After failing to make it back-to-back top four finishes in the Premier League this season, Newcastle United are reportedly set to turn their focus towards the summer transfer window, when they could pounce to hijack a player Chelsea are currently leading the way for.

Newcastle transfer news

After previously walking a fine line with Financial Fair Play rules, the rumours have circled regarding potential departures at St James' Park this summer, with Bruno Guimaraes at the centre of that. Reports have even suggested that the Brazilian is expected to leave Newcastle this summer, with the likes of Manchester City among those interested in securing his signature, though he has recently bought a house on Tyneside.

Related Newcastle could land dream Gordon partner this summer in £60m "magician"

The club are looking for reinforcements in forward areas this summer.

Posts ByEthan Lamb Apr 23, 2024

It would be quite the blow to lose a player of Guimaraes' calibre, there's no doubting that, but his exit would at least hand PIF further license to spend in the coming months, resulting in some much-needed improvement for Eddie Howe's side.

After a summer transfer window to forget last year too, with Sandro Tonali stealing the headlines for all the wrong reasons since completing a move, the Magpies will aim to make up for lost time, which could see a top forward arrive.

According to Sports Lens, PIF and Newcastle chiefs are lying in wait for their opportunity to hijack Chelsea's summer move for Ivan Toney, who will reportedly cost between £55m and £60m in the coming months.

It would be quite the full circle moment for Toney, who left Newcastle as a player who failed to cut it in the Premier League back in 2018 after several loan spells away. Now an England international and player in demand, Toney could make his St James' Park return to become the perfect partner to Alexander Isak, showing Callum Wilson the door in the process.

"Amazing" Toney can make Newcastle return to partner Isak

Toney has already shown glimpses of his quality once more since returning from a lengthy ban due to breaching betting rules, and a full pre-season would likely see him return to his very best. And if anyone needs reminders of what that best looks like, only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane scored more than Toney's 20 goals in the Premier League last season.

Given that Wilson is still struggling with injuries and not getting any younger, now is the time for Newcastle to strike when it comes to getting the best out of Isak by welcoming a fresh partner to lead the line.

League stats 23/24 (Via FBref)

Ivan Toney

Alexander Isak

Starts

12

21

Goals

4

17

Expected Goals

4.7

15.9

Assists

1

1

Brentford manager Thomas Frank will be well aware of the type of player he is likely to lose this summer, having previously said via Brentford's official website: "Ivan is amazing in many, many aspects.

"The way he copes with pressure and distractions is amazing. He’s been scoring goals, performing for the team and driving the team. He’s remarkable. I can only talk about the Ivan that I see every day around the place and he’s a fantastic person around the group. He’s got that unique emotional intelligence to be aware of all the players, and every staff member."

Newcastle United may have just been dealt a boost on the transfer front ahead of the summer window opening, it has emerged.

Magpies dreading summer window

It is fair to say that few Newcastle fans are looking forward to the summer window as much as they have been in recent years. After a disappointing Premier League campaign, they have seen Everton and Nottingham Forest fall foul of financial fair play regulations and be docked points as a consequence, with both sides in danger of relegation from the top flight.

Summer reinforcements Harvey Barnes, Sandro Tonali and Lewis Hall have hardly featured through a combination of form, injuries and suspensions, while injuries have rocked Eddie Howe's squad from the first week of the season until now.

Newcastle's summer signings

Player

Cost

Minutes played (PL)

Sandro Tonali

£55m

440

Lewis Hall

Loan

104

Tino Livramento

£32m

965

Harvey Barnes

£38m

355

Though they are owned by the richest owners in club football, there has been significant speculation that one of their stars will have to depart this summer to balance the books. This idea was only fueled by Darren Eales, the club's CEO.

PIF could sell "exceptional" Newcastle star to fund spending spree – report

It would be a tough decision for the club.

ByBen Browning Mar 19, 2024

Speaking in January, he explained: "It's just the nature of the beast. If you trade players on it creates more headroom. You have to keep growing that headroom, increasing commercial revenue and player trading.

"It's difficult to say specifically on certain players, but I can say that, if we're going to get to where we want to get to, at times it is necessary to trade your players."

That has led to speculation around fan favourite Bruno Guimaraes, while Alexander Isak is another that could be shipped off in order to balance the books. Sven Botman could have been another candidate but a knee injury is likely to prevent that, with the Dutchman sidelined for the next nine months. But amid the gloom, there is good news for the Magpies.

Newcastle summer transfer news

That comes courtesy of Chronicle Live's Lee Ryder, who insists that the picture isn't as gloomy as it seems. Chiefly, he shares that there is plenty of money to spend this summer.

"United are set to have money to spend this summer despite FFP rules again set to be a big factor", he claims, albeit adding that departures are expected too.

It comes with Newcastle scout Steve Nickson enjoying a busy international break, in which he is suspected to have been keeping tabs on both Bayer Leverkusen left-back Alex Grimaldo and Barcelona winger Raphinha, both of whom Newcastle have a long term interest in.

Certainly, scouting players of that calibre suggests that there will be plenty to spend on Tyneside this summer, though quite how much may ultimately depend on whether or not Howe's side can make a late push for one of the European qualification places in the final ten games of the campaign.

As it stands, they are marooned in 10th place and an outside bet for even Conference League football next season, in what has been a difficult campaign. However, Newcastle fans will take solace from the fact that the transfer well is far from dry on Tyneside.

Zimbabwe opener Kevin Kasuza was taken off the field on a stretcher after being struck flush on the helmet for the second time in two Tests.He was rushed to the hospital for scans and was later diagnosed with a mild concussion.* Although he is stable, medical staff will continue monitoring him. Timycen Maruma has been named as his replacement.Kasuza sustained the blow on the third morning of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Harare when Kusal Mendis nailed a powerful back-foot pull, which hit the side of the helmet of forward short-leg fielder Kasuza, who immediately hit the ground even as the ball ricocheted to square leg, where Carl Mumba took the catch to send back Mendis for 22 off 73 balls.Kasuza was in visible pain and was consequently stretchered off the field by the Zimbabwe medical staff.Incidentally, it was a repeat of what happened in the first Test. Then, too, it was Mendis, who had struck Kasuza on the helmet when he was fielding at the same position on the third day of the match. In that game, Kasuza had not immediately felt the effects of the blow, but suffered a delayed concussion and was eventually substituted out of the match, which was his international debut. As a result, Zimbabwe named a like-for-like replacement in opener Brian Mudzinganyama.While Kasuza has endured a tough time on the field in his first two Tests, he has shown promise with the bat, following up his 63 in the first Test with an equally solid 38 in the second. Kasuza helped see off the new ball in the second Test and set the base for Zimbabwe’s first-innings total of 406.*The story was updated at 13.15GMT with the concussion news.

Newcastle United are eyeing the bargain signing of an “outstanding” young striker this summer, according to a fresh transfer rumour that emerged over the weekend.

Newcastle transfer news

The Magpies know the importance of having a strong summer window, following a season that has ended up being more disappointing than many expected, with Premier League results below-par and Champions League elimination at the group stage.

Lots of players have been linked with moves to Newcastle in recent months, with Eddie Howe no doubt eyeing signings in various areas of the pitch, with ageing players needing to be replaced and squad depth looking to be improved.

Juventus star Federico Chiesa has been backed to join the Magpies a number of times of late, but Barcelona are also believed to be providing competition for his signature. The Italian is out of contract at Juve in 2025, so the Serie A side could look to cash in on him this summer.

Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White has been backed to join Newcastle, too, following a strong season in the Premier League, but Tottenham are rivalling them in the race to sign him, and could be able to offer him Champions League football next season.

It is also essential that Newcastle could keep hold of some of their most important players, and there is hope that Bruno Guimaraes will now stay put at St James' Park, having bought a new house for his family in Northumberland.

Newcastle eyeing bargain summer signing

According to an update from The Chronicle, Newcastle are interested in completing the bargain signing of Ricky-Jade Jones this summer, with the Peterborough United ace available for just £2m.

He is described in the report as the "best presser in League One", adding that "Financial fair play restrictions mean United could be on the hunt for bargain signings this summer, which would allow them to strengthen while spending larger amounts on key targets".

Granted, Jones might not be the big-name, big-money signing that Newcastle fans will want to bolster their attack at the end of the season, but he could still be such a shrewd signing, with Liverpool, who are renowned for their analytics-based scouting, also linked with him. The 21-year-old has scored 10 goals and registered four assists in 29 League One starts this season, and he is capable of shining mainly as a centre forward, but also out wide, especially on the left wing.

Given his age, he would also be considered a long-term target, while Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson has heaped praise on him, saying: "Ricky’s family were very excited when I met them. They are a great group and very close and Ricky is an outstanding young man.

"He deserves the professional contract. We feel he has real potential. He has a great attitude and work ethic. It is just the start, but he has a desire to work hard and that is vitally important. He has real quality, is a big lad, has unbelievable pace and is the quickest player that I have worked with."

Appearances

42

Starts

29

Goals

10

Assists

4

Shots per game

1.8

Dribbles per game

0.6

Key passes per game

0.4

Jones' pace certainly catches the eye, and could be a potent weapon for Newcastle, and at a time when astute business is required in order to adhere to Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, it makes perfect sense.

Without their allrounder going into the series, losing their in-form opening batsman to injury during the series decider, India found a way to win

The Report by Sidharth Monga19-Jan-2020
Without their allrounder going into the series, losing their in-form opening batsman to injury during the series decider, India found a way to win the three-match ODI series against Australia despite losing all three tosses. Australia’s decision to bat first left Virat Kohli smiling ear to ear, his bowlers only widened that smile by keeping Australia down to 286 despite a Steven Smith century, but the chase was not your regular stroll that the scoreline suggested. On a testing, slow pitch, Rohit Sharma scored a special century to negate the challenge.In the final equation, on a pitch that spinners from both sides were a threat, the two main quicks from either side proved to be the difference. Jasprit Bumrah was stellar in conceding just 38 in his 10 overs, and Mohammed Shami took wickets with the new ball and old. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, though, were a big letdown for Australia, conceding 130 runs in 16 wicktless overs between them, which meant when the spinners and Josh Hazlewood bowled well, Sharma and Kohli were not under any asking-rate pressure.Australia’s team management had stayed at the ground till late on match eve to know dew wouldn’t play a big role. Combined with a dry pitch, and their own suspect middle order, they wanted runs on board. Shami dealt those hopes a big blow in the first exchanges despite a wayward – eight wides in first three overs – by both of India’s opening bowlers.In the fourth over, Shami got the ball to shape up to swing back into David Warner, but leave him upon pitching, taking the edge. This was a dismissal from an opening hour of a Test match. Bumrah’s edge over Aaron Finch was apparent again with two runs off 13 legal deliveries. Even when India removed Bumrah after just three overs, the edginess remained, especially with Navdeep Saini bowling the eighth over for just two runs.In the ninth over, Finch went for perhaps a highly risky single to Jadeja at point, but Smith was the bigger culprit in not trusting the call from the non-striker. The run-out left Finch furious, and Smith with a big task of shepherding the suspect middle order. Except that he was met in the middle by his clone Marnus Labuschagne, who has quickly shown he doesn’t need much shepherding. Yet, had Kuldeep Yadav collected a slowish throw cleanly he might have run Labuschagne out to make it 57 for 3.4:10

Bowlers set up series-clinching win for India

That error survived, Smith and Labuschagne pulled Australia out of that crisis, taking them into the last 20 overs with eight wickets in hand. This time Labuschagne reached his maiden half-century too. However, just like the last match, Ravindra Jadeja had begun to frustrate the batsmen with tight overs. In partnership with Yadav and Shami, he strung together 45 deliveries without a boundary. Then he had Kohli helping him in the 32nd over.At a close extra cover, Kohli made an excellent diving save to his left to deny Labuschagne a boundary first ball. To the third ball, he dived to his right to dismiss Labuschagne after a maiden fifty. An experiment to pinch-hit with Mitchell Starc lasted three balls with a slog sweep ending up with deep midwicket. Before this double-wicket maiden, at 173 for 2 in 31 overs, Australia were looking good for a score in the vicinity of 320 despite that recent slowdown.If Starc’s dismissal was a sign the pitch was not the usual flat Bangalore surface, Smith’s failure to place the ball in the coming overs only reinforced it. A mix of orthodox and reverse sweeps from Alex Carey gave Australia some momentum in a run-a-ball 58-run partnership, but the moment Carey tried to hit a six even he ended up miscuing Yadav to deep cover. Add to it the reverse swing India extracted, and Smith had to recalculate and target only the very last overs.Smith threatened a final kick with 25 off eight deliveries, but Shami not only had him caught at deep midwicket, he also ensured there was no annoying cameo from the tail.It was obvious fairly early this was not going to be an easy chase. Not often in ODI cricket do you see two fairly close lbw appeals, three plays and misses and one edge falling short against Sharma in the first 10 overs. Also just as rare is Sharma taking extra risks and scoring 41 runs in those 10 overs.Mohammed Shami celebrates the wicket of David Warner•Associated Press

This was a delicate situation. Shikhar Dhawan had injured himself while fielding. KL Rahul was opening with him after having kept for 50 overs. The ball was doing a bit off the seam. India’s batting more or less went till No. 6 Jadeja. Rohit, though, backed himself and knew he couldn’t let India fall behind the game by the time spin came on.So when Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa and Hazlewood put the squeeze on, taking Rahul’s wicket and conceding 35 in the next 10 overs, India could sit back and absorb that pressure. And when pressure was built, Finch didn’t go to his main bowlers to go find the breakthrough. He gambled. First with Labuschagne, then with himself. Twenty runs in two overs. Pressure off. And when Finch finally brought his main bowlers, they released the pressure further. Before Rajkot, Starc had taken a wicket at least in his previous matches; now he had two wicketless outings.Not that Sharma really needed freebies. He knew Kohli was going to set up to play till the end. He kept taking calculating risks, hitting six sixes in his innings, reaching his hundred with India’s score only 154. When he did perish, he did so trying to put the chase beyond doubt, looking to hit his seventh six. It left India 81 to get in 80 balls, and if there were any nerves with a shortened batting line-up, the king of chases was there to soothe them.In Kohli’s company, Shreyas Iyer too made a mini comeback from a mini slump. Kohli missed out on a century, but by the time he fell for 89 India needed just 13 from 25.

Arsenal have set their sights on signing another wonderkid for manager Mikel Arteta, and midfielder Declan Rice could play a key role in luring him.

Arsenal eyeing Europe's up-and-coming young stars

Links have surrounded the Gunners and Europe's finest rising stars lately, as sporting director Edu seeks to bring in young, energetic and passionate players.

Edu laying groundwork for major Arsenal signing with bid being prepared

The Gunners are making out-of-window plans.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 11, 2024

AC Milan starlet Franceso Camarda is one Arsenal target of the future, while young Brazilian Douglas Mendes is another promising youngster turning Edu's head as we slowly approach the summer window.

Arsenal were also tipped with interest in exciting 20-year-old striker Marcos Leonardo before he opted to make a move to Benfica instead, and it is a real goal of Edu's to bring in players of that ilk as the north Londoners continue to build upon their long-term project.

"We already have our targets,” the Brazilian said (via TNT). “We have planned a lot ahead and I will be worried if we don’t score a lot of goals and if we’re not creating chances, which is the opposite because we create a lot and score a lot of goals. The plan is to try to get better every year and I think we are in a good moment. Let's see if we can keep improving.

Bukayo Saka

7.64

Declan Rice

7.35

Martin Odegaard

7.31

Gabriel Magalhaes

7.05

Gabriel Martinelli

7.00

“I think if you see the type of the players we have at the moment, it’s players which have a big, big commitment of [to] the club, which is very important. Many times in certain conversations to recruit the players you don't see the character of the player or the character of the player does not fit well with what we are trying to do and then you have to move on and try to find what we’re really looking for.

“If you see all the signings we’ve made since we started together, everyone is almost the same, young, energetic and passionate, and good talents with big, beautiful futures ahead of them.”

Talents are making themselves known as the summer window nears, and one teenager who is turning heads across the continent is Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Larsson.

North London rivals Tottenham have been linked with a move for Larsson already this week, and now it's Arsenal's turn

Arsenal set sights on Larsson amid Rice connection

According to German news outlet Bild, via Sport Witness, Arsenal have shortlisted Larsson as a target, and they could have an advantage through Rice.

Indeed, the England international is one of his idols, so the opportunity to work with him could be too tempting to pass up. The Swede has started 20 Bundesliga games for Eintracht this season, bursting on to the scene following his move from Malmo last summer.

However, at least until the end of 2023/2024, Larsson is fully focused on the end of this campaign.

Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil aimed a dig at Liverpool after they failed to land Martin Zubimendi.

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Real Sociedad boss takes a dig at LiverpoolReds failed to sign ZubimendiPremier League giants yet to sign a new playerWHAT HAPPENED?

The Reds were linked with a move for the Spain international all through the summer as they looked to trigger the midfielder's €60 million (£51.3m/65.5m) release clause ahead of the start of the 2024-25 season. However, earlier this week reports emerged that the player has rejected the Premier League giants' offer and decided to stay at Anoeta Stadium.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With less than half a month left in the ongoing summer transfer window, Zubimendi's rejection came as a massive blow to the Merseyside club who are yet to make a new signing. On top of that, Alguacil has now rubbed salt in their wounds as he broke his silence on the Reds' transfer pursuit of their star player.

WHAT IMANOL ALGUACIL SAID

Speaking to reporters, the Spanish coach said, "We have to be proud of Zubimendi, he said no to Liverpool despite the big money they offered him. For me, Real Sociedad is the biggest club and I believe Zubimendi thought the same so he decided to reject Liverpool's bid."

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IMAGOWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

It remains to be seen if Arne Slot will be able to identify and complete the signing of a pivot in the remaining days of the transfer window. They kicked off the new season on a high on Saturday as they comfortably beat Ipswich Town 2-0.

Here's everything you need to know about Barcelona's pre-season games and how to watch them.

The 2023-24 season saw Barcelona finish second in La Liga, behind arch-rivals Real Madrid. There wasn't even a competition for the title and the Blaugrana will be disappointed with their season.

The 2024-25 season should offer renewed hope of getting back to their best with new players added to the squad over the summer transfer window. They will be desperate to hunt for trophies alongside Real Madrid, but before that hunt begins, they will need to go through a strong pre-season to get the squad ready.

Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about Barcelona's pre-season plans ahead of the 2024-25 season, plus ticket information, where to watch games live and more.

• GOAL
  

  Barcelona 2024 pre-season fixtures & results

  Date	Game	Kick-off time	Venue
  July 30	Barcelona 2-2 Man City (4-1 on penalties)	7pm ET / 12am BST (July 31)	Camping World Stadium, Orlando
  Aug 3	Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid	7pm ET / 12am BST (Aug 4)	MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
  Aug 6	Barcelona 2-2 AC Milan (3-4 on penalties)	7.30pm ET / 12.30am BST (Aug 7)	M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
  Aug 11	Barcelona vs Monaco	2pm ET / 7pm BST	Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona

  Barcelona kicked off their pre-season with a win on penalties against Premier League champions Manchester City on July 30. They followed that up with a victory in El Clasico against Real Madrid.

  In their third fixture, Barcelona suffered a defeat on penalties against AC Milan.

  The Joan Gamper Trophy game against Monaco on August 11 would also be played as part of Barcelona's preparations for the new season.

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• Getty Images
  

  Barcelona 2024 pre-season tour tickets

  Buy Barcelona tickets at Ticketmaster USCheck availability

  Tickets for Barcelona's pre-season tour are available to buy now.

  • Tickets for Barcelona vs Man City
  • Tickets for Barcelona vs Real Madrid
  • Tickets for Barcelona vs AC Milan

  Read our comprehensive guide to buying Barcelona tickets here.

• How to watch Barcelona pre-season games on TV & livestream online

  In the US, all of Barcelona's pre-season games will be available to watch and stream online live through ESPN+. The Man City game will also be on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Fubo (sign up for a free 7-day trial), DirecTV Stream and Sling Orange.

  Barcelona's pre-season games will be shown on Premier Sports in the UK. The game against City will also be on the English club's official channel, CITY+.

  Highlights of all the club-friendly games and other behind-the-scenes action should be available to watch on Barcelona One, which is the club's official streaming platform.

  There is no confirmation on where to watch the Joan Gamper Trophy game against Monaco yet.

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• When does the 2024-25 season start for Barcelona?

  The La Liga fixtures for the 2024-25 season have been released. Barcelona will begin their new league campaign with a clash against Valencia away from home on August 17.

  Barcelona will be looking to get back to their trophy-hunting ways and will be eager to start the campaign on a winning note.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vasco teve um início conturbado de Série B e ainda busca se consolidar na competição. Esse começo ainda inconsistente pode ser explicado pelo aproveitamento da equipe nas finalizações. Segundo números do site “Footstas”, apenas 38,6% das finalizações do Cruz-Maltino encontraram a direção do gol adversário.

ATUAÇÕES: Cano, Jabá e Marquinhos Gabriel recebem as maiores notas

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No total, o Vasco tem uma média de 11.4 finalizações por jogo, mas apenas 4.4 são na direção do gol. Isso evidencia que menos da metade dos arremates tentados pelo time durante uma partida tem chances reais de balançar as redes.Todavia, no confronto do último sábado, contra o CRB, em São Januário, o Cruz-Maltino apresentou um grande salto de qualidade nesse quesito.

> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

O técnico Marcelo Cabo promoveu oito alterações para a partida, e a equipe correspondeu. Antes, havia sido contra o Avaí o jogo em que o Vasco mais finalizou na direção do gol (cinco vezes).Contra o time alagoano, contudo, o Gigante da Colina teve dez finalizações, sendo oito na direção da meta adversária, o que evidencia um aproveitamento de 80%.

Em entrevista coletiva após a vitória por 3 a 0 sobre o CRB, o técnico Marcelo Cabo analisou o jogo destacou que a equipe foi preparada para alcançar a “vitória elástica e consistente”. O comandante também destacou que o Vasco teve uma mudança de atitude dentro de campo – o que ficou claro com o aproveitamento de 80% nas finalizações.

– Tivemos um início com dois resultados adversos em casa, mas soubemos preparar uma equipe hoje que tivesse essa vitória elástica e consistente. Se o Vasco mantiver essa média de seis pontos a cada três jogos, vai ser bom. É a tônica da competição – analisou o comandante, e acrescentou.

– Essa vitória traz confiança ao grupo. Precisamos ter tranquilidade. Quando a gente perde como quarta, não está tudo errado. Assim como não está tudo certo hoje. Recalculamos a rota. Eu como comandante preciso tomar decisões. A mudança hoje não foi só de peças, foi de atitude. Que agora a gente possa emplacar uma série de vitórias – disse.

O Vasco volta a campo na próxima quinta-feira, às 21h30, contra o Cruzeiro. A partida é válida pela sexta rodada da Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro e será disputada no Mineirão.

> Veja a tabela da Série B

VEJA AS FINALIZAÇÕES DO VASCO A CADA JOGO

Vasco x Operário: 14 finalizações // quatro no gol

Ponte Preta x Vasco: oito finalizações // uma no gol

Brasil de Pelotas x Vasco: dez finalizações // quatro no gol

Vasco x Avaí: 15 finalizações // cinco no gol

Vasco x CRB: dez finalizações // oito na direção do gol

*Números do site Footsats

Say one thing about David Moyes, say he knows how to manage his team. West Ham United have their flaws, Moyes knows that. We all know that.

But the Scottish manager has cultivated a real sense of belief in London and for all the claims of his stylistic pragmaticism, Moyes has won a European honour and remains in the race for a fourth successive continental campaign, seventh in the Premier League after 31 matches.

A point against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday evening must be met with positivity, but now shaped and used as fuel for the remainder of the year, where a purple patch is now a necessity to prevail against divisional rivals and overcome Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League quarter-finals – a tall order indeed.

It was a hard graft; the players put in a shift. But unfortunately, right-back Vladimir Coufal could not bounce back from his horrorshow during last weekend's shocking collapse against Newcastle United, instead flattering to deceive once again.

Vladimir Coufal's performance vs Spurs

Coufal has been an impressive, dependable figure in east London since signing for a small sum of £5m back in 2020, with the Czech international even being hailed as "one of the best signings that club have made in recent history" by Dan Woffenden.

But he's been a touch out of sorts recently and after struggling at the epicentre of Newcastle's comeback from 3-1 down to win 4-3 at St. James' Park on Saturday, he was branded with a 4/10 match rating by The Evening Standard's Malik Ouzia.

Vladimir Coufal's Stats vs Spurs
Stat	#
Minutes played	90'
Touches	55
Accurate passes	19/30 (63%)
Key passes	0
Tackles	0
Clearances	2
Duels won	0/2
Dribble attempts	0/1
Possession lost	20x
Stats via Sofascore

Well, it didn't get much better against Ange Postecoglou's Lilywhites, with Ouzia giving him a 5/10 score and writing: 'Run ragged by Anthony Gordon at Newcastle on Saturday and given a tough time again here by Timo Werner. Alert at the back-post to deny the German a certain winner.'

It's not great reading really, is it? Coufal might not have endured the calamitous display suffered against Anthony Gordon last weekend but he certainly left much to be desired.

Failing with both of his duel attempts and his one dribbling effort nullified much of West Ham's fluency down the right, also failing to create a single key pass for his teammates.

Perhaps it's time for the 31-year-old to move to the bench for a bit, especially with the fleet-footed Rayan Ait-Nouri up next as West Ham meet Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Ben Johnson is clearly unfavoured by Moyes and is out of contract in the summer. However, up-and-coming talent Junior Robinson might just find an opportunity amongst the seniors given Coufal's nosedive in form.

Why West Ham should unleash Junior Robinson

With a name fit for a flashy American Football wide receiver, it's only natural that Junior Robinson is endowed with blistering speed and deft close-control ability.

The 19-year-old is comfortable across the different rungs of the right-sided ladder on the pitch and has impressed for a West Ham U21s side that currently perch in second place in the Premier League 2, posting a goal and three assists from 13 development league fixtures.

Last season, Robinson was beset by injuries that limited him to just five starting appearances, but he has since bounced back to showcase his powers of resilience, overcoming adversity at a young age that will have mentally prepared him for life on the senior stage, hardening him, fortifying his resolve.

His speed and boyish ebullience make for great tools to succeed in the English top-flight, winning five duels and two tackles in a 1-0 EFL Trophy victory over Newport County earlier in the campaign too, highlighting his budding defensive qualities.

Coufal has been a great servant for West Ham and will continue to play a part for Moyes' team, but perhaps Robinson should now be unleashed to leapfrog former academy star Johnson and fight for a starring spot on the right flank of the Irons' rearguard.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.