Aston Villa are back in action this afternoon with a Premier League clash against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.
Having lost their two previous league games 1-0 against Newcastle United and Watford, Villa boss Steven Gerrard will be desperate to avoid getting a hat-trick of defeats this afternoon and instead see his side pick up a much-needed victory.
In his pre-match press conference, the 41-year-old revealed that in terms of which players will be available for selection for this afternoon’s clash, Bertrand Traore is still out with an injury but defender Ezri Konsa will be back after serving a suspension.
With that in mind, here’s our prediction for Villa’s starting XI to take on the Seagulls.
Having started all but one of Villa’s league games so far this season, we see no reason why Gerrard would not stick with Emi Martinez in goal and hope he’s able to keep a clean sheet for the first time since their 1-0 win over Everton last month.
In a back four, for the two full-back positions, we think Lucas Digne will keep his place on the left with Matty Cash on the right.
At centre-back, while it’s likely that club captain Tyrone Mings will keep his place in the team to lead from the back, Gerrard will have a big choice to make over who will partner the England international.
In our view, we think Gerrard will put Konsa back in next to Mings but will make a big call and try something new by putting Chambers in a defensive-midfield role ahead of Douglas Luiz, who was taken off in the second half in the defeat against Watford.
Then for the other two midfield positions, having racked up a higher average of tackles per game than any other Villa player this season, it would seem likely that John McGinn will keep his place in the team alongside Jacob Ramsey.
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Finally, for the front three, we can see Philippe Coutinho and Emi Buendia keeping their places in the team but see Danny Ings, who is currently the joint-second highest earner at the club with a weekly wage of £100k-p/w according to Salary Sport, drop out to see if Ollie Watkins can get his season back on track and grab his first league goal since December.
In other news: Forget Ings: Gerrard must ruthlessly axe £52k-p/w flop, he’s “Villa’s biggest issue” – opinion
Manchester United did not add any new faces into their side in January, but they did let players go in the window, a decision Ralf Rangnick may regret after seeing how well Donny van De Beek has done so far in his loan spell at Everton.
The 24-year-old midfielder had failed to be given consistent opportunities at Old Trafford, with only four Premier League starts since he joined the club in 2020, and Frank Lampard has now offered the player a lifeline to prove his worth at Everton for the rest of the season after signing him on a loan deal on Deadline Day.
Since joining the Merseyside club, Van de Beek has put in stand out performances in the struggling side in his short time, with his first display sending a huge message to the powers that be at Manchester United.
According to Squawka, the Dutch national offered up an 89.5% pass accuracy while making a stunning ten ball recoveries. He also won seven duels, won the most possessions in the middle third (6), the joint-most tackles (4) and the joint-most aerial duels won (3) against Leeds United.
Despite Everton remaining vulnerable in the Premier League, and conceding their 14th defeat to Manchester City at Goodison Park last weekend, Van de Beek continued to show Rangnick what he is missing, with an outstanding defensive performance against the league Champions.
As recorded by SofaScore, the £100k-per-week star made three clearances, three tackles and one interception, further proving that he offers a wide set of skills in midfield in both defensive and offensive play across the two aforementioned performances, and as a result, his commitment to being a team player and making a positive impact will surely be hard for Rangnick to ignore.
The Everton midfielder, who has been highly praised for making “other players tick” by Rio Ferdinand, has been vocal in the past about his issues at Manchester United and has already been reportedly interested in leaving the club permanently in the summer if Everton were to stay in the Premier League next season.
Paul Pogba has also still not signed a new contract to secure his future at Old Trafford, with his contract ending in the summer, and if they were to lose Van de Beek too, the club will find themselves even further weakened in their midfield options, an area of the squad that has already come under fire several times over the last few seasons, and ultimately would lead to much more money needing to be spent to acquire the right players to replace the pair.
The Manchester giants should do everything they can to ensure Van de Beek comes back to the club this summer to work alongside a new manager going forward, but it could now be hard to convince him to stay after he has had a taste of playing regular football and becoming an important player who is relied upon at Everton.
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At the moment, the decision to alienate him from the squad and subsequently loan him away from Old Trafford is looking like a major clanger from the coaching staff at Old Trafford.
In other news: Lampard must ruthlessly axe Michael Keane
West Brom have not been shy when it comes to spending money on bringing new players to the club during transfer windows.
However, not every deal turns out the way everyone involved would have envisaged at the start. One example of this at Albion concerns Oliver Burke, who made the move to The Hawthorns from German club RB Leipzig back in 2017 for a reported £15m.
During his time with the Baggies, the centre-forward made just 24 appearances across all competitions, finding the net just once before he was sold to Sheffield United in September 2020.
Before that, the striker had loan spells in Scotland with Celtic, where he scored four goals and provided three assists in 19 appearances, followed by a period in Spain with Alaves were he found the back of the net just once in 32 games.
In 36 appearances for the Blades, things have been pretty much the same, with just two goals and one assist to his name for the Yorkshire club.
In January, the former Baggies dud joined Millwall on loan until the end of the season, where he has since made six league appearances but, rather unsurprisingly, hasn’t been able to score or set up a goal.
To highlight the attacker’s downfall since he arrived at The Hawthorns, Transfermarkt had his market value listed as £10.8m in October 2017, whereas it now stands at just £4.5m.
Having been called a “disgrace” by Frank McAvennie because of a poor performance he delivered in an Old Firm derby during his time on loan at Celtic, Burke’s career has completely stalled since his disappointing spell with West Brom, who must now be regretting spending such a significant amount of money on him in the first place.
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Even though Steve Bruce’s side have struggled to score at times this season, which may well cost them a promotion place, it wouldn’t seem likely that anyone at Albion would have been wishing they still had Burke available as a squad option, given how finding the net hasn’t exactly been easy for him in recent years.
In other news – £11.5m wasted: “Lazy” £26k-p/w West Brom flop has been draining Lai for 137 weeks
Leeds United forward Bobby Kamwa has had to wait for a scan on an injured shin and foot due to faulty machinery, The Courier reports.
The Lowdown: Scotland loan
Kamwa, described by Leeds Live journalist Joe Donnohue as a player with ‘fast feet’, left the Whites during the January transfer window to join Dunfermline on loan until the end of the season.
The 21-year-old made two Scottish Championship appearances from the bench but hasn’t been seen in the last three league games due to injury.
His contract at Thorp Arch expires in the summer, and he isn’t having any luck with injury as he looks to play senior first-team football on a regular basis for the first time in his career.
The Latest: Manager reacts
Dunfermline boss John Hughes shared an update on Wednesday, revealing that the striker turned up for a scan in Edinburgh but couldn’t have one due to faulty machinery, labelling it as ‘frustrating’.
“Bobby [Kamwa], unfortunately, went for a scan and the machine was broken when we arrived in Edinburgh.
“You just start laughing at that — an ironic smile. What can you say?
“So we’ll try and get him scanned in the next couple of days.
“That is starting to get a little bit frustrating; not just for me, but for Bobby as well.”
Hughes continued:
“He’s a young kid that’s come up here and, trust me, from talking to Bobby, he wanted to hit the ground running.
“He knew this was his platform and he just feels that something’s not quite right within that bottom half of the shin, where the top of the foot meets the shin.
“Hopefully, we can get him scanned and give him that assurance that everything’s fine and push him along.
“He’s doing as much as he can, still working hard in the gym, and we’re hoping that we can get him back sooner rather than later.”
The Verdict: Bizarre
The Whites have had no luck with injuries this season, and that has now spread to their loanees, with Kamwa joining Mateusz Bogusz with issues after the attacking midfielder had to undergo surgery on a knee problem earlier this year.
The update on Kamwa, as Hughes mentions, is frustrating, and quite frankly a bizarre one after being sent home without a scan.
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Due to his contract situation, he may well be surplus to requirements in Yorkshire ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, but hopefully, he can get back playing before the season is out, possibly attracting interest from clubs over a free transfer in the summer.
In other news: Huge Kalvin Phillips worry for Leeds and Marsch now emerges as source shares private talks.
Wolves are one of the Premier League clubs interested in signing Flamengo striker Pedro, according to renowned journalist Guillem Balgue.
What’s the story?
Speaking on his Twitter page on Saturday, the Spanish journalist said: “I have been told about a new top Brazilian striker wanted by PL clubs. Pedro. Flamengo rejected $35m offer from Palmeiras which would have made him the most expensive exchange between South American teams ever.
“Flamengo doesn’t sell to rivals, but would sell to European clubs for around $20m. And there are clubs looking at him: Betis, Sevilla, Brighton, Southampton, Wolves, Palace…”
At 24, the Brazilian is catching the eye of other clubs, having scored 58 goals in 159 career appearances, having come through the youth ranks at Fluminese before joining Serie A side Fiorentina from whom the striker joined current employers Flamengo, initially on loan before making the move permanent last January.
With the Brazilian top-flight starting in January, Pedro has already scored three goals in seven league appearances this campaign, which has amounted to 394 minutes of football, a goal every 131.3 minutes.
Bruno Lage’s side have struggled in the final third this season, having scored just 31 goals in 30 Premier League matches, a tally they will certainly be looking to improve next season.
Wolves supporters will be buzzing
With the West Midlands outfit toothless in the final third on too many occasions this term, it’s no surprise that Fosun are monitoring a striker. It also suggests why supporters will be delighted to see them linked with a forward.
Raul Jimenez has blown hot and cold this campaign, with the Mexican forward netting six goals in 30 appearances so far this season. However, supporters will likely just be relieved to see the 30-year-old still playing after recovering from a horrific head injury sustained last season.
19-year-old Fabio Silva is yet to make a name for himself at Molineux whilst Hee-Chan Hwang started his first season in England brightly with four goals in his first six league appearances but has since found the back of the net just once in the following 16 league games since.
Wolves are still in the hunt for European football, with the Golden Boys sat in eighth place in the Premier League, two points behind sixth-placed West Ham United, although the Hammers do have a game in hand.
Therefore, if Lage’s side are to secure their place in continental competition next season, extra squad depth will certainly be required, particularly in the final third.
By signing Pedro, Wolves will be acquiring a striker who is still young with plenty of room for improvement whilst already scoring frequently at a decent level.
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Moreover, Transfermarkt value the 24-year-old at £10.8m, meaning that the Black Country club could find themselves on the right end of a bargain.
The Brazilian will largely be an unknown name to the Wolves faithful, but the idea of bringing in a striker will certainly appease the fanbase, with additions in attack over summer vital.
In other news: Lage may be heading for fatal Wolves error that could have dire consequences
Celtic forward Johnny Kenny had to be stretched off with what appeared to be a knee problem in Ireland’s U19 clash with England, The Irish Examiner report.
The Lowdown: Kenny’s struggles
Kenny was one of five January arrivals at Parkhead, joining from Sligo Rovers in a deal worth an initial £135,000.
The 18-year-old is yet to make a senior appearance for the Hoops, though, and has had to overcome multiple setbacks since moving to Glasgow.
Kenny had to recover from an injury earlier this year and was also required to follow isolation protocols, eventually scoring on his Celtic B debut earlier this month.
The Latest: Stretchered off
As reported by The Irish Examiner, Kenny was forced off in the first half for Ireland’s U19s against England.
The forward needed to be stretched off after colliding with Matthew Cox and was seen holding his knee.
The Verdict: Nightmare
Kenny has been extremely unfortunate since moving to Celtic, and it seems as if this setback could be the worst of the lot, considering the stretcher was required.
The teenager was looking lively before his collision with Cox, striking the post early on, with The Irish Examiner describing him as a ‘livewire’.
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This update will also come as bad news for Ange Postecoglou, who already has concerns over Daizen Maeda and Tom Rogic during the international break, with Kenny now added to the ever-mounting list of problems during this two-week interval.
In other news: Liverpool move for Celtic youngster now set to collapse; Parkhead deal imminent.
Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic head into Sunday’s Premiership showdown against their Glasgow arch-rivals in an exceptional run of form, with the Bhoys remaining undefeated in their last 25 league outings, winning 21 of those.
As such, confidence within the 56-year-old’s squad will be extremely high, but with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s outfit also having lost just two Premiership games all season, the Hoops manager will be well aware that his team simply must be at their best if they are to leave Ibrox with all three points this afternoon.
Will Postecoglou make any changes to the team which started the 4-0 win over Ross County last time out? Here’s how we think Celtic could line up against Rangers today, along with the latest team and injury news…
With Postecoglou revealing in his pre-match press conference that both Kyogo Furuhashi and Tom Rogic will be available for selection on Sunday after recovering from their respective injuries, we predict that the Hoops boss will make three changes from the side which started the victory over County.
The back five remains unchanged, with Joe Hart starting between the sticks and Greg Taylor, Carl Starfelt, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Josip Juranovic making up the defensive quartet.
In the middle of the park, despite Rogic’s availability, it is the 22-year-old David Turnbull – who Alan Hutton claimed is playing with his chest “puffed out” this season – given the nod alongside Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate in the Bhoys’ three-man midfield.
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In attack, the £52.5k-per-week Kyogo’s recovery from a long-term injury sees him take the place of Giorgos Giakoumakis up top, while Liel Abada also returns to the starting XI on the right, with Daizen Maeda dropping to the bench and Jota switching back to his preferred role on the left.
AND in other news: £3m wasted as Celtic had a shocker on £7.9k-p/w “loner” who rinsed Desmond for 129 weeks
Celtic are interested in a deal to bring promising young defender Luke Graham to Parkhead.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by The Courier, who claim that Ange Postecoglou’s side, as well as Arsenal and Rangers, sent scouts to watch the 18-year-old in action for youth side Lochee United on Saturday.
The centre-back has also caught the eye of Sheffield United, so much so that the Dundee FC starlet linked up with the Championship side on a week-long trial on Monday.
The next Jack Hendry
Considering the sheer amount of interest there currently is in the teenager, it is clear that expectations surrounding the defender’s future in the professional game are extremely high.
Indeed, Dundee U18 coach, Scott Robertson, said of the left-footed centre-back prior to his switch to Sheffield United: “It will be a great experience for him, no matter how it goes.
“Luke has only been in full-time for a year and, through challenging circumstances with [the pandemic] and all that brings, has really progressed. He’s come on physically, mentally, tactically – everything we want to see. It’s credit to him how far he has come. He’s been making real strides recently.”
And, while Graham is yet to make his professional bow for the Dark Blues, it would seem that there are already very clear comparisons that can be drawn between the 18-year-old and another former Dundee starlet – Jack Hendry.
Indeed, both Celtic and Rangers were also interested in the 22-year-old back in February 2018, before the Hoops splashed £1.5m in order to secure the signing of the promising defender.
However, while the decision to loan the Scotland international out to KV Oostende with a £990k option to buy clause ultimately proved to be something of a mistake on the part of the Bhoys – as the centre-back is now valued at £5.4m and is highly impressing for Club Brugge – the fact remains that Celtic initially identified the defender’s talent while playing at Dens Park.
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As such, with the early signs appearing to suggest that Graham could be just as talented as Hendry – if not more so – it would indeed appear a very wise move for Postecoglou to do all he can to land the teenager ahead of the other interested parties this summer.
AND in other news: Sold at £18m, now worth £7.2m: Celtic hit the jackpot on “desperate” £25k-p/w disaster
Leeds United have definitely fallen victim to a high-profile transfer blunder or two over recent years.
Just one quick glance at the Premier League side’s top five most expensive purchases of all time is enough to show you how hit-and-miss their business has been, with Luis Sinisterra being picked up for £21m, leaving a sour taste in the mouth, as the Colombian fell victim to a string of injuries during his eight-goal stint.
Georginio Rutter did look as if he was heading down the same path of being a rash waste of money when he initially struggled to get going in England after a club-record £35.5m switch was finalised from Hoffenheim.
Thankfully, he managed to turn around his Leeds tale, after once being dubbed a ”non-entity” in the Premier League by the Athletic’s Beren Cross, with the easy-on-the-eye Frenchman and Daniel Farke going down as a match made in heaven.
Rutter's transformation under Farke
Rutter did warrant some of the early criticism that came his way when he first pulled on Leeds white, with 11 Premier League games passing him by, with just one assist to shout about.
But, as is obvious when watching his sumptuous strike above, Farke managed to get the very best out of the one-of-a-kind attacker in the Championship, with Rutter becoming fluid in how he operated under the German, whether that saw him lead the line for the West Yorkshire giants, or take up a second striker spot behind the main centre-forward.
Rutter’s numbers under Farke
Stat
Rutter
Games played
53
Minutes played
4330 mins
Goals scored
8
Assists
17
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Wherever he did line up, Rutter would stand out as a “special” star under the ex-Norwich City boss’ guidance, as Farke once labelled his former number 24, with a mammoth eight goals and 17 assists being tallied up from their 53 appearances together.
Leeds haven’t quite had a player of Rutter’s calibre on their books since the 6-foot maverick moved onto Brighton and Hove Albion last summer, but that could soon change, if the Whites are bold enough to persist with a statement swoop in January.
Georginio Rutter
Leeds could sign Farke's next Rutter
The Premier League’s new boys will be on the hunt for some Rutter-style gems during the long window to come, with the Frenchman originally being picked up by the top-flight giants back in January of 2022.
Joshua Zirkzee could well fit this bill, despite his hit-and-miss stay at Manchester United to date, with reports surfacing from Italy suggesting that Farke and Co have even made an approach for the ex-Bologna attacker, as next month’s window gradually comes into view.
That said, they may have to pay an arm and a leg to get a deal over the line with some reports suggesting United will not sanction an exit unless their £35m asking price is met.
Much like Rutter was initially hard to sum up, amid poor form in the Premier League, the forward has stood out as an enigma throughout his up-and-down Red Devils stay to date, with the six-time Dutch international even openly admitting that he doesn’t feel comfortable operating as an out-and-out striker, or as a number ten, when first joining.
Farke has been here before with Rutter, and he will hope he can work his magic again on another misfit in need of an arm around their shoulder. He has shown signs of his promise in the Premier League this season with Ruben Amorim’s men, even if the goals and assists haven’t been overflowing.
Zirkzee’s standout PL numbers this season
Stat (* = per 90 mins)
Zirkzee
Games played
9
Goals scored
1
Assists
0
Shots on target *
1.2
Pass accuracy *
73%
Progressive passes *
2.8
Stats by FBref
While he has rightly received pelters for only tallying up a meagre goal contribution from nine league appearances to date, the signs are there that Zirkzee could burst into life, with an impressive 2.8 progressive passes averaged per Premier League clash this season standing out.
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He also hasn’t just become a rotten player overnight, with Zirkzee labelled as a “special” talent by his former Bologna boss Thiago Motta, much like Farke’s praise to Rutter, when collecting 14 goals and nine assists from 58 appearances in Italy.
Going as far back as his Anderlecht days, too, it’s clear that the 24-year-old has an eye for assist that rivals the Frenchman in his Elland Road prime, with 18 goals and 13 assists collected in Belgium.
Zirkzee desperately needs a fresh beginning, away from the pressures of Old Trafford, having been dismissed as “terrible” last year by some.
Zirkzee
That new slate wiped clean could come at the Red Devils’ arch rivals in Leeds, as Farke looks to get miraculous results out of another cast aside talent, as he managed with Rutter in some style.
Farke now has his own David Batty at Leeds in "indispensable" star
Daniel Farke has a new leader in his Leeds United ranks who could be considered his own David Batty.
According to Sky Sports, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has insisted that fans should not get used to the club spending as extravagantly as they have in recent transfer windows.
The Reds have spent almost £250m in 2018, and while it looks to be paying off so far, the German has said that it will not continue in an interview before his side’s narrow loss to title rivals Man City yesterday.
While this may disappoint a lot of Liverpool fans, who may have grown accustomed to the number of high-profile signings that have arrived at Anfield over the past 12 months, it also sends out a very encouraging message.
The former Bundesliga winning manager is obviously content with the team that he has at the moment, and is not particularly enticed by huge signings of the likes of Virgil van Dijk last January or Alisson this summer. That does not rule out the club making signings this January, with Timo Werner and Nabil Fekir on the radar, but it does perhaps rule out the possibility of the signings that break records as they have done.
The Reds currently sit at the top of the Premier League, four points clear of second place Man City, which is an indication that they have the resources and players to get themselves this far. Klopp may not see it necessary to continuously add to something that is working so well already.
However, the danger here is that rivals Man City are likely to splash the cash this month, and Liverpool would not want to be caught out by failing to strengthen their squad in the same way. But for now, Klopp has sent a very positive message about his confidence in his team.
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