Steve Bruce has dropped an update on Federico Fernandez before Newcastle United play Aston Villa at home in the Premier League on Friday night.
Speaking to the press in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match, the former AVFC and Sunderland boss confirmed: “Fernandez is back amongst it too which is good news”.
Newcastle need Fernandez back
The North East club need Fernandez back and fully fit as soon as possible, preferably to start the game against Dean Smith’s team at St. James’ Park.
In the last 10 matches that the former Swansea City ace has missed in the Premier League, the Tyneside club have picked up six losses, and conceded no fewer than 17 goals in the process (Transfermarkt).
It is clear that Bruce’s side need to tighten up at the back, and Fernandez would give the Magpies more defensive stability.
The Argentina international has won 4.1 of his duels a match in the top flight so far in the 2020/21 term, and has also averaged the most tackles (1.5) clearances (5.6) and blocks (1.3) than any other central defender at the Toon (Whoscored).
Nonetheless, NUFC will want Fernandez back in the heart of their defence as soon as possible, as the 32-year-old may well be in line to make his return to the side against Villa as they continue to battle to avoid being relegated.
In other news, find out which talent Lee Ryder has confirmed Newcastle are in talks to sign here!
Many Aston Villa fans were not happy with the performance of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez during the loss against West Ham on Wednesday night.
Dean Smith’s side lost 3-1, with new Hammers signing Jesse Lingard scoring a brace on his debut for the club. Both of his goals however were ones which Martinez will probably feel he should have saved, as he managed to get his hands on the ball both times. One supporter said it was the 28 year-old’s ‘worst performance in a Villa shirt’.
The former Arsenal shot-stopper has been a stand-out performer for the club since signing in the summer, and has received a lot of praise. Pundit Michael Brown said: “He’s going so well, he’s got that confidence and it just looks like a brilliant signing.”
Indeed his stats before the game against West Ham show why he has been a “brilliant signing”. In his 19 appearances this season, he has made 66 saves and kept ten clean sheets (Premier League) – this is the second most clean sheets in the division.
Martinez has probably won a lot of points for Villa this campaign, but fans have a right to be disappointed in his performance last night. Hopefully he will be back to his best for their next game.
Here is what Villa fans said about Martinez:
“Fuming that Martinez allowed Lingard to look like prime Lampard”
Credit: @KrisRobinsonn
“Just seen the two Lingaard goals.. wow, Martinez so poor”
Credit: @AvfcSims
“Another awful performance. Poor passing terrible defending! Worst performance in a villa shirt for Barkley, Martinez and Luiz. We are still in a much better place than last season. We go again Saturday Villa”
Credit: @GPlaza85
“Funny how things even themselves up isn’t it? Players have a great few games and then the standard drops. Martinez awful tonight and pretty ordinary last couple of weeks. Hopefully early season form is the real him #avfc”
Credit: @AVFC_AndyC
“Poor from on Martinez on two occasions tonight. Distribution has been poor as well. Been a fantastic signing and everyone is entitled to a bad game buts it’s cost us tonight”
Credit: @a_rankin1
“First time I’ve seen any poor goalkeeping from Martinez, so annoying #AVFC”
Credit: @Chloe_Villa
In other news: Aston Villa fans flocked to this update by Gregg Evans, find out more here!
Ben Jacobs has dropped an inside claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.
Writing in a Twitter thread on Friday’s High Court ruling (via NUFC) and its relevance to the takeover attempt, the journalist has claimed: “PIF sources tell me legal separation evidence was facilitated by royal decree. Unclear what validity this holds in the UK if (as EPL believe) gov. can control courts & Supreme Judicial Council of Saudi Arabia has members appointed by King Salman. It’s complicated.”
What does this mean for the potential Newcastle takeover?
One of the main arguments in the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test (ODT) is whether or not the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) are a separate entity from the Gulf country’s own government, which could significantly influence whether or not their original deal with Mike Ashley can be revived.
As Jacobs has explained, PIF believe that they have given evidence to show that they are a separate entity, but this was facilitated by royal decree, thus questioning the influence that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) may have had in this.
MBS and PIF are part of the consortium along with Amanda Staveley and the Reuben brothers looking to buy the St. James’ Park faithful, and so the case of legal separation is certainly a complicated one as Jacobs points out.
Nonetheless, PIF are not back on the table as of yet following the dragging on of the saga over the summer, and it looks as if matters may only become more clear toward the end of the 2020/21 term, with Steve Bruce’s team at serious risk of seeing themselves relegated from the top flight down to the EFL Championship.
In other news, find out what Mike Ashley claim Keith Downie has dropped on the potential takeover here!
Many Aston Villa fans heaped praise on defender Matty Cash despite his side’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Friday night.
It was the Villains’ first game since the New Year and they were edged out by a second-half penalty from Bruno Fernandes, despite Bertrand Traore cancelling out Anthony Martial’s opener.
Cash started his 14th Premier League game of the season for Dean Smith’s side and received the highest match rating from the defensive line during the match.
Per Sofascore, the Englishman won seven duels, completed three key passes, made three clearances and three tackles.
Unsurprisingly, supporters were delighted with his performance and praised the club for his £16m transfer fee last summer to bring him to Villa Park.
“Thought Cash’s running was mint last night, he was blowing at the end and I’m not surprised! #AVFC”
Credit: @StevenKelson
“Matty Cash is unreal btw what a player. A joy to watch, and always works his socks off.”
Credit: @_catherineeeeex
“Matty Cash is a defender in the same way that Gareth Bale was a defender. Move him forward and you’ve got a European Cup winner on your hands.”
Credit: @chrisstanley1
“15m was an absolute bargain for Matty Cash. Oozes class and is getting better and better.”
Credit: @GjamieJ
“Matty Cash is looking some signing, very good player”
Credit: @shauned88
“Can’t knock our performance tonight, Matty Cash & Douglas Luiz were outstanding, robbed by poor officiating. If the penalty incident happens down the other end, it isn’t a penalty, but because it’s United it’s a penalty.”
Credit: @HarryBatters
In other news, ‘Brilliant’ Villa star urged to leave Dean Smith’s side in January.
Liverpool’s woes in front of goal continued as they played out a stalemate with Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
One player who will have disappointed Jurgen Klopp with his display was Georginio Wijnaldum.
The Dutch international, who is widely expected to leave Anfield in the summer when his contract expires, put in an uncharacteristically poor display against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
As per SofaScore, the former Newcastle United man earned a 6.5 rating for his performance, marking him as the worst Liverpool player of all of those who started the game.
The 30-year-old midfielder was limited to just 63 touches of the ball against United and completed 38/45 passes, resulting in a solid, if unspectacular, 84% pass success rate. However, this was lower than his season average of 88.6%, suggesting that his passing was below his usual standards against the Red Devils.
He also lost possession on 12 occasions and won just five out of 13 total duels, resulting in a success rate of just 38%, suggesting that the United midfielders had the better of him on a number of occasions.
For example, Scott McTominay won 11/15 of his duels during the game and earned an impressive 7.3 rating, suggesting that he was the more impressive of the two midfielders at Anfield on Sunday.
In Wijnaldum’s last Premier League appearance against Southampton, he lost possession on just four occasions and won four out of eight total duels, suggesting that his performance against Manchester United was way below his usual standards.
Back in 2019, Klopp had this to say about the Dutch midfielder:
“Is he the perfect midfielder? From the skillset 100 per cent. He has all the things you need.”
However, his performance against United was far from perfect and you worry that as exit rumours continue to grow, the midfielder may not be fully focussed on Liverpool, which may lead to disappointing performances in the future.
It will be interesting to see if the 30-year-old is selected from the start in Liverpool’s next game, when they take on Burnley at Anfield on Thursday.
And, in other news… Klopp can sign his next Coutinho at LFC in 26 y/o who scores and assists
Rob Lee has revealed the three key things that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium must fix if they complete their proposed takeover of Newcastle United.
Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, the Tyneside club legend outlined the massive overhaul that is needed in the North East, highlighting specifically the quality of players on the pitch, the set up at youth level as well as the improvements needed at the club’s training ground
“The club needs a huge overhaul, not just from the playing side of things, which obviously needs a lot of money spent on it.
“Chelsea just spent £200 million and we spent £35 million on two players or two free transfers, is that enough to push you forward? No.
“It’s probably enough to keep us staying where we are and not get dragged into a relegation fight.
“But it’s also that the youth set-up, the training ground is nowhere near what the new training grounds are now. Liverpool just moved into a fantastic training ground, that’s the way they’re going, and Newcastle is way out again, it’s way off it. The club, from top to bottom, needs a complete overhaul.”
Takeover would enable Newcastle to compete financially
The prospective £300m deal between Mike Ashley and the KSA group would allow the Magpies to compete financially with the likes of the so-called ‘big six’ in Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Spurs, which means that they could potentially attract better players than those who Steve Bruce currently has at his disposal at the moment.
There was even reported talk of a possible move for Cristiano Ronaldo if the bid were to be approved by the Premier League, which would be a big statement signing given his pedigree in the beautiful game.
Takeover would help with youth and training improvements
The takeover, as Lee suggests, could also help with the youth set up and improve the training grounds, which could lead to the Toon developing more their own stars in addition to buying them, which could make NUFC a real force in the years to come.
In other news, find out what concerns Lee has expressed with the KSA takeover here!
Reporter Dom Howson has recently discussed Sheffield Wednesday’s potential interest in signing Leeds United youngster Sam Greenwood.
Greenwood, currently only 18, has been linked with a move to the Championship – even though Marcelo Bielsa seems to rate him as a player. It has been reported that Cardiff City could be well-placed to sign the youngster, but he has also been linked with a move to either Bournemouth or Sheffield Wednesday.
Greenwood to SWFC could be ‘agent talk’
Howson was recently involved in a Q&A session with Sheffield Wednesday fans and one question that was posed to him involved the club’s potential interest in Greenwood. The journalist replied that while he is still digging into the news, it could just be ‘agent talk’ about the Leeds youngster.
He also said that Wednesday are keeping an eye on the loan market for players that they could sign on a temporary basis in January and he can see Tony Pulis looking to sign a striker too.
Here’s what he had to say in full:
“I am still doing some digging into this. It could just be agent talk. But I do Wednesday are keeping a close eye on players who could be available for loan in the Premier League come January. I can see Pulis trying to sign a big, physical, aggressive centre-forward. They have lacked a focal point up front since Steven Fletcher and Atdhe Nuhiu moved on.”
It has also been reported that the Whites’ youngster has caught the eye of multiple scouts and multiple Championship outfits believe that he can make an impact in the division.
Greenwood form might warrant a loan
For the Leeds United Under-23s side this season, Greenwood has been in very good form so far. The young striker has scored six goals in eight Premier League Two appearances in the current campaign and that includes a hat-trick against the Sunderland Under-23s side (as per Transfermarkt).
In the Under-18s Premier League last season, the youngster had scored three times in 11 appearances, while picking up one assist. He had also found the back of the net twice in four FA Youth Cup games (as per Transfermarkt).
His form is indicative of the fact that he might just deserve some first-team football and if Leeds can’t offer that, they should let him continue his development by loaning him out. That will help him get some regular football and help him develop into a better player.
In other news, a Premier League striker has been tipped for a move to Leeds – read more about it here.
Many West Ham United fans are reacting to the news that Said Benrahma is already impressing in his first week of training at the club.
West Ham News has tweeted out the news from Claret and Hugh that the Algerian has already impressed his new West Ham teammates in their first few days training together.
Benrahma joined from Championship side Brentford on an initial season-long loan worth £5m. This is supported with an obligation to buy for £20m next summer.
The winger had a terrific campaign last season for Brentford as he scored 17 goals and also supplied nine assists, per WhoScored. He often proved a menace for opposition defences last season. This is highlighted by his remarkable averages of 3.8 shots, 2.1 key passes and three dribbles per game.
He has earned a lot of praise in the Championship, including from his former manager Thomas Frank, who called him ‘magnificent’.
It looks like the Irons have a talent on their hands, and it looks like some feel he is the ideal player to fill in the gap that Grady Diangana has left. One fan compared his impressive start with Diangana’s as they said he is ‘Like Grady’.
Here is how fans are reacting following this news around Benrahma:
West Ham fans, relive how the fan base reacted when Benrahma signed in the dying moments of transfer deadline day here!
In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Sheffield Wednesday legend Carlton Palmer has made a massive claim about Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri.
It’s been over 20 years since the south Yorkshire outfit were relegated from the Premier League and during that time, they have twice dipped down into League One.
Now in the current season, they are amidst another relegation battle after being struck with a six-point deduction before a ball was even kicked.
Thai businessman, Chansiri, purchased the sleeping giants from Milan Mandaric in January 2015 and has overseen two play-off campaigns but since then, the Owls have not finished above 12th place.
And Palmer believes it comes down to his lack of knowledge on the footballing side of things, claiming that Chansiri should have appointed an adviser such as ex-Wednesday manager Howard Wilkinson.
He told FFC:
“Listen, since he’s been since he’s taken over, he has put his money where his mouth is. The only thing that I would say about the chairman is that I don’t think he’s been rightly advised.
“He spent a lot of money, he’s paid a lot of money in wages. He just hasn’t had the right advice.
“I’ve said this before, I mean, Howard Wilkinson lives in Sheffield – what he knows what he doesn’t know about football isn’t worth knowing about – you know, I think he should have got somebody in there to advise him, who knows about football.
“If he’d have done that, I think Sheffield Wednesday would have got promoted by now.”
Under Chansiri’s stewardship, the Yorkshire giants have had four permanent managers, ranging from Carlos Carvalhal to their latest one, Garry Monk, who was sacked earlier this week.
Following his takeover, the Thai mogul claimed the club would be in the Premier League by 2017 – that passed three years ago and things haven’t looked good since.
Perhaps Palmer is right, Chansiri could have done with someone leading the Owls’ football operations as the majority of their big money signings have flopped, which has only cost them in the long-run.
Amid the current state of peril with no manager to steer the sinking ship, maybe Chansiri needs to listen to the Wednesday legend’s advice.
AND in other news, Sheffield Wednesday lightweight was hugely wasteful in Millwall draw…
Well there we have it, the Premier League has officially kicked off, and game week 1 was full of surprises – including a seven-goal thriller at Anfield, in which defending champions Liverpool managed a 4-3 victory over new boys Leeds, who put up an impressive fight and showcased the potential they have to really make a name for themselves this season.
Other games had some real highlights, with debut goals for Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães in the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Fulham, Newcastle’s new boy’s Callum Wilson and Jeff Hendrick, and Leicester right-back Timothy Castagne.
Overall it was a great weekend of football, and many results have left me wondering about just how well some teams may do this season with some surprise performances.
Today, we are going to take a look at those opening weekend fixtures and see how they compared to my predictions prior to the weekend’s action.
Fulham 0-3 Arsenal
Mikel Arteta and his men made a real statement in the Premier League opening game on Saturday. The Gunners got off to a flying start when Alexandre Lacazette became the first player to score the first goal of the new season twice (this season and the 2017/18 season).
Fulham showed a real lack of intent and didn’t really get the chance on the ball due to an impressive display from Mohamed Elneny in Arsenal’s midfield. It wasn’t long into the second half when debutant Gabriel scored his first goal for the club.
From a Willian corner, who also provided the assists for Aubameyang’s curling effort from the edge of the box. It was a dominant performance from the Gunners, one that Arteta will be proud of to start the season with – and it wasn’t far off my 2-0 prediction earlier in the week.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Southampton
This one was a real surprise for me – after predicting the Saints to be 2-1 victors, Palace certainly proved me wrong with their injury-hit squad, and Wilfried Zaha’s 13th-minute goal was enough to secure the three points in their first game of the season.
A makeshift defence for the Eagles meant Chiekhou Kouyaté and Scott Dann were the two centre-backs for the game, and they performed surprisingly well together. New boy Eberechi Eze came on in the last 10 minutes for his debut and showed glimpses of the quality he will bring to Roy Hodson’s team this season – with the Palace manager getting things off to a flying start for the club.
Liverpool 4-3 Leeds
Soccer Football – Premier League – Liverpool v Leeds United – Anfield, Liverpool, Britain – September 12, 2020 Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates. Pool via REUTERS/Phil Noble EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account repres
What a game this was. I have to admit I probably underestimated Leeds here, not in the sense that I don’t think they will do well this season, as I had predicted them to finish 16th and secure Premier League safety. The game started well for the Reds who went 1-0 up after a Mo Salah penalty
. Marcelo Bielsa and his men continued to fight back, however, and came back to level the game out on three occasions – but the club was unlucky to concede another penalty in the 88th minute after such an impressive display during the whole game.
A silly challenge from new boy Rodrigo gave Salah an opening day hat-trick for the Reds and gave the defending champions their first three points of the season – after my initial and unfair prediction of 4-0 to Liverpool.
West Ham 0-2 Newcastle
This was an impressive and dominant display from Steve Bruce and his side – my prediction of 2-1 to Newcastle wasn’t far off, but the Magpies did one better than that by keeping a clean sheet away from home. T
his was Newcastle’s first opening day victory in the Premier League for 8 years, and a debut goal from Callum Wilson gave the Toon Army a 1-0 lead just before the hour mark. It was Jeff Hendrick’s debut goal for the club in the 87th minute that secured the win, a stunning strike from outside the box that nestled into the top left corner of Lukasz Fabianski’s goal.
West Ham looked sloppy throughout the game, and Declan Rice seemed to be a missing object in their midfield – with evident frustration on the face of club captain Mark Noble. This seems like it’s already going to be a long season for the Hammers, but Newcastle should take some real enjoyment out of such a positive start.
West Brom 0-3 Leicester
Our first correct prediction – and a well-earned victory for Brendan Rodgers and his side. The Foxes had a tough start to the game, with West Brom holding on well to keep things 0-0 going into half time.
On the 56th minute, new boy Timothy Castagne scored his first goal for the club giving them a 1-0 lead with a great header from fellow countryman Dennis Praet’s fantastic cross – which soon became three when Leicester won two penalties in ten minutes, with Jamie Vardy converting both, giving Rodgers and his side three points from their first game of the season.
It was a tough day for Slaven Bilic and his side, who looked out of depth and out of luck during the second half, and it looks as though they’ll have a long campaign ahead of them.
Tottenham 0-1 Everton
It was the best possible opening day game for the Toffees, winning their first game against a top 6 side for the last 40 games, dating back to 2013. My prediction of 1-1 looked almost dead set after the first half of wasted chances from both sides. That was until Dominic Calvert-Lewin broke the deadlock on the 55th minute with a bullet header that left Hugo Lloris in no man’s lead after a brilliant cross from Lucas Digne’s free-kick.
It ended up being a well-deserved opening day victory for Carlo Ancelotti and his side, with Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham looking very lethargic and sulky after going 1-0 down during the second half like petulant children – and Mourinho would not have been happy with that. If you go 1-0 down, you fight back and earn your result, rather than look to the ground with a tantrum because things aren’t going your way – which is something that is going to have to change if Spurs want success this season.
Sheffield United 0-2 Wolves
It was an impressive start for Wolves after an extremely long season last time out – with an impressive performance against a talented and proven Blades defence, beating them 2-0 at Bramall Lane. It was a quick start, with Raul Jimenez scoring the first goal of the game in the 3rd minute with a cracking half volley after a beautiful run and cross from Daniel Podence.
This was quickly followed up by Roman Saïss just three minutes later after Pedro Neto’s corner met the head of the Moroccan defender. It was a tough start to the season for Sheffield United, who last season had an impressive defensive record in the league, and it differed from my initial 0-0 prediction for the game, due to both clubs having such strong defensive outlets.
Brighton 1-3 Chelsea
Soccer Football – Premier League – Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea – The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain – September 14, 2020. Chelsea’s Reece James celebrates scoring their second goal with Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma. Pool via REUTERS/Peter Cziborra EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single
Our second and final correct prediction of the weekend – Chelsea opened the scoring with a penalty from Jorginho, after Timo Werner went down in the box. Brighton leveled the game in the 54th minute after a great strike from outside the box from Leandro Trossard, but it wasn’t to be the Seagulls day.
The Blues scored twice in quick succession through Reece James and Kurt Zouma, giving Frank Lampard and his team their first three points of the season. It was a great sign of things to come this season for Chelsea after heavy investment over the summer, which saw debuts for Werner and Kai Havertz. Graham Potter and his side showed some positive signs too, however, and I feel that Brighton will have an impressive season ahead with a talented and young squad at his disposal.