Category Uncategorized

Aston Villa have made contact over a deal for an “unpredictable” striker, and a January move could now be on the cards.

Villa vying to sign new striker despite financial limitations

Former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson has suggested Villa may have a quiet January transfer window, due to Financial Fair Play constraints, saying: “I don’t think Aston Villa can do very much in January, actually. I think they may do a bit tinkering, but they’re under a settlement agreement with Uefa, and part of that is to reduce their general costs, so they’re on a quite strict set of restrictions.”

However, the Villans have continued to scour the market for potential new signings, and one position in which they are keen to strengthen is centre-forward, with it recently being revealed they have submitted a £26m offer for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Garcia.

It remains to be seen whether the Spanish club are prepared to offload the 21-year-old, however, given just how impressive he was in his last La Liga outing, bagging a hat-trick in a 5-1 victory against Real Betis.

Garcia is not the only young striker on the shortlist, however, with a report from L’Equipe (via Sport Witness) revealing Aston Villa are now stepping up their move for Marseille’s Robinio Vaz, having recently made contact over a deal.

Vaz could now be available this month, given that negotiations over a new contract with the French club have recently broken down, and a deal could be possible for a fee of around €25m -€30m (£22m – £26m).

With talks about a new contract stalling, Unai Emery’s side have been presented with an ideal opportunity to sign the striker, but there will be competition for his signature, as Eintracht Frankfurt have also initiated contact.

"Unpredictable" Vaz could be Watkins understudy

There is no need to bring in an immediate replacement for Ollie Watkins, given that the England international only recently turned 30, and he has been in top form over the past few weeks, scoring four goals in Villa’s last three Premier League games.

Related Aston Villa preparing contract offer to sign £9m former Barcelona defender

The Villans are gearing up to sign a new defender.

Posts 1 ByDominic Lund

However, with Emery’s side on course to return to the Champions League next season, they could do with bringing in a young back-up striker, capable of slotting in for Watkins when required, and the Marseille striker may be the ideal option.

Subscribe to our newsletter for transfer insights Get deeper transfer-market analysis by subscribing to our newsletter, with expert context on potential signings to help you understand how moves could shape club strategy, squad depth and long-term planning.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Although he is still only 18-years-old, the starlet has already started to make an impact for Marseille at first-team level, chipping in with four goals and two assists in 14 Ligue 1 appearances this season, and scout Ben Mattinson waxed lyrical about him last February.

Given that he is still so young, Vaz may not currently be at the level to displace Watkins in the starting XI, but he could be a fantastic understudy to the Villa striker.

Aston Villa are believed to be considering a ‘fascinating’ move to bring one Man City star to Villa Park this month as Unai Emery attempts to, at the very least, secure European football next season.

Emery was effusive in admitting to his ambitions at Villa a few days ago, claiming that, just like at every other club he’s managed, his ultimate dream is to win the Champions League.

Despite their thrashing at the hands of Premier League leaders Arsenal, which brought them right back down to Earth after an unprecedented 11-game winning run, Emery’s job in the Midlands has been nothing short of remarkable.

It took Villa five top flight matches to finally score their opening goal of the season, which came courtesy of a long-range thunderbolt from Matty Cash at Sunderland, and if you asked anybody at that stage if they’d be competing for the title, the response would’ve been clear.

Related Aston Villa can replace Sancho & Elliott by signing £118k-per-week sensation

Aston Villa could move on from Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho by signing this star for Unai Emery.

Posts ByDan Emery

Emery somehow completely transformed Villa’s fortunes from that point onwards, with their turnaround made all the more impressive considering they were last summer’s lowest spenders on new signings.

PSR issues have stunted the club’s transfer activity, putting them at a major disadvantage compared to their established rivals, but Emery says that Villa will reinforce the squad this month if given the chance.

If Villa really do want to be ambitious, you could hardly make a bigger statement than signing City forward Omar Marmoush.

Aston Villa make 'fascinating' Omar Marmoush move

The Egypt star, who’s currently away at AFCON, has struggled for game time this season under Pep Guardiola and his minutes will likely be even more contested once Antoine Semenyo completes his £65 million move to Eastlands soon.

Marmoush’s struggles have alerted rivals to an opportunity, and Villa are reportedly among them.

Journalist Dean Jones has told TEAMtalk that Villa are making a move for Marmoush after hearing ‘whispers’ from Egypt, and the idea of him joining Emery’s side is a ‘fascinating’ one.

However, as things stand, City aren’t keen on losing the 26-year-old mid-season, despite them being on the verge of signing Semenyo.

The £295,000-per-week forward, who can play both out wide and as a centre-forward, bagged an incredible 20 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt in his final half a season before joining City last January.

Subscribe for deeper Aston Villa transfer insights Join the newsletter to receive in-depth context on Aston Villa transfer talk and Emery’s squad planning, clear rumor analysis, what potential moves mean for the club, and connected coverage across the Premier League.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Marmoush is a player of immense quality and potential, and you can make a serious case that he’s being wasted at City right now.

If he continues playing a bit-part role, the player may well decide that a move elsewhere could be best for his career, but the finances involved would be very tricky for Villa to navigate.

Related Aston Villa can replace Sancho & Elliott by signing £118k-per-week sensation

Aston Villa could move on from Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho by signing this star for Unai Emery.

Posts ByDan Emery

<!–#cricinfo_inserttype: videoobject_id: 945201caption: 'Gutted I'm not going' – Plunkettsize: 3geoalt_video_object_id: 945201geoalt_video_caption: 'Gutted I'm not going' – PlunkettJason Gillespie, the Yorkshire head coach, has been left bemused by Liam Plunkett's omission from England's Test squad to tour South Africa.Despite being in the squad for the recent series against Pakistan, Plunkett has been leapfrogged by Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan and Mark Footitt for the South Africa trip, even though England will be without Steven Finn and Mark Wood due to injury.Plunkett was close to playing the final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah after Wood was ruled out due to his chronic ankle problem before the selectors opted to recall Samit Patel as a third spin-bowling allrounder. He was then added to the ODI and T20 squads when Wood was sent home for further assessment, but is still waiting for his first appearance of the UAE tour."I have only exchanged a couple of messages with Liam, I know he is bitterly disappointed,'' Gillespie said. "I will be catching up with him soon for a chat. My only hope is that he has been given a specific reason by the selectors as to why. We were left scratching our heads a little bit at Yorkshire."He has gone from almost playing to then not in the squad, in conditions that you would think suit him. Fast, bouncy wickets, he is one of the fastest bowlers in the country, so that is an interesting one."I'm sure the selectors have their reasons, as long as that has been communicated with clarity to Liam – that is my hope."Plunkett played the last of his 13 Tests against India, at Lord's, in 2014 having been recalled at the beginning of the summer following a gap in international cricket of four years – and an absence from the Test side of seven years."We've got two or three guys that have come back from injury that, at this stage, we think are in front of Liam," Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, said, "and obviously Footitt coming in gives us something different, being left arm and able to swing the ball. It is tough on someone like Liam who has been in and around the squads for the last year or so but unfortunately that's just the way the game is at the top level."He's a guy that people love having around in the team and he gives you 100% every single time he's on the training paddock and every time we pick him. He'll be disappointed I'm sure but I know he'll be doing everything he can to get back in the squad."Plunkett made his Test debut a decade ago against Pakistan, in Lahore, on the 2005-06 tour. He went onto play nine Tests by mid-2007 before being dropped as inconsistency plagued his game. It was not until a move to Yorkshire in late 2012 that his career was revived. He returned to the Test side against Sri Lanka, at Lord's, in 2014 before claiming a career-best 5 for 64 in the next match at his adopted home ground of Headingley where he took nine scalps overall.

Derbyshire have announced that the Chesterfield festival, which was due to take place this week but had to be cancelled because of continuing poor weather, has been rescheduled for early September.The re-arranged festival will begin with a Pro40 match against Durham on Tuesday, September 4 and will continue with the County Championship match against Nottinghamshire from September 6 to 9.”We are delighted that we have been able to reschedule the Chesterfield festival so quickly to give everyone the chance to make arrangements for later in the season,” Tom Sears, the county’s chief executive, said. “I would like to thank Chesterfield Borough Council, Chesterfield Cricket Club, Durham, Nottinghamshire and the ECB for their understanding and cooperation and we now look forward to a very successful festival week, albeit slightly later that planned.”

Scotland have followed Ireland’s lead by naming their World Cup squad seven months before the start of the tournament.Officials explained that the early announcement was made to allow the largely amateur squad to negotiate time off work for not only the tournament but the plethora of fixtures in the lead-in to the event.It is a largely experienced squad, although Warwickshire’s Navdeep Poonia has been picked with just one appearance for the national side under his belt. He has impressed selectors with his efforts for the county, however, and his opportunities for Scotland have been limited by those commitments. Majid Haq, the spinner, wins a recall after not playing since 2005.”The nucleus of this squad has performed consistently for Scotland over the last couple of seasons,” Peter Drinnen, the national coach, explained. “They fully deserve the opportunity to represent their country on the biggest stage in the world.”Of the Scotland squad which competed in 1999 only John Blain and Gavin Hamilton remain, although Dougie Brown returns after nine one day internationals for England.Scotland squad , Craig Wright (capt), John Blain, Dougie Brown, Gavin Hamilton, Majid Haq, Paul Hoffmann, Omer Hussain, Douglas Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Navdeep Poonia, Neil McCallum, Dewald Nel, Colin Smith, Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts.Reserves Asim Butt, Kyle Coetzer, Gordon Goudie, Gregor Maiden, Neil McRae, Qasim Sheikh, Simon Smith, Ian Stanger.

John Wright: another coaching assignment beckons © Getty Images

John Wright will be the coach of the Rest of the World in the forthcoming Super Series in Australia, it has been realiably learnt. The series, to be held in October, will include one six-day Test and three one-day internationals between Australia and the Rest of the World. A formal announcement on the appointment is expected on Monday.Wright was coach of the Indian team from 2000-01 to 2004-05, and helped them achieve some famous victories, including series wins against Australia and Pakistan, and a drawn Test series in Australia. Wright’s tenure ended in disappointing fashion, though, with a drawn Test series and defeat in the one-dayers at home against Pakistan, after which Greg Chappell took over as coach of the side.Meanwhile, reported that the players participating in the series would each get US$100,000, a figure which includes appearance money.

Simon Jones: not wanted by country – or county© Getty Images

Simon Jones has been dealt a double snub by club and country. After being overlooked for the second Test against West Indies at Edgbaston, Jones has been deemed surplus to requirements for Glamorgan’s Championship match against Hampshire at Cardiff.”We had a message from Duncan Fletcher last night,” explained John Derrick, Glamorgan’s coach, “saying that Simon was available to us. But the situation at the club is that there was no room for him in the side.”Jones was omitted from the Test side in favour of James Anderson, and now Glamorgan’s seam combination of Michael Kasprowicz, Alex Wharf and David Harrison have left him kicking his heels for the week.”We are playing on a used pitch which meant we played two spinners andthree seamers,” added Derrick. “Kasprowicz has come back after taking seven wickets in a Test for Australia, David Harrison is our leading wicket-taker and Alex Wharf has put in some good allround performances.”So there was no room for Simon. You can only pick 11 players.” Derrick added that there had been no pressure from above for Jones’s inclusion. “David Graveney said it was our call. He told me: ‘We need him to play but it’s your club – I can’t come down and demand he plays’.””Simon Jones is fit for selection for Glamorgan,” confirmed Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors. “It was up to them whether they picked him or not. We don’t put pressure on counties about who to play. We are not in the business of arm-twisting.”Nevertheless, if Jones is to figure in England’s plans for the third Test at Old Trafford, he will almost certainly have to play in Glamorgan’s next match against Somerset. “The only way Simon is going to get back in the Test team isby playing,” admitted Derrick. “We will have to monitor the situation after this match and talk about it.”

The Somerset pace attack gave just a hint of what lies in store for their supporters when they reduced Loughborough UCCE to 90 for 6 at the County Ground before the students recovered to 132 for 7 to hang on for a draw in their three day match that ended today.Resuming on their overnight total of 160 without loss, Peter Bowler and Rob Turner moved comfortably onto 191 before Bowler was dismissed for 84.Skipper Mike Burns joined Turner and took the score onto 307 before the wicket-keeper retired hurt on 139, which brought Ian Blackwell to the crease.The second wicket pair of Burns and Blackwell added 120 in just 13 overs before Somerset declared on 427 for 1 at 2.25 pm. By the time the innings closed Burns had reached 118, whilst Blackwell had blasted his way to an unbeaten 75, from 46 balls which included 3 x 6’s and 10 x 4’s.Facing a daunting 496 for victory Nixon McLean quickly made inroads into the Loughborough students second innings when he removed Rob White in his second over as the Northants youngster gave a catch to Richard Johnson at mid off, to give the West Indian his first wicket for his new county.The students moved onto 35 before McLean struck again a few overs later, when he tempted Jimmy Adams into edging a catch to Rob Turner.Simon Francis was looking equally as dangerous, but bowling without much luck, until the seventeenth over when with the score on 60 he claimed his first scalp when he held on to a caught and bowled chance from his brother John who had made 20.The game appeared to be slipping towards an inevitable draw when Francis suddenly brought it back to life when he struck again in the twentieth over taking a hat trick toreduce Loughborough from 90 for 3 to 90 for 6 in the space of just three balls.McLean claimed another wicket with the score on 107, when he had David Wigley caught by Rob Turner, but the Loughborough eighth wicket pair held on bravely to reach 132 for 7 at the close, by which time Vikram Atri had reached an unbeaten 57.The Somerset pace duo claimed all of the wickets to fall, with Francis ending with 4 for 47, whilst McLean took 3 for 49.At the end of the day Somerset captain Mike Burns said: "This has been a very useful run out for us against one of the strongest university sides. Simon Francis bowled well, and has probably bowled his way into the team for Friday, whilst Nixon McLean had a good spell and took wickets."West Indian Test star McLean said: "I just wanted to get some more overs under my belt and I was pleased with the way that it went for me today. Towards the end there was a bit more in the wicket for me, but it was just nice to register my first wickets for my new county."Meanwhile due to a cancellation the Centre of Excellence at the County Ground is able to offer individual coaching at at special discount price over the next three days.Somerset Cricket Development Oficer Andrew Moulding told me: “In view of the last minute cancellation we can now offer individual coaching at the bargain price of £20 for one hour , which discounts further to £18 for Somerset members.”These sessions are only available during the daytime this week and anyone interested in taking advantage of the offer should contact the Centre of Excellence on 01823 352266.

Glen Chapple hit a brilliant career-best 155 to rescue Lancashire in theirtop three Cricinfo Championship clash against Somerset at Old Trafford.Lancashire were in deep trouble at 82 for six after choosing to bat firstwhen Chapple joined Chris Schofield.But thanks to Chapple’s century – his second in first-class cricketalthough the first came against Glamorgan joke bowlers in 1993 – theyreached 324 all out, with Somerset scoring 77 for the loss of PiranHolloway in reply.Chapple was supported superbly by Gary Keedy in a last-wicket stand of 129in 28 overs which secured three batting points for Lancashire.The 27-year-old’s 155 came from 164 balls with 15 fours and six sixes – twohooked off Steffan Jones, and four off the Somerset spinners.Yet the first session had belonged conclusively to Somerset.Richard Johnson trapped Mark Chilton lbw and had Jamie Haynes caughtbehind. Then Matthew Bulbeck, making his return from a series of back problems, had John Crawley lbw playing no shot, and Andy Flintoff snapped up by Rob Turner in consecutive overs.Somerset skipper Jamie Cox then turned to Michael Burns with immediatedividends as Warren Hegg was deceived by his first ball and lost his middlestump.And when Burns took a brilliant catch to dismiss Neil Fairbrother and giveJones the first of his three wickets, Lancashire were in danger of anembarrassing collapse.But Schofield and Chapple steadied the ship, with Schofield seizing onlyhis second Championship appearance of the season to score an impressive58-ball half-century with 10 fours.The former England leg-spinner was furious himself when he was bowled for58 as he was confused by a Keith Dutch full toss, and Jones then fired outPeter Martin and John Wood in consecutive overs to leave Lancashire on 195for nine.But Keedy, who had shared a last-wicket stand of 98 with Neil Fairbrotherwhen these counties met at Taunton in April, frustrated Somerset again toundermine all their earlier good work – although Cox and Burns ended the dayin more positive fashion with an unbroken second-wicket stand of 65.Lancashire’s joy was tempered with Crawley leaving the ground immediatelyafter his dismissal because of a family bereavement, with Hegg taking overthe captaincy.

With a complete lack of brotherly kindness the Auckland Aces rained on the Northern Knights’ parade when the men from the big city stole a Max cricket win from under the Northern noses at Kaipara Flats this afternoon, winning with three wickets and nine balls to spare.Everything pointed to a Northland and Northern Districts triumph. ND started the move to have Max games played at the smaller centres, and the small Northland centre of Kaipara Flats turned on a lovely ground and eager crowd rather bigger, it appears, than the village population of 400.Then two Northland heroes, the brothers Michael and Neal Parlane did all the hard work as the Knights bolted to 118 in their first ten-over innings, and then less effectively to 90 in their second. Michael Parlane scored 56 and 34, Neal 22 and 45. They scored 74 together in the first innings, 78 in the second.At the same time the Aucklanders seemed to have the bit parts in the local sporting drama.Richard Morgan had the splendid bowling figures of four for 26 from four overs in the Northern first innings, and the Aucklanders gathered their first inning runs industriously, and not with the blazing big-hitting of the Parlanes – Kyle Mills’ first over cost 34.So when Auckland threw away their first three wickets while pursuing 97 for a win in their second innings, the match seemed in tune with the winning Northern Districts’ script.In 12 balls Aaron Barnes, Llorne Howell and Lou Vincent sent up lollipop catches which the gleeful Northerners gathered in easily. Auckland gained only nine runs in those two disastrous overs, and the ND men must have thought they had the game in the bag.Then up stepped two brave hitters, Andre Adams and Tama Canning, virtually the last strong batsmen in the Auckland line.They took 17 from the third over, 24 from Simon Doull in the next. At halfway they were 54 for three wickets.As a last gamble Northern bowled Grant Bradburn and his off-spinners.His one over cost 15, Northern did not have any more shots in their armoury and Adams (19 balls for his 50) and Canning (38 from 21 balls) cruised to the win, their unbeaten stand worth 90.