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Within the space of three games, the Australia quick has become an irreplaceable piece in the RCB jigsaw

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Apr-20224:16

Cutting: Hazlewood exhibited his bowling range in T20s

Josh Hazlewood earns his livelihood in Test cricket by banging the red ball on hard lengths. His basic plan is to pitch the ball short of a length, ideally on the seam, with the aim to hit the top of the stumps. Batters find Hazlewood damn irritating – not only does he consistently hit the same spot, but he also consistently hits the top of the bat. And he does that tirelessly across long spells. Ask any top Test batter and he will count Hazlewood among the toughest fast bowlers to face.In the longer format Hazlewood has the time to plan his kill by steadily inching closer to the exact length that would defeat the batter. In T20 cricket he just has 24 deliveries, which are usually broken across two spells of two overs each. The first one is in the powerplay and the second comes at death. And as anyone who understands T20 cricket will tell, those are the two segments where matches turn significantly. These are also the phases where the majority of the batters play aggressively.Despite all that, in every match he has played this season, Hazlewood has dominated the batters in those two phases. On Tuesday again he took charge immediately. His job against Lucknow Super Giants – as for all the other fast bowlers – was relatively easier as they had found an ally in a bouncy DY Patil stadium pitch where the ball was flying off length. When that happens even the best batters are anxious.Like Quinton de Kock, one of the best players against fast bowling, was surprised when he got hit on the left hand after Mohammed Siraj got the ball to kick off the length in the first over of Super Giants’ innings. Hazlewood would deliver the third and fifth overs during the powerplay. The nature of the pitch along with the formidable target raised by Royal Challengers Bangalore allowed him to place aggressive fields including a slip.And it was there that an alert Glenn Maxwell pouched a brilliant catch after de Kock nicked a delivery from Hazlewood which was banged on length, rose sharply and quick to take the outside edge. To understand the smartness of Hazlewood’s plan, you would need to know that the previous delivery he had bowled to de Kock, the second of the over, he had pitched short of length and angled it away which the batter had pushed for a single. In a matter of two balls, Hazlewood had caught de Kock in his trap by adjusting his length wilfully by a matter of inches.By the time he started the fifth over, the Lucknow batters were under pressure as only 24 runs had come in the first four. KL Rahul would rap Hazlewood for spraying a short delivery down the leg side which he duly pulled for an easy six. But Hazlewood was not bothered. He tested Manish Pandey’s patience by bowling two deliveries on the fifth while continuing to stick to the hard length. Off the final delivery, Pandey would move back into the crease in his trigger movement attempting to take on the bounce, but the result was a weak push towards into the hands of short midwicket as the ball hit the shoulder of the bat.Hazlewood would then return to easily negate young Indian uncapped batter Ayush Badon’s plan to hit over the leg side, which he attempted by moving extravagantly outside off stump. Hazlewood followed Badoni and flummoxed him by running his fingers on the side of the ball to slacken the pace of the delivery which resulted in a leading edge being caught easily.He might be playing his first season for Royal Challengers, but Hazlewood had already become an asset for the franchise. In Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj, Royal Challengers already had two bowlers for the death overs. But Hazlewood’s experience and the accuracy have helped him maintain a calm mind and execute the plans well so far in those pressure overs.With 34 needed from 12 deliveries and the fearsome Marcus Stoinis standing deep in the crease, Faf du Plessis asked Hazlewood to bowl the penultimate over even though he had the option of Harshal, a proven death-overs specialist. First ball, Hazlewood got way with what should have been called a wide by Chirs Gaffaney. Stoinis couldn’t believe it was not called wide and got distracted talking with the umpire who felt the batter had moved towards the off stump. Next delivery Hazlewood followed Stoinis – who had shuffled outside off stump wanting to ramp it – but was instead played-on a fuller delivery.Speaking to the host broadcaster after the match Hazlewood said he was enjoying bowling at the venues this IPL and in particular DY Patil due to the bounce. “I am really enjoying in particular at the start (powerplay) and probably in particular this ground,” he said. “Wankhede has some bounce but here at DY it is unreal with the new ball. You can obviously go for runs if you get it wrong, but if you get it right you can create wicket opportunities in the first few overs and get the other team on the backfoot.”Hazlewood had done a similar job at defending champions Chennai Super Kings during IPL 2021, bowling the difficult overs first, and eventually becoming the go-to bowler. The big strength Hazlewood possesses is his ability to control the lengths, which Royal Challengers team director Mike Hesson said is valuable on pitches with springing bounce like DY.And that control is courtesy his conditioning in Tests. Fast bowlers have dictated play for most parts so far this IPL. Unassuming and simple he might be, but Hazlewood stands out among this select group of matchwinners.

The Red Sox bolstered their starting pitching rotation on Thursday, having agreed to acquire right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo in a trade with the Pirates.

The deal reportedly includes five players in total, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The highlight of the package Boston is sending to Pittsburgh is the Red Sox’s No. 3 prospect and top outfield prospect, Jhostynxon Garcia.

Oviedo, 27, made nine starts for the Pirates in 2025. He registered an ERA of 3.57 and had 42 strikeouts across 40 1/3 innings. Oviedo missed the entire ‘24 campaign and part of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. His last full season of work came in 2023, when he made 32 starts and had a 4.31 ERA.

In addition to Oviedo, the Red Sox will also receive left-handed pitcher Tyler Samaniego and catching prospect, 2025 fifth-round pick Adonys Guzman. The Pirates will also acquire another player alongside Garcia.

Garcia, 22, saw his first taste of MLB action in 2025, when he appeared in five games for the Red Sox. He struck out five times in a total of seven at-bats. Across 114 games in the minor leagues last season, he had a .810 OPS with 21 home runs and 75 RBIs.

Oviedo is now the second starting pitcher the Red Sox acquired this offseason. The team traded for Sonny Gray in late November, and now will add Oviedo to the mix, too.

Jack Leiter took a no-hitter into the 7th inning on Sunday against the Houston Astros. There was even a graphic attached to the scorebug pointing out that he had not given up a hit through 6 2/3 innings, which is exactly when he gave up a home run to Yainer Diaz.

The graphic was quickly removed after the ball landed on the wrong side of the wall.

The game was actually kind of a pitchers' duel, as neither Leiter nor Houston's Framber Valdez gave up a hit through three innings. While Valdez gave up three runs and four hits in the 4th, he came back out and had two more 1-2-3 innings in the 5th and 6th.

Leiter came so close to escaping the 7th without allowing a hit, but Diaz homered on a 3-2 pitch with two outs. Leiter then struck out Zach Dezeno to end the inning and still had a 3-1 lead heading to the 8th. And that's where things fell apart for Texas. Leiter gave up back-to-back singles to start the inning and was charged when both crossed the plate after his exit.

The Rangers eventually lost 4-3.

It's a shame we didn't get to see how far Leiter could have gone. He left after 89 pitches and has never thrown more than 92 in a game. His father, Al, only needed 102 pitches when he no-hit the Colorado Rockies 19 years ago.

It just wasn't meant to be.

“Leave the football before the football leaves you.” That was the sentence Jamie Carragher reserved for a certain Manchester United player by the name of Casemiro back in May 2024.

It’s safe to say that the Brazilian, once a football legend, a serial winner at Real Madrid, had seen his powers wane.

He was making countless mistakes, looked like he was running through treacle and was the shadow of a player who had featured on 336 occasions for Madrid.

18 months on and Casemiro looks like a legandary player again. He may not be capable of featuring for a period of 90 minutes but the 2025/26 campaign has arguably been his best since moving to Old Trafford.

The 33-year-old is making a huge impact, notably scoring on three occasions and registering an assist. He’s finally come good in United colours.

However, the fact that he can’t last 90 minutes is the problem. His backup in the shape of Manuel Ugarte continues to struggle.

Why it's time for Ugarte to leave Man Utd

In the summer of 2024, INEOS spent a great deal on bringing the bullish Uruguayan to Old Trafford, as much as £42m.

He was seen as the heir to Casemiro, someone who could fix their lack of energy and tenacity in the middle of the park.

The big Brazilian was floundering and the more minute Ugarte was here to fix the problem. Yet, he has been more of a hindrance, particularly as Casemiro has returned to form.

So far this term, the midfield veteran has only completed one 90 minutes in the Premier League and in a bid to see out the game, Ruben Amorim has usually tried to rely on Ugarte. However, the South American has been anything but reliable.

Arsenal

65

Fulham

53

Burnley

72

Man City

Did not start

Chelsea

45

Brentford

Suspended

Sunderland

85

Liverpool

58

Brighton

70

Nott’m Forest

Was not subbed

Spurs

72

With the 24-year-old out of the team, the Red Devils have scored 15 goals at a rate of twice per 90 and have conceded eight times, once per 90 minutes.

However, with Ugarte in the team, Amorim’s side have scored just four times, 1.3 per 90 minutes and have shipped ten goals, a whopping 3.2 per 90.

The data is clear; United are a poorer side when the big-money midfielder is in the team. While he has come on and helped his teammates to victories over Chelsea, Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton, he has also come on and been a hindrance.

When he entered the action at the weekend in the 2-2 draw with Spurs, it was 1-0 to United at the time. In the 3-1 defeat to Brentford, he came on at 2-1. During the 1-1 draw with Fulham, Amorim’s charges were leading 1-0 when Ugarte was brought off the bench. To make matters worse, he also started the 3-0 loss to rivals Manchester City.

So, why do things go so wrong when he’s on the field? Well, his inability to break up the play and anticipate what happens on the field is a huge issue. That was seen during the draw with Spurs on Saturday when Ugarte simply let Wilson Odobert breeze past him in the build-up to Mathys Tel’s equaliser.

With Kobbie Mainoo on the bench, it does beg the question, why Ugarte? While the Uruguay international is the more traditional holding midfielder, they need more energy and legs when Casemiro heads to the bench. Mainoo would bring that in abundance.

Saying that, the academy graduate isn’t the only Ugarte solution up Amorim’s sleeve. Another future superstar at Carrington is getting ready to make an impact.

Man United's surprise Ugarte replacement

Cutting their losses on the former PSG player would be disastrous from a business point of view but it really does feel as though United need a refresh in midfield.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Casemiro has made great improvements this term but he is not getting any younger and if INEOS are planning to spend big in the future then it must be in a central area.

Players like Brighton superstar Carlos Baleba and Nottingham Forest’s Geordie midfielder, Elliot Anderson, have both been linked with a move. They would be fabulous signings too.

Yet, a ready-made solution could present itself at Carrington. In the form of 19-year-old Sekou Kone, United may well have already signed their dream replacement for Ugarte.

Kone arrived at Man United in the summer of 2024. He was not a marquee arrival, far from it. There was very little fanfare for a teenager who had signed in a £1m deal from Malian side Guidars FC.

An exciting midfield player, the youngster had attracted the attention of United scouts during Mali’s run to the semi-finals of the U17 World Cup in 2023. Since then, he has failed to earn any senior game time under Amorim but he looks like a mighty fine prospect.

Kone featured on 14 occasions for the U21s last season but his prospects of football in 2025/26 have so far been dampened by a fractured eye socket. He has played just one match in the opening exchanges of the ongoing campaign but he is now back in training and first-team training at that. Amorim has already shelved plans of a loan spell, such is the potential in this young midfield player.

So, what’s he all about? Well, a defensive midfielder by trade, he is “uber composed on the ball and so press resistant” in the words of Como scout, Ben Mattinson.

Mattinson continued: “He’s got a tight turn radius and rides challenges well when carrying the ball.” On that evidence, he certainly sounds more promising than Ugarte.

He possesses an exciting ball-winning prowess and has an enormous physical ceiling that Mattinson suggests “is something Manchester United need more of in order for Amorim’s man-to-man press to work effectively.”

On that evidence, it’s hardly a surprise that fellow scout, Antonio Mango, has explained that Kone has “the skillset to be a beast under Amorim.”

This is a player who doesn’t just look capable of ending Ugarte’s career at Old Trafford, but potentially also Casemiro’s.

Despite some negative noise regarding attacking regressions, Tottenham Hotspur have made headway under Thomas Frank’s management, fifth in the Premier League and in a promising position in the Champions League group stage.

But Spurs could certainly do with a bit more fluency and impetus when on the charge, and such creases must be ironed out over the coming months to make this a season to remember.

It was always going to be difficult, selling Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in 2023, and Ange Postecoglou deserves credit for establishing an attractive, entertaining playing style (when things were going his way).

But it’s true that some members of the squad aren’t quite pulling their weight. That said, Tottenham do have some top talents who have the capacity to secure the club’s place at Europe’s elite table and lead Frank toward trophy-winning success.

Mohammed Kudus being chief among them.

Kudus' start to life at Spurs

There was an air of controversy about Kudus’ summer transfer to Tottenham. After all, the Ghanaian winger had plied his trade down the road at West Ham United for the past couple of years, and the sale has left the Irons fanbase feeling hot under the collar.

But West Ham’s loss is Tottenham’s gain, with the 25-year-old having registered five assists in the Premier League this season, more than any other player.

His pace and potency have seen him add a dimension to Frank’s outfit that Tottenham simply didn’t boast last term, and in this, he is offering shades of Kane, taking on the responsibility of leading the club forward, bringing a unique flavour to the table.

Kudus is indeed emerging as Tottenham’s new principal source of attacking inspiration, but there’s actually another member of Frank’s squad who’s looking somewhat Kane-esque.

Spurs' new version of Kane

We’re not talking about one of the Tottenham forwards here. Instead, it’s Micky van de Ven whose growth into a talismanic role down N17 is leaving him in line to take Kane’s leadership berth, belatedly.

The 24-year-old has been a revelation since joining from Wolfsburg for around £43m in 2023, with injuries his biggest weakness. So strong and fast and commanding, with journalist Sonny Snelling even labelling him as “world-class”.

It was the 6 foot 4 star’s injury that derailed the Ange hype train a few years ago, sending that project into a spin. Then, last season, hamstring injuries reigned supreme over the defender’s hopes of availability. He started only 12 Premier League fixtures all season, eight of which came across Spurs’ first nine fixtures of the campaign.

While Cristian Romero is Tottenham’s captain, Van de Ven is the perfect counterpoint and every bit as impressive. It’s perhaps important to remember that, like Kane, Van de Ven is not the skipper, with the Three Lions striker behind Hugo Lloris in that regard.

Of course, Kane and Micky van de Ven are hardly similar players. They are so different across physical and tactical bases as to be diametrically opposed.

But Van de Ven offers so much more than his central defensive role demands, and in this, he shares a likeness with Kane, whose range of passing and ability to drop deep and influence make him a very unique number nine, and with 23 goals from 17 games for Bayern this season, he’s still rather good at his primary job.

Tottenham have struggled to replace Kane since selling him to Bayern, but that’s more because of the 32-year-old’s remarkable, unique qualities. When he left, the Lilywhites didn’t only lose their record goalscorer, but their shrewdest playmaker and source of inspiration across so many years.

But his pace. Such speed. It’s astonishing, in many ways, and hard to define. In the Premier League this season, furthermore, Van de Ven has completed 92% of his passes and come out on top in 63% of his ground duels, as per Sofascore.

Micky van de Ven

Tottenham

37.38

Kyle Walker

Man City

37.31

Jackson Tchatchoua

Wolves

37.30

Micky van de Ven

Tottenham

37.23

Micky van de Ven

Tottenham

37.12

It tells much of the Dutchman’s athleticism that he is first, fourth, and fifth on the all-time speed rankings (beginning 2020/21), and is a further illustration of the above-and-beyond approach he brings to his centre-half role.

As per FBref, he also ranks among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90, emphasising an attacking threat that has been on full show this season, six goals from 16 matches in all competitions.

This is a top-class player, and one whose special skills will inevitably see a wave of interest in his signature before long, Europe’s heavyweights squabbling over his signature.

It is perhaps a given that Van de Ven will eventually move on. The lure of Real Madrid and Barcelona, outfits bound to have earmarked the Netherlands international among a list of loose long-term targets, may ultimately prove too much for him to ignore.

This could see him shape into the next version of Kane in more ways than one. But, whatever happens down the line, Van de Ven is a unique player who Tottenham must keep a grip on for as long as they can, for he will spearhead the Frank era toward a surface only scratched when Postecoglou defied the odds and lifted the Europa League title last season, Van de Ven playing that final and thriving.

Spurs have signed a "hidden gem" who's a bigger talent than Troy Parrott

Tottenham need to do more in the final third under Thomas Frank’s management.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 17, 2025

New Zealand captain Tom Latham has been ruled out of the first Test against Zimbabwe, starting on July 30 in Bulawayo, with a shoulder injury. In his absence, New Zealand white-ball captain Mitchell Santner will lead the side.Latham suffered the injury while fielding during a Vitality Blast game for Birmingham Bears earlier this month and did not recover in time for the first Test. According to an NZC release, he will remain with the squad and hope to be fit for the second Test starting August 7.”It’s hugely disappointing for Tom to be missing the first Test, as captain but also as an integral part of the team,” head coach Rob Walter said.Related

• Smith ruled out of second Zimbabwe Test, Foulkes called up as replacement

• NZ back in whites sans stars, Zimbabwe seek redemption

• Ben Curran and Sikandar Raza in Zimbabwe squad for NZ Tests

• Bracewell replaces Phillips for NZ's first Test against Zimbabwe

• From net bowler to 'X-factor' – Matt Fisher on the cusp of a potential Test debut

“It’s never great when you lose your captain, who’s a world-class opening batter and a great team man, but that said we’re going to work really hard to have him available for the second Test. “We’ll continue to assess and see whether a replacement player is necessary, but at this stage we are hopeful that he’ll recover in time.”Santner, who’s played 30 Tests, will be leading New Zealand in the format for the first time. New Zealand will go into the Tests fresh off a T20I tri-series win in Harare where they remained unbeaten throughout the series under Santner’s captaincy.”Mitch did a wonderful job with the T20 squad in this recent series,” Walter said. “He was excellent from a strategy point of view, and he has a strong understanding of the game.”Whilst the format is different, he certainly has the respect of the players and will be supported by some highly experienced Test cricketers, so I trust that he’s going to do a great job.”The two-match series will mark New Zealand’s first Test tour of Zimbabwe since 2016.

أجرى كارلو أنشيلوتي مدرب ريال مدريد السابق والذي حفر اسمه في تاريخ النادي بالعديد من الإنجازات، مقابلة مع صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية.

ويعد المدرب الإيطالي هو صاحب أكبر عدد من الألقاب في تاريخ ريال مدريد بـ15 لقبًا.

ونشرت الصحيفة الإسبانية مقتطفات من مقابلة المدرب الإيطالي المخضرم والذي يتولى حاليًا مسؤولية تدريب منتخب البرازيل، حيث تحدث عن لاعبيه السابقين في ريال مدريد.

ويتولى أنشيلوتي حالياً قيادة هؤلاء اللاعبين في منتخب البرازيل وهم، إندريك الذي يحظى حالياً بوقت لعب محدود مع الفريق وفينيسيوس جونيور الذي يعد محط الأنظار، ورودريجو الذي ساعده أنشيلوتي على تجاوز فترة ركوده.

وقال أنشيلوتي عن رودريجو الذي يمر بفترة صعبة في ريال مدريد ولم يسجل أي هدف بعد ثمانية أشهر: “لم أقم بفعل شيء مميز، لقد فهمت فقط مشكلة رودريجو وساعدته”.

اقرأ أيضاً.. مبابي يلمح لانتقال أوباميكانو إلى ريال مدريد.. ويشيد بلاعب مانشستر سيتي: موهبة مذهلة

وكان أنشيلوتي قد رحل عن ريال مدريد، وترك منصبه لخليفته تشابي ألونسو بعد أن حقق إرثاً رائعاً وتوج بالعديد من الألقاب منها ثلاثة ألقاب دوري أبطال أوروبا وكأس عالم أندية وكأس سوبر أوروبي وثنائية لكل من الليجا وكأس الملك والسوبر الإسباني.

وحقق أنشيلوتي 250 انتصارًا، منها 162 في الدوري الاسباني و53 في دوري أبطال أوروبا و22 في كأس ملك إسبانيا و5 سوبر إسباني و5 كأس عالم للأندية و3 في كأس السوبر الأوروبي.

ورد أنشيلوتي على الانتقادات حول أنه يعد مجرد مدير فقط وليس مدرب كرة قدم: “إن القول بأنني كنت مجرد مدرب هو كذبة”.

ودافع أنشيلوتي عن تشابي ألونسو مدرب ريال مدريد والذي تعرض لهزيمتين ضد أتلتيكو وليفربول وتعادل ضد رايو فاليكانو: “التعادل في ريال مدريد هو مقدمة لأزمة، نتائج الفريق مذهلة حتى الآن، وماذا يمكن أن نطلب أكثر من ذلك”.

If RCB finish in the top two, they will play Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad less than 48 hours after the end of their last league game in Lucknow

Shashank Kishore22-May-20252:25

Moody: Too long a break for RCB

Head coach Andy Flower has said Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) lead-in to the IPL playoffs is not ideal but wants his team to be ready for any eventuality.If RCB finish in the top two, which they might know only after their last league game on May 27 against LSG, they will have less than 48 hours before they’re back on the field for Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad.”That’s not your ideal lead-in to a qualifying game,” Flower said ahead of Friday’s ‘home’ fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Lucknow. “We’ll finish late, get to bed quite late, then travel 28th and play 29th, but that’s the situation in front of us. The best way is for everyone to take in the reality of that, deal with it and we’ll be ready for that game.”RCB last played on May 3. Their first game after the IPL resumed on May 17, against KKR, was abandoned without a ball bowled. With heavy rainfall forecast in Bengaluru, the IPL’s decision to move this game to Lucknow meant RCB have had just two sharp training sessions in the build-up.Related

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RCB look to boost top-two chances in Lucknow home game

“We’re disappointed not to be playing tomorrow’s game in Bangalore, but we’ve had to roll with that,” he said. “We trained in Bangalore yesterday around lunch time, flew here, have a training session tonight [Thursday] and we’ll be ready to go.”The boys have worked really well over the entire season, in the build-up to the first match. They’ve played some superb cricket through the season. Yes, we’ve had a little break now but for a couple of our players, that [break] has been a healthy thing.The break has given Rajat Patidar time to recover from injury, says head coach Andy Flower•BCCI”Rajat Patidar for one, it’s given his right hand a little bit of time to settle after getting a bad knock. He’s fit to bat. Which is great. [Phil] Salt was sick for a while, it’s given him a little chance to get home, recharge his batteries, and he’s back at full force.”Flower is no stranger to the Ekana Stadium, having coached Lucknow Super Giants for two seasons in 2022 and 2023. He’s hoping RCB will continue their incredible away record of six wins in six games this season and push towards a top-two finish.”As you know we struggled in our home conditions initially, the pitch was a little bit different to what we were used to,” he said. “It took us a little while to adjust our game plan; we did adjust and won a couple of important games at home [against CSK and RR]. We’ve got a good record away, been able to flex for away conditions really well, backing our players to do that again tomorrow. We’re okay playing away.”When asked if they were aggrieved at the lack of home advantage in Bengaluru, Flower spoke glowingly of the relationship the franchise shares with the Karnataka State Cricket Association and its curators.

“We’ve got a good record away, been able to flex for away conditions really well, backing our players to do that again tomorrow. We’re okay playing away”Andy Flower

“I think generally cricketers should be able to adjust to whatever conditions given to them,” he said. “Of course home advantage is a thing, but we’re comfortable with our relationship with [K] Sriram back at Chinnaswamy. He’s been outstanding, given us the best pitch he can given us each time. Like him and respect him, enjoy working with him … we’re looking forward to a similar relationship next season.”RCB are currently second in the points table with 17 points from 12 games. They need to win both their remaining games to give themselves the best chance of finishing in the top two. They will also have to deal with personnel changes ahead of the playoffs: Jacob Bethell and Lungi Ngidi will leave after Friday’s fixture against SRH due to international commitments.RCB have signed Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani and New Zealand’s Tim Seifert as short-term replacements. They are also waiting on Josh Hazlewood’s return as he continues his recovery from a shoulder injury in Australia.

Newcastle United have come on leaps and bounds under Eddie Howe’s wing, but the Toon have been hit with their fair share of adversity over the past few months.

Backed by PIF, Howe has worked wonders at St. James’ Park, transforming Newcastle from perennial relegation contenders to a force to be reckoned with both at the top of the Premier League and in Europe.

And, to boot, United ended so many years of searching for silverware last season, beating Liverpool at Wembley to lift the Carabao Cup and seal their first major domestic honour since 1955.

Liverpool have carried the battle on, however, having pushed throughout the summer transfer window for Magpies talisman Alexander Isak. The Reds landed their man on transfer deadline day, signing him for a record-breaking £125m fee.

It’s a cruel, cruel blow for Howe’s project, no doubt about it. Although that said, Newcastle have recruited well this summer and have equipped themselves with players capable of matching the outfit’s lofty ambitions.

How Newcastle are replacing Isak

Toward the end of the transfer window, Newcastle welcomed Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa to their ranks. There is an exciting contrast to the two forwards, one of whom is experienced and renowned within the Premier League, with the other hailing from Germany, and with a high ceiling ahead of him.

Both of them are talented goalscorers, who will contribute to the latest chapter at this wonderful football club. But neither of them is Isak.

Indeed, Isak’s influence reached beyond that of merely being a prolific frontman. The Sweden international was described by pundit Ally McCoist last season as being “the best all-round centre-forward” in the Premier League, with his lethal finishing merely the endpoint of a dynamic, snappy skillset.

Newcastle have replaced him in the aggregate, but it might be too much to expect either replacement to step up and offer the same level of quality from the get-go.

For Anthony Gordon, this is the perfect chance for him to step up and prove to those of a Toon persuasion that he can adopt the talismanic berth at St. James’ Park.

However, after a testing start to the season, the England international has it all to do, with more misery potentially pulling him away from a place as Isak’s proverbial successor and toward territory occupied by someone like Miguel Almiron.

Anthony Gordon needs to step up

Last season, Gordon left plenty to be desired at Newcastle. The 24-year-old had previously been crowned Newcastle’s Player of the Year for 2023/24 after an exceptional breakout season, but interest from Liverpool that summer knocked him out of kilter after the saga came to nought.

Gordon was on the fringes after joining from Everton for £45m in January 2023, but a full pre-season allowed him to grow into his skin and repay the faith, clinching 28 goal contributions across all competitions.

Almiron is fondly remembered for his contribution and passion on Tyneside, but there’s no denying he lacked clarity and incisiveness in the final third, with the lion’s share of his time in England yielding not-so-prolific returns.

Newcastle signed Almiron from Atlanta United in the MLS, enjoying his football for seven years before sending him back over the pond.

Tenacious and lively, the Paraguayan winger lacked bite in the final third, with an incredible purple patch during the 2022/23 campaign serving as the extent of his clinical form in the Premier League. But what form it was, with the maverick swishing this way and that, playing with such gusto as he timed his runs and found the right pockets of space at the right times.

24/25

9

0 (0)

23/24

33

3 (1)

22/23

34

11 (2)

21/22

30

1 (0)

20/21

34

4 (1)

19/20

36

4 (2)

18/19

10

0 (0)

Gordon will hope that he does not follow suit, having only scored six goals in the Premier League last season and starting the current campaign off wobbily, seeing himself sent off during that frantic fixture against Liverpool in August.

He has described himself as a “nightmare for anyone” he comes up against, and he shares with Almiron a sort of crackling energy when on the ball and in the danger area, one of the fastest players in the Premier League besides.

Howe has been forced into playing the left-sided forward in a makeshift centre-forward berth at times – including the opening weeks of the current campaign – and that has disrupted the player’s fluency, but the fact remains that this is a critical juncture for a player who needs to step up now that Isak has completed his move to Merseyside.

There’s no question that Gordon’s ceiling is higher than Almiron’s ever was. The Three Lions star has been priced in the ballpark of £100m in the past, after all.

And, of course, it’s important to remember Gordon has proven himself and then some within this Newcastle team before, and during a testing time for the club at that.

He is a forward who wears his passion on his sleeve, and though that has at times been to his own detriment, the winger will be determined to bounce back and prove he can lead this new-look frontline over the coming years.

Looking at it from a different, more sobering perspective, Gordon must ensure this campaign does not get away from him too, for if this is the case, his flash-in-the-pan prolific mess in the Premier League might leave him remembered in a similar way to Almiron.

Again, there is confidence from the Toon hierarchy that this will not be the case, but the time for action is now.

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All football fans will be familiar with the chant “can we play you every week?”, but it would be more apt if Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters started signing “can we play in the Carabao Cup every week?”, even if it hasn’t quite got the same ring to it.

This is because, having already ousted West Ham in round two, Wolves beat Everton 2-0 in the EFL Cup at Molineux on Tuesday, thanks to goals from Marshall Munetsi and then Tolu Arokodare.

So, despite having beaten two top division teams in the League Cup, the Old Gold have lost all five Premier League matches they’ve played so far, the club’s worst-ever start to a season, following last weekend’s 3-1 reverse at the hands of Leeds.

On Saturday night, Wolves will face Spurs in North London, and an appointment with Doctor Tottenham might just be what they need to cure their relegation woes, but Vítor Pereira will need to unleash his “huge talent” if his side are going to get off the mark in the capital.

Jørgen Strand Larsen's importance to Wolves

This is Wolverhampton Wanderers’ eighth successive season in the top division, their longest stay since the 70s, but many fear that the streak could come to an end, given that they continuously sell their best players.

In 2023, it was Matheus Nunes and Rúben Neves who were sold for big money, with Pedro Neto and Max Kilman following suit 12 months later, while Rayan Aït-Nouri and Matheus Cunha were sold for a combined £93.5m during the most-recent transfer window.

Cunha scored 17 goals last season, directly involved in 39% of Wolves’ Premier League goals, despite sitting out five matches due to various suspensions.

Thus, he was always going to leave a rather large void in the Black Country, one that Jørgen Strand Larsen is attempting to fill, having himself scored 14 times during his debut campaign at Molineux, netting twice so far this season, both in the Carabao Cup.

As already outlined, Wolves have become accustomed to selling their stars in recent times, but recognised the potentially disastrous consequences of allowing Strand Larsen to leave, thereby rejecting multiple bids from Newcastle for the Norwegian’s signature, the highest of which was £55m.

The 25-year-old has been nursing an achilles issue, thereby sitting out the defeats to Everton and Newcastle, before being introduced off the bench against Leeds on Saturday, so he simply must start at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, but which new teammate will help get the best out of him?

Wolves' new Matheus Cunha

On deadline day, Wolverhampton Wanderers signed striker Tolu Arokodare from Genk for a reported fee of £24m.

The Nigerian international started against both Newcastle and Leeds, in the aforementioned absence of Strand Larsen, before opening his account in old gold by scoring off the bench in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.

From his time in Belgium, Arokodare is certainly highly rated, with Graeme Bailey labelling him a “huge talent” and at 6 ft 6 in (197 cms), he is imposing and a major attacking threat.

Earlier this year, the striker bagged his first two international goals, netting for Nigeria against Russia at the Luzhniki and then during a victory over Rwanda in a World Cup qualifier in Uyo earlier this month.

At club level meantime, Arokodare scored 22 goals in 34 appearances for his first European club, namely Valmiera in Latvia, spending time at Köln and then Amiens, before truly bursting onto the scene with Genk.

Last season, he scored 23 goals in all competitions for the Smurfs, thereby sharing the Jupiler Pro League golden boot.

The table below indicates how prolific he was in Belgium.

Goals

21

1st

Goals inside the box

21

1st

Headed goals

3

1st

Shots

158

1st

Shots on target

52

1st

Big chances missed

34

1st

Aerial duels won

156

3rd

% of aerial duels won

63.41%

5th*

*minimum 100 won.

As the table documents, Arokodare led the way for all attacking metrics in Belgium’s top-flight last season.

Worth highlighting that all 21 of his goals were scored inside the penalty area, including three headers, underlining his style of play, albeit the fact he missed a whopping 34 Opta-defined big chances has to be a concern.

Nevertheless, the fact he won the third-most aerial duels is commendable, emphasising how he could be useful to Wolves.

Pereira has favoured a back five as Wolves boss, a shape which would allow him to deploy two centre-forwards together, having notably seen Cunha and Strand Larsen work in tandem last term.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Thus, if he selects Arokodare and Strand Larsen together against Tottenham, it would prevent one or the other from becoming massively isolated while, together, they’re capable of causing Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero problems, potentially helping Wolves cause a massive shock in North London.

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