We’re already half way through the January transfer window and it’s been pretty quiet in the Premier League, with few big moves hitting the headlines.
Tottenham Hotspur have been active and it’s no surprise that the club’s owners are happy to back Ange Postecoglou in the market after the Aussie coach impressed so much with the way he has brought the club, and their long suffering fans, to life. The fifth placed Whites drew 2-2 with Manchester United on Sunday and two new recruits made an appearance as striker Timo Werner, on loan from Red Bull Leipzig, and centre back Radu Dragusin, a £26m capture from Genoa made their Spurs debuts.
Werner teed up the second equaliser, for recently returned Rodrigo Bentancur, and Dragusin came on as a late substitute, and both look like shrewd signings as Spurs challenge for a top four place. Postecoglou is rumoured to be interested in Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher and that would be an audacious move, and one which would announce Tottenham as a serious player in London and throughout the league.
While things are going in the right direction for Spurs, there is no hiding from the fact that Newcastle United are struggling, down in tenth place and on a run of four consecutive defeats, out of the Champions League and finding it difficult to strengthen. The Magpies’ Saudi owners invested heavily in 2022 to ensure the team avoided relegation, which looked nailed on until they arrived. But then last season manager Eddie Howe exceeded all expectations by leading Newcastle into Europe.
Financial Fair Play constraints are making things difficult for Howe and he has recently said that other clubs in the league are unlikely to help, maybe a dig at Manchester City after his loan move for Sky Blues midfielder Kalvin Phillips seems to have hit the skids. Here at SBOTOP we’ve been watching the goings on at St James’ Park closely and things seem to be going from bad to worse for Howe as he has just received the news that influential midfielder Joelinton could be out for the season with a nasty groin injury and, once again, FFP will make it difficult to fund a replacement. The loan market is Howe’s best bet but who will help?
Toffees and Forest face sanctions
In other Premier League 2024 news, two other teams, at the bottom end of the Premier League table, have also fallen foul of Financial Fair Play and could cop for a points deduction, for the second time this season in Everton’s case. The other club involved in Nottingham Forest who spent eye-watering sums of money and paid big wages to stay up last season, after they reached the top flight for the first time this century in 2022.
Both Everton and Forest have been charged with breaching Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules and both have admitted the breaches. If, as expected, they are found guilty each club could be hit with a points deduction, a minimum of six, and that could shake things up further at the bottom of the table. Forest owe a lot of money to agents and they could face legal action and winding up petitions, while Everton can be penalised again as the club’s latest breach comes in a new three year cycle after the submission of their latest accounts. There will be charges, appeals and then responses from the league and both clubs will have an army of lawyers readied, but the league is aiming to apply penalties within the season, a fate Everton avoided for two years.
City sweep up FIFA Awards
Manchester City are up to second in the table and the latest Premier League 2024 betting odds say the Sky Blues are on course to win a fourth consecutive title; and their performances last season, in winning a historic treble, have been recognised at The Best FIFA Awards 2023, with six players named in the World 11. Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland were all selected but a number of other City players, including Julian Alvarez and Ederson can’t have been far away. And manager Pep Guardiola believes he has found another gem in 20 year old Oscar Bobb who climbed off the bench to score the winner in the Sky Blues’ 3-2 victory over Newcastle at the weekend: “We have another player for many years if he is happy with his minutes,” said Guardiola after the win. Bobb knows he is one of the best squads in the world but as 19 year old Rico Lewis has proved, if he is good enough he is old enough to make his mark at the Etihad Stadium.
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