande, with owners PIF meaning business despite being "under the microscope" with FFP.
"Newcastle will step up their scouting of Ousmane Diomande this month in a bid to head off expected stiff competition for the Ivory Coast defender. Diomande, 20, has shot to prominence starring this season for Sporting Lisbon, who top the Portuguese Primeira Liga. He has made 21 appearances this term in Portugal playing recently at the centre of a back three for Sporting but can also play on the right."
The report goes on to add that "Newcastle may have to break their transfer record to land the starlet after previously buying Swedish striker Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad for a record £58million rising to £63m, including add-ons", with Diomande "valued at £70m". With Newcastle's finances "under the microscope", however, they are expected to bid lower than that to begin with, "amid the Premier League Financial Fair Play climate."
If the Magpies could strike a deal for Diomande in 2024, it could prove to be one of their most important pieces of business in some time, given the long-term ceiling that he has as a player. The 20-year-old is already a key figure for Sporting, starting 15 Primeira Liga matches this season and completing 91.2% of his passes, and the table below outlines the positive influence he is having:
| Ousmane Diomande's Primeira Liga stats this season | Total |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 15 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Clearances per game | 1.7 |
| Tackles per game | 1.5 |
| Pass completion rate | 91.2% |
The young Frenchman has been hailed as an "elite" player by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, who added that "you rarely see a player with such high ball-playing and pure defender skills", and Newcastle must do all they can to snap him up in January, making him a big signing for years to come.
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Ineos have already conducted multiple changes to their off-field staff, but they could also look to address Manchester United's issues on the field this month.
The Red Devils have become known for overpaying over the last few years, but that strategy looks set to change with the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Therefore, let's look at a potential bargain who could instantly improve Erik ten Hag's side.
According to a report from Football Transfers, United are currently scouting Marcus Edwards ahead of a possible move. It could well be done at a relative bargain price too.
Indeed, the winger is rumoured to be available for £30m, with his contract expiring in 2026.
That being said, unless funds are raised via sales in the month of January, a move this winter is unfortunately off the cards for the Red Devils.
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Charlie Smith
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Edwards is currently starring in Portugal for Sporting, with last season being his best to date, as he scored 12 goals and registered 14 assists in 51 matches. This campaign, the 25-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down, with the winger contributing to 11 goals already.
The prospect of signing another gem from Sporting will excite the United faithful, especially after they purchased Bruno Fernandes from the Portuguese club for an initial fee of £47m in January 2020.
The Portugal international's move to Old Trafford has been nothing short of a masterclass, with Fernandes earning the captain's armband and going down as the "best Man Utd player of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era" as per one journalist. Ten Hag's Portuguese magnifico has contributed to 129 goals in 213 games, which highlights his importance to the side.
But how does he compare to Edwards? Positionally not very much but they both boast seriously impressive numbers in the offensive thirds of play. The table below shows statistics from this Liga Portugal season which suggests that the former Spurs man could just have a similar effect on the side.
|
Edwards' 2023/24 Liga Portugal Stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90) |
Edwards |
League Percentile |
|
Non-penalty goals |
0.34 |
Top 28% |
|
Assists |
0.25 |
Top 26% |
|
xA |
0.40 |
Top 3% |
|
Goals/shot |
0.16 |
Top 22% |
|
Key passes |
3.56 |
Top 1% |
|
Shot-creating actions |
6.01 |
Top 3% |
|
Successful take-ons |
2.12 |
Top 17% |
|
Stats via FBref |
||
Edwards' output in front of goal is what makes him such a deadly forward and what separates him from United's current right winger, Antony, who's failed to even register a goal contribution since May.
His goals/shot ratio being in the top 22% in the league, which also indicates that he's a clinical finisher. Ten Hag desperately needs that considering his side have netted 24 goals in 21 Premier League games.
However, Edward's being a "creative outlet," as per football writer Ben Mattinson, is his biggest asset, with his direct approach causing havoc in attack.
The Englishman's impressive key passes, xA (expected assists), successful take-ons, and shot-creating actions all show his ability to make something happen out of nothing, inevitably bringing unpredictability to the stale United attack. The above makes him similar to Fernandes in terms of his wizard-like traits, with the captain creating the most big chances in the league last season.
Overall, Edwards would massively improve United, and due to his creativity, he could become Fernandes 2.0. For his skillset, £30m does seem like a steal, given today's market.
One manager has already emerged as the favourite to succeed Jon Dahl Tomasson at Blackburn Rovers, as per The Lancashire Telegraph.
Tomasson’s tenure in charge at Ewood Park looks set to come to an end, with an announcement over his departure expected to come on Thursday once approved by the Venky’s in India.
The 47-year-old wasn't allowed to speak to the press ahead of Rovers' game against QPR last weekend following Deadline Day drama involving target Duncan McGuire. Rovers wanted to sign McGuire from Orlando City, however, a deal broke down due to an “administrative error” from the Lancashire side and a transfer was cancelled with McGuire mid-flight. In a statement, Blackburn said:
“Duncan McGuire’s proposed loan move to Blackburn Rovers from MLS side Orlando City has not been approved by the EFL to date due to the registration documents being submitted after the 11pm transfer deadline.
“All of the necessary signed paperwork had been completed prior to 10pm on Thursday February 1st, however due to an administrative error, the forms were not processed within the prescribed time. Detailed discussions with legal representatives and the relevant football authorities have taken place over the past few days to try to reach an urgent and positive resolution to the matter.”
As we know, Blackburn then fell to defeat on Saturday against QPR, and it looks as if that will be Tomasson’s last time in the Ewood Park dugout.
Therefore, Rovers appear to be on the search for the Danish manager’ successor, with the club seemingly wasting no time.
The Lancashire Telegraph’s Elliott Jackson shared a big Blackburn Rovers news story on Thursday morning, revealing that those at Ewood Park have identified John Eustace as the early frontrunner to replace Tomasson.
He appears to be in pole position to take over as he ‘leads the running to come in as the new head coach’, with Blackburn looking at a swift long-term appointment instead of a caretaker.
Eustace has been out of work since October when he was controversially sacked at Birmingham City despite having Blues in the playoff places. As we know, since then, Birmingham have struggled under Wayne Rooney and now have former Rovers boss Tony Mowbray in charge. It shows what an “excellent” job he did in the Midlands, as dubbed by Alan Briggs.
He has also been a manager of interest over recent months, with Derby County, Stoke City and most recently Huddersfield Town all linked with a move for Eustace.
The 44-year-old, who plays a 3-5-2 system, appeared to be going from strength to strength during his early days as a manager at Birmingham., so he could look to pick up where he left off at Ewood Park, making this one to watch.
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Wolverhampton Wanderers missed out on signing a new striker despite sporting director Matt Hobbs working on a number of deadline-day options.
The Old Gold had to deal with working behind the scenes on new signings alongside focusing on their Premier League clash with Manchester United. However, things didn’t go well in the market or on the pitch, with Gary O’Neil’s side suffering a dramatic 4-3 defeat at Molineux and failing to sign a new striker.
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Talking after the defeat, O’Neil didn’t sound happy when talking about the fact Wolves failed to sign a new striker, saying:
"We didn't manage to get a nine done. There were a few that I really liked and we couldn't afford any. We could afford some, but not ones that I thought would help us. The group is the group and we get to work on trying to maximise it."
O’Neil was then asked if, looking back on things, he would have kept Sasa Kalajdzic and Fabio Silva, to which he said: "I don't want to go through what ifs. It's important Sasa plays and I don't think he'd have played much for us. It's important that Fabio plays and he wouldn't have played much for us.”
Attacking midfielder Noha Lemina was the only arrival of the month from Paris Saint-Germain, and updates are coming to light over Hobbs’ search for a new striker.
A deal for Armando Broja from Chelsea was thought to be close, but as we know, he ended up joining Fulham on loan. Meanwhile, Wolves and Hobbs were also actively looking to sign Yuri Alberto from Corinthians, with reliable reporter Liam Keen of The Express & Star even revealing an agreement was reached before it broke down.
“A deal to bring in Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto on a loan with an option to buy was agreed with the club and player, but Alberto’s agent demanded more money before the deal was finalised and Wolves pulled out of the transfer as a result.”
Alberto has been hailed by Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig in the past, who described the Brazilian as a “complete forward”. The 22-year-old has plied the majority of his club career in his native country, alongside a stint at Zenit St Petersburg and could have been a shrewd addition for the second half of the campaign and possibly further if he impressed.
Who knows, a deal could be revisited in the summer, where you’d expect Wolves to remain in the Premier League with O’Neil’s side 11 points clear of the drop zone.
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Tottenham Hotspur returned to winning ways in the Premier League over the weekend as they beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 at home on Saturday.
The Lilywhites bounced back from a 2-2 draw with Everton by securing a win over Roberto De Zerbi's side, thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Brennan Johnson.
Heung-min Son, on his first appearance since returning from international duty, supplied the assist with a perfect cross to the back post for the former Nottingham Forest attacker to convert into an empty net.
It was a third Premier League goal of the season for the Wales international, whilst Timo Werner failed to register a goal or an assist on the opposite flank.
Both players arrived at Spurs this term, with the former in the summer and the latter in January, but some may wonder what could have been with one of the club's reported targets.
During the January transfer window, it was reported that Tottenham and Liverpool both had an interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers star Hee-chan Hwang.
Football Insider claimed that both clubs were monitoring his performances as the South Korea international had been on fire in the Premier League for Gary O'Neil's side.
The outlet claimed that a move ahead of the second half of the 2023/24 campaign was unlikely but added that Wolves are fearful of a summer exit for their impressive attacker.
There was no mention at the time of how much it would have cost Spurs to sign him in January, or how much they are prepared to demand at the end of the season.
Ultimately, Tottenham did not decide to test Wolves' resolve with an offer to sign Hwang and missed out on acquiring his services last month.
Whilst they may revisit their interest in the summer, Ange Postecoglou and Daniel Levy could have landed an upgrade on Werner, who they signed on loan from RB Leipzig, if they had convinced their rivals to part way with Hwang, who has more goals and assists than Johnson this season.
The Welsh whiz has made 21 appearances in the top-flight since his move from Nottingham Forest and has failed to provide consistent quality in the final third.
His finishing has left a lot to be desired as the 22-year-old winger has scored three goals from an xG of 4.80, which suggests that he has let his teammates down at times with wasteful finishing.
Whereas, his fellow attackers have more than made the most of the chances that Johnson has created for them, as the young gem has recorded four assists from an xA of 1.93.
In total, the Spurs forward has produced three goals and four assists in 24 matches in all competitions, with three appearances in the two domestic cups, which is a return of one goal or assist every 3.43 games on average.
It has been far from a perfect first season at Tottenham for Johnson but he has plenty of time left, at the age of 22, to develop and improve over the years to come.
Whereas, Werner, 27, was brought in to make an instant impact on loan and Hwang would have offered far more than him at the top end of the pitch.
The Germany international joined the club from RB Leipzig last month and registered an assist on his debut against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Werner is five appearances into his career in North London and is still on the search for his first goal for the club, although he did add another assist in the 3-2 win over Brentford at the end of January.
His lack of consistent quality in the final third should not come as any real surprise given his struggles with Leipzig during the first half of the season.
The 27-year-old winger scored two goals, from 2.36 xG, and failed to provide a single assist, from 0.10 xA, in eight Bundesliga outings for the German side. He also ended up with zero goals and zero assists in four Champions League matches for his parent club.
In total, Werner has two goals and three assists to his name in 19 appearances in all competitions for Spurs and Leipzig combined so far this season, which is just shy of one goal contribution every four games on average.
This shows that the former Chelsea attacker has not provided outstanding quality as either a scorer or a creator of goals for either side, as a striker or a winger.
Meanwhile, Hwang's performances for Wolves this season suggest that Spurs could have brought in a better player than Werner – an upgrade – if they had secured his services in January.
The 28-year-old dynamo has proven his quality in the Premier League with a string of impressive displays for the Old Gold since O'Neil's arrival in the dugout last summer.
He has produced ten goals, three assists, and four 'big chances' created in 20 top-flight appearances, which includes 17 starts, and scored one goal in one EFL Cup match.
This means that Hwang has racked up 11 goals and three assists in 21 outings in all competitions for Wolves, which is a return of one goal or assist every 1.5 games, and that is seven more goal contributions than the aforementioned Johnson has managed.
|
23/24 league season |
Timo Werner |
Hee-chan Hwang |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
12 |
20 |
|
xG |
2.93 |
5.96 |
|
Goals |
Two |
Ten |
|
xA |
1.07 |
2.34 |
|
Assists |
Two |
Three |
|
Big chances created |
One |
Four |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, the Old Gold star, who was recently hailed as "fantastic" by O'Neil, has offered more at the top end of the pitch than Werner throughout the 2023/24 campaign.
Whilst the German attacker has underperformed his xG with wasteful finishing, Hwang has been lethal in front of goal with roughly four more goals than expected.
The £70k-per-week whiz currently ranks within the top 6% of Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers for non-penalty goals (0.56) per 90, which illustrates how impressive his scoring has been in the top-flight.
Therefore, Spurs missed out on a big Werner upgrade, who has also outperformed Johnson, by opting against a swoop to sign the Wolves dynamo in January.
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