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West Ham United are ready to rival Inter Milan for a player who has been described as the next Carlos Tevez, according to a new report.

West Ham break rut with two wins on the bounce

After a tough spell that saw them go four Premier League games without a win, West Ham are finding their rhythm under Graham Potter.

Following a 1-0 victory over Arsenal that all but ended the Gunners’ title hopes, the Hammers built on that momentum with a 2-0 win against struggling Leicester City at the London Stadium, pulling further away from the relegation zone while deepening the Foxes’ woes.

A Tomas Soucek strike on his 30th birthday, along with an own goal from Jannik Vestergaard, secured the points for Potter’s side, who climbed back above Everton into 15th place.

The win marked just Potter’s third in the league since taking charge in early January, but with back-to-back victories for the first time, the former Chelsea boss is hopeful his team can push on.

“It’s been a really good week for us—two clean sheets, two wins, six points,” Potter told the club’s website after the Leicester match.

“As I said before, the players have responded really well, they’ve been working really well and really hard. You want them to get some points because it just shows you’re on the right path,” he added. “We need to keep moving forward.”

West Ham want Santiago Castro

If West Ham are to improve further under Potter, adding reinforcements is a must – most importantly up front. Michail Antonio and record signing Niclas Fullkrug both remain injured with no return date in sight, while Danny Ings has scored just five goals in 68 games since moving to the London Stadium from Aston Villa in January 2023.

According to a new report from Tuttosport, per Inter News, the man Potter wants to help solve his striking woes is none other than Bologna forward Santiago Castro. The publication claims that the Hammers recently sent scouts to watch Castro in action, but will face stiff competition from Inter Milan for his signature, who are also keen on the Argentine.

While Bologna would prefer to keep Castro, it’s thought an offer of somewhere between £21 million to £25 million could be enough to tempt them to part ways with the striker.

Santiago Castro Serie A Stats 2024/25

Matches

27

Goals

7

Assists

4

Chances Created

24

Successful Dribbles

16

Fouls Won

44

Stats via FotMob. (Correct as of 3/3/2025)

Castro, 20, has scored seven goals and laid on four assists in 27 Serie A games for Bologna this season, helping put the club firmly in the race for European football next season. Vincenzo Italiano’s side are currently sixth in the table, just three points off the top four.

According to Foot Italia, Castro’s idol is his compatriot and Inter Milan striker Lautro Martinez, but it’s another Argentine, and former West Ham striker, he’s been likened to.

“Santiago Castro looking even more like a Tevez 2.0,” wrote Italian football analyst Ben Mattinson of the young forward on X last year. In a separate post, Mattinson also described him as an “Argentine prospect with a complete forward profile”.

And just like that, Tottenham Hotspur miss out on another chance for silverware.

Ange Postecoglou’s side travelled to Anfield for the second leg of their League Cup semi-final last night, and while they did so with a 1-0 advantage, they won’t be heading to Webley Stadium next month.

The North Londoners were unable to keep Liverpool at bay and never looked even remotely like scoring themselves, so while the hosts eventually ran out 4-0 winners, it could have easily been more.

With all that said, the Lilywhites have to now dust themselves off and go again, as they still have two more chances to win a trophy this season, although to give the team the best chance of doing so, Postecoglou must drop one of his star players for new boy Mathys Tel.

Why Tel has to start

So, while Tel did get his first run out in a Spurs shirt late into the first half last night, the main arguments for why he should be starting the FA Cup game on the weekend, and the Premier League games after that, do not stem from his somewhat underwhelming performance.

In fact, they don’t even really come from what he did with Bayern Munich prior to his move this season, as Vincent Kompany hardly gave him any game time. Instead, they stem from his outrageously impressive form last season.

For example, despite still only playing 1406 minutes of first-team football across 41 appearances, the young Frenchman racked up a brilliant haul of ten goals and provided six assists.

Appearances

41

Starts

10

Minutes

1406′

Goals

10

Assists

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.39

Minutes per Goal Involvement

87.87′

That means that, in a season in which he was just 18 years old at the start, the player Spurs believe to be a “generational” talent, per journalist Graeme Bailey, maintained an average of a goal involvement every 2.56 games, or every 87.87 minutes.

Moreover, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and the Europa League, the Sarcelles-born ace sits in the top 9% of attacking midfielders and wingers for total shots, the top 13% for successful take-ons, the top 14% for assists and more, all per 90.

In short, the Bayern loanee is an exceptionally exciting attacker who could and would inject some much-needed dynamism into Spurs’ frontline, and therefore, he must start in place of a veteran for the foreseeable future.

The Spurs star Postecoglou must drop

The unfortunate reality of last night’s dismal display is that you could probably make a case for why most of the starting lineup shouldn’t keep their place for the game against Villa on the weekend.

However, the manager is not blessed with the squad depth to make wholesale changes and, stars like Dejan Kulusevski have shown earlier this season that, at his best, he’s unplayable.

Therefore, the player that Postecoglou should be looking to drop in place of Tel is none other than club captain Son Heung-min.

The South Korean superstar is an icon of both the team and the league, but last night was yet another game that seemingly passed him by, as while he rattled the crossbar in the dying embers, he was unbelievably ineffective for practically the entire match.

It might sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by the Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, who gave the winger a 4/10 match rating at full-time, writing that he ‘struggled to make any inroads’ against the Reds’ steadfast defence, which is also borne out in his statistics.

Minutes

93′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Shots on Target

0

Dribbles (Successful)

2 (0)

Passing Accuracy

10/17 (59%)

Key Passes

0

Touches

29

Crosses (Accurate)

3 (0)

Long Balls (Accurate)

1 (0)

Ground Duels (Won)

5 (1)

Aerial Duels (Won)

1 (0)

Lost Possession

13

Dribbled Past

2

In his 93 minutes on the pitch, the former Bayer Leverkusen star failed to have a single shot on target, failed in 100% of his attempted dribbles, maintained a dismal passing accuracy of just 59%, played no key passes, took just 29 touches, failed in 100% of his crosses and long balls, lost four of five ground duels and 100% of aerial duels, lost the ball 13 times and was dribbled past twice.

Ultimately, it was a diabolically poor performance from the captain, and given the fact he’s set to turn 33 in the summer and research carried out by The Athletic revealed that wingers see a dramatic decline in their ability to take players on at 30, it seems incredibly unlikely that we’ll ever see him back to his best.

Therefore, to give the team the best chance of finally lifting some silverware this season, Postecoglou must drop Son from the starting lineup and replace him with the incredibly dynamic, unpredictable and exciting Tel, especially ahead of Villa on Sunday.

Alongside Kinsky: Spurs ace who lost 10/12 duels ruined their trophy hopes

Spurs were thumped at Anfield as their dreams of Wembley faded away.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 7, 2025

Kevin De Bruyne has been tipped to return to Chelsea with William Gallas hailing him as "one of the best" behind Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• De Bruyne set for Man City exit
• Still eager to play in the English top-flight
• Gallas believes Chelsea reunion may be on the cards

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  De Bruyne’s current contract with City is set to expire in the summer and the Belgian is already in his final chapter in Manchester. As interest builds from abroad, particularly from Major League Soccer and the Saudi Pro League, the 32-year-old remains open about what lies ahead, and even if it means joining a Premier League rival.

  After City's win over Palace, De Bruyne said: "I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I want to play on, so we’ll see where I can end up. I don’t know how I’m going to feel, I’ve been here so long, my family has been here for 10 years, my kids were born in Manchester, lived their whole life here. It’s going to be something different for them.

  "I think they’re a bit scared, excited, but it’s a bit of an unknown because we don’t know what’s going to happen for the moment. But I want to enjoy, play good football like I did today, and for the rest, I’ll be fine. If I can play football and my family is happy, I’m good."

Advertisement

• Getty/GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  De Bruyne’s career in English football actually began with Chelsea. Signed in 2012, he only made nine appearances for the Blues before being loaned out to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. There, he flourished, tallying 20 goals and assists in just 36 games. Despite his strong loan spell, Chelsea decided to sell De Bruyne to Wolfsburg for £18 million in 2014. It was there that he cemented his reputation as one of Europe’s top creative forces, prompting City to bring him back to the Premier League in 2015.

• WHAT GALLAS SAID

  Now, with the sun setting on De Bruyne’s glittering tenure at City, Gallas believes a dramatic return to Chelsea might not be out of the question.

  "Maybe he could go to Chelsea, why not? But he has to be sure. He might want to go somewhere that he knows he can win trophies. So, that would all depend on Chelsea's recruitment of a striker," he said in an interview with

  "Bayern Munich? Maybe he could go there. If he wants to win more trophies, he could go there. If he still wants to play in the Premier League, why not? No way he'll go to Liverpool, Man United or Arsenal. Even if he knows Mikel Arteta he can’t go there . It will be hard to manage 2 playmakers and I'm sure he has some offers."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Should De Bruyne part ways with City this summer, he’ll leave behind a legacy few players in the club’s history can match. With six Premier League titles, five Carabao Cups, two FA Cups, and a Champions League triumph to his name, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to ever wear the sky blue shirt.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Pacto Global da ONU e a CBF irão promover neste final de semana uma ação nos estádios que terá como finalidade atrair o interesse para o tema da saúde mental dos brasileiros e brasileiras, junto do Movimento #MenteemFoco.

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O vídeo (assista acima) será mostrado nos telões dos estádios dos jogos do Brasileirão, nesta rodada que ocorrerá nos dias 7 e 8 de maio. A ação trata a importância do tema, dentro da busca pelos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS), da Agenda de tarefas que devem ser realizadas até 2030 pela ONU.

O projeto Mente em Foco tem relação direta com os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável e tem a ambição de convidar empresas e organizações a trazerem a pauta da saúde mental. Assim, a discussão seria estimulada e medidas concretas seriam feitas no intuito de construir um ambiente de trabalho positivo.

De acordo com dados da Organização Mundial da Saúde, o Brasil detém a marca negativa de ser o país mais ansioso do mundo e o segundo com mais casos de Burnout. O movimento tem como objetivos alcançar 10 milhões de trabalhadores até 2030 e engajar 1.000 empresas com programas sobre o tema da saúde mental.

Captain Shakib Al Hasan has said that Bangladesh didn’t show enough character against West Indies in the St Lucia Test. West Indies completed a ten-wicket trouncing of the visitors on the rain-interrupted fourth day. Bangladesh, six-down overnight, lasted just over an hour on the day, getting bowled out for 186 to leave the home side a target of 13 to complete the 2-0 series sweep.Bangladesh came into the fourth day on 132 for 6 after their top and middle order once again caved in against a disciplined pace attack. Shakib said that his side’s inability to hold on to their wickets showed a lack of game awareness at this level.Related

• Simmons hails Roach's 'exceptional influence' on young bowlers

• Domingo: 'Very disappointing' to see Bangladesh's 'basic errors'

• Why is Bangladesh's batting on the decline in Tests?

• Domingo: 'Bangladesh need players who are hungry for Tests'

“Considering this Test, we tended to lose wickets just before a drinks break, a lunch break or before the rain. If we didn’t lose these wickets, things would have been quite different. This is a part of game awareness. We weren’t as tough as we could have been, in terms of showing character in this Test match,” he said.Shakib felt that the Test players must work on their game before they meet India in December. Bangladesh go into their T20 season later this week, leading up to the T20 World Cup scheduled to begin in Australia in October. They will be playing T20Is against West Indies and Zimbabwe, before featuring in the Asia Cup and a tri-series in New Zealand before the global event.”We have to improve in every department to do well in Tests. It is good that a big gap is coming up [before we play the next Test]. Those who are interested in playing Tests can improve themselves during this time. We really don’t have a new set of players who will do well immediately after coming to this level.”If all of us, and a couple of the players from outside, can plan together, we might do well. Otherwise, we cannot expect a lot of changes if we continue to play the same way. We have to bring changes in many aspects, including our thinking.”Shakib believes the team must stop losing matches regularly at home to regain confidence. Bangladesh have now lost three Test series in a row: home series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka , before this away series against West Indies.”Teams are mostly underdogs on away tours. Take New Zealand, for example. They are losing abroad. England lost in the West Indies. Australia are losing when they play abroad. The same for India. Teams lose in India too.”So, we have to make sure that we don’t lose at home. Either we win or draw the matches. This improvement will help us when we are playing overseas. Maybe, we won’t win, but we will be competitive.”Shakib spoke of lack of Test culture in Bangladesh, something that head coach Russell Domingo had also pointed out last year. He said that the team need to plan early and execute well to revive the culture.”You can’t really blame the players. The system in our country is this. Did you ever see 30,000 people come to see a Test match? It happens in every game in England. We don’t have a Test culture in our country. But we can’t give up on it.”We have a responsibility to bring Test culture back to the country. We have to plan ahead, otherwise, we can’t get too far. I wouldn’t say that we don’t value Test cricket. But we don’t have good results. These two go hand-in-hand.”Shifting gearsA challenging series awaits Bangladesh as they begin their preparation for the T20 World Cup with three T20Is against West Indies, starting on July 2. After the T20 World Cup last year, where they were knocked out in the second round, Bangladesh went down to Pakistan 3-0 in November and drew 1-1 with Afghanistan.”It is an important series as far as our preparation for the T20 World Cup is concerned,” Shakib said. “We have the Asia Cup and the World Cup coming up. We don’t have much time left. Playing against West Indies will be a major challenge.”If we do well in the T20s here, it will help us go to Sri Lanka [for the Asia Cup] with a good mindset. The Asia Cup will be tough as we will take on India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.”

Shastri wants questionable wide and no-ball calls to be directly dealt with by specialist TV umpires

Nagraj Gollapudi24-May-20225:04

Taufel: The definition of wides is somewhat opinion-based

Simon Taufel, the former ICC Elite Panel umpire, is not in favour of wides and height no-balls being referred as part of the two DRS reviews teams have in T20 cricket. Taufel’s opinion is in contrast to that of India and Rajasthan Royals legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who believes bowlers need a “bit more help” and that teams can “take a chance” by reviewing a wide call as it can potentially be pivotal.Talking with ESPNcricnfo, Chahal said he was at the receiving end of a potential wrong call on a wide this IPL during the April 10 league match against Lucknow Super Giants. Off the fourth delivery of his fourth over, the 18th of Super Giants’ innings, Chahal bowled a wide legbreak which pitched outside the off stump of Dushmantha Chameera. It was called a wide. Chahal disagreed and even had a word with the umpire.Related

Bigger window for IPL; restrict T20Is to just World Cups, says Shastri

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Vettori and Tahir call for wides to come under DRS umbrella

Chahal did trap the Sri Lankan batter lbw next delivery, but said the extra ball cost him dearly as Marcus Stoinis lofted a six off the final ball of his spell. It nearly affected the match result, too, as Royals managed to win by just three runs.”Definitely. Even umpires are human beings. They can make a mistake, but teams can win by a single run many times,” Chahal told ESPNcricinfo when asked if would want wides referred as part of the two reviews teams had. “That happened with me against Lucknow when the umpire signalled a wide, but when I saw it on replay it was not a wide. But due to that I had to bowl an extra ball and I even got hit for a six off the last ball. It became a seven-ball over and they could score seven runs. As it is T20 is a batsman-dominated game, so if the bowlers get a bit more help, we can do that.”A few weeks later, though, Royals captain Sanju Samson was miffed in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 2, when the on-field umpire Nitin Pandit signalled a wide on three occasions during the penultimate over of the game delivered by Prasidh Krishna. Samson pointed out to Pandit that the batter had moved laterally even before Krishna had released the ball.Sanju Samson has a word with the on-field umpire Nitin Pandit about a few close wide calls, against Kolkata Knight Riders•BCCI

Analysing the incident after the match, which Knight Riders won, ESPNcricinfo experts Daniel Vettori and Imran Tahir agreed that bowlers needed “avenues” to “rectify” umpiring errors through the means of the two reviews.This season, the IPL has added an extra review making it two per innings, something Chahal said was sufficient. “If you want to take a chance, take a chance, but we are giving you only two reviews. We are happy with that.”Taufel, though, remained concerned.”I’m really conscious around trying to turn the art of officiating into a science and seek perfection, whatever that looks like, with decision making,” Taufel told ESPNcricinfo in an interview to be published later this week. “So with wides for example, and here we’re going to, potentially according to you, or according to the player or the debate, take a wide call and throw that back to the third umpire for them to judge on something that might be marginal and is still a judgement call.”Judging a wide, Taufel pointed out, was never an easy job and there are no clear definitions in the laws and playing conditions.”Are you going to be able to overrule as a third umpire what a leg-side wide might look like? That’s a really interesting proposition to throw to a third umpire and say: I definitely think you got that wide wrong. If you look at a ball that cuts across a right-hander from a left-armer (fast bowler), that cuts the wide guideline – that’s a pretty big call to overrule. Can you clearly define for me what conclusive evidence is to overturn a wide both leg-side, off side and height?”And where do you then draw the line as to what a wide is? Because with wides, for example, you still got this opinion around: either could the batsman have played a shot? Has the batsman brought the ball sufficiently within reach? And you are putting them (under) a lot more stress and pressure around those definitions. Of course, if the ball has flicked the bat or the pad, and an umpire’s called a wide – yeah, that’s quite clearly an error. (But) I worry about where this is going to end up. Is everything that an umpire does likely to fall under the Decision Review System?”Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, though, said that questionable calls on wides and height no-balls should be directly dealt by specialist TV umpires and not via DRS review.”I agree totally, because that could be a game-changer,”Shastri told ESPNcricinfo. “The match could go into the last ball and 12-15 runs needed in the last over, a no-ball at that stage could make a lot of difference. You have the third umpire sitting there, you have the technology, use it.”Such an exercise could potentially stretch the match time, which Shastri agreed to, but was not fussed about. “You’d rather have a fair game. If it’s delayed by a minute, so be it. But rather have a fair game so there are no arguments later. Leave it to the third umpire, let him take the decision and let that be final.”Taufel, though, disapproved, saying getting the third umpire involved directly or via DRS, would mean the match would be slowed down and asked if the game was ready for such a “trade off”.”How much time are all these reviews going to take out of the playing time? I remember only last year, some commentators like the late Shane Warne were complaining about how an ODI finished 30 minutes past the scheduled cut off. You cannot have a quick game and also analyse every ball – there is always a trade off.”According to Taufel, bowlers and umpires would find it easier to adjudicate on wides better once the modified MCC Law becomes effective from October 1. Recently, the MCC said it was updating Law 22.1 governing wides to address the increasing challenge batters were posing by moving laterally across the crease.Taufel, who sits on the MCC Laws sub-committee, said the move was to “provide a bit more latitude for the bowler for it not to be called a wide if the batter is going to move their stance while the bowler is running up. And there is more clarity for the umpire about the batter moving in their stance.”

Visitors just 41 in front with three wickets standing at close on day three

ECB Reporters Network07-May-2022An effective lower-order batting display and wickets for Michael Neser and David Lloyd have left Glamorgan in a very strong position going into the final day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Leicestershire in Cardiff.Glamorgan started the day on 305 for 5 and a fifty from Chris Cooke and useful contributions from Neser and James Weighell took the home side to a first-innings lead of 117. Glamorgan chipped away at the visitors batting line-up to leave Leicestershire just 41 runs in front with three wickets in hand.Glamorgan will go start the fourth day feeling confident that they can claim their first home victory of the season with Leicestershire on 158 for 7 in their second innings.The day started with Leicestershire picking up the wicket of Andy Gorvin who was dismissed lbw for 23 by Beuran Hendricks when he left a ball that came back into him. At the fall of Gorvin’s wicket Glamorgan were still trailing by nine runs. A stand of 65 between Cooke and Neser took them into the lead with Cooke passing fifty from 138 balls.Cooke’s dismissal came when Callum Parkinson bowled the perfect left-arm spinner’s delivery that turned passed his bat and clipped his off stump. It was an uncharacteristically stoic innings from Cooke who looked to hang around to take his team to a potentially match-winning lead.Glamorgan finished on 437 all out with Weighell the last man out for 34 and the home team narrowly missing out on full batting bonus points.Two early wickets reduced Leicestershire to 15 for 2, with Sam Evans caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Cooke off the bowling of Michael Hogan. Rishi Patel made a career best 82 in the first innings but he lasted just seven balls on day three, edging a beautiful delivery from Neser to Cooke.A 66-run partnership between Hassan Azad and Louis Kimber chipped away at the Glamorgan lead but Neser struck again with another stunning delivery that came back just enough to bowl Kimber for 37.Azad went on to his second half-century of the match, bringing up the landmark from 88 balls as Leicestershire battled to wipe out the Glamorgan lead. But Lloyd picked up the wickets of Azad and Wiaan Mulder in the space of two overs to leave Leicestershire in real trouble. When Azad was caught at slip for 56 off a ball that lifted on him his team were just two runs to the good and five wickets down.The lead was just 22 when Neser got the sixth Leicestershire wicket, Scott Steel going lbw for 18, and when Harry Swindells was bowled by a Weighell ball that he left alone his departure brought the day to a close.

Enzo Maresca fully rotated his Chelsea side yet again in the UEFA Conference League, handing out full Chelsea debuts to both Josh Acheampong and Sam Rak-Sakyi last night.

The Blues are now five wins from five in the European competition, topping the group with 15 points, scoring 21 goals and only conceding four times, giving them a +17 goal difference.

The latest victory saw Chelsea beat Kazakhstan side Astana 3-1, with goals coming from talented youngsters Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga. The 18-year-old striker put in an excellent performance, even receiving high praise from a former Chelsea legend.

Marc Guiu's performance vs Astana

Guiu scored the opener for Chelsea within 14 minutes with a lovely solo goal, receiving the ball from Pedro Neto in a wide area, before driving inside and cooly placing it past the Astana keeper.

Chelsea’s second was also forced by Guiu, getting on the end of Neto’s drilled ball across the box, which later went down as an own goal by Aleksandr Marochkin.

Minutes

78

Touches

22

Accurate Passes

11/15

Goals

1

Key Passes

1

Shots

3

Ground Duels Won

1/2

The 18-year-old striker only needed 22 touches to affect the game, taking three shots (two on target), making one key pass, and winning one of his two ground duels. His excellent performance earned the teen a 9/10 match rating from The Express.

Joe Cole praised the young strikers’ performance, stating “Marc Guiu must have watched Luis Suárez as a young man at Barcelona”.

A £75m star in the making?

Chelsea signed Guiu from Barcelona this summer, joining for a fee of around £5m, and is already being compared to one of the best strikers of his generation. Suarez moved from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2014, for a fee of around £75m.

The Uruguayan made 283 appearances for the Spanish giants, scoring 195 goals, providing 113 assists, and totaling 23,850 minutes. As good as Nicolas Jackson has been for Chelsea this season, Guiu could add some extra potency up top for the Blues, becoming an option for Maresca to utilise.

Goals

0.48

0.66

Assists

0.00

0.25

xG

0.84

0.61

Progressive Carries

2.11

2.21

Progressive Passes

1.58

1.31

Shots Total

5.24

2.79

Goals/Shot

0.09

0.24

Key Passes

1.05

1.15

Touches (Att Pen)

6.84

5.57

Guiu is slightly more physical in the way he uses his upper body, whereas Jackson likes to be slightly more evasive with his, looking to avoid contact with agile movement and weave his way to the box. This extra physicality and box presence is what allows Guiu those extra penalty area touches (6.84).

When analysing the players’ metrics, their minutes do need to be taken into account, as Guiu has only managed 186 minutes so far this season, in comparison to Jackson, who has already played 1,100 minutes. Therefore, the per 90 metrics are slightly skewed.

The Senegalese forward’s all-round game and goal-scoring form has been superb this season, but sometimes the game needs a different type of forward. Chelsea are likely to address this in the transfer market at some stage, but could Guiu give Maresca an option for now, and even play his way into the plans quicker than expected.

Forget Guiu: Chelsea gem with 101 touches deserves the limelight

Chelsea’s youngsters got the job done in freezing temperatures against Astana.

2 ByConnor Holden Dec 12, 2024

Despite all the chaos of the previous two seasons at Chelsea, things are actually going remarkably well for the Blues right now.

Following Sunday’s 3-0 demolition of Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, they’re currently third in the Premier League, below Arsenal by virtue of alphabetical order only, considering the two London rivals have an identical number of points, goal difference, goals scored and head-to-head record.

Enzo Maresca has given minutes to 30 different players this season, second only to Southampton across all competitions, rotating his squad heavily for EFL Cup and UEFA Conference League fixtures, keeping star players fresh for Premier League commitments.

Chelsea's plethora of attacking options

Going forward in particular is where Maresca has an abundance of options at his disposal.

The form of Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson means they are undroppable, but countless combinations featuring Pedro Neto, Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk or Joao Felix have completed the attacking quartet in the Premier League so far.

Madueke appeared to be the first-choice on the right wing, starting 11 successive Premier League fixtures, a sequence that began in August when he bagged this hat-trick at Molineux, before being benched at the weekend.

Meantime, Neto’s Chelsea career appeared ready for take-off when he scored an absolute rocket from distance against Arsenal, his first league goal for the club, but a knock suffered on international duty has hindered his progress.

That’s not even mentioning Christopher Nkunku, who hasn’t started in the league since the opening day, despite scoring in all six European fixtures so far, on target 11 times across all competitions, but he still can’t get much of a look in.

Having said all of that, by next summer, there will be a new kid on the block, with Chelsea having already got their hands on a teenage sensation.

Chelsea's Brazilian superstar

Back in June, Chelsea announced the signing of Estêvão Willian, describing him as “one of the most exciting talents around”.

He’ll join from reigning Brasileirão champions Palmeiras, costing a reported fee of £29 million, arriving in the summer of 2025 following his 18th birthday, potentially in time for the ill-fated FIFA Club World Cup.

Upon arrival, the teenager will surely become the 15th Brazilian to make a senior appearance for Chelsea.

Some, such as Thiago Silva, Willian, Oscar, Ramires and David Luiz, were ultra-successful; others, looking at you Alexandre Pato and Lucas Piazón, not so much.

Estêvão certainly has the talent to fall into the former category, described as “the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar” by João Paulo Sampaio, head of Palmeiras’ academy, adding “you watch him and you fall in love”.

Scout Jacek Kulig on Twitter compared Estêvão’s stats after 28 Brasileirão appearances to both Neymar and Vinícius Júnior stating “I’m not suggesting that Estêvão will surpass Vini or Neymar, but the way he’s started his senior career is absolutely crazy”.

Across all competitions, the teenager has 14 goals in 44 appearances for the Verdão, as well as providing ten assists, most recently the only scorer during a victory over Grêmio in early November.

According to FBref’s scouting report, Estêvão ranks extremely highly for all the key attacking metrics compared to positionally similar players in comparable leagues.

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He is in the top 10% for shots, assists, shot-creating actions, progressive carries, successful take-ons, touches and progressive passes, which isn’t bad for a 17-year-old.

Of course, he is plying his trade at a lower level and, a tale of caution, his former teammate Luis Guilherme, a year older, arrived at West Ham to similar fanfare for a fee of £25m last summer, but he is yet to make any discernible impact in East London, appearing only twice for a total of 11 minutes to date.

So, Chelsea unquestionably have a serious talent on their hands, but patience will be required and it may take time before we see the best of Estêvão in a blue shirt.

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Newcastle United have got some fault lines running through their squad, but Eddie Howe has crafted something special and recent results have showcased that fact wonderfully, with Chelsea and Arsenal both defeated of late across two competitions.

Now, the climb. Newcastle’s hard-fought victory over the Gunners in the Premier League last weekend came down to willpower and sharp tactical understanding, perfect assimilation and implementation of Howe’s philosophy.

But the Magpies are still 11th in the standings, having failed to win any of their previous five top-flight contests before that one. There is much work to be done if Newcastle – backed by the Saudi PIF – are to cement their place at the front of the pack over the coming years.

Plans are being drawn up regarding where to improve, with one addition being looked at who could be perfect for Alexander Isak.

Alexander Isak is finding his feet

Isak is scoring once again, coming up trumps and leaving the Toon faithful cavorting after crucial goals against two of London’s finest outfits. He was always going to find his feet, and now Howe’s side can kick on and make headway in the Premier League.

Newcastle signed Real Sociedad’s talented striker in a deal worth £63m, a club record, in 2022, but he suffered an injury-hit debut year that provided him with only 17 starts in the top flight, albeit posting a respectable ten-goal haul.

Last term, however, Isak came alive. Featuring 40 times across all competitions, he scored 25 goals and put in performances that led pundit Harry Redknapp to declare last year: “I’m not sure if there’s a better player in the country right now.”

There was some noise around the 25-year-old’s future at St. James’ Park across the summer months, but he is still plying his trade under Howe’s wing and there are tentative hopes that he will pen a new contract.

Goals in recent matches have spoken once more of the player’s irreplaceable quality in black and white, with his slow start to the campaign swiftly shaped into something bearing a respectable return of four goals and an assist across ten matches in all competitions.

Moreover, he’s hardly just a target man. As per FBref, Isak ranks among the top 18% of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 8% for progressive carries and the top 16% for successful take-ons per 90. Such metrics emphasise his dynamic and athletic style of play.

Signing a player like Jarrod Bowen really would complete Newcastle’s frontline, not only balancing the left flank, where Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes reside, with a player of high-class quality but finally completing the fluency that could see Isak reach monstrous new heights.

Bowen can be that signing.

Newcastle transfer news

As per TEAMtalk, Newcastle remain hot on the trail of the West Ham United captain, having been keeping tabs on the 27-year-old for a while.

The report suggests that the Magpies could make a blockbuster move and are ‘considering a bid’ for the former Hull City man.

West Ham are toiling under Julen Lopetegui and Bowen has not yet hit his stride, though the winger is proven in the Premier League and was the focal point of David Moyes’ illustrious tenure in east London.

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Getting this one over the line won’t be easy. West Ham value Bowen at £100m – as per previous reports from the summer – and given that he signed a long-term contract last year, it is likely that it will take a ‘huge bid’ from PIF and co for the Hammers to even entertain a sale.

That would ensure it would likely prove a record move for those at St James’, surpassing the £63m that was spent on that man Isak back in 2022.

Bowen really would be the perfect signing for Newcastle in 2025, not least because he might blend with the club’s number nine, and restore Newcastle’s attack to its maximum level.

Imagine Jarrod Bowen & Isak

Miguel Almiron has played for Newcastle for a long time, and Jacob Murphy is certainly an underrated option within Howe’s squad, but neither carries that potent threat that the Hammers skipper would bring to the table.

Bowen’s West Ham career is a thing to behold. The east Londoners signed Hull City’s prized forward in January 2020 for a fee totalling £22m, and he has since gone on to score 64 goals and supply 41 assists across 214 appearances, instrumental in winning the Conference League and thriving across multiple continental campaigns.

Last year, despite Moyes’ system malfunctioning,

His dual-wielded positional value has even seen him be gushed over by opponents, with Brentford manager Thomas Frank describing the England star as “unplayable” after he thumped a hat-trick past the Bees in the Premier League last year.

Could it be that Bowen would bring to Newcastle the kind of goalscoring quality that would unburden Isak with the weight of his responsibility? The Sweden international is a brilliant player, but Gordon aside, there is a distinct lack of prolificness.

Barnes is a terrific goalscorer, but he too is best on the left flank. Bowen, a right winger, would obviously earn regular match action for Howe’s side and has the requisite experience in Europe to actually make all the difference across the coming years.

Who knows, he might even convince Isak to stay on, for a frontline consisting of Gordon, Isak and he would surely hold the properties required to have a significant impact on the narrative at the top of the table and across cup competitions, year in, year out.

With a sharp playmaking edge too, creating 16 big chances in the Premier League since the start of last season, Bowen really could be the perfect partner for a machine-like centre-forward in Isak.

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