One last time, Richard Hughes: Hurt Newcastle and get €42m star to join Liverpool

One last time, Richard Hughes: Hurt Newcastle and get €42m star to join Liverpool Richard Hughes has a chance to upset Newcastle United one last time. Time to get one €42m star to Liverpool. Richard Hughes has made a habit out of hurting Newcastle United. Of course, the most obvious example of that is the long pursuit of Alexander Isak in 2025 that lasted an entire transfer window. Now, in truth, that ended up ruining both Newcastle and Liverpool's seasons. The Magpies were never able to find a suitable replacement, even for the record-breaking amount received, and Liverpool got a half-fit forward who never fully settled in. But that wasn't even the only time last summer that Hughes upset Newcastle. Their first-choice to replace Isak was Hugo Ekitike but Liverpool swooped in to sign him, too. It's a trend that's continued this summer. Newcastle thought they had signed Victor Munoz from Osasuna, with only a medical left to go. Then came Liverpool who hijacked the deal and grabbed Munoz for themselves. Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets Open an account and place a qualifying bet of £10 at min odds of 1/5 (1.2) or greater. 18+New UK/ROI customers. Min £5 deposit. Bet Credits available on settlement of qualifying bets, capped at £10 stake. Min odds 1/5 (1.20). Bet Credits expire in 7 days. Excl. Cashed Out/Free Bets/Boosted odds. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org £30 FREE CLAIM NOW All in all, it's been a brutal time for Newcastle but we think Hughes should repeat the trick one more time. The Chronicle reports that they're incredibly keen on signing Johan Manzambi from Freiburg but we think this is one Liverpool shouldn't pass up. This isn't a fleeting, knee-jerk interest, either. Anfield Watch wrote weeks ago that Manzambi would be perfect under Andoni Iraola . Everything he's done at the World Cup since backs that up. Manzambi once again shone as Switzerland powered past Algeria to reach the last 16 and we're pretty convinced at this stage that he's a player worth having. The data backs it up. Our Value Adder model has Manzambi as having the best attacking value of any Under-23 centre-midfielder in Europe's top five leagues. Only the Paris Saint-Germain pairing of Warren Zaïre-Emery and Senny Mayulu carry more overall value (combined attack and defence) under 21. Getting him for the rumoured €42m would be an absolute steal as there's no question that Manzambi is a sensational talent.