Newcastle United have reportedly opened talks over signing another defender this summer as Eddie Howe looks to bolster his backline ahead of the new Premier League season.

Business slow for Newcastle United

As it stands, Newcastle United will be heading into their Premier League opener against newly promoted Southampton with just four new faces in their ranks.

Two of those, goalkeeping pair John Ruddy and Odysseas Vlachodimos, are unlikely to see too much first team action barring an injury to no.1 Nick Pope, with the Greek shot-stopper having been signed as part of a deal to sell promising talent Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest.

Elsewhere, they have added free agent Lloyd Kelly from Bournemouth to bolster their backline, while William Osula has also arrived from Sheffield United in a deal worth £10m.

Though both deals may prove shrewd, they are far less than what was expected on Tyneside given the Saudi Arabian ownership of the club. They have, however, been boosted by the return of Sandro Tonali from a gambling ban, with the club's record signing available to return to action from the end of August in a move that will help ease midfield concerns for the Magpies.

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By
Ethan Lamb

Aug 15, 2024

Meanwhile, they are locked in talks over a deal to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, having had two bids turned down for his services so far. Earlier in the week, Palace chairman Steve Parish was bullish over his defender, who is refusing to sign a new contract at Selhurst Park.

"Nobody has got to the valuation yet. If you want a superstar player you need to pay superstar money," he explained. "It's not near the point where we have to make a decision. We love having him and would love to keep him. If someone else wants to have him they need to make it really difficult for us. He's a generational talent."

Newcastle continue to push for his signature, and have now kick started a move for another defensive target.

Magpies make contact over Ligue 1 centre-back

That comes in the 6 foot 3 shape of Toulouse centre-back Logan Costa, who Eddie Howe's side have been linked with several times this summer. The 23-year-old is down to the final two years of his £7,500 per week deal in the south of France, and has been linked with moves to West Ham, Bologna and the Magpies.

Valued at between €18m and €20m (£15.4m-£17.1m) by his club, Newcastle have now taken the first official step towards his potential arrival.

Logan Costa for Tolouse (23/24 Ligue 1)
Appearances	31
Goals	1
Assists	1
Yellow Cards	6

That comes as Bologna local media [via Sport Witness] claim that Howe's side have now made "first formal contact" over a deal for the defender as they pursue a deal – the Italian press are following the deal due to Bologna's own interest.

Any move for Costa alongside Guehi would be a strange one in the long term, with Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Jamal Lascelles all already at the club as well as new signing Kelly, despite Botman and Lascelles currently recovering from injury and expected back later in the season.

As the Magpies head into the new campaign with no backup options to Kelly and Schar, though, it makes a lot of sense for their immediate results.

MatériaMais Notícias

A Seleção Brasileira definiu a numeração dos atletas para os jogos contra a Colômbia, nesta quinta-feira (11), às 21h30, na Neo Química Arena, em São Paulo, e Argentina, na próxima terça-feira (17), no estádio San Juan del Bicentenário, em San Jan, na Argentina, pelas Eliminatórias para a Copa do Mundo de 2022. Os jogos serão os dois últimos do Brasil em 2021.

RelacionadasSeleção BrasileiraAlisson fala sobre goleiros brasileiros na Seleção e coloca Weverton, do Palmeiras, em ‘Top 10’ mundialSeleção Brasileira11/11/2021Seleção BrasileiraPrestes a completar 50 jogos, Alisson fala sobre disputa por posição na Seleção: ‘Nunca tive cadeira cativa’Seleção Brasileira11/11/2021Seleção BrasileiraDe ‘famoso quem’ a titular absoluto, Raphinha aproveita início meteórico pela Seleção BrasileiraSeleção Brasileira11/11/2021

De volta a Seleção Brasileira após mais de um ano, o meia Philippe Coutinho seguirá usando a camisa 11, a qual vestiu na Copa do Mundo de 2018, na Rússia. Na rodada anterior das Eliminatórias que utilizou o número foi Éverton Ribeiro, do Flamengo, que não foi convocado desta vez, já que o técnico Tite optou por preservas os atletas das equipes brasileiras que estão na reta final de disputas por campeonatos nacionais e continentais.

Estreantes pela Seleção, o goleiro Gabriel Chapecó, do Grêmio, e o zagueiro Gabriel Magalhães, do Arsenal, vestirão a 12 e 22 respectivamente.

Convocado de segundo momento, o atacante Vinicius Júnior, do Real Madrid, utilizará a camisa 20, que geralmente é trajada por Roberto Firmino, que foi cortado por lesão e deu espaço justamente para Vini.

A camisa 10 seguirá sendo usada por Neymar Júnior.

Confira a numeração completa da Seleção Brasileira para os jogos contra Colômbia e Argentina, nos dias 11 e 17 de novembro:

1 – Alisson Becker
2 – Danilo
3 – Thiago Silva
4 – Marquinhos
5 – Casemiro
​6 – Alex Sandro
7 – Gerson
8 – Fred
9 – Gabriel Jesus
10 – Neymar Júnior
11 – Philippe Coutinho
12 – Gabriel Chapecó
13 – Emerson Royal
14 – Eder Militão
15 – Fabinho
16 – Renan Lodi
17 – Lucas Paquetá
18 – Antony
19 – Raphinha
20 – Vinicius Júnior
21 – Matheus Cunha
22 – Gabriel Magalhães
23 – Ederson

England fast bowler may face surgery as ECB plan next steps of recovery

Andrew Miller16-May-2021Jofra Archer has been ruled out of England’s two-Test series against New Zealand, starting at Lord’s on June 2, and may face surgery on his troublesome right elbow after failing to come through this week’s return to first-class action.Archer, who was withdrawn from this year’s IPL prior to its postponement earlier this month, had undergone a series of cortisone injections to enable him to get through the T20I leg of England’s white-ball tour of India in March.Related

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He also underwent an operation on the middle finger of his right hand while receiving further treatment on his elbow, to remove a splinter of glass following a bizarre incident involving a fish-tank. He showed no ill effects following that treatment and has been playing without protection on the affected digit.After a low-key return to action for Sussex’s second XI against Surrey two weeks ago, Archer appeared to be returning to his best when he picked up two wickets, including his England Test team-mate Zak Crawley, in a hostile new-ball burst on his return to the County Championship against Kent at Hove this week.However, he bowled just five overs in Kent’s second innings, and none on the final two days of the match, a situation that appeared to have caused confusion for his Sussex captain Ben Brown on a rain-shortened third day, when he gestured for Archer to open the bowling but had to turn instead to his team-mate George Garton.”It was a communication thing with Jofra on Saturday evening,” Brown said at the conclusion of the match. “There is no issue. I asked him beforehand if he was going to have a bowl and he said yes in a warm-up capacity. But he was feeling too sore to bowl.”The issue here is a sad one for Jofra. He’s a champion cricketer, so talented and so gifted, but at the moment he cannot do what he wants to do, he cannot do his skill.”I really feel for him. He’s in a difficult situation, with that skill of bowling really fast being taken away from him if you like. This week has been very challenging for him. He was hopeful about how it would go, but he’s felt pretty sore in this game.”An ECB statement subsequently confirmed that Archer “was suffering from pain in his right elbow when bowling and was unable to bowl in the final two days of the match.”The England and Sussex medical teams will now seek guidance,” the statement continued, “and Archer will see a medical consultant later this week to determine the next course of action on the management of his elbow.”Archer first suffered problems with his right elbow during the tour of South Africa in January 2020, when a stress fracture was detected that ruled him out of the final three Tests of the series, as well as the subsequent one-day campaign.The option of surgery may be the preferred course of action for Archer and for England – not to mention his IPL franchise, Rajasthan Royals – given his importance to the team’s plans across formats in the back-end of the year.As the MVP in the last IPL in November 2020, and following a series of hostile displays in the 3-2 series loss in India, Archer’s value to England’s T20I attack is paramount, especially given that the team will go into the T20 World Cup in October and November as one of the favourites, and seeking to become the first team to hold the 50-over and 20-over titles concurrently.Then there is the Ashes campaign in Australia hot on that tournament’s heels – a tour that England’s Test captain, Joe Root, admitted this week was the “pinnacle” of their plans for 2021, notwithstanding a five-match home series against India before that.In the meantime, England have already indicated that they will be giving opportunities to fringe members of their Test squad during the New Zealand series – not least among them, Archer’s fellow Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson, who has been a fixture in the biosecure environment without yet being given a Test debut.Mark Wood and Olly Stone, who like Archer can bowl at speeds in excess of 90mph, are expected to be included in the squad, although the contingent of players who have recently returned from the IPL – including Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Moeen Ali – are expected to be rested, due to the time they have already spent in bio-secure environments.Ben Stokes is already ruled out of the series after sustaining a broken finger during his stint with Rajasthan Royals at the IPL.

Glasgow Rangers are already out of the Champions League prior to the playoff round following their defeat on Tuesday evening.

The 2-0 loss to Dynamo Kyiv, while expected given the state of the current squad – piles the pressure on Philippe Clement to try and strengthen his team before the window closes at the end of the month.

Several positions lack the depth required to challenge across all competitions this season. At this current moment in time, there are gaps all over the squad.

Injuries were a big factor in the lack of success during 2023/24 and considering the season is already two weeks old, Oscar Cortes and Ridvan Yilmaz may be set for spells on the sidelines.

The latter hasn’t enjoyed the best of times at Ibrox with regard to injuries. Might his latest one rule him out for a prolonged period?

Ridvan Yilmaz suffered an injury against Dynamo Kiev

The Turkish defender has been the number-one choice at left-back so far this season, emerging from the Borna Barisic shadow which had been cast over him since joining the club in 2022.

There is no doubt that he has potential, but Yilmaz needed consistent minutes to build up some confidence, precisely what he managed at times last year.

Indeed, across all competitions, he made 33 appearances. This would likely have been more had an injury sustained on international duty in March ruled him out for a few weeks.

Metric

2022/23

2023/24

Key passes per game

0.7

1.5

Successful dribbles per game

0.7

1.3

Total duels won per game

2.8

3.4

Assists

0

1

Big chances created

1

6

Via Sofascore

He has since begun the current campaign having started each of the club’s opening four games, yet disaster struck against Kyiv in midweek.

Just minutes after taking a shot at goal, Yilmaz was stretched off in obvious pain, and it didn’t look good for the young defender.

Clement has since revealed that the Turkey international is set to be on the sidelines for between four and six weeks, which leaves the Gers short in that position in the interim.

Might this force Clement’s hand in the transfer window? As he now only has Jefte and Robbie Fraser as options at left-back, both fairly inexperienced at this level, despite their potential.

An update on the Gers transfer activity could potentially see them make a move for a former Manchester United starlet…

Rangers eye move for former Man United defender

According to the Daily Record, the Belgian may dip into the transfer market in order to seek cover for Yilmaz.

This could see him turn to Brandon Williams, the once Man United talent, as a potential saviour to his problems on the left side of the defence.

It states that the former England youth international has been on the club's list of targets throughout the summer and that this latest twist could see them move for him, as they line up a possible swoop.

The Englishman was released by the Old Trafford side at the end of last season. Therefore, he is available on a free transfer, which could be very tempting for Clement considering his lack of funds.

This could give the club another option in this area of the pitch, allowing Jefte the chance to push into a more advanced role on the left wing.

He might not be the marquee signing that the Ibrox faithful are craving right about now, but Williams could be an interesting addition to the first-team squad as a dream replacement for Yilmaz.

Brandon Williams’ Manchester United statistics

The defender broke through into the United first team during the 2019/20 campaign, which was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first full season in charge of the club.

He ended up making 36 appearances in all competitions, scoring once and grabbing an assist, looking like he could be the next academy graduate to become a regular fixture in the first team.

The Norwegian coach even lavished praise on the left-back after he won a penalty to help United prevail against Partizan Belgrade back in 2019.

He said: "And, for me, Brandon was man of the match. He's been fantastic the few games he's played. The boy has no fear, he is as brave as a lion and he got us the win.”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t really kick on from here, making just 15 appearances for the Red Devils over the next three seasons, which included a loan spell at Norwich City in the Premier League.

Another loan spell last term, this time at Ipswich Town, was the final straw in order to convince Erik ten Hag that he had a future at United, but despite two goals in 15 games for the East Anglian side, he was released at the end of the season.

What could Brandon Williams offer Rangers

The defender made a total of 47 appearances in the Premier League for both United and Norwich, which proves he has the mentality to perform in one of the best leagues on the planet.

During his loan spell with Ipswich in the first six months of last season, Williams did showcase his defensive skills in the Championship.

Indeed, he won 4.7 total duels per game – a success rate of 58% – while also making 1.9 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and being dribbled past just 0.7 times per game.

When compared to his positional peers in the men’s next 14 competitions, Williams ranked in the top 5% for tackles per 90 (3.14) and in the top 10% for interceptions per 90 (1.57), yet more evidence of his defensive abilities shining through, this time on a much grander scale.

Yilmaz won 3.4 total duels last term while making only one tackle per game and 0.7 interceptions per game, showing the difference between the two defenders.

Bringing a player like Williams to Ibrox, who is still only 23, could be a wise move by Clement, especially with his frailties on the left side of the defence.

It represents a move with little risk for a big reward. If the move doesn’t work out, Williams could be sold down the line for a profit.

If it does, then Clement has signed a former Premier League defender for nothing who becomes a solid member of the first-team squad.

Over to you now Clement and Co.

Rangers can finally replace Davis in swoop for "gifted" £5m starlet

The Light Blues are reportedly interested in signing the talented young midfielder.

ByRoss Kilvington Aug 16, 2024

India and New Zealand will be crowned joint winners of the inaugural World Test Championship in case the final ends in a draw or a tie, the ICC confirmed on Friday. And while there is a reserve day, it will come into play only if time lost during the five regular days – June 18 to 22 – is not made up on those days. The ICC has also announced that the match will be played using Grade 1 Dukes balls.While the original draft of the playing conditions for the inaugural cycle of the WTC (2019-21) had been laid out in 2018 itself, as reported by ESPNcricinfo on May 17 that year, the ICC has now updated it for the final.On Friday, the ICC reiterated that the reserve day will only be a contingency measure and would not be used to get to a result in case the “five full days of play” are not enough to separate the two teams.Related

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“The reserve day has been scheduled to ensure five full days of play, and it will only be used if lost playing time cannot be recovered through the normal provisions of making up lost time each day. There will be no additional day’s play if a positive result is not achieved after five full days of play and the match will be declared a draw in such a scenario.”In the event of time being lost during the match, the ICC match referee will regularly update the teams and media about the way in which the reserve day may be used. The final decision on whether the reserve day needs to be used will be announced at the scheduled start of the last hour on the fifth day.”New changes to be implemented
The final will be played with the recent changes to international playing conditions implemented – they are in effect in the ongoing Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka series too.

• The third umpire will automatically review all calls of short runs by on-field umpires and communicate the decision to the field umpire before the next ball is bowled.
• Before reviewing an lbw decision, the fielding captain or the dismissed batter can check with the on-field umpires whether they thought a genuine attempt was made to play the ball.
• For lbw reviews, the height margin of the wicket zone has been lifted to the top of the stumps to ensure the same umpire’s call margin around the stumps for both height and width.

Dutch model Laura Celia Valk has addressed the rumours regarding her supposed relationship with Real Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Dutch model linked to midfielder
• Were never seen together in public
• Valk has confirmed that she is single

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  It was claimed back in April 2024 that Bellingham had linked up with Valk after attending promotional events together. There were, however, suggestions by the summer that the speculation formed part of a clever publicity stunt by Manchester-based clothing company PrettyLittleThing – who have Valk on their books.

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• THE GOSSIP

  Valk was said to have told a hairdresser that she was “completely smitten” with Bellingham, but she did not attend Euro 2024 alongside the wives and girlfriends of other England stars – with social media activity showing that she was actually travelling in France.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  There have also been claims that Valk attended Real Madrid games during the 2023-24 season, as Bellingham helped Los Blancos to La Liga and Champions League titles. That gossip has now been put to bed during a Q&A session on Instagram.

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• WHAT VALK SAID

  Valk was asked if she has a boyfriend, with the 25-year-old responding by saying: “No, I don’t.” That would appear to put an end to the rumours, with the pair having never been spotted together in public despite apparently coupling up.

  Instagram

“It was about using it as an opportunity to be a bit more disciplined as a batting group”

George Dobell06-Jun-2021

Joe Root pulls one away•AFP/Getty Images

Joe Root has defended England’s approach on the final day of the first LV= Insurance Test against New Zealand. England were set 273 off 75 overs on the final day but, by the time hands were shaken on a draw with five scheduled overs remaining, they were still more than 100 runs from their target.Dom Sibley, who finished unbeaten on 60 from 207 balls, reached his half-century in 161 balls. That is the equal-seventh slowest half-century by an England opener this century. But while there was some frustration from those watching in the ground or on TV, Root, the England captain, suggested there wasn’t a “realistic opportunity” of victory on a demanding surface providing uneven bounce and against an excellent seam bowling attack.Instead, he was content to his see his young side – the top seven in this match, without the likes of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, was the youngest England has ever fielded in a home Test – spend some time at the crease after a modest first-innings effort.”Having played on that wicket for a few days, we knew it wasn’t going to be as straightforward as it looked,” Root said. “If you look at the run rate throughout the game, it was hard to score above three an over even when the pitch was at its absolute best.”We wanted to lay ourselves a foundation but, once we got through the initial phase, it just didn’t feel like there was a realistic opportunity for us to win the game. So it was about using it as an opportunity to be a bit more disciplined as a batting group. At times in the first innings we showed a little bit of ill discipline. This was a chance to put that right and take a bit of confidence going into the rest of the series.”The last two times we’ve played in New Zealand we’ve been hammered in the first game and pretty much out the series. But going to Edgbaston, this series is very much alive. We’ve got a chance to win it and we can take confidence from some very good individual performances in this game.”Related

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Root expressed particular satisfaction in the performance of Sibley, who came into this match having not made a double-figure score in his six most recent Test innings.”He showed great resilience and character out there,” Root said. “He really did trust his defence and show that he has the mental capacity for Test cricket. Sometimes you learn a lot about players in those situations.”On a surface like that, where the ball was going up and down, when guys respond in that manner, it tells you a lot about them. I’m really pleased for him and it will give him a lot of confidence.”But Root did admit that the side’s young middle-order batters were going to have to “learn very quickly” after a first-innings performance which saw five of them contribute just 24-runs between them.”I think there were a number of dismissals that weren’t good enough for Test cricket in the first innings,” he said. “We are better than that as a side. They’re going to have to learn very quickly in this environment. But you know they have the right attitude and the right temperament. When they have made mistakes in the past, they have responded well.”Today was an opportunity to show that we can be a little bit more resilient and harder to get out. The guys fronted up and I think they did it very well.”

Newcastle United were unable to adorn St. James’ Park with bells and whistles this summer but they did bolster their backline and they also avoided a detrimental sale of a key first-team star.

Heading into the transfer window, Eddie Howe’s outfit clearly needed reinforcements after turning up a day late and a dollar short in the race for European qualification, one year on from the victorious and unforeseen campaign toward the top four, earning a place in the Champions League.

But it was a season of misfortune for the Magpies, who were knocked by persistent injuries and ultimately finished seventh in the Premier League, losing their Conference League qualifying spot after Manchester United, who finished eighth, won the FA Cup.

It must be said that while Newcastle kept the essence of their project intact, they didn’t make any actual improvements to their frontline, missing out on top attacking target Anthony Elanga.

Why Newcastle wanted Anthony Elanga

There was plenty of talk about Miguel Almiron’s future on Tyneside this summer. The Paraguayan winger has been a stalwart over the years but is not prolific enough to warrant a regular starting spot on the flank. Jacob Murphy is another to play a present part in Howe’s plans, but he too could be displaced by a superior wideman.

Miguel Almiron: Premier League Stats by Season

Season

Apps (starts)

Goals

Assists

24/25

2 (0)

0

0

23/24

23 (13)

3

1

22/23

29 (24)

11

5

21/22

19 (8)

1

0

20/21

28 (22)

4

1

19/20

35 (34)

4

2

18/19

9 (8)

0

0

Stats via Transfermarkt

The 30-year-old could still make an impact this season, but a player of Elanga’s quality could have made a positive impact on Howe’s unit, taking the starring role on the right and allowing his older peers to contribute when called upon.

Last summer, Nottingham Forest signed Elanga from Manchester United for a fee believed to be £15m. The winger, who completed a five-year move, had shown promise at Old Trafford but was not going to work his way into Erik ten Hag’s starting lineup.

Their loss. The Tricky Trees thoroughly enjoyed his performances last season, with Elanga wrapping up the campaign with five goals and nine assists across his 36 Premier League fixtures, proving to be instrumental in the (successful) fight to stay in the division.

He might be waiting for his first goal contribution of the current campaign but the Sweden international hasn’t exactly been slacking, with an average 91% pass completion rate and 2.7 key passes per game across his opening top-flight appearances, as per Sofascore.

It’s no surprise that Newcastle have a vested interest in his signature. The Toon had been hoping to sign him on a £45m deal in the summer but were batted away with each advance.

It’s a rueful one. He’d be deadly on the right wing, and the perfect partner for Anthony Gordon on the alternate – a player who is even more valuable than him.

Anthony Gordon is shaping into a superstar

Gordon is turning into quite the player. His voracious love for reading and determined personality are eloquent of his elite mindset, and his performances in Newcastle colours have been indicative of just that.

It hasn’t always been plain sailing for the England international on Tyneside, who forced his way out of Everton in January 2023 and signed for £45m. Across the latter half of the 2022/23 campaign, Gordon worked hard but to little avail, scoring his first goal on the final day, during a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

Last season, however, he put any notion of being a ‘flop’ to bed, actually winning Newcastle’s Player of the Season award after scoring 12 goals and claiming 11 assists across all competitions, hailed by Bruno Guimaraes for his “unbelievable” performances.

Premier League 23/24: Anthony Gordon vs Anthony Elanga

Stats (*per game)

Anthony Gordon

Anthony Elanga

Matches (starts)

35 (34)

36 (25)

Goals

11

5

Assists

10

9

Touches

44.9

30.5

Shots (on target)*

2.3 (0.9)

1.5 (0.6)

Big chances created

16

14

Pass completion

82%

75%

Key passes*

1.6

0.9

Tackles + interceptions*

1.8

1.1

Ball recoveries*

3.6

2.7

Dribbles*

1.5

0.8

Total duels won*

5.3

2.9

All stats via Sofascore

The 23-year-old is only going to get better and better, and while he has a distance to go before sitting alongside Europe’s very finest attacking midfielders, he carries the trappings of such a player, with the profile of a top, top superstar.

After all, he caught Liverpool’s attention during the off-season…

Anthony Gordon's market value in 2024/25

Liverpool were interested in signing Gordon this summer, with a £75m deal preliminarily in place that would see the winger return to Merseyside and Liverpool’s Joe Gomez head to St. James’ Park in return.

Newcastle circumvented their PSR problem without losing any of their most important players – namely, Gordon, Guimaraes and Alexander Isak.

It was fantastic that this was achieved, especially when considering the gravitas of Newcastle’s task: restoring its place among Europe’s elite and continuing to push for silverware.

Gordon will be instrumental in this regard. Signing Elanga would have been nice, but he’s not performing at the same level as Gordon, who is combative, cultured and creative – the full package, and he’s “fearless” besides, as has been said by Alan Shearer.

A player on the rise, the Englishman was only actually valued at £7m, as per Transfermarkt, at the time at which PIF took over Newcastle back in late 2021, although he has since soared to that £75m price tag – an increase of 971%.

When we look back at Newcastle’s summer activity, there might be an element of regret at having not bolstered as had been desired, but keeping a grip on a player of Gordon’s ilk might just prove to be more influential than the signing of Elanga would ever have been.

Related Newcastle struck gold on Sir Bobby signing who's now worth as much as Guehi

Bobby Robson struck gold on a former Newcastle star

Posts 1 ByRoss Kilvington Sep 10, 2024

The Rojiblancos go into Saturday's massive match at Montjuic having won their last 11 games in a row in all competitions

Atletico Madrid's 1-0 loss at Real Betis on October 27 was their first La Liga defeat of the season, and yet it felt as if the wheels were coming off Diego Simeone's side. Despite a stunning summer spending spree, the Rojiblancos were only fourth in the Spanish standings – and an embarrassing 10 points behind leaders Barcelona.

Just under two months on, though, Atleti only trail the Blaugrana on goal difference – despite having played one game fewer – and will go into the winter break top of the table if they defeat their Catalan rivals at Montjuic on Saturday.

So, how on earth have Atletico done it? How has Simeone turned what looked like the end of his era into an incredible opportunity to claim the third title of his 13-year tenure?

AFPBarca's baffling implosion

Obviously, Atleti have been aided by Barca's dramatic dip in form. The Blaugrana made a sensational start to the season, winning 11 of their first 12 league games to open up a nine-point lead over Real Madrid, whom they had routed 4-0 in the first Clasico of the season at Santiago Bernabeu, on October 26.

However, Hansi Flick's side have managed just one victory since then, and lost three of their past six games, allowing Atleti to draw level and Real to close to within a point. It's not as if Barca have been beaten by top teams either; two of those three losses have come at home to Las Palmas and Leganes, who are 14th and 15th in the table, respectively.

Nobody saw Barca's slump coming either, as it coincided with the return of a number of key players from injury. At one point it was argued that they had become overly reliant on Lamine Yamal, but his brief return to full fitness didn't actually halt the slide.

Barca's poor La Liga form is made even more difficult to comprehend by the fact that they are still flying in the Champions League – and only last week recorded a thrilling 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.

At times, they have looked guilty of complacency – Pedri admitted to that they "started off a bit asleep" against Leganes – and Flick has also accused his team of a lack of fight in certain games. It's also clear that Barca's high pressing and high line are no longer functioning as fluidly as they were earlier in the season, with Flick lamenting the fact that "some players are disconnected". The coach is also copping criticism for failing to resolve in-game issues, with the accusation being that his substitutions appear pre-planned rather than reactive, and he's starting to feel the heat – as illustrated by his suspension for lashing out at the referee during the recent 2-2 draw at Betis.

Whatever the exact reasons for Barca's blip (it's arguably a combination of all of the above), the one thing we do know is that they won't be looking forward to facing the most in-form team in Europe right now, particularly with Yamal sidelined once again by another ankle injury.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportShowing City what they're missing

Atleti bought quite a few high-profile players during the summer, but Julian Alvarez was unquestionably their statement signing. The Rojiblancos agreed a €95 million (£82m/$104m) deal with Manchester City for the World Cup winner.

Pep Guardiola clearly wasn't best pleased to lose Alvarez, but it's easy to understand why his employers felt it was too good a bid to turn down. The struggling English champions are regretting it now, though, while Atleti fans are starting to believe that Alvarez might just prove worth such a lofty transfer fee.

Questions were asked of the Argentina international during the first few months of the season. Atleti drew four of their first nine games in La Liga – and Alvarez only scored in three of those. However, he's started to find his feet over the past few months, with his upturn in form coinciding with Atleti's run of 11 consecutive victories in all competitions. Indeed, eight of Alvarez's 12 goals this season have come since Atleti's last loss, against Betis.

"He just needed time," Simeone told . "He's developed in terms of his ability to interpret and understand how Atletico plays. He comes from a different style in Argentina, and also a totally different style at City, so he needed to adjust. But now all of his attributes are doing our team a lot of good."

Evergreen Griezmann

Alvarez has also benefitted enormously from having Antoine Griezmann alongside him. The Frenchman may be 33 now, but he remains a truly fantastic footballer, an all-round talent who works for and improves those around him.

He's also clearly benefitting from the difficult decision to retire from international football, with Griezmann currently enjoying one of the most prolific patches of his recent career, with seven goals in his last six outings.

Two of those arrived in the final half hour of a stirring win over Sevilla as Atleti came from 3-2 down to triumph 4-3 thanks to a wonderful 94th-minute winner that showcased Griezmann's famed ingenuity and phenomenal first touch.

“We all know the class Antoine has," Alvarez recently enthused. "Because of everything he's given to this club, and to football in general, it's a pleasure to play with him."

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Getty Images SportDe Paul finally delivering

Simeone's greatest Atleti sides were renowned for their defensive strength, but there has been an undoubted attempt to embrace a more expansive, offensive style in recent years. It's not proven an easy balance to achieve, but the Rojiblancos do appear to be getting there.

There were some shocking displays during the first few months of the season, most notably in the atrocious Champions League loss to Benfica in Lisbon, with goalkeeper Jan Oblak admitting afterwards to UEFA's official site, "We were beaten 4-0 but it could have been more!" Fortunately, Atleti have played with more of their famed doggedness and determination over the past couple of months.

Rodrigo De Paul, Lionel Messi's bodyguard, has played a big role, with the Argentine forming a strong midfield partnership with the 21-year-old Pablo Barrios, whose excellent form earned him a first Spain cap last month.

De Paul has long had the makings of a world-class player, of course. The issue has been an inability to deliver on a regular basis.

"We've always known his quality," Simeone told reporters after the 6-0 demolition of Slovan Bratislava. "He's shown his quality with the Argentina national team but, with Atleti, there were good moments and moments where he could improve.

"In this recent period, though, we're seeing more consistency, and he is a player who’s tremendously important for us as he sees things differently. He works hard but he also has that final ball that few players can offer. He can also score goals with that ability of his to strike a ball cleanly."

Liverpool supporters will be eagerly awaiting their side's next Premier League fixture after the international break is finished. A relatively straightforward clash on paper against Nottingham Forest presents another great opportunity to continue Arne Slot's fantastic start as manager.

The Reds look like an exciting team already, with no teething issues present in the wake of Jurgen Klopp's sad exit, with three wins from three picked up in the league which included a ruthless 3-0 away victory at Manchester United last time out.

Luis Diaz stood out in that demolition job at Old Trafford, with Slot licking his lips at the excellent array of attackers he has at his disposal in his new job.

Diaz's value at Liverpool

The Colombian winger tore a hapless Man United defence to shreds in that 3-0 win, capitalising on the many errors made by the home side to give his side a comfortable two-goal lead in the first half.

Diaz standing out at the Theatre of Dreams and rifling home two efforts means the South American star has now tallied up three goals and one assist from his team's flawless start in the top-flight, as Slot looks to have got even more out of the former FC Porto attacker.

Liverpool's decision to fork out an initial £37.5m to land the 27-year-old's services back in 2022 continues to look like a wonderful move, with Football Transfers estimating that Diaz's worth in 2024 is slightly more than that at £39.4m.

Whilst the 5 foot 10 winger has really hit the ground running under the early Slot regime, Darwin Nunez hasn't quite exploded into life under the former Feyenoord boss yet, but more will be expected from the fiery centre-forward as the season progresses.

Nunez's value at Liverpool

Compared to the electric Diaz, the Uruguayan number nine has only been sparingly used from off the bench during the infancy of this new season so far, with Diogo Jota getting the nod to start as Liverpool's main man up top currently.

Nunez did show flickers of his quality in the 3-0 win over Ten Hag's out-of-sorts United when substituted on, with two duels won as an option unafraid to roll his sleeves up and get dirty, whilst also firing one effort at Andre Onana's constantly targeted goal.

The former Benfica striker will hope he can break into his new manager's first-team plans soon, having registered 11 league strikes under Jurgen Klopp last season.

Costing the Reds an eye-watering £64m up-front in the same year Diaz joined, excluding any future add-ons, the pressure will be on Nunez's shoulders to succeed, with his current value standing at £47.8m according to Football Transfers.

His 33 goals for Liverpool to date means he won't be seen as a high-profile flop anytime soon, however.

That's certainly when you compare him to a figure like Christian Benteke.

Benteke's time with Liverpool

After announcing himself to the Premier League with 49 goals from 101 games for Villa, Benteke flopped under the weight of expectation after moving to Liverpool, with a lacklustre ten goals registered from 42 clashes.

Remarkably, If Benteke joined Slot's camp in 2024, he would cost even more than the aforementioned Diaz and Nunez. How do we know that? Well, the guys at Totally Money have helped.

Having originally cost Liverpool £41m in 2015, if that same move occurred in the present day, the hulking Belgian would now cost a hefty £68m as per the Transfer Index.

That would make the deal even more of a colossal failure, with the centre-forward struggling to ever really get going in his new Anfield location after arriving with the reputation of being a deadly striker for Villa.

Aston Villa

101

49

Liverpool

42

10

Crystal Palace

177

37

Only being sold for £27m too, it's safe to say this piece of business was an all-round failure as Liverpool accepted a loss just to get him off their roster in 2016.

He wouldn't really mend his reputation in England with Crystal Palace, but is now a goal machine with DC United in the MLS, having bagged 34 goals for his new employers from just 67 contests so far.

However, to Liverpool fans, he's remembered as a dud from an era that saw many a misfire happen in the transfer market.

Away from any conversations discussing the Premier League side's poor recent past, the mood at Anfield currently is one of major optimism, as Slot aims to go toe-to-toe with Manchester City this season in the hunt for a top-flight title.

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1 ByAngus Sinclair Sep 7, 2024