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Newcastle United are eyeing up a move to sign a new attacker for Eddie Howe at the end of the current Premier League season as PIF look to make progress towards their goal of becoming the best side in world football.

Newcastle endure tough summer

Despite high hopes heading into the transfer window, Newcastle fans were left disappointed when the window ultimately slammed shut, having failed to make any major signings. After balancing their books through the sales of highly-rated pair Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson, the Magpies tried to pull off a £70m move for Marc Guehi, only for Crystal Palace to reject their multiple advances.

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He’s soaring toward stardom…

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 13, 2024

It meant that Lloyd Kelly on a free transfer was their only defensive addition, with two goalkeepers signed as well as young attacking talent William Osula.

Having kept their powder dry this summer though, there is plenty of scope for future investment, and Howe's side are thought to be keeping tabs on a new forward.

Magpies eye up cheap deal in 2025

Now, it has been reported that Newcastle are keeping an eye on the situation of Leroy Sané at Bayern Munich as they look for a potential cheap deal. Sané is down to the final 12 months of his £325,000 a week deal in Bavaria, and is yet to pen fresh terms with the German giants, for whom he has featured 175 times.

Leroy Sané at Bayern Munich

Appearances

175

Goals

48

Assists

50

Minutes per goal/assist

118

He is yet to play for them this season though, having undergone groin surgery over the summer and only returning to training just before the international break. There are longer term concerns over his position at the Allianz Arena too, with Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, Mathys Tel and summer addition Michael Olise all fighting it out for the two wide spots for Vincent Kompany's side.

Now, GiveMeSport claim that Newcastle are one of the sides keeping a close eye on his situation, and are ready to offer the German a route back to the Premier League "within the next 12 months", either on a cut-price January deal or as a free transfer in the summer.

It is added that for Sané to remain at Bayern, "he will have to take a pay cut" on his current salary, while there are also "plans" in place "to bring in further reinforcements" in the wide areas after missing out on Desire Doué over the summer.

A move to Tyneside would certainly offer Sané regular first team football, with Newcastle still in the market for a right winger to mirror the performances of Anthony Gordon on the opposite flank. Still just 28-years-old, Sané is still one of the top wingers in world football, and was hailed by both England captain Harry Kane and former Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel across the past 12 months.

"I love playing with Leroy. We have a very good connection – on and off the pitch. He's a fantastic player and a fantastic guy," Kane told Sport1 after a win over Heidenheim in 2023.

Meanwhile, in the same month Thomas Tuchel explained: “Physically he’s a machine. He can implement our instructions like almost nobody else. As well as his talent, his physical condition is top-class."

For now, it remains a case of waiting to see how contract talks unfold, but were he to become available then Newcastle would be ready to make a statement signing, and bring in the first already world-class signing of Howe's reign.

With their return to European action right around the corner, Aston Villa have been handed a crucial injury boost with two more first-team stars on course to make their returns after Emi Buendia returned to the fold on Saturday.

Aston Villa injury news

The Villans are set to square off against Young Boys on Tuesday in their first Champions League game since the 1982/83 campaign. The historic occasion will represent just how far Unai Emery has taken the Midlands club and just how much further the Spaniard could yet taken them, such is his managerial prowess.

Aston Villa to make new attempt to sign "superb" 23 y/o who dominated Digne

The Villans know all about his quality…

ByTom Cunningham Sep 13, 2024

Meanwhile, in the Premier League, the aim will be to make it back-to-back top four finishes to ensure that the last campaign was no blip and that Aston Villa are very much here to stay among England’s elite. Only time will tell whether they manage to secure that achievement, however. Just ask Newcastle United just how difficult a task it is and they’ll heed the warning that squad depth is key.

The Magpies struggled to balance the Champions League and domestic football last season, suffering an injury crisis along the way in a relatively thin squad. So far though, it is the type of bad luck that Villa have avoided. In fact, they’ve just been handed a triple injury boost out of Bodymoor Heath.

As confirmed by Emery, Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings are nearing returns after missing the majority of last season through injury. The Villa boss told reporters via Birmingham Live: “Very good news, very good news. They are starting to train with us, Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara as well.

“Emi Buendia is of course getting more time and he is close to start playing again in official matches with us. Mings and Kamara I think in a few weeks will be available to be in the squad and start playing as well.”

"Fantastic" Buendia can ease Diaby blow

One negative in an otherwise positive summer transfer window was the departure of Moussa Diaby to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad. The winger swapped the Midlands for the chance to join Karim Benzema’s side in Saudi just one year after arriving. Turning towards Jaden Philogene as a result of the departure, both he and the returning Buendia should ensure that Diaby becomes a forgotten man at Villa Park.

The former Norwich City star is yet to get a real taste of life under Emery, especially in the side that qualified for the top four last season, but has more than enough quality to make an impact. Now 27 years old and likely in his prime, Buendia can return with a bang after missing over 50 games of action.

Emery praised the midfielder after his injury comeback in pre-season, saying via BBC Sport: “The best news is his comeback. Emiliano Buendia’s comeback after one year.

“We are happy with his return and we have to work now with him trying to get the best of him progressively. The first 30 minutes he played, really, is fantastic for us and for the team.”

All three men represent key returns for a Villa side who will need all the depth they can get to complete some major shocks among Europe’s elite this season.

He was initially appointed only for the Zimbabwe tour, and is due to return to coaching the Cape Cobras

Mohammad Isam26-Jul-2021The BCB wants to extend former South Africa batter Ashwell Prince’s contract as batting consultant up to this year’s T20 World Cup. ESPNcricinfo understands, however, that Prince is yet to agree to the BCB’s new offer.Prince was initially roped in only for Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe, which concluded on Sunday, with the understanding that he would return to coaching the South African domestic side Cape Cobras.According to Akram Khan, the BCB’s cricket operations chairman, the BCB remains satisfied with Prince’s work in Zimbabwe after having received positive feedback from some of the players during the tour.”We had appointed him for the Zimbabwe series initially,” Khan said. “Since it will be hard to get a coach before the T20 World Cup, we took a bit of feedback and it has been generally positive. I think some of our batsmen did really well in Zimbabwe. Some of the players told us that they have confidence in him. They are satisfied with his work.”So we plan to go ahead with him. We can confirm that he is with us till the T20 World Cup. We will take on a decision on his further involvement (after the World Cup) over the course of the next week.”ESPNcricinfo has learned, however, that negotiations between the BCB and Prince are still ongoing, contrary to Khan’s statement.Related

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Liton Das ruled out of Australia series

After the first day’s play during Bangladesh’s one-off Test in Zimbabwe, at the end of which wicketkeeper-batter Liton Das had scored 95, Prince hailed Das for breaking through the concentration barrier, following which Das too acknowledged Prince’s contribution just before play began the next day.Shortly after taking the role, Prince had said that since his job was only restricted to one tour, he would look to stay out of the way of the batters and instead only look to help out Russell Domingo, the head coach.Prince had joined the Bangladesh coaching staff alongside former Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath, who was appointed spin-bowling coach until the T20 World Cup. Prince’s potential extension gives Bangladesh’s coaches some stability going into a busy season, which includes T20Is against Australia, England and New Zealand, and culminates with the T20 World Cup that begins in mid-October.GMT 1645 The story was amended when ESPNcricinfo learned that Prince was yet to accept the BCB’s offer.

Arsenal's Leah Williamson has shown off her love for the club only further by sporting a custom jacket on her way to training.

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Williamson wears custom Arsenal jacketDefender grew up supporting clubGunners back from winter breakFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Arsenal's women's side returned to training after a brief winter break this week and, on her way into training, Williamson wore the jacket inspired by the kit worn by the men's 2004-05 team – comprising of the central Arsenal badge and the famous O2 sponsoring. The custom jacket used a classic Premier League font with Williamson's number six on the back and the name 'Gooner' – the nickname given to an Arsenal fan – above the number. On the right sleeve, the jacket had her initials 'LW6' written and on the left, there was the Arsenal cannon.

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Williamson has been an Arsenal fan her whole life and has regularly shared photos of her watching the club as a child. She joined the club aged eight, developed in their academy and made her senior debut in 2014 before going on to become an integral member of the side. Williamson has captained the club in Kim Little's absence and signed a new multi-year deal to stay in north London.

DID YOU KNOW?

This is not the first custom Arsenal jacket to be made by Antonia Bronze. The designer has made jackets for a number of Arsenal men's players' wives and girlfriends, including Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes and Bukayo Saka, as well as for Yasmin Bergkamp, the daughter of Arsenal legend Dennis.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR WILLIAMSON?

Williamson and Arsenal return to action against Bristol City in the FA Cup fourth round next Sunday before they take on Crystal Palace in their first WSL game after the winter break. The Gunners have been on an impressive run of form under interim-boss Renee Slegers and will hope it can continue.

Mohamed Salah has confirmed that he is learning Spanish, but the Liverpool superstar insists that is not a nod towards a possible La Liga transfer.

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Free agency beckons in 2025Linked with teams around the worldRemains coy on future plansFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

As things stand, the Egyptian forward could find himself on the move in the summer of 2025. That is because his contract at Anfield continues to run down. If no extension is agreed, then Salah will hit free agency at the end of the current campaign.

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Various landing spots have been mooted for Salah – from Saudi Arabia to Paris – with the 32-year-old continuing to give little away when being quizzed on his future. He has, however, shut down any talk of an imminent switch to Spain being lined up.

WHAT SALAH SAID

Speaking with , Salah said when asked if a stint in La Liga could be on the cards given the lessons that he has been taking away from the field: "I’m just learning the language a little, and I can say things like ‘how are you?’ but that doesn’t mean I’m considering living in Spain."

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Getty/GOALDID YOU KNOW?

While Salah has distanced himself from the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, Liverpool team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold is seeing a move to Santiago Bernabeu speculated on as his deal runs down. Salah said when asked for any inside information: "Trent is not very talkative [about his plans], he’s crazy though, and I love him a lot."

Steve Patterson’s decision at the toss leads to long day in the field for the home side

Paul Edwards11-Jul-2021Lancashire 273 for 2 (Jennings 132, Davies 84) vs YorkshireNothing upstages a Roses match. Ask a good few Yorkshiremen of more mature years where they were on the afternoon when England won the World Cup in 1966 and they will inform you they were in enemy territory watching their side make 50 for 3 against Lancashire at Old Trafford. “It bloody rained,” they might add, “but then it’s Manchester.” They might omit to tell you that one of the dismissed batsmen was G Boycott (c Worsley b Lever 0) although they will probably include in their recollection the fact that Yorkshire won the match by 12 runs, Ray Illingworth taking 5 for 33.Now, though, it is the vivid present and on a cloudy Leeds afternoon Steve Patterson is trying to make the breakthrough his team desperately need. Brian Close led Yorkshire to the first of a hat-trick of Championships 55 years ago and winning the title would not mean a scruple less to Patterson than it did to the “old bald blighter”, as Alan Gibson called him. But things are not going well. Having decided just before the toss to bowl instead of bat – his decision was apparently prompted by the overhead conditions rather than James Anderson’s presence in Lancashire’s team – Patterson is watching Alex Davies and Keaton Jennings share a stand of 163 for the first wicket. The ground is heavy with incipience and for many Yorkshire supporters it takes the form of anxiety as they worry whether this will be the first season since 2011 in which their side will lose both Roses games. Then Jordan Thompson, who is rapidly becoming a White Rose standard-bearer, brings one back off the seam to Davies, who is lbw for a fine 84. “Maybe this changes things,” think the crowd. “Maybe.”Or maybe not. Yorkshire took only one more wicket on this opening day of the game. The triumph was claimed by Thompson who accepted a chipped return catch off Jennings but by then the opener had become the 13th Lancashire batsman to score two first-class centuries against Yorkshire in the same season and had joined a list that includes Archie MacLaren, Cyril Washbrook and Mike Atherton. But let us resist the lure of the past. Jennings’ 132 had included four fours in seven deliveries from Dom Leech, whose short spell with the second new ball was something of a punishment. The Lancashire opener hit 15 fours and a six in his 335-minute innings, almost every one of the boundaries being scored on the off side in the mighty segment than stretches from third man to straight down the ground. By the close Lancashire were 273 for 2 and the decision to bowl looked like a foolish impulse. Lancashire would have batted although it was a close call. The verdict of hindsight is one of the travails of captaincy. Patterson probably knows it. So did Close, not that he would ever admit so much.Related

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But this was also a fine day for Davies, a player who ‘gets’ professional county cricket and has done so from his first day in the job. Davies made his debut, two days short of his 17th birthday, almost a decade ago in a 40-over match against Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay. He conceded no byes as the home side piled up 328 for 4; in addition he chivvied his bowlers to greater effort at every opportunity. Standing next to him at slip, the 25-year-old Tom Smith enquired as the debutant’s age and suddenly felt rather ancient.Davies’s initials are A L and so it has been “Al” since his first few weeks in Lancashire’s dressing room, a place in which he belonged almost at once. He is the combative bantam-weight at Emirates Old Trafford; he bats like a man unvisited by regrets and on days like this he has nothing to repent. Davies’ punched cover-drives and thumps through midwicket proclaimed his simple philosophy of life quite as eloquently as anything he might say, not that he is reluctant to express opinions on the game. Before the last Roses match he said that Yorkshire “are not the team they used to be” and he will have no doubt regarded Lancashire’s innings victory in May as a thumping vindication of his judgement. Now, with his side in the seven and six seats once again, Davies is no doubt savouring the possibility of inflicting another hammering on Yorkshire.It is close of play and nearly eight hours since Patterson won his ninth toss in ten Championship games this season. In the first hour of play Yorkshire’s new-ball pairing, Ben Coad and Leech were a trifle unlucky, details that may appear in a coach’s notebook but not in the scorecards that will still be studied when another 55 years have passed. Let us hope they are studied anyway. For the moment there is only this moment. Chants can already be heard coming from The Headingley Taps and not even Emmott Robinson would fool himself they concern cricket. The air is thick with the unfenced emotional intensity of another sport.

It’s been a stressful start to the Premier League season for Arsenal this year.

Mikel Arteta’s side won their first two matches, but a Declan Rice sending-off in their third saw them drop points for the first time in the campaign. Then, club captain Martin Odegaard injured his ankle on international duty and will be out of action for at least three weeks.

However, despite the odds, the Gunners travelled up Seven Sister Road to take on Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby and, with their second-string midfield, claimed all three points.

It wasn’t a game of massive quality, but it was an important win, and while the effort was unquestionable to a man, Gabriel Martinelli continued to frustrate in front of goal, which is a part of his game he must work on, especially as there is a promising youngster at Hale End who could well be challenging him in the coming seasons.

Gabriel Martinelli's recent form

Now, the first thing to establish is that at his best, Martinelli is one of the most electric and exciting wingers in the Premier League, as demonstrated by his haul of 15 goals and six assists in 46 games in the 22/23 season.

However, therein lies the problem: he’s not been at his best for some time now.

For example, despite the rest of the team maintaining and even improving on their form last season, the Brazilian took a noticeable step backwards and ended the campaign with a rather underwhelming tally of eight goals and five assists in 44 matches, meaning he went from averaging a goal involvement every 2.19 games to every 3.38 games.

Appearances

46

44

4

Goals

15

8

0

Assists

6

5

0

Goal Involvements per Match

0.45

0.29

0.00

Unfortunately, the Guarulhos-born dynamo has continued this poor form in front of goal into this season. After four league games, totalling 251 minutes, he has failed to score or assist a goal despite having more than a handful of brilliant chances to do so.

The fact that he has had the chances is what makes it so much more frustrating for fans, as he still has the ability to beat opposition defenders and at points against Spurs, looked like a real threat, but as it did last season, his final ball, shot or decision let him down.

There is still a chance the former Ituano gem can rediscover the form that won him so many plaudits a couple of years ago, but if he doesn’t, he could lose his place in the starting lineup, and in a couple of years, he could even lose his place in the squad to a promising youngster in the academy.

Why fans should be excited about Ismeal Kabia

So, the exciting youngster in question is 18-year-old winger Ismeal Kabia, who was one of five Hale End graduates who made the bench for Sunday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur, alongside Ethan Nwaneri, Ayden Heaven, Myles Lewis Skelly and Maldini Kacurri.

The young Dutchman didn’t get on the pitch, but the fact he was even selected for the bench shows that Arteta and the club have a lot of faith in him and hope for what he could become in a few years and, in turn, who he could rival.

Now, while the talented prospect is primarily a right-winger, eight of his 22 starts and 33 appearances have come off the left, and much like how Martinelli was used on the right in the final game last season, there is no reason the youngster couldn’t be used more on the left in the future, which would also allow him to cut inside and use his right foot.

In his 33 appearances for the various youth sides over the last couple of years, the “excellent finisher”, as dubbed by podcaster Will Balsam, has scored four goals and provided four assists. While those aren’t incredible numbers, they are encouraging.

Moreover, perhaps his most significant selling point is his lightning-quick pace, as Balsam described the 18-year-old as a “spark plug” and the “fastest player we’ve seen at Hale End in the last 10 years”, which is saying something and could see him given a chance to play in cup games down the line.

Overall, while Martinelli is an incredible player, he needs to rediscover his goalscoring form, and even though Kabia is still a young, predominantly right-sided player, he’s shown promise off the left and may well become a more common fixture in squads going forward with the ultimate intention of battling the Brazilian for his starting spot down the line.

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The experienced ace should miss out on Thursday’s Champions League opener.

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Former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema revealed what he told Vinicius Junior after his disappointment at Ballon d'Or last month.

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Benzema caught up with Real Madrid players in JeddahSpoke with Vinicius Jr about Ballon d'Or snubReal Madrid will face Barca in Supercopa de Espana finalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After a strong performance for Los Blancos in the 2023-24 season, Vinicius Jr was among the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or in 2024, however, it was Manchester City and Spain star Rodri who bagged the prestigious award. The Ballon d'Or snub left the winger disappointed, who, along with the entire Real Madrid squad, decided to boycott the ceremony in Paris.

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Ex-Real Madrid star and 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Benzema visited his former colleagues in their team hotel in Jeddah where he caught up with Vinicius Jr and spoke at length about his snub at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. The Spanish champions are in Saudi Arabia to compete in the Supercopa de Espana.

WHAT KARIM BENZEMA SAID

Speaking to , the French forward said: "We talked more like friends. Strangely, but we talked more about life than football. It was nice. I watch the games and we talked a bit. With Vinicius, for example, we talked about the Ballon d'Or, but deep down it was a chat with everyone, about simple things, about life."

When asked what he told the Brazil star, Benzema added: "Don't pay attention, don't lower your intensity because you are the best in the world and one day you will win the Ballon d'Or."

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Carlo Ancelotti's side, who comfortably beat Mallorca in the semi-final, will next face rivals Barcelona in the final of Super de Espana on Sunday.

James Anderson strikes twice, but visitors in position of strength after being asked to bat

Varun Shetty12-Aug-20215:12

VVS Laxman: KL Rahul’s gameplan and discipline were most impressive

Having been asked to bat when they wanted to bowl, and having negotiated rainy and overcast conditions, India finished day one at Lord’s looking healthy in all respects – on score, on scoring rate, and on wickets in hand. Much of that was down to their unbeaten centurion KL Rahul, who walked off in bright sunshine, having played a part in two century stands.That wickets-in-hand part was particularly significant after they decided to replace the injured Shardul Thakur with Ishant Sharma, effectively cutting their batting down to six specialists alongside Ravindra Jadeja. It was a bold move on many fronts, especially if they believed the dank conditions in the morning were more suited to their bowlers; it was either a show of faith or calculated pressure heaped on the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, who have struggled for form lately.Whatever it was, it needed the openers to click, and click they did. Rahul and Rohit Sharma put on India’s first century partnership outside Asia for the opening wicket since 2010 – 126, to set the tone on what turned out to be a glorious day for batting.For the duration of that stand, Rohit was the star. As he has been on India’s last few tours, Rohit was happy to leave and defend in the opening hour. When Sam Curran came on in the ninth over, he was briefly troubled by a front-foot plant across off stump to incoming deliveries. But he sorted that out in quick time – in a matter of minutes, really – and then put pressure on Curran with a giant 15th over that went for four boundaries. The best of these was a scrumptious push through point after jumping down the track to counter swing, and there was also a gentle flick to reinforce that the front-foot plant was gone. This helped get his batting flowing freely earlier than it has in recent innings, and contributed to him breaking a streak of scores in the thirties on this tour, World Test Championship final included. With all that out of the way, he brought up fifty, scored at close to four an over, and even showed a classic sign that he was on track for a big one: a hook that cleared fine leg.KL Rahul acknowledges the applause on getting to a hundred•Getty ImagesRahul looked assured at the other end, with his combination of soft hands and patience carrying on from the Nottingham Test. He ground it out while Rohit kept the scoring rate healthy, only opening up once he had lost his opening partner. In trademark style, this acceleration involved jumping down to England’s spin option Moeen Ali and launching him back over his head, before bringing out a variety of punches – front and back foot – square on the off side. The show only got better later in the day, with England’s tiring bowlers seeing a full stride from him as he leant into the kind of picturesque cover drives that he had avoided early on in a bid to play the ball as late as possible.For about an hour to begin the day, England seemed to have hit their straps with James Anderson and Ollie Robinson sharing the new ball. But it soon turned out that Anderson was both their best attacking as well as defensive bowler. With Curran rattled early and Mark Wood – who came in for the injured Stuart Broad – lacking consistency in the early parts of his spell, it was shaping up to be a long day in the field for England.Anderson was a late pick for England, given his quad troubles, and in the time between the end of his second spell and the start of his third – the 18th and 42nd overs respectively – it was easy going for Rohit. When Anderson did come back, Rohit was once again forced to think about his technique and after a brief period of scratching around, he was castled off one that nipped back to take the pad and then off stump. With 83, Rohit had made his highest Test score overseas.Into that Anderson spell walked a nervy Pujara, first surviving an lbw shout, then an edge through the cordon, before eventually poking one to Bairstow in the cordon. Rahul took the bulk of the strike against Anderson in the lead up to tea, with Kohli at the other end. When they came back, Kohli was fiddly too, stepping a long way across his stumps for the first twenty-or-so minutes of his innings, before settling into a more usual rhythm.Once again, after Anderson’s spell, India were comfortable. Kohli started reaching out to play his big cover drives and connected with a few, and Rahul grew more and more assured as he approached his first Test century since The Oval in 2018. He brought that up with a confident cut to the backward-point fence, and the pair added 117 for the third wicket at 3.37.It was Robinson who eventually dismissed Kohli, with the second new ball, with just over five overs left in the day, Root taking the catch at first slip and then trying to drum up some noise from the Lord’s crowd. He might have been wondering, though, if the day would have gone differently had he elected to bat.

Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a fantastic evening at Old Trafford with a comfortable and convincing 3-0 win over Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Lilywhites have now won four successive matches in all competitions and have scored three goals in each of their last three games, against United, Qarabag, and Coventry City.

Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski, and Dominic Solanke scored the goals for Spurs in Manchester, whilst Bruno Fernandes was shown a red card for a challenge on James Maddison in the first half.

Whilst it was a very positive evening for Ange Postecoglou on the whole, there is one player who should be brutally ditched from the starting XI after his dismal display – Timo Werner.

Timo Werner's performance against Manchester United in numbers

The Germany international started the game on the left flank, with Solanke through the middle and Johnson on the right, but failed to justify his inclusion in the line-up with a strong performance.

He ended the match with fewer touches (51) than Tottenham’s goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario (53), as the attacker struggled to impose himself on the match at times.

Despite his lack of touches of the ball, Werner still had two huge opportunities to find the back of the net through one-on-ones with Andre Onana, and fired his shot at the Red Devils stopper both times.

Minutes played

77

Goals + assists

0

Big chances missed

2

Dribbles completed

2/7

Duels won

2/5

Possession lost

17x

As you can see in the table above, Werner gave the ball away 17 times and missed two ‘big chances’ for Spurs, whilst also struggling in duels and dribbles.

The German attacker also failed to create any ‘big chances’ for his teammates and only completed 73% of his attempted passes at Old Trafford.

This dismal performance resulted in Werner was summed up by Gary Neville describing him as “really poor” during Sky Sports’ live commentary of the match, after his second one-on-one miss.

Why Postecoglou must ditch Werner

The Tottenham boss must now ruthlessly drop the former Chelsea man from his starting XI for the club’s next clash with Ferencvaros in midweek.

They are back in Europa League action in Hungary on Thursday night and Werner should be dropped down to the bench, to allow teenage starlet Mikey Moore to have a chance from the start.

The 28-year-old forward has produced zero goals, zero assists, and zero ‘big chances’ created in six matches across the Premier League, League Cup, and Europa League this season for Spurs.

Werner scored two goals in 13 top-flight games for Tottenham during the second half of last season, during his loan spell from RB Leipzig, and does not look likely to improve his lacklustre scoring record any time soon.

Moore, who has scored 19 goals in 24 games for the club at U18 level, should now be given an opportunity to show what he can do on the left wing in Heung-min Son’s absence, because the German winger has not done enough to justify his place in the team.

Defoe loved him: £26m Spurs signing became the biggest "flop of the season"

It looked like Spurs had signed a world-beater.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 24, 2024