Roberto De Zerbi didn’t hold back after Marseille ended a 14-year Ligue 1 drought at home against Paris Saint-Germain. A 1-0 win sealed by Nayef Aguerd sparked emotional scenes, with De Zerbi admitting that beating the champions was one of his main reasons for taking the job. The triumph comes days after a setback in Europe and reignites OM’s belief in their project.

• Marseille finally topple PSG at home

  Marseille stunned PSG with a 1-0 victory on Monday night, thanks to Aguerd’s early strike in the fifth minute. It was their first home league win over their fiercest rivals since 2011, ending a near decade-and-a-half of frustration in Le Classique. The result carried extra weight after their Champions League defeat to Real Madrid, marking a quick bounce-back.

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  De Zerbi explains his mission at OM

  Speaking to after the match, De Zerbi revealed the emotional significance of the result: "I told [president] Pablo Longoria that one of the reasons I wanted to come here was to beat PSG, because they are stronger. They represent power and I don't like power. So I was looking forward to this evening. But it doesn't change anything, we only won one match and took three points."

  He added: "I'm happy for my players, for the club, for everyone who brought me here, Longoria and [director Medhi] Benatia, and for all the people of Marseille. I was born a fan, so I know that the fans have already played this kind of match for a week. We're going to give them a good week. The same goes for [owner] Frank McCourt, who told me that this was the first match he had won here against PSG."

• A symbolic victory over French football’s powerhouse

  For Marseille, the win represents more than just three points. Les Parisiens’ dominance since QSI’s takeover has made victories in Le Classique rare, and this success reaffirms OM’s competitive credentials under De Zerbi. It also gives Marseille momentum in Ligue 1, where breaking PSG’s stranglehold has been an ambition for years.

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  What lies ahead for Marseille and PSG

  Marseille will now look to build on this landmark triumph when they face Strasbourg next weekend. PSG, who tasted their first defeat of the season, will be aiming to regroup quickly as they prepare to meet Auxerre.

On the dawn of their first Premier League game of the season, Newcastle United are now reportedly “planning” a breakthrough to sign the attacking reinforcement that they’ve been craving.

Howe provides fresh Isak update

Whilst Newcastle’s fortunes are beginning to turn around following the arrival of Malick Thiaw and agreement to sign Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa, the Alexander Isak saga continues to cast a concerning cloud over their summer business. As things stand, he remains a Newcastle player, but whether the Swede features for the Magpies again is another question entirely.

Eddie Howe confirmed the news that the forward won’t be playing a part in Newcastle’s opening game against Aston Villa this weekend, telling reporters: “We do [have to forget about Isak] – he’s not here with us.

“We have to focus on who is here and get the best out of them. The players are aware he’s not here, the focus will be on each player playing to the best of their ability. I want him to play. I want him to train. I’ve had those conversations [with Isak] but the details of those will remain private.

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“There is no change to the situation. All my focus has been on the training, Aston Villa and the transfer front in terms of getting players in – that is all-consuming for me. Alex’s situation has been unchanged for a while and that will continue to be the case.”

It’s a saga which could yet feature several more twists and turns this month, but Newcastle’s biggest focus should remain set on finding an attacking reinforcement with or without Isak.

Newcastle now "planning" Wissa breakthrough

According to Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle are now “planning” a breakthrough to sign Yoane Wissa this month following Brentford’s deal to welcome his replacement, Dango Ouattara. The Magpies should now have a clear run towards the forward, who – like Isak – is not even with his squad ahead of this weekend’s Premier League opener.

With just a couple of weeks remaining until the transfer window slams shut, PIF will be keen to get their priority deal done at long last and welcome Wissa into the Newcastle side.

In Isak’s absence, the forward will instantly have an important role to play. Having been described as an “amazing” player by new Brentford boss Keith Andrews off the back of a 19-goal campaign last time out, however, Wissa is capable of stepping up at St James’ Park.

From a summer of rejection, Newcastle look destined to welcome Ramsey and now Wissa to join Thiaw in a late, much-needed haul.

Everton have been blessed with some standout attacking talents over the years.

Stars such as Tim Cahill, Romelu Lukaku, and Richarlison remain as beloved hall-of-famers to this day, with the current crop at David Moyes’ disposal in the form of Jack Grealish and many others giving these past heroes a run for their money.

Indeed, Grealish has already tallied up an outrageous four assists donning his new Everton blue, finally released from the shackles that held him back at Manchester City.

However, there is a different star in the exciting attacking ranks that could well be Moyes’ modern-day take on Steven Pienaar, with the South African winger yet another revered figure on Merseyside from the Scotsman’s first distinguished reign in charge.

Down memory lane: Pienaar's heroics at Everton

While Pienaar did line up for some gigantic clubs during his career, such as Ajax and Borussia Dortmund, the Johannesburg-born attacker is more well-known for his stints on Merseyside.

The nimble and slick forward would go on to amass a mammoth 229 games for the Toffees across two permanent spells, with a sublime 26 goals and 45 assists also coming his way to cement himself as one of the club’s most recent greats.

Moyes would become so enamoured by the skilful former Ajax man that he would bring him to Sunderland during his doomed stint on Wearside, with the well-travelled boss even dubbing him a “terrific” asset to have back in 2012.

Pienaar’s reputation for routinely bamboozling Premier League defences for fun down the flanks does draw some obvious similarities to Grealish, but there’s another Toffees ace strutting his stuff under Moyes and he’s a similarly vibrant source of entertainment.

The £22m "match-winner" who is Everton's new Pienaar

Of course, Pienaar is remembered with extreme fondness when delving into nostalgia based on Everton being a force to be reckoned with during large parts of his stay.

Indeed, during his breakout 2008/09 offering of ten goal contributions, the Merseyside outfit would finish in a sensational fifth spot in the final Premier League rankings.

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On top of that, the Pienaar-led side would also fall at the final hurdle in the FA Cup against Chelsea, losing 2-1 to the Blues at Wembley to finish as runners-up.

History could well repeat itself now, with the good days looking like they’re returning to the blue half of Liverpool, courtesy of Iliman Ndiaye wrongfooting defenders galore – much like Pienaar – with the goals also there to back up his tricky displays.

While Grealish is, of course, stealing most of the headlines, Ndiaye has also proven himself to be a bright spark for Moyes’ men during the early stages of the campaign.

Indeed, his two goals in league action to date have steered the Toffees to an early fifth position, the same spot Pienaar and Co. managed to reach way back in 2009.

Sheffield United

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22 + 14

Marseille

46

4 + 5

Everton

41

13 + 0

Everton has really relied on the Senegalese forward’s magic since he sealed a switch from Marseille to Merseyside last summer, with a weighty 13 strikes next to his name from 41 total contests also helping his lowly team beat the drop last season, before embarking on a far more positive adventure under Moyes.

However, much like Pienaar needed the warmth of Goodison Park to come his way after a zero-goal stint in Germany, it’s clear that Ndiaye also needed the confidence boost of a return to England to regain his mojo after a forgettable stay in France, with the £22m-rated star now even being heralded as a “match-winner” for his consistent quality to create something from nothing by ex-Everton attacker Aaron Lennon.

Pienaar was also often lauded, too, for his split-second moments of genius, having been noted as being an “influential character” to have around by former teammate Phil Neville.

The dream will now be that Ndiaye can keep up this sparkling individual form to secure a top-half finish or even more for the Toffees, as an exciting new dawn at the Hill Dickinson Stadium continues to breed more optimism.

Everton sold "world-class" talent who's now playing like Grealish & Gordon

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Melbourne Stars have signed Queensland legspinner Mitchell Swepson on a three-year deal on the final day of the BBL’s first player movement window.Swepson, 31, had been Brisbane Heat’s acting captain during the most recent BBL season when Colin Munro was injured, with permanent skipper Usman Khawaja playing just one game for the season. The legspinner played for Heat for 10 years and was a key contributor to their 2023-24 BBL title win but did not have his best season in 2024-25 taking just four wickets in nine games with an economy rate of 8.93.Swepson was not one of the 10 players contracted to Heat prior to the player movement window and Stars have pounced to sign him to a three-year deal on the final day of the window.Related

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“First of all I’d like to thank the Brisbane Heat for all the opportunities they gave me and kickstarting my T20 career,” Swepson said.”I’ll be forever grateful for all of the support they’ve given me and my family over the years.”I’m really excited to sign for the Stars and watching from afar this year, the team took some huge steps forward.”I can’t wait to head to Melbourne and the MCG next summer and get stuck in to working with Stoin [Marcus Stoinis], Peter Moores and the team.”Swepson has played T20I cricket for Australia but has not played international cricket since 2022. Stars only had one specialist spinner among their nine contracted players and were pleased to add some experience to their list.”We’ve been on the lookout for a high performing domestic spinner and Mitch will form an important part of the Stars attack over the next 3 years,” Melbourne Stars General Manager Blair Crouch said.”As well as his talent with the ball, Mitch is a very experienced T20 player in Australia, will provide valuable leadership and support to Marcus Stoinis and, at 31, is at the peak of his powers.”Stars were not able to land any other big fish in the player movement window despite trying to lure Tim David and Mitchell Marsh to the franchise. Crouch is set to depart his role in April but coach Peter Moores is set to continue despite being out of contract.Caleb Jewell will now ply his trade for Melbourne Renegades•Getty Images

Elsewhere, Melbourne Renegades confirmed the signing of Hobart Hurricanes title-winning opener Caleb Jewell on the final day of the player movement period. Jewell was contracted to Hurricanes but has been traded to Renegades on a two-year deal.Renegades were the most active club during the player movement window having already signed free agents Jason Behrendorff and Brendan Doggett.A number of high quality players remain uncontracted to BBL clubs including David, Marsh, Matthew Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne and D’Arcy Short among others. It is expected that most of those players will remain at their current clubs but will not be able to be formally re-signed until March as the BBL enters a contracting embargo period.

Few transfer windows have tested Newcastle United’s resolve quite like this one.

The Magpies’ pursuit of a reliable centre-forward has stretched across the summer, with numerous targets identified but deals proving elusive.

Liam Delap and João Pedro went to Chelsea, Hugo Ekitike chose a different project, and Benjamin Šeško slipped away despite strong interest.

Each missed opportunity has increased the pressure on Newcastle’s recruitment team and added urgency to their search.

The situation has been further complicated by Alexander Isak’s public desire to leave St James’ Park.

After being linked with Liverpool all summer, the Swedish striker released a statement on Instagram citing broken promises and his wish for a fresh start.

He has refused to reintegrate into Eddie Howe’s squad, missed the opening Premier League fixtures against Aston Villa and Liverpool, and reportedly will not return to training.

That has left Newcastle without a senior striker, particularly damaging with Anthony Gordon suspended following his red card against Liverpool.

On Thursday night, a breakthrough came with a club-record £69m agreement for Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade, a towering 23-year-old who scored 12 Bundesliga goals last term.

Bayern Munich had been circling, but persuasive talks with Howe convinced him of the Tyneside project.

Woltemade’s arrival is significant, but Newcastle may not stop there.

Latest on Newcastle's next striker target

The other name at the heart of Newcastle’s transfer plans is Jørgen Strand Larsen.

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, the Magpies are preparing to return with a third bid for Wolves’ 25-year-old striker after two earlier offers were turned down, the latest worth £55m.

Wolves remain determined to hold onto their “proper No.9”, as hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson, who only joined permanently from Celta Vigo this summer after a loan deal was made permanent for £23m.

Strand Larsen has quickly become central to Vítor Pereira’s attack at Molineux. The forward is understood to be open to a move, particularly with the lure of Champions League football at St James’ Park.

Reports suggest he has politely asked Wolves’ hierarchy to consider Newcastle’s approach, but the Midlands club – who have already sold Matheus Cunha and Rayan Aït-Nouri – insist he is not for sale.

Their stance mirrors Brentford’s firm rejection of Newcastle’s advances for Yoane Wissa earlier in the window. Nevertheless, Newcastle remain undeterred.

With Isak unavailable and Wilson gone, Howe sees the Norwegian as the ideal fit for his high-pressing, direct system.

Transfer Focus

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

With Woltemade’s arrival all but secured, the coaching staff view Strand Larsen not as a replacement, but as an upgrade on the German – potentially giving Newcastle two very different attacking options heading into a demanding season.

How Strand Larsen compares to Woltemade

The potential of signing both Strand Larsen and Woltemade has sparked debate among supporters and analysts alike.

Both are young, tall centre-forwards with room to develop, yet their statistical profiles highlight different strengths.

Matches Played

35

28

Goals

14

12

Assists

4

2

Progressive Passes

29

52

Progressive Carries

17

32

Strand Larsen was consistent for Wolves in the Premier League last season, scoring 14 times and registering 18 goal involvements across 35 appearances.

His efficiency in front of goal is reflected in a 61.1% shot-on-target rate – impressively high for a striker taking regular attempts.

Per 90 minutes, he averaged 1.15 shots on target, underlining his ability to work goalkeepers with relatively few wasted efforts.

While not prolific in ball progression, his 0.59 progressive carries and 1.01 progressive passes per 90 demonstrate a willingness to link up play.

By contrast, Woltemade’s numbers at Stuttgart last term illustrate a more versatile and mobile profile.

Despite featuring in only 28 Bundesliga matches, he recorded 14 goal involvements and averaged a higher volume of progressive actions – 1.72 carries and 2.89 progressive passes per 90.

His overall involvement in attacking moves was greater, reflected by 4.38 shot-creating actions per 90 compared to Strand Larsen’s 1.46.

Physically taller at 1.98m, the German also excels at dropping deeper to knit midfield and attack, though his shot accuracy (50% on target) lags behind his Norwegian counterpart.

Defensively, Woltemade again offers more.

He averages 0.56 tackles and 1.28 blocks per 90, showing greater defensive contribution in Newcastle’s high-pressing style.

Strand Larsen, meanwhile, contributes less off the ball (0.35 tackles, 0.66 blocks per 90), though his aerial strength (1.93m frame) provides a different outlet.

Taken together, these statistics explain Newcastle’s thinking. In Woltemade, they gain a forward comfortable carrying and distributing the ball, useful against teams who defend deep.

In Strand Larsen, they would secure a more clinical, penalty-box striker, adept at punishing defensive lapses and capitalising on crosses.

Having both options would give Howe tactical flexibility, allowing for different styles depending on the opposition.

The reality is that Newcastle’s hopes of re-establishing themselves as Champions League regulars rest on finding a reliable source of goals.

Isak’s impending exit has created a void, and while Woltemade’s signing has eased immediate concerns, the addition of Strand Larsen would truly transform their attacking department.

Whether Wolves can be persuaded before the deadline remains to be seen, but Newcastle’s persistence suggests they are ready to push hard.

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It was the first time that a 200-plus total was scored in an IPL match in Mullanpur

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2025Yashasvi Jaiswal’s first half-century of IPL 2025, and an unbeaten 25-ball 43 from Riyan Parag provided the sparks at the start and finish for Rajasthan Royals (RR) to become the first team to post a 200-plus IPL total in Mullanpur. With the rest of the top six also chipping in handily, RR suffered no major lulls through their innings despite Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowlers finding a little bit of help from a surface that appeared two-paced from time to time.The PBKS seamers got their slower balls to grip quite nicely on this surface, but RR’s batters kept finding the big hits in between. There were ten sixes in all, with Jaiswal hitting five of them and Parag three.Whether conditions remain similar through the chase could determine the direction of this match. At the toss, Shreyas Iyer chose to bowl in PBKS’ first home match of the season with the expectation of dew in the second innings.Iyer may have hoped for early wickets to keep RR’s total down, but that didn’t quite materialise even though left-arm quicks Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen found early swing. Jaiswal was the beneficiary of a few plays and misses, but having got that early bit of luck, he was soon on his way with back-to-back sixes off Jansen in the fourth over.With Sanju Samson timing the ball well too, RR had their first wicketless powerplay of the season, getting to 53 for no loss in the first six overs. They slowed down somewhat after that, scoring just 39 off the next five overs and losing Samson in the 11th over. But Jaiswal floored the accelerator thereafter, rushing from 46 off 39 balls to 67 off 44 before being bowled by a Lockie Ferguson knuckle ball in the 14th over.Parag’s innings followed a similar pattern. He struggled early on, particularly against Arshdeep’s slower ball, and was on 12 off 14 at one point in the 16th over. Then he got to grips with the surface, and hit 31 off his last 11 balls. With Nitish Rana, Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel contributing cameos at the other end, RR went past 200 in the final over of the innings.

MatériaMais Notícias

Superado pelo Criciúma no último fim de semana, pela Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro, o ABC segue seu ‘calvário’ na última posição da segunda divisão nacional. Em 16 rodadas disputadas, o Elefante somou apenas dez pontos em retrospecto de dois triunfos, quatro empates e dez reveses.

O lateral-direito Gedeílson comenta o momento vivido pela equipe onde, em sua análise, é preciso demonstrar sabedoria e tranquilidade para dar a volta por cima. Algo que, no caso da equipe potiguar, o papel do técnico Alan Aal tem sido importante na análise do atleta.

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– Em toda a minha carreira sempre lidei com pressão, cobrança. Essas coisas fazem parte do futebol. Sei do meu potencial e que, apenas rendendo mais, poderei ajudar o ABC a sair dessa situação. O professor Alan tambem tem sido fundamental nos passando confiança, o que nos permite jogar mais leves, mas com bastante responsabilidade – disse.

O clube da Região Nordeste encara o Juventude, no Alfredo Jaconi, no próximo sábado (15), pela 17ª rodada da competição nacional. Gedeílson ressalta a produtividade que o time vem apresentando, mas afirma que falhas não podem mais acontecer.

>Transforme qualquer TV em Smart e assista aos jogos do seu time do coração quando quiser!

– Ninguém está ali pra errar, perder. Infelizmente é uma fase em que qualquer vacilo está resultando em gols sofridos e a nossa bola não está entrando. Estamos criando, tendo volume de jogo. Sabemos que não podemos mais errar para que a mudança ocorra – concluiu.

A fresh claim has emerged regarding Birmingham City’s hopes of completing the signing of a “brave” player who is currently a free agent.

Davies urges Birmingham City to kick on

The Blues are back in Championship action on Saturday afternoon, making the trip to a Stoke City side who have enjoyed a good start to the season.

Birmingham have also impressed in their own right, though, and manager Chris Davies has now urged his players to build on what has been a promising first few weeks of the 2025/26 campaign.

“I think it’s been a solid start. I wanted to see how we went for those first four games, and obviously you don’t want to go into an international break on a defeat, but what I have seen and what I’ve reflected on is that we have made a solid stat. Defensively, we’ve given very little away, and we’ve stayed clear in our identity in terms of how we press. We’ve pressed successfully, we’ve dominated possession in every game I think and had a lot of territory in those games.

“The part that we’ve probably fallen a little short in is the chance creation and conversion. That’s not an unusual problem for teams that play our style of football, it’s about trying to make clear and better chances from our open play attacks and set pieces. If you had said to me at the start that we’d play like that in the games I’d be really happy, so we have to maintain our level of intensity, work ethic and solidity.”

Reaction to Birmingham City links for free agent Dele Alli

Blues supporters could encourage further new signings outside the window, and speaking to Football League World, Sky Sports man Don Goodman discussed Birmingham bringing in Dele Alli on a free transfer, following rumours over a move there.

It was claimed that the Blues explored a deal for Alli but pulled a U-turn with the former Tottenham star still without a club after leaving Como.

Birmingham City tried to sign "excellent" English talent from European club

This would have stolen plenty of headlines…

ByTom Cunningham Sep 5, 2025

Birmingham signing Alli would certainly cause a stir, considering he is a big-name player who has been hailed as “brave” by Son Heung-min, having opened up about his mental health issues.

England

37

3

England Under-21s

2

0

England Under-19s

4

0

England Under-18s

2

0

England Under-17s

9

0

There would be a risk to Birmingham signing him, considering he may simply have peaked as a player at 29, following constant injury down the years, and it feels more likely that he won’t move to St Andrew’s than seal a switch here.

Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has left the Gujarat Titans (GT) squad and returned home to South Africa for personal seasons.GT, in a statement, said he had left “to deal with an important personal matter”, and did not specify a date for his return.Rabada played GT’s first two matches in IPL 2025, taking 1 for 41 in the defeat to Punjab Kings, and 1 for 42 in the victory against Mumbai Indians.He did not play GT’s third game, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, and his absence was attributed to personal reasons.GT brought in allrounder Arshad Khan, who ended up dismissing Virat Kohli, as a replacement for Rabada, and fielded only three overseas players – Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan and Sherfane Rutherford, who came in as the Impact Player for the chase. GT won the contest by eight wickets and 13 balls to spare.GT’s other overseas options are New Zealand allrounder Glenn Phillips, who hasn’t played a game yet, and South Africa fast bowler Gerald Coetzee, who also hasn’t featured yet and may not be fully fit.GT are currently fourth on the points table, with two wins and a defeat in their first three matches. Their next fixture is an away game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 6, after which they host Rajasthan Royals on April 9.

There might be a lot of negative noise circling around Tyneside, but it’s important to remember that the transfer window is just over one week away from closing, and Newcastle United are quietly piecing together a squad capable of challenging at the forefront once again.

Eddie Howe will likely have cast his team’s minds back to last summer, which culminated in frustrations after bids for Premier League stars Marc Guehi and Anthony Elanga proved fruitless.

Nonetheless, the Magpies flew last year, finishing fifth and thus re-entering the Champions League, also winning the Carabao Cup after beating Liverpool at Wembley.

But there’s no question that it’s been difficult, and that welcoming a few more talented players to the fold is paramount if United are to thrive this season.

Who Newcastle could still sign

The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope has revealed that Newcastle have narrowed their centre-forward search down to a few select profiles, with Alexander Isak still AWOL and desperate to sign for Liverpool before the transfer deadline.

Yoane Wissa remains the primary target, but Brentford are hardly rolling over, fighting to keep their talisman on the books.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jorgen Strand Larsen is on the radar, as is Atletico Madrid’s wantaway striker Alexander Sorloth.

While there is confidence that this conundrum will be wrinkled out in short time, there’s no question that it has had a potentially detrimental effect on Howe’s seasonal preparations.

And at the end of the day, it is Howe and it is the squad and it is the fanbase that has been rocked by this unsavoury saga.

Newcastle, in spite of it all, have signed well this summer, and could complete a positive window if they get a forward over the line.

However, there might be room for a defensive signing too, with sights set on a Premier League star.

Newcastle exploring move for Premier League star

According to Caught Offside, Chelsea are set to sell centre-back Axel Disasi before the end of the transfer window, and a growing number of suitors – including Newcastle – are attentive.

Priced at £30m by the Blues, the France international is also on the radar of Napoli and several Ligue 1 clubs, with Wolverhampton Wanderers having held initial discussions over a possible transfer.

Though Newcastle eased their defensive worries with the signing of Malick Thiaw, there remains a desire to continue to strengthen with European football on the cards once again, and the versatile Disasi could be a shrewd addition.

Why Newcastle should sign Axel Disasi

In August 2023, the now 27-year-old Disasi joined Chelsea from AS Monaco in a £39m package, and he has since played 61 times for the Londoners, scoring five goals and winning a Conference League gold medal last season.

Naturally a central defender, Disasi was deployed as a right-back for much of last season, and his aptitude in the moonlit role showed, for he ranks among the top 6% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 17% for successful take-ons and the top 11% for aerial battles won per 90 (data via FBref).

Described as a “monster” of a defender by journalist Rahman Osman, Disasi was a part of the staggering influx of signings upon Todd Boehly’s takeover of the west London club.

However he’s struggled after a promising start, and spent the latter half of last season out on loan with Aston Villa.

If Newcastle were to succeed in signing Disasi before the end of the month, they might find that such astute business marks their own version of Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi being added to the ranks, with the England international one of the Toon’s top targets in recent years.

Newcastle failed with four bids for the 25-year-old last summer, the last of which totalled a whopping £65m. Now, Guehi looks like he’s headed for Liverpool, but Disasi could ease the blow somewhat, having also found himself cast out of Stamford Bridge, first on loan and then permanently.

This is what happened to Guehi, who left Chelsea in 2021 after graduating from their Cobham youth academy, signing for Crystal Palace in an £18m deal after a successful loan spell with Swansea City in the Championship.

Like Disasi, Guehi is confident on the ball and dynamic from an athletic standpoint. As you can see below, he was instrumental in the Eagles’ success last season, joining his French positional peer in winning a major trophy too.

Premier League 24/25 – Marc Guehi
Stats (* per game)	#
Matches (starts)	34 (34)
Goals	3
Assists	2
Touches*	64.9
Pass completion	84%
Big chances	5
Key passes*	0.5
Ball recoveries*	4.3
Dribbles*	0.4
Tackles + interceptions*	2.6
Clearances*	4.6
Duels (won)*	4.9 (59%)
Errors made	2
Data via Sofascore

Guehi is, of course, held in a higher regard, but Disasi might just need a change of scenery and a new home at St. James’ Park to rediscover the form out in his homeland that convinced Chelsea to pay the big bucks to bring him over the Channel.

Given that Jamal Lascelles missed the entirety of last season due to injury and Emil Krafth only clawed back from a lengthy stay in the infirmary in February, existing only on the fringe of Howe’s plans thereafter, it would seem that adding Disasi to the mix could help Newcastle toward their goals.

Disasi would be a welcome addition, potentially adding that extra bit of quality that Howe’s side will need if they are to make further progress after such success last year.

Higher ceiling than Wissa: Newcastle in talks to sign £80m CF this week

Newcastle United are in talks to sign a star who has an even higher ceiling than Wissa.

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Will Miller

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