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Manchester United’s struggles this season have been well documented and what was supposed to be an improvement on a solid debut campaign under Erik ten Hag has turned into a nightmare.

The Red Devils have lost their opening two Champions League ties against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray while winning just four of their first eight Premier League matches and a title challenge appears to be too much to ask.

Their defensive fragilities have been exposed as the Old Trafford side have conceded 19 goals across their 11 games so far, while two or more have been conceded in six of those ties, something that needs to be fixed soon rather than later.

It isn’t just defensively where they are struggling. Their top scorer this season is Casemiro – a central midfielder – with four goals, while Marcus Rashford has scored just once all season. New signing Rasmus Hojlund has taken to the Champions League with ease, netting three times in the competition, yet he is goalless in the Premier League.

It's evident that Ten Hag needs greater firepower in the final third, especially if he wishes to challenge for league titles along with success in Europe, and he could well turn to the January transfer window to bolster his squad.

The Old Trafford side may regret selling one of their former strikers however, as he has outscored every single United player since departing in 2019 – Romelu Lukaku.

How much did Romelu Lukaku cost Man Utd?

Jose Mourinho enjoyed a relatively solid debut campaign in charge of the Red Devils, winning the Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League and the onus was on the ‘special one’ to lead the club to a Premier League title challenge.

With Wayne Rooney departing the club after 13 years, Mourinho was after someone who could take over the goalscoring mantle and Lukaku was his main target.

The Belgian sensation was signed for a fee in the region of £75m from Everton in the summer of 2017 and having netted 87 goals for the Toffees in just four seasons, including 25 league goals during his final term, it looked like he could be a wonderful addition.

Mourinho waxed lyrical about the forward, saying: "Romelu is a natural fit for Manchester United. He is a big personality and a big player. It is only natural that he wants to develop his career at the biggest club.

"He will be a great addition to the group. I am really looking forward to working with him again."

His two-year spell in Manchester didn’t live up to the vast expectations, however.

What happened to Romelu Lukaku?

The former Chelsea frontman appeared in 51 games for United during the 2017/18 campaign and his 16 league goals helped them finish in second place – their highest position since winning the title five years previously – behind Manchester City.

He netted 27 goals overall during his first season, and he looked like the ideal fit for United. His second season however saw him struggle to replicate his clinical nature in front of goal, and he only netted 15 times in all competitions, while he was even criticised by journalist Samuel Luckhurst.

The Manchester Evening News correspondent said at the time: “Lukaku will doubtless benefit from being coached by Solskjaer, but only he was to blame for his woeful and costly finishing in the first months of the season. Lukaku admitted he had bulked up too much. United have hardly missed him when he has been on the bench.”

Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer had taken over from Mourinho during the second half of the 2018/19 season, and it was clear Lukaku wasn’t going to be in his plans going forward.

The Red Devils received almost their entire outlay back as Inter Milan signed him for £73m and he bid goodbye to the Premier League for an Italian adventure.

Where is Romelu Lukaku now?

Having faltered in England during his final season, the Belgian enjoyed the Italian game and went on to score 34 goals across 51 appearances for the club in 2019/20, a stunning return and many of the Old Trafford faithful must have been wondering where this Lukaku was just a year before.

Romelu Lukaku's clubs since leaving Man Utd	Games	Goals
Inter Milan	132	78
Chelsea	59	15
AS Roma	8	7
Stats via Transfermarkt

Having not won a Serie A title since 2010, Inter were desperate for glory and having a player like Lukaku leading the line clearly gave them a solid advantage. Indeed, during his second season, the striker netted 24 league goals (30 overall) to ensure the club lifted the Scudetto and endeared himself further to the supporters.

Since the summer of 2021, he has played for Chelsea, Inter and AS Roma, failing to really settle, yet he has added another 36 goals to his collection since departing the Milan oufit after their title triumph.

In fact, following his move from United over four years ago, Lukaku has scored 100 club goals in that time period and not a single player from the Old Trafford side comes close to matching that tally.

Rashford has scored 79 goals during that time, while Bruno Fernandes has 66 since arriving during the 2020 January transfer window, yet these are the only two players who are even remotely close to matching the 100 that Lukaku has netted.

Even centre-forward Anthony Martial has only netted 41 goals since the summer of 2019, a truly woeful tally considering his talents and it's evident that United have an attacking problem which has plagued them for several years now.

So far this season, the Belgian hitman has scored seven goals for Roma in just eight matches after he joined the club during the summer, and he is clearly returning to some excellent form.

He may not have been the answer to all of Ten Hag’s problems during this difficult second season, yet he still knows where the back of the net is and this ability to score at a whim could’ve prevented United from losing so many games this season.

Selling him for £73m at the time seemed like a good idea, especially with the form he showcased during his second season, but looking at his output since then, it’s clear that United have made a very big mistake.

Manchester United have failed to recapture their form from the end of last season as Erik ten Hag is currently suffering from second-season syndrome, and he will need to get his act together swiftly, otherwise he could be out of a job.

Having won their first trophy in six years by claiming the EFL Cup last season while finishing third in the Premier League, it looked as though United were heading in the right direction and that Ten Hag was the true successor to Sir Alex Ferguson.

Just five wins from 11 matches this season, however, has slowed their ascendency down slightly and while the Dutchman managed to lure the likes of Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund to the project he is currently building in Manchester, he did miss out on some transfer targets, namely Harry Kane.

He isn’t the first United manager this has happened to, and he won't be the last, even 'Fergie' missed out on players who then shone elsewhere.

The Red Devils could’ve had Alan Shearer leading their line during the 1990s, yet he turned down the club to move to Newcastle United. They even had a chance to sign Frank Lampard before his move to Chelsea, think how good Fergie’s midfield could have been with the former England international starring for him?

Ferguson also failed to lure another future Chelsea icon to United when they were going through a barren spell, as Didier Drogba ended up moving to London instead of Manchester and there is no doubt he could’ve significantly bolstered his squad at the time.

Did Man Utd nearly sign Didier Drogba?

In the summer of 2004, Jose Mourinho was announced as the new Chelsea manager and with that, United’s era of domination ended.

With the club securing just the FA Cup during the 2003/04 season while witnessing Arsenal’s unbeaten Premier League campaign firsthand, Ferguson turned to the transfer window in order to strengthen, with Drogba on his list of potential new signings.

He said: “We went to check him out [at Marseille] but the club wanted £25million and Chelsea moved in for the kill before we had made up our minds.”

United went and signed Wayne Rooney towards the end of that summer instead and that move obviously worked out extremely well, yet Drogba would’ve been a great signing.

What happened to Didier Drogba?

Mourinho was smitten with Drogba and shelled out £24m to sign one of his top transfer targets as he aimed to lead the Blues to their first league title since 1955.

The Ivorian scored 16 goals during his maiden campaign in London to help the Blues win the Premier League, while he also starred in the League Cup final too and the £24m was certainly proving to be quite the bargain.

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Another 27 goal contributions followed the season after as the Stamford Bridge side retained their title, and it looked as though the next few years were going to be all about Chelsea and Mourinho was the mastermind behind the success.

Despite a League Cup and FA Cup double during 2006/07, a poor start to the following season ensured Mourinho was sacked after a fractious relationship with chairman Romain Abramovich and Drogba went through a series of managers during his remaining few years at the club.

He did win another league title in 2009/10, netting 29 goals in just 32 matches, yet it was the 2011/12 season where he enjoyed his greatest success.

Abramovich had spent big since taking over the club in 2003 and Champions League glory was his only prerequisite. They lost the 2008 final to United in a rain-soaked Moscow but having defeated Barcelona in the semifinals, they faced Bayern Munich, in Munich, to see who would claim the title in 2012.

Knowing this was his final game for the club (during his first spell), Drogba certainly lived up to his reputation of being a big game player and against Bayern, this was no different.

Heading into the dying embers of the tie, Chelsea were down 1-0 and defeat looked certain. Drogba, however, powered home a header to send the tie to extra time.

He did concede a penalty, yet this was missed by Arjen Robben and the final was to be decided by the dreaded shootout. The Ivorian went on to write his name in Chelsea folklore, scoring the winning penalty and wheeling away in jubilation.

How many goals did Didier Drogba score for Chelsea?

The one-time Guingamp marksman returned to Chelsea during the 2014/15 season and won yet another Premier League title before eventually retiring in 2018. He ended up scoring 164 goals across 381 games for the Blues and this type of record would’ve made him a huge success in Manchester, absolutely no doubt about it.

He drew praise from ex-teammate Frank Lampard a few years ago, who said: “I always say Didier Drogba and John Terry [were my favourite to play alongside], for different reasons so it’s like a double-headed answer really.

“Didier for me was amazing, to have him in your team in a final, you felt Didier in the dressing room before a big game that it was a different Didier, he was like an animal.

“His preparation, the intensity in his eyes and then he always produced.”

Imagine this type of striker leading the line under Ferguson at United, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney providing chance after chance for the player.

It could have been a dream attacking triumvirate, yet it clearly wasn’t to be for the future Chelsea “legend” – as so dubbed by their summer arrival Nicolas Jackson – as he forged his own glorious story in England with a different club.

Ferguson’s mistakes in the transfer market were few and far between, yet during his final decade or so in charge, he began to let some excellent players slip through his grasp who may have enabled him to secure more silverware.

Drogba was one of those names and if he had joined United instead of Chelsea in 2004, might they have returned to the summit of English football sooner than they did?

Who knows, but the now-retired ace would have been outstanding in the red of United, and he remains one of the Premier League's finest-ever strikers.

Former Watford star Troy Deeney revealed the key difference between the current Arsenal squad and Arsenal Wenger's side.

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• Deeney criticised Wenger's Arsenal for lacking 'cojones'
• Praised Arteta's Gunners team
• Arsenal two points behind Liverpool

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Deeney, who spent 11 years at Vicarage Road between 2010 and 2021, has claimed that Mikel Arteta's Arsenal "have cojones2 having previously criticised Arsenal Wenger's side for being easily bullied by opponents despite having world-class players like Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the team.

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• WHAT TROY DEENEY SAID

  Writing for , the former English forward claimed, "I played against several Arsenal players who would easily have been good enough to get into Mikel Arteta’s current Gunners side. At their peak, Jack Wilshere, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were all world-class players.

  "But those were Arsenal teams you always fancied your chances against. Arsenal teams you could bully. Arsenal teams who could fall apart. It’s well remembered that I once accused Arsene Wenger’s team of lacking ‘cojones’ after my Watford side beat them at Vicarage Road. I certainly cannot imagine taking the p*** out of this Gunners team in the same way. I wouldn’t rate my chances of bullying them, either."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Deeney had criticised the Gunners after scoring in his team's 2-1 win at Vicarage Road in Wenger's final season in charge of the team. While the Frenchman bemoaned the referee's decision to hand Watford a penalty, the striker said that the north London side lacked 'cojones'.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

  Arteta's side, who are currently trailing league leaders Liverpool by two points, will next face Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday. A win will take the Gunners top of the table ahead of Sunday's crunch clash between Liverpool and Manchester City.

Newcastle United have been heavily linked with a move for Valencia star Javi Guerra in recent weeks, and a reliable journalist has now shared the chances of him moving to the Premier League in January.

Who is Javi Guerra?

Guerra is naturally a central midfielder who has plied his trade at the Mestalla Stadium since his childhood days having worked his way up through the various youth ranks to get promoted to the first-team, and it’s fair to say he’s impressed in the senior fold.

Spain’s youth international has firmly established himself as Ruben Baraja’s second best-performing offensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Valencia statistics), so despite still having another four years remaining on his contract, he’s caught the eye at St. James’ Park.

The Magpies are reportedly one of the clubs to have been monitoring the 20-year-old since the start of the new term, but the same outlet state that his side are relaxed about their stance considering that he has a €100m (£86m) release clause included in his deal.

The La Liga outfit’s sporting director, Miguel Angel Corona, has even since warned his admirers that he’s not for sale, and whilst there will no doubt be a temptation to test his resolve, PIF and Eddie Howe don’t seem too convinced at this moment in time.

Are Newcastle signing Javi Guerra?

Writing in his column for CaughtOffside, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Newcastle could well be scouting Guerra alongside Manchester United, but right now, they are not considering an approach in January. He said:

"Javi Guerra – A report yesterday linked this promising Valencia youngster with Manchester United and Newcastle, but as far as I’m aware there is nothing concrete.

"Valencia consider him key player for present and future so not something concrete at this stage. More than five top clubs are scouting him but nothing else yet. For sure, he’s an excellent talent with top potential, so one to watch for the future."

How good is Javi Guerra?

According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Guerra is an “orchestrator” for the way he dictates the game from the centre of the park, and considering the instrumental impact he makes in the final third, Newcastle securing his services next year would be a massive coup for the outfit in the northeast.

The Gilet native, who is sponsored by Adidas, has seven contributions (five goals and two assists) to his name in 45 appearances since the start of his career, but even if the ball doesn’t always hit the back of the net, he still poses a constant threat to the opposition’s defence.

Guerra ranks in the 98th percentile for successful take-ons so loves to dribble past his marker and take aim, as he’s also recorded ten shots so far this season, which is the second-highest total throughout his squad, via FBRef, making this a no-brainer of a deal to pursue should the opportunity present itself in January.

Former Arsenal man Jermaine Pennant has told Football FanCast that Mikel Arteta could face issues if he relies too much on Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly during the business end of the Premier League season.

Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly now first-team regulars

Lewis-Skelly is now a regular name on the teamsheet for the Gunners, with the 18-year-old featuring in nine of the last ten Premier League games, most notably scoring the third goal in the 5-1 demolition of Manchester City at the beginning of February.

Despite being just 17, Nwaneri has also made 15 Premier League appearances this season, receiving increased game time amid the absence of Bukayo Saka, and the teenager has picked up two goals and one assist in his last four matches.

Breaking into the Arsenal first team at such a young age is no mean feat, and the duo’s performances indicate they could go on to be key players for Arteta in the years to come, but there are some concerns about their suitability for a title race.

Arsenal can sign striker with nearly 20 goals this season for £43m in July

The Gunners are still in the market for a centre-forward.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 18, 2025 Pennant skeptical about relying on youth

Speaking to Football Fancast, Pennant, who came through at Highbury at a similar age, has suggested it may be unwise to depend on the academy graduates as we enter the business end of the season, despite how highly he rates the pair.

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Arteta’s side have a tough run of fixtures coming up, while they are also still to play Liverpool and Newcastle United in May, so it is understandable to have concerns about relying on young players.

However, the “fearless” duo have proven they can handle big matches already, setting a new record after both scoring in the 5-1 victory against Man City.

The potential return of Saka next month will allow Arteta to be a little less reliant on Nwaneri, but as suggested by Pennant, the lack of experience can also be a positive.

Having been uninvolved in the previous two title races, the young duo are less likely to be inhibited by the fear of failure, and they will be full of confidence after both putting in top-drawer performances against City earlier this month.

اختتم منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم بقيادة حسام حسن المدير الفني، تدريباته اليوم الأحد استعداداً لمواجهة غينيا بيساو في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

منتخب مصر يواجه غينيا بيساو، في ملعب الأخير “24 سبتمبر”، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الرابعة من عمر منافسات مرحلة المجموعات لتصفيات كأس العالم.

شهد مران منتخب مصر التدريب على بعض الجمل الفنية والتسديد على المرمى وتقسيمة، تحت إشراف الجهاز الفني للمنتخب.

طالع أيضاً.. إلغاء المؤتمر الصحفي قبل مبارة مصر وغينيا بيساو في تصفيات كأس العالم

حضر مران المنتخب جمال علام رئيس اتحاد الكرة ورئيس البعثة وخالد الدرندلي نائب رئيس اتحاد الكرة.

ويتواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الأولى من تصفيات كأس العالم 2026، بجانب منتخبات بوركينا فاسو وغينيا بيساو وسيراليون وإثيوبيا وجيبوتي.

وكان منتخب مصر قد تمكن من الفوز في مباراة الجولة الثالثة يوم الخميس الماضي، على بوركينا فاسو بهدفين مقابل هدف.

يتصدر منتخب مصر ترتيب المجموعة الأولى في تصفيات كأس العالم برصيد 9 نقاط من الفوز في الثلاث جولات الأولى من التصفيات.

Celtic have been busy throughout the summer transfer window so far as they have brought in six fresh signings to date for Brendan Rodgers.

Who have Celtic signed this summer?

The Hoops have bolstered their options in midfield and attack with the arrivals of Hyun-jun Yang, Marco Tilio, Odin Thiago Holm, and Hyeok-kyu Kwon.

They have also been able to strengthen their defence with deals for Polish enforcer Maik Nawrocki and Swedish talent Gustaf Lagerbielke, which has come after the sale of Carl Starfelt to LaLiga side Celta Vigo.

However, Rodgers could dip into the market to add a third centre-back to his squad before next month's deadline as the Bhoys have recently been touted with an interest in Tottenham Hotspur battler Eric Dier.

How good is Eric Dier?

The England international, who was part of his country's World Cup squad in Qatar last year, is a proven Premier League performer who has the ability to be a dominant defender for the Hoops next to Nawrocki.

His place on Gareth Southgate's roster last season shows that the 6 foot 2 warrior's performances were among the best in his position, which highlights how well he was playing at the time.

Dier averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.01 across 35 top-flight matches during the 2021/22 season as the £85k-per-week brute helped his side to keep 16 clean sheets, which clearly caught Southgate's eye ahead of the international tournament.

Last term, the 29-year-old titan started 31 Premier League games for Spurs and showcased his dominance at the back with an aerial duel success rate of 70%.

Cameron Carter-Vickers, who he could potentially start over, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.85 so far this season and won 67% of his battles in the air.

The USMNT defender was sold by Spurs last summer whilst Dier was starting week-in-week-out, which suggests that they believe the English brute is a significantly better option.

He could line up on the right side of the backline and form a monstrous partnership with Nawrocki, who has hit the ground running at Parkhead this month after his move from Legia Warsaw.

The Poland U21 international has played on the left side of the defence during the first two Scottish Premiership matches of the campaign, as the talented ace is proficient with both feet.

Nawrocki has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.05, significantly better than Carter-Vickers, and has won an eye-catching 80% of his ground duels, compared to the USA international's 67%.

The former Legia colossus is showing that he has the potential to be a dominant figure for the Hoops with his ability to come out on top in the vast majority of his battles on the deck.

Meanwhile, Dier, who was once hailed as being "strong" by former manager Antonio Conte, could be a monster in the air for Celtic, which could make them an excellent pairing as their respective strengths complement each other.

Nawrocki could back off and deal with the threats posed on the floor by making key defensive interventions and Dier could then be tasked with stepping forward and engaging with the opposition when it comes to aerial contests.

Aston Villa are preparing a bid to sign Barcelona defender Marcos Alonso this summer, and a new report has revealed his club’s stance on sanctioning his sale to the Midlands.

How old is Marcos Alonso?

Alonso is 32 years of age and moved to Camp Nou last summer on a free transfer from Chelsea after six years at Stamford Bridge, as per Transfermarkt, but he didn’t make the instant impact he would have hoped having been handed just 11 La Liga starts during his debut season under Xavi, whilst being brought off the bench on 13 occasions.

The Spaniard’s contract is also set to expire in less than a year meaning that the ongoing window is his side’s perfect opportunity to cash in should they not want to risk losing him for free, and that could happen because his future is currently extremely uncertain.

The Blaugrana left-back is reportedly one of three players that hasn’t been registered to play yet this term due to financial issues behind the scenes, and whilst the same outlet claim that his manager has reassured him that he wants him to stay, the fact that he’s temporarily been pushed out of the picture points towards an exit.

Are Aston Villa signing Marcos Alonso?

According to AS (via TEAMtalk), Aston Villa are “ready to make a firm offer” for Alonso this summer.

Barcelona are “willing to sell” the full-back before the market closes due to them being set to sign Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo, and his potential availability has “caught” the attention of NSWE, Monchi and Unai Emery in the Midlands.

Xavi is “yet to give his green light” on a departure, but he “could be tempted” if a respectable proposal was put on the table.

Has Marcos Alonso won the Premier League?

During his time at Chelsea, Alonso did indeed win the Premier League back in 2017 alongside the likes of the Champions League and Europa League, so he knows what it takes to compete and be successful at the required level and could be a fantastic experienced recruit for Aston Villa.

Barcelona’s £102k-per-week earner also posted 47 goal contributions (26 goals and 21 assists) in 179 top-flight appearances, with his precision when whipping crosses into the opposition’s box having previously seen him hailed “sharp” by journalist Josh Bunting.

Read The Latest Aston Villa Transfer News HERE…

The Madrid native, who is naturally left-footed, is even a versatile operator with his ability to be deployed slightly higher up on the left side of the midfield and even on the left of a back three alongside his usual role, so he would be a great option for the boss to have in the building should cover be needed for any unexpected injuries.

Furthermore, Alonso has an excellent record against Villa having won all four of the head to head fixtures he’s been involved in, so if he can perform that well when he’s a member of the away side, just imagine what he’d be capable of when being managed under the guidance of Emery in this new exciting chapter for the club.

Elliot Anderson would be "massively, massively unlucky" to not make Newcastle United's starting XI for the opening game of the season, according to Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope.

The academy product has been impressive this pre-season.

Where does Elliot Anderson play?

The 20-year-old seems to be being deployed as a midfielder this season, despite making a number of appearances last season as a winger.

This is based on the way manager Eddie Howe has used the youngster throughout this pre-season. The Newcastle academy product has played across both advanced midfield positions so far this summer, and impressed in the roles during the club's US tour as part of the Premier League Summer Series pre-season competition.

According to reports, the Magpies originally planned to bring in two midfielders this window, but the emergence of Anderson, as well as 17-year-old Lewis Miley, has resulted in that aim being put on the back burner following the £55m arrival of Italian Sandro Tonali from AC Milan.

Anderson has drawn comparisons to Paul Gascoigne in recent weeks since his deployment in central midfield, and manager Howe has been full of praise for the midfielder, suggesting he has a real chance of breaking into the Magpies' starting XI.

"He is very much knocking on the door, his journey has been interesting. The loan at Bristol Rovers (season before last) certainly helped him, as much from a confidence perspective. Sometimes, you need evidence to believe how good you actually are.

Coming back last season, he had a few niggly injuries which was frustrating and hampered his progress. This year, he looks stronger and ready to contribute regularly for us."

Speaking on his YouTube channel following the side's pre-season clash with Fiorentina, journalist Hope revealed that he believes Anderson would be really unlucky should he miss out on a place in Howe's starting XI against Aston Villa on Saturday.

He said: "I tweeted after the game if Elliot Anderson doesn’t find himself in the starting eleven next weekend, I think he’ll be massively, massively unlucky.

"For me, I think he was the best performer in America, I thought overall Anderson was the best player throughout the States tour, and today I thought he was brilliant."

Who could start in Newcastle's midfield?

It seems like there will be a tough battle to start in Newcastle United's midfield next season.

One player who is expected to start is Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian has been a revelation since his arrival from Olympique Lyon in 2021. The midfielder has received a number of awards during his time on Tyneside, and is expected to start at the base of the Magpies midfield next season.

Another player who would expect to start is Joelinton. The striker-turned-central midfielder is a cult hero on Tyneside and has been a stalwart in Howe's Newcastle sides since his arrival.

The player who won the Magpies' Player of the Year award in the 2021/22 campaign would be one of the two advanced midfielders, assuming Howe maintains his current system.

Anderson would face competition from fellow youth academy graduate Sean Longstaff, former Arsenal man Joe Willock and new signing Tonali for the final spot in the starting XI. Longstaff was the most regular starter last season, making 41 appearances last campaign, however, he seems the most likely candidate to lose his spot to Anderson to start the campaign.

Either way, it seems Howe has a big decision to make ahead of the weekend given the depth now at his disposal at St James' Park.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are "not in a position to sign anybody at this moment" despite links to several players in the market, per journalist Alex Crook.

Will Wolverhampton Wanderers make any signings this summer?

It has been quite a bleak transfer window for fans of the Old Gold so far this summer.

It feels like a long time ago that the Midlands side were splashing £100m plus in the space of a single window to chase European football and stave off any threat of relegation.

The only significant developments regarding transfers at Molineux this summer have been player sales, not signings, with the biggest being the departure of club captain Ruben Neves after he left for Al-Hilal in a deal worth £47m.

The only players that have joined Julen Lopetegui's side so far this summer – that weren't already agreed there in January – have been Tom King on a free from Northampton Town and former player Matt Doherty as a free agent.

Wolves were interested in signing Bristol City's highly-rated youngster Alex Scott at one point earlier in the window but, with their current financial situation, find themselves unable to go ahead with any signings, per journalist Alex Crook.

He explained the situation live on TalkSport, with the clip being posted to their YouTube channel:

"Wolves at one stage showed a lot of interest in Alex Scott. I've been told this morning by sources close to Wolves they're not in a position to sign anybody at this moment in time which might worry Wolves fans, let alone a player for £25m."

Why are Wolverhampton Wanderers unable to make signings?

Unfortunately for Wolves, their inability to spend much, if any, money this summer stems from one issue: they have lost too much of it over the last two years.

The Premier League's profit and sustainability rules clearly state that a club in England's top flight cannot accumulate financial losses exceeding £105m over a set three-year period, with the penalties for doing so ranging from further fines or even points deductions.

And according to the Telegraph, the Old Gold are into the third year of their current three-year period; they announced a loss of £45m in February of the first year and between £60m-70m for the second, meaning that had nothing been done they would have easily blown past the £105m allowed by the league.

Premier League clubs have seen that those who break the rules, like Manchester City and Everton, will be investigated and are at genuine risk of facing repercussions for their disregard of said rules, a situation that has caused other sides, like Wolves, to approach the regulations much more seriously going forward.

The good news for fans is that, so far, they have raised around £90m from player sales since the end of the last campaign, and that should the club manage to end this three-year period within the parameters set by the regulations, they can go back to spending a bit more freely in future windows.

That said, with the exodus of quality players from the side over the last few months, survival might just be that much more complicated in the coming season, especially if they end the summer without spending a single penny on a new player.