In early April, there was a growing sense that Jurgen Klopp was treading on thin ice, with Liverpool's iffy patch enlarging into a seasonal malfunction, the questions concerning the German's future at the helm being asked.

After years of illustrious success, remarkable efforts to win the whole gamut of major honours (barring the Europa League) had been achieved and Klopp had succeeded in a Premier League era dominated by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, who may well have exerted uninterrupted supremacy across the board had Liverpool not picked away at silverware.

Last year's maladroit midfield has been reshaped and re-energised, and while the defence is generally expected to receive priority this year, Klopp appears to be eyeing the final piece of the puzzle for his Anfield engine room.

Liverpool's search for a midfielder

According to Portuguese outlet Bola VIP, Liverpool are interested in signing FC Porto star Alan Varela just six months after the midfielder joined the club from Argentinian giants Boca Juniors.

It's revealed that Liverpool have already made an approach for the 22-year-old and that Manchester City are set to provide some meaty competition for his signature.

It's important to note that Porto have no interest in selling their player but will acquiesce if his €70m (£60m) release clause is met.

Alan Varela's style of play

Varela established himself as one of South America's most promising prospects across 111 appearances with Boca and led talent scout Jacek Kulig to name him a "Rolls-Royce" calibre midfielder before his move to Portugal in 2023.

An elite distributor, Varela is not the most relentless holding midfielder in the business but is technically sublime and blends that dual role of orchestrator and anchor superbly.

Liverpool could sign their biggest talent since Trent this January

Jurgen Klopp will have to beat the likes of Real Madrid to the signing of this prodigy.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jan 15, 2024

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 6% of midfielders across divisions similar to Liga Portugal for pass completion, the top 16% for passes attempted, the top 10% for blocks and the top 23% for interceptions per 90.

While not ranking particularly highly for tackling, Varela is robust in his protection of the backline and his constancy in blocking shots bespeaks his spatial awareness.

Alan Varela: Biggest Strengths
# Passing
# Blocking
# Long shots
Source: WhoScored

This season, as per Sofascore, he has completed 88% of his passes across 14 league appearances in his deep-lying role, averaging 4.7 ball recoveries per game to emphasise his high energy.

Playing his part industriously, Varela could prove to be the perfect midfield partner for Trent Alexander-Arnold down the line, with the influential Anfield stalwart starting to occupy space in the centre of the park to maximise his celestial range of passing.

Liverpool are already up to the hilt in talented midfielders but this signing but Varela would add a new dimension and counterbalance Alexander-Arnold when the England international skates into the middle of the pitch and wreaks devastation, having been heralded as a "genius" by journalist Neil Jones.

The 25-year-old right-back is still deployed in the full-back position but is increasingly drifting centrally to pull the strings and it's clear to see why, ranking among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues for assists, shot-creating actions and passes attempted and the top 2% for progressive passes per 90.

By playing a double-pivot in the future and marrying the Reds vice-captain and Varela's abilities, Klopp could craft a lasting machine in the middle to work in tandem to clinch silverware in abundance for years to come.

Given that Klopp has reportedly been enamoured with Varela's style for several years now, ever since he was at Boca, it might just be worth investing in his services and handing Alexander-Arnold the perfect partner as he moves, inexorably it seems, towards a permanent future in midfield.

Brisk fifties from the in-form trio of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer led India A to an eight-wicket win over West Indies A in the fifth and final unofficial ODI in Antigua. The win completed a 4-1 series victory for the visitors.India A only needed 33 overs to get to their target of 237. Gill dominated a first-wicket stand of 110 with Gaikwad, hitting eight fours and three sixes in a 40-ball 69 before being dismissed by the offspinner Rahkeem Cornwall. Gaikwad batted on until India were only 15 short of their target, and fell one short of a hundred, having hit 11 fours and three sixes in his 89-ball innings. Iyer, who put on 112 for the second wicket with Gaikwad, was unbeaten at the finish on 61 off 64 balls (3×4, 2×6).Having chosen to bat first, West Indies A made an excellent start, Sunil Ambris’ 52-ball 61 (7×4, 2×6) giving them early momentum before India A’s bowlers combined to effect a collapse from 77 for no loss to 103 for 6. Sherfane Rutherford then made 65 off 70 balls (4×4, 4×6) combined with the lower order to haul West Indies A to 236. Khary Pierre contributed an unbeaten 35 off 34 balls before he ran out of partners with 2.2 overs still left in the innings.Seamers Navdeep Saini and Deepak Chahar, and legspinner Rahul Chahar – all of whom had earned call-ups to India’s white-ball squads on Sunday – picked up two wickets each.

Liverpool are believed to be in advanced talks over completing a free transfer for a “quality” player this summer.

Liverpool’s January transfer window

The Reds were quiet in the winter market in regards to signings, with no new players brought in by FSG to bolster Jurgen Klopp’s squad and a number of players leaving on loan, including Fabio Carvalho, Nat Phillips and Calvin Ramsay. In fact, the biggest news of the month involved Klopp, who revealed he will leave Anfield at the end of the season.

Sporting director Jorg Schmadtke has also left Merseyside after helping Klopp rebuild his midfield with the summer signings of Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo. Speaking about the news, Schmadtke said: “Liverpool is a very special club so to have had the opportunity to work here has been a huge honour for me, even though I knew from the outset that it would only be for a short period.

“I would like to thank everyone – the owners, manager, staff, players and fans – for the support I have been given and offer my best wishes for the rest of this season.”

FSG therefore have no sporting director or manager in place for the start of the 2024/25 season, but it looks as if they are still looking to seal their first summer signing.

Lloyd Kelly in advanced talks with Liverpool

Journalist Seb Ecrivain Foot took to X in the last 48 hours to share an update on the future of Kelly. He said that the defender won’t be penning a new deal on the south coast and is in fact in “advanced” talks with both Liverpool and Premier League rivals Tottenham.

“Lloyd Kelly (25 years old) will refuse to extend his contract with Bournemouth… Free this summer, the defender is in advanced discussions with Liverpool and Tottenham. To be continued.”

Kelly, a left-footed centre-back who can also turn out at left-back, has been with the Cherries since 2019 after leaving Bristol City. During that time, the 25-year-old has made 130 appearances for the club, helping them earn promotion back to the top flight.

He’s made 14 appearances this season under Andoni Iraola but it looks like his days are now numbered at the Vitality Stadium. Kelly has come in for praise during his time on the south coast, including from former Bournemouth boss Scott Parker, who hailed the player’s "quality" ability in 2022.

"I think Lloyd Kelly has got the attributes and the ability to be a top Premier League centre-half. And I think we are blessed and very, very lucky to have someone of his quality, really.

"You take players like Lloyd probably for granted in the sense of he makes things look very effortless and easy. And when you're watching him on the eye, you put someone else in that position of a ball down the side of a defender or one in the channel and getting in a foot race, he makes it look very easy, that you probably never appreciate it.

"The standards he sets are very high as a captain of this team and he's still so young in his age that he's got a lot on him.”

It looks as if a move to Anfield is one to watch, with the Reds and Spurs seemingly battling it out for the versatile defender’s services.

What if it’s July 14 again. What if England v New Zealand had gone another way. It’s not just the fans who are wondering all that could have been

Alagappan Muthu18-Jul-2019

Trent Boult catches a Ben Stokes shot, but…•Getty Images

What if it’s July 14 again? What if Lord’s is still packed? And hushed. Trembling as one of the greatest ODI finishes of all time is still unfolding. Well, that’s the reality for most of the New Zealand players right now. Even one of their best ever players could not help but look back and wonder.Trent Boult was on the midwicket boundary when Ben Stokes launched Jimmy Neesham in his direction. A man renowned for taking outstanding boundary catches steadied himself under the ball, then leapt up and caught it with both hands and looked stunned, as if he knew, in that moment, the game had changed. England now needed 22 runs from eight balls. New Zealand were favourites to become world champions.And then Boult stepped back. Right onto the boundary rope. It was just one of the many things the fast bowler continues to replay in his head.ALSO READ: ‘You are looking for one run’ – Gutted NZ try and make sense of the unbelievable”I suppose it’s just natural to nitpick and pull apart a game like that,” he said upon arriving in Auckland. “Firstly, to be involved in it was obviously very amazing. But you know, you just wonder those little kind of things that went your way, or didn’t go your way or whatever, it could’ve been a totally different game. Yeah, of course, I’m living the last over throughout my mind a lot. Somehow we were hit for six along the ground which has never been happened before. And then, yeah, couple of run outs, to bowl them out and to see the scores level and to lose was a pretty unique situation.”Boult had more than made amends by bowling that 50th over and ensuring England didn’t get past New Zealand’s 241. Then in the Super Over, he kept them to 15 runs, even though both times he had to contend with Stokes hitting near yorkers to the boundary. And quite apart from taking the burden of the entire game – and his country’s chance of winning a first World Cup – on his shoulders, he finished with 17 wickets from 10 matches, including a hat-trick against Australia. It was an immense performance.But when asked about the final and if he would do anything differently, Boult said: “I’m sure you could appreciate it’s a nerve-wracking scenario to be a part of. A lot of people over there interested. A lot of people watching on the TV. It was an amazing stage to be on. Obviously saw what it meant for the Englishmen to get across the line. It could have been us. Unfortunately it wasn’t. No one is probably going to get closer to winning the World Cup or losing the World Cup as us.”You see a lot of disappointment in cricketing fans around the world, not just Kiwis but a lot of supporters that wanted us to win. It’s a shame to let everyone down really. It’s hard sitting on a plane for 15 hours. A lot of Kiwis there were saying ‘we felt for you’ kinda thing. Yeah don’t really know too much more to say really. Obviously we’re all hurting and yeah sorry for letting everyone down.”ALSO READ: What the luck! NZ and the randomness of life by Osman SamiuddinAnd that brings us to the catch that wasn’t. “Obviously the priority is on the ball itself,” Boult said. “That’s all I was really worried about. Silly of me obviously to not know where the rope was. Similar to the catch I got against the West Indies earlier in the tournament but they’re quite quirky boundaries [in England]. They’re not actually circles. They’re kinda octagons and squares and all sorts of things. Obviously you can imagine my feeling when I felt my left shoe hit the cushion and it was too late for me to throw it to Marty [Guptill, who was waiting for the relay catch].”The captain, and player of the tournament, Kane Williamson wouldn’t allow a match so epic to boil down to just a few moments. Like that overthrow in the last over that bounced off Stokes’ bat and into the third man boundary, turning two runs into six. Until then, New Zealand were working hard to make England feel the brunt of scoreboard pressure.”If you pull it back to the last 10 overs,” Boult said, “If you could keep pushing the run-rate up towards 7, 8, 9 an over, I thought Jos [Buttler] and Stokes did extremely well to be there and build a partnership and obviously given the chance to try and chase it down. But yeah, take it as deep as possible. Of course me standing on the rope in the 49th over probably didn’t help either but yeah we wanted to leave them as many as possible in the end. But yeah, for a Super Over to eventuate, I don’t know if you know there was going to be a Super Over in a World Cup final so there you go. And 15 apiece, it’s pretty hard to swallow.Pretty tough to swallow, Kane Williamson said of the defeat in the World Cup final•Getty Images

“When I saw three off two, that’s when the umpires said to us there would be a Super Over. Obviously we had a job to defend three of two balls and we did that and then Super Over it was. Yeah, just a crazy game to be part of.”New Zealand, ranked No. 2 by the ICC, have competed in eight World Cup semi-finals – a record – and two successive finals. Two very different finals.”Obviously to have it in our backyard in 2015, in front of all our family and friends and the hype and everything that comes with a home tournament, we can’t escape it,” Boult said. “It was one of those things over there, different time zone, different part of the day. No offence but we didn’t hear too much of what was going on back home unless you really scouted it off. But hey it was a great time to get there and obviously to be so close is the thing that hurts the most. Yeah, the final in 2015 was a no show in my opinion. We were outplayed from kinda the first couple of overs. Definitely didn’t hurt as much as the other day did.”So how was he planning to cope? “Well, I’m gonna go home for the first time in about four months. Probably gonna walk my dog along the beach and try and put it aside. I’m sure he won’t be too angry at me. And hey we’ve got a quick turnaround before we go to Sri Lanka in a couple of days time and back in the saddle. Like I said, it’s not gonna be something that disappears in the next couple of days. It’s probably something that’s gonna be hard to swallow for the next couple of years.”There was one last question for Boult before he could go back to his family and try to come to terms with July 14.”Do you feel cheated?””No.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vasco volta a campo nesta quarta, às 21h30 (de Brasília), para enfrentar a Tombense (MG), pela segunda fase da Copa do Brasil. O duelo será em jogo único e em caso de empate, a vaga será decidida em cobranças de pênaltis. Invicto desde sua chegada ao comando técnico do Cruz-Maltino, Marcelo Cabo enfrentará a segunda equipe de Minas Gerais na competição.

> Confira a tabela da Copa do Brasil 2021

RelacionadasVascoVasco encerra preparação para a partida diante da Tombense pela segunda fase da Copa do BrasilVasco06/04/2021VascoÀs vésperas de jogo decisivo, Vasco paga parte das pendências ao elenco e um mês aos colaboradoresVasco06/04/2021VascoVasco faz uma sondagem pelo atacante Tiago Orobó, do FortalezaVasco06/04/2021

Vale lembrar que na primeira fase, o Gigante da Colina eliminou a Caldense, após empatar por 1 a 1 no Estádio Ronaldão. Do outro lado, o Gavião Carcará superou o o Nova Mutum-MT, ao empatar sem gols fora de casa. A Tombense é a atual vice-campeã do Campeonato Mineiro tornando-se uma força do interior do estado.

> Confira mais notícias sobre o Vasco da Gama

Para o duelo decisivo desta quarta, Marcelo Cabo terá à disposição os cinco jogadores que foram poupados diante do Bangu: Léo Matos, Leandro Castan, Germán Cano, Marquinhos Gabriel, e Ernando, que se recuperou de lesão. Além deles, o comandante relacionou pela primeira vez os atacantes Léo Jabá e Morato, que poderão fazer as suas estreias com a camisa do Gigante da Colina.

Pelo lado da equipe mineira, o departamento médico do clube irá reavaliar, mas o técnicoBruno Pivetti deverá ter os retornosdo lateral-esquerdo Manoel e dos atacantes Rubens, Keké e Caíque. O time não perde há cinco partidas no Campeonato Mineiro e ainda sonha com uma vaga na próxima fase da competição estadual.

FICHA TÉCNICA
TOMBENSE X VASCO

Data/Hora: 07/04/2021, às 21h30
Local: Antônio Guimarães de Almeida – Tombos (MG)
Árbitro:Leandro Pedro Vuaden (RS)
Assistentes:Jorge Eduardo Bernardi (RS) eJose Eduardo Calza (RS)
Onde ver: TV Globo, Sportv 2, Premiere e tempo real do LANCE!

TOMBENSE (Técnico: Bruno Pivetti)
Felipe, David, Wesley, Matheus Lopes e Manoel; Rodrigo, Paulinho Dias, Jhemerson e Rubens; Caíque e Keké.

Pendurado:
Desfalques:

VASCO (Técnico: Marcelo Cabo)
Lucão, Léo Matos, Leandro Castan, Ernando e Zeca; Andrey, Matías Galarza e Marquinhos Gabriel; Léo Jabá (Gabriel Pec), Morato e Cano.

Pendurado:
Desfalques: Talles (joelho esquerdo), Vinícius (fratura no nariz), MT (edema ósseo na vértebra lombar L5).

PALPITES
Na redação do LANCE!, 90% das pessoas que responderam à enquete acreditam na classificação do Vasco, enquanto apenas 10% apostam no triunfo da Tombense.

Tottenham Hotspur have produced a number of impressive young players from their academy who have gone on to forge impressive careers for themselves.

Ollie Skipp, who has made 20 appearances in all competitions this season, is the only regular first-team player at the moment who came through the youth set-up.

However, Harry Kane, who left to join Bayern Munich last summer, is perhaps the best example of a player breaking through the academy to become a star for the club.

The England captain racked up 278 goals and 64 assists in 430 appearances for the Lilywhites in all competitions before his switch to Germany.

Ange Postecoglou should now be looking to the current crop of youngsters to unearth the next Skipp or the next Kane over the coming months and years.

One player, however, who slipped through their grasp at a young age was Chelsea centre-forward Armando Broja, who had been part of the Tottenham academy.

Why Tottenham lost Armando Broja for £0

In an interview with Chelsea's website, Broja once revealed that he spent two years with Spurs from U8s through to the end of his U9s season.

He stated that Blues scouts were impressed by his performances against them and they decided to snap him up after his two campaigns with the Lilywhites academy.

This meant that Tottenham lost the promising striker for nothing as they were unable to convince the prospect to continue his development in North London.

Of course, there is no telling how a player will develop and grow, both technically and physically, at such a young age but Chelsea being interested in him suggests that he was showing great potential at that point.

Perhaps if Spurs could have kept him if they had fought harder to keep hold of Broja and made it clear that they were the best place for him to continue his progress, with a clear pathway to eventually make it through to the older age groups and, then, the first-team many years down the line.

This is all, however, with the benefit of hindsight as the Albania international has gone on to forge a Premier League career for himself and still has plenty of time left to develop further.

Tottenham may look back on their failure to keep him as a howler, given his progression since his move across London, and they should use it as a warning for the next time a club attempts to snap up one of their prospects at a young age, and possibly fight harder to retain them.

Armando Broja's current market value

Having left Spurs for £0, Broja has worked his way into senior football over the last few years and is currently valued at a whopping £35m by Chelsea.

TalkSPORT reported on deadline day at the start of this month that the Blues wanted that figure to sell him permanently during the recent January transfer window.

However, they allowed him to join fellow Premier League side Fulham on loan until the end of the season, in a deal that could cost the Cottagers up to £4m based on his appearances.

Marco Silva's side decided to bring him in to bolster their forward line as he has previously showcased his quality at the top level with Southampton and Vitesse.

After a superb return of 16 goals and five assists in 35 matches for Chelsea's U18 team, Dutch side Vitesse secured his services on loan for the 2020/21 campaign.

The then-teenager, who was once described as "magnificently unique" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, caught the eye with his performances in the Netherlands as he scored 11 goals and provided three assists in 34 appearances in all competitions.

Broja's Eredivisie exploits caught the eye the attention of the Saints, who swooped to bring him to lead the line for them in the Premier League the following season.

2021/22 Premier League

Armando Broja

Appearances

32

Starts

21

Goals

Six

Big chances missed

Five

Big chances created

Two

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the young marksman enjoyed a solid first season in the top-flight of English football with more goals scored than big chances missed, which suggests that he performed well in front of goal with the opportunities that his teammates provided him with.

A significant knee injury, that kept him out for 39 matches during the 2022/23 campaign, has stunted his development since those two seasons with Vitesse and Southampton.

Broja has scored one goal in six starts in the Premier League so far this season and will be hoping to get back to his best at the top end of the pitch during his time with Fulham.

Overall, Spurs missed out on a very valuable talent, who is now 22 and already valued at £35m with plenty of experience under his belt, and that is why they had a howler with his departure to Chelsea at a young age.

Tottenham's current impressive academy marksman

The Lilywhites will now be hoping that their current U21 centre-forward – Jamie Donley – fulfills his potential and can emerge as a talent as valuable as Broja.

Postecoglou has handed him three appearances in the Premier League already this season and his record at youth level suggests that the quality is there for him to be a future star for the club.

The 19-year-old starlet has racked up an eye-catching six goals and 12 assists in 12 appearances for the club's U23s throughout the 2023/24 campaign.

23/24 EFL Trophy

Jamie Donley

Appearances

Three

Goals

Two

Assists

Three

Big chances created

Two

Key passes per game

3.3

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Donley was on fire in the EFL Trophy earlier this season with his ability to both score and create goals as a centre-forward.

The teenage whiz, who scored 26 goals in 40 matches for Tottenham's U18s, has an impressive record in front of goal at youth level and is starting to be integrated into the first-team, with his three league cameos this term.

Spurs will now be hoping that Donley can progress and translate his incredible academy form over to the senior team in the coming months and years, so that they can forget all about the howler they had with Broja and uncover another star striker from the youth team.

Liverpool progressed through to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a dominant 5-2 victory over Championship side Norwich City on Sunday at Anfield.

It was a relatively comfortable afternoon for the Reds as they strolled to a handsome win, albeit there was a brief scare during the first-half after Ben Gibson equalised to make it 1-1.

Goals from Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez, Jota, Virgil van Dijk, and Ryan Gravenberch secured the club's passage to the next round of the competition but it was right-back Conor Bradley who stole the headlines with his Player of the Match display.

The young defender grasped his opportunity to impress with both hands, which was not the case for forward Cody Gakpo as the Dutch forward flopped against the Canaries.

Gakpo's struggles against Norwich

Liverpool dominated the match and controlled the game with 73% of the ball and 29 shots on goal. Yet, one of their starting forwards failed to contribute with a goal or an assist out of the five scored.

Gakpo did not create a single 'big chance' for his teammates and failed with 12 of his 14 attempted crosses throughout the 90 minutes, whilst he also lost possession a staggering 21 times. Jota and Nunez only gave the ball away 15 times combined.

His finishing did not make up for his loose and poor play on the ball. The one 'big chance' that did come his way was squandered as the Dutch attacker fired the ball straight at George Long from close range after the ball fell kindly to him.

These statistics show that Gakpo flopped in the final third with a startling lack of quality as a creator and a finisher in front of goal against second division opponents.

The 24-year-old lightweight also struggled with the physicality of the match as he lost 100% (4/4) of his duels throughout the game, which shows that the Championship outfit found it far too easy to get the better of him in 50/50 contests.

Bradley's Player of the Match display

Whilst Gakpo struggled, Bradley caught the eye as ITV named him as their Player of the Match after a superb performance at right-back for the hosts.

The Northern Irish full-back assisted two of Liverpool's five goals with a crisp pass through to Nunez for the second and a brilliant cross for Gravenberch for the fifth.

Key passes

Three

1st

Big chances created

Three

1st

Touches

113

1st

Tackles won

Five

1st

As you can see from the table above, Bradley was outstanding at both ends of the pitch for Jurgen Klopp with his play in and out of possession to split open the Norwich defence and to cut out opposition counter-attacks.

It was an impressive display that may push him further up the pecking order to gain regular minutes in the Premier League and Europa League over the next five months.

Whereas, Gakpo's poor performance at the top end of the pitch could lessen his chances of starting key games moving forward, as he did not do enough to suggest that Klopp can rely on him.

West Ham United could do with a little dusting of magic right now to counter the landslide that has dominated the last few weeks of action.

A scintilla of doubt surrounding David Moyes' managerial acumen in the Irons dugout has festered into something damaging, with the 6-0 home defeat against Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend indicative of the present malaise at London Stadium.

West Ham have not tasted victory in any competition since beating the Gunners in their own backyard in late December, and having crashed out of the FA Cup to Bristol City, the need for a spark of… something, has never been greater.

Lucas Paqueta, infectious and influential in his playmaking prowess, has been on the sidelines since the start of January and his creativity is sorely missed, though there are plenty of former phenoms to would make a marked impact right now.

West Ham considering "absolutely unbelievable" David Moyes replacement

The Hammers could be swapping managers this year.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 15, 2024

Moyes will continue to plot and ponder, turning the rough coals of an idea into the diamond of a polished plan, but time is running out for the Scotsman, who will be in big trouble if his Irons outfit fall to Nottingham Forest in the top-flight on Saturday afternoon.

Some fine talents could indeed improve the squad right now. Hark back to Dimitri Payet, or to Jesse Lingard. One of the finest, who perhaps ultimately disappointed, is none other than Felipe Anderson. At his best, the silky Brazilian would be the perfect solution to the club's developing crisis.

West Ham's signing of Felipe Anderson

July 2018: Moyes had been let go after saving West Ham from relegation during a short-term stint and Manuel Pellegrini was two months into his tenure in east London.

The Chilean boss, Premier League 2013/14 champion with Manchester City, was the perfect fit to complete a summer of exciting acquisition and the standout deal was for Lazio winger Felipe Anderson, who completed a club-record £36m move.

Dubbed "one of the most exciting talents in European football" by then Director of Football Mario Husillos, Anderson was regarded as a major coup after some excellent campaigns in Serie A and was the perfect offensive star to root into the core of Pellegrini's system.

Player

Signed from

Fee

Ryan Fredericks

Fulham

Free

Issa Diop

Toulouse

£21m

Lucasz Fabianski

Swansea City

£7m

Jack Wilshere

Arsenal

Free

Andriy Yarmolenko

Borussia Dortmund

£17.5m

Fabian Balbuena

Corinthians

£6m

Felipe Anderson

Lazio

£36m

Xande Silva

Vitoria de Guimaraes

£1m

Lucas Perez

Arsenal

£4m

Carlos Sanchez

Fiorentina

Undisclosed

Anderson had been a menacing figure down the flank for Lazio over several years and had racked up 51 goal contributions across four seasons in the Italian top flight, looking like the man to take West Ham to new heights under Pellegrini's wing.

And while he tasted with breakneck abandon, Anderson flagged early and failed to replicate a brilliant debut campaign with his consequent efforts, ultimately remembered as a player who failed to cut the mustard in the long run.

Felipe Anderson's West Ham career

Now aged 30, Anderson is back plying his trade in Rome, and while he has impressed at the Stadio Olimpico, he will never be able to shake the disappointing decline in the Premier League.

Of course, it certainly didn't start that way, with Anderson plundering ten goals and five assists across all competitions during the 2018/19 term, leading erstwhile Hammer, Robert Snodgrass to hail him as a "terrific talent".

The two-cap Brazil international really was fantastic that maiden season, also averaging 1.8 key passes, 2.1 dribbles, 2.5 tackles and 6.3 successful duels per match in the Premier League, as per Sofascore, showcasing his application and eagerness to perform.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Passing

Crossing

Dribbling

Defensive contribution

His second season in the English capital was significantly worse than his first, with the 5 foot 9 whiz scoring just one goal across 28 appearances, also creating just four big chances in the Premier League.

There are many reasons that the South American endured such an acute downfall, his third year on Hammer books spent on loan in Portugal with Porto, where he featured just ten times and registered one lonely assist.

Given that Anderson was earning a pretty penny during his time at West Ham – a base salary of £82k-per-week across three years – he bled the club dry of as much as £44m when including his transfer fee, and while he impressed at the start, his performances devolved into alarming ineffectiveness.

Of course, Porto might have covered some of his wages during the 2020/21 term, but given that he was sold back to Lazio for just €3m (£2m) in 2021, it was hardly the investment of the era.

It really is a far cry from his glowing beginnings, with his early performances leading teammate Aaron Cresswell to state: "I can see him becoming a fans’ favourite like Dimitri [Payet]. He’s a similar type of player, coming off the left, creating things and scoring goals. He is our top scorer now, he has been fantastic for us.”

Payet has etched himself into West Ham lore forever, his feats transcending the temporal restraints that throw most Premier League players into the past after playing their last. The Frenchman is quite simply one of the division's most iconic players.

Dimitri Payet's West Ham career

Anderson had many qualities that drew these comparisons to Payet and while there was a likeness, Payet sits in a league of his own when at the top of his game in London.

Signed from Marseille for just £10m back in 2015, Payet arrived with a weight of expectation and duly delivered, posting 12 goals and 15 assists during the 2015/16 campaign, thriving under Slaven Bilic and spearheading his side toward a seventh-place Premier League finish.

Much like Anderson, Payet failed to reach the same level in his second season and became afflicted with a severe bout of homesickness, demanding an exit in January 2017 and receiving his wish the upcoming summer, re-joining Marseille for £25m.

To be fair, West Ham made a healthy profit on the playmaker and have some breathtaking moments indelibly woven into the club's highlight reel.

But the same cannot be said for Anderson, who cost more, was sold for less and ended up being a bigger disappointment, remarked to be "unplayable" by Juve correspondent Adam Digby several years back – referencing both his electric ability and ability to produce such terrible efforts that he cannot be handed a starting berth.

Ultimately, it was right for Anderson to move on just like it was necessary to grant Payet a return to his homeland; both players came and conquered but failed to cement their legacies.

A snapshot of brilliance portended the recent riches under Moyes' leadership, and while few can emulate the sheer skill and art of such players' craft, West Ham have now achieved incredible success across multiple campaigns.

Still, just imagine the likes of Anderson competing on the left for the club right now; at his best, he's just what Moyes needs to turn the tide.

Nash replaces Joe Clarke and joins Alex Hales in unbroken first-wicket stand to reach Finals Day

Jon Culley05-Sep-2019

Chris Nash hits out•Getty Images

A bleak season at Trent Bridge might yet have something to redeem it. Seemingly doomed to relegation in the County Championship, thrashed here at the semi-final stage in the One-Day Cup, Nottinghamshire inflicted a humbling on Middlesex that no one could have anticipated to reach a third Vitality Blast Finals Day in four years.Middlesex, after such an impressive start, may have only just scraped into the quarter-finals, but with AB de Villiers and Mujeeb Ur Rahman back in tandem and Eoin Morgan threatening to cap off his own outstanding year, this was a moment in which they gave themselves a real chance. And 160, to which Morgan contributed 53 off 31 balls, did not seem a terrible score.Yet they were utterly demolished. Alex Hales, taking another step towards redemption, smashed 83 off 47 balls, sending seven sixes soaring into the night sky. Chris Nash, given his first outing of the season after being surprisingly preferred to Joe Clarke, hit 74 from 53.Middlesex dropped key catches, putting Nash down on 31 on, Hales on 47 and 56, but after they had been 76 without loss in six overs, a target of 161 that looked likely to be a challenge to a Nottinghamshire side with no reputation for fortitude this summer suddenly seemed rather modest. At the same stage – or rather, just one over later – Middlesex had been four down for 44, with de Villiers already gone.”We had talked all year about trying to play the perfect game,” the Nottinghamshire captain, Dan Christian, said. “About trying to take early wickets, restrict them in the middle, have a good death period, get off to a good start with the bat and try to cash in and, well, it was just about perfect.”Hales smote three of his sixes in that dramatic opening passage, which began with Nash clipping Mujeeb’s opening ball for four and continued with boundary after boundary, a dozen in total. Mujeeb, normally so hard to get away at the top of an innings, went for 31 in his first two overs.The first dropped catch, which should have been so easy for Steven Finn at mid-off, allowed Nash off the hook on 31. The others, by Toby Roland-Jones at deep midwicket and Steve Eskinazi at deep backward square, should have been held as well but whether they influenced the outcome was doubtful. With plenty of batting to come and the target already within reach, Middlesex’s fate was probably irreversible.Hales and Nash were past 100 by the ninth over, with the luxury of coasting through the middle overs before launching another assault that saw Hales demonstrating the full range of destructive shots that make him such a formidable opponent in this form of cricket when the force is with him. Fittingly, his seventh six, a howitzer blow deep into the crowd at deep midwicket, ended the match.With Morgan, the man who seemingly was central to dashing Hales’s World Cup dreams in such a brutal manner earlier in the year, standing just a few yards away, it must have felt a sweet moment.”I think that was him back to his best,” Christian said. “He has played some really important innings for us this year but that was the best. We saw him hitting top-of-the-stumps balls back over the bowler’s head, which is what he can do.”Five of the six completed group matches on this ground this season were won by the team batting first, yet Nottinghamshire this time decided it suited them to chase and as Middlesex stumbled to 43 for 4 in the seventh over they appeared to have made a good decision.Spin was the effective weapon as Nottinghamshire made these early incisions. Matt Carter, the tall offspinner, took two wickets in his second over, Paul Stirling picking out deep midwicket before Dawid Malan, taking a big stride down the pitch, was bowled.Imad Wasim, left-armer, did likewise in his second, dealing the visitors a major setback when de Villiers, looking in ominously good touch when he strong-armed Harry Gurney to the boundary in the previous over, launched a muscular slog-sweep directly into the hands of Ben Duckett, a foot in front of the boundary at square leg. Eskinazi, attempting to scoop the next delivery down the leg side, made poor contact and was caught behind. John Simpson kept out the hat-trick ball.Much now rested on Morgan to reproduce some of his heroics of Taunton last week as Middlesex, their form having faltered after a blistering start in the South Group, pulled off that astonishing record run chase to qualify for the last eight.With the scoreboard showing 66 for 4 at the halfway stage, he went on the attack, going inside out to send Samit Patel six rows back into the seats at extra cover before pulling the same bowler high over midwicket in the next over. Simpson found Hales at long-on a couple of balls later but he and England’s World Cup-winning captain had added 47 in six overs.Simpson’s replacement with Roland-Jones brought no loss of momentum and for the first time Middlesex looked capable of posting a score they might defend, not least when Hales, at long-off to Gurney, could only palm the ball over the rope with Morgan ready to turn towards the pavilion.Morgan profited from the reprieve, but not heavily, completing a 30-ball half-century by taking another maximum off the next ball, but slicing the one that followed to be caught at wide third man. Only a couple of overs remained in the innings but it may have cost Middlesex 20 runs.As it was, on a ground which has seen lower scores this season than have been customary, 161 to win looked much more of a test than it proved to be, thanks to the brutality of Hales and Nash.”I think pretty much everything that could have gone wrong for us did,” Middlesex skipper Malan said. “We lost wickets at crucial times and to be 40-odd for four was not good enough. Getting 160 on the board, we thought we had a slight sniff if we bowled well enough at the top but they batted so well we were behind it from the first six.”

Newcastle, like many of their fellow Premier League counterparts, have had an inconsistent Premier League campaign thus far.

They find themselves placed in ninth position and have only won two of their last five top-flight games. In addition, despite playing 12 games fewer than last season, they now have more than double their losses from the previous term.

The Magpies have had their fair share of injuries across the season, however, they should have more than enough depth within their squad to be performing better than they have been lately.

One area of their season which has gone well for them is that of England's domestic competitions. Howe's men found themselves in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup and narrowly missed out on advancing to the semi-finals after losing on penalties to eventual finalists, Chelsea.

Up until this point in the campaign, Newcastle's FA Cup run has also gone quite smoothly.

They find themselves in the fifth round of the world's oldest cup competition after triumphing over teams such as their arch-rivals, Sunderland and then, in the fourth round, Fulham.

Their fifth-round tie will take place today, and they are set to face Championship side, Blackburn Rovers.

The Rovers will go into the game with some confidence as the Magpies are coming off of their worst loss of the term, which came at the hands of Arsenal.

The 4-1 defeat was one of the worst outings seen under Howe's tenure as manager and many of their players didn't turn up. However, there was one man specifically who had quite the unforgivable game.

Sven Botman's outing vs Arsenal in numbers

Since joining the Tyneside club in June 2022 for a fee worth around the £31.8m mark, the Netherlands international has been fairly consistent.

The 24-year-old has played a total of 63 times in the two years he has represented the black and white of Newcastle and has more or less cemented his place in Howe's starting XI.

However, his most recent outing against the Gunners left a lot to be desired, with Magpies legend, Alan Shearer, even claiming it was the defender's "worst game in a Newcastle shirt."

This bold statement is further backed up by Sofascore, who gave the defender a dismal match rating of 5.6, the lowest of any player on the pitch.

However, in general, ratings can't always be taken as a 100% accurate representation of how a player has played, but, statistics can.

Minutes played

73

Touches

83

Accurate passes

61/71 (86%)

Clearances

7

Tackles

2

Duels won

3/4

Possession lost

10x

Own goals

1

Despite winning 75% of the duels he contested, the 6 foot 4 centre-back managed to lose possession a total of ten times – a dismal tally for a ball-playing centre-back – and even scored an own goal. This poor performance resulted in him being taken off the pitch in the 73rd minute.

When compared to Gabriel Magalhaes of Arsenal, it shows that the pair performed at opposite ends of the spectrum. The Brazil international also won 75% of his duels, however, he only lost possession eight times and managed to refrain from making any errors.

The player to replace Botman

Newcastle have sustained an abundance of injuries across the season thus far. This evidently cuts down the options they have to replace their usual stalwart.

However, club captain, Jamaal Lascelles will be at Howe's disposal for their upcoming clash against Blackburn if he chooses to deploy him.

Lascelles has been with the club since 2014 when he and Karl Darlow were both purchased by Newcastle from Nottingham Forest.

Since then, the now 30-year-old has cemented himself as a regular first-team player. He has played a total of 248 times for the Magpies during his almost ten-year tenure, even partaking in 15 top-flight games this season.

Botman might be the better defender overall, but in order to establish some confidence in the youngster, a brief spell on the sidelines and away from the limelight for a game could be what he needs.

Lascelles is the obvious option to replace him as he can fit into Howe's system perfectly and his leadership will likely help him guide his team to the next round of this year's edition of the FA Cup.