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Chelsea had yet another busy summer with Enzo Maresca’s first window as Chelsea manager bringing him 11 new players, whilst a further 11 left the club on a permanent basis, and 14 exited on loan.

The Blues spent a total of around £198.8m according to Transfermarkt, with the biggest move being Pedro Neto, who signed from Wolves for around £51.4m upfront, plus £2.6m in add-ons.

The Portugal international signed a seven-year deal with the club and has already made 14 appearances, scoring two goals and providing three assists.

Player

Fee (£)

Pedro Neto

£51.4m

João Félix

£43.3m

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

£29.5m

Filip Jorgensen

£20.4m

Mike Penders

£16.6m

Aaron Anselmino

£13.7m

Renato Veiga

£11.6m

Caleb Wiley

£8.4m

Marc Guiu

£5m

Tosin Adarabioyo

£0

The other signing made by Chelsea in this window on the flanks was Jadon Sancho, who joined on an initial loan deal from Manchester United, including an obligation to buy for a fee between £20-25m next summer. The 24-year-old winger has already made five appearances for the Blues, providing three assists in his 308 minutes played.

However, one area Chelsea did not manage to recruit was another striker to challenge Nicolas Jackson, after failed attempts for Samu Omorodion, Victor Osimhen, and Jhon Duran. This could see the Blues dip into the market in the January window or next summer, looking for a number nine.

Chelsea lead race to sign European goal machine

According to reports from the Daily Star, Chelsea will be leading the race for Sporting goal machine, Viktor Gyokeres next summer.

Manchester United are also said to be heavily interested, following the appointment of Sporting manager, Ruben Amorim, who has worked closely with the Swede for the past few seasons.

Analyst Ben Mattinson has described the 26-year-old striker as “monstrous”, and it’s hardly surprising when you consider he has the blend of being able to link with his teammates, run the channels, hurt teams in transition, and, of course, score goals.

The Swedish forward – who is said to be available for around £66m – has made 17 appearances for Sporting this season, already scoring 23 goals, providing four assists, and totalling 1,436 minutes played.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

In short, he has been phenomenal, and his performances were capped off just this week when he scored a remarkable hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League, showing his ability to perform exceptionally against English opposition.

How Gyokeres compares to Nkunku

Chelsea’s two current striker options are doing well, with Jackson taking the starting spot in the side, making 11 appearances, scoring six goals, providing three assists, and totalling 813 minutes.

Nkunku, on the other hand, whilst still making 15 appearances so far this season, has found himself as the backup striker, starting cup competitions and coming from the bench in Premier League games. However, the Frenchman is clearly knocking on the door, scoring eight goals already.

So, how does he compare with Gyokeres? Well, it’s a resounding win for the former Coventry srikre who has so many desirable traits, not just scoring goals but also providing opportunities for others.

Goals

1.41

1.13

Assists

0.28

0.00

xG

1.15

0.79

xAG

0.24

0.09

Progressive Carries

4.57

1.82

Progressive Passes

1.74

3.03

Shots Total

4.41

2.58

Goals/Shot

0.21

0.38

Key Passes

2.03

1.21

Shot-Creating Actions

5.36

4.55

Both Gyokeres and Nkunku clearly offer clinical finishing in and around the box, as shown by their goals per 90, xG generated per 90, and goals/shot ratio.

However, Chelsea are clearly missing a profile of striker who can be more of a nuisance in the box, getting on the end of crosses, and helping them increase their box efficiency in that way.

Standing at 6 foot 1, with a bulkier frame than Jackson, Gyokeres gives that option, as he can win aerial battles due to his height and build, looking to score headers, but also drag defenders away with him in the box, creating space for others.

This could even see Nkunku used as more of a number ten, playing off the striker, where he excels. One thing is for sure, Jackson and Gyokeres as striker options would be right up there with the best in the Premier League if Chelsea can pull it off.

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ByConnor Holden Nov 6, 2024

Despite early season optimism, with Sheffield Wednesday starting the campaign with a comfortable 4-0 Championship win over Plymouth Argyle, Danny Rohl’s Owls have found their recent batch of fixtures in the challenging league bumpy, to say the least.

Only two more wins have come since this opening day demolition job of the Pilgrims, with the South Yorkshire outfit just three points off the dreaded relegation spaces in the division after succumbing to a 2-0 defeat to Scott Parker’s Burnley last weekend.

There will have been plenty for the German in the Hillsborough dug-out to chew over when assessing this flat loss to the Clarets, with a number of his key players struggling to get going against their promotion-chasing opponents.

Sheffield Wednesday's main underperformers v Burnley

Ike Ugbo continuing to look lacklustre up top for the Owls is a major concern, considering the second-tier side went all out this summer to ensure the former Chelsea youngster made a dramatic return to the club.

The Canada international is still goalless during his second stint, with no strikes coming his way now from nine unmemorable appearances, with the low-on-confidence 26-year-old only managing a meagre 22 touches and five accurate passes up against Parker’s visitors.

Only registering one off-target effort too, Rohl will want to see some major improvements from the summer recruit moving forward, or his place up top in the Wednesday lineup could soon be up for grabs.

It was also a poor day at the office for the defenders at Hillsborough, with the likes of Akin Famewo only winning two of his five duels all afternoon long, alongside also giving away possession a costly 14 times to boost the away side.

But, the worst culprit at the back for Rohl’s men was Yan Valery, with the ex-Southampton defender at fault for Jaidon Anthony’s opener on the day, after wildly misjudging a clearance that saw the AFC Bournemouth loanee then fire home.

Valery's performance in numbers

The brand new Wednesday number 27 has had a part to play in every single Championship game so far this season for his new employers, but he could find he’s axed for the game against Swansea City this coming Tuesday night based on this showing.

Away from the sobering error that gifted Burnley the one goal advantage, Valery was shaky in other aspects of his game, with possession squandered 11 times to fit in with Famewo’s equally shoddy play out from the back.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

42

Accurate passes

18/22 (82%)

Clearances

2

Interceptions

2

Tackles

1

Errors leading to a goal

1

Total duels won

4/4

It wasn’t all doom and gloom from Valery’s perspective during the loss, however, with the Frenchman successfully winning 100% of his duels, but the ex-Saints man will have already played over that error in his head countless times that allowed Anthony to calmly score to make it 1-0.

Upon reflection, Wednesday were not completely dominated nor turned over by the visitors from Lancashire – with 13 shots in the home side’s favour to Burnley’s 14 – but costly mistakes like Valery’s can change games and allowed Burnley to gain some much-needed momentum to go on to collect a 2-0 victory.

Sheffield Star journalist Alex Miller handed out a low 5/10 rating to Valery after the defeat, with the mistake labelled as a “horror moment” amidst a poor showing from the Wednesday defender.

This could see Rohl shuffle his pack for the game against the Swans this mid-week, therefore, with Dominic Iorfa capable of coming in and displacing Valery, who is yet to experience being dropped for his new team in league action.

But, after this Burnley defeat, it could be a necessary alteration, as Rohl attempts to put together the best possible XI to overcome Swansea.

Sheffield Wednesday summer signing likely to miss next 7 games with injury

Nathaniel Chalobah has played just one game for Sheffield Wednesday since moving to the club in the summer.

ByBarney Lane Oct 19, 2024

Sometimes, in the world of football, players that make big money moves are judged through an unfair lense, purely because of their transfer fee. Chelsea know that all too well.

This can often come back to bite many pundits, as they make bold shouts about players being a “flop” too early, only for them to prove people wrong, find their feet and excel.

Teams such as Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, and even Arsenal have been known to spend big fees on players, meaning we have seen this a fair amount in recent years.

Some big examples of this in the past few years are Jack Grealish, David Raya, and Marc Cucurella. But Jamie Carragher is the latest pundit to be subject to this, after a comment he made in August 2023.

What Carragher said about Caicedo

Moises Caicedo joined Chelsea from Brighton for a British record transfer fee of around £115m, signing an eight-year deal for the Blues.

Carragher, whilst covering the Chelsea vs West Ham game on Sky Sports, labelled Caicedo’s debut a “nightmare”, as he came from the bench, giving away a penalty late in the game.

Many fans took to social media after this, brandishing the mega-money man as a “flop” already, but the 22-year-old midfielder bounced back, having a brilliant second half of the season, and becoming one of Chelsea’s most important players under Mauricio Pochettino.

Caicedo made 48 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions last season, scoring once, providing four assists, and contributing to 11 clean sheets in his 3,899 minutes played. Perhaps his highlight of the season came with his halfway-line finish against Bournemouth on the last day, as Chelsea won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

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Caicedo 2024/25 impact so far

Under new manager Enzo Maresca, Caicedo is already showing how important he is, playing as a holding midfielder, but having a number of different responsibilities during a game. Maresca will often invert one of his fullbacks alongside the Ecuadorian, giving the pair a lot of the build-up responsibilities.

Perhaps his biggest responsibility is to protect Chelsea in transition, mopping up danger between the lines. The 22-year-old is averaging 2.76 tackles per 90 this season, compared to just 1.13 last campaign, showing his importance in this aspect of the game.

With the consistent injury issues of Roméo Lavia, who also signed in the summer of 2023 for a fee of around £58m, Caicedo’s importance has only been amplified this season, especially seen in his performance against West Ham, where he won ten of his 12 ground duels, and made a whopping eight tackles in the game.

Maresca clearly sees Caicedo as one of his key players, having already started seven of Chelsea’s nine games in all competitions, totalling 637 minutes this season. This is more than the 555 minutes of Cole Palmer, which begs the question, who is more important for the Blues?

Caicedo vs Palmer

Palmer has already scored six and provided four assists in his eight appearances, coming off the back of his stellar 2023/24 campaign, where the 22-year-old scored 27 goals and provided 15 assists in 48 games across all competition.

The English midfielder/attacker is coming off the back of a Premier League record-breaking game, where he scored four goals in the first half, the first time this has ever been done in Premier League history.

Caicedo vs Palmer comparison (24/25 Prem)
Stats (per 90 mins)	Caicedo	Palmer
Goals	0.00	1.07
Assists	0.17	0.71
xG	0.02	0.66
xAG	0.19	0.57
Progressive Carries	0.86	3.28
Progressive Passes	3.28	5.54
Passes Attempted	55.0	38.2
Pass Completion %	87.5%	73.4%
Key Passes	0.69	3.04
Shots Total	0.52	3.04
Tackles	4.14	1.07
Interceptions	1.72	0.36
Stats taken from FBref

The problem when comparing these two players is that their stats reflect their role in the team, making it hard to draw comparisons as to which is contributing most in their role. Caicedo winning 4.14 tackles per 90, and making 1.72 interceptions, is allowing Chelsea to regain possession, kick-start attacks, and protect their own goal, allowing them to concede fewer.

Palmer, on the other hand, is the main source of creation for Maresca’s side, making 3.04 key passes per 90, taking 3.04 shots per 90, and, of course, contributing with goals and assists, scoring 1.07 per 90, and assisting 0.71 per 90.

The argument to be made for Caicedo being more important to the team is the fact he has more touches on the ball (66.7 touches per 90, compared to Palmer’s 48.4), and has the responsibility of progressing play into those attack-minded players, who can then work their magic.

If the former Brighton man wasn’t winning the ball back as often as he is, playing forwards, and allowing stars like Palmer to shine, everything would fall flat, and Chelsea would struggle to control games, or even generate attacks.

This isn’t to say other Chelsea players haven’t had brilliant starts to the season, as Levi Colwill is another that has really impressed for Maresca at the start of this new season, being given more on-ball responsibilities, allowing him to play progressive passes through the lines, and showcase his passing ability.

Since the arrival of Maresca, Colwill is averaging ten more passes attempted per 90, 3.67 progressive passes per 90, and more long balls per 90, showing the license he now has to fully utilise his passing range to benefit the side.

Whilst the argument for who is Chelsea’s most important player could be made for both Colwill and, of course, Palmer, especially after scoring four goals on the weekend, Caicedo is currently the Blues’ most important player, as without him, Maresca’s side would struggle in all phases of the game, which is telling of the impact the Ecuadorian has on the team, week in, week out.

Chelsea wanted to sign £42m star who's like Drogba, Jackson arrived instead

Todd Boehly and Co made the right move…

By
Angus Sinclair

Oct 1, 2024

Everton are now believed to be looking to bring in a “fantastic” manager to replace Sean Dyche as the Friedkin Group close in on a takeover from Farhad Moshiri.

Everton takeover latest

The Blues are still without a win in the Premier League this season, although Saturday’s 1-1 draw away to Leicester City did at least see them get their first point on the board. There was an element of disappointment about the result again however, considering Everton were leading through Iliman Ndiaye’s goal and because they were up against a team who were playing Championship football last term.

This terrible start to the campaign has understandably meant that there is huge pressure on Dyche to keep his job, with the Englishman seemingly losing admirers by the week among the Goodison Park faithful and a potential takeover sure to change his status as well.

On that note, it appears John Textor has taken too long trying to sell his stake at Crystal Palace, as it is now the Freidkin Group closing in on a deal, with reliable reporter Mark Douglas revealing on Monday that an Everton takeover is “very close” and Friedkin is plotting “significant” investment and an “immediate review of football operations” – something which may place Dyche’s position in danger.

Moyes favourite to be new Everton manager

A new report from Football Insider claims that Everton are now looking to bring David Moyes back to Goodison, should they decide that Dyche is no longer the right man for the job. The Scot is considered a “popular appointment” by both “the boardroom and the fans”, having enjoyed such an impressive stint in charge first time around, although it is unclear how much of that support is from the potential new investors.

Opinion may be divided among Everton fans when it comes to a Moyes return, with some no doubt happy about the potential for it happening, and others perhaps feeling that a younger option is needed. He enjoyed a good second spell at West Ham, not least because he won the UEFA Europa Conference League back in 2022/23, but has ironically struggled against Dyche in his career, barely averaging over a point per game against the 53 year-old and winning only 3 of 11 head to heads.

Legendary centre-back Martin Keown lauded him during his last stint with the Hammers, saying: “I think David Moyes deserves credit because you know he’s at the back end of his career but I think he’s getting ever-better. He’s actually showing improvements. Fantastic work they’re doing in Europe, and he seems to be relishing the battle right now.”

Moyes is known for adopting a 4-2-3-1 formation, and while not necessarily the most attack-minded manager around, he could arguably play better football than has been on show under Dyche, with entertainment value severely lacking under his management and only four goals scored in the league so far this season.

West Ham

230

1.53

West Ham

31

1.19

Sunderland

43

0.72

Real Sociedad

42

1.21

Man Utd

51

1.73

Everton

518

1.54

Preston North End

211

1.72

Moyes’ vast experience could help Everton get themselves out of this current hole, in a period where avoiding relegation from the Premier League this season is paramount ahead of the move to Bramley Moore Dock.

Manchester United supporters would have excused the nervousness of the opening day win against Fulham in the Premier League, with new recruit Joshua Zirkzee scoring late on to secure a slim 1-0 win versus Marco Silva's Cottagers, to spare the blushes of Erik ten Hag watching on.

Now, however, the same forlorn mood that engulfed Old Trafford for large spells of last season has returned, as Arne Slot's Liverpool trounced the out-of-sorts Red Devils 3-0 last time out, on what has become a very happy hunting ground for the Reds in recent years.

Losing in the last minute to Brighton and Hove Albion the match before did make this showdown with their arch-rivals feel even more important, but the Premier League titans just couldn't handle the immense pressure on their shoulders and rolled over in the end for Mohamed Salah and Co to comfortably pick up three points

Ten Hag will be bitterly disappointed with the efforts of his senior individuals that continue to underperform, with Casemiro notably trudging off the pitch at the Theatre of Dreams in a downbeat manner, after a horror-show display against Liverpool saw him be hooked at half-time.

Casemiro's decline at Man United

Once costing the Red Devils an eye-watering £70m, picking up Casemiro back in 2022 was meant to be an almighty statement purchase, especially when you consider his golden trophy haul playing for Real Madrid before making the switch to England.

Winning an astounding five Champions League winners medals when starring at the Santiago Bernabeu, the now 32-year-old holding midfielder must look back on that patch of his career with even more nostalgic fondness, as he continues to decline at Old Trafford.

The waning South American midfielder was at fault for both of Liverpool's first-half strikes in the one-sided affair on Sunday, gifting strikes for Luis Diaz to then confidently convert with the Colombian attacker loving life in Manchester, as the game swung heavily in the away side's favour.

It wasn't a real shock to see his Dutch manager bring him off at the half-time interval, therefore, as a passing of the old guard to the next generation at the Red Devils occurred, with 19-year-old Toby Collyer thrown into the action in his place.

Giving up possession 14 times across his disastrous 45-minute showing too, alongside other worrying numbers from the crushing defeat, this could signal that the end of Casemiro's career at Man United is on the horizon.

He equally had a shocker of the same magnitude last season when Ten Hag's men were badly humbled away at Crystal Palace by four goals, as the 32-year-old was dribbled past an outrageous seven times, leading to the Eagles toying with the once esteemed Real Madrid figure.

This damage to his ego in Manchester has resulted in his transfer value taking a major hit, with the lacklustre United number 18's value in the here and now nowhere near the extortionate £70m he once was worth at the height of his playing days.

Casemiro's transfer value in 2024

As per Transfermarkt, the Brazilian midfielder is now worth just £17m, a far cry off that bumper amount Ten Hag's side forked out to win his services only two years ago.

With his highest-ever estimated transfer value recorded by Football Transfers coming in at £70.5m as well, it's fair to say his career has taken a swift decline playing for the up-and-down Red Devils, who continue to spend lavish amounts.

Top five highest spenders in the PL this summer
Club	Spending outlay
1. Chelsea	£219.6m
2. Man United	£205.9m
3. Brighton	£192m
4. Tottenham	£133.5m
5. West Ham	£132.5m
Sourced by Sky Sports

Man United rank as the second-highest spenders during the recently closed transfer window in the Premier League, just behind Todd Boehly-backed Chelsea, with a spending outlay of £205.9m according to Sky Sports.

Their wild spending habits have seen the likes of Leny Yoro, Matthijs De Ligt and Manuel Ugarte all join the building, as fans of the underperforming giants pray that not a single big purchase this summer goes on to be an expensive flop like Casemiro is turning into.

Away from all the very expensive new buys entering through the door, Ten Hag will have been pleased with the efforts of Amad Diallo so far this campaign, who had been stuck on the fringes at Old Trafford for a while.

market

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Diallo's promising performances this season

The former Atalanta winger once cost the Red Devils £37m, which looking back could be seen as a rash purchase in itself, particularly when you evaluate that his own price tag has dropped down to below Casemiro's at £15m, according to Transfermarkt.

Yet, Diallo is now finally making a positive impact and will feel content with where he now finds himself in his topsy-turvy career in Manchester, having shone in spells during the early stages of this bumpy campaign. After all, it's not as though he's been the catastrophic flop that positional peer £80m Antony has turned to.

The 22-year-old attacker would only make nine Premier League appearances in total last season, with the increasing likelihood that he would be offloaded sooner rather than later.

Now, however, he has become an exciting player to watch during gloomy times at the top-flight club, with his bright display against Brighton before the sobering loss to Liverpool deserving of the goal he was rewarded with.

The once ostracised United number 16 also tried to give his downtrodden side a boost when coming off the bench against Liverpool last time out, with one big chance created from his promising 21-minute cameo. No United player had more touches in the opposition's penalty area than the Ivorian either.

It was somewhat of a surprise to see the United boss switch up his starting XI and drop Diallo for the crunch clash with Slot's men, as Diallo strives to get back into the first-team mix for United's next Premier League tie after the international breakaway at Southampton.

The former Sunderland loanee – who was once labelled as a "superstar" by football creator Liam Canning – will also aim to keep being a creative spark so his transfer value can eventually rise above the current £15m price tag that he has next to his name.

His value could potentially even soar above that of Casemiro's down the line, who is in dire need of breathing life back into his poor playing days.

With the ex-Real Madrid man's contract expiring in 2026, it will be intriguing to see if the South American underperformer is put up for sale in the near future, with the stuttering top-flight giants fully aware that his stock is at a radical all-time low.

With Ten Hag's neck also on the line again in the Man United dug-out as a result of his team's continued failures, this could now be the end of Casemiro in a Red Devils strip, whilst Diallo heads in the opposite direction, finally starting to show why he was brought to Carrington a few years ago.

Man Utd have an amazing teen who could be more exciting than Toby Collyer

Manchester United have a whole host of youngsters ready to make it in the first team.

By
Kelan Sarson

Sep 2, 2024

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has endured a difficult start to life in Norfolk, with one win in five Championship matches and several of his key players being sold during the summer transfer window.

The Danish boss lost Adam Idah, Abu Kamara, Jonathan Rowe, and Gabriel Sara in August, with the sale of the Brazilian midfielder, arguably, the biggest blow.

In the 2023/24 campaign, the former São Paulo man produced 13 goals and 12 assists in 46 outings in the second tier during the regular season under David Wagner. Galatasaray then swooped in to secure his services for a fee of £20m, which could rise to £22.5m including add-ons.

Norwich do, however, have an asset at the club who is reportedly worth even more than Sara, as his value has soared over the last three seasons.

How much Norwich paid for Josh Sargent

Back in the summer of 2021, as the Canaries prepared for a season in the Premier League, Daniel Farke and Stuart Webber snapped up USA international Josh Sargent from Werder Bremen.

The club reportedly splashed out a fee of £8m to sign the 2. Bundesliga centre-forward, who had just been relegated from the top-flight in Germany, and he endured a rough debut year in England.

Norwich were relegated from the Premier League, Dean Smith replaced Farke at the helm, and Sargent only scored two goals in 26 appearances, both of which came against Watford in the same game.

That relegation to the Championship was a blessing in disguise for the American striker, however, as he has thrived in the second tier with the Yellows.

Josh Sargent's current market value

It was reported during the summer transfer window that Norwich were looking for a staggering fee of £30m for their star striker, which means that his value has soared by a whopping £22m since the summer of 2021.

The right-footed marksman racked up 13 goals and two assists in 40 appearances during the 2022/23 campaign, under Smith and David

Wagner, but only featured as a striker on 19 occasions – often deployed on the wing or in an attacking midfield role instead.

Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, though, Sargent has exclusively operated through the middle as a centre-forward, and his record in front of goal reflects that.

Appearances

26

5

xG

12.07

1.90

Goals

16

2

Assists

2

1

Big chances created

3

1

As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old striker has fired in 18 goals in his last 31 appearances in the Championship for Norwich, from an xG of just 13.97.

These statistics show that Sargent has been a reliable source of goals for the Canaries in the second tier, and his return of 18 goals from 13.97 xG shows that he ruthlessly puts away the chances that come his way.

His terrific goalscoring record may be why the club value him at a staggering £30m, more than the £22.5m they raked in for Sara, and shows that Farke and Webber hit the jackpot when they landed him for just £8m in the summer of 2021.