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West Ham United will have to wait another week to try and get points on the board in the new Premier League season, having fallen to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of newly-promoted Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon.

Buoyed by raucous home support at the City Ground – in what was the stadium’s first top-flight encounter since 1999 – Forest ran out 1-0 victors courtesy of a first-half strike from summer signing Taiwo Awoniyi, the striker turning home after a deflected effort from former Hammers loanee Jesse Lingard kindly fell at his feet.

The away side will have potentially felt somewhat hard done by as Said Benrahma saw an early opener ruled out due to a foul by Michail Antonio in the build-up, albeit with few complaints to be had after skipper Declan Rice later spurned a glorious chance for an equaliser from the penalty spot.

With the hosts hanging on to secure all three points, the Englishman’s miss will no doubt dominate the headlines, albeit with there perhaps having been a bigger villain among David Moyes’ side in the form of young, Ben Johnson.

The 22-year-old academy graduate enjoyed a real breakout campaign last time, making 35 appearances in all competitions after proving himself a hugely reliable figure at full-back on either flank.

Full-back, however, is likely where the Englishman should remain, having enjoyed a real tough afternoon at centre-back once again in the Midlands, after also lining up in that role at home to Manchester City on the opening weekend.

With summer signing Nayef Aguerd facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines and with Angelo Ogbonna still not back to full fitness, Moyes has turned to Johnson to fill the centre-back void so far this term, with the ever-reliable Craig Dawson also seemingly not deemed ready to feature.

That move – while enforced – notably backfired as the £8.1m-rated prospect struggled to contend with the lively and dynamic Awoniyi in attack, with it his, albeit unfortunate, deflection that had teed up the Nigerian for the eventual matchwinner.

The £2.5k-per-week man also recorded a dismal 63% pass accuracy rate having been particularly sloppy in possession, losing the ball on 13 occasions as the visitors struggled to really make a foothold in the match.

That showing unsurprisingly saw him take home an underwhelming 6.5 match rating, as per SofaScore, with that the joint-lowest among players in either starting XI, alongside teammate Jarrod Bowen.

Such a frustrating outing should not define his career at the club, particularly as it came in an unfamiliar role, although his deployment at the heart of the defence was no doubt a factor in the eventual result.

In truth, the only positive that could come from his display is that it may speed up the search for a new defensive recruit, amid reports linking the club with the likes of Thilo Kehrer and Attila Szalai.

Tottenham Hotspur have suffered an injury blow as Antonio Conte has confirmed that Cristian Romero is out of Saturday’s Premier League clash vs Wolves.

The Lowdown: Controversy at the Bridge

The Lilywhites continued their excellent start to the 2022/23 campaign by securing a last-gasp 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

The 24-year-old Romero made the headlines during the dramatic encounter following his hair tussle with Marc Cucurella in the build-up to Harry Kane’s equaliser.

Despite playing the full 90 minutes across the capital, it sounds as if the centre-back played through an injury and won’t be involved against the Wanderers.

The Latest: Conte delivers team news

Conte has confirmed that Romero will miss the Wolves contest as a precaution.

As quoted by Tottenham’s official website, the boss said:

“Cuti had a little problem during the game against Chelsea on Sunday. He finished the game, but at the end he felt a bit of pain in his adductor, not a serious problem, but for this game it will be better for him to miss as a precaution.

“We are starting to play a lot of games, eight games in the next month, and to take a risk would be stupid, so he’s not available for this game.”

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The Verdict: Blow for the boss

Not having Romero available for selection will come as a huge blow for Conte, who’s become so used to his man being a regular starter in his matchday XI.

The Argentinian, dubbed ‘phenomenal’ by Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson, has played every minute of the new season so far and has been a rock in defence, averaging 3.5 tackles and two successful aerial duels per top-flight game, via WhoScored.

The fact he’s ruled out through precautionary measures suggests it’s only a short-term problem, which is positive news for the Italian, who will be hoping to have the colossus back at his disposal as soon as possible.

Newcastle United are reportedly keeping tabs on Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay, should the Scotland international come available this summer.

What’s the word?

Recent reports had revealed that the 25-year-old had been the subject of interest from a host of Premier League clubs – including the Magpies – following the Old Trafford outfit’s capture of Casemiro.

The feeling is that the arrival of the Brazilian could see the United academy graduate cast aside by manager Erik ten Hag – hence the mounting interest – albeit with the Red Devils yet to make the 34-cap gem available.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke – in an interview with Football FanCast – has now offered his verdict on the 6 foot 4 colossus making the move to St James’ Park, stating that it could well prove to be an astute purchase for the Tynesiders.

The transfer insider stated:

“If McTominay is not playing regularly in this Man United team he might be looking to move on in search of first-team football as well. So yeah a big few days ahead to see what happens with the future of Scott McTominay, but if he does become available I think he could be a real shrewd piece of business by Newcastle.”

Shrewd signing

The addition of the Lancaster-born ace may not prove a wholly popular one in the northeast such is the criticism he regularly faces at his current club, although the number of interested parties circling for his signature would indicate that such critique isn’t always fair.

Dubbed a “physical monster” by former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, McTominay – who has racked up 173 appearances for his current side – offers a real commanding presence in the centre of the park, showcasing a willingness to carry out the less glamorous side of the game to allow his more technical teammates to thrive.

While the £28.8m-rated man’s ability in possession has come under scrutiny – as he ranks in just the top 32% for pass completion among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues – his dogged defensive is no doubt impressive, as he ranks in at least the top 10% for clearances made and aerial duels won.

Also something of a “leader” – in the words of Thierry Henry – the £60k-per-week brute could well be astute addition in the centre of the park for Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, with the 44-year-old having previously allowed a key midfield figure to depart in Isaac Hayden.

Not just a physical “beast” – as also described by Solskjaer – the rampaging midfielder also has a keen eye for goal, notably chipping in with seven goals in all competitions during the 2020/21 campaign.

As Howe has managed to do with the previously maligned Joelinton, the former Bournemouth boss could well help to shape McTominay into something of a world-beater, with the towering midfielder potentially set to be a ‘shrewd’ signing, as O’Rourke suggested.

Leeds United’s proposed move for Juventus striker Moise Kean won’t be straightforward, according to French outlet Jeunes Footeux. 

The lowdown

Italian publication Calciomercato report that the Whites, along with Premier League rivals Newcastle, are lining up a swoop for the 22-year-old, for whom the two clubs are apparently winning to pay up to €20m (£17m).

Juventus, who also have Dusan Vlahovic and Kaio Jorge at their disposal, have decided that the Italy international isn’t part of their plans for the 2022/23 campaign.

The latest

Jeunes Footeux corroborate Calciomercato’s claim, adding that Leeds and Newcastle front a group of ‘several’ Premier League clubs who are in the running for Kean.

However, they warn that it will not be an ‘easy’ deal to complete because Juventus will first have to exercise their €28m (£23.7m) option to buy Kean.

The Serie A club only signed him from Everton last summer on an initial two-year deal, and Leeds’ reluctance to shell out more than £17m could also be a ‘problem’.

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The verdict

Kean only scored five Serie A goals in 32 appearances for the Bianconeri last season, but while that seems underwhelming on surface level, it must be put into context.

His average of 0.43 non-penalty goals per 90 actually ranks him in the 70th percentile among all centre-forwards in the big five European leagues (via FBRef).

Kean, who also places in the 84th percentile for dribbles completed, is similar in profile to Gianluca Scamacca, Jamie Vardy and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to FBRef’s similar players model.

He may only have netted four times in 39 outings at Everton, but with 39 senior career goals already at the age of 22, perhaps Marsch believes that the Italian deserves another shot at proving himself in the Premier League.

Transfer expert Christian Falk has revealed that Glasgow Rangers have an option to buy Malik Tillman for €7m (£6m) once his loan spell at Ibrox ends.

The Lowdown: Shining light

Tillman has been a shining light since his loan move from Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window, scoring two goals and making one assist in his first 11 appearances in total over all competitions (praise in the process.

Unfortunately for him, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team have caught themselves in a bad run of form, which has seen them lose three consecutive games to Celtic, Ajax and Napoli, conceding 11 goals without finding a reply.

The Latest: Buy option

Taking to Twitter, Falk has confirmed that it is ‘true’ that the Gers have an option to buy Tillman for €7m (£6m) at the end of his loan with the club:

“TRUE Bayern can collect with a purchase option for Malik Tillman €7m of Glasgow.”

The Verdict: Sign him up

Tillman has already shown what he is capable of in a Light Blues shirt, and even though £6m could be deemed costly given that they did not spend that much on one player in this summer’s transfer window, the 20-year-old would also be a great buy for the future.

Hailed as a ‘beast’ and a player with ‘very very good technique’ by Rangers writer Craig Vickers, the six-foot-one talisman currently ranks as their third-best performer in the Scottish Premiership, and ranks highly among his teammates in terms of aerial duels won and average tackles, shots, key passes, dribbles and crosses per match (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, Tillman’s early performances are certainly warranting a permanent deal at this moment in time.

Tottenham Hotspur head into Saturday afternoon’s Premier League meeting against Leicester City off the back of their first defeat of the 2022/23 campaign, with Sporting Lisbon having emerged 2-0 winners over Spurs in the Champions League on Tuesday.

While Tottenham’s performance in Portugal was far from disastrous – with two late Sporting goals being enough to steal all three points – it represented yet another game in which Son Heung-min struggled to find form.

Indeed, having drawn a blank in all eight of his appearances so far this season – with his only goal contribution coming in the form of an assist against Southampton on the Premier League’s opening day – the winger has looked far from his best in 2022/23.

This has led some to question whether the £67.5m-rated forward should be dropped from Antonio Conte’s starting XI this weekend, something that the 52-year-old addressed in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Leicester game.

The Spurs manager said: “No players are undroppable. This has to be clear. If I say this it’s only to help my players and to avoid injuries, to try to have players in a good performance. You know you can play one game well, another so-so and another not. My job is to protect my players and find the right way to get a good result.

“If you don’t start with some players then you have the possibility to use them in the game. If we want to play these four competitions, in the Europa Conference League it can give you the possibility to make rotations in the group stage and if you drop a bit of the quality you can maybe still win. In the Champions League it is different.”

Considering the fact that Dejan Kulusevski has begun each of Spurs’ last three games on the bench, it would appear something of a must for Conte to finally unleash the Swedish sensation in place of the misfiring Son this evening.

Indeed, over his 18 Premier League appearances in 2021/22, the £45m-rated forward was in remarkable form, scoring five goals, providing eight assists and creating six big chances, along with taking 1.4 shots, making 1.4 key passes and completing 1.4 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £110k-per-week attacker average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.21, not only ranking him as Spurs’ fourth-best performer in the league but also as the 25th-best player in the entire top flight last term.

It has been a similar story for the player who Raj Chohan dubbed “unreal” in the current campaign, having already scored one goal, registered two assists and created one big chance over his six league outings, in addition to taking 1.3 shots, making 1.8 key passes and completing one dribble per game.

As such, while Son is undoubtedly an extremely talented player who will eventually return to form, it is clear to see that Conte simply must unleash Kulusevski in the South Korean’s place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this evening, as the 22-year-old could well be a game-changer in Spurs’ attack.

Leeds United youngster Crysencio Summerville could be handed a start in next weekend’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Leeds return to action

After what has felt like months, the Whites return to league action next Sunday, with Steven Gerrard’s Villa making the trip to Elland Road.

It should be seen as another good opportunity to pick up points and rise up the Premier League table, considering Villa are flattering to deceive so far this season, sitting 15th in the table.

That being said, Leeds have some injury problems and it could force Marsch into handing Summerville a rare league start.

The Latest: Summerville could start

That’s according to The Yorkshire Evening Post, who claim that the Dutchman may come in for the potential absence of Rodrigo, with Luis Sinisterra also possibly missing out.

The report states that Leeds’s attack could see Jack Harrison and Summerville used on the left and right wing, respectively, with Brenden Aaronson in the No.10 role behind Patrick Bamford.

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The Verdict: Far from ideal for Whites

Summerville is a talented young player with a bright future – journalist Joe Donnohue said he had Southampton’s defence ‘in a tumble dryer’ in a recent Under-21s clash and he has 14 goals in 30 games for the U21s – but having him as the first and only choice to start Premier League games doesn’t feel ideal.

Still only 20, the winger has just eight English top-flight appearances to his name and is yet to register a goal or an assist in that time, suggesting his usual role as a super-sub to inject pace and directness late on is better suited.

That being said, if Summerville starts, he should see it as a wonderful opportunity to showcase his talent, hopefully taking his chance like Joe Gelhardt often has in recent times.

West Ham moved out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Wolves on Saturday.

Goals from Gianluca Scamacca and Jarrod Bowen proved enough for the Hammers against their goal-shy opponents, who drop into the bottom three after another loss.

Scamacca, who was making a rare Premier League start after his summer switch from Sassuolo, opened the scoring with a wonderful volley from outside the box, while Bowen made it two in the second half with a superb finish from inside the box.

While the Italian’s goal might have stolen the limelight, Bowen looked back to his best at the London Stadium and was arguably Moyes’ best performer on the day.

As per FotMob, the England international would earn an impressive 8.3/10 rating for his performance, which was the joint-best with Declan Rice of any player on the pitch.

After producing some superb performances last season, which saw him hit 12 goals and ten assists in the Premier League, it has been a difficult start to the new campaign for Bowen.

Yesterday’s win against Wolves represented his first goal contribution of the Premier League season at the eighth attempt, while he was also heavily involved in Scamacca’s opener, as only a last-ditch tackle prevented him from getting a shot away in the area, before the ball fell to the Italian.

During the game, Bowen would take four shots, which was a significant increase on his 2.4 shot per game average so far this season, which emphasises that he was far more involved in West Ham’s attacking play.

The former Hull City man also created three chances, provided four passes into the final third and had 45 touches, which suggests that he was perhaps unlucky not to get an assist, as no player on the pitch would create more.

Bowen has faced criticism for his performances this season both from the fanbase and from journalists, with Joe Short labelling him “disappointingly quiet” after the defeat against Nottingham Forest earlier in the season.

However, Bowen has shown that he can be an “unreal” player – in the words of Stephen Killen – on his day, and the Englishman will take confidence from a starring display against Wolves, as he definitely looked more like the player of last season.

Crystal Palace host Leeds United at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on Sunday, and although the fixture may come too soon for some of the Eagles’ injured players, Patrick Vieira has given a promising injury update on one individual.

What’s the latest?

The Palace manager took to his pre-match press conference to give a more detailed insight into Nathaniel Clyne’s injury, confirming that no lasting damage has been done after the defender suffered “deep lacerations” to his ankle while challenging for a header with Thiago Silva against Chelsea.

Vieira told the media: “Nathaniel went to the hospital and is back at home now. He came in for training once every two days to do some work with the physios but it’ll be a couple of weeks until he’s back on the field.”

Vieira will be relieved

There is no doubt that Vieira would have been extremely concerned when Clyne was stretchered off against Chelsea last weekend, so he will be relieved that the 31-year-old has not sustained something much more serious and could be back in just a few weeks.

Palace are not in a good position right now in the Premier League after a poor run of performances, currently 17th in the table and teetering on the edge of the relegation zone. Therefore, having as many key players as possible fit over the coming weeks and months will be essential to the Eagles’ hopes of climbing out of trouble.

Clyne is one of the few experienced players left at Palace as Vieira’s arrival sparked a youth revolution at Selhurst Park last year, and despite the positive impact that the young players have made, the manager knows the importance of having senior operators in key areas of the pitch.

The former Liverpool full-back signed a one-year extension this summer to remain in south London until next June, and his consistent selection is a testament to Vieira’s trust in the player.

The Frenchman lavished praise on Clyne last season after featuring more consistently in the team in the latter stages of the Premier League campaign, saying: “He has been a real professional, he has been working hard, and he is always looking to do extra when he wasn’t playing.”

With that in mind, it will be a big boost to have the 31-year-old back in the squad, as Vieira needs as much depth as he can get whilst he tries to inspire a good run of form and inject some confidence back into the team over the season ahead.

Wolverhampton Wanderers claimed just their second Premier League victory of the season with a nerve-shredding 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest this afternoon.

The two teams found themselves in the relegation zone before the match started, although it is Wolves – under the interim management of Steve Davis and James Collins – who have claimed all three points and moved up to 17th position overnight.

The first half saw the Old Gold dominate proceedings, creating a few chances as they looked to score just their fourth league goal of the campaign, with Max Kilman coming closest with a header which hit the post.

Wolves finally found a breakthrough thanks to a Ruben Neves penalty following a VAR check, with Forest defender Harry Toffolo handling the ball. The goal was the first time that the Molineux side have scored in the second half of the league this season.

Fellow Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes gave away a penalty but Jose Sa saved from Brennan Johnson and Wolves held out through ten minutes of injury time to seal all three points.

The 24-year-old didn’t have the greatest of matches all round, with his mistake in the penalty box nearly costing the home side a crucial win.

He received a SofaScore rating of just 6.1, the lowest out of the Wolves starting XI, and had just 30 touches during his 91 minutes on the pitch, three fewer than goalkeeper Sa. Still, it was a far sight better than Diego Costa, who had just 12 touches (fewest of any starter) as he struggles to get going back in the Premier League.

Nunes should be excelling in these sorts of matches, with his club-record fee of £38m indicating he has the talent to take control of tight games and make things happen, but today wasn’t his best day at the office.

The 24-year-old lost possession a staggering 15 times and his 54% pass success rate was way below his league average this season of 81%, with Wolves supporters surely hoping that this was just a rare below-par performance from him.

Nunes did make one key pass against Forest but lacked any sort of confidence in one-on-one encounters, winning only one duel from seven contested, while also conceding three fouls.

This performance shows that he is lacking the required maturity to display his incredible talent every week, but this should come with experience.

The important thing was that Wolves secured the win, which at least will allow them to build some momentum ahead of the trip to Crystal Palace on Tuesday.