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Eddie Howe says Alexander Isak's future at Newcastle United isn't "irretrievable" but admits the club are looking at replacements.

• Isak wants to leave Newcastle for Liverpool
• Howe doesn't rule out striker stay
• But admits they're looking at replacements

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Newcastle were rocked by the news that star striker Isak expressed his desire to leave the club and join Premier League champions Liverpool instead. Despite the 25-year-old refusing to play for the Magpies again, manager Howe has suggested there is a way back for the Swede. However, after Callum Wilson's summer exit and the ongoing Isak situation, the former Bournemouth boss says the Toon "need a bit more" in attack.

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  WHAT HOWE SAID

  He told : "The word ‘irretrievable’ isn’t really in my dictionary. Communication is going to be the key and at some stage we might be able to change things. At the moment we are in a position where that’s not possible, but I like to think that we will be able to reassess as we go. That he will always recognise that this is a very special team and a very special club. It’s been a tough period because a lot of the media attention has been negative, which is difficult on the players. The narrative spreads. We are trying to challenge that and to say to the squad, ‘We are OK.’ Yes, we are currently minus one massive player, but we don’t yet know how that situation will change. Everyone here is fully committed and that is great."

  On new signings, he added: "We have a bit of time. The issue we have is that we didn’t just lose Alex [Isak] but also Callum Wilson from last season so we are definitely looking to buy. We have a really good recruitment team, but as you know we are missing a few key appointments [the absence of a chief executive and director of football] so it’s been a challenge. Our recruitment at the club has so far been really strong. But we need a bit more."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite Howe appearing to offer Isak an olive branch, the former Real Sociedad man has reportedly gone on strike in a bid to sign for Liverpool. Many Newcastle fans are appalled at his actions, as is Arsenal legend Ian Wright, but whether or not his agitation tactics secure that Anfield switch is up in the air. Incidentally, Newcastle are targeting Brentford's Yoane Wissa but also want another forward for the new season.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  It remains to be seen if Isak, who still has three years left on his contract at St James' Park, will stay at Newcastle when the transfer window closes in just over two weeks or if Liverpool will submit a huge offer to prise him away from the north east outfit.

Everton's bid for Premier League survival took yet another twist on Monday afternoon after the club found out they would be deducted another two points for their PSR breaches.

The commission found that the Toffees had breached the allowed £105m losses over three years, by £16.6m, with the club hit with a second deduction in a single season, taking their tally to eight points this campaign.

The club's financial situation has been a concern for several months now, with Sean Dyche's side suffering as a result of multiple off-the-field issues – which has undone the majority of their hard work.

Despite all the troubles, the Toffees still sit two points clear of the dreaded relegation zone with a game in hand, with their Premier League future still in their own hands.

After multiple points deductions, you would expect the club to operate in a normal manner given the punishments they've received.

However, Dyche's side may be forced to sell one or two key assets to prevent the club from any further potential PSR breaches, with outgoings expected to be the priority this summer.

That being said, here's a look at three players Everton may have to sell to ease any PSR worries this summer…

1

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has had a difficult season for the Toffees this campaign despite his recent form in front of goal.

The former Sheffield United forward, who joined Everton back in the summer of 2016, has managed five goals in 27 appearances in the Premier League this campaign, with two of his five coming in his last two outings against Burnley and Newcastle United.

He's looked like a shadow of his former self in recent months, with the 27-year-old failing to replicate his form from the 2020/21 season where he found the net on 16 separate occasions.

Calvert-Lewin has also struggled with injuries during his time at Goodison Park, with the forward missing over 180 days of action since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

However, despite his injury problems and his lack of goals under Dyche in recent seasons, the club have slapped a £40m price tag on the striker's head should any club be interested in the forward.

The 27-year-old's contract expires in June next year, with the £40m ludicrous given his goalscoring and injury records coupled with his contract length.

Undoubtedly, the club should look to move the striker on, given the fact he's also earning around £100k-per-week, as per Capology. His wages alone would see the club save £5.2m next year, with any fee received for the striker a bonus, as the club will definitely make a profit on their £1.5m investment from eight years ago.

2

Amadou Onana

A player who has had numerous links away from Goodison Park since his arrival is talented young midfielder Amadou Onana.

The Belgian joined the Toffees from French side Lille for a fee in the region of £33m back in August 2022 as the club fended off keen interest from fellow Premier League side West Ham United for his signature.

However, nearly two years on from his arrival at Goodison Park, Onana has gone on to make 66 appearances for the club in all competitions, with the 22-year-old cementing himself as a first-team regular under Dyche.

In the Premier League this season, he's featured 24 times, with the Belgian a key figure as the club fight to maintain their ever-present top-flight status despite the various points deductions.

Onana's form for Everton hasn't gone unnoticed this campaign, with Football Insider confirming the youngster is "likely" to depart Goodison Park this summer, with the club keen to make a profit on the fee they paid for the midfielder.

The Toffees are set to demand between £50-60m to lure the youngster away from the club, with the likes of West Ham and Arsenal potentially set to reignite their interest after previous attempts to sign the Belgian.

3

Jarrad Branthwaite

The final player the club may have to sell to ease PSR worries is talented centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite. The 21-year-old has impressed at the club this season, earning a first call-up to the England senior squad under Gareth Southgate for the recent international friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.

After joining the Toffees for £1m from Carlisle United back in 2020, young Branthwaite has excelled under Dyche during his first campaign as a regular starter.

The "magnificent" talent, as described by Alan Shearer, has featured 28 times for Everton in the Premier League this season, scoring his second and third goals for the club in the encounters against Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion.

It's no surprise that his brilliant form for the strugglers has caught the attention of some of the biggest clubs in England and Europe.

Erik ten Hag's Manchester United side have been the side most strongly linked with a move for the 20-year-old, with Everton demanding a fee of at least £75m to part ways with Branthwaite.

However, despite the rumoured interest, the youngster has pledged his future to the club, admitting that he's fully focused on his long-term future with the Toffees.

Speaking after the 1-0 victory over Burnley at the weekend, he said: “You have just got to block it all out. I think if you focus on the outside stuff, you get distracted from what you need to do on the pitch.

“For me now, until the end of the season, I am just focused on winning games for Everton Football Club.”

The club undoubtedly have to sell players this summer to comply with the Premier League's strict PSR and FFP rules to avoid any potential further punishments.

Out of the three, the club must try their best to keep hold of Onana and Branthwaite and prioritise a move for Calvert-Lewin, given the fact the 27-year-old only has one year left on his current deal at the club.

It will be an anxious summer for all Evertonians, with the club still yet to secure their Premier League status and potentially facing the prospect of losing their talented youngsters whilst playing in the Championship.

Everton were bled dry by the "worst signing of the Moshiri era" for 4 years

He only featured a handful of times for the Toffees.

By
Ethan Lamb

Apr 7, 2024

Alexi Lalas adds that move to Olympique Marseille under Roberto De Zerbi will be pivotal career moment for the U.S. international

• Gomez questions player-coach dynamic
• Notes the manager's disciplinarian approach
• Lalas says Weah could play in 2026 World Cup

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  WHAT HAPPENED

  Analyzing Timothy Weah's transfer to Marseille, former USMNT star Herculez Gomez questioned whether the U.S. international can thrive under coach Roberto De Zerbi's management style.

  “I'll tell you where he won't be comfortable and that's with Roberto de Zerbi,” Gomez said on the Futbol Americas podcast. “Now, this is a very stern, very firm coach… He's going to be a firm hand, but I actually think that serves Timothy Weah some good right now. This is Timothy Weah, who goes to Juventus and was a wing back – and all through those moments you would see ‘Wow, pretty good assist. Wow, very good play. Wow, pretty good goal’. 

  "So, he doesn't have a lot of mileage in those legs. In the last couple years, since Qatar, at the club level, Timothy Weah has been non-existent… Do what it takes day in day out, and training field to earn your spot. Every single weekend, be an impact player with Marseille. This is going to be one of the defining moments in Timothy Weah’s career. He's in a place that, because of his father, the limelight will be on him. He's in a place right now because of the World Cup where it's do or die for this player – and he still has much to prove to Mauricio Pochettino."

  Gomez said the move could be career-defining, especially since the USMNT has a new manager with new expectations.

  “We can no longer keep that same stance or that same bar with these players, because Mauricio Pochettino has proven, he doesn't care," he said of past performances. "He's proven that he'll go with MLS player, go with the player who proves it to him in that training session. So, if I'm Timothy Weah, this has to work out because there are a lot of players right now. If the biggest player in USMNT pool, in their orbit, Christian Pulisic, is in doubt… what do players, like, Timothy Weah, have to look forward if they're not on? What do they have to look forward if they're not playing well?”

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  WHAT ALEXI LALAS SAID

  Former USMNT star Alexi Lalas also offered his assessment of the move to Marseille, and remained optimistic that Weah's place in the starting lineup still holds.

  “So yes, he's versatile,” Lalas said on his State of the Union podcast. “I still will argue that he, over the last cycle, was the most consistent and most dangerous and uniquely dangerous player from an attacking perspective over there on that right hand side. And that's kind of where I want to see him now. The fact that we still haven't found somebody up top, who knows, maybe Pochettino gets creative?

  "But ultimately, if Tim Weah is playing on that right hand side and doing good things, I think it's going to be hard for a Diego Luna or anybody else to come in and take that spot."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Weah has signed for Marseille on loan from Juventus, with the move set to be made permanent at the end of the 2025-26 season. The American spent two years at Juventus, making 78 appearances for the Old Lady, contributing to 14 goals.

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• WHAT’S NEXT?

  Upcoming friendlies against Korea and Japan will provide Pochettino an opportunity to evaluate all attacking options.

West Ham United are ready to tempt a defender who manager David Moyes wants with a big-money contract offer, despite the uncertainty surrounding their boss.

Moyes contract looking set to expire at West Ham

As things stand, the Hammers head coach is on course to leave at the end of this season with his official contract expiring on June 30.

West Ham chiefs blown away by 18-goal forward, now looking at signing him

The player has been in exceptional form this season.

By
Emilio Galantini

Apr 6, 2024

According to Fabrizio Romano last week, West Ham are yet to make a final decision on Moyes' future as we slowly approach the final two months of his second tenure at the club.

"Rumours appear to be continuing on David Moyes but at this stage I’m not aware of decisions made about him by West Ham,” Romano said to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing.

“The club are fully focused on the Premier League and European football, so everything that comes next will be discussed later. I think many times we heard that Moyes was almost gone and he’s still there.

“Nothing is decided yet.”

Moyes has claimed that a new contract offer is there from West Ham, and it is him delaying the signing of it, but this has since been refuted by reliable media sources like ExWHUemployee.

The 60-year-old, following one of the most successful periods of West Ham's history, in which they've won a European trophy, could well be on the move if he doesn't make a success of these last few games.

A crunch Europa League quarter-final against German frontrunners Bayer Leverkusen awaits this week, which could be pivotal in determining Moyes' future, but an intriguing report by TEAMtalk has suggested that West Ham could also be planning for a future under their current manager.

West Ham ready to tempt Adarabioyo with Moyes an admirer

Indeed, it is believed Moyes is a real admirer of Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo, which has a bearing on their transfer plans for the Englishman.

Amid Moyes' fondness for the 26-year-old, West Ham are said to be planning to make Tosin a lucrative contract offer in a bid to tempt towards the London Stadium.

The former Man City defender's contract expires at the end of this season, which has alerted a host of top sides, including the Irons, to the possibility of snapping him up for free later this year.

The 6 foot 5 centre-back has been brilliant for Fulham since returning from an injury earlier this season, and City boss Pep Guardiola has previously heralded Tosin's physical attributes.

“He is fast, strong in the air, and has the quality to look forward behind the line for the next pass,” said Guardiola (via GOAL).

“He definitely has a future in the first team. He is a nice guy, his mind is open, he listens, he trains every day like it’s the last training of his life and I like to work with these kinds of players a lot.”

Woakes, Archer, Sam Curran claim three wickets each as Australia crumble

Valkerie Baynes13-Sep-2020England 231 for 9 (Morgan 42, Zampa 3-36) beat Australia 207 (Finch 73, Labuschagne 48, Woakes 3-32, Archer 3-34, S Curran 3-35) by 24 runsEngland’s bowlers answered every question asked of them to snatch an unlikely victory and level the series 1-1 as Australia capitulated in the second ODI at Emirates Old Trafford.Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer gave England every hope of avoiding their first bilateral ODI series defeat at home since 2015 by claiming three crucial wickets each before Sam Curran chimed in with three wickets of his own after a staggering Australian collapse to seal the win and keep the series alive going into Wednesday’s final encounter.Aaron Finch and Marnus Labuschagne put on 107 for the third wicket to build on the solid foundation set by Australia’s bowlers, who restricted England until a late partnership worth 76 between Rashid and Tom Curran gave the hosts something to bowl at.Chasing 232 for victory after England had won the toss, Australia stumbled to 37 for 2 and then lost four wickets in the space of 21 balls – three of them to Woakes – to give England more than a sniff of the victory which had seemed so distant after their performance with the bat and again when Finch and Labuschagne were cruising.Archer defied a used pitch which had been keeping low with devastating speed and bounce in an excellent five-over opening spell which delivered 2 for 22. He dismissed David Warner for a seventh time in international cricket with a scorching delivery up around the ribs which drew an edge through to Jos Buttler.Archer hit Finch on the helmet but the blow failed to trouble the visiting captain who, having passed the necessary on-field concussion testing, settled back into his rhythm even in the face of another wicket as Archer struck again with a short ball that reared up and found the shoulder of the bat as Marcus Stoinis fended awkwardly and was caught behind. Finch and Labuschagne wrested back control until Archer and Woakes returned and wreaked havoc.England brought in the Curran brothers for Mark Wood, who pulled up with a sore ankle, and Moeen Ali, left out in what Eoin Morgan described as “a tactical move”.Those tactics came under the microscope on a pitch which rewarded Australia’s legspinner, Adam Zampa, whose 3 for 36 combined with some miserly bowling by the seamers had contained England so well. But the decision paid off amid Morgan’s masterful captaincy as England again stood up against huge pressure.Zampa’s opposite number, Adil Rashid, was wicketless after his first three overs, having conceded 27 runs from them. Rashid returned from the opposite end only to be punished by Finch bringing up his half-century with a bottom edge through fine leg and a straight hit that sped through Rashid’s hands and all the way to the rope at long-off.Both Currans had failed to make inroads up to that point, prompting the return of Archer and Woakes. Archer struck Finch another brutal blow on the chest but Finch shrugged it off by clipping the next ball to the leg side and running a swift two.Labuschagne pulled Woakes gloriously for four and then brought up the 100-stand with Finch via a single off the next delivery. But Woakes made the breakthrough England so desperately needed when he dismissed Labuschagne lbw for 48 from 59 balls after England successfully reviewed umpire Michael Gough’s original not-out decision, sparking Australia’s collapse.Mitch Marsh entered with Australia needing 88 from 20.1 overs, having scored 73 in the first ODI and an unbeaten 39 in a player-of-the-match performance as Australia won the third and final T20I. But when Archer had Marsh so flummoxed on the sixth ball he faced that he chopped on, the spring returned to England’s step.They were positively jumping when Woakes bowled Finch for 73 as Australia lost a third wicket for just one run in the space of 11 balls. Archer had just completed his 10 overs with 3 for 34 when Woakes struck again next ball, bowling Glenn Maxwell for 1. From 144 for 2, Australia were 147 for 6 needing 82 runs from the last 15 overs.With Archer and Woakes – who claimed 3 for 32 – bowled out, England turned again to Rashid and the Currans. It was Sam Curran who claimed two wickets in consecutive balls, bowling Pat Cummins and having Mitchell Starc caught behind as Australia crumbled further to 166 for 8.Zampa survived the hat-trick ball but Sam Curran had the final say when he had Zampa caught by Archer to claim his third and put England within one wicket of triumph. Rashid claimed the last wicket when he had Alex Carey stumped off a googly as England won by 24 runs with eight balls to spare.Australia were unchanged from their 19-run victory in the first match despite Steven Smith passing a second concussion test in a move Cricket Australia insisted was precautionary after he took a blow to the head during training which kept him out of that game.Starc almost struck with the second ball when he had Jason Roy given out lbw to a delivery that pitched in line and nipped back in. Roy had the decision overturned on review when the DRS showed that the ball was going over the top of the stumps, but Starc made a breakthorugh a short time later with a ball that held its line and found the edge from a prodding Jonny Bairstow, caught behind for a duck.He inflicted more pain when Joe Root attempted to drive and edged the ball hard onto his back knee, and when Roy was run out to a sniper-like throw from Stoinis in the covers, England were 29 for 2.Root laboured to 39 off 73 before Zampa had him caught by Finch at first slip, putting England at 90 for 3. Root’s dismissal sparked a mini gear-shift from Morgan, who struck three fours in five balls from Marsh and Zampa, but when Finch changed up the attack with the re-introduction of Cummins, who struck with his third ball back to trap Buttler lbw for 3, England suffered another setback.Zampa dismissed Morgan lbw for England’s top score of 42 and Sam Billings with a legbreak that was too full for the cut attempted by Billings, who ended up chopping onto his stumps and trudging off with just 8 from 28 balls. The hosts then lost Sam Curran and Woakes in quick succession, but Rashid’s rearguard 35 from 26 balls combined with Tom Curran’s 37 off 39 limited the damage.