All posts by n8rngtd.top

With baseball all day, we all want to know who is going to crack one deep.

Lucky for you, I've canvassed the board for some advantageous matchups for hitters across Major League Baseball, including MVP candidate Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles.

In addition to Henderson, I'm eyeing two other hitters that are in line ofr home runs, find out who below!

Best MLB Home Run Prop Bets, June 5

• Gunnar Henderson (+390)
• Jeimer Candelario (+420)
• Jake Cronenworth (+600)

Gunnar Henderson

Henderson is seeking his 20th home run of the season, and I love it to come on Wednesday.

Ranking in the 95th percentile or better in xSLG, average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage, per MLBStatcast. Henderson is rightfully inside of +400 to go deep against Jose Berrios, who has allowed hard contact on more than 44% of balls put in play, which is in the 18th percentile.

15 of his 19 homers have come against righties, and Berrios' looming regression due to hard contact makes Henderson a prime candidate to go deep on Wednesday.

Jeimer Candelario

Candelario is swinging a sweet bat at the moment, hitting .368 over his last 19 at bats with a home run while slugging .579. He draws a favorable matchup against Dakota Hudson of the Rockies at the hitter friendly Coors Field.

Hudson is struggling this season, posting a 5.02 ERA that balloons at home to a 7.43 ERA in five starts while allowing two home runs.

Candelario is slugging .444 against righties, far higher than his .397 mark against lefties while mashing six of his seven homers against righties, I'll back him in a good spot on Wednesday afternoon in Colorado.

Jake Cronenworth

A lefty batter, Cronenworth is a dangerous hitter against right handed pitching, mashing all of his eight home runs against that side while slugging .528. He is a disciplined hitter who is barreling up nearly nine percent of balls in play, which is in the 63rd percentile.

With the wind blowing out at Angel Stadium at about eight miles per hour, and a soft-tossing Jose Soriano set to start for the Halos, I like Cronenworth to crack his ninth dinger of the year.

There was a bit of concern among some sections of the fanbase heading into this season because Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke does not have an impressive record in the Premier League.

He was relegated with Norwich City in the 2019/20 campaign before being sacked during his second attempt at managing in the division in the 2021/22 season with the Canaries.

However, the West Yorkshire outfit have picked up eight points from six matches in the Premier League this season, losing just two of their games, in what has been a very solid start to the campaign.

Farke’s side have been competitive in every game barring the 5-0 loss to Arsenal, who are title challengers, and were held to a 2-2 draw by Bournemouth on Saturday.

In that 2-2 draw with the Cherries, Leeds supporters were provided with a reminder of where the club went wrong the last time they were in the top-flight.

Tyler Adams lined up in central midfielder for the away side at Elland Road, a few years on from when he failed to replace Kalvin Phillips under Jesse Marsch.

Why Tyler Adams was a poor replacement for Kalvin Phillips

The Whites sold Phillips to Manchester City in the summer of 2022 after the England international had helped the team to stay in the Premier League for two years.

Jesse Marsch and Victor Orta decided to bring Adams in from RB Leipzig for a fee of £20m to replace what they had lost in the middle of the park, but he was a poor replacement for the Yorkshire-born star.

Adams offered bite in the middle of the park, averaging 5.2 tackles and interceptions per game (per Sofascore), in the Premier League for the Whites, which shows that he was combative and got around the pitch to disrupt the opposition.

The USA international, however, did not showcase the quality on the ball that made Phillips so special to Marcelo Bielsa and Marsch in his two seasons in the top-flight with the West Yorkshire outfit. That lack of quality played a part in the team’s relegation to the Championship in the 2022/23 campaign.

As you can see in the table above, Adams did not offer anywhere near as much to the team in possession as Phillips did at his best, losing the ball more frequently whilst creating way less.

These statistics show that Orta and Marsch failed in their attempts to replace Phillips in midfield in the summer of 2022, and the Whites were relegated from the Premier League, in part, because of that. Of course, losing Raphinha from that team did not help matters.

Fast-forward to the present day, Leeds look competitive in the middle of the park thanks to the recruitment work that was done in that area of the pitch during the summer transfer window.

German giant Anton Stach has caught the eye, having scored a stunning free-kick against Wolverhampton Wanderers, since his £17m move from Hoffenheim.

However, it is another Leeds United central midfielder who has emerged as Farke’s own version of Kalvin Phillips at Elland Road in the Premier League this season.

Chalkboard

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

Sean Longstaff joined the club from Premier League rivals Newcastle United for £12m to bolster their options in the middle of the park, and he has been an excellent addition on current evidence.

Why Sean Longstaff may be the new Kalvin Phillips

The English midfield star may be the new Phillips at Elland Road because, unlike Tyler Adams, he has the defensive and technical qualities to be a well-rounded and influential presence in and out of possession for Leeds.

Longstaff really announced himself to the Elland Road supporters, of course, with his strike in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, finding the corner with an excellent strike, as shown in the clip below.

It has been his all-round play in midfield that has impressed the most, though, as Longstaff has also averaged 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game in the league for the Whites this season, per Sofascore.

That is 1.2 more tackles and interceptions per match than Stach has managed in midfield in the top-flight. This suggests that the former Newcastle man is closer to Phillips, from a defensive perspective, than the 6 foot 4 German is, as he covers plenty of ground to disrupt opposition attacks.

Longstaff, who was tipped to be an “unbelievable” player by Alan Shearer, has the quality on and off the ball to help Leeds in all phases. He can sit and be compact to stop teams playing through the Whites, but he can also play a killer pass in the final third when needed to spark attacks or break down low blocks.

As you can see in the table above, the £12m signing’s statistics in and out of possession so far this season make him very comparable to Phillips in his best season in the Premier League under Bielsa in the 2020/21 campaign.

1.3 key passes per game for Longstaff shows that he has a creative side to his game, whilst his assist for Joe Rodon on Saturday came from a corner, and that means that he adds value in the final third as well as being a combative and defensively strong operator.

Signing a player with bags of Premier League experience has turned out to be an incredibly shrewd move by the Whites, as he has been able to hit the ground running since his move to Elland Road.

He may not have been the most exciting signing when he arrived at the club in the summer transfer window, but Longstaff may well turn out to be the club’s next version of Kalvin Phillips.

Not just Longstaff: 7/10 Leeds star is now completely undroppable for Farke

Leeds drew 2-2 at home to Bournemouth on Saturday and this star made himself undroppable.

By
Joe Nuttall

Sep 28, 2025

Jordan Henderson has backed “world-class” Liverpool to rediscover their form after helping Brentford inflict another defeat on his former club. The England international played a crucial role as his side secured a 3-2 victory which stretched the Reds’ losing run in the Premier League to four games, with Bees trio Dango Ouattara, Kevin Schade and Igor Thiago doing the damage.

• Henderson produces another fine performance in Liverpool win

  Henderson continued his fine form in 2025-26 with an impressive display against Liverpool on Saturday evening. After joining Keith Andrews’ side on a free transfer in the summer, the 35-year-old produced another brilliant performance to help his team secure all three points at the Gtech Community Stadium. Brentford forwards Ouattara, Schade and Thiago were all on the scoresheet for the hosts, with Liverpool unable to find an equaliser after goals from Milos Kerkez and Mohamed Salah.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfielder backs his former club to rediscover early-season form

  Liverpool have now suffered four straight defeats in the league, and five losses in their last six games in all competitions, after coming unstuck against an in-form Brentford side who are currently 10th in the table and just two points behind Arne Slot’s men. The Merseysiders have also lost to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea and Manchester United during their worrying run, but while questions are now being asked of their title credentials, Henderson has backed his former paymasters to recapture the form which saw them win their first seven games this season.

• Henderson insists Liverpool are still 'world-class' despite recent losses

  Speaking to after the Brentford game, Henderson said: “Liverpool are a world-class team with world-class players. You look all over the pitch, there's not much to go at, they're all quality players. I don't really see a weakness in the team.

  "Yes, I know there's been results of late that haven't been great for them but, for me, they're still top players and a top, top team and it's just a matter of time before they get in a rhythm and get going.

  "I think there's been a lot of reasons why they haven't hit the heights from last year but they're still a world-class team and wherever you look on the pitch there's to players, so it's always going to be difficult.

  “But the [Brentford] lads dug deep, stuck together and caused some problems on the counter.

  "I thought from start to finish we stuck together. We knew it would be difficult at times. The way we defended together, the way we stayed composed on the ball and try to, rather than just kick it forward at times, it's trying to play the long ball in behind to someone running in, like Dams (Mikkel Damsgaard) did for Kev (Schade) on the second goal.

  "And [Igor] Thiago was a threat all night and he’s been like that all season to be fair. We've got a lot of good players on the counter-attack with the front three. We've got people like Dams, Yarmo (Yehor Yarmolyuk) and the centre-halves who can pick passes as well.

  "Overall, I think it was a really good performance and we deserved the win in the end."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  England international likened Liverpool departure to a 'break-up'

  Saturday’s clash was the first time Henderson had faced Liverpool following his departure in 2023. After joining the club from Sunderland in 2011, the midfielder spent 12 seasons at Anfield before his heavily-criticised move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq. Henderson made just 19 appearances in the Middle East before switching to Ajax in January 2024, featuring 57 times before leaving in the summer.

  Reflecting on his Liverpool exit, Henderson said earlier this month: "Timing, with everything in hindsight, yes – maybe I would have made different decisions. But at the time that's how I felt and the decision I made was for many different reasons and only I know them reasons.

  "I am not going to lie, over the past couple of years I have had some tough moments. It felt like a break-up when I left Liverpool. Of course I'm not perfect and I've made mistakes in the past. Of course I will have throughout my career.

  "But all I've ever tried to do is the right thing.”

Arsenal summer signing Viktor Gyokeres has impressed since arriving from Sporting Lisbon in a deal which could rise to £64 million, but only in certain Premier League games.

Mikel Arteta’s long wait for a prolific striker was brought to an end by sporting director Andrea Berta in the Italian’s first window at the Emirates, and supporters eagerly awaited the Swede’s debut whilst expecting big things.

Gyokeres bagged an unbelievable 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting before his switch to north London – spearheading the Primeira Liga champions to a domestic double last season – and Arteta is hoping his new number nine can replicate those heroics on British shores.

Despite Arteta’s fondness for Benjamin Sesko, who Arsenal tried to sign in the summer of 2024 and in January, Berta reportedly swayed Arsenal chiefs into moving for Gyokeres instead (The Athletic).

Thus far, the signs have been fairly promising, but some criticism has surrounded Gyokeres’ lacklustre link-up play compared to the likes of Liverpool star Alexander Isak, who was also once a “dream” target for Arteta.

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville also believes that Gyokeres won’t be a big-game player for Arsenal, with the 27-year-old failing to make an impact against both Man United and Liverpool this season.

His goals so far have come in a 5-0 win over Leeds United, and most recently, the Gunners’ 3-0 dispatching of Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest last Saturday.

Troy Deeney tips Arsenal to replace Viktor Gyokeres with Kai Havertz

Once £280,000-per-week star Kai Havertz is back from injury, talkSPORT pundit Troy Deeney is convinced that Arteta will bench Gyokeres for the big games in favour of their versatile German.

Football is often reactionary at the best of times, and we believe that Gyokeres simply needs more time to settle in Europe’s most competitive division.

Viktor Gyokeres to deliver on big stage for Arsenal in time

The striker’s lack of impact against Man United and Liverpool is a concern, but that could simply be put down to Gyokeres finding his feet at brand-new club amid plenty of pressure to deliver.

At Sporting CP last season, the Swede produced 54 goals and 13 assists across competitions, thriving under the pressure of title races and European nights. His record shows he doesn’t just score against weaker opposition, either.

Gyokeres regularly delivered goals or assists in decisive matches, including against Porto and Benfica, where his work rate, strength, and ability to lead the line stood out.

His six goals in eight Champions League games for Sporting last season, including a stunning hat-trick against Man City, also work wonders to highlight that Gyokeres can indeed deliver on the biggest occasions.

As Aston Villa look to go again in pursuit of Champions League qualification next season, those in the Midlands are now reportedly readying an offer to sign an attacking star that his club won’t be able to refuse.

Monchi: Martinez and Aston Villa "must continue"

Amid rumours that Emiliano Martinez is set to depart Aston Villa this summer following what looked like an emotional farewell to the home fans towards the end of the season, the club’s sporting director has had his say.

Speaking to Canal Sur Radio, Monchi spoke about Martinez’s potential goodbye, Rashford’s resurgence and how Marco Asensio also rediscovered his talent during his loan spell at Villa Park.

Aston Villa pushing to sign "world-class" £6m-a-year star who Emery loves

Talks have been held over the move.

By
Henry Jackson

Jun 4, 2025

The Villa chief said: “The Premier League ended nine days ago, and we haven’t stopped. There’s no time to rest; a sporting director’s vacation is in September. We still haven’t come to terms with what happened at Old Trafford.

“Emery has been able to bring out the best in Rashford, and Unai is the number one for that. He’s a player with top-notch, elite ability. We haven’t lost hope, he has a significant connection with the club and Unai. The story between Dibu and Aston Villa must continue, that’s my wish. He’s happy and content, but I’m not in his head.

“Asensio hasn’t lost his talent; he’s given us a lot, and he’s in our best interest. I’m focused on the present, and my present today is Aston Villa so Unai can have a competitive team. Unai Emery’s connection with Aston Villa runs deep. I see him as very involved, excited, and eager. He’s a work-obsessed person.”

It’s not just potential outgoings that Monchi is focusing on, however, with reports now suggesting that Aston Villa have already opened talks to sign a talented winger who could follow in Rashford’s path in the Midlands.

Aston Villa in talks to sign Geny Catamo

According to O Jogo, as relayed by Sport Witness, Aston Villa have now opened talks to sign Geny Catamo and are ready to offer Sporting Club an irresistible deal to secure the winger’s signature this summer.

Earlier reports suggested that the Villans are deliberating over paying €30m (£25m) to sign their target, but given that Catamo reportedly has a release clause worth as much as €60m (£50m), they may have to dig deeper into their finances to get a deal done in the coming months.

A player who kept up with Rashford even as his form improved at Aston Villa, Catamo is only just getting started. At just 24 years old, the Sporting winger is about to enter the peak of his powers, making this summer the perfect time for those in the Midlands to make their move for the 33-cap Mozambique man.

Whether they’re in a position to meet their target’s £50m release clause without Champions League football is the big question, however. Villa’s PSR concerns are no secret these days and they could yet play a part in pursuit of Catamo this summer.

In an ideal reality, West Bromwich Albion would find themselves competing in the upcoming Championship playoff final after Tony Mowbray’s return had gone down as a rip-roaring success.

Unfortunately, that script hasn’t come to life, with Mowbray actually finding himself out of a job again after a dismal run of just five wins from 17 games led to the Baggies falling short of those coveted playoff spots.

West Brom do have plenty of time on their hands to assess who they would like to bring in as the 61-year-old’s successor now as the ongoing search shows no real signs of coming to a halt.

West Brom's list of manager targets

It’s been nearly a month since Mowbray was abruptly axed from the Hawthorns hot seat, meaning plenty of names have been linked to fill the vacancy.

Indeed, faces such as Stockport County manager Dave Challinor have been tipped to take on the reins, alongside ex-Southampton boss Russell Martin potentially getting back on the horse after his Saints dismissal.

Moreover, former Manchester United coach turned Minnesota United manager Eric Ramsay has also been regularly thrown about as a successor to Mowbray, but there’s one other name that looks to be the likeliest option away from any other rumoured bosses.

Indeed, journalist Graeme Bailey has revealed recently that West Brom still ‘really like’ Tottenham Hotspur background figure Ryan Mason, with his young and fresh approach one factor that ticks a lot of boxes for the Baggies hierarchy.

Ramsay is the same age as Mason – with both the fresh-faced managers only being 33 years of age – but the Spurs coach arguably has more experience of the hustle and bustle of the English game, meaning he might well be viewed as an upgrade on the left-field Minnesota boss.

Why Mason is an upgrade on Ramsay

There is a logic behind West Brom wanting to go down the route of appointing a youthful new manager, having been burnt by the experienced Mowbray returning and ultimately failing.

On top of that, the likes of Liam Manning – who is only six years older than Mason – managed to steer Bristol City to the playoffs just this season, whilst the equally blooming Danny Rohl improved on a near escape from relegation at the helm of Sheffield Wednesday by guiding them to a comfortable mid-table finish.

Whilst both of those figures will likely go on to achieve far more in their careers, Mason does hold an advantage over both of them currently – on top of also bettering Ramsay in this department – with the 33-year-old gaining experience on the job of what it’s like to be an interim boss of a Premier League team with Spurs.

Whilst Ramsay does have an impressive 24 wins under his belt in charge of Minnesota, he has no experience of what it’s like to be thrown into the deep end of Premier League action, having only ever watched from afar when situated at the Red Devils.

On the contrary, Mason has briefly shone when handed the reins of the North Londoners, with six wins collected during some testing and turbulent times after some notable managerial exits.

He could be what West Brom needs, therefore, to recover from the popular figure of Mowbray flopping, with Ange Postecoglou even going out of his way recently to label Mason as “outstanding” for his work at the Premier League side.

Clearly, the Baggies need to think somewhat outside of the box to bring success back to the Hawthorns after the tried and tested route of Mowbray unravelled.

Whilst Ramsay would fit that unorthodox label, he might well flounder attempting to adapt to the Championship. Whereas, the time could be just right for Mason to prove himself after a worthwhile education at Spurs.

Free transfer: West Brom in talks to sign 21 y/o with same agent as Fellows

He’s out of contract at the end of June.

By
Charlie Smith

May 15, 2025

While Manchester United celebrated getting to a Europa League final on Thursday evening, it was back to the dread of their domestic campaign on Sunday.

Ruben Amorim has engineered triumph on the continental stage, but it’s safe to say things have been a disaster in the Premier League, now losing 17 times after their 2-0 defeat to West Ham.

In truth, it was a loss that rather summed up their season. Leny Yoro went off injured, errors led to the goals and they ultimately failed to score.

As soon as the Red Devils look to have taken one step forward, they take two back.

The league table paints a remarkable picture of just how bad Amorim’s side have been in 2024/25, with the two Europa League finalists, United and Spurs, sat in 16th and 17th place respectively.

So, where did it all go wrong on this occasion? Well, Manuel Ugarte’s performance certainly didn’t help matters.

Manuel Ugarte's performance in numbers vs West Ham

West Ham haven’t exactly been flying themselves this term, so this match represented a rare opportunity where the Old Trafford outfit could have won a game in the league.

Well, that hope was extinguished 26 minutes into the game when Tomas Soucek found the net. Mohammed Kudus did well on the left to fire the ball across the area and the big Czech midfielder bullied Harry Amass out of the way to find the net from close range.

The way in which they conceded in the second was shocking. Ugarte was robbed dismally of possession in the middle of the pitch by former United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Kudus then strode forward and when his pass deflected back into the path of Wan-Bissaka, his low cross found Jarrod Bowen at the back stick who had a tap-in.

It was a horrible moment for Ugarte whose role in second was described as “shocking” by the Express’ Alex Turk while Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst dished out a 4/10 match rating and suggested that it ‘symbolised this United side: can cope in Europe but not in domestic competition.’

The numbers didn’t make for great reading either as far Ugarte was concerned either. Indeed, the Uruguayan completed 86% of his passes, a respectable tally, but only made one tackle, one interception and committed a single foul. He didn’t do a good job of protecting the backline at all.

Chalkboard

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

Still, he wasn’t given much help by Kobbie Mainoo ahead of him.

Kobbie Mainoo's performance in numbers

A year ago, Mainoo was enjoying a remarkable breakout year at Old Trafford. He was one of the first names on the teamsheet and would go onto score in the FA Cup final, before being named in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the European Championships.

Fast forward a year and it’s not been as plain sailing for the 20-year-old who has been in and out of the side towards the back end of the season, playing 90 minutes on Sunday but only featuring for nine minutes of the second leg win last Thursday night.

His performance this weekend demonstrated why he’s struggled to get going. Fielded as a no.10, as opposed to a deeper lying midfielder, the young England international hasn’t particularly enjoyed his best football under Amorim, failing to really fit the system he’s been deployed in.

While he didn’t make a notable error like Ugarte did, it’s safe to say that Mainoo was pretty anonymous during the game. Handed a 4/10 player rating by the aforementioned Luckhurst, he noted that ‘apart from one inviting cross that Hojlund was on his heels for, he never got in the game.’

During the encounter, Mainoo lost six of his nine contested duels and also lost possession of the ball on ten occasions from his 52 touches of the ball.

Considering he was playing in an advanced role, you’d expect to see the academy graduate engineering a spark but that was non-existent, failing to have an on-target effort at goal and also not producing a key pass.

While nothing is now riding on United’s league season, these are crucial matches for players in the United squad trying to stake their claim for a place in the starting XI in the Europa League final.

Mainoo certainly failed his audition on Sunday and should be dropped as a result. Amad and Alejandro Garnacho suit these roles a lot more.

He'd be unplayable with Amad: Man Utd make £42m talisman their top target

Manchester United have wasted no time in targeting reinforcements for Ruben Amorim’s side.

By
Ethan Lamb

May 10, 2025

A former Premier League manager is interested in taking over at Rangers, and is now just awaiting a call from the club’s hierarchy about a move to Ibrox, according to a new report.

Rangers slip up again as Celtic claim Scottish Premiership title

It was a weekend to forget for Rangers fans as rivals Celtic clinched their fourth consecutive Scottish Premiership title — and a 13th in 14 seasons — while the Gers slipped to another draw.

Celtic cruised to a 5-0 victory over Dundee United to seal the title, while Rangers were held to a 2-2 draw by struggling St. Mirren — results that highlight the contrasting fortunes of the two sides this season.

After the draw with St. Mirren, Rangers caretaker boss Barry Ferguson described his team’s performance as “not good enough.”

“I know it’s a difficult place to come, but when you take the lead twice, you need to maintain that lead,” he told BBC Scotland. “That’s been a problem all season, and that’s the reason we have not been challenging. You can do all the work on the training ground and say all the right things in meetings, but when you cross that white line, you have to deal with it yourself.”

On Celtic’s title triumph, he added: “It’ll be painful for my staff, it’ll be painful for the supporters. And I want it to be painful for my players. Because you’re at Rangers, and we need to start challenging, properly challenging, for trophies.”

Martin "interested" in Rangers move

Though Ferguson has undoubtedly been an improvement on former boss Philippe Clement, he may not stay in charge beyond the end of the season — meaning the Gers and the 49ers will need to find a new man to take the reins at Ibrox.

According to The Scottish Sun, that man could be former Southampton boss Russell Martin. Martin was sacked by the Saints earlier this season after a disastrous Premier League campaign that ultimately ended in relegation. However, he is a target to take over from Ferguson at Rangers.

The Sun reports that Martin is very interested in the job and is simply awaiting a call from the club’s hierarchy about filling the position.

Despite his poor record with Southampton, Martin received heavy praise from one of the game’s greatest managers — Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

Speaking after City’s 1-0 win over Southampton back in October, Guardiola said of the former MK Dons boss: “It’s a good game to learn as a manager. I am going to learn a lot with Russell because they did really well.”

On how Martin set Southampton up that day, Guardiola added: “They are really good. I’m a spectator. I prefer the players to get the ball to feet, not the teeth.

“When I see the opponent do the things I like to do with my team and they do it really well, I make a compliment. I’m sure I will learn; there were some movements, the reasons why they do things, the movements they make to link to the striker. It’s not easy.”

Ipswich Town have now finally been put out of their Premier League misery with Saturday’s disappointing 3-0 defeat at Newcastle United officially confirming their inevitable relegation.

Kieran McKenna’s side have managed to raise some smiles among their fanbase recently with a draw on the road at Chelsea one memorable result across April, alongside a 2-1 win away at Andoni Iraola’s tough AFC Bournemouth outfit, but back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and the Magpies proved to be the fatal body blow.

Ipswich’s task on Tyneside to try and pick up an unexpected win was made ever more difficult by Ben Johnson’s dismissal deep into the first half, with the number 18 letting his side down massively on the big occasion.

Johnson's performance in numbers

Unfortunately, this will have soured Johnson’s reputation amongst the Suffolk masses, considering he had been in the good books after scoring and assisting in that aforementioned 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

But, at St James’ Park, the ex-West Ham United man lost his cool, with two quickfire bookings – the second being a petulant drag back of Alexander Isak’s shirt – resulting in the 25-year-old despondently trudging off the pitch.

Soon after, the exciting striker he fouled would fire the Magpies into the lead from the penalty spot, with the result only pointing in one direction from then on in.

When he was still on the St James’ Park turf, Johnson would throw himself about admirably with four duels won, but that positive number meant very little after the red card was brandished.

Still, he wasn’t the sole underperformer from the away side’s perspective, with one of Johnson’s teammates enduring an equally frustrating afternoon as Ipswich’s Premier League fate was sealed.

Ipswich dud was as bad as Johnson

Ipswich were hanging on for dear life throughout the first half, with the direct aftermath of Johnson’s dismissal even seeing Luke Woolfenden clear a Newcastle effort off the line.

McKenna would have been praying that his team could hold out until the half-time interval to regroup, but Julio Enciso would rashly tangle with an advancing Jacob Murphy in the box during first-half added-on time to his manager’s dismay, leading to a spot-kick being given.

Away from this incident, Enciso struggled throughout his choppy 71-minute spell against Howe’s men, with the Brighton and Hove Albion loanee only able to register one effort at Nick Pope’s net.

Moreover, the 21-year-old attacker only amassed one successful dribble from five attempted, on top of only completing a meagre eight accurate passes from his unmemorable 31 touches of the ball.

The lacklustre numbers don’t stop there, with Enciso, unlike Johnson, timid when asserting himself into duels versus the Toon, leading to a bumper 13 duels being lost by the Paraguayan.

It could well be time for McKenna to axe the out-of-sorts South American despite previously notching up an impressive four goal contributions donning Ipswich blue, knowing full well the 21-year-old will just return back to the comforts of the Seagulls shortly when his Portman Road deal expires.

Conor Chaplin was given a brief run-out in his place against Newcastle and is more likely to stick it out with the Tractor Boys when EFL football is served back up, with McKenna and Co bruised by relegation but already hopeful of an immediate return when their Premier League adventure ends next month.

Ipswich now pursue new deal for £27,500-a-week star amid Burnley interest

Burnley and Leeds are once again going head-to-head but this time off the pitch.

By
Brett Worthington

Apr 24, 2025

Arsenal are believed to be prepared to fork out one club’s asking price for their star player, with Mikel Arteta’s side deciding to speed up their move for him recently.

Mikel Arteta "very excited" about Arsenal's next transfer window

Following the arrival of new sporting director Andrea Berta in late March, Arteta admitted that Arsenal are set for a “big” summer of business.

Top target: Arsenal and Berta in talks to seal early deal for £60m striker

The Gunners have a new top target at striker, and negotiations are ongoing to convince him to move to the Emirates Stadium.

1

By
Dominic Lund

Apr 22, 2025

According to recent reports, Arsenal could spend up to £300 million on as many as seven major signings, after missing out on this year’s Premier League title to Liverpool by some distance, with Arteta claiming he is “excited” by the prospect of Berta’s debut transfer window.

“It’s going to be a big one (summer) and we are very excited about it.

“When you are going to go again, we want to increase the depth of the squad and the quality and the skills that we need to go to the next step. Every summer is big because it is an opportunity and especially because of the number of players we have in the squad right now, that is necessary.

“But it’s a big summer for many things because first of all we have to maintain the good foundations that we have and then obviously how can we improve and evolve the team.”

Arsenal are targeting a prolific new striker as one key item on their agenda, with injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus exposing Arteta’s serious lack of options in that area of the Gunners squad.

A number of interesting names have been linked since Berta’s appointment, but Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres is consistently being mentioned as a potential signing above all.

The Sweden international’s phenomenal haul of 47 goals and 11 assists in all competitions is turning heads at the Emirates Stadium, and Gyokeres is rumoured to be a top target for Arsenal in their pursuit of a number nine.

Arsenal ready to pay £56m asking price for Viktor Gyokeres

According to a Spanish report, as cited by Football 365, another update has come to light on Arsenal’s serious interest in the former Coventry City star.

As per their information, Arsenal are prepared to pay Sporting’s “demand” of £56 million for Gyokeres after accelerating their move for the Scandinavian “in recent weeks”, with Arteta’s side viewing the “star striker” as an ideal signing to take them up to another level.

£56 million seems like a bargain for a prolific star of Gyokeres’ ilk, but previous reports have also claimed that Sporting are ready to let him go for less than his initial £86 million release clause.

The 26-year-old could end up being one of the best buys of the summer after two incredible seasons in the Primeira Liga, and Gyokeres may be the proven scorer who Arteta has been crying out for.