Aston Villa
Man Utd, Liverpool and co. find out their fixtures for the Carabao Cup third round
The draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup has been completed. The second round brought about a number of big results. Aston Villa, Norwich City, and Arsenal all hit their opponents for six, while Southampton comfortably defeated Newport County 8-0. Top flight sides Newcastle United and Crystal Palace were eliminated early. Seven more teams enter the competition at this stage, with all clubs participating in Europe being given a bye to the third round. Manchester City get in on the act as they look to win their fifth Carabao Cup in a row, while Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Leicester City, West Ham United, and Tottenham Hotspur also join. Man City have won the competition four years on the trot The Cityzens begin the defence of their crown with a visit from League One side Wy...
Report: Aston Villa man closing in on summer exit, player returning to former club
The writing has been on the wall for some time in regard to Wesley Moraes’ situation at Aston Villa. The 24-year-old has struggled for form, fitness and playing time ever since he made the switch from Club Brugge in 2019, so it’s no surprise he could be on his way out this summer. Dean Smith prefers Ollie Watkins and new-boy Danny Ings in attack, so he’s willing to loan Wesley out for the campaign so he can get much-needed playing time. Gregg Evans of The Athletic says Club Brugge are bringing Wesley back to the Belgium, though he didn’t mention if the deal included a buying option. Wesley has made 26 appearances in all competitions for Villa, scoring six goals with one assist. The Brazilian international has featured only four times since his debut campaign (2019/20), however, due to him ...
Report: Leeds and Dean Smith want player after he severed ties with Everton
Leeds United and Aston Villa want left-back Thierry Small following his Everton exit, according to The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland. The 17-year-old has cut ties with the Toffees after deciding to cancel his two-year scholarship early, and he can sign for a new club but a compensation fee would be payable to Everton. Small’s decision was made by him and his representatives and was not reached by mutual agreement with the Goodison Park outfit. He was offered his first professional contract with Everton earlier this month but declined to sign it. Sportslens View While he played mainly for Everton’s youth team, he became their youngest player when he played the final five minutes of the FA Cup fourth round tie with Sheffield Wednesday in January at just 16 years and 176 days. Small is highly ra...
Report: Tottenham agree personal terms with £8.6m Villa target, medical completed
Tottenham Hotspur are close to signing Pape Matar Sarr in the next few days. According to reports from the Daily Mail, Spurs are “close to finalising a deal” for the 18-year-old. The Metz midfielder is expected to sign a six-year contract and return to the club on loan for the season once his fee is agreed. The club president Bernard Serin confirmed on Sunday: “We are in advanced talks with Tottenham for Sarr, yes, but it is not done yet. The final fee will be higher than €10m (£8.6m)!” The report claims that Sarr has been wanted by a host of Premier League clubs including Aston Villa, Everton and Chelsea. However, it is Spurs who have brokered a deal for his signature. He was also on the radar of Manchester United and Manchester City. Football Insider have come up...
‘Outstanding’, ‘Quality’, ‘MOTM today’ – Some Villa fans hail 26-yr-old’s display vs NUFC
Aston Villa recorded a 2-0 home win over Newcastle United in the Premier League yesterday. After the defeat at Watford, the Midlands club were under pressure to bounce back strongly, and the fans will be pleased with his players’ performance. Dean Smith’s side were in control from start to finish. Villa will be hoping to build on this performance and put together a winning run now. Goals from Danny Ings and Anwar El Ghazi sealed the three points for the Villans. Ings scored a remarkable bicycle kick in the first half, and El Ghazi wrapped up the scoring with a penalty after the break. The fans were particularly pleased with John McGinn’s energetic performance in the centre of the park. The Scottish international harassed the Newcastle midfield and defence with his pressing and movement. Mc...
‘Liability’, ‘Absolutely hopeless’, ‘Sell him’ – Some NUFC fans slam 27-yr-old’s display vs Villa
Newcastle United crashed to a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa in the Premier League yesterday The Magpies will be thoroughly disappointed with their start to the new season after losing 4-2 at home to West Ham United last weekend. Newcastle had an early opportunity to take the lead but Callum Wilson missed a glorious opportunity. It was pretty much downhill for Newcastle thereafter, with Villa dominating the remainder of the contest. Danny Ings scored a spectacular bicycle kick to give Villa the lead and they doubled it courtesy of Anwar El-Glazi’s penalty. A mistake by Jamaal Lascelles handed Villa the opportunity to win the game, crowning what was a disappointing return to action. The 27-year-old was back in the starting line-up after missing out against West Ham and he prod...
Predicted Aston Villa XI: Dean Smith to make two changes, 24-year-old to start
Aston Villa face Newcastle United in the Premier League later today and will be looking to pick up their first win of the season at home. Dean Smith’s men were beaten by Watford in their Premier League opener but are favourites to collect three points this weekend. Villa are undoubtedly the better team and should be able to grind out a positive result. They have an outstanding recent home record against today’s opposition, going undefeated in their last five matches in all competitions. However, they will have to iron out their defensive issues following last week’s shambolic performance at Vicarage Road. They conceded three goals against Watford, and Smith will demand a better defensive showing from his players. Villa are likely to make two changes to their starting line-up. Striker Ollie...
Predicted Newcastle XI: Steve Bruce to make two changes, 27-yr-old to start
Newcastle United crashed to a heavy home defeat against West Ham United in their first match of the Premier League season. The Magpies were beaten 4-2 at home and will be keen to bounce back with a positive result against Aston Villa. Newcastle have a mediocre head-to-head record against today’s opposition and must improve immensely to pull off an upset. However, Villa also made a poor start to the Premier League season as they were defeated 3-2 at Watford. Newcastle will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds, particularly if their forwards continue to shine. Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin were in good form against West Ham and will undoubtedly pose a major threat to Villa’s defence. The Magpies must tighten up after shipping four goals last week, and Steve Bruce is expected to ...
Leeds handed major selection boost, Leicester star recovers from injury
The second round of fixtures in the Premier League features some intriguing matches across the EPL table. We’ll update this story with reports, results, highlights and the latest Premier League standings throughout the games. The action is already underway, with Liverpool defeating Burnley 2-0 at Anfield – Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane got the goals. Manchester City romped to a 5-0 home win over Norwich City – Tim Krul (OG), Jack Grealish, Aymeric Laporte, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez were on the scoresheet. Danny Ings and Anwar El-Ghazi were on target as Aston Villa ran out 2-0 winners at home to Newcastle United. Crystal Palace fought out a goalless draw with Brentford, while Leeds United drew 2-2 with Everton. Title hopefuls Man United and Chelsea are on the road on Sunday as they bid t...
Arsenal face big selection problems, Chelsea sweating on key player’s fitness
The new Premier League season continues apace this weekend, with some exciting fixtures scheduled to take place. The action gets underway on Saturday lunchtime, with Liverpool welcoming Burnley to Anfield. Jurgen Klopp’s side recorded a 3-0 win at Norwich City last weekend and are a banker bet to follow up against the Clarets. There are five more fixtures to follow, with the clash between Leeds United and Everton likely to be the pick of the bunch. Leeds crashed 5-1 at Manchester United on the opening weekend and will be desperate to bounce back at Elland Road. The Red Devils are in action on Sunday as they travel south to face Southampton at St Mary’s. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team were hugely impressive against Leeds and should continue in the same vein in this one. The two north London cl...
Blow for Villa and Liverpool as Euro club agree deal to sign £21m target – report
Bournemouth winger Arnaut Danjuma is close to joining La Liga club Villarreal, according to Sky Sports. The reigning Europa League champions have agreed a deal in the region of £21.3 million to sign the 24-year-old. Danjuma will now travel to Spain to complete his medical after agreeing personal terms with the La Liga outfit. He was in outstanding form for Bournemouth last season, bagging 17 goals and eight assists across all competitions. The Cherries reached the play-offs but missed out on promotion to the Premier League after losing to Brentford in the semi-finals. The news may come as a blow to a couple of top-flight clubs. We covered a report in July that Aston Villa were heavily interested in signing Danjuma. His price at that time was quoted around £35m. Villa have al...
‘Needs to be sold’, ‘Absolute mare’ – Some Villa fans tear into 26-yr-old after 3-2 defeat
Aston Villa crashed to a disappointing 3-2 defeat against Watford in the Premier League on Saturday. Goals from Emmanuel Bonaventure, Ismaila Sarr and Cucho Hernandez put the Hornets 3-0 ahead after 67 minutes, Villa came back into the game through goals from John McGinn and Danny Ings, but their late effort wasn’t enough. Dean Smith will be thoroughly disappointed with the performance of his players, with his team looking extremely porous at the back. They also struggled to create much going forward, with winger Anwar El Ghazi amongst the players who failed to deliver. The 26-year-old struggled to deal with Watford’s pressing and failed to create any notable chances for his teammates. El Ghazi was easily dispossessed and looked short of confidence for an hour before he was taken off and r...
