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Aston Villa have been rather proactive when it comes to bringing new players to the club during the current January transfer window with the likes of Robin Olsen, Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho making their way to Villa Park.

However, it seems as though there could be a late twist in the coming days with Villa having to try and keep hold of one of their current players.

What’s the talk? 

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer insider Dean Jones had this to say on the possibility of Watford making a move to sign Ashley Young before the end of the month.

He said: “A new era at Watford under Roy Hodgson and maybe an old face returning to their squad, from what I’m hearing. Ashley Young is emerging as a potential transfer option from Aston Villa, a return to the club where he began his career.”

As a product of Watford’s youth system, Young eventually joined Villa in 2007 before making the move to Manchester United in 2011.

The 36-year-old returned to Villa during the previous summer transfer window as a free agent after a stint with Inter Milan.

Overall, the Englishman has racked up a total of 203 appearances for Villa across all competitions, scoring 37 goals and providing 61 assists along the way.

Gerrard would be furious

Despite not appearing in any of Villa’s four previous league games, Young is highly valued at the Midlands club, especially by Gerrard with the Liverpudlian praising the veteran for his “leadership and standard-setting” qualities.

This suggests how unhappy the Villa boss would be if they were to let him leave this month, especially to another Premier League side. He is evidently a massive player in the dressing room and his experience plays a key part in setting the tone for Gerrard’s ever-improving squad.

As well as his leadership qualities and ability to offer guidance to some of Villa’s younger players due to his vast experience, the former Watford figure is a useful squad option for Gerrard on the pitch due to his versatility across numerous positions.

As a result, Villa should definitely be trying to keep hold of Young and draw him out of Watford’s clutches given how much of an asset he is for them in different aspects.

Looking ahead further, with his contract at Villa set to expire in the summer, it could also be worth the club approaching the 36-year-old to see if he would be willing to extend his stay there as a player or even in a different capacity.

In other news: Gregg Evans has dropped an exciting Villa transfer update…

Newcastle put in a valiant display on Monday night as they held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park in the Premier League.

It was a result which ended a run of three successive defeats for the Magpies, having lost to Leicester, Liverpool and Manchester City in recent weeks.

Allan Saint-Maximin handed Eddie Howe’s side the lead in the first half as he improvised a stunning finish into the top corner whilst falling off balance. However, Edinson Cavani equalised in the second half for the away side as he collected a rebound from his own shot to slice an effort into the corner, with Martin Dubravka given no chance to save it.

Both teams had chances to win the match, with Jacob Murphy hitting the post and David de Gea producing a stunning save from Miguel Almiron, whilst Cavani fluffed an opportunity to score after Dubravka dropped the ball at Jadon Sancho’s feet in the penalty box.

Lightweight

Despite an impressive showing from the Magpies, one player who let Howe down on the night against Ralf Rangnick’s team was Javier Manquillo, who lined out at left-back.

For the equalising goal, the Spaniard was dragged out of position initially by Cavani and was left scrambling to get across to Diego Dalot on the switch. He then failed to stop the cross as he turned his body and allowed the Portuguese full-back to produce a cutback to the Uruguayan striker, who eventually turned the ball into the back of the net.

This shows that the 27-year-old was partly to blame for Newcastle failing to pick up all three points as he was unable to stop Dalot from creating the goal. However, this was not the only error in his game as his all-around performance was lacking in quality.

Defensively, he was poor throughout. As per SofaScore, he lost six of his 11 duels and was dribbled past a whopping four times in the match. This shows that he was a lightweight in his physical battles and was nowhere near good enough in his defending as he allowed himself to be beaten in the dribble on four separate occasions.

He also offered little in possession. As per SofaScore, he only completed 72% of his passes, with a mere 13 overall. He also failed to complete a single cross and failed with two of his four attempted dribbles. This aspect of his performance could be excused as he was playing on his weaker side, usually lining out at right-back, but it was a disappointing display from Manquillo all the same and he let Howe down with his performance.

AND in other news, Forget ASM: Newcastle’s “unplayable” beast who won 8 duels stole the show vs Man Utd…

In the early days of the 2022 January transfer window, Wolves have recalled Dion Sanderson and Ryan Giles from their loan deals, as well as securing a deal for midfielder Hayao Kawabe.

However, despite there still being a considerable amount of time left in the window, it appears that Wolves fans shouldn’t be holding their breath for many more incoming signings this month.

What’s the news?

In a recent article by Tim Spiers for The Athletic, comments from the club’s technical director Scott Sellars were shared about what their plans will be for the current transfer window which may not please a lot of fans at Molineux.

Sellars said: “It’s hard to predict what happens in any transfer window, but it’s certain that we won’t bring in a large number of new signings, and firstly we will focus on providing Bruno Lage with immediate back up at a time when all clubs are suffering with injuries and [virus] issues, and at the same time give opportunities to our young players who have been doing so well out on loan.

“We’d rather use the young players out on loan, and wait for our injured players to come back, than spend money on players who aren’t going to improve the squad we already have.

“If there’s someone who is going to enhance the squad and team, then of course we will explore the option and see if we can make it work.”

Fans may be furious

Taking this into account, it seems as though Sellars is trying to cover all aspects of what business Wolves could look to do in terms of transfer deals this month without trying to raise expectations or excitement among the fan base, but supporters may still be left furious over the prospect of a quiet month on the market.

Eighth in the Premier League table with 28 points on the board from 19 games, it has been a solid campaign so far for the Old Gold, especially with just 14 goals conceded in that time – only runaway leaders Manchester City have a better defensive record.

However, on the flip side, Wolves have only managed to score 13 league goals so far this season, fewer than the likes of Burnley, Newcastle United and Watford, who comprise three of the bottom four in the top flight.

With this in mind, if Wolves are to make any other new signings this month, it would be worth bringing in a player who could inject a bit of life to the attack, find the net on a regular basis and, as Sellars put it, “enhance the squad”.

In other news: Shi heading for huge Wolves howler over “talented” £58k-p/w star, Lage would be fuming

It’s safe to say that Giovani Lo Celso’s time at Tottenham Hotspur has hardly been inspiring.

After joining in a club record-equaling £55m deal from LaLiga outfit Real Betis in the summer of 2019, his career has been blighted by injuries and inconsistencies.

At the time, the 25-year-old was widely touted as a ready-made replacement for Christian Eriksen, who had entered the final year of his deal before joining Inter Milan later that winter.

If that was the case, then he has certainly failed to live up to the same standards set by the playmaking Dane.

As per Transfermarkt’s figures, Lo Celso has provided just five assists in 79 appearances, also finding the net eight times. That’s a direct contribution once every 338.5 minutes – nearly once every four outings.

Irrespective of Eriksen’s record, those sorts of returns are quite frankly abysmal, but for context, the former Ajax gem delivered a goal or assist 151.6 minutes across 305 appearances.

The contrast is alarming.

However, the Argentina international, who teammate Cristian Romero solely credits for their Copa America success this summer, could be in line for a lifeline under Antonio Conte as Spurs are crying out for someone capable of providing some much-needed influence in the final third.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Only Norwich City (10.7) have averaged fewer shots per game than the north Londoners (10.9), whilst they rank inside the bottom seven for expected goals, despite being only two points adrift of the top four in the overall standings.

When delving into the deeper numbers, Lo Celso has actually been one of the more creative options this season. He just isn’t getting any results from the service he’s been providing – hardly a surprise when Harry Kane has bagged just the one Premier League goal all season.

As per WhoScored, the Argentine maestro, who Jose Mourinho once lauded as “phenomenal”, has averaged 2.1 key passes per 90 minutes, which currently leads the squad and is even more than Heung-min Son (1.8) and Lucas Moura (1.5).

That would certainly back up the point that the £70k-per-week flop been somewhat unlucky and deserves a run in the side with Spurs struggling so much in the final third.

Given that the English top-flight has barely seen his talents in the past two-and-a-half years, Lo Celso could well emerge as a secret weapon, particularly if he can get someone on the end of the aforementioned service.

AND in other news, Spurs could find their next Mousa Dembele in “complete” £27m-rated “playmaker”…

Many Everton fans have been left fuming over a revelation involving Farhad Moshiri.

As per a report from earlier on in the week by The Daily Mail, which has since been shared by EFC DAILY on their Twitter page, Moshiri has given Rafa Benitez his full support after their latest run of bad results, and now wants to back him financially as well.

The Goodison Park faithful have won just two of their last 12 games in the Premier League, and currently languish in 14th spot in the table.

However, it seems as if Moshiri has put this period behind him, much to the dismay of the Merseyside club supporters, who feel as if there is still a rot to get out of.

Nonetheless, with just a mere £1.8m spent in the summer transfer window, it seems unlikely that Moshiri will be able to give Benitez sufficient enough funds in January to improve the squad.

Everton fans on Moshiri revelation

These Toffees fumed as the revelation was shared on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to claim that it was ‘dreadful’:

“Moshiri out”

Credit: @Harrys1878nsno

“Why Farhad?”

Credit: @jayefc_

“The people’s club, listening to the fans!? Can’t moan about the amount of investment, though poor recruitment and we’ve gone back 10yrs, but what a poor businessman Farhad is turning out to be”

Credit: @KingMantisBand

“Sticking with him through a period of dreadful results. We’re still in that period, one draw against Chelsea doesn’t change that!”

Credit: @MarkSim98240708

“”Through” a period of bad results??? We’ve picked up 1 point from the last 2 games and won 1 in 11 I’m not sure we’ve come through anything just yet”

Credit: @BGR1878

“A period of dreadful results? We’re still not out of that “period”. If this is the so-called plan for the club going forward, it’s absolutely dreadful.”

Credit: @WillNSNO

In other news, find out what early team news before Burnley has Evertonians fuming here!

David Moyes should consider turning to U23 starlet Jamal Baptiste in light of West Ham’s recent blow to Angelo Ogbonna…

Ogbonna blow

During the Irons’ 3-2 victory over Liverpool last weekend, the 33-year-old centre-back sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and could now be ruled out of action for the next nine months or more.

“After being substituted following a separate incident that led to him suffering a cut above his eye, Angelo felt some discomfort in his right knee so we scanned him to ascertain the extent of the injury,” said Head of Medical Richard Collinge.

“That scan has shown up some damage to the anterior cruciate ligament and we have begun his rehabilitation immediately. Angelo will see another specialist this week and we will then have a clearer picture around his timeline of recovery.”

Baptiste bargain

It now leaves Moyes a little short on options in defence. Yes, he does have Issa Diop and Craig Dawson as more than capable back-ups to play alongside Kurt Zouma, but in an ideal world, he’ll like to fill the available place in the squad.

January is still two months away and there’s no guarantee that the Italian colossus will return to the starting XI next year, so it could be wise to look at alternatives and they should look no further than the teenager who Ogbonna has backed to succeed after a pre-season win ove Wycombe Wanderers.

“He played really, really well and as a young player you can make one or two mistakes, but your behaviour has to be the right one, like Dec [Declan Rice] when he starts,” he told the club’s official website.

“Jamal has a lot of work still to do but he is composed. He is still young and has to take things step by step. This was just a pre-season game. He has to follow the senior players and the manager’s instructions and it’s good for him to have people he can look to.”

Meanwhile, Hammers legend Carlton Cole has compared him to Rio Ferdinand, claiming he’s a “massive prospect” to the ‘Irons Inside’ podcast. “He’s going to be the next Anton Ferdinand hopefully or the next Rio, so hopefully we can these boys on the right track and help them transition into being a professional footballer full-time.”

‘Tall, strong and comfortable in possession’ is how the club’s official website describes the 18-year-old sensation, whilst he claims both Virgil van Dijk and West Ham’s former defender and his academy mentor Matthew Upson as players he bases his game on.

Also dubbed a “monster” who is “one of the finest young prospects at the club” by former academy director Terry Westley to Claret & Hugh, it could be time to see Baptiste as the ‘fourth choice’ in the absence of Ogbonna.

Moyes is certainly a fan, so it would be an easy transition to make. It would mean that the club wouldn’t have to spend big in the upcoming winter transfer window and their finances can be used to bolster other positions, such as upfront.

Baptiste could save GSB millions.

AND in other news, Major GSB claim emerges after Daniel Kretinsky investment confirmed…

Celtic have been dealt a late fitness concern ahead of their upcoming Europa League clash.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Jo Hendry, Ange Postecoglou revealed that Georgios Giakoumakis’ knee injury requires further investigation, something which could rule him out of Celtic’s trip to Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday evening.

According to the journalist, the 56-year-old manager said: “Giakoumakis [is set] to have further investigation on a knee issue.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering how impressive Giakoumakis was in the Netherlands last season, the fact that the centre-forward has played so few minutes since his summer switch to Celtic, as well as looking likely to miss out in the crucial Europa League clash with Bayer this evening, is sure to have left fans gutted.

Indeed, despite VVV-Venlo’s relegation from the Dutch top flight last term, the £2.25m-rated man highly impressed over his 30 Eredivisie appearances, scoring 26 goals, registering one assist and creating three big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 3.2 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the player who journalist Jeroen Kapteijns dubbed a “phenomenon” earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.35, ranking him not only as his club’s best performer but also as the joint sixth-best player in the division.

As such, once he is fully fit and firing, Giakoumakis would very much appear to be a player who could easily become a pivotal cog in the Celtic attack.

However, with the 26-year-old once again looking unlikely to feature in Germany, fans’ patience regarding the striker’s fitness may be beginning to wear rather thin.

In other news: Ange must unleash “brilliant” £15k-p/w Celtic dynamo vs Bayer, he “always shows up”

Sheffield Wednesday had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Cheltenham Town on Saturday after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser.

The Owls seemed to have done enough to take all three points after Cheyenne Dunkley and a Matty Blair own goal turned things around for the visitors, but Blair redeemed himself by grabbing a goal at the right end for a share of the spoils for the Robins.

The result means it is now four draws in a row for Wednesday, with a number of their fans discussing Moore’s change at the interval.

The Owls manager set his team up in a 3-4-1-2 system against Cheltenham and brought off defender Jack Hunt for centre-forward Florian Kamberi at the interval. That saw regular forward Callum Paterson filling in at right wing-back, according to Yorkshire Live’s Dom Howson, with many Wednesday supporters not exactly thrilled over the tactical switch.

Moore admitted after the game that Hunt was fine and that he wanted to make an attacking change for the start of the second half.

Wednesday fans react

Here is what these Wednesday fans had to say in reply to Howson’s tweet regarding the half-time substitution, with a number of supporters unimpressed at Moore moving players out of position as they blasted the already under-fire manager.

“Paterson to what…???!!??? Don’t want to jump on bandwagons but, I’m sorry, Darren’s done.”

Credit: @NeonBrown10

“What a joke of a formation. I don’t understand why we consistently play people out of position, it’s becoming a joke”

Credit: @RichOverett

“Surely not? When in doubt move someone else out of position?”

Credit: @PeterBu1981

“Bizarre”

Credit: @AnOwlTweets

“Wow”

Credit: @gaz_s6

“he’s lost the plot..”

Credit: @chrisday3107

Aston Villa have parted ways with assistant head coach Craig Shakespeare.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by The Telegraph journalist Matt Law, who revealed in a post on Twitter that the 58-year-old coach, who Dean Smith brought into the Villa Park setup last season, is also believed to have left the club following the sacking of the 50-year-old manager.

Law continued to state that this decision could suggest that the club’s owners, Nassef Sawiris and Wesley Edens, have a successor for Smith already lined up, something which may well lead to a quick appointment of a new Aston Villa manager.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Understand Craig Shakespeare has also left Aston Villa with Dean Smith which points to a quick appointment/replacement.”

Fans will be buzzing

While the decision to sack Smith appeared to generate a rather mixed reaction from Villa fans, should NSWE indeed already have started negotiations with a potential replacement for the 50-year-old, it will undoubtedly be news that will leave the Villa Park faithful buzzing.

Indeed, with the club currently on a run of five straight defeats in the Premier League, there are quite clearly issues within the first-team squad that quickly need resolving, as, heading into the international break, the Villans find themselves just two points above the top-flight relegation zone – on ten points after 11 games played.

And, considering the club spent a whopping £89.84m in the summer transfer window, with a number of extremely talented players such as Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey making moves to Villa Park, it is clear for all to see that Villa’s performance in the league has simply not been good enough so far this term.

However, the start of the international break would appear to be the perfect time to bring in a new manager, as the incoming coach would have two weeks to settle into the club, be able to begin installing his own tactical ideas and philosophies into the players and have ample to assess the current ability level of his squad ahead of the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion on November 20.

As such, as long as NSWE do indeed have Smith’s replacement already lined up, the news that Shakespeare has also packed his bags could bring with it a considerable silver lining for the club. Supporters, therefore, will be delighted if it hurries up the appointment of a successor.

In other news: John Percy delivers big Aston Villa manager update that should leave fans buzzing

Manchester City face another stern test this weekend with a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool after two tough fixtures against Chelsea in the Premier League followed by a disappointing Champions League defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.

After securing all three points in a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge, Pep Guardiola’s side fell to a Lionel Messi-inspired 2-0 defeat against PSG in midweek, with a trip to Liverpool now on the horizon.

One of City’s standout players this season has been Gabriel Jesus, who scored his second Premier League goal of the campaign in the win against Chelsea, taking his overall goal tally for 2021/22 up to three across all competitions, chipping in with three assists as well. Furthermore, the Brazil striker was recently voted as the club’s Etihad Player of the Month for his performances throughout August.

For the midweek game against PSG, though, he found himself replaced by Raheem Sterling in the starting XI, and the England winger was unable to get on the scoresheet in France.

On The Chalkboard

Since arriving in Manchester back in January 2017 from Brazilian club Palmeiras for a fee of £28.8m, the 24-year-old has played predominantly as a centre-forward but also on the left and right flanks on occasion.

This season has seen Jesus, who has been described as a “versatile” player by former Brazil star Rivaldo, mainly play as a right winger in the Premier League, which is where he has scored most of his goals and provided his assists.

In our view, there should be no question over whether or not Jesus should be in the starting XI to face Liverpool, against whom he scored in the 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium and provided an assist against in the 4-1 win on Merseyside last season.

However, Riyad Mahrez played in the right-wing position in the game against PSG and earned himself an overall match rating of 8.1/10 for his display, making him the highest-rated City player on the day according to SofaScore. That could well give Guardiola a tough decision to make over who he chooses to start at Anfield on Sunday.

If Jesus does start against Liverpool and scores or sets up a goal, particularly if it tips the result in his team’s favour, then he should definitely be viewed as the club’s first-choice right-winger moving forward throughout the campaign.

In other news… Report reveals exciting Liverpool transfer update, fans will be absolutely buzzing